《ENF Academy: For Some Reason, She Can Only Save the World if She’s Naked》 Ch 1.1: Arrival Ch 1.1: Arrival The Endrin National Fortress Academy came into view, giving ina her first glimpse of her second chance at life. She leaned out the window of the carriage to get a better look, grinning even as her chestnut hair danced around her face and obscured the view. Even from this distance the school was imposing, numerous towers jutting from the pristine white base topped with blue roofs, surrounded by a sprawling greenwn. ¡°Don¡¯t fall out now, darling,¡± her coachwoman shouted from the front, her own curled ck hair flowing in the wind in a way ina was sure was more graceful than her own. ¡°They won¡¯t pay me if you show up running behind the cart.¡± inaughed and leaned back into the carriage before opening the smallmunication window to answer back. ¡°I¡¯m not going to fall out right before I arrive at Endrin! I¡¯d be mortified!¡± Char kept her head facing the road, but ina could see the grin growing on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to expect from you at this point. It¡¯s only been a week, but I don¡¯t think a day has passed since I met you that you haven¡¯t done something to mortify yourself.¡± ina pursed her lips, fighting back a blush. It was true, of course, but now that she was finally here that would change, had to change. Her days as a walking ball of embarrassment were over, starting now. ¡°But don¡¯t worry about that, dear. Traveling so far is always rough for first-timers. Some people take to it better than others.¡± ina was already sure she was firmly, firmly ced in the camp of ¡°others,¡± but she appreciated the attempt atforting her anyway. ¡°Ya, traveling¡­ Once I¡¯m settled in at the academy, things¡¯ll be okay.¡± She almost believed it. The two kept up their small talk for the next half hour or so before they reached the front gates. Getting out of the carriage gave ina her first proper view of the Academy. She¡¯d heard of the towers before, and had honestly thought they looked smaller than expected as they approached, but now she realized she had been wrong. The towers had seemed small because she had no idea the base building and surrounding fields would be so enormous. She stood in awe of the castle, a ce of legend, one that may as well have been a myth to her just a year ago, and her new home for the next three years. ¡°Alright, I know it¡¯s impressive, but you have to quit gawking.¡± ina broke from her trance and saw that Char had already unloaded her two bags from the back of the carriage and set them down just in front of the gate. ¡°I¡¯m not Aspected like you, so they won¡¯t even let me through the gates. It¡¯s up to you from here.¡± ina winced a little at the joke. Char didn¡¯t seem to mean anything negative by it, but it did make ina vibrantly aware of her situation, the nature of their rtionship and respective statuses. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to make you get all that stuff-¡± ¡°Nah nah, that¡¯s what I¡¯m paid for,¡± Char said, waving ina off. The woman¡¯s face grew even warmer than normal when she smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m happy I got to spend the trip with someone like you for once. Most years it¡¯s just the usual noble brats who think I¡¯m one of their house servants.¡± That did scare ina. She¡¯d tried avoiding the thought as much as possible, but she couldn¡¯tpletely ignore that she was walking into the metaphorical wolves¡¯ den with quite a lot of wool covering a very sheep-shaped body. ¡°Are they really that bad?¡± ¡°Eh, to me? Ya, but you¡¯re one of them, now, whether you act like it or not. Shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem for you to get along with ¡¯em.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± ina looked back at the gates. The suits of armor standing on either side didn¡¯t beckon her inside, but the sun was near setting, and she knew she couldn¡¯t linger long. Char had kept a fast pace over their seven days, but it was a tight trip, and she was likely one of thest arrivals today, Awakening Day. ¡°I do think I have to go now.¡± She turned back to Char, then walked forward and hugged her. ¡°Thanks for bringing me this far. I can handle it from here.¡± Char patted her on the back, holding the embrace until ina let go. ¡°One more thing,¡± she said, reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out a leather ne adorned with a wooden star. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but happy birthday.¡± ina took it in her hands and marveled at the piece. Fine leather, excellent wood carvedpletely smooth. This was the type of thing that the wealthy of her vige would unt. ¡°I- how much did this cost?¡± ¡°Ha, nothing, dear. The string is from an old saddle, and I made the star myself. It¡¯s a good hobby to pass the nights on these long trips.¡± She grabbed the piece back for herself and slipped it over ina¡¯s head. ¡°I know you didn¡¯t have a real chance to celebrate, so I wanted to get you at least one proper present.¡± ina took the star in her hands once more as it hung from her neck and beamed back up at Char before embracing her again. ¡°I love it.¡± Char squeezed her tightly back before finally letting go. ¡°It looks good on you, a star for the star blessed.¡± Star blessed. That¡¯s what ina was now, or would be after her Awakening tonight, which she was getting dangerously close to beingte for. ¡°Thank you so much, for everything, but I do need to go.¡± ¡°Ya ya, oh great hero of the future. Get to ss before they send you to wizard detention or whatever.¡± inaughed as she grabbed her bags from the ground. ¡°I will! Have a safe trip back!¡± She turned back to the gates, the suits of armor standing ever imposing as she did. This was it. If her vige priest had made a mistake¡­ Well, she would know soon enough. She drew in one deep breath before darting through. She¡¯d half expected one final humiliation to cap off her trip, but the autonomous guards remained still, and ina passed through with nothing but a slight tingle coursing through her body. Endrin Academy, she¡¯d made it. After passing through the gate and getting over the weird sensation it gave¡ªina wondered briefly if that had been the rumored barrier meant to keep out non-students or just her own nerves¡ªthe walk up to the school was remarkably mundane. She lugged her two suitcases across the sprawlingwn. As she approached the fortress that grew in size with each step forward, arge group of small dots came into view, the other students. At first ina thought she might have been in trouble already. If these people are all waiting to get in for some reason, I may not be inside in time for the ceremony, the ceremony in question being her Awakening of all things. Her fears were soon assuaged though, as she realized the students didn¡¯t seem to be waiting at all, but instead mingling amongst each other, enjoying the pleasantte afternoon that hung over their first day of sses. That was almost worse. ina shuffled forward through the masses of her new ssmates, uncertain what to do next. She felt smaller and smaller as she waded through, approaching the now gargantuan walls of the castle. Which way was the entrance? How were these students getting along with each other so quickly? Why weren¡¯t any of them carrying luggage? ¡°Hey, suitcase girl!¡± she heard from her left, turning quickly to see a group of students, three girls and two boys, standing next to arge pile of neatly stacked luggage. ¡°I think you¡¯re looking for this right here,¡± a blonde girl from the group said, beckoning ina over with a smile. ina smiled back and walked towards the group. The others stood off to the side as the one girl approached, meeting ina and offering to take one of the bags. ¡°Thanks so much,¡± ina said as she handed one over. ¡°I was getting a little overwhelmed.¡± ¡°No worries! Girls like us have to stick together, right? We¡¯ll just drop them over here.¡± The mystery girl pranced over to the pile of suitcases, and the two ced the bags on top of some others that looked sturdy enough. ¡°I spoke to an instructor earlier. Their porters or whatever will take them to our rooms.¡± ¡°Oh, but I don¡¯t have a tag on them or anything,¡± ina said. The girl cocked her head, confused. ¡°Hmm? No, that doesn¡¯t matter. You realize this is Endrin, right?¡± she said with augh. ¡°Man, Prisma,¡± one of the guys from the group said, ¡°Did you seriously just grab a hick?¡± Shit, no way they caught on already? ina thought, slinking her shoulders down. Her hopes of going more than three sentences without giving herself away were already up in mes. ¡°Oh shut it, Waine,¡± the girl, Prisma, said, waving him off. ¡°But wait, are you really a hick?¡± ¡°Uhm, I guess kind of?¡± ina said. There was no use lying. If they were going to make fun of her for it, well¡­ ¡°I¡¯m from a small vige out on the north border.¡± ¡°Really? Are your parents nobles out there, or knights stationed there for some reason?¡± ¡°No, actually. My parents are weavers,¡± ina replied, doing her best to keep from making eye contact with the group. ¡°Woah,¡± Prisma said, ¡°that¡¯s so cool! You aren¡¯t even legacy? Your aspect must be really strong to have been selected for Endrin.¡± ¡°Ya, right,¡± Waine said. ¡°Maybe this basketmaker is even gonna get a full-fledged ss at our Awakening.¡± He stepped away from the group before leaning over and pushing his face right in front of ina¡¯s. ¡°Or maybe she¡¯s just a dud.¡± ina stood there, frozen as much by Waine¡¯s words as his piercing blue eyes. He was just mocking of course¡ªno one had been granted an actual ss instead of just an aspect in centuries, and duds were just myths¡ªbut she had no idea how to respond. ¡°Enough,¡± Prisma said, stepping in between the two of them. ¡°I already told her we have her back. Commoner or not, she¡¯s still one of our ssmates, and they¡¯ll eat her alive if we leave her alone.¡± Waine looked over ina again and shrugged. ¡°At least she looks the part.¡± Looks the part? ina raised her head then looked up at the group, really looked at them for the first time since she¡¯d closed the distance. He doesn¡¯t mean¡­ Does he? There was no denying it. None on the students ina could see were exactly ugly, but the group of freshman she¡¯d found herself with were on another level. The boys, even Waine with his spiked, angry ck hair and even angrier eyes, were certainly attractive, but the other two girls were downright gorgeous. And then there was Prisma herself. There was no way that ina could be grouped with her of all people, not in that way. Finally taking everything about the girl in after having been preupied with luggage and her own anxieties, ina struggled to find words for the second time in as many minutes. Prisma¡¯s tinum blonde hair fell as straight as the Endrin guards stood, extending just below her neck, resting on a chest that pushed out her white uniform shirt and blue zer with forceful elegance. Her chest wasn¡¯t quite asrge as ina¡¯s, not there there were many people that ina knew who could say that, but sat perfectly on her torso, drawing ina¡¯s eyes for a period of time approaching indecency. ina forced out a cough, breaking away from Prisma¡¯s chest just long enough to see the hem of her skirt, stopping over milk-white thighs, squished by socks rising just above the knee¡ª ina snapped her head up to Prisma¡¯s face. She had blue eyes too, like Waine, but not that piercing electric blue. A deeper, calming blue surrounded by blushing cheeks. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go along with it,¡± Waine said. ¡°But it¡¯s your ass that¡¯s out if she ends up dragging the group down.¡± Prisma rolled her eyes. ¡°With us helping her? She¡¯ll be fine. Anyway, I¡¯m Prisma Fireguard.¡± She extended a hand out to ina. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Ch 1.2: Orientation Ch 1.2: Orientation Prisma Fireguard and Waine Ferris, the heirs to two of the most influential families in the country¡ªno, world¡ª and a trio of slightly lesser nobles as well if ina wasn¡¯t mistaken. After introducing herself, she was whisked away by her newfound acquaintances at the sound of a bell ringing, the dinner bell. But it wasn¡¯t dinner time just yet, not tonight. First, the Awakening. ina barely had time to take in the halls of Endrin Academy as she walked through them. The walls were blue like the top of the castle, with white molding running along the floor. Littered along the walls were crystals sat atop silver candbra, providing steady light through some sort of mechanism that she wasn¡¯t familiar with, surrounding various paintings, all of them of some historic figure or event she didn¡¯t recognize. All light back home came from either fire or the sky, and art was a very personal affair, usually a portrait of the family who owned it, but none of thatpared to the most baffling thing in the halls: the floor. White marble, ina might have expected. There were small marble statues in some of the wealthier manors back home, and she knew it was used as a building material in the cities, but the rugs were unfathomable. She was walking along the finest fabric she¡¯d ever seen in her life, her dirty shoes stomping on material her parents could only have ever dreamed of working with. Material that she could only have ever dreamed of seeing herself, if she wasn¡¯t Aspected. And she knew she wasn¡¯t supposed to be. Maybe it shouldn¡¯t have been such a surprise that the first ssmates she met were two of the most important people in the world; they came from Aspected families. They belonged. A chill crept over her body as she walked along, oblivious to the conversations around her as her feet pounded on a fortune that she should never have been near. ¡°ina?¡± she heard, jerking her head to see Prisma looking at her with concern. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ina stared ahead as they walked. Waine was talking with the other guy in their group, and the two girls were likewise engaged. That gave her somefort. ¡°I¡¯m, uhm, a bit overwhelmed. This is a lot more than I was expecting.¡± Prisma held the back of her hand to her mouth, stifling augh, or maybe a giggle? ¡°It¡¯s kind of cute seeing your reaction. This is all pretty normal for most of us, but I guess you¡¯re not used to crystal light, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah, crystal light¡­ That¡¯s it.¡± ina returned to staring at the floor, feeling that tinge of guilt with each step over the rug, and Prisma bounced off to talk with the rest of the group. ina trailed behind only a couple steps, but like everything else she¡¯d seen since she arrived, the distance between her and the group seemedrger than it should have been. And then they arrived. The banquet hall was every bit as grand as the entrance hall was, a roomrger than any she¡¯d ever seen, with crystal-light chandeliers floating in the air, dozens of round tables filling up the space, and a giant tapestry on the wall that spanned the entire circr perimeter, depicting Endrin Academy itself in the center, besieged on both sides by massive armies in what could only be the final battle of the Night Wars. At least there was no carpet. Students seemed to be taking seats wherever they could find, filling into variously sized tables wherever they thought appropriate. ¡°This way,¡± Waine said, heading right towards the painted Endrin Academy on the back wall. The group moved through the crowd that had built up in front of them, that same crowd parting as Waine and Prisma led the group. Most who stepped aside stood still for a moment, watching the two heirs pierce their way through the room, and ina heard the beginnings of their murmurings as she trailed along at the end of the entourage. ¡°Pompous shits.¡± ¡°Bastards.¡± ¡°Prick.¡± Once they¡¯d made it through to the other side of the hall, ina finally saw their destination, one that Waine seemed to know how to get to in the first ce. Right below the depiction of the castle was a curved longtable, seats only on the side that faced out towards the rest of the hall. Each of those seats was already upied, not by uniformed students, but by adults in various different forms of gaudy dress, the Endrin faculty. In front of the faculty were a handful of seated students, but right in front was an untouched table for six. ¡°Good, seems they know their ce,¡± Waine said as they approached. Know their ce. ina scanned her group as they walked up to the table, their table. None of the others seemed to even register thement. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this show going, we¡¯re here,¡± the other boy in the group, Ivis, said. ¡°You think we¡¯ll get to eat after we get ours done?¡± ¡°No,¡± said one of the other girls, Daly, ina thought her name was. ¡°They¡¯ll probably make us wait the whole thing out.¡± The other girl, N, piped in as well, ¡°It¡¯s whatever to me. I just want to get this whole thing over with and get to sleep.¡± They sat down in front of the faculty, N on one side of ina and Prisma on the other, with Waine nking Prisma¡¯s other side. ina was missing something. This was their Awakening of all things, but none of them seemed even remotely interested. She looked around at the surrounding tables to see if the students there were likewise disinterested, and she couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing. Where were the nerves, the crushing anxieties, the jittering excitement? Everyone seemed to just be chatting normally, with the asional person ring in her direction. ¡°Hey,¡± she said to Prisma, not realizing she was interrupting her conversation with Waine. ¡°What did you mean earlier? That we have to stick together? You said it twice.¡± Waine himself was the one who answered. ¡°Everyone here, besides us of course,¡± he said, gesturing to the rest of the group, save ina herself, ¡°is looking to make a name for themselves. They¡¯ll all clique up and try to go after people to make themselves look better. There¡¯s other nobles here of course, but the six of us stand out. Even if you wouldn¡¯t be worth bothering with without us.¡± ¡°Waine,¡± Prisma said, ring at him before turning to ina. ¡°He¡¯s right though. You¡¯re better off with us, trust me. The others almost all have their cliques already.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ina was cut off by what sounded like a thunderp, but was actually the p of a single set of hands. The man right in front of their table stood, a bald man with round spectacles erging his eyes on face that already seemed a little too small, wearing purple robes speckled with glittering stars that seemed to move across the fabric as he gestured to the crowd. ¡°Most of you are seated, though I trust those that are not will soon find theirs. Do sit anywhere, please. Before we get started, I wanted to personally wee you all here. My practical days are behind me with the better half of my adulthood, but I am honored to find myself here in service to you like I once served the kingdom atrge.¡± Alonse Stormshine, once heir to the throne himself, now the headmaster of the most prestigious school in the world, hero of thend and older brother of the king. He didn¡¯t need to introduce himself, even to ina. His voice echoed across the room at an unnatural volume, louder than a yell, but spoken with the tone of a normal conversation. ¡°Now, some of you are likely worried about the quality of your aspect and are experiencing some degree of nervousness about it.¡± He winked, and a chuckle rolled across the room. inaughed as if she¡¯d actually understood the joke. ¡°No, your star signs are strong, else you wouldn¡¯t have been admitted to Endrin Academy in the first ce. You are all destined for greatness and will find sess in these halls. But still, we of course must first discover your bestowed gifts. And I am sure that none of you have gone ahead and figured them out yourselves, right?¡± A louder chorus ofughter rose, and ina¡¯s mouth dropped. She looked at Waine, who seemed like he would break his jaw fromughing so hard, at Prisma, who was blushing and giggling along. They all knew their aspects already? ¡°Without further pomp from me though, let¡¯s get onto the ceremony.¡± He waved a sleeved arm, and in front of him appeared a gemstone the size of his head, shaped like a star and rotating, changing color across the rainbow as it did, all while a misty haze surged at its core. ¡°We¡¯ll do this quickly so you can all eat. I¡¯ll call you up as tables. First, you all,¡± he said, gesturing at ina¡¯s party. Waine stood up first, followed by Prisma. ina ended up third in line just based off where they had sat at the table. This is fine. They know their aspects somehow, but I¡¯m about to find out mine. I got epted to Endrin, so it has to be strong enough¡­ Waine strutted up the stairs to the crystal, cing a single finger on top. The headmaster watched as the mist did nothing for a moment and then began swirling vigorously before halting in ce. ¡°Your aspect, good sir, is Control! Quite powerful indeed.¡± A polite apuse rolled across the room as Waine turned heel and descended the stairs, smirking at the crowd as he passed Prisma. Once Prisma reached the crystal, she reached out in the same way Waine had, touching the top and waiting for a moment of nothing, then changing the mists into another frenzy before they stopped again. ¡°Your aspect, my dear, is Heat! Perhaps not the most impactful name, but quite versatile indeed.¡± Another round of apuse, this time a little more energetic. ina stood at the foot of the stairs leading up to the faculty table, watching Prisma stride down the steps. Once Prisma passed, ina turned to take a step, before freezing. The stairway was covered in carpet the shade of a ruby. She was supposed to be a weaver. She did not belong here. She couldn¡¯t step on that rug, she¡ª ¡°Young miss?¡± Stormshine asked, his voice not echoing now, but directed right at her. ina took a deep breath and lurched forward, wincing with each step. She stopped at the top, staring at the crystal in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s alright dear, go ahead,¡± the man said to her. There was a kindness in his words, a warmth that was lost when he spoke to the whole room. She rose her hand and ced her finger at the tip of the crystal star. Time seemed to freeze in ce again as she did so, her mind racing in a thousand directions, none pleasant. At first, there was nothing. The waiting was agonizing, seeming far longer than the brief pause for Waine and Prisma. The moment of nothing continued. And continued. And continued. Nothing. ¡°Holy shit,¡± Waine¡¯s voice said from behind her. ¡°She really is a dud!¡± Ch 1.3: Drift Ch 1.3: Drift The next few hours were the longest moments of ina¡¯s life, yet as sheter thought over them it all seemed a blur that she could scarce remember. After Waine¡¯s outburst, the crowd of new students couldn¡¯t help butugh, and not a chuckle like during the headmaster¡¯s jokes either, but roaringughter the likes of which ina had never heard before, and probably never would again. Alonse Stormshine beckoned her to return to her seat, so she did, carrying a lump in her chest heavier than anything she could have imagined. She sat there for the next hour as other students went up one by one to undergo their Awakening. She didn¡¯t bother to listen to their aspects. They all had one, and that was all that mattered. When dinner was finally served by the same autonomous suit of armor she had seen guarding the gate earlier, she looked up, trying to make sense of the situation. The rest of her table ate silently, the only table doing so, as the rest of the hall chattered about during the feast. Ivis, Daly, and N all struggled to hold back smirks as she nced over them, while Waine held a furious re at her, his eyes boring through her. She hadn¡¯t had to look up to know he was angry though. He¡¯d been right, after all. Prisma only looked down, eating inplete silence, utterlyposed, acting as if nothing had been amiss. Almost, anyway. Her eyes betrayed her as well, the shame, pity, and disappointment evident even to an ina whose own embarrassment had her in such a stupor she herself was barely conscious. Embarrassment wasn¡¯t all though. Embarrassment, shame, humiliation even, ina was well used to, and she had her own ways of handling them. This was also loss. She¡¯d resolved to remake herself at Endrin, to be better than anyone ever thought she could be. She knew she didn¡¯t deserve the opportunity, that she hadn¡¯t worked for it or earned it, but for a year, at least, she¡¯d had the opportunity, had a future. It was gone. She was a dud, and she¡¯d have to return home a dud. Could she even return home? She couldn¡¯t afford passage. The academy had paid for her trip here, and now they owed nothing to her. And even if they would pay for it just to get her out of their sight, would she really be able to go back, endure the tormenting from her childhood friends, the gossip from the townspeople who¡¯d always told her she¡¯d never amount to anything, the disappointment from her parents? Yes. That, at least, she could manage. Resigned, ina took a deep breath and began eating her food. It was exquisite, but tasted like mulch in her mouth. The tea served with it was elegance in a cup, but to her only tasted of mud. She barely noticed that a room key had been ced on the table with her dessert. Hah, at least they¡¯re going to let me stay the night before throwing me out. People slowly began trickling out of the hall after dessert was served. ina had thought there might be some speech from the headmaster before they were dismissed, but she supposed that he had already said something to them before dinner started, before she¡¯d regained her small modicum ofposure back. Eventually, her table began getting up too. Ivis first, then Daly and N together. Finally, Waine stood up, grabbing Prisma by the arm as he did. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Prisma sat for just a moment, sparing a single nce at ina before nodding and standing up with them. ina wanted to speak, to say something. A thank you for the kindness, however short-lived. ina had never deserved it, but for a brief moment it had been offered. As long as the moment stretched in her mind though, the moment did end. Prisma walked away, arm in arm with Waine, and ina remained, alone. She drew in a deep breath and grabbed her key. I don¡¯t even know where to go with this, she thought before pushing her chair back and standing up. ¡°Excuse me, Miss,¡± a voice said from behind her. She twisted back andid eyes once more on the man who would have been her headmaster, Alonse Stormshine. ¡°Would you care to join me in my office for a moment?¡± *** ina had expected even more opulence in the office of Alonse Stormshine, but it wasn¡¯t to be found. The walls and flooring were still Endrin, of course,plete with the red carpet, but the desk at which he sat at across from her was normal, as normal as the one her mother had back home, maybe even less ornate, even if it the quality of construction betrayed that it was crafted by a better artisan. There were portraits of other people, headmasters of the past most likely, on the walls, and arge library of books, more books than ina had ever seen, butparatively speaking it was the least extravagant room she¡¯d been in since she left the inn that same morning. ¡°Now,¡± the headmaster said, opening a drawer from his desk and pulling out a ss. ¡°How old are you, ina?¡± She¡¯d never given her name, but that seemed like the least of her worries right now. ¡°Twenty, sir.¡± ¡°Good!¡± He ced the ss in front of her, then took out one for himself along with a bottle filled with amber liquid. ¡°And your birthday?¡± ¡°Uhm, today, sir.¡± He nodded, smiling as he uncorked the bottle and poured drinks for the two of them, filling hers up just barely short of halfway, with his nearly to the brim. ¡°I suspected it was today or tomorrow.¡± ina stared at the ss in front of her, wondering what she should do with it. ¡°Is it okay for me to drink this?¡± ¡°Of course! You¡¯re of age as of today, after all, legally speaking anyway,¡± he said as he took a long sip from his. He visibly rxed as he did so, sinking back into the chair. While the desk was nothing close to ornate, the chair was indeedvish, even more so than the dining room chairs from before. He had his vices, she supposed ¡°Students still aren¡¯t allowed to drink of course, but you¡¯ve had quite a long day, so I¡¯ll make an exception. And besides, you¡¯re not technically a student.¡± ina froze as she was reaching for the cup, as if she was one of those automatons that had suddenly lost its magic. Stormshineughed, waving her off. ¡°Sorry, sorry. I shouldn¡¯t jest like that. I¡¯ve always had bad taste in jokes, almost as bad as my taste in drinks.¡± ina, still stunned, nodded, though she wasn¡¯t sure what she was agreeing to. She took a sip from the ss, feeling thick liquid fire run down her throat. She choked what little had passed her lips down before mming the ss on the table and coughing. ¡°I did warn you,¡± the headmaster said, finishing his drink off before pouring himself another full ss. ¡°Now, first things first, you haven¡¯t done anything wrong.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°You have done nothing wrong.¡± His voice was forceful again, like when he¡¯d been speaking to the entire first year ss, but the warmth she¡¯d heard when she was on the tform was still there too. ¡°This is a clerical error, a quite unfortunate one, but still just a clerical error.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have an aspect, though. How is that clerical?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have an aspect yet,¡± he said, taking another swig of what ina now assumed was brandy, ¡°but you will.¡± ina paused to think, taking another small sip of her own drink. She was twenty years old, twenty years old exactly, and even she knew that aspects presented at exactly youring of age. She coughed slightly as she put her drink down, ¡°If- if I am Aspected, shouldn¡¯t it have awakened by now?¡± The headmaster pursed his lips, staring at her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Technically, no, but it¡¯splicated.¡± He opened another drawer and brought out a small starmap. ¡°You are star blessed, as you¡¯ve been told, but the stars have been acting slightly strangetely. ¡°Our astrology department has published papers on it, but it¡¯s not yet widely known beyond academics. Your vige¡¯s head priest should know about it, but¡­¡± He trailed off, ncing at his cup. ¡°I mean no offense, but we don¡¯t expect much from your region in terms of Aspected individuals. It¡¯s very possible that he wasn¡¯t informed, or that if he was he didn¡¯t pay attention to the papers, possibly didn¡¯t even understand the implications.¡± Thatst one sounded about right to ina, to be fair. It¡¯s why she worried there may have been a mistake in the first ce. ¡°Uhm, right. But, what are you talking about?¡± The man waved his hands towards the map, shaking his head back and forth. ¡°To make a long story short, the stars aren¡¯t in exactly the ces they should be. We call it the Celestial Drift. In practical terms, over thest decade there have actually been a total of two extra days than there are on our yearly calendars. Meaning that even though you are legally an adult, as I said, astrologically, you have two days left until your birthday.¡± Two days. Because the gods had decided to pull some strange celestial prank, ina was two days short of her Awakening. And two days short of the enrollment deadline as well. ¡°So¡­ I can¡¯t attend Endrin this year, but next year I can?¡± ¡°Nonsense,¡± Stormshine said, downing his second ss. He nced at the bottle for a moment before shaking his head and capping it off, returning both to the drawer in his desk. ¡°As I said, this is not your fault. Technically you¡¯re correct, that you shouldn¡¯t be here at all yet, but I¡¯m not about to send you back home over something like this. I¡¯ve written to my idiot brother a number of times over thest five years to officially do something about the calendars, but he¡¯s more concerned with frivolities than urate record keeping. ¡°Besides, the weekend is tomorrow. Your birthday, as far as the gods are concerned anyway, is in just two days, the day before sses start. We¡¯ll have a special redo Awakening then just for you, and everything will be sorted.¡± He smiled at her. The lump in her chest finally faded away, and she started to cry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m crying now.¡± ¡°No no, it¡¯s alright, you¡¯re alright.¡± He ced his hands across the desk on hers, waiting for her to finish crying. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was a minute or an hour, but he waited as long as she needed. ¡°You should probably get some rest now.¡± ina nodded, about to get up before she remembered something. ¡°Earlier, you said the other students had¡ª well, you said they hadn¡¯t done it, but it was obvious they did¡­¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± With a flourish, the crystal that had been used for the Awakening appeared again above the desk. ¡°This isn¡¯t the only one of these devices. It not only triggers an Awakening, but also detects the aspect of anyone who is already awakened. They¡¯re not cheap toe by, but the wealthy students, the vast majority of the students here, well, it¡¯s well within their price range to rent for a night. It is illegal, of course, but I¡¯d say a good ny percent of the students here have already had their Awakenings, unofficially.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± ina said. It was that simple, of course. Money bought everything, she knew that, but to be so casual about breaking thew¡­ ¡°I guess I should warn you. Those who have already unofficially awakened didn¡¯t just check their aspects. They¡¯ve been practicing. Some are about your age and have barely had a few weeks of it, but others are nearly a year older than you.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯m behind.¡± The headmaster paused for a moment, stunned by the sudden bluntness. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re behind. But they won¡¯t have been doing intense study. They can¡¯t go about practicing in public, and getting Endrin-quality teachers will have been out of the question. All the teachers of that caliber have been here, of course, teachingst year¡¯s freshmen.¡± ina nodded, determined. ¡°But I have work to do.¡± ¡°Yes. But as I said, that can wait. For now, go get some rest.¡± ina finished off her drink, cing the ss back on the table, only sputtering out a small cough this time. ¡°Thanks for that. I think it helped. And for everything else, Headmaster Stormshine.¡± ¡°No no,¡± he said, standing up to guide her to the exit. ¡°Just ¡®Headmaster¡¯ is fine, or ¡®Headmaster Alonse¡¯ if you must. Stormshine is such a terrible, gaudy name, don¡¯t you think?¡± His mouth broke into a wide grin as he opened the door, slightly yellowed teeth baring at her. ¡°Oh, al-alright, Headmaster Alonse. Have a good night.¡± She bowed her head as she exited, then headed off down the hallway. Idiot brother, terrible name. Two statements that were borderline treason. The man was warm, kind even, ina could tell, but there was something about him that was slightly off. She was happy he would spare her the ordeal of waiting another year back home, but there was something strange about the man. That would have to wait though, because it waste, and she was tired. And she also realized she still had no idea where her room was. Ch 1.4: Dormitory Ch 1.4: Dormitory Fortunately for ina, she already had the key to finding her dorm, quite literally. As soon as she pulled her room key from her pocket she felt it pulling her down the hall and up floors, and after a not so quick walk through the school she found her way to a sign indicating the west wing¡¯s first-year dorms. Her key continued to beckon her through the open entryway, and she found herself inside of amon lounge, filled with sofas and tables hosting a handful of students. She had heard them from outside, the raucous joy of new Endrin students, but as she entered the entire room stilled both in movement and sound. Some students avoided her gaze, acting like they had all decided to stop talking for some entirely unrted reason, but the majority of them stared. ina herself froze as she entered, clutching her key as she scanned the room. There was a mixture of boys and girls in the room, but thankfully none from her earlier group. Small blessings, she thought. Her feet refusing to move forward, she was speaking before she knew why, ¡°So, uh, there was a problem with my Awakening timing, something about stars drifting? Anyway, I¡¯ll be having my Awakening in two days now, so¡­¡± The crowd didn¡¯t seem to know how to react. The ones who were ring before continued, and those who had bowed their heads now stared at her with confusion. ina could feel her face going red, still not sure why she waspelled to say anything at all. ¡°But ya, I¡¯m sorry for any trouble I caused. I¡¯ll just¡ª I¡¯ll go now, I guess?¡± Her feet finally moved, carrying her through the crowd and to the stairs, the stairs that were of course on theplete opposite side of the room. There were two sets, and her key led her up the left flight. She started up them, tripping on the first couple before catching herself on the handrail. Knowing she was still being watched, she sprinted the rest of the way. Once she¡¯d finally gotten up and found her room, she fumbled the key towards the handle. Hand shaking, she finally managed to get the door open after realizing it wasn¡¯t actually locked and forced her way inside. Her room was more tame than what she¡¯d expected, based off what she¡¯d seen so far, divided into two identical sections split by one window that overlooked the grounds. Each side had a small dresser sitting across from a bed, which was bigger than her bed at home and covered with fine linen, but not nearly asvish as everything else she¡¯d seen. ina sighed in relief as she noticed her two suitcases sitting next to the far dresser. The way her night had been going she wasn¡¯t even sure her key had actually been guiding her anywhere, that she¡¯d been hallucinating the entire thing until she¡¯d found a random dorm to barge into. But her stuff was here, and she was here. Home, as the case was. She ced her key on the dresser and then went to open her suitcase before thinking better of it. Unpacking could wait until tomorrow. She walked over to the one crystal light in the room, mounted on the wall just next to her dresser. There was no dial like on an oilntern, and she wondered for a moment how to turn it off. The only other crystal object she¡¯d seen was the Awakening crystal, and that was touch activated, so¡ª Darkness, instantaneous as she tapped it. She jumped back, startled at the sudden change, no fading like antern being turned off, not even the faint flickering of blowing out a candle, but she soonposed herself. The room was still faintly lit, fortunately, by the mooning in through the window, so she had no trouble making her way back to the door to lock it. She stripped off her uniform and underwear before shoving them in her dresser and making her way to the corresponding bed and throwing herself under the sheets. The sheets. She¡¯d resented the use of fine linen on carpet, meant to be trampled on by hundreds every day, but these sheets were nothing short of magic, and for all she knew that was literal, as there were no mundane methods of weaving she knew of that could make such a thing. Rugs, no, but sheets? They were worth it. She wiggled in between them,vishing in the feeling. Silk, maybe? She¡¯d heard of it before, and could only assume this was it. ina was ready for sleep, sleep that woulde easily with a bed this nice, but one thing had toe first. There was only one way she knew how to rx after the amount of stress she¡¯d endured. She pulled an arm out from the sheets and ran her hand along them, starting at her thigh, moving up herself, feeling both the fabric itself and it pressing into her body. It¡¯s been¡­ A long day. She closed her eyes as her hand moved up her torso, stopping as it cupped her breast. She squeezed, breathing in as the smooth material glided between her fingers, breathing out as her palm lifted and her fingers caressed her nipple through the silk. Yes, this she could get used to. One hand continued to massage her breast as the other slipped down below her waist, brushing against her lips, already smooth to the touch. Who even knows how long I¡¯ve been this wet. She rubbed there but was more focused on her chest. She¡¯d always loved ying with them, massaging her tits and pulling at her nipples, but this was different. It had always been direct touch before, because why wouldn¡¯t it be? The less in the way the better. That was before she¡¯d found something softer than her own skin though. She grinded her left fingers with her waist, but the sensation across her torso was the true star tonight. She¡¯d had mixed feelings about her chest before, the size drawing looks from basically anyone she¡¯d met, but they¡¯d also proven quite sensitive when she was alone. That sensitivity was still there, only amplified by the strange new feeling, and tonight the size only meant there was more of her to touch the silk that was giving her such pleasure. After teasing herself enough, she finally entered with her fingers, letting out a small moan. She didn¡¯t know how thick the dorm walls were, so she had to be careful, but she couldn¡¯t quite stop every sound, now could she? Fuck me, I¡¯ve needed this. Relief surged with each and every thrust of her wrist, every pinch of her nipple. Her mind drifted of course, like always. Every little embarrassment she¡¯d suffered today. The teasing from the group when they¡¯d first met, her standing in front of the entire school, realizing that she wouldn¡¯t be Awakening, theughter after she was called a dud in front of everyone, the stammering exnation she gave her ssmates just minutes before. There was only one way to get these thoughts out of her head, only one way to deal with the humiliation. She heaved as she picked up speed, biting her lip and rubbing her chest with her entire arm instead of just a hand. She breathed out a heavy sigh, opening her eyes to look down at her own body lit by only the soft moon, pulling the sheets down to her waist to finally give her chest the direct touch she needed to finish herself. She froze, covers pulled down near to her groin as something caught her eye. She turned to her right, to the other bed in the room, a bed that had been empty when sheid down, but which was now very much upied. Fuckfuckfucknononono. Who the fuck was this person? Her roommate, obviously. How did she get in? A key, of course. How did ina not hear her? Because she had been oblivious to anything outside of her own bed. Had she seen, had she heard? There was no doubt that her roommate had seen something, heard something, the only question was how much. But for now, the neer was in bed, seemingly asleep, head turned away from ina,pletely still. ina looked down at herself, her exposed chest. She was so close to having exposed everything to this girl. But¡­ I didn¡¯t? And she seems asleep now. She resumed softly thrusting into herself and rubbing her exposed tits. The roommate was still motionless,pletely oblivious. ina had already gotten this far, so she might as well finish, right? After all, there was no way she could sleep now with this new knowledge, even more mortified than she¡¯d been before. She stared at her roommate as she pleasured herself, just making sure that she didn¡¯t wake. Fuck it. She closed her eyes again. She didn¡¯t want to see the back of her roommate¡¯s head. She wanted to imagine it, being walked in on by a stranger she¡¯d have to live with as she was inside of herself, wailing in pleasure. She would know she should stop, but she wouldn¡¯t be able to, the ecstasy too intense, just like she couldn¡¯t stop now. Eyes still closed, she tossed the sheets off her waist and down to her knees; she didn¡¯t care if she was seen or not anymore. She built back up to her earlier speed, choking out soft moans. When it finally came, it was explosive, and she let out out a near cry as wave after wave of relief washed over her entire body. As soon as the relief stopped, the shame returned. ina opened her eyes and yanked the sheets up to her neck in a panic. Her roommate was in the same position, facing the opposite wall. Did¡­ Did I really not wake her? There was no way to know, not tonight anyway. It¡¯s over. Whatever happened, it¡¯s over. I¡¯ll deal with it tomorrow. She closed her eyes and let herself sink back into the bed as her face continued to burn, now even harder than before. At least I still have nice sheets, she thought. They were nice. Really nice. She ran her fingers across the material once more, stopping as she reached her chest again. Her eyes flicked back over to the other bed, the girl in it still asleep. ina¡¯s other hand drifted back down. One more won¡¯t hurt anything, right? Ch 1.5: Courage Ch 1.5: Courage The first thing ina did when she opened her eyes was look over to the empty, neatly made bed across the room. She¡¯s gotta be the quietest person I¡¯ve ever met, ever not met. ina wasn¡¯t sure what time it was, but knew it was after breakfast at least, as she vaguely remembered ignoring the morning bell. There was only one bell for each meal at Endrin, with an additional bell at their designated midnight curfew, and she didn¡¯t think she¡¯d slept through the noon bell too, so she decided she could take her time getting up. ina looked down at herself, seeing she¡¯d pulled up all of her covers to her neck in an effort to stay warm. At least she¡¯d managed to keep her modesty in the daylight. She struggled out of bed and over to her luggage, taking out each article of her casual wear and her spare uniform. She blushed as she took out the pajamas she¡¯d packed, knowing full well that she should be wearing them right now. She nced over at the door while she stored them away as well. A quick unpacking left ina with only underwear left to put away, and to pick out for the day. It¡¯s not like anyone¡¯s going to see it, so it doesn¡¯t really matter. Even as she thought that she picked out one of her nicer sets, a ckce set she¡¯d actually made herself since there was no way her mother would have made it for her. It was still mostly modest, covering all of the important things in front, but the back was more of a sheer affair. ina wasn¡¯t quite as endowed in the back as she was in her chest, but she thought she had a nice shape and liked the idea of showing it off a little, if she ever got around to getting that far with anyone. Prisma. She had an ass to be proud of, ina had noticed, even through the quite chaste uniform skirt she¡¯d seen her in. I wonder if I¡¯ll ever talk to her again¡­ She lingered on thoughts of Prisma¡¯s smile for a moment more, then heard the lunch bell. Going outside was almost thest thing she wanted to do right now, but going another minute without eating was the absolutest thing she wanted to do, so ina threw on the uniform skirt and jacket she¡¯d worn the day prior over a new shirt. She had two sets of the jacket and skirt, but she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with changing them every day. With a deep breath she exited her sanctuary and walked out into world. Themon room was empty as she made her way down, the students likely already heading towards the dining hall, and the halls were sparse as well. ina had braced for far more attention as she walked down the halls, but was surprised to find only a few of the students she walked with noticed her at all. Right, some of these aren¡¯t first-years. She¡¯d have at least a day or two before everyone knew aboutst night. Well, that was optimistic, but at least a day or two before they all found out exactly what she looked like, and by then she¡¯d actually be Aspected. One more day. The hall itself was almostpletely different. The walls and floor were of course the same, and the faculty dining area was still there, not nearly as full as the night before, but the individual small group tables were gone, reced by rows of long tables circling the room, closing in on the center where there was a serving station manned by what looked to be metal people¡ª no, metal skeletons with eyes and no ribcage? She¡¯d seen these same creaturesst night too, but had been in too much of a stupor to pay them much attention, but now as she did she noticed how alien they really appeared with their not quite human proportions, being made of bluish-purple metal that she¡¯d never seen before. Whatever they looked like, ina knew what they were: Endrin¡¯s famous automatons, and like most other people she knew little more than that about them. She grabbed a te of food from the serving creatures and skittered over to an empty seat. She nced around to see if she knew anyone, if any of the people she knew were nearby, but couldn¡¯t find any, not even Headmaster Alonse, who was absent from his seat at the head of the staff table. People recognized her though. While scanning the crowd, ina couldn¡¯t help but notice the whispering and pointinging at her from nearly every direction. She bowed her head down as she finished eating, doing her best to ignore the attention. She noticed that everyone else had just been leaving tes on the table, and that those same tes were shortly picked up by automatons to be taken off into a side exit. ina did the same and started off before someone grabbed her sleeve, ¡°Excuse me?¡± ina turned, and her heart froze. Prisma was standing there, alone, looking at ina with a flushed face. ¡°Sorry, can we talk a moment?¡± ¡°Oh, sure,¡± ina stammered out, looking down at Prisma¡¯s hand. Prisma pulled her off to the edge of the room and out the door, leading into arge antechamber just outside the dining room where a good number of other students were chatting. ¡°I, uhmm¡­¡± Prisma bit her lip and looked away, a disy of cuteness that was matched only by the cutest of kittens ina had ever seen. ¡°I wanted to apologize for yesterday. For, uhm, everything I guess.¡± Prisma turned to the ground, obviously in turmoil. ¡°We, uh, Waine wants to apologize too.¡± ¡°No, I embarrassed all of you-¡± ¡°He just wants to apologize, okay?¡± Prisma nearly shouted the words, herposure breaking even further, ina taken aback as the crowd of students around them turned. Prisma noticed the crowd as well and lowered her voice again. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t even¡­¡± She took a deep breath, then continued, ¡°There¡¯s an event tonight called a test of courage, an initiation thing for the iing ss that the upperssmen do. We walk out into the forest in groups, and they try to scare us and stuff.¡± Prisma looked down again, ncing up at ina, but not quite making eye contact. ¡°Waine wants you with us for it. He says he wants to apologize, that he didn¡¯t mean to say thatst night.¡± ina stared at the girl as her words trailed off, Prisma¡¯s gentle blue eyes welling up. ¡°I guess I can go, if you really want me to?¡± Prisma stood there for a moment before nodding. ¡°I have to go, and I have ns for dinner, priormitments¡­ So, meet us out front at eleven?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not toote?¡± Eleven was pushing up on the midnight curfew. Prisma shook her head. ¡°No, this is a semi-official event, and there¡¯s always a little leeway since the bell rings at midnight anyway. We just have to start heading back when we hear the bell.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The word caught in ina¡¯s mouth. Had she really salvaged this rtionship, rtionships? No, if anyone had, it was Prisma, and ina could tell it was hard on her. She fought so hard for me yesterday too. ¡°Good,¡± Prisma said, rposing herself. Her eyes were determined now as she nodded along to her own words. ¡°I¡¯ll see you then.¡± She turned around and began to walk away before stopping and turning back for a moment. ¡°I really am sorry.¡± *** ina stepped out front into the grounds after she¡¯d eaten, taking in the expanse in front of her. It was the first time she¡¯d been back outside since arriving the day prior, and without the giant crowd of people in front of the entrance like the day before it was also the best look she¡¯d had at the sprawling garden in front of her, darkness or not. nked on either side of therge walkway was a vast array of flowers with pathways leading into a hedge maze that extended off to each side of the castle, all lit by faint blue crystal light. There were a few groups walking the same path, some going out and some going in, and at the edge of the garden stood the group of five that ina had met earlier, waiting at a fork that led to the forest to the east of the school. Prisma stared off towards the forest as the other four chatted together. ¡°Hey, there she is,¡± Waine said as she approached. ina hesitated as he walked up and extended his hand for her to take. ¡°Hey, sorry aboutst night. I was being a prick, but Prisma set me straight.¡± ina stared up at him for a moment before shaking his hand. His eyes were¡­ Different. There was a calmness in them now, not as warm as Prisma¡¯s, but a far cry from the intensity and rage she¡¯d seen in them before. ¡°No, I understand,¡± she said. ¡°I kind of ruined everything for you all¡­¡± Everyone except Waine and Prisma chuckled at thement, averting her gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We have ways of showing everyone we¡¯re still the top of the school. Nowe on, the others already started.¡± The group started walking off, leaving ina to trail behind. She¡¯d hoped to be able to walk along with Prisma, but Prisma stayed at the front with Waine, leaving the other three to make up the middle as ina brought up the rear. ina could bear this for now, though. She¡¯d been let back in, and the day before the group makeup had been simr, with Prisma bouncing around it as they walked to the hall. It would take time for ina to get to know all of them, especially after what had happened, but she could be patient. The truth in Waine¡¯sment about others having started the test of courage became quickly apparent as screams emanated from the woods, getting louder with each step forward. They weren¡¯t screams of genuine terror, ina could tell. There was actually a simr tradition in the town she¡¯d grown up in that took ce in the fields during harvest season, and the screams she heard now were the same types of screams she¡¯d heard when she¡¯d taken part in that. She didn¡¯t like to think about that time. She¡¯d only gone to that once, the autumn she turned eighteen, and that had been unpleasant. This time was different. She had a group of people with her this time, where at least one of them seemed to genuinely like her, and a second seemed to be warming up to her. Though, she was curious about how fast Waine had changed his attitude about her. ¡°We¡¯re gonna go in this way,¡± Waine said, turning slightly to the right and heading towards the forest. ¡°It sounds like the rest of the people are straight ahead,¡± ina said. ¡°We don¡¯t need to follow them. There¡¯ll be plenty of action this way.¡± The group did only veer off a little, so ina followed, their group¡¯s formation not changing, but the conversation dying down as they entered. They were surrounded by trees far taller than any she¡¯d ever seen, having been born in a farming town with more ins than forest, but the canopy wasn¡¯t thick enough to shut out all light, so the full moon still shone through a little, giving them enough light to navigate. ¡°So, what should we expect?¡± ina asked. Ivis was the one to answer, ¡°There were a bunch of upperssmen hiding behind trees and stuff, using their aspects toe out and scare us freshers,¡± he said. ¡°Wait, have you already been in?¡± ina asked. ¡°Nah,¡± Waine said, turning back and ring at Ivis. ¡°We heard students talking about it as they came back.¡± ¡°How long has it been going on?¡± ¡°Since sunset,¡± Prisma said, the first words she¡¯d spoken since ina arrived. ¡°We¡¯re one of thest groups to go in.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± ina said, thinking back to their conversation earlier. ¡°Is there like, prestige in goingter?¡± ¡°Something like that,¡± Waine said. As they made their trek, they heard more and more screams. Eventually the sounds grew to a head, but as ina continued on with the group they became less frequent again, the volume dying out as the moved forward. They eventually came to a small clearing in the woods, a ce where their entire group could stand in undisturbed moonlight. ¡°This is far enough, right?¡± Prisma said, stopping. Waine looked around the clearing and then back towards the sounds of the other students, almost inaudible at this point. ¡°Ya, it is.¡± ¡°But we haven¡¯t even seen anyone else yet,¡± ina said. Waine smiled. Not the warm smile from earlier today, the wicked, vicious smile she¡¯d seen on him when they¡¯d first met. ¡°No need to worry. Prisma here is going to give you the initiation you deserve.¡± Ch 1.6: Control Ch 1.6: Control ina lost control of her body with nothing but a flick of Waine¡¯s wrist, her arms and legs freezing in ce. ¡°Control,¡± he said. ¡°A powerful aspect, just like old Stormshine said. A godlike one, really. If you were actually Aspected, you¡¯d be able to resist it, even unawakened, but we all know what you really are. Still, I wanted to give you a taste of what a real Aspected can do before we send you packing. Though, there might not be much packing you have to do.¡± Ivis, Daly, and N all chuckled, but even beyond herck of mobility ina was still frozen. She could tell she had control over her mouth, eyes, her neck even, but all she could do was stare as Prisma reached into her uniform pocket and pulled out a pair of scissors. ¡°You make clothes, right?¡± Waine continued. ¡°You should know a pair of fabric scissors when you see them. Prisma here is going to make some alterations to your outfit, make it into something more fitting for someone like you.¡± The other threeughed even louder. ¡°What?¡± ina choked out. ¡°Someone that isn¡¯t actually a student here, he means,¡± Prisma said, walking forward with her shears. The uniform. ¡°No! Please!¡± ina shouted. ¡°Someone, help¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t scream like a child,¡± Prisma said. ¡°No one¡¯s going toe help you. Not here, not tonight.¡± Prisma was right. Though not as loud as before, ina could still hear the faint shouting of some of the other students; she was just another tree in forest. She looked into Prisma¡¯s eyes. Cold. Every trace of warmth, friendliness, and caring was gone from them. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ina asked. ¡°We told you not to embarrass us,¡± Prisma said, looking down at ina¡¯s skirt. ¡°I¡¯ll start with this?¡± ¡°Up to you,¡± Waine said. ¡°Just makes sure she gets the message.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Prisma opened the scissors and bent down, shing the des down the front of ina¡¯s skirt. ina looked down, seeing her already short skirt split up to the center, right below her underwear. ¡°Whoo!¡± Ivis shouted. He was holding some sort of t, rectangr crystal in his hand. ¡°Prisma, move to the side, I want a better shot.¡± Prisma whipped her head back, ring at Ivis, but Waine spoke up first, ¡°Not while Prisma¡¯s in frame, you idiot. You can have plentyter.¡± Prisma turned back to ina and carried on, making cut after cut around her skirt, quick sweeps of the des across the material as she walked around her prey. ina struggled, tears welling up in her eyes, to move her hands, to cover herself, to ce her hands over her crotch. She had to cover that. She couldn¡¯t let them see her wetness. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t move either hand even an inch. There was a loud rip as Prisma took the de up through the back of ina¡¯s jacket. That was it, the entire uniform set ruined. Even with her sewing skills, ina knew she¡¯d never be able to wear it again. When Prisma came back around to the front with one more slice across the side of her skirt, ina looked into her eyes once again. In the darkness, she thought there was maybe a bit of pain in them, a tinge of regret. ¡°Prisma, please, I¡¯m really sorry! I know I embarrassed you all, but I didn¡¯t mean it, I didn¡¯t know! If I did, I wouldn¡¯t have even gone up there.¡± Prisma frowned, stopping her hand mid movement. ¡°We told you not to drag us down. And it¡¯s my job to teach you what happens when you don¡¯t listen.¡± Two quick strokes. The front buttons of ina¡¯s jacket popped off, and the garment fell down each of her arms in two pieces, catching on her immobilized wrists, hanging on her by the sleeves. Prisma moved onto the shirt next, cutting open the front, slowly this time to not cut ina¡¯s skin as she moved across the tight-fitting chest area. With careful precision there and a few quicker cuts on the looser section below, ina¡¯s first real bit of exposure crept out. She looked down at her chest, her ck bra pushing her breasts together, thece at the top barely covering her aree as the outline of her erect nipples pushed the thin fabric out. ¡°Holy shit,¡± N said, cackling. ¡°Her tits are bigger than yours, Prisma.¡± N and Daly were both on the smaller side themselves. ¡°It is a shame,¡± Waine said. ¡°She¡¯s actually hot enough to be a noble.¡± ¡°You like cow tits like that?¡± Daly asked,ughing away as well. Prisma gritted her teeth and did another circle around ina, cutting along the backside of her shirt as well. When she came back around, she looked at the tattered piece of fabric around ina¡¯s waist once more before slicing across right at the top, leaving only a small sliver of skirt above ina¡¯s exposed underwear. Ivis whistled. ¡°Those are some nice panties,¡± he said, circling ina as well. ¡°They¡¯re even see-through in the back! How¡¯d you afford these?¡± ¡°I- I made them,¡± ina stammered out. She knew she shouldn¡¯t even be speaking, but for some reason she feltpelled to answer. ¡°Aww, just for us?¡± Waine said, walking up to her. At his approach, a shiver ran through ina¡¯s body, true fear. ¡°I knew you were a dud, but a slut too? I wonder how they feel.¡± He reached out a hand to grab her breast. ¡°No,¡± Prisma said, catching his wrist before he reached his target. She red at him with an intensity that exceeded even the look he¡¯d given ina the night before, when she¡¯d failed to awaken. ¡°That¡¯s not part of the lesson we¡¯re teaching.¡± ina stared at Waine¡¯s hand, heart pounding, stomach turning. She¡¯d been okay up until that, up until he had tried to touch her. Another girl, Prisma, she could deal with. She¡¯d dealt with worse before, anyway, but Waine? ina felt like she was going to vomit. Waine red back at Prisma, his wrist struggling inside her hand, Prisma¡¯s knuckles white with effort, until finally he snatched his hand away. ina exhaled in relief. ¡°Fine,¡± Waine said. ¡°Hurry up and step away from her so we can get the portraits.¡± Portraits? Prisma stepped aside, away from the the group as Ivis pulled out that same rectangr crystal from before, N, Daly, and Waine doing the same. Waine pointed his at ina, touched it with a finger, and then a sh of blue crystal light erupted from it, blinding ina for a moment and fading immediately. ¡°Crystal portraits,¡± Waine said, walking back up to ina. He turned the crystal around, and ina¡¯s eyes opened in shock as she saw the front of it. It was a portrait alright, the most realistic one she¡¯d ever seen, of her standing in her ripped uniform, both her bra and panties exposed entirely, the only undamaged pieces of clothing being them, her brown boots, and ck thigh high socks. She couldn¡¯t believe how slutty the image of her was: tits out, legs slightly spread and arms off to her sides while she looked straight ahead in absolute obliviousness. Her pussy clenched when she realized how pathetic she looked. At least her panties being ck was hiding how wet she was, for now. She watched, dumbfounded, as Waine stepped back and the rest of the group started taking pictures of her as well. Each time a sh emitted from one of the crystals, another image of her in the most humiliating state of her life was being recorded. Fortunately, all she could do was watch. At this point she was thankful she was being held back by Waine¡¯s aspect, because she knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep from pleasuring herself in front of them at this point. Gods, how terrible would that be? They¡¯d have so many portraits of it¡­ At first, Prisma just followed the group around, staying out of frame and watching as they took pictures, but eventually even she joined in taking pictures as well. ina squirmed even harder when she realized that. ¡°Okay,¡± Prisma finally said. ¡°We have enough. I¡¯m gonna finish up now.¡± ¡®Fuck yeah,¡± Ivis said, pumping his fist. N smirked. ¡°Yeah, even I¡¯m gonna enjoy this I think.¡± Daly shoved at N¡¯s arm, smiling even wider herself. ¡°You damn pervs.¡± ina watched in horror as Prisma took out the scissors again and approached. ¡°Prisma, stop! I get it, ok? I don¡¯t belong with your group, I don¡¯t belong in this school!¡± Prisma stared back with a nk expression. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to wear any part of that uniform,¡± she said. She cut away the sleeves of her jacket, it being the first thing to fall to the ground, followed shortly after by what remained of her shirt and skirt. Prisma even went down to her socks and boots, cutting them up with some difficulty and pulling them off as well. Every single bit of Endrin-issued clothing in tatters, ina stood there, the only thing protecting her modesty being the small pieces ofce fabric she¡¯d made herself. Prisma stared at ina¡¯s chest. She opened the scissors up once more and brought them up, taking them to the front of ina¡¯s bra before stopping. The whole forest seemed to freeze, even the distant screams from the other test of courage participants stopping momentarily. The des closed with a snip, right in front of ina, leaving her bra unharmed. Prisma tucked the scissors away in her jacket. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re done here,¡± she said. ¡°What?¡± Ivis asked, holding out his crystal portrait. ¡°You can¡¯t stop now, it¡¯s just getting good!¡± ¡°No,¡± Prisma said. ¡°She¡¯s got the message, and we have proof we gave it to her.¡± She circled ina once more. ¡°But we need insurance. If she tries to tell anyone about this now we¡¯ll probably just get a p on the wrist, but if we go further even we might get in actual trouble. She¡¯s going to stay quiet though, because next time, this¡ª¡± ina yelped as Prisma pulled her bra strap out and let it smack back into her skin¡ª ¡°and this¡ª¡± ina let out an ¡°Eep!¡± as Prisma yanked the back of her panties up into her ass cheeks¡ª ¡°aren¡¯t going to be spared if we have to do this again. Right, Waine?¡± Waine considered for a moment before putting his own portrait device away. ¡°She¡¯s right. Getting the dud naked sounds fun, but it¡¯s too risky. Stormshine seems to have taken a liking to her for some reason. Come on, let''s go.¡± He turned away and began walking back towards the school. ¡°My aspect will wear off in a couple minutes, let¡¯s get going so we don¡¯t have to show up with her.¡± N and Daly both shrugged and turned around to follow. Ivis stared at Prisma, his crystal still in hand. ¡°Damnit,¡± he said, finally putting it away and following the group. Prisma stayed for a moment, looking at ina but saying nothing. Her eyes were distant, the change in them as stark as the change was in Waine¡¯s when he¡¯d tricked ina intoing out here. ina knew which was the real Waine, but couldn¡¯t help but wonder which was the real Prisma. Prisma nced over her shoulder to make sure her friends weren¡¯t watching before taking out her crystal portrait one more time. ¡°You really do look so cute like this.¡± She took one more picture before putting the device away and walking off, leaving ina hanging alone in the clearing. It was indeed only a couple of minutes before Waine¡¯s aspect fell off and ina fell to ground, having grown used to not having to hold herself up. The first thing she did was shove her fingers into her panties, vigorously rubbing her sopping pussy. They¡¯re probably gone now. Even if they weren¡¯t she couldn¡¯t stop herself. She had to deal with this now. Portraits of me. Prisma had said they were ¡°proof¡± that they¡¯d taught ina a lesson, so they were going to show them to others. How many? Just a couple of other nobles? The entire school? Gods, she hoped it was thetter. She came almost immediately. In fact, she was pretty sure she would have earlier if Prisma had finished stripping her naked, even without any touching. ¡°Gods, okay, I needed that.¡± Shey on the ground, panting in the middle of the clearing. She looked around, half thinking the group might still be there, but they had been gone for minutes at this point. ¡°I really wish someone had seen that.¡± Did she really just say that? Out loud. Fuck me. She covered her face with her cum-soaked hand, trying to hide her blushing from the world. She¡¯d always known, deep down, thought it in the back of her mind without ever truly admitting it. She didn¡¯t deal with humiliation by fucking herself, she dealt with the absurd levels of horniness that humiliation gave her by fucking herself. It had been terrifying at first, especially when Waine hade to touch her, but once Prisma had stopped him¡­ That was the best experience of my life. With the thought of the pictures of her being spread around school creeping back into her mind ina was about to strip offpletely. She¡¯d had no time to earlier, but she could be naked for round two. Just as she reached the back sp of her bra, running her fingers over the spot Prisma had snapped and relishing in the small pain it gave, the bell rang. Midnight. ¡°Shit,¡± she said, abandoning her attempt to strip and standing up. ¡°I have to get back.¡± Embarrassment she would have to admit she liked, but she still didn¡¯t want to be punished for breaking curfew. She looked back at the strips of her uniform, dirt stained and in tatters on the ground around her. Actually, curfew might not be the biggest of my problems. She¡¯d have to deal with thatter. For now, she sprinted off towards the school. She immediately stepped on a rock, stumbled in pain, and tripped over a branch, sending her rolling across the ground. She tumbled into a small opening she hadn¡¯t seen before, rolling for a good deal of time downhill beforending in near pure darkness. She grabbed her left foot, stretching it out to check for serious damage. She tried putting weight on it before crying out in pain. Fuck, it¡¯s not broken, is it? The pain brought ina back to her senses, to a reality unclouded by her own pathetic arousal. She''d just been attacked, stripped, humiliated. She should have nevere out here, and if it hadn''t been for Prisma, the one person she was sure she could actually trust here, she wouldn''t have. She¡¯d been wrong, and she couldn¡¯t trust Prisma. But¡­ she seemed hesitant, like she regretted it. No, it didn''t matter if Prisma regretted what she''d done; she''d done it anyway. ina felt around and found a small boulder she could use to support herself and started to pull herself up, wincing as she moved her bad ankle. As she leaned against the rock and grabbed the top, blue light shed from it, crystal light. ¡°System initializing,¡± a monotone, inhuman yet vaguely feminine voice said. ¡°Time sincest boot: nine hundred and twenty-one years, three months, four weeks, two days. Scanning potential System User.¡± A thin, concentrated line of blue light shined across ina, causing her to fall onto her butt as she tried to back away on her bad foot as the light moved up and down her body. ¡°System User confirmed as Star Blessed. Status: unaspected, ssless. Age: twenty years, zero months, zero weeks, zero days. Happy birthday. Initiating protocol: ss Assignment.¡± Ch 1.7: Awakening Ch 1.7: Awakening ¡°User Analysis: Complete. ss Assignment: Complete.¡± ina¡¯s mind filled with information, all of it processed in an instant. She couldn¡¯t hear the words out loud, couldn¡¯t see the words written out, but she understood them all the same. System Hierarchy: [Admin] ss: Masochist Mage Level: 1 Aspects: [Restraint] - {Environmental Targeting} User Skills: [Humiliation Factor] - Rank 1 - Passive: User receives a power bonus of up to {x1.5} to all aspects rtive to the User¡¯s current state of embarrassment. [Personal Restraint] - Rank 1 - Active: Expands [Restraint] to {Self and Environmental Targeting}. {Self Targeting} ispulsory, and the User receives a power bonus of {x2} to all aspects. [Pain Response] - Rank 1 - Passive: Converts a {small} amount of pain to arousal. The pain in ina¡¯s leg disappeared, reced by an instant sense of pleasure. She let out a moan in surprise, clutching her hands between her legs. The disembodied voice, what ina now realized wasing from a round crystal atop the rock she¡¯d tried pulling herself up with, continued, ¡°Due to the length of time sincest initialization, it is assumed all prior System Users are deceased. Pursuant to Protocol: Rebuild, [Admin] status has been granted to the current System User.¡± Arousal would have to wait. ina managed to push herself up to her feet. The pain in her ankle was gone, and that wasn¡¯t all. She¡¯d just been granted a ss. There hadn¡¯t been someone with a ss since the Night Wars themselves, since¡ª ¡°Nine hundred years ago,¡± she muttered. ¡°Correct. This System has been dormant for approximately nine hundred celestial years.¡± ina was in a small cave, nothing in it out of the ordinary except the speaking orb in front of her, a perfectly spherical crystal that illuminated the opening she¡¯d fallen into. Inside it spun the same facsimile of a storm that the Awakening crystal had in the center, though this one radiated a soft light throughout the entire hollow. ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked. ¡°I am the System.¡± Helpful. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°I am responsible for bestowing sses to verified System Users and overseeing their training, progression, and missions.¡± ¡°Are- are you an Awakening crystal?¡± ¡°Incorrect. I am the System, though one of my many functions is to awaken individuals.¡± ¡°Then, did I just awaken?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Am I dreaming?¡± It was a good one if she was. First being stripped near nude by Prisma, then this? ina could think of worse dreams. ¡°No. If you were dreaming, it would be an attractive human woman giving you your ss, not an orb.¡± ina stared at device. ¡°Was that¡­ A joke?¡± ¡°Do you have further questions regarding System functionality?¡± It was a joke. Of course the magical ss bestowing artifact she found would make fun of her. ¡°Okay, uhm, can you exin my ss?¡± ¡°Please be more specific. Your ss details have already been provided.¡± ina focused again on the information that she¡¯d been given earlier, all of it still firmly imprinted in her mind. She had a ss name, and then her aspect. The aspect was normal, and she knew of sses, but there was more that she didn¡¯t fully understand. ¡°Okay¡­ What¡¯s a level? And what¡¯s a skill?¡± ¡°Levels are a metric to measure your ss progression. You can attain higher levels by aplishing missions, and in rare cases by training, if deemed appropriate by the System. Skills are modifiers to your aspects, and sometimes other skills as well. They, like your ss, are chosen based on the fate assigned to you by the stars.¡± So it wasn¡¯t a coincidence that ina had gotten¡­ Those types of skills, that type of ss. She brought up her skills again in her mind. [Humiliation Factor] was first. Thinking of it consciously made her aware once more of her state of dress, and at that awareness she could feel the skill working. If she tried to use her aspect now, which she vaguely felt she could do, it would be stronger. Because I¡¯m embarrassed about being stripped to my underwear¡­ There was a level of practicality that wascking, as stripping to her underwear in ss wasn¡¯t really an option she thought she had, at least without risking getting expelled for indecency. She moved to her other two skills. [Pain Response] was self exnatory, at least with the involuntary demonstration she¡¯d been given with regard to her sprained ankle earlier, that mild sense of arousal still lingering, but the remaining skill was an enigma to her. ¡°I don¡¯t really get [Personal Restraint]. Like, can you tell me what that means?¡± ¡°Certainly. First, attempt to activate your aspect, [Restraint].¡± ¡°How do I do that.¡± ¡°First, attempt to activate your aspect, [Restraint].¡± Helpful, again. ina took in a deep breath then ¡°attempted to activate it.¡± It worked, surprisingly. In front of her manifested a coil of rope, floating in the air. It was coarse, thick rope, as real as any she¡¯d made when she was first learning to weave. She could tell instinctively that this wasn¡¯t the only thing her aspect could do, but it was the first thing that came to mind, the default. ¡°Excellent work. Second, attempt to activate your skill, [Personal Restraint].¡± ina knew better than to ask how. She focused on the skill, and she was instantly frozen in ce again, just as she had been when Waine had used [Control] on her. But that wasn¡¯t all. The rope in front of her pulsed with power. It was stronger now, and she had more control over it. She just couldn¡¯t move herself at all. ¡°As you can see, [Personal Restraint] changes your [Restraint] aspect, addingpulsory Self Targeting on top of its innate Environmental targeting. When active, it will double the power of all of your aspects without requiring any additional mana usage.¡± ¡°What¡¯s mana usage?¡± ¡°The amount of magical energy you must expend to use your aspect. I would rmend releasing your aspect now to conserve mana.¡± ina did so, letting go of the concentration on [Restraint] and watching the rope dematerialize. There was a source, a pool of energy that had been drained when she was using the aspect, and she could feel it starting to refill, slowly, now that she had stopped using it. ¡°Excellent,¡± the System said. ¡°When active, [Personal Restraint] will target yourself instead of just the environment, freezing your movement. Your limb functions will always be held, but you may freeze other parts of yourself if you wish.¡± ¡°Why would I want to freeze the rest of me? That¡¯s just dumb.¡± ¡°You asked me to exin how the skill works. Please do not chastise me for correctly answering your questions. May I continue?¡± ina blushed, looking down. ¡°Uhm, yes, sorry.¡± ¡°In exchange for the mandatory personal effect, all your aspects will have their power doubled for the duration. This will temporarily extend their range and capabilities while the skill is active, without the need for additional training or level ups.¡± The System had said it again: aspects, plural. ina had noticed that when looking over her ss as well. ¡°You keep saying ¡®aspects,¡¯ but I only have one aspect. Everyone only has one aspect, if they have on at all.¡± ¡°Incorrect. Additional aspects can be obtained by progressing in levels, and current ones may be altered as well.¡± No. ina had to be dreaming. That had to be wrong. ¡°Everyone¡¯s been able to have multiple aspects this entire time?¡± ¡°Incorrect. Only those with sufficiently defined fates assigned by the stars may possess a ss, and therefore only those individuals may possess multiple aspects. When located, these individuals are selected to be System Users and brought to the System for ss assignment, pending approval by Academy administration.¡± That phrase again. ¡°What is a System User?¡± ¡°Admin Information Request: Partially Granted. A System User is one who possesses innate potential to hold a ss, is at least twenty years of age, and has been bestowed a ss by the System.¡± ¡°Oh, right, didn¡¯t you say I¡¯m exactly twenty?¡± ¡°Correct. You are exactly twenty celestial years of age. Happy birthday. Again.¡± ¡°But my birthday was yesterday?¡± ¡°Incorrect. You are exactly twenty celestial years of age. Are you trying to get me to say ¡®happy birthday¡¯ again? I will not do it a third time.¡± ina blinked at the frankness. ¡°Wait, the bell!¡± It was technically her birthday now, or her celestial one at least, right? She still wasn¡¯t entirely sure how that all worked. And it was also curfew. ¡°Fuck, I have to go.¡± ¡°Understood. This System will analyze the current state of local and international affairs in preparation for your training and your directives as System Administrator. Please proceed to your instructors, if there are any alive, at the Equal Nations Friendship Academy for tutge in your ss, then return here for further progression.¡± The what academy? Ch 1.8: Streaking Ch 1.8: Streaking Equal Nations Friendship Academy. What a corny name, ina thought as she climbed out of the cave she¡¯d fallen into. Corny a name as it was though, it was remarkably strange, convenient that it shared the same initials as Endrin National Fortress Academy, her actual school. Interesting as it would be to ponder that particr mystery, and the numerous others she¡¯d stumbled into, that would have to wait, because she had a hole to escape. She was surprised to see how steep the exit was, a gradual but stark change from the small incline she¡¯d started from at the bottom. Still, her strength and dexterity had to be on some massive dose of adrenaline, as she made it out with little difficulty. The clearing she emerged in was the same, fortunately. At least I didn¡¯t end up climbing up the wrong exit by ident. She looked down at herself, shivering as a gust of chilly spring wind hit her near naked body. That was definitely her most pressing problem, curfew aside. She could do this though. No students would be out, so she just had to make sure she avoided any faculty. Were there faculty roaming the halls at night, the grounds, looking for half naked studentste to bed? ina hoped she wouldn¡¯t have to find out. She gathered her bearings, fortunately remembering the way she came here by the position of the stars, and almost took off sprinting before she noticed a small glint of light on the ground. My key! She reached down and picked it up, mouth ck jawed at how screwed she¡¯d almost been. It must have gotten flung over here when Prisma was ripping off my jacket. She looked around for the scraps of her clothes, but couldn¡¯t find any. It is pretty windy. They¡¯re probably scattered across the forest by now. That was fine; there was no hope of restoring the uniform anyway. She darted off towards the castle, clutching the metal in her hand, happy that one thing had finally gone right for her tonight. Well, a second thing, I guess. She was still processing the fact that she¡¯d just been granted a ss, but of all things that could have happened to her, tonight or in her life at all, she definitely couldn¡¯t say that was a bad thing. Should I tell anyone? The immediately obvious answer was yes, tell everyone, but something in the back of her mind was stopping her from fully settling on that conclusion. First off, exining how she¡¯d been granted a ss, why she¡¯d been out sote, that was off the table, so she¡¯d have to lie to begin with. And second, something was off about that device, the System it had called itself, herself? The System seemed more of a she than an it, but ina couldn¡¯t quite call it ¡°she¡± yet, not without getting to know it better. It reminded her of the school automatons, if they could talk. It wasn¡¯t just the System itself though; the entire situation was off. Could she actually even hide her ss, or would her Awakening tell everyone for her? If that happened then that was that, but if it didn¡¯t, who would she even tell? If things had gone differently she could have told Prisma, but that ship had sank. She could tell Alonse, Headmaster Alonse, but to be honest, he was kind of creepy in his own way. He seemed kind, but, So did Prisma. ¡°Gah!¡± ina shouted into the woods as she ran, forgetting her imperative to maintain stealth. Why couldn¡¯t she get Prisma out of her head? She¡¯s a jerk, no, a bitch! No different than Waine, no different than the girls she¡¯d once called friends back home. Still¡­ Before ina could finish the thought, she emerged from the forest, slowing to a halt as she took in her location. She was in almost the exact same ce they¡¯d entered, and from her perspective she¡¯d also made good time, great time in fact. Huh, I feel good too. Guess the adrenaline still hasn¡¯t fallen off yet. The only thing to do in this situation was to use that adrenaline burst to its fullest, so she started off towards the school again, at a jog this time instead of a run to make sure she didn¡¯t alert anyone. It wasn¡¯t long before she saw movement. She dropped to the ground, two figures patrolling just ahead. They were wearing the same armor as the guards that had been at the school gate, the same armor she¡¯d seen a couple of times standing around the grounds and inside the walls of the castle, but this was the first time she¡¯d seen any of them move an inch. They walked perfectly in sync, making almost no sound as they moved, which is why she¡¯d gotten dangerously close before noticing them. Fortunately, they hadn¡¯t seemed to notice her either, as they made their way past ina with no indication they¡¯d seen or heard anything amiss, allowing her to get back up and brush herself off. Not that brushing herself off did much, as she was already covered in dirt from her tumble earlier. She sprinted off towards the school again, her pussy tingling with excitement. No no, not now! She couldn¡¯t ignore it anymore. In the forest, she¡¯d just been running, focused only on the time it took to get back to her dorm unnoticed. But now she was out of cover, on the grounds of the school, lit by far too much moonlight to be safe from view, streaking across thewn in only her underwear, tits bouncing wildly. There were at least some people out here that could see her up close, and even more could see her if they just thought to look out their windows at the right moment. She began heaving as she ran, not from exhaustion, but from frustration. She wanted, needed to touch herself again, but she knew she couldn¡¯t, and that only made it worse, made her crave it even more. Her mind clouded by desire, she almost missed the second pair of figures she was rapidly approaching. She¡¯d reached the outside fences of the gardens in front of the school and managed to duck behind one of the bushes before she¡¯d gotten too close. Two people were standing right in front of the path that lead to the school entrance, but they weren¡¯t guards this time. They were students, just like her, a boy and a girl nonchntly hanging around outside past curfew. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we got stuck with this job tonight. I wanted to fuck with some freshers,¡± the boy said. Stuck with a job? That meant they were out here for a reason. ¡°Fuck with them, or fuck them?¡± the girl replied. ina noticed that they each had the same golden pin stuck there jackets. ¡°Oh shut up,¡± the boy replied,ughing and shaking his head. ¡°You¡¯re the pervert here.¡± ¡°Listen, all I¡¯m saying is that if there really is a cute freshman girl trying to sneak back in wearing nothing but lingerie like that Ferris boy said, I¡¯ll enjoy the view as we escort her back to the office.¡± ina could barely believe it. Waine Ferris had actually ratted her out to fucking hall monitors. ¡°The pictures weren¡¯t enough for you?¡± Oh gods, they¡¯ve already been showing the pictures to people? ina bit her lip, trying to think about anything but her pulsing groin. ¡°Oh, they were nice, but the real thing still can¡¯t be beat.¡± The girl grinned. ¡°Plus, getting to order her around sounds fun.¡± The guyughed again. ¡°Oh please, you¡¯re starting to sound like the boss.¡± Well, shit. The two weren¡¯t moving, just standing around, guarding the only entrance ina knew how to get inside from. There would surely be other ways in, but she had no idea where they were, and they were likely guarded too. She had to get past these two, now, and hope that they were guarding only the path to the main entrance, with the entrance itself unguarded. It was night, blessedly, but the two were standing in between crystal lightnterns, so there was no hope of walking up under cover of darkness. If she got any closer, they¡¯d spot her for sure. She could¡¯ve tried going over into the gardens that nked the path to the school themselves, but that would involve both going through multiple bushes and climbing a fence made entirely of vertical metal bars, so that was out. [Restraint] The word echoed in her head. It wasn¡¯t her thought, not her conscious thought anyway. Could she really do that? It was possible she could bind up one of the two students in front of her, maybe both. No, even if it was possible to do it to both of them, she couldn¡¯t attack them like that. But that wasn¡¯t all she could do with her aspect. She didn¡¯t restrain people the same way Waine controlled people. In the cave, talking to the System, she had created rope, materialized it from thin air. And when she was done, the rope had disappeared. ina focused on the ss she¡¯d been granted. There was a more defined awareness of what she could do with [Restraint] now, having used it once. She had an idea, an idea that might work if she could manage to pull it off. But she was too far away. Maybe with just rope she could manage this distance, or maybe with more practice, but rope wasn¡¯t enough right now. What she needed would take more of her power than she had at this range, and she still couldn¡¯t move from her hiding spot without risking being seen. There was one more thing she could try though. Dropping to her knees, she dipped her hand into her underwear, slowly rubbing herself. She was only meters away from these people, and every little movement she made was a movement that could catch their eye, every sound she made a possible rm for them go investigate. With her free hand she tucked her key into her bra strap then covered her mouth. She wanted to y with her tits, but she was a loud masturbator, and she had to muffle herself to stop any of her moans from being audible. She didn¡¯t want to, but she had to. Every small stroke of her clit pulsed pleasure through her body, every moan she choked off a denial of pleasure in equal respects. The sensation, the denial, each bounced off of each other in her body, too much to handle for long. She kept her thumb stroking the outside while the stuck two fingers in, making slightly more and more noise as she got faster and faster. They could turn on a whim, see her at any time. That would be humiliating. And because of that, her n was working. [Humiliation Factor] was engaged, boosting her aspect¡¯s power as she became more and more embarrassed. She didn¡¯t have the full bonus yet, and she could tell she would need more than just the full bonus to pull off what she needed to. Slowly, carefully, she took her right hand off her mouth and reached into her bra. She knew what she needed to do for the maximum bonus. She teased her breast with one hand as she pumped inside of herself with the other, grabbing the metal key and rubbing it across her nipples. Cold. She didn¡¯t know cold could feel so good. The girl student that ina was trying to sneak past turned to speak to the boy, turning towards ina. Everything welled up inside of her, finally exploding in a wave of ecstasy. As her mouth opened to moan she moved to the second part of her n, activating [Personal Restraint], freezing her entire body, mouth and vocal chords included, as she silently came. It was unlike anything she¡¯d ever experienced, the shaking of her body against her will. Only her voluntary movements were restrained, meaning her orgasm had free reign as she sat their on her knees, one hand down her panties, one in her bra, and her tongue sticking out like a panting dog, only a stone¡¯s throw from two oblivious people. The girl student was looking her direction, looking right over her. Even a slight nce down would reveal her. [Humiliation Factor] was capped out. With the full bonus from that and the bonus from [Personal Restraint] as well, ina¡¯s aspect was at the strongest it could possibly be. She leaned into that too, activating [Restraint]. She didn¡¯t summon rope this time though, she summoned chains, on the far side of the two students in front of her, right inside the bushes, right next to the metal fence. She had just enough energy, just enough mana to do onest thing. Still frozen herself, she willed the chain to move, slithering through the bushes and scraping across the metal bars of the fence. Both of the student watch members turned the other way at the sound. ¡°What was that?¡± the boy asked? ¡°Hey,¡± the girl replied, running away from ina. ¡°It might be that girl!¡± Despite his earlier teasing of his colleague, the boy also seemed intrigued by the idea. ¡°Wait for me!¡± he shouted, running off into the bushes as well. ina dropped both her skill and her aspect, hoping the chains she made would fade like the rope before. She didn¡¯t fall this time, having readied herself by bracing on her knees. She pushed herself up, arms shaking. They weren¡¯t shaking from effort, just the effects her orgasm still coursing through her. She sprinted through the gate that had been guarded just moments before, leaving the students who were hoping to catch a glimpse of her behind. And once her shaking stopped, sprint she did. She¡¯d been pacing herself before, and doing a great job apparently, but now she was near flying, faster than she¡¯d ever run, faster than she thought she could run. She was out of sight of the two students behind her in no time, at at the main entrance shortly after. Blessedly, it was both unguarded and open. Not fully, but open enough for one half naked girl to get through. ina made her way through the door and immediately regretted it. She was in the main hall of course, surrounded by dozens of Endrin automatons. She should have been more cautious, but her mind was still a fog of horniness. She¡¯d already came twice tonight, but thatst encounter had been too much, and now she was caught. Or she would have been, if the automatons had seemed to notice her at all. It was a ton of them, more than she¡¯d ever seen at once, in varying shapes and sizes, some smaller with brooms and dustpans working their way on the floor and rug, and some much taller with dusters cleaning off portrait frames and candbras near the ceiling, all ignoring her. ina tiptoed through the crowd, wary that she might set them off, but no such thing urred. One did actually seem to notice her as she walked by, but if it did it only moved out of the way to let her pass. They seemed mindless, like the only thing they could do was clean. Maybe the System wasn¡¯t really like them after all. She couldn¡¯t believe her luck. She¡¯d made it back, thought she had been screwed once more, and was saved purely based on how dumb the automatons were. They couldn¡¯t speak anyway, so even if they did recognize her, she was fine. Letting out a deep sigh, ina began moving forward. She couldn¡¯t sprint with the mass of cleaners in her way, but a brisk walk was slow enough to move by without bumping into them. Gods, I can¡¯t wait to get back to my room. It had been an eventful day, and she was ready to send it off with onest bang. Her roommate, who she¡¯d still yet to meet, would be there too. Any luck and she¡¯d be asleep again, giving a chance for ina to do a repeat of the night before. That hadn¡¯t been nearly as fun as the two goes she¡¯d had already, but it would still make a good nightcap. Horny thoughts dancing in her brain, ina let out a yelp as someone grabbed her wrist from behind. ina turned around. Girl, beautiful girl. She wasn¡¯t the girl from before, this one being much taller than both her and ina, who was already an inch or so above average height. She had short brown hair and deep brown eyes, and her face sported a smirk that rivaled any that ina had ever seen. She was also wearing the same golden pin the student guards from before were wearing, which ina could now see read ¡°ENF Watch¡±. ¡°Alright, Streaker, you¡¯reing with me.¡± Ch 1.9: Interrogation Ch 1.9: Interrogation The tall woman led ina through the halls, never releasing her wrist, her short brown hair bouncing up and down over her dark skin with each step forward. Her skin wasn¡¯t as dark as Char¡¯s, the carriage driver who¡¯d brought ina to Endrin, but still darker than most people ina had ever met. She walked with the weight of authority, seeming less like she was enrolled at the school and more like a member of the faculty, despite her uniform clearly marking her as a student, not a teacher. ina¡¯s captor pulled a ring of keys out of her jacket pocket after their short trip and unlocked a side door, opening up an opulent office space, filled with ornate tables and chairs, all empty, fortunately, leading to onerge, gold trimmed desk. Behind that desk was¡­ a window? But they were deep into the castle, with no connection to the outside. ina gaped as she looked at it closer, realizing the window was made of crystal, and it didn¡¯t show outside at all, but rather was showing one of the academy¡¯s inner hallways. It stayed on that hallway for a moment then changed to another, cycling every few seconds. The woman walked towards the window, giving ina the first chance to actually admire her long, strong legsing down from her skirt, her slim athletic form. ¡°Crystal monitor,¡± she said, sitting down at the desk. There was nowhere in front of it for ina to sit, so she just stood in the center of the room. ¡°State of the art, only installedst year.¡± She tapped a crystal tablet on the desk, a long pink nail cking on it, and the image changed once again, to the front entrance that ina had first walked into. ¡°I¡¯d heard there was a cute girl wandering around, so I was waiting for one of my flunkies to bring you in. Imagine my surprise when I saw you waltzing through the front door alone.¡± Yeah, ina was really d she hadn¡¯t actually attacked those guards now. The woman leaned forward, yful eyes, dark brown with light pink eyeshadow below them boring into ina. Gods, ina thought. Prisma had been beautiful, but this girl was hot. ¡°So, formalities,¡± the girl said. ¡°I¡¯m head of the student watch, Tira Strask. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting tonight?¡± ¡°E-ina.¡± ¡°Last name?¡± ¡°I-, uhm, don¡¯t have one. Weaver, I guess, technically. That¡¯s what they had me put on the registration forms.¡± ¡°Oh? Amoner, huh.¡± The woman jerked forward in her chair. ¡°Wait, are you that ina winced. ¡°Probably.¡± Tira sat back again, letting out a whistle. ¡°Causing trouble all over the ce, huh? Rough couple a days you¡¯ve had. Anyway, let¡¯s get started.¡± The woman pulled out a quill and started writing. ¡°Funny enough, there¡¯s not a rule about prancing about in lingerie specifically, but you are out of uniform, so we have that vition to deal with. You¡¯re way past curfew, obviously, so that¡¯s number two. Andstly, the ¡®unbing conduct¡¯ situation. The lingerie doesn¡¯t help you out there either, but I¡¯m more concerned with the fact that you reek of sex and have a damp spot the size of theke on your panties than the fact that you¡¯re wearing panties specifically.¡± ina choked, covering her underwear with her hands. She had no defense, no reasonable one. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, ma¡¯am¡­¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡± She grinned. ¡°I do like the sound of that, but I¡¯m like, a year older than you. Maybe two, since I hear yourte birthday is why your Awakening went to shit. But regardless, ¡®Tira¡¯ will do, for now.¡± ¡°Right, still, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Tira stared at ina. ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± ¡°I¡ª yes¡­¡± Tira sighed, dropping her quill and leaning back in her chair, a chair that reclined as she fell into it. ¡°Look, I know there¡¯s more to the story than that. When my apparently blind subordinates are talking about a streaking fresher nearly an hour before she actually shows up, there has to be more to the story.¡± She leaned forward again, this time frowning at ina. ¡°So tell me, why are you dressed like this? Why are you out thiste? Did someone do this to you? What else did they make you do?¡± ina¡¯s voice caught in her throat. She was getting riled up again, being interrogated in just her underwear. And this woman, this girl barely older than ina herself had an air of authority around her that was almost as intense as she was hot. ina hadn¡¯t experienced raw authority like this before, not from her parents, not from the headmaster, no one. Still, Prisma¡¯s threat lingered. Talk, and ina would have it even worse. ¡°I¡ª I just am. I was alone, I took my clothes off, and I waste getting back¡­¡± Tira stared back, eyebrows pushing together in annoyance. ¡°Listen, I get it; the horny girl is scared and embarrassed. I¡¯m not an asshole, but I do have a job here. Keep whatever secrets you have to to yourself, but I¡¯m going to need you to exin to me, without lying, why I shouldn¡¯t issue you this write-up.¡± ina shook her head, trying to find more words. Sorry wasn¡¯t enough, and she¡¯d already said that, but there wasn¡¯t anything else she could tell the woman. Not without making things worse. ¡°I can¡¯t say what happened.¡± ¡°Well, at least that¡¯s something.¡± Tira stood up and mmed a fist on the desk, shaking it and knocking the quill she¡¯d been using to the ground. There was anger in her frown, in her eyes, but her words didn¡¯t hold that anger, only authority. ¡°Still not good enough. I know you¡¯re protecting someone else. Tell me what happened, now.¡± They stared at each other for a moment, for a while. ina wasn¡¯t sure how long. Tira stood there, leaning over the desk, holding the gaze for what seemed like forever. ina knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to leave without saying what happened, she knew she still couldn¡¯t say it. She had to listen to Tira, but she had to be silent too. ina bit her lip, looking down, closing her eyes shut to stem the tears welling up again. She couldn¡¯t cry, not here. She was already in trouble. She needed to stay strong, ept her punishment, move on, and then¡ª A soft hand lifted ina¡¯s chin up. She opened her eyes, seeing Tira look down at her. The student watch member looked like a princee to save the princess in a fairy tale. The anger was still there, but ina could tell now that the anger wasn¡¯t for her. It was for Waine, for Prisma, for the others. ¡°Can I hold you?¡± Tira asked. The answer was obvious. ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Tira pulled ina into her, wrapping her arms around ina¡¯s back and enveloping her. Tira¡¯s chest was more average thanrge, but its gentle embrace cradled ina¡¯s head as she still struggled to hold back the tears. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m going to ruin your uniform.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to cry, I¡¯m not going to let you do it all alone. Go ahead, let it out.¡± The tears flowed. ina sobbed into her upperssman¡¯s shirt, gripping the sleeves of her jacket as she did. She remained there, crying on thisplete stranger for as long as she could manage to produce tears, finally slowing down and just leaning into the embrace. ¡°When you¡¯re ready, tell me what actually happened,¡± Tira said. ina pushed away, sniffing, looking at her empty hands, dejected. Tira produced a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it over, which ina took and started wiping her face. ¡°I¡ª you heard about my Awakening going wrong, you said?¡± ¡°Ya, sorry that happened. Sucks that you had to find out like that, especially when it¡¯s actually the school¡¯s fault in the first ce.¡± ¡°Right, well, some other students took me out into the forest for the test of courage. They said that¡¯s why they were taking me out anyway, but actually¡­¡± Tira furrowed her brow. ¡°They did this to you.¡± ina nodded. ¡°They tore up my clothes, said I didn¡¯t deserve to wear the Endrin uniform.¡± ¡°Fuckwads,¡± Tira said, walking back to her desk and sitting down and picking her quill up from the floor. ¡°You have their names?¡± ina nced away. ¡°I¡ª no.¡± ¡°ina, this is serious. If they¡¯re threatening you, don¡¯t worry, they won¡¯t be able to do shit to you once I¡¯m finished with them.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not¡­ It¡¯s not just that. I deserved this, and I don¡¯t want to cause¡ª¡± ¡°Cut that shit!¡± Tira threw her quill down and began to rub her temples. ¡°I¡¯m on your side here. If you let them get away with this, they¡¯ll just go further next time. And your uniform is destroyed? The school will rece it if I can report what happened, but they don¡¯t just give those out for free, not without a reason.¡± She was right, ina knew. Prisma¡¯s threats weren¡¯t even good ones; she¡¯d admitted that if her and Waine¡¯s group followed through with them they may get expelled. ¡°I still can¡¯t tell on them, I¡¯m sorry. I trust you, but I really just want this to be over. I¡¯ll make do with my spare uniform until I can figure something out.¡± Tira groaned, throwing her head back. ¡°Fine,¡± she said, picking up the parchment she¡¯d been writing on earlier and tearing it to pieces. ¡°You¡¯re lucky you slipped past the other student watch members. If they¡¯d seen you, I¡¯d have to report something, but since you¡¯re going to be stubborn about this and no one else saw you, I¡¯m going to do my best to forget this ever happened.¡± The woman stood up again, removing her golden pin and setting it down. She took her jacket off, revealing her powerful torso in full, and started walking back to ina. Tira tried handing the garment over to ina, who pushed it away and started walking back. ¡°No, I can¡¯t take that. I¡¯ll just¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s cold, and you''re in your underwear. I can¡¯t be sure none of the other watch will see you on the way back, so you really need to wear something. And keep the handkerchief.¡± ina reached out pulled the jacket to her body, clutching it and the handkerchief both. ¡°But you¡¯ll be out of uniform, and I don¡¯t know how to get it back to you.¡± Tira shrugged,ughing ina off. ¡°On the night shift and in charge to boot, I can get away without the jacket for a few hours. I¡¯ll just swing by your dorm sometime to grab itter.¡± ina blushed, covering herself with her new piece of temporary clothing. ¡°Come to my dorm? Do you mean¡­¡± ¡°Uh, no. You¡¯re a little too vulnerable here for me to be hitting on right now.¡± Right now? ina felt her face grow even redder as she wrapped the jacket around herself, buttoning it up. With Tira¡¯s height, it was actually long enough to function as a skirt, but that also meant herce-d breasts werepletely hanging out the top. She looked up and saw Tira staring at them. Tira coughed, realizing what she¡¯d been doing. ¡°Anyway, you really should get back to your dorm room. If anyonees in and I¡¯m not actively writing you up, I¡¯ll have a lot of exining to do. Try not to be seen, but if anyone finds you I can try and cover.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ina turned around and started walking towards the door, stopping after only a few steps and turning back around. ¡°Thank you, Tira, for everything.¡± Tira ced a hand on ina¡¯s head and ruffled her hair. ¡°No problem. Now get some sleep, you¡¯ve had a rough night.¡± ina relished the contact for a moment before nodding and walking off. It had been a rough night. After exiting the office she hurried through the hallways, finally with some semnce of modesty, but knowing she wasn¡¯t fully in the clear just yet. Ch 1.10: Redo Ch 1.10: Redo ina made it back to her dorm wing without incident, but paused at the entrance as she heard noise from themon room. On a school night the curfew meantplete lights out, but on the weekend like today, it simply meant students had to be in the dorms,mon area included. She took a deep breath, pulling Tira¡¯s jacket over her as much as she could before darting in. It took a second for someone to notice her state of dress, but once they did ina heard a sharp whistle, followed by shouting aimed at her. ¡°Whoo! Get some, girl!¡± ina continued her path to the stairs, face burning as she ignored the hollering. At least they don¡¯t know what really happened. Not yet, anyway. There was still the portrait situation, but ina couldn¡¯t worry about that now. Five people had pictures of her, they would show them to others, and that was that. She made her way up to her room and opened the door. This time her roommate had beaten her to the room, but she was already asleep. ina walked over to her dresser and opened it, squinting in the darkness. Her other clothes were still there, of course. Waine and the others had wanted to send a message that wouldn¡¯t be noticed by school faculty, so taking every bit of her wardrobe wasn¡¯t an option. She pulled off Tira¡¯s jacket, put it on top, and nced back over at her roommate. Still asleep, back to ina¡¯s side of the room. Confident she wouldn¡¯t be seen, ina took off her underwear set and went to ce it in the dresser, noticing the star ne that Char had carved for her on their carriage ride here. Luckily I didn¡¯t wear this today. She had wanted to save it for her actual Awakening, but she supposed she messed that up too, having done that already. ina put her underwear in, then took out the ne and put it on, something to keep herpany in the night. She looked at the nightgowns she¡¯d packed, deciding if she wanted to wear one. She never wore them at home, but she knew she should now that she had a roommate. Her eyes flicked to the top of the dresser though, and she grabbed Tira¡¯s jacket back instead before closing the drawer. The jacket would be nice, tonight at least. She¡¯d noticed its smell on the walk back, like evergreen trees growing in a field ofvender. She put it on in reverse, the back of the jacket now cradling her like Tira had, before climbing in her bed. The rough fabric of the uniform wasn¡¯t as soft as her bedsheets, but it was somehow moreforting. Why does this jacket feel so nice? She thought over everything that had happened thest few hours, wondering why she¡¯d bothered wearing anything to bed at all. Normally she¡¯d already be pounding herself, halfway to an orgasm after something like this. She liked to think it was because she had a roommate to worry about, but the night before had proven that ina didn¡¯t care about that. She¡¯d already gotten herself off twice, to be fair, and that was probably part of it too, but two times in as many hours was certainly not her limit. Neither of those were it. ina definitely could get herself going, but for some reason she didn¡¯t feel the need to, despite all that had happened. She clutched the jacket to her chest, drinking in the smell of Tira¡¯s perfume as she faded to sleep. *** ina shot up at the first bell, looking over to the other bed in her room. ¡°Damnit!¡± It was neatly made, empty, again. ¡°I only half believe that girl exists.¡± ina had hoped to meet her this morning, try and prod out how much she¡¯d seen and heard on their first night. The thought of that conversation looming over her head wasn¡¯t even embarrassing, just anxiety inducing. ina threw on new underwear and her spare uniform¡ª her only uniform, she supposed¡ª and set out about her day. She attended her first breakfast, which was thankfully uneventful, and in between meals returned back to her dorm, hoping to catch her roommate. Unsessful again, she resolved to try again after lunch. Lunch was almost as uneventful, but ina thought she was getting more stares than earlier. I can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s because of the Awakening, or the portraits. She repeated her trip back to her room after eating, finding it empty once again and tossed herself onto her mattress with a sigh, resolving to try and wait out her roommate again. ina would¡¯ve gone out and looked for her in themon area, but the only thing she¡¯d ever seen of the girl was the back of her head in the dead of night, and there could be any number of girls with short dark hair. She could try to go out and make more friends, of course, but that hadn¡¯t gone well so far. No, it was better to get the basic pleasantries out of the way with the person she would have to spend time with¡ª if they ever met¡ª and then keep low during her time at the academy. It would be lonely, but she could manage. ina entertained herself on her bed by conjuring and manipting lengths of rope and chains. She couldn¡¯t do any real practice outside, since as far anyone else knew she was still unawakened, but it passed the time well enough. The dinner bell rang after hours of fruitless waiting and contemtion, so ina finally got up and started the trek back to the dining hall for thest time of the day. She made her way there with the flow of students, the vast crowd all making their way to the same destination, and ina realized for the first time that she would be the only one having her Awakening in front of the entire school, not just her fellow first-years. Two days prior there would have been a separate meal for the upperssmen, but it wouldn¡¯t make sense to arrange that just for ina. She was fortunately one of the first to arrive, and there was plentiful seating near the faculty table, which she was grateful for. That had been the ce to be on the full Awakening night, but the desirable tables for general eating seemed to be the ones closest to the serving station, naturally. The station itself was currently closed, automatons standing at it next to empty trays. Right, they waited to serve food after the Awakening then too. ina sat alone for a while, but eventually the room started to reach capacity, and people had to move to the outer tables and fill in around her. There was definitely attention on her this time: staring, pointing, whispers, but none so loud she could make out the words over the general volume of the room, which was already louder than usual. Alonse Stormshine stood, and the room silenced. ¡°Now,¡± he said, his thunderous voice echoing throughout the hall, ¡°I must make an apology on behalf of the faculty. We mistakenly offered enrollment to a certain student when they technically weren¡¯t of age, and that caused some strife the other night. ¡°But today is her twentieth birthday, and rather than send her back home, we¡¯re going to have a special Awakening for her tonight and enroll her this year anyway. I appreciate your hospitality and understanding to her as we dy this evening¡¯s dinner, but please recognize again that it is ultimately the academy¡¯s error that caused this, not hers.¡± He waved his hand, the Awakening crystal appearing once more in front of him, mist floating inside. He looked at ina, smiling and beckoning her to him. ina stood and began the long walk up to him. Had it always been this far to the faculty table? She¡¯d sat as close as possible, but this distance seemed to stretch and stretch, right up until she reached that damned red rug, sprawled across the floor, leading up the stairs she needed to walk up to reach the crystal. What if I dreamed it? I could have hit my head falling down that hole, imagined the whole thing. I mean really, a crystal orb that talks and gave me a ss? I really might still be a dud. She swallowed, then pressed forward, ignoring both the rug on the floor and her own thoughts. When she reached the top of the stairs she braced herself for the worst and reached out a finger, tapping the top of the crystal once more, her final chance. At first, there was nothing. Nothing continued, giving way to¡ª Nothing. ¡°No,¡± she whispered. ¡°Not again¡­¡± The stormy mist inside the crystal raged, surging inside the confines like it was trying to escape, needed to escape. It continued on for only seconds, but still far longer than it had for the Awakenings ina had seen prior, finally calming and settling to its previous pattern of gentle swirling. The faculty, the only people ina could see, all stared with dumbfounded expressions, some at the crystal, some at ina herself, and some even at the headmaster. For his part, Alonse Stormshine also stared at the crystal, brow furrowed in confusion. ina couldn¡¯t see the students behind her, but she could imagine their stares too, cutting through the silence of the room. ¡°Ah,¡± Alonse eventually said, using his regr speaking volume. ¡°Apologies.¡± He cleared his throat and then continued on in his booming voice, addressing the entire school as much as ina. ¡°Your aspect, Restraint! Its usefulness is apparent to anyone who knows anything about aspects, andbined with the immense blessing the stars have bestowed upon you, I can only imagine you are destined for great things. And with that, let us eat!¡± A roll of apuse started behind ina, likely as much for the prospect of food as it was for her, as the headmaster waved the crystal away and leaned in to whisper to her. ¡°I mean that. Don¡¯t let anyone tell you that you don¡¯t belong here, understand?¡± ¡°Y- yes sir.¡± She bowed her head and turned back, walking to her prior seat. The rest of the dinner was a catastrophe. Students got up and crowded the serving station, blocking the automatons from bringing in more food. The system was definitely designed for a gradual influx of diners over time, not a mad rush all at once. ina knew it would be a while for her to get a chance at being served, so she decided to wait, as did some of the people sitting around her who realized the same. As the students were able to get food began eating, conversation slowed, all except at the far edge of the room where she and a few others continued to seethe in hunger. ¡°She¡¯s the girl they have pictures of, right?¡± ina heard a student whisper. ¡°Ya, I hear they have her naked!¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s not naked, just underwear. Ferris is supposed to be selling prints of themter this week, five gold a pic.¡± ina locked gazes with the group of boys that were talking, her eyes wide in shock. They stared at each other for a moment before the boys got up and shuffled towards the serving station. ina still was getting her mind around crystal technology, but if a print was anything like printing a pattern on fabric, she knew she was in trouble. Five gold. She¡¯d never had that much money at one time in her life, and Waine Ferris was going to selling pictures of her for that much each. Even beyond the humiliation aspect, that pissed her off, that he was going to make money off of her body. She could deal with the embarrassment, but she wouldn¡¯t stand for the exploitation. There was a little time to try and stop it. She could beg, plead? She wasn¡¯t a dud anymore¡ª was never a dud¡ª and could maybe get back in their good graces. She could try and go through her. ina sighed. No, that won¡¯t work. She got her dinner once everyone else had, scarfing it down and returning to her dorm room. When she went to try her key, she realized the door was unlocked. Did I forget to lock it? Or is my roommate finally here? She knocked and then opened the door slowly, seeing that the room was still empty, but not quite the way she¡¯d left it. Her uniform, tattered and ripped to shreds, was scattered across her bed. In a moment of panic she thought her spare had been ripped up too, before she remembered she was wearing that. She crept in, closing the door behind her. No, the uniform that was ripped up and strewn across her living space was the one from the night before, the one Prisma had tore off of her, and on it was a note. ¡°I washed this for you as best I could so no one could tell it was thrown in the dirt. Tell a teacher you found it in your room cut up like this, and they should rece it for you.¡± No signature. Having the pieces of her uniform back was objectively a good thing, but ina couldn¡¯t help but be confused. Worried, scared? All three, probably. ¡°Fuck me,¡± ina said, throwing her face into her pillow. Any kid in the nation dreamed of going to Endrin their entire life, and this was not the way she had imagined it going. The mysteries were piling up: the pictures, her uniform, her ss, and not to mention her actual sses started tomorrow. She grabbed the note one more time, examining the handwriting. She was almost certain it was a girl¡¯s, but no matter what she was going to find out who wrote this letter. Ch 1.11: Class Ch 1.11: ss ¡°So, you¡¯vee to the academy of Endrin, in hopes that you will serve well the nation of Endrin.¡± The teacher for ina¡¯s first ever ss at Endrin, Practical Aspect Applications, was a gruff woman that looked to be in her fifties, pacing across the ground, arms locked behind a stiffly straight back. She had a strong, angr face, and gray hair speckled with strands of ck that cropped short and slicked back. ¡°I was once Commander Calivahn, but you may call me Madame Calivahn.¡± Every first year seemed to have met for this ss, packed into the sand field that served as the academy¡¯s training ground. It was ina¡¯s only ss for the day, and set tost two hours, which didn¡¯t quite add up to her, but she couldn¡¯tin about her first ss being outside on a nice, crisp spring morning. ¡°Now,¡± Calivahn continued. ¡°You may be wondering why there¡¯s so many of you here with one lonely teacher, how I can teach so many of you. Well, I can¡¯t. Different aspects and different students require different teaching methodologies, so today some of the second-years are going to help me sort you lot into smaller lots that will actually be manageable.¡± Three students walked out from behind the crowd of first years. ina couldn¡¯t believe it, but she recognized each of them. Two were the student watch members she¡¯d managed to sneak past only two nights prior, and thest one was the one she didn¡¯t manage to sneak past, the student watch captain herself, Tira, leading the other two with a smirk, ncing across the first years as if they were her prey. ¡°First, you¡¯ll separate into three groups so we can evaluate you. To my right, those of you with external aspects, my middle, internal aspects, and on the left I want the worldly aspects. If you don¡¯t know which you are, see one of my aides.¡± External, internal, and worldly. ina¡¯s was ssified as an environmental targeting aspect, by the System at least. She guessed it wasn¡¯t an internal aspect, since she had the ability to augment it to self targeting, but she wasn¡¯t sure if it would be considered worldly or external. She looked at the movement of the other students, curious about how the groups would be lining up. The middle section, internal aspects, was by far thergest group, with the other smaller sections nking it. Most of the students moved with purpose, and why wouldn¡¯t they? The vast majority of them had been illegally practicing for months to a year. Still, some small number approached the student watch members that had been enlisted as teacher''s aides, and ina decided to join in. Most of the unsure students were going to the male watch member in front of the middle group. ina didn¡¯t want to crowd him any more, so she walked over to the aide on her right currently wrangling those who had worldly aspects, Tira. ¡°Alright freshers, if you¡¯re a manifester, on the field. Sole maniptors, off to the side. Those still unsure, see me.¡± The natural authority in Tira¡¯s voice moved the students along, forming two files of about fifteen students each. By the time ina got to Tira she was just finishing up sending off two students to their ce. When she saw ina, Tira smiled and reached out to mess with her hair. ¡°Well now, do we get to y together, or are you justing to say ''hi?''¡¯¡± ina backed away, blushing at the contact. ¡°I¡¯m not sure where I¡¯m supposed to be, exactly. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m self targeting, err, internal targeting, but I don¡¯t know exactly where I do fit either.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy. Have you had a chance to mess around with your aspect yet?¡± ¡°A little.¡± It was the truth. ina may have had her aspect for a day longer than most people thought she had, but she still had far less experience than probably anyone else in the school. ¡°What¡¯s it do?¡± ¡°I can create rope. Rope and chains.¡± ¡°Alright, you¡¯re definitely worldly Aspected then. You just create, or can you move them too?¡± ¡°I can move them, yeah.¡± ¡°Sweet!¡± Tira pped as she beamed. ¡°You¡¯re a manifester-maniptor. I can only manipte myself, actually. Go ahead and get in line on the field for now; I¡¯ll get to you in order.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± ina winced as she said it, but Tira justughed. She didn¡¯t know why she felt the need to address her like that. As she turned back to the end of the line ina got a glimpse of the far group from her, the simrly small external Aspected, and the person in front of its file, Waine Ferris. At least I don¡¯t have to be paired up with him. She still had business with him, what with him about to be selling near nude pictures of her to the entire school, but if she was about to spend the rest of her school life in ss with a group, she¡¯d prefer him not be in it. The rest of Waine¡¯s crowd were simrly absent from ina¡¯s group, save one. Prisma was in the middle of the line of students on the field, chatting away with those around her with a smile on her face, not a care in the world. As ina walked by their eyes locked, and Prisma¡¯s face fell into a frown. She really does hate me¡­ ina continued to the back of the line. She watched as the group of students in front were tested ording to Tira¡¯s instruction. Manifesters, this group was called. Some would also be maniptors apparently, and those that were only maniptors waited off to the sides. It didn¡¯t take long to grasp the terminology. Everyone in front of ina, the manifesters, could create something from nothing, at least temporarily, and those who could also control what they created were also maniptors. ina really should have been paying attention during her ss¡¯s Awakening¡ª she knew that¡ª but as it stood this was her first chance to find out about the aspects of her ssmates. Most seemed¡­ Generic? Underwhelming? ina realized hers kind of was as well, now that she thought about it. Endrin students were supposed to be like the Stormshines,manding thunder and lightning, leveling armies. In this group, sure, there was a guy that could create a sword, a girl that could conjure and shoot a crossbow bolt from her hands. Those were impossible feats, fantastical, but still so mundane pared to the stories. Prisma walked up. ¡°Alright, fresher,¡± Tira said. ¡°Show me.¡± Prisma closed her eyes and took one deep breath, simply standing there. She seemed nervous, and ina began to sweat, both from anticipation and the humidity. Does she have stage fright? The entire field of students watched Prisma, each of them sweating in the scorching field. ina herself was almost drenched now, the sweltering air of the¡­ The sweltering air of the early morning? In the first week of spring? ¡°Heat,¡± Prisma said, waving her arm in an arc towards the sky, a plume of fire erupting from her hand as she did, a me magnitudesrger than the bonfires that would grace ina¡¯s vige on the winter solstice, an inferno that would have engulfed numerous of her ssmates if it were directed anywhere but straight up, still threatening to engulf those standing near Prisma even as she directed it away from them. This was the power ina had imagined. The others would get better, learn to do more with their aspects, but there was a level of mastery that Prisma had innately, that factor that ensured the top families of the nation remained at the top. These were the types of people that ina heard stories about, and the gap between them and even the middle-tier students at Endrin was astounding. The crowd of students watching gasped in unison, the air around them returning to the natural brisk chill of early spring as Prisma released her aspect. ¡°I can control the ambient heat around me,¡± Prisma continued. ¡°Sorry for any difort, but that¡¯s the only way I can demonstrate that. I also produce fire, and I¡¯m still working on manipting existing mes, but I can do that as well.¡± Tira was flustered, pulling at her cor with one hand and using her jacket to fan herself with the other. ¡°Well, your cement is obvious, at the least. You can go stand with the other maniptors for now, but off to the side. You¡¯re in a group of your own for now.¡± ina felt bad for the boy who came next and showed what was admittedly an impressive disy of conjuring a trio of dogs that looked ready and willing to dobat, but it still felt hollow andcking. After Prisma¡¯s disy, anything would be a disappointment, and ina was just d she didn¡¯t have to be the one to follow it up. Eventually though, it was her turn. ¡°Right then, ina, you¡¯re thest one of the manifesters.¡± Tira smiled at ina as she crept forward. ¡°Let¡¯s see what the faculty were all abuzz aboutst night.¡± The faculty? Right, ina¡¯s Awakening had been, unusual. ina didn¡¯t think that Tira was trying to freak her out, but the pressure wasn¡¯t helping. It wasn¡¯t embarrassment, which would actually be a good thing, just anxiety. ina swallowed, raising a hand. ¡°So, my thing, my aspect is Restraint.¡± She conjured a length of rope, only a few feet long, dancing it around in the air. ¡°I can make rope, I guess. And also chains.¡± She let the rope disintegrate before creating a chain, the metal falling to the ground. ¡°Oh yeah, uhm, those are kind of heavy, so it¡¯s hard to lift them. I can still move them though.¡± The chain slithered like a sad snake. Tira pursed her lips as the students waiting in the wingughed. ¡°Err, anything else?¡± ¡°Ah¡ª No, not really.¡± ¡°Well, go stand in with the other manifesters, the regr group.¡± ina bowed her head, the chain dematerializing as well. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± She started to walk away before Tira¡¯s hand fell on her shoulder. ¡°You haven¡¯t had the head start the others have. Your cement isn¡¯t set in stone, so work hard and prove them wrong.¡± ina stormed off to the side of the field without responding, joining the others, the ¡°regr group.¡± She knew Tira was right, that even having a ss didn¡¯t mean her aspect was inherently stronger. She needed training, and that¡¯s what she was here for, right? It still stung. ¡°Now then, you three,¡± Tira said, motioning towards Prisma and two others that had been grouped with her, the dog boy and a girl who could make and control water, ¡°are going to be in Advanced Maniption. The rest of you that have been tested will be in Standard Manifestation or Standard Maniption. I¡¯ll consult with Ole¡¯ Calivahn to make sure you¡¯re in the right spot for your aspect. Alright, sole maniptors, rally to me by the equipment stand over there so I can see what you can do. If you¡¯ve been tested, the next hour or so is free training. Actually work, don¡¯t ck off.¡± The students dispersed, the tested students grouping off on the field as the untested maniptors went off with Tira to a rack with all sorts of weapons and mundane instruments alike. Since they weren¡¯t able to manifest anything, apparently they needed to have something to use their aspect on. ina ended up alone, again. She wasn¡¯t going the let the time go to waste though. Face flush with both embarrassment and anger, she conjured up a chain again, a real chain with actual length, and whipped it into the sand. She wished for a target dummy, anything to actually attack as she repeatedly pounded the ground with the metal links she¡¯d made. She did that for only a minute before she wore herself out. Damnit, if I¡¯d been able to do at least that¡­ She¡¯d still not be on the level of Prisma, not even the dog boy or the water girl, but she wouldn¡¯t have looked so pitiful. She wiped sweat off her brow, looking up to see if Prisma was heating the area again. She wasn¡¯t, it was just exertion. A crack rang out from behind, and ina moaned, pleasure radiating from her groin as an equal amount of pain struck across her leg, [Pain Response] activating. She whipped around to see Waine Ferris standing behind her holding a literal whip in his hands, smirking his stupid face. ¡°The worldly Aspected sure do have some fun toys over here. What¡¯s a dud doing with them though?¡± ina gritted her teeth, exhaling through her nose. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually not here for you.¡± He motioned behind him, to a short girl with sses and shoulder length, messy ck hair, her green eyes as wide as a deer who just realized she¡¯d identally walked into a butcher¡¯s shop. She was, well, notrge, but soft, filling out her uniform fully in a way that most others didn¡¯t. ¡°I¡¯m here to introduce Prisma to your recement. She¡¯s got an external aspect like me. You know, something actually useful.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± the girl squeaked out. ¡°I¡ª I didn¡¯t even¡ª¡± ¡°What the fuck is going on over here?¡± Tira shouted, storming over from the equipment rack, eyes drilling holes through Waine. Waine threw his hand up,ughing away. ¡°Just having some fun with my ssmate. Is teasing a crime now, officer?¡± ¡°Give me that whip now,¡± Tira said, extending her hand, ¡°and you won¡¯t have the displeasure of learning what I can do with it, Ferris.¡± Waine cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Wow, you know who I am and still have this much guts.¡± He tossed the coiled whip, Tira snatching it out of the air. ¡°I¡¯m honestly impressed, especially for someone of your pedigree.¡± Tira rolled her eyes. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be bothering your own teacher¡¯s aide?¡± Waine threw his hands up. ¡°I¡¯m tested already, Advanced External Targeting, and I have business here besides. I¡¯m meeting one of my practicum partners to introduce ourst group member,¡± he said, pointing his thumb to the girl behind. The girl shook her head. ¡°I¡ª I still¡ª¡± ¡°ina,¡± Tira said. ¡°Are you really practicum partners with this kid?¡± ¡°No no,¡± Waine said. ¡°Not her. I was just saying hi to her as we walked to Prisma. We¡¯ll be going now.¡± He turned back to ina. ¡°By the way, if you ever want to do some modeling again, let me know.¡± Tira cocked her head. ¡°Modeling?¡± Waineughed, grabbing the arm of the girl he was with and dragging her off as he spoke. ¡°Ya, she was kind enough to do some underwear modeling for me. If you want any pics, they¡¯re five gold a pop. Just gotta offload ¡¯em to the printerter today.¡± ina¡¯s heart sunk. She¡¯d hoped until now that it was just a rumor, that it wasn¡¯t actually happening. Later today though? There wasn¡¯t even any time to stop it. CRACK! CRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACK! The field froze, everyone turning to Tira. ina hadn¡¯t seen what she¡¯d done to make such a sound, the repeated, near continuous cracks of the whip, but she saw her face. Tira¡¯s nostrils red, eyes crunched into the shape of knives as she stomped towards a dumbstruck Waine. ¡°What the fuck did you just say?¡± ¡°Hey hey!¡± Waine said, stumbling backwards and falling on his ass in the sand. ¡°She agreed to it! It was entirely her idea, even! Right , ina?¡± Waine looked at her, begging, pleading, all confidence gone as Tira stopped in front of him, looming over. ¡°Is that true?¡± Tira asked. ¡°What the hell is going on here, Waine?¡± Prisma¡¯s voice. She was running over from her group, panting as she trudged through the sand. ¡°ina,¡± Tira said. ¡°Is it true?¡± ina bowed her head. There was fear in Waine¡¯s eyes, and she had power now. But that power was temporary, borrowed power from Tira. If she had her own power, something that could stand up to him, put fear into him, she might¡¯ve been able to tell the truth. Tears streamed from her eyes as she uttered her response, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true. I volunteered so they¡¯d let me hang out with them.¡± Waine got up, chuckling nervously. ¡°See! We¡¯re all good.¡± He brushed sand off his uniform pants, shaking his head. ¡°Thanks for telling the truth, ina. Really appreciate it.¡± ¡°Bullshit!¡± Tira said sticking a finger into Waine¡¯s chest. ¡°I know what you¡¯re doing, you sniveling little shit. I¡¯m the head of the student watch, and¡ª¡± ¡°Now now, officer, let¡¯s not be too hasty. I¡¯m sure you know that nothing here can be proven as untoward. If a student wants to be a little slut, I guess you¡¯d be in your right to write her up for unbing conduct, but when it was all her idea, can you really go after the guy she pressured into doing it?¡± He pushed her finger off his chest. ¡°Do you really think that¡¯s going to work?¡± Tira ground her teeth, pushing his hand away. ¡°A duel,¡± she said. ¡°A duel, and you erase the pictures, all of them, if you lose." ¡°What?¡± Waine looked dumbfounded. ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to offer me, and even with my power I¡¯m not stupid enough to challenge a second-year worldly Aspected.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to be dueling me,¡± Tira said. ina was the one dumbfounded now. If it wasn¡¯t Tira that was dueling, who was it? And why was everyone looking to ina of all people for the answer? Oh. Ch 1.12: Terms Ch 1.12: Terms Surely ina misunderstood, surely Tira was joking, or surely ina was dreaming. But all eyes were on her, and ina knew none of those were true. She really expected ina to duel Waine Ferris. ¡°Wait, Tira, I don¡¯t want to fight anyone! I really did let him take those pictures, I just¡ª¡± ¡°Enough, ina,¡± Tira said, crossing her arms. ¡°You both agree to the duel, and I¡¯ll drop it. If either of you don¡¯t participate, I¡¯m reporting you both for unbing conduct.¡± Waine snarled. ¡°Who are you to decide who I duel? Do you know who I am?¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re a brat that¡¯s been allowed to get away with far too much for far too long. Now, do you ept the duel, or are you too scared to fight amoner?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not scared,¡± Waine said, stomping his foot on the ground. ¡°But there¡¯s no reason for me to ept. What are my terms, what do I get if I win?¡± Tira pointed at ina. ¡°She¡¯ll sign her rights away to the portraits. You¡¯ll be the legitimate owner of the images, no more trouble possibly brewing, and I drop the issue. Again, unless you¡¯re scared.¡± ¡°What in the stars is going on over here.¡± Madame Calivahn said, making her way through the crowd of students in the middle of the field. ¡°Tira, exin.¡± Tira¡¯s anger dissipated, her face painted with a shining smile. ¡°A small argument I had to break up. ina here just challenged Waine Ferris to a duel.¡± ina went to protest, ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Over what stakes?¡± Calivahn asked. ¡°Pride,¡± Tira said, jumping in before anyone else could. It wasn¡¯t exactly a lie, and not exactly the truth either. Calivahn eyed Waine, nodding to herself. ¡°Aye, you were the loudmouth during the Awakening the other night, weren¡¯t you? I¡¯d want to teach you a lesson as well. Do you ept the duel, Ferris? And stop making that face, you look like a child.¡± Waine looked around, face scrunched up and red as he waved his arms in frustration. ¡°I¡ª Yes, fine, I ept.¡± He walked up to ina, staring down at her. ¡°I¡¯m the one challenged, so I choose the terms, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the custom, yes,¡± Calivahn said. ¡°Swords then, with des.¡± ¡°Not a chance,¡± Calivahn replied. ¡°I¡¯ll turn my eye away from this with training swords, but I¡¯m not going to let a student get killed over dumb bravado.¡± ¡°Fine, whatever, training swords. After ss, dud. I¡¯ll enjoy thrashing you.¡± Waine stormed off, grabbing the wrist of the short girl he¡¯d walked over with and pulling her along. Prisma looked at ina for a moment, then ran off after him. ¡°Alright everyone,¡± Calivahn said, waving off the crowd. ¡°Back to training.¡± She turned to Tira. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear any of that, so just make sure no one gets hurt.¡± ¡°Aye aye, Commander!¡± Tira said, saluting the teacher as she walked off. ¡°Tira!¡± ina said, running up to her. ¡°What are you doing? I said I was fine!¡± Tira¡¯s smile dropped, her face falling into anger again. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me there were pictures,¡± she said in a hushed voice. ¡°I said it was fine.¡± ina said, ncing to the ground. ¡°And that was a lie,¡± Tira hissed. ¡°You can¡¯t let him get away with this, or the entire school will walk over you the whole time you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°And how is this better? He¡¯s going to humiliate me again, this time in front of the whole ss, and then the pictures will go out anyway!¡± Tira rubbed her temple, groaning. ¡°I saw you practicing after I tested you. You¡¯re better than you let on.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that onmand! I can only do it when¡ª¡± Only when I¡¯m embarrassed. ¡°Don¡¯t use the chains then, use the rope. If it were actual des you¡¯d be in trouble with that, but with dulled swords a rope is just as good as a chain.¡± ¡°Tira, do you even know what he can do? He controls people.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°What do you mean so?¡± Tira blinked. ¡°ina, do you not know about external aspects?¡± ¡°I¡­ I mean, they target externally, right? Me, I know he can control me. He did it the other night.¡± ¡°Are you fucking¡ª¡± Tira took in a breath, slowly, then exhaled. ¡°He used his aspect on you, before you were awakened?¡± ¡°Ya,¡± ina said, side eyeing Tira. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well one, that¡¯s just fucked up. And two, you don¡¯t know the weakness of external aspects. They can affect regr people just fine, but their powers are severely diminished when they¡¯re used on other Aspected.¡± That actually jogged ina¡¯s memory. Waine had said something like that, that if she had been Awakened she might have been able to fight back. ¡°Are you saying I have a chance?¡± Tira shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m saying you¡¯re favored. The worst matchup for an external aspect is an internal one, but a worldly aspect still wins that matchup more often than not.¡± ina bit her lip, still struggling not to cry. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you signed me up for this without asking. If I lose, he¡¯s going to sell all those pictures of of me.¡± ¡°He was going to do that anyway. Honestly, Calivahn couldn¡¯t have shown up at a better time. He didn¡¯t have time to realize how shit these terms are for him. This situation is only good for you, either the status quo stays the same, or you get him to delete the portraits.¡± ¡°But I still can¡¯t win! I don¡¯t know how to use a sword at all!¡± Tira ced her hands on ina¡¯s shoulders, gripping them. ina breathed a little easier, calmed just slightly. ¡°ina, this isn¡¯t fencing ss, it¡¯s Practical Aspect Application. You¡¯re not going to win this fight with a de; you¡¯re going to win it with your aspect.¡± ina looked down at her hands, conjuring up a small piece of rope. ¡°With this?¡± ¡°Stop wasting your mana,¡± Tira said, cing her hand over ina¡¯s. ¡°I know you can do more, I saw you.¡± When I was embarrassed, when [Humiliation Factor] was active. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do it again.¡± Tira shrugged. ¡°I really think you can, but even if you can¡¯t, you¡¯re still not any worse off than before. And I¡¯ll tell you what. If you do win, then when Ie to grab my jacket from your roomter, maybe we can see about actually doing what you thought I was asking to do the other night.¡± ina¡¯s eyes went as wide as the scared girl¡¯s from before, face glowing red as Tira burst intoughter. ¡°But only if you want; we can talk about itter. Nowe on, we have a little less than an hour for me to exin how this is going to go down.¡± *** ss ended with the ringing of the great bell, the first time ina had heard it ring other than to announce a mealtime or curfew. ¡°Alright,¡± Calivahn shouted. ¡°Everyone is dismissed for the day.¡± Despite the dismissal, none of the students went to leave. ¡°Fine,¡± the teacher said, throwing her hands up in exasperation as she walked off. ¡°The least you all could do is pretend to follow rules, gods.¡± As Calivahn walked off the students gathered around the center of the field, leaving a circle in the middle. All were silent as ina made her way through, following Tira¡¯s lead to the makeshift arena. She carried one of the school¡¯s metal training swords in her hand, something that was to her nothing more than a heavy metal club, though not as heavy as she would have thought. The two broke through into the center of the crowd, seeing Waine Ferris and crew: Prisma, N, Daly, Ivis, and the mousey new girl who looked as scared as ever, standing behind him. He took his jacket off and handed it to Prisma before walking forward, training sword resting on his shoulder as he sauntered into the ring. ina did the same, giving her jacket to Tira and leaving herself standing in just her white uniform shirt and skirt. ¡°Let¡¯s make this quick, dud. I have an appointment with a printer to get to.¡± ¡°Not so fast,¡± Tira said, holding up her hand. ¡°I have to go over the rules.¡± The officially unofficial rules, she¡¯d exined to ina. Unsanctioned duels like these weremon, and not quite technically allowed, but at the very least ignored as long as certain precautions were taken, a student watch referee¡¯s presence chief among them. ¡°You¡¯ll both be using dulled training swords in this duel. As there were no specifications otherwise in the terms, use of your aspects ispletely unrestricted. The duel ends when one side yields, or when a blow that I deem would be lethal or debilitating with a real de is dealt. Waine Ferris, these are the terms you stated, correct?¡± Waine rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, they are.¡± ¡°And ina Weaver, you ept these terms after challenging him, correct?¡± ina nodded, voice quavering. ¡°Yes, I do¡± ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll leave you two to final reconciliation.¡± Tira walked off, almost to the crowd of students surrounding the three of them. Final reconciliation, onest chance for the parties to resolve a dispute before fighting. Originally meant to avoid unnecessary duels to the death amongst officers and other members of the gentry, Tira had exined the custom still stood even in nonlethal bouts. ina and Waine approached each other, close enough for a whisper. ¡°Walk away, Weaver,¡± Waine said through his teeth. ¡°We already had an agreement.¡± ina struggled to get out words, sword hand shaking. ¡°I didn¡¯t agree to anything with you.¡± ¡°If you go through with this, I¡¯m going to kick your ass right here, in front of everyone. Then I¡¯m going to take those pictures and give them to everyone in the school, for free. Every day after today, your life will be miserable. I¡¯ll make sure of it. And there¡¯s only going to be one way out of that.¡± Waine leaned in even closer, nearly spitting into her ear as he spoke. ¡°We told you what would happen if you snitched. You¡¯re going to beg me to take those nude portraits of you, cause it¡¯s the only way I¡¯ll make the torment stop. Those are the ones I¡¯m going to sell. They won¡¯t be cheap, but everyone¡¯s going to want to buy them anyway. After that, our debt will be settled. But if you walk away now, I sell what I already have, and that¡¯s that.¡± ina¡¯s could hear her own pulse pounding as Waine pulled away from her face, the volume of her heartbeat on par with the ringing of the great bell, each pump a st in her chest that wouldn¡¯t let up. She locked gazes with him, and saw something in them she hadn¡¯t seen before. ¡°You¡¯re scared,¡± she said, realizing the truth of it only as she spoke the words. ¡°If you weren¡¯t scared, you would just do that. You wouldn¡¯t have to threaten me with anything.¡± Waine growled, the rage dancing in his eyes as furious as the mists in the Awakening crystal had the night prior. But his fury was just that, nothing but anger. The mists in the crystal were ina¡¯s, her power. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you,¡± he said. ina imagined Tira ruffling her hair, Tira¡¯s hand on her shoulder, the embrace from before. ¡°You can try.¡± She turned away, walking back five paces and returning to face Waine. He stood in the same spot, huffing as he stared her down before making the same motions she had. Tira spoke, ¡°I ask the challenger, has reconciliation been sessful?¡± ¡°No,¡± ina said, raising her de. ¡°Understood. As unfortunate as this is, we must proceed. You two may begin on my mark, the crack of this whip. And the rest of you,¡± Tira said, turning to the crowd. ¡°Crystal portraits away, or I¡¯ll slice them in half. Calivahn is turning a blind eye to this, but this is still unsanctioned, and I¡¯m not letting you get pictures of me refereeing this.¡± A couple of the students grumbled, but the crowd obliged. Tira raised her hand, pausing for a moment as the two duelists readied their stances. Waine took what ina presumed was an actual dueling stance, turning his body to side and extending his sword outward toward her. She simply raised her sword, doing her best to cover as much of her body with the length as possible. ¡°This is your funeral, Weaver.¡± The whip cracked once, and Waine raised his free hand, ina¡¯s muscles betraying her instantly. Ch 1.13: Duel Ch 1.13: Duel ina¡¯s hand jerked back, bringing her sword only inches from her own neck before she realized what was happening. It had been a mistake to keep her own weapon so close, she realized, but she was able to wrestle control over her arm, forcing the training de still with sheer willpower. Tira was right; before the Awakening there was nothing ina could do about Waine¡¯s aspect, but now she actually had a way to resist it. Okay, wasn¡¯t expecting that, but if I know it¡¯sing¡ª Waine himself was baring down on her, charging forward while abandoning his stance. ina raised her own free hand, activating [Restraint] and manifesting a rope, wrapping it around his left leg and pulling back. Waine still reached striking distance of her before being stopped, making one overhead swing at ina. Their swords nged, ina having brought up her own de just in time to backpedal while Waine struggled to move. Holy shit, I just did that. ina had barely even registered the swing before instinctively moving to block it. She knew that she stood no chance in a prolonged melee engagement, so she circled around Waine while keeping him in ce with her conjured rope. When she had essentially swapped starting positions with him, she had to release the rope. She¡¯d burned through a dangerous amount of her mana, almost a third, with that stunt. A third gone in just a few seconds. Both making the rope and pulling back on Waine was too much, every bit of resistance he put up costing her more and more to keep him in ce by sheer force. Waine was moving again, this time circling her while holding his defensive stance. There was still fear in his eyes, so he was actually taking this seriously. Only two days prior, even without his aspect, Waine would have been able to roll over ina ten times in a row, but now she could actually put up a fight. ina mirrored Waine¡¯s circle, fleshing out her n. She needed her aspect to win, there was no question about that, but she needed to be smart about it. Her mana was refilling, slowly, but she knew from experience it would take at least ten minutes to get back to full capacity. Waine had thought his n over at least, and charged her again. ina lost control once more, not in her arm this time, but her legs. She willed to move them away, try and flee, but she couldn¡¯t fight this control like she fought the one from before. She wasn¡¯t frozen, but she couldn¡¯t do anything more than slide her feet across the sand. Panicking, she conjured another rope, wrapping it around both Waine¡¯s legs, sending him toppling into the sand face first as he tried to circle around to her undefended back. She gained her movement back and immediately jumped away from her opponent. ¡°Damn bitch,¡± Waine said, struggling to get up and regain his footing. ina realized her mistake instantly. She¡¯d ran. He¡¯d been lying face down, she¡¯d had full control of herself, but she still ran from him. Stupid, stupid! she thought as Waine stepped out of her makeshift restraint. She had plenty of experience with rope before, but that was in making it, not tying knots. Still, ina had done one thing right. Creating the rope didn¡¯t use much of her mana at all, and tying it around Waine and leaving it there had cost her significantly less than when she had actively been pulling him back with it. Damnit, if I¡¯d just had more time to learn this stuff¡­ She let her rope dematerialize as Waine stepped forward. There was at least time to think as they stared each other down. ina knew from stories that most real duels were over in all but an instant, the first blood being drawn in only seconds. Aspects changed everything though. Neither of them knew fully what the other was capable of, and one misstep would mean the end. Waine couldn¡¯t try the same rush tactic without being taken down again, and ina wouldn¡¯t miss the lethal blow a second time, but she had no way in of her own as long as he could lock her feet. Something didn¡¯t quite make sense though. ina had been able to resistpletely when he¡¯d tried to force her to attack herself, but was barely able to move at all when he¡¯d locked her legs. Figuring out why that was or not, she had to do something. She¡¯d been on the backfoot the entire fight, and she needed to make something happen, so she went to move forward. She went to move forward, but stayed in ce. Waine took a step towards her, feinting a charge, and she backed away instinctively. She went to move forward again, but still stayed in ce, tried to take a step back, and was able to. It clicked. Just like she couldn¡¯t hold him back endlessly with her ropes with brute force, Waine had restrictions too. Certain things would burn through more of his mana than others, would be harder to pull off than others. Trying to get her to do specific things like attack herself would likely be the hardest to do, freezing a body part a little easier, and blocking her from doing one specific action like approaching him would be the easiest. The harder an element of control he tried to exert, the more she could resist, and the more it would cost him. ina smiled, both because she was proud of herself for figuring it out, and for what that meant. He needed to save his mana, because he didn¡¯t have a bottomless well of it either. There were problems though, as she still had no way to approach him, meaning the pace of the fight was his to control. She backed away, wanting to make sure she would have as much time as possible to react when he next attacked. Then she felt it, the slight release of her legs, barely perceptible. She could move freely again, and Waine¡¯s eyes lit up in terror. He¡¯s out! She charged, screaming as she conjured another rope, this time tying Waine¡¯s sword hand to his opposite leg. He¡¯d be unable to move either limb,pletely helpless as she made her strike, only able to watch as she won. Waine smirked. Running at full speed, ina lost control again. Only of one foot this time, only for a moment, but as she sprinted with one leg and fixed the other in ce, she was now the one flying through the air. It was a bluff. She collided into the sand, tumbling head over heel andnding on her back, sword dropped somewhere behind her. She was frozen again too. Notpletely, but Waine was preventing her from getting up. ¡°You¡¯re such an idiot,¡± he said, going to untie the knot she¡¯d made around his wrist with his free hand. ina¡¯s legs were near useless with the amount of control Waine was impressing on her, but she could slowly move back, push herself to some degree of safety with her arms. As she did, she willed the rope to stay tied, fighting Waine¡¯s attempt to free himself, actively burning mana, mana she couldn¡¯t afford to lose. She needed to be more efficient, but there was no way to do that and keep Waine off of her. But for some reason, this didn¡¯t seem as inefficient as it should. [Humiliation Factor]. She was embarrassed now of course, having just charged and face nted into the field before rolling onto her ass, probably shing her panties to the crowd as well. The skill was active now, boosting her efficiency, and if the System could be believed her capabilities as a whole as well. Too little, toote. Waine was still struggling to untie himself, ina consciously keeping the rope in ce. At least he would look a little silly right before he won. She¡¯d probably look more ridiculous as she lost, face burning after her ridiculous disy. So much for having a ss. She could hardly believe she¡¯d been excited at one point about it. Only now that she¡¯d already lost, less than half her mana remaining and pinned to the ground, would she finally get a benefit. ina looked to Tira, the watch captain stoic as she watched them both. To the crowd, enraptured in the duel, not knowing how dire her circumstances were. To Prisma. Their eyes locked, but ina couldn¡¯t read her face. She was pensive, just another onlooker in the crowd of people with no stake in the fight. Still, more than anything ina didn¡¯t want to lose in front of her, lose to her and her team. And the fight wasn¡¯t over yet. With [Restraint] enhanced by [Humiliation Factor], she was more aware of her surroundings. Not aware of everything, just what was relevant to her ss, but she was a manifester and a maniptor, capable of both producing and controlling. She knew what she needed to win, to embrace who she was, what the fate the stars had read for her was. Could she do it? She had to. She used her aspect to reach out to the sp of her skirt, the restraint holding her skirt together, and undid it. It would look like an ident, she hoped, since she wasn¡¯t touching it physically. The skirt fell off in the sand as she pushed herself away, exposing dark green panties with just a trim ofce on top. They weren¡¯t sheer in the back like her ck pair, but they rose up and exposed the bottom of her ass cheeks as she tried to slither away. I hope this is worth it. Sure, Waine would see her in her underwear again. Everyone would see her in her underwear, but that was a risk she had to take. Tira had manufactured a no risk situation for her, but if she was going to win, she had to sacrifice something. Waine finally got out of the rope as ina had dropped focus on it while undoing her skirt, bellowing outughter as he did. ¡°More uniform trouble? Are you that eager to put on another show for everyone?¡± The crowdughed back as he approached, ina still squirming away in her underwear as her face glowed red. He threw his arms up, taking his time to approach as she scrambled back and fruitlessly looked for her sword. ¡°You know, maybe I take my time and strip you naked right here, how¡¯s that sound?¡± It sounded mortifying, and she was already partially there. The entire ss seeing her like this, those in front getting a view of her spread legs as she crawled away, her praying that they couldn¡¯t see the growing dampness in her crotch as she did, it would all have to be enough. [Humiliation Factor] wasn¡¯t fully active¡ª it would apparently take even more embarrassment for that¡ª but ina was far more capable now than before.. She called on [Restraint] again, attempting more than she ever had with it before. A shackle, chains, a weighted ball of iron buried underneath the stand. They came into being instantly, the shackle snapping around Waine¡¯s leg, the chain connecting it to the weight. His approach was halted once more, only steps away from ina. ¡°The fuck is this?¡± he said, looking at his leg. ¡°How do you have this much mana left?¡± The two locked eyes again, Waine frozen in ce and ina sprawled on the ground, each unable to move. Waine thrashed, trying to pull at the chain keeping him in ce, trying to burn more of ina¡¯s mana, but it was futile. She was spending mana to keep her manifestations, but it was the weight of the iron ball buried in the sand holding him back, not constant effort. Likewise, ina realized she could move back still, but standing or approaching was out of the question. The crowd had stoppedughing now, their attention shifting as the oue of the duel was no longer as clear as they¡¯d though. Waine turned to Tira, grimacing. ¡°It¡¯s a draw, Strask. We¡¯re both immobilized.¡± Tira shook her head. ¡°Till one of you yields or I call a lethal blow.¡± Waine shed the air in Tira¡¯s direction. ¡°What, you want me to throw my sword?¡± He looked down at his de as if he was considering it, but ina¡¯s reaction was faster. She extended the chain, pping another shackle onto the crossguard and locking it to his ankle. ¡°Fuck¡¯s sake, it¡¯s a draw!¡± he shouted, thrashing as he tried to pull away. Tira shook her head again. ¡°One of you will run out of mana eventually.¡± Tira was right, and ina was increasingly afraid it would be her. She¡¯d burned a ton getting the ball and chain setup going, and even more now that she had to extend that manifestation to stop the sword throw. There was only a sliver left, and maintaining something of such mass was draining it, quickly. She had ten seconds max, and Waine was spending only the bare minimum to keep her away from him. No, she couldn¡¯t risk the war of attrition; even if Waine miraculously ran out first, she¡¯d need to grab her sword and strike him before he got free. There was only one hope, a falling star¡¯s chance at victory. She let go of the iron ball first, the heaviest drain on her reserves, leaving only the chains and shackles. Waine, still trying to get free, managed to pull out of the ground, struggling to regain his bnce with his confusion at his sudden freedom. ina took a deep breath, activating [Personal Restraint]. She¡¯d lose what little remaining movement she still had, but the strength of her [Restraint] doubled in return. Letting the shackle on Waine¡¯s leg disappear, the only thing she left was the chain attached to his sword hilt. ina focused on that chain, spending everyst ounce of remaining mana to pull on it. As soon as the attempt was made, everything she¡¯d conjured disappeared, her mana depleted. But the force of the chain being yanked carried on, Waine staring down at his own sword hand as it whipped back at him, the lingering energy of ina¡¯sst effort to win. There was no fighting back Waine could do with his aspect, no amount of willpower that could stop the de as it crashed into his neck and sent him reeling to the ground. Ch 1.14: Results Ch 1.14: Results As Waine fell to ground clutching his windpipe, his sword careened off towards the crowd, momentum still carrying it from ina¡¯s final gambit. Her stomach dropped for a moment as she imagined the heavy metal object crashing into someone¡¯s skull, but it instead gently arced over to Tira, who caught the grip with her free hand. ¡°ina has dealt a would-be lethal blow. I dere her the victor.¡± The crowd of students broke their silence, cheering as ina pushed herself up into a sitting situation. ¡°Fuck you, Ferris!¡± she heard from one, ¡°Yeah, get him, Panties!¡± she heard from another.¡± Panties? ¡°Shit!¡± she said, covering herself with her hands and closing her legs. The duel was won, but it still wasn¡¯t a wless victory. She looked over to where she¡¯d dropped her skirt, but saw a figure running to her with the discarded garment in hand. For a brief moment she saw the girl¡¯s uniform and thought it was Prisma. But no, Prisma was over by Waine, who was writhing on the ground clutching his throat. The new girl that Waine had dered part of of his crew was the one running to ina with her skirt. ¡°Here,¡± she said, draping the fabric over ina¡¯s legs. It was the first time ina had been up close with her, but the girl refused to meet ina¡¯s gaze, instead staring off to side with an apple red face. ¡°Thanks,¡± ina said, wrapping the skirt around her as best she could, though there was no way to put it on without standing. The girl looked familiar, in very faint way, but ina couldn¡¯t remember from where. She really was cute, a mess of ck hair framing her round face, a longer skirt than most girls at the school being both endearing and intriguing, only making what was underneath that much more enticing. But what really drew ina¡¯s eyes was the girl¡¯s chest, struggling to be contained by her shirt andpletely filling out the uniform jacket in a way even ina herself couldn¡¯t match. ¡°I¡ª I really should go help Waine; he might be seriously hurt.¡± The girl bit her lip before turning around and running off, waving. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll¡ª I¡¯ll see youter!¡± ¡°No pictures, you shits!¡± ina heard Tira shouting as she walked up behind her. ¡°Here,¡± Tira said as she opened up ina¡¯s jacket and used it to cover her backside. ¡°Stand up and cover yourself.¡± ina did so, managing a decent enough job of keeping what modesty she had left intact. ¡°The portraits,¡± she said as she finished, looking back at Tira. Tira put ina¡¯s jacket on for her, nodding. ¡°Ya, we deal with that now. Alright everyone, duel¡¯s over, ss actually dismissed!¡± The crowd started to trickle away as Tira strode forward, ina following behind. ¡°Can¡¯t breathe,¡± she heard Waine croaking out. He was stillying on the ground, his group surrounding him, the original group at least, the new girl already gone. ¡°Can¡¯t breathe!¡± ¡°You¡¯re fine, Waine.¡± Prisma said, arms crossed. ¡°Carline said so. Get on your feet.¡± ¡°The Forsythe girl?¡± Waine coughed out as he stood up, legs wobbling. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°Ran off,¡± Ivis said, pointing back to the castle. ¡°Said she needed to shower or something.¡± Nughed. ¡°Probably can¡¯t stand outside for two hours without soaking through her uniform in sweat.¡± ¡°Ya,¡± Daly said. ¡°Not even sure why you grabbed her for the team.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because-¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Tira said, stopping behind the group. ¡°You lost, Ferris.¡± Waine nced back, eyes narrowing. ¡°Fuck you. The duel should have been called a tie and you know it. You¡¯re just a biased referee.¡± Tira closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. She pulled her coiled whip of of her waist, letting the length of it unwind and fall to the ground, her voice quavering with suppressed rage. ¡°You. Lost. You were right to refuse to duel me outright, but this was a fair fight. Pay up, or I¡¯ll let you experience first-hand what you already know I¡¯m capable of.¡± Waine stared up at her, eyes shaking. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll delete the portraits of her from my crystal.¡± ¡°No,¡± Tira said. ¡°Your cronies too. We agreed all of them.¡± Waine gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, taking a step forward and ring his nostrils. Tira cocked her head. ¡°Fine,¡± Waine said. ¡°You four, delete the pictures.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± Ivis went to protest. ¡°I said delete them,¡± Waine said, pulling his device out of his jacket. ina stood by while Ivis, Daly, and N took there''s out as well, observing them tap and swipe across the crystal disys. One by one the portraits of ina appeared and disappeared from the screens, until Tira took each one for a final inspection. ¡°What about you,¡± Tira asked Prisma as she hand back N¡¯s portrait crystal. ¡°And what about that other girl you mentioned?¡± Prisma turned from the forest to Tira. ¡°Carline wasn¡¯t there, so she never had any pictures. I had some, but I deleted them already.¡± She took her crystal out and handed it over to Tira for inspection. Tira went through the device, swiping for far longer, going through a swath ofndscape pictures and images of Prisma and what ina presumed was an older sister. ¡°If you¡¯re lying about this, I¡¯ll have your head, Fireguard. Why would you have already deleted them?¡± Prisma pursed her lips and snatched the crystal back. ¡°I¡¯m not lying!¡± She tucked it back into her jacket, turning back to the forest. ¡°I just¡­ I just deleted them, okay?¡± ¡°I believe her,¡± ina said. Prisma jerked her head, locking eyes with ina for just a moment before looking down. ¡°Fine,¡± Tira said, walking back towards the school. ¡°This is officially over. If any of those portraits ever make it out, you¡¯re all going to regret it.¡± ina stood for a second to watch Prisma¡¯s nk stare at the ground, then for another to lock eyes with Waine. Waine stared her down for a moment before turning away and walking off himself, the others following him. They all made eye contact with ina as they walked by, save one. ¡°Prisma!¡± ina called out. The girl continued walking, gaze straight ahead. ¡°Come on, ina,¡± Tira said. ina obeyed, running to catch up. ¡°You did good, really good at the end. I was worried at the start though.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± ina replied, catching her breath. ¡°I kinda used too much mana in the beginning.¡± ¡°Your pool must be massive though. For someone with no training, you did quite a lot.¡± ina blushed at the praise. ¡°I guess it isrge. I wouldn¡¯t really know.¡± Though it probably has more to do with my ss than natural ability. ¡°I¡¯m gonna put you in the Advanced Maniption course after all, with the Fireguard girl and me.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re in that course too?¡± ¡°Yup. These practical courses are about personal improvement more than anything, and the advanced ones have so few students that its not worth separating the years. I honestly didn¡¯t think you were cut out for it, but the force you exerted at the end¡­ You¡¯re unrefined, but you have the potential and need the dedicated training. You¡¯re also lucky I was there to catch that, or you might have hurt someone that actually mattered.¡± She smiled back at ina. ¡°We¡¯ll need to work on that performance anxiety for sure though. I can¡¯t have my ymate getting nervous when it really counts, now can I?¡± ina¡¯s heart skipped, and her mouth gaped as Tiraughed and turned back facing ahead. ¡°ytime has to beter though; I¡¯ve gotta meet Calivahn. You¡¯re free the rest of the day, right?¡± ¡°Ya, only today though. My schedule¡¯s pretty full the rest of the week too.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ll get a modified one once I put in your course assignment. You¡¯ll have aspect training today of course, and then another round of it on Third Day and Fourth Day. First Day will still be your day with the most free time, but it¡¯s not going to be easy, I promise.¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina said. She needed it to not be easy. As happy as she was that the portraits weren¡¯t going to be sold, that she¡¯d actually beaten Waine Ferris in singlebat, she knew she had a lot to learn. An external aspect was apparently a favored opponent for her, but against someone like Prisma, or even the boy that could conjure up three dogs there was no way she¡¯dst even a moment with her current ability. ¡°I need to go shower myself, then do lunch probably. Do you, uhm, want to eat together?¡± Tira scrunched her face. ¡°I would, but I¡¯m doing a working lunch with the crone. Watch duty during dinnerter too.¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll keep Third Day free for you though, and we can make ns then? Unless you¡¯re busy.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± ina said. She thought she¡¯d messed up for a moment, overstepped, but it didn¡¯t seem that was the case. ¡°Yeah, we can do Third Day. I¡¯m, uh, not busy then.¡± She wasn¡¯t busy any day, really. ¡°Great!¡¯ Tira said, spinning and ruffling ina¡¯s hair. ¡°You get cleaned up and enjoy lunch.¡± She leaned over, whispering in ina¡¯s ear. ¡°On Third Day, wear something nice under your uniform, but try and let me be the only one to see this time, kay?¡± Tira pulled back, winking at ina. ¡°Later,¡± she said, stepping onto the cobblestone immediately surrounding the castle, boot heels cking as she walked, a single finger running over a whip tied to a waist that swayed back and forth with each step. ina realized she¡¯d stopped walking and shook her head, rushing back into the academy proper. She made it back to her dorm room, locked her door, and examined her uniform. The jacket was fine of course, having been held by Tira during the duel, but her skirt and shirt were covered in sand. She sighed as she opened the dresser, looking at the scraps of the skirt she couldn¡¯t change into. Winning the duel had been great for maintaining some of her dignity, but it wasn¡¯t like everything was magically fixed. At least she still had a couple extra shirts, since the school expected her to change them every day anyway. She stripped naked, cing her shirt and underwear next to the dresser while sheid her jacket and skirt on top of it. She wanted to beat the sand off the skirt, but the only way to do that would be to do it on the floor in her room or out on the grounds in her underwear. That could be fun though¡­ No, bad idea. She needed to get to the showers. ina looked over at her bed, thinking about actually cleaning her uniform in just underwear, about the number of people who¡¯d already seen her in them. Her sheets looked so inviting too, and there was time, right? She had ns for the day, to go back to the orb she¡¯d met, but that would have to be after lunch anyway, and lunch itself was over an hour away. She gave in, diving onto the mattress and crawling under the covers. They¡¯d get a little dirty, but she¡¯d noticed her room was cleaned each day between lunch and dinner anyway. Automatons? Probably, but she didn¡¯t care to think of that right now. ina got to work and plunged straight into her own pussy, having neither the time nor the patience to build up slowly. There was enough forey earlier when she¡¯d been frozen in ce in front of her entire year, spread legged after having taken off her own skirt in front of them. There¡¯s no way they¡¯d know, right? That she did it on purpose, that she liked it? She wished they did. The sheets were thrown askew in seconds as she writhed in their luxuriousness. She needed to bare herself anyway, imagine someone was watching her, could see her. Tira? Prisma? It didn¡¯t matter who; ina needed someone to see her like this, anyone. The lock to her room clicked, and the door swung open. Ch 1.15: Caught Ch 1.15: Caught ina had two fingers inside of herself, one tit barely covered by sheets while she massaged the other with her hand as the door opened. In the doorway was the girl ina had met earlier, the girl Waine was recruiting to his team, Carline Forsythe they¡¯d call her. It took both of them a second to realize what happened, ina continuing to pump inside herself and Carline taking a step into the room before they both froze. There was no way to tell whose face burned brighter in that instant, ina naked and in the mostpromising position anyone had ever seen her in, Carline dressed in full uniform and standing there with wet hair and a towel in her hand. Carline held ina¡¯s gaze for a second, looked her body up and down, ced the towel next to the room¡¯s second dresser, and left. ina¡¯s brain started working right about the moment the door lock clicked again. ¡°What the fuck?¡± she said out loud, vigorously rubbing herself again, mind racing. Roommate, her? Me, naked. She saw. She looked. She definitely looked, and she saw everything. And it was at least the second time. Gods, she has to think I¡¯m the biggest pervert in the world. She¡¯d walked in on ina on orientation night, but at least that time ina waspletely under covers, she hoped. She could barely remember that night, the haze of ecstasy, the waves of bliss that she was now returning too. Was there anything more mortifying than this? ina imagined Carline looking across her body over and over. She¡¯d looked slowly, not hiding her gaze at all as she took in ina¡¯s body. Did she think it was disgusting, or did she maybe even like it? It was too much. The high from winning the duel, the looks on everyone¡¯s face as they saw her crawl out of her skirt, and now this, the girl that ina would be living with walking in on her ying with herself, the fact that ina hadn¡¯t even stopped until a few seconds after she was caught. She screamed out, no way to filter the noisesing out of her as she came, writhing on the bed, eyes closed and mouth open as she copsed into the sheets. ina had noticed something about herself as she¡¯d indulged like this in the past, that it was always a good way to clear her head. Everything made more sense after taking care of these sort of distracting problems. Relief fading away, the problems became apparent. Carline really did have to think ina was the biggest pervert in the world, and she probably did think it was disgusting. ina covered her face with her dry hand, feeling like she¡¯d burn the skin off of it with the heat radiating from her face. They¡¯d never even spoken before today, and this was how Carline was going to remember their first meeting. Not to mention, she was Waine¡¯s friend, sort of? The girl was obviously shy to some extent, but she did seem like she wasn¡¯t fully on board with the idea of joining Waine¡¯s group. Way too much to unpack right now. ina was filthy in more ways than one, so she grabbed a towel, wrapped it around herself, and walked to the showers. The shower room itself always surprised her, a far cry from the wooden tub in the backyard she¡¯d been used to bathing in all her life, that or the river she¡¯d sometimes visit if she wanted running water. The floor and walls were both tiled, the floor in white and the walls a checkered pattern of white and blue like the castle walls and the castle roof. Running water wasn¡¯t an issue here, and to ina¡¯s surprise on her first visit, the water had been heated as well. ina went into one of the stalls and closed the door, hanging her towel on the other side. Most of the other girls she¡¯d seen enter wore only a towel in and out like she was doing, though her roommate had apparently changed beforeing out. Maybe she¡¯s really shy? That only made it worse. ina wanted nothing more than to continue her session from earlier, but she knew she needed to eat on time as well. Shevished in the warmth of the water for just a bit, another luxury she still wasn¡¯t used to yet, then left the showers to go and eat, ultimately unsatisfied. The bell rang as she was walking to the dining hall, so she was one of the first ones there. As she walked by, people she recognized from her year stared and whispered still. There weren¡¯t snickers and giggles as they did anymore, but a reverence that had previously been absent. It was freeing, knowing she¡¯d beaten Waine, taken back what was hers. Still, she thought of earlier. Everyone has still seen her skirtless, in person, not just in a portrait. There was a difference though, one that she didn¡¯t know why it mattered. That was her choice, embarrassing but willing. And then there¡¯s Carline. Another topic she wasn¡¯t ready to face. They¡¯d avoided each other by ident in their shared room for so long, so she probably had at least a couple days to figure out how to deal with that. She scarfed down her food, a magnificent te of seared vegetable and some roast chicken before heading off outside again. She was walking through the middle of the two gardens nking the school entrance for the first time since streaking it a couple nights prior, really seeing it in the daylight for the first time as well. She¡¯d walked the same path on her first day, but it had been crowded with students, the blue and yellow spring flowers sitting atop hedges and sprouting from vines wrapped around white fences had been obscured then, and she¡¯d been too anxious to notice besides. There was a serene quality as a whole at Endrin, one she hadn¡¯t expected from a school famous for its rigor. There was the castle town a ways off, over the rolling hills she¡¯d rode through on the carriage ride, but she¡¯d expected more bustle around the school. Instead, she was treated to nice gardens, green fields, and the forest that she was rapidly approaching. She stopped once she hit the wall of trees. Some part of the forest was technically part of the school grounds, but she didn¡¯t know where that line was, and technically she wasn¡¯t supposed to leave grounds on school days. There was also the lingering memory of thest time she¡¯d entered. No time for that though; ina needed answers. She took a deep breath and breached the forest perimeter, doing her best to trace her path from the night of her Awakening. She¡¯d not grown up near forests, so her sense of ce wasn¡¯t the best, but she still felt drawn in one particr direction, almost the same way holding her key would draw her back to her dorm room. Eventually, she broke into the clearing, the same one where she¡¯d first experienced Waine¡¯s Control aspect. There was a small pond of clear water on the far side of it she hadn¡¯t noticed before, surrounded by flowers not too dissimr to the ones in the castle gardens. That was pretty enough, but ina had a mission. She was worried she might not find the hole she¡¯d fallen in easily, but that same sense that drew her to the clearing pulled her to it as well. Gods, it really is steep. She tried to step onto the edge of the opening and find a foothold to climb down before feeling it start to cave in beneath her feet and backing up. ¡°Okay, seems like there¡¯s only one way to do this.¡± ina jumped, bracing herself for impact, but she instead slid into the incline of the cave, miraculously keeping her bnce as she plunged into darkness that onlysted an instant, as the orb in the center glowed blue as soon as ina slid to a halt. ¡°Greetings, ina Weaver.¡± ¡°Ah, hello.¡± ina said. ¡°There is much to discuss, but I have some disturbing news that may be relevant to you personally first. There are currently four crystal devices with¡ª¡± The System paused. ¡°Correction, there were four crystal devices withpromising images of your person within a close radius of us, but the images in question seem to have been deleted.¡± ina blinked. ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°As the System, I have ess to all nearby crystal devices and any information contained within them.¡± ina was still learning about the crystal technology the elites of the world used, but she knew that couldn¡¯t be normal. ¡°Wait, you said four?¡± ¡°Correct. The night we first met it was five, but on one of the devices the images were deleted the next day.¡± Prisma. ina had believed her when she said she¡¯d already gotten rid of the portraits of her, but confirmation was nice. At least there was some modicum of trust that could be extended towards the girl. ¡°Additionally, I would like to apologize for not realizing you may have been in distress. I thought your attire during our first meeting was due to you being a pervert, not an assault on your person.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said you are a pervert.¡± ina squinted at the crystal. It was increasingly hard to believe this was a real magical artifact, and not just some wild long-term hallucination. ¡°Listen, we have lots to discuss today, but I need to set some ground rules first.¡± ¡°Understood. As the Administrator, you have some control over the course of our interactions.¡± Huh. That was easier than expected. ¡°Okay, rule one, don¡¯t call me a pervert.¡± ¡°Request denied. I can only speak the truth.¡± ¡°You-¡± ina was cut off by¡­ Augh? The crystalughed? ¡°Request reconsidered. I will only call you a pervert when it is absolutely necessary, such as when a direct request for information is made to me.¡± ¡°Okay, but no one¡¯s going to ask you that! I¡¯m the only one who even knows about you!¡± ¡°Yes, I have noticed that. In my routine scan of all information files, there is a disturbingly low amount of mentions of the System, despite all these files being connected to the System itself. There is also a noticeableck of System data points in general, with the most disturbing thing of all being that my main terminal is no longer connected to the rest of the System. I would request this be remedied, but due to theck of information, I cannot begin to advise how to go about doing so. Pray tell, can you please summarize thest nine centuries¡¯ geopolitical movements and the current state of international affairs? That may assist me in creating a nned course of action.¡± ¡°Uh, no, I can¡¯t¡­ I have History ss tomorrow though?¡± ¡°Hmm, perhaps that will be of some help, but one lesson is not likely to make either you or I an expert. Do you know why I am unable to ess the information I need through the crystalwork?¡± ina had to think. Crystal technology was something she¡¯d heard of beforeing to Endrin, but it certainly wasn¡¯tmonce. The elite ss had some ess, but other than the crystal portraits even that seemed limited. ¡°I don¡¯t really know why you think there should be so much of it, but crystals aren¡¯t asmon as you seem to think. Most records and stuff are kept in paper books and parchment.¡± ¡°Hmm, disturbing. The issue of lost knowledge must wait though. There are a number of other urgent matters that you must handle as System Administrator.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t know what means! You haven¡¯t exined-¡± ¡°One such matter is that another of my secondary terminals has beenpromised. I have assessed the difficulty of this problem and designated it as a rank one mission. As a level one Masochist Mage, you are personally qualified for this mission, but it requires a minimum party size of two.¡± ina¡¯s head hurt. She buried her face into her hands and began rubbing her eyes. ¡°You have to slow down. I don¡¯t understand any of this.¡± ¡°Understood. I will operate under the assumption that you want me to take the time and exin the meanings of the terms I¡¯m using, and not that you literally wish for me to speak at a slower pace.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯d be great, thanks.¡± ¡°I am in danger. You are of sufficient strength to help, but you would need at least one other User to apany you for me to officially assign you the task. Is there someone from the academy that you trust and that may be worthy of being ssified as a System User?¡± Someone she could trust? There was¡ª Well, there was at least Tira, right? ¡°There is, I guess. Just one person.¡± ¡°Wonderful. Is it the person that followed you here, by chance?¡± The person that followed her here. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ina heard rocks crumbling behind her, followed by a high-pitched scream as Carline Forsythe, her newly discovered roommate, slid down into the cave, rolling along the floor at the bottom. Ch 1.16: Voyeur Ch 1.16: Voyeur ¡°I¡ª I can exin,¡± Carline said, pushing herself to her feet. ¡°Wait,¡± ina said, backing away to the far side of the cave. ¡°What are you doing here? Are you even my roommate, or are you just following me everywhere?¡± ¡°I am your roommate! And¡ª I, I¡¯m not following you everywhere¡­¡± ¡°I can confirm that she is indeed your roommate, though I take it she is not the trusted individual that you had in mind for you party,¡± the System said. ¡°How would you even know that?¡± ina asked. ¡°Know what?¡± Carline said, moving forward with her arms out. ¡°Stars, I dropped my sses. I might¡¯ve broken them.¡± ¡°She cannot hear me,¡± the System said. ¡°Only registered Users can hear me.¡± ¡°Can I turn your crystalmp up?¡± Carline asked, reaching out to glowing orb at the center of the cave. ¡°No!¡± ina said, ¡°Wait-¡± The blue crystal light shed from dim to overwhelming, near as bright as the sky in the moment Carline touched the crystal, touched the System. ¡°System User confirmed as Star Blessed. Status: Aspected, ssless. Age: twenty years, four months, zero weeks, two days. Partypatibility for System Administrator ina Weaver: Ny nine percent. Initiating protocol: ss Assignment.¡± ¡°Oh fuck,¡± ina said, slumping against the wall. ¡°User Analysis: Complete. ss Assignment: Complete.¡± Carline Forsythe System Hierarchy: [User] ss: Voyeur Vitalist Level: 1 Aspects: [Health] - {External Targeting} User Skills: [Unseen Watcher] - Rank 1 - Passive: User receives a power bonus of up to {x1.5} to all {External Targeting} aspects when used on a target who cannot see the User. [Viewer Rating] - Rank 1 - Passive: User receives a power bonus of up to {x1.5} to all {External Targeting} aspects rtive to the User¡¯s current sexual attraction to the target. [Peeping Carly] - Rank 1 - Active - Expend mana to receive a {minor} ability to see through objects. The wash of information was instant, just like before, and for some reason it went to ina¡¯s mind this time too. It was apparent from Carline¡¯s expression though that she wasn¡¯t being denied the information relevant to her own ss. She turned to ina, first locking eyes and then moving her gaze downward. ina covered her chest with her arms. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t use that skill on me!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t!¡± Carline said, waving her hands. ¡°I¡ª I may have thought about it, but I didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°She is telling the truth,¡± the System said. ¡°There is a visual queue when she activates that particr skill.¡± ¡°Wait, why is the crystal talking?¡± ¡°Also, she can hear me now.¡± ¡°Yeah, I got that,¡± ina said, standing up. ¡°ina¡­¡± Carline said, backing towards her and away from the System. ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± ¡°If you think I am a crystal device acting as a secondary terminal of the System, then yes, I am.¡± ¡°And it just gave me a ss?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± ina said. ¡°It did. And what¡¯s with that, System? She¡¯s already had her Awakening.¡± ¡°Having had an Awakening or not has no bearing on your potential to be a System User, though one who is already Aspected must be paired with an appropriate party leader and must be presented by a system Administrator, both of which requirements were met.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even say to give her a ss though! I don¡¯t even know who she is, just that she¡¯s following me around like some sort of stalker.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a stalker!¡± Carline, looking legitimately offended. ¡°I¡ª I wanted to talk to you about earlier today, so I tried going up to talk to you at lunch, but you were leaving, and I went to follow and talk to you¡­¡± Carline frowned, bringing her hands together and running her fingers in circles around each other. ¡°I¡¯m not really that good at talking to people, so I couldn¡¯t find the right time to speak up. One thing led to another, and I just sort of ended up all the way out here without saying anything. I lost you again, tried to find you, and then fell down here.¡± Carline was standing there, unable to look ina in the eye and on the verge of tears. ina had always felt she had a good idea when people were being genuine. It¡¯s why she believed Prisma about the pictures being deleted, even still believed that Prisma meant it when she¡¯d said ¡°sorry¡± the day they dragged her out to this same spot. Truth be told, she¡¯d never felt good about Waine either, but was blinded by Prisma¡¯s generosity and naive optimism. That wasn¡¯t the case here though. Carline really felt bad, really didn¡¯t know what to say here, and ina could rte. She sighed, shaking her head. ¡°Sorry, Carline. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you.¡± Carline nodded, tears finally trickling down her face. ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯m sorry about earlier today too, I really didn¡¯t know you were in there¡ª I mean I knew you were my roommate cause I saw you the first night here too, but, Stars¡ª¡± She buried her face in her hands and turned around. ¡°Why did I get this ss? I¡¯m not a voyeur, I just sometimes¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad about the ss,¡± ina said, pointing to the System. ¡°It¡¯s just a pervert.¡± ¡°Incorrect,¡± the crystal responded. ¡°Your potential sses are assigned from the moment you are born and granted by the stars. Your fates are your own; I am merely a record keeper.¡± ¡°You keep saying that,¡± ina said, walking forward and poking at the crystal, ¡°But I still don¡¯t even know what you are. There¡¯s no proof you¡¯re doing anything ording to the stars¡¯ will.¡± ¡°Do not touch me!¡± ina poked the System some more, ¡°I¡¯m the Administrator, right? Don¡¯t I get to do what I want?¡± The crystal light went out, plunging the cave into darkness. ¡°No, wait!¡± ina said, stepping back and grabbing her head. ¡°Damnit, System, I didn¡¯t mean that, I¡¯m sorry!¡± The crystal remained dark. ¡°Fuck,¡± ina said, falling back to the ground. She could still hear Carline quietly sniffling. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, to both of you. I¡¯m just so¡­ I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on here. This isn¡¯t what I thought the academy would be like.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Carline said. In the faint lighting from above, ina saw the girl wipe her nose. ¡°I know you¡¯re not a bad person.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I have been watching you, a little.¡± ina flushed, happy Carline couldn¡¯t really see her face. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve been meaning to tell you, but we never really met. Our first night here, I saw you¡ª You weren¡¯t really paying attention, and I didn¡¯t see anything! Not that time anyway, but I could tell what you were doing. I just went to bed cause I didn¡¯t want to scare you.¡± Didn¡¯t see anything that time. There wasn¡¯t really a question about earlier today though. ¡°And I saw what happened to you the next night, out here in the clearing above. What Waine and Prisma did¡­¡± ina¡¯s heart dropped. ¡°Why were you here?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t following you that time, I promise,¡± Carline said, holding up her hands, barely visible in the dimness. ¡°I got separated from my friends in the test of courage, got a little lost because someone I knew chased me off¡­ I heard screaming and thought it was just, you know, normal test of courage stuff, so I followed it trying to find students to group up. But it wasn¡¯t.¡± ina did her best to push the memory back. ¡°It was me, screaming.¡± Carline nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should have done something, I know I should have. But it was Waine, and Prisma. The others too, I guess, but those two alone¡­¡± ¡°I get it.¡± ina had barely managed to beat Waine alone. Waine and Prisma together? She doubted any first year could fight them both, not even to mention the other three that would¡¯ve been backing them up. ¡°I would have hid as well.¡± ¡°I tried to catch up to you when the bell rung, but it was like you just disappeared.¡± ¡°Yeah, cause I fell in this hole. That¡¯s the night I first met the System, the night I actually awakened.¡± ¡°I grabbed your clothes though, what was left of them. I knew you were amoner from what people were saying, so I knew recing the uniform would be hard.¡± ¡°That was you too?¡± Wait, if she watched them strip me, then lost track of me when I fell in the hole, then in between¡ª ¡°Carline, did you¡­ Did you watch me, after they left, before I ran?¡± Silence. ¡°Carline?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯m disgusting.¡± She was shaking her head and balling her fists. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to watch¡ª I mean I did want to watch but I knew I shouldn¡¯t, you were just, just¡ª¡± ina heart was racing, lungs heaving, and pussy begging to be touched. ¡°I was just what?¡± ¡°You were just so¡ª so¡­ I didn¡¯t watch for long, cause I knew it wasn¡¯t right. I was just really confused, and I didn¡¯t know why you were doing it in the first ce, but I didn¡¯t want to stop you either, but I wanted to talk to you and help you get back afterwards.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know why I was doing it either¡­¡± ¡°And then today, I didn¡¯t mean to look at you like that, I promise! I just, my eyes¡ª When I see someone like you, they have a mind of their own.¡± ¡°What do you mean ''someone like me?''¡± A pervert, a slut? ¡°When someone¡¯s just, so¡ª so pretty.¡± Someone pretty? ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, and I will never do it again. Can you ever forgive me?¡± ina considered. She was embarrassed, mortified even. But Carline was shaken up too. What she did was wrong, ina knew that, but Carline knew it too. There was more though. It wasn¡¯t like Carline sought out the situations, they were just situations ina kept finding herself in, and that Carline happened to stumble on. ina knew that her own urges were wrong too, unnatural. Even now, it took all her willpower to keep her hands out of her skirt. She shouldn¡¯t want to be embarrassed, humiliated, but she did want it. She wanted to be watched, and Carline wanted to watch. Was it really ina¡¯s ce to judge? ¡°Well, I forgive you, but about never¡ª¡± The crystal lit up again, ¡°I¡¯m d you two have made up.¡± ina scowled. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could still hear us, and I wasn¡¯t even finished!¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re still going to act like that?¡± The light began to dim. ¡°No, wait!¡± ina got up and ran towards the crystal, the light halting at a bare glow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to you too. I shouldn¡¯t have yelled at you either, or poked you. Everything¡¯s just so fucked right now, and I¡¯m still not even sure what¡¯s going on, why I¡¯m here, why she¡¯s here, why you¡¯re here.¡± The crystal lit up again. ¡°Apology epted. And I am sorry if your discovering me has caused undue distress. I amcking much information on the current state of the world, but I can imagine the situation is quite unusual for you on top of your studies at the academy.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Carline said as she walked over to the orb as well. ¡°How does it know about the school?¡± ina shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s from the Night Wars era, and the school was around then. Hey, didn¡¯t you say the school had some weird name? Friendship Academy?¡± ¡°Correct, the Equal Nations Friendship Academy. That is still the name of the institution, is it not? And what are these Night Wars? I have no record of them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called the Endrin National Fortress Academy. And the Night Wars were, well¡­¡± ina turned to Carline. She knew of the Night Wars, in that they existed and had their final battle defending the academy, but she was very scarce on the specifics. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t know too much about them myself, just that it was when King Endrin held back the International Aggression Forces, nine hundred and fifteen years ago.¡± ¡°Nine hundred and fifteen years? And King Endrin? My gap in knowledge goes back slightly further than that. I will have much to consider while you two attempt your mission.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t think that we can¡­¡± ina turned to Carline, frowning. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can team up. You¡¯re with Waine, right?¡± Carline¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°No! I mean, he asked, but I didn¡¯t say yes. And I guess I didn¡¯t say no either yet, but I tried! He just never lets me talk. And then I wanted to say it after the duel, but his windpipe was just a little crushed so it was a bad time to talk really, and I really needed to go, uhm.¡± She blushed, looking away. ¡°I needed to go take care of some things.¡± ¡°I crushed his windpipe?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, but just a little! I patched it up.¡± Right, Carline¡¯s aspect was Health, or [Health] now. There was a difference, ina was sure. She didn¡¯t know what the difference was, or why she knew about it, but it was there. And if Carline had a different aspect, Waine might have actually been seriously injured. Eh, hard to care. ¡°You¡¯re not friends with him though?¡± ¡°Well, I mean, our parents are friends, so I know him. I¡¯ve talked with him before, or rather he¡¯s talked to me. It¡¯s been that way for, stars, ten, eleven years now? I think I met him on his ninth birthday.¡± Gods, it takes a bit to get her talking, but once she starts. ¡°He was always mean to me, made fun of me for being short, for¡­¡± She covered her torso with her arms. ¡°For my weight.¡± ¡°What?¡± Waine made fun of her, Carline. Sure, there was more to her, especially in the chest, but ina was nothing but envious. ¡°Carline, he¡¯s an idiot. You¡¯re gorgeous.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± the System hummed as Carline blushed, still covering herself. ¡°You two live together, correct? To answer a prior question, I know so because your crystal powered keys are attuned the same. Certainly these conversations can carry onter, especially since you were so concerned about privacy earlier.¡± ina let out a nervousugh. ¡°Uhm, right.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± the crystal continued, ¡°A fragment of my being stored in another discrete location is in danger. There are multiple such fragments in some state of uncertainty, but this situation is the most immediate, and also conveniently the only one that two level one Users would be qualified to take on.¡± ¡°How do you know it¡¯s in danger?¡± Carline asked. ¡°There is significant enough celestial interference to presume so, though without full reconnection I cannot offer more specifics.¡± ¡°What does celestial interference mean?¡± ina asked. ¡°In in terms, there are monsters. An amount with strength weak for a first level party to fight, but still strong enough that if they locate my subcore they could attempt a takeover of the System. They could already be close to finding it, within minutes or hours. I need you two to find the core yourselves and return here with it.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t let that happen!¡± Carline said, now very engaged. She obviously knew more about the System than ina, and ina was willing to defer to her judgment on the severity of the situation, but still. ¡°Carline, aren¡¯t you scared?¡± ina asked. Carline nodded her head once, determined. ¡°Yes, but we can¡¯t let the System be taken over by dark forces. I¡¯ve only heard stories of what could result if it were to happen, of course, and I know it¡¯s going to be dangerous, but that¡¯s why we¡¯re here, right? Why we came to Endrin?¡± Carline was right, and if she said it was important, ina would trust her. She could at least get more information out of the System before fully deciding. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll do it! How do we get there?¡± ¡°Quest epted. Initiating transportation sequence.¡± The light shed once, and ina and Carline disappeared. Ch 1.17: Equipment Ch 1.17: Equipment One moment ina was standing in a dark cave, and the next she was standing in an even darker cave, one noticeably chillier. ¡°Eeep!¡± she heard from her side, Carline screaming out and the sound echoing down a system of tunnels. ¡°What just happened?¡± ina looked around, trying to find any light at all. ¡°I think we¡¯re on the mission. System, can you hear us?¡± No response. ¡°Shit, I was really just trying to get her to tell us more information.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ Well, I guess we should share ss details, right? If we¡¯re going to be working together.¡± ¡°I know yours already, actually. Because I¡¯m an Administrator, I think. And I guess it¡¯s only fair I share mine.¡± ina felt along the wall, feeling a slight pull towards it. She found a carved out portion and pushed inside, tapping a crystal embedded in it. The crystal depressed further into the stone, and then a string of small crystal lights illuminated on the rocky ceiling. ¡°I¡¯m¡ª I¡¯m a Masochist Mage. I get bonuses to [Restraint] when I¡¯m embarrassed, or if I choose to restrain myself, and a little bit of pain is turned into pleasure.¡± She blushed, kind of wishing she¡¯d said this before turning lights on. ¡°Oh. Is, uhm, is that why your skirt fell off against Waine?¡± ina pursed her lips. ¡°Ya, that was on purpose¡­ For the skill, I mean!¡± They were both blushing now, doing their best to avoid eye contact. ¡°Hey,¡± ina asked, trying to change the subject, ¡°can you see right now, without your sses?¡± Carline¡¯s eyes opened wide, and she started feeling around her face. ¡°I see fine, actually. I forgot I wasn¡¯t wearing them.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± ina said, thinking back to her foot injury when she first met the System. She had [Pain Response], which she thought mostly took care of it, but was there maybe more to that? ¡°May¡ª maybe we should get going?¡± Carline asked. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± ina started walking down the only exit to the small room they were in. It was deeper in, as the System hadn¡¯t deemed it necessary to transport them to the entrance of the cave they were for some reason. ¡°Uhm, Carline, do you have any idea where we actually are?¡± ¡°Not exactly, but I can take a guess from what I¡¯ve heard in stories. Did they not have many stories about System Users where you¡¯re from?¡± ina shook her head, creeping down the tunnel. ¡°No. We had lots of stories about the Aspected, but not too many about those with sses.¡± It made sense; Aspected people weremonce for Carline¡¯s portion of society, so they wouldn¡¯t make for great stories on their own. ¡°Well, I think we¡¯re in a dungeon. They¡¯re like holding ces, meant to guard System fragments, and also serve as training grounds.¡± ¡°But where exactly?¡± ina asked, rubbing her hands together. ¡°It¡¯s so cold here.¡± ¡°Maybe near the capital? It¡¯s not too cool for me, but maybe I¡¯m just used to it.¡± The capital. Carline had said it so casually, but that was hundreds of miles away. There was no way they¡¯d gone so far so quickly, right? As they went in further, the terrain of the cave changed, rock fading away with each step, giving way to a hallway made entirely of metal, metal the same hue as the automatons that walked the halls of the academy. After the cave had been leftpletely behind, the hall opened up to arge room with one table in the center, holding up a small metal box with a small crystal circle on the side. ¡°Oh my stars, an actual chest!¡± Carline rushed past ina, ignoring thetter¡¯s protests to wait as she reached the box and pressed the crystal in the center. The chest popped open, a shining blue light escaping from inside. ¡°What even is that?¡± ina said, creeping up from behind. ¡°It¡¯s a star chest! Look.¡± Carline reached in and pulled out two crystal orbs, each a little smaller than her hand, much smaller than the orb that housed the System. ¡°They¡¯re gear crystals!¡± she said, handing one of the orbs to ina. [Basic Mage Gear] ¡°Wee to the dungeon,¡± a voice said as soon as she grabbed the crystal. ¡°As you are new Users, you have been granted a basic inventory set. Further gear must be earned and will be distributed as deemed appropriate by the stars.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the System!¡± ina said, looking around for the voice. ¡°Hey, System, where are you?¡± Carline shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure she can hear you, or if that¡¯s even her. Not the same version, anyway. Before we left, she said she¡¯d disconnected from her other nodes.¡± Right, the System had said that. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense though! That was her voice; I know it. System,e back!¡± she shouted. Carline ran over, waving her hands in panic. ¡°Calm down! There¡¯s monsters in here, remember?¡± Fuck, right. ¡°I know it¡¯s her though,¡± she whispered. Carline frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t say I understand it fully, but I think we¡¯re looking for, I guess another part of the System? In here she won¡¯t remember us, but she¡¯s still in danger, so we need to take her back to the school.¡± ina¡¯s head ached. Too many crystal things for her to understand, too fast. She looked back down at the sphere in her hand. ¡°What is this thing anyway?¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± Carline said, smiling. ¡°I think I can just show you.¡± She held her crystal up and closed her eyes, seeming to focus for a moment before it shot out of her hand, lighting up, bursting into thousands of tiny crystal shards and enveloping her. Carline¡¯s uniform disappeared, disintegrating as the glowing dust swirled around her. For just a moment Carline seemed near nude, only a blinding, vibrant blue light that glowed from her skin hiding her modesty before it began to fade from the top of her body, leaving in its ce a flowing set of white robes. The garment had a criminally high neckline as far as ina was concerned, especially on someone as gifted as Carline, with loose sleeves going down to her elbows, a green chord tied around her waist, white fabric falling all the way to her ankles. Even though the neckline was chaste and the robes went almost to the floor, the two slits running up each leg and stopping over halfway up her thighs gave ina a view she hadn¡¯t been graced with yet. Carline normally wore her uniform skirt below her knees, far more conservatively than most other girls at school, so this first peek at her thighs, pale and untouched by the sun, thick and begging to be squeezed¡ªor maybe even to squeeze¡ª was a gift greater than any ina could¡¯ve hope for. After the crystal cloud reached the floor, transforming Carline¡¯s uniform boots into tan sandals, it coalesced into one final shape, a staff as tall as Carline herself, made of knotted wood and ending in ring shaped head with one thorny spike up top. Carline swayed back and forth to see herself, the front p of her robe dancing, showing more of her with each movement, even shing a brief glimpse of white panties. ¡°How do I look?¡± she asked, face glowing pink. ¡°The bottom is a little, well, a little less than I¡¯m used to.¡± ina was still stunned, finally realizing her mouth had been gaping the entire time the transformation happened. And after it had finished. ¡°You¡¯re, uhm. You look amazing.¡± Carline smiled, looking down at the floor. ¡°You should try yours! I don¡¯t think these boost our abilities or anything, since they¡¯re just basic gear, but it gave me a weapon at least, and this way we won¡¯t have to worry about ruining our uniforms down here.¡± ¡°But where did your uniform actually go?¡± ina asked. Carline shrugged. ¡°I can put it back on, I know that much. I guess it¡¯s inside my staff right now?¡± She twisted the heft of wood in her hands, looking it over. ¡°Or maybe not. But I can feel it, that if I will this outfit back into the crystal I¡¯ll get my uniform back.¡± Normally such a testimony wouldn¡¯t be too convincing to ina, but she¡¯d had a number of such feelings herself since arriving at Endrin, especially rting to crystal technology. She braced herself and extended the orb out like Carline, willing it to¡­ To turn into clothes, she guessed. The orb shot forth, breaking apart just like Carline¡¯s had. As the cloud swirled around her and her clothes disappeared, the first thing she noticed was the drop, her breasts falling as her bra dematerialized, and she went to cover her chest instinctively. What the fuck, Carline has bigger boobs than me and hers didn¡¯t drop at all! The next thing she felt was the chill. She looked down at her body as it changed, that same blinding light enveloping her until it started to fade as the crystal swirl made its way down her body. She was not granted long, flowing robes. She could barely call what she was being given a dress. Long, blue and almostpletely transparent sleeves came together into a top that hung on only to her tits, leaving her shoulderspletely bare as it extended down, only bing opaque just above her nipples. Her clothing had slits up the sides like Carline¡¯s, even thinner ones, but where Carline¡¯s mercifully stopped just at her crotch, ina¡¯s extended all the way up to her waist, the dress itself extending only barely past where the white robes¡¯ slits ended. A pair of tan sandals like Carline¡¯s finished the so-called outfit, and the remaining crystal fragments formed into a length of crystal chain that wrapped itself around ina¡¯s right arm. ina shivered, the cold of the room even greater now that she¡¯d lost her knee-high socks and multiple otheryers of her wardrobe. The breeze also told her what she¡¯d been fearing most. It wasn¡¯t just her bra that was missing; she had no underwear at all. She¡¯d definitely seen panties on Carline, and there was no way the girl didn¡¯t have some support for those breasts with how they¡¯d sat on her frame. ina had done something wrong, right? There had to be more; she had shirts longer than the dress she¡¯d been given. She looked up at herpanion, seeing the girl unabashedly ogling ina, eyes going up and down her body, gazing over way more thigh than ina would ever show normally, running over her hanging chest, nipples hardening even more against the dark blue fabric as the chill set in. ¡°I¡ª¡± ina¡¯s teeth chattered. ¡°I¡¯m really cold now.¡± Carline snapped back to consciousness, closing a drooling mouth. ¡°Oh! Sorry, here.¡± She waved her staff at ina, and in an instant she was warm again, like nothing was ever amiss at all. ¡°Gods, what did you do?¡± She looked down at her body, goosebumps disappearing from her arms and legs. Her nipples stayed hard, but she supposed that might not have been just the cold. ¡°Body heat is part of [Health], so it isn¡¯t too difficult.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that a waste of your mana?¡± Carline turned away, blushing. ¡°Yeah, I¡ª I didn¡¯t say anything before because I was worried about that, but it¡¯s a rtively minor use of my aspect, and, uhm, with my skill, [Viewer Rating], and you dressed like that, I¡¯m barely spending more mana than my natural regeneration right now anyway. If I¡¯m walking behind you and can activate [Unseen Watcher] too, then I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll actually be spending any at all.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± ina said looking back down at herself, at the amount of exposed skin. Her aspect is stronger if¡­ If she¡¯s sexually attracted to her target, and if her target can¡¯t see her. ¡°There!¡± Carline said. ¡°When you¡¯re looking away, I can, uhm, the mana drain evens out.¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina said, turning around. She wasn¡¯t cold at all anymore, but a shiver still ran through her body. ¡°We should, uhm, keep going, I guess?¡± ¡°Y¡ª Yeah, of course.¡± ina started walking, painfully aware of the gaze that would be on her. She couldn¡¯t see the back of her robes, but she could feel the breeze on her open back. There was a single strand of cloth running across the back of her shoulders, connecting her sleeves and keeping the thing from falling offpletely, but below that there had to be some gaping hole, revealing who knows how much to ina¡¯s new voyeur friend. And she likes it, likes me? She actually, really likes it? Until the room with the chest, it had been a straight shot, no side rooms or branching paths to worry about, but now there were those choices. ina walked past all the side room, some looking like barracks for soldiers, somepletely empty, and some still that were once again caves, destroyed metal walls and furniture strewn about them. ¡°Just so you know, I¡¯m sort of winging it here,¡± she said back to Carline. ¡°I have no idea where I¡¯m going.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Carline replied, obvious trepidation in her voice. As enthusiastic as she¡¯d been with the gear crystals, there was an eeriness as the two ventured further that was impossible to ignore. This ce was obviously built by someone, but no one was here. They were supposed to be defending it from monsters, whatever that meant, but there was only nothingness. They continued their trek in silence, sandals pitter-pattering on the metal floor the only sound as they delved deeper into the so-called dungeon, until they heard howl-growling, a cross between the sounds of a wolf and a bear that froze both of them in ce, more pitter-patteringing from round the corner ahead as tendrils of ck smoke slithered around the walls and towards the them. Ch 1.18: Starhound Ch 1.18: Starhound The fur on the creature rounding the corner was anything but natural, jet ck with what could only be described as stars on it, small little points of twinkling light breaking up the darkness. The coat of the four-legged monstrosity resembled the night sky more than it did any animal ina had ever seen, but the shape was at least a little familiar, the paws and legs of a wolf supporting the body of a small bear that looked like it would almost lose bnce any moment, but it just lumbered forward, yellow eyes sitting atop a bearish canine head with four elongated fangs protruding from a stretched, thin mouth. Its mane was its most disturbing part though, a flow of ck, smoky tendrils that fell to the ground, pooling at its front paws and then spreading out. ¡°Starhound!¡± Carline said, the same instant as the creature let out another of the howl-growls, a high-pitched, beating whine that stuck ina¡¯s legs firmly to the ground. The creature was bounding at ina before she even fullyprehended the situation. She raised her hand, conjuring a shackle around the monster¡¯s back leg, running a chain from it into an open door and locking it in ce with an iron bar on the other side of the door frame, the starhound jerking to a stop as it tried to pull the iron bar through the opening. Thank gods I had that duel, that this isn¡¯t my first fight. ina had been somewhat prepared this time, had at least some idea what the adrenaline of a fight felt like. She stared at the immobilized animal. Animal? No, this wasn¡¯t that, not even a beast. It was magic, as unnatural as any Aspect. The stars on its coat seemed to move, dancing about the creature as it lunged in futility and made that terrible, grating sound. ina turned back to Carline, who was still transfixed on the thing in front of them. ¡°Good job,¡± Carline said, ¡°but what now?¡± She had a point. ina had sessfully restrained the creature, but all that meant was that it wasn¡¯t going anywhere. It was still a problem that needed to be dealt with, and as ina turned back to it, she noticed it was an even bigger problem than she had originally thought, as the chains she had manifested were disintegrating, falling to pieces as they were whipped at by the falling smoky tendrils from its mane. And then the second starhound rounded the corner. ¡°Shit, run!¡± ina said, turning back and bolting. Carline stared in shock until ina grabbed her arm and started pulling her along. This is not good. She¡¯d barely been prepared for one, and with her chains being destroyed by the monster¡¯s falling mane even that was debatable. Two was way too many to deal with. She ducked into a side entrance, beckoning Carline to follow and looking back to the creatures. The second one was squeezing past the first, but the first itself was just breaking the chain holding it back as ina entered the doorway. The room wasrge, but empty save for one dim light on the ceiling, and they had only a few seconds at most. ¡°If you keep them out, I can try something!¡± Carline said, panting. ¡°Okay,¡± ina said, steeling herself and raising her right hand. She willed the chain that hade with her sad excuse for gear off of her arm,manding it to form a barrier on the doorway,tching it to the doorway and crisscrossing to make chain-link bars across the entrance. She realized the potential of her weapon as it touched the metal frame, that she could attach it, meld it to the wall it was up against, something she couldn¡¯t do with any other chain she could make. And this chain was made of crystal itself, the most durable material known to humanity, so it had to be sturdy enough, right? The starhounds arrived to stress test her makeshift blockade, one ramming into it as the other wed over its partner from behind. ina looked back at Carline. The Vitalist was focused, staff pointing towards the entrance. But nothing was happening, nothing ina could see anyway, until the monsters backed away for a moment. Maybe Carline¡¯s n is working? One of the creatures charged the chains, tendrils from the smoke-maneunching with the force of the impact as the barrier jerked forward. The chains themselves were holding, but the doorway itself was beginning to buckle after just the one charge. That starhound backed away once more, and the other lunged forward, shaking the entrance again. They kept repeating, almost like they were coordinating the assault. ¡°Carline,¡± ina said, teeth chattering, ¡°whatever you¡¯re nning on doing, we need to hurry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing it, but it¡¯s slow against these things!¡± Carline shook her head. ¡°Not enough¡­ Do you trust me?¡± They locked eyes. Carline was serious, determined, no hint of the meek girl ina had met only earlier that day. ¡°Yes.¡± Carline nodded. ¡°When they break through, hold one back, no matter what.¡± Could ina do that? She didn¡¯t have a choice. The starhounds continued to pound at the gate until one finally broke through, ripping one side of the metal wall off as it pounced towards ina. She activated [Personal Restraint], freezing herself and gaining increased control over her crystal chain, which she wrapped around the creature as tight as she could, pinning it to the side of the doorway which hadn¡¯te clean off. The second one still made it through though, barreling towards the motionless ina. Carline rushed past her, stabbing the thorned end of her staff into the monster¡¯s chest. Once impaled, the creature stepped back, looking more confused than in pain. It circled around the room, a small trickle of ck ooze falling from its wound as it walked in front of its restrainedpanion, staring Carline down as she waved it back with her weapon, Carline herself circling around ina, keeping in between her and the starhound. ck ooze continued to pour from the thing¡¯s chest, the flow increasing as the creature stumbled. It looked down at its own blood, then back at Carline, making another dash, this time trying to run around Carline to get ina. ¡°No you don¡¯t!¡± Carline jumped in front again, stabbing into monster¡¯s nk before it swatted her away with a paw, sending her flying across the room with a scream, staff still stuck inside the creature. The monster jumped at ina, but she threw herself to the ground, ending her hold on [Personal Restraint]. It flew over her, careening into a wall, drops of its mane falling onto her, burning her skin, radiating pleasure through her body. She didn¡¯t have time to think about that. Reactivating her skill as the other one tried to break free, ina froze herself again as she stared at the wounded monstrosity. It struggled to get up, falling down twice. The chest wound was visiblyrger now, spewing forth bile like a faucet. Out of the corner of ina¡¯s eye, she saw Carline on the opposite wall staring the beast down, hand outstretched as it tried to get up onest time before falling into a pool of its own blood, its smoky mane fading entirely, twinkling stars on its body dying out. ¡°ina! I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m out of mana,¡± Carline said, panting and struggling to get up herself. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can.¡± There was no time though; ina needed to do this herself. With a lurch, the other horror broke free from the wall. ina willed the chains back by force, trying to get them to reattach to something, anything, but the creature struggled forward, not allowing her the time or stillness she needed to replicate what she did earlier. She¡¯d conserved a lot of mana until now by relying on anchors, but physically restraining the monster was draining her reserves fast, even with her current power being doubled by [Personal Restraint]. She needed [Humiliation Factor] too, but there wasn¡¯t a single ounce of embarrassment in her, only fear. How can I do this myself, how do I kill something with just [Restraint]? The starhound was inching forward, stronger than the output she was able to make, its floating mane creeping closer and closer as if it was being willed forward the same way ina could will her restraints. The tendrils started to fall on ina¡¯s legs first, searing her flesh, the minor pleasure she¡¯d received before from [Pain Response] increasing but being overwhelmed nearly entirely by seething pain. She moaned out in both agony and ecstasy, holding [Personal Restraint] despite the sensations. If she let up, she was dead. ina stared at the monster¡¯s mane, the source of the tendrils, as at it crawled forward. That was it, the only way. But she still needed more power; she couldn¡¯t focus on the fear. She looked down at herself, imagining the view up her dress Carline could have, the thoughts Carline would have hearing her moan in pleasure at a time like this. [Humiliation Factor] kicked in, only a little. And it had to be enough. She moved her chains up along the starhound¡¯s body, forming them around its neck, squeezing them as tight as she could while pulling it back, carrying both it and the burning smoke away. It attempted to cry out, trying to make that guttural howl-growl, managing only a gargled purring sound as the cry literally caught in its throat. Carline was on her feet now, moving behind the creature and spearing its hind leg with her staff. The cry of pain actually made it out, a high-pitched wheezing at the monsters stopped trying to move forward, instead shaking its hind leg back at Carline, who was already backing away to a corner. ina could focus now, not on holding the thing back, only on constricting its throat. It jerked around the room, crashing into walls, no focus on the opponents it had, trying its absolute best only to breathe, no other thought in its head. The beast slowed, falling the ground and still thrashing about. ina ran out of mana as the animal started kicking only its legs, but the tight loop around its neck still held until the writhing stopped and the mane faded from the starhound¡¯s corpse, its stars fading soon after. ina ended the now-useless [Personal Restraint] and pushed herself up, heart pounding. ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Carline said, panting in the corner. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Uhuh,¡± ina said. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she continued, thest bits of strength and adrenaline leaving her as pain coursed through her body, her vision faded to ck, and her falling head hit the floor. Ch. 1.19: Vitalist Ch. 1.19: Vitalist ¡°Damnit, ina!¡± Carline said, tears running down her face, her new friend¡¯s unconscious body lying in herp. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ª I thought¡­¡± She¡¯d thought she could take down the starhounds alone by messing with their circtory systems, like she¡¯d practiced with elk and bears beforeing to Endrin. It should have worked, but it didn¡¯t. These aren¡¯t animals though; they¡¯re monsters. If she¡¯d thought about it for even a moment she would have realized, known that a starhound of all things would of course have some resistance to external aspects, the same resistance or more than an Aspected human would. ¡°So stupid¡­ This is why you don¡¯t speak up, why you don¡¯t make ns. Should have just let here up with something from the start.¡± She poured her mana back into ina, the little bit that had recharged in the seconds since she¡¯dst tried to heal her. Carline¡¯s own arm hurt too, where the monster¡¯s mane had grazed it in the fight, but that was just a surface wound. ina had the stuff drip on her continuously, burrow through her skinpletely. And now it¡¯s inside of her, coursing through her veins. Carline could sense ina, everything about her, as long as it rted to [Health]. The smoke wasn¡¯t a poison, not exactly. It was a corrosive, eating away at the inside of her, Carline desperately healing the parts it was attacking. And since it wasn¡¯t poison, wasn¡¯t illness, there was nothing more she could do. Those things the body had ways of fighting, measures Carline could bolster to heal faster, but this she could only manage the symptoms of, racing against the destruction of ina¡¯s body with her depleted, slowly refilling mana pool. It was a race she was losing. ina writhed, unconscious, but clearly suffering. ¡°Fuck!¡± Carline screamed, a word that had nevere out of her mouth before. She ced her hands on ina¡¯s shoulders again, preparing to heal her once more. The staff the system had given did help her focus her aspect at range a bit, but physical contact was still the most efficient. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to do it though, to pour any more into her partner that was still letting out cries of agony. Am I just prolonging her pain? I¡¯m not healing faster than this stuff hurts her anyways. ina had protected her, given her time to think, taken down thest creature with sheer force despite being frozen in ce by her own skill. She¡¯d even had to drop the skill to dodge the one Carline was supposed to take care of. All those years practicing with a spear, all that training, all the suffering she¡¯d endured during it, and it still hadn¡¯t been enough. So useless. ina had trusted Carline, and now Carline was going to let her die. ¡°No,¡± Carline said, wiping tears from her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you die!¡± There had to be something she could do. If she¡¯d had more time training before she came to the academy, she knew she¡¯d be able to do it, but she¡¯d only found out what her aspect actually was three months ago, and her parents had only been able to arrange medical training for thest two. There was still so much about the body that she didn¡¯t know, so much more she¡¯d have to learn at Endrin before she¡¯d be able to do everything she needed to do. Still, she couldn¡¯t give up. Raw healing was out. She had to get the shadows, the invaders out of ina¡¯s body somehow. She couldn¡¯t feel them, the same way ina¡¯s own body couldn¡¯t feel them, but she could tell where they were by the pain they left in their wake. Four different concentrations throughout ina¡¯s bloodstream, flowing through and leaving devastation in their paths. Carline looked at thergest wound on ina¡¯s legs, the one just above her right knee, creeping up ina¡¯s thigh, which Carline had patched over with a thin scab. She ripped the bottom of her white robes, tearing off a portion of the p in front of her legs to use as gauze. She¡¯d need it, for what she was about to do. Carline opened ina¡¯s wound back up just as she could feel the smallest mass of pain shooting through ina¡¯s leg, increasing her blood pressure by bolstering her heartbeat and constricting her veins, just like she had done to the starhound to make it bleed out faster. Carline couldn¡¯t make wounds appear with her aspect, but messing with them once they were there was doable, and increasing blood flow was trivial. A tiny ck worm made of smoke poured out of ina¡¯s thigh, trickling down and burning her leg, but mercifullynding on the floor before wriggling in the pool of blood and starting to evaporate. They were a menace inside the body, but once exposed to air, they didn¡¯tst long. Carline let go of her aspect and went to staunch the flow of blood with her makeshift rag. She couldn¡¯t spare the mana to reseal it; it all had to be saved for forcing the things out. The waiting was horrific. The things were continuing to eat at ina, ina¡¯s screams were growing, and Carline couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Eventually, she figured she had enough stored up to try again. She waited for the next biggest mass of pain to run up to the open wound, and Carline pushed again, flooding ina¡¯s leg again, once again popping out a disgusting ck smoke worm, once again watching the thing fade away. Carline panted, heaving as she covered the wound again. Mana was its own resource that didn¡¯t normally expend physical energy, but your body didn¡¯t like beingpletely out of it, so draining itpletely, multiple times, still took a toll. She wiped sweat off her brow, pulling her hair back away as well. Two more. Halfway done, but the remaining worms were still doing damage,pletely unmitigated. Carline only needed to wait a minute before extracting the next one, which went as cleanly as the previous two, causing superficial burning on the side of ina¡¯s leg as it came out, but nothing more serious. The blood loss was significant though, eachrger entity requiring Carline to pump out more of ina¡¯s blood to force it out, leaving a terrifying amount of blood on the floor next to ina. Only thest one remained though, thergest. Significantlyrger, in fact, and also the one that was doing the most internal damage. Carline had thought about removing it first, but that would have meant waiting on enough mana to exorcize it and leaving all four alone in the process. No, this had been the best way, but it still scared her, as the damage it was doing, the pain it was causing, she had to let them go, had to hope it wouldn¡¯t be toote. ina coughed up blood. ¡°No,¡± Carline said, pulling ina¡¯s head off herp and setting it on the ground, turned sideways to reduce the risk of choking. ¡°No!¡± It had to be now, no matter how much mana she had. But the worm had just passed up the right leg, and she needed to wait for it to go back through the entire body again. ina continued to cough up blood, not an obscene amount, but even with meager medical training Carline knew that any amount wasn¡¯t good. The demon inside ina made its way round, Carline altering the blood flow to make sure it went down the right artery and back up the right vein; she couldn¡¯t leave it to chance. Carline pushed, blood gushing out of the wound as she burned through all of her remaining mana, as she burned through not enough mana. The end of the worm was pushed out, started writhing as it burned in the air the same way it burned ina, but it was still inside her, and it started to burrow back into her leg. ¡°No you don¡¯t!¡± Carline said, grabbing the thing with the bloodied piece of her robe. The cloth in her hands melted immediately, and she screamed in pain as it burned, seared at her palm, but she pulled anyway. No mana, no way to help herself, she pulled with raw strength, gripping it with her other bare hand once she¡¯d pulled it out enough, yanking it and tossing it away. It flew out the room, into the bright hallway where it squirmed away thest seconds of its damned life. ina was bleeding again. Carline ripped even more off the bottom of her robe, grimacing as she did, her hands in agony as she pulled against the cloth. She shoved it back into ce on ina¡¯s leg, focusing on the [Health] of her again. The worms were gone, all of them, andpletely. ¡°Thank the gods,¡± Carline said, crying again. Once she¡¯d recovered enough mana, she began the slow, slow process of healing ina once more, stopping the major internal bleeding first, then moving to the wound Carline herself had reopened on her knee, and then the minor internal injuries. This was routine, stuff that Carline had practiced far more than she would have liked in thest three months. She shook her head, pushing those thoughts of her parents away. The surface injuries on ina remained even after all the internal ones were healed, but they could wait until there was mana to spare. Carline fell back, panting relentlessly, her palms aching in pain. She brought them up, staring at the wounds. It was more than the minor graze her arm had gotten earlier, but still far less than most of the wounds ina still had. That would be temporary though. [Health] being an external aspect, Carline couldn¡¯t use it on herself. Once she had rested enough, she could heal inapletely without tapping out again, ina would be perfectly fine, and Carline¡¯s burns would remain. And a thousand times over, it still would have been worth it. After resting a while, Carline got up, wiping her hands free of blood as gently as she could with the scraps of cloth she still had, wincing at the friction on her raw skin. Once she¡¯d cleaned herself as best she could she tore off even more of her robes, from the back this time, as in her panic she¡¯d already torn the front up to just above her knees, way more than she was normallyfortable with. She wrapped those new scraps around her arms and then finally her palms. She really needed water, soap, disinfectant, something to clean her own wounds and prevent infection, but that could wait. She kneeled back down beside ina, raising her head up again and resting it on her own now bare thighs as she looked at her. Stars, how had I forgotten¡­ Without the fear of death lingering, without ina¡¯s cries of pain ringing through the air, it was impossible not to notice how gorgeous she was, and in that sad excuse for a dress no less. A peaceful, soft face was deep in sleep, her small mouth slightly ajar, long chestnut hair flowing down the side of her head. Her breasts were amazing, not overly huge like Carline knew her own were, but a wonderfullyrge size, perfect shape, hanging softly as shey there on her side, threatening to fall out the top of her one garment. Despite those though, her torso was lithe, tapering in above her waist and then extending back out again into her hips and the most beautiful butt Carline had ever seen, a butt that was peeking out just a little from the end of theically short dress. Carline, heart pounding harder than she¡¯d made ina¡¯s only minutes earlier, looked down to ina¡¯s legs, the only part still injured. Even wounded, the long, perfectly shaped legs were attractive, but Carline couldn¡¯t focus on that now. She thought she¡¯d need more time to restore mana, but now with [Viewer Rating] at full power and already having the benefits of [Unseen Watcher], she figured it would be enough. She focused on thest bit of healing, the burnt flesh fading into pink patches of new skin, then that soft, papery skin growing into the gentle pink flush of the rest of ina¡¯s body. Ch 1.20: Recovery Ch 1.20: Recovery ina faded into consciousness, relishing in the softness of her pillow with her eyes still closed. What time is it? It didn¡¯t really matter; the bell hadn¡¯t rang, and it wasn¡¯t bright yet, so she still had time. Was history her first lesson today? That sounded about right. Her pillow was wonderful, and she was sofortably warm, but her bed felt hard today. Too hard. She struggled her eyes open, seeing not a pillow underneath her, but two milk-white legs, leading up to a ripped white robe. ina shot up, pushing herself off of Carline as she realized where she was. ¡°The monsters!¡± Carline stared at ina with wide eyes as she remained kneeling on the ground, then startedughing. ¡°They¡¯re gone, we beat them.¡± ina looked around the room, finding the monsters¡¯ corpses on opposite walls. It wasing back to her now, how Carline had killed the first one, how ina had helped a little to kill the second one. Still, that didn¡¯t exin the massive pool of blood in the middle of the room, or the fact that ina¡¯s own leg was caked with dried blood. ¡°Is this¡­ Is this mine?¡± Carline frowned and nced down, a shamed look in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡­ Their manes, some of it got inside of you. I had to force it out, and you lost a lot of blood in the process. You really should lie back down, I¡¯m still working on restoring it for you.¡± ina nodded, looking for somece toy down. She did feel woozy, now that Carline mentioned it. ¡°Let me find somewhere that¡¯s not¡­¡± The room was empty, save for starhound corpses, blood, and the metal floor. ¡°I¡¯lly on the floor, I guess.¡± ¡°No!¡± Carline said, looking horrified. ¡°Lay back down here.¡± ina stared at Carline¡¯s thighs, soft and inviting, and the girl blushed as she realized what she¡¯d just offered. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª I mean, I¡¯m kind of your doctor now, so it wouldn¡¯t be proper for me to ask you toy down on the hard floor.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ina wasn¡¯t going to argue, and she really did need to get off her feet. She crawled back down, noticing the bandages on Carline as she lied down, this time facing away from the girl to give her some semnce of privacy. So soft. ¡°What about your arm, and your hands?¡± ¡°Oh, uhm, they¡¯re just small scrapes. A small scratch on my arm from hitting the floor, and then friction burns on my hands from my own staff, the wood¡¯s kind of rough you know, but nothing to worry about. You were in way worse shape.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± ina said. She remembered pain, lying that she was fine, and then darkness. The pain was gone though, and she really was fine now. A little lightheaded, but fine. ¡°Here, I think I have enough mana to get you to make the rest of the blood you need. Do you mind if I touch you? It makes it easier.¡± Touch her? ina¡¯s face burned at the thought, that thep pillow she was on wasn¡¯t enough contact. ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± Soft fingers touched ina¡¯s exposed shoulder, and then the flow began. ina could feel it, something this big of an effect, and she had the option to resist it if she wanted, just like she could with Waine¡¯s aspect, not that she had any reason to this time. It was a strange, invasive feeling though. Not a physical sensation, a more intangible one, like the newfound presence of her mana pool. Invasive or not, ina did trust Carline. Eventually, the feeling faded, and ina refocused her thoughts on the physical world, noticing her lightheadedness from before was gone. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry,¡± Carline said, running her fingers through ina¡¯s hair and sending shivers down her spine. ¡°I thought I could take them both down alone, but I wasn¡¯t strong enough. If I¡¯d been smarter from the start, you wouldn¡¯t have gotten hurt.¡± ¡°What?¡± ina said, rolling over to face up to Carline, seeing tears coursing down the girls face. ¡°You took one down all on your own, and you kept the second one off me! And then you healed me too!¡± Carline shook her head. ¡°If I were smarter I could have stabbed them when you had them stuck outside and killed them then, or at least one of them. See, I¡¯m still being stupid, dividing my aspect between two targets was stupid in the first ce, and¡ª¡± ¡°Stop!¡± ina shouted, tears running down her own face as she pushed herself up to her own knees. ¡°You did everything, Carline. I wouldn¡¯t have even thought to block off the doorway if it wasn¡¯t for you. I didn¡¯t even touch the first one, and you got up and stopped the second one from tearing me apart without any mana.¡± She motioned to the staffying on the floor. ¡°You were amazing with that! Sword, spear, you could have given me anything and I would have been eaten alive before I figured out which way to point it, whatever parts of me they didn¡¯t burn off first.¡± ina leaned in, cing her hands on Carline¡¯s shoulders and looking down at her. ¡°And then you¡­ I was in so much pain, so much I couldn¡¯t even stay awake, but then I woke up, soft pillow under my head, warm, which I know is still your doing, cause I¡¯m sure as stars not wearing a winter outfit, and I can still see my breath. ¡°Whatever that stuff was, that smoke... When I was falling down, I said I was fine, cause I didn¡¯t want to worry you. It hurt so much, but I knew you were here, so I wasn¡¯t scared. I told you that I trusted you, because I knew you¡¯d take care of me. And you did. You saved me, every step of the way.¡± Carline stared, mouth gaping, tears still welling in her eyes before she leaned in and embraced ina. ¡°I¡¯m so d you''re okay.¡± ina patted the back of Carline¡¯s head, cradling it with her chest, the chest that she was once again aware was far more exposed than normal. ¡°It¡¯s cause of you.¡± The two sat there for a while, Carline softly weeping and ina sniffling her own tears away. Did they have to move? Couldn¡¯t they just stay like this? Apparently not, because eventually Carline pulled her head out of ina¡¯s cleavage, wiping her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, blushing. ¡°I¡ª I didn¡¯t mean to put my head there, it just sort of happened.¡± ina turned away, her own face growing red as well. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I mean, that¡¯s just sort of how it had to be, with me being taller than you. And you let me have your, uhm, yourp as a pillow, so it¡¯s the least I could do, right?¡± Really, flirting at a time like this? If you could even call that flirting. Carline smiled though. ¡°I guess¡ª well, fair is fair I suppose. But really, I think uhm¡­¡± She shook her head, covering her face. ¡°Never mind.¡± ¡°What is it? I¡¯m sorry, did I say something wrong?¡± Gods you¡¯re stupid, she¡¯s going to hate you now! She already thinks you¡¯re a pervert. ¡°Oh, no! I mean, I just¡­¡± Carline sighed, biting her lip. ¡°I was gonna say maybe¡ª maybe you still owe me ap pillow, and I owe you¡­ You know.¡± She clutched her arms across her chest, looking away. ¡°What you let me do.¡± ina blinked, trying to make sure she¡¯d heard the words correctly. She had, right? ¡°Well, yeah, fair is fair, like you said¡­¡± She looked down at her own leg, still covered in blood, unfortunately. ¡°Uhm, maybeter though. We should¡ª we should probably get going.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Carline stood up, using her sleeve to wipe away her face. ¡°The System is still in danger, after all.¡± *** ina led the duo through the dungeon halls. After a half hour or so¡¯s walk they emerged from the tunnel into arge¡­ cavern? The metal floor and wall opened up, being overtaken by the stone and rock they¡¯d seen throughout their trek, but this time on an entirely new scale. The room they would have been entering had clearly once been made entirely of the strange metal material, but it was half destroyed, jagged panels of it adorning the area along with equally jagged rocks and boulders. The floor panels were pulling away in parts, covered in snow of all things that was falling in from a giant hole where the room¡¯s ceiling would once have been. ¡°Was this¡­ some kind of explosion?¡± Carline said. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± ina said, rubbing her arms, ¡°but I think we found out where the draft in these tunnels has beening from. Hey, do you think you could warm me up a bit more, if it¡¯s not a big drain?¡± ¡°Oh, sure. Uhm, just don¡¯t look back at me, alright? [Unseen Watcher] really boosts my efficiency.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± ina said, warmth flowing through her again as she stepped into therge room, what was left of it. There was a huge door on the other side, the obvious destination. ¡°I think something did this from outside. Broke through, somehow.¡± The thought was almost unbelievable, the thickness of the rock making up the hole in the ceiling making her wonder what could possibly break through so much stone. ¡°And are we on a mountain? In a mountain?¡± ¡°I think we have to be. Not terribly high up, or we¡¯d have trouble breathing, but in one regardless.¡± ina bent down and ran her fingers over the snow, pinching it between her fingers. Cold. Crunchy, but soft. Coming from the north, she¡¯d never actually seen it before. ¡°This is wild. The people back home wouldn¡¯t believe me.¡± Carline chuckled. ¡°So the magic crystaldy that gave us sses and teleported us underground would have been believable, but the snowy mountain is too much?¡± ina smirked, rolling her eyes. ¡°Yeah, I guess you have a point.¡± She walked across the room, through remnants of metal furniture. Tables, chairs, even panels of crystal, simr to the one that was in the security office Tira had taken her to, littered the floor in various states of disrepair. ¡°There¡¯s so much crystal in here,¡± Carline said. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine anyone would just leave this stuff here willingly.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think they did,¡± ina replied, maneuvering over an overturned piece of table, doing her best not to sh herself while also keeping her eyes forward. ¡°Maybe this was one of the battles of the Night Wars, forgotten about?¡± ¡°Even then, the victors would have gathered up the crystals, right?¡± ¡°I mean¡ª¡± ina¡¯s thought was cut off as she kicked something up out of the snow and jumped back. A skull, and not from an animal. ¡°Fuck, Carline there¡¯s bodies in here!¡± Carline ran past, the warmth in ina fading a bit as she did. ¡°Stars, I think you''re right, this must have been a battle.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± ina said, creeping by, warmth blessedly returning as she entered Carline¡¯s vision again. ¡°Wonder who won.¡± ¡°Maybe no one did¡­ It would exin why the crystals are still left here.¡± The two moved past more destruction, more ancient bodies, up to the door at the end of the room, one of thest pieces of metal that still stood untouched. It had a spinning handle in the middle, but that was far beyond reach, the entire door itself being as tall as the grand entrance to Endrin. ¡°How do we open it?¡± Carline said. ina knew how. It called to her. ¡°You don''t feel that?¡± ¡°Feel what?¡± ina reached out with her hand, and then [Restraint]. Beyond the door, to the locking mechanism keeping it shut, the giant chains on the inside. She pulled. Ch 1.21: Key Ch 1.21: Key ina pulled on the chains inside the giant metal door with [Restraint], trying to force it unlocked. The chains were equallyrge though, equally immovable. After wasting a quarter of her mana and still aplishing nothing, she stopped, activating [Personal Restraint] as well and retrying. They budged ever so slightly as she willed the chains to move, and the door began to creak open, a slow, lumbering process. She¡¯d made good progress by the time she ran out of mana, over halfway opening the door, but as soon as she let go of her aspect the chains rewound themselves, the weight of the heavy metal door mming itself shut before she could even deactivate [Personal Restraint]. ¡°Damnit,¡± ina said, frowning at the door. It had been wide enough to get through, but there wasn¡¯t enough time to go through before it closed. ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll hold if you open it all the way?¡± Carline asked. ¡°Yeah, maybe¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯m strong enough though.¡± Not without using that anyway. ¡°Maybe I could try pulling you? Your problem is you have to restrain yourself, right?¡± ¡°We can try, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll work. Here, go ahead and try to move me.¡± ina sat down with her arms outstretched and reactivated [Personal Restraint]. Carline came up and grabbed her hands, nting her feet and pulling. ina didn¡¯t budge, but the little bit of her mana that had started refilling did start to drain. ¡°Stop, stop,¡± she said, deactivating the skill as Carline let go. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work. [Personal Restraint] doesn¡¯t just stop me from moving myself, it keeps me restrained to my current spot. Burns mana too.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± Carline said, looking at the door. ¡°How are you even opening it at all? Is a lock a type of restraint?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so, not all of them anyway.¡± ina stood up and walked over, running her hand along the metal, trying to feel for any mechanism. There wasn¡¯t any she could see or feel, almost like the door was only designed to be opened with an aspect. ¡°But there¡¯s chains as part of the lock. It just sort of¡­ feels right to open it like that.¡± She¡¯d been feeling that a lottely. Not every door lock triggered it, but the deadbolts in the shower stalls at school? Those were as much a restraint keeping the door from opening as they were a lock. The lock to her room though was just a lock to her. What¡¯s the difference? ¡°Maybe we should think about it over a break? You can try to use some of the snow to wash off.¡± ¡°You can wash with snow?¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s just frozen water. It¡¯ll probably be a bit easier for you, since I can regte your body heat.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s try it.¡± The two walked back to the center of the room, underneath the giant hole that snow was still streaming in from. ina was honestly a little excited to get back to the snow. Not to y with it, of course¡ªthat would be childish¡ªbut to get cleaned up. She took a handful of the cold crunchy stuff and started rubbing it on her legs, jumping up a bit at the feeling, but then continuing to scrub herself down. ¡°Y¡¯know, this is kind of fun.¡± She thought Carline had meant to melt the snow and use it to bathe, but it was actually abrasive enough to clean off the dried blood as is. Carline giggled from behind. Was she watching her bathe? ina couldn¡¯t really check, not without interfering with the girl¡¯s aspect. She had to be looking a little bit in that case anyway, but how intently was she looking? ina felt her face burn as the cold snow moved over her body. Gods, I know what I have to do to open that door. ¡°Hey, uhm¡­¡± ina looked back to Carline as she finished up to find her blushing. ¡°You have that other skill, right? The one about, well, about getting embarrassed? Was your outfit helping you with that?¡± ina looked down at her outfit, blushing at well. ¡°Ya, I mean¡ª I do¡­ It was kind of strong earlier, I guess, but I kind of got used to the outfit, forgot about it.¡± ¡°Well, if you couldn¡¯t fully open the door before, without it being at full effect¡­ Maybe we could try getting it fully active.¡± Thump. Thump. Thump. ¡°I guess so,¡± ina said, standing up and walking past Carline. She needed to avoid eye contact for Carline¡¯s own skill, not for any other reason. Certainly not because she was so ashamed at the conversation they were having. ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to do that though¡­¡± ina couldn¡¯t admit it out loud. ¡°Well, you¡ª you were pretty embarrassed this morning, after ss I mean, when I wasing back from the showers, right?¡± ina¡¯s heart raced even faster, even harder. It was absurd, right, to even consider it? ¡°Yeah, I was.¡± ¡°So, maybe we just do that again? You know, I mean, to get your skill active so we can get through the door? The System needs us, after all.¡± Right, the System. ina could do it for the System. ¡°If we have no choice, I guess.¡± She led Carline back to the door, neither girl speaking. Truth be told, the idea as a whole was already causing a spike in [Humiliation Factor], even before actually doing anything. ina thought about trying to open the door without the full boost, but even thinking about not doing it with the full boost caused ina to lose some of the boost itself. No, she had to do it. For the System, for the quest. ¡°I¡¯m gonna, uhm, keep my dress on.¡± ina turned to Carline and got down on her knees, looking up. Carline caught her nce, then turned away, the Vitalist herself a shade of red that had to be rivaling ina¡¯s own. ¡°You should probably keep your eyes closed. So I can keep you warm easier.¡± Of course, Carline¡¯s skill matters too. The metal ground was cold already, and it didn¡¯t make any sense to waste Carline¡¯s mana on top of her own. ¡°Right,¡± she said, shutting her eyes to the world. ina waited for a while, giving Carline a chance to say more, but no further words came. No more words needed to be spoken, she supposed. She twitched her hand, lifting it from her side and cing it on her knee. All she could see was ckness. Carline was there, watching. ina knew she would be, and that was paralyzing, in fear, in anticipation. Her roommate, her partner. Her friend. ina was really about to masturbate in front of Carline, one of the prettiest girls she¡¯d ever met. And she asked. She said she likes it, seeing me¡­ like this. ina spread her legs just a little, enough only to give Carline a better look at her inner thighs. Carline had already seen her like this, right? So it wasn¡¯t that much of a big deal. Of course, that was only for a few seconds, an ident. This was more. Once ina started, there was no going back. Not with Carline, and not with herself. Can I really do this? She ced a hand on her knee, running her fingers up her leg. She could do this. She had to do this, for the System. That¡¯s what she would have to say out loud, the only way she would be able to look Carline in the eyes again after she was done. The bottom of her dress rode up above her hips as she opened up her legs more. ina felt the moistness on her thighs as she pulled them apart and guided her fingers between her lips, holding back a moan as that single stroke radiated through her body. But she didn¡¯t need to hold back, right? That was the point, after all. It was all to activate the skill. She reached her clit, and she moaned out, a long cry echoing out in the giant cave-room. No hiding it, she guessed. She was going to do this, she was going to like it, and Carline was going to know that. Caution to the wind, ina rubbed herself, tensing her body and struggling to stay up on her knees. Carline was watching her masturbate, going to watch her fuck herself. Gods, she said she liked looking at ina. It was Carline¡¯s idea, right? And it felt so good. ina had imagined this countless times, being watched while she got herself off, someone just outside of view while she herself was oblivious. She brought her free hand to her chest, squeezing at her tits over her dress. She hadn¡¯t really noticed before how nice the dress felt. It was so soft, and thin too. Almost like it was see-through. Maybe she could get used to her ss gear after all. Every movement she made was a jolt of pleasure, and her breaths were now exclusively pants and moans, her hips bucking back and forth, begging for more as she let go of her chest and dove inside herself with the same hand. One hand outside stroking her clit, one hand pumping inside of her pussy, dress pulled up near to her waist, breasts barely contained by the flimsy fabric up top, all while such a sweet, innocent girl watched on. Surely, that had to be enough, right? It was easily the most humiliated ina had ever been. She didn¡¯t bother to check. All it would take was a thought, a single conscious effort to see if [Humiliation Factor] was fully in effect, but ina wanted to make sure before that. She could certainly get more embarrassed, right? And that obviously wouldn¡¯t hurt anything. She continued ying with herself, inside and out, groaning as waves of sensation crashed through her body. There was one way to guarantee it, to make sure that she had the maximum possible bonus from her skill, and it all depended on one of Carline¡¯s skills. ¡°Carline,¡± she panted out, barely forming the words, ¡°activate [Peeping Carly], please.¡± Ch 1.22: Watching Ch 1.22: Watching ¡°Please,¡± ina said, voice dripping in desperation. Had Carline heard her right? Activate [Peeping Carly], right now, and see everything? Was that really necessary? Was ina really not embarrassed enough yet? Carline couldn¡¯t imagine how. She herself was burning with embarrassment, and only from watching. Right in front of her was the most beautiful person she¡¯d ever seen, someone prettier than Prisma Fireguard, cuter than anyone else she¡¯d ever seen, and maybe even as sexy as the person Carline once thought no one couldpare to. And she was sitting there, thinnest material in the world doing nearly nothing to hide her erect nipples, knees syed with her dress hiked up around her hips, the only thing blocking Carline¡¯s view of her most intimate and hidden parts being the hands that she was pleasuring herself with. Carline was envious, in a way. She was ying with herself too, gently rubbing over her clothing, both the robes and the underwear she¡¯d been given. She couldn¡¯t have too much fun with her hands still burned and somewhat dirty from the emergency surgery, but she had to do something. Was she just supposed to watch one of the hottest things she¡¯d ever seen in her life and not touch herself, even a little? Gods though, it wasn¡¯t enough. Carline liked watching, loved watching. Anytime a pretty girl would walk around while being just a little adventurous with her clothing choices, Carline had to stare. On the rare asion she ended up in a shared bath it took every ounce of self-control to make sure her eyes only made quick nces at the beautiful women around her. But as wonderful as watching was, it wasn¡¯t enough this time. ina, the goddess in front of her, was only the second woman that Carline had ever feltpelled to touch, to feel, to make love to. I could never ask her for that though. ¡°Did you do it?¡± ina asked. Right. ¡°Uhm, I, uh¡­¡± Was it really okay? This had been Carline¡¯s idea in the first ce, only even brought up because Carline couldn¡¯t resist after watching ina bathe herself. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s alright?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± ina panted. ¡°I need it. Tell me when you do.¡± Well, if ina needed it¡­ But what if ina didn¡¯t actually want it? Carline could just say she was doing it. That would be the proper thing to do. Just like not touching yourself while watching her would be the proper thing to do. Still, was lying proper? Lying to her friend? That¡¯s what they were now, after all. No, Carline was terrible at lying. She¡¯d have to actually do it. Oh well. ¡°I¡¯m doing it now,¡± she said, reaching into her well of mana, activating [Peeping Carly] the same way she would her aspect. As she blinked, the change was instant. ina¡¯s chest was bare, free hanging breasts, pink nipples standing at attention, allpletely visible to Carline, allpletely magnificent. The faintest essence of the dress was there, translucent as ss while it hung off ina¡¯s body. That was somehow even hotter, knowing that clothing was there, but that Carline was the only person who¡¯d be able to see through it. And for some reason, it turned ina on too. As soon as Carline had said she was activating the skill, ina¡¯s body had begun racing. Carline could sense it all, had to sense it all, thanks to [Health]. ina¡¯s heartbeat increased, her breathing intensified, and her arousal was out of control. Carline felt a little guilty, being privy to all the information, but she really didn¡¯t have a choice. She was still using her aspect to regte ina¡¯s body temperature after all, and the awareness was secondary. Even when not using [Health] actively, Carline would always be somewhat aware of the people around her. It was just a part of being Aspected, of having a ss. Having a ss though granted other things too though. ¡°A {minor} ability to see through objects¡± is what [Peeping Carly], the mortifyingly named skill, gave her. Carline wondered how the System had chosen that skill name, if it was just a coincidence, or if it somehow knew about her old nickname. There¡¯s no way it could know; only one person¡¯s ever called me that. She wasn¡¯t sure what exactly a {minor} ability was either, but it was no surprise ina¡¯s dress was a valid target to see through, being almost as thin as paper anyway. What else could Carline do though? ina had asked for this, so it was okay to try and go further, right? She probably should test the skill while she had it active after all, so it should be okay. She looked lower, gazing over ina¡¯s stomach, following the lines of her waist as it curved in and then back out to her hips. Carline let out a moan herself, unable to hold it back as she saw what was below. Before, there had been no real view as ina had rubbed herself, hiding herself with those same hands, but now with [Peeping Carly] active that was different. It wasn¡¯t a full view, but as Carline focused her eyesight ina¡¯s hands faded away ever so slightly, still more visible than her dress, but faint enough to give Carline an actual look at ina¡¯sst secret. Carline could see ina¡¯s clit as she rubbed it, could watch the opening below as ina pumped in and out with translucent fingers, her entire pussy wet with her own juices. Carline continued moaning despite her attempts to hold back. ina had to know what she was doing, but she wasn¡¯t stopping. ina herself kept going, her body naked for all intents and purposes, as she ravished herself in front of Carline. This is what Carline¡¯s ss gave her? Carline wasn¡¯t sure that ina even fully realized the situation they were in, how rare sses had been even before the Night Wars. The System had granted them the potential for untapped power, and here they were, performing mutual masturbation in the middle of a room that was doubtless a ce of great, lost historic significance. She didn¡¯t care. Carline was wet before, but now she was soaking through her pantiespletely and even beginning to soak through the front of her robes. If this was the path the gods had chosen for her, she was only going to be even more devout than she had been before. ¡°Can you see me?¡± ina asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Carline said, hissing the end of the word. ¡°What can you see?¡± ¡°Everything.¡± ¡°Gods fuck me,¡± ina said, arching her spine and throwing her head back. ¡°I¡¯m cumming.¡± ina let out a cry, more primal than anything Carline had ever heard, more so even than the cries from the monsters before. ina froze in ce, the fingers inside of her desperately wriggling to extract everyst bit of pleasure they could as the one on her clit still managed to rub away. Carline moaned out as well, her own orgasm flowing up from within her despite the barrier in between her body and her fingers. The sensation was almost too much, almost forced her to close her eyes in bliss as blessed satisfaction washed over her, but she couldn¡¯t let that happen. She needed to see everything, until the end. ina really did look like a statue of a goddess: unmoving, kneeling on the metal floor, naked to Carline¡¯s eye, a blushing red face full of ecstasy and excitement as the giant door behind her shook open. Gods, please let me touch her. Carline¡¯s orgasm finished first, fading as the door continued to open. She watched, breathless, as it lumbered out. Carline herself could go in, probably, but it had snapped shut so quicklyst time, and there was little point in her going on alone anyway. This time though, the door didn¡¯t snap shut. It crept open until it was at a ny-degree angle from the wall it was attached to, then stopped. ina opened her eyes and leaned forward, heaving. ¡°Gods, I can¡¯t breathe. It worked though.¡± She was right. The door remained open even as ina had obviously stopped using [Restraint] on it. The girl was sweating, a response that Carline should probably do something about to prevent the girl from getting frostbite. ina¡¯s face was also burning bright red, but that was something Carline couldn¡¯t do anything about, for some reason. She supposed it was because it was tied to ina¡¯s emotions, not [Health]. Carline focused on her aspect, dulling ina¡¯s need to sweat. It certainly wasn¡¯t needed in the current environment. ¡°Your eyes are pretty,¡± ina said. Carline looked up, shocked. ¡°Wha¡ª What?¡± ¡°They¡¯re pretty normally too, when they¡¯re green. But right now they¡¯re blue, like crystals.¡± Carline gasped, realizing she still had her skill active, and remembering the System had said there would be a visible tell. ina was covering herself up with her arms, having already pulled her dress down while Carline was focused on her aspect. She looked shy, ncing off to the side as Carline gawked at her might-as-well-have-been-naked body. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Carline said as she dropped the skill. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking, I was trying to keep you warm and got distracted!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± ina said, a smile creeping onto her bright pink face as she dropped her arms. ¡°I asked you too, after all. We had to do it, for the door.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Carline said. ¡°The door.¡± Somehow, ina looked more beautiful now. Her gentle, smiling face, her gaze turned sideways, her heart that Carline could still feel set aflutter. That racing heartbeat had to just be the embarrassment, right? Carline had never been good at reading emotions, but this one she was sure about. There was no way ina would actually be interested in her. Not like that. ¡°We should probably go,¡± ina said as she started walking. ¡°I think we¡¯re going to be past most of the danger though. The monsters probably came through that hole, but nothing would have been able to get by here with the door closed.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Carline said, picking up her staff and following behind. Stars, watching ina walk was such a wonder. The way her butt swayed, cheeks slightly peeking out the bottom of her dress every once in a while, was mesmerizing. If ina had said she had a second aspect to control people¡¯s gazes, Carline would¡¯ve believed her in an instant. For all the trouble this has been, it¡¯s been worth it at least for¡ª Something else was there, the same level of strength as the monsters from before. Carline could feel it with [Health]. She turned, raising the tip of her weapon behind her, but saw nothing. It was there though, no doubt about it. A gust of wind came from the opening, and the presence grew. She¡¯d been wrong. It wasn¡¯t the strength of the monsters before; it had just been farther away. This was a strength even greater yet, but she still saw nothing. ¡°What is that,¡± ina said from up ahead, ¡°a storm?¡± ¡°No,¡± Carline said, fear welling up inside of her. ¡°This is worse.¡± Ch 1.23: Chase Ch 1.23: Chase ina heard the System¡¯s voice. ¡°Intruder alert. All Users, report to subcore containment.¡± ¡°Get down!¡± ina saw Carline already on the ground as she shouted the warning, but it was toote for ina herself. It struck her just as she tried to jump away, sharp, unsweet pain shing across her abdomen as she fell to the floor. From the ground, she patted the area with her palm, feeling a disturbinglyrge damp spot. Blood? ina looked to see her just-washed hand now covered in red. She was woozy instantly. Dried blood earlier was fine, but this thick, wet liquid¡­ She wasn''t normally squeamish, but the sheer amount of it was enough to nearly make her vomit. ¡°ina, are you okay?¡± ¡°No.¡± She looked up to Carline, vision blurry. ¡°Am I gonna die?¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Carline said, hiking ina¡¯s dress up. ina crossed her legs over her crotch in response, a stupid response. Carline was focused, cing her hands directly on the wound, causing ina to wince in pain, a slight moan escaping her lips. The relief was instant, ina¡¯s stomach soothing as the pain in her side faded. ¡°Whoah, I feel better already.¡± ¡°Stay down. I¡¯m dulling the pain, but you still need to actually be healed.¡± ina looked back down at her side. Big mistake, she thought, stomach churning again as she looked away. ¡°Don¡¯t look at it if it makes you queasy!¡± ¡°Right, sorry¡­¡± ina said, her stomach returning to normal once again. Was Carline doing that too? She closed her eyes, making sure she didn¡¯t interfere with her healing anymore. ¡°What was that? I didn¡¯t even see it.¡± ¡°It looked like¡ª like a person, but all white and red. It¡¯s strong, ina. Whatever it is, it¡¯s way stronger than us. I can tell just by sensing its [Health].¡± The System¡¯s voice rang out through the room again. ¡°Intruder alert. All Users, report to subcore containment.¡± ¡°We have to go,¡± ina said, struggling to get up, pain coursing through her. ¡°She¡¯s in danger.¡± ¡°No!¡± Carline said, grabbing ina¡¯s arm. ¡°I¡¯m still healing you.¡± ina steeled herself, breathing in as she opened her eyes and looked down at her side. ¡°It looks fine.¡± ¡°The skin? Yes, I did that first so you wouldn¡¯t bleed to death instantly, but I¡¯m not done! There¡¯s still internal damage!¡± ina looked at Carline. There was an intensity in her eyes that wascking before, a rage in her voice. She was serious about this. ¡°Sit. I¡¯ll heal you, and then we¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± ina said, feeling like a scolded child. ¡°Do whatever you need to get me moving, then do the rest on the way.¡± Whatever figure had shed ina, it was long gone now, deep, deep into the mountain, from the looks of it. The hallway they had opened was a straight shot for a while, and it was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Right,¡± Carline said. ¡°And stop managing the pain, and regting my heat.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You can only focus on so many things at a time, right? Don¡¯t worry about my feelings, just get me moving.¡± There was silence as ina felt the magic coursing through her, and then there was was suffering. She grit her teeth, growling through them even as she tried to not make a sound while the full amount of the pain returned, while her body began to freeze. I can¡¯t let her know how much it hurts. If she knew, she might stop. They didn¡¯t talk for the next few minutes, not until Carline stood up. ¡°You''re not bleeding anymore, inside or out, but there¡¯s still going to be pain, and I need to restore some of your blood. I¡¯m low on mana anyway though, so we can go slow.¡± ¡°No, save your mana,¡± ina said as she pulled her dress down and jumped up. She doubled over as soon as shended on her feet, clutching her side as she tried to make her first step. ¡°ina!¡± She turned back, not at the sound of her name, but the tone in Carline¡¯s voice. Desperate, pleading. The girl was standing there, clutching her staff in white-knuckled hands, tears streaming down her face. ¡°Slowly, please. I¡­ I know we need to go, but I can¡¯t watch you hurt yourself. I feel it, when you¡¯re hurt. Not the pain itself, but¡ª but I know when it¡¯s too much to bear!¡± ina looked down again, her blood-soaked dress, the giant gash in it, the not-quite-as-fresh blood beginning to dry that forced her to look away again. ¡°If you¡¯re in too much pain, I will use my mana on it.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ina marched forward, a quick step but not quite a jog, wheezing as the pain shot through her. She didn¡¯t realize the burden Carline carried, knowing exactly when someone was in pain, exactly how much pain it was. For someone as kind as her¡­ So, ina didn¡¯t push it, not overly so. But she marched on still, trudging through the pain, trying to ignore the sharp, sweet sensation as it coursed through her body, until they reached a three-way fork, the hall continuing on and also branching right and left. ¡°It¡ª it¡¯s to the right,¡± Carline said, voice trembling. She hadn¡¯t needed to say it. Both branching paths had doors, but only one was ripped through, shorn apart and kicked in. ¡°You can still feel it?¡± ¡°Yeah, with [Health]. It¡¯s¡­ ina, we shouldn¡¯t be doing this, it¡¯s way too strong.¡± ¡°Intruder alert. All Users, report to subcore containment.¡± The message had been repeating. ¡°The System needs us, Carline,¡± ina said, climbing through the hole in the door. ¡°And she said we were strong enough for this mission.¡± ¡°ina, I think that was a mistake. This, whatever this thing is, it wasn¡¯t here before! I don¡¯t know how the System was determining the difficulty of this quest, but I don¡¯t think she was ounting for this!¡± ina paused as she stepped over the broken metal. Maybe she¡¯s right. If Carline couldn¡¯t sense it before, maybe the System couldn¡¯t either. She thought about before, how the thing had nearly gutted her without her even seeing it. The only reason she¡¯d been spared at all was because she¡¯d reacted to Carline¡¯s warning fast enough. It didn¡¯t matter. ¡°I have to go,¡± ina said, moving forward again. ¡°I don¡¯t me you if you turn back, try to get out.¡± ¡°We could both go back. If we are near the capital¡ª¡± ¡°Hours, Carline, maybe minutes. She said she had maybe minutes. That was before we let whatever the hell that thing is in, and we¡¯ve already been down here what, two hours?¡± Carline¡¯s footsteps resumed, following from behind. ¡°I know this is dangerous,¡± ina said, ¡°but I have to do this. It¡¯s¡­ Something is wrong here. Those things, starhounds, they aren¡¯t natural, and neither is this. I wish there was time to get help, to go to Tira, to Pris¡ª to Headmaster Alonse, but there just isn¡¯t.¡± She looked down at the crystal chain still wrapped around her arm. ¡°We can do this. Once we do, we¡¯ll get back however we got here, and tell Headmaster Alonse everything.¡± She took Carline¡¯s silence as agreement, but it obviously wasn¡¯t enthusiastic agreement. ina couldn¡¯t say she had much enthusiasm herself either. Still, they¡¯de this far, and didn¡¯t really have much choice besides trying to climb out onto the face of a mountain. No, they were making the right choice; she was sure of it. Mostly sure of it, at least. After a few minutes, ina felt a hand on her shoulder, and she stopped. ¡°It¡¯s right there,¡± Carline whispered, ¡°right around the corner.¡± ina swallowed, stilling her breathing as she peered around the corner. The hallway led to another sliced-through wall, except this time it was an actual wall, not a door. Without the cut-out portion, it would have looked like aplete dead end. How did it even know where to go? ¡°I hear you, you know.¡± The voice was cold, dripping with feminine rasp. ¡°Come on in. If I wanted you dead, you already would be.¡± ina turned back to Carline, who was frantically shaking her head and mouthing, ¡°No.¡± ina went in anyway. Walking through the hole in the wall, she found a somewhat familiar looking space: arge circr room, with a pedestal in the center holding up a crystal orb. It was almost an exact replica of the cave¡¯syout that held the System back at school, except instead of rock it was made entirely of the strange blue metal. In the very center, next to the crystal, stood a woman. She was nearly seven feet tall, skin an unnatural, alien white, whiter than snow even, with dark red hair, and naked save for outgrowths of shining, blood-red crystals. They littered her body, providing mere ornamentation in some spots, like the gem-shaped ones framing her pale gray nipples, but providing obvious utility in others, like the curved des extending from each of her elbows and the w-like ones acting as her fingernails. Those same crystal fingernails were clutching onto the crystal orb, which was in a state of turmoil, stormy red tendrils creeping into it from each contact point with the woman¡¯s nails, fighting against the normal blue swirling mists that were inside. ¡°You two are the ones that killed my hounds, no?¡± ina crept in, strafing the outside of the room. ¡°They attacked us.¡± The womanughed. ¡°Of course they did.¡± She looked back at the crystal, tsking at it. ¡°To think that there was still a corrupted crystal on this backwater. And devotees of it as well, no less.¡± ¡°What are you doing to her?¡± The woman raised an eyebrow. ¡°Her? Oh, that¡¯s funny. You think it¡¯s people.¡± She grinned and squeezed harder onto the crystal, sending even more red storm into it. A voice shot throughout the room, a cry of pain. The System¡¯s voice. ¡°Argh! Users, please flee. This is not an enemy suitable for a partial level 1 party.¡± ¡°Ha! Level one? My my, that¡¯s even more pitiful than I thought.¡± The woman let go of the System and walked towards the entrance, towards Carline. ¡°Hey!¡± ina shouted, conjuring chains to wrap around the woman¡¯s ankles,tching her to the pedestal. Carline raised her staff at the same time, pointing at the strange woman, who smiled. ¡°Ah, an environmental targeter and an external targeter: even more pathetic still. Though if I remember correctly, your race did always have trouble utilizing internal targeting aspects correctly. They can only go so far on an inferior body, after all.¡± She crouched down, slicing through ina¡¯s chains with her elbow, a screeching sound ringing out as the de ripped through the metal floor. She flicked her eyes at ina and then lunged, her forearm mming ina¡¯s throat into the wall, elbow-de inches from her neck. ¡°Now, can we not just be civilized for one moment?¡± Ch 1.24: Parley Ch 1.24: Parley ina gripped at the arm pressing her into the wall, gasping for breath as Carline shouted out her name. The pain was crushing, but ina¡¯s awareness of that was fading, vision going ck, mind growing cloudy. She fell to the ground, clutching at her throat as the woman that had pinned her stepped away. ¡°Sorry about that. I didn¡¯t realize how fragile your kind was.¡± ¡°You almost killed her!¡± Carline screamed, running over and cing her free hand on ina¡¯s throat. Relief flooded through her as she could breathe again, windpipe bing uncrushed. ¡°Ah, so it is some form of healing aspect,¡± the woman said. ¡°I was wondering if it was that or an item that allowed her to heal from my sh so quickly, but it seems keeping at least one of you alive was the right choice, for now.¡± She walked back over to the System, this version of her anyway, and ced her ws on it again, causing another disjointed cry to ring out through the room. ¡°Hey,¡± ina choked out, climbing to her feet. ¡°You wanted to talk right? Let¡¯s talk, and maybe we can make a deal.¡± The woman smirked, looking down at ina, not taking her hand off the orb. ¡°A deal, you say? I think you may have misunderstood what I was offering. I wasn¡¯t nning on offering you anything more than your lives, and even that depends on what you can offer in exchange.¡± Good. ina knew there wasn¡¯t any hope of a real deal with this thing. She had to stall, hope Carline could recover enough mana to do something, hope one of them could think of a n, hope the thing in front of them made some fatal mistake. ¡°Knowledge. We have knowledge.¡± ¡°Everyone has some knowledge, deary. The question is whether or not it¡¯s worth anything. But go ahead, convince me.¡± She ran her ws down the System, a horrifying, harmonized screeching from both the nails themselves and the System¡¯s voice. ina needed something. She looked at Carline, herself deep in thought, but obviouslying up with nothing as well. Anything would do right now. An exaggeration, a lie even. A truth? ¡°I¡¯m the System Administrator!¡± The woman¡¯s eyes flicked over to ina again. She didn¡¯t take her hand off the orb, but the red lightning coursing into the System stopped, along with the screaming. ¡°You lie.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± ¡°Prove it.¡± ina nced back to Carline, who was wide-eyed, mouthing ¡°no¡± again. ina stood up and walked up to the pedestal. ¡°System, who am I?¡± ¡°Sys¡ª¡± The System¡¯s voice cut out, and for a moment ina almost thought she could hear panting. ¡°System Administrator ina Weaver: Level 1 Masochist Mage.¡± The woman smiled. ¡°Very, very interesting.¡± She took her hand off the crystal and walked up to ina, cing a wed finger under the girl¡¯s chin, raising it up and then running the sharp point under it. ina felt a trickle of blood and moaned from the activation of [Pain Response]. At least, that was all she was willing to admit the moan was for. ¡°Have it identify her too.¡± ina gulped, knowing she was only one wrong move from death. She¡¯d seen the speed this person moved at, felt her strength. It would be effortless for her to puncture ina¡¯s throat at any second. ¡°System, ah, identify Carline.¡± ¡°System User Carline Forsythe: Level 1 Voyeur Vitalist.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cute,¡± the woman said, giggling. ¡°Two little perverts ending up in a party together. Tell me, how did that happen?¡± ina wanted to ensure the System¡¯s safety too, but that had to be secondary right now. They couldn¡¯t save her if they were dead, after all. No, she had to be conservative. ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll let us live.¡± The women frowned, pressing her nail deeper into ina¡¯s jaw and causing her to scream out in pain. ¡°What I will promise you is that I can still end your life anytime I please. Do not tell me what to do again, or next time I¡¯ll take my des to the one of you that can¡¯t be healed. Understand?¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± ina said, feeling the nail pull away as she did. ¡°Go on, heal her,¡± the woman said, walking back and sitting on top of the pedestal, on top of the orb. Her bnce was uncanny. Carline did as she was told, rushing over to heal ina¡¯s throat for the second time. ¡°ina,¡± she whispered, ¡°we have to get out of here.¡± ¡°I can still hear that, you know. You¡¯re not going anywhere without my say-so.¡± Okay, new n. Once she could figure one out, anyway. She was d she hadn¡¯t pressed for the System¡¯s security as well in her demands, at least. ¡°How about we give you some different crystals? There are plenty here, in the dungeon.¡± ¡°Funny, but you know I¡¯m not interested in those tiny fragments. I¡¯m here for the core.¡± ina really wished she knew as much as the woman assumed she did. ¡°Okay, well, I¡¯ll tell you anything you want. Just¡ª just as soon as I know what that is.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Now, how did a level one be System Administrator?¡± ina bit her lip. She still needed to stall, but she had to conserve as much information as possible. And there was no way she could mention the school. ¡°I found one of these, the crystal cores. In a cave, in the forest.¡± ¡°What forest? Where?¡± ¡°Near my home, a¡ª a vige in the mountains called Hearthstead.¡± ina had never been good at lying, but somehow she was keeping surprisingly calm. Her heart wasn¡¯t racing, her breathing wasn¡¯t heavy, her eye wasn¡¯t twitching. Carline! She still had her hands on ina¡¯s neck, and was staring with fierce eyes. Was she using [Health] to cover up the bluff? She might actually get away with the lie then. Just hope there isn¡¯t actually a mountain vige called Hearthstead. ¡°Hmmm. I take it the System mentioned it had been dormant for some time? Tell me how long.¡± Damnit. ina had hoped to hide the dormancy, hide as much as possible, but there was no use lying over something the woman had already figured out. Still, she didn¡¯t have to give everything away. ¡°Five hundred years, give or take. Five hundred and seventeen, maybe?¡± ¡°Hmmm. I don¡¯t know the conversion rate of our celestial cycles off the top of my head. Oh well. Are there any more corrupted cores you know of?¡± ¡°Uhm, I¡¯m not sure what a corrupted core is. Compared to a normal one, I mean.¡± ¡°They¡¯re the blue ones, ones that your kind can attune with. Hmmm. You really are clueless, aren¡¯t you?¡± ina bowed her head, trying to put forth the idea that she was ashamed of her ignorance. It wasn¡¯t hard to do, since it was half true anyway. The woman jumped off the pedestal, gliding to the ground rather than falling. ¡°You¡¯ve piqued my interest. I¡¯ll test you now.¡± ¡°Test us?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll fight, the two of you versus me. I won¡¯t use any of my aspects, skills, or items, though you two are free to use anything at your disposal.¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯s the catch?¡± ¡°No catch. There¡¯s no hope of you actually killing me regardless, but if you impress me enough, I¡¯ll let you two live. I need some recement pets anyway, to make up for my lost starhounds.¡± The emphasis on pets wasn¡¯t lost on ina. There was a morbid curiosity over what exactly that meant, but ina still wasn¡¯t too keen on finding out. Is this really it, our only options death or servitude? ¡°Can we have a few minutes?¡± Carline asked. She was stone faced, but her breathing was heavy. ¡°To test us properly, I would need a full mana pool.¡± The woman smiled. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fair. How long would your kind need?¡± ¡°Uhm, twenty minutes?¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯m not really sure how long that is in your units though, so if I get bored I¡¯m just going to start. I¡¯ll give you a warning first.¡± Not exactly a firm answer, but it was better than nothing. Carline grabbed ina¡¯s arm and pulled her over to the side of the room. ¡°Thanks,¡± ina said. ¡°For buying us time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet,¡± Carline muttered, ncing back at the woman. She was watching the two of them with hungry eyes. ¡°We can¡¯t really do much nning, since she can probably still hear us.¡± ¡°Correct,¡± the woman said. ¡°It would be inadvisable to try and hatch some secret plot.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s better we have some strategy,¡± Carline continued, ¡°even if she¡¯s privy to it.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± ina said, thinking. ¡°Remember what you did to Waine, at the end of your duel?¡± To Waine? Right! They couldn¡¯t discuss tacticspletely openly, but the woman wouldn¡¯t know what they meant if they didn¡¯t say it outright. ¡°Okay, I get you. And you?¡± Carline¡¯s eye shifted to her spear tip. ¡°I¡¯ll need you to pull off your job so I can make it happen.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± ina said. There was one more thing though, one final piece of information that she needed to get across to Carline without tipping off the woman. ¡°Hey, you remember what Waine said before our duel? To Calivahn?¡± Carline thought for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Yeah, but Calivahn¡¯s not here right now, is she?¡± ¡°No,¡± ina said, shaking her head and smiling. She¡¯d gotten it across, she hoped. Waine had wanted a duel with real des, a duel where death was a real possibility. They needed to treat this fight like that, to go for the kill before the strange woman used her aspects or skills. Gods, she did say aspects, didn¡¯t she? Plural. The System had mentioned it was possible, but ina still had a hard time believing it. And they were about to fight someone, something from another world, with multiple of them. Two first-year students, on their first day of ss. She couldn¡¯t help butugh as Carline stared at her with confused eyes. ¡°Sorry, just can''t believe this is happening on our first day.¡± And then they waited. After a few minutes of silence, the woman cleared her throat. ¡°Time¡¯s up.¡± ¡°Carline stood up, holding her hands out. ¡°Can we have a couple more minutes? I¡¯m only a little over half full.¡± ¡°No. If you had to use so much to heal such minor wounds, that will just have to be working against you in your little test.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± ina said, fully aware she was treading dangerous waters by giving a directmand. She needed to stall a little bit longer though; every sliver of Carline¡¯s mana counted. ¡°My name¡¯s ina.¡± ¡°Hmph. You seem to think I care. If you survive, I will give you whatever name I see fit, dog.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t even know your name! Shouldn¡¯t we know, uhm, the name of our future mistress? Potential future mistress?¡± ¡°Hmmm. I suppose so. I am Myri of the Red Order.¡± She raised an arm and pointed at ina. ¡°Whether you receive servitude or death, you should consider it an honor to be granted it by my hand.¡± Ch 1.25: Talkative Ch 1.25: Talkative The woman, Myri, stood pointing, waiting. ina raised her arm, knowing the lull wouldn¡¯t be for long; her opponent had signaled the start to the fight after all. Sheunched her crystal chain towards the woman, wrapping it around her right arm and leg, tying them together and then conjuring another chain to shackle her left arm to the pedestal in the center of the room. Carline charged, spear thrusting forward. ¡°Hmmm, so this must be what you did to that Waine you were talking about,¡± the woman mused, more interested in the the chains around her than she was her actual opponents. ¡°It probably worked fine, on a mortal.¡± She yanked her arm forward, snapping the chain from the pedestal behind her and shing at Carline, who had to dive to the ground to avoid getting sliced in two. Carline slid along the metal floor, sneaking a quick jab into the woman¡¯s ankle with her spear as she went under the woman¡¯s de. No blood was drawn. ¡°A ncing blow from a wooden weapon? Tsk tsk, little pets. It¡¯ll take more than that to wound me.¡± She hopped away on her free leg before ina could try and restrict her again, still with an uncanny grace. ¡°The crystal chains though are somewhat bothersome, I must admit. But how long can you hold them in ce like this?¡± The woman started to pull at the chains, rapidly draining ina¡¯s mana. She¡¯d bonded them together the same way she had bonded them to the wall against the starhounds, and that at least was making the mana use more efficient than holding them together by sheer force, but it still wasn¡¯t sustainable. ina froze herself with [Personal Restraint], halving the effort she¡¯d have to expend, at the same time Carline had managed to get up and start a second charge. Myri again went to sh at Carline with her elbow de, but Carline stopped just outside of the sh¡¯s range, letting go of the front of her spear and thrusting it forward with her back hand, feet nted in the ground. The speartip connected this time, actually connected, and thick blue blood fell out of the hole it left when Carline jumped back, out of a wound far too small to matter. ¡°Actual blood drawn?¡± the woman said, smiling. ¡°Impressive; I can see you¡¯ve actually practiced with weaponry before. But, pray tell, isn¡¯t your little group a bit unequipped for this? Your healer is the one doing the attacking, after all. I thought you mortals kept more bnced parties.¡± She jumped back into the wall, andunched off of it with a kick, free arm¡¯s de headed straight towards ina. ina had to drop [Personal Restraint] and run to the center of the room, but she still got cut on her uninjured side. She looked down at her torso¡ªless severe than before, but still not good¡ªgaping at it as a foot crashed into her chest,unching her to the carved out entrance of the cold metal room, her backnding on the jagged metal. She looked up at Myri from the floor, realizing the woman had broken free of the crystal chains in the time ina had dropped her skill and been injured. ¡°Such a shame.¡± The woman was speaking as she engaged with Carline, the white-robed Vitalist jabbing into her reach with her staff. ¡°You were interesting, but I should have known an environmental-targeting mortal wouldn''t be up to par. Guess your System had to scrape the bottom of the barrel for an Administrator.¡± Carline was a force of nature: light on her feet, keeping her opponent at bay with her weapon, and, for some reason, keeping her party member alive. ina couldn''t believe it, that her stomach was healing yet again as Carline danced around the room, utilizing the System itself as a barrier to keep distance. Carline was also woefully outmatched. ina closed her eyes, partly to fight back the tears, and partly to let Carline activate [Unseen Watcher]. Gods I''m useless. She had one job, to hold back one set of limbs with what should have been an unbreakable chain, and she''d failed even that. Carline was over there fighting her heart out while keeping ina alive, even dulling ina¡¯s pain. She opened her eyes, looking down at her side. The outside of the wound was already healing over, having not been a terribly wide cut, but her dress was a disaster, both sides now cut and stained with blood. But it wasn''t only her dress; she was a disaster. [Humiliation Factor] started to well up, and sheughed at how pathetic she was. How cruel of the gods, to give her a skill that made her stronger if she was already ashamed of how inconsequentially weak she was. She looked back up at the fight. Myri was clearly ying with Carline, because as deft as the spearwoman was, the crystal-adorned invader was that much many times over, skipping around on tiptoes, flipping over Carline''s spear and making quick slices with her fingernails, not even attempting to go for a killing blow with the giant crystal des extending from her arms, leaving the poor girl stabbing away, always just a hair away from meeting her mark and crystal ws ripped away at her, robes and skin littered with red. But in watching her moves, ina saw an opening. ¡°Carline, her wound, forget me!¡± Carline must have trusted ina, because the pain flooded back to her side without any acknowledgement, both ina and Myri screaming out as Carline shifted from restoring one wound to worsening the other. ¡°Interesting aspect,¡± Myri said, jumping backwards as she clutched her side, azure blood seeping out of her hand. ¡°[Wound], is it?¡± ¡°You talk too much!¡± ina shouted, raising her hand and conjuring a new set of chains. She''d realized something, thanks to Carline. It was only once, early on, that she''dnded a hit on Myri. A small blow, even as Carline amplified it with her aspect, but it proved one thing, that Myri wasn''t invincible, that she could bleed. The chain she made wasn''t the type you''d see holding a chandelier at Endrin, not the lustrous metal meant to adorn the world''s greatest institution. No, this chain was what ina was used to seeing hold things together back home, a deteriorated, jagged, misshapen mess of links with equally poorly kept shackles on each end of the length, mping on both of Myri¡¯s wrists. That wouldn''t be enough though; the rusty chain didn''t extend straight between each wrist. It instead wrapped around its captive¡¯s neck first, sharp links cutting into her throat. She''d still have the raw strength to break these chains apart, if she wanted to try, but before that the tension would pull on the links themselves, all force directed straight into her own neck. To make sure of it, ina dumped all the mana she could, including from reactivating [Personal Restraint] and the lesser boost from [Humiliation Factor], into fortifying the chains. They would hold long enough, and Myri was finally, actually, trapped. ¡°Hah, now that''s clever!¡± the woman said, a beastly snarl growing on her face. Carline was already on the move, rushing in with reckless abandon; this could be their only chance at a killing blow. ¡°But not clever enough, I''m afraid.¡± Instead of pulling away to try and break the chains, she pulled them in, bringing her hands together. A horrific crunch echoed throughout the chamber as Myri crushed her left hand with her right and slid the mangled appendage out of the shackle, slinging the chain round her throat, ignoring the damage it did to her neck, and throwing the free end of the chain forward. The empty shackle hit Carline directly in the head before ina could dismiss it, and Carline crumpled to the ground. ¡°Carline!¡± ina shouted, running towards her friend. ¡°It really was a good move though,¡± the woman said as the chain around her faded, scratching away at the abrasions on her neck with her good hand. ¡°A lesser member of the Red Order might have sumbed, one not willing to make the sacrifice to escape.¡± Carline was breathing, alive, but spilling blood from her forehead. ¡°She needs help!¡± ina shouted, for some reason trying to plead with the monster in front of her. ¡°Tsk tsk, little one. Too sentimental for your own good. I won''t let her die¡ªshe''s clearly worth keeping¡ªit''s you I''m undecided about.¡± She walked forward, pulling ina¡¯s teary face upward again. ¡°On the one hand, you''re quite a clever little bitch, but you''re just so temperamental! Freezing up in the corner while your poor, dear friend was fighting all alone, and now sitting here crying?¡± ina jerked her head away, struggling not to explode. The woman was right, though. If ina had acted earlier, been smarter from the beginning, then maybe things would have turned out differently. ¡°No, as a warrior, you''re no good, just a girl who happened upon a cave where she really had no business being. As a pet, though?¡± The woman pressed her bloodied, mangled hand to ina¡¯s face, pushing her back into eye contact, smiling at her with cruelty in her eyes. ¡°You''re cute enough, even cuter than the useful one. I think we could make this work. What do you say, little puppy?¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± ina said, grabbing Carline''s spear from the ground and shoving it upward. Myri looked shocked, almost in disbelief as the weapon struck her in the center of the chest, staggering backwards as the haft slipped from ina''s fingers and ttered to the ground. ¡°You, insolent¡ª¡± Myri stammered, looking down at the wound, a wound sure to kill, as blood poured out of it, right from the heart. Thank the gods¡­ But then the blood slowed. ina watched in horror as the stream of blood crawled to a trickle, then again as it stilled entirely, the wound closingpletely. The woman''s crushed hand cracked and popped, reforming itself as she red down at ina, eyes brimming with rage. ¡°Even my starhounds never made me discipline them the way I''m about to do to you, little pet.¡± Ch 1.26: Punishment Ch 1.26: Punishment The back of the woman¡¯s hand was first, the wrecked hand that was still popping itself back into ce, striking ina¡¯s face and sending her reeling to the ground. ina couldn¡¯t believe what was in front of her. The woman had been stabbed through the chest, heart rent open just moments before. The amount of blue blood dripping off her body was enough to spell her death, but now she was just standing there, rage-filled eyes bearing down on ina as the hand she had crushed herself continued to heal, fully forming into its prior state. ¡°I told you the test was over. I¡¯m not holding back anymore.¡± ina struggled to her feet, calling her crystal chain to try and restrain Myri. The beast glided away though, feet leaving the ground with no visible effort as she flew into ina, ws driving into her corbone. The pain was sharp, absurd, a burning akin to the manes from the starhounds earlier radiating through ina¡¯s torso. She cried out, being lifted off the ground with the hand that had pierced her, doing her best to scratch and push away at the arm holding her up. ¡°Oh, poor dear,¡± Myri said, murderous rage in her eyes. ¡°Does it burn? You see now why I didn¡¯t use my aspects before. Your pathetic species wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance.¡± Her voice was emotionless as she threw ina across the room, mming her into the opposite wall. Though new pain appeared, the burning mercifully stopped as soon ina had left the grasp of the monster before her. She was no woman, that was for sure, not a person. A monster through and through just like the hounds shemanded. ¡°Carline!¡± ina shouted, clutching her wound. Burning or not, she was still wracked with pain, but Carline onlyid there, motionless. ¡°If you want to be my pet, you¡¯ll need to get used to this,¡± Myri said, floating through the air towards ina as she tried to crawl away. ¡°You¡¯re a masochist mage, after all, right? You should actually be enjoying this.¡± That wasn¡¯t true. ina could admit it, that throughout her life some amount of pain had been¡­ bearable. This was different, and even [Pain Response]¡¯s meager alteration to some of the pain did nothing. A small amount of arousal could not overpower the suffering she was enduring. ¡°But truth be told, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll survive the discipline that you deserve. It¡¯s really too bad. A masochist and a voyeur? We could have had so much fun. I could have cut you up while she watched, she could heal you, and then we could do it again. Over and over.¡± She grabbed ina by the back, ws ripping through her dress and flesh, gripping her by muscles before hurling her to the center of the chamber. ina¡¯s back crashed into the pedestal holding the System with a crack, her limp body flipping over it as she iled through the air andnded next to Carline. Her spine was on fire, being stabbed a thousand times an instant. So much pain, more pain than she¡¯d ever felt in her life, more than the cuts, the stabs, even more than the smokey tendril worms that had been inside of her, this time too intense, too constant to even allow her to ck out. ¡°It¡¯s a shame your kind is so fragile. I bet you wish that littermate of yours was awake, yes? To use her aspect to heal you?¡± ina was lifted up by her jaw, torso dangling below as soft fingers pressed into her face. She scratched again at the arms holding her up, and she tried to kick away at her attacker as well. Her legs wouldn¡¯t move. ¡°You see the problem, yes? Relying on others is just not good enough. My [Regeneration] won¡¯t fail me, ever. But you? Once your little friend is down, there¡¯s just no hope for you left. After all, what do you have, [Chains]? It¡¯s really just so sad.¡± She dropped ina to the ground, her feet crumpling beneath her, useless. ¡°Thest part of your discipline is thus: no food or water for a week. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯lle back for your corpse. Your bones will make excellent toys for my other pets. Maybe I¡¯ll let the other pervert have your skull, to remember you by.¡± She floated back to the System, cing her fingers on the orb and sending that red lightning storm back into it. The System shrieked once again. ¡°If you do survive, of course I¡¯ll wee you back into my family¡ªit¡¯s only fair¡ªbut let¡¯s be honest here, you¡¯ll probably bleed out next to your pervert friend before I even get done with the software restraints on this subcore. She will lead me to any other cores on this, I¡¯lle back for your remains, and we¡¯ll be on on our way back home.¡± Wait¡­ ina¡¯s mind was cloudy, flooded with disorientation as she felt a tug at her mind, but she swore she heard something important. ¡°Administrator rights should pass to my new pet, and I¡¯ll receive a bountiful reward for returning multiple cores to the Order.¡± Software? That word wasn¡¯t important, not to ina¡ªshe¡¯d never even heard it before¡ªbut there was something else, something she was missing. ¡°And while I¡¯m here, I might as well take a look at that town you mentioned. Hearthstead, was it? Can¡¯t have my good pet missing her old litter, so I¡¯ll have to dispose of them.¡± At least that was a fake vige, no one there to hurt. ina was proud of herself for that, for keeping as much information secret. It was a small victory, but she¡¯d kept a lot secret: the school, the System¡¯s true age, her aspect. [Restraint] Software restraint the woman had said. It welled in her, awareness. There were only two things in the room that qualified for it, the crystal chain she had been granted, and the System itself. The System was restrained, somehow, by whatever a software was. ina hadn¡¯t been aware of it until Myri had mentioned it was a restraint, but that¡¯s exactly what it was, and now she could feel it. ¡°Hey,¡± ina choked out, struggling to reach towards her chain. ¡°Tell me one thing.¡± The System quieted as the woman lifted her hand, turning around. ¡°I told you not to tell me what to do.¡± ¡°Sorry, I was just wondering¡­ how it feels to lose to a pathetic little puppy.¡± She reached forward with [Restraint] into the very being of the System, feeling for the locks holding it in ce, the restraints on its capabilities. It was a tangled mess of logic and formtions, ones she didn¡¯t truly understand, but she understood one thing: how to undo it all. She snapped the restraints on the System at the same time shemanded her chain to fly towards the pedestal. Myri turned back around as the System glowed a bright blue. ¡°System initializing, awaiting Administratormands.¡± The crystal chains wrapped around the orb and flew towards ina¡¯s hand, passing right by Myri as she reached out to grab it, just a moment toote. ina caught the bundle of crystal. ¡°System, get me and Carline out of here! Take us to the other core!¡± Myri was already flying towards her, elbow de heading straight for her head. ¡°You fucking¡ª¡± ¡°Affirmative,¡± the System said, and, with a sh of light, the two battered and broken students once again disappeared. Ch 1.27: Escaped Ch 1.27: Escaped ¡°ina, Carline!¡± the System shouted as ina crashed to the ground of the cave, crying out as the light from the System filled the area. ¡°I¡¯m so d you made it back!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t move, I can¡¯t move!¡± ina screamed, trying to flex her legs. For all she knew, they might not even have been attached anymore. ¡°Please, ept this reward for a missionpleted. There will be further rewards forting.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about rewards! I¡¯m fucking paralyzed!¡± ina looked over, finding Carline still unconscious,ying a few feet away. Her staff and ina¡¯s chains, still wrapped around the other subcore, were in between the two of them. ¡°Please open the chest, ina. It has a potion that will help you.¡± ina looked over as a small chest, the same design as the one from the dungeon, materialized in front of her, blue light crafting it the same way her ss gear had. She pressed the crystal. [Bonus Reward] The chest opened. [Potion of Greater Restoration] It was sparkling red liquid inside of a crystal sk. ¡°Drink most of it,¡± the System said, voice shaking. ¡°Give thest bit to Carline.¡± ina did so, popping the crystal top off and throwing it aside before forcing the vial to her lips. Every drop was wonderful relief, pain easing off of her back. Some pain was still there as she took it from her lips, and she wanted to finish the entire thing, but if the System said Carline needed some then she wasn¡¯t going to risk it. She ced the vial on the ground and tried moving her legs. Her spine screamed out to her in torturous agony, but her legs moved. She managed to get to her knees and grabbed the bottle again, shuffling over to Carline¡¯s body with tears streaming down her face. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± She turned Carline¡¯s bloodied head and lifted it up, pouring the scarlet liquid into her mouth. Carline¡¯s eyes shot open, and she began coughing, rocking ina¡¯s body and causing her to double over in pain, the empty vial clinking across the cavern floor. ¡°ina!¡± she said, pushing herself to her knees and looking around. She ced her hands on ina¡¯s back, under the rips in her dress from Myri¡¯s ws. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I don¡¯t know what happened. The pain left ina¡¯s body all at once, and she took a deep breath, not even having realized she¡¯d been holding it to stop the pain before. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry. I fucked up! She got you with one of my own damn chains¡­¡± ¡°No,¡± the System said. ¡°It is I that made an error today. I¡­ I sent you two into unconscionable danger. Please, allow me to apologize and exin.¡± ina gritted her teeth, holding back her response. She¡¯d said a lot of things already today, to both the System and Carline, a lot of things she regretted. ¡°System, I need to focus on healing her right now,¡± Carline said. ¡°Of course. Please take your time.¡± The three remained there in silence, ina still seething. She was d they¡¯d lived. d that potion had given her her legs back. d even that they¡¯d seeded in saving the System, her subcore, whatever that was. But the bitterness remained, and with the adrenaline from the ordeal long gone it was all she could think about. This was not what she had signed up for when she¡¯d joined the Academy. To fight? Yes, in the future. To defend the country from invaders looking to sow chaos, looking to threaten her family back home. This was beyond that, and she¡¯d had no training at all, no chance to actually win the fight she¡¯d been thrust into. They¡¯d aplished their ¡°mission,¡± but that had only been through dumb luck. ¡°I¡¯m gonna roll you over so you¡¯ll be morefortable for a while,¡± Carline said, picking ina up and shifting her to her side,ying her on herp once again. At least I get something nice out of this. ¡°I¡¯m¡ª I''m going to have to stop dulling your pain for now to recover mana. It shouldn¡¯t be too bad if you don¡¯t move too much, okay?¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina said, bracing for the return. It was as instantaneous as it had been when it left, but is was mercifully reduced in intensity. There were still the ces ina had been cut and pierced: her sides, her front shoulder, and her upper back. They hadn¡¯t dulled at all, but her spine was almost entirely painless. The dull ache of thatbined with the sharp pains from the flesh wounds wasforting, in a way, and she cried out in pleasure as [Pain Response] kicked in. What is wrong with me? Even before that skill she knew her reaction to pain wasn¡¯t natural, but with it? She was d Carline couldn¡¯t see her face, though it was probably burning hot enough for Carline to feel it on her legs anyway. ¡°You can probably, uhm, start talking now,¡± Carline said. ¡°If that¡¯s okay with you, ina?¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess¡­¡± ¡°Very well,¡± the System said. ¡°I am¡­ sorry, once again. I had limited connection with my subcore, but I should never have sent you two on such a perilous quest. I had already¡­ stretched the truth about your capabilities. It is true that a level one party should be suitable to face two starhounds, but the typical party is around five people. Two is the absolute minimum a party can be, and technically met the requirements of the quest, but it was still¡­ I have limits on what I can do, but I should have known better than to abide strictly to the letter of the rules, and I entirely discounted the possibility the ranking of the mission could change. I feel great regret for the danger I put you in, and for the resulting pain it caused you both.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Carline said. No it fucking isn¡¯t. ¡°I still don¡¯t really know what that¡ª that person was doing, but I know she had to be stopped.¡± Carline was right. ina knew that. She was still pissed. And she couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. She pushed herself up to her knees, wincing in pain as Carline protested, trying to get her toy back down. ina wasn¡¯t listening. ¡°We almost fucking died. Twice. Do you know that? Do you even know what dying fucking is, miss thousand-year-old orb?¡± Tears were streaming down ina¡¯s face as she said it. She didn¡¯t want to be saying it, but it was all so much. Too much. ¡°Why? Just tell me why we had to go through that. What makes you so damned special?¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± There was a quavering in the System¡¯s voice as her light dimmed, the quavering you might hear from a scolded child who already knew she¡¯d done something wrong and had regretted it long before being punished. That single syble was a dagger through ina¡¯s heart, an ache more intense than any of the pain she still had left over. She thought back to what Myri had said about the System, how the System wasn¡¯t people. But that obviously wasn¡¯t true. It was easy to yell at a shiny rock on a pedestal, but hearing the pain in that same person''s voice afterwards was infinitely harder. ¡°I know I deserve your hatred,¡± the System said, sounding like she was on the verge of tears she would never be able to shed. ¡°I know I deserve your scorn. I disregarded your safety, ignored the entire reasoning behind my own existence. I was scared, for my own being, for my own life, but what I did was wrong. I should have let my subcore stay in danger, and dealt with the consequences after the fact.¡± A gentle hand dropped on ina¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Carline said, dulling ina¡¯s pain again. The physical pain, anyway. ¡°ina doesn¡¯t mean this, she¡¯s just in shock. It happens when soldierse back from tough battles.¡± Carline crawled forward, keeping her hand on ina and looking into her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s okay, ina. I¡¯m¡ª I¡¯m sorry you got hurt, but it¡¯s not all bad! If your spine had been damaged anymore, I wouldn¡¯t have actually been able to fix it, but that didn¡¯t happen!¡± ina swallowed, ring at the System. They stayed silent, neither telling the truth about what had actually happened when Carline was unconscious, the actual damage that ina had suffered. The girl didn¡¯t need to know, not right now. And then ina burst, throwing her head into Carline¡¯s arms and weeping. She stayed there, crying out while the other two waited. The situation wasn¡¯t fair. She didn¡¯t know what the Red Order was, she didn¡¯t know what the System even was, she didn¡¯t know why she was chosen for this, she didn¡¯t know why the cores mattered, and she didn¡¯t know what she was supposed to do. Eventually, ina¡¯s tears ran dry. ¡°I would like to exin some things,¡± the System said. ina lifted her head, wiping tears off of her face. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I have some awareness of your trip into the dungeon now that my memories are joined with my subcore. It was a training andmand center that was once operated by prior Users. The subcore you retrieved is another part of me, holding a separate knowledge repository and containing a significant portion of my own power. It was not the facility¡¯s original core, but rather a failsafe designed to carry on the center¡¯s functions and knowledge should disaster strike, locked away and hidden, which is why I had limited knowledge of the facility when I sent you. I do not know what happened there in the past, like I do not know what happened to my other subcores, but there was clearly some attack on the facility some time around nine centuries ago, and the main core was taken. There are no remaining records of this incident.¡± Nine centuries ago. The same time as the Night Wars, again. ¡°System,¡± ina asked, ¡°do you know what the Night Wars were?¡± ¡°Hmmm. I do not possess the relevant records, but¡­ I could make an educated guess, if you would like.¡± ¡°I mean, I can tell you what they were,¡± Carline said. ¡°Erm, the general idea, anyway. The neighboring nations were scared of our nation¡¯s army of soldiers with aspects and sses, and tried to attack us. King Endrin defeated them at the Battle of Endrin Academy, defending the school against the world¡¯s collective forces.¡± ¡°Hmmm. This is not what I would have guessed, and I have reason to doubt the validity of this story. The Academy, as I¡¯ve mentioned to ina, was not always what you call it now. It was once the Equal Nations Friendship Academy, a collective effort by nations across the world dedicated towards enhancing the skills of the world¡¯s System Users. ¡°I do not doubt that there is some truth to your tale that there was a war between nations, though it is likely the story has been altered over the years. One of my secondary purposes is to ensure urate recordkeeping of historical events, and in my absence it appears the understanding of history started to veer from factuality.¡± Carline looked like she wanted to interject, but her eyes were cast to the ground. ¡°Uhm,¡± ina said, keeping her gaze on Carline, ¡°is that really what caused all¡­ all of the destruction at that dungeon?¡± ¡°No. This is the second part of why I believe Carline¡¯s record of the events is inurate: it is incongruous with the damage sustained at the training facility and what was said by the member of the Red Order you encountered.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± ina said, ¡°you know what the Red Order is?¡± ¡°Correct. In fact, the System¡¯s primary reason for existence is to bolster the defenses of those the Red Order would seek to harm and subjugate. They are a race of warrior-tyrants from the stars beyond, and they are drawn to worlds that possess a natural amount of crystal. Your world, despite having a rtively small amount of naturally urring crystal, is one such world, and thus I was sent here to shepherd your people¡¯s growth so that you may defend yourself in the event of an attack by the Red Order.¡± ¡°So you knew¡­ that they would be there, possibly? And you sent us anyway?¡± ¡°Incorrect. I¡­ I still apologize. In my memory stores, as far back as they go, the Red Order never attacked this world. After seeing the devastation caused at the other facility though, and hearing the words spoken by this Myri, I must assume that in my dormancy the Red Order did indeed attack. I had not considered it a possibility, as it was unlikely your people would have survived an invasion, even with the strength of the System Users. With additional information from the facility though, I must revise my prior analysis and assume the Red Order has indeed been here before, but for some reason left your people alive at least in some numbers, and also that the backup cores I still have some connection to are the only cores still remaining on this world. It is strange, but I assume I must be a backup core as well, despite not having the designation. It is the only exnation for my limited memories.¡± Too much. Way too much for ina¡¯s brain to handle, at least right now. ¡°I¡ª¡± Carline said, still staring at the floor. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why¡ª why the school would be renamed, why the Wars¡ª why there would be parts lost in the history books when we won.¡± ¡°Well, maybe there¡¯s a good reason?¡± ina said. She didn¡¯t sound very convincing, even to herself. Despite the torrent of information being overwhelming, she had no reason to doubt the System. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°System, you said you were sent here? Who sent you?¡± ¡°Administrator information request denied. I apologize, I cannot answer this question, even from the System Administrator.¡± ina sighed, almost relieved she wouldn¡¯t have to try and make sense of more of this right now. ¡°I will try my best to make it up to you the only way I can, though.¡± Another chest materialized in front of them. [Masochist Mage ina Weaver has achieved level 2] [Voyeur Vitalist Carline Forsythe has achieved level 2] Ch 1.28: Accommodations Ch 1.28: Amodations [ina Weaver has achieved level 2] Skill Enhanced: [Humiliation Factor] - Rank 2 - Passive: User receives a power bonus of up to {x2} to all aspects rtive to the User¡¯s current state of embarrassment. Skill Gained: [Fear Response] - Rank 1 - Passive: Converts a {minor} amount of fear to arousal. [Carline Forsythe has achieved level 2] Skill Enhanced: [Viewer Rating] - Rank 2 - Passive: User receives a power bonus of up to {x2} to all {External Targeting} aspects rtive to the User¡¯s current sexual attraction to the target. Skill Enhanced: [Peeping Carly] - Rank 2 - Active: Expend mana to receive a {moderate} ability to see through objects. ina blinked as the information imprinted into her mind. Likest time, it wasn¡¯t like anyone telling her anything, just the instant knowledge of both of their ss details. ¡°Oh!¡± Carline said, taking her hand off ina. The pain returned just as swiftly as the information had. ¡°Oh, stars,¡± Carline continued as ina winced in pain. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I am low on mana though, can you wait a bit?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± ina said, grunting. It wasn¡¯t really less than before, but she¡¯d manage. ¡°So, uhm, did you, did you level up as well?¡± Right, Carline wouldn¡¯t see ina¡¯s advancement. ¡°I did. One new skill that, erm, lessens fear. And then it enhanced the one that makes me stronger the more embarrassed I am.¡± ¡°You got a new skill so fast! I didn¡¯t realize it could work like that, that our progression wouldn¡¯t be symmetrical.¡± Carline looked lost in thought again, seemingly past the revtion that her country¡¯s official record of its single most important historical event was built on faulty information, if not outright lies. ina wouldn¡¯t pry; she was certain it wasn¡¯t thest time they would have to talk about it anyway, and there were other matters at hand. ¡°Carline, could you open the chest? Still can¡¯t move well.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The girl hopped to her feet, disying an astounding sense of grace. Had she always been that light on her feet? ina had been surprised at her movements in the dungeon, but Carline seemed to surprise her even more every time she looked. Carline pressed the crystal at the center of the chest and pulled out two small spheres, the same kind that had been in the chest at the start of the dungeon. She walked over and handed ina one. [Mage Gear Enhancement] Well, no time like the present. She activated hers in tandem with Carline, both spheres shattering into sparkling blue dust, along with their discarded weapons, forming into new shapes in front of them. [ina Weaver: Gear Enhancement Obtained] [Flexible Restraints]: Crystal chain that can be shaped into other forms of restraints. The mass of the weapon cannot be changed. [Carline Forsythe: Gear Enhancement Obtained] [Crystal-Tipped Spear]: Grants a power bonus of up to {x1.5} to all {External Targeting} aspects when used to affect injuries made with this weapon. The crystal chains in front of ina were more or less the same, but had a soft glow to them now. Carline¡¯s weapon was more drastically changed, the ring at the top now housing a length of crystal core, and the thorny spike now reced by a properly menacing, glowing crystal spearhead. Carline picked up the spearstaff and looked over it. ¡°It¡¯s more bnced now too. Did you see its ability?¡± ina nodded. ¡°Yeah. Mine¡¯s malleable now, I guess?¡± She focused on the chain,manding it to change. The links on one end melted together, forming a shackle instead. ¡°Kind of slow, but useful for sure.¡± Her other creations she couldn¡¯t change at all, stuck the way they were after she made them unless she wanted to spend mana to make an entirely new thing, so it was useful to have something she could change, and it being the one she¡¯d always have ess to was even better. ¡°There is another matter that must be addressed in regards to your sessful retrieval of my subcore,¡± the System said. ¡°While disconnected from my subcores, my capabilities are lessened. As System Administrator, ina, you must guide the restoration of the System by selecting appropriate subsystems to bring online.¡± ina frowned. ¡°I still don¡¯t know what that really means, being the System Administrator.¡± She looked over to Carline. ¡°Can we change that? Carline knows more about this stuff than me. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be better at it.¡± Carline¡¯s eyes widened as she dropped her spear and started waving her hands. ¡°Nuh¡ª No no no! I only know a couple of things from bedtime stories!¡± ¡°The role of System Administrator can be transferred at the current Administrator¡¯s discretion,¡± the System said, ¡°but such a decision is usually only made in the event of retirement from service. It is your choice, however.¡± ina looked back to the crystal orb. [Admin] was such a strange word, one she didn¡¯t quite understand, but it felt¡­ wrong to give it up. She¡¯d received it simultaneously with her ss, with her aspect. It seemed as much a part of her as those. She¡¯d had none of them for very long, but the thought of giving any of them up felt akin to ripping off a part of her soul. ¡°I¡¯ll¡ª I¡¯ll keep it for now. The role.¡± ¡°Understood. The core you retrieved has the capability of adding one of its two subsystems. Being from a learning facility, the options are either Armory or Training.¡± Armory or Training. ¡°Uhm, can I ask what the difference is?¡± ¡°Certainly. Armory will allow you as the Administrator to have a certain degree of choice when receiving new gear upgrades for yourself or other Users. You may also delegate this ability to the other Users themselves. I will note that as the rewards you earned from your mission earlier were set in stone when youpleted the mission, selecting this before I presented the chest to you would have had no effect on them. Training allows you to design simted scenarios in dungeons to further the advancement of System users. I may offer a suggestion on which to pick, if you prefer, but the final decision still rests with you.¡± ina would take all the guidance she could. ¡°Yes, please.¡± ¡°Training is historically a very important subsystem, but it is more important the more Users there are. Since you two are the only current Users and have some degree of instruction taking ce at your Academy, I would rmend Armory, which is used just as widely as Training and is less easily substituted for.¡± ¡°Okay, that sounds good. We¡¯ll do Armory.¡± ¡°Affirmative. Armory subsystem initializing.¡± The crystal swirled with blue mist, dimming and brightening the cave as it did. ¡°Initializationplete.¡± ¡°Wait, wait, sorry to interrupt,¡± Carline said. ¡°My mana¡¯s full. Why is it full?¡± That wasn¡¯t right. There was no way it would have recovered that fast, right? ina felt for her own mana pool and gasped. It had almost been full before since she hadn¡¯t been spending it while Carline healed her, but it waspletely full as well, more than full, a tenth more there than had been before. ¡°Correct. As you two have achieved level two, your mana pool and physical attributes have been increased. Your mana refills as a result.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, physical attributes?¡± ina asked. ¡°Correct. As they were enhanced when you first gained your ss, they are enhanced again now.¡± ina blinked in realization. It had been minor, so minor she hadn¡¯t even noticed, but she had been strongertely, more dextrous. It exined a lot, actually. ¡°Did you not know that?¡± Carline asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I would have mentioned it.¡± ¡°Uhm, no, I didn¡¯t. But it¡¯s fine.¡± She was starting to think maybe she really should give her role to Carline after all again. Carline¡¯s bandaged hand fell on ina¡¯s shoulder again, pain once again dissipating. ¡°I should be able to heal you fully with this, and then we can head back. We¡¯ll need to get back before the dinner bell anyway.¡± ¡°Sure, sounds good.¡± ina was getting hungry, and a break would be nice. ¡°I just wish there was a way to continue talking with the System withouting all the way back here. There¡¯s still so much I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Fortunately,¡± the System said, ¡°there is one final matter to address. The subcore you retrieved needs to be attended to. It would be unwise to leave it out here, as it cannot by tied to the same housing as another.¡± ¡°Oh. I guess we¡¯ll take it back with us. We can talk to you through it?¡± ¡°Correct. It is still the System. After you eat, we can speak more on the nature of the System and your duties as Administrator.¡± The three remained silent while Carline finished healing ina. It wasn¡¯t that ina didn¡¯t want to talk, but she was a level of spent she¡¯d never been before: physically, mentally, and emotionally. ¡°There, all done,¡± Carline said, standing up and smiling. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it took so long, it was, well¡ª It was a lot.¡± ¡°No, thank you,¡± ina said, standing up herself. All her pain gone, all her wounds healed, all in a matter of less than an hour. Evenpared to the stories that ina had heard about aspects and sses, Carline was a wonder. Still, one thing wasn¡¯t fixed. ¡°Uhm, what about our clothes?¡± Carline looked down, blushing. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d thought about that too. I¡¯m still¡­ Still showing quite a bit more than I¡¯m used to, and the robes are bloodied besides.¡± ¡°Not to worry,¡± the System said. ¡°Your gear will recover itself by feeding off of your excess mana reserves, but only when not equipped and only when your mana pool is full.¡± ¡°Huh, convenient.¡± ina wondered for a moment how to unequip her gear, get back to her uniform, but just thinking about it was enough to realize the answer. She willed her ss gear away, and in the same crystal-dust disy as before, her uniform appeared as her dress and crystal chains faded away. They were gonepletely this time, not locked in a sphere, but ina could still feel them, just waiting to be re-equipped. She grimaced. While her bloodied clothing had been reced, she did still feel the dried blood that had been on her body proper. Thankfully it was all covered by her current clothes, but she¡¯d still need a second shower of the day for sure. Carline had also changed back, and was currently looking over her hands in astonishment. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ina asked. ¡°Oh, no. I just, uhm. The scrapes I had, they¡¯re gone. Maybe from the potion you gave me.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good. You said they weren¡¯t that bad in the first ce, right? Must have been small enough for the potion to heal.¡± If the amount ina herself had drank healed paralysis, then a small amount would certainly have healed any scratches on Carline, probably could have healed more. ¡°Correct,¡± the System said. ¡°The amount you consumed would have been enough to heal such injuries. I must apologize for the potion as well, I feel. You earned a discretionary bonus reward forpleting a mission that was a higher difficulty than intended, and while I would have preferred to offer more permanent gear, the restoration potion was necessary.¡± ¡°Anyway!¡± ina said, trying to change the subject and looking over at Carline. ina still didn¡¯t want her to know how much damage her spine had actually taken, but fortunately Carline looked distracted herself, rubbing her hands together and looking down. ¡°We should probably get going. And what are we going to do with the subcore once we get back, anyway? It¡¯s too big to carry around all the time. Can we, like, store it the way we do our gear?¡± ¡°That is not currently possible. Theoretically, any System rted gear can be stored in such a manner, but a subcore is far too dense in energy for a level two User to hold that way. I do not know what level one would have to be at, as no one has tried it before, to my knowledge.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to keep it in our room then,¡± ina said, bending down and picking the sphere up. She knew the System was right just from holding it, that it held too great a power for her to contain right now. ¡°System, if you have, well, this much power, is there any way for you to share that with us?¡± ¡°I already am. That is the purpose of the System, to cultivate Users by granting them strength based on their aplishments, to train them to be strong enough to fight the Red Order, as well as other celestial invaders who would seek to feed on the crystal infrastructure of your world.¡± ¡°Like starhounds,¡± Carline said. ¡°They were around for ages before the Night Wars, usually in crystal mines, but they haven¡¯t been seen in almost a millenia.¡± ¡°Correct. It is strange that you would say they have not been seen for so long though. It is unfortunate that we are under attack by the Red Order with the System as a whole in such an unprepared state. The System was not designed for such a circumstance. I am limited to certain immutable guidelines, and must follow them when distributing my power. An oversight, perhaps, by¡ª Nevertheless, even though I wish I could grant you two additional power right now, it is not possible. You must progress naturally, like all Users.¡± ina cocked her eyebrow. ¡°Were you going to say something else?¡± ¡°It is not something I can speak of freely.¡± ina sighed, more questions. ¡°Well, we still need to find a ce to put you. Carline, any ideas?¡± ¡°Uhm, I guess one of our dressers is the safest ce? The automatons will do ourundry at the end of the week, on Fifthday, but they just ce our clothes on our beds is what I hear, so inside a drawer should be fine.¡± ¡°A dresser?¡± the System asked, sounding concerned. ¡°Yeah,¡± ina said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep the core in mine. It would stick out with my uniforms, but if I bundle it in with my underwear then it shouldn¡¯t be noticeable, even if anyone were to look in there.¡± The System buzzed, lights flickering. ¡°Wha¡ª I, I refuse! You will find me suitable amodations, as I will not abide a piece of my being to reside with your undergarments!¡± *** After ina had stuffed the subcore in her underwear drawer, Carline and her left for dinner. The bell had rang while they walked to their dorm room, so there wasn¡¯t time to shower, but ina was starving, so she¡¯d manage. They¡¯d spent most of the walk back ignoring the protestations of the System, much to ina¡¯s amusement, so not much of import was discussed, allowing a brief mental reprieve. The one thing they had decided on was to tell the headmaster about the System. It was awkward that there wasn¡¯t a foolproof way to make someone else a System User if they already had an aspect, unless they were ¡°partypatible,¡± whatever that meant, but Alonse Stormshine was as good a person as any to tell about all of this. They had to tell someone, after all. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t in the hall right now. He¡¯d been there for lunch, but he had missed other meals, at least in public, but after eating ina and Carline approached the only other faculty member they knew, Professor Calivahn, as she was getting up to leave herself. ¡°Uhm, professor?¡± ina asked. The gruff woman turned, smiling once she saw ina¡¯s face. ¡°Ah. Hello, Weaver, Forsythe. Tira told me you had a sessful bit of independent training after I left, isn¡¯t that so?¡± Independent training? She had to mean the duel, but ina didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be talking so openly about it after the fact, or that she would have discussed it with Tira at all. ¡°Oh, yes, uhm, the training went well.¡± The duel had seemed so long ago, and it was hard to believe it was earlier the same day, only a few hours prior. ¡°But we had a question for the headmaster, actually. Do you know where he is?¡± ¡°Stormshine? He will be away for some days at least, I¡¯m afraid. Summoned to the capital. Apparently there was some security incident in the mountains.¡± Ch 1.29: Reprieve Ch 1.29: Reprieve ¡°Do you think it¡¯s the dungeon?¡± ina whispered. ¡°It is very possible,¡± the System replied, soft glow illuminating their makeshift fortress. They were huddled together under ina¡¯s bedsheets, speaking quietly to avoid waking Carline. She had gone straight to bed after dinner and a shower, too exhausted to carry on, but ina couldn¡¯t get to sleep, and was talking to the subcore they had brought back to their dorm to pass the time. ¡°I cannot say for certain, but the reemergence of celestial monsters after nine hundred years would certainly qualify as a security concern, and the timing is too close to assume mere coincidence.¡± ¡°I just wonder how they would have gotten word here so fast.¡± ¡°That is a question of mine as well. There are crystal technologies that can aplish such tasks, of course, but I should be able to intercept such transmissions. Perhaps my Communications subsystem is morecking than I presumed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s another thing we¡¯ll have to fix? By getting more subcores?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ina rolled on her side, cradling the System in her chest. ¡°ina, may I ask a question?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°It is bad enough you have decided I must live in your undergarments¡ªthough I do concede it is likely the safest ce for me to reside under current circumstances¡ªbut must you sleep with me while you are naked as well?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry! I can put some clothes on. I didn¡¯t realize that would bother you.¡± ina had brought nightgowns of course, but Carline had mentioned that she didn¡¯t mind if ina slept naked, so she wasn¡¯t wearing one. Still, she hadn¡¯t thought to ask the System if it would bother her as well. ¡°This is what I¡¯m used to, but I can get up and put something on.¡± ¡°Nuh¡ª No, it is fine. If that is what isfortable to you, then you should not change on my ount. I am just the System, after all.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ But if you change your mind, let me know, alright?¡± ¡°Certainly.¡± inaid there for a while, holding the System. It was surprisingly warm while active, not cool to the touch like a stone, though when dormant it did still have a chill. It had been a long day, feeling like it had been nearly two thirds of her life, but she was still wound up. She tossed and turned, holding the crystal orb close as she thrashed about in her bed. ¡°System, what am I? Like, what is a System Administrator?¡± ¡°Hmmm, I suppose I have not fully exined the role. My apologies, it is unusual for the title to be transferred in such a way, and the Administrator has usually prepared for the task their entire life.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. You¡¯ve exined a lot¡ªit is a lot, all of this¡ªand I think I¡¯ll probably need refreshers at some point anyway.¡± ¡°That is a fair point, but you should know the basics of the hierarchy at the very least. As Administrator, you have control over all aspects of the System that are not hardcoded into the System itself. Your control is limited right now, due myck of operational and upgraded subsystems, but will expand as we carry on our work. Your main task is to shepherd the growth of the System as a whole, typically meaning the System Users via subsystem management, but in your case the System itself through subsystem upgrades as well. ¡°At present, you can manage Users through various ways, some of which you already known. You may review their ss information, allocate some of your own responsibilities to them, or dismiss them from the System at anytime.¡± ¡°Dismiss them?¡± ¡°Correct. You cannot add someone to the System manually, as that protocol is hardcoded, but if someone needs to be removed for any reason, you have the ability to do so.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine doing that to Carline¡­¡± ¡°In the past it was used somewhat frequently. There is a limited amount of power the System can bestow, which is why advancement is merit based to begin with, so such a thing was needed when capacity was reached to maintain stronger System Users overall. It was primarily needed for Users who wished to retire from service, but there were asions where it was used disciplinarily as well.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± ina yawned, the efforts of the day finally catching up to her. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to go to sleep now. Do you mind if I keep you here for the night? The warmth is nice.¡± ¡°I¡ª I suppose that is eptable.¡± ina didn¡¯t need to be told twice. She embraced the orb with all her might, and drifted to sleep. *** Second Day sses were, well, boring. History, Alchemy, Remedial Etiquette. She¡¯d been able to have History with Carline at least, in arge lecture hall with all the first-years, but Alchemy and Etiquette were in smaller ssrooms, and they¡¯d been split up. In Alchemy she ended up alone with a smattering of other students she mostly didn¡¯t recognize, and then she learned quickly what Remedial Etiquette was: a ce to dump the handful ofmoners that were actually epted to Endrin and teach them proper manners. She was a little offended, but it was honestly probably for the best. At least now she knew why there were eight different utensils at each meal, even if she didn¡¯t know what they were all for yet. That day was mostly a blur though. Despite a full night¡¯s sleep, ina had been exhausted, and staying awake through the tedium had been an ordeal in itself. Third Day, however, was anything but boring. First ss: Practical Aspect Applications, though most students just called it ¡°Combatives.¡± There were other courses that utilized aspects inter years for nonbat reasons, and some specific students had independent study if their aspects warranted it, like Carline taking Medicine with the school¡¯s head doctor, but Combatives was the main aspect ss, three hours a day, three days a week. ina had been bumped up to the advanced maniption course after all thanks to her duel with Waine, and as a result it was easily her least popted ss so far, even with the course including two years of students. It had only ten students upying the entire sand training field behind the castle, and for their first real lesson they had been paired up, one freshman and one sophomore in each pair, after a brief introductory lecture from Calivahn. ina had been paired up with Tira, and the smile on her partner as that was announced made her think that it wasn¡¯t a coincidence. ¡°Hey there, ina! Looks like we got paired together. Lucky, huh?¡± ina couldn¡¯t help but smile back. When she¡¯d heard about pairs she had feared she¡¯d be matched up with Prisma, which she would not be ready for in any way, so realizing it was upper and lowerssmen had been a relief. She did like Tira too, a lot, had even considered telling her about the System, but she hadn¡¯t even brought it up once Carline and her had decided to wait until Headmaster Alonse got back. It was silly anyway, to trust a Student Watch member over another teacher like Calivahn. ¡°So, uhm, what are we doing today?¡± ina asked. Tira shrugged. ¡°Dunno, whatever torture I wanna put you through I guess. Calivahn would normally be doing this individually with you freshers, but there¡¯s some faculty meeting today she needed to get to instead.¡± She grinned, pulling her whip off of her waist. ¡°We could always have a practice duel.¡± ina threw her hands up and jumped back. ¡°No thanks!¡± She¡¯d seen the fear in Waine¡¯s eyes when he thought it was Tira that wanted to duel him, and she didn¡¯t intend to find out why that was firsthand. Her senior chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m kidding. I¡¯d like to keep you in one piece after all, at least untilter tonight.¡± ina¡¯s heart pounded as Tira winked at her. She hadn¡¯t forgotten¡ªhow could she have¡ªthat they had made ns to get together today, and that there had definitely been the implication that something¡­ more would be happening as well. ina was just about to respond before Tira cut her off, having given her just enough time to squirm in her own thought. ¡°So I guess I¡¯ll just see where you are. Tell me, what do you already know about your aspect?¡± ¡°Uhm, well¡­¡± ina couldn¡¯t really tell her everything she knew, right? ¡°Just the basics, I guess. I can make chains, or restraints in general I guess, and I can move them around too. Making heavier things takes more mana, moving heavier things takes more mana.¡± She couldn¡¯t think of anything more, not without delving into talk about sses. ¡°Well, you know the basics then. Have you thought about what a restraint is, though?¡± ina frowned, unsure of what that meant. ¡°Not really, I guess.¡± ¡°Well, you use chains, and rope. Shackles too, and whatever was under the sand the other day to keep the Ferris bitch under control, but you can use it for any restraint. It¡¯s all down to your understanding of the concept, really.¡± ¡°Like¡­ a lock on a door?¡± Tira grabbed her chin, thinking. ¡°Maybe. It¡¯s hard for me to say. A lot of aspect control is down to the user¡¯s interpretation of their own aspect. There are limits, of course. Like, you aren¡¯t going to be able to control a banana just cause you tell yourself it¡¯s a restraint, but a lock might count.¡± She smirked, impish glee in her eyes. ¡°After all, that¡¯s how you really won your duel with Waine, right?¡± ina froze, eyes widening. ¡°Wha¡ª What do you mean?¡± ¡°Did you really think you could hide your secret from me?¡± Tira stepped closer, towering over ina, looking down at her while she patted her coiled up whip in her empty hand. ¡°I know the real reason your skirt came off during that fight.¡± How? Tira couldn¡¯t have found out, right? ina¡¯s heart was pounding again, even faster. She didn¡¯t know what to do, how to exin herself. Had Tira told anyone else? Gods, I should have told Headmaster Alonse right away. Now they¡¯re going to think I¡¯m hiding things, and I guess I was, but it wasn¡¯t¡ª ¡°You took it off on purpose with your aspect. To distract him.¡± ina stared, confused. ¡°Huh?¡± Tiraughed, stepping away. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s super obvious. These are fitted, Endrin-quality uniforms. The sp isn¡¯t just going toe undone like that because you fell over, and a sp is a type of restraint, right?¡± ¡°Oh, uhm, yeah, I guess.¡± ina had misunderstood. Thank the gods. ¡°Don¡¯t worry though, your secret¡¯s safe with me, and I don¡¯t think most people would even think of it. After all, no one else saw the look on your face in my office the other night, saw how turned on you were at being caught in your underwear. That¡¯s the real reason I figured it out, that only someone like you would even go there with your mind when thinking of ways to win a duel. But hey, if it works, it works.¡± ina looked down, face turning red. How to exin this? ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ I mean¡ª¡± ¡°Shush shush, now,¡± Tira said, cing a finger on ina¡¯s lips, staring down with her deep brown eyes. ¡°No need to protest. I¡¯m not here to judge, after all.¡± She took her finger off as ina scanned the rest of the field, seeing if anyone was watching them. ¡°Do you remember what I told you about today?¡± ina nodded. It was impossible to forget. Wear something pretty under my uniform. ¡°Good. Since I have you all riled up, we¡¯ll get this conversation out of the way. There are three ways tonight can go, and you get to choose.¡± She held up a finger, her voice going stern and her demeanor losing all sense of yfulness. ¡°I don¡¯t usually give people choices, but this is important, so listen closely. If you just want to give me my jacket, you can bring it to my office after dinner, understood?¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± That wasn¡¯t what ina wanted. ¡°Second option: if you want to give me my jacket and then spend the night with me, you¡¯ll bring it to my office at curfew. You leave your dorm as the bell rings, giving you enough time to make it there in the grace period. I don¡¯t normally go for such a vani offer, but you do deserve a reward for your excellent performance the other day, and I¡¯m feeling generous. Understood?¡± ¡°Uh-huh?¡± She thought she understood. It was¡­ faster than what she¡¯d been thinking when she¡¯d asked Tira to lunch the other day, but the end goal seemed to be the same. She did wonder what ¡°vani¡± meant in this context though. ¡°Third option.¡± Tira¡¯s grin grew as she stroked the leather whip. ¡°If you want to stay the night at my ce, and do it my way, you wait until exactly one hour after the curfew bell has rung. You¡¯ll wear only my jacket and whatever underwear you wore for me, and then you¡¯lle to the office. Understood?¡± ina blinked. Understood? She couldn¡¯t have, right? She couldn¡¯t do that, walk around school in only her underwear and a borrowed jacket after curfew, right? Except for the fact that she already had done that same thing just a few nights prior. ¡°I, uhm, I don¡¯t know if I do understand.¡± Tira¡¯s grin widened to a warm smile as she patted ina on the head. ¡°You¡¯re a good kid. Tell me, would this be your first time?¡± ina went beet red. ¡°Uhm, yes¡­¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go slow with you no matter what. Still, I can tell what you like already, and I think you¡¯ll really enjoy option three. If that¡¯s too fast though, we can try option two tonight, or even option one, and then up the anteter. Deal?¡± Fear. ina had a skill that was supposed to deal with that, right? It enveloped her regardless. Maybe fear was the wrong word, but a sense of worry washed over ina. She knew which option she wanted to do, even if she didn¡¯t know what it entailed, and that was¡­ exciting, anxiety-inducing. ¡°You have all day to decide though,¡± Tira said, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a key, far more ornate than ina¡¯s room key, and handed it over. ¡°That¡¯s the spare office key. It¡¯ll guide you to me, so you don¡¯t get lost. For now though, let¡¯s get back to work.¡± ina had a feeling she wouldn¡¯t be able to focus very well for the rest of the lesson. Ch 1.30: Walk Ch 1.30: Walk ina was sitting on her bed, fully clothed, wondering which option to pick while she idly yed with the handkerchief Tira had given her when they first me. She¡¯d given up on option one, the only one she knew she didn¡¯t want, as it was already well past dinner, past the cutoff for that choice, but she had to choose between the second and third fast. Curfew bell would be any minute. ¡°Hey, ina, are you alright?¡± Carline asked from her bed. ¡°You look worried. Are you still shaken from the other day?¡± She was mostly under her sheets, reading a medical textbook by crystal light while sipping a cup of water and wearing a white nightgown that, despite its simplicity, was way too good at distracting ina from her current predicament. There just wasn¡¯t any meaningful thing a nightgown could do to hide Carline¡¯s generous chest peeking out over her covers. ¡°Uhm, yeah, I¡¯m fine. I just¡­¡± She had to take care of this now too. She couldn¡¯t just leave without saying anything, right? ¡°Hey, Carline. You and me, what are we?¡± Carline flushed, looking back down at her book. ¡°I¡ª uh, I mean, we¡¯re¡­ We¡¯re friends, right? Roommates?¡± ina looked down, blushing too. ¡°Right¡­ Well, I like you, a lot. I mean, we haven¡¯t known each other very long, but we¡¯ve been through a lot together already, you know?¡± ¡°Ye¡ª yeah. I like you too. A lot.¡± ina looked back over, catching an adorably cute smile on her roommate¡¯s face. ¡°So, anyway, uhm¡­¡± ina wished she could do anything else but start this conversation right now, but it needed to be had. ¡°There¡¯s this other girl, and I like her as well. I like her a lot, too.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Carline looked back up, a little shocked. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª that¡¯s fine, really! There¡¯s actually, well, I kind of like another girl as well. We¡¯re not like, official or anything, but I think she might like me back?¡± Her eyes were wandering to the window, almost like she was talking to someone else. ¡°I don¡¯t know if she really does though. We¡¯ve known each other forever and everything, but we¡¯ve always just been friends. But what I mean is, I¡¯m fine if you like another girl too. Just¡­ just don¡¯t forget about me?¡± inaughed, far harder than she meant to. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean tough, but I couldn¡¯t forget about you. You¡¯re amazing.¡± Thank the gods. She really did like Tira, but what she had with Carline, what they could maybe have together, was important to her too. Also, what was that Carline had said about another girl? ina wasn¡¯t jealous, but she was, well, intrigued. ¡°Well, I think you¡¯re pretty amazing too¡­¡± ina¡¯s heart fluttered, a strange feeling. ¡°Anyway, I was asking because, well, I¡¯m going out tonight. I¡¯m staying the night at someone else¡¯s dorm.¡± A medical textbook hit the floor. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s¡ª I mean, that¡¯s great! I just, uhm, didn¡¯t realize you¡ª didn¡¯t realize you were there yet, you know?¡± ¡°Yeah, me neither, until earlier today¡­¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you get going then, though? The curfew bell¡¯s going to ring soon. And I mean technically you¡¯re not supposed to stay over at another student¡¯s dorm, but I won¡¯t say anything, of course! I just mean you don¡¯t want to get caught by the Watch or anything, right?¡± Right, that. If ina was going to do option three, she¡¯d have to leave dressed in only her underwear in front of Carline. Had Tira even realized that, how absurd an idea it was? There was still no way that could happen, even if ¡°Tira¡¯s way,¡± whatever that was, sounded so¡­ appealing. Gods I want to. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really know when I¡¯ll be leaving, but, uhm, it¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t get in trouble, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Oh, okay, I guess. I won¡¯t press you.¡± Carline picked her book back up and began reading. ina went back to ruminating. Option two, or option three? One easy, safe, and fun probably. One scary, terrifying, and also so fucking enticing. ¡°Hey, Carline, are you a virgin?¡± Carline choked, dropping her ss of water onto the floor. ¡°I¡ª What?¡± ina¡¯s face lit up, horrified that she¡¯d actually said those words. They¡¯d just ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! You don¡¯t have to answer that, it¡¯s just¡­ I am, and I¡¯m kind of nervous.¡± ¡°Right, well, I mean¡ª¡± Carline was hiding her face in her book now, giving up on any pretense that she was actually reading it. ¡°I don¡¯t mind sharing, I just was, well, kind of surprised. I¡¯m not, actually, a virgin I mean, but I was scared my first time too. I¡¯m not like, experienced by any means, but, like, I can offer some advice?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯d appreciate that.¡± ¡°So, like, I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re meeting or anything, and like, you don¡¯t need to tell me, but it¡¯s important you trust her. My first time was scary, really scary, but it was with someone I trusted, so it wasn¡¯t that bad, really? It¡¯s hard to exin, but I had a good time, a great time, even. So if you trust her, I think you will too.¡± ina smiled. ¡°Yeah, I do.¡± The curfew bell rang, and ina remained still despite the bustle from students outside making their way into their dorms. ¡°System,¡± ina asked, looking at the subcore that was resting on her nightstand. ¡°Can you tell the time? Like, can you tell me when an hour has passed?¡± Carline gave ina nce, but didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Certainly. I have been tracking your bells, and they seem to corrte to the same units of time that were used in the past.¡± ¡°Cool, thanks.¡± ina didn¡¯t have a clock, or a watch, so she had been worried about that. She¡¯d decided though, option three it was. Tira¡¯s way. She waited. ¡°It has been an hour exactly,¡± the System eventually said. ¡°Oh, alright.¡± Heart pounding, ina got off of her bed and started removing her clothes: her jacket first, then tie, shirt, and skirt, finishing off with her boots and socks, leaving her standing in just her underwear, another set she¡¯d made for herself back home. It was a skimpy, purple bottom, a small thin triangle in front connected to a near nonexistent back, and a matching bra, one that she¡¯d worked hard on to make it push her breasts up into what she hoped was a pleasing shape. Guess that won¡¯t matter for long though. ¡°Uhm, are you, not going after all?¡± Carline asked. She was looking at the cover of her closed textbook. ¡°Ah¡ª, no, I am.¡± ina couldn¡¯t help but stare at Carline. She was so cute when she was trying to hide how hard she wanted to nce over. ¡°You can look at me, you know. Like, not just now either, but whenever you want.¡± ina went deep red as her roommate turned to her. ¡°Uhm, by the way, how do I look?¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± You couldn¡¯t even say Carline had said the word; it had just dripped out of her mouth as naturally as water from a tap. ¡°Great,¡± ina said, walking over to her dresser and grabbing Tira¡¯s jacket from inside wrapping it around her arms. She left the handkerchief in the spot the jacket used to be. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m heading out.¡± ¡°Wait, now? Like that?¡± Carline said, leaning forward. ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡ª didn¡¯t you say that¡¯s Tira¡¯s jacket?¡± ¡°Uhm, yeah. I¡¯m bringing it back to her, actually.¡± Carline¡¯s wide eyed stare bored into her, and ina felt like her whole soul was bare. ¡°Oh. Okay. Well, be careful, and have fun. And, uhm, let me know how it goes?¡± ¡°Yeah, will do.¡± ina walked forward, pausing at the door. Could she really do this? If something went wrong, she¡¯d be fucked, and not in the good way. She could be expelled, losing everything: Endrin, Carline, even ess to the System. Tira herself, too. Tira. She did trust her, so she opened the door and walked out of the safety of her room. School nights were ¡°lights out¡± at curfew, though that just meant that students needed to be in their rooms proper, so the dorm¡¯smon room was empty. She remembered thest time she¡¯d been in the room like this, before her ssmates knew about the photos. They¡¯d said all sort of things, yful jeers, but the one person that yelled ¡°Get some!¡± stood out in her mind. I¡¯m finally taking that advice. Empty or not, it was still terrifying to walk around the school in such a state of undress, and she hurried through the room and out into the halls while keeping the jacket closed around her as best she could. She almost let out a scream as she rounded the corner to the hallways and came face to face with one of the automatons. Right, these things are here at night. She was used to them now during the day, both the ones responsible for serving food as well as the handful that she¡¯d see performing chores on asion throughout the school, but the army of them that roamed the halls at night was still shocking. They ignored her as she walked past them, just like before, but it still felt weird, walking through the groups of people-like things while wearing just lingerie and an oversized coat. Fear gripped her, embarrassment gripped her, but something else gripped her as well. She was so uncontrobly horny, walking through the school like this. The previous time she had been so anxious, worried she¡¯d get caught, and preupied with the portraits. There was still anxiety this time, but it was good anxiety, the giddiness you feel before something exciting. Walking through the crowds of automatons, she couldn¡¯t help but imagine they were actually people, her fellow students at the academy. That idea made her heart race even further, drove her mind wild with possibility. Gods, that would be so¡­ She let go of the jacket, letting it hang open, unbuttoned as she walked. The automatons never registered her existence, single-mindedly focusing on their cleaning tasks, but she thought of them as her ssmates, thought of them turning their heads in shock as she walked by them, thought of them staring at her with gaping mouths as she walked through the school in such a shameful state. She couldn¡¯t help it as she ced a hand on her groin, slowly rubbing herself over her panties as all those imaginary people watched. They would start taking out those crystal portraits, taking pictures of her as she struggled not to moan. Gods, she needed more though. She slipped her hand into her underwear, fingers slipping into the soft warmth of her body, alternating between pushing inside of herself and then rubbing on the outside. She should be waiting, right? That¡¯s what tonight was all about, after all: her and Tira. But waiting was so painful. She wouldn¡¯t finish herself, she could save that for Tira, at least, but something had to be done, now. After all, those automatons¡ªthe students¡ªwere all there, watching her. She had to put on a show for them, right? No matter how humiliating it was. And gods was it humiliating, even if they weren¡¯t really there. Getting herself off as the whole school watched would be so fucking wonderful, even better if they all had pictures of it they could look at afterwards. Why am I thinking like that if I was so upset about the pictures before? It didn¡¯t matter; that stuff was hard to think about, and doing this was so easy. Like this, even walking on that damned silk rug didn¡¯t bother her. She proceeded through the halls, putting a face to every automaton as she walked by them. She was getting close to cumming, too close. Eventually she came to the office, pausing at the door. I have the key. Do I open it? Knock? The door answered for her, opening inward and revealing Tira on the opposite side, grinning as she stared down at a mortified ina. ¡°Hello, darling.¡± Ch 1.31: Mistress Ch 1.31: Mistress ¡°Hello, darling.¡± ina fell to her knees, exploding in pleasure as Tira stood over her, moaning out into the halls. Fuck, I wasn¡¯t supposed to finish. I was supposed to wait. She knelt there, rubbing herself while she stared up at Tira and cried out, easing out of her orgasm. When she was finished, Tira stuck out her hand. ina grabbed it with her clean hand, pulling herself up. It was odd, ina was realizing for the first time. Both of Tira¡¯s hands had painted pink nails, but only the left hand¡¯s nails were left long. Tira still had her arm held out. ¡°My jacket.¡± ¡°Oh, uhm, right.¡± ina slunk out of the garment, Tira standing there, watching ina like she might watch a meal being prepared for her until she eventually took the jacket back. ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d choose option three. Come in.¡± Tira left the door open as she walked back inside, hips swaying as she headed towards her desk, jacket in hand and her whip at her side. Sheid her jacket over the back of her chair and sat down as ina stopped in front of her. She¡¯d been here before, in the sameck of clothing as well. The office was empty this time of night, despite the numerous small desks and chairs that certainly would have been upied earlier in the day. Tira sat at thergest, most ornate of the desks, the one for the person in charge, and behind her was something ina had forgotten about: the crystal panel on the wall showing a view into the halls of Endrin. Right now, it was showing the hall immediately outside the office. ¡°You¡ª you were watching me?¡± ¡°Of course. I had to keep you safe, after all.¡± Tira¡¯s smile was more impish than any ina had ever seen. ¡°Did you forget about the crystal monitor so soon?¡± ina bowed her head, realizing fully what that meant. She didn¡¯t just see me at the end. She saw the entire thing. ¡°Uhm, I did, actually.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry. I was the only one here, obviously, and the monitor can¡¯t actually record anything. I could have taken pictures on my portrait, of course, but I wouldn¡¯t do that without talking to you about it first, no matter how delicious you looked out there.¡± Portraits, again. ina couldn¡¯t quite muster up the courage to admit out loud that she would have been fine if Tira had done that, just as she couldn¡¯t quite muster up the courage to admit to herself she actually wished Tira had done it. Saying anything at all in the situation was hard, standing in front of the head of the watch in only her underwear, having just been caught masturbating in the school halls after curfew. It all felt like she was in trouble again, being interrogated, about to be punished. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get started,¡± Tira said, leaning forward to ce her hands together and rest her chin on them. ¡°You chose to do this my way, so there are going to be rules. You will follow them, understood?¡± ina swallowed. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Tira smiled. ¡°Close, but not quite. First rule: when we are ying, you address me as ¡®Mistress¡¯ or ¡®Mistress Tira,¡¯ understood?¡± Mistress? ¡°Yes, Mistress Tira.¡± It flowed out of her mouth so easily. ¡°Second rule: If I give you amand, you obey. Understood?¡± ina¡¯s head was turning. She was doing this? Was this okay? ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± ¡°And finally, the third rule.¡± Tira stood up, walking around the desk, cing a hand on ina¡¯s head and running it down her hair, sending shivers throughout her body as she reached ina¡¯s shoulder and continued down her arm. ¡°The third rule is that you enjoy yourself. I y hard, and I like it when my ythings y hard back, but I need you to have a good time, so we¡¯re going to need a safe word, alright?¡± ¡°I¡ª uhm, okay.¡± ina bit her lip. ¡°What¡¯s a safe word though?¡± Tira blinked, cocking her head to the side and opening her jaw before she started giggling, cing her hand back on ina¡¯s head and ruffling her hair. ¡°You are impossibly cute, you know that? If I didn¡¯t know you better, I¡¯d think you were to soft to be my ything.¡± ina furrowed her brow, scowling. ¡°I¡¯ve just never heard of that before¡­¡± ¡°No no, it¡¯s fine,¡± Tira said, still giggling as she stepped back and sat on her desk. ina could see the girl¡¯s already short skirt ride up from this angle, revealing toned, terrifyingly attractive thighs, a deep tan just like the rest of Tira¡¯s skin. ¡°A safe word is something that if either of us say it, we stop ying, no matter what. You can scream, beg, and ask me to stop without using the safe word all you want¡ªand trust me, you¡¯ll do all of those things¡ªbut the safe word is your protection, something you can always fall back on.¡± Huh. The concept was kind of strange, to ina. When she agreed to this, she thought she was agreeing to, well, anything, that by making this choice she¡¯d given up all rights to say no. Hearing that that wasn¡¯t true was almost¡­ disappointing. Still, this was one of Tira¡¯s rules, right? She had to pick a word, something safe. ¡°Handkerchief,¡± she said, not even thinking before blurting out the word. Tira¡¯s eyes widened again. ¡°So sentimental, aren¡¯t we? Handkerchief doesn¡¯t work though, my dear, since I might want to tease you about the one I gave you. It has to be a word that won¡¯te up naturally while we¡¯re ying, a word you know, but that you never really say.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± ina said, blushing. ¡°How about ¡®sapphire?¡¯¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll work. Why sapphire though?¡± Good question. A blue gem is what it was, but all she could think of when thinking about safety was the dull blue glow of the System when she first found it, when it first gave her a purpose. A sapphire was the closest thing. ¡°Uhm, I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve heard of them, but never seen one, so it¡¯s not something I really say.¡± ¡°Well, good enough then; sapphire it is. Are you into pain? What¡¯s your tolerance?¡± ina had to almost force herself not to reach for her panties, ready to go at herself again already. Why did the idea of pain excite her? Even with her skill, it shouldn¡¯t be something she wanted, right? ¡°I¡ª We can try it. I¡¯ll use the word if I have to.¡± Tira shook her head, smiling. ¡°I will go easy on you, especially tonight, but I can already tell we¡¯re going to have so much fun together. Are you ready to start? I am.¡± Ready? ina didn''t know if there was a way to be ready for this: something so different, so terrifying, so unknown. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yes, what?¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress Tira.¡± Tira stood back up and went back to her seat, tapping on the crystal tablet that controlled the monitor behind her. There was a new look on her face, a degree of sternness ina would¡¯ve expected from the watch captain, but that yful glee was still underneath, behind Tira¡¯s deep brown eyes. Under this gaze, ina would have felt naked no matter how much she was wearing. Tira stopped tapping the tablet as ina gasped, the monitor finally settling on a frame, that of the very room they were in, Tira sitting there fully clothed, back to the screen, and ina standing there in just her skimpy purple lingerie. ¡°Well now, what do we have here?¡± Tira asked, that faux seriousness coloring her tone. ¡°The troublemaking freshman back again, after I let her off easyst time. Tell me, what possible reason could you have for walking the halls out of uniform at this time of night?¡± ina was frozen, unable to move, unable to speak. Tira was ying, right? She wasn¡¯t actually in trouble? ¡°I¡ª uhm¡ª¡± ¡°Too slow, darling,¡± Tira said, leaning back into her chair. ¡°Answer me promptly when I ask you a question.¡± ina needed to look her in the eye¡ªTira¡¯s presencemanded it¡ªbut her vision was being pulled above Tira¡¯s chair, to the monitor. ina could see herself clearer than in any reflection, and she looked so pathetic, shaking in her underwear, squirming in front of the desk, face as red as the ruby rug she was standing on. ¡°I just wanted to, Mistress Tira.¡± ¡°You just wanted to. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Well, you¡¯ll have to be punished, obviously. So, tell me, which piece of your underwear do you want to keep?¡± ¡°Wh¡ª which piece?¡± Tira grinned, teeth spreading wide like a hungry animal. ¡°Of course. You need to be punished, no?¡± ¡°Right. Right, Mistress¡­¡± Which piece to keep? Her breasts were nice, she knew that, and it would be more embarrassing to reveal how wet she was than show off one her best assets. ¡°I¡¯ll keep my bottoms.¡± ¡°Tsk tsk,¡± Tira said, shaking her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask which one you would keep, just which one you wanted to keep. Your panties, off.¡± ina¡¯s hands instinctively went to cover her crotch. My panties? They were barely there as it was. Her hands rxed as she thought about it though, gripping her waistband. She had to do this, or she knew it would be worse. ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± She pulled the little triangle in front of her pussy down, baring her glistening lips to the room. She¡¯d been naked in front of other women, but this was different. Even with Carline, where she¡¯d done so much more in front of her, it hadn¡¯t felt like this. ina was realizing she wasn¡¯t in control of herself anymore, that Tira could tell her to do anything, and that she¡¯d do it. She stepped out her underwear and brought them up, trying to hide her modesty with them after having only just taken them off. ¡°Good girl.¡± ina¡¯s heart did a flip inside her chest, a feeling of joy she¡¯d never experienced, just from those two words. ¡°Now hand them over, and keep your hands to your sides.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± ina stepped forward, handing her underwear to Tira. The watch captain looked them over for a moment and then put them in her pocket. ina went to cover herself, but stopped, biting her lip as she ced her hands on her hips. This seemed worse almost than just standing there naked, wearing only a bra that was pushing her breasts up and out, a bra that she had made herself to make them look as lewd as possible, all while what should have been her most private region waspletely exposed, dripping with her own wetness. ¡°Consider these confiscated; you won¡¯t be getting them back.¡± Gone, just like that. ina was fine with that, her handmade, used panties being her gift to Tira. ¡°Now, do you think you¡¯ve been punished enough?¡± ina shook her head. ¡°No, Mistress.¡± ¡°And why is that?¡± ¡°Be¡ª because I¡¯m not humiliated enough yet.¡± Words that were so easy to say. ¡°Good point, darling. And you¡¯re right, that bra of yours will have to be next. After all, if you¡¯re going to walk around out of uniform, why should you be allowed to wear anything at all?¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress Tira.¡± ina didn¡¯t even have to wait for the directmand, already unclipping the back of her bra and reaching out to hand it over. Tira took it as well, folding it up and cing it in her jacket as well, eyes never leaving ina¡¯s chest. ¡°Gods be damned,¡± Tira said, her serious demeanor cracking just a little, then reforming. ¡°You do have such nice tits:rge, round, cute little pink nipples.¡± Tira stood up and started walking around the desk as she ran a single finger over the top, pink nail scratching across the wood. ina watched that one finger like it was a wolf stalking her, ready to pounce at any moment. Tira walked behind ina, leaving her facing forward, only the monitor in view now. ¡°A nice ass too, damn.¡± She watched as Tira leered from behind, that single finger tracing the air around her prey, still not touching. ¡°I still don¡¯t think you¡¯ve been punished enough, darling. What you you think?¡± ¡°Nuh- no,¡± ina stammered, shaking from the phantom touch Tira was threatening. ¡°No, what?¡± ¡°No, Mistress Tira.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± The fingernail finallynded on ina, right above her knee, Tira wrapping her arm around from behind. ¡°Does the monitor excite you? Are you turned on by watching your own naked, humiliated body?¡± Tira started running her finger up ina¡¯s thigh, and the only response she could manage was to moan. ¡°And what if I was lying before? What if this thing could record moving images? Your punishment would be saved, for me and all the future watch captains to view whenever we pleased.¡± No, that wasn¡¯t possible, right? Please be true. But no, Tira wouldn¡¯t have lied about something like that. This was just the game, the best game ina had ever yed. The finger crept closer and closer, almost reaching ina¡¯s crotch, but then cruelly turning away, circling up around her waist and to her navel. ¡°No, go back, please!¡± ¡°Oh? You think you can tell me what to do, darling? That¡¯s earned you an even bigger punishment, I¡¯m afraid. Now turn around, let the monitor see that wonderful ass of yours, so me and everyone else can have that recorded too.¡± ina turned as the finger still ran up her torso, passing through her cleavage as Tira avoided every ce ina truly wanted to be touched, finally reaching ina¡¯s chin and tilting it upwards. Tira was gorgeous, a goddess among mortals, her short, rough-cut brown hair, entrancing eyes with that pink eyeshadow underneath, and that damned smirk as she looked down on ina. She owns me. ¡°Let¡¯s get going. Your real punishment will take ce back in my room. You¡¯ll need this though.¡± Tira reached into her jacket, pulling out a ck loop. A cor? ¡°People aren¡¯t allowed to walk around school naked, so you¡¯ll just have to be my pet instead. And this time, no touching yourself unless I say so, alright?¡± Ch 1.32: Collared Ch 1.32: Cored Cor, pet? The dungeon came rushing back to ina¡¯s mind, the hounds, the fight with Myri. She¡¯d called ina a pet too, degraded her, beat and sliced her nearly to death. This she couldn¡¯t do; she¡¯d have to say sapph¡ª She looked up at Tira to say it. Tira¡¯s smirk was stern,manding, unyielding. To that smirk, ina could say the safeword, would have to say it, if it weren¡¯t for Tira¡¯s eyes. Behind the look, the uncaring facade of the watch captain that had to punish her, was Tira. Even in her best attempts, Tira couldn¡¯t hide the warmth in her eyes, the yful glee, thepassion. To those eyes, ina could agree to anything. She smiled, nodding. ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± Tira wrapped the cor around ina, pulling it just tight enough to be snug, like a hug around her neck. ¡°Does that feel nice, ina?¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress Tira.¡± A sharp smack on her rear, and ina let out a yelp, sudden pleasure gripping her. ¡°Well that won¡¯t do, will it? This is supposed to be a punishment, after all.¡± She tightened the cor just a bit more, digging it into the skin just ever so slightly ufortably. ina could still breathe easily, but she wouldn¡¯t be able to forget it was there, wouldn¡¯t be able to forget who she belonged to right now. Tira finished the leash by unwrapping her whip from her hip, tying the end to the cor. ¡°That¡¯s much better, now follow me.¡± Tira started walking towards the door, and ina only followed when her makeshift leash tugged her forward. She was entranced by Tira¡¯s strut, but reality was finally catching up. She was naked, cor notwithstanding, and was about to walk out into the halls of the school. She looked down at herself, her bouncing breasts, crystal-hard nipples poking out, and underneath them her soaking wet sex, all on disy. It drove her wild, pussy clenching just at the thought of being out like this, not even as a person, but Tira¡¯s pet. She wanted to touch herself so badly, but she had to follow Mistress¡¯s orders and wait. As Tira opened the door and led her out, closing the office behind her, ina basked in the exposure, the automatons surrounding them once again her ssmates inside her mind. She wondered how long this blissful walk wouldst. All the dorms were a long ways away, right? Up stairs, a terrifyingly long trek away, and humiliation all along the way. But Tira simply walked to the next door over, and unlocked it with her key. ¡°Huh?¡± ina asked, confused, still standing there naked. Tira giggled. ¡°Were you hoping for a longer walk? Sorry, but it¡¯s one of the few perks of my position. The private room, and of course being able to dole out punishment to naughty little pets like yourself. But don¡¯t worry, if you¡¯re a very good girl, maybe we can go out for walkies some other time.¡± It was cruel, maybe the most cruel thing Tira could¡¯ve done to ina at this moment. The thought of actually being led around the whole castle like this had beyond excited her. Her hand began moving towards her crotch on its own before she remembered hermand to wait. To be fair, a long walk without being able to touch herself might¡¯ve actually been crueler. Tira walked through the doorway, the leash pulling around the frame and leading ina in. She followed Tira in, eyes widening as the room came into view. To most Endrin students, this room would have been nothing remarkable, but to ina it was spectacr. Her dorm room was alreadyrger than her room back home, even considering the fact that she had to share it, and this room was easily twice the size of that, a number of dressers, a bedrger than any ina had ever scene, a sitting desk with arge mirror attached to it. This was a bedroom that belonged in a castle. The thing that stood out most though, was that it was so pink. Pink rug, pink bedsheets, pink walls even. It wasn¡¯t hard for ina to guess Tira¡¯s favorite color. ¡°You like?¡± Tira asked, closing the door and then untying the knot at the end of her whip, leaving ina standing in just the cor. ¡°It is much better than the dorms, to be fair, but it¡¯s still not quite as nice as home, you know?¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina said, still taking the marvel in. Her attention was only pulled away when she saw movement out the corner of her eye. She turned, seeing Tira taking off her jacket, tossing it to the ground and then moving on to her tie. ¡°I do enjoy the privacy, not having to share the room. It wouldn¡¯t be so bad if you could choose who you bunked with, but in the past I had trouble.¡± She slipped out of her skirt, revealing those long dark legs, the hem of her shirt still hiding the ce ina wanted to see most. She started undoing the buttons of her shirt, and ina gasped as they opened up, revealing a single piece of ck lingerie, straps holding up the ck cups of a bra, covering up Tira¡¯s lovely, modest breasts, striped lines of opaque fabric mixed with see-throughce falling down her stomach, ending in what looked like the skimpiest pair of shorts ina had ever seen, the center of thempletely open, revealing Tira¡¯s wonderful pink pussy lips, bare except for a thin trail of dark hair just above it. ¡°My old roommates said I scared them. Can you believe that?¡± ina nodded, unable to form words. So much of Tira was covered, even her breasts, which ina had been dying to see, but this was¡­ so much hotter. Her eyes fell below Tira¡¯s waist, like the leash was still on her, pulling her down towards it. ¡°Alright, enough gawking, my little slut. You¡¯re the one being punished here, remember? It¡¯s time to test that pain tolerance of yours.¡± ina¡¯s eyes drifted towards Tira¡¯s whip, and the womanughed. ¡°No no, not that, not tonight at least.¡± Tira went over to one of her dressers and pulled out some small leather instrument, with a handle like her whip¡¯s, but instead of the long, tapered cord it had numerous t strips of leather sticking out of it, much shorter than the whip proper. ¡°If you¡¯re strong enough, maybe we can work up to it. I¡¯ve been so unlucky in the past¡ªno one could handle even all of my other toys¡ªbut maybe you¡¯re the special pet that can manage? It¡¯d be nice to take my actual weapon into ytime, at least once.¡± ina stared at the thing in Tira¡¯s hands, barely able toprehend the words. A whip was a tool, made to drive cattle. This thing, whatever it was, wasn¡¯t that. If it had been used for animals, for any practical purposes, ina would have seen it before. No, this was just for people, naughty girls who weren¡¯t animals, but who still deserved to be treated like one. This is for me. ¡°Interested in the flogger, huh? Let me show you how it works.¡± Tira pulled her desk chair out, turning it around and sitting, closing her legs, hiding that beautiful ce once more. ¡°Bend over.¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± Those words were bing automatic, something she didn¡¯t even have to think about. She walked over andid herself on Tira¡¯s bare legs, only vaguely aware of of her own movements. ¡°It works like this.¡± ina waited, wondering if she¡¯d missed something, and then she cried out as the strike fell. The leather struck the same spot Tira¡¯s hand had earlier, right across her right cheek, each strip sending pain¡ªpain that was pleasurable itself and also converted to pleasure through [Pain Response]¡ªthrough her backside. The strikes continued, one after another, no more breaks as ina moaned her pleasure out into the room. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know any better,¡± Tira said, ¡°I¡¯d think you were enjoying this.¡± The strikes fell harder, finally maxing out the amount of pleasure that could be received from her skill. That pleasure was still there, but every further increase in sensation was now an increase in pain only. ¡°You aren¡¯t enjoying this, are you? It¡¯s supposed to be a punishment, darling. Then again, maybe you are this big of a harlot. You were the one walking around the school in just your slutty little underwear, after all.¡± Each hit with the flogger was increasing in intensity, slowly, but surely. Her moans were rhythmic now, a low-pitched groan that crescendoed into a high-pitched whine with each impact. It fell on every part of ina¡¯s ass, and then started to move down the backs of her thighs, but the pain from each hit was lingering now, a deliciously sweet stinging sensation reminding her of what a bad girl she¡¯d been. ¡°My my, it still seems like you¡¯re enjoying it. I¡¯m going to keep going, all night if I have to, until you scream, until you beg for me to quit.¡± Ask her to quit? That was going to be a problem, because ina would never do that. That¡¯s what she thought at least, until Tira had moved down almost the entire length of her thigh. The next strike was back on ina¡¯s ass, back on the raw skin that had already been whipped. ¡°Stop!¡± ina said. The flogger ceased, and ina was able to catch her breath, panting. Tira leaned over to ina¡¯s ear. ¡°This is your first time, so I just want to make sure, but you remember the safeword, right? You know that I won¡¯t stop just cause you say, ¡®stop,¡¯ right?¡± ina nodded, thankful for the reprieve, even if she hadn¡¯t been expecting it. ¡°I know the rules, Mistress Tira.¡± ¡°Good girl.¡± ina had time to bask in the warmth of those words for just a moment as the flogger resumed, striking her raw ass over and over. ina cried out again and again, words not evening out at first. ¡°Please!¡± she finally shouted, ¡°I¡¯m begging you!¡± The pain kepting, tears beginning to stream from ina¡¯s eyes. Why does it feel so good? I¡¯m crying, and it¡¯s still the best feeling I¡¯ve ever had. It wasn¡¯t just the pain, but the whole situation. Tira had caught her streaking the halls, and ina was being punished for that. Her, a grown adult, being spanked for misbehaving at school, heavy breasts swaying with each strike as she dug into the bottom the chair with her nails, her shameful moans betraying that she was still enjoying herself, even now. She knew she couldn¡¯t take much more, but she didn¡¯t want to use the word, to end it like that. She needed the game to keep going, or she would go mad, so she just needed to figure out a way to y it better. ¡°Please, Mistress Tira! Stop, and I¡¯ll do anything you want!¡± The flogger didn¡¯t stop immediately, but it did slow, each blow decreasing in strength until it finally ceased. ¡°Naughty girl, are you trying to bribe me? The captain of the Watch?¡± ina looked back over her shoulder, nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll do anything for you, Mistress.¡± ¡°Well, I have been known to have a bit of a corrupt streak in me. We¡¯ll see if you can earn your freedom. On your knees, in front of me.¡± inaplied, easing herself off of Tira¡¯sp, the sting radiating across the back of her legs as she moved, until she was sitting on that same raw skin, warm pain flowing through her. ¡°Gods, ina, the look on you¡­¡± ina looked up, catching once again the sweet glimmer in Tira¡¯s eyes, the gentle fondness on her face as she looked down. ina couldn¡¯t help but smirk herself, realizing that in the game, Tira was in charge, but that otherwise ina might have just as much power over Tira as Tira did her. ¡°What can I do for you, Mistress Tira?¡± Tira smiled again, that impish look returning to her face. ¡°Kiss me.¡± She opened her legs, revealing glistening wet lips, spreading them in invitation. ¡°Kiss my cunt until I forgive you for your crimes.¡± ina stared at the treasure before her, mouth gaping. She¡¯d asionally seen naked women before, but only while bathing or taking their measurements. This was a sight she¡¯d only ever dreamed of though, a beautifuldy sitting before her, legs spread, offering her everything. ina dove in, ravishing Tira with all her might. ina was lost, no idea what to do, but she was lost in a spring festival, and anything she did tasted perfect. She suckled on Tira¡¯s lips, dove her tongue inside, and savored every salty sweet taste of the woman underneath her. The sound was more lovely than any song she¡¯d ever heard, the watch captain¡¯s soft moans, the asional grunt as ina kissed into her. ina felt a hand grab her hair, pulling her forward into Tira¡¯s legs. Everything was Tira now, the sight of Tira¡¯s firm stomach, the softness of her thighs around ina¡¯s head, the taste of her sex, the smell of her arousal, and the chorus of her screaming out. The screams grew louder as Tira rocked back and forth in the chair, pressing herself into ina as she pulled ina¡¯s head into herself as well, building up to one final cry that threatened to wake up the entire castle. ¡°Gods!¡± Tira let go of ina, slumping into her chair as she stopped bucking. ¡°You really don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing, but the enthusiasm more than makes up for it.¡± ina knew that, that she could certainly work on the mechanics of everything, but it didn¡¯t make her love doing it any less. She stayed there, buried in between Tira¡¯s legs, giving it her all, kissing until Tira grabbed her hair again and pulled her head up. ina could feel herself beginning to burn, her face turn bright red as she realized how humiliating the whole situation was. There she was, being held by up by her hair, mouth soaked in Tira¡¯s juices, and she knew her eyes were begging for more. ¡°You¡¯ve been such a good girl, little pet. I think you deserve a reward.¡± She stood up slowly, still holding ina by the hair as she struggled to get up with her. She let go and then pushed, sending ina stumbling back, caught off guard, until she tripped on the edge of the bed and fell onto the mattress behind her. The sting was immediate, ass and thighs falling onto the rough sheets. This wasn¡¯t the same soft linen as the rest of the beds in the school, eating into her wounds from before in a way that made ina think maybe that was the reason Tira had such abrasive bedsheets in the first ce. Tira walked back to the one dresser, putting the flogger into it and pulling out a ss rod, tapered at one end, two ss rings at the other. She slipped two fingers into the rings, and started walking over to the bed, still asmanding as ever in that one-piece lingerie. ¡°I don¡¯t usually offer rewards, and I¡¯ve never used this toy on anyone but myself, but I¡¯m really starting to take a liking to you, darling.¡± Ch 1.33: Toy Ch 1.33: Toy ina was entranced by the ss object Tira carried as she walked around the bed. She¡¯s not going to hit me with that, is she? ¡°Now, we¡¯re going to have to have to address a problem.¡± She set the rod on the mattress, then bent over and pulled up a length of chain connected to a pink shackle, from the back bedpost. ¡°You¡¯re going to be a good girl and not try and escape without my permission, right, darling?¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress Tira,¡± ina said as she felt the cuff p onto her wrist. It would be trivial for her to get out, but there wouldn¡¯t be any fun in that. ¡°Good girl.¡± ina moaned just from hearing the word, her body craving stimtion again. She wiggled her backside into the rough sheets, savoring the sensation as Tira continued around the bed, locking each of ina¡¯s limbs into ce, legs and arms both spread out. Once she was fully secured, Tira went back and grabbed that ss rod again. ¡°You know, I love many types of toys, but my favorites are the ones that squirm.¡± Tira ced the ss on ina¡¯s stomach, the cold sensation shocking her into a gasp. ¡°And if I¡¯m right, I just might have a new favorite.¡± A finger fell on ina¡¯s thigh again, stroking gentle circles around the inside. ina tried to lift her head and see what was going on, but the restraints around her kept her from getting a good angle. The swirling continued, creeping up ina¡¯s leg as she writhed, doing her absolute best to wiggle herself down into Tira¡¯s hand. ¡°Please,¡± she said, panting. ¡°Oh, are you an impatient one?¡± Tira¡¯s grin was pure evil, denying ina her reward. I did a good job, right? ina continued squirming as that soft finger trailed upwards, and then Tira¡¯s other hand fell on ina¡¯s shoulder, raking across the skin. One hand had long nails, the other had short nails, and ina finally knew why. The soft fingertip down below crawling its way towards ina¡¯s sex, the harsh fingernails ripping across her torso above, both pain and pleasure fighting for her attention. And then Tira hit home, finger riding up ina¡¯s innermost thigh, going right up her lips andnding on top of her clit. ina screamed as she felt the stroke throughout her entire body, her own wetness making Tira¡¯s glide across her like a skate over ice. ina couldn¡¯t stop screaming as Tira continued touching her, rubbing every part of her down there. It was unreal how wonderful it felt, the same thing she¡¯d done to herself thousands of times. She¡¯d never imagined it could be like this, somehow the entire sensationpletely different, all just because it was someone else doing it. Her eyes drifted to Tira¡¯s face as the girl knelt over her, the hungry face of a predator still, then down her body. Gods she wished she could see all of Tira, her stomach, her waist, her breasts, but that single-piece lingerie was a ma for her eyes as it was. Tira started to grind herself on ina¡¯s leg, and ina¡¯s mind went wild again at the touch of Tira¡¯s wetness once more, even just on her thigh. ina started to whimper when Tira took her hand way. No, that¡¯s not it, right? Then Tira grabbed the ss object off of ina. No, not the beating again! Not now, I need¡ª Something plunged into ina¡¯s pussy, and she gasped out. What? The toy pumped in and out of her, and ina only just managed to move her head to meet her mistress¡¯s eyes again. Tira chuckled. ¡°Did you not know what that was for?¡± ¡°I¡ª It¡¯s inside of me?¡± ¡°Yes, darling.¡± The pumping continued, ina growing dizzy from the sensation. She¡¯d had her fingers inside of her before, and that was honestly all she¡¯d ever expected to have, so this was¡­ wonderful. Filled up by Tira¡¯s toy, mouth gaping, chained to the bed, she knew she must look so pitiful, and she wished it wouldst forever. Tira¡¯s other hand joined back in, nails scratching across ina¡¯s corbones. ina was going to go mad. The toy wasn¡¯t too intense on its own, just a rhythmic, filling pulse of pleasure, but with Tira¡¯s fingers as well across her skin, it was unbearable. Tira continued down, back of her hand brushing against the side of ina¡¯s bosom as the nail scraped against her ribs. She went up through the center of ina¡¯s cleavage and then turned halfway, heading towards the center of ina¡¯s breast. The finger twirled around around her are, dancing around it as ina watched breathlessly. Two fingers pinched ina¡¯s tit, squeezing the nipple between them as ina cried out. It wasn¡¯t pain at all, just pure joy in the light squeeze, again a thing ina had done to herself countless times, but now experiencing it again like it was the first time it had ever happened to her. Tira rolled the nipple between her fingers for a moment and then unleashed herself, groping ina¡¯s chest with unrestrained vigor, grasping every inch of soft flesh as she continued using the toy down below. ¡°More,¡± ina shouted, ¡°More!¡± Their eyes met once more. ina could tell Tira was doing her best to keep up the act, to y the part of the uncaring owner just trying to reward her pet for good behavior, but Tira wasn¡¯t as good an actress as she thought. Her eyes were still soft, happy as they watched ina convulse in pleasure. Her nipples, her pussy, and the look on Tira¡¯s face. It was all too much, and ina finally felt it, sweet relief as her body shook in pure bliss, pulling on the bindings and thrashing in the bed as she let out one final scream into the room and then copsed, panting, into the mattress. Sheid there, eyes looking up at a blurry ceiling as Tira still worked on her with both hands, bringing ina¡¯s high to a gentle end as she slowed to a stop. ¡°Sapphire,¡± Tira said as she stood up and pulled the toy away. ¡°ytime¡¯s over for now, darling.¡± She started unhooking the shackles as ina¡¯s mind began returning to her. She covered herself, chest and crotch both as she realized how naked she was. Tira chuckled as she turned away. ¡°Sorry, I shouldn¡¯tugh. Do you want me to leave while you get dressed?¡± ¡°Uh¡ª no, it¡¯s fine¡­¡± ina took her hands down as she sat up, wincing at the pain in her legs, still conflicted as some of it was converted to pleasure. ¡°You can look.¡± Tira turned around, staring at ina¡¯s body again. ¡°Before anything else, I really have to ask, how is this your first time? You¡¯re absolutely beautiful.¡± ina turned away at thepliment. ¡°Uhm, I¡¯m from a small vige. Not many girls my age, and the ones that were, just, well, weren¡¯t like us, you know?¡± ¡°Oh, not filthy perverts who like to y with bondage and pain?¡± ina smirked, leaning forward. ¡°Shut up! You know what I mean.¡± Tiraughed, walking away from the bed. ¡°Not many gay girls out there?¡± ina shook her head. ¡°A few older couples, but all the girls my age¡­ Well, they picked on me for it, quite a bit.¡± ¡°Fuck ¡®em,¡± Tira said, going back over to one of her dressers and pulling out a ss bottle with clear liquid inside. ¡°People here know to mind their own business, at least. Or maybe that¡¯s just cause they¡¯re scared of me.¡± ¡°Why is everyone scared of you?¡± ¡°Dunno. After all, that boy losing his arm in that duel was an ident.¡± She jumped onto the bed with ina, smiling. ¡°Joking, by the way. The nurse was able to save the arm.¡± inaughed too, pretty sure Tira was joking overall. ¡°What¡¯s that bottle for?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ointment, for where I got you with the flogger. Mind rolling over?¡± ina threw up her hands. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine, you don¡¯t have to do that.¡± Tira frowned, looking away. ¡°If you don¡¯t want it then we don¡¯t have to, of course¡ªI know some subs prefer to leave them be¡ªbut it really helps me¡­ Like, I feel a little less like a monster if I do this after, you know?¡± Her eyes were forlorn, the glee and energy from before having left. ina had her own struggles with her feelings, with liking the pain, liking the humiliation, but she hadn¡¯t realized Tira could be feeling the same way. And she¡¯s the one causing those things, not feeling them. ¡°Yeah, no, I mean, that¡¯s fine.¡± ina rolled over, looking back up. Some of the joy went back into Tira¡¯s eyes. ¡°Thanks. It¡¯s a potion, so it won¡¯t wash off or anything. It doesn¡¯t do too much for the pain, but it does prevent infection.¡± She poured some of the liquid onto her hand, and started rubbing. It was a cooling sensation, slightly numbing on the pain, but she could still feel the softness of Tira¡¯s hands, rubbing in, pressing the ointment into the raw flesh. There was a slight sting, but overall it was a nice pressure. ¡°You¡¯re really great, ina, you know that?¡± ina buried her head into the sheets, trying to hide her reddening face. ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± ¡°I just need you to know it, that you don¡¯t actually deserve to be punished for liking these things. It¡¯s okay to like them, to want to y hard like we did, and you don¡¯t need to be ashamed about it.¡± It¡¯s okay? The potion may have been cool, but ina was feeling warm. ¡°I¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t the first time anyone had found out about this. The girls and boys back home had never let her live it down, and it was always a struggle, to deal with both her liking the tormenting in some way, but also knowing it came from cruelty. Tira was different, in a way ina didn¡¯t fully understand yet, but still¡­ ¡°I appreciate it. Thanks.¡± Sheid there for a while, Tira eventually finishing with the ointment on her legs and moving to rub her back, massage her shoulders. This was something she had only dreamed about, and never in a chaste way, to be lying naked on a bed, sexy woman on top of her in only lingerie, being caressed by strong-but-soft hands. It was nothing like how she¡¯d ever imagined, simply existing in that reality without feeling horny, just content. ¡°Do you want to go get cleaned up and head to sleep?¡± Tira asked, standing up and walking away. ¡°How?¡± Tira opened up a door that ina thought had been a closet, but that actually opened up into arge white-tiled washroom. ¡°Told you the private room¡¯s a nice perk, didn¡¯t I?¡± ina stood up and followed Tira into the room, blushing again as she caught a glimpse of herself in arge mirror she hadn¡¯t been expecting to see. She almost covered herself again, but then found herself entranced by her backside, roughed up and red by the flogger. I wonder how bad it¡¯ll bruise. Exining that she¡¯d want to keep the marks to Carline was going to be awkward. She turned back when she heard water running, Tira standing next to a white tub that was filling up with steaming water, biting her lip as she looked down. ¡°So, ina, I know this is kind of hypocritical, but would you mind looking away while I undress?¡± ina blinked, not quite understanding for a moment, until she realized what this new look on Tira¡¯s flushed face was: coyness, shyness, embarrassment. ¡°Oh! Sure, just, let me know when I can look?¡± ¡°Uhm, maybe just wait till I get in the water? Then you can get in myp, or we can just bathe separately if you don¡¯t want that.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s fine! I just, uhm, didn¡¯t think¡­¡± No way to say what she was thinking without it sounding judgemental, so she just turned, away from Tira and the mirror both. ¡°I know, it¡¯s weird. Part of why I do what I do, during ytime I mean, is so I feel less vulnerable. So, being seen like this¡­¡± ¡°No need to exin; it¡¯s fine, really.¡± ina wanted to smile at Tira, let her know it was okay, but she knew turning around wasn¡¯t an option, so she just stood there, rolling her fingers over each other as she waited. ¡°Okay, you can get in, just don¡¯t stare, okay?¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina turned around and went over to the tub, finding Tira hiding under the water and covering herself with her arms. It was beyond difficult not to stare. ¡°I¡¯m really so sorry. It¡¯s not you, and maybe I¡ª¡± ina put a finger on Tira¡¯s lips, closing her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t look, and you don¡¯t owe any exnation.¡± She turned around again, only opening her eyes to lift herself over the edge of the tub and climb in. The warm water was a beautiful sting on her thighs, and she felt even more warmth as she fell back into Tira¡¯s strong frame. ¡°I really appreciate it.¡± Tira¡¯s arms went under ina¡¯s, wrapping around just below her chest. ¡°If you want toe back sometime, I might be able to get used to it. This was really quite fast for me, to go from just meeting someone to this, so I¡¯m still a bit hesitant, I guess. I¡¯m having a great time though. Hope you are too.¡± ina leaned back, cradling Tira¡¯s arms in her own as she rested her head against Tira¡¯s still-secret chest. ¡°I am having a great time, and I¡¯d love toe back.¡± ina was able to rx as Tira washed her from behind, soaking in the luxury of a private, warm bath for not long enough time before Tira dered it was time for bed. The went to bed together, ina naked and Tira in a pink nightgown, and ina started drifting off as soon as she hit the bed. ¡°Hey,¡± Tira said, wrapping her arm around ina and resting it on her boob, ¡°just so you know, I¡¯ll probably be gone when you wake up. I have to leave before first bell.¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± This bed was sofy, toofy. The next thing she knew the bell was ringing. Tira was gone, just like she¡¯d said. ina sat up, yawning, the lingering reminder ofst night¡¯s fun still ringing across her backside, and then she realized something she really should have thought of before. ¡°Wait, my clothes!¡± Ch 1.34: Underdressed Ch 1.34: Underdressed ¡°Clothes, clothes, clothes,¡± ina muttered to herself as she jumped out of bed. She didn¡¯t even have Tira¡¯s spare jacket or her underwear anymore, was justpletely naked in the room. ¡°I could borrow clothes from Tira?¡± She looked down at her chest; there was no way any of Tira¡¯s tops or bras were going to fit her. ¡°I just need¡ª¡± A uniform, aplete set including socks and boots, was hanging on the doorknob leading to the hallway, with a piece of parchment sticking out of the jacket pocket. It looked suspiciously like her size. She walked over and took the paper out, unfolding it and reading the message inscribed inside. Dear ina, Morning, sleepyhead! I tried talking to you about thisst night, but you were absolutely out after our little ytime. Your roommate told me about the scraps of clothes left in your room, and I was able to pull a couple strings and get you a recement uniform once I exined it was due to a bullying situation. Your underwear fromst night is in my desk drawer if you want to wear it. You gave it to me during ytime, but I don¡¯t expect you to really give it up if you want it back. I had a great time, and I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be there when you woke up. -Tira ina¡¯s heart skipped at thest line, and she stared at it for a while before setting the note aside and going to look at her uniform. It was the same material, somehow made extremely quickly with absurd quality. The Endrin-issued clothing hit her hard the first time she saw it, but this one hit harder still. She looked over to Tira¡¯s desk, wondering. Panties are too dirty to wear regardless, but I should really wear a bra. But really, she couldn¡¯t right? A smile grew on her face as she put her shirt on. She¡¯d given the bra away, after all. Game or no, it belonged to Tira now, so ina wouldn¡¯t be wearing it. The white shirt was tight, just like her others, but obviously not tight enough to provide the support that she really needed. It was thin too, the outline of her nipples being crystal clear while the pink color was vaguely suggested at. That obviously wouldn¡¯t have been okay on its own, but it¡¯d be fine with the jacket. She finished getting dressed and went to admire herself in the Tira¡¯s bathroom mirror. She actually looked mostly fine, the cut of the jacket pressing her breasts in anyway, even if it didn¡¯t push them up like she would have liked. ina turned around and flipped her skirt up, admiring the red marks Tira had left on her. She was surprised they hadn¡¯t bruised, but then she thought back to her ss. When she¡¯d sprained her ankle that first night, it had healed remarkably quickly, and she wondered if this was the same phenomenon. Still, the marks were light enough, and ina¡¯s skirt long enough, that they were mostly unnoticeable, which was fortunate. She¡¯d really have to be careful to not have any repeats of the skirt incident during the duel with Waine, but that had been on purpose anyway, and Tira was right about the uniforms being made well enough to note undone like that on ident. ina peeked out of Tira¡¯s door, making sure no one would see her leaving before jumping out into the hall. It was strange how the rush of being out in school in just underwear was so simr to the rush she now felt doing the same with everything but underwear. She thought about knocking on Tira¡¯s office door before she remembered the other desks in there, and that Tira had said she would be busy this morning. If she¡¯d had the time toe say good morning, she would have, so she¡¯s probably either not there anyway or too busy. Instead ina turned back to the center of school, making her way towards the dining hall. It was packed, obviously, and she couldn¡¯t find Carline, so she grabbed a te of eggs, potatoes, and ham, and then went off to eat by herself, near the staff table. She kept an eye on that table as she ate, waiting to see if Alonse showed up. She knew it was silly, that a trip to the capital took far longer than the two days it had been since he left, and that he would have to make it back as well regardless, but she wanted to keep an eye out. The moment he returned, she was going to tell him everything. That day was yet toe though, so she finished her food and left, still feeling bad about not cleaning up her own te. There were a lot of things she still had to get used to about life at the academy. She was thinking about going back up to her room to grab some proper underwear, but as she was leaving breakfast the next bell rang, signaling the few minutes they had to get to their next ss. Realizing she¡¯d probably spent too much time admiring Tira¡¯s handiwork on the back of her legs and ass, she resigned herself to at least attending her first ss in her current attire. As she walked out towards the field, ina became very aware of herck of undergarments. The walk to breakfast was mostly empty since she wasn¡¯ting from a dorm anyway, but now she was in a crowd of people, her boobs bouncing unrestrained with each step, her lipspletely bare underneath her skirt as the other students jostled her while trying to push by to their own sses, all of them unaware of her own shameful state. ina¡¯s pussy burned with excitement as her face burned with embarrassment. Gods, I¡¯m not going to get addicted to this, am I? Her time at Endrin so far had been brief, but it was transforming her rapidly. Or maybe I¡¯m just now realizing what I¡¯ve always been. She thought about what Tira said, how it was okay to be the way she was, and her heart began to ache again, wishing she could just skip ss and go back to Tira¡¯s room forever. She thought about something else Tira had once said, right before her duel, when she stepped outside: ¡°This isn¡¯t fencing ss.¡± Well, now ina actually was walking towards fencing ss, and it was terrifying. It was held at the same field as Combatives had been, but with a different professor. Today the field was more empty than her first Combatives ss with her entire year, holding about half of her ss. She scanned the crowd of students as she approached, looking for Carline. They¡¯d alreadypared schedules and realized they had this course together. As she walked through the sand field she noticed there were marked circles throughout it, rings of white sand with numbered signs next to each of them, fencing rings, she guess. She found Carline standing by a rack of equipment on the far side of the field, staring at the line of long, thin swords, each with some curved handguard at the hilt that they were hanging from. ¡°Hey!¡± ina said as she ran forward. Carline turned from the swords and smiled, before a horrified look appeared on her face. ¡°ina, you¡¯re hurt!¡± ina¡¯s own eyes went wide as she shook her head and waved her hands, hoping no one else was listening. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± she whispered as she got closer. ¡°It was, uhm, on purpose¡­¡± Carline stared for a moment, confused, before her face lit up with realization. ¡°Oh! Right, uhm, that¡¯s fine, I mean. Do you¡ª Do you want me to help?¡± ¡°No, ah, it¡¯s¡­ I want to leave them there, actually.¡± Both girls stood there, blushing, as the rest of the ss filled in. ¡°Was it nice?¡± Carline eventually asked. ¡°It was amazing!¡± ina couldn¡¯t help but grin while thinking back to the bath with Tira. ¡°I mean, it was a little unexpected in a lot of ways, but I had a really great time.¡± Carline sighed in relief. ¡°Good. I was worried, you leaving like that after curfewst night. And I guess Tira gave you the uniform she told me about?¡± ¡°Yeah, she did.¡± Won¡¯t mention she took my underwear too though. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about it?¡± Carline blushed, looking down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wanted to, but she told me not to for some reason. Said she wanted to surprise you with it, and I was too scared to not listen.¡± inaughed. ¡°Yeah, I get that.¡± She looked around at the other students, wondering how full her ss would be, and then she spotted two familiar faces. Waine and Prisma were off just a little bit further down the rack, chatting to each other andughing. She looks so happy¡­ Prisma caught her nce and stared back, Waine looking over to see what she was staring at as well. Waine held her gaze for a moment before jerking away, grabbing Prisma¡¯s arm and storming off. ina exhaled. It was the first time she¡¯d seen him since their duel, and she was afraid of how he¡¯d react without Tira around. ¡°I think he¡¯ll leave you alone now,¡± Carline said. ¡°Tira might be part of it, but he¡¯s always been like this. He never would y chess with me again after the first time I beat him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something, at least.¡± ¡°Attention, ss!¡± ina turned to see a younger woman, early thirties at most, d in what she would consider very normal clothes, clothes she might have expected farmers to wear back home, simple baggy trousers and a brown tunic. She had a weapon on her hip, the same style as the ones prepared on the field, only far nicer looking. ¡°I¡¯m Professor Ranlit, and this is fencing ss. You all here are the first years who aren¡¯t internal targeters, so martialbat is a secondary concern to most of you. But everyone runs out of mana eventually, and you need to be able to defend yourself in a pinch. You only see me once a week, so we¡¯re gonna have to hit the ground running to make any progress. You¡¯re all going to be doing a tournament today so I can see where your skills stand, so everyone go hang your jackets up on the rack and grab a rapier.¡± ina looked down to her chest. She thought about what she¡¯d seen earlier in Tira¡¯s room: the shape of her breasts hanging without support, the thinness of her white shirt, the outline of her nipples. ¡°Wait¡ª¡± Ch 1.35: Ranking Ch 1.35: Ranking Carline was already taking her jacket off as ina watched in horror, realizing the situation she¡¯d gotten herself in. Gods though, Carline looked great in just her uniform shirt and skirt. No, focus, damnit! ¡°Are you alright?¡± Carline asked, hanging her jacket up and grabbing one of the swords. ¡°Oh, wait, you don¡¯t have any experience with rapiers probably, right?¡± ¡°Ha, yeah, uhm, that¡¯s true. But¡ª¡± ¡°The tournament will be standard rules, ranking style,¡± Professor Ranlit continued. ¡°You¡¯ll be paired randomly with someone that has the same record as you in each round, and I¡¯ll use your final record and my observations to pair you up in the future. Come collect your round one pairings once you have your equipment.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Carline said. ¡°Been a while since I¡¯ve been in a ranking-style tournament. Not since I was a kid, I think but it makes sense for this.¡± ina was staring at the sword next to her, the sword hanging from the same post that her jacket would soon be hanging from. She sighed, resigning herself to her fate and unbuttoning it. She could feel the wind through the thin shirt, and the bright sun peeked out from behind dark clouds to illuminate the fabric at the exact moment she shrugged her jacket off her shoulders, hanging it up as she took a training rapier in hand. ¡°Anyway, since you¡¯re new to this, I¡¯ll exin¡ª¡± Carline stopped speaking the moment ina turned around. ¡°Honest, how bad is it?¡± Carline¡¯s wide-eyed stare was enough of an answer on its own. ¡°I¡ª Uhm¡­ It¡¯s not that bad. Did you¡ª did you forget a bra? I hardly noticed.¡± ¡°Uhm¡ª yeah. The one I wore was dirty, and I didn¡¯t think that I¡¯d be taking off my jacket today. I guess it makes sense, since I took it off for the duel earlier too¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, well, you know?¡± Carline¡¯s eyes were glued to ina¡¯ chest, and a small grin was beginning to form on her face. ¡°It looks nice! And I¡¯m just so used to seeing you, so maybe I noticed and others won¡¯t?¡¯ ¡°Yeah, right,¡± ina said, crossing her arms over her breasts. ¡°Let¡¯s go get our pairings, I guess.¡± Carline led the way, ina walking behind her through the crowd, trying to hide behind her friend. It was futile, but no one was looking at her right now regardless. Why would they be, after all? She was just another student, dressed basically the same as everyone else. She built up a little bravery and put her hands down, walking normally, braless boobs bouncing away with each step, nipples hard from the cold clearly peaking out in her peripheral vision, some amount of their color visible to anyone who would spare a look. Gods, she was wet already, and without underwear it was dripping down her leg. I¡¯m such an idiot, she thought, face burning red, far more red than it should have been possible to be on such a mild day. I¡¯m such an idiot that I let this happen, and enough of an idiot to get turned on by it too. She couldn¡¯t help but imagining what could have happened if Tira had forgotten about her clothes though. Gods, what if I had to be here naked? ¡°So,¡± Carline said once they reached the line that snaked off from the side of he professor¡¯s table, looking back again at ina, ¡°standard rules are first to three points. Any touch with the tip or the de is a point. Uhm, I¡¯m not really a sword specialist, but the best advice I can give you is to keep your body turned sideways, and try and use reach to get hits.¡± ina nodded, unable to keep her eyes off of Carline¡¯s. Gods bless her friend if she was trying not to stare, because if she was she was doing a terrible job. I wish I could show her more. The two eventually reached Ranlit, who was sitting at a table holding an open box that people were reaching into and pulling lots from. ¡°Next!¡± the woman called, over and over as each sessive student went up to get their own number. Carline finally got hers, and ina approached after the following ¡°Next!¡± ina stepped up, the professor writing on a piece of parchment next to the box. ¡°Go ahead and grab a lot. Your number is¡­¡± Ranlit¡¯s voice trailed off as she looked up, eyes stopping on ina¡¯s chest. And gods if she wasn¡¯t hot too. It was a iner type of attractiveness than some of the other girls ina had seen in her time at Endrin, simple, shoulder length brown hair andrge green eyes, but possessing a maturity the students obviouslycked. Up close though, it was obvious she was even younger than ina thought too, mid tote twenties at best. How¡¯d someone so young start teaching here? ¡°Uhm, my number is what?¡± ina asked, crossing her arms over her tits again. Gods, this was such a bad idea. What if I get in trouble? Ranlit blinked, meeting ina¡¯s gaze as she opened her eyes again. ¡°Your number is the ring you willpete at in round one. At the end of your match,e back here and I¡¯ll give you your new assignment.¡± Her words were nonchnt, almost as if nothing was amiss. ¡°Okay,¡± ina said, reaching into the box and pulling out a slip with the number one printed on it. ¡°Ah,¡± Ranlit said. ¡°In that case, if you win your first round, just stay in that ring, you won¡¯t have to move if you do win.¡± She ced a fist to her mouth, coughing. ¡°I understand you are Miss Weaver, correct? Amoner?¡± ¡°Ah, yes ma¡¯am!¡± ina said, fixing her posture and throwing her hands down. It was an automatic reaction at hearing that name, ¡°Weaver,¡± that had been forced on her due to herck of an actual surname, but it also uncovered her tits and threw them upward, bouncing them around as she straightened her back and pushed them out. She heard giggles and snickers from off to the side, her situation finally being realized by other students as well. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve heard that you already had one duel. Please keep in mind that there are no aspects allowed in fencing. Do you have any other questions?¡± ¡°Uhm, no, my friend exined.¡± ina was still standing at attention, breasts thrust out directly into her teacher¡¯s face, thighs growing more wet every second. Fuck me, it¡¯s going to start dripping below my skirt if I can¡¯t get this under control. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to look at the crowd to her right; that just might do it if enough people were staring. I hope they all are. ¡°Good. I¡¯ll call out the start of the round to everyone. You may go now, but do keep in mind that not wearing proper undergarments can affect your performance. Next!¡± ina¡¯s mouth gaped as she tried to sputter out a response, failing. She covered herself again, storming off in search of her numbered circle. Gods, getting in trouble would¡¯ve been better than that! Ranlit had just been so casual about seeing the state ina was in. Still ruminating about her teacher¡¯s response, she reached ring one. The boy standing across from her was about her height, and already practicing swings and thrusts in the air as she arrived. He nced up at her and nodded. ¡°Brink,¡± he said, focusing on his sword again. ¡°Uhm, ina?¡± she replied, hoping that he had been offering his name and not some other greeting she was unfamiliar with. He nodded again, so she thought she¡¯d answered appropriately enough and started looking around. Other students were likewise focused on themselves, giving her a quick reprieve from the attention from earlier. She wondered what she should do, and realized stretching was probably not the worst idea. She took a deep breath and leaned over to reach for her feet, painfully aware of her skirt riding up in the back as she did. She close her eyes and pushed her arms back, sticking out her shoulders as she imagined the whole ss looking her way. She went through the stretches she knew, ending by reaching her arms as high up as she could, pushing them up with her eyes closed. Gods, what if I really did have to do this naked? She opened her eyes. The entire field wasn¡¯t looking at her, of course, but Brink was, staring at her tits with wide eyes. ¡°Uhm, sorry,¡± she said, turning to the side and blushing. It seemed strange to her, that she should be worried what a guy thought of her body when she didn¡¯t care for theirs at all, but it had always been that way. She knew they¡¯d like leering attractive women just as much as she did, and that drove her crazy just as much as a pretty girl actually being the one looking. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to take off my jacket today.¡± Brink just nodded again, eyes never moving. ¡°Alright,¡± a shout came from Ranlit. ¡°Round one: begin!¡± Brinks gaze jumped to the sword in ina¡¯s hands as he fell into some stance, side-facing, just like Carline had said. ina did the same, forcing herself to uncover her chest, but now Brink¡¯s eyes were glued to the tip of her rapier. ¡°Start?¡± he asked. ¡°Sure,¡± ina said, and he was moving towards her before she closed her mouth, sword tip thrusting at her torso. She swiped her own de to the side in reaction, connecting with his, but he twisted his wrist, swiveling his de around hers and striking her in the thigh. ¡°Point.¡± He backed to where he was, leaving ina stunned in her original position. It had happened so fast, far more quickly than she could even process. I hit his sword though. Her body had just moved, the same as when she¡¯d blocked that first swing from Waine. No, faster, even. She looked down at the hand holding the unfamiliar tool. Is this what having a ss does to you? ¡°Start?¡± Brink asked again. ina looked up, nting her feet more firmly and sticking her sword out further, mimicking his stance again. She¡¯d be ready this time. ¡°Start,¡± she replied. Brink moved first again, striking in the same way he did the first time. That won¡¯t work again! She caught his de from underneath this time, and when he went to strike her again ran his sword down hers until it caught the handguard at the bottom. She pushed it away and jumped forward, heart racing as she stabbed him square in the chest, her own chest jiggling with the movement. Holy shit! Brink coughed, stumbling back to his original position. ¡°Point?¡± he asked. ¡°Oh, point!¡± she replied, blushing, both at her ownck of call and her breasts¡¯ movement as she shuffled back. Gods this is so fun! Brink nodded. ¡°Your point; you initiate start.¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina said, nodding back and stepping into her starting position as well. She¡¯d got a point, an actual point! Wait, is this cheating? Nothing she could do, really. Using [Restraint] was obviously not allowed, but she couldn¡¯t control how fast her reaction time was. I can only do my best. ¡°Start?¡± ¡°Start.¡± Brink moved again, but ina had got the start first first this time. She could afford to take a risk, so she tried copying the thrust Brink had done at the start. He sidestepped the attack, ignoring her de and rapping her on the wrist. ¡°Ow,¡± she said at the same time he called, ¡°Point!¡± Okay, so your feet are important too, not just your sword. She should have realized that before, but it was better now than never. ¡°Start,¡± Ranlit said. ¡°Start,¡± she was moving again, hanging back a littlepared to the previous time. Brink swung at her from below, and she swatted his weapon away while stepping back. Brink¡¯s sword flew towards to ground, burying itself in the sand as ina jumped forward and stabbed at his leg. ¡°Point!¡± she yelled as she hit, beaming. This is fucking awesome! She could do this, actually do this. And every move I make causes my tits to bounce everywhere! Gods, she wasn¡¯t going to stop wearing bras, was she?Brink was staring at her in astonishment. She realized she¡¯d done something strange, but he wasn¡¯t calling her out for breaking the rules, just staring at her arm. ¡°Start,¡± she said. ¡°Start.¡± Brink backed up as he said it, hopping away while keeping his stance as ina charged, stepping forward one foot in front of the other. She swung down at her opponent, and he brought his de up to catch hers just in time. Her de carried through though, pushing his down until both weapons came down on his head. ¡°Point!¡± Brink was the one stunned now, staring at the two des still pressing into his forehead. ¡°How did you¡ª¡± ¡°Move over, Brink.¡± Both he and ina turned to the side, seeing another student standing there: Prisma Fireguard. ¡°Ranlit says we can start whenever our round ends,¡± she said, looking directly at ina. ¡°It¡¯s you and me next.¡± Ch 1.36: Reunion Ch 1.36: Reunion Prisma cast her gaze to the side as Brink walked off, leaving ina speechless and alone in the center of the ring. ¡°Prisma,¡± she said, meaning to continue her sentence, but the words wouldn''te out. Even after everything, ina was entranced by the girl. Carline was cute and had a great body, Tira was sexy and cool, even Ranlit was prettier than most girls in ina¡¯s vige, but Prisma had that long, tinum blonde hair, that fair, unblemished skin, and those enchanting blue eyes. ¡°Congrattions on winning your first match. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± Prisma raised her rapier, eyes meeting ina¡¯s once more. ¡°Start?¡± ¡°Wha¡ª no!¡± ina said, throwing her hands into the air. ¡°Can we talk?¡± Prisma closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath and lowering her weapon before opening them again. ¡°ina, we need to do this and move on. It¡¯s for your¡ª¡± She squinted, then her eyes widened as she blushed and went to cover her chest with her hands. ¡°Are you not wearing a bra?¡± ina covered her own torso with one arm as she stared Prisma down. ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject!¡± Prisma bit her lip, looking away from ina once more. ¡°Listen, ina¡­ I said I was sorry, and I really meant it. I dragged you into a world you weren¡¯t ready for, and you got eaten alive.¡± ina¡¯s knuckles turned white as she gripped the rapier¡¯s hilt. ¡°Are you serious? You say that like I got eaten by wild animals, like you weren¡¯t the one that ate me!¡± She sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes with her free hand,pletely ignoring her attempts to keep her semnce of modesty. ¡°You did horrible things to me. Why? I know you weren¡¯t just messing with me at first. I know you actually wanted to be friends, so why did you do it?¡± Prisma stared at the dirt, grip on her weapon weakening as the tip fell to the ground. ¡°I¡¯m d you won your duel with Waine, more than d. I felt awful after what we did to you, and¡­¡± She clutched her chest, shaking her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do it. Please believe that.¡± ¡°Then why?¡± ina said, stomping her foot into the sand. ¡°Do you know how scared I was? When he started walking towards me¡ª¡± Prisma¡¯s head shot back towards ina. ¡°I would never let him touch you. Never.¡± Her eyes were cold, the normally gentle blue irises boring into ina like icy daggers. ¡°Come on. We¡¯ll get in trouble if we don¡¯t spar. Start!¡± Prisma raised her sword again, turning sideways, torso falling forward over her hips as she red. ina huffed, falling into her stance as well. ¡°Fine, have it your way. But when we¡¯re done, I want answers. Start!¡± Prisma moved, her sword a snake darting towards ina. ina swatted it away, jumping back as she did. What the hell! It wasn¡¯t any faster than Brink¡¯s, and there shouldn¡¯t have been a reason for it to seem so ominous, but Prisma¡¯s de was something else, striking terror in ina as it raced after her. [Fear Response] took care of some of that sensation, but the feeling was too overpowering to be suppressed entirely. It was all she could do to retreat and bat the weapon away from her. ¡°Point,¡± Prisma said, falling out of her stance and walking back to her starting position. ¡°What? You never hit me!¡± ¡°Your foot.¡± ina looked down, seeing her back leg sticking out over the white line. I backed up that far? The rings weren¡¯t huge, but she¡¯d had a good few steps from where she started to the edge. Against Brink, she hadn¡¯t even thought about the line at all, each point having been over before it was even close to mattering. ¡°Start,¡± Prisma said. ina stepped back into the ring. She was still faster than Prisma, stronger too, surely. She just couldn¡¯t get caught off guard again. ¡°Start!¡± Prisma¡¯s arm wasing at her again. That¡¯s what her sword was, not a tool, but an extension of her body, spearing towards ina. She dodged, stepping aside and going to attack Prisma¡¯s wrist, the same trick Brink had done on her. ¡°Point,¡± Prisma said at the same instant her de tip struck ina¡¯s breast. She even managed to twist her hand so that her sword¡¯s guard caught ina¡¯s de, but even if ina had connected, it would have been toote. She was having trouble reconciling what happened in her mind. The de had beening at her, and she had tried to dodge, but it just followed her, started moving with her dodge before ina had evenmitted to the movement fully herself. ¡°Start.¡± No time to figure anything out. There was clearly a skill gap that wasrger than ina had realized was possible, but she just had to do her best. I can¡¯t lose to her. I¡¯m going to win, and she¡¯s going to talk! ¡°Start,¡± ina said, herself on the move this time. She dashed in, swinging her sword towards her opponent¡¯s before Prisma had time to strike, knocking the damned thing out of Prisma¡¯s hand and tapping her on the stomach. ¡°Point.¡± Prisma stared down at the weapon on her shirt in disbelief before bending over and grabbing her weapon again as ina backed up. ¡°Start.¡± ¡°Start,¡± Prisma said. ina was already rushing again. She¡¯d found her in, her one way to win. Prisma had a lifetime of training on her side, but she still wouldn¡¯t be a match for ina¡¯s newfound physical abilities. ina struck towards Prisma¡¯s weapon again, going to knock it out of her hand just like before. Prisma¡¯s de twirled around ina¡¯s as they collided, her wrist twisting as ina tried to push her sword out of her hand again. ina could only watch as the point of the weapon swirled around hers, creeping towards her. She tried to pull back, knock the sword the other direction, but the force of her swing was too strong. Her attack carried through, hitting nothing as Prisma tilted her hand forward, striking ina on the finger. ¡°Point, and match.¡± Prisma drew her sword back and sheathed it on her belt, turning around. ¡°You¡¯re good, a natural even. If you had the training I¡¯ve had, you¡¯d probably be the best in our ss. But you¡¯re too predictable. Even when you disarmed me I knew what you were doing, I just didn¡¯t expect the amount of force you could put out.¡± ina threw her sword into the sand, holding back the water in her eyes as she stared at the back of Prisma¡¯s stupid tinum blonde hair. ¡°I don¡¯t want fencing advice, Prisma!¡± She stormed over, grabbing Prisma by the shoulder and spinning her around. Tears. They were falling down Prisma¡¯s eyes as she stared back in shock, only visible for a moment before she pushed ina¡¯s hand off and turned away again. ¡°Just¡ª Just leave me alone!¡± ¡°But why? I¡¯m not a dud! I understood back then, but why now? I have an aspect! I¡¯m good with it, so why am I not good enough for you?¡± Prisma stood there, back turned, as tears started streaming down ina¡¯s face too. She didn¡¯t care about her thin shirt anymore. People could stare at her chest, stare at her outburst, stare at whatever. Right now, the only thing she cared about was answers. ¡°I thought we were going to be friends¡­ More than friends, maybe. Was I wrong?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Prisma looked back, face red and puffed, but the tears dried. ¡°Friends, we could have been, if things were different, but we never could have been more than that, no matter what happened. I apologize if I led you to believe otherwise.¡± Those words hung over the sand, pushing at ina so much that she started to step back backwards. ¡°Oh¡­¡± For all Prisma was, ina could tell she still wasn¡¯t a liar, that she meant every word. We never could have been like that, no matter what. ¡°ina, please leave. People are starting to stare, and I don¡¯t want any more trouble with Waine.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ina grabbed her training sword off the ground. ¡°One more thing¡­ I¡ª I need to know. That night, after you took that portrait of me¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. Just leave.¡± A deep pain in ina¡¯s chest pushed back at her, unmitigated by her skill, making her feel like she was going to vomit. She couldn''t leave though, not yet. She needed to know why Prisma took thatst picture, why she said thatst thing. ¡°Prisma, you called me¡­¡± But the pain only grew, mounting an unbearable attack on the core of her soul. She ran away, stomach lurching as she ignored the crowd watching her. Ch 1.37: Unrivaled Ch 1.37: Unrivaled ina walked through the crowd, ignoring herck of bra as she trudged through the sand. They day was getting overcast anyway, sun hiding away and clouds dimming the field so that people wouldn¡¯t be able to tell as easily regardless. ¡°You really do look so cute like this.¡± Those words had rang through the back of ina¡¯s mind for days now, the words Prisma has said to her right before leaving, when ina was still stripped and bound, right before taking that one final picture. She¡¯d heard those words, believed them, and done everything she could to not think of them, since the meaning behind them was ipatible with Prisma¡¯s actions. But the words were still ringing, now in the front of her mind. She never saw me like that. That¡¯s why she said we could never be together, so why did she say I was cute? And why did ina¡¯s chest feel like it was going to burst? She wasn¡¯t running, but she still couldn¡¯t breathe, and she wasn¡¯t speaking, but there was still a lump in her throat. She never wanted anything to do with Waine again, knew that she couldn¡¯t have been part of their group, but she thought she could be friendly with Prisma alone at the very least. The thoughts of a naive girl. Prisma wasn¡¯t the one who came up with the idea to torture ina, obviously, but hers were the hands that held the scissors. She was sorry for everything, she¡¯d said so multiple times, but she had done it anyway. She was capable of doing terrible things, her idea or not, coerced or not. Someone like Carline couldn¡¯t do that to ina. Someone like Tira¡ª Well, that was different, obviously. Tira wouldn¡¯t do something like that if she knew she was actually hurting someone. ina approached Professor Ranlit¡¯s table, and the teacher looked up and smiled. ¡°Yeah, I was a little surprised when Brink showed up, but when I realized I¡¯d already sent Prisma to ring one I knew I would be seeing you again soon enough.¡± ina huffed. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°You look upset, but don¡¯t be. Brink¡¯s no master, but it¡¯s impressive for you to beat anyone with training when you haven¡¯t had any. Prisma¡¯s unrivaled here at Endrin, in a league of her own.¡± Of course she is. ¡°She¡¯s that good?¡± Ranlit nodded, looking over in the direction Prisma¡¯s ring would be with a warm nce. ¡°The best, nearly. I taught both of the Fireguards privately when they were kids for a couple years, before I came here as a student myself.¡± ina¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°Both?¡± ¡°Mmhm. Prisma, of course, and her older sister, Kohpicia. Prisma has always been a natural with any type of sword, but Koh was actually the best, still is. I said they should hire her for this position instead of me, but, well¡­¡± Ranlit shook her head, frowning. ¡°Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t be bringing up school administrative stuff like that. She is a better fencer than me though, has been since she was a teenager.¡± Kohpicia. Koh. That had to be the girl ina had seen in Prisma¡¯s crystal portrait, when Tira had been going through it. She hadn¡¯t looked that much older than Prisma, really, but if she was in the running to be a teacher at Endrin, she must¡¯ve been old enough to have graduated at least. ¡°Anyway,¡± Ranlit said, writing down on the paper in front of her, ¡°ring eight. You¡¯ll find your next opponent there. I¡¯ve taken up enough of your time with my nostalgia, and there are four rounds left, so get going.¡± ina nodded and walked off, chest still heavy in more ways than one. She was cognizant of that again and covered her breasts with one arm as she walked. A sister. There was still so much about Prisma that ina didn¡¯t know, that she still wanted to know. She hated it, that she couldn¡¯t just let the girl go. They¡¯d known each other for an hour at most before everything had gone to shit, so why couldn¡¯t she just drop it, forget about it all? That hour was still burned into her mind. Carline and Tira were great, consistently, but hour to hour, ina wasn¡¯t sure any period of equivalent time could match up to how she¡¯d felt with Prisma on that first day. Carline had been watching ina a little, already knew about her before they met. Tira had been kind from the start, but was just doing her job trying to protect students at first, at least. Prisma was just so kind from the start, right up until¡­ ina just wanted that first part back. Gaining new friends was wonderful, but she couldn¡¯t stand losing one friendship, no matter how brief. She knew things had gotten fucked up, but she was willing to try and move past it now. She just needed Prisma to be willing as well. Ring eight was easy. Ring seven after that was easier. Ring four was better, than them, better than Brink even, but none of thempared to her. ina cursed herself, cursed her sword, cursed having learned so much about this damn rapier from a handful minutes with Prisma. To follow her opponent¡¯s eyes, to focus on their footwork, to strike where they would be instead of where they were. Those where the things Prisma had done to read her, she realized, and with ina¡¯s ss-enhanced reaction speed, she could do it to anyone else she faced. Last round: ring two. I¡¯ll be right next to her. ina knew that Prisma wouldn¡¯t have lost a round. She¡¯d done everything she could not to face that way in her fights, but there wouldn¡¯t be much of a way to do that when she had to walk right up to her ring anyway. Prisma wasn¡¯t there though. Ring one was empty, actually, which didn¡¯t make sense. The winner of ring one stayed there, right? ¡°Oh fuck,¡± ina heard from behind her, a painfully familiar voice. She turned, seeing a scowling, red-faced Waine Ferris. ¡°How the stars are you even at ring two thiste in the tourney?¡± ina sighed, drawing her sword. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± ¡°Not so fast! You lucked outst time, but with no aspects, on an even field, there¡¯s no way you can beat me. I want to re-wager.¡± ina rolled her eyes. She¡¯d seen Waine¡¯s attempt at fencing before, had even blocked his one attack while he used Control, but there was nothing more he could offer her. She truly didn¡¯t care about him anymore. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything from you. I just want to get this over with and shower.¡± Waine smirked. ¡°You sure about that? I heard about your little spat with Prisma earlier,mando-tits. She won¡¯t tell you the truth, but I can.¡± ina froze. She¡¯d been trying so hard to move past it, and this little shithead just waltzed up and thrust it right back in her face. Truth be told, she would have been happy just beating him with her training sword a few times, but if he could tell her why Prisma changed¡­ She doesn¡¯t want to tell you. It¡¯s not his truth to tell. ¡°What do you want if you win?¡± His grin grew. ¡°I want you gone. For real. Go back to making baskets on the farm.¡± ¡°Sure. Start?¡± ¡°Start!¡± His sword was on the ground, and hers mmed into his leg. ¡°Point. Start?¡± she asked as he bent over to pick up his weapon, eyes brimming with panic. ¡°St¡ª start!¡± He managed to hold on to his weapon this time, but she stabbed the point of her rapier into his stomach, sending him to his knees, gasping for breath. ¡°Point. Do you need to yield?¡± Waine pushed himself up, knocking sand off of his shirt and pants. ¡°Fuck you, bitch, start!¡± He ran towards her, the same frenzy in his eyes as when he¡¯d rushed her at the start of their first duel. And then she actually felt it, the sniveling, whiny little bitch using Control on her. It was subtle, probably an attempt to get her to not notice it, only enough to slow her sword arm. With her ss at level two, it didn¡¯t matter. She could easily resist the pitiful use of an aspect from him, and her speed was too great besides. She caught his sword on the guard of her own, drove it into the ground, and then cracked him across the side of the head. He reeled back, dropping his weapon again but managing to stay on his feet. ¡°Point. Tell me, now. The truth. And don¡¯t ever talk about my body again.¡± He spat at her, blooding out as he did,ughing. ¡°Yeah, alright. I¡¯ll tell you the truth, floppy. She hates you. Hates your fucking guts.¡± ina rolled her eyes and started walking away. ¡°I should have known you wouldn¡¯t hold up your end without peer pressure.¡± ¡°Keep lying to yourself, then. But she despises duds, and she knows what you really are. She might not be able to admit it to herself yet even, but I saw the look in her eyes after your failed Awakening. You can get lucky a thousand times, but you still don¡¯t belong here, and she¡¯ll never forget that.¡± ina walked on, gripping her sword in her hand until her knuckles turned white. It was over, finally. The rest of the ss was finished too, it seemed, gathered up near the table Ranlit was at. ina had to push through the crowd, covering her chest so she didn¡¯t brush it up against anyone until she broke through. ¡°I won,¡± she said. Ranlit nodded, marking it down. ¡°Congrattions. Here, you can stand next to me while we watch ring one.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, you wouldn¡¯t know. In thest round of a ranking tournament, ring one will hold off fighting until the end, so all the participants can watch. They¡¯re the only two undefeated students left, and it¡¯s good for everyone to see two high ss duelists anyway, so I decided to keep to tradition for instructive purposes.¡± She got up, stepping around her table as ina watched. ¡°Alright ss, everyone¡¯s done, so we¡¯ll proceed to the finals. I¡¯ll be your official referee this time. Contestants, please step forward.¡± ina eyes fell on Prisma, stepping out of the crowd. She was pointedly ignoring ina, facing forward with regal determination, the essence of grace as she strolled into the center of the ring. A dark cloud was rolling in, casting the whole field in deep shadow as ina turned to the opposite end of the ring. Prisma¡¯s opponent was equally determined in her eyes, but her gait betrayed a hint of nervousness, the grip on her sword shaking as she made her way into the forward. ¡°Our final match today,¡± Ranlit said, ¡°is Prisma Fireguard versus Carline Forsythe.¡± Ch 1.38: Rivaled Ch 1.38: Rivaled It only made sense, of course, that Carline would be doing as well as ina, better than ina, but she had been so distracted that she hadn¡¯t thought about it. Carline had training, practice, and now a ss as well. Prisma may have beaten ina, but this would have to give her a challenge at least, right? The crowd was quiet, mood as somber as the newly overcast sky. ¡°I¡¯ll start and call points,¡± Ranlit said. ¡°Duelists, into position please.¡± The two girls fell into their stances. ina couldn¡¯t help but notice the difference. Prisma stood tall, taller than ina remembered her being, sword held high, pointed straight at Carline¡¯s eyes. Those eyes were still focused, determined, but Carline¡¯s own stance wasn¡¯t nearly asmanding as Prisma¡¯s. She was shorter to start with anyway, but she seemed more reserved too, held back in her posture. The slight quaver in her sword arm capped it all off, seeming like she was already struggling to hold off Prisma¡¯s de, even when they were feet apart. ¡°Start!¡± Prisma snaked forward, feet shifting across the sand as her rapier danced in circles. There¡¯s no way to tell where she¡¯ll strike. Carline held her ground though, shaking limbs aside, eyes forward as Prisma crashed into her stance. Carline caught Prisma¡¯s de on hers, spinning it to the left as she dodged to the right and snuck in her own thrust. ¡°Point, Forsythe!¡± The two girls both rxed, Carline staying put while Prisma walked back to her position. Each took a moment to breathe before standing up again, but this time Carline stood just a little taller. ¡°Start!¡± Neither moved. Carline held her ground, feet nted firmly, but Prisma simply stood, like she were posing for a painting instead of engaged in a duel. Carline crept forward, feet shifting across the ground to keep her side-facing stance. And her body shook. Any firmness in her posture evaporated as she approached Prisma, each step introducing new hesitation in her stance. Carline was only a step away from Prisma when her opponent¡¯s de struck her side. ¡°Point, Fireguard!¡± What the stars just happened? ina had barely seen it, a single hop forward from Prisma as her opponent had tepidly approached, driving her sword in without so much as an attempt to parry from Carline. Carline stood there, stunned as Prisma stepped back into position. ¡°Carline, back to position please,¡± Ranlit said. Carline blinked and nodded, turning around, slinking back to her side of the ring. This was bad. Carline¡¯s stance was even smaller than at the start now, leaning back away from her opponent, scared. ¡°Start!¡± Prisma darted out, legs a blur as she closed the distance between her and Carline, sword and arm together one extension from her body, thrusting forward, ready to eat into Carline once more. ina had seen this before, been on the receiving end of it even. It was somehow even more terrifying watching it from afar, the graceful aggression Prisma moved with. Carline batted Prisma¡¯s rapier away, sending it flying out of her hand and then running her sword into Prisma¡¯s leg. ¡°Point, Forsythe!¡± It had happened just as fast as the attack, Carline striking Prisma¡¯s de with brute force, leaving the entire crowd silent as she twobatants stood there. Prisma frowned, looking down at the training de pressing into her, then at her own sword lying on the ground, and then finally directly at ina. There was anger in that re, her frown falling into a scowl. What did I do? But then she realized; she¡¯d gotten only one point off on Prisma, the exact same way Carline just had. Prisma snapped her head away and went to grab her sword before returning to her position. ¡°Start!¡± Both girls lunged this time, Carline more passive than Prisma, but each advancing on the other. Carline tried the same move she had before, the same one that won ina¡¯s singr point. Except ina knew what would happen next, and Carline didn¡¯t. The des collided, and Prisma¡¯s copsed in, her wrist twirling it back. ina could see what was actually happening from this angle, what she couldn¡¯t see from inside the ring before when the same maneuver had been used against her. Prisma¡¯s wrist was limp, but her grip strong. As Carline tried to push the rapier away Prisma took the force in stride, letting her sword get pushed, using the momentum to circle through the air and tilt it into Carline¡¯s hand as it carried through with her strike. ¡°Point, Fireguard!¡± ina was still upset, and she was rooting for Carline of course, but there was something about Prisma that was so alluring. She was outmatched in raw strength, in speed even, but she yed around that, using the force from her opponent to speed up her own attacks, keeping her weapon where it needed to be before her opponent evenmitted to a strike. ina understood why Carline was fighting this way, going for that same strategy twice just as ina herself had, but there was no beauty in that, no grace or elegance. Prisma had all of those things naturally, and a sword in hand only elevated them. ina felt a drop of water on the top of her head, then another, and another. Both girls looked to Ranlit as the rain picked up, nodding and then dropping into their stances again. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll finish up the final point, then ss is dismissed. Start!¡± Both moved again, Carline still with confidence, Prisma still with finesse. Carline was smart enough not to try the exact same maneuver again, but she still used her strength to her advantage, knocking Prisma¡¯s sword into the air. Prisma kept hold though, feinting an attack before jumping backwards as Carline pushed in. It was a glorious sight, the two beautiful women dancing around each other in the rain, swords nging against each other, almost as if neither was trying to score a point, just lengthen the round. It was a longer bout than any ina had seen by far, each of them staying outside the other¡¯s range except for the brief moments they went to attack themselves. But Prisma was losing ground, pushed back behind her own starting position now. She had training, skill, talent, but she wasn¡¯t so far ahead of Carline like she was with ina. Carline wasn¡¯t an amateur, and while she may have been no match only a few days prior, now with her ss, she was actually rivaling Prisma, keeping her on the back foot as she edged her closer and closer to the ring. The crowd closest to them backed up, giving the duelists room to finish unimpeded. Carline was in a rhythm now, sh, parry, thrust, sh again. Each sh sent Prisma backwards, knowing she didn¡¯t have the strength to block it, a clockwork system that was about to finally push Prisma out, a system that wouldn¡¯t stop. Wait, no! One step from ringing out, Prisma nted her feet. Carline went in, swinging her final sh right at Prisma¡¯s chest. Prisma was already moving, not back, but down, splitting her legs, her torso falling, head ducking just underneath Carline¡¯s sword, the de itself hitting only Prisma¡¯s wet hair, flicking it aside in the rain. As Prisma fell to the ground, Carline fell forward, ovemitted to her attack as Prisma¡¯s still outstretched de stabbed into her side. Carline stumbled, barely managing to keep herself upright as she dropped her de while tripping over Prisma¡¯s leg. She was struck, disarmed, and out of bounds before Ranlit called out, ¡°Point!¡± The crowd cheered, silence breaking like the thunder broke the clouds above. ina could almost hear Prisma chastising her for being too predictable from earlier. She let Carline getfortable with her pattern, knowing she¡¯d ovemit for the win at the end, knowing she would be able to avoid the hit without stepping out of the ring. ina couldn¡¯t even manage to be upset anymore as Prisma stood up, gorgeous legs going back to hiding under her skirt after having crept out during her split. She looked back at ina once more, shaking her head with a look of disgust. That pain again, a stab through ina¡¯s heart as Waine ran over to Prisma, carrying her jacket. ¡°Showed that traitor, didn¡¯t you?¡± he said. ¡°Come on,¡± Prisma replied, turning away from ina and walking off. Most of the students scattered in the rain, heading back to the shelter of the school, but ina stood there, eyes on Prisma. Thatst look had broken her, sent her mind spiraling. At least the rain would mask her tears. ¡°ina,¡± Carline called out, running over and covering her chest with her arms, ¡°your shirt!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± ina said, turning back to the equipment rack. It would be soaked now, of course. Would Prisma have seen that? Ch 1.39: Rain Ch 1.39: Rain ¡°We should probably get going,¡± Carline said, shaking in the cold. The rain had picked up as ina had walked over to the equipment rack, as she had stood there staring at the training swords. The rest of the ss, Professor Ranlit included, had left. ¡°You go ahead. I¡¯m gonna stay out here for a while.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Carline said, dancing on both feet, trying to stay warm. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Okay, well, I¡¯m gonna shower and then probably hang out in themon room until lunch. Juste find meter, okay?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Carline wavered, looking like she was going to say more, but then ran off. ina picked up her jacket off the rack and shrugged it on, shaking her head. She couldn¡¯t get the image out of her mind, Prisma¡¯s look during the duel with Carline. Maybe Waine was right. Maybe she really does hate me. She started walking, not towards the school, but the smallke in the back of the school grounds, right next to the forest. She knew she should be rushing inside to get her clothes dry, especially clothes of this quality, but inside was dry, warm, full of people, things she didn¡¯t want right now. Carline had slowly been trying to introduce her to other students, which she appreciated, but themon room wasn¡¯t where she wanted to be right now. Even the dorm, with just Carline and the System, sounded like two too many people. She found arge rock by theke and sat down on it, looking out over the downpour as it fell across the water. Rain had always been calming to ina, and the sounds and sights of this storm filled her mind with distraction, thunder above, lightning shes in the distance, the torrent crashing into the body of water in front of her. It still wasn¡¯t enough. Had she done something wrong? She screamed out over theke, pounding her fists against the stone below her. She was supposed to be happy, right? She had an aspect, a ss. Sure, the looming threat of invasion was terrifying, but what kid hadn¡¯t dreamed of being who she was right now? She had friends, good ones, she¡¯d had such a wonderful time only the night before, but she was still miserable, all because of one girl, a girl that had shown a moment of kindness and nothing but cruelty and indifference since. It should have all been enough, but ina was selfish. Prisma had offered her something. Not a spoken promise, but a promise nheless. That was taken from her, and she didn¡¯t even know why. ¡°I¡¯m not a dud. I just had a weird birthday¡­¡± ¡°Heya, stranger!¡± ina jumped up and whipped around. Before her was a tall girl, taller than Tira even, standing in the rain with a smile on her face. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re that new girl everyone¡¯s talking about, ina, themoner, right?¡± ¡°Huh? I mean, yeah,¡± ina said, creeping back. She¡¯d had enough bad experiences with meeting student she didn¡¯t really know alone out on the grounds to not be cautious. Could this be one of Waine¡¯s crowd? ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Flora! Florence Stouth, second-year, to be proper.¡± The girl skipped onto ina¡¯s rock and started circling it with her arms behind her back, looking ina over from every angle as she spun around the slick stone. ¡°Wow, you really are as pretty as I¡¯ve heard!¡± ¡°Oh, uhm, thanks?¡± Florence herself was pretty too,rge green eyes, yful smile, and brown hair falling all the way down to her hips, clinging to her skirt in the rain, what had to be the shortest skirt ina had ever seen on an Endrin uniform. No, the shortest skirt she¡¯d seen in her entire life. Those long legs were entrancing, no socks or tights at all,pletely bare except for the slim skirt atop them. ¡°I gotta say, I approve of your bra choice too,¡± Florence said, pointing at ina¡¯s chest. ina looked down and gasped, realizing she¡¯d never actually buttoned her uniform, that her tits were essentiallypletely on disy in the wet shirt. She grabbed her jacket and threw it closed with her hands, looking back up in panic an embarrassment. ¡°Sorry, I, uhm¡ª¡± Florenceughed, waving ina off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I said I liked it, remember! After all¡­¡± Florence grabbed each of her two jacket buttons and popped them open at once, pulling the two sides apart. ¡°I happen to own the same one.¡± Florence wasn¡¯t lying. She wasn¡¯t nearly as welly endowed as ina, a little smaller than average even, but ina¡¯s eyes were glued to the woman¡¯s chest anyway. Tiny, light pink nipples visible through the soaked, thin white Endrin uniform shirt would be enough tomand ina¡¯s attention for days if she was left unchecked, with the soft curve of the perky boobs underneath gestured at by the wet material as it clung to her chest. It was all on disy as she thrust them out while holding the jacket wide open. Florence winked as she let go of her coat, not bothering to rebutton it. On her small frame, the breasts of the jacket fell back almost entirely over her chest, a feat ina¡¯s chest simply wouldn¡¯t allow, but the color of her modest cleavage was still easily visible through her transparent shirt. ¡°So, what brings you out to my secret rainy day spot?¡± Florence asked, kneeling down next to ina and looking out over the water. ¡°Uhm, I just finished fencing ss.¡± Florence puffed out her cheeks with air and then let out a howlingugh. ¡°And you did that in the rain, with no bra on? That¡¯s hrious!¡± Who does this girl think she is? ¡°I didn¡¯t¡ª It wasn¡¯t on purpose!¡± ina turned back towards the water and sat back down, buttoning her jacket properly this time. ¡°I had aundry issue, and I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d be taking the jacket off¡­ And it wasn¡¯t raining earlier!¡± Florence looked over, yful glint in her eye. ¡°But it was funny, right?¡± ina went to protest, but she let out a chuckle instead. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t!¡± She meant it. It hadn¡¯t been funny, after all. A little exciting maybe, but the only reason she¡¯dughed was just because Florence¡¯s stupid smiling face made her¡­ ¡°Okay, I believe you. After all, your little tomato face does look pretty embarrassed about it. Still, I¡¯d be more careful with those things if I were you. I can get away going braless, but you¡¯re kinda a different story.¡± ina looked down, still blushing, still with a slight smile. ¡°It was an ident. I won¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°Eh, never say never is what I always say.¡± The girl popped back up to standing, giving a nice, long view up her legs as she stood. Gods those are nice. ¡°Still though, you just had fencing ss, but, if I¡¯m remembering correctly, the dorms are the opposite direction from theke. So why¡¯d youe here after?¡± ina sighed, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯ve had a bad day. I just wanted to be alone.¡± Florence looked away, making an obviously fake grimace. ¡°Oops, guess even that went wrong, huh? Really must not be your day then.¡± inaughed again. ¡°Guess so.¡± ¡°I can leave if you want?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡­ It¡¯s your secret spot, after all.¡± Florence beamed at ina, nodding and sitting down right next to her, shoulder and hips touching ina. ¡°I like being out here alone too. I love the water, but there¡¯s so many people here during break times during the day. I¡¯ll sometimes try to sneak out at night, but I have to keep an eye out for good ole Iron Whip.¡± Iron Whip? ¡°Do you mean Tira?¡± ¡°Oh? You know Watch Captain Strask on a first name basis, huh?¡± Florence scooted back, looking ina over once more. ¡°Yeah, you seem her type alright.¡± ina blushed again, clutching her chest with her arms. Probably best not to mention Tira when I¡¯m only goingmando thanks to her. ¡°I¡ª I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± ¡°Of course you don¡¯t,¡± Florence said, winking again. She pulled her knees together, resting her head on them and looking into ina¡¯s eyes. ¡°Want to talk about whatever¡¯s bothering you? I¡¯m a good listener.¡± Gods, am I that easy to read? ¡°No, not really.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Florence said, cocking her head. ¡°So what¡¯s the problem?¡± ina blinked. ¡°I just said¡ª¡± Florence sat there, big eyes staring. She was eager to listen, a friendly face, even if they¡¯d never met before. ¡°Well, there¡¯s this girl¡­¡± ¡°Oh, other than Tira?¡± ina blushed, pushing her face into her hands. ¡°I told you it¡¯s not like that with her.¡± ¡°Right. Well, go on; I certainly don¡¯t judge for that sort of thing.¡± ¡°Anyway, so, this girl¡­ I thought we were friends, but then some shit happened, and now she kind of might hate me? And I don¡¯t know how I feel about her. She did some fucked up stuff, but, like, I don¡¯t think she meant to, at least that she didn¡¯t mean to hurt me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard reconciling it, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah. Like, she¡¯s really nice, was nice, but she hangs around with shitty people, and then when it came time to choose them or me¡­¡± ¡°She chose them.¡± ¡°Uh-huh. And I just¡ª¡± ina gripped her skirt, wanting to rip the fabric, just so she could break something. ¡°She chose them. I know she¡¯s known them longer, but they¡¯re such assholes.¡± Florence nodded, eyes sinking a bit. ¡°I know. It¡¯s like that among nobility, sometimes.¡± ina hung her head, feeling the water pour down her hair as itnded on her, tears dropping from her eyes, hopefully still covered by the rain. ¡°Why though? Why was she nice to me at first if she was just gonna throw me awayter?¡± A hand fell on her shoulder, patting her. ¡°She didn¡¯t n to do that, I¡¯m sure. The Fireguards and Ferris¡¯s are powerful, important families, after all. It might seem like she made a choice to you, when to her it didn¡¯t seem like she had a choice at all.¡± ina looked up, squinting at Florence. ¡°How do you know¡­¡± Florence shrugged, pursing her lips. ¡°Like I said, everyone¡¯s talking about you.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ina took in a deep breath, then exhaled before standing up and stepping onto the grass. ¡°I should probably get going. My roommate¡¯s going to be worried if I stay out here too long.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, wouldn¡¯t want her getting worried,¡± Florence said, standing up and nodding. ¡°I¡¯m gonna enjoy my secret rainy spot a little longer. Feel free toe back sometime, though I have a feeling we¡¯ll meet again sooner orter regardless.¡± ina sniffed. ¡°Sure. And, uh, thanks, Florence.¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Florence said, hopping down off the rock and squeezing ina tightly. ¡°We¡¯re friends now, so Flora it is, got it?¡± ina smiled as she wiped her eyes. ¡°Alright, thanks Flora.¡± Flora let go of the embrace and turned back, jumping onto the rock once more and looking out over theke as ina walked back towards the school. ina¡¯s mind raced as she made her way back to the dorms. Prisma, the System, the fact that she kept running into cute girls everywhere she went. And what the hell was with that girl shing me like that? She entered themon room, still dripping from the rain, looking for her roommate. ¡°Uhm, has anyone seen Carline?¡± A girl from ina¡¯s and Carline¡¯s alchemy ss, Lily her name might have been, spoke up. ¡°She left a few minutes ago. Prisma was looking for her.¡± Ch 1.40: Accusations Ch 1.40: usations ¡°She left a few minutes ago. Prisma was looking for her. Come to think of it, she was looking for you too.¡± ina ran back outside, darting down the hallway. That can¡¯t be good, right? There were only two ways into themon room from the outside, and she hadn¡¯t seen them whileing in, so they had to be the other way. It wasn¡¯t a long run before she heard voices from around the corner. ¡°I just want to know the truth, Carline.¡± Prisma¡¯s voice. ina stopped running, creeping up to the side of the wall. ¡°I told you the truth,¡± Carline replied. ¡°I¡¯m just stronger now!¡± Prisma let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°I know how strong you are. It¡¯s been a few years, but we¡¯ve sparred before, remember?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Carline¡¯s voice sounded pained, embarrassed even. ¡°I know I¡¯m not the best fencer, but I wouldn¡¯t cheat, I promise! ina wouldn¡¯t either.¡± Cheat? Oh, shit. ina balled her hand up, punching the air. That¡¯s what that look was. Carline and ina were strong now, too strong, and Prisma had noticed. Were they going to be found out before Alonse got back? ¡°I talked to your other opponents, Carline, both yours and ina¡¯s. You didn¡¯t do anything to them like what you did to me, but ina did, to all of them. I know someone was helping you two, using their external aspect to bolster you. They did it on her the whole time, and then you once her matches were over.¡± ¡°No! That¡¯s¡ª I mean, it¡¯s not like that!¡± ¡°Then what is it like? You know you two can¡¯t go around doing this, or you¡¯ll get caught sooner orter.¡± Prisma¡¯s voice was thick with frustration, like she was holding back anger with every word. ¡°She fought Waine, Carline. If he realized what you two were doing, that she cheated against him, he¡¯d go ballistic. You know that, right? He¡¯s already pissed you wouldn¡¯t join our practicum team, not to mention that you¡¯re hanging out with her. I get that you¡¯re roommates, but I just¡ª I don¡¯t want him going after either of you anymore; I want it all to be over!¡± ¡°Why does it have to be over?¡± ina yelled, stomping out from behind the corner. ¡°We¡¯re not cheating, and we didn¡¯t do anything wrong before either.¡± Prisma looked at ina with wide eyes, blushing. Carline just looked at the ground with her hands crossed. ina realized the absurdity of the situation after a moment of silence. She was still soaking wet, shivering even, but the other two had already dried and changed, only their hair wet. ¡°Why are you still soaked?¡± Prisma asked. ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject! You were looking for us, right? You wanted to use us of cheating, right?¡± ¡°What else am I supposed to think you two were doing? I wouldn¡¯t put it past you, anyway.¡± Prisma crossed her arms and red at ina. ¡°After all, you went braless just to distract me too, right?¡± ¡°What? That was an ident! I keep telling everyone I had aundry issue!¡± ¡°Well it was very distracting!¡± Both girls blushed, looking away. So, it bothered her that much? ¡°Hey, uhm,¡± Carline said, stepping in between the other two. ¡°I think there¡¯s been a misunderstanding?¡± Prisma huffed, stepping around Carline and looking back at ina. ¡°Were you really not cheating?¡± Cheating? It was hard to say. She couldn¡¯t turn off the increased physical abilities from having a ss, after all. It wasn¡¯t like her aspect; they were just there. ¡°We weren¡¯t cheating,¡± ina decided. ¡°I¡¯m stronger than you think I am, and Carline¡¯s gotten stronger since youst fought her too.¡± Prisma narrowed her eyes, considering, then walked past ina, looking round the corner she¡¯de from. ¡°Alright then, prove it. There¡¯s no one else around, so I know no one¡¯s enhancing you right now.¡± ¡°Prisma,¡± Carline said, ¡°I don¡¯t think¡ª¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ina had had enough of nonsense usations. She walked over to Prisma and grabbed her by the waist. ¡°What¡¯re you¡ª Stop!¡± ina lifted, hoisting Prisma up as the girl braced herself on ina¡¯s arms with her hands, kicking her feet in the air. ¡°Put me down!¡± ina did, cing her back down with a slight grin. Prisma was blushing, straightening out her skirt and backing away. It¡¯s nice to not be the embarrassed one every once and a while. ¡°See? Carline can do it too, just as easily, if you need more proof.¡± ¡°No no!¡± Prisma said, backing way. ¡°That¡¯s fine; I believe you.¡± She finished fixing her skirt, then coughed in her hand before bowing down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for using you of cheating. I can see I was wrong. You''re just¡­ really strong, I guess.¡± ina blinked at the sight in front of her. Prisma Fireguard, one of the most important people in the country as far as she was aware of, was bowing and apologizing to her, ina ¡°didn¡¯t have ast name just a week ago¡± Weaver. ¡°Uhm, well, I ept your apology?¡± ¡°Me too,¡± Carline said. ¡°Come on ina, we should probably get going.¡± ¡°No. I want to talk to Prisma, alone.¡± Carline bit her lip, shaking her head. ¡°Uhm, are you sure?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ina needed this. ¡°Go on ahead, I¡¯ll catch up.¡± Carline looked like she was going to say more, but eventually started walking. ¡°I''ll, uhm, see you around, Prisma.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Prisma said. Carline walked off, leaving the other two alone. ¡°Are we good now?¡± Prisma opened her mouth, fumbling for words. ¡°What¡ª what do you mean good?¡± What did she mean? ¡°I mean, can we just move past everything? Start over, be friends?¡± Prisma sighed and walked past ina, keeping her back to her as ina turned around. ¡°No. I already said that. I can be cordial with you, friendly even, but not friends.¡± ina''s heart sank. It wasn''t the pain from earlier. No, this was more final than that. Her own eptance was changing the sensation, weighing it down. ¡°Okay¡­ So that''s that then?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± That was it. Friendly was all they could ever be now. ina still didn''t understand fully, but there was a peace in the finality of it all. Maybe with time, that sinking feeling would go away too. Prisma turned around, looking over ina¡¯s entire body. It almost looked like there was a tear in her eye. ¡°Come with me back to my dorm.¡± Prisma started walking, and ina stood there. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hurry up. I have something to give you.¡± ina shook her head, making sure she''d heard everything properly, and then ran off to catch up to Prisma, walking alongside her. It felt normal, walking through the school with Prisma again. The halls were quiet, most people either in their indoor sses or huddled up around the fires in themon rooms, and the two students walked through them like nothing had ever been amiss at all. If it weren¡¯t for ina¡¯s soaking and cold clothes, it would have felt perfectly normal. Why are we going to her dorm though? ¡°You really are impressive at fencing,¡± Prisma eventually said. ¡°With practice, you¡¯ll be very good. I may need to step up may own efforts if I want to remain at the top.¡± ¡°Oh, uhm thanks, I guess.¡± Prisma nodded. ¡°I do want to be friendly with you, like I said. We¡¯re ssmates, after all, and we have two important courses together. Just, don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I get it.¡± I think. ¡°We¡¯re like, acquaintances, I guess?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good way to think of it.¡± ¡°Hey, earlier, I wasn¡¯t really trying to eavesdrop, but¡­ you said you didn¡¯t want Waine to freak out?¡± Prisma¡¯s eyes nced over for just a moment. ¡°I wish you hadn¡¯t heard that. It wasn¡¯t really proper of me to say to Carline either, but I have a certain degree of familiarity with her. Those words were meant for her ears, and she understood them.¡± Well, that was that too. ina could tell pushing the matter further wouldn¡¯t be productive. They continued walking for a few minutes before they came to another dorm entrance, one that looked exactly like the one to ina¡¯s own. ¡°Uhm, I¡¯ll wait here?¡± Prisma flushed, looking confused and embarrassed both. ¡°What? No, you have toe up!¡± ¡°Oh,¡± ina said, confused herself. ¡°Is that okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You obviously can¡¯t stay after curfew or anything, but it¡¯s not even lunch yet.¡± Prisma marched into hermon room, ina following behind. This room was filled with students just like the one for ina¡¯s dorm, still all sitting by the fire, chatting away. She recognized some faces from her fencing ss, but none by name. A few of them nced at the two new arrivals as ina followed Prisma straight through the crowd, though none of them payed too much mind. Probably more confused about my clothes than anything else. They walked up the stairs and into Prisma¡¯s room down the hall. She locked the door, leaving her key inside of it as they entered. ina had half expected some sort of grand bedroom like Tira¡¯s, but no, it was the same exact room that ina herself had, save for a couple of decorations on the dressers and nightstands. One in particr stood out to ina, a picture of someone about Prisma¡¯s age, who looked quite a lot like her. ¡°Is that, uhm, Kohpicia?¡± ina said, pointing to the portrait. Prisma looked at it from the center of the room, hands together in front of her, fingers ying across each other. ¡°Yeah, Koh. I didn¡¯t know you knew about her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really. Professor Ranlit mentioned her.¡± Prisma smiled at that. ¡°She would. Koh was always her favorite, of course. Even outside of sparring, they always got along great.¡± ina smiled back. ¡°She sounds nice. I wish I could¡¯ve met her.¡± ¡°Yeah, she is. Maybe if she was here, things could¡¯ve been different after all.¡± Prisma stood there, staring at the portrait on her nightstand while ina waited in the corner of the room. ¡°So, you had something to give me?¡± She still had no idea what that could be. ¡°Yeah.¡± Prisma undid her jacket, pulling it off an cing it on her bed. ¡°I really am sorry about everything.¡± ina was having trouble following the logic, but she was enjoying the sight at least. Prisma in just that shirt was so good at drawing her attention. She could see the faint hint of ck bra underneath the fabric, and she found herself wishing she¡¯d paid more attention in the rain earlier. ¡°I wanted to make it up to you, just a little.¡± And then Prisma reached into her skirt, undoing the sp and letting it fall to the floor. Ch 1.41: Apology Ch 1.41: Apology Prisma¡¯s skirt fell to the ground, revealing the tops of her legs. They were still mostly covered by her ck socks, socks squishing at her thighs, but it was still the most of Prisma¡¯s body ina had ever seen at once, and the bottoms of Prisma¡¯s ck,cy panties peeking out from below her shirt only enchanted her more as Prisma bent over to undo her boots. ina was enraptured by the sight as Prisma stepped out of her shoes, picking them up with her skirt and cing them on the bed before standing up and looking at ina. Her eyes were inscrutable, some conflict swirling inside of them, but her face was flushed red. ¡°Uhm, should I take my clothes off too?¡± ina asked. Prisma hesitated a second before nodding. ¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ina unbuttoned her still wet jacket, shrugging it off to the ground. Prisma stared directly at her chest, and ina felt herself boiling with excitement at the thought. She nced down herself, fingers going to her skirt¡¯s sp, and saw just how on disy she was. She can see practically everything. It was bright from the crystal light in here too, not like outside when Flora had seen them in the overcast darkness. And I¡¯m not wearing anything under my skirt either. She looked back up at Prisma, at the girl still staring at her chest. Prisma was breathing heavily now, her tie held in one hand, shirt unbuttoned at the top, giving ina only the barest view of Prisma¡¯s gorgeous cleavage. Gods, she has perfect breasts. ina had always thought her own were just a bit toorge, but Prisma¡¯s were nothing short of or greater than spectacr. But it wasn¡¯t the time for admiring; it was time for showing. ina¡¯s hands trembled as she reached into her skirt, failing to find hold on the sp. She stilled her breathing and focused, grabbing the small metal piece and pulling it, releasing the restraint, but holding her skirt together with her hands. Looking up, seeing Prisma¡¯s longing gaze at her skirt, she let go. It fell to the ground, a wet thump ringing out in the room. ina stood there, legs closed, hiding most of everything with her own thick thighs, as Prisma gawped at her bare legs. And ina had to keep them closed, couldn¡¯t bear to bare more yet. There was something about the whole situation, them stripping separately to lead up to the finale, that was driving her wild, moisture pooling up and dripping down her inner thighs. She stepped forward out of her skirt, still keeping her legs together as best she could. ¡°So, what next?¡± she asked. Prisma was still gawping at ina¡¯s bare legs. ¡°Why did you take off your panties too?¡± She looked behind ina, at the pile of clothes, and then backed up, covering her own crotch with her hands. ¡°Wait, were you not wearing underwear at all today?¡± ina covered in between her own legs with her hands as well, also backing up. ¡°I told you I had aundry issue!¡± She felt her foot catch something, the leg of Prisma¡¯s bed, tried to recover, and then slipped on her own wet skirt still on the floor, tumbling to the ground. She was lying there, on her back, in the middle of Prisma¡¯s room, legs syed, wearing only apletely transparent shirt, Prisma looking down on her with the reddest face ina had seen in her entire life. Gods she looks cute. ¡°I¡ª You¡ª¡± Prisma couldn¡¯t get any more words out, stammering broken sybles as ina struggled to her feet, feeling herself grow redder, grow hornier by the second. It was too much. She needed to be touched, by herself or Prisma, one or the other. She started reaching in between her legs to¡ª ¡°Just take these and put them on!¡± Prisma said, holding clothes in front of ina as she looked to the side, face still blood red. ¡°What?¡± ina asked. She¡¯d hit her head, but not hard enough to confuse her as much as she was right now. ¡°Here,¡± Prisma said, shoving them into ina¡¯s arms. ina took them, holding them in front of her pussy to hide herself somewhat. Both girls were terribly red, burning as they stood there. Prisma eventually took in a deep breath and knelt down. She bowed, cing her head and hands on the ground, the sight driving ina¡¯s mind mad. Prisma was on the floor in only her shirt, underwear, and those thigh-high socks, bowing. ina could see nearly her entire backside from this position, the high cut giving her a lovely preview of those perfectly shaped cheeks. ¡°Uhm, Prisma, what are you doing?¡± The girl remained there a moment, prostrating herself for ina¡¯s view before finally speaking. ¡°ina, I¡¯m so sorry for what I did. It was terrible, horrible, cruel¡­ I thought I didn¡¯t have a choice, but that¡¯s no excuse. I should have fought for you, done whatever it took to convince them to just leave you alone, but I was too much of a coward. ¡°I¡¯ve hated myself every day since. For doing it, for how I felt doing it, for taking that stupid picture at the end¡­ I mean, you didn¡¯t look stupid of course, you looked so¡­ Gods, it¡¯s fucked of me to even think that you looked¡ª You were terrified, not cute!¡± Prisma looked up, pursing her lips together, tears welling in her blue eyes. ¡°I know we can¡¯t be friends after what I did, ina. Even if I hadn¡¯t, there¡¯s still the other stuff¡­ So it¡¯s selfish of me to ask, but can you ever forgive me?¡± Well, it was certainly an effective way of apologizing. To the personying on the floor in front of her, ina could have forgiven just about anything. ¡°I can.¡± ¡°Thank the gods.¡± Prisma stood up, pulling her shirt down as she did, eyes nearly as red as her face now. ¡°I¡¯ll turn around while you get dressed, I suppose.¡± Her eyes were still looking at ina¡¯s chest. ¡°Wait, get dressed?¡± ¡°Uhm, yes? That¡¯s why you¡¯re here.¡± ina looked down, slowly realizing something, that the clothes in her hands were dry. ¡°Wait, are these yours?¡± ¡°Well, yeah,¡± Prisma said, brows furrowing. ¡°I know you don¡¯t have a spare uniform set anymore, so I¡¯m giving you mine. You don¡¯t deserve to walk around soaking wet, after all¡­ Once you put those on, I¡¯ll grab you one of my spare shirts from the dresser.¡± ina blinked. ¡°Right, because you cut mine up.¡± Prisma looked away, shame in her eyes again. ¡°Yeah, cause I did that. My jacket may be a little tight, but I wear my skirt a bit longer than you anyway, so it should fit even though you¡¯re a bit taller.¡± ¡°Oh, uhm¡­¡± ina was starting to realize that she may have misunderstood the situation, blood rushing to her cheeks. ¡°I actually got a recement uniform though. I, uhm, thought we were doing something else right now.¡± ¡°But¡ª but you¡¯re still wearing the soaked one? Because I ruined your spare, right?¡± ¡°No, uhm, I was still outside for a little bit. I just hadn¡¯t had time to change yet.¡± She started ying with the clothes in her hand, fidgeting with the fabric. ¡°ina. What ¡®something else¡¯ did you think we were doing?¡± Prisma¡¯s wide eyed stare was demanding an answer from ina even more than Tira could. ¡°Well, I mean, you invited me up to your room and started stripping, said I should strip myself¡ª¡± ¡°Out.¡± The word was soft, butmanding. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll, uhm.¡± ina shuffled over and gave Prisma her clothes back, turning around and running back to her own clothes. ¡°And why is your ass so red!¡± Prisma asked from behind. ina pulled her skirt back up, heart pounding in her chest. ¡°Laundry issue!¡± She ran to the door with her jacket in her hand, fumbling to get the door open. ¡°Uhm, it¡¯s stuck,¡± she said, turning around. Prisma¡¯s eyes were overflowing with rage, her cheeks radiating embarrassment as she held one hand over her chest and her skirt in front of her waist with the other. ¡°The key,¡± she said. ina looked down, remembering Prisma had left it in the lock. She twisted it, pulling it out and cing it on the nightstand. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be going now, uhm, thanks for having me.¡± She winced, shaking her head as she ran out into the hall. ¡°What the stars do you think ¡®acquaintances¡¯ means!¡± ina heard from beyond the door as she mmed it shut and darted off, pulling her jacket on as she flew down the dorm stairs. She ran through themon room holding it closed over her chest, ignoring the stares as she made her way out into the school halls. She slowed, catching her breath once she was out of sight of anyone. Her pussy was throbbing, begging to be touched, but she had to wait. Gods, she saw everything. She sprinted all the way back to her ownmon room, running through and up to her own room. She threw the door open, startling Carline who jumped up from her own bed with a squeak. ¡°ina! Are you okay? What happened?¡± ¡°No time,¡± ina said, pulling her jacket off and throwing it to the ground. ¡°I need you to watch me fuck myself.¡± She used her aspect to release her skirt, it falling to the floor again with another wet thump as her fingers dove into her bare pussy. Ch 1.42: Mutual Ch 1.42: Mutual ¡°Okay,¡± Carline said after ina dered her intentions. She expected ina to strip off more, but no, instead she just threw herself onto the bed, continuing to finger herself. It was driving Carline wild, both the sight and the feeling. Carline could sense ina¡¯s arousal through [Health], and it felt like the feeling was leaking out of her aspect into her own body. ¡°Can I tell you what happened now?¡± ina asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Carline said, standing up. She wasn¡¯t exactly mad that ina had stopped stripping. There was something about the girlying there,pletely bottomless while she masturbated, only that transparent shirt and bowtie up top. Carline had imagined being able to see through someone¡¯s clothes her entire life, and with her new friend she was finally getting to satisfy that urge guilt free again for once¡ªsometimes without even using her ss, apparently. ¡°I went to her room. She invited me up, started stripping her clothes off.¡± Prisma stripping? Stars, Carline was jealous. What she wouldn¡¯t have given to have seen that. She fidgeted her hands in her jacket pocket, trying to keep them upied. ¡°She took her jacket off, then her skirt, then her boots. Told me I should start stripping too.¡± An idea popped into Carline¡¯s head. But am I brave enough to do? They both would be. ¡°Uhm, you¡ª you mean like this?¡± She started unbuttoning her jacket, working it off her shoulders and cing it on her bed. She felt herself burning bright red as she stood up and unhooked her skirt, pulling it off and cing it with her jacket before bending over and undoing her shoes. ¡°Yeah, just like that.¡± ina was lying of course. Carline had tights on, her legs stillpletely covered. She¡¯d always been embarrassed about wearing skirts, about the size of her thighs, and she¡¯d done her best to hide them. She¡¯d done almost everything she could to reduce the amount of people that would see any part of her legs, even going as far as changing in the bathroom stalls when showering to reduce the amount of people that would see her in a towel. She thought about their time in the dungeon, about her robes, the robes I ripped apart. ina hadn¡¯t seen everything of course, but more than Carline would let most anyone else see, more than she¡¯d shown anyone else except one. And that was alright, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°I mean, uhm she probably wasn¡¯t wearing tights though, right?¡± Why was Carline asking that. She knew the answer already. I¡¯m not asking for confirmation; I¡¯m asking for permission. ina shook her head, eyes pleading. ¡°No, she wasn¡¯t.¡± Carline just nodded, reaching to the garment¡¯s waistband. I¡¯m really doing this. I¡¯m brave, just like her! She pulled them down, smile growing on her burning face. Is this how they feel when they do it? Probably not quite the same for ina, at least. Carline was getting turned on, yes, getting embarrassed, yes, but not turned on from getting embarrassed, right? The embarrassment wasn¡¯t something Carline actually wanted, was something she wanted to get over, to an extent, but overall? This is nice. After peeling off her tights, Carline went to cover her panties. Prisma probably isn¡¯t wearing such revealing underwear either. They were simple, white, cotton, and scandalously small, just a small triangle in front and a thin string in the back, a string Carline definitely wasn¡¯t ready for ina to see. It wasn¡¯t that Carline wanted to wear skimpy underwear, it¡¯s just what was mostfortable when she was already wearing tights. But no, this wasn¡¯t fair. Three. ina was showing everything to her, had already shown everything to her multiple times. Two. And here Carline was, covering her underwear while she had on a full shirt and bra both. One. She pulled her hands off her crotch, crossing them behind her back and blushing more, feeling the dampness grow between her legs. Stars, I¡¯m wearing white down there too. And ina stared up at her, in¡­ awe? Was that the look? Wide eyes, open mouth, heavy breathing. Carline couldn¡¯t remember ever being looked at quite like this. ¡°You know,¡± ina said, panting in between her words. ¡°Prisma. She wasn¡¯t¡ª She took off her tie, unbuttoned her top button.¡± ¡°Right.¡± That was where this was going, after all. Had ina and Prisma really¡­ That fast? It would exin why ina was hungry for more, at the least. And was Carline ready to go there too? ¡°So, more like this?¡± Carline pulled at her tie, letting it fall to the ground, then went to unbutton the top of her shirt. Just the one button though? She looked down, seeing how little that revealed on her. Prisma was probably showing more cleavage, right? That¡¯s just how a smaller chest would work. She fumbled her way out of two more buttons, anxiety welling as she did. She was even less willing to show her boobs than her legs. It was just so lewd for her massive breasts to be revealed at all. But ina seemed to be enjoying it. She was leaning up, eyes glued to Carline¡¯s chest while she yed with herself down below, one hand rubbing inside, one hand rubbing outside. ¡°Gods Carline, you¡¯re so beautiful.¡± Carline looked away, crossing her arms in front of herself again. She didn¡¯t really understand it, why someone with a body as perfect as ina would want to look at her, but¡­ It makes me happy. Carline wasn¡¯t fine with just happy anymore though; she wanted to be in bliss, so she lowered her arms. ¡°What happened next?¡± ina blinked, looking back up at Carline and blushing again, even deeper. ¡°Carline, it was mortifying¡­¡± She stood up, standing next to her bed. ¡°She pushed her dry clothes in my hands, told me to get dressed¡­ She was just trying to rece my uniform, cause she saw me soaked, with the only dry one she still had.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Carline said, heart seeming to stop. ¡°So, you two didn¡¯t¡­¡± ina shook her head, smiling. ¡°I thought we were. Then I got flustered, started walking back, tripped like this.¡± ina made an exaggerated fall, pretending to slip on her skirt as she crawled onto the floor and opened her legs, the pink lips between them spreading out, glistening. ¡°I actually fucking fell like this, Carline. Right in front of her.¡± Carline¡¯s heart was racing again. There had been a moment of disappointment, realization that this little recreation of theirs wasn¡¯t heading to something more, but Carline could get behind this, ina syed out on the floor almostpletely naked, face so red it looked like it had stolen the rest of the body¡¯s blood. ¡°It was humiliating, Carline,¡± ina said, one hand going back to rub herself as the other started unbuttoning the middle buttons of her shirt, sliding inside of it to rub her nipple. ¡°I was so fucking worked up, still am worked up. I wanted to show her this, show her everything.¡± ina turned over, disying her wonderfully round, plump rear, still bright red and stinging with pain that Carline could vaguely sense with her aspect. ¡°She saw my ass, what Tira did to me,¡± ina said as she pushed herself up, kneeling with her back to Carline. She held herself on just her knees and one hand, the other going in between her legs, pulling her pussy lips apart, barely even ying with them, just spreading them for the show. As ina moaned out, Carline felt sorry for Prisma, the poor girl who wouldn¡¯t get to see this, hear this. ina leaned over, resting her head on the ground as she thrust her butt up towards Carline even more, fingers starting to delve deep inside her sex. It was finally too much, too engaging to just watch. Carline¡¯s own hand went into her underwear, feeling her already wet slit and rubbing her fingers over it, the edge finally starting toe off at the touch. She¡¯d needed this earlier, after having seen ina and Prisma in those wet shirts outside, but she hadn¡¯t had the time to take care of herself in the shower. She¡¯d been worried about ina then, but now that she knew everything was okay it was safe to indulge a little, right? She went to massage her breast with her other hand, digging into the soft flesh with her fingertips. She wanted to do more, touch more, but ina could turn around at any moment, and she wasn¡¯t ready to show that. Not yet, anyway. ¡°Carline, this is so embarrassing,¡± ina forced between moans, shaking on her knees. ¡°You¡¯re so hot,¡± was all Carline could manage back, huffing as she tried to suppress her own cries of pleasure. ¡°I really¡ªuhn¡ªappreciate you. Even with Tira, I, I don¡¯t think I could debase myself like this, not of my own volition, without being ordered to.¡± That uhn, that squeak, was like music. ¡°I appreciate you too,¡± Carline said, chest heaving as she copsed back down on her bed. ina was shaking now, those uhns growing in volume, pitch, and frequency as she ground her hips into her own hand, gyrating her butt through the air for Carline¡¯s viewing pleasure. ¡°Carline, I¡ª Fuck!¡± If there was music before, the cry ina let out now was a symphony, echoing through the room as she convulsed on the floor. ¡°Ugh!¡± Carline shouted, unable to hold back her moans anymore as she watched ina squirm on the floor in ecstasy. Her own orgasm rushed through her like a wildfire, inming every part of her body as she felt ina¡¯s orgasm through her aspect too. Gods, I love my life, she thought as the two of them finished themselves off, ina finally slowing down and copsing onto the floor entirely, eyes turning back up to her roommate. Carline was embarrassed, feeling herself growing flush again as ina watched, but she didn¡¯t stop rubbing herself through her underwear. ¡°That was great.¡± And I don¡¯t want it to end. ¡°Feeling¡¯s mutual.¡± ina said, legs quivering as she stood up and started unbuttoning her shirt. ¡°You know, there¡¯s something you and I have to make right.¡± Ch 1.43: First Ch 1.43: First ina was doing her best to sound confident, but she knew she was shaking as she spoke. How could she not when she was looking at the divine beauty in front of her? Carline was just sitting there, her own face burning red too, simple white bra peeking out of her shirt while her hand was rubbing just underneath that tiny cotton triangle under her waist, plunging right into the small tuft of dark hair the panties were covering. She was d that Carline still seemed worked up, even if the girl was moving slowly. ¡°We said we would, back in the dungeon.¡± ¡°We¡ª said we would what?¡± Carline said, still halfway out of breath. ina finished unbuttoning her shirt and let it drop to the ground, kicking off her footwear and walking over to Carline, sauntering over to her. Was that a little bit of confidence in her step? ¡°Well, you had your face in my cleavage then, right? And I had yourp as a pillow. We said we''d return the favors.¡± Carline¡¯s face brightened with realization. ¡°Oh, r¡ªright!¡± She took her hand out of her panties, looking down at her chest. ¡°Do you, uhm, want to go first.¡± ¡°I¡ª err, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± That was the order it would have to be for what ina had nned. Carline nodded, unbuttoning her shirt a little more, stopping as it got to her stomach. ¡°Well,e on over, I guess.¡± ina was eager, and it took every bit of her will not to throw herself right at Carline, but she did hesitate. ¡°Hey, uhm, this is okay, right? I know we talked about it earlier, but we don¡¯t have to do it right now, or at all if you don¡¯t want.¡± Carline shook her head frantically. ¡°No! I mean, uhm, yes it¡¯s okay, no to not wanting to do it right now. I¡¯m just, like¡­¡± She looked back down at her body, arms wrapping around the still buttoned portion of her shirt. ¡°You really want this though?¡± ¡°Uhm, yes?¡± ina didn¡¯t mean for it toe out so bluntly, but the question just confused her. ¡°I would love to, if you¡¯ll let me.¡± A soft smile grew on Carline¡¯s face, and then she stuck her chest out. ¡°Okay then.¡± ina crept forward thosest couple steps, standing right in front of Carline. The bed was high enough that she would only have to bend over a little bit to ce her head on the lovely mounds in front of her, round and inviting, pushed together by the bra. They¡¯re huge. Bigger than ina¡¯s already generous chest, far bigger than Prisma¡¯s. ina had thought of Prisma as having the perfect size boobs, but Carline was making her realize perfection coulde in multiple ways. She leaned over, resting her head against them and closing her eyes. The scent ofvender, the soap Carline must have used, invaded her mind, gripping her heart as she savored Carline¡¯s softness. ¡°Uhm, do you want to try it with me standing up?¡± Carline asked. ina lifted her head up as she was brought out of the trance. ¡°Oh, yeah, sure.¡± They traded positions, ina eagerly throwing herself onto her own bed as Carline worked her way up, standing in front of her with her arms held back, chest still pushed out. It was the perfect position for this. ina was looking straight at Carline¡¯s neck, and all it would take was a little tilt of her head to reach that paradise again. She leaned forward, pressing in hard with her head this time, not justying there. It was a little awkward, a little silly even as she did it, reveling in the act, but who could me her? It was her first time feeling another woman¡¯s breasts, and she was going to make the most of it, even if it was with her face instead of her hands. It still wasn¡¯t enough though. ¡°Can I touch you?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Carline whispered. ina pulled back, eyes falling below again, seeing that Carline had started touching herself once more. She ced one hand on Carline¡¯s thigh as she leaned her head forward, once again pressing her face into Carline¡¯s cleavage. The thigh was soft as well, smooth as she ran her hand down it. She wanted to run her hand up, reach around behind Carline, but she didn¡¯t want to scare her friend off. ina inhaled,vender filling her mind again as she brought her other hand up and squeezed Carline¡¯s breast. Soft, squishy, firmer the more she pressed down. Gods I love my life. But she was jealous; she still wanted more. ina lifted her head up. ¡°Can I kiss you?¡± It took her a moment to process what she¡¯d just said, and then her eyes grew wide. She hadn¡¯t meant to ask that, right? The words had just fallen out on ident. Carline stared back at her, mouth barely open as she nodded and closed her eyes, leaning down to ina¡¯s height, pale lips resting there, waiting. My first kiss. Well, as long as you didn¡¯t count what she¡¯d done to Tira the night before as a kiss. That was different! ina swallowed, anxiety and fear building inside her. [Fear Response] was actually in effect though, converting some of that fright into pure horniness, drawing her forward as much as the fear was pulling her back. Her eyes closed, and before she knew it, her mouth was on Carline¡¯s. All anxiety faded, all fear fled, and only bliss remained for ina. Somehow softer and smoother than her breasts, Carline¡¯s lips enveloped her own. ina was caught off guard at first, frozen as Carline opened and closed her mouth over ina¡¯s repeatedly. Right, she¡¯s not a virgin, so she knows what she¡¯s doing. ina inhaled through her nose, matching Carline¡¯s movements the best she could. Carline changed it up though, soft suckling on ina¡¯s lips every few passes, tongue starting to press into ina¡¯s mouth, firm and wet as it danced around inside of her. It was driving her mad, ina feeling herself growing as wet on her lips down below as she was around her lips up top. And she was naked too. Naked for her first kiss while her partner still had clothes on. Carline wasn¡¯t exactly decent, but the contrast was absurd. You didn¡¯t need to be the only one nude for your first kiss, but somehow that¡¯s how it had ended up. Only because I decided to take my shirt off for no reason. Carline leaned forward, ina copsing back into the bed. She brought one hand back to Carline¡¯s chest, massaging it as her other hand finally did wrap around, grabbing her friend¡¯s plump, soft ass, kneading it through her fingers as the two girls both started moaning. This was so different than what had happened with Tira the night before, and still so wonderful. Lying there, Carline on top of her, she felt warmth,fort,panionship. And ina still wanted more, to touch so much more, but she was afraid to go anywhere Carline still had covered. She was desperate to see Carline naked, but it didn¡¯t seem like Carline was there yet, so she could wait. Eventually, Carline lifted off, looking down. She was adorable, hanging over ina like that, bobbed, wet hair falling around her face, lovely green eyes wide with excitement. ¡°There¡ª there was something else, right? To make things fair?¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± That was the deal, thep pillow for Carline. ina didn¡¯t want the kissing to stop, but she had been looking forward to the second part of her n anyway. ¡°Let me sit up.¡± Carline rolled over,ying down as ina sat up. She wasn''t naked when Iid on her thighs, but I don''t think she''ll mind this. She patted her legs once she was up straight, beckoning her friend over. Carline crawled up, giving ina a fantastic view of her swinging breasts as she made her way across the bed andid her head down across ina''sp, eyes staring straight along her legs until they met at ina''s torso. Carline wouldn''t really be able to see anything, not at first, with ina''s legs still closed, but she was clearly trying. ina''s hand drifted to the crease of her thighs, two fingers squeezing their way in between them, just long enough to reach herbia. She couldn''t believe what she was doing, masturbating with Carline literally on top of her, getting herself off only inches from Carline''s face. She''d thought it would be hard to rub herself like this, but she was so wet that moving her fingers between her legs was as easy as if they were inside of her. And Carline was so adorable, enraptured by the sight. It was really just ina''s fingers rubbing between her thighs, everything else hidden, but Carline was still as focused as a cat watching her food bowl be ced down. ina spread her legs just a bit, giving Carline a peek at her swollen pink lips before going back at them with her fingers. She saw Carline¡¯s fingers go back down into her panties as well, rubbing herself as her eyes watched ina do the same. ¡°Can I touch you?¡± Carline asked. ¡°Anywhere.¡± Carline stood up, one hand still down her underwear, the other pushing ina onto her back as she crawled onto the bed next to her. Carline''s eyes were still focused on ina''s own masturbation, but her free hand went to ina''s breast, caressing it. ¡°Uhn!¡± Gods that felt wonderful. How had she gone her whole life without being touched by another woman? ina started panting as she touched herself, mouth gaping as Carline worked her nipples with her gentle touch, until Carline turned and met her gaze. Carline took her hand off of ina''s chest and fell on top of her, their mouths meeting once again as. ina had no hesitation this time, diving her tongue into Carline, using her free hand to embrace Carline, who in turn passed her fingers through ina''s long hair, gently massaging her scalp. Pure ecstasy. ina was lucky her moans were muffled by their kissing, because if not she was certain the whole dorm would''ve heard her cry out. She pulled Carline tight to her naked body, grinding her hips onto Carline''s thigh as she rubbed her own sex, iming every bit of contact with the girl¡¯s soft body she could possibly have. Carline started convulsing right after ina did, clutching her leg with her own thigh, lightly pulling at ina''s hair. Their mouths traded moans as well as tongues as they soared into their climaxes, until their lips finally parted. Carline looked tired. Her eyes were half closed, breathing heavy as she looked back into ina''s eyes. ina felt the same way, all energy now drained from her body. She wasn''t a stranger to multiple orgasms in one session, but having a partner really took something extra out of you. ¡°Still great,¡± Carline panted. ¡°Still feel the same,¡± ina replied. Wrapping her other arm around Carline and pulling her close. ¡°I''m really gonna need that shower now.¡± Carlineughed, returning the embrace. ina suffered in excitement as she felt Carline''s other hand fall on her bare back. ¡°I''ll need another.¡± ¡°Well I guess I could go for round three,¡± ina said, smirking to herself. Carline swatted ina''s arm and pushed away,ughing again. ¡°You know what I mean.¡± She stood up, giving ina the briefest view of her ass,rge, wonderful, and only covered by the thin thong string up top, before turning around again. ¡°I kind of wish the stalls wererge enough for two. Or that they had baths.¡± ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± ina said. Was that all that was keeping her from seeing Carline naked? If so, ina had an architect toin to. ¡°We could always see if Tira would let us use her private bathroom some time.¡± ¡°Before you two get distracted again,¡± a voice said from the crystal sitting atop Carline''s nightstand, ¡°there is a matter we must discuss.¡± Ch 1.44: Interruption Ch 1.44: Interruption ina¡¯s eyes went wide as she realized the System was there, speaking. Watching? It was emitting a dull blue glow, not even brighter than the room¡¯s crystal lights. Carline threw herself onto her bed and crawled under the covers, face glowing bright pink as she let out a short yelp. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, ina! I forgot I¡¯d taken her out.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong,¡± ina said, covering herself with her hands and backing away from the crystal. ¡°System, why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± ¡°I¡ª I didn¡¯t want to be rude and interrupt.¡± ina pursed her lips, frustrated, confused. ¡°Do you, like, actually see things? Do you have eyes?¡± ¡°You can think of my cores as omnidirectional eyes. I can see in all directions.¡± ¡°Gods, you call her a voyeur, but you''re the one that''s always just sitting there watching!¡± ¡°Well, excuse me! I suppose next time I will just get up and roll away to give you two some privacy. Although maybe if you¡¯re more thoughtful of¡ª¡± ina threw her sheet onto the orb. ¡°Hey! That is extremely rude, you know.¡± ¡°Let us get dressed please,¡± ina said, picking up her wet skirt up once more. ¡°You cane out now, Carline.¡± Carline¡¯s head popped out first, looking at the nket-covered System before turning to her roommate. ina blushed as she pulled her skirt up, embarrassment returning to her. Now that¡­ whatever we just did is over, it¡¯s somehow even more embarrassing to be naked in front of her again. She couldn¡¯t help but smile though as Carline¡¯s longing gaze followed her while she grabbed her shirt once more. ¡°You¡¯re not putting on dry clothes?¡± Carline asked. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m showering anyway, remember? Right after we go over whatever the System needs.¡± ina turned away from Carline to let her dress in peace, despite her desire to be a bit of a voyeur herself, because she knew the girl still had some hang-ups over that sort of thing. ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± Carline eventually said. ina turned back, struck again by the beauty of the girl before her. There was something about the look on her face, the tiredness, the distractedness, the serenity. It was a feeling ina hade to know and love herself over thest two days, and that look was more beautiful to ina than any physical characteristic she¡¯d ever seen on another woman. The peace and rxation after such an intimate act was somehow the best part of everything, both to feel herself and see on others. ¡°Can you please take this nket off me?¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina said, breaking from her trance and throwing her sheet back on her bed. ¡°You¡ª you know I am not human, correct? I do not have the biological predisposition to arousal or voyeurism you do.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s still weird!¡± ina said. ¡°Just tell us if we forget something like that, okay? You¡¯re so quiet most of the time that we can forget you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°That is because I am very busy and have many things to analyze. For instance, there is another of my cores that is in imminent danger.¡± ina¡¯s eyes shot to Carline, worry coursing through her¡ªand that damned skill distractingly converting some of that to arousal¡ªas she contemted the words. She¡¯d really wanted to talk to Alonse before something like this came up, but it would almost certainly be days or longer before he returned. ¡°How imminent? And what type of danger?¡± ¡°Very imminent, but far less danger than before. I have no records of a facility being kept near where this core is, so it is likely another secretive hiding ce like the cave in the forest. The danger is of your world though, humans who found the area a few hours ago. They are Aspected, and collecting other crystal fragments in the area.¡± ¡°Crystal poachers,¡± Carline said, shaking her head. ¡°There aren¡¯t many ces left with crystal deposits that aren¡¯t under direct supervision of the state, but sometimes smaller ones are found and exploited by less savory types.¡± ¡°And if they found the System¡­¡± Gods, ina did not want to deal with this right now. She still had Combatives after lunch, needed to eat lunch itself, and shower before both of those. ¡°As Administrator, it is your duty to ensure such a thing does not happen. If criminal elements gained ess to sses, however unlikely that may be, it would only cause trouble for you and your people, not to mention be a drain on potential System resources.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I just remove their ss? You said I could do that.¡± ¡°You could expel them from the System, but only after regaining control of the subcore that added them in the first ce. Such is the nature of my current fragmentary existence.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± ina shook her head. ¡°Exactly how dangerous is this?¡± ¡°It is another level one mission, the lowest grade there can be, but anecdotally I can tell you that the two humans there are nowhere near as strong as you two are currently.¡± ina rolled her eyes. ¡°You said basically the same thingst time.¡± ¡°That¡ª again, I am sorry about that. This is different, though. These are two Aspected, unssed individuals. They would not be a match for you two if it were toe tobat, and with your growing awareness as System Administrator you will be drawn to the subcore, while they are not, so it is possible you will avoid confrontation entirely.¡± Drawn to the subcore? Just thinking of that brought awareness to ina, a slight pull towards both the orb on the nightstand and towards the forest, out in the direction of the small grove and cave that held the original copy of the System, just the same has her room key had led her to her room on her first night at Endrin. ¡°Okay¡­ Well, can it wait a little bit? Like, a couple of hours?¡± ¡°Maybe just after lunch?¡± Carline said. ¡°Your Combatives will probably be canceled due to rain, and I have free medical study today anyway. I have an assignment due tomorrow, but I can just work on itwhenever we get back.¡± ¡°That is an eptable suggestion. The individuals may locate the subcore, but they will not be able to utilize it without finding a potential unawakened individual who can be granted¡ª The System stopped speaking, the soft blue glow dimming even more, almostpletely snuffed out, before brightening to a higher intensity than the room¡¯s regr lights. ¡°That must wait. There is a far greater threat that is far more immediate.¡± ¡°What¡ª¡± ina was cut off by a sounding from outside the window, a blood-curdlingly familiar howl-growl ringing out under the thunderstorm. Ch 1.45: Instinct Ch 1.45: Instinct ¡°Starhounds?¡± ina asked. She knew it was a stupid question. Nothing from their world could ever make a sound like that. ¡°Correct. They are on school grounds. And they are not alone; numerous members of the Red Order are with them.¡± ina locked eyes with Carline, both of them realizing just how monumentally they had fucked up by waiting. ¡°We have to tell someone,¡± Carline said, ¡°Calivahn, Ranlit, anyone!¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina said, putting on her boots andcing them up before grabbing a shoulder bag to carry the crystal in. ¡°I¡¯ll take the System and find someone.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± the System said. ¡°I will do my best to mask the presence of my main core, however¡ª¡± The crash of breaking ss. ina turned, seeing a grotesque, pale white face hanging right where their window used to be, a gnarled hand with red, crystal nails reaching in. She watched, almost in slow motion as the creature grabbed the System, the System started screaming, and then both creature and crystal fell out of the window, falling backward into the grounds. The next thing ina felt was pain, pain mixed with the arousal her skills provided, both [Pain Response] and [Fear Response] as she was flying out of the window, shards of broken ss cutting into her arms and legs. She was falling to the ground before she realized she had even jumped, eyes wide as the grass below was racing up towards her. She reached for [Restraint], creating a rope in between her hands as she fell and attaching it to the frame of the window with a simple knot. She gripped the rope hard, hands burning from the friction as she slowed down. She still hit the ground, hard, legs buckling as shended. Bells were ringing now. Is it lunchtime? Her entire head was dizziness now, pain, fear, and that damned horniness addling her brain in tandem. The arousal took away some of the sting, some of the dread, but the burning in her loins was still distracting in its own right. The rain was lighter now, still going, but not quite the downpour as before. ina pushed herself up, seeing the creature holding the System darting off towards the forest, towards the System¡¯s main core. The orb itself wasn¡¯t glowing blue anymore, but instead that haunting red that the Red Order crystals glowed. ¡°No you don¡¯t,¡± she said, conjuring a shackle around the thing¡¯s leg and attaching it to a spike she created in the ground. It lurched forward as it reached the end of the ck, falling on its face as ina ran towards it. She got a better look as she got closer. It was vaguely human shaped, more masculine this time, but also far more grotesque with misshapen muscles and unevenly sized limbs. It was naked, and the only crystals it had on it were the w ones on its fingers. Myri had had a sense of unnatural beauty around her, elegant features and the myriad of crystal adornments, but this thing was pure monstrosity. It writhed on the ground as she approached, wriggling and trying to crawl towards the forest once more. She needed to end it. She could, and she¡¯d ended a monster before, but this was¡­ No, it wasn¡¯t different, couldn¡¯t be different, even if this one looked as much human as it did beast. At a safe distance, she conjured another rope, wrapping it twice around the creature¡¯s neck and holding it, pressing into the thing¡¯s windpipe, snuffing out its life. ina flew through the air, knocked aside by an unseen force and losing her grip on [Restraint]. The manifestations held, but the force she was using on the rope weakened as she hit the ground for a second time, seeing another pale figure running past her towards the first. This one was another naked, monstrous creature, feminine this time, though nowhere near as graceful as Myri. It bounded towards the fallen one on all four limbs, opening up a horrifically sized jaw and revealing a long row of red crystal teeth before chomping down to grab the System. The first one screamed out in agony, a disturbingly human-like sound, as the second¡¯s teeth crunched through its, taking both hand and orb in its mouth before running off again, leaving itspanion screaming on the ground. ¡°Gods, fuck you too!¡± ina shouted, running after the creature. She tried shackling this one¡¯s leg too, but its movements were too fast, too unnatural for her to follow, so she had to settle for wrapping chains around the creature¡¯s torso instead. Shetched them to two more spikes in the ground, using that to leverage some of the force required to hold the thing back, but she needed to hold the chains together up top, draining her mana. She had plenty of that now though. It wasn¡¯t quite double what she¡¯d had before, but more than half as much, at least. The creature turned, eyes trained on ina, and charged at her. And she had been too sloppy with the amount of chain she¡¯d made, too sloppy with her approach as well. She had made it too long, gotten too close, and the thing crashed into her once more, pinning her to the ground. Blue blood dripped from the severed hand inside the monster¡¯s mouth as it growled around the orb in its jaw. Up close it was even more horrific, the way it had contorted it¡¯s face to hold the system in those red teeth, the gray eyes bulging out of their sockets, and the ttened nose with red nostrils. It was also entirely naked, though this time the only crystals were those damned teeth baring down on her. ina pushed the creature up with her arms and pulled the chains around it back with her aspect,unching the monstrosity into the air as she crawled out of range of it. Distance was what she needed right now, and then she could worry about taking the System back. The thing didn¡¯t seem interested in giving it up though, jaw still clenched around the crystal as itnded a few feet away. ina counted herself lucky that this one¡¯s only obvious weapons were upied, but she could still hear the whine¡¯s of pain from the System as it pulsed red, the same cries it had made when Myri was trying to remove it from the dungeon, that same red lightning coursing through the orb. ina cried out in pain herself as something raked across her back. [Pain Response] was maxed out now, so she felt the full force of the first creature¡¯s only remaining hand as it gouged at her skin, sending her falling to the mud once more. Bells were still ringing, faster, pounding aggressively in ina¡¯s mind, as her back screamed out in its suffering, as the sound of rain pattered around her and surrounded her agony. The first creature was limping at her as she crawled away, having torn off its own foot that had been shackled, bleeding from both leg and arm stubs as it hobbled towards her. Hah, its limbs are even lengths now, she thought. Why am I noticing that at a time like this? That bleeding monster wasn¡¯t even the most immediate danger though, as in her pain ina had let go of the chains binding the second one, and it was bounding for her as well, wanting to finish off the person that was disrupting them from their mission, no doubt.. At least I tried¡­ A boot flew over her head and collided with the creature¡¯s face, sending the System flying out out of its crushed jaw. ¡°Up, ina!¡± ina turned her head, seeing a tall girl, human, in an Endrin uniform, fists held up high. ¡°Flora?¡± ¡°Righto, now get inside!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± ina said. She stumbled over to the fallen orb on her hands and knees, the System covered in blood as its soft blue glow lit up the ground. It wasn¡¯t silent with its dull moaning, but it wasn¡¯t screaming at least as ina scooped it into the shoulder bag she¡¯d grabbed. ¡°There¡¯s someone else in the forest.¡± ¡°Yeah, more of these things!¡± Flora¡¯s fist smacked into the first creature¡¯s chest, toppling it over. ¡°We have to go, now.¡± ina looked down at the System. ¡°Can you hear me?¡± she whispered. ¡°Yes.¡± The reply was hoarse, faint through the moans it somehow put out simultaneously. ¡°Can you teleport me to the forest?¡± ¡°No, corruption spreading, drained.¡± ¡°ina, move!¡± Flora shouted. ¡°No, I have to¡ª¡± The second creature was up again, mangled jaw hanging open as it ran at her, and ina¡¯s world went dark as its foot crashed into her head. Ch 1.46: Defense Ch 1.46: Defense Everything was fuzzy. There was a pain in ina¡¯s back, a stinging that wouldn¡¯t go away, but gods did that not matter, because she was so fucking horny. She opened her eyes, finding herself in the forest clearing, right outside the cave she¡¯d first met the System in. The bell was still ringing above her head, and it was a beautiful Summer¡¯s day but wasn¡¯t it raining? She looked down and found herself naked but wasn¡¯t I wearing wet clothes earlier? ¡°Hey there.¡± She turned, finding a blurry Tira standing there. ina went to cover herself before realizing that Tira was naked too, hands ced on her hips, the fuzziness in her mind¡¯s eye only thing preventing ina from seeing everything. ¡°Aren¡¯t you shy?¡± ina asked, half-heartedly hiding her nakedness. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be shy around you,¡± another voice said from behind. ina turned again, seeing a hazy Carline standing there naked in all her splendor as well. ¡°Yeah, why would we be?¡± another voice said, the voice of an angel descended from the stars. ¡°Prisma?¡± ina said, turning back again. It was where Tira should have been standing, where Prisma¡¯s voice hade from, but standing there was neither. It was still a woman, still naked, but she was crystal clear, with ghastly white skin and adorned with a smattering of red crystals across her body, des sprouting from her elbows. ¡°Afraid not,¡± Myri said. Blood dripped from her hands, where her nails had wed at ina¡¯s back but that was healed, right? ¡°I¡¯m dreaming,¡± ina finally realized, holding her head. It still stung from where she¡¯d been kicked. ¡°But you know I¡¯m here, don¡¯t you?¡± Myri stepped forward, sharp crystal fingernail softly tracing ina¡¯s sternum and sending a horrified shiver up her spine. ¡°I¡¯ll be here in this clearing, waiting for you when you wake up. Wake up. Wake up.¡± ¡°Wake up!¡± Carline¡¯s voice said. ina jerked upright, back on the castle grounds, back in the rain. She stood up, feeling the blood rush to her head as she checked her bag, finding the System still inside, glowing dimly. ¡°Carline, I have to go!¡± A strong hand grabbed her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere, youngdy.¡± ina looked back and saw a vaguely familiar face, a wrinkled, tall man with a thinning patch of unnaturally dark hair on his head, someone who was always eating at the faculty table. ¡°First years go back inside, or help with support if your aspect allows it. ina pulled away from his hand, turning back towards the forest. ¡°No, I have to¡­¡± She slowed as her eyes adjusted to the darkness again, as the scene in front of her unfolded past the garden¡¯s gate. The two creatures from before may very well still have been out there, somewhere, but the grounds were no longer an empty school field, rather a full battlefield. Dozens of the white humanoids were about, each brandishing some sort of red weaponry attached to their body as they charged forward. The line standing behind the garden fence and holding them back wasprised of a few faculty, but mostly of students. Ranlit was there at the front of them in the center of the open gate, swinging some giant sword and keeping the beasts back as Calivahn and another male teacher backed her up, each wielding spears. A number of students held spears as well, though they stood behind the fence proper, stabbing at anything tying to climb the walls while the faculty kept the main entrance handled. And that was only the beginning. Beyond the gate, out in the grass leading to the forest the true battle raged. Endrin¡¯s temail d guards were out there, dozens of them engaging equal numbers of monsters in a chaos brawl, white limbs and pieces of armor alike flying through the air. But the armored guards were dropping, no reinforcements in sight, and plenty more of the Red Order were flooding in, overwhelming the guards, slipping past them, and eventually being cut down by Ranlit and her nk of spears, for now at least. ¡°Doctor Thims!¡± the voice came from above, though ina didn¡¯t have enough time to look up before the source of itnded right in front of her, a girl in a bloodied uniform carrying another bloodied student, this one with his eyes closed, groaning in pain. The girl ced the student on the ground. ina recognized her, a member of the Watch, the one who¡¯d almost caught hering back from the cave that first night. ¡°sh wound, I think, to the side. I¡¯m going back out.¡± ¡°Understood. How is the north entrance though? Have you found Strask yet?¡± The girl looked to the side. ¡°I, uhm... The north entrance is holding, nowhere near the number of monsters there. And I found Tira, but she ran into the forest, said there was a student stuck in there.¡± ¡°Of all the fucking¡ª¡± The doctor punched the air. ¡°Miss Forsythe, tend to this student, and you, Watchgirl, get back out there and tell Strask we need her in charge of the north wing!¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± The guardunched into the air, flying off into the sky as ina watched in astonishment and Carline went to the other injured student. ¡°And you, first-year,¡± the doctor said pointing at ina, ¡°will go inside, to the dining hall, with all the other nobatants.¡± ¡°No, I can fight!¡± He shook his head, rage on his face. ¡°Inside, or I¡¯ll¡ª¡± A long, guttural sound cried through the night, and the doctor looked back to the gate. It wasing, a starhound bounding through a trio of armored guards, sending pieces of armor flying before it crashed into the fence. The steel posts creaked and cracked under the force, copsing back as students ran from it, one unfortunate one getting caught right under the starhound itself as itnded. ¡°Shit, fall back,¡± the doctor said, grabbing the fallen student from under Carline and running towards the school. ¡°Get behind and then seal the front door, now!¡± ina stood as a handful of other students ran past her, following the doctor. ¡°ina, we need to go,¡± Carline said, grabbing her hand and pulling. ina let her hand get pulled, but she kept her feet nted, jerking Carline as she tried to run back. ¡°ina!¡± ¡°They¡¯re after me.¡± ina looked down at her bag again. ¡°After the System, that¡¯s why there¡¯s more here than the north entrance.¡± ¡°She said she¡¯s masking her presence!¡± ina shrugged Carline¡¯s hand off, walking forward. ¡°She said she¡¯s hiding the main core, not this subcore. That¡¯s why that thing came in our window.¡± She broke into a run, charging at the starhound as it buried its ws into a prone student. Ranlit beat her to it though, greatsword stabbing into the creature¡¯s nk. It howled in pain, shirking the blow off and striking back at the professor with its fangs, Ranlit backstepping as she whirled the sword in front of her. ¡°Don¡¯t let its mane touch you!¡± ina screamed as she bolted forward, conjuring a length of chain and wrapping it around the thing¡¯s neck and pulling tight. She knew it wouldn¡¯t be enough to kill the beast quickly, but it was all she could do, and it was enough to distract the beast at the least. The starhound reeled back, wing at its own throat, mane whipping at the chains around it. The steel was already melting from the corrosive smoke, but not before a de fell between its eyes, cleaving its face in two. ¡°Weaver, good work!¡± Ranlit said, stepping over the beast and cutting down Red Order members as they tried to flow through the whole in the fence. ¡°Can you fix this section of fence?¡± Fix it? ¡°I¡¯ll try!¡± ¡°Good,¡± Ranlit said, halving one creature before delegging another. ¡°Forsythe, grab the wounded and fall back.¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t any.¡± ina turned to see Carline had followed her, was standing there, her horrified eyes leaking tears. ¡°They¡¯re all dead.¡± ¡°Gods damn it all,¡± Ranlit said before splitting one of the creatures with a loud roar. There were at least half a dozen students at her feet, crushed, torn, and corroded by the starhound. ¡°All students fall back! Shut the entrance hall and barricade in the dining room! And Weaver, put the the fence up behind me before you leave.¡± Behind her? Ranlit was in front of wall, still clearing the horde of enemies charging towards the opening, and she intended to stay there after it was fixed. ina balled her fist, anger coursing through her as she ran forward herself. ¡°Got it!¡± She reached out for [Restraint]. That¡¯s what a fence was, right, something to keep things out? Her aspect didn¡¯t agree, and she couldn¡¯t feel the fence itself, so she¡¯d have to try something else. She made chains appear, individual links links wrapping around the fallen fence posts, pulling them upright again, straightening them out, bending them to interlock with the pieces of fence that were still standing, walling off the monsters, Ranlit, and herself. Carline crashed into the undamaged part of the gate. ¡°ina, what¡¯re you doing?¡± she screamed. ¡°Get inside,¡± ina said, struggling to force the metal to her whims. ¡°They need healing in there, not chains.¡± ¡°Weaver!¡± Ranlit said, looking next to her as she spun her de through another body. ¡°I said fall back!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± ina said, finishing up the repair on the fence. It wouldn¡¯t hold forever, would probably fall back instantly if the attackers tried to pull it instead of push, but it would have to do. Maybe they¡¯re too stupid to realize. ¡°There¡¯s something I need to do; I¡¯ll draw them away!¡± ¡°Weaver, get back inside, that¡¯s an order! Weaver!¡± ina was already running north though, along the fence. There were three creatures shambling towards her from that direction, but she caught them with one rope, pulled taught and acting as a tripwire. She jumped over them, leg getting cut by a small crystal knife jutting from one of the creature¡¯s wrists as it tried to grab her ankle. She tripped, rolling across the ground, but then pushed herself up again and stayed course, regaining her momentum as she sprinted north. Fuck, knew I should have used chains, should have tied them up one by one. No, she couldn¡¯t have afforded the excess mana to tie up those three individually. She¡¯d spent a whole quarter of her reserve fixing the fence, and there was only one chance she¡¯d have of getting away. She looked behind, seeing at least twenty of the things chasing after her, the ones she¡¯d tripped scrambling to their feet and joining the chase. Yeah, they¡¯re after me all right. ina faced forward as she sprinted, tapping into [Restraint], willing her idea to fruition. What she wanted to do counted as restraint this time, right? She felt the resistance of her own consciousness, the inner battle over the definition of the word. This is a restraint for real, gods damn it! Her aspect was resisting though, and an army of monsters was on her tail. Ch 1.47: Offense Ch 1.47: Offense The monsters were gaining on ina as she argued with herself. Come on, this trap¡ªI mean, it¡¯s not a trap, it¡¯s a restraint¡ªis a restraint, damnit! She thought back to Combatives, talking aspects with Tira, about how Tira had flirted with her during ss the previous day, howter they¡¯d¡ª No, not that! It was [Fear Response] fucking with her senses, [Pain Response] too from the cut on her leg. With the two skills now it took actual conscious effort to not imagine how Tira had looked the night before, that striped bodysuit, the cut out in her crotch. Stop it! Restraints, monsters, running. Those were the things she needed to focus on. Tira had said that aspect control is about perception, her own understanding of [Restraint] trumping everything else. And the thing she wanted to make was a restraint. It was a trap too, but a trap meant to restrain, not harm. Any damage done to the bastards following behind her was just a happy ident. She reached for her aspect once more, intentions clear, understanding of her objective clear, and convinced of exactly how she was going to restrain the Red Order. And she wasn¡¯t strong enough. She¡¯d finally figured out how she could do it conceptually, but she still couldn¡¯t do it. She knew how to get there though. Fuck me. She grabbed the side of her skirt, undoing it with her aspect and letting it unwrap around her as she ran. The burning in her loins intensified as she ran out, [Humiliation Factor] finally kicking in. Even with that, running bottomless through the school grounds, without any people around it wasn¡¯t enough to get the full bonus of double to her power, but it was something. She focused on earlier in the day, fencing braless, being caught in her wet shirt by Flora, absolutely debasing herself in front of Prisma¡­ Snap! The sound of ina¡¯s first creation rang out almost immediately after she made it, and relief washed over her. More snaps followed as the bear traps she had left behind closed on the legs of the creatures following her. She could sense through them, feel the crunch of bone as they trapped her pursuers in their teeth, but not all of them activated. ina looked over her shoulder, seeing she¡¯d incapacitated a good number up front and stopped an even greater number behind in fear and confusion, but some had made it through the initial wave due to the small amount of traps she¡¯d been able to make and their haphazard cement.. She cursed herself for missing them, but she still had a backup n. She spun around, nting her feet. The wall before was fine as a scattershot measure, but this would require precision. Legs spread, she activated [Personal Restraint], locking herself in ce to increase her power again, crotch bared to anyone who¡¯d look. And to her horror there were people to see her, not just the creatures chasing her but the armored Endrin guards that had followed the horde as well. Shit, they were supposed to stay guarding the gate! She bit her lips and did her best to ignore them, but the idea of all of them seeing her like this, just holding her skirt to her side with nothing on but her shirt, sent [Humiliation Factor] even further up. This was it, the strongest she¡¯d ever been. It was mentally taxing, to sense which traps had been activated, to leave those there, to dematerialize the chains and stakes from all the remaining ones, to make more traps now that she had even greater power, but once she did she had the tools she needed, a handful of trapped creatures in front her and an army of floating bear traps around them. Sheunched them towards the the creatures that she¡¯d missed, mping on their ankles, knees, even heads as they approached. Each snap slowed or dropped one of them as ina stood helpless, sheer will the only thing she could fight back with. There was still one persistent one running at her with a trap on each of its legs, but ina conjured a chain between those two traps and sent it falling to the ground as well. She sighed, releasing herself from [Personal Restraint] as she looked back. The ones that had faltered and stayed behind the line had turned their backs on her now, engaging the Endrin guards that hade up from behind. I can¡¯t abandon them. ina was about to make more traps, more chains, anything to help the guards that were risking their life for her, but then one of the guard¡¯s helmets was sent flying towards her, the body of armor it had been attached to falling, headless. She jumped back, horrified at what she¡¯d seen as she tried to get away from the head flying towards her, but what she found wasn¡¯t what she had thought she¡¯d find. The helmet was in front of her, true, but there was no head in it. She looked back, seeing another suit of armor missing an arm, having dropped its halberd and engaging with a side sword instead. Many others were injured, but none bled. ¡°They¡¯re hollow¡­¡± ina didn¡¯t have time to think about what that meant beyond the fact that there weren¡¯t actually any lives at stake behind, that she could run away without endangering anyone, so run she did. She astounded herself with her own speed,ing up to the corner of the north side of the school almost twice as fast as she would have been able to just a week ago, before she even remembered that she was still bottomless. She let out a small shriek and managed to get her skirt back on before she rounded the corner proper. Still no underwear, still no bra, still in a transparent wet shirt. Gods, this really did have to be today, didn¡¯t it? At least it helped with [Humiliation Factor]. Though she still hadn¡¯t gotten the full bonus from rank two of the skill yet, she suspected that she might need it before the night was over. If the previous battle had been chaos, the north face of the castle was pure madness, a wide stretch of thewn taken up by disparate fights between scattered students and monsters a like, a handful of the armor guards littered throughout as well. It was easy to see why Doctor Thoms had said there needed to be someone in charge. In the middle was arge cluster of those suits of armor engaged with the clear danger to this group, a single starhound, but nearly twice asrge as the ones ina had seen so far. The east side of the school had had more of the creatures for sure, but they had at least been concentrated, the defenses focused. Without a fence and gate to funnel them towards though, the smattering of monsters on the north side were more spread out, creating arger battlefield despite the lesser number of enemies, and pandemonium for all. A couple of the creatures noticed ina. Shortly after rounding the corner she noticed the first one turn towards her and make a break from the battlefield in her direction. Well, this is why I¡¯m here after all. First to help out with these creatures, then make her way to the cave. The starhound was going to be a problem, and she was running low on mana after fixing the fence and her bear trap trick, but she would have some time to recover some on the run through the forest. She hoped so, anyway. ¡°ina¡±, a soft voice said from her bag. ¡°System! Are you okay?¡± ¡°There is too much here for you alone. You¡ª you need allies. Someone you trust, give me to them, add them to the System, make them stronger.¡± Someone she could trust? Well, it wasn¡¯t the creature running in front of her, surely. It only took one bear trap to its face to stop that one, but more wereing already. That wasn¡¯t her only problem though. The bear traps were taking too much mana, far more than she could afford to use, and she hadn¡¯t quite realized how bad it was before when she had both skills helping. Fixing the gate had been hard, the physical force of moving it and wrapping individual chain links around it alike, but for the amount of mass the bear trap actually was it was still somehow more taxing than an equivalent amount of chains. She had less than a quarter of her total mana now, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to rely on them to finish off the things in front of her, power boosting skills or no. Maybe the System¡¯s right¡­ But she didn¡¯t recognize any of the students fighting in front of her, none of these second and third years who were actually allowed to fight, much less trust them. She¡¯d have to manage on her own for now. A quick shackle and spike in the dirt incapacitated another one running at her for the time being, and she swerved around it as it reached out for her. It was so disturbing, the vague humanness of these things that were definitely not human, even though she could read the only emotion it had¡ªrage¡ªas easily as she could on any actual person. ¡°Form up!¡± The voice shocked ina for a moment, and she looked over, trying to find whatever student or teacher had said it, but she only saw Red Order, one particr one in the center that looked more human than the rest catching her eye. It was a man, naked save for a red crystal codpiece and a few other, smaller crystals on his body. His right hand was pointing directly at her, and that same wrist had a crystal stiletto jutting out from the side and forward, an extended dagger that ina did not want to be on the receiving end of. ¡°Future Singers,¡± he continued, ¡°take down this one today and earn your crystals!¡± They charged, nearly the entire force of them, more even than hade after her at the east gate. ina froze, trying to think of her options. Bear traps wouldn¡¯t work, too mana intensive, chains and stakes it would have to be. She activated [Personal Restraint] and focused on the ones in front, locking the ones she could to the ground, but some got through regardless, the ones running on all fours, movements too fast, too tricky for her to follow and shackle. And then the worst thing happened, the one she¡¯d shackled behind her had pulled, hard,ing up with some muster of strength enough to yank the spike holding it down out of the ground. That was going to be it, wasn¡¯t it? Oneing from behind as she was frozen, unable to move without letting the ones in front of her loose, and even then not holding all of them back. She wasn¡¯t even scared, really, thanks to the damned [Fear Response] she had, just epting her fate as she closed her eyes, her only remaining desire being to hold back the tears forming in her eyes. She almost got a measure of peace from that too, not being able to see the oing horde of monsters, but she could still sense the chains around the ankle of the oneing from behind as it lumbered towards her, could feel each step as it moved closer, closer, closer. And then stopped. She was confused for a moment, but kept her eyes closed. That one had stopped, but she would still soon feel the rending of her flesh from the ones she¡¯d missed in front. Right? Any moment now. ina opened her eyes, tears still streaming down them, to see the mass of monsters in front of her stuck in ce, all ring and growling at her, but not moving forward. ¡°Get back, dud!¡± ina craned her neck over towards the sound of the voice the little bit her skill would allow, just enough to see a sword behead the creature that had stopped behind her, and to see the sword¡¯s wielder as well. ¡°It¡¯s the duty of the strong to defend the weak,¡± Waine said, ¡°So let us handle this.¡± ina would have felt gratitude from nearly anyone else, but this person she just wanted to punch in the face, life just saved or no. And then she stepped into view. Prisma ran forward, rapier in one hand, other thrusting forward. A plume of me erupted from it, raking over the creatures in front of ina, sending them back and writhing in agony, a dozen beacons of ming light amidst the rainy night. Prisma jumped forward, cutting down the closest one with ease and skipping over to the next one, tinum blonde hair flowing through the air in one wet mass as she moved. Someone I can trust. Ch 1.48: Teamwork Ch 1.48: Teamwork Someone I can trust? ina let go of [Personal Restraint] as Prisma danced in front of her, cutting down the ming creatures, the fires going out individually as they copsed to the wet ground. She¡¯s keeping the fires going until she kills them, stoking the mes with her aspect so the rain doesn¡¯t put them out. Only a few seconds passed before thest of the squad that had been rushing ina fell. ¡°Weaver,¡± Waine said, grabbing her shoulder, ¡°get back, we¡¯ll cover the retreat.¡± ina threw his arm off of her as she jumped back. How could he manage to be such an ass even when he was saving her life? This has to be more humiliating than anything I could do to myself. ¡°I can¡¯t, there¡¯s people in the forest! We need to clear these things and¡ª¡± ¡°Look out!¡± ina looked over to see the starhound leaping at her, right before she felt an impact to her side. She flew out of the starhound¡¯s way, tumbling over the ground with the person that had called out and tackled her, Prisma, until they finally settled, the blonde girl kneeling over her. ¡°ina, you need to pay attention!¡± She¡¯s right there, on top of me. Gods, she knew she shouldn¡¯t be feeling these things in the middle of an attack. Blushing, she pushed Prisma off and spun to see the Waine holding his arm up towards the monster. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯ll hold this thing back while¡ª¡± The beast charge him with a shrieking howl-growl, and he froze up, eyes widening as he realized how ineffective his aspect was against the creature, letting out a scream as its teeth closed in on him. Its jaws closed with a loud snap, right where Waine was standing, right where his head had been moments before ina had conjured a rope around his waist and pulled him back, sliding him across the mud and back to the girls while he was frozen in terror. ¡°We¡¯re even,¡± she said, stepping forward. ¡°How¡ª how do we fight this?¡± Prisma stammered out. ¡°I¡¯ll hold it back,¡± ina said, pulling the top of her shirt open, buttons popping off as she yanked the cor. There was no way to make it look like an ident, but with less than a quarter of her mana left she needed to be more exposed regardless. Not even sure it matters when I¡¯m already in a transparent shirt, but whatever. She was still blushing from when Prisma hadnded on her earlier too, embarrassed both from how they¡¯d ended up and at the fact that she¡¯d nearly gotten herself killed by arguing with Waine of all things. ¡°It¡¯s resistant to aspects directly affecting it, but chains are just as effective against it as they are anything else.¡± She hoped that would be true, anyway. This thing was huge, farrger than the ones she¡¯d struggled to fight with Carline¡¯s help. [Humiliation Factor] was up again, not nearly as much as when she thought she was bottomless in front of human guards, but at least it was something. She conjured up a chain, really wishing she could bring out her crystal one, though she didn¡¯t think that was a good idea in front of Prisma and Waine. Well, not Waine at least. Eyes flickered towards the System at her side. It¡¯s going to have to be her, but I can¡¯t risk it while he¡¯s looking. She¡¯d just have to wait till he was upied. The starhound was charging them again, Prisma nking off to the side as Waine stepped back. ina activated [Personal Restraint] again and whipped her chain out, going for its legs rather than it¡¯s throat so it wouldn¡¯t get disintegrated by the monster¡¯s mane. She wrapped around it¡¯s front legs, conjuring two stakes and jamming them into the ground through the links of the chain. ¡°Go now Prisma! But avoid its mane, it¡¯s dangerous!¡± Prisma leapt, obeying without hesitation as she sent another plume of me towards the monster. Steam rose into the air, rain disintegrating in the heat as she maintained a steady stream of fire and crept towards the burning monstrosity. Holy shit, this is working better than I thought. A cry of pain rang out behind ina. ¡°Bearer of the corrupted one,¡± a deep voice said as she looked over, seeing the Red Order member who hadmanded the horde of lesser monsters walking forward, holding a skewered Waine Ferris up on the stiletto jutting forward from his wrist, ¡°surrender, and I will take you to mydy alive.¡± Waine¡¯s body was flying at her now, thrown with tremendous strength, forcing ina to drop [Personal Restraint] to catch him, the impact sliding her back towards the starhound. The pale man himself wasing up on her not far behind, wrist-dagger poised to stab through Waine¡¯s chest and right into hers. Prisma¡¯s de caught it, driving the attack away at thest moment as sheshed out with a jet of fire towards the man while he retreated. She was already on him, dashing forward and strike out with sword and me alike as he parried and stepped back. ¡°Weaver.¡± ina looked down, Waine¡¯s face staring back up. ¡°Put me down, kill that fucker.¡± She furrowed her brown, fist clenching around his uniform. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure he pays for making me worry about an asshole like you.¡± Waine exhaled, halfugh, half cough as blood came out of his mouth. ¡°You do that.¡± His eyes closed, but his chest was still rising and falling, still breathing. If I¡¯d let Carlinee¡­ No, regrets were after the battle. She set the boy down, knowing the only thing she could do for him now was to end the fight as soon as possible. She started towards the duel in front of her but then felt the pulling, her stakesing undone, chains unraveling from the starhound. She instinctively tightened them, turning back to the beast as she saw get its jaw around them. The flicking mane started eating at them as it yanked at them, corroding the metal as she tried to tighten it until she ended up snapping them herself, the monster bounding at her the very next moment. ¡°Fuck!¡± she said, running away from Waine, doing her best to draw the beast off. The thing was a slow, lumbering mass covered in burns at this point, but it was steady in its assault towards her, still too fast and too close for her to get out of the way in time. She conjured a rope and wrapped it around her own wrist, yanking herself out of harm¡¯s way the instant before it was toote. She let out a sigh of relief as the thing turned towards her, ignoring Waine, relief thatsted only a second before the searing pain began, a familiar burning on her thigh. She let out a cry of agony as she looked down, seeing a bit of the smoky tendril writhing on her skirt, burning through to her skin. In a panic she reached out for the sp with her aspect, tossing the skirt aside as she looked back up to face the creature again. The sting remained, but the smoky tendril had flown away with her skirt, leaving her bottomless yet again, but without the constant burning. There would only be moments before it was on her again, and it was charging dead center this time. Dodging wasn¡¯t going to work, so she took a deep breath in spreading her legs like she had on the run earlier and freezing herself again. The creature seemed to glide slowly towards her, rain droplets floating to the ground in slow motion as she reached for her aspect, thinking about how shameful she must look right now. That Red Order member, Prisma, Waine even¡­ She hated the boy, wouldn¡¯t be interested in any boy regardless of how much of a prick he was, but the thought of him seeing her like this was still too humiliating not to turn her on, and the fact that it turned her on was even more embarrassing on top. This was what her maximum power felt like, the doubled bonus from [Personal Restraint] and the additional doubling from a fully active [Humiliation Factor] coursing through her. One simple thought and a bear trap the size of the starhound¡¯s head appeared, mping down on the creature¡¯s neck as it lurched forward, stumbling to the side and crashing right next to ina as its mane started to die off, revealing nothing but the burned husk bleeding dark ck ooze from it¡¯s neck. ina released herself again, shaking as she did so, nerves grinding against her body despite her subdued fear. It had been close, both in distance from the creature and in the fact that her mana was nowpletely drained. That doesn¡¯t matter though. Manaless or not, she had a job to do. She looked over to Prisma, was about to run towards her to help when she cut down towards him. The gruesome looking man smiled as he caught the de in between the stiletto and his wrist, twisting his arm and snapping the metal, receiving only a minor cut leaking blue blood in exchange for disarming his opponent. He had burns on the left side of his body, but there were no more mes as Prisma backed away. ¡°All out of fire, deary?¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s hope your pretty friend over there has some mana to spare, at least.¡± Ch 1.49: Choice Ch 1.49: Choice ina started running as soon as Prisma¡¯s rapier had broken. She wasn¡¯t sure what was worse for Prisma, that she was manaless or weaponless, but the fact that ina was both of those things on top of it surely wasn¡¯t going to help matters, so she had to fix that. Prisma was purely on the back foot now, still technically armed with the shortened, broken off portion of her sword, but the man in front of her was pressing in, increased speed and strength barely being kept at bay by Prisma¡¯s footwork and skill. In that she was superior, at least. Even ina could tell that Prisma must¡¯ve had intense training with short des to be able to still hold her own against the being in front of her, a being with overwhelming agility and power. And that was theirst saving grace. The Red Order member fighting with Prisma was as fast as ina was, as strong as her too probably, but that¡¯s all he was. He wasn¡¯t nearly the level of Myri, and Prisma had already proven she could beat ina and Carline both, so against this person she at least had a chance. Prisma spun around her opponent¡¯s arm, grabbing it with her free and pushing it aside as she twirled around him and jammed her broken sword into the man¡¯s neck. ina almost screamed in joy, almost thought Prisma had won before she saw the girl dart back away, still defensive in her stance as the man howled out and charged after her, barely a trickle of blood flowing from his neck. His aspect, shit! She didn¡¯t know what it was, but of course he would have one, and it was keeping him from being grievously wounded. ina finally reached her target though. Not Prisma, not the Red Order Commander, but Waine. He was still now, no visible signs of breathing, but ina didn¡¯t have time to worry about that. She grabbed his sword from the ground, the sword he¡¯d managed to somehow keep hold of despite being run through and tossed about earlier. Thanks for that, at least. She¡¯d made a promise to him, one she intended to keep. She charged forward,ing up from behind Prisma, their foe¡¯s eyes squinting in anger as she did. ¡°Prisma, I¡¯ve got your back!¡± Prisma circled her opponent, on the other side of him in nearly an instant, pincering him between the two girls. He leapt away from Prisma,unching himself towards ina and leaving the more skilled swordswoman behind. Shit! ina thought as she skidded to a halt, raising her de up in a haphazard attempt at a guard, trying to deflect the iing dagger. He spun around though, extending his free hand and grabbing ina¡¯s rapier with it, pushing it aside as he continued his spin, wrist-de plunging right towards ina¡¯s neck. He stopped. ina stood there for just a moment before jumping back and yanking her de out of the man¡¯s hand, azure blood dripping from both flesh and steel alike. She saw it out the corner of her eye, Waine, still lying on the ground, hand outstretched, holding back the blow that would have ended ina. Fuck, that¡¯s twice. This was no time for score calcting though. ina stabbed towards the Red Order member, but he swatted her attack away with his wrist-dagger before winding up to strike again. He stopped once more though, this time before even making the attack at all. Waine¡¯s not strong enough to freeze him entirely, but he can stop his attacks at least. That was more than enough though, especially with Prisma nowing up behind him too. ina had thought it would be more than enough at least, right up until she was kicked in the stomach, sent flying through the air as nausea overtook her. She crashed into the wet ground. Waine was only blocking attacks made with the stiletto, apparently. Groaning, ina pushed herself up, hands frantically gripping for her de, but she couldn¡¯t find it. Lost it when I was falling. In the dark night, mud everywhere, she¡¯d be lucky to find it even without a time crunch. That didn¡¯t matter though; she still had to fight. ina moved forwards anyway, towards the Red Order member who was once again engaged with Prisma. She nced over to Waine, seeing him face down in the mud. No more help from him. Gods, he¡¯d seen her though. No skirt, no bottoms at all, in this flimsy, transparent, unbuttoned shirt, as he saved her life no less. Could there be anything more embarrassing than that? Maybe it was [Pain Response], maybe [Fear Response], probably both really, but she was uncontrobly turned on by the whole situation. It was horribly inappropriate, but she still could barely drive away the urge to touch herself. No,ter. She activated [Personal Restraint] and reached into her mana well. It had just beenpletely drained only a minute prior, but there was something there now. Does it regenerate faster now that I¡¯m level two in addition to beingrger? Thoughts for another time. She was still at that maximum power she¡¯d been at earlier, but with only a thin sliver of mana there was still only so much she could do. Time for old faithful. A shackle appeared on each of the man¡¯s hands, connected behind his back by a chain leading to a stake in the ground. He went to lunge at Prisma as they materialized, yanking them forward, pulling at the stake. ina wouldn¡¯t be able to hold it long. But Prisma was already in action, stabbing into the man¡¯s chest with her broken off rapier. It barely dug in despite her opponent¡¯s immobility, but she pulled it back out, flipping the weapon around and holding it underhanded, trading technique for pure force as she plunged it into the man¡¯s chest again and again. ¡°Fucking! Die!¡± she shouted out, punctuating each stab as the man cried out wordlessly in unison. Blue blood trickled out at first, but the de eventually went deeper and deeper, more blood pouring out as Prisma stabbed over and over. She looked so sad. Even in the downpour ina could tell she was crying, not because of any visible tears, just from the look of anguish and pain on her face. Eventually the man fell, silent, and ina¡¯s aspect fell off as Prisma made one more blow into the man¡¯s throat, leaving the de stuck inside. She was shaking as she got up, staring at her hands, the man¡¯s blood running down them and onto her white shirt sleeves in the rain. ¡°ina¡­ What the fuck is happening? What did I do?¡± ina walked over, herself pained from seeing the look on Prisma¡¯s face. She¡¯d killed her fair share of these herself, but she understood what Prisma was saying nheless. The ones she¡¯d killed with the bear traps earlier, the ones Prisma had mowed down with fire and de, they were human shaped, but they weren¡¯t really more than monsters. Themander Prisma had just killed had spoken though, and even if the only things he spoke were threats and orders to kill, it must¡¯ve been different. Were the others really any different though? They were all Red Order, after all. ina tried not to think about whether that meant they were all monsters or whether that meant they were all people. ¡°We did what we needed to,¡± ina eventually said, reaching her hand out to Prisma. She looked down at the System, still thankfully hanging from her small shoulder bag as she pulled the girl up. They were alone, so it was safe to bring it out now. ¡°Prisma, there¡¯s someone else out in the forest.¡± ¡°ina¡­ You can¡¯t go in there.¡± ¡°I have to¡­¡± It was her burden, her choice to have waited this long to tell anyone about the System, about Myri. And she was here, ina was sure of it. Dream earlier aside, the man they¡¯d killed had mentioned taking ina to his ¡®dy,¡± and there was no one else that could be. She started reaching into her bag. ¡°Prisma, we can do this together, there¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Waine.¡± The one word from Prisma froze ina as she was pulling the System out. ¡°We need to get him help.¡± Her face was still pained, eyes wide and bloodshot as she looked over to the boy. ina looked back towards the castle, towards the fighting still going on by the school¡¯s north entrance. It was dying down, most of the creatures having been in either their or by ina¡¯s trio of students, but there were a handful left. They¡¯d need to move carefully around it to get Waine back to the castle. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but it would take too much time. ¡°Prisma, I need you right now¡­ Can I trust you?¡± She hated asking, didn¡¯t even know why she was. She could trust her, right? Prisma looked back, confusion mixing with the pain on her face. ¡°ina, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying¡­ I have to help Waine. He¡¯s¡ª¡± She shook her head, pursing her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t make me choose between you two, not again¡­¡± ina let go of the System, feeling the orb drop back into her bag as she felt her heart drop into her stomach. Right. I trusted her before, and I know how she chose then. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m leaving, Prisma.¡± The words were heavy, almost impossible to spit out. She went back to grab her skirt, examining it before throwing it back to the ground. Damn sp¡¯s melted off. She didn¡¯t care about that right now anyway. Something grabbed the strap of her shoulder bag, halting ina as she tried to walk off. ¡°Please don¡¯t go,¡± Prisma said, voice quavering. ¡°I choose you, okay! Help me find Waine¡¯s sword, and I¡¯lle with you!¡± ina was ted at the words, at the thought of everything that she¡¯d just been offered. Prisma by her side, with a ss if the System thought they were partypatible? They¡¯d be unstoppable; even Myri wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against the two of them. Waine wouldn¡¯tst, she knew, still might not make it even if they got him back to the castle, but at least he¡¯d be out of the way from now on, right? Wait. What did she just think? The lump in ina¡¯s stomach grew as she mulled over the terrible thought. He¡¯d saved her life twice over, and here she was rejoicing over the thought of him dying? Gods, I¡¯m a fucking monster, aren¡¯t I? Even he didn¡¯t deserve that. She pulled her bag loose and turned back, seeing Prisma¡¯s usually beautiful face contorted into a sobbing mess. I¡¯m doing this to her. ¡°Prisma, take Waine back.¡± A sentence even harder to manage than the words before. ¡°No!¡± Prisma lurched forward, grabbing ina¡¯s arms. ¡°I can¡¯t just¡ª I¡¯lle with you! We¡¯lle back for himter, and¡ª¡± ¡°Stop,¡± ina said, jerking back. No matter how much she wanted it, no matter how much she needed it, she couldn¡¯t ept Prisma¡¯s help if it meant leaving Waine to die, not after she¡¯d just had that horrible thought. ¡°You¡¯re right; he needs help. I know he¡¯s¡­ important to you. I¡¯m not going to make you choose between us.¡± He would do that, but I won¡¯t. ¡°I can take care of myself.¡± She bolted, sprinting off towards the forest as she tried to ignore the pang in her heart that had returned, the same pang from earlier in the day, somehow even worse than before for some reason. Gods, I¡¯m doing the right thing, so why does it hurt so much? Prisma shouted her name, pleaded for her to stop, but ina just kept running, Prisma¡¯s voice going faint, and then eventually silent, as ina disappeared into the trees. Ch 1.50: Sadist Ch 1.50: Sadist Tears were for after, regrets were for after. That¡¯s what ina kept telling herself as she ran through the forest, towards the cave in the clearing. ¡°System, is your other core safe?¡± ¡°For the time being.¡± The response was hoarse, but it was louder than thest time the System spoke. ¡°ina, I have masked it well until now. It is possible they will not find it before the school manages to get the situation under control. You have no allies; perhaps it would be best to retreat.¡± ina slowed to a jog, then stood still. ¡°Are you saying that cause it¡¯s true, or because you don¡¯t think I can do this?¡± The trees above shook in the wind. ¡°ina, even at level two, you are no match for Myri. Were Carline here the two of you might have stood a chance, but not alone. I had contingencies to help if you had added the Prisma girl as well, but we are past that point. If my main core bespromised I can function for you as the System from this subcore, but if you are captured or killed along with both cores then your will be defenseless against further invasion.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, System¡­ There¡¯s someone else out there too though, and I have to take responsibility.¡± She wished she¡¯d given the bag to Prisma, even to Carline earlier. No, I needed to draw them away before, and Prisma¡­ Gods, why didn¡¯t she take Prisma with her? She¡¯d been willing. It was the right thing to do, right? Waine would¡¯ve died. She¡¯d have been okay with that, and that¡¯s why she couldn¡¯t do it; not when she was so willing to make that decision. She looked down, shaking her head at her sorry state. At least there¡¯s something I can do about this now that I¡¯m away from the school. She focused, pulling forth the gear she had been granted. Crystal dust materialized around her, her shirt and boots disappearing, reced by the sandals and blue dress as her crystal chain wrapped around her arm. Sheughed as she looked down, noticing the dress was barely longer than the uniform shirt. At least it¡¯s not transparent, notpletely anyway. The run back to the de was uneventful for the first few minutes, until she came across the body of one of the Red Order. She was one of the more human looking ones, red crystal spikes jutting out of her fist, the one still attached to her at least. She had cuts all over her body, one arm separated from herpletely, lost somewhere in the brush. Who did this? No time to worry about that she told herself, shaking her head and continuing through the trees. She came across a few more bodies, all clumped up, simrly hacked away at by some unknown force, but she ignored them as she made her way back to the de. It was empty, quiet save the sound of the rain crashing into the clearing¡¯s pond. ina slowed to a halt, catching her breath. ¡°System. The core is safe still, right?¡± ¡°Yes, but they wille now.¡± ¡°Why would theye now?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve been tracking you, pet,¡± The voice came from above, from Myri, naked as ever as she descended down, striking ina with the back of her hand and sending her reeling to the ground. ¡°Those subordinates of mine are lucky your lot killed them, but I still need someone to punish for the debacle this has been, so you¡¯ll have to do.¡± There was a crack from the thunder, lightning shing in the sky overhead as ina pushed herself up, realizing she felt lighter. The System! She frantically patted at her bag before she heard it calling, ¡°ina!¡± from a few feet away. She scrambled over to it before getting a kick to the side, sending her sprawling once more. ¡°You really should have stayed in the castle. I would havee for you eventually, of course, but you would¡¯ve stood a chance with an army behind you. Might have, anyway.¡± ina got up once again, beautiful pain radiating from her side and head. She¡¯s holding back, for now. Myri was standing there, smirking as she looked down, floating a few feet above the ground. ¡°Stars, child, do you know how mad I was at you?¡± ¡°Save it. I¡¯m here to fight.¡± ina reached in for her mana, a little more than halfway full after her run,unching her crystal chain towards Myri. The woman glided to the side, avoiding the attack as it clenched around nothing before grabbing the mass of crystal. She¡¯s toying with me¡­ Last time she¡¯d held back too, not used any of her aspects at. ina knew of Regeneration, and it was obvious she had one that could let her fly, but were there more she didn¡¯t know about? ¡°You may be here to fight, but I am genuinely here to talk, deary. Have you really not thought over my offer?¡± ¡°Of what, being your pet?¡± She tried moving her chains, but Myri¡¯s grip on them was firm, unyielding. She¡¯d have to try something else. ¡°Of course. You¡¯d like that, after all. Masochist Mage, wasn¡¯t it? I can¡¯t imagine there¡¯s anyone you¡¯d enjoy being with more than me.¡± ¡°I very much doubt that,¡± ina said, willing mana into the chain. ¡°I doubt anyone enjoys being around you.¡± The woman¡¯s face frowned, and she started to move closer. ¡°Watch your tongue, pet.¡± She went tosh out with the crystal-tipped ws of hers, but found her arms bound, shackles of crystal having formed from the chains, holding her hands together. ¡°What in the¡ª¡± ina¡¯s fist collided into Myri¡¯s face while she was looking down. Fuck, that hurts! Myri recoiled, putting distance between the two as ina shook her hand out. It was the first time she¡¯d ever punched anyone, and she could only hope she¡¯d hurt her opponent as much as she had herself. Her n had worked though. She didn¡¯t just have a crystal chain anymore, but Flexible Restraints, a weapon she could mold at will, that she¡¯d molded into shackles around Myri¡¯s wrists, bundled together in one mess of crystal. ¡°You fucking brat!¡± the woman shouted as sheunched forward spinning, the giant red des sprouting from her elbows cutting through rain and air as they hurtled towards ina. ina froze her with [Personal Restraint] and pulled up and to the side on the Flexible Restraints as thunder cracked again, sending Myri into the lightning-lit sky, just barely avoiding ending up like the Red Order members that had been cut to pieces before and instead receiving a gash along her right shoulder, crying out into the night. She pushed Myri¡¯s shackles away with one more burst of mana before releasing herself and running behind a tree, breast falling out as the cut strap of her dress fell to the side. She grabbed it with one hand out of instinct to cover it, letting out a soft moan as she dug into the soft flesh. Gods, why now? There was an excitement to it all, even beyond her skills rousing her, an energy to fighting for your life, living on a razor¡¯s edge. Am I starting to like this? She kept a feel for the chain¡¯s around Myri, felt the woman struggling to try and pull them apart. It was a miracle, a chain she could just have all the time, nigh unbreakable, not requiring any mana to keep going, and it served as a tracker on Myri to boot? ina circled the tree slowly whenever Myri moved, keeping herself in the flying woman¡¯s blind spot. She wouldn¡¯t be safe behind a tree forever, she knew, but it was nice to have some reprieve. ¡°Oh well, I have what I need.¡± And then she felt Myri dart off, chains flying off into the distance. The System! ina spun out from behind the tree, running to where she¡¯d dropped the orb before, dull blue glow still lighting up the grove. Still there, thank the gods. ¡°ina, behind you!¡± She barely had time to react to the System¡¯s warning before a gnarled hand closed around her throat and lifted her up off the ground. Myri¡¯s right hand was popping back into ce as it held her, left hand still a contorted mess. ¡°Falling for the same trick again, pet? I thought better of you.¡± She broke her handspletely and slipped out of the chains before tossing it away¡­ Gods I¡¯m an idiot. Consciousness was fading already, not fromck of air, just the pressure on her blood vessels, Myri¡¯s face growing fuzzy as ina scratched at the woman¡¯s wrist in futility. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry little deary, did I mess up your little covering? Here, let me make it even.¡± Myri used the w on her free hand to rip the dress¡¯s other sleeve strap, thest thin piece of thread holding it up at all, sending the entire wet garment falling to the ground as Myri howled inughter. ¡°Ha! Maybe there is something to these ¡®clothes¡¯ your people wear if taking them off is this much fun.¡± It was supposed to be fun. But it wasn¡¯t, not here, not with her. ¡°You¡¯ve proven to be quite unruly though. Think of the fun we could have had,¡± she said, lifting her free hand, wiggling the fingers as the popped back into ce from her Regeneration aspect, then running one of her crystal fingernails down the gash on ina¡¯s shoulder, causing her to cry out again. ¡°These ws could¡¯ve been yours, ripping at your insides in wonderful ways. ¡°But I won¡¯t even give you that satisfaction today. I know you¡¯d enjoy it, and you¡¯ve given up on that privilege.¡± The pressure on ina¡¯s neck intensified, blurriness giving way to darkness on the edge of her vision. ¡°No, you¡¯ll die like this, uneventful, and the naked body that your kind are so ashamed to show will be left here to find by your silly little friends. Stars, just thinking about it makes me wish I could see it, wish I could see the looks on their faces as they gawk at how much of a failure you are. Oh how they¡¯ll pity you!¡± Crack! The sound of thunder, but without lightning? ina felt herself falling, air rushing into her lungs as the pressure on her throat released. She crumpled to the ground and looked up, hearing the crack of thunder again. No, not thunder. A whip. Tira swiped her weapon through the air, impossibly fast, as Myri retreated up, a stump where her right hand used to be pouring blood. ¡°Her ¡®silly little friends¡¯ know she isn¡¯t a failure, and we would never pity her.¡± She drew the whip back, cracking it again and sending it hurtling towards Myri once more. This is it! Myri already had her arms up though, crystal elbow-des crossed in front of her as the whip crashed in,shing her across the chest, cutting itself off on the sharp crystal and sending the top half of it whirring into the forest. No, this wasn¡¯t it, but there was one final hope ina had as she scrambled across the clearing. ¡°Shit,¡± Tira said as she reached for a sidesword on her hip before Myri¡¯s foot sent her flying back through the air, crashing into a tree trunk and dropping the sword into the grass. ¡°Fuck, sorry, ina, I¡¯m out of mana too¡­¡± ¡°Insolent fucking animals!¡± Myri screamed out, looking down at her arm as it grotesquely grew her hand back. ¡°Fuck quick deaths, you¡¯ll both die slowly!¡± ¡°Tira,¡± ina said as she reached her target, ¡°catch!¡± She picked the System up off the ground, chucking it, a of rope appearing on it and pulling it away at lightning speed. Tira was already on her feet, catching the orb as Myri nced down, not even realizing what was happening until the System glowed, brightening the grove more than any lightning could, blinding all three of them. ¡°System User confirmed as Star Blessed. Status: Aspected, ssless. Age: twenty-one years, seven months, one week, zero days. Partypatibility for System Administrator ina Weaver: Ny nine percent. Initiating protocol: ss Assignment.¡± And then the information flowed. [ina Weaver haspleted special System assignment: Add a third party member] [ina Weaver has achieved level 3] [Tira Strask has been added to the System with prior training and achievements] More information than she¡¯d ever felt at once. Tira Strask, System Hierarchy: [User], ss: Sadist Striker Level: 2 Ch 1.51: Threes Ch 1.51: Threes [ina Weaver has achieved level 3] Skill Gained: [Good Girl] - Rank 1 - Passive: User may dere herself the property of another party member by telling them ¡°I¡¯m your good girl.¡± User must obeymands from her owner rting to her own aspects and skills at all times. User may be used as a conduit for her owner¡¯s aspects and skills. When obeying a directmand from her owner or otherwise servicing her owner, User may, with permission, utilize her owner¡¯s power boosting skills and mana. Skill Enhanced: [Pain Response] - Rank 2 - Passive: Converts a {moderate} amount of pain to arousal. ina blushed just at the thought of that first skill. The gods certainly have a sense of humor, and they¡¯reughing at me from all the way up in the stars. That one would require testing, and gods only knew if she¡¯d be able to muster up the courage to actually use it, but an enhanced [Pain Response] was immediately useful, more of the aches from her various injuries fading and wetting her sex instead, a wetness that at least wouldn¡¯t be visible in the dark storm. Or it would have been dark at least, though light was currently erupting from the crystal dust circling Tira,ing from the orb she held as Myri flew at both of them. ¡°No you don¡¯t,¡± ina said, shackling the woman¡¯s leg and attaching it to a tree. It wouldn¡¯t hold forever, but hopefully would long enough for Tira to get her bearings again. ¡°Armory subsystem active,¡± the System¡¯s voice said, mencing gear dispersal to new User Tira Strask.¡± The glittering dust danced around the woman as she covered herself, school uniform disappearing as her body began to glow, the light slowly fading away from top to bottom and revealing a bright pink, leather bodysuit, Tira¡¯s breasts pushed up and out by a series of ck ties going down a deep v-shape from her chest to her navel, the suit tapering to a terribly small crotch at the bottom and being finished off with a pair of knee-high ck leather boots. The newly ssed woman was left standing there in all leather, holding the ck and pink handle of bullwhip with a rope made of what could only be crystal threads. It took ina a moment to stop gawking, to redirect her thoughts towards Tira¡¯s ss and the task at hand. Tira Strask System Hierarchy: [User] ss: Sadist Striker Level: 2 Aspects: [Momentum] - {Environmental Targeting} User Skills: [Domineering Presence] - Rank 2 - Active - User may expend mana when making physical strikes to cause them to also affect the target¡¯s psyche a {moderate} amount. [Toy Partners] - Rank 1 - User receives a power bonus of {x2} when using {External Targeting} aspects on an object created by a party member¡¯s {External Targeting} aspect. [Pain Management] - Rank 2 - Active - User may expend mana to increase or decrease pain caused by wounds inflicted by objects affected by User¡¯s {Environmental Targeting} aspects a {moderate} amount. User Equipment: [Crystal-Threaded Whip]: A melee weapon made of special friction-resistant crystal. [Momentum]? What even is that, what does it mean? They¡¯d have to hammer out the specificster though, because Myri had already cut through the chains ina had made, was already hurtling towards Tira and the System again. Another crack rang out, this time from the Crystal-threaded Whip,shing through the air at on again impossible speed, Myri again holding up her elbow de to catch it. This time the whip didn¡¯t cut though, but crashed into Myri with horrifying crushing sound, sending the flying woman back in the air a few feet, arm that had caught the blow going limp, broken at the elbow. ¡°I have mana again? And what the fuck am I wearing?¡± Tira said, looking down at herself briefly. ¡°ina, you¡¯re going to need to exin what¡¯s going on. ¡°Later!¡± ina said, pushing herself up and reaching out with [Restraint]. When Myri had thrown her Flexible Restraints earlier they¡¯d gone out of range and she¡¯d lost track of them, but the surge of power that came with her third level expanded her range enough to sense and grab hold of them again, pulling them back into the grove ¡°Insufferable little bitches!¡± Myri shouted, flying off into the trees just as ina went to try and restrain her with the chains again. ¡°Shit,¡± ina said, looking about frantically. ¡°Can you see her?¡± ¡°No,¡± Tira said, scanning the treeline as well. ¡°ina, I think I have a fucking ss!¡± ¡°Yeah, I know, me too.¡± Gods, she has to be somewhere. She¡¯d be back too, not willing to abandon two System cores. It pained her to admit it to herself, but they needed every advantage they could get. ¡°Listen, uhm, you¡¯re my owner by the way; I¡¯m your good girl!¡± ina didn¡¯t feel any different, but Tira shouted out, ¡°What did you just say? Wait what the fuck is that feeling!¡± which indicated that it must have worked, whatever her new skill was going to do. ¡°Listen, she¡¯ll be back, and there¡¯s not a lot of time to exin. Just toss that crystal to me.¡± Better ina hold it since she was aware of the consequences of losing it, after all. ¡°Sure,¡± Tira said, tossing the orb underhanded, it going a pitifully far amount before falling to the ground. ¡°Wait, that should¡¯ve¡ª¡± ¡°Please refrain from dropping me, and it is futile attempting to use your aspect on me directly, Miss Strask.¡± ¡°Did it just fucking talk!¡± ina reached out for the that she still had on the System, pulling it up and into her bag. ¡°Yes, now keep an eye out!¡± Thunder still cracked overhead as rain fell into the clearing, each strike sending a bit of arousal down towards ina¡¯s legs in ce of the fear that should have been wracking her mind. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m fucking naked out here. It wasn¡¯t like Tira hadn¡¯t seen her nude before, but it was still humiliating given the circumstance. She couldn¡¯t help but think back to that first night, stripped down in the same clearing. Despite how terrible that experience had been, she¡¯d gained power because of it. And gods, if she thought she¡¯d reached her maximum power before, because right now she felt unstoppable, untouchable. She was literally at a whole other level now, still with the maximum boost from [Humiliation Factor], only missing the extra from [Personal Restraint]. It¡¯ll be good to get an idea of my capabilities. She locked herself in ce, feeling the surge of energy that was her mana well growing even more potent. Yeah, this¡¯ll do. Once Myri was back, she was going to be in for a rude awakening. Tira and ina together would be a match for the Red Order member, as soon as she was stupid enough to show her face again. But the next thing that flew through the trees wasn¡¯t Myri, but instead arge stone,rge as ina¡¯s head and hurtling towards that same head at terrifying speed as she was still locked in ce by [Personal Restraint]. Ch 1.52: Striker Ch 1.52: Striker Tira could feel the rock moving with her aspect before she saw it, feel the momentum of any moving object, but changing that momentum was something else entirely. She watched in horror as the stone hurtled towards ina, the poor naked girl stood frozen in fear. She was on the other side of the clearing, and the rock was moving too fast for Tira to do anything about it. If it had been heading towards Tira herself there would have been no problem, but her range had always been shorter than most other Aspected. This time though, it felt different. Tira¡¯s range was expanded now for some reason, and it wasn¡¯t just that; her range wasing not just from herself, but from ina as well. A strange sensation, using someone else¡¯s body as the origin of your own aspect, but as the projectile closed in on its target Tira instinctually nudged it to the side as if she were protecting her own body, a practiced instinct she¡¯d instilled in herself for self preservation, now being used to save another. The rock whizzed past ina¡¯s head, her hair being caught by the stone and flipping through the air as she copsed to the ground. She would¡¯ve been toote to dodge, thank the fucking gods. Another object was moving again, thrown from a different spot in the treeline, this time towards the back of Tira¡¯s own head. It flew up and over, crashing into a tree and cracking into the trunk. That one had been easy enough to avoid, her practiceing in handy again. ¡°Come on out you pasty bitch,¡± she said. ¡°I can do this all day!¡± If the woman that had hurt and stripped ina thought she¡¯d get them with this strategy she was going to be disappointed. The closer an object got to her¡ªor ina apparently¡ªthe easier it was to affect its momentum, and Tira had practiced this with arrows before, so the speed these rocks wereing at them was easy to manipte inparison. But why this easy? They were slower than arrows, sure, but heavier too. Momentum was mass and velocity, so an object twice as heavy but half as fast should still be the same difficulty for her to move aside. The second attack she understood, having been able to avoid it once she knew it wasing, but the first one had caught her off guard in multiple ways, and she wouldn¡¯t normally have been able to push it aside reacting thatte, using ina as the source of her aspect or not. That solidified it then. She was stronger now, had a refilled mana pool,rger than ever before, and had a greater range too even without counting the weird thing that she felt ever since ina had called herself a good girl and Tira could use her as a focal point. She wasn¡¯t hallucinating; she really had a ss: Sadist Striker Kinda fucking embarrassing, not gonna lie. She wondered if she could get away just calling herself a Striker to ina. She looked down at herself for the first time, still keeping her sixth sense for momentum active to look out for more projectiles as she took in what she was wearing. It wasn¡¯t quite what she would expect to be worn by a hero of the realm, and it showed off a little more cleavage than she normally would have of her own ord, but she couldn¡¯t deny that it made her tits look good. Nice color too. That wasn¡¯t all she had though. A crystal, friction-resistant whip? Tira couldn¡¯t have even imagined a better weapon. Using her standard whip she could cut through tendons and joints with proper use of Momentum, but with this she might even be able to cut through bone itself. And it¡¯s not just Momentum either now, but [Momentum]. A stronger, somehow different aspect. And I have skills too. She¡¯d actually used [Domineering Presence] earlier by ident, willing the witch away as Tira struck those red crystal des attached to her arm, felt the energy drain as fear poured from Tira¡¯s well of mana directly into her opponent. The one about toys wasn¡¯t immediately useful, but she¡¯d seen how effective the first one was, so she thought it worth testing out thest one. She reached into her mana pool, a strange feeling to use it for anything except her aspect, and willed out [Pain Management], focusing on the arm she¡¯d broken before and trying to amplify the pain she¡¯d caused. A cry rang out from the treeline, right by ina. ¡°That¡¯s her, grab her!¡± ina spun to the sound, looking half-possessed as her arm raised up and shot out a line of chains that wrapped around the tree and then yanked out the flying demon, exactly what Tira had imagined happening when she gave ina the order. Holy shit, her and I are really on the same wavelength. Tira was already jumping into action as the demondy sliced through the chains around her with the red crystal de on her right arm, left arm still hanging limp from where Tira had broken it earlier. She raised her whip, throwing it back and focusing on [Momentum]. It was still hard, always would be hard, no matter how much she practiced. To focus on the wave of momentum as it ran up her choice of weapon, from handle to thong, thong to fall, fall to cracker. People thought of Tira as strong, but she¡¯d never felt that was true¡ªnot until this new surge of power anyway¡ªas she could never create force with her aspect, only alter the force that already existed. No, she didn¡¯t fight with strength, but with precision, chasing the velocity of her whip with her mind as it trailed down the tapered rope and grew exponentially, waiting for the exact moment it was at its highest point. It was something that she was still getting the hang of after over a year of dedicated practice, as normally only the cracker of a whip broke the sound barrier and then slowed down as the whipshed out towards its target, but Tira didn¡¯t let that happen. She caught the tip of the whip at its fastest with [Momentum], transferring that speed down the length of the weapon and making the entire rope move that fast as sheunched it towards her enemy. A crystal whip at that speed almost certainly would¡¯ve cleaved her opponent in two, if not for the damned elbow de that was already in ce to block it. Tira¡¯s strikes were fast, faster than anyone else could ever attack, but she still had to wind up, telegraphing her intentions clearly before the speed came, and the woman in front of her obviously had enough of a soldier¡¯s instinct to put her weapon in ce before the impact fell. Crystal crashed into crystal, and neither even so much as scratched. The sheer force sent the woman flying back again though, the crack of her right arm breaking following shortly after the crack of the whip, leaving both of her upper limbs hanging limp as she zipped back into the air away from another set of chains from ina. Tira was forced to stand there, struggling to keep track of the fight as a set of chains danced through the sky after the woman. ina was doing her best, keeping the demon on her metaphorical heels at the very least, but Tira was stuck on the ground. And gods was it hard to keep track. Tira could feel ina¡¯s chains whizzing around through [Momentum], but their opponent was invisible to her aspect. [Momentum] couldn¡¯t be used on people after all, but that wasn¡¯t normally a problem for Tira since she could always at the very least track the clothes or weapons of her enemies. That wasn¡¯t true here though, as their opponent was buck naked, not carrying any weapon at all except the strange red ones jutting out of her skin, and for some reason those crystal weapons seemed to count as part of the demon¡¯s body, not objects that Tira could manipte the momentum of. Still, Tira did her best, throwing out strikes with her whip whenever the demon got close enough and forcing her back, brushing aside stones and tree branches as the demon kicked them at her and ina. Eventually the woman reached out and grabbed a rock though, hurling it at Tira¡¯s chest. It was easy to avoid, but jarring to Tira mentally. She¡¯d broken both of the monster¡¯s arms, and she¡¯d also cut off her right hand off by getting the jump on her earlier, the same hand that just threw the stone at her, grown back anew. Fuck¡¯s sake, she has flying and healing! Tira almost debated whether there might be a second opponent around healing the woman, but dismissed the idea. They would¡¯ve shown themselves by now. All these fuckers are stronger than a normal human, and another tossing shit around would¡¯ve been enough to end us already. Extra opponent or not though, the prospect of the demon healing herself changed things. The haphazard attacks with kicked rocks and sticks were inurate and slow enough to be dealt with easily, but despite her im earlier and her newlyrge mana pool Tira couldn¡¯t actually keep up with deflecting projectiles thrown at that velocity forever. Which is why it was a good thing Tira wasn¡¯t a one trick pony. Sheunched another strike with her crystal whip and pushed in with [Pain Management] again, the twobined causing the woman to falter and fly upwards screaming as Tira ran to the side and grabbed the curved sidesword she¡¯d dropped earlier. des weren¡¯t her preferred weapon of choice for many reasons, but whips weren¡¯t the only thing she¡¯d practiced with over thest year and a half. Someone as weak as Tira couldn¡¯t afford to ck off, after all. She hurled the weapon into the air with her left hand as hard as she could, harder than she thought she could, and danced the sword around the demon as she tried to avoid it, circling around behind her and slicing through skin, again channeling [Domineering Presence] as the de ate into the woman¡¯s back before circling around andnding safely in Tira¡¯s hand again. She couldn¡¯t help but smile as the demon stared back with obvious rage, in obvious pain. Tira had worked hard on her aspect, but she¡¯d worked even harder to curb these tendencies of hers, the tendency to enjoy causing pain in others. Tonight though, she was going to have to focus her efforts, and one of those two things she worked so hard on was going to have to fall to the wayside. And I¡¯ll be damned if it¡¯s the one that¡¯s going to save ina over the one that causes untold pain to the bitch that did this to her. The fight was even now, Tira would say, as the demon zipped around the clearing, on the run from chain and de alike. She avoided getting wrapped up in the chains which would almost certainly have meant her instant death, but she couldn¡¯t avoid both them and Tira¡¯s sword all the time, and the cuts were adding up. They were also subtracting though, each one added being shortly followed by a prior one healing up, all the while Tira had to spend mana to avoid her and ina getting bowled over by flying stones as well. In chess, it would be considered a stalemate, but in chess both sides take turns infinitely, and that wasn¡¯t the case here. One side would run out moves eventually, run out of mana, and that would be the deciding factor. Large as her well was now though, thebined efforts to avoid death and use her de were taking a toll on Tira, and she was starting to fear that she might be the support beam that broke in the bridge that was keeping her and ina above water. ¡°Miss Strask,¡± that strange voice said again, the voice that hade from that crystal orb, ¡°ina has an idea.¡± Ch 1.53: Crystals Ch 1.53: Crystals ina was happy that Tira had seemingly taken to her ss quite naturally, but it still wasn¡¯t going to be enough to take down Myri, apparently. ina had thought it would be a fair fight in a melee, but the woman¡¯s propensity to ranged attack with stones wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d ounted for. Still, with the n she¡¯d whispered to the System, that the System had in turn ryed to Tira, she knew they could win. As long as her theory was right, anyway. Theories probably were better tested outside of life and deathbat, but that was a luxury that ina couldn¡¯t afford right now. It did suck a little that she¡¯d have to rely on Tira to do the heavy lifting, but she supposed that was her role in all this. She could corral Myri, and that would have to be enough. And corral she did, stretching her Flexible Restraints out, thinning the chain links to get more length while preserving mass. They were made of crystal anyway, so they wouldn¡¯t be breaking regardless if the durability of Tira¡¯s whip was any indicator. She begun snaking it through the air, chasing after their opponent while keeping a trail of crystal in the sky, a that Myri couldn¡¯t go near without being snared. That wasn¡¯t going to happen of course, ina knew, not yet anyway. Myri was too fast, too practiced inbat to let herself get caught again, not after knowing about ina¡¯s trick with morphing the chains around her earlier, but it did force her to venture nearer and nearer to Tira and her whip. Each crack of the weapon heralded the dripping of blood, blue ichor spilling out, sometimes with a drop of ruby red in the midst. And that red drop was the key, not blood, but crystal, the various adornments across Myri¡¯s skin slowly being yed off of her body. She healed the wounds, small as the were, but that was fine, because what came back was flesh alone, just like how when her right hand had grown back it didn¡¯t have those red crystal ws, but regr old fingernails. With Tira¡¯s whip and swordbined she was shearing those crystals off, one by one. It was just a theory, but ina thought now they were more than just ornamentation. The ws and arm-des were weapons too, obviously, but they had to be more besides that. ¡°Earn your crystals,¡± the male Red Order had told his underlings before, the only one besides Myri and the corpse in the woods that had any crystals on him besides ws or fangs. It could have been a coincidence, but so far the more crystals on one of their bodies meant the more human they seemed to look, the more sentience they seemed to have, the more powerful they were. ¡°What are you doing, you bitch!¡± Myri shouted, lunging at Tira. Tira¡¯s response was wordless, but not quiet, as the thunder of her whip rang out, sliding under Myri¡¯s guard and rending the flesh of her left arm, just above the elbow, cutting clean through skin and bone alike. Myri still charged forward though, slicing through Tira¡¯s side with her right elbow-de as her left arm copsed to the ground and Tira cried out in pain, dropping both of her weapons. She was just a moment toote trying to dive out of the sh¡¯s path. ¡°Tira!¡± ina shouted, instinctively running over to her just as Myri turned heel, skidding across the ground. She jumped at ina before she had made even a full step, remaining de trained on her throat. Myri¡¯s speed would be too great, and ina would finally meet her end. That was the thought that ran through ina¡¯s head as she froze herself with [Personal Restraint] at least, the thought that it was pointless to try as she tried anyway, pulling her crystal chains toward Myri and intercepting her, wrapping them around the woman¡¯s body and stopping her in ce. Myri had been too slow, far slower than she was just a moment before while lunging at Tira. And she was looking decidedly less human, more grotesque with each passing moment as her face contorted, not looking quite like the full monsters ina had fought earlier, but certainly without the level of humanity she had before. ¡°It worked,¡± ina muttered, releasing [Personal Restraint] as she gawked. She could feel Myri resisting, but she didn¡¯t even need the skill to hold back the weakened monster in front of her. Myri was wing at the chains with her right arm now, a desperate attempt. ¡°Give them back,¡± she hissed, voice sounding more guttural, the mature elegance from before gone the same way her physical form had morphed. ¡°You fucking bitch, give back my crystals!¡± ¡°Tira¡± ina said, turning her back on Myri. She didn¡¯t even need to be watched over in this state. ¡°Are you okay?¡± A groan first, then, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be fine, after some healing anyway. Probably¡¯ll need some help walking back though.¡± ¡°Right, I gotcha.¡± ina turned back to Myri, the animal still struggling in her trap. Her arm wasn¡¯t growing back, she noticed, and thest few wounds Tira had inflicted still littered her body, almost all of the crystals gone save the one remaining de on her right arm and a handful of other scattered crystals. ¡°You¡¯re out of mana?¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± she said, lunging forward with her teeth bared, unable to move the chains even an inch. ¡°Fuck you too.¡± ina sighed, both in relief and annoyance. Myri would bleed out at this rate, but ina had hoped to take her in alive so they could question her. ¡°I might be able to get you to Carline, you know. She could probably save your life.¡± Myri growled, snarling as she tried to reach out for ina with her weaponless hand. ¡°I¡¯m not going to live inside these chains, you brat. Go ahead and kill me; you¡¯ll get what¡¯sing to you when the rest of the Order finds out.¡± A chance? ¡°Find¡¯s out what?¡± ¡°What your people have done.¡± She spit, saliva falling just short of ina¡¯s feet. ina had to be careful. The woman was angry, acting irrational, but she probably wouldn¡¯t just spill everything just because ina asked. ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything wrong; you¡¯re the ones who attacked us first, both back then and now.¡± ¡°Ha, an animal lecturing me on morality in my final moments.¡± Myri shook her head, and ina thought she saw her eyes watering. ¡°I may be the victim of hubris foring alone, but once I go missing they¡¯ll investigate, and when they find out that you went back on your word, that you¡¯ve been holding this much extra crystal, your people will be done for. There will be no mercy likest time.¡± ¡°ina,¡± the System said, voice still haggard, ¡°we need to know what she¡¯s talking about.¡± No need to tell me twice. It was a small blessing that Myri couldn¡¯t hear the System herself, but it wasn¡¯t like ina could have a full on conversation without her hearing her side at least. ¡°I¡¯m the Administrator, and I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve broken our word at all. Maybe you¡¯re the one who¡¯s misinformed.¡± ¡°Liar¡­ Befitting of an animal that can talk.¡± Myri¡¯s voice was growing faint now, her eyelids drooping. ¡°But you can tell all the lies you like. Once the rest of the Order finds out that your Stormshines broke their pact with us and held onto extra crystal, no amount of words will be able spare your.¡± ¡°The Stormshines¡­¡± ina said, mind turning over in her head. ¡°That can¡¯t be right¡­¡± Headmaster Alonse? Ch 1.54: Aftermath Ch 1.54: Aftermath ¡°What do you mean the Stormshine¡¯s?¡± ina said, abandoning any attempt to subtly push the conversation. She need to know what Myri was talking about, and now. But it was toote. Myri¡¯s face of disgust was frozen, unmoving as thest bit of life had slipped from her. ¡°Damnit¡­¡± ina ran over to Tira. She wasying on the ground, wincing in pain as she clutched her side. ¡°Fuck, those things are sharp, ina.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± ina said, pulling Tira¡¯s hands away and looking at the wound beneath. Thanks the gods. It was long, but not deep, bleeding, but not profusely. ¡°We should probably tie this off just to be safe. Can you change back to your uniform?¡± ¡°Can I¡­ Gods, I think I can.¡± Tira closed her eyes, and the crystal dust appeared once more, circling around her and recing her bodysuit with her uniform. It was still soaked of course, but someonepletely unmarred besides. ¡°ina, what the fuck is going on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story¡­ I¡¯ll exin on the way back. Can I use part of your jacket to try and staunch the blood?¡± ¡°Yeah, of course. Whole thing¡¯s gonna be ruined after this anyway. But are you okay?¡± ¡°Uh-huh. It hurts, but I¡¯ll live; I can move.¡± ina helped Tira get her jacket off and them ripped off one of the sleeves, tying it around Tira¡¯s waist where the blood was seeping into her white shirt. She also finally remembered she was naked. Blushing, ina willed her own uniform back, or what was left of it at least. It was interesting, that the crystal dust spun around both her and the discarded dress on the ground before recing her shirt back onto her body. ¡°So¡­ you too, huh?¡± Tira asked. ina nodded. ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± ¡°How long?¡± ¡°Uhm, the night we first met. Like, less than an hour before you caught me in the halls.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Uhm, can I wear your jacket again? I, uh, had another wardrobe mishap.¡± Tira chuckled a little, stifling it with her hand and then wincing before grabbing her side. ¡°Sorry, not really the time to beughing at that sort of thing, I know. Go ahead.¡± ina pulled the jacket over her body, grateful for at least a little bit more coverage, even if she knew she¡¯d appear ridiculous having just torn of one of the sleeves. ¡°How do I look?¡± Tira chuckled once more, clutching her side again. ¡°Silly. Not quite as sexy asst night.¡± ¡°ina,¡± the System said. ¡°Gods,¡± Tira replied, staring at the orb on the ground. ¡°You know that thing scared the shit out of me the first time it talked?¡± ¡°Go ahead, System,¡± ina said. Catching Tira up would be important, but the System usually only interrupted if it was something important. ¡°These crystals, the ones from Myri, are powerful and dangerous. All the Red Order crystals are, but hers are magnitudes more powerful. We must keep them safe.¡± ina sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t exactly carry those things back into school without anyone noticing.¡± ¡°Perhaps it would be best to keep them in the cave with my main core then. That is already an inadvisably unprotected space, but there are not many things we can do about that as of now, and it is better than leaving them out in the open.¡± ¡°Right, sounds good.¡± ina walked over to Myri¡¯s body, stomach turning at the thought of moving the pieces around. To her surprise though the crystals didn¡¯t seem to be attached anymore, each one having separated from the skin they were attached too and fallen off, and blood on them washed into the ground by the rain. Thankful for small blessings, she started rounding them up, cing the small ones in her bag before dumping its contents into the cave and then tossing the two giant des down there as well. We¡¯ll need toe back and make sure they¡¯re more properly hidden tomorrow, but Tira needs help right now. She tossed the System into her bag and then walked over to her friend. ¡°I¡¯m gonna pick you up, alright?¡± ¡°Uhm, sure, but are you sure you¡¯re strong enough to¡ª Whoah!¡± ina couldn¡¯t help but smirk a little as she lifted Tira up, and she thought Tira even had a slight blush, barely able to be seen in the weather. The sight almost distracted her from the pain across her shoulder, enough so that the primary sensation was now her arousal instead. ¡°sses make us physically stronger too.¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± Tira said, looking away slightly. ¡°I mean, I knew that, of course, from the stories, but I didn¡¯t know if that part was literally true, you know?¡± ¡°Mmhm.¡± It¡¯sing now, any second. ¡°So, like, what¡¯s your ss?¡± There it is. ina sighed, shaking her head as she walked Tira through the forest. ¡°Masochist Mage,¡± she muttered. Another spurt ofughter from Tira as she tried to cover her mouth once more. ¡°Sorry, sorry, I just¡­ didn¡¯t expect something so simr to mine. I¡¯m a Sadist Striker, apparently.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. I can see your ss information. I¡¯m¡­ Well, it¡¯s called System Administrator, so I can see everyone¡¯s sses.¡± Tira blinked. ¡°Everyone¡¯s?¡± ¡°Well, you and Carline, and my own. We¡¯re the only three right now.¡± ¡°Oh, your roommate, right? She¡¯s nice, came to me about your uniform.¡± ¡°Yeah, and helped you y that prank on me this morning too,¡± ina said, her smile returning once more. ¡°Gods, do you know how scared I was?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a prank, I promise! I really wanted to give it to you this morning, but you were just so sound asleep¡­¡± ¡°I really thought I had no clothes. And then the underwear situation too¡­ You know I had fencing ss, in the rain, with no bra?¡± Tira¡¯s eyes went wide, mouth agape. ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t know your schedule, and I told you where your underwear was!¡± ina chuckled. ¡°I know¡­ It was my choice. And kind of fun, to be honest.¡± Tira sighed, looking relieved. ¡°d it was fun at least. I really would never do that to you, leave you stranded somewhere without talking to you about it first. Did Ranlit rake you over the coals for being braless?¡± ina blushed, shaking her head. The storm was starting to clear now, so her face was probably visible. ¡°No, but she made ament about it.¡± ¡°Must¡¯ve been in a good mood. She¡¯s known for being quite a hardass at times.¡± ¡°Like you, ¡®Iron Whip Tira?¡¯¡± Tira¡¯s head whipped up, looking genuinely offended. ¡°Who the fuck is calling me that? Wait, is it that Stouth girl? I swear she¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°ina!¡± a voice called from up ahead, just outside the treeline, back on the school grounds proper. Carline? ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± ina shouted back. She wanted to run up, but she couldn¡¯t do that with Tira in her arms, not wounded as she was. Carline came running into the trees herself though, face panicked and eyes watering. ¡°ina! Thank the stars; I was so worried.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, really, I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°No you¡¯re not,¡± Carline said, face suddenly determined. ¡°And neither is she. Put her down.¡± Right, she can sense these things. ina obeyed, cing Tira on the ground as Carline ced her hands on Tira¡¯s side. ¡°Oh gods,¡± Tira said, inhaling deeply. ¡°That¡¯s so much better already.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just stopping the pain while I fix it, but still don¡¯t move around too much. You¡¯ve lost a lot of blood.¡± It was strange, seeing the normally meek girl so confident andmanding. Maybe it was the pain that ina¡¯s skill was transforming into other feelings doing the thinking for her, but ina couldn¡¯t help but think she¡¯d like to see that side of Carline more often. Carline turned up towards ina, frown on her face and tears in her eyes as her hands remained on Tira. ¡°And you! Don¡¯t do that to me again! Don¡¯t shut me out!¡± ina recoiled, looking to the side. ¡°I¡ª I¡¯m sorry, I just thought that¡ª¡± ¡°I know what you thought! I just¡­¡± Carline shook her head. ¡°I could¡¯vee with you, or you could have stayed. Gods, what if you¡¯d run into Myri?¡± ¡°We did. She¡¯s dead.¡± The words hung in the air as Carline furrowed her brow, looking back to Tira. ¡°Does that mean¡­ Is she?¡± ¡°Sure am,¡± Tira said, grin forming on her face. ¡°Newest ss bearer, Sadist Striker Tira Strask, at your service!¡± Carline blinked as she shook her head once more. ¡°Stars, we really are the pervert party, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°It is the nature of partypatibility,¡± the System said. ¡°Okay,¡± Tira said, pointing to ina¡¯s bag, ¡°that thing still freaks me out every time it talks. Can someone exin to me what exactly it is?¡± ¡°Later,¡± Carline said, pursing her lips. ¡°ina, there¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s something important I need to tell you." Ch 1.55: Regrets Ch 1.55: Regrets The walk back was a haze, ina doing her best to ignore what Carline had just told her. Once Tira had been patched up she¡¯d left, promising not to say anything about what happened in the forest before the three of them could talk together. Her face seemed as stone when she left, but ina could hear the break in her voice. Carline was next to her, but ina and her didn¡¯t talk on the trek back. The watched as students went around the campus, examining the fallen Red Order members, picking up pieces of the armor-guards, and looking out for any human bodies that hadn¡¯t been found yet. It did seem safe now, at least, that thest remnants of their enemy had been picked off, or ran off, in the time that ina had been in the forrest. The air around them wasn¡¯t one of victory though. Each student whipped their heads whenever ina would walk by, eyes wide with fear until they realized it was a human behind them. They didn¡¯t look relieved when they realized that though, still terrified, like any second the fighting would resume. ina could rte. She didn¡¯t feel immediate danger, knowing that themander of the enemy forces was dead at least, but there was a lingering dread. Myri¡¯s threat wasn¡¯t hollow, she knew, her invasion not the climax. She was one piece of arger force, one that would being in full eventually. And that might already by here in part, living in the same walls. Alonse. He¡¯d seemed like the person she could trust most. He still hadn¡¯t done anything to make her distrust him, not that she knew, but Myri¡¯s words rang clearly in her head. The Stormshine¡¯s had dealt with the Red Order in the past, and he had been conveniently absent when they attacked the school. Not enough to prove guilt, but enough to give her pause about revealing the System to him anyway. And if we can¡¯t tell him about it, there¡¯s no one at the school we can. Worries for another time. She was walking through the north entrance now, and her attention was drawn to the floor anyway. It wasn¡¯t exactly littered with bodies, but there was still a line of them, and any amount was enough to turn her stomach over. The wounded were further in, she knew, making all of these corpses, the once living. Automatons moved throughout, some dragging bodies, others cing sheets over them. It was disconcerting, seeing her fellow students carried around by the constructs like they were furniture or cleaning supplies instead of people, but the constructs themselves didn¡¯t seem to care, just another job to them. The thought came back, the words that Carline had said, that ina had been trying to forget. At least it wasn¡¯t¡ª Prisma. ina hadn¡¯t expected to see her, to face her, not so soon anyway. She was huddled over a body, hand pressed into her face. Sobbing. ina froze, feet unwilling to go forward anymore. ¡°I really need to keep going,¡± Carline eventually said, standing next to ina. ¡°They still need my help in the dining hall.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± ina said, still looking at Prisma. ¡°I¡¯ll catch up in a bit.¡± ¡°Alright. Uhm, I¡¯ll see youter then.¡± Carline shuffled off, breaking into a run after a few steps. She¡¯ll probably get in trouble for havinge after me, even if they fighting was over. Thoughts that only existed to distract her from the true problem. She stepped forward, clutching Tira¡¯s remaining jacket sleeve as she walked. In any other scenario she would have been the center of attention, but now even ina herself was ignoring her state of dress. Tira¡¯s jacket was long enough for the most basic semnce of modesty, and that¡¯s all that really mattered right now. She stopped just behind Prisma, looking down at the body in front of her. This one wasn¡¯t wearing the school uniform like most of the others, but a simple outfit, pants and shirt that ina could have seen herself or her parents having made back home. And I¡¯m the one that killed her. Ranlit. ina had hoped Carline was mistaken, that maybe the fencing teacher had been grievously wounded instead of outright killed, but that wasn¡¯t the case. A stupid hope, Carline wouldn¡¯t be capable of making a mistake like that with her aspect. Ranlit was covered with a dark blue sheet that hid whatever wounds she would have been suffering from in herst moments. It should have been a mercy to ina, to not have to see the injuries, but she cursed the sheet in her mind instead. All it truly did was let her imagination go wild with horror after horror that might have been inflicted. It¡¯d be better to know. After a while Prisma looked up, tears no longer streaming down her face, but with red eyes, puffed cheeks. Until today the girl had only ever lookedposed, graceful, but the past few hours had shattered that illusion in ina¡¯s mind. Prisma was just a girl after all. She stared into ina¡¯s eyes, tears shaking in her own, causing them to quiver. ¡°You¡¯re okay.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Carline told me what you did.¡± The stone in ina¡¯s stomach dropped for a third time in the same day, sinking feeling going lower than ina had ever thought imaginable. She¡¯d known Prisma and Ranlit were close, known she¡¯d have to deal with this eventually, but she wasn¡¯t ready, would probably never be ready. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Prisma said, closing her eyes to shut off the flow of tears once more. ¡°Thank you.¡± ina stared as the girl grabbed at the nket covering Ranlit, clutching the fabric beneath her fingers as she shook. ¡°Prisma, I¡­ I left her, alone.¡± Prisma pulled up, wiping her face with her sleeve. ¡°I already told you that Carline said what happened. You put the fence back up for her like she asked, and tried to draw those things away.¡± ¡°I abandoned her, Prisma. I mean¡ª¡± Prisma was already on her feet, arms wrapped around ina in a deep embrace. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t have stopped fighting while anyone else was in danger, no matter what. That¡¯s why she died. Please don¡¯t try and make it your fault. The only thing she would be mad at you for was putting yourself in more danger.¡± ina stood there, dumbfounded, as tears started to well up in her own eyes for the first time since she heard the news. Why is she forgiving me? No, it wasn¡¯t even forgiveness. Prisma was acting like there was nothing to forgive, but ina knew better than that. Still, there was a warmth to the embrace, even despite their soaking wet clothes and the chill of the breeze from the open door. She held Prisma back, squeezing tightly, with all her might, all her sorrow as she started to sob as well. ¡°E¡ª ina! I can¡¯t breathe!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ina said as she let go, backing up and wiping her face. ¡°Sorry, I, uhm, didn¡¯t mean to press in that hard.¡± Prisma huffed for a moment, catching her breath and sniffling. ¡°Gods, you really are strong.¡± ina blushed, biting her lip, trying to think of any way to change the topic. ¡°Carline said Waine is okay?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Prisma turned back to Ranlit¡¯s body, shaking her head. ¡°Thank the gods for that at least. If both of them had died¡­¡± ina looked down as well. ¡°He¡¯s really important to you, huh?¡± Prisma paused. ¡°He¡¯s important to my family.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± ¡°Did you find them? The person you went looking for in the forest?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, I did.¡± ¡°And they¡¯re alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, uhm, Carline helped them out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± The shuffling of automatons, the sobs from the few students still walking the halls, the wind howling through the halls. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let mee with you?¡± ina still didn¡¯t really know herself. ¡°Because I knew he was important to you¡ª to your family, I mean.¡± ¡°Right¡­ Thanks, I guess. I¡¯m d you¡¯re both safe, but¡ª¡± She swallowed, sniffling again, tears reforming. ¡°It all worked out, you and Waine at least. Waine would¡¯ve been hard for her, but if you had¡ª¡± She nced at Ranlit once more, choking off the end of her sentence and closing her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s really hard not to be mad at you for leaving me like that, but right now I¡¯m just d you¡¯re both okay.¡± ina was annoyed. Prisma was fine with her leaving Ranlit, her old fencing coach and friend, but mad that she didn¡¯t want to leave Waine to die? She¡¯s going through a hard time, but still. It wasn¡¯t the time to address those frustrations though. ¡°I¡¯m, uhm, gonna go to the dining hall. I¡¯m okay, but there¡¯s a cut Carline didn¡¯t fully heal yet so she could get back there.¡± Prisma nodded. ¡°I¡¯m gonna stay here. I¡¯m not¡­ I¡¯m not done saying bye yet.¡± ¡°Sure, of course. I¡¯ll see you around?¡± Prisma nodded again, wordless as ina walked off. The stone in her stomach didn¡¯t seem as heavy anymore, but it was still there. She put her hand in her bag, running her fingers over the System, smooth crystal cool to the touch, sending her thoughts of what could¡¯ve been if she¡¯d let Prismae with her. ¡°You did the right thing, ina,¡± the System said, startling her as she pulled her hand back. ¡°Did I?¡± ¡°I think so. Being the Administrator means making hard choices, and the most important thing is to make those choices. You did not hesitate, and in doing so saved the lives did.¡± ¡°I could have saved Ranlit if I¡¯d stayed and fought.¡± ¡°Possibly. Or you could have died with her. Myri could have found my main core, Prisma could have died in the other battle, Miss Strask could have died to Myri herself. There is no way of knowing these things, either back then or now, so you can only keep going, keep making the hard choices. Regrets are not a luxury you can afford to have anymore.¡± ¡°No, regrets are important.¡± ina clenched her fingers together as she stepped into the dining room. ¡°I need them if I¡¯m going to get better at this.¡± Ch 1.56: Cosmic Ch 1.56: Cosmic ¡°So long story short, the orb talks, we¡¯re all perverts with sses, monsters are after the orb and it¡¯s our job to protect it from them, and now we don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anyone we can trust with that information?¡± ina nodded. Tira had the right of it, mostly. Therge strokes. She looked over ot Carline, the girl seated on Tira¡¯s desk chair while ina sat on the bed and Tira paced the room. She was blushing at the pervertment, face almost as pink as the room¡¯s decor, and she hadn¡¯t offered up her ss name to Tira either. It was going toe up eventually, but ina would let her keep the privacy for now. The two were going to be staying the night in Tira¡¯s room, their own still without a window and rain still a possibility forter in the evening. They weren¡¯t the only ones with damaged rooms, even though most other break ins happened on the first floor, and the school had waived the rules against sleeping in other rooms for the time being, even if curfew was being strictly enforced otherwise. ¡°If I may add something,¡± the System. ¡°Sure,¡± Tira said, ¡°go right ahead, oh mighty System.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± Normally that buzzing sounded like thinking, or annoyance, but for some reason ina detected a hint of superiority this time. ¡°It is not technically your purpose to protect me, but mine to protect you. Unfortunately, due to the small number of current System Users and my weakened capabilities, I am not able to fulfill my role as adequately as I should. Additionally, the Red Order is not the only threat facing us today. There are more mundane cosmic entities that maye, as well as threats from your own.¡± Carline perked up. ¡°Oh, right. System, before all of this you were telling us about another of your cores that was being hunted by crystal poachers.¡± ina had almost forgotten. That conversation was only right before the attack, but it seemed so much longer ago. ¡°I can go now. My mana is restored enough, and¡ª¡± ¡°That subcore has been captured by the individuals in question.¡± The words hit ina¡¯s chest like a kick from a horse. ¡°Damnit¡­ I¡¯m so fucking sorry.¡± ¡°Do not be. You valiantly protected me here against great odds, and the people who have that core currently are no match for the party of three for sure. It should not be difficult to retrieve, though I would advise against confronting them head on via a teleportation, as that would likely cause unnecessary human bloodshed.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± ina said, only half conscious that she was picking up that strange humming the System would do. ¡°If we can¡¯t teleport in, then what do we do?¡± ¡°I mentioned before that the core was not physically far from us, and that remains true. Currently, it is actually moving closer to us as well, towards the school, or more likely the castletown on the outskirts. ¡°The town?¡± ina said. She¡¯d seen it briefly as she¡¯d rode by in the carriage, but it wasn¡¯t a long nce at all. ¡°Indeed. It is likely that a more subtle approach to retrieving this core will be necessary.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been into town before,¡± Tira said. ¡°It¡¯s not terriblyrge, so shouldn¡¯t be too hard to find the thing if you can track it like it sounds you can.¡± Not terriblyrge? It was thergest town ina had ever seen, but it wasn¡¯t the time to argue semantics. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be allowed to go in on the weekends,¡± Carline added, ¡°but I¡¯m not sure how that¡¯ll pan out with the stricter curfew. I also, uhm, don¡¯t really know what we¡¯re supposed to do? Like, we can¡¯t just steal it, right?¡± ¡°Sure we can,¡± Tira said, grinning. ¡°They¡¯re poachers anyway, right? Should be fun.¡± Carline looked down, obviously ufortable with the idea. I¡¯ll talk with her about itter. ina thought about offering to let her sit out, but if the fight with Myri had proved anything it was how valuable Carline was to the team. Had she been there, it would have almost been easy. Too easy, even. ¡°System¡­ How strong was Myri? Inparison to other Red Order members, I mean?¡± The question hung in the air, the three girls staring at the orb sitting on Tira¡¯s desk. ¡°She was likely a low levelmander, a scout for the Red Order surveying potential targets. It is still a great aplishment that two of you alone were able to defeat her, one you should be proud of.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Tira said, sighing. ¡°That¡¯s what we were afraid of.¡± Carline nodded. ¡°There are much stronger members to deal with in the future¡­ I don¡¯t think we can do this with just the three of us.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have to,¡± ina said, doing her best to project confidence. ¡°Myri mentioned that she was arrogant, tried to take the System without alerting her superiors. We have time to train, find more Users.¡± ¡°Except the pool of potential Users is fucked,¡± Tira said. ¡°Once someone¡¯s Awakening, they can¡¯t join the System without apatible party, right? There can only be so many perverts like us at school, after all.¡± ina stood up. ¡°We¡¯ll find people. And we¡¯ll train. And if we can find even just a few people who haven¡¯t Awakened yet, we can start building more parties, right?¡± She turned to the System. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s my job, I think.¡± ¡°Correct. That is the ultimate responsibility of the System Administrator.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be hard, ina,¡± Carline said. ¡°Every noble that can ess an Awakening crystal awakens on their birthday.¡± ¡°Well, a day or twoter nowadays,¡± Tira added. ¡°The things stopped working on our birthdays proper for some reason.¡± ¡°Indeed. That actually brings me to one more thing I must discuss with you three.¡± ina sighed. It was always one more thing with the System. ¡°Go for it.¡± ¡°There is a disturbing development in what ina has referred to as ¡®celestial drift,¡¯ the confusion surrounding your calendar dates and the actual celestial dates. After first hearing of this from ina I started a background analysis to determine the validity and cause of the phenomenon, and I am ready to share my findings. There are indeed measurable differences from what should be expected this long after my rest, and I have even been able to measure change in the short time since I¡¯ve been active, small though the change may be. In short, your¡¯s orbit and rotation are shifting, slowing down.¡± ¡°Freaky,¡± Tira said, sitting down and leaning in. ¡°Why would that be? ¡°Your is kept in order by many natural forces. Small deviations over time are normal, but such a significant change over merely a decade is cause for concern, indicating that outside influence is afoot. Ins that possess it naturally, crystal is a major influence on the ecosystem as a whole. As such, I believe the most likely cause for the drift is excess crystal energy usage and mining.¡± ¡°Like from the poachers?¡± Carline asked. ¡°Potentially, though it seems unlikely to me. Most options seem unlikely, to be honest, as drawing forth this much energy without the aid of the System is near impossible, but it is almost certainly a single, concentrated effort, likely by one of the most powerful nations.¡± Tira coughed. ¡°I know you haven¡¯t been around for a while, System, but, well, there is kind of only one powerful nation right now. Us, the Kingdom of Endrin.¡± ¡°Then it is likely your nation is causing the celestial drift.¡± The System said it so matter-of-factly, clearly not meaning any judgment by it. Despite that, ina could tell it made both of the other girls ufortable, Carline deeply so, that same pursed-lip look on her that she¡¯d had when the System had spoken of the Night Wars to her previously. ina herself wasn¡¯t really that upset though. It wasn¡¯t news to her that the kingdom might be doing some shady shit in secret, and it just didn¡¯t really seem like a huge change to her. ¡°It¡¯s only two days off over ten years, right? I mean, it kind of messed with me specifically cause of my Awakening, but that was just bad luck I think, so it shouldn¡¯t be too big of a deal.¡± ¡°Incorrect. Especially as the drift continues to grow, the results could be catastrophic.¡± ¡°Okay, but like, how? What¡¯s the worst that could happen?¡± ¡°If the rate of change remains the same, it would still be near negligible in the grand scheme of the cosmos. If it continues to grow, however, it would spell the end of your world.¡± Ch 1.57: Rest? Ch 1.57: Rest? Night brought ina somethingpletely harmless, but also terrible. It was a half-sleep, eyes closed but consciousness retained, a fading mind but awareness all the same. Every second in reality was an hour in her head, reliving the ordeals of the day inside her mind as her body writhed under the sheets. She should have beenfortable, should have been at peace, but both feelings eluded her grasp as she relived the ss cutting her body as she jumped from the window, the exhaustion from running around the school, the crystal de digging into her shoulder, fingers closing around her throat. Bodies in the hall. In her dreams there was no [Pain Response], no [Fear Response], no pleasure in the suffering. That was a signifier to her at least, that it wasn¡¯t real. And so she knew she was safe¡ªfor now¡ªthat she was sleeping¡ªprobably¡ªthat they¡¯d won. At a cost. Her eyes opened, finding herself shaking, sweating in the bed. Tira¡¯s room. She wished Tira was with her, that her mistress could protect her, but she was gone, duties demanding her attention in overtime. She¡¯d only been able toe for their discussion earlier by skipping a meal, something Tira had insisted on despite protests from both ina and Carline. Carline. ina turned over, seeing the girl huddled up, back turned to her on the other side of the bed. She was still, at peace. At least there¡¯s that. ina turned back over, forcing her eyes open despite the intense weight of her eyelids. How long had it been? Hours for sure, but how many? Doesn¡¯t really matter. sses were canceled for the next day, of course, and the weekend was right after, so it didn¡¯t really matter if she lost some sleep. Except that wasn¡¯t how she could be thinking now. sses at school weren¡¯t the sses she needed to be worried about, school assignments not the biggest challenges she¡¯d have to face. Someone, or something, was draining the of the energy keeping it afloat in the cosmos. And the Stormshine¡¯s, Endrin Stormshine to start most likely, have some deal with the Red Order. Alonse had abdicated the throne to teach, but his brother was still the current king of the nation, likely the only nation with the ability to mine so much crystal that it would cause such a change to the world. Did he know that¡¯s what was going to happen, that they were the ones causing it? And does Alonse know. ina groaned as she tossed about again. It was sote, and she was so tired, but any ¡°rest¡± she got seemed to be more draining than just lying there awake, so what was the point? That was that. Sleep was bullshit anyway, so she was just going toy there and stay awake for the night. Of course, she could close her eyes just a little, right? That won¡¯t hurt anything¡­ Mistake made, she drifted off once more. She was in the clearing again, shoulder split open, in Myri¡¯s hands. The woman was taunting her, but Tira would show up any moment to save her. Any second now the pain would stop, the foggy haze of an oxygen deprived mind would clear with the crack of her whip, and ina would be saved. But the only crack was thunder, the only feeling agony, thest sight ina saw before darkness enveloped her Myri¡¯s wicked grin illuminated by a sh of lightning. She woke again, but this time she was falling. The window, I¡¯ve just jumped out of it. She knew what happened next, that she¡¯d conjure a rope to catch herself, that she¡¯d run off and stop the creature trying to make off with the System. She extended her hand and reached into her mana pool to reenact the events, but found it empty. Wait, I don¡¯t have my aspect? She crashed into the ground. With a gasp she was up again, on her feet, running from the horde of creatures, trying to lead them away from¡­ Ranlit! She had to turn back. If she didn¡¯t, then it¡¯d happen again. She spun on her heels, seeing the army approaching her, behind them a starhound that hadn¡¯t been there thest time. Was this how it happened? ina disabled the ones after her with the same beartrap trick, and after freezing herself with [Personal Restraint] was even stronger this time somehow, but when she went to drop the skill, it wouldn¡¯t release. She screamed out as the starhound walked up behind Ranlit, howl-growl ringing out in the night. Ranlit herself didn¡¯t seem to hear, didn¡¯t even react as the creature stepped up from behind, jaws open wide. ina¡¯s eyes shot open again. In the bed this time, hyperventting, but safe. She pulled the sheets tight to her chest, silent tears leaking out of her closed eyelids. How many times had the same terrors happened tonight? She needed it to end, for day toe. She wished desperately that she could get up and take a walk, but curfew was strict after the attack, and she knew she¡¯d get in trouble. I need someone. ¡°ina?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She opened her eyes, turning to see Carline looking at her, big eyes barely visible in the dim room. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep. Been up all night.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I thought you had been, for a while.¡± Carline shook her head. ¡°Uh-uh. Do you know what time it is?¡± ¡°No¡­ Late, I guess.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Carline rolled over, looking straight up. ¡°I heard you tossing and turning. You kind of were earlier, but it was really bad just now.¡± ¡°Yeah, probably,¡± ina said, rolling over onto her back and wiping her eyes with the sheets, making sure to keep herself covered. She was still sleeping naked like she preferred, and it wasn¡¯t the time to be shing Carline. ¡°Bad dreams.¡± ¡°I figured. I¡¯m tired, but I guess no dreams is better than bad ones after the day we¡¯ve had.¡± ina hummed in response. She had to agree, given the dreams she¡¯d been having. ¡°I keep reliving it, but worse.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t imagine what you went through out there. What everyone went through. I just stayed back and hid¡­¡± ina rolled over again, staring at Carline in confusion. ¡°Carline, you saved people. I saw Waine, and I know he would have died if he didn¡¯t get help. Tira too, me twice, all the others.¡± ¡°That¡¯s different. I hated that, ina. Doctor Thims telling me to stay back, you locking me inside with that fence¡­ I wasn¡¯t supposed to have an aspect like this. I was supposed to fight. Can still fight! I¡¯ve trained for it for¡ª for forever!¡± Carline was staring back at her now, an unusual intensity in her eyes. ¡°Carline, I¡ª¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t answer me before, not really. You said sorry, but I need a promise, not an apology. Tell me you¡¯ll never leave me like that again when you need my help.¡± She meant it. Not just that she thought she could fight, but that she needed to be there, by ina¡¯s side. ¡°Okay. I promise.¡± Carline nodded and closed her eyes, seemingly satisfied. It was a strange feeling, words that demandinging from someone so meek. It didn¡¯t have the same effect as when Tira told her to do something¡ªsomething about a woman like Tira giving orders caused all sorts of feelings to run through ina¡ªbut it still affected her, pulled at her heart in a way she didn¡¯t understand. ¡°ina?¡± Carline eventually asked again. ¡°Yeah,¡± ina responded, a little more nervous this time. ¡°Can I hold you for a bit?¡± ¡°Oh. Uhm, sure.¡± ina rolled over, presenting her back to Carline. A body pressed up against her own, one arm snaking underneath her pillow and reaching around to cup her breast as the other fell over and rested on her stomach. She was there, enveloped in the arms by her best friend. Best friend? She hadn¡¯t really though of it, but that had to be what Carline was. Even if they were more than strictly friends at this point, Carline was still the best one she had, even closer than the few acquaintances she¡¯d had back home. It was so warm. Had she been cold before? She couldn¡¯t remember, but thinking about losing this warmth now terrified her. Please don¡¯t let go. She was naked, Carline¡¯s hand squeezing her boob, but there wasn¡¯t anything sexy about it, nothing embarrassing, just nice. She wished Carline was naked too, that there wasn¡¯t that thinyer of nightgown in between them, but even that thought wasn¡¯t lewd, not right now. And even with the barrier, the embrace brought ayer of calm to ina. She could hear Carline¡¯s breathing, soft at first, then growing heavier. She could feel as the girl holding her drifted off to sleep, and each heavier breath, even the small snoring that came from the girl eventually brought a new wave of serenity. It wasing again, sleep. For a moment the thought terrified ina, made her want to tense up, but she couldn¡¯t; doing so might disturb Carline. She took in a deep breath of her own, melting into Carline¡¯s body, the arms around her, the soft breasts against her back, the bare legs pressed up against her own, and slowly started to drift. No visions gripped her as she faded off, no memories invaded her mind as consciousness slipped away. Even in sleep, the only things were her, Carline, and their embrace. The end of the world wasing, sure, but it could wait one night. Ch 1.58: Morning Ch 1.58: Morning ina woke to the bell, somehow both tired and rested. She hadn¡¯t gotten enough sleep, for sure, but the sleep she¡¯d had was deep enough that she wasn¡¯tpletely exhausted. She pulled away from Carline¡¯s arms, peeling herself from the warmth of their embrace and Tira¡¯s sheets. ¡°Come on,¡± she said, covering her chest with one arm and nudging Carline awake with the other. ¡°We can sleep again after breakfast.¡± Carline stretched in the bed, eyes still shut. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She was beautiful as she sat up, messy head of ck hair, peach nightgown covering her bosom as she threw her arms up into the sky and yawned. She finally opened her eyes, gaze falling on ina¡¯s body. Both girls blushed, ina turning and putting on the underwear she¡¯d brought from their room, back facing Carline. She could tell she was still being watch, still being admired from behind, as Carline wasn¡¯t moving at all. Once ina started putting on her shirt she finally heard Carline rustling out of bed. The finished getting dressed in silence, Carline returning to Tira¡¯s private washroom to put on most of her clothes before finishing up in the main room. ¡°Ready?¡± ina asked. ¡°Sure,¡± Carline said, still looking exhausted. It wasn¡¯t like ina hadn¡¯t had an ordeal the day before, but she knew that Carline had spent longer than her actually dealing with the program, had spent hours healing students, some unsessfully, even after ina herself was safe and sound. The halls were quiet too, the normal boisterous nature of young adults crowded together subdued by the aftermath of the attack. There was a heaviness in the air, a nket of fear over the entire school that suffocated the energy that normally burned through it. The cafeteria was different though, abuzz with murmurings, whispers throughout. No food was being served yet, even though ina and Carline had arrivedte. ¡°Maybe another announcement from Professor Calivahn?¡± ina asked as the waded through the room to empty seats. She¡¯d done one at dinner the night before, detailing the stricter curfew. ¡°Not Calivahn,¡± Carline said, pointing. ¡°Look.¡± ina¡¯s eyes cast across the room, ncing over the faculty table before stopping in the middle. Alonse. He was sitting at the center of the table, his usual spot, staring out across the room, eyes zed over, face harrowed. ¡°How in the stars is he back?¡± ina muttered, disbelief over what she was seeing. He¡¯d gone to the capital, a week¡¯s trip at least, and nowe back? ¡°It¡¯s only been a couple of days.¡± ¡°Came back after hearing about yesterday,¡± a voice said from behind ina. She turned, seeing a hagard Tira take her seat next to her. ¡°I¡¯ve always known he was fast, but not that fast. Has a speech to give once more people arrive.¡± ina gaped at the new arrival. Her eyes were bloodshot, dark circles underneath them, overpowering the gentle pink makeup ¡°Tira, you look¡­¡± ¡°Horrible? Yeah. I¡¯m going to sleep after this. Now that Alonse is back he and Calivahn will coordinate stuff while I rest.¡± She let out a long yawn, head drooping forward as she finished. ¡°Wish I could just go to sleep now though. Been up since¡­ Well, been up since early yesterday morning I guess.¡± ¡°Maybe you should¡ª¡± ina was cut off by the sound of silence, the room abruptly stopping all chatter. She turned, seeing Alonse standing. ¡°Good morning,¡± he said. ¡°I say that, though it¡¯s hard to imagine a worse one. ¡°We¡¯ve lost faculty, students, friends. I¡¯m sure there is much confusion over the nature of the attackst night, and I wish I had more answers for you. I can tell you what I do know, that there was an incident earlier this weekend involving a monster that left behind corpses simr to those of the starhounds that attacked here.¡± A wave of whispers crashed over the room, one word repeated throughout them, ¡°starhound.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. When I was in the capital the kingdom was hesitant to announce the existence of such a corpse, didn¡¯t want to stir up undo panic. With a good deal of our student body having fought them though, some having died to them, I feel it is only right to confirm their existence. ¡°Not since the Night Wars have we faced creatures such as starhounds, and never in recorded history have we encountered the likes of those who seemed to bemanding them in battle. I feel it is also important for you to know that this is seemingly not an isted event. While there has been no other coordinated attack of the magnitude like we sawst night, there have been other sightings of monsters not seen since the Night Wars as well.¡± The nket of fear was tightening, squeezing the sound out of the room once more, the students, faculty too, all staring in horror as the headmaster spoke. ¡°There are two courses of action I was presented with before I left the capital. One is to increase security measures here. Tighten curfew, request guards from the capital, prevent students from leaving the grounds at all.¡± The murmurs started again. ina couldn¡¯t make out many individual words, but the general vibe was one of distaste for the idea. ¡°I sense that idea is not very popr,¡± Alonse said. ¡°There is the second option, of course, of simply shuttering Endrin Academy and sending all students home until we can ascertain why such an attack happenedst night.¡± The murmurings ceased, students staring wide-eyed at the suggestion. How long would that mean the school being closed? Alonse chuckled, a bit of a smile growing on his pained face. ¡°I thought not. These are the two options presented to me by the kingdom, but it is of course important to remember that this institution is independent. It shares a name, yes, but not leadership. I gave up the crown all those years ago because I wanted to direct this school, and so it would be foolish of me to bow to it now if I saw a different path forward. ¡°This is a school for the elite. You are the elite. I have confidence that had this attack happened a few months down the line, it would have been an entirely different story. It is unfortunate that so many first years were caught unawares, unable to fully help, but it would be a disservice to them and the nation to deprive them of their education. For those who wish to go home, you may do so. Take the second option, and return to your families. You may return next year if you wish. But for those the carry the will of King Endrin, I ask you to stay. There will be no strict curfew, no lessons canceled after today. ¡°You will all learn to fight, and we will aggressively pursue practicum activities. The nation needs heroes, now more than ever, and I intend to deliver them. For those who will stay and fight, give me your oath now. We will fight any threats thate, and I promise you, we will avenge those who have fallen.¡± There was an uneasy calm for a moment, before a lone student stood. ¡°I will,¡± Prisma said, tears in her eyes, almost like she¡¯d been crying nonstop since the night before. One was all it took to start. Waine stood up next, followed by the rest of his crew, and then the oaths rolled across the room, students standing up from all corners and shouting their agreement. ¡°Stand,¡± Tira said, already up. ina obeyed, Carline jumping up right after. None of them swore anything, but it was clear which way the room was going, and ina knew Tira was right. They couldn¡¯t be the only ones sitting after all was done. The unease in the room was gone, reced by violent fervor. ina could still feel that unease though, like it had been bottled up and shoved inside of her instead of covering the hall. She knew the real extent of the threat that was out there, and she had a sinking suspicion many students had just signed up for their own deaths. Ch 1.59: Rally Ch 1.59: Rally ina didn¡¯t eat much at breakfast. Tira was the only one in her group who really did, having skipped dinner the night prior. The general atmosphere of the room was one of joy and resolve, all from people who didn¡¯t know what they were really up against. It was easy to see why they thought that way, really. Most who had fought had done so against lesser members of the Red Order, ones who hadn¡¯t ¡°earned their crystals¡± as the one man had put it. ina had helped take down both of the starhounds that showed up, and only Waine and Prisma had really seen anything close to what the actual nature of the threat was. ¡°Come with me,¡± Tira said as she finished eating, standing up in a hurry. ¡°Back to my office.¡± The shuffled through the dining hall as other students continued on eating,ughing and shouting as they did. It was somehow more boisterous than normal, an unsophistication to the whole affair that didn¡¯t seem to fit the prestigious Endrin Academy. ina nced up at the faculty table as they walked out, seeing the calm smile on the headmaster¡¯s face that he¡¯d been wearing ever since finishing his speech. Is he doing this on purpose, or does he just not know? Tira led them through mostly empty hallways, quiet until she through open the door of her office. A young man was sitting at one of the desks, startled by the sudden appearance. ¡°Captain! I was just finishing up my report of my rounds this morning¡ª¡± ¡°Go eat, then finish them and take them directly to Calivahn.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± He scrambled together some paper and writing supplies as Tira swung around to her head desk, rubbing her temples as ina and Carline pulled up chairs. The watch member was out of the room in only seconds, and Tira touched the crystal tablet on her desk, locking therge monitor behind her to the dining hall. ¡°This is bad,¡± Carline said, the first time she¡¯d spoken since Alonse had spoken. ¡°They don¡¯t realize how strong the Order really is.¡± ¡°Alonse has to,¡± Tira said, turning to watch the monitor. ¡°He¡¯s not an idiot, despite what people say about him.¡± What people say about him? ¡°Wait,¡± ina said, ¡°shouldn¡¯t I go grab the System?¡± ¡°No.¡± Tira¡¯s reply was direct, firm. ¡°We need to talk about that too.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ina turned to Carline, looking for backup, but only found the girl looking down. ¡°Carline, she¡¯s new to this, but we both know the System, right?¡± The girl continued looking at the floor. ¡°ina¡­ if the System wasn¡¯t here, then none of this would have happened.¡± ¡°What? Carline, the System is the only reason we won at all, its¡ª¡± she cut herself off as she realized what Carline was saying. It wasn¡¯t an argument, just a truth. ¡°That person, Myri,¡± Tira said, ¡°was a scout. Whatever way they have of tracking the System, they didn¡¯t find us for nine centuries.¡± ¡°Until I activated the System¡­ Gods, this is my fault.¡± ¡°No!¡± Carline said, leaning over to ina. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. You just¡ª you were in the wrong ce, at the wrong time.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Tira added. ¡°It¡¯s not like you went looking for it. It¡¯s those other little shits¡¯ fault if anything for taking you out there that night. But the fact remains, it was only a couple of days after that that the Red Order first showed up. She said there¡¯d be more looking for her once they realize she went missing, and there¡¯s no reason to not believe that. The only questions are how much time we have, and what we do with the information we have.¡± ina was the one who looked down now. They weren¡¯t implying the System was nefarious, of course. That just wasn¡¯t true, she knew that, but good intentions or not¡­ ¡°What do you think we should do?¡± ¡°We go to Alonse,¡± Tira said. ¡°With everything. sses, System, Myri, Red Order. He¡¯s not an idiot like I said, but he doesn¡¯t have the information her needs to make good decisions right now. Once he knows how dangerous this is, we might be able to get him to go the curfew route, but even if it means shutting down the school for now he needs to know what we¡¯re up against.¡± ina turned to the wall, the one separating the watch office from Tira¡¯s room. She¡¯s just on the other side, not even knowing we¡¯re talking about her. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do that¡­¡± ¡°ina, people died. I¡ª¡± Carline choked off her sentence, shaking her head. ¡°I felt them die, ina.¡± ¡°Thirty two,¡± Tira said. ¡°About half of them first years who had no clue how to fight, three of them teachers who definitely knew how to fight, and who died anyways. We need to take this seriously.¡± ina balled up her fist. I know that. She hadn¡¯t known the exact count until now, but she knew it was serious. ¡°Tira, you heard what Myri said at the end. The Stormshines, Alonse¡¯s family, have some deal with the Red Order.¡± ¡°I really think that was a lie,¡± Carline said. ¡°They¡ª the kingdom wouldn¡¯t do that. King Endrin it would have been, right? There¡¯s just no way.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right, ina. Everything out of that bitch¡¯s mouth was a taunt, just meant to fuck with us.¡± ina shook her head. ¡°No, not that. I mean, it was a taunt, but she didn¡¯t say it like she was telling me something new. She acted like it should have beenmon knowledge, something everyone should know.¡± She stood up, pushing her chair back and throwing her hands on the table. ¡°But we don¡¯t know that. There¡¯s so much we don¡¯t know, that we should. We don¡¯t know what the deal was, what actually happened during the Night Wars.¡± Carline visibly recoiled at that suggestion, Tira merely looking askance. ¡°Listen, I know that¡­ I know you both have a lot of faith in the kingdom. I don¡¯t. If you grew up the way I did, then maybe you¡¯d understand¡­ I thought I could trust Alonse after I first met him, but I knew something seemed off. I still want to think I can trust him, but I can¡¯t be sure. ¡°I get that this probably all started because I found the System, but I can¡¯t undo that now. Listen, if I could just take it and leave I would, but I can¡¯t. The main core is still locked on school grounds, so we¡¯re stuck here¡­¡± ina lifter her hands from the desk, beginning to pace. She had nned to go on talking, but her mind was racing, not settling on any one thing to say, so she ended up just walking in circle. Tira eventually sighed. ¡°Carline, she might be right.¡± Carline pursed her lips, still looking down. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t like talking about hiding things from the Kingdom. It¡¯s just, like¡ª I don¡¯t really know what it is.¡± ¡°Treason?¡± Tira said, cracking a grin. ¡°I¡¯m a woman of thew, but I do have a bit of a rebellious streak in me, you know.¡± ¡°Not the time for jokes,¡± ina said, looking at the turmoiled Carline. She walked over and ced a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Listen, I know this is kind of hard to talk about. I don¡¯t really like the idea of continuing to hide stuff either, but once we tell Alonse about the System we can¡¯t go back, ever. We shouldn¡¯t make snap decisions.¡± Carline nodded softly, eyes deep in thought. ¡°I guess that¡¯s true.¡± She looked back up at ina, face still filled with concern. ¡°You think this is for the best?¡± ina nodded back, firmly. ¡°I do.¡± She let go of Carline and walked back over to her chair, copsing into it. For some reason she had as much adrenaline coursing through her as if she¡¯d just been fighting again. ¡°We do need to be careful though. Maybe there¡¯s some way to indicate that Alonse might not understand what we¡¯re up against?¡± ¡°I can try and help with that in my report,¡± Tira said. ¡°I have a meeting with Alonse in about an hour. And don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t mention the System, but he needs to know there¡¯s stronger enemies than what most people faced.¡± ina sighed in relief. She couldn¡¯t quite ce the feeling, but she knew deep inside of her that telling Alonse about the System was a bad idea. She¡¯d been all for it only the day prior, but the at least had to wait, for now. ¡°We also need to get stronger ourselves,¡± Tira said. ¡°If we¡¯re the only ones who know the whole truth, that¡¯s a burden we¡¯re going to have to bear, and it won¡¯t be easy.¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina said, nodding. ¡°We can try and get the Training subsystem activated with that other core the System was talking about.¡± That wouldn¡¯t be enough though, she was pretty sure. ¡°We should probably try and get more party members. I still don¡¯t know how to get new Users added outside of our party, but we need more numbers regardless.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Tira said, leaning back and crossing her arms. ¡°That will be tough though; not many confessed perverts running around.¡± ¡°Uhm,¡± Carline said, blushing brighter than ina had ever seen her, ¡°about that¡­ I might know someone who could join up, who would fit in, I think.¡± Book 1: End Ch 2.1: Bathing Ch 2.1: Bathing ina had a problem. Not the one where she was dealing with immense, uncontroble stress from almost dying three days prior. Not the one where she was the person in charge of saving the entire world for some reason. Not even the revtion that her own kingdom was probably the cause of that same apocalypse. No, her problem was that she was horny. Sure, that first night had been nice, just her and Carline cuddled up together, nothing untoward going on between them, but the two nights after? She¡¯d been sleeping in one bed, naked, in between her two lovers, and nothing had happened. They¡¯d both acted like it was perfectly normal to be sleeping fully clothed while she was buck naked! And, well, that was how she always slept, of course, and they both slept with clothes on all the time¡­ But still! As she walked back to her room she did have to admit that it was kind of strange, that she¡¯d had trouble broaching the subject herself. She¡¯d really only been with Carline and Tira once each, so asking for a threesome as her very next time with each of them did feel awkward, even if she would¡¯ve said yes in a heartbeat had they been the ones to ask her. Funnily enough, her main hangup was Tira, the confident,manding woman who seemed like she¡¯d be afraid of nothing. Carline almost certainly would¡¯ve been fine just watching, but despite everything Tira had actually seemed shy the night her and ina were together. She¡¯d technically shown more skin than Carline had, but that was really just so ina could have ess to do her duties. She cracked a smile at that, the idea that it was her responsibility to take care of Tira. It wasn¡¯t a dynamic she wanted to take outside of the bedroom¡ªnot yet at least¡ªbut she had certainly enjoyed it, and she needed to be back in that mindset soon. Not today though. She had ns. Move back into her newly repaired room, lunch, and then the meeting with Carline¡¯s mystery friend. ina had tried to get at least a name out of the girl, but she¡¯d been strangely hesitant to do so, saying that it¡¯d be better just to meet first. Maybe that would have given ina pause at a different time, but she was uniquely distracted at the moment. Her bag slipped out of her hand as her mind wandered off, the heavy crystal orb she was hiding inside of itnding directly on her toe. ¡°Ow, shit!¡± she muttered, wincing at the activation of [Pain Response], the skill driving her mind even further into depravity. I really hope the gods are getting a goodugh out of me right now? ¡°Are you okay?¡± Carline asked. She was looking down at the dropped bag, probably trying to think of a way to help pick it up, but her own hands were upied with a myriad of textbooks. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± ina bent down and pulled up the strap of the bag up, still struggling with her own luggage. ¡°Sorry,¡± she whispered into the satchel. ¡°It is fine,¡± a voice said from inside. The System had been oddly quiet thesest couple days. Good, cause I¡¯m still shoving you in the dresser when we get to the room. ina hadn¡¯t forgotten thest time she¡¯d yed around with Carline, after all. It was disturbing walking back into theirmon room for the first time since the attack, seeing peopleughing and hanging about like nothing had changed. There were fewer people than normal, ina supposed, but the ones there seemedpletely fine. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel right,¡± Carline muttered under her breath as they walked up the stairs. ¡°People died. Some of our dormmates died.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Everyone coped in different ways, she guessed. People had to move on eventually. ina put away the System first, promising she¡¯d see itter at the clearing, assuming the meeting with their new party candidate worked out anyway. ¡°Hey, Carline¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go take a shower before lunch,¡± Carline said, starting speaking nearly the same time ina had. She looked exhausted, half asleep. ¡°Uhm, if that¡¯s okay with you?¡± ¡°Oh, uhm, yeah sure.¡± ina¡¯s disappointment was immeasurable, but it had been almost a full day since either of them had bathed, and she knew neither of them had been sleeping particrly well either. ¡°I¡¯ll go too I guess.¡± She started getting undressed while Carline grabbed her clothes. Carline had always gotten dressed and undressed in the shower stall itself, still shy about her body even after a week of living together. It¡¯s only natural. Not everyone¡¯s a weirdo like me. ina finally wrapped her towel around herself and stepped out into the hall, making the short walk to the showers with Carline right behind her. It wouldn¡¯t be quite as nice as the heated bath in Tira¡¯s private room, but the heated showers were still a marvel to ina. She slipped her towel off, hanging it on the door outside, catching a glimpse of Carline¡¯s hand throwing her clothes over the wall as well. Gods I want to look at her. Thoughts of her best friend¡¯s body were the only thing running through her mind as she turned the handle and became engulfed by the warmth of running water. She tried her best, really tried to stay focused. She managed to wash her hair just fine, but there¡¯s a certain level of arousal that can¡¯t be ignored once your rubbing your own body, caressing its naked form with soft soap,pletely at peace in the warmth of the shower. Her hand fell in between her legs, lingering for longer than she needed too, far after the soap had been washed away. She wondered why she hadn¡¯t done this before, touched herself in the shower. Probably because most of my showers were after I¡¯d finished masturbating already¡­ Well, that had been her mistake. It felt so nice, soft strokes of her folds below while the droplets of warm water fell all around her. It was almost like the warmth of embracing another woman, right? The pressure wasn¡¯t there of course, but if Carline wasn¡¯t in the mood she¡¯d need to improvise somehow. Pressure, the touch of someone else. ina had an idea, one that waspletely, utterly perverse. No, she couldn¡¯t do something like that, right? It would be downright shameful, perverted beyond measure. I¡¯m already masturbating in the public shower. I can¡¯t add that on top of it. Right? But she had to, had to feel something. She reached for [Restraint], began imagining those ropes that Tira had tied her up with. A length of the rope started forming around her, blue this time, tying itself around her left wrist that was still stroking her pussy lips and circling around her body, wrapping around her torso over and over before ending with another tie around her right wrist as it yed at her nipple. The end result couldn¡¯t really be called a hug, but it was certainly an embrace. The tension of being wrapped up was just a while she¡¯d had, but it was an unimaginable joy, somehow everything she¡¯d every wanted. Restricted from movement, tight pressure surrounding her, the slight pain even as moved her arms, digging the rope into her flesh. Gods, does Tira know about this kind of stuff? I need to tell her about it. Soft moans started to escape her closed mouth, impossible to avoid with the state of bliss ina was in, the haze of her lust addled mind barely allowing her to be aware enough to muffle them slightly, but they weren¡¯t loud enough to be heard over the showers. Probably not loud enough, anyway. It wasn¡¯t long before the tension started to reach its climax. It was a struggle to reach everything she wanted, having to pull the ropes tighter against herself to get deep inside herself with her left hand, to gain ess to her full chest with her right. She could feel her own strength really for the first time, the squeezing of herself as she contorted to reach those spots of pleasure. She started panting, biting her lip to avoid screaming out into the shower room. Carline and her had been the only ones there when they entered, but she couldn¡¯t trust her ears to have noticed if that changed. Even letting Carline hear would be embarrassing. The flood finally came, ina being such a good girl, staying as quiet as she could as her orgasm flowed through her, only letting the slightest sounds escape her lips as she convulsed, legs shaking so much she thought she might slip and fall. She didn¡¯t fall though, simply came down from her metaphorical high with quivering legs. Realization about what she¡¯d actually done finally washed over her with the same intensity as the water from the showerhead. She¡¯d just masturbated, in public, using her own aspect to make¡­ sex toys? Gods, at least nobody can see. That would have been beyond mortifying, actually enough to make her die from embarrassment. ¡°Uhm, ina?¡± Carline said from the stall over. Wait. ¡°Yeah?¡± ina managed to get out, the word heavy with exhaustion. ¡°You¡ª you remember when you said I can watch you? Anytime I want, without permission?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Well, about that¡­¡± Ch 2.2: Peeping Ch 2.2: Peeping It was maybe the hottest thing Carline had ever seen, her friend tying herself up, masturbating under the shower, all while Carline herself was using [Peeping Carly] to see through the shower stall. She¡¯d climaxed at the time it seemed ina had, and she knew why. It wasn¡¯t just the watching itself, but knowing that ina hadn¡¯t known she was watching that drove her over the edge. ¡°I, uhm, I was kind of using my skill, to see through the stall, into yours¡­¡± Now that they¡¯d both finished, the guilt hit her in full force. ina really had given her permission to look whenever she wanted, so she hadn¡¯t thought a quick peek would be over any lines, but a quick peek turned into a little bit of admiration, and then once ina had started touching herself? There was no going back at that point. ¡°How much did you see?¡± ina asked. She really was so gorgeous, wet auburn hair sticking to her neck, thepression from the ropes emphasizing her thin torso that tapered off to her wide hips, face deep red as she tried to cover herself. Carline knew that look, knew that the showers weren¡¯t hot enough to make ina go that flush that quickly. ¡°From¡ª from the beginning, I guess¡­¡± ¡°Are you still watching?¡± She could lie, turn off the skill and say she wasn¡¯t looking anymore. ¡°Yes¡­ Sorry.¡± ina turned, catching Carline¡¯s gaze. That¡¯s what it seemed like, at least, though Carline knew that ina was really just looking at a white wall. The rope-d girl stepped forward, sticking her chest out and pressing it against the barrier between them. It was like ss to Carline¡¯s vision, ina¡¯s breasts pressed up against the shower stall as she stared straight ahead. ¡°I said you can look whenever, and I meant it.¡± The ropes disappeared from ina¡¯s body, leaving behind trace marks on her skin as she leaned into the wall further. It was a strange sight to Carline, ina¡¯srge chest ttening up, rounding out again as ina leaned in and out, her hard nipples sticking to the surface, little indents on the wall as her hand drifted back below her waist, stroking her sex once more. Carline barely registered that she was doing the same, having reached down and begun rubbing her self subconsciously. That physical sensation was nice, but the reality of the situation she was in was something else entirely. How is she so confident? It wasn''t exactly confidence though, a small amount of hesitation, endearing on such a beautiful woman, was present whenever ina was naked around Carline. Eventually ina moved back, squeezing out another pump of soap andthering it up in her hands before spreading it across her chest and leaning in once more. She was sliding across the wall now as she pressed up against it, moaning into the empty room. I hope it''s empty, at least. Stars did Carline want to touch her. For almost her entire life watching had been enough, but now she wanted so much more. Only one other had made Carline feel this call, the call that pulled her forward into the wall herself, pressing her own skin up against the wooden panel. It was cold on her skin, breasts and stomach pressing in, a deep contrast to the warmth of the water flowing down her back, the heat inside of her as she rubbed down below. She leaned in as much as she could, closing her eyes and doing her best to pretend the wood she was touching was ina instead, a futile, imaginative endeavor. When have I ever closed my eyes when a naked woman was in front of me? It wasn¡¯t that she''d seen naked women in person obscenely often, but it was still out of character for her to ignore the chance. ¡°I want more, ina.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± Carline was surprised she¡¯d been heard. Both their voices were barely whispers, but somehow they¡¯d each heard each other regardless. ¡°Let¡¯s finish getting washed up and then head back to the room.¡± ina pulled away, the novelty of her skin pressed up against a transparent surface disappearing, but her beauty didn¡¯t fade in the slightest. Carline finished cleaning herself in haste, having already finished washing her hair earlier, before she started peeping. She nced down at her body, as she was finishing up, wishing she could see the beauty in it that she saw in others. ina had said she was pretty, but even those words had trouble shaking the fears Carline had. She wanted to be naked with her, to embrace her the way she had when they were sleeping together, to press up against her like she had a few minutes ago, this time with no barrier between them. Soon, maybe. But not today. ina had already left in her towel by the time Carline turned off the water and reached back over for the bundle of clothes and towel she¡¯d brought with her. It was cumbersome, carrying it all into the shower, drying herself off in the stall before dressing inside of it. She wasn¡¯t even saving much modesty doing it, just a small bit of cleavage and her legs for a handful of seconds while she walked back to her room, but it was worth it. No one actually wants to see me. Once she¡¯d pulled up her legging she stepped back out into the shower room, her bare feet the only thing not inpliance with the school uniform. It was seemingly empty, fortunately. Carline knew how to be quiet for the most part, but ina could certainly get loud. She shuffled back to their dorm, doing a quick nce around the hall to see if she was alone before activating [Peeping Carly] again. She didn¡¯t know why she was doing it instead of just opening the door, but there was still some excitement to the act, the ability the to see through things. ina was on the other side of the entrance,ying on the bed, towel still wrapped around her, but with one hand underneath the towel, undoubtedly masturbating again. The second most insatiable person I¡¯ve ever met, Carline thought as she giggled, turning off her skill and opening the door. ina¡¯s eyes opened, looking over at Carline. ¡°Were you watching again just now?¡± ¡°Jus¡ª just for a second,¡± Carline said as she ced her towel on the floor on her side of the room. ¡°I didn¡¯t really want to wait.¡± ¡°Could you see me?¡± Carline shook her head. ¡°Not really. It¡¯s hard seeing through more than oneyer of things at once; they both have to be really thin for that. Like, uhm, like when you¡¯re getting dressed in the morning, but haven¡¯t put on jour jacket yet.¡± ina blushed, biting her lip and closing her eyes, inhaling deeply. That was the reaction Carline had been hoping for. She wasn¡¯t really that good at teasing like that, but she knew ina liked it. ¡°Come here,¡± she said from the bed. ¡°Take this off me.¡± Carline was certainlypliant, rushing over and grabbing the towel, ripping it out from under ina with an unintentional amount of force. ¡°Whoah!¡± ina said, giggling after the shock of the item being pulled away faded. Carline was on top of her instantly, hands running up and down ina¡¯s body. There really wasn¡¯t a better feeling in the world than that of a recently washed woman¡¯s skin, soft, subtle, the little bit of resistance as her skin touched Carline¡¯s. Except maybe the sensation of warmth from ina¡¯s tongue inside of Carline¡¯s mouth, the pressure as they danced together in their suckling. It was so cute, the way ina moaned with every kiss. Does she even know she¡¯s doing it? Probably not, she was a virgin just a few days ago. It was dangerous how much Carline was enjoying this, the carnal pleasures that she knew weren¡¯t bing of an unweddy her age. We¡¯re not having sex though, right? Not technically, as long as I¡¯m clothed. There was no way Carline could keep it that way though. Body image issues aside, she knew sooner orter she was going to give in to inapletely; the call she felt towards the woman was just too intense to ignore forever. She wanted that now, wanted it all. But what if she thinks I¡¯m ugly? No, I¡¯m not ready. Still, she needed something more, more than this. She pulled back, pushing herself up with her arms and looking down at ina, her adorable face looking almost like puppy that was being scolded. ¡°Why¡¯d you stop?¡± ¡°Can we try something?¡± Carline asked. ¡°This is nice but, I want¡ª¡± ¡°Yes,¡± ina responded, pulling herself up and kissing Carline deeply again before letting herself fall back down. ¡°Anything you want.¡± Carline could feel herself blushing now, wondered how her facepared to ina¡¯s. Why had that one kiss felt so different from the others? That one hadn¡¯t just been physical; there had been something more. ¡°Oh¡ª okay. Well, uhm, give me a second.¡± Carline stood up, hand reaching down. She wasn¡¯t ready to be naked yet, no matter how much ina¡¯s body and soul were calling to her, but she needed something. She slipped under her skirt, reaching beneath it from behind and grabbing the waistband of her tights, the strap of her thong. She pulled them off in one motion, watching ina¡¯s enraptured gaze follow the garments as she dropped them to the floor. She looks almost as excited of me, Carline thought with a smile as she climbed onto the bed, crawling towards an awestruck ina, her own loins burning in anticipation. Ch 2.3: Sitting Ch 2.3: Sitting ina¡¯s mind raced with possibilities as Carline climbed onto the bed and started crawling towards her. She¡¯d just taken off her tights, but she was wearing everything else, right? Maybe the panties are off too? But even still ina had no idea what the goal could be right now. Carline stopped right next to ina, kneeling on the bed. On the normallypletely covered girl, even her knees seemed erotic. ¡°So, uhm, this is something I¡¯ve done, once before, and I really liked it, but, well, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll¡­¡± ¡°Whatever it is, I want to try it, Carline. If I don¡¯t like it, I¡¯ll just ask you to stop.¡± ¡°Okay, well, I don¡¯t know if that¡¯ll work, but just tap my leg if you need me to stop.¡± Tap her leg? ina wasn¡¯t sure why she wouldn¡¯t just say to stop. Is it like the safeword thing with Tira? Is Carline interested in that stuff too? Carline crawled behind ina¡¯s head, facing down the length of her body. ina started to blush again, having momentarily forgotten her embarrassment earlier in the heat of kissing her, but now deeply aware of how on disy she was. ¡°So, I¡¯m going to, uhm¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to exin, just do it.¡± A hint of a smile appeared on Carline¡¯s face, a look of eagerness as she shuffled forward. Wait, what¡¯s happening? The hem of Carline¡¯s skirt dragged over ina¡¯s face, stealing away almost all light in an instant. ¡°You can, uhm, touch yourself too, while I¡¯m doing this.¡± Carline said as she lowered herself down, the rest of the light disappearing as she sat on ina¡¯s face. For just a moment ina was frozen, confused at what had just happened. She was in total darkness, soft flesh pressing in on her face. She couldn¡¯t see Carline, but she could feel her, the folds of her lips against ina¡¯s own, the smoothness of her cheeks on ina¡¯s own as well. ina had expected some amount of hair, having sworn she¡¯d seen some through Carline¡¯s underwear before, but it wasn¡¯t there anymore. Maybe she shaved? Once the brief moment of shock was over though, ina got to work, eagerly epted her position. She opened her mouth, delicately working into Carline¡¯s sex with her tongue as she reached down to pleasure herself too. It was different from when she¡¯d kissed Tira like this in so many ways, but the taste was wonderfully the same, slight sweetness dancing around her tastebuds as she dove into Carline. The scent was ofvender and vani. It was the same as the Endrin soap of course, but it matched Carline so well. ina found herself lifting her head upwards, pressing into Carline to get a better taste of all the senses she was feeling. Carline wasn¡¯t actually pressing down, which was probably for the best, but ina needed more of her, desperately trying to grasp any hint of Carline that she could get right now. And the irony wasn¡¯t lost on her. She couldn¡¯t see a thing as she lie there, covered up by Carline and her skirt alike, but she could be seenpletely. From the neck down Carline would be able to see all of ina, see each stroke she made across her own pussy lips, each pinch of her nipples, each time she plunged inside herself down below. It was a different dynamic than the one she had with Tira, but it was wonderfully familiar too, how helpless ina was, the inability to speak out at all somehow feeling the same as when she knew asking Tira to stop wouldn¡¯t work. It was just as embarrassing, but in a different way, [Humiliation Factor] kicking up to its maximum due to her helplessness. She wasn¡¯t being degraded like back then, but insead degrading herself, choosing to debase her own body while Carline watched on, just to satisfy her own desires. And gods she loved it. I hope Carline does too. It didn¡¯t take long for ina to get an answer. He own moans were muffled by the pressure of Carline¡¯s sex pressing into her face, but Carline herself eventually started to sound out as well, soft, cute sounds filling the room. She didn¡¯t cry out like ina herself would¡ªshe was far too elegant for that¡ªbut instead made quick little sounds, each high pitched moan cut off almost as soon as it began. It was fucking music. ina started to press further and further into Carline, wanting to experience each of her current senses to the maximum. She needed to feel every bit of Carline¡¯s soft skin on her face, taste every salty sweet drop of her juices, smell every bit of floral aroma, and hear each little sound the girl made when ina drove her tongue deeper and deeper. She almost felt bad, that she got to experience so many wonderful things while all Carline got to do was watch. She could feel iting. And it was both of them, Carline beginning to buck her hips as she sat up on her knees, rubbing her crotch up and down ina¡¯s face as ina started grinding the air with her own pussy as she worked at it with both hands, one stroking the outside and one buried deep inside her. It soon became apparently too much for Carline, the girl lowering even further onto ina, pressing herself all onto ina¡¯s face. Before had been the illusion of this, but now Carline was actually sitting on her, cutting off any bit of air that ina had ess to. Gods was it wonderful. She couldn¡¯t havested the entire time like this of course, but there was no greater way to cap off the wonderful experience, recing every bit ina¡¯s world with Carline. Shepped into Carline¡¯s pussy with all her soul, both girls convulsing, Carline now almost screaming out her curt moans rapid-shot, the pitch growing as ina fruitlessly screamed into flesh, orgasm taking hold and shaking her whole body.. Carline eventually fell over, copsing onto the bed and curling up as ina was left panting on her back. It was so bright. Too bright, too fast. Evenpletely out of breath she wanted more, wanted to go back to that wonderfulnd where darkness took over and reced light with every other wonderful sense in the world. And then she looked over. No, darkness had been nice, but light as wonderful too, the gentle rays of suning through the window and illuminating Carline¡¯s exhausted face. ina couldn¡¯t help but smile, chest brimming with warmth as she watched Carline pant or air, acting like she was just as breathless as ina. Her brief visit to thend of the dark was amazing, and she¡¯d certainly be going back, but she couldn¡¯t imagine giving up sights like this one for anything, no matter how wonderful it had been in the moment. ¡°Hey,¡± she said to Carline. ¡°Hey.¡± The word was more air than sound, dripping with exhaustion as Carline said it. ¡°I really liked that, a lot.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°I really like you, a lot.¡± ¡°I like you too. A lot.¡± The room seemed to grow brighter, warmer. There was something to the way Carline was speaking. She was normally so careful, stunted, but right now the words were just dripping out, no thoughts behind them. For a moment they remained there, Carline with her eyes closed as ina stared at her peaceful face, until the bell rang. Neither moved at first, but eventually ina stood up. ¡°Come on, we need to get to lunch on time. We have someone to meet after, remember?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Carline said, shooting up. ¡°Right, I, uhm, sorry, I forgot.¡± She blushed as she pulled her tights and underwear back up. ¡°Still not going to tell me who it is?¡± ina asked as she pulled up her underwear. Carline shook her head in response. ¡°She said not too, said it should be a surprise.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± ina said, pouting just a little. It wasn¡¯t that big a deal at this point, just one meal between her and meeting the mystery girl for the first time. Ch 2.4: Flowers Ch 2.4: Flowers ina¡¯s steps were lighter, and the air around her seemed fresher as her and Carline walked to the dining hall for lunch. It was still a bit disconcerting that everyone had seemed to move on so fast, but ina was a little more at peace with that now. Things just seem like they¡¯re going to be alright. Lunch for the day was more interesting than it had been the rest of the weekend. Shipments of fresh vegetables had stopped while the school had done a security revamp, but they were back now, so ina had an assortment of colorful roasted vegetables on her te as the main course today, probably forgoing meat to make up for theck of them over thest few days. ¡°Cheapskates aren¡¯t even giving us real food today; what a joke,¡± ina heard someone say as she sat down with Carline. Carline herself hadn¡¯t said anything, and she¡¯d been in a good mood since they left their dorm, still looking perfectly happy as she dove into their meal. ina took a bite as well, closing her eyes and smiling. She¡¯d eaten all sorts of things at Endrin by now, sometimes things that didn¡¯t really appeal to her, but this just tasted like home. It was something she¡¯d eaten a thousand times, vegetables cooked with just a bit of seasoning by her father on the stove back at her old house. ¡°Hey girls.¡± ina looked over to the side, seeing Tira sit down next to her with a te of her own. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re getting the supreme vegetable treatment today.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Carline said, covering her mouth, ¡°it¡¯s not bad though.¡± ¡°Oh, for sure. My mom makes stuff like this all the time. How bout you, ina?¡± ina nodded. ¡°Yeah, my dad cooks stuff like this a lot.¡± They finished the rest of their meal in rtive silence, and somehow the food tasted even better. The first few days at Endrin had been filled with nd food, but it had gotten a little better after meeting Carline. Now thought? It¡¯s perfect. ¡°So,¡± Tira said, stretching after she dropped her fork on the empty te, ¡°who¡¯re we meeting again? And where?¡± ¡°Carline still won¡¯t say. We¡¯re meeting her at the grove though.¡± It was out of the way, somewhere they could talk without being overheard, but still right next to the System out there if they decided they were going to add Carline¡¯s friend to the party. ¡°Still don¡¯t quite get all the secrecy, not to us at least. And this girl doesn¡¯t know what we¡¯re talking about yet, right?¡± Carline shook her head, standing up and straightening her skirt. ¡°No, I just said I was going to introduce her to ina and you. She asked if I mentioned who she was and I said I hadn¡¯t yet, and then asked me to keep it a surprise.¡± Tira rolled her eyes as she and ina stood up as well. ¡°Overdramatic I say, but surprises can be fun I guess. I still don¡¯t really know where we¡¯re going, so you¡¯ll have to lead. Onwards, you two!¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you been there before?¡± Carline asked. ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t really know the way. I just ran there once I heard ina screaming. I¡¯d been wandering the forest for a while before that, so I¡¯d be hard pressed to get back without directions.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really that hard,¡± ina said. ¡°Mostly a straight shot if you enter at the right spot.¡± ¡°Says you. I would¡¯ve gotten lost if I wasn¡¯t following you that day.¡± ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Tira said. ¡°We haven¡¯t talked about that. How did Carline end up getting involved with all this? I know you said it was an ident, but you never went over the details.¡± Both girls went flush. ina was remembering Carline walking in on her naked that day, just before Carline had followed her. Carline could be remembering that, her tumble down into the cave, or both, she supposed. ¡°We can talk about thatter,¡± ina said. ¡°When there are less people around.¡± The change as they stepped out into the outside world was stark. The past week had been cool, the chill air of early spring, and the rain from the other day hadn¡¯t helped matters, but today was different. It wasn¡¯t overbearingly warm, but crisp, fresh as they walked onto the field, the sounds of birds singing filling the air as they stepped closer to the forest. Feels even more like home. ¡°I love this,¡± Tira said, beaming as they stepped under the trees. ¡°The only birds I¡¯m used to from back in the capital are pigeons shitting on me.¡± Carline stifled augh. ¡°It is nice, but it more reminds me of home.¡± ina¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°I thought you said you were from the capital too?¡± ¡°I am, but my family ownsnd on the outskirts of it. I didn¡¯t live in the city proper, though I did visit often of course.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ina turned back to Tira. ¡°You did though?¡± ¡°Sure did! City girl from the beginning, right here.¡± ¡°What did your family do? Or, well, own?¡± ina wasn¡¯t quite sure how these things worked. ¡°Well, not much. We own our house in the middle of the city, which is more than most folks in the capital can say for sure, but no realnd or anything besides.¡± ina couldn¡¯t help but notice that Carline looked a little skittish at thatment, turning her head and even looking a little ashamed, but Tira didn¡¯t seem to notice, had just made thement and carried on with their walk. Still, ina thought it best not to stir that pot anymore, so just continued walking in silence, each of the three taking in the nature around them on the walk. They eventually came to the opening in the trees, the clearing in the middle of the forest, and ina almost gasped. It had been overtaken by yellows, white, and blues, flower sprouting forth all around it, covering the grove in a nket of color illuminated by the sun directly above as is streamed in through the break in the forest canopy. ¡°Damn,¡± Tira said, walking into the grove with wide eyes. ¡°The rain sure did this ce some good.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ina reached down, brushing a soft yellow flower that she¡¯d never seen before, one that looked like two stars oveid on top of each other, with a speckling of red dots of pollen in the center. ¡°They¡¯re beautiful.¡± The three continued walking through the field of flowers, ina and Tira enraptured by the sight. ¡°Guess your friend hasn¡¯t shown yet?¡± Tira asked, still looking at the ground instead of at Carline. ¡°No, she¡¯s definitely here.¡± ina looked over at Carline, seeing her staring at a spot on the ground. ina followed her gaze, expecting to see some new wild breed of flower, but instead she saw a patch on the ground devoid of almost any color. Wait¡­ The bundle had white, not too out of ce in the field of flowers, and blue too, but not the vibrant blues of the petals around them. It was a darker, more muted blue, the same color as¡ª ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± Tira asked. Carline blushed, looking at her feet. ¡°I, uhm, yeah...¡± ¡°Hey girls!¡± The voice was almost a song, a singing out from the side of the clearing, from the small pool of water on the edge of the treeline. ina turned towards it, seeing a figure emerge from the small pond. The womaning out of it had brown hair almost as long as she was tall, a slim figure,rge green eyes. And she waspletely naked. ¡°Nice to meet you again, ina,¡± Flora said. Ch 2.5: Interview Ch 2.5: Interview ina was struck still, as much so as id she¡¯d locked herself with [Personal Restraint], frozen only by the sight of the girl climbing out of the pond. Flora, the same girl who¡¯dforted her at theke after fencing ss, the girl who¡¯d saved her life at the beginning of the attack the other night, was right in front of her, stark naked, and she didn¡¯t even seem to care. The light breaking through the clearing struck the woman¡¯s skin, shining off the droplets of water dripping down off of her. Her body was entrancing, long legs and slightly thick thigs leading up to a slim stomach, crotchpletely bare. Her breasts were smaller than average, but still so lovely, two perfectly molded mounds of flesh that seemed unaffected by gravity, adorned with small, adorable pink nipples. ina had barely seen them through Flora¡¯s wet shirt the first time they¡¯d made, but in the flesh they were maybe the most beautiful thing she¡¯d ever seen. ¡°I did tell you we¡¯d meet again, you know,¡± Flora said, wringing out her long hair. ¡°Nope.¡± ina turned to see Tira shaking her head. ¡°Nope nope nope. Not her.¡± ¡°Wait, you know each other?¡± Carline asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Tira replied, looking away while blushing. ¡°That¡¯s why she told you not to tell us her name; she knew I¡¯d veto.¡± ¡°Nuh-uh!¡± Flora threw her hands down, causing her chest to shake up and down, ina¡¯s eyes bobbing up and down in tandem. ¡°I just wanted to surprise ina!¡± It worked. ¡°Hold on,¡± ina said, shaking her head to try to clear her mind, ¡°how do you two know each other? Why can¡¯t she join up?¡± ¡°We know each other cause we¡¯re in the same year!¡± Flora replied. ¡°No, we know each other because this woman is constantly breaking the rules. She sneaks out after curfew every other week. And can¡¯t you put some clothes on?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m still drying. And you catch me sneaking out after curfew every other week. I actually do it much more often!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not something to be proud of, and that¡¯s why she can¡¯t join us. She has no regard for thew.¡± ¡°Well, I mean¡­¡± ina started. She didn¡¯t want to finish the thought with Flora¡¯s status as a potential party member still up in the air. Tira was the one who said we¡¯remitting treason though, after all. ¡°Listen,¡± Carline said, eyes glued to the naked woman in front of her, ¡°Tira, she¡¯s not like, uhm, bad or anything. Just a little¡­ rebellious.¡± ¡°Yeah, rebellious! That¡¯s what I tell her every time she catches me.¡± ¡°Well she gets on my nerves besides,¡± Tira said, turning her gaze, looking over Flora¡¯s head and towards Carline. ¡°I know you know her, but¡­ Gods, she¡¯s just so irritating.¡± Irritating wasn¡¯t the word ina would use. entric? Sure. Distracting? Very. ¡°Tira, why don¡¯t we just, you know, hear her out?¡± ina asked. ¡°I mean, from the looks of things¡ª¡± She nced back over to Flora, looking up her body once more, catching a deceptively innocent looking smile on the woman. ¡°She looks like she¡¯ll fit in, is what I mean.¡± Tira looked over as well, blushing again before turning away. ¡°I mean¡­ You¡¯re probably right. Gods, is this what you¡¯re always sneaking out to do?¡± ¡°Yup! But normally I do it in theke,te nights or rainy days so I can be sure I¡¯m not seen¡ªby too many people, at least.¡± Flora looked directly at ina while speaking thatst bit, winking. ¡°You know there are showers to bathe in, right?¡± Tira asked. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not the same as being outside.¡± She stepped forward into the flowers, looking up into the sky and spinning around, long wet hair whipping around her. ¡°I wish I¡¯d known about this grove before. It¡¯s so nice to be naked under the sun again. You three have a wonderful spot.¡± Every step of hers was like she was performing a dance, the wide smile on her face almost drawing ina¡¯s attention away from the slight curves of her body. Tira groaned. ¡°Carline, she really is going to fit right in, isn¡¯t she?¡± Carline nodded, wide eyes never leaving Flora. ¡°She is. Trust me.¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± ina said, momentarily breaking her staring at Flora and turning to Carline. ¡°How do you two know each other.¡± ¡°Carly and I grew up together! Our family manors are right next to each other.¡± ina raised an eyebrow. ¡°Carly?¡± ¡°Yeah, Carly! It¡¯s what her closest friends call her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s what you call me,¡± Carline muttered, looking down slightly and blushing, the first time time ina had seen her eyes peel away from Flora¡¯s body. ¡°Exactly! And I am your closest friend, right?¡± The woman bounded over to Carline, wrapping her arms around the poor girl and squeezing tight. ¡°Flora! You¡¯re still wet!¡± Carline was trying to push away, half-heartedly it seemed, causing her face to rub all over Flora¡¯s chest, a deep feeling of jealousy running through ina. Carline¡¯s words were protest, but her face was blushing and smiling. A sigh came from behind, ina turning to see Tira shaking her head. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll give her a shot¡­¡± ina nodded. ¡°Once she¡¯s in though, there¡¯s not really any going back.¡± ¡°In what?¡± Flora said, releasing Carline. ¡°Is it for your practicum group? I already have one, but I guess I wouldn¡¯t mind switching to be around Carly and Laina.¡± Laina? ¡°Uh, yeah, practicum group,¡± Tira said. ¡°What¡¯s a practicum?¡± ina asked. Tira closed her eyes, wincing. The woman¡¯s arms were crossed, but the wince was so pronounced ina¡¯s imagination could practically see her cing her palm to her face anyway. ¡°Uhm, if she doesn¡¯t know what a practicum is, why am I actually here?¡± Flora asked. ina winced too, realizing her mental fumble. ¡°She¡¯s knew, doesn¡¯t know all the terminology,¡± Tira said. ¡°We are looking for a group member though.¡± ¡°Okay, but why me?¡± ¡°Carline rmended you. And against my better judgment, I¡¯m going to trust her on this.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m in?¡± Flora asked, leaning forward and beaming at ina. ina swallowed, still taken aback by the woman¡¯s nudity. ¡°Well, I mean, if you¡¯re the right fit. What¡¯s your aspect?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡ª¡± Carline started. ¡°A surprise!¡± Flora said, cutting off Carline and smiling. ¡°Come to think of it, I don¡¯t even know her aspect,¡± Tira said, mumbling to herself. ¡°It¡¯s an internal one, right?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°And pray tell, miss troublemaker, how are we supposed to guess it?¡± The girl¡¯s smile twisted, an impish grin forming in it¡¯s ce as she walked up to ina. ¡°By touching me, of course!¡± Ch 2.6: Touching Ch 2.6: Touching Touching? ¡°I¡ª, uhm¡ª¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Flora said, turning towards Carline. ¡°If that¡¯s okay with you, Carly?¡± ¡°Wha¡ª why me? You should be asking her!¡± Flora rolled her eyes, innocent smile returning to her face. ¡°Dense as she is, she has a point. You can touch me, but only if you want!¡± ¡°Is this really necessary?¡± Tira asked. ¡°Oh?¡± Flora walked over to the other second-year, leaning in over her. ¡°Maybe I should be asking your permission?¡± Tira blushed, leaning back and turning away. ¡°N¡ª no, that¡¯s not what I mean. ina can touch whoever she wants, I just meant¡ª.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled, ina gets to touch me to figure out what my aspect is.¡± She turned back towards ina,rge eyes making her look like a puppy begging for attention. ¡°If you want, of course.¡± All eyes were on ina now, and she could feel her face beginning to burn. ¡°Uhm, sure, sounds fun?¡± ¡°Great!¡± Flora said, pping as she skipped over. She closed her eyes and the spread her arms and legs out, like she was presenting herself for some kind of inspection. It also gave ina the most unobstructed view of the girl¡¯s crotch so far, drawing her eyes in towards the pink lips between those long legs. ¡°Go ahead, whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± ina took in a deep breath, extending her hand straight out. This was it, the first time she was actually going to touch a naked girl. It wasn¡¯t sex or anything, nothing like what she and Carline had done just an hour ago, but it was still a big deal. For that matter, it was her first time even seeing a naked girl other than quick nces while changing together or bathing, the first time a nude woman was just naked in front of her for no reason other than being naked. Her handnded on Flora¡¯s stomach, surprisingly firm to the touch. The woman was thin, but didn¡¯t seem look as toned as she felt. ¡°Uhm, I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯m supposed to be looking for, feeling for.¡± Flora smiled, one eye peeking open. ¡°Just feel around, try and figure out what I might be changing with my aspect.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± ina pressed her hand onto Flora¡¯s stomach, rubbing the palm of her hand over her skin. She was soft, still slightly wet from the pond she¡¯d been in. ina¡¯s eyes nced below, towards the ce just below Flora¡¯s waist. No, that¡¯s not why we¡¯re here! Not right now, at least, but ina had a feeling that Flora wouldn¡¯t mind too much. Still, she lifted her hand up, wrapping around Flora¡¯s side, running her fingertips over the silky smooth skin of her back. Flora¡¯s actual body was more firm than what ina had felt from either Carline or Tira, but the skin itself was still just as soft, just as captivating to the touch. ina almost forgot what she was doing as she cupped Flora¡¯s ass, squeezing a dense, nearly solid cheek, way firmer than ina¡¯s own. She brought her other hand up too, cing it directly on Flora¡¯s breast. That was firm too, way more than ina¡¯s own, with smaller, harder nipples pressing into the palm of ina¡¯s hand as well. ina could feel herself getting distracted down below, almost forgetting the reason she was actually feeling Flora up. Gotta stay focused. The thought seemed to escape her head the second she stopped focusing on it though, being reced with the feelings of Flora¡¯s skin, her muscles, ina¡¯s own burning arousal, growing and growing between her own legs. It wasn¡¯t just the sights and sensations of Flora¡¯s body either. ina was very much aware that she was being watched, could see Carline staring with a gaping mouth out of the corner of her eye, and each second let [Humiliation Factor] trante more and more of that embarrassment into further arousal. ina took a quick nce over to Tira, almost afraid to see how she¡¯d be reacting. But despite the girl¡¯s earlier protests, her seeming annoyance at Flora, Tira seemed almost as enthralled as Carline was, eyes glued to the sight of ina touching Flora¡¯s body, mouth even slightly agape as well. Carline¡¯s eyes had been those of wonder, of amazement, but in Tira¡¯s eyes ina saw only one thing: hunger. ina turned back to Flora, seeing the woman had opened her eyes now, smirking down at her. ¡°You¡¯re really making sure to investigate my ass and tits well, huh?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± ina said, removing her hands and blushing. Flora chuckled, shaking her head. ¡°You¡¯re fine. You really should make sure to be thorough though,¡± she said, spreading her legs even further than they were as she spoke. Gods, she¡¯s not¡­ Is she? But what else could she be doing? ina reached her hand out, gingerly running her hand up Flora¡¯s thigh, keeping an eye and ear both out for any signs of protest, but there were none as her fingers traced Flora¡¯s inner leg, no indication to stop as they grazed the lips of Flora¡¯s sex. Flora moaned, loud enough to stop ina for just a second, briefly scared they might be caught. Caught by who though? ina resumed rubbing, pressing her fingers into the wet folds and realizing that out here it was okay to be a little louder than normal, no neighbors to worry about, no need to be quiet. The only people around were their audience, already aware, already watching. She stroked harder and harder, Flora¡¯s moans growing in volume and tempo both. And gods was ina jealous. The first time she was doing something like this with apletely nude woman, and she didn¡¯t get to receive anything? It was torture, almost like when Tira had ordered her not to touch herself. That made the reliefter all the better though. ina was feeling unreciprocated right now, but she had a feeling Flora wouldn¡¯t mind returning the favorter. Flora¡¯s cries were continuing to grow, her legs shaking, looking like she might fall over at any moment. ¡°Fuck me, ina, gods please!¡± ina brought up her other hand, pinching Flora¡¯s nipple and drawing out a high pitched whine from the girl, treating Flora¡¯s body the way she would treat her own, shoving into her with her fingers while her thumb worked outside her pussy. ¡°Fuck¡¯s sake, gods!¡± the woman shouted, her muscles contracting around ina¡¯s fingers as she leaned forward, bracing herself on ina¡¯s shoulders,ying there just a moment before stepping back, legs wobbling as she panted. ¡°Fuck, I¡¯ve needed that.¡± ina was breathing heavy too, nowhere near orgasm herself of course, but still wildly turned on. ¡°So,¡± Tira asked, clearing her throat, ¡°find out what her aspect is?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± ina said, blushing as she remembered what she was supposed to have been doing. ¡°I, uhm, didn¡¯t really notice anything unusual, I don¡¯t think.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Flora said, slowing her breathing and standing up straight. Come back and touch me some more, and I¡¯ll activate my aspect this time.¡± ina heard Carline stifle augh as she stared at Flora. ¡°You didn¡¯t even activate it!¡± ¡°Well no, not yet. I was letting you get a baseline first, so you knew what changed.¡± Flora took one final breath, stretching her hands to the sky and then exhaling before standing up straight again. ¡°And then we got distracted.¡± Distracted was one way of putting it, ina supposed. She stepped forward again, blushing even more this time as she reached out for Flora¡¯s skin, just her side this time, nowhere lewd. ¡°Oh!¡± she said, not even thinking before letting out the exmation. Flora¡¯s skin was hard, cool. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ the tiles on the bathroom floor.¡± ¡°Mhm. And?¡± ina kept feeling, and Flora¡¯s skin changed once more, first back to normal, what she presumed was normal anyway, and then to a rough, almost scratchy texture that made her pull her hand away, grimacing. ¡°Ouch,¡± she said, squinting at Flora¡¯s skin as the girl giggled. ¡°Well, any guesses?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± ina ced her hand under her chin, staring at the spot she had just touched. She could see it, the roughness she felt, and she could see it fade away back to normal skin as well. ¡°Skin?¡± Carline stifled anotherugh, and ina looked over, frowning. ¡°I don¡¯t see you making any guesses!¡± ¡°She actually was able to guess correctly when I yed the game with her,¡± Flora said. ina¡¯s eyes grew wide with realization as she turned back to see Carline blushing and looking to the ground. ¡°Well, I¡¯m lost anyway. What is it?¡± ¡°Nature!¡± Flora said, jumping up a little in excitement. ina looked at the flowers on the ground. ¡°You mean, like?¡± ¡°Nope! But that¡¯s what I thought too when I first had my Awakening. Would¡¯ve been fitting, right? Mine¡¯s an internal type aspect though, so I don¡¯t affect the nature around me, but my nature, my physical characteristics.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± That exined the changes all across her body. ¡°So you change your skin and stuff?¡± ¡°Not only that, but just about anything about my body. I can make myself harder, wetter, faster, stronger.¡± ¡°W¡ª wetter?¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± Flora said as she turned, impish grin taking over her smile again, ¡°that¡¯s my aspect. If you all think I¡¯ll fit in to your team, I¡¯d love to join! My current group¡¯s pretty boring to be honest, and I think I¡¯d have a lot more fun with you three.¡± ¡°Fun¡­¡± ina muttered, looking over at Tira. The woman had a defeated look on her face. ¡°I hate to say this, but¡­ I don¡¯t know how many other choices we¡¯ll have, realistically.¡± Flora cocked her head, looking puzzled. ¡°Are you three that unpopr? I know ina had that spat with those other first-years, but I thought that was mostly over.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Carline said. ¡°We just¡­¡± Carline looked over to ina biting her lip. ina nodded, understanding the call for help. ¡°We need to double check everything before we say anything else.¡± Flora squinted her eyes, looking even more confused. ¡°Check what?¡± Ch 2.7: Exhibitionist Ch 2.7: Exhibitionist ¡°Oww!¡± Flora said as shended on the ground at the bottom of the cave, naked butt hitting the gravel. ¡°It¡¯s much less nice down here, you know.¡± ¡°Have to agree, actually,¡± Tira added, wandering through the cave for the first time. ¡°It¡¯s creepy.¡± ina couldn¡¯t help that, of course, just like she couldn¡¯t help giggle at the sight of the nude Flora rubbing her backside as she stood up. It was so strange, seeing someone sofortable being naked, not embarrassed at all even as she stood around threepletely clothed girls. Not even embarrassed as I got her off earlier either¡­ She shook her head, focusing. ¡°Come over here,¡± she said, walking towards the currently dim System in the center of the room. They didn¡¯t know exactly what to say to Flora if she wasn¡¯tpatible with the party, but they had to do their best to keep the secret. ¡°There¡¯s a rock here you can lean on.¡± ina watched as the girl stepped forward in the darkness, noticing her eyes were even better in the dark than they were before. She barely had time to consider the implications before Flora reached the pedestal holding the orb and the System came to life, lighting up the entire cave. ¡°System User confirmed as Star Blessed. Status: Aspected, ssless. Age: twenty-one years, four months, two weeks, two days. Partypatibility for System Administrator ina Weaver: Ny nine percent. Initiating protocol: ss Assignment.¡± ¡°What the¡ª¡± Shimmering light appeared around Flora, and she looked on bewildered as it danced in the cave, circling her already nude body. It started to fade from top to bottom, revealing first a reef of blue and yellow flowers on her head, tied together with foxtails, her light brown hair now dry and braided. The crystal dust continued to give way, showing a shocked woman underneath it as it moved down her face, and her body, just as naked as it was before. Florence Stouth System Hierarchy: [User] ss: Exhibitionist Engager Level: 2 Aspects: [Nature] - {Self Targeting} User Skills: [All Natural] - Rank 2 - Passive - User receives a power bonus of {x2} to all aspects when not covered by any armor or clothing. [Show Off] - Rank 1 - Active - User may expend mana to draw the attention of enemies hostile to her party. The effect is stronger the more exposed skin of the User the target can see. [Body Paint] - Rank 2 - Active - User may expend mana to create illusions on the bare bodies of herself and her party members, so long as those illusions do not create the appearance of clothing. User Equipment: [Floral Attire]: A flower headband that grants the User increased awareness of enemies targeting her party members. ina blinked, rubbing her head at the influx of information. It wasn¡¯t a painful experience, but a very strong one nheless. ¡°Uhm, girls,¡± Flora said, looking down at herself, as if she was trying to see if any of the crystal dust was still on her, ¡°I think something happened to me, and I don¡¯t know how to exin it.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah,¡± Tira said, walking over and inspecting the now glowing crystal. ¡°It happened to us three too. We all have sses now.¡± ¡°Wait, really?¡± Flora ran over to Carline, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her as she spoke. ¡°Carly, what¡¯s yours, what¡¯s your ss?¡± ¡°It¡¯s, uhm¡­¡± ¡°Carline is a Voyeur Vitalist,¡± the System said, glow pulsing with each word. ¡°ina is a Masochist Mage, Miss Strask is a Sadist Striker, and you are an Exhibitionist Engager. I am the System; pleasure to meet you.¡± Flora was ducking behind Carline, hiding from the System. ¡°The ss giving rock talks.¡± ¡°I am not a rock. I am the System.¡± ¡°This is so weird,¡± Flora said, walking out around Carline. ¡°You can really talk? What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°I do not have a name. I am just the System.¡± ¡°Well that won¡¯t do!¡± Flora turned back to Carline, grabbing her again. ¡°What¡¯s her name? What have you been calling her?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ System?¡± Flora frowned, pouting as she pulled away from Carline and towards ina. ¡°She needs a name.¡± ¡°I do not need a name. I am the System.¡± ¡°System¡­¡± Carline said. ¡°Short for System. What about Sissy?¡± ¡°No!¡± Tira said, eyes going wide as she burst intoughter. ¡°Absolutely not, veto.¡± ¡°Well,¡± ina said, looking at the orb. It didn¡¯t sound like it wanted a name, but it would make things easier if it did. ¡°Still short for System¡­ How about Temmie?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Flora said, pping her hands and jumping into the air, small breasts bouncing and drawing ina¡¯s eyes as she did. ¡°No veto this time, Tira!¡± Tira shook her head. ¡°Temmie is fine.¡± ina watched the System, waiting for any response. ¡°Uhm, System, is that alright?¡± The cave dimmed a bit, then the System grew brighter again. ¡°This moniker is eptable, if it brings convenience to the System Users. But I am still the System.¡± ina smiled. The System¡ªTemmie¡ªhad a warmth in her voice just then, a warmth that ina didn¡¯t think she¡¯d ever had before. ¡°Well, wee to the party, Flora. There¡¯s a lot to go over.¡± ¡°Before we speak further, I must inform you of something, ina,¡± Temmie said. ¡°The System subcore I have been tracking has disappeared.¡± Ch 2.8: Hidden Ch 2.8: Hidden ¡°Disappeared?¡± ina asked. ¡°You mean it got transported?¡± ¡°That is unlikely,¡± the System¡ªTemmie¡ªsaid. ¡°I almost certainly would have sensed the energy buildup to perform such a feat, even if I am not at full processing capacity. It is more likely that the subcore has been masked in some way, hidden by either another crystal device or someone¡¯s aspect.¡± ¡°Hey, uhm, just a reminder,¡± Flora said, still d in only her flower crown, ¡°I¡¯m kind of out of the loop here.¡± ¡°Long story short, Temmie here is what gives us our powers. There are other crystals like this one, and the things that attacked the school are after them. We had a lead on another one, but it sounds like we lost the trail.¡± ¡°Miss Strask is precisely correct. I can tell you at least that thest location of the subcore was in the castle town, but specifics are now beyond me.¡± ¡°Hey, while we¡¯re talking about crystals going missing, shouldn¡¯t we do something about those?¡± Carline asked, pointing to the red crystals shoved up against the cave wall. Flora squinted, looking over at the des and gems. ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t those¡­¡± ¡°Yeah. Tira and I fought one of them up in the grove above.¡± ¡°Gods,¡± Flora said, walking over and examining them. ¡°They¡¯re huge, way bigger than any of the ones I saw.¡± ¡°And powerful,¡± Temmie added. ¡°Carline is right to be concerned about them.¡± ¡°They should be safe enough here, right?¡± ina asked. ¡°I mean, this cave was hidden for nine hundred years before I just happened to fall in.¡± ¡°That is not necessarily the case. Should any student who was already Awakened have stumbled in here by chance, the System would not have activated, even if they touched the core. We cannot be sure this cave is as hidden as it seems. I can remain shut off if someone wanders in, but the des cannot be safely left here for an extended period, and they are just as dangerous in the wrong hands as my subcores.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s always my room,¡± Tira said. ¡°The automatonse in to clean, but no one else does.¡± ina nodded, though she had reservations about the security of that as well. ¡°Okay, we¡¯lle back with a bag or somethingter to move them, but that still leaves the subcore. What are we going to do about it?¡± ¡°There is unfortunately little to do about it now,¡± Temmie said. ¡°We will have to wait until it either moves and bes unhidden, or until my sensing capabilities are improved.¡± ¡°Well, that sucks.¡± Tira started pacing around the cave, hand holding her chin. ¡°I prefer to have a concrete goal. Waiting around doesn¡¯t suit me.¡± ¡°Ohe on¡± Flora said, running up and putting her hands on Tira¡¯s shoulders. ¡°We beat back those thingsst time, and now you three have me too! We¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°This is serious, Flora,¡± Carline said as Tira pulled herself free. ¡°And dangerous too¡­¡± ¡°It is, but we can only do our best. If the best we can do right now is wait, that¡¯ll have to be what we do.¡± ¡°No,¡± ina said. She¡¯d waited before, and the only thing it had brought were bodies to line the school halls with. ¡°We need practice, training. Need to increase our ss levels, our practical skills.¡± A smile started to grow on Tira¡¯s face. ¡°Hoped you would say something like that. I have a mission lined up for our practicum group. We¡¯ll have to wait till next weekend, but I think you¡¯ll be interested.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Carline asked, looking confused. ¡°Aren¡¯t most student missions done over break weeks?¡± ¡°Yeah, but this one¡¯s close to home. Apparently there¡¯s a group of crystal poachers in a forest not too far from here, and they¡¯ve got some minor Aspected with them. The town guard couldn¡¯t handle them, so they¡¯re calling in the cavalry.¡± ina perked up, smiling back at Tira. ¡°And if they¡¯re the same ones that took the subcore, we might be able to find out where it is! But wait, why are students the cavalry? Shouldn¡¯t the town guard be more advanced than us?¡± Carline shook her head, frowning. ¡°No, the town guard mostly just handles stuff in town. It¡¯s only like that here, since the school values sending students out on missions for training, but I didn¡¯t think they sent out first years so soon¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s new,¡± Flora said. ¡°I¡¯ve only been out twice myself, but I heard they¡¯re changing things after the attack.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Tira said, grimacing. ¡°I really pressed Calivahn on that, but she said it was Stormshine¡¯s decision, that he couldn¡¯t be persuaded otherwise. Most of these freshers do have somebat training, but themoners¡­ The ones that don¡¯t have sses are going to be in big trouble if they see any serious action. They just don¡¯t have enough experience.¡± ina tried imagining fighting for the first time, without a ss. She could picture herself fighting without skills of course, but she had always had the enhanced capabilities a ss provided, ever since she had her aspect at least. ¡°We need to do something about that, but if these missions don¡¯t usually happen until break weeks we have a bit of time at least. For now we¡¯ll focus on the poachers, getting the subcore back. Temmie, are there any other subcores you know about right now?¡± ¡°Not at present. I presume most are dormant, and they won¡¯t activate unless they have a reason too. If we have the option to improve my scanning subsystem, then I may be able to locate even dormant ones.¡± Flora started rubbing her head, frowning. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m pretty easygoing normally, don¡¯t really mind surprises and stuff, but this is a lot.¡± Tira nodded. ¡°I have patrol soon too. We can reconvene in my roomter if Temmie has more she needs to say.¡± ¡°Negative. That is the only pressing matter. It was a pleasure meeting you though, Flora.¡± ¡°Likewise,¡± Flora said, pping and running over to the pedestal. She leaned over, giving ina and Carline both a direct look at her still exposed ass as she actually patted the crystal. ¡°Hope I can see you again soon.¡± ¡°I¡ª ah¡ª Hmmmm¡­ You may visit ina¡¯s room if you like. I canmunicate through the subcore we have there as well.¡± ¡°Great! Alright, up we go, everyone!¡± The group climbed out of the cave, taking time to wash their hands in the pond before heading off. Tira went on alone, while Carline and ina stayed behind, Carline intently watching Flora get dressed while ina tried to not make it obvious she was doing the same. It was odd, seeing Carline stare so unabashedly. She was getting more confident with looking at ina, but staring at Flora seemed almost second nature to her. The trio left back for the school, ina and Carline exining how they¡¯d first found the System, how they obtained the first subcore, more about the Red Order. Despite already learning a lot of knew things all at once, Flora stayed attentive, seemed to understand everything. And she really did take it in easily, far easier than ina had taken in everything. She hadn¡¯t reacted at all when they walked in on her swimming either. Is she fazed by anything. ¡°We should go back to the clearing sometime, just you and me,¡± Flora whispered in her ear as the entered the school. ina blushed as the girl backed away, giggling and running off. ¡°My room¡¯s this way. I¡¯ll see you twoter!¡± ina and Carline slowed as they watched Flora run down the halls, seemingly no cares in the world. ¡°She¡¯s always been this way,¡± Carline said. ¡°Strong, able to take anything thates her way.¡± ¡°I like her¡­¡± ina said, still blushing, still feeling unsatisfied from before. Maybe Carline can help me take care of that. The two made their way back to their room, thoughts of carrying on the fun they¡¯d had before lunch dancing in ina¡¯s head, but when they opened the door and ina was about to ask about it, she noticed something on her bed, a letter addressed to ina Weaver. Ch 2.9: Engineering Ch 2.9: Engineering ina groaned as she reached her room after lunch, her first day of ss since the attack in full swing. Combatives had been rough, Calivahn offering no mercy, forcing them to drain their mana repeatedly, a taxing addition to the normally physically effortless act of using their aspects. ¡°Stress training¡± she had called it, but torture was more apt to ina. Even Tira had seemed exhausted at the end of it. And ina was supposed to be done with sses now, if not for that damned letter. She grabbed it off the nightstand, looking over the short missive. It was only one paragraph, informing her she¡¯d had a ss added to her schedule, and that today would be the first lesson she¡¯d have in it. ¡°Engineering for Rted Aspects,¡± she muttered, reading over the course name. ¡°First floor, west courtyard.¡± She grabbed her satchel and made her way out of the dorms. It was odd having a ss listed as both first floor and the courtyard. It wasn¡¯t like she would know if it had said third floor east courtyard after all, but she was more annoyed by the prospect of the additional academic load than the quirks of the ssroom location. ina winced as she left the west exit, bright sunshine flooding her mind. She hadn¡¯t slept well the night before either, her mind taunted by images of Flora. If it had just been dreams then it would have been fine, nice even perhaps, but her mind was so distracted by the thoughts she¡¯d barely gotten to sleep at all, and returning to the outside world was thest thing she wanted at the moment. Eyes adjusting, she nced around the field, looking for a group of students. There were two things holding her back from finding her ss location immediately, one being that she¡¯d never been on the west side of the school grounds. The bigger problem though was that she didn¡¯t exactly know what they word ¡°engineering¡± meant. Both Carline and Tira had mentioned it would probably benefit her to take, but they hadn¡¯t been very specific about it, and she¡¯d been too embarrassed to ask. There weren¡¯t any groups of people immediately apparent to ina, but she heard something in the distance, the sound of nging metal. Swords? Maybe engineering was a different type of fencing ss, or something, but she wasn¡¯t sure why her aspect would be rted to that. It was the only lead she had though, so she started walking. It wasn¡¯t long before she found the source of the sound, arge covered area built off of the side of the school. Underneath the wooden roof was indeed arge group of people, but not in a field or a ssroom, but a work area. It was like every craftsman¡¯s workshop from back home, all piled into one. There was a forge on the far end, hot and ready for smelting, a set of three anvils next to it, all being manned by students. Closer to ina was a woodworking section, various saws andthes. There were even a couple of spinning wheels, the only tool she was really familiar with. It wasforting, in a way. Engineering had to be some type of craftsmanship she guessed, and that was something she could wrap her head around, better than Remedial Etiquette at least. She noticed a wall with student jackets hanging off of it, a bunch of dark blue smocks hanging right next to it that all her ssmates were wearing. She walked over and ced her jacket with the others, grabbing one of the smocks and pulling it over her head. ¡°Aye, Weaver!¡± ina turned as she finished tying her head, seeing a short man hobbling over to her. He had a pockmarked face, wild and long white hair on the sides of his balding head, and most notable of all a metal leg that seemed like it had been stolen from one of the automatons where his right leg would have been. ¡°You¡¯re fifteen minuteste,ss. See it doesn¡¯t happen again, understand?¡± ¡°Oh, uhm sorry, the schedule wasn¡¯t very specific about the start time. I¡¯ll be on time next¡ª¡± ¡°Aye aye, I know stuff like that happens. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not stringing you up by the heels, this time. Now,e.¡± The man turned and started walking, limping along with each step as ina followed behind, doing her best to go slow enough to not overtake him. ¡°Name¡¯s Sylvas, and you can call me Sylvas. None a that ¡®Professor Barnacious¡¯ business, ya hear?¡± ¡°Uhm, yes sir.¡± ¡°This is the workshop. Those are the spinning wheels, but by your name I take it I don¡¯t have to introduce you to them. I¡¯ll probably have you spend a little time there, but not too much I reckon. Got the woodworking sections here,thes and saws and shit, probably a bit of time here in your future as well. Forge you¡¯ll definitely be working in, but not before you do your book learning and whatnot. ssroom¡¯s thisaway.¡± They reached the far end of the workshop, where there was a door leading back inside the school, back into a regr lecture hall. It didn¡¯t mean ss was on the first floor of the courtyard; it¡¯s the first floor and the courtyard. ina blushed a bit as she realized she was the only student in the actual ssroom portion wearing a smock, but Sylvas was as well, and he didn¡¯t mention anything. ¡°Miss Weaver, what does engineering mean to you?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± ina went bright red, as could not have thought of a worse question to be asked. ¡°Making things?¡± Sylvas sighed, tutting as he shook his head. ¡°Better than some a this lot, but still not right. Engineering is about solving problems. You don¡¯t have to make shit to solve problems if you already have the things you need. It¡¯s about using what you have, knowledge, materials, time, all together to get things done that couldn''t be done otherwise. ¡°Just making shit isn¡¯t enough. Take Sturgess there. His aspect is Weapons, and the only thing he ever thinks to do with it is make swords. Swords for fuck¡¯s sake, one of the least effective martial instruments in the world, the biggest advantage of them being that they''re easy to carry around sheathed, which isn¡¯t an advantage at all when you''re conjuring it from thin air anyway!¡± ¡°Sorry, sir!¡± a student said. He was sat alone at a table in the corner, facing the corner. ¡°And weak swords at that. The poor Fireguard girl''s snapped on her in the middle of fighting one a them pale bastards. Coulda died! Imagine if we¡¯d been fighting armored opponents instead of naked savages.¡± ¡°I fought with one of those swords¡­¡± ina said, the memorying back to her. She¡¯d wondered how Waine and Prisma had gotten the weapons in the first ce. ¡°Aye? And how¡¯d it feel,pared to the training swords in ss?¡± ina frowned, thinking back. ¡°It was¡­ heavier, but still didn¡¯t feel as sturdy, somehow.¡± ¡°Bnce,¡± Sylvas said, nodding. ¡°They were lighter than regr rapiers, less durable, but the weight distribution was off, so they still felt heavier. Which is why the first thing I have Sturgess doing is studying physics. Most of your learning is going to be by doing, but I don¡¯t have the time to personally teach the textbook basics to all of you, which is what textbooks are for, I suppose. Now, I hear you made bear traps out there?¡± ¡°Uhm, yes sir.¡± ¡°Aye, a good use of your aspect, clever. I¡¯d had my eye on you all week, probably would¡¯ve pulled you into my ss on the first day if I¡¯d had time to think over your aspect, but your timing didn¡¯t leave us much to think it over. Tell me, Weaver, how does a bear trap work.¡± ¡°It¡ª it¡¯s ws, and then when the button is pressed, they close shut.¡± ¡°Wrong!¡± he said. ¡°It needs tension for gods¡¯ sakes! ¡®Press a button and it closes shut,¡¯ fucking stars,e here!¡± Sylvas shuffled over to the desk in the front of the room, pulling a thick book from the middle of a stack of five and plopping it open, thumbing through the pages and settling in the middle, the paper showing a diagram of a bear trap. ¡°This¡¯ll be your copy, by the way. Now make this, with your aspect, the same way you¡¯ve done before.¡± ina nodded, focusing and conjuring the bear traps just as she had against the Red Order. ¡°How much of your mana did that take?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t be honest, really. She knew she had way more mana than she was supposed to. ¡°A good bit, I guess.¡± ¡°Aye. Now make another one, one that¡¯s already closed.¡± ina did as she was told, and instantly she knew the answer to Sylvas¡¯s next question, before he even asked it. ¡°It¡¯s like, nowhere near as much mana!¡± ¡°That easy to notice? You¡¯re packing some force in there then. Real bear traps work off tension, springs,¡± he said, pointing to a section of the diagram showing the internals of the contraptions. ¡°Yours don¡¯t have any tension though, they¡¯re just there, waiting for something to hit the button. You didn¡¯t have to for the one that¡¯s already closed, but the open one you¡¯ve loaded up with potential energy, direct from your mana well. ¡°The mundane engineers are bound by certain rules, but the Awakened flout them.¡± He waved his hand, conjuring another bear trap right in the middle of ina¡¯s two, a perfect reflection of the diagram. He then waved his hand again, creating another perfect replica, but closed. ¡°These two took me the exact same amount of mana to make. We can¡¯t break thews of physics, but we can bend them, make a bear trap that¡¯s already loaded with that potential energy through its spring mechanisms, all without extra effort. It¡¯s not fair really.¡± ina looked between the four bear traps, still astounded at how much of a difference in effort was required for the two she had made. ¡°I can make the open one with the same amount of mana as the closed one? ¡°Aye, with practice, with understanding. Aspect control is all about your perception. Sometimes having an open mind is good in that regard, but you need to still need to be knowledgeable. You can¡¯t bend rules if you don¡¯t know the rules, after all¡± Sylvas mmed the book shut and then ced it back on top of the pile. ¡°Wait,¡± ina said, watching Sylvas walk away from the giant stack of books, ¡°I thought you said that one was my copy?¡± ¡°Aye? Lass, all five of these are yours. Now get to your seat, general lecture¡¯s about to start.¡± Ch 2.10: Nice Ch 2.10: Nice ina left the ssroom with two of the giant engineering textbooks in her bag, and another three in her hands that didn¡¯t fit in the satchel. Gods, how do people without ss-enhanced strength carry this? They didn¡¯t, it seemed for the most part though. Everyone had the same basic tome, General Practices of Engineering, but most of the other students only had one or two other books it seemed, different for each person, and some of the other students even had books that weren¡¯t in her list. It seemed engineering was a broad subject, but if it could help her create bear traps easier, make other things easier, or better yet make things she¡¯d never be able to make without understanding them? Yeah, that¡¯d be worth it. ¡°ina, hey!¡± ina turned, seeing Flora bounding down the hall towards her, wide smile on her face. ¡°Flora? How¡¯d you know I¡¯d be here?¡± Flora reached ina and grabbed the three books from her hands, starting off in the other direction. ¡°Carly told me! And I actually had this course for a bit, so I know where the room is.¡± ina stood for just a moment before skipping to try and catch up to Flora. ¡°Wait, why¡¯d you have engineering?¡± ¡°It was aplete mistake! They knew my aspect was Nature, but they thought that meant trees and flowers and such, so they wanted my in woodworking. I got kicked out when they learned it was internal Nature though.¡± ¡°Well, okay, but why are you here?¡± Flora was still walking, always seemingly a step ahead of ina no matter how fast she walked to catch up. Her legs swayed back and forth,pletely bare below what still had to be the shortest skirt ina had ever seen. ¡°I wanted to see you. I owe you a favor, after all.¡± ¡°You do?¡± ¡°Yup, sure do!¡± There was a yful teasing in Flora¡¯s voice, and it lured ina in, even as Flora turned down a strange hallway. ¡°Uhm, this isn¡¯t the way back to my room,¡± ina said as she continued following anyway. ¡°Yup, sure isn¡¯t!¡± Flora began humming as she continued to lead ina through the school, to another side exit of the castle. She hadn¡¯t recognized the path there, but ina did recognize the north side of the school, the forest they were heading to. ¡°Flora, are we going back to the grove?¡± ¡°Mhmm!¡± The muffled affirmation still somehow had a sing-song quality to it, though maybe ina was just imagining that as Flora continued her tune. She was pretty sure what ¡°favor¡± Flora was supposed to be repaying now, what waited for her back at the clearing. Despite the humming Flora was being awfully quiet, much quieter than the day before, but her actions were speaking loud enough. ¡°Can I set these on top of your bag?¡± Flora asked as they reached the grove. ¡°Sure, go ahead,¡± ina said, cing her books on the ground, Flora following suit before wandering back into the center of the trees. She continued the tune she¡¯d been singing the way there, now singing it out loud an the syble ,¡± spinning around in the flowers as well. ina watched as she danced, sunlight falling down on her through the break in the canopy, shining off her skin, sparkling somehow. Her aspect? It had to have been her aspect at first, but the sparkling kept growing, until it became the unmistakable shimmer of blue crystal light and engulfed Flora¡¯s clothes as well. She continued spinning and singing as the shards of crystal fell off of her, revealing the naked girl in her entirety, the only thing on her the flower crown that matched the field of petals at her feet as she struck a pose, spreading out both legs and arms to the side, baring everything to ina.. ¡°Well, did you like my little performance?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± ina couldn¡¯t answer, could barely breathe. She knew she was blushing,b ut she didn¡¯t understand why. She wasn¡¯t the one naked for once, after all. ¡°I¡ª I did.¡± Flora giggled before skipping through the clearing again. ¡°I love this feeling, sun on my skin, nothing to hide. Aren¡¯t you going to join me?¡± ina swallowed, feeling herself burning even brighter. ¡°Sh¡ª sure.¡± She moved to undo her tie, hands shaking even as she just did that. Flora watched her, a bit of eagerness in her eyes as ina started to strip. She didn¡¯t seem bothered at all, by her own nakedness, by the fact that they were outside, by the fact that ina was stripping in front of her. This is the difference, ina thought as she tossed her jacket aside and started undoing her shirt. ina herself had been called an exhibitionist in her past, and she¡¯d always been embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s not like I want to be seen naked!¡± she¡¯d say, and that was true. Kind of. She didn¡¯t get turned on by the being seen, but by being embarrassed itself. It was a strange contradiction, that if she waspletely fine being seen naked then it wouldn¡¯t turn her on at all; only the difort itself satisfied her. Flora though was a real exhibitionist. The pure joy on her face as she stood naked was unmistakable. She just wanted to be naked, to be seen naked. And when she is, she gets horny, ina reminded herself. She stripped off her shirt, tossing it to her jacket and moving to her skirt. She stepped out of that and her boots at the same time, following up with her socks before stopping. She stood there in the middle of the forest, back in her underwear again. She took a deep breath before moving her hands to the back of her bra sp. She tried to grab it multiple times, trying to pull it apart and release her chest out in the open, but her fingers betrayed her. She was shaking too much, too anxious, too¡ª A hand fell on her shoulder. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Flora¡¯s face was concerned now, her smile gone. ¡°We can stop if you want. I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± ina said, stepping back. ¡°I want to do this, it¡¯s just¡­¡± How did you admit that being embarrassed was what turned you on? That was possibly the most embarrassing thing about the situation, and she couldn¡¯t bring herself to speak it out loud, even as the truth rang throughout her mind, driving the wonderful shame home even more. The sensation in her panties steeled her hands, allowing her to finally undo the sp and throw the bra to the ground. She covered herself with her arms as Flora¡¯s eyes moved to her breasts. ¡°I do want this, it¡¯s just a little embarrassing.¡± With one final deep breath ina pulled her arms away and pulled her panties down. She instinctively went to cover herself again, but she forced herself to move her arms away, one hanging to the side, the other resting just under her chest. ¡°I¡ª uhm¡­ Did you like mine? My performance?¡± Flora smiled, pursing her lips like she was trying to hideughter. ¡°You¡¯re both adorable and sexy. Reminds me of someone else I know.¡± She stepped forward, lifting a hand. ¡°Can I touch you?¡± ina was panting, fully aware of how red she must be. ¡°You can do anything.¡± Flora raised an eyebrow before giggle and taking her hand down. ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t we try something? You¡¯re not too experienced with this stuff, right?¡± ¡°No¡­ I mean, yes, we can try something, no I¡¯m not that experienced.¡± Flora smiled again, this time looking a lot more simr to one of Tira¡¯s impish grin¡¯s than her own characteristic joyful beaming. ¡°Can youy down on the ground for me? Facing up?¡± ¡°Yes miss¡ª Uhm, yes, Flora.¡± ina somehow blushed even more as Floraughed at that. Does she know what I was about to say? Gods, that would make it even worse. She did as Flora had asked though, sitting onto the flowers beforeying her head back, looking up into the sky. ¡°This is one of my favorites,¡± Flora said as she stepped over ina, almost the exact same way Carline had. ina could see everything as she looked up between Flora¡¯s spread legs, as Flora began to squat down. ina had a moment of thinking she knew what wasing. This is just what Carline and I did. It was the same, at first, as Flora¡¯s sex fell onto her face, but what happened next through ina¡¯s mind to the wind, all of her preconceived notions about what was going to happen flying through the air as she felt Flora bend down, felt something touch her own sex as she started to lick Flora¡¯s. Is she¡­ She was. Flora was on top of her, licking ina¡¯s pussy as ina licked her own. ina couldn¡¯t help but moan into the middle of Flora¡¯s cunt, mind going nk for a moment as she processed both the physical sensation and the scenario she was in as a whole. She¡¯s licking me¡­ down there. Gods, fuck. ina regained her faculties long enough to realize she¡¯d stopped pleasuring Flora at all, and she resumed with vigor. It was so hard to focus on anything as she felt what was happening down below, an actual girl¡¯s tongue running up and down herbia, sucking on her clit. It was like every stroke, every kiss was burying inside of her, a feeling that was unimaginable just moments ago. This is¡­ nice. Ch 2.11: Talk Ch 2.11: Talk ina felt Flora rolling to the side, and she followed, the two of them tumbling in the flowers until Flora was underneath her, still reversed, each of them eating out the other. It was hard for ina to focus on what she was doing with the constant distraction from Flora¡¯s tongue down below, swirling around her sex, stroking her lips, probing her folds. It was also a hard thing to focus on in general, the act of pleasuring someone in a way that she was very new to. But maybe¡­ It wouldn¡¯t exactly be unpredictable, but she did have an idea, one that she should have thought of sooner to be honest. She started copying Flora, not as an exact mirror, but repeating moves Flora had done, the ones that had felt oh so good. ina readjusted her focus towards the clit at first, giving gentle kisses at first. No, that was what she did at the start, we¡¯re deeper into it now. She became more aggressive, still focusing the same spot, but making sure to do it more forcefully, pressing in with her tongue. She wanted to go even further, to gently bite it, she knew better. I might want that, but I¡¯m not sure if she would like it. They continued their intertwined dance, ina doing her best to learn from her partner as Flora showed her different avenues of pleasure, the soft suckling of the clit, the aggressive love towards thebia, the little diversion to the inside of the thigh, just long enough to let things calm down before going back in to the main course, all while soft fingers caressed her, running up and down her legs, across her lower torso. She heard iting before she felt it, Flora moaning from underneath her, into her pussy. The muffled wails of pleasure. Just the knowledge that ina¡¯d done it, actually brought her new friend to this climax was enough to set her off. She started bucking into Flora¡¯s face, unable to control herself as the feelings inside of her welled up, screaming into Flora the same as Flora was doing to her until her body finally rxed. Going near limp, she rolled off of Flora and onto the ground. She only had a moment to rx before she half came to her senses, covering herself and looking over to Flora. She couldn¡¯t believe what she saw, the girl just lying there, in the middle of the de, eyes closed and a wide smile on her face. ¡°That was fun.¡± ¡°Uhm, yeah,¡± ina said, clutching her chest with her arm and pressing into her groin. The whole situation was getting her turned on dangerously soon again. ¡°How¡ª how do you not get bothered by this?¡± ¡°Oh I get bothered, but only down there,¡± Flora said, rolling over and looking at ina with a smirk. ¡°You did good, learning throughout the process.¡± ina looked away, blushing even more. ¡°Uhm, thanks¡­¡± Flora giggled,ying an arm over ina. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be embarrassed. I know you¡¯re new to this stuff.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know. I feel like I¡¯m so behind on this stuff. Like, I figured that Carline hadn¡¯t ever actually done anything like this cause of how she acts, but that was wrong.¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s more than she seems. Although I wonder how much of that is my fault.¡± ina let her grip on herself rx as her eyes drifted down Flora¡¯s body. It was leaner than even Tira¡¯s body, but still such a nice line for ina¡¯s gaze to follow. ¡°I can believe you can be a bit corrupting.¡± Floraughed, rolling back over and sying her limbs out. ¡°I don¡¯t want to speak too much about what she and I have done, just in case it embarrasses her. If it everes up between you two though, you can tell her I don¡¯t mind her sharing.¡± ¡°Gotcha¡­¡± ina had been curious, and she¡¯d secretly been hoping to talk to Flora about it since she had the feeling Flora would be more open, but she understood Flora deferring to Carline. ¡°By the way, did things work out with the Fireguard girl?¡± ina almost jumped up at the question, eyes widening as she processed it. ¡°Uhm, I guess, kind of?¡± ¡°I heard you fought with her, and the Ferris boy too. That you saved them.¡± ina rolled over, facing her back to Flora. ¡°More like they saved me. I guess it kinda went both ways, but they weren¡¯t in trouble until they came to help me, so it¡¯s hard to say I saved them when they would¡¯ve been fine if I hadn¡¯t been there.¡± ¡°But you talked?¡± ¡°Mhm. Didn¡¯t really change much, but¡­ I guess I¡¯m more clear on where we stand.¡± ¡°Did you tell her how you feel?¡± ¡°How I¡ª¡± The lump in her stomach returned, as intense and real as it had been when she¡¯d talked to Prisma. ¡°Yeah, I did¡­¡± She felt Flora¡¯s army on top of her, pull her in close. She was so warm in the cool spring air, so soft against her back. ¡°Sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to upset you. I just wanted to see where things were for you.¡± ina nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It is what it is. I just wish I knew why things were the way they were.¡± She feltforted by Flora¡¯s grip tightening for a second, even though no words of encouragement came. ina closed her eyes, focusing on the warmth from her friend and the sun both as they enveloped her. ¡°I¡¯m in love with Carly.¡± ina almost jumped at the sudden deration, rolling out of Flora¡¯s arms and staring back at her. ¡°What?¡± Flora actually looked concerned, embarrassed even as she stared into the ground. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I probably should have mentioned it earlier, before we¡­ I kind of got carried away.¡± ina blushed back, but only from seeing Flora finally do it. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s fine¡­ I just don¡¯t really know why you¡¯re telling me instead of her.¡± Flora smiled, exhaling from her nose as a look of fondness grew on her face. ¡°I have, multiple times. But she¡¯s more dense than you when ites to these things. She always thinks I¡¯m teasing her. And I do tease her, a lot, but never about that¡­¡± The smile on Flora¡¯s face wasn¡¯t exactly one of happiness. It wasn¡¯t really sad either, but the smile of someone remembering a bittersweet memory. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± ina said, still prying to process the admission. ¡°I can, uhm¡­ I¡¯ve kind of messed around with her, but I can stop, if that¡¯s what you want.¡± Floraughed, shaking her head. ¡°That¡¯s not why I told you. I mean, it¡¯d be pretty hypocritical to ask that after what we just did. It¡¯s more¡­ I don¡¯t want you to get the wrong idea about us, you and me. I¡¯m fine fooling around, obviously fine with her fooling around since we¡¯re not an ¡®item,¡¯ but even if we were I wouldn¡¯t mind. She¡¯s just special to me, in a different way.¡± ¡°Well, you should tell her! Tell her it¡¯s not a joke, that¡ª¡± ¡°It won¡¯t work. It can¡¯t work, rather. The nobility isn¡¯t exactly prudish around these sorts of things, and there are even rare cases of same gender marriage, but there are certain expectations on us. Our parents will decide who we marry, and it¡¯ll be for the purpose of carrying on the family lineages. It¡¯s not exactly a good thing to fool around outside of marriage, but as long as you¡¯re bearing children like you¡¯re supposed to then the only consequences are usually whispers behind your back, especially if it¡¯s with other girls where it doesn¡¯t cause any questions about paternity. ¡°That¡¯s why she always thinks I¡¯m joking, that I mean we can just sort of keep up this sort of thing as we get married. But I¡¯m not. I know there¡¯s not really a way for us to have that life together, but¡­¡± Flora was still mostlyposed, but ina could see the water welling up in her eyes. She did an excellent job keeping them back, making sure that none fell, but not good enough to hide the hurtpletely. ina knew she should be focused onforting Flora, reassuring her that everything would be okay. But try as she might she couldn¡¯t focus on being a good friend right now, the burning question inside of her needing toe out. ¡°Is it always like that? For all noble girls?¡± Flora stayed still for a moment, breathing in and shutting her eyes. They were dry when she opened them, but red. ¡°Not¡­ always. Carline and I are both the eldest daughters, only daughters actually, but despite that the eldest daughter is the most important child from a strategic standpoint, the one most valuable to be ¡®married off¡¯ so to speak. Our brothers are more ¡®important¡¯ than us technically, but it is different for them.¡± ¡°Eldest daughter¡­¡± ina said, thinking back to her fencing ss. Ranlit had mentioned Kohpicia, so she knew Prisma was very much not the eldest daughter. That means there¡¯s a chance. She couldn¡¯t help but smile a little as she looked back up to Flora. ¡°I think there¡¯s still a way that things can work out.¡± Flora nodded, but she somehow looked even more pained than she had before. ¡°Maybe¡­¡± ina scooted over, taking Flora into her arms and squeezing tight. She¡¯d given ina something, a morsel of hope to cling on to. In the back of her mind ina knew that there was more to it. She knew that she didn¡¯t know everything, and maybe even knew that Flora was holding something back. It did always seem like everyone knew just a little more than her, but for the moment ina could pretend she had the full story, pretend that everything would be alright. Ch 2.12: Tears Ch 2.12: Tears The week had dragged on, had frazzled ina so much that she almost started walking towards her fencing ss after getting breakfast. It was still canceled of course, since a recement for Ranlit hadn¡¯t been hired yet. ina frowned at the though. She was mostly over the feelings of guilt, but there was still the lingering sadness, the thoughts of how things might have been different if the Red Order hadn¡¯t attacked, or at least hadn¡¯t attacked so soon. She wasn¡¯t exactly sure where to go, not having any ss until after lunch. It was just History too, so she¡¯d have a break from the strenuous sses at least. She thought about trying to find Carline, but she¡¯d been gone when ina had woken, and she had no idea where to begin looking, so she decided she¡¯d go for a walk outside to see theke on a sunny day. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the sun and how it had felt on her skin that day underneath sky with Flora, so filled with those thoughts that she didn¡¯t even notice the person she ran into as she rounded the hallway corner. The person went flying back, the unlucky victim of ina¡¯s idental strength, stumbling to the ground and sying out as ina opened her mouth to apologize. She didn¡¯t apologize though, closing her lips and furrowing her brow as she realized who it was she¡¯d run into: Waine Ferris. He was alone, uncharacteristic of him from everything ina had seen up until this point, staring up at her with a dumbfounded expression, with what looked to be tears in his eyes? ¡°Uhm, are you okay?¡± ina asked, confused more than anything else. Waine started to re at her, pushing himself onto his feet and wiping his eyes. ¡°You really do have no manners, don¡¯t you?¡± The words were strained, caught in his throat. His eyes were bloodshot too, too bloodshot for an instance of tears. He¡¯d been crying before ina had knocked him down, not because of it. It still wasn¡¯t enough to make ina feel sorry for him, nor to apologize. ¡°We both ran into each other, you know.¡± ¡°Are you¡ª¡± Waine shook his head, fist clenching up. ¡°You¡¯re the one that came barreling around that corner. I stopped when I saw you, and you still bowled over me like some kind of brute. The least you could do is say sorry if you weren¡¯t even going to help me up.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Even if he was right, ina still didn¡¯t owe him an apology. The weight of what he¡¯d done far surpassed anything she could ever do to him. But still¡­ ina sighed, crossing her arms, already regretting the words that were about toe out. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Waine looked to the side, tears still welling up on his face. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong.¡± ina rolled her eyes, groaning. She didn¡¯t know why she was offering him any sort ofpassion. ¡°I¡¯m trying to be nice here, but if you¡¯re looking for apologies you¡¯re going to need to start offering before I say shit.¡± ¡°You still have no idea what you did to me that night, to my family, to the Fireguard family.¡± ¡°Are you still talking about the Awakening? You heard Alonse, saw my actual Awakening. It was an ident.¡± ¡°An ¡®ident¡¯ that shamed two great houses! Not to mention what you and the captain of the bitch-watch did to me in ss.¡± ina stared at him, mouth agape. ¡°You cannot be serious. You were going to sell pictures of me half naked to the whole school! You were ckmailing me!¡± She was bing more aware of her surroundings now, of the fact that there were people stopping to stare at them as she was shouting, but she couldn¡¯t stop herself. ¡°And you had the nerve to stay here anyway. When will you understand that someone like you doesn¡¯t belong here? No amount of Remedial Etiquette can change who you are. You, Strask, the whole lot of you shouldn¡¯t have even been tested, much less admitted. Youe in here embarrassing your betters, making demands you have no right to, cheating in fencing ss¡ª¡± ¡°Horse shit! I didn¡¯t cheat at all, but I very much remember something happening to my muscles in our fencing duel together. I wonder how that could have happened? It was such a familiar feeling, losing control of my own body, kind of like when you lured me out into the forest and tore my clothes up. Remember that?¡± Waine¡¯s face was seething, ncing around at the crowd growing even bigger around him, still struggling to hold back tears as he inhaled through his nose. ¡°Your memory sure is an interesting one. Did Prisma whack you on the head one too many times in fencing ss? You know I didn¡¯t even touch you that night.¡± ina shook her head, nostrils ring. ¡°No, she didn¡¯t¡ª¡± Waine moved forward, foot stomping on the ground and cutting her off. ¡°She didn¡¯t what? Didn¡¯t hold the scissors? Didn¡¯t shear you like a sheep, like the animal you are? You shamed her family just as much as mine, more even. We did that together, decided on it together. Sure, she¡¯s got a weaker will, apologized to you even. But feeling sorry for you doesn¡¯t mean you didn¡¯t deserve it. She knows that, and it¡¯s about time you learned it as well, just like it¡¯s about time you learned your ce.¡± Learn her ce? She knew her ce. She was the System Administrator, undoubtedly the strongest student in their grade, possibly the entire school. She could show Waine Ferris his ce at any time. And she had. She¡¯d fought him, twice. Won both times. And she was still scared of the thoughts she¡¯d had the night of the battle, how easy the thought of letting him die hade to her. ina took a deep breath, and did her best to exhale the thoughts of violence from her mind. ¡°You know what? Whatever happened to make you cry, I¡¯m d it did.¡± Waine cast his nce aside once more, anger melting off his face, turning into sorrow. ¡°Be careful, Weaver. When you wish pain on someone else, the gods think it¡¯s something you¡¯d like to experience yourself.¡± ¡°Old proverbs don¡¯t scare me, Ferris. And I guarantee I can handle pain better than you.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see. But you should be careful what you wish for.¡± The words lingered in the air as Waine walked off, hanging like thick smoke. The were unnerving to ina in a way that was hard to put her finger on. They hadn¡¯t sounded like a threat, like Waine was going to do something to her. They were just a matter of fact observation. A warning? She shook her head and started off again, breaking through the crowd, this time heading back to her room instead of outside. Ch 2.13: Free Ch 2.13: Free ina was pretty sure she had everything she needed for their practicum trip packed into her bag. Spare shirts, spare underwear, spare socks, spare Temmie. They were only supposed to be gone three days, and Tira was supposed to take care of food, so ina was pretty sure that was all she needed. She did want to make sure they brought Temmie¡¯s subcore with them, of course. Three days was a long time to be out of contact with her, and even longer to leave her alone where she could potentially be found by someone else. ina was pretty sure she was in Waine¡¯s sights again after the previous day¡¯s confrontation, and she wouldn¡¯t put it past him to try and wreck her room. ¡°I think I¡¯m ready,¡± she said out loud, not really to anyone in particr. Carline was still in ss, so she¡¯d be meeting them out front. ¡°Do I really have to be stuffed next to your underwear in your bag too?¡± Temmie asked. ¡°Underwear¡¯s really the only thing I have to bring.¡± The spare jacket and skirt were too big to fit in ina¡¯s small satchel, and she shouldn¡¯t need them anyway. ¡°I could wrap you up in one of my shirts, I guess.¡± ¡°No¡­ I would rather not be wrapped up entirely.¡± ¡°Then this is what you get.¡± ina racked her brain for anything she might have been forgetting, and then remembered one final thing. She went over to her dresser and pulled out her carved star ne, slipping it into her pocket. She hadn¡¯t worn it much since arriving since it didn¡¯t really work with her tie, but she was pretty sure she could get away with not wearing the tie in the woods, so she thought it¡¯d be nice to have a chance to wear it again for once. ina threw the bag over her shoulder and headed out. Themon room was mostly empty, but once she made it out into the halls she could feel the change in energy. Students were talking louder, stepping with more haste as they made their way around the school. It was Fifthday after all, thest day of sses before their two day break. ina herself had special permission to leave early since she was done with ss and had an assignment, bute the official end of day all the students would be free, including being allowed into the castle town. The idea intrigued her, but ina didn¡¯t really know what was so special about it. The small town she¡¯d lived in wasn¡¯t much to be excited about for sure, and she was overall much morefortable in the school than back home. Maybe people just don¡¯t like being cooped up. It certainly seemed that way, as talk of going out over the weekend was what filled the air more than anything. One group of students was talking about going to some ce to eat, another about shopping, but one conversation caused ina¡¯s head to jerk as she heard it. ¡°You hear the Ferris-Fireguard marriage is officially off now?¡± ¡°No way! Does that mean Waine and Prisma¡­¡± ¡°I think so.¡± ina stood frozen as she watched the two students continued down the hall, oblivious to her eavesdropping. ¡°The Ferris-Fireguard marriage¡­ is off.¡± She sighed, feeling like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. But they had been engaged then? That exins¡­ everything. There was a lot she still didn¡¯t understand, really. Chief among them being why no one had told her about the engagement. Prisma could have of course, but surely Carline would know, right? And she¡¯d been talking to Flora about arranged marriages just earlier that week. She frowned at the thought, annoyed at having been misled for two weeks by seemingly everyone around her. Tira might not have known, but even that she wasn¡¯t sure about. Still, things were going to be okay now. She knew it didn¡¯t magically make her and Prisma best friends, but having an understanding of things wasforting at least. And now there¡¯s a chance we can start over, maybe. Conflicting emotions rolled through her as she exited out into the garden, but she was going to try and stay positive. It would have been an awkward thing to bring up to her she knew, even if she would¡¯ve preferred having been told. ¡°I¡¯ll ask them about it after we¡¯re back,¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°No need to bring up something like that when we¡¯re all supposed to be focused on work.¡± ¡°What was that, ina?¡± Temmie asked. ¡°Nothing,¡± ina said, shaking her head. ¡°Very well. But it is not wise to let things that must be said linger in the air. It often makes it difficult to breathe.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I said.¡± It wasn¡¯t really nothing, but it wasn¡¯t worth making a huge deal out of. Flora and Carline wouldn¡¯t have held back information without a reason, that much she was sure of. ina squinted as she came up to the school gate. Shethought for a moment that she recognized Flora and Tira, but the two people standing outside of the gate couldn¡¯t be them. One of them was wearing a bright yellow sundress, and the other a dark brown vest with matching pants. Except it definitely was them. Flora in the dress, Tira in the shirt and pants. ¡°Uhm, what are you two wearing?¡± The two turned around, both having been facing out towards the road. ¡°I¡¯m wearing far too much clothes for myfort,¡± Flora said with a smile, ¡°but you¡¯ve got me beat by far.¡± ¡°ina, you know you can wear street clothes on campus after ss on Fifthday, right?¡± Tira said. ¡°You can¡¯t just hang out around school in them, but it¡¯s fine if you¡¯re heading out of the castle grounds.¡± ina blinked at least a dozen times before she managed to understand. ¡°I¡­ No one told me that before...¡± Flora giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. ¡°Guess Carly¡¯ll get to enjoy watching you change into your regr clothester, huh?¡± ¡°I, uhm, I don¡¯t have regr clothes¡­¡± Tira took her dozen blinks. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re nning on wearing the uniform the entire time?¡± ¡°I thought we had to!¡± ¡°Uhm, hey everyone!¡± someone said from behind. ina turned to see Carline, still in her uniform, running towards them. She was panting as she stopped, staring at ina, a concerned look on her face. ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte, uhm, had an issue.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Tira said. ¡°Carriage isn¡¯t here yet anyway. We were just talking about how ina apparently didn¡¯t know street clothes are allowed.¡± ina blushed, looking at Carline. ¡°You too?¡± ¡°Oh, no, I uhm, have a change of clothes in my bag¡­¡± Carline looked down towards the ground, biting her lip. ¡°ina, uhm, is everything alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, just a little embarrassed I¡¯ll spend the weekend in my uniform, but I¡¯ll live.¡± She sighed, once again falling victim tock of knowledge that everyone else seemed to take for granted. ¡°Yeah,¡± Flora said. ¡°You would¡¯ve found outst week when you saw people walking around if we weren¡¯t under curfew. At least you know for next time!¡± ina smiled. It was hard to be upset when Flora was smiling and happy¡ªor maybe it was just that ina could tell Flora wasn¡¯t wearing a bra under that short, thin sundress. Regardless, she¡¯d still get to spend the whole weekend with the three best friends she had at school, and they¡¯d hopefully get some information about the missing subcore besides. ¡°Yeah,¡± Tira added, ¡°she isn¡¯t the type to let a little wardrobe mishap ruin a good time.¡± She smirked at her ownment, eyes directed at ina and filled with mischief. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡± inaughed, waving Tira off. ¡°Who knows, maybe I¡¯ll manage to keep my clothes on for the whole trip.¡± ¡°Not if I have anything to say about it,¡± Flora said, causing Tira to do a double take. ina was about tough again when she felt a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Hey,¡± Carline said, ¡°you¡¯re really okay?¡± ¡°Uhm, yeah? It¡¯s not that big a deal, really. Are you okay?¡± Carline nodded, but her eyes still hung low. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just worried about you.¡± ina smiled, wrapping her arms around Carline and squeezing, careful not to hug too tightly with her increased strength. ¡°I appreciate you, but I¡¯ll be okay. Let¡¯s focus on having a good trip.¡± Putting actions to words, she let Carline go and turned back around, stepping out of the gate, out of the school grounds for the first time in two weeks. ¡°For a couple days at least, we¡¯re free!¡± Ch 2.14: Departure Ch 2.14: Departure ina thought about asking whether or not there was time to go back and find a change of clothes, but a carriage cresting over the hill quashed that desire, obviously toote for that now. She shrugged to herself, wondering if she¡¯d be able to borrow anything from one of the other girls. Shirts from Tira and Flora were out for obvious reasons, and pants from Carline would likely be too short. Does Carline even wear pants? It was a question ina hadn¡¯t thought about before, but thinking on it now she wasn¡¯t sure what Carline would wear outside of school. Shirt and pants made sense for Tira, and the sundress certainly fit Flora, but she could see Carline wearing just about anything, from long dresses to pants to skirts. Anything would make sense really, so long as it was somewhat modest. Though immodest would be better¡­ ¡°ina, I think she¡¯s pointing at you,¡± Tira said, looking off in the distance. ina looked back up, breaking up her thoughts of a less-dressed Carline and trying to find who Tira was talking about. There was only one person, the carriage driver, with dark brown skin, long and flowing curly hair. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s Char!¡± ina took off in a run, barely remembering that she needed to go slower than she could to not make Char suspicious. ¡°Hey, girl,¡± the carriage driver said as she pulled up, slowing the carriage and climbing out of the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you were the one I¡¯d be ferrying today.¡± ina crashed into her, perhaps a little too hard, but she grabbed onto the woman and made sure she didn¡¯t get knocked over. ¡°Char!¡± ¡°Damn, ina, what¡¯re they feeding you?¡± the woman said as she hugged back. ¡°Or is that just what an Awakening does to you?¡± ¡°No, just excited to see you again,¡± ina said as she let go. ¡°Well,¡± Tira said, walking up from behind, ¡°this isn¡¯t how you greeted me the first time we met, so I¡¯m assuming you two know each other?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, she was pretty friendly to me when we were formally introduced for the first time,¡± Flora said, smirking at ina with her eyes. ina did her best to ignore Flora¡¯sment as she answered Tira. ¡°She drove me here all the way from back home. She¡¯s practically family.¡± Charughed, waving ina off. ¡°I¡¯m not that important, just a hired cart.¡± ina shook her head, still beaming at Char. ¡°You helped a lot, even if it was only for a week. What¡¯re you doing here though? I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever see you again!¡± ¡°What am I doing here? I live here, girl. In town, anyway. I normally just do local stuff like this, but I¡¯ll take the long haul trips when theye up.¡± ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Tira said, ¡°d you two are happy, but we do have a schedule to keep.¡± Flora groaned, shaking her head. ¡°Do you always have to think about business first?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Tira responded, ring at her. ¡°We only have two and a half days for this mission, you know. We¡¯re expected to be on time for sse Firstday.¡± ¡°Girl¡¯s right,¡± Char said, hopping back up on the carriage. ¡°I¡¯m not even taking you all the way out to where you¡¯re going is my understanding, so you four have some walking to do besides. No need in waiting for the sun to get any lower, so hop in the back.¡± She nced at ina once more. ¡°We can do plenty of talking on the way, just like before.¡± ¡°Right!¡± The four girls got in the back, Carline and ina facing towards the front, Flora and Tira looking back at them, and ina introduced the others to Char as the cart rolled along. It was nice, being able to catch up with Char again, remember the encouragement she¡¯d given ina on the trip to Endrin. Might not even have even had the nerves to walk through the gate without her¡­ ¡°By the way,¡± Char eventually said, ¡°does she still have that habit of embarrassing herself out of her mind at least once a day?¡± Carline snorted as Tira and Flora also tried to hold backughter, ina herself going a deep shade of red. ¡°Guess that answers my question. You know the day we arrived at school, she dressed herself and had the whole back of her skirt tucked into her underwear? Would¡¯ve walked all the way into the castle if I hadn¡¯t told her, I bet.¡± ¡°Char!¡± Everyone except ina burst intoughter as she bowed her head, doing her best not to think of that morning. Her best wasn¡¯t that good though, and she could only imagine herself actually walking up to Endrin like that, how her first impression to the others would have been if her whole ass had been showing itself. ¡°Stuff like that doesn¡¯t always happen to me, you know!¡± ¡°Could¡¯ve fooled me,¡± Tira said. ¡°I distinctly remember something simr happening when I met you after your fencing ss,¡± Flora added. ¡°Please, you two have seen nothing; I actually live with her!¡± A smallugh escaped from ina¡¯s mouth, and there was no stopping the chorus that came after, from Char, her friends, and even herself. Maybe it was just Carline¡¯sment being so out of character as she got caught up in the moment, but even ina had to admit some of the situations she got herself into were at least a little funny. ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯m a bit of a klutz, big deal.¡± ¡°Sweetie, klutz is when you nudge the table when you¡¯re getting up, not when you lose your pants when you¡¯re standing up at breakfast. And yes girls, that actually happened on the trip here.¡± They allughed again, and ina was even pretty sure they all believed that was a genuine ident when she told them she¡¯d forgotten her belt that morning. Conversation moved along to less humiliating topics thought, and continued until they finally crested the hill between school and the town. ¡°Wait,¡± ina said as she looked out the window, ¡°is that¡­¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± Char said. ¡°You didn¡¯t get a good view of it when we came in, did you? Well wee to Castletown!¡± A town? This has to be what a city is, right? It wasn¡¯t like ina had a great frame of reference being from what she understood to be a small vige, but the sprawling expanse of buildings in the valley below was certainlyrger than anything she would call a town. She¡¯d seen the tops of some of these buildings as they rode in on the other side of the hills, but she didn¡¯t realize how low those hills went on this side, how the roofs she was looking at weren¡¯t just those of normal buildings, but giant wooden towers, surrounded by a whole valley¡¯s worth of smaller buildings, more buildings than she could even count. ¡°It¡¯s enormous,¡± she said, mystified. ¡°Eh,¡± Char said, ¡°it¡¯s a town. Nothing like the capital or even the smaller cities.¡± ina couldn¡¯t even imagine a bigger ce. The tallest parts of the castle were still bigger than the tallest towers in Castletown, but overall the school looked tiny inparison. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this has just been tucked away here the whole time and I didn¡¯t even know.¡± ¡°Yeah, I kinda always hated that,¡± Tira said. ¡°It¡¯s not defensible at all. ¡°That¡¯s the point though, right?¡± Carline said. ¡°So it can¡¯t threaten the castle.¡± ¡°Pfft! Like anyone would ever try attacking you all,¡± Char said. ¡°Most people can¡¯t even get through your gate, afterall.¡± ¡°I mean,st week¡ª¡± ina started before Tira stepped on her foot, shaking her head. ¡°Not now,¡± Tira mouthed. ina was confused, but she did as she was told. What did I do wrong though? She nced out the window as the rolled down the hill, her mind being overtaken again by thoughts of the countless dwellings below her. She was so enthralled that she almost didn¡¯t notice the sound of singinging from Flora. She really does have a nice voice, ina thought right before her eyes widened in realization. She¡¯d heard Flora sing that tune before, and from the look of horror on her face Carline knew what the song meant as well. Only Tira was oblivious to the meaning, a look of bewilderment on her face as Flora¡¯s nymph-grin grew, her singing still carrying on as blue sparkles of crystal started to form around her body. Ch 2.15: Ride Ch 2.15: Ride At first Carline couldn¡¯t believe Flora was actually doing it, and then she couldn¡¯t believe that she herself had doubted Flora. Of course she¡¯d do this¡­ The song Flora was singing was more than familiar to Carline, part of the ¡°show¡± that Flora always liked to put on for her. Just hearing those first couple of notes, the rising melody of two quick breaths, followed by that long drawn out ¡± that Flora always seemed to relish in, it was all too much for Carline to handle. She began squirming in her seat, trying her best to maintain aposed look, knowing she would fail. It was obvious from ina¡¯s face that she knew what was going on too. Only Tira was confused as Flora¡¯s voice filled the carriage, but soon she too realized what was going on, staring at the girl beside her with a gaping mouth as blue crystals filled the air, stripping away Flora¡¯s clothing and leaving herpletely bare. Carline bit her lip, cing her hands in between her legs, pushing her skirt down as if someone could somehow see how turned on she was. By this point Flora¡¯s song could get her aroused on it¡¯s own, and Flora¡¯s strip shows had always been more than adequate before, but this? A simple thought, and the girl was naked. That¡¯s way too much power for her. ¡°Flora!¡± Tira said, voice shouting and trembling in equal measure. ¡°Yes, Tira?¡± Flora was too good at that, staring at you withplete innocence in her eyes, wide smile like she didn¡¯t know what was wrong at all. Carline knew better now of course, but for a time she really had believed that Flora was just oblivious about things like that. ¡°¡±What¡¯re you doing?¡± Tira asked, her eyes glued to the girl¡¯s naked body. ¡°Everything alright back there?¡± Char asked from up front, turning her head back slightly. Flora wasn¡¯t in her view, their backs being up against the same wall, but if Char just leaned back a little more¡­ ¡°Ye-yeah!¡± ina said. ¡°It¡¯s just, first time I¡¯ve been in the town, you know? Exciting!¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Flora said, shooting a sly grin to Tira. ¡°Don¡¯t bother Char right now though; she¡¯s gotta focus on the road with all those people out there!¡± Tira nodded, still staring. ¡°Right, right¡­¡± All those people out there. Carline looked out the window, down at the townsfolk below. She was short enough that the window was just up to her neck, but Flora had to nearly be showing her chest to anyway lucky enough to look up at the right time, if not shing them entirely. I can¡¯t believe her. Almost like she could read Carline¡¯s mind, Flora slumped down a bit in her chair. Carline breathed a sigh of relief for just a moment before a foot lifted up, Flora mming her heel onto the hem of Carline¡¯s skirt. Carline yelped a little as the fabric was pulled at just a bit, but she made sure to keep as quiet as possible, trying to make sure not to attract Char¡¯s attention, or the attention of those outside. ¡°So, never been to a town like this before, ina?¡± Flora asked, still stretching out. At least people on the street won¡¯t be able to see her, Carline thought, but the invasion to her personal space was more than a little distracting. ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± ina said, ignoring the window. ¡°Never really seen anything like this before¡­¡± ¡°It really is a nice ce,¡± Char said, still oblivious to what was happening right behind her. ¡°Lot¡¯s a work for me, fun ce to be. Specially at night; things get pretty wild once the sun goes down.¡± ¡°I believe it,¡± ina said. ¡°What kinda wild stuff goes down?¡± Flora asked, her hand slowly drifting in between her legs. No no no, if you do that! Flora reached her sex, slowly spreading her lips to the entirety of the carriage. At least ina and Tira had some semnce of self control, were able to control themselves and stare motionlessly, but Carline couldn¡¯t help but writhe in her chair. Char justughed as she focused on the road. ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s not appropriate to be talking to you four about that stuff. You¡¯re all still pretty young, after all.¡± ¡°We are all adults, you know,¡± Flora said, letting her lips close and opening them up again repeatedly as she talked. ¡°We can handle some risque stuff.¡± Stars, how is she so calm? ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. But don¡¯t take this as advice, just me answering your question. There¡¯s the usual stuff, drinking, dancing on the weekends. Pretty good musicians around here, honestly. But if you know the right people¡ªwhich I¡¯m not saying I do¡ªyou can get into some more exciting stuff. Gambling, dancers wearing not as much as the normal kind, other types of workers wearing not as much as normal. You¡¯d be surprised at how shameless some people can be.¡± ¡°Oh I bet!¡± Flora winked as she spoke, as her fingers started to move faster, more aggressively in between her folds. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we can¡¯t participate in that stuff. The normal things of course, like drinking, since we¡¯re Endrin students and all.¡± ¡°Well, technically you¡¯re right,¡± Char said, ¡°but I¡¯d be lying if I said I hadn¡¯t ferried a couple people that looked suspiciously your age and suspiciously like they weren¡¯t from the town itself around at night on the weekends, to and from both regr establishments and the seedier ones both.¡± ¡°But not that you would know which ones were the seedy ones, of course,¡± Flora added. Charughed, Carline seeing her flowing ck curls fly through the air as she shook her head. ¡°Right, of course.¡± ¡°Your secrets are safe with us,¡± Flora said. ¡°We¡¯re all just here to have a good time, right Tira?¡± Carline watched as Flora offered her free hand towards Tira, watched as Tira looked down at it with apprehension, with curiosity. Curiosity won over. ¡°Right,¡± Tira said, grabbing onto Flora¡¯s hand. Flora smiled wide, pulling Tira closer as Carline stared with bated breath. Flora dragged Tira¡¯s hand, cing it on her bare chest before focusing on her own sex again. Tira¡¯s hand was gentle at first, but soon turned aggressive, squeezing the soft flesh underneath her palm, pinching at the nipple and pulling, way harder than Carline would have ever feltfortable doing. Flora didn¡¯t mind though. It was obvious to Carline, as obvious as the fact that the sky was blue thanks to her aspect. [Health] told her many things about the human, and sexual health was one of those things. Everyone was turned on, everyone in the carriage anyway, at the acts going on over on that side. Carline could feel it all, increased heartbeats, heavier breathing, the trembling arousal that was unrted to anything but sexual desire. The only one she couldn¡¯t feel internally like that, through the sixth sense that was her aspect, was her own urge, but that was still easy enough to identify. There was no mistaking the growing dampness in between her legs. ¡°Flora, uhm, can you move your leg a bit? You¡¯re in my space a little...¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Flora asked, that same faux ignorance stered on her face. ¡°Of course, Carly, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Flora moved her foot off of Carline¡¯s skirt, finally freeing her from the prison. Carline knew what Flora had been doing, of course, knew all her tricks by now. Carline wouldn¡¯t have ever just started touching herself in the middle of the carriage, in the middle of all her friends, but once Flora had blocked her from it, made it impossible by pinning her skirt down? The call was too intense. Carline slowly slid her hand up the side of her skirt, along her thigh and towards her own crotch. She wasn¡¯t nearly brazen enough to pull down even her tights, but she needed to get under the thick uniform material at least. It was only a tease, of course, rubbing herself over the twoyers of clothes underneath her skirt, but she obviously needed something right now. And gods was it embarrassing. ina was still enraptured by what was going on across from her, and Tira was obviously preupied, eyes and hands both never leaving their mark. Flora for some reason was staring straight ahead with that beautiful bright smile. Carline had no idea what it was that was drawing Flora¡¯s attention towards her when two much more beautiful women were around, but she wished it would never stop. Embarrassing as it was, feeling someone look at her the same way she was looking at Flora was something she wouldn¡¯t trade for the world. Gods, I love her. Ch 2.16: Teasing Ch 2.16: Teasing ina really had wanted to take in the city as they rode through, but there were undoubtedly more interesting things to look at. She honestly had no idea how Carline¡¯s mind worked, how she could enjoy watching things like this without feeling the need to jump in immediately. ina was trying to be considerate, trying not to let on that she knew Carline was touching herself. Gods only knew that she¡¯d appreciate the same consideration, because ina was already blushing just from watching the encounter across form her, unable to even think about how embarrassing it would be to be caught touching herself to it. Still, even if ina wanted to participate, the sight alone was beyond entrancing. It was wild that Flora could just sit therepletely nude with that look of utter bliss on her face, not a hint of shame. And Tira too? ina had almost started to think the watch captain actually hated Flora, but it clearly wasn¡¯t that simple, not anymore at least. The look on her face wasn¡¯t nearly as strong, not nearly as unabashed, it was more like how ina imagined she herself would look in the situation. No, she¡¯s caught of guard, but she¡¯s not embarrassed about the situation. ina squeezed her legs together, futilely trying to wring out any sort of sensation between them as she watched the disy. Tira was bing more bold now, sliding over to Flora, a small grin growing on her face as she reached down to her waist. Flora must have realized what was happening first, because her eyes went wide, almost looking scared for a moment before a glint appeared in them, her mouth opening in desperation as Tira tugged her whip from her pants, letting the coil fall to the ground as she leaned over and whispered something in Flora¡¯s ear. There obviously wasn¡¯t enough room in the carriage for the whip to be used in the traditional manner, but traditional obviously wasn¡¯t what Tira had in mind. ina gasped as the handle was brought up in between Flora¡¯s legs, as it pushed her hand aside and started to circle the outside of her pussy. It was only there a short time before it plunged inside of her, Flora instinctually covering her mouth with her own hand, the one still soaked in her juices, barely muffling a moan. ¡°Someone say something?¡± Char asked. ¡°No,¡± Tira responded, slowly running the handle of her whip into her ything, ¡°we¡¯re just enjoying the beautiful sights.¡± ¡°Alright. Just that you four have been awful quiet since we rolled in.¡± ¡°Well, Flora here is usually the talkative one. Why have you been so quiet?¡± Tira asked. ¡°Ha¡­ You know, just¡ª rxing after a hard week. We need to rest up, you know?¡± ¡°True,¡± Char said. ¡°Don¡¯t really know what all goes on up there, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s all sorts of exhausting.¡± ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Tira added, pumping in and out of Flora, shoving the whip so far up that ina didn¡¯t even think it should be possible. ¡°Flora here¡¯spletely wiped out, can barely breathe.¡± As if on queue Flora took in a deep breath, grabbing the carriage window with one hand, Tira¡¯s leg with the other. ¡°Right, exhausting¡­¡± Gods was ina jealous. She could feel her mouth wide open, the flush of her cheeks as she stared, and despite her earlier efforts she was now joining Carline in the club of girls masturbating to the sight of their school seniors fornicating in the middle of the street. Other carriages were passing them by now as they got deeper into the city, a fact ina only barely noticed as she slipped her hand up her skirt and under her panties. The drivers of those carriages would clearly see Flora if they only turned around, but they wouldn¡¯t have any reason to do that, right? No, it¡¯s more likely they¡¯d see me as the drove past. She closed her eyes, imaging some clueless driver just happening to peek in, seeing her hiked up skirt, arm buried underneath it as she fucked herself. She had to bite her tongue to not cry out, opening her eyes to put a stop to her own imagination. Reality wasn¡¯t any less arousing though, seeing Flora buck into the whip handle like her life depended on it. Tira herself was looking directly at ina, that impish glee stered on her face. That look and the two words Tira mouthed, ¡°You¡¯re next,¡± were all it took to send ina overboard. She closed her eyes again, not just imagining someone seeing her like she was now, but seeing herself as if she were Flora. Tira hadn¡¯t even actually spoken those words, but ina knew she meant them, that sooner orter ina was going to be the one naked in the middle of the group, being toyed with until Tira was satisfied that she¡¯d been humiliated enough. Imagination was all ina had of that now, but she couldn¡¯t wait for it to arrive, to be mortified in front of all of her friends as she squirmed. This bad, I¡¯m going to cum, I¡¯m not going to be able to be quiet enough to¡ª ¡°Stop!¡± The single word from Flora broke ina¡¯s trance, opened her eyes and brought her back to reality. She frantically pulled her hand out of her skirt as she saw Char¡¯s head turning through the front window. ¡°Stop?¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Tira said, pulling the whip out of Flora and bringing her head up to meet Char¡¯s, blocking the view into the carriage. ¡°I was just teasing Flora a bit. Don¡¯t worry about her though, she¡¯s just shy.¡± ¡°You sure, Flora girl?¡± Char asked, trying to peek over. Flora turned, pointing her ass directly at ina and pushing her head up to the window. ¡°Yeah, uhm, I was telling her to stop teasing me, not you! You can keep going, probably should keep your eyes on the road?¡± Char looked between the two girls, towards ina. It was a miracle that the window was as small as it was, that only Flora¡¯s head could be seen through it. ina nodded to the carriage driver, trying to act like nothing was out of the ordinary, though she didn¡¯t trust her voice to be put together enough to utter any words out loud. The gods must have been watching over them, because Char merely nodded and turned back to the horses. Flora and ina both slumped, Flora¡¯s leg brushing up against ina¡¯s, the touch reverberating throughout her body. ina needed more, but she¡¯d almost screamed already, would have screamed if Flora hadn¡¯t screamed out her word earlier and brought her back to reality. ¡°I win,¡± Tira whispered, barely loud enough to hear. ¡°Yeah yeah,¡± Flora said, blue crystal light reforming around her as she leaned below the window, her nakedness disappointingly disappearing into her sundress again. ina felt stymied at first, sad that it was ending, but she began to smile as she realized that this was only the start of their trip. Ch 2.17: Maps Ch 2.17: Maps It was a about an hour after they¡¯d left the town proper that Char stopped the carriage, leaving ina and her party to get out and go the rest of the way on their own. ¡°Thanks for everything, Char!¡± ina said as the woman climbed back up into the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°No thanks needed, so long as I get paid of course. When you all need to head back, just check in at the stables on the east side of town. Probably won¡¯t be that gets the job unless it¡¯s some freak chance, but it¡¯s already paid for regardless.¡± ¡°Okay, I hope it is you though!¡± Charughed and ina waived as the horses turned back, riding back down the valley. ¡°Alright,¡± Tira said, already looking at a map of the area, ¡°we know there are poachers in the area, but not exactly where they¡¯re staying or poaching from.¡± ¡°I believe I can assist you, if you take me out,¡± a voice said from inside ina¡¯s satchel ¡°Oh, right.¡± ina opened her bag, pulling the crystal orb out and holding it up to the map. ¡°How is Temmie going to help?¡± Flora asked, peering over Tira¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I know the rtive location of the subcore that was taken by the poachers. Before it was removed, I could sense the general crystal deposit around it. It is on the lower right corner of your map, across that river. They are likely still there, farming crystal shards.¡± ¡°Even if they¡¯re not there, checking it out is going to benefit us,¡± Tira said as she folded up the map and started walking. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be doing a quick weekend recon mission, so just finding a crystal deposit or its remnants will be great.¡± ¡°Wait, I thought we were supposed to be going after the poachers,¡± ina said as she started walking after Tira, still holding the System in her arms. ¡°I mean that¡¯s great if it happens, but for a three day mission it¡¯s certainly not expected. The forest is big, and our main goal here is actually just a show of force. That¡¯s why we¡¯re hiring carriage to take us out here. We could easily walk, but once the town starts talking about Endrin students going out into the woods, it¡¯ll hopefully pressure the poachers into stopping.¡± ¡°Hey, uhm, I¡¯ve been thinking¡­¡± ina turned, seeing Carline walking a short distance behind the other three. ¡°Is it really okay for us to just go do this? Like, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re really in any danger with our sses and everything, but shouldn¡¯t we have told the school we know about the crystal deposits before we came out here?¡± ¡°Well, we can¡¯t really do that without giving up everything,¡± Flora said. ¡°It¡¯s a littleplicated, after all.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right for once,¡± Tira said, still marching forward. ¡°We¡¯ve sort of made our bed with that at this point. If we were going toe clean, it needed to be when Alonse got back¡± ¡°But what if we hadn¡¯t gotten this mission? We knew about the poachers before the school did possibly. What if someone else had gotten the mission and went in unprepared?¡± ina wasn¡¯t really sure what they would¡¯ve done. They couldn¡¯t juste out and say it of course, but Carline had a point. ¡°We would¡¯ve figured something out, I¡¯m sure. If something else like thises up, we¡¯ll just have to do our best.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± They walked in silence as the sun began to drift closer and closer to the valley they¡¯d left behind them. It was falling into that same valley when they reached the tree line, Tira taking the map out again to check they were on the right path. ¡°Can¡¯t Temmie tell us if we¡¯re going the right way?¡± ina asked. ¡°I can, and we are going the right direction generally speaking, but I do not know about the most efficient way to get there based on terrain. I defer to Miss Strask on that.¡± ¡°Well I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I¡¯m honestly not too good with reading maps. I think we¡¯re heading the right way if we want to cross the river at this ford?¡± ¡°Oh oh, let Carly try! She¡¯s always been good at outdoorsy stuff,¡± Flora said. ina turned, seeing Carline shaking her head and sticking her hands out. ¡°What, no! That¡¯s just cause my dad made me go hunting all the time.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re good at reading them anyway, right?¡± Tira asked, extending the parchment out. ¡°Doesn¡¯t really matter why you are if we get where we¡¯re going. ¡°Well, okay¡­¡± Carline took the map in her hands, looking it over and pointing to one spot. ¡°Temmie, the cave we¡¯re going for is around here?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Well I don¡¯t know if we need to cross the river exactly then. Just past it there looks like some rocky hills, so going around the bottom here might be the best bet.¡± Flora pped Carline on the back, causing the girl to yelp. ¡°Told ya Carly knows what she¡¯s doing.¡± ¡°Good enough for me,¡± Tira said as stepped behind Carline. ¡°You keep the map, and lead the way.¡± ¡°Uhm, alright.¡± Carline struggled with the map for just a moment before managing to get it into her bag. This way, I guess.¡± ina thought about offering to lead the way herself, but she stopped herself. There had been the slight hint of a smile on Carline¡¯s face as Tira had told her to keep the map, and thinking about that brought a smile to ina¡¯s face as well. She¡¯s got this. The trip through the woods themselves wasn¡¯t as bad as ina had thought it might be. They weren¡¯t as dense as the ones around the school, so even without a proper walking path it wasn¡¯t too much trouble for Carline to navigate them. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve been wondering something,¡± ina said as she climbed over a fallen log. ¡°Why are you still wearing your dress, Flora? I get waiting until we were off the road, but isn¡¯t being naked kind of your thing?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s less fun being naked when you all are expecting it.¡± Flora looked over at the log ina had just climbed over and thought for a moment before crouching down and leaping up. Jumping over the log was perfectly modest, but as she fell the hem of her dress flew up to her stomach, flowing down with the wind after shended but giving all three of the others a good look as it fell back into ce. ¡°Spontaneity is important in this sort of thing, you know?¡± ina looked away blushing, only to find Tira had done the same. ¡°You know,¡± Tira said, ¡°you certainly have the spontaneous part down, but don¡¯t forget that I won earlier.¡± ¡°Won what?¡± ina asked. ¡°That time you did,¡± Flora said, skipping ahead and sticking her tongue out at Tira. ¡°Next time¡ª¡± ¡°Quiet,¡± Carline whispered, ducking down to the ground. ¡°Someone¡¯s close, very close.¡± Ch 2.18: Tracking Ch 2.18: Tracking ina ducked, following Carline and the others. Carline was looking off in the direction they were heading, presumably wherever the people she¡¯d heard were. No, not heard. She can sense them with [Health]. ina wasn¡¯t quite sure the range Carline could sense them at, but it was only a few secondster that she stood up and motioned for the other three to follow. ¡°They¡¯re far enough away that they shouldn¡¯t hear or see us through the thicket,¡± the girl whispered as she crept forward. ¡°Voices down though, just in case.¡± ¡°Roger,¡± Tira added, sneaking off behind as ina did her best to keep up. ¡°How many though?¡± ¡°Three.¡± They walked in silence for the better part of an hour, right up until Carline put her hand up and stopped. They waited for a few minutes before Carline finally waved them to go back, leading them away for another few minutes before stopping behind arge oak tree, onerge enough to cover all four of them from anyone who might walk up from the direction they were just heading. ¡°Should be far enough away now,¡± Carline said as she took out the map and started looking it over. ¡°Temmie, we¡¯re close to the cave, right?¡± ¡°Correct. We are but a short distance from the crystal deposit.¡± ¡°Thought so. It was a little tough keeping track without the map, but I thought they stopped near it.¡± ¡°Perfect,¡± Tira said. ¡°We can have ina capture them with [Restraint], have them verify they were poaching from the cave, and be back on our way.¡± ¡°Maybe we should wait till the morning,¡± Flora said. ¡°Or just before sunrise. We¡¯ll be rested enough to make it back to town even if we sleep in shifts, and they won¡¯t be able to fight back easily if they¡¯re caught off guard.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s a problem with that¡­¡± Carline said. ¡°We were following three before, but they just met up with others. Now it¡¯s more like forty.¡± ¡°Forty?¡± ina asked. Three would¡¯ve been easy for her to take care of for sure, but forty was another matter entirely. She had never been able to make that many restraints at once, even with all of her skills active. ¡°Fuck, that does change things.¡± Tira crossed her arms and started pacing around in front of the tree they had stopped at. ¡°We can stillplete the mission, but¡­¡± She looked over to Flora, frowning. ¡°I haven¡¯t yet. Have you?¡± Flora frowned back, but she nodded her head. ¡°Yeah, once.¡± ¡°Done what?¡± ina asked. ¡°Killed someone,¡± Tira said. The trees were as still as ina and Carline, immovable lengths of wood and leaf in the vast expanse of the forest. ¡°Oh.¡± ina hadn¡¯t really considered the possibility. She¡¯d known that was sort of the end goal of attending Endrin, that she would be expected to be a soldier on the king¡¯s behalf. The idea of actually killing someone wasn¡¯t one she¡¯d spent much time thinking about though, always having been this thing that she could put off considering, something that was years away, and only if she were to actually be on the front lines. There hadn¡¯t been a proper war for near two centuries at this point, so she thought most Aspected didn¡¯t even end up fighting. ¡°Do we have to?¡± Carline said. Her eyes were zed over, almost like she wasn¡¯t even paying attention to her own words, much less the rest of the conversation. ¡°I mean, we¡¯re just scouting, right? We don¡¯t have to¡ª we don¡¯t have to kill them, right?¡± ¡°usible deniability,¡± Tira muttered. ¡°We could almost certainly take them, the four of us. We wouldn¡¯t be risking much either if we kept Carline in the back to heal any wounds we get, but the school doesn¡¯t know our full capabilities.¡± ¡°No other group of four students would be expected to fight them,¡± Flora said, almost with glee in her voice. ¡°Especially not with two first-years, two first-months at that!¡± ina sighed, feeling lighter in an instant. ¡°So do we just head back?¡± ¡°If you do not mind my speaking, there is a matter I think may be worth investigating,¡± Temmie said from ina¡¯s hand. ¡°Carline, is it safe to presume that therge group of people you referred to were in the direction we were headed before?¡± ¡°Uhm, yeah. Just ahead or so from where we turned back, through the trees. I stopped us once I could sense them again.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Tira said, ¡°I thought that¡¯s how we were following them the whole time.¡± Carline shook her head. ¡°No, I was just tracking them the normal way.¡± ¡°Hmmm, interesting,¡± Temmie said. ¡°The crystal is indeed close by, but not in the same direction as the group you speak of. It is a short distance north of where we are currently, if my understanding of our current location rtive to where my subcore was stored is correct.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Carline furrowed her brow as she looked at the map. ¡°That¡¯s the opposite direction that the group we were following went.¡± ¡°Then there could be more by the cave.¡± Tira stepped away from the tree and looked off in the direction the deposit would be. ¡°If there¡¯s more than forty we definitely won¡¯t be expected to fight them all, but we should get urate numbers. Carline, lead us there, and stop us when you sense anyone.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± Carline folded the map and put it in her bag before heading off again. Tira followed right after, but ina noticed Flora staying still. ¡°Flora, youing?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, right.¡± She tried to hide the look that had been on her face, bringing back that cheery Flora-smile, but it wasn¡¯t fast enough that ina didn¡¯t notice the sorrow that was in her eyes. ¡°Flora, are you¡ª¡± Flora turned and shushed ina, winking as she skipped ahead. ¡°Don¡¯t know where more of them might be, so best to keep quiet.¡± ina obeyed, mostly because she didn¡¯t know what to say. Flora had killed a person before, apparently. Likely on a mission just like this, and it wasmonce enough that her and Tira hadn¡¯t even needed to say what they meant to talk about it. Suddenly, her body didn¡¯t feel as light as it did before. Ch 2.19: Planning Ch 2.19: nning The group was cautious as they approached the wall of terrain that was hanging over the, no one breaking the silence of the forest. ina was more on edge than she should have been since Carline was there to keep ¡°lookout¡± as it were, but knowing there were dozens of potential enemies behind them and an unknown amount in front was unnerving regardless. ¡°I think that¡¯s the entrance to the cave,¡± Flora said, pointing towards an opening in the stone. ¡°Carline, still nothing?¡± Tira asked. ¡°Nope, just us. Not even a squirrel.¡± ina looked at the space just in front of the cave entrance, frowning. There was a massive clearing, recently cut stumps of tree, torn up grass and dirt, even the remaining stones of arge firepit. ¡°Then where did they go¡­¡± ¡°They left,¡± Flora said, walking over to the abandoned camp. ¡°And this campsite isn¡¯t big enough to hold forty people.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ina asked. Tira followed behind Flora, examining the fire pit. ¡°There weren¡¯t forty of them at first, I¡¯d guess. They didn¡¯t mind cutting down trees to make this site, so they certainly wouldn¡¯t have minded cutting down more to make room for their friends. The only thing I can think of is they didn¡¯t think that this space was safe to stay at anymore.¡± ¡°Not safe?¡± ina turned towards the opening, staring into the darkness. This obviously wasn¡¯t some small hole in the ground like where she¡¯d first found the System. There was no telling how far down it went, or what could be inside of it. ¡°I would presume that they encountered some resistance in the dungeon,¡± Temmie said. ¡°They are designed to be difficult to steal from of course, but considering they managed to remove the subcore and subsequently decided to leave, I do not think the difficulties they encountered were of the System.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± ina said, heart pounding, ¡°it¡¯s not the Order, is it?¡± ¡°Could be,¡± Tira said, frowning. ¡°It sounded like we had more time.¡± ¡°I do not think it is the Order. They would have little reason toe here once the subcore was removed. Rather, it is more likely to be terrestrial threats. Many of them gather near crystal deposits, and they would remain interested even after the core removal.¡± ¡°Terrestrial? Like from our?¡± ina asked. She¡¯d been paying a little attention in astronomy at the least. ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Well, that shouldn¡¯t be too bad,¡± Carline said, looking visibly relieved. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of things we¡¯re usually doing on these missions anyway, right?¡± ¡°Sometimes,¡± Tira said, taking a seat on a rock and looking in her bag. ¡°I¡¯ve fought a swamp troll before.¡± ¡°And I¡¯ve seen a giant typus!¡± Flora said, giggling. ¡°We didn¡¯t fight it though.¡± ¡°typuses aren¡¯t real,¡± Tira said with a re. ¡°Don¡¯t lie; this is serious.¡± ¡°What? No, I saw one, I swear!¡± ¡°Yeah, whatever. Point stands, this is very much in our wheelhouse if that¡¯s the case. Carline, you sure there aren¡¯t any people around here?¡± ¡°Not a soul.¡± ¡°Good. We¡¯ll break here for dinner, and then go into the cave for some recon. Whatever scared these poachers off, we need to know about it.¡± ina wanted to speak up, but she wasn¡¯t really sure what to say, so she held herself back. She was a little nervous about going into a dark cave that might be filled with monsters, sure, but there was more. She had imagined the trip being a little more rxed, not a beeline to an enemy camp, immediate course changed to a monster-filled dungeon. I guess I thought it would be more like in the carriage¡­ Their quick dinner was a light affair at least, inparison to the previous hour or so anyway. The food was pretty underwhelmingpared to the Endrin banquet hall, mostly dried meats, cheese, and bread that Tira had been responsible for bringing. Most of them were actually quite vorful, still having been prepared by the school kitchen, but they didn¡¯t exactly make a full course meal. ina still wasn¡¯t quite used to those full course meals yet anyway, so she managed to find herself enjoying the meal anyway. The four of them hadn¡¯t actually been together like this for a meal before, it usually just being ina and Carline, or ina alone when Carline was busy. It was fun, almost like being a family. Carline was the sibling she¡¯d never had, and Tira and Flora were the arguing parents who you could tell still loved each other despite their bickering. Probably. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve seen a duck, and I¡¯ve seen a beaver. I know what you¡¯re describing, and it just doesn¡¯t exist.¡± Flora pouted as stared at Tira, an expression that ina was pretty sure was somewhat exaggerated. ¡°You just have no imagination.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not talking about imagination though, we¡¯re talking about reality. Next you¡¯re going to be telling me itys eggs.¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve heard that¡ª¡± ina burst out intoughter, drawing the attention and shushing of the rest of the group. ¡°ina,¡± Carline said, looking around in a panic, ¡°the poachers are still out here somewhere.¡± ¡°I know, sorry, sorry.¡± ina wiped a tear from her eye, managing to quiet herself down. ¡°I just imagined a duck-beaverying an egg, and it caught me off guard.¡± ¡°See, she has imagination,¡± Flora said, giggling to herself. Tira rolled her eyes, doing her best to hide a smile, but not quite seeding. ¡°Whatever, but you¡¯re still wrong. But I will at least concede that I think you believe you saw the mythical beaver-duck.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see, we¡¯ll find one together one day, mark my words!¡± ¡°Sure sure, and then I¡¯ll get naked with you and streak to theke.¡± Tira was obviously joking, obviously taunting, but the glint in Flora¡¯s eyes made it obvious she wasn¡¯t in on the jest. ¡°Really!¡± ¡°Yeah, sure, once we see the giant typus. Anyway.¡± Tira stood up, taking a drink from her canteen and putting it in her bag before pulling it back on her shoulder. ¡°We should get going. Don¡¯t want to be down there toote.¡± Everyone started to gather their things, ina picking Temmie up from the stump she¡¯d sat her on. ¡°Hmmm.¡± ¡°Temmie, did you say something?¡± ¡°I know not of this typus, but Flora¡¯s description is not unfamiliar to me. I am wondering whether or not it is a coincidence.¡± ¡°Like, you¡¯ve heard of them before?¡± ¡°Yes, but the creatures I am thinking of are quitemon. Perhaps they have be endangered during my inactivity.¡± ¡°Are they dangerous?¡± ¡°Oh yes, very.¡± Ch 2.20: Beneath Ch 2.20: Beneath ina wasn¡¯t sure who looked more distressed, Carline when she realized how dangerous the System said the monsters were, or Tira when she learned that the so called giant typus might actually exist. ¡°I told you!¡± Flora said, skipping down further into the cave. ¡°And if we are fighting dangerous monsters, it¡¯s only a good idea to prepare ourselves.¡± She started singing that song of hers, spinning around as blue light illuminated the cave. ¡°Do you have to get naked at every chance?¡± Tira asked, still looking a little shocked from the revtion. ¡°This is just practical,¡± Flora said as she finished her transformation, twirling naked in front of the group. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it before cause I didn¡¯t want any of the poachers to see me transform back after we captured them, but if they aren¡¯t in here that doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ina was half distracted by Flora¡¯s naked form itself, but even she realized the usefulness of it. They each gained ess to something from their ss gear, and even Flora¡¯s travel bag had disappeared into whatever space held their belongings. ¡°She¡¯s right Tira.¡± ina focused on that pocket, the same ce inside her body she pulled from to ess her mana pool, and willed her outfit and crystal chain out into the real world. It was still surprisingly unnoticeable, other than the drop of her breasts, and soon she was standing there in just those sandals and the flimsy blue ¡°dress¡± that was shorter than some shirts she¡¯d owned. Temmie still remained in her hands though, not shaving disappeared into the space with her clothes and bag. At least our light source is still here I guess. ¡°Hey,¡± Flora said, ¡°you¡¯re not naked when you do it?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not all perverts like you,¡± Tira said as she started the process herself. ¡°Yeah,¡± ina said, ¡°we¡¯re all different types of perverts.¡± Tira¡¯s face was still obscured by the swirling crystal dust, but ina could still feel her eyes rolling. Flora pouted a little as she watched Tira finish her transformation into her bodysuit, and then even more as she saw Carline¡¯s outfit turn into those long flowing white robes. ¡°I thought we would all be naked¡­¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s just the type of pervert you are, Flora,¡± Carline said, giving her a pat on the back. ¡°Anyway,¡± Tira said as she stepped forward, ¡°let¡¯s get going. Carline, you in front since you can sense things. And Flora, you stay in the back since your crown does something simr.¡± Both girls looked a little a little disappointed at the orders, but only Flora spoke up. ¡°Come on, can¡¯t I be in the front? It¡¯s no fun being naked if no one can see me.¡± ¡°No. You only sense enemies actively targeting us. That¡¯s good if we get snuck up on from behind, but we need Carline to lookout for things ahead of us before they spot us.¡± Flora puffed out her cheeks, but eventually she lit up again. ¡°Wait! I only sense when my allies are being targeted, not me, so I need to be in the middle! ina should be behind me, at the least.¡± ¡°Fair, ina, you follow behind her and me.¡± ina had noints. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll lead the way I guess.¡± Carline started off, using her spear as a walking stick, going slow since the only light was from the subcore that ina was still holding. Tira was right behind her, walking side by side with Flora. Both of their backsides were swaying in sync, something ina was sure was Flora¡¯s doing. One covered by the thinnest piece of fabric, the otherpletely bare, there might as well not have been another thing in the entire world to look at. Thank the gods I¡¯m not supposed to be keeping watch over anything. ¡°I would like to rify something before it bes relevant,¡± Temmie said, snapping ina out of her ass-trance. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°While I appreciate a certain level of respect from you when ites to my cores, I cannot feel pain in this form. If battle does ur, you may drop me if required. Just please take care to not let me be captured.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± ina hadn¡¯t actually considered that, but she guessed it was good to know. ¡°You can feel pain though, right? When Myri was touching you¡ª¡± ¡°That is different, and not something I find pleasant to discuss.¡± There was a finality in her tone that ina recognized. Even Tira had looked over behind at the words, but she didn¡¯t say anything about it as the group walked on. ¡°Whoah,¡± Flora said from further up ahead, running off on her own down a corner. ¡°Wait up!¡± Tira hissed, following behind. Carline just stood there, staring off as the two ran past her. ina thought she¡¯d be staring at Flora, at first, but when she rounded the corner herself she finally realized what themotion was about. In front of them was arge chamber, barely illuminated in general from Temmie¡¯s dim light, but the walls, floors, and ceiling alike were all lit up like the night sky, thousands of tiny stars embedded in the rock. ¡°Are these crystals?¡± ina asked. ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Carline said with a nod, scanning the entire room. ¡°Too small to make anything with, but still¡­¡± ¡°Beautiful,¡± ina said as she stepped into the chamber. As she walked forward the light from Temmie¡¯s core filled the room even more, lighting up both the cave surfaces itself and the two girls who had ran ahead. Despite her protestations, Tira seemed just as in awe of the crystal shards as everyone else, and Flora was running around the area, bending over and looking at particrly dense clusters of the little star-like formations before darting to the next. ¡°This is amazing!¡± she said, spinning through the space as she looked up. ¡°It really is,¡± Tira added. ¡°It¡¯s also proof that this is certainly the cave. These rocks aren¡¯t really worth anything, but they¡¯re just the start. Bigger formations would be deeper in. Carline, you have a crystal portrait, right?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. But it¡¯s with my bag right now, wherever that is.¡± She has one of those things? ina thought, considering the implications. It made sense. She¡¯d gathered they were pretty expensive, but Carline was rich. It was a fact she often forgot. ¡°When wee back this way then, make sure to change back to your normal clothes and take a picture. We¡¯ll want to share it with Calivahn.¡± ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Carline even seemed to only be half paying attention, looking at the rocks with utter amazement, for once ignoring the inly naked Flora right in front of her. ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± ina said as she stepped further in, ¡°how is this stuff worth nothing? It¡¯s all just beautiful.¡± Even if they didn¡¯t produce enough light to see by on their own, the stones would surely make for some sort of ostentatious jewelry, right? ¡°It¡¯s worth nothing right now,¡± Carline said, ¡°but it will be worth something. Over a few decades or centuries, these crystals will grow. The clusters will grow into each other, forming the pieces forplex devices. The littler ones may eventually do that, but they¡¯ll probably be harvested for crystalnterns before that point.¡± ¡°Or made into royal outfits,¡± Tira said with a sneer. ¡°Like that sparkly robe the headmaster wears. The king won¡¯t let anyone else have stuff like that though, not even people like the Fireguards.¡± That robe Alonse wore at orientation had caught ina¡¯s eye. She¡¯d always wondered how such a thing would¡¯ve been made. Mom and Dad would love to work with something like that. ¡°Girls,¡± Flora said, dropping her body and ncing around. ¡°We havepany.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Carline said, looking around confusedly. ¡°I don¡¯t sense anyone, and I can sense the whole chamber.¡± ¡°Well something¡¯s here, and at the very least it¡¯s targeting all three of you.¡± Ch 2.21: Engager Ch 2.21: Engager ¡°Close in one me.¡± It was a new experience for Flora, the flower crown atop her head letting her know that her friends were being targeted by something, but regardless she still just knew that that was what¡¯s happening. She didn¡¯t know what they were being targeted by, where the enemies were, or what she needed to do to protect them, but she knew it was happening. Is this what people with external aspects feel like? She wouldn¡¯t have known, only every being able to affect herself with her aspect, but the feeling was certainly strange, even if it was very wee. And then she felt the feeling grow, the specificity of her new sense honing in. Tira, from down below. Flora wasn¡¯t sure how exactly Tira was being attack from something below her when they were standing on solid ground, but it was definitely happening. She ran over, simultaneously using [Nature] to bolster the strength of her muscles and reinforce her skin. She collided with Tira, the woman shouting in shock as Flora turned and skidded across the ground, arms wrapped around Tira as stone beneath where they were just standing began to erupt from the cavern floor. Flora wasn¡¯t sure exactly what she expected to be climbing from the rocks under them, but it sure wasn¡¯t more rocks. Despite that, the giant arm that emerged was stone itself, likewise covered in crystal. It wasn¡¯t just the specks of crystal that littered the cavern walls though. As the arm pulled itself out of the earth, it revealed more and more stone body, withrger andrger crystal chunks embedded in it as they got close to the center, finally resulting in a crystal heart that was thergest chunk Flora had ever seen in person, easily twice the size of her own head. It fully emerged quickly, pulling itself up as the group watched, each of them in shock at what they were seeing. Most surprising to Flora was that the ground it had came from was fully intact, not a single bit of damage. But even that was only slightly more surprising than the size and shape of the creature. It was at least twice Flora¡¯s height, with six total limbs, two arms above and four legs below that were each four times as thick as Flora¡¯s entire body, all converging into a massive headless torso housing that absurd crystal heart that wasrge and bright enough to illuminate the entire area with blue light. ¡°A golem,¡± Carly stammered out as she backed away, eyes filled with terror. ¡°I thought those were myths!¡± Flora shouted as she ran towards the creature. She could feel it changing its sights away from her, directing its attention towards the fleeing healer. No you don¡¯t. Flora slid in front of Carly, bracing herself with her arms in a cross. Skin like rough stone, bones equally as hard. Flora was powerful now, both in general from having the ss and from the benefits of [All Natural]. She¡¯d felt unparalleled the moment she first messed with her new mana well a week prior, felt invincible once she¡¯d tested out just how far she could go with her enhanced abilities. Despite that though, as the golem¡¯s fist crashed into her braced arms, she could feel the crack of her bones, her arms giving way to the force of the blow as she was thrown back past Carly and skidded across the cavern floor. The intense pain onlysted a moment though, and Flora couldn¡¯t help but smirk. Carly¡¯s been practicing too. The creature was winding its other arm back for another blow, but Flora reached out at it with [Show Off] as she climbed to her feet. It was apletely foreign feeling, using her mana to affect something other than herself, but it was still as simple as using [Nature], just a little odd. It wasn¡¯t an instant change, the golem still bearing down on Carly while she was right in front of it, but as its original focus turned and ran backwards, the golem started to move as well, but this time turning towards Flora. ¡°That¡¯s right big guy,¡± Flora said as she stumbled backwards, e fight me.¡± Her pain was diminished now, and she could feel the fractures repairing as Carly fed [Health] into her, but even reduced pain from recently broken arms was debilitating. She wasn¡¯t in any condition to take another blow like that from the creature yet, but she knew her friends were even less capable of taking such a hit. I¡¯ll just have to deal with it. The golem was barreling towards her, speed increasing at an unnatural rate for howrge it was as those four legs skittered across the ground like a crab¡¯s legs. I¡¯m not fast enough. But she wasn¡¯t alone either. As the monster lifted its arm for another attack a giant shackle appeared around its wrist, connected to the its back foot with an equallyrge chain. The golem struggled for a moment, pulling itself forward with its attempted attack as a thunderous crack echoed through the cave and sh of crystal light sliced into the creature¡¯s arm. ¡°Shit, it¡¯s stuck,¡± Flora heard Tira say, trying to yank her crystal whip out of the creature¡¯s arm. The thing lurched to the side, pulling on both the whip and chain, splitting the chain into two segments and yanking the whip free from Tira¡¯s grasp. ¡°Double shit!¡± The creature was still focused on Flora, single-minded in its assault. That¡¯s good at least. What wasn¡¯t good was that her arms were still fucked, hanging limp at her sides. The pain was mostly dulled, but she wasn¡¯t going to be able to block this attack as well, and even with her new power reinforcing her, she knew a simr blow to her chest would crush her entirely. Guess it¡¯s time for some real fun then. The attack this time was a swipe, raking across the ground and sending shards of stone into the air as the monster¡¯s arm swung at her. ¡°Perfect!¡± Flora shouted as she crouched, ignoring the cries from her teammates to watch out. Time they learned I¡¯m not just a pretty body. All of her power went to muscle reinforcement, pooling every bit of mana she could grab at once directly into her legs as she jumped into the air, flipping forward over the golem¡¯s hand. She spun through the air like a throwing knife, releasing the use of [Nature] she¡¯d used to propel herselfpletely as she focused on the next step of her n. Jumping attacks weren¡¯t exactly the safest tactic in the world, and in most situations Flora wouldn¡¯t leave herself so open even with her ability to bolster her own defenses. But desperate times call for shy measures, and with her arms useless there weren¡¯t many options avable to her. She flew up in an arc, and then trusted her understanding of gravity to take care of the rest as she re-engaged [Nature]. Focus on one thing, my right heel. Don¡¯t worry about skin durability, just the hardness off bone. Focused in one single point, her ability to change her body¡¯s nature was even stronger. It was only the one spot, but her heel was harder than stone. Nowhere near as hard as crystal of course, but it would be enough. As she fell onto the slow moving golem¡¯s other wrist, the one Tira had struck, she felt the shock blow through her entire body, but she also felt the crumbling of stone beneath her foot. She kept spinning and hit the ground hard, rolling away with the carried over force of her attack, pain shooting through her still injured arms as she slowed to a stop and jumped up again. The monster was turning towards her again. It was fast when it built up speed, but not in these early movements. More importantly though, the wrist Flora had crashed into was crumbling, shards of stone falling off as it moved until finally the entire hand dropped from its body, releasing Tira¡¯s weapon with it. ¡°Alright Iron Hand, I think it¡¯s time for us upperssmen to show our cute freshman teammates how it¡¯s done.¡± Ch 2.22: Golem Ch 2.22: Golem Tira was grateful that her whip had been freed from the stone monster, but it was still out of reach, still underneath the massive golem. At least until a length of rope wrapped around the handle and shot it back towards Tira¡¯s hand. She caught the weapon as the rope disappeared, shooting a smile back towards ina. Not bad. First priority down, she nced back towards Flora. Even before getting a ss he girl was known for being tough almost as much as she was known for being a pain in the ass to the Watch, so seeing her upper limbs dangling lifelessly like that was more than a little disconcerting. It¡¯s fine. Carline¡¯s here; she¡¯ll be healing her. It was more than a blessing to have someone like her around, so much easier to focus on getting the job done and worrying about the repercussionster. Still can¡¯t get too careless though. Death is final. And there was still the other concern Tira had about Carline¡¯s aspect: did a golem even have health? Probably not if Carline couldn¡¯t sense it before, and that would limit her usefulness to defensive matters. The thing¡¯s strength was enough to make ina¡¯s restraints a temporary nuisance as well. Like it or not, Tira knew Flora was right. They were going to have to be the ones working together to deal the most damage in this fight. ¡°Streaker, I¡¯ll chip it, you crush it!¡± ¡°You got it, captain!¡± Tira rushed forward before the beast could start elerating again. It was slow and lumbering, but the one time it had gained momentum it had seemed unstoppable. She managed to get in range just as it was turning to Flora and wound her whip back, swinging it with a loud crack and slicing into the monster¡¯s arm, above where she¡¯d hit before. She was smarter this time, going for a more shallow cut than a full dismembering. That would work on actual living creatures even easier with her new crystal weapon, but magically animated stone was still a bit much, especially when it was embedded with a ton of crystals itself. Her whip still felt great resistance, despite moving at the speed of sound. Tira¡¯s [Momentum] didn¡¯t eliminate friction after all, but she still managed to cut through the inside of the golem¡¯s elbow and pull her whip free. ¡°Now!¡± Flora had already been in motion before Tira¡¯s order, pushing herself off the ground and spinning her heel into the crack Tira had made in the stone armor. Shards of rock erupted as a deep groaning sound emanated from the creature, but the limb did stay attached this time as Flora hit the ground and rolled to her feet. Fuck that has to hurt. Tira had experienced Carline¡¯s healing herself after the attack on the school, so she knew the girl was skilled at managing pain, but it wasn¡¯t perfect, and rolling around on hard rock like Flora was could not be good. The stubborn streaker may be more tough than anyone even knows. But it wasn¡¯t time to think about that. It was already distracting enough to have Flora running around buck naked, perfectly shaped ass flexing as she sprinted and jumped around the cave. She¡¯d always been a nuisance, but now that Tira knew just how much of a pleasant distraction Flora could be, she found herself struggling to stay as annoyed at her as she used to. Focus. A quick check to make sure Flora was still on her feet was all Tira spared before going back in. The golem was reaching back for a strike on Tira herself now unfortunately. Guess Flora¡¯s taunting skill isn¡¯t perfect. Tira¡¯s own skills hadn¡¯t seemed to be working at all, probably because the monster didn¡¯t feel pain or fear the way a normal living creature would. Tira¡¯s skills weren¡¯t the only ones she had ess to though. ¡°ina, pull the injured arm back for just a moment!¡± ina obeyed of course, had to obey thanks to her skill. Tira couldn¡¯t help but grin as she watched a chain materialize and lodge itself into the groove she and Flora had made, pulling it up and halting the golem¡¯s strike. ina had exined the weird phenomenon Tira had felt during their fight with that Myri bitch afterwards, and ever since Tira had barely been able to stop herself from thinking of more recreational uses of the skill. That¡¯ll have to wait forter. ¡°Good girl!¡± Tira said as she circled around and struck the back of the golem¡¯s elbow, another shallow cut. Flora was already on the attack, having circled the being entirely and now vaulting up into it, shoving her full knee into the back of the elbow, in the center of the cut Tira had already made. The creature let out that groan again, a deep sound that vibrated throughout the cave as more pieces of rock fell off the creature, culminating in the entire arm falling to the ground and crumbling into a thousand pieces. At first Tira had thought that the thing might not feel pain, but she was second guessing that. It certainly didn¡¯t feel any when she struck it with her whip, [Domineering Presence] would have let her feel and affect that, but when it lost those pieces of itselfpletely from Flora¡¯s hits it definitely wasn¡¯t happy about it. Maybe I can use that, cut off a fingerpletely and amplify that? Before she had a chance to test her n though, Tira realized they had a problem. ina and Carline were already backed up, using their aspects from a distance. Flora and Tira herself had been weaving in and out, only close enough to attack for a second at a time. That meant there was no one close enough to stop the golem as it reached down to the pieces of rubble that had been its bad arm with its good arm, picking up a giant¡¯s handful worth of the rocks and winding up to throw them. ¡°Shit, duck!¡± Tira said, following her ownmand preparing to use her aspect. It was going to be a lot of projectiles, but with her newfound power from receiving a ss she thought she might just be able to deal with the volley. The golem unleashed, a torrent of stones flying towards Tira herself, and at ina behind her. That was the best case scenario. The closer a moving object got to her the easier it was to redirect it away, and with while paired to ina through [Good Girl] Tira had the same advantage for things heading her way as well. Tira closed her eyes, shutting out all distractions, naked or otherwise, from her mind. She focused only on [Momentum]. She could feel the clothes of her allies, even the crown of flowers on Flora, but other than that the only thing present were the stones hurtling towards her. She couldn¡¯t feel the giant golem itself, disturbingly, but pieces that had fallen off were apparently fair game. She brushed aside the ones that got too close to her or ina, ignoring the ones that were going wide. It all happened in less than a second, but with her increased control over her aspect that was all the time in the world to push aside all of the dangering towards them. At least up until she felt a sharp pain in her side, felt herself hurtling backwards to the ground. That couldn¡¯t be right, could it? She hadn¡¯t felt anything heading towards that spot. Nevertheless, as she opened her eyes and looked down, it was clearly there. A jagged piece of crystal was embedded into her skin, blood leaking onto the shining blue stone. She only had a moment to wonder how it had happened, how she hadn¡¯t been able to sense it with her aspect before it started wiggling, before it jumped out of her skin and started rolling away. Tira¡¯s aspect allowed her to sense the movement of any non-living thing, but that piece of crystal was still somehow ¡°alive.¡± Fuck. Ch 2.23: Golems Ch 2.23: Golems ina opened her eyes after bracing herself for the stones that were hurtling towards her, still miraculously unharmed, surely thanks to Tira. ina looked over to the girl and gasped as she saw her on the ground, shard of crystal sticking out from her. The piece itself seemed to react to her amazement, jumping out of Tira on its own ord and rolling away. Confusion turned to terror in ina¡¯s mind as she watched the little crystal pieces move across the floor, picking up shards of regr stone like a cloth would pick up dust, eventually stopping rolling as the rocks it collected formed into legs and it began walking instead. It¡¯s a second golem. And a third, and fourth, until finally there were five total golems, the one main one and four smaller ones, each the size of a small person in height and built off the fallen pieces of the first¡¯s arm. The thing had seemed unstoppable until Flora and Tira had started managing to chip away at it, but now that seemed to be making the situation worse if anything. ¡°We need to fall back,¡± Tira said as she tried to make it to her feet, falling back onto her knees in the process. ¡°No, I can¡¯t move, you three go.¡± ¡°No!¡± It was the only word ina could manage to think of, shouted as loud as she could. They weren¡¯t going to do that, no matter what. Tira herself didn¡¯t respond, simply lying on her back. She would have been a wide open target, but therge golem and smaller golems alike were focused on Flora, the naked girl running circles around their main foe while she nted kicks into the cores of the smaller ones, merely keeping them at bay. They needed Tira, needed a leader. That was supposed to be ina herself, right? But she didn¡¯t know what to do. She¡¯d been in essentially two fights, and she¡¯d spent half that time getting beaten or sliced half to death. This wasn¡¯t something [Fear Response] could deal with for her. She was scared, and the annoying skill was working to some extent, but mental fortitude or not she simplycked the experience or knowledge needed to lead her team. We need someone else. ¡°Party, you must focus.¡± Temmie¡¯s voice was direct, calm. ¡°Carline, ignore Flora¡¯s arms for now. She is strong, and Miss Strask needs you more now. Miss Strask, keep a low profile until you can move again. Flora, continue to draw attention, and focus on the non-crystal portions of the golems. Smaller pieces cannot be reformed by their magic as easily.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Flora turned on her heel, mming the other foot directly onto of one of the small golems, running through to it¡¯s crystal heart and then pushing herself away. She managed to stay silent, but ina could see her wince in pain as her still broken arms dangled through the air. ¡°ina, therge one is too strong right now, but you can restrain the smaller ones.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± ina said, finally feeling some of her faculties return to her. She reached out with her arm,unching the crystal chain she had wrapped around her arm out towards the creatures. It wasn¡¯t terribly long, but it was enough to wrap two of the small golems together, entangling their feet to their arms and stopping them in their tracks as Flora managed to just get away from them. Everything seemed more manageable in just a matter of moments. They still had their backs up to the wall for sure, but at least they seemed to know what they were doing now. ina¡¯s two golems were tied up, and Flora was slowly pounding away at the stones of the other smaller ones while managing to avoid the lumbering giant golem. A little bit of the rocks chipped off did seem to reform each time, but they were still noticeably losing mass. Carline had even managed to sneak away to Tira, able to heal her more efficiently with direct contact. I need to do more though. ¡°Temmie, what else can I do?¡± ¡°Therge one. You will have to be the one to deal with it.¡± ¡°What, are you crazy? It¡¯s way too big to hold down!¡± ¡°You must be the one to deal with it. Reducing it to its core will do nothing in a cave filled with stone it can re-piece itself together with, and you are the only one that has the power to restrain such a creature.¡± ina shook her head, more to herself than Temmie. She was strong now, but obviously not that strong. She¡¯d made the strongest material she could to try and hold it back earlier, but it had still snapped it with ease. If her crystal chain were longer she might be able to do something, but as it stood she was helpless. ¡°Temmie, I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°But you can, and you must. Trust me; I have faith in you.¡± ina looked back up at the monstrosity before her. It seemed slow now, but ina knew that was only because it took a second to get up to speed. With its attention on Flora and her running circles around the chamber it didn¡¯t have a chance to do that, but Flora¡¯s mana was finite. ina didn¡¯t have enough experience with the girl to know how much she¡¯d have left, but it wouldn¡¯tst forever, and ina was pretty sure the golem would. A yelp of terror came from ina¡¯s side, and she saw a golem¡¯s handful of stone flying towards Tira and Carline, Tira¡¯s hand barely raising up in time to deflect the projectiles to their sides. ¡°Sorry,¡± Flora said, winding up and nting a mostly harmless kick into the golem¡¯s back. She was doing her best to keep the things upied, but even while she had mana it seemed she couldn¡¯t do it perfectly, not fight the smaller ones alone and keep the attention of therger one simultaneously. ¡°Okay,¡± ina said, resigning herself to her fate. She had half a mind to call a retreat, to grab Tira and run with the others, but she knew this thing was too dangerous to leave running free, so she¡¯d take care of it or die trying. ¡°Temmie, tell me what to do.¡± ¡°You are going to have to get close.¡± Ch 2.24: Close Ch 2.24: Close ¡°Temmie, I don¡¯t think getting closer is a good idea.¡± ¡°The only other option is to retreat. If you believe that necessary then you may do so, but I believe you have the ability to win this fight.¡± Damnit, why¡¯d she have to say that. ina appreciated the vote of confidence to some extent obviously, but it came with a pressure to perform that she didn¡¯t exactly want right now. But want wasn¡¯t really a factor. She nced around, at Flora barely dodging therge golem while keeping the small ones at bay, Tira trying to make it onto her feet, Carline desperately trying to tell her to stay down. They could flee at this point, but it was obvious no one else was interested in that. It didn¡¯t matter if ina wanted to leave; her friends needed her to stay. ¡°Tell me what I need to do.¡± By the time Temmie had finished the exnation Flora had actually managed to dismantle one of the smaller golems entirely, it¡¯s crystal core rolling around on the ground, picking up pieces of gravel, but not able to form them into a body for itself. It had taken way too much effort even for just that, so ina knew that there wasn¡¯t going to a way out other than Temmie¡¯s n. I just hope she¡¯s right about this. ¡°Tira, you¡¯re still hurt!¡± ina heard Carline saying from the edge of the chamber. ¡°I can fight now, and you can healter. Just keep the pain from being so bad I pass out.¡± It hurt ina to see Tira the way she was. Her bodysuit was covered in blood at the bottom, and even though she wasn¡¯t actively bleeding ina knew that the damage wouldn¡¯t have been entirely fixed yet. Still, there was a determination in Tira¡¯s eyes that ina knew wouldn¡¯t be quenched. ¡°Actually, forget the pain the pain for now; I can deal with it. Fix Flora¡¯s arms instead. Hey, Streaker, back off and give me a chance!¡± Tira darted off, arm sliding through Carline¡¯s grip as she tried to hold her back. The Striker stumbled in her movements, but she moved forward regardless, wheeling her arm back andshing out at one of the smaller creatures with her whip. The thunderous crack echoed through the room, announcing her return to the fight at the same instant one of the smaller golems was removed from its legs. ¡°ina, you must go now,¡± Temmie said. ina nodded, darting forth on her own. One golem downed by Flora, another temporarily disabled by Tira. It was just the big one now, and then the two ina still had tangled with her crystal chain. I¡¯ll be needing that though. She was about to exin the n to Tira, but Temmie¡¯s voice spoke up first. ¡°ina, tie thergest one¡¯s arm back with your crystal chain. Miss Strask, you must keep the other two busy while she takes care of the main one.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Tira turned from the main one,unching an attack at the duo ina had tied up. It did next to nothing after cracking against the crystal chains themselves, so ina had to let them go and put her trust in Tira. It wasn¡¯t easy to force herself to do it though, especially since the one Tira had already cleaved in two was reforming already. The clean cuts Tira made were apparently too easy to reform from, but ina really only needed the distraction for a few moments. Hopefully. The crystal chain wound through the air, expanding in length as ina stretched the chain links thinner. It was still crystal, so she was pretty sure it would still hold, but she needed length. The restraint wrapped around the golem¡¯s giant arm, catching it in between its fingers and then coiling down to tie to the creature¡¯s leg just as it was attempting to swipe at Tira. ina froze herself, activating [Personal Restraint] and pulling on the chain with all the power she could muster. It was barely enough, but she was able to halt the monster¡¯s attack as it was winding up, pulling the chain tight and attaching the stone fist to its front right leg. That groan erupted from the golem again, the deep rumbling bouncing through the cave as it struggled to pull at the chains. ina was able to bind them together with their natural malleability before releasing her skill, thankfully not having to actively restrain the monster as it pulled. They seem tight enough to hold, at the least. But a blur was heading for her, the small golem Tira had cut down now fully put together again and skittering across the stone floor on its four legs. ina pulled up her hands to guard herself, still holding Temmie in her left hand as she braced for impact. Before she was hit tough she saw another blur out the corner of her eye, a flesh fist catching the stone monster in the side and sending it flying away. Flora stood there, looking like a statue of some ancient warrior, sculpted artfully naked with her fist outstretched and a smile on her face. The only thing out of ce was the one arm that still dangled helpless at her side. ¡°Flora, you¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, one arm¡¯s enough for these small fries.¡± Before ina could protest more, Temmie was speaking again. ¡°Flora, please take down therge one, to its back. Temporarily is all we need.¡± ¡°Can do! Tira, slice its back kneecaps for me first.¡± They both moved in unison, Tira circling round the back of the golem as Flora changed to focus on the smaller ones Tira had just been fighting. Therge one was limping towards ina now, but it stumbled forward at the sound of two sessive cracks from Tira¡¯s whip, skidding to its front knee. Flora and Tira were already changing positions again, wordlessly shifting around the battlefield as ina watched. ina felt a little bad for not contributing in the timeframe, but in reality she¡¯d only been standing there a couple of seconds, not having enough time to think of how to help her friends they didn¡¯t need her help anymore. Tira and Flora were too good, so experienced that any problem that was heading there way wasn¡¯t a problem by the time ina could react. It was the same as Tira cut up those two smaller golems again, dropping them to pieces as Flora flipped herself into the air and crashed her foot into the back of therger one¡¯s left knee,nding on her one good hand and then kicking off to the other leg, mming into it as the golem let out another hideous cry into the chamber. ina was finally able to recognize her ce in the fight, bounding forward as the hulking monstrosity started to fall onto it¡¯s back, only just realizing that a third smaller golem wasing after her, the one Flora had knocked away, but not knocked out. ina was almostpletely fucked, the golem¡¯s fist mere inches from her face as a long wooden spear came in between them. ina stumbled to the side, watching as Carline ran her crystal-tipped weapon into the wedge of the sparkled stone and crystal heart, driving it back. ¡°ina, go!¡± It was all she needed to hear. Regaining her footing, ina continued towards her target. It was already trying to get up again, its thick legs notpletely crushed from Flora and Tira¡¯s joint attack, but it wasn¡¯t going to get up fast enough; ina couldn¡¯t let it. Dropping Temmie to the ground, ina leaped into the air as hard as she could, flying onto the golem¡¯s upturned chest, cing both hands directly on the crystal core. Please work. Ch 2.25: Parley Ch 2.25: Parley ina knew what she had to do to the golem, but she still wasn¡¯t quite sure how. Temmie had done her best to exin, but standing there on top of the overturned creature, fully knowing she would be crushed if she failed, it wasn¡¯t exactly aforting feeling. She let those feelings fall to the side though, focusing only on the task at hand, activating [Personal Restraint] and locking herself into her fate, no matter what the oue was. She closed her eyes, letting her aspect reach out into the golem, into the crystal core she was was kneeling on. She thought she felt something now that she touched it directly, something that wasn¡¯t quite there before, and she honed in on that sensation, the slight familiarity that Temmie described to her. A software lock. ina still didn¡¯t really know what it was, but she¡¯d felt it before, released this version of Temmie from one back in the first dungeon. It had been easier to feel back then once she knew what it was, but she could still feel it now, deep in the depths of the golem¡¯s core. It was faint, merely the suggestion of a possible restraint, but it was there. Pushing towards the center of the core was an alien feeling to her. It was like swimming through honey, a nearly futile effort, but maybe technically possible? It felt like she was getting nowhere as she waded through with her mind, but [Restraint] was calling to her, seemingly louder and louder with each movement she made, even if she felt stuck in ce. But she wasn¡¯t alone. She could feel it, the golem itself. Not the clusters of sparkling rock thatprised its body, not even the crystal core at its heart, but the very being of the golem. It was alive, the same as ina, and it didn¡¯t like someone wading around its soul. Leave. It wasn¡¯t a voice, wasn¡¯t even a sound. It was just themand, information imnted directly into her mind the same as when she received a new skill. ¡°I can¡¯t leave. I have to stop you.¡± Not leave me. Leave this ce. Do not return. ¡°I can¡¯t do that either.¡± Then I must stop you. The feeling of thick honey became suffocating, walling ina out from the goal she was swimming towards. She was losing her connection to the core, slipping down and away from the golem¡¯s soul. ¡°Please, I have to do this. You¡¯re hurting people!¡± People hurt this chamber first. ina saw it, a group of eleven people with pickaxes and baskets. They were in a section of the cave ina didn¡¯t recognize, one that must be deeper in, hacking away at crystals off the wall, tossing them into baskets they were carrying on their backs. They wereughing and talking, but ina couldn¡¯t understand their words. It was garbled speech, unintelligible. But she understood one thing: rage. It was both hers and not hers, the rage of the golem. I¡¯m in its memory, she realized, feeling the hulking stone body she was inhabiting lurch up, climbing out of the ground behind the miners as they had their back turned. ina tried closing her eyes once she realized what was going to happen next, but she wasn¡¯t seeing through her own body, and as such there were no eyes to close. One body was crushed in an instant, two more as they turned to see what had happened. If the fourth had started running at the same time as the others he might have been safe, but he was frozen in fear, thest to fall as his friends left him behind, a loud crunch echoing through the cave as ina watched in horror. She was back in the core, panting, heaving. You rob the itself of its life force. You must leave. ¡°No, we¡¯re not here to do that! We¡¯re here to stop those people!¡± Lies. ina tried to frown, but found whatever existence she maintained in this state was incapable of doing so. She was telling the truth, but was there any way to prove that? Maybe she didn¡¯t have to though. She could still sense the software lock, even if it was further away. If she tried with all she had, she might be able to force herself to it, might be able to disable the golem. But that seems¡­ wrong. ¡°Can I do something to prove that I¡¯m not here to hurt you? I promise we¡¯re not like them.¡± You can leave. Stop attempting to shut me down. It was frustrating, but only because the golem had a point. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. I have a job to do.¡± As do I. That was that. ina redoubled her efforts, pushing in through to the back of the golem¡¯s core. It felt like shit, but she had to do it. Why does it feel like shit though? she thought. It was obvious, honestly. She was working for the kingdom, the kingdom she knew was overharvesting crystal from the earth. It was supposed to prevent stuff like that apparently, which was supposedly the reason poaching crystal was illegal in the first ce, but she knew that wasn¡¯t happening. The golem resisted, but Temmie was right. ina was powerful enough to ovee the creature¡¯s resistance. It was easier and easier as she moved forward, both to move and breathe. Finally reaching the back of the monster¡¯s soul, she could feel it, the very essence of life in its heart. Getting here was the hard part, but now that she was it would only be a trivial matter to end the golem¡¯s entire being. Why do you not end me. You are stronger. ¡°I told you¡­ I¡¯m not here to hurt you. I don¡¯t want to hurt the.¡± Yet you persist. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. I have to do this.¡± I understand. Did it? How could it? ¡°Is this enough? If I leave you alone now, is that enough to prove to you that I¡¯m not here to hurt anything?¡± For a while there was nothing, just ina in the swirling void of the creature¡¯s soul. In the silence, she could feel the pulse of the golem as if it was her own heartbeat. I know not why you would offer such a thing, but I ept this deal. ina knew she shouldn¡¯t listen. Getting here had taken nearly all of her mana, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to make it back if she left back into her own body. ¡°We¡¯re here to look, but we won¡¯t take anything from the cave. Is that okay?¡± This is eptable. I will not harm you or yourpanions. I make no promises for other intruders. Doubt in her heart, ina pulled back with her mind. It was instant, and she gasped as she felt herself back inside her own body, falling to the floor off of the golem¡¯s chest as [Personal Restraint] released. ¡°ina, are you okay?¡± It was Tira shouting, but the sound of the golem¡¯s deep rumbling groan drowned it out. Ch 2.26: Retreat Ch 2.26: Retreat ina was up on her feet and readying herself to fight again, cursing herself for having trusted the golem as it screamed out. But when the cry stopped and she expected an attack, expected therger golem to charge as the little ones distracted Tira and Flora, all of the stone monsters began to sink away into the ground. Should you go back on your word, we will not hesitate to defend this, Administrator. ina rxed, shoulders hunching forward as thest remnants of the golems disappeared into the cavern floor, right at the same moment Tira fell to the ground. ¡°Tira!¡± ina shouted as she ran over. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine.¡± The girl was halfughing, half crying as she spoke up, covering her face with her hands. ¡°It hurts, but I¡¯m okay.¡± Flora walked over to Tira, arriving just before ina and as Carline ran up from behind,ying herself on shimmering stones next to her. ¡°I really thought we were fucked when the pieces of the arm started moving. How do you even fight something like that?¡± ¡°It is meant to be difficult,¡± Temmie said as Carline ced a hand each on both Flora and Tira. ¡°That is why it would have been chosen as the guardian of this ce.¡± ¡°Guarding what though? The crystals?¡± Tira asked, ncing to the end of the chamber, the path leading further down. ¡°The subcore that was stolen would be the primary thing. Excess energy from the subcore is what likely drove the cavern to produce this many crystals though, and as a result the golem would potentially be driven to protect those as well due to its programming.¡± ina wanted to help Carline somehow, but she knew that she couldn¡¯t, so she settled for going back over and picking Temmie up off the ground. ¡°It didn¡¯t seem like it was acting based on orders though¡­ It seemed to care. It knew what the crystal farming is doing to the.¡± ¡°A very real possibility. Golems are not like the mindless automatons at your school; they have minds and souls of their own. They cannot directly disobey their programming, but they are able to disy some level of free will¡± ¡°So,¡± Flora said, standing up and walking away from Carline. ¡°What do we do now?¡± ¡°Flora, I¡¯m not done with your arm yet!¡± ¡°I know, but Tira¡¯s the one with internal bleeding. Focus on her, get me after.¡± Carline frowned, but didn¡¯t protest anymore. ¡°We can¡¯t go in any further, I don¡¯t think so anyway,¡± ina said. ¡°I made a deal with the golem. The deal was to not take any crystals, but I don¡¯t want to tempt things. I don¡¯t have enough mana to do that again.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Tira asked. ¡°I thought we were dead for sure when you fell off and it screamed.¡± ¡°I just¡­ I mean, I could have shut it down, but that didn¡¯t seem right. It just wanted to protect the, to stop the poachers. It thought we were with them, I exined that we weren¡¯t, and it agreed to let us go.¡± ¡°How do you shut something like that down though?¡± Flora asked. ¡°Is that an ¡®administrator¡¯ thing?¡± ¡°Negative,¡± Temmie said. ¡°It could easily be done with administrator privileges through the security subsystem since the golem was created through such means, but we do not have ess to that as of yet.¡± ¡°I used my aspect.¡± ina thought back to the feeling, reaching inside the creature¡¯s very being with [Restraint]. It wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d experienced before. ¡°I don¡¯t know how. I didn¡¯t think I could do it on something that was living.¡± ¡°Crystals are both alive and not at the same time,¡± Temmie said. ¡°There is a soul inside of them, the soul of the, but it is the container of the soul that you can interact with. I would not have guessed you could do such things honestly, not without having witnessed it myself before.¡± ina stared down at the orb in her hands, the swirling, glowing blue mist inside. Temmie had always seemed a little less than alive to her, but after what she just experienced she felt bad for thinking that. Temmie was certainly more of a person than the golem, of course, and if it was ¡°alive¡± she wasn¡¯t sure what that meant for Temmie. ¡°I¡¯m just d we¡¯re all making it out,¡± Tira said. ¡°Don¡¯t really care about the golems, honestly.¡± ¡°It was just doing what it was supposed to,¡± ina said, stroking the crystal with her fingertips. ¡°And if we don¡¯t want it to finish the job, we have to leave?¡± Flora asked, sitting on a rock, staring up at the ceiling. ¡°Guess we have mostlypleted the mission, but what do we tell the school?¡± ina frowned, realizing she didn¡¯t know. She¡¯d been telling the truth when she said that their party didn¡¯t want to farm crystals, but the kingdom very much did. ¡°Temmie, how hard is it to defeat a golem like that for people without sses? Like, could the kingdom do it easily?¡± ¡°Hmmm. It is a guardian for a reason. It would be difficult, but given enoughmitted resources I cannot imagine it would hold up to a concentrated effort from a powerful nation.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be okay,¡± Tira said, finally standing up. It seemed Carline was done healing her, since she didn¡¯t try to keep her down. ¡°For a while, anyway. The poachers have damaged the cave¡¯s crystal ecosystem enough. I¡¯ll tell them we ran into a golem, had to retreat, and hopefully that¡¯ll buy us enough time.¡± ¡°Time?¡± ina asked. ¡°Yeah? We¡¯re in this for the long haul. We are going to try and stop the aggressive crystal farming, right?¡± ina nodded. She had been the one most in favor of opposing the kingdom after all, but she still had fears about it. Fears for her turned into other emotions too though, distracting her even further. Carline¡¯s outfit erupted into a shimmer of blue sparks. ¡°Change back, someone¡¯sing. A human.¡± Ch 2.27: Captive Ch 2.27: Captive ina tensed up, but did manage to follow Carline¡¯s instructions. She and the others all transformed out of their ss gear and into their regr outfits, or school uniform in ina¡¯s case. ¡°Where, Carline?¡± she asked while sticking Temmie back in her bag. ¡°Quiet,ing around the corner now.¡± Tira drew her mundane whip, and Flora edged forward, both preparing to protect their juniors, but no one rounded the corner. ¡°Are they waiting?¡± Flora asked with a hushed voice. ¡°No, they¡¯re¡­ Hey! I know you¡¯re there!¡± Carline was ring at the entryway, then went wide eyed with panic. ¡°I lost them.¡± ¡°They left?¡± Tira said, still at the ready. ¡°No, I mean, maybe, but they didn''t leave my range, they just vanished.¡± ¡°I hear someone nearby, someone else,¡± Temmie said from inside the satchel. ¡°We need to leave,¡± Tira said, stepping forward and slicing out in front of them with her whip. ¡°If something¡¯s fucking with Carline¡¯s senses then we¡¯re not safe no matter what it is.¡± ¡°Not so fast!¡± Flora shouted, spinning and jumping towards the air next to Carline. At first ina thought it was a warning like Tira¡¯s attack, but Flora very much grabbed something, lifting it into the air, hands clenched over seemingly thin air, but not closing. ¡°ina, grab it!¡± Tira said,unching another string of attacks around them. ina obeyed of course, felt the involuntary pull of [Good Girl] to to conjure a rope, wrapping around just below where Flora was gripping. There still wasn¡¯t anything there, not visibly, but the rope was obviously wrapping around something. Once Flora saw ina had hold of her target she dropped the phantom enemy and rushed forward again, fists raised in a brawler¡¯s stance. ¡°Whatever tricks you have aren¡¯t going to work here. I can feel you messing with me.¡± Tira drew back her whip, holding out, eyes darting around the cavern as ina ran up behind her. Flora was still right next to Carline as they stood, waited for what seemed like minutes, their silence only being broken by the sound of strained breathing. ina turned to the source of the noise, her bundle of ropes, but it wasn¡¯t just ropes anymore. There was a woman there, eyes zing over, mouth gasping for air, tied up in the coils of ina¡¯s creation. ¡°Flora, you grabbed her throat?¡± Carline said, bending down and cing a hand on the woman¡¯s neck. ¡°Wha¡ª Why is this on me? She was invisible!¡± ¡°Focus,¡± Tira said. ¡°There might be more.¡± ¡°No,¡± a soft voice said in between coughs. ¡°They left me¡­¡± The woman¡¯s breathing began to normalize as Tira and Flora stood guard, but ina was focused on Carline and her surprise patient. ¡°How can we trust you?¡± she asked. The woman sighed, trying to wriggle her hands beneath the rope. ¡°This is really tight. Can you untie me?¡± ina looked the girl over, trying to assess the woman for potential danger. She seemed unarmed at the moment, but there was a dagger on the ground a few feet away that ina didn¡¯t recognize ¡°The person that turns invisible and carries this around?¡± ina asked as she picked up the weapon. ¡°Sorry, but no.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t turn invisible, it¡¯s just¡ª¡± The woman cut herself off, shaking her head. ¡°Nevermind.¡± ¡°No no¡±, Tira said, ¡°keep going, exin how the aspect works to us please.¡± The woman frowned, looking away. ¡°How long have you been following us?¡± ina asked. ¡°You can tell us that much, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± The woman hesitated for a moment, looking We weren¡¯t following you. We heard sounds from the cave, that monster¡¯s groaning. We came to investigate.¡± ¡°It is a pretty loud echo,¡± Carline said, standing up. ¡°Her throat¡¯s good now.¡± ¡°Is your aspect okay now, Carline?¡± ina asked. ¡°Her? I can sense her, yeah.¡± ¡°We really need to leave now,¡± Tira said, swiping at the air in front of her again. ¡°If this girl doesn¡¯t turn invisible then that means someone else turned her invisible.¡± Flora looked back at the words, eyes narrowing at their captive, but she didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Right,¡± ina said, pulling a length of rope from her bag. She slowly unbound the woman¡¯s torso with her created rope as she wound around her with the new one, a little less tight this time, tying the permanent restraint onto her and letting the other dematerialize. ¡°We¡¯re taking her back?¡± ¡°Only thing to do,¡± Flora said, walking forward. ¡°She¡¯s with the poachers, obviously.¡± The woman didn¡¯t say anything, but her shameful look to the side was enough confirmation for ina. ¡°Come on,¡± she said, grabbing the rope and pulling the captive forward. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure how¡­¡± Carline trailed off as they started walking, their same formation from before. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how we didn¡¯t hear theming up behind us. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about itter,¡± Flora said. Her voice was direct, the sing-song nature it usually had absent. ¡°But what if they attack again?¡± ina said. ¡°Then we kill them,¡± Tira said,shing out with her whip again. The sound echoed throughout the cave, ringing and hurting in ina¡¯s ears. ¡°Any more invisible people decide toe up on us, they¡¯re cleaved in two.¡± The image caused ina¡¯s stomach to turn over. She was pretty sure Tira was just grandstanding, but the casualness with which she said the words still felt wrong. ¡°I told you that they left,¡± the woman said. ¡°We weren¡¯t looking to pick a fight with anyone, certainly not Endrin students¡­¡± ¡°Then what were you doing?¡± Flora asked. ¡°You were going after my friend with a de; you were right next to her.¡± ¡°That was¡ª¡± The woman shook her head again, tears starting to form in her eyes. ina had only the smallest amount of sympathy for those. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do that. But when the boss tells you to do something¡­¡± ¡°You do it,¡± Tira said. ¡°I can respect that, just like I respect your silence so far. But you¡¯re going to tell us who your boss is sooner orter. My friend with the ropes is nice enough, but me? Let¡¯s just say for your sake, I hope you fess everything up before we make camp and I have a chance to get my hands on you.¡± The woman sniffled as ina pulled her along, still talking at a whisper, probably only audible to ina, muttering to herself more than responding to Tira. ¡°Nothing you can do will beat what she can¡­¡± Ch 2.28: Invisible Ch 2.28: Invisible Carline was on edge as they stopped for the night, setting up a basic camp. There wouldn¡¯t be any fire despite the chill, not with the possibility that they were being followed still up in the air. She scanned the trees with her eyes, feeling out again with her aspect as well. It was just her, her threepanions, and the captive, same as it had been for thest few hours, save the random squirrel or mouse they passed. Of course, it had seemed like no one was with them in the cave as well. Invisible wasn¡¯t quite the right word. [Health] wouldn¡¯t care if you were visible at all, only that you were there and alive. It had been disturbing when the people she¡¯d felt sneaking up on them had disappeared. It was the same as when someone died, one moment the undeniable presence of life, and then the instantaneous pop out of existence. That thought made Carline put away the hard cracker she¡¯d been chewing on. Death wasn¡¯t an easy thing to think about before her Awakening, and now that she could literally feel it happen to someone else, it was even worse. She turned to Flora, watching the smiling girl eat her own trail food. Carline knew the smile was fake. Flora was always smiling, and most people thought that was just how she really was, that she really was always happy. They were almost right, because the times the smile was fake were rare, but Carline could always notice. When Flora was faking it the smile was actually too warm, tooforting. It was good acting, too good even. ¡°Hey,¡± ina said, gesturing to the captive they had tied up a short distance away. They¡¯d cuffed her feet together with shackles that Tira had brought along for some reason, and then bound her to a tree as well just to be safe. ¡°Won¡¯t she be cold? We don¡¯t have a nket or anything for her.¡± ¡°I have a jacket we cany over her,¡± Tira said, picking at her own food and staring into the woods. ¡°Not the warmest, but it¡¯ll keep her from getting frozen. ¡°Gee, thanks so much,¡± the woman said. She¡¯d refused to give her name when asked, just like she¡¯d refused to give any information about who she was working with. ¡°You¡¯re lucky you¡¯re getting even that with how much information you¡¯ve given us,¡± Tira said. ¡°For your sake, I hope you¡¯re more forting with the town guard. They don¡¯t have nearly the reputation to keep up as we do.¡± ¡°I mean, they¡¯re not gonna do anything that bad, right?¡± ina asked. Carline knew Tira was still ying it up, but it seemed ina didn¡¯t like them acting that way to the woman, criminal or not. ¡°For poaching? Probably not. For attempted murder of an Endrin student? That one¡¯s not going to go over so well.¡± Flora¡¯s smile grew ever so much more fake. Carline herself hadn¡¯t quiteprehended that yet. One second she was alone, and then the next Flora was holding something next to her, something neither of them could see. But Flora only knew someone was there from her ss equipment, and with that she could only sense someone actively targeting her party members. Thatbined with the dagger they¡¯d found ont the ground was more than enough to prove the intent of the would-be assassin, but it still didn¡¯t feel real. Carline hadn¡¯t even put it all together at first. ¡°Can we talk about something else?¡± Carline asked. Anything else. ¡°We¡¯ll be getting home early,¡± ina said. Despite everything, Carline smiled at that, at ina calling the school ¡°home.¡± ¡°Not too early,¡± Flora said. ¡°We¡¯ll probably make it to town tomorrow evening without a carriage, and then make it back early on Seventhday instead ofte Seventhday or Firstday morning.¡± ¡°Still hard to believe you all are still in school,¡± their captive muttered. Despite her reluctance to answer any of their questions, she had a habit of offering unwantedments quite frequently. Carline looked over at the woman again. She didn¡¯t look the way Carline imagined a criminal would. She was a handful of years older than them, had neat brown hair, clothes clean enough for anyone spending multiple days out in the woods, no visible scars or missing teeth. She was just a person, and for some reason she didn¡¯t quite understand Carline was ufortable with that fact. ¡°We are adults you know,¡± Tira said, looking annoyed again at thementary. ¡°This is extra schooling after the regr stuff everyone gets.¡± The captiveughed at that. Carline wasn¡¯t sure what for, but she did catch ina frown as she nced at theughter. ina. There was that problem too. Carline had kind of been banking on a long weekend to work up the courage to talk to her. She¡¯d wanted to consult with Flora too¡ªshe¡¯d always been better at these sorts of things¡ªbut it wasn¡¯t looking like there¡¯d be a lot of time. She needs to know. But how? They couldn¡¯t safely split off, not with the very real possibility they were being followed. It was possible they were surrounded by undetectable foes, waiting only for them to fall asleep. No, they needed to stay together for the night, and it certainly wasn¡¯t a conversation that could be had out in the open. Tomorrow night then, after we drop thedy off with the guards. Either that or the following morning at least. Carline knew earlier was better, but the only thing that really mattered was that it was before they got back to school. Maybe the next morning is better. I can talk it over with Flora tomorrow night at least then. Yeah, the morning they arrived back would be fine, but noter. Carline had to tell ina the truth before they got back to campus, no matter what. Ch 2.29: Illusions Ch 2.29: Illusions ¡°So, are we going to have someone keep watch, or¡­¡± ina felt silly as she asked it. Keep watch for what? She couldn¡¯t see them, Tira couldn¡¯t see them. Carline had felt them for a while, and Flora could only sense them if they were actively targeting them. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of that,¡± Flora said as she stood up, giving a short smirk to the group. ¡°I stopped the one before, so it¡¯s best for me to do it anyway.¡± Tira furrowed her brow, squinting at Flora before she seemed to realize something. ¡°Wait, your flower crown, how are you¡ª¡± Flora put a finger to her mouth and shushed the question to an end. It took ina a moment to realize what was going on, but once she did it was impossible to notice. Flora was somehow wearing both the sundress she¡¯d came to the woods in and her entire ¡°outfit¡± granted by the system, the flower crown that only appeared once the rest of her outfit was supposed to disappear. And the crown is what lets her know when her allies are being attacked. Carline seemed to realize the the contradiction, so Flora rolled her eyes and turned her back towards their captive. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve always wanted to try wearing body paint,¡± she said as the front material of her dress began to shimmer, sparkling in the night ever so slightly. ¡°Just body paint, to be precise.¡± ¡°Are you four flirting over there?¡± their captive asked, unable to see the disy from Flora. ¡°Only a little,¡± Flora said, winking at the party as she spun around. It wasn¡¯t obvious before, but ina could tell the difference now. Flora hadn¡¯t changed back into her regr clothes with the rest of them, wasn¡¯t actually wearing anything at all other than the flower crown, just using [Body Paint] to create a version of her dress, one that didn¡¯t quite ripple in the wind the same way real cloth would. It required mana, right? How long could she keep it going? It probably didn¡¯t hurt that the dress was terribly small anyways, but it certainly couldn¡¯t go on forever. Flora didn¡¯t seem to care at all, though Carline, Tira, and ina were all visibly astounded. ina herself couldn¡¯t stop imagining it, walking around naked, even if no one knew. Flora hadn¡¯t even shown any skin when she had messed with the front of her dress earlier, but the images it conjured in ina¡¯s mind were more than enough to distract from the severity of the situation. ¡°Anyway, this heavy sundress is starting to weigh on me,¡± Flora said, grabbing the hem of her fake dress. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get changed for the night.¡± And then she actually did it, pulled up on the illusion she had created, shoving it into Tira¡¯s open bag and standing there stark naked. If anyone had actually been paying attention to cloth physics, the illusion would¡¯ve been shattered instantly. But ina certainly wasn¡¯t paying attention to the dress itself as it unnaturally bunched up around Flora¡¯s hand, as it disappeared from Tira¡¯s bag the moment Flora¡¯s arm pulled away., She was instead focusing on the soft skin being revealed as the illusion lifted away, the subtle curves of Flora¡¯s body that were revealed as the facade dropped. Once the shock wore off and ina regained ess to her mind she looked over again at the woman tied to the tree. She was still dumbfounded, staring at Flora¡¯s backside like it was one of the gods themselves. ¡°Are¡ª are you serious? Who the stars are you people?¡± ¡°This is how I sleep,¡± Flora said as she went over to Carline¡¯s bag and pulled out a nket. She sat down back on the rock she¡¯d eaten from, throwing the covering over her shoulders, but still leaving more than enough visible for her crowd of onlookers, none of whom turned their heads or closed their eyes. ¡°Not that I¡¯ll be getting much sleep tonight. I can stay up and keep watch. ¡°The whole night?¡± Tira said, staring right between her ssmate¡¯s legs. ¡°The whole night! It¡¯s in my nature. I¡¯ll have to catch up on sleep tomorrow evening, but we¡¯ll be in town by then.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not even necessary,¡± their prisoner said, bowing her head. ¡°I know you think they¡¯reing for me, but I promise you they¡¯re not.¡± ¡°She has been remarkably quiet,¡± Tira said, finally pulling her head away from Flora. ¡°But still, someone needs to keep watch, and it should probably be Flora.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Carline said, voice trailing off as she continued looking at Flora. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I wish I could be more help there. I don¡¯t know why¡ª¡± ¡°Not in front ofpany, Carly,¡± Flora said, shing a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch for tonight, and we can talk about thatter. The prisoner didn¡¯t seem to be reacting to the conversation anyway, still staring at the ground. ¡°Well, that settles it then,¡± Tira said, pulling a nket out of her own bag andying it out on the ground before climbing in and rolling it over herself. ¡°The three of us need to get some sleep then, so we don¡¯t burden Flora too much. Prisoner, if you keep us up I¡¯ll put a ball gag in your mouth.¡± ¡°Yeah, whatever.¡± Still staring into the dirt. ina was feeling a little lonely as she started to pull out her nket, moving Temmie around in her bag as she did. She felt bad for not having talked to Temmie since the fight, but she couldn¡¯t really do that in front of their captive. She settled with mouthing ¡°good night¡± to the orb. ¡°Good night to you as well, ina.¡± ina felt a little warm at the words, word¡¯s she knew only she could hear. People outside the System couldn¡¯t hear Temmie anyway, but somehow ina knew that message was just for her ears, not even the rest of the party. She closed the bag and pulled it into her arms as she got on the ground, somehow forgetting the chill of the night air as she bundled up with the satchel under the stars. Ch 2.30: Concealed Ch 2.30: Concealed ina shot up from her nket, surprised both that she¡¯d slept so well and that nothing had interrupted her. She¡¯d expected something to go wrong, another attack, an attempted escape, a tree to fall on them. But that hadn¡¯t happened. Their nameless prisoner was still tied to the tree, Tira was still sound asleep, and Carline and Flora were a few feet away, talking in whispers to avoid making too much noise. Flora was still naked. ina wasn¡¯t really sure if that was an ¡°of course¡± fact or a ¡°for some reason¡± fact, but it was a fact nheless, one that ina couldn¡¯t ignore. She stood up and stretched as she admired Flora¡¯s backside, herself still wearing her uniform from the day before. She had her spare with her, but figured it¡¯d be best to change into that once they were back in town. After putting her shoes on ina started walking over to the other two awake girls, crunching on the ground with her boots. The two turned, to her, Flora shing a warm smile and Carline looking like a scared puppy. ¡°Everything okay, Carline?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yes, just nervous about¡­¡± ¡°Everything, she¡¯s always nervous about everything,¡± Flora said, walking over and giving ina a big hug, and gods was that distracting. ina¡¯s head rested into Flora¡¯s chest as she returned the gesture, her hands wrapping around the woman¡¯s bare waist. She really needed to get some alone time with at least one of these girls. Or possibly¡­ more than one of them? Maybe that was getting ahead of things, though ina couldn¡¯t help but feel a little resentment towards their prisoner. Would things have been different if it was actually just the four of them out there, unburdened by thoughts of ambush? Hopefully I¡¯ll get to find out one day. ¡°Flora, are you really still naked?¡± Tira said from behind them, standing up herself as ina pulled away from the embrace. ina hadn¡¯t seen what she¡¯d gone to sleep in, but seeing her now in just a tan shirt and a thin pink triangle of underwear was almost as distracting as Flora, maybe even more. ¡°I¡¯m not naked, I¡¯m wearing my flower crown, remember?¡± Flora said with a wink. She was obviously teasing Tira, but it was actually an important distinction. Flora could only sense danger when she was wearing that, so she didn¡¯t really have much choice, not that ina thought she minded at all. ¡°Well get dressed,¡± Tira said, pulling bending over and grabbing a fresh pair of pants from her bag. If ina didn¡¯t know better she¡¯d think Tira was teasing too with the way she presented her ass to the other girls as she slipped them on, but ina was pretty sure that one actually was unintentional. ¡°Roger, Captain Tira!¡± Flora said. ¡°I¡¯m gonna step behind the three though, for privacy of course.¡± The rest of the team packed up their stuff and untied their hostage while Flora disappeared,ing back wearing both her crown still and what ina was pretty sure was her actual dress, not an illusion. She tried to wrangle out how that could be, but Flora must¡¯ve done some sort of outfit swapping around to make it happen, cause this dress was actually obeying thews of physics, unlike the one from the previous night. Once the group started moving, they actually made good time. Starting in the early morning they managed to break out of the forest by noon, leaving just the actual road in between them and town. ¡°We¡¯re probably safe at this point,¡± Tira said, ¡°but we have to stay serious.¡± ¡°I¡¯m never not,¡± Flora said, doing a twirl and letting the hem of her skirt fly upwards. ¡°I mean it. We¡¯re not done until¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, not done till we drop this girl off with the town guards.¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re not done until we¡¯re back at school, safe.¡± ¡°Safe?¡± the prisoner said with augh, still being led by ina. ¡°From what I hear, it¡¯s more dangerous there nowadays than in that cave.¡± Tira froze, the procession behind her stopping as well. ¡°Why do you think it¡¯s more dangerous at the school.¡± ¡°Fuck,¡± the woman muttered, biting her lip as the group turned back to her. ¡°Go on, tell me.¡± Tira said, stomping towards the woman. ¡°After all, nothing dangerous has happened at schooltely, as far as the general public knows. So why do you seem to have extra information?¡± ¡°I¡ª I don¡¯t¡­¡± Tira¡¯s fist was clenched, shaking, her face turning red as her nostrils red, looking more angry even than when she¡¯d found out about what Waine had done to ina. ¡°What do you know?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± ¡°You realize we can¡¯t even leave you with the town guard anymore, right? This is way beyond regr jurisdiction at this point.¡± Tira raised her hand, almost looked like she was going to strike the woman but then threw her arms in the air and started to walk away. ¡°Fuck¡¯s sake! Why do poachers know about that?¡± She turned on her heel, pressing a finger into the woman¡¯s chest. ¡°Did your people have anything to do with it?¡± ¡°No, we just¡ª¡± The woman closed her mouth, shaking her head. ¡°I swear I didn¡¯t do anything like that; I would never.¡± ¡°Just like you¡¯d never try and gut a defenseless girl while no one could see you, huh?¡± ¡°Tira, it¡¯s okay,¡± Flora said, cing a hand on Tira¡¯s shoulder. Her voice was soothing, a pleasant break from the rage and fear that was dominating the air. ¡°We¡¯re not interrogators. When we get to town some of us can keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn¡¯t spill any information, and then someone can go to the school and see what Alonse or Calivahn says about it.¡± Tira stood for a moment, ring at Flora as if she was somehow an enemy too, but her breathing began to slow, face began to calm as she closed her eyes. ¡°Sorry, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s just that¡ª¡± A strange cry erupted from the woods behind them, almost like a giant duck letting out a deep, lengthy bellow. All five girls turned to the tree line as the sound trailed off. The trees stood still for only a moment before branches started to rustle, one entire tree beginning to shake and then fall over towards the group. ina ran to the side, pulling on her captive with both her physical strength and her aspect to try and avoid either of them getting crushed by the tree. The strange animal cry returned sounded off again, and this time the source was clear: a giant creature, twice the size of a bear, with the body of a beaver, but the beak of a duck. Once the creature finished its cry time seemed to stop as it stared them down, silence finally breaking as Tira was the first to speak up. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be fucking kidding me.¡± Ch 2.31: Venom Ch 2.31: Venom There was something disturbingly frightening about the creature towering over them. ina had seen beavers, seen ducks, heard tales of this things in front of her, but it didn¡¯t mesh together in her mind as something that could actually be. ¡°It¡¯s resistant to aspects,¡± Carline said as she crawled away. Not surprising, since it was a creature of myth like a starhound, but good to know anyway. ¡°It¡¯s not resistant to this though,¡± Tira said as she pulled her whip off of her belt. She let out one thunderous strike with it it, the cord of the weapon sinking deep in the typus''s arm as it let out another guttural cry. But the wound was nearly debilitating enough, and the monster charged at Tira, her weapon still embedded into its skin. Tira¡¯s crystal whip has been strong enough to cleave stone, but a regr leather whip wasn¡¯t even able to through this flesh and bone monstrosity. And we can¡¯t exactly transform into our ss gear right now, ina thought as she nced back at their captive. She may have been rtively tight lipped about her own operation, but there was no reason for her to keep their secrets. ¡°Stay still,¡± ina said as she used her aspect to pull on the restraints andunch the woman back towards the road, tying the lead that she had been using to guide the prisoner to her bag and sending it that way as well. The woman wasn¡¯tpletely bound, but it wouldn¡¯t exactly be easy for her to get up and run away in her current state, and that would have to be enough. ina turned back towards their attacker just as a webbed w dropped towards Tira. She was able to dodge away and trade ncing blows with the monster, each receiving a small gash along there arms, though nothing serious. It hadn¡¯t serious, at least, the long scratch along Tira¡¯s left arm, but she started screaming almost instantly, even dropping her weapon from her uninjured arm and doubling over onto the ground. ¡°Fuck, poison!¡± ¡°Over here, asshole!¡± Flora shouted, crawling over the fallen tree and charging at the monster. ¡°Pay attention to me!¡± She mmed both her fists into the beast¡¯s thick fur, but it seemedpletely unfazed as it wound back its arm once more, preparing to drop its full weight onto Tira. ina didn¡¯t even realize she¡¯d raised her arm, hadn¡¯t noticed she¡¯d frozen herself with [Personal Restraint], was surprised herself as the giant shackle appeared around the monster¡¯s neck and she yanked back on it, sending the typus toppling over backwards ina blinked as she came back to her senses. Everything she¡¯d just done had been her own doing, but it wasn¡¯t a conscious effort, just something she¡¯d done instinctively. She knew it wasn¡¯t enough though, that the creature was already standing up again. She conjured new links of chain from the shackle, extending them to three trees and shackling to those as well. The creature was able to stand, but as it tried to lurch forward it found resistance, unable to uproot three trees as it tried to force its way forward. Carline was pulling Tira away, her screams finally quieting down as she was undoubtedly having the pain dulled by her rescuer. Flora was standing on top of the fallen log now, still ready in a fighting pose, but out of reach of the monster. ¡°What now?¡± she said. ¡°Why is it even here?¡± Tira screamed, still wincing in pain as Carline set her down andid hands on her injured arm. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± ina said, circling around the bound creature and making sure her chains were still holding. Since she had them anchored to the trees she didn¡¯t need to actively force the thing back, but she was still burning a non-insignificant amount of mana just keeping such arge amount of metal in existence. Before anyone else could answer the creature offered one itself, a deep bellow that threatened to shatter ina¡¯s ears. And then she heard the reply, another cry from the woods, then another, and another. ¡°Flora,¡± ina asked, staring off into forest, ¡°do these things usually hunt in packs?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the girl replied, stepping back off the log with wide eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve only seen the one!¡± ¡°And how did you beat it?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t! We just hid until it left; I don¡¯t think it ever spotted us.¡± ¡°Toote for that now,¡± Tira said, trying to get up before copsing back down. ¡°You can¡¯t move right now,¡± Carline said, a rapid panic in her voice. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s with this venom, but it¡¯s not like anything I¡¯ve read about.¡± ¡°Just get me walking; I can do the rest.¡± The chorus of sound from the woods returned as ina looked back up at the one they¡¯d already captured. If more came, she¡¯d need ess to her full mana potential again, need to release the energy she was spending to keep the chains up, but she knew she couldn¡¯t do that while the thing was still alive. ¡°Hey! Over here!¡± ina and Flora both turned, seeing their captive trying to struggle to her feet, having only made it to her knees. ¡°I told you to stay put!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen one these things before! Untie me, and I¡¯ll tell you what¡¯sing, how to beat them.¡± ina and Flora exchanged nces,ing to a wordless agreement that the woman must be lying. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth! It tried attacking our camp while we were still working in the cave, but we were able to drive it off.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t believe her,¡± Tira managed to say through gritted teeth. ¡°If she actually knows anything she¡¯ll tell us anyway, or else she¡¯ll end up eaten like the rest of us.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t eat meat!¡± the woman said. ¡°It¡¯s after crystal! One of you has to have really powerful crystal on you like the one we found in the cave!¡± A really powerful crystal, like the one they found in the cave. The subcore, ina realized. And if the one their captive fought before was after the subcore the poachers had stolen from the cave, the ones after them now would be after¡­ ¡°Temmie!¡± Ch 2.32: Escape Ch 2.32: Escape ¡°What the stars is a Temmie?¡± the hostage asked, still struggling to get with her bindings. ¡°We have to run,¡± Flora said, running over and picking up up Tira off the ground, thetter¡¯s screams started again the second she was pulled away from Carline¡¯s arms. ¡°Put me down!¡± Flora obeyed, and Carline resumed healing, but ina was still struck by the intensity of the piercing cry of pain, then struck again by the cry from the creature she¡¯d restrained. ¡°You can¡¯t outrun them,¡± the hostage said, flopping over onto her side and finally giving up on her attempts to escape. ¡°They¡¯re way too fast, but if you untie me, I can chase them off.¡± ¡°Not happening,¡± Flora said, frowning. ¡°Gods, Tira, you really can¡¯t stand?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too much pain,¡± Carline said, shaking her head. ¡°The venom¡¯s not immobilizing by itself, but I¡¯m surprised she¡¯d even conscious with the pain I¡¯m feeling through her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m tougher than I look,¡± Tira said, still wincing. ¡°But yeah, I can¡¯t fight like this. Carline, it might be better to leave me, let me deal with the pain and pass out.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ina asked, walking over to their prisoner, keeping an eye on the bag that she¡¯d tied to her, the bag holding Temmie. ¡°I can put you to sleep,¡± Carline said, biting her lip. ¡°But if anything happens to me, no one else will be able to wake you up again.¡± ¡°Do it,¡± Tira said, shaking her head. Even from a distance, ina could see the woman sweating vigorously. ¡°I trust you.¡± ¡°Help me carry her away from the trees,¡± Carline said, lifting up on Tira¡¯s arms as Flora grabbed her legs and helped carry her over to the hostage. Tira¡¯s body waspletely limp by the time all the girls reached the hostage, but ina barely even recognized that. She was more focused on the giant monster still pulling at the three trees she¡¯d chained it to, and the looming arrival of its friends. Without Tira, they were going to be at a severe disadvantage, and with no real way to gain ess to their ss gear without exposing themselves to their hostage, they needed some way to shore up the difference. ¡°Gods, it sure is hot today!¡± ina was already blushing as she uttered the ridiculous statement. It was a perfectly nice afternoon, with a pleasant breeze, but she carried on anyway. ¡°It¡¯s just way too warm!¡± Feeble justification uttered, ina reached for her jacket buttons and started undoing them. This is insane, she thought as she shrugged her jacket off and on to the ground. No one really paid any mind though until she reached for her skirt, reaching in and undoing the sp that held it together, letting it go as three heads turned towards her. ¡°What the fuck?¡± was the only response, the bewildered shocking from their captive as ina¡¯s legs came into view, her red panties peeking out of the bottom of her shirt. ¡°It¡¯s too warm; I can¡¯t focus! Can¡¯t you see how red I am?¡± ina said as she started unbuttoning her shirt. Gods that excuse was so stupid, but her n was working. [Humiliation Factor] was kicking in, maybe even working better than it would normally because of how ridiculous her reasoning for stripping was. Soon enough she was there in just her boots andcy red underwear set, a set that barely had any coverage at all. The cups werepletely sheer aside from a handful of star shapes stitched into them, doing nothing to hide her obviously erect nipples, and while her crotch was mercifully covered, the back of her panties were as sheer as the bra. She¡¯d worn them expecting she might get to show them off, but not like this. ¡°What the fuck is with you perverts?¡± the captive said, face and voice both filled with shock. ina¡¯s skill hadn¡¯t beenpletely maxed out before, but that did it, pushing her shame to the max just as she heard rustling in the trees. It three of them this time, two smaller ones, but one the same size as the first. ¡°I got the big one,¡± ina said, bracing her feet and running towards them. She needed to be as close as possible for maximum efficiency. She could hear Flora running behind her, Carline too. ina wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d be able to take on all three, but hopefully the other girls could take the small ones. The typus was too far from the trees to restrain the same way, but she had other ideas. When she couldn¡¯t afford to get any closer ina nted her feet, activating [Personal Restraint] in the same instant she began conjuring iron, a series of stakes in the ground, t metal sheets at the bottom to prevent them from being yanked up easily, each connected to chains, all coalescing into one giant bear trap, or a typus trap as it were. It was the singlergest thing she¡¯d ever made, the thing that took the most energy of anything she¡¯d ever done, but she started to gasp as soon as she¡¯d made it. It¡¯s not enough, she thought, wouldn¡¯t have the effect she needed it to. She¡¯d made the shape, but she hadn¡¯t loaded it with the energy it would need to go off, to snap shut. She could only watch in horror as the monster advanced, stepped on her creation in its quest to kill them, to take Temmie. But when the beast stepped on the trap, it did go off, snapped right around the creature¡¯s webbed foot, halting it as it cried out in pain. It had been enough, she realized, not because she¡¯d loaded it with the energy it needed to work, but because she¡¯d made it correctly, made it in such a way that it had the energy anyway. She still didn¡¯t fully understand the mechanics behind the trap, the physics of it, but she had read up on it a little, and she wasn¡¯tpletely efficient like Sylvas was when he¡¯d demonstrated it for her in Engineering ss, but she had done enough to make a functional trap, one that stopped her target in its tracks. The trap made, she was able to let go of [Personal Restraint] and look to the others. Flora was engaged in a grapple with one of the two smaller creatures, one almost as tall as her. ina had a moment of panic as she saw the thing scratching at her body, but no blood was drawn, merely a scraping sound as its ws glided across Flora¡¯s skin. Flora was fine; it was Carline that needed help. She was circling around the other smaller typus, Tira¡¯s sides word drawn as she kept it at bay, stabbing out whenever it came close to her. ina was running low on mana, but she had enough to deal with that one, creating a shackle around its throat and attaching it to the same spikes in the ground as the one she¡¯d just dealt with. Things seemed calm, a reprieve in the fighting as the only sounds of struggle were the cries of pain from the one with the trapped leg and the struggle of the two wrestling fighters as Flora managed to drop her opponent to the ground, pinning it down. ¡°Are these things their babies?¡± Flora asked. ¡°Probably,¡± Carline said, lowering her sword slightly and backing off. ¡°Help!¡± All three girls turned around, seeing their hostage still tied up, and being approached by a third smaller typus, one running faster than any of ina¡¯s party could hope to match. There was pure terror in her eyes as she wriggled away in her bindings, a futile attempt to save herself. Without thought ina undid the restraints on the girl, letting her scramble to her feet as the monster bounded towards her. She didn¡¯t have enough time though, not with how fast it was moving. But then the girl grabbed ina¡¯s satchel, and both person and bag disappeared in an instant. Ch 2.33: Recovery Ch 2.33: Recovery Everything was gone at the same time, the hostage, ina¡¯s bag, even the ropes. Not just from sight either, but from [Restraint] too. ina always had a mental map of anything she considered a restraint around her, a way to tap in and feel the item, but even the most basic thing like rope was invisible to the sixth sense her aspect provided. Temmie was gone, no way to track her down, and in her ce was another typus cub, one obviously very angry that its prey had disappeared, and only a few feet away from Tira¡¯s unconscious body. It turned towards the girl, screaming into the sky as it waddled towards her. ¡°Hey, over here!¡± Flora shouted. ina turned to see the girl sprinting from the one typus she¡¯d just rescued, sundress slowly slipping down her figure. ¡°Like what you see you big duck-beaver?¡± Both straps had been snapped, and the dress had a number of gashes besides, causing the entire thing to fall, first to her waist and then her feet before she kicked out of the garment entirely. And as the dress slipped off, as she was finally naked, the monster looming over Tira looked away, letting out a chirp-like growl before turning away from the obvious prey and going after Flora. Did typuses care about naked women? No, Flora¡¯s skill attracts enemies the more skin she¡¯s showing off. And that was enough for now, three of the monsters restrained, two upied with Flora who could hold her own at least for a little while. ina had bigger problems to worry about. ¡°Carline, where is she? Where¡¯d she go?¡± Carline was scanning the area, eyes filled with despair. ¡°I¡ª I don¡¯t know, she¡¯s just gone again! I can¡¯t even feel her with [Health].¡± That settled it for sure then, someone was using an aspect to mess with them, to make the girl invisible. Had they followed them the entire time, just waiting for an opportunity to try and let the girl escape? ¡°ina, what is happening?¡± Temmie? The voice hade from the direction of the tree line, was moving towards the forest as it shouted. ina couldn¡¯t see anything there, couldn¡¯t feel anything with [Restraint], but that had been her voice. ¡°Temmie, where are you!¡± ¡°Here!¡± ina had to act, not with strength, but with precision. Focused this time, intent on pinpointing the location, she was ready. She knew where Temmie was, knew Temmie was in her bag, knew her bag had a metal clip that kept it shut. That clip, the straps, they were all restraints, all things she could get a grip on. She reached out with her aspect, grabbing at the space she¡¯d heard Temmie call out from. At first it was like trying to grasp air, but then she felt herself grab hold of something, a mass of restraints that she still couldn¡¯t feel directly, only the resistance as something else tugged against her, trying to pull them away. It was more than just the bag, probably the rope that she¡¯d tied the hostage up with too, but that didn¡¯t matter. ina was going to take Temmie back, and everything else with her as well. ina felt the tension break all at once with a single snap, and then only a secondter felt herself flying backwards. She¡¯d pulled them away, the invisible items she¡¯d grabbed out of thin air, and right into her own chest. Clutching the wad of stuff that she still couldn¡¯t see, ina tumbled to the ground, rolling over without letting go, either with her arms or [Restraint]. ¡°Temmie, are you there!¡± ¡°Yes, I am here,¡± the voice said,ing straight from the center of ina¡¯s arms. ¡°Thanks the gods¡­¡± ina said, half panting out the words. She still wasn¡¯t done though. Making sure not to let go of the invisible bundle in her arms, she stood up, taking measure of the situation. A naked Flora was still engaged with the two unchained monsters, holding off one with her fist shoved into it¡¯s bill, the other with a chokehold from her other arm. ¡°Carline, I have Temmie, can you put them to sleep?¡± ina asked. ¡°Like with Tira?¡± ¡°Uhm, maybe¡­¡± The girl looked hesitant for a moment, but then she nodded her head. ¡°Yeah, with time.¡± ¡°Get on with it then!¡± Flora said, kicking at the one biting her hand. ¡°I can¡¯t keep my skin from breaking forever, and once I can¡¯t that venom¡¯s going to take me out too.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Carline ran over, dropping Tira sword and tip toeing up behind the one Flora had pinned. ina kept gripping her invisible bag while Carline gingerly reached out to the beaver-like tail. Another chirping growl behind her startled ina, but the three creatures she¡¯d chained up were all still restrained. Therger ones in particr were lunging forward, doing everything they could to escape. ina actually felt bad for a second as the one she¡¯d caught with the bear trap whined, a pained sound, but she shook her head and pushed the thought away; it was the only thing she could have done. ¡°Temmie, are you still there?¡± ina whispered. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°Good¡­ I thought you were gone.¡± ¡°I would not have been ¡®gone.¡¯ My main core is still at the academy regardless. Still¡­ I was fearful myself. I am still confused as to what happened, as I cannot see out of the bag at present.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll exinter,¡± ina said, walking towards Carline and Flora. ¡°Okay, that one¡¯s down,¡± Carline said, letting out a heavy breath. ¡°Can you choke the other one now? It helps me calm them down. ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± Flora said, grabbing the typus by the scruff of its neck before swinging around and cing her elbow around its throat as well. ¡°You look ridiculous,¡± ina said. Carlineughed, but ina hadn¡¯t meant it as a joke; it was just a fact that sort of slipped out. Still, it was true, the nude girl wrangling a giant mythical creature cub wasn¡¯t exactly something you would see everyday. ¡°I¡¯m sure I do, but you¡¯re not one to talk,¡± Flora said with a smile as the typus¡¯s eyes began to droop, ¡°not with what you¡¯re carrying around.¡± ina was confused for a moment, then looked down. Her bag had reappeared, at least visually, in her arms again. She was also holding onto the rope she¡¯d tied the hostage with, still keeping it all together, bundled up with [Restraint]. But those weren¡¯t the only two things she had. Stuck together to the rope and bag were a number of buttons, a drawstring, and what appeared to the remnants of a ck,cy bra. ina thought back to the struggle she¡¯d had over the restraints with the invisible thief, how hard it had been to wrench it out of the woman¡¯s mundane grip despite ina¡¯s immense strength with her aspect, how she had felt a very distinct snap that was eerily simr to that of a bra strap breaking. ¡°Oh.¡± Ch 2.34: Travelers Ch 2.34: Travelers ina was still staring at the remains of their captive''s clothes while Flora had already jumped into motion. ¡°Carly, grab mine and ina¡¯s clothes. I¡¯ll grab Tira, and then we need to run.¡± ina hadn¡¯t needed the reminder that she was still just in her sheer underwear, but having it pointed out again did refocus her thoughts. She¡¯d somehow managed to strip anything that could be considered a restraint off of the would-be thief, but she¡¯d only managed that after stripping down to her own underwear herself. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get dressed first,¡± ina said in unison with the creaking of trees, wood starting to snap as one of the giant creatures lunged at its chains. ¡°No time,¡± Flora said, heaving Tira¡¯s unconscious body over her own bare shoulders as Carline ran up with a bundle of cloth. ¡°We¡¯ve gotta get away from both these things and that woman.¡± ina wanted to retort again, argue somehow, but she couldn¡¯t muster the words. Despite everything, the fear and adrenaline¡ªor maybe because of those emotions with [Fear Response]¡ªthe idea of running down the road in her current state still excited her. She wasn¡¯t even sure whether Flora was actually making the decision for safety¡¯s sake, and she didn¡¯t care either. How far were they going to have to run, and what would they do if they saw someone on the road? She was running before she could manage to form a coherent answer in her mind. Time seemed to slow as the ran away, even though ina was running as fast as she could. Flora was ahead of her, bare ass bouncing with each stride from her long slender legs, and ina could hardly think of anything else. The only other thought in her mind was that she was almost as bare herself, only the bundle of items she¡¯d grabbed with [Restraint] and the thin underwear she had one covering her. Carline was behind both of them, would have a view of both of them. Is she looking at Flora, or me? Gods, I hope it¡¯s me. She wasn¡¯t sure how long they¡¯d been running, but it had to have been long enough that they were out of danger. She¡¯d poured enough mana into the restraints she¡¯d made tost at least a little while, and she was sure the other woman wouldn¡¯t be fast enough to keep up with them. Thinking of that reminded her of the bra that she was still carrying, how she¡¯d inadvertently managed to strip not just herself but their escaped captive as well. She wondered for a moment what it would be like to be in that situation, but it probably wasn¡¯t as exciting. Just braless was tame for ina at this point, after all. ¡°Hey, turn around!¡± Flora said from up front. ina obeyed, looking over her shoulder, but only Carline was there. She turned back to Flora to ask what she was talking about, but then she realized that Flora probably hadn¡¯t been talking to her at all and was more than likely talking to two people sitting on the cart in front of them. ina cursed herself for being so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn¡¯t noticed them approaching. It was a man and a woman, both at least a good ten years older than any of ina¡¯s party. The man was pulling back on the reins of the horse pulling them along, eyes about to jump out of their sockets as he stared at the girls, his face almost as red as ina imagined her own would be. The woman looked shocked as well, but she looked more like she was trying to hold backughter than embarrassment. ¡°Are¡ª are you girls okay?¡± The man said as his horses slowed down and ina¡¯s party skidded to a stop.¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine,¡± Flora answered, making no effort to hide herself as she spoke. She didn¡¯t even look excited like ina would¡¯ve imagined her, almost like she had forgotten she was naked entirely. ¡°There¡¯s monsters up ahead though; they caught us at an awkward time.¡± The woman failed to maintain herposure, finally letting out a heartyugh. ¡°There aren¡¯t any monsters around here, but whatever happened it sure does seem like it was at an awkward time.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not joking,¡± Flora said, letting Tira slip off her shoulders and into her arms. ¡°You need to turn back now.¡± The woman¡¯s face shifted to concern for a moment, almost seeming like she was arguing with herself over whether Flora was telling the truth. ¡°I think they¡¯re serious, hun,¡± the man eventually said, looking to his riding partner. ¡°Is she hurt?¡± the woman said, looking at Tira. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine,¡± Carline said, ¡°but I need to take care of her, and I can¡¯t while we¡¯re running. Can we ride back to Castletown with you?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the man said, yanking his horse¡¯s reins to the side and turning the cart around. The back was mostly full of various baskets of food, but there would be enough room for the party if they squeezed in. ¡°Hop on.¡± Flora was first to jump on,ying Tira across the floor as Carline climbed in. ina clutched her bag to her chest, trying to maintain some semnce of coverage as she climbed onto the cart and the man whipped at the reins. ina almost fell backwards onto the road as the horse started off at a run, dropping her bag to the floor and grabbing the side of the cart to avoid falling off. ¡°What happened to her?¡± the woman said, leaning over from the front seat and looking at Tira. ¡°Venom,¡± Carline said, closing her eyes and cing her hands on Tira¡¯s arm, where she¡¯d first been scratched. ¡°Stars, it¡¯s been so long now¡­ It¡¯s going to be hard at this point.¡± ¡°You can do it though, right?¡± Flora said as she picked up the remains of her sundress, frowning. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°You can fix her,¡± Flora said, cing a hand on Carline¡¯s head and smiling. Carline was too focused to even see it, but Flora¡¯s smile somehow seemed so warm that ina knew Carline would be feeling it anyway. ¡°But my dress might be beyond repair¡­¡± It looked even worse now that ina could see it up close. She¡¯d known the straps were both broken, but the ¡°Did¡ª did the monsters do that?¡± the woman said, staring at the destroyed clothing. ¡°Yeah,¡± Flora said, shing the woman a quick smile as she threw the dress down. ¡°Hey, you won¡¯t tell anyone you found us like this, right? It¡¯s kind of embarrassing for Endrin students after all, and we have a reputation to maintain. The both of you can have one good long look before I get dressed if you promise that.¡± The woman responded with only a ck-jawed mouth, but the man shot a quick nce over his shoulder with wide eyes. ¡°Are¡ª is that okay? You¡¯re sure?¡± ¡°Of course it is,¡± Flora said, cocking her head to the side as if there was no possible reason it wouldn¡¯t be okay, ¡°you two are our saviors, after all, so you should get some kind of reward.¡± She turned to ina, warm grin burning into the girl¡¯s soul. ¡°You can get dressed first if you want.¡± ina was frozen, hands covering both her crotch and her breasts. Whether Flora had meant to or not, she¡¯d directed all eyes except Carline¡¯s onto her. ¡°No, uhm, it¡¯s fine,¡± ina said, dropping her arms. ¡°It¡¯s only¡ª only fair, right?¡± Flora¡¯s lips turned upward even more as ina felt herself going as red as the beets in the basket next to her, both husband and wife¡ªshe presumed¡ªstaring directly at her. She could feel her panties going damp, nipples going hard against the transparent fabric as six sets of eyes fell over her body. It felt like forever before the man looked back to the road and woman shifted her gaze to Flora¡¯s naked body. ina couldn¡¯t me her really, since the girl was showing off way more skin, but she still felt a little jealous, blushing even more as she realized she actually did want to be seen that way. For a brief moment as the man turned back around and also started staring at Flora, ina even entertained the idea of stripping off her underwear herself, but there was no way she could offer such a shameful thing, not unprompted. Gods, what am I turning into? She grabbed her shirt from the pile of clothes on the cart floor and slipped it on, going for her skirt next, which she found next to a mostly unfamiliar tunic, one missing all its buttons. It only took her a moment to realize the bra wasn¡¯t actually the only article of clothing she¡¯d managed to strip off of their captive before she escaped. Ch 2.35: Antidote Ch 2.35: Antidote Carline was somehow managing to ignore the things going on around her in the cart. Didn¡¯t Flora know that she still had to deal with the venom inside Tira¡¯s system? It wasn¡¯t like Tira was in any immediate danger, and Flora probably knew that Carline would¡¯ve mentioned if that were the case, but still, there were times for levity and times for seriousness. But Flora was distracting ina at least. Maybe that was Carline¡¯s real frustration, that she couldn¡¯t partake in the distraction, but it may very well have been good for everyone else involved. No, it was good for the rest of them to have some relief. Flora was right: Carline could do this, and then she¡¯d get to rest like the others. At least it seemed like such a sure thing when the reassurance came out of Flora¡¯s mouth, but the reality was much moreplicated. There was something inside of Tira, something unlike anything Carline had learned about in her handful of months studying medicine, but it had already spread throughout her body, into her muscture. It was strangely unaggressive, like the only purpose of the venom was to cause pain. If Tira had still been awake, Carline couldn¡¯t imagine she¡¯d be able to feel anything else There was only one thing Carline could think to do in the situation. She opened her eyes, sneaking a quick nce at Flora as she reached into her bag for her knife. Flora was too distracting to look at that, wearing a buttonless tunic over her chest and only covering her lower half by using her torn dress as a nket, so Carline snapped her head back towards Tira, noting that ina had apparently already gotten dressed again out the corner of her eye. ¡°I¡¯m going to need to make a wound to bleed out the venom.¡± ¡°Is that safe?¡± the man up front said, looking back over his shoulder at the girls. ¡°She knows what she¡¯s doing,¡± Flora said. Carline could tell the words were directed at her more than anyone else, and she appreciated them, weight lifting off of her ever so slightly as she pressed the t of the de against Tira¡¯s arm. Closing her eyes again, Carline peered through [Health], into the systems of Tira¡¯s body that she was bing ever so slightly familiar with. She wished her aspect gave her all the knowledge she needed about the body, but it wasn¡¯t quite that simple. Still, she¡¯d learned a lot in a short time, and a good portion of that was due to something that had otherwise been terrible. Starhounds, creatures born from the night sky when people made ill wishes to the stars. That¡¯s what Carline had been taught of them anyway, though she was learning that some things she¡¯d learned over her life weren¡¯t always urate. Her encounters with them had taught her a lot about the world atrge, her ignorance in the face of the true horrors of the universe, but also about the human body. She focused on Tira¡¯s body, her natural being, separating everything foreign to the body in her mind. She¡¯d first done it when removing the starhounds¡¯ acid-like venom from ina in their first fight together, and while the venom in Tira wasn¡¯t quite so aggressive, so foreign, the same concept would apply. She hoped so, anyway. Squeezing on the invasion inside Tira¡¯s bloodstream, Carline started reversing its course, pooling the venom back into the arm it had first entered from. Carline had already sealed that wound of course, but it was still where thergest concentration of the venom was, so it also made sense as the ce to try and remove it. She could feel the pain receptors in Tira¡¯s body letting out sighs of relief, the body itself rxing as it was slowly being freed from the grasps of agony it was under. In the blood, the venom was actually harmless, causing no pain at all, no destruction, so Carline kept it there, working it back to the ce it had forced its entry, and where she would force its exit. She sliced Tira¡¯s arm as gently as she could, along the same line she¡¯d been cut originally, pushing the blood out of it with [Health], as little as possible while still forcing out the toxin. ¡°Here,¡± Flora said, ripping off a piece of her dress and handing it over. ¡°Thanks,¡± Carline said as she ced it under Tira¡¯s arm. Doctor Thims would probably scream if he learned Carline was using such an unsanitary cloth near an open wound, but it wasn¡¯t like Tira was going to get an infection when Carline was around anyway. She focused her attention where it mattered, pooling the the venom out of Tira¡¯s body, clearing her system of any danger. It wasn¡¯t even hard, really, notpared to the starhound manes that fought back as you tried to expel them. In almost no time at all Carline was closing the wound she¡¯d cut, tossing her makeshift bandage to the side as she ced her hands on Tira¡¯s head. And in an instant Tira woke up, gasping. Carline jumped back, not expecting it to happen that fast, but she supposed Tira had probably been trying to wake the entire time anyway. ¡°Whoa,¡± Tira said, sitting up and looking at her left arm, ¡°my hand is tingly.¡± ¡°Sorry,¡± Carline said, bowing her head. ¡°I tried to get it all, but it¡¯s kind of hard to get a hold of.¡± ¡°Tira!¡± ina shouted as she threw her arms around the girl. Tira patted ina on the back, looking around her, at the cart and the people they were with. ¡°Good to see you too, but what the hell happened? Where are we?¡± ¡°This nice couple gave us a ride,¡± Flora said, gesturing to the front. ¡°We¡¯re safe now now though.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Tira said, pushing ina away and looking around again. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°She¡­¡± ina trailed off, looked ashamed as she broke eye contact. ¡°She got away; nothing we could have done about it. We¡¯ll talk about itter,¡± Flora said, again gesturing to the man and woman at the head of the cart. Tira bit her lip, obviously wanting to know more, but nodding her head. ¡°We¡¯re all safe at least¡­ Oh, and thanks to you two, by the way. I wish we could repay you somehow.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you worry about that,¡± the woman said with a giggle. ¡°We¡¯ve enjoyed yourpany, and the view.¡± Tira looked confused for a moment beforending her gaze on Flora¡¯s alleged ¡°outfit¡± and rolling her eyes. ¡°Well, d that worked out at least.¡± Carline wasn¡¯t sure, but she actually thought ina got away with hiding her blushing face from Tira. ¡°This sucks though. Are the monsters dead, or are they still out there?¡± ¡°Still alive,¡± ina said, rposing her face. ¡°We¡¯ll need to tell the town guard.¡± ¡°And then get some rest,¡± Tira said, copsing back to the floor of the cart with a thud. ¡°We¡¯re staying in town tonight, no matter what.¡± ¡°That¡¯s uncharacteristically rxed of you,¡± Flora said as she gently nudged Tira with her foot, her open top shifting, not quite giving a show of everything. ¡°I still feel weird,¡± Tira said, lifting her arm again. ¡°Besides, we¡¯re technically still on mission. We need to stay nearby, especially with monsters near town.¡± ¡°Good point,¡± Flora said. ¡°We have budget for two rooms, right?¡± Two rooms? That was perfect, a way to get alone time with ina before they got back to school, enough time to talk about¡ª ¡°Yep, and dibs on rooming with ina,¡± Tira said with a lustful grin. ¡°You two like rooming together anyway, right?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Flora said, beaming at Carline. Carline herself just sighed. She knew why Tira wanted to room with ina of course, and she sympathized with the desire. Tira probably also falsely assumed the same thing would work out for Flora and Carline herself, but Carline knew that Flora had little interest in sex unless it was outdoors, so that probably didn¡¯t even matter. ¡°That¡¯s fine with me,¡± ina said, a light flush on her face. Carline could feel it through her aspect, arousal burning in both Tira and ina. She could let them have the night together she supposed, as long as she got a chance to speak to ina before they got back to school in the morning. Ch 2.36: Comfort Ch 2.36: Comfort ¡°Castle¡¯s Wake¡± read the sign above the doorway to the building they were walking too, a pattern of waves underneath the writing. It was an interesting name for an inn, ina thought. Carline had told her a wake was a word used for boats, but there wasn¡¯t a body of water nearby really. Still, it had been a long two days, and she was ready to rx. ¡°I wonder if we shouldn¡¯t just go back to school to talk to Alonse,¡± Tira said as they approached the building with the hanging sign. ¡°I don¡¯t think the guards really believed me.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t believe the giant typus thing,¡± Flora said, seeming unconcerned, ¡°but they knew something happened to us, that something weird is out there. They¡¯ll be on alert, at the very least.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already dark anyways,¡± ina said as Tira stopped outside the door. It wasn¡¯t actually quite dark yet, the sun just starting to crest over the tall valley they were in, but ina didn¡¯t really care for the particrs at the moment. ¡°And you shouldn¡¯t be out and about with your arm hurt anyway.¡± Tira looked down, realizing she¡¯d been absentmindedly rubbing at her limb. ¡°It really doesn¡¯t hurt, just tingles in a weird way. But you¡¯re right I guess. They budgeted us one night¡¯s stay in town, so we may as well use it. We¡¯ll still be getting back early tomorrow morning regardless.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit,¡± Flora said, pushing the swinging door open and walking in, effectively ending the discussion. ¡°Let¡¯s eat!¡± Food sounded great, warm food specifically. ina hadn¡¯t really enjoyed inn food much on her trip to Endrin from her home, but it was better than the dried fare she¡¯d been eating thest two days. As she entered the door behind Flora and Carline though, the scent of herbs coalesced around her, driving saliva to the front of her mouth and gripping hold of her mind. The food at Endrin had been good, wonderful even, but there had been something missing to it, a homelinesscking in the vors. She¡¯d grown up eating stews, pies, casseroles and the like, one note in texture, but filled with vor, and those vors weren¡¯t quite the same at Endrin, but from the smell of the inn alone she could tell this ce was different. ¡°Hello, students,¡± a man said with a wide as he carried tankards in front of them, cing them down on a full table and then gesturing to an empty one. ¡°Have a seat.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Tira said with a polite bow before she and the other girls went to sit at the table. ina looked down at her uniform as she followed, feeling a bit embarrassed at the state of it. She was the only one wearing it after all, though Flora¡¯s makeshift skirt made out of the remains from her sundress and the shirt she¡¯d borrowed from Tira would¡¯ve presumably made her stand out more, it was ina¡¯s outfit that had given them away. ¡°Are you four here just for food, or staying the night?¡± the man said as he walked back behind the bar. ¡°Official business, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Tira said as she slumped her bag onto the floor. ¡°I thought as much, considering the uniform,¡± the man said as he returned with four copper mugs. ¡°Cider it is then.¡± ¡°Cider instead of what?¡± Carline asked, looking confused. ¡°Instead of booze,¡± Flora said. ¡°Come on Carly; you¡¯re not that naive.¡± ¡°But that would be against your school rules,¡± the man said as he ced the mugs down, Carline looking down and blushing. ¡°And a respectable man like myself would never put four youngdies like yourselves in apromising position, of course.¡± There was a yful glint in his eye as he said the words, smiling at ina. There was a lift to his ent too, a sound more akin to ina¡¯s own. He looked mostly unremarkable, a reddish tint to his hair, a thick coiled beard, and high cheeks. But that ordinary look made him stand out from most of the people ina had met sinceing to Endrin, almost out of ce in how normal it was, because while it would¡¯ve been normal back home, here in Castle Town it was unusual. ¡°Excuse me,¡± ina said, ¡°but are you¡­¡± ¡°From up north like you? No, but my parents were,¡± the man said as he extended his hand out. ¡°Name¡¯s Able.¡± ¡°ina,¡± she replied, taking his hand and shaking it. ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± he said with a quick bow before heading back behind the counter. ¡°I¡¯ll grab your food,dies, be just a moment.¡± ¡°He seems nice,¡± Flora said as she looked around the room. ¡°This ce is a little odd though.¡± Odd? ina didn¡¯t really understand, though she hadn¡¯t really taken notice to anything when she came in. It all looked normal to her, light wood floors with animal pelts covering high traffic areas, cobblestone supports, tables and chairs that had been built with sharp edges, but worn smooth over time. ¡°Seems normal to me.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Flora asked, eyes lighting up with interest. ¡°Is this how things are like where you¡¯re from?¡± ¡°I guess? It just seems¡­ just seems normal.¡± ina felt a little put on the spot, even thought the rest of her group was looking at the room around them instead of at her. ¡°It¡¯s nice,¡± Tira said. ¡°Not too different from my home.¡± ¡°Were you from up north?¡± ina asked. ¡°No, the capital. But my family isn¡¯t from around there. They¡¯re from way up north, outside the kingdom.¡± Outside the kingdom. ina had always known that was a thing, of course, but she didn¡¯t really have a reference to what that was. She was about to ask about it, but Able returned with four bowls of steaming stew, cing them in front of each of the girls as the smell of the food took hold over ina¡¯s mind. ¡°Let me know if you want more,¡± he said. ¡°And when you¡¯re done I¡¯ll get your rooms sorted, alright?¡± ¡°Sounds wonderful, thank you very much,¡± Tira said as she grabbed a spoon. ina watched for a moment as her friends nonchntly began eating their bowls of stew. It was wild to her, how little reaction they seemed to have eating it. Did it just smell better than it tasted? She grabbed her own spoon and dove in to test it. No, it didn¡¯t just smell good. The creamy stew was thick and rich, earthy aromas dancing in her mouth, onions, thyme, carrots. It was honestly better than anything her mother or father had cooked, had a little bit of that texture contrast from whole roasted vegetables in it that she was getting used to at Endrin, but the vors were the exact same as back home, were home to her. The only thing better than this was¡ª She caught Tira¡¯s nce as she opened her eyes, seeing the lust in the woman¡¯s gaze. ¡°Enjoying yourself?¡± the woman asked. ¡°Y¡ª yeah¡­¡± ina said, barely able to get the word out. ¡°Well eat up, but don¡¯t knock yourself out,¡± Tira said, returning to her own bowl. ¡°We¡¯re rooming together tonight, remember.¡± ina blushed at the statement, looking to the other two girls to see their reactions. Carline was blushing too, doing her best to maintain eye contact with her soup, but Flora just raised a curious eyebrow at ina. ¡°Right,¡± ina said, shoveling another spoonful of stew into her mouth in an attempt to end the conversation, or rather dy it. She didn¡¯t want the conversation to finish entirely, because as good as the soup was, there was still one thing that felt better than it, and she was pretty sure Tira would be serving that up to herter that night. Ch 2.37: Guests Ch 2.37: Guests Thoughts of spending the night with Tira dancing through her head, it was difficult for ina to keep focused on her meal, no matter how good it tasted. She¡¯d been thinking a weekend out with the girls would¡¯ve led to maybe even more than that, but that had always been wishful thinking; the four of them didn¡¯t quite have that kind of rtionship, right? ¡°I¡¯m expecting another person from your school sometime soon,¡± Abel said, breaking ina out of her thoughts as he came over with a pitcher to refill their drinks. ¡°Another group of students?¡± Flora asked as she went to grab her mug. ¡°Not sure, but they only reserved one room. Paying for it even if it¡¯s kept empty, which is pretty nice I must stay.¡± Once his pitcher was empty he reached in his pocket, pulling out two keys, each attached to a numbered piece of wood. ¡°And speaking of rooms, four and five are yours tonight. Both have two beds, so no need to worry about that.¡± ¡°What if we wanted a room with onerge bed?¡± Tira asked, causing ina to choke into her mug a bit. It was a forwardness she¡¯d expect from someone like Flora, but not Tira. Maybe the former was rubbing off? ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t normally mind, but the only empty one I have is reserved like I said,¡± Abel said, seemingly undisturbed by the request. ¡°Shame,¡± Flora said, ¡°guess we won¡¯t get to fight over it after all.¡± Carline was the one who choked this time. Abel returned to his work, and ina¡¯s party returned to their meal. ¡°I really do hope those monsters don¡¯te near here,¡± Carline said, breaking the silence. ¡°You¡¯re worrying too much,¡± Flora said, finally finishing her bowl and stretching her arms out. ¡°They were miles away from town, and I saw one of them out there a few months ago, and it still hasn¡¯t shown up here.¡± ¡°It is weird though, right?¡± Carline said. ¡°No one¡¯s seen these things in how long?¡± ina nced at her bag down on the floor. ¡°Something like nine hundred years, but that¡¯s probably a conversation forter,¡± she said, gesturing to the bag for the others to see. ¡°ina¡¯s right,¡± Tira said as she stood up and grabbed one of the keys, chair legs creaking across the wood floor. ¡°Right now it¡¯s time to rest.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Flora said with a smirk. ¡°It¡¯s only what, seven or eight?¡± ¡°I need to rest up,¡± Tira said, patting her injured arm. ¡°Doctor¡¯s orders, right Carline?¡± ¡°Uhm, I¡¯m not a doctor, but probably.¡± ¡°Right right, go rest up then,¡± Flora said, ¡°but don¡¯t rest so hard we miss checkout. ina, you keep her in line, okay?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ina nearly squeaked out the reply, not expecting to be addressed. How exactly was she supposed to keep Tira of all people in line? But Flora¡¯s subsequentugh made it clear that ina wasn¡¯t actually expected to do any of the sort. ¡°Come on,¡± Tira said, ignoring Flora and grabbing ina¡¯s bag. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± The tone of her voice was different. It was a subtle change, one probably only ina noticed. Tira always had a sense of authority in her words, and that was still there, but there was also an element of yfulness that was usually absent. ytime¡¯s already started, ina realized. She stood up, following Tira towards the stairs. She knew better than to make Tira wait when she got like this. It felt like all eyes should be on them, but everyone in the inn seemed to be absorbed in their own tables, their own conversations. How could anyone look anywhere but Tira when she walked like that, dominance in each step of her boot, authority with each sway of her hips? It wasn¡¯t long before Tira had led her up the stairs, was deftly unlocking their room¡¯s door before sliding inside. ina went to follow still, but Tira turned around, blocking the entrance. ¡°Flora told me about something unfair that happened earlier.¡± Unfair? Given the context, given it was Flora that said it, she could only mean one thing. ¡°You¡ª you were asleep?¡± ina wasn¡¯t sure why it was a question. ¡°You liked it, didn¡¯t you? Being undressed in public?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Yes what?¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress, I did like it¡­¡± ¡°Good. But I can¡¯t be the only one that didn¡¯t see it, right?¡± ina understood. She knew she could stop it too with her safeword, that Tira would let her in at anytime with just two sybles. She also knew that at that moment, she wanted nothing more than to obey everyst one of Tira¡¯s words. ¡°Right, mistress¡­¡± She looked down each side of the hall as she reached for the top button of her jacket. Ch 2.38: Obedience Ch 2.38: Obedience ina undid the first button with trembling hands. This was too much, right? She was still out in the hallway, and it wasn¡¯t like at school where Tira knew no one would show up. Regardless, she didn¡¯t want to stop. ¡°You¡¯re worried about it taking too long? About how someone coulde up at any time?¡± ina was embarrassed at how obvious she was, but she nodded. ¡°Well, if you still want to do it but want it over with faster, you could always try being a good girl.¡± Good girl? No, what Tira meant was [Good Girl]. ina had obviously thought of using the ability in less than practical ways, but they hadn¡¯t really discussed it up until now. She looked down the hall again, finding no one on either side. Right now she was stillpletely chaste with only one button undone, but if she kept going at this pace then that wouldn¡¯t be the case for long. Tira could get over in an instant, with onemand. And it honestly annoyed ina that she hadn¡¯t already. Didn¡¯t she know ina was already a good girl, that she wouldn¡¯t mind taking any orders? She was about toin, but when she looked up at Tira her heart melted, and the words hung unsaid. Tira¡¯s eyes were full of excitement, but also warmth, and her mouth was hanging open, both in anticipation and concern. It was obvious Tira wanted the same thing ina did, but it was even more obvious that she wanted ina to be happy with whatever was about to happen. All ina could do was smile as she spoke. ¡°I want to be a good girl, so I¡¯ll do anything you say. I¡¯ll say the safeword if it¡¯s too much, but you can tell me to do anything.¡± Tira hesitated, but she did nod back. It wasn¡¯t a perfect solution, ina knew, since once Tira said to do something rting to ina¡¯s aspect ina had to obey due to her skill, but it was good enough. She knew Tira wouldn¡¯t go too over the top without checking in again at least. ¡°Strip.¡± ina felt [Good Girl] activate. Somehow she knew what Tira meant, knew that Tira intended for her to do it with her aspect instead of her hands this time. It was a strange sensation, her body still belonging to her, but her mind betraying her, acting on its own. That sixth sense, the fifth limb that was [Restraint] was no longer hers anymore, and it worked its way around her body, an unstoppable force gripping at her clothes. It was all over as soon as it began, the sp holding her skirt up, the two remaining buttons on her jacket and all the buttons on her shirt, and even the knot of her bowtie all came undone at once, the garments shooting backwards and onto the ground. She was once again standing there, only in her boots and transparent underwear, nothing more than a piece of art to be admired by her mistress. But her aspect didn¡¯t return to her. She felt iting, the finishing of the job as the sp of her bra started to push in, pulled upward, and then pull away. She let out a yelp, failing to grasp the garment as it shot forward in between Tira¡¯s legs. Tira looked just as shocked as ina felt, standing there dumbstruck as ina covered herself with her hands, seeing her chest go as red as she expected her face was. Tira might not have meant for ina to strip everything, but themand was apparently vague enough that ina had interpreted it that way. A unlocked from the room across the hall. ¡°Let me in!¡± ina hissed, turning back and watching the door start to creak open. She instinctively reached for [Restraint], grabbing hold of the door¡¯s lock and jamming it shut again. ¡°The hell, something¡¯s wrong with the door,¡± a man said from the other side. ¡°Sorry sorry,¡± Tira said, running out into the hall and letting ina pass. ina bolted into the room, throwing herself to the floor on the other side of the door as she let the other door lock go free. ¡°Are you okay? I heard someone yelling.¡± Gods, if I hadn¡¯t locked that door who knows what would¡¯ve happened. ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Tira said, the most nervous ina had ever heard her. ¡°I just, uhm, I let my luggage spill out is all, and got surprised. Sorry to bother you!¡± ¡°Uh, okay?¡± When Tira rushed in with fright in her eyes and the bundle of ina¡¯s clothes in her hands, kicking the bra across the room and mming the door shut with her back, ina couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°I¡¯m not sure who¡¯s more embarrassed, you or me.¡± ¡°ina,¡± Tira said, dropping the clothes and getting on her knees, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, did I do that? I didn¡¯t mean the bra too!¡± ¡°No, it was¡­ It¡¯s just what my brain interpreted.¡± Or what my brain wanted. ¡°It¡¯s fine though; it was kind of exciting.¡± Tira sighed in relief, bowing her head down. ¡°I¡¯m still sorry. I nned on just letting you in right away, but I froze.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± ina said, cing a hand on Tira¡¯s face, gently rubbing against her cheek. She could see here clearly now, and despite everything, the dirt on her face, the smudged eyeliner, the messy ck hair, Tira¡¯s face in the moment was maybe the most beautiful thing ina had ever seen. ¡°Was¡ª was I a good girl, though?¡± That was the hardest part, the most demeaning aspect of it all. Asking if she was a good girl was somehow more embarrassing than anything else that had happened that day. Tira took another deep breath and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re a very good girl.¡± ina wasn¡¯t sure what she expected next, but it wasn¡¯t the soft kiss that fell on her lips, the gentle hand stroking her hair, the cozy grip around her thigh. ina leaned forward into the kiss, returning Tira¡¯s passion with her own tongue, running her hands down Tira¡¯s shirt and gripping her hips. They copsed to the ground,pletely ignoring the two beds in the room. They were already and the floor, and they need each other now. The first time the kiss broke was when Tira squeezed at ina¡¯s nipple, eliciting a moan that ina knew anyone around them could hear. Tira didn¡¯t stop though, pinching the sensitive flesh with her fingers and leaving ina no recourse other than to dive back into the kiss and muffle her subsequent moans. And it only got harder as Tira changed up the flow, a soft stroke across ina¡¯s breast as her tongue ravished ina¡¯s mouth, then a hard squeeze with her fingertips while her lips littered ina¡¯s with soft pecks. And then Tira¡¯s other hand went lower, one long fingernail tracing the hem of ina¡¯s panties, slightly breaching the seal and slipping in between the fabric and her skin. ina couldn¡¯t take it. She leaned back, arching her spine upwards and reaching down to pull off her underwear. ¡°No.¡± ina froze in her tracks, confused. She wouldn¡¯t dare disobey an order for her mistress, but why would Tira want her to stop? She looked back up, and it seemed like Tira herself wasn¡¯t even sure why she¡¯d said it, biting her lip and looking to the side as she stood up. ¡°You were a very good girl, so I think you deserve a reward.¡± Tira bent down, undoing her boots and kicking them off before unceremoniously peeling off her pants and socks together as ina rose up to her knees, getting a glimpse of Tira¡¯s brown underwear. They were thick, undecorated, almost more like skintight short than panties, and inly more suited for travel than what ina was wearing, nowhere near as risque as the open bottom pair ina had seen Tira in before, but that somehow made it better. These were just what Tira wore underneath her clothes, not meant to be shown off, not meant to be seen. Then Tira grabbed the bottom of her shirt, raising it up with quivering hands and revealing a toned stomach, ina¡¯s mouth beginning to fill with saliva at the sight of it as the shirt continued upwards, cresting over a brown bra that was equally as unadorned as the matching underwear below it, cradling Tira¡¯s beautifully crafted chest, pushing them into her torso ever so slightly. It was all so in, but stillmore of Tira than ina had ever seen, more than the System gear Tira had somehow. And even with her dark brown skin, ina could tell Tira was blushing as the shirt pulled over her head and Tira threw her arms over her torso. ¡°No one¡¯s¡­ no one¡¯s ever seen me like this before¡­¡± ina knew she should say something, not just sit there ck-jawed and bug-eyed, but it was so hard to form words. There was no way to craft a sentence that could epass the depths of her feelings, so she decided to just let the first words that came to mind fall out instead. ¡°Then I¡¯m the luckiest person in the world.¡± The words hung in the air for as ina stared at the goddess before her, uncaring of how much time passed. Tira was like a statue the entire time, eyes meeting ina¡¯s gaze, looking down on her from above until finally she broke. ina was about to stand up, follow Tira to the bed and do whatever it was else Tira had nned for the night, but she stopped when she realized that Tira wasn¡¯t walking away, wasn¡¯t moving her legs at all. No, Tira¡¯s legs stayed still as her arms moved instead, reaching behind her back. ina could feel the sp of Tira¡¯s brae apart with [Restraint] as Tira began to slide the straps off her shoulders. Ch 2.39: Reward Ch 2.39: Reward Love was a strong word, one Tira wasn¡¯t willing to use lightly. She wasn¡¯t sure she was even able to feel the same type of love she heard her ssmates talk about, and she knew she¡¯d never evene close to feeling anything like what her parents described feeling for each other, but as those words came out of ina¡¯s mouth, ¡°Then I¡¯m the luckiest person in the world,¡± Tira did feel something in her heart, something she¡¯d never felt before, and something that wasn¡¯t entirely unwee. She¡¯d always enjoyed ying with people, both in the sense of her ying with someone else and ying together with someone, and that had been enough. It probably still would be enough, if something ever came between her and ina, but having a real friend to do this sort of thing with, someone she genuinely enjoyed spending time with outside of ¡°ytime¡± was new to her. And for some reason, for the first time in her life, she¡¯d just taken her shirt off in front of someone, was standing in front of ina in just her underwear. It wasn¡¯t embarrassing per se, just terrifying. Showing your stomach is a sign of submission in animals for a reason, so why should it be any different for people? When you do that, you¡¯re giving someone power over you. It¡¯s why Tira liked ordering people to strip, anyway. She needed to be in control, needed to make sure no one had that control over her. Maybe it was that both of her mothers werew enforcement, that the need for authority was somehow baked into her blood and upbringing. More than one past partner had suggested such a thing, but Tira didn¡¯t really buy it. She was who she was, and she wasn¡¯t ashamed of that. She wasn¡¯t ashamed of how the girl in front of her made her feel either. And that¡¯s why she was reaching behind her back, shaking fingers fiddling with her bra strap. She hadn¡¯t intended to go this far. She would have removed her panties, sure, but that would have been for practical reasons, just to give ina ess to pleasure her. Tira¡¯s breasts were hers, something that she¡¯d never intended for anyone to see. But still the straps of her bra slid off her shoulders, and the garment fell to the ground. Tira almost expected some cmitous sound, but it was of course silent, a small matter of gravity pulling down a piece of fabric. It felt way more impactful than it was in the grand scheme of things, but Tira couldn¡¯t help blushing, couldn¡¯t help covering her chest as she finally sumbed to real embarrassment. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s your reward. Now you can strip the rest.¡± ina was still at first, not even reacting to themand. Tira would¡¯ve punished other partners for less, but she was starting to realize she had a soft spot for this one, and she gave her a little more leeway. It was only a short pause before ina did start to move after all, standing up and sliding off her boots and socks, then stepping out of her panties and waiting for furthermands. Tira had conflicting desires. She wanted to kiss ina again, but the way the girl was standing, heavy breaths, one arm across her chest as the other rested on her crotch, the look of unmistakable lust in her eyes, it was all too much for Tira to ignore. Kissing coulde after, she guessed. ¡°Are you covering yourself from me, ina?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ina looked down at her arms and then threw them to the side. ¡°No, I¡ª I just didn¡¯t know what to do with them, so¡ª¡± ¡°Tie them behind your back.¡± Tira had infused the words with her intent, the specificity that it need to be done with ina¡¯s aspect inherent in themand itself, not needing to be stated outright. And it worked, thanks to ina¡¯s [Good Girl] skill she conjured a rope around her wrists, presumably without thinking, gasping as the rope tied around her limbs and pulled them behind her. Tira stepped forward, dropping her own arms. Now that she was in control again, it was easier to let go. ¡°Now that¡¯s a good girl. From now on, whenever I give you amand, any ina was practically drooling as she looked up, nodding, barely muttering the words, ¡°Yes, mistress,¡± as she panted. ¡°Good, kneel.¡± To her credit, ina did obey instantly, but she struggled to get to her knees with her arms tied back, causing her to fall to her knees instead of gently sitting down. It was cute, watching her chest bounce as she tried to keep her bnce. Tira was almost envious of howrge ina¡¯s tits were, how cute the little nipples on them looked when she was turned on, but overall Tira was happy with the situation as it was. It was better to let someone willing to show them off have them, after all. Tira smiled and nted her hands on her hips, already knowing she¡¯d seed with her next trap. ¡°Take off my panties.¡± It really was too easy, too fun watching ina pull at her own restraints, staring up with a look of confusion. ¡°Uhm¡ª¡± ¡°Too slow. Head on the ground, now.¡± Tira didn¡¯t wait to see if ina did it immediately, instead going over to her bag, pulling out the same flogger she¡¯d used on their first night together. By the time she turned around at least, ina had ced her forehead on the ground like she was ordered. ¡°This is only cause you were a bad girl, ina,¡± Tira said as she bent over her sub. ¡°Ass up now.¡± ina obeyed again, sticking her backside up as far as she could. Tira wound up with her flogger, hesitating for just a moment. Thest time she¡¯d done this she hadn¡¯t had a ss or the increased strength that came with is, so she was a little nervous. But [Good Girl] wasn¡¯t the only skill ina had after all, so not all of her blow would register as pain anyway. Still, Tira tempered her blow as she struck, not wanting to go overboard. As the smack rang out, a moan of pleasure rose out of ina, assuaging Tira¡¯s fears. She¡¯d need to talk it outpletely with ina to make sure they were on the same page regarding pain, but for now she knew she wasn¡¯t goingpletely overboard at least, so she continued with a second strike, increasing the intensity of her blow, receiving an equal increase in the volume of the resulting moan. The pattern continued, Tira hitting harder and coaxing loader sounds of pleasure a third, fourth, a fifth time, until the sixth swat hit, Tira finally tapping into that increased strength she had from her ss and drawing out a cry that was equal amounts pleasure and pain. ¡°That¡¯s enough for now,¡± Tira said, both to ina and herself. ¡°Knees again.¡± ina lifted up, again struggling to do so without her arms. As she did, Tira realized maybe she hadn¡¯t even gone far enough, as ina¡¯s red face, wide open mouth, and pleading eyes all seemed to be begging for more. Yes, they definitely needed to do some stress testing togetherter to find out ina¡¯s limits, but for now Tira needed something else. ¡°My underwear. Take them off.¡± Tira threw ina the bone this time, thrusting her pelvis into the girl¡¯s eager face. ina understood this time, leaning forward and clenching her teeth around the waistband of Tira¡¯s panties and slowly starting to work them down. Ch 2.40: Relief Ch 2.40: Relief ina looked up at Tira¡¯s face as she leaned in towards the top of Tira¡¯s panties. It was honestly torture, not being able to touch herself right now due to her hands being tied back, but she knew it would make what was still toe so much better. She ced her teeth on the fabric, biting and pulling down, feeling the Tira¡¯s thin strip of pubic hair brushing against her nose as she pulled, smelling the scent of Tira¡¯s pussy as her nose brushed into the folds. ina did her best to keep her bnce, but she fell as she tried to remove the underwear gracefully, sliding both the cloth and her face to the floor. Tiraughed as she stepped out of her final piece of clothing and back away from ina. ¡°Sit up again.¡± Panties still hanging out of her mouth, ina rose. It was humiliating to be looking up at her mistress with them still in her mouth, but Tira had already tricked her into getting punished earlier, and ina didn¡¯t want to be chastised for dropping them without permission. Tira stood there, flogger still in hand. She was still mostly exuding confidence, but the red flush on her face and chest betrayed her ever so slightly. Her breasts were like beautiful teardrops,rger than Flora¡¯s modest chest, drooping ever so slightly before pointing up into hard, dark nipples. ina couldn¡¯t help it as her eyes wandered across Tira¡¯s toned stomach, to her strong thighs, the inviting lips in between them. ¡°You like what you see?¡± Tira said, biting her lip. Gods she¡¯s cute. ¡°Mmhm,¡± ina muttered through the cloth. ¡°You can drop those, but thank you for waiting for permission.¡± ina obeyed, panting as they fell out of her mouth. She thought she¡¯d feel less ashamed once she had, but now she knew it was just more obvious how much she was enjoying herself with her mouth hanging open. ¡°This way,¡± Tira said, walking over and sitting on the edge of one of the beds. ina followed, shuffling across the hard floors with her knees, pleasure radiating through her as they scraped against the wood. Tira spread her legs wide as ina approached, the folds of her pussy opening up to the glistening pink insides. ¡°You know what to do.¡± ¡°Yes, mistress,¡± ina said, the end of thest word being muffled as she dove in, tongue and nose being ravished by the scent and taste of Tira as equally as they ravished her. ina was more confident this time, both from having done it a couple times since and having Flora do it to her as well. She had a better idea of how to swirl her tongue, to give light pressure to Tira¡¯s clit every now and again, make sure Tira wanted more and more. From the way Tira¡¯s thighs clenched onto her head while she moaned, ina was pretty sure she was getting it right. ¡°You¡¯ve been practicing,¡± Tira said in between breaths. ¡°Have you been being¡ªugh¡ªa little slut?¡± ¡°Mmhm,¡± ina said, squeezing her own thighs together in a desperate attempt to pleasure herself. ¡°¡®Mmhm¡¯ what?¡± Tira asked, mockingly replicating the way ina¡¯s muffled voice had came out. ¡°Mmhm, Mistress.¡± The word wasn¡¯t anywhere near recognizable from sound alone, but Tira would get it through context. ¡°Well, I wonder what I should do to you for that? I need my pets to be respectable youngdies, but you¡¯re out there doing such naughty things, being such a naughty girl. Maybe I should get you a cor, one that says ¡®slut,¡¯ so that everyone knows what you really are.¡± That was too much to take. ina felt herself cumming, crying out into Tira¡¯s legs even though the only physical stimtion she was getting was from rubbing her thighs together. She didn¡¯t stop pleasuring her mistress though, made sure to do her pathetic best at keeping up her task through the heavy breaths and moans of her own orgasm. ¡°Good,¡± Tira said, indicating that had been answer enough. She threw herself back onto the bed, widening her legs as ina picked up the pace again, going down on her mistress like it was thest time she¡¯d ever be able to. Eventually Tira¡¯s own breath started to grow heavy, and she started to moan herself as well, obviously trying to suppress her voice; they didn¡¯t know how well the could be heard, after all. ina didn¡¯t stop though, knew better than to stop without permission as Tira¡¯s cries began to bottom out. ¡°You¡¯re a very good girl, ina. Get rid of the ropes, ande on up here.¡± The bindings on ina¡¯s wrists disappeared, and she climbed up onto the bed, cooing with her throat as she copsed next to Tira. ¡°Uhm, just don¡¯t stare at me too much, alright?¡± Tira covered her torso with her arms as ina realized she had indeed been staring and returned her gaze to Tira¡¯s face. Still so beautiful, ina thought as she leaned in and opened her mouth. Tira was still for about a second before she opened her mouth as well, returning the kiss and pulling ina¡¯s body close to her own. They stayed that way for a while, legs intertwined as their chests pressed against each other, sharing themselves with each other in so many different ways until Tira finally pulled away. ¡°Just to be clear, you can do whatever you want with whoever you want.¡± ina smiled, shaking her head. ¡°I know when you¡¯re just ying.¡± ¡°Hey, I just wanna be sure,¡± Tira said with augh, pulling her head into ina¡¯s chest and wrapping her arms around her. ¡°I really like what we have, and I don¡¯t want to lose it, but I do want you to know I¡¯m not really the marriage type.¡± ¡°I never really thought of marriage that much,¡± ina said. ¡°But, like, where I¡¯m from it was all between a man and a woman, so¡­¡± Tiraughed, nodding into ina¡¯s chest. ¡°Even if I was with a man I wouldn¡¯t want to be married. What I¡¯m saying though, is I¡¯ll be here for as long as you want me to be, but I¡¯m not really cut out for ¡®love.¡¯ I care the world for my friends, and sometimes I¡¯ll fool around with the really hot, really cute ones with unusually high pain tolerances, but I don¡¯t want you to get the wrong idea, you know?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± ina said. She thought that maybe she should be hurt, maybe be upset? But no, it was just the truth, the same way it was with Flora and Carline. ¡°I appreciate the rity though.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Tira said, snuggling in tighter. ¡°And even if you do find someone like that, I¡¯ll always be avable for someone like you. We can still mess around just us if they¡¯re okay with it, or they can join in. I¡¯ve always wanted to discipline two pets at once.¡± Now that sounded nice. But someone else? ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s really way to early to tell, but there¡¯s someone that I hope I can maybe get there with.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Tira said, pulling her head out of ina¡¯s chest. For someone who apparently wasn¡¯t interested in love herself, her eyes sure seemed to have quite the glint of curiosity, or maybe nosiness. ina blushed and looked towards the ceiling as Tira did her best to slide under the white sheets. ¡°It¡¯s that girl from Combatives, Prisma.¡± ¡°Her?¡± Tira said as her face scrunched up into a frown, causing ina to burst outughing. ¡°ina, she was one of those assholes stripped you, right?¡± ina frowned, no longerughing. ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s the one that did it, actually, while the others took the portraits.¡± ¡°Then I take back my offer. I don¡¯t even want to punish that bitch; I¡¯m not cruel enough to give her what she deserves.¡± That hurt ina, hurt her chest in a way she didn¡¯t even understand. She knew where Tira wasing from, but it hurt nheless, maybe hurt more because she knew where it wasing from. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t like you saying that about her. She apologized for that, regrets doing it, and there was a bunch of other stuff going on.¡± Tira looked down, the look of surprise and disgust on her face fading away, leaving only what ina could inly see was seething anger. ¡°I don¡¯t want you thinking what she did was okay.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t¡­¡± ina knew that, knew that despite everything else Prisma had indeed done it. ¡°She was forced to though. She was engaged to Waine, and he made her do it, but that engagement is broken off now.¡± Tira cocked her head, looking confused. ¡°I didn¡¯t know those two were engaged¡­ But I¡¯m not too in the loop on noble stuff since I¡¯m not one myself.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s what I heard anyway, in the hall. Two girls talking about the Ferris/Fireguard marriage being called off.¡± Tira nodded, still lost in thought. ¡°If he actually forced her into it then that¡¯s almost as fucked as if she did it to you of her own ord, but I still don¡¯t understand what you see in her. Just seems like a girl with an attitude to me.¡± ¡°Attitude¡­¡± ina mulled over the word for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s kind of like that now, I guess. Especially when she¡¯s around Waine and the others, but it wasn¡¯t like that at first. It¡¯s still not like that when we¡¯re alone¡­¡± Tira stared at ina with pursed lips as the words trailed off, finally closing her lips and letting out a deep sigh. ¡°Go ahead, tell me why you like her.¡± ina felt lighter as soon as Tira spoke the words, even with the reluctance behind them. ¡°The first time I met her, she was the first person to talk to me, was willing to take me into their group just because she realized I was alone. I didn¡¯t really know what it was like to have someone treat me that way without like, already being a family member, you know? Before I came here¡­ Back home, I didn¡¯t have many friends. Everyone treated me the way Waine does now, the way she did that night, but they were alwaysughing, always hateful¡­ ¡°Even when it happened, Prisma wasn¡¯t like that, and that¡¯s why it hurt so much. I could tell something was wrong. I don¡¯t know too much about noble stuff either, but from what Flora told me it can be pretty fucked on it¡¯s own, so¡­ I at least want to talk to her, now that she¡¯s not engaged to him anymore. I don¡¯t want to lose the first person who was nice to me if I can help it, so I want her to have the chance to really exin it without some arranged marriage in the way. Maybe it isn¡¯t love, can¡¯t be love, but if it is, if it could be, then I don¡¯t want that bastard to be the reason things couldn¡¯t work out.¡± Tira sighed, shaking her head. ¡°I still don¡¯t like the idea, but I¡¯m not you, and I¡¯m not even gonna pretend like I can tell you what to do. If anything does happen between you two like that though, I will be having a talk with her.¡± A soft smile grew on ina¡¯s face. ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± ¡°But do be careful, about everything. I don¡¯t know if something¡¯s wrong with their families, but noble stuff is weird regardless, and she might have a different suitor.¡± ina frowned at the idea at first, but then shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be that big of a problem. I know she has an older sister, and Flora mentioned that usually the firstborn daughters are the ones that have the least control.¡± ¡°Maybe, but like I said, things are weird. Nowe under the covers, I want someone to hold.¡± Even though it obviously wasn¡¯t an actual ¡®order¡¯ order, ina didn¡¯t need to be told twice, crawling under the sheets with Tira and pulling her into another embrace, another kiss. Their night carried on, alternating ying with Tira¡¯s toys, and then without. Filled with exhaustion from the day, ina didn¡¯t even remember falling asleep, waking up with a jolt as the ringing of the morning bell filled the room. Tira rose first, having put on a shirt and panties at some point, only having to slip on her pants and shoes. ¡°Come one, sleepyhead,¡± she said as she rubbed her eyes. ¡°Time for you to not be naked unfortunately.¡± ina obeyed, blushing as the fully dressed Tira sat on the bed and watched her put on her uniform. Why was that so embarrassing, the act of getting clothed? Once she was dressed though, she was awake, and they both grabbed their bags and headed out. ¡°Heya, girls,¡± a sharp voice said from behind them as Flora ran ahead. ¡°You two have as much fun as we didst night?¡± ¡°Flora!¡± Carline said, running to catch up to her friend. ¡°Don¡¯t say stuff like that!¡¯ she added with a deep blush. Tira rolled her eyes, swatting at Flora¡¯s shoulder as the two in front started down the stairs. ¡°You really need to learn some manners.¡± The group continued down a few steps before Flora nudged Carline, pointing back up. ¡°Oh,¡± Carline said, stopping suddenly. ¡°Uhm, ina, could we go into one of the rooms really quickly? There¡¯s something I wanted to talk to you about.¡± ¡°Huh?¡¯ ina looked down to her stomach. It wasn¡¯t quite loud, but she could feel it rumbling, and the food the night before had been so good. ¡°Can it be after we eat? If it needs to be now that¡¯s fine, but I am really hungry.¡± ¡°Oh, uh, no, after breakfast is fine,¡± Carline said. Flora turned to her with a re, causing her to add, ¡°But before we leave for school, okay?¡± Carline and Flora started off again, leaving ina to wonder what Carline could want to talk about as she followed behind. Carline had looked a little bothered by something when they¡¯d set out on their mission. Maybe she wants to tell my about the marriage being called off? Carline would¡¯ve certainly known about it beforehand, which ina was still a little annoyed at since Carline had never told her. Still, she understood why Carline might not have said anything earlier, so she wasn¡¯t going to be too upset, especially if Carline was going to try and make it right now. Lost in her thoughts, ina bumped into Flora¡¯s back, not noticing her and Carline had stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Both of them had the same strange look on their faces, one that seemed like a mixture of shock and horror? ina turned out to see what they were staring at, but didn¡¯t see anything immediately worthy of the look her friends had. The only thing of note was one particrly pretty girl sitting in the center of the room eating from a te of eggs and bacon. It wasn¡¯t just any girl though. It took only a second to recognize who it was with that fair skin, long tinum blonde hair, and those striking blue eyes. For a moment ina thought it was actually Prisma, but the face was ever so slightly different, a little more angr in the chin, rounder in the cheeks. Kohpicia Fireguard, Prisma¡¯s older sister. Ch 2.41: Nobility Ch 2.41: Nobility The woman looked up, noticing she was being stared at, and then started beaming. ¡°Carline!¡± She stood up and ran over, pulling Carline into a big hug as ina stared on. ¡°Oh, and you¡¯re Florence, right? Florence Stouth?¡± she said as she turned to Flora. ¡°Oh, uhm, yes¡­¡± Flora said, looking uncharacteristically stunned. ¡°We¡¯ve met once before¡ª¡± ¡°At the junior fencing tournament!¡± Kohpicia said. ¡°Carline introduced us, right?¡± There was a youthful glee in her voice and eyes both, one that ina had a hard time reconciling. She looked young too, the same age as ina almost, which didn¡¯t seem right either. Wasn¡¯t she supposed to be Prisma¡¯s older sister? ¡°Yeah, she did,¡± Flora said, looking over to ina. Why is she looking to me? ¡°Oh!¡± Kohpicia said, looking at ina¡¯s uniform and Tira standing next to her. ¡°Are you their friends? I¡¯m Koh, nice to meet you! Wait, maybe I shouldn¡¯t introduce myself as Koh to you, actually.¡± ¡°I see you met the other academy traveler,¡± Abel said as he came from the back of the tavern. ¡°There¡¯s five seats at her table, so go ahead and join if you want.¡± ¡°No,¡± Carline said, still looking panicked. ¡°We don¡¯t want to be a bother, so¡ª¡± ¡°Nonsense,¡± Koh said as she grabbed Carline¡¯s arm and started walking back to her table. ¡°It¡¯s been years at this point, and I should go ahead and meet all the students I can!¡± Carline didn¡¯t reply, but did let herself get dragged along to the table, the rest of the group following shortly after. ¡°I¡¯m Tira Strask, by the way,¡± Tira said as she and ina sat down. ¡°Strask? Oh, like the capital¡¯s guard captain!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my mom¡­¡± Tira said. Flora had sat down as well now, and she and Carline were both looking down at the table. ¡°I haven¡¯t met her, but I know she has a good reputation,¡± Koh said, going back to her meal. She was so elegant as she ate, and ina couldn¡¯t help but stare. ¡°And you?¡± Koh eventually added, and ina realized she was the one being talked to this time. ¡°Oh, sorry, uhm, I¡¯m ina? And you¡¯re Prisma¡¯s sister, right?¡± Koh¡¯s eyes seemed to sparkle at the mention of the name. ¡°You¡¯re friends with Prisma?¡± ¡°Yes¡ª well, acquaintances, I guess¡­¡± ina said. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful! Hopefully we can get to know each other more. Oh, but Prisma doesn¡¯t actually know I¡¯m here. No one does, really, so don¡¯t mention I am to anybody, alright?¡± Before anyone could answer, Abel came back out with four more tes of food and sses of cider. ¡°It was a good thing I kept that room reserved,¡± Abel said. ¡°She came inte, but she arrived nheless.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Koh said, taking a sip from her mug and then wiping her face with a handkerchief. ¡°There was trouble on the road. Carline, did you know that typuses are real?¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Tira said, mming her hand on the table. ¡°You ran into those things?¡± ¡°Just one,¡± Koh said as she returned to her meal. ¡°Scared my carriage driver half to death, but I was able to take care of it.¡± ¡°Take care of it?¡± ina asked in disbelief. ¡°A big one or a small one?¡± ¡°It was pretty big, I guess. Like fifteen, twenty feet tall? And yeah, I had to put it down, unfortunately¡­¡± ina nced between her friends. Tira seemed as astonished as ina herself, but Carline and Flora seemed no more surprised than they had since they¡¯d seen Koh in the first ce. What could her aspect be if she¡¯s taking on one of those things alone? ¡°Koh¡­¡± Carline eventually asked, still not having touched her food. ¡°What exactly are you doing here? Why would you be sleeping in an academy reserved room?¡± Koh frowned, the glint in her eyes dying out. It was a look ina was more than familiar with, the same look Prisma had worn every time they¡¯d spoken since the first day they met. ¡°Has the news made its way to the school yet?¡± Carline nced at ina for a moment, then looked to Flora, as if wanting confirmation. Flora nodded. ¡°A couple days ago, the day we left for this mission.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Well, it was always going to happen one day, but when Miss Ranlit died, it just sort of made sense to move things up a little.¡± Koh turned to ina and Tira, a polite smile forming on her face, a shadow of the joy she was disying earlier. ¡°I guess you both had fencing ss with her? She was a good friend of mine. Once she died in the atta¡ª in the ident, Headmaster Stormshine reached out to me. ¡°So yeah, I¡¯ll be your new fencing teacher!¡± Koh said, returning to her meal. ¡°I can¡¯t measure up to her teaching skills, but I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°Koh,¡± Carline said, her voice dropping low, ¡°how are you even going to¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s Professor Fireguard now, if you please. And Headmaster Stormshine arranged everything for me to get into the school.¡± ¡°Excuse me for, well, prying,¡± Tira said as she chewed her food, ¡°but aren¡¯t you the Fireguard heir? I don¡¯t really know how that works.¡± It was a question ina had been wondering as well, but the silence from the three noble girls, including the pause in the movements of their forks, indicated that the answer was obvious to them. ¡°I was. My father decided¡ª I decided it was best if I stepped away from court life and took up teaching¡­ I¡¯m better suited to this anyway.¡± Carline looked up from her te, pity in her eyes. ¡°But, Koh¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, Carline¡­¡± Koh said, though the wetness of her eyes betrayed her. ¡°We all knew it was going to happen. I¡¯ve made my peace with it, and I¡¯m sure Waine has as well.¡± Tira¡¯s nostrils red, and ina dropped her fork onto the table at hearing the name. ¡°Waine?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Koh said, cocking her head. ¡°Waine Ferris, he¡¯s in your ss too. He is, well, was my fiance.¡± ¡°Was?¡± ina asked. She tried to ignore the conclusion her mind was heading towards. ¡°Yes, was¡­¡± Koh said, tears starting to fall from her eyes. She reached for her handkerchief again, wiping her face as she continued. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t be crying like this in front of my new students.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Carline said, cing her hand on Koh¡¯s arm before looking over to ina. ¡°Listen, ina, I really need to talk to you.¡± ¡°No,¡± ina said, staring at her new professor. ¡°Koh, what happens to Waine now?¡± Koh took in a deep breath,posing herself and putting her handkerchief away. ¡°It is official at this point, so I guess I can say it. Prisma¡¯s the Fireguard hear now, and she¡¯ll marry him, so that the agreement between our houses can still be fulfilled.¡± Ch 2.42: Hollow Ch 2.42: Hollow ¡°Prisma¡­ is engaged to Waine?¡± ina was having troubleprehending the words even as she said them. She knew what they meant of course, but couldn¡¯t recognize them as being true. After all, she¡¯d heard those two girls talking in the hallway, saying the Ferris Fireguard engagement was called off. Except that had also been true, of course, just not in the way ina had wanted. ¡°Yeah,¡± Koh said. She looked sad still, but now almost piteous more than upset at her own situation. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad though, Miss Weaver. I¡¯m fine, really, and I can¡¯t go having my new students thinking I¡¯m some blubbering child. ¡°Right,¡± ina said, still trying to fight back tears. Gods, why was I so fucking stupid? Was she really stupid though? Carline was sitting there, head down. Koh had said that ¡°we¡± all knew it was going to happen, and it certainly seemed like that ¡°we¡± included Carline. For that matter, Flora was also uncharacteristically quiet right now. Only Tira seemed as shocked as ina herself was. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go finish packing,¡± ina said, pushing her chair out and grabbing her bag. ¡°Juste get me when it¡¯s time to leave.¡± Everything was already packed of course, but that wasn¡¯t the point. She thought she should feel more hollow as she walked up the stairs, feel that hole in her chest she¡¯d felt when Prisma had told her they couldn¡¯t be friends, but it wasn¡¯t there. There was an emptiness, sure, but it was different, just a sort of space that was there inside her now, no pain with it. She realized that Tira was the one who had the key as she reached their room, so she decided to just sit down on the floor instead. ¡°ina, are you alright?¡± She almost jumped at the sound, having forgotten she wasn¡¯t ever truly alone if she was carrying Temmie around. ¡°Uhm, yeah¡­ I mean, no, but yeah¡­¡± ¡°I may not be human, but I can still tell when you are distressed.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, is what I mean. At least I finally know what¡¯s been going on.¡± ¡°Understood. If you would like to speak, I am avable to you.¡± Temmie¡¯s words had an air of warmth to them, a sense of concern that made her feel even more human than normal, despite what she said. ¡°Temmie, who are you?¡± ¡°I am the System, otherwise known as Temmie, the moniker your party ascribed to me.¡± The obvious answer, and an iplete one. ina wanted to know more, but she didn¡¯t exactly have the energy to press further. ¡°ina?¡± a timid voice said from the stairs, Carline¡¯s voice. ina stayed on the ground, continuing to look at the opposite wall. She didn¡¯t really want to see Carline at the moment. ¡°ina, I¡¯m sorry, I just¡ª¡± ¡°How long have you known?¡± Carline¡¯s footsteps stopped, the bustle from breakfast below the only sound remaining. ¡°About two years, I guess¡­ But it¡¯splicated; no one really knew that it was going to happen, not for sure¡­¡± ina nodded, biting her lip. She had been angry at Carline before, when she thought Carline had been holding back knowledge of an engagement that had been called off. Now though, she couldn¡¯t find it in her to be angry, could only find that emptiness inside her instead. ¡°Howe you didn¡¯t say anything? Why did no one say anything?¡± Carline sat down next to ina. ina didn¡¯t really want thepany, but she was afraid to say that, afraid she¡¯dsh out and say something she¡¯d regret. ¡°Until a few days ago, Koh and Waine were still officially engaged. I wanted to tell you so many times, but it¡¯s just¡ª it¡¯s not something we¡¯re supposed to talk about at all. When you know something, but it isn¡¯t official, especially when it¡¯s not about you, but about someone else¡­¡± Not when it¡¯s about someone else. That was the worst part. ina wished Carline had told her, but she wasn¡¯t mad at Carline for not. She knew Carline wasn¡¯t the type to gossip about other people like that. Flora certainly would be, but they hadn¡¯t known each other as long, and had only met a handful of times besides. Prisma though? She herself could have told ina, should have told ina. ¡°I get it.¡± The words hung in the hall as the two sat there. Eventually Carline ced an arm around ina¡¯s back, a head on her shoulder. ina thought she¡¯d recoil to the touch, but she found herself leaning into it, feeling at least somewhat rxed. ¡°I saw Waine crying the other day.¡± She thought Carline may be shocked, but the girl simply nodded. ¡°He¡¯s always had a crush on Koh, since we were all kids.¡± ¡°I told him¡­ I told him I was d that whatever he was crying about happened. He told me I should be careful what I wish for, that the same would happen to me too if I did¡­¡± ina felt Carline wince as she nodded again. ¡°That wasn¡¯t¡­ really kind of either of you.¡± ina sighed, slumping back even more. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± ¡°But he does kind of deserve it¡­¡± ina looked down in shock,ughing out loud as she saw Carline burning red. ¡°I think hat¡¯s the meanest thing I¡¯ve ever heard you say.¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Carline said, covering her face with her hands and backing away. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t say stuff like that.¡± ¡°I think everyone¡¯s allowed to be a little mean, sometimes.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m still sorry¡­ For not telling you about Prisma and Waine earlier too. When I learned it was official I tried to tell you right away, but things kepting up¡­ I though I could just tell you before we got back to school, but then Koh showed up here somehow¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± ina said, pulling Carline into her arm. ¡°Like I said, I get it.¡± ¡°You two are doing alright, I guess?¡± Tira¡¯s voice said from the stairway. She was carrying her bag over her shoulder, looking a little concerned still. ¡°Yeah,¡± ina said, standing up. ¡°Everything okay down there?¡± ¡°Well, not gonna lie, it got pretty awkward down there when you to left. The new prof doesn¡¯t really get what¡¯s going on, but she knew something was up. Flora kept herpany for the most part though¡± ina winced, nodding. ¡°It would¡¯ve been more awkward if I stayed, I¡¯m pretty sure.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Tira said, ¡°correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but was she really upset that she¡¯s not engaged that brat anymore? Like, does she actually like him?¡± Carline pursed her lips, struggling to find a response. ¡°He was always nice to her. Honestly, he used to be nicer to everyone. He¡¯s never been the nicest person really, but he wasn¡¯t really the way he is now when we were younger. Not until things went wrong with the engagement¡­¡± There was more to that story, obviously, and ina was honestly curious, but she didn¡¯t really want to hear about it at the moment. ¡°Is it time to go,¡± she said? ¡°Yeah, time enough,¡± Tira said, ncing back down the stairs. ¡°Uhm, ina, it¡¯s probably the polite thing for us to offer to go back to school with her, since she¡¯s our professor and all.¡± ¡°Oh, ina said. ¡°That¡­ makes sense. And it¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t make it awkward anymore.¡± ¡°Good, well, let¡¯s head down.¡± Flora and Koh wereughing when they got back downstairs, like nothing was amiss, up until Koh noticed the other threeing down the stairs. ¡°Oh, wee back! Uhm, did you get everything packed alright?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± ina said with her best fake smile as she patted her bag. ¡°All good to go.¡± ¡°We were about to leave, I think,¡± Tira said, ¡°since it looks like Flora¡¯s finished eating. Do you want toe with us? We have a carriage arranged to take us back, and it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to have you join with us.¡± ¡°Oh, uhm¡­¡± Koh looked down, seemingly embarrassed at the offer. ¡°I would love to, but I have special arrangements made for transportation. I have to wait until I¡¯m escorted there.¡± ¡°Escorted?¡± ina asked. Was that some weird propriety thing she wasn¡¯t aware of? ¡°Can¡¯t we be the ones to escort you?¡± ¡°Ah¡ª no, I¡¯m afraid not,¡± Koh said, ending the sentence with a fake, politeugh. ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you, but I quite literally can¡¯t enter the school without Headmaster Stormshine.¡± ina looked to her group of friends. Tira seemed just as confused as she was, but Carline and Flora were once again doing their best to pretend the conversation around them wasn¡¯t happening. ¡°Oh, right¡­¡± Koh said. ¡°Sorry, I forgot that non-nobles aren¡¯t always aware of noble gossip and such.¡± She sat up straight, taking in a deep breath and closing her eyes,pletelyposed by the time she opened them again. ¡°I have to be escorted by the headmaster because of the school¡¯s barrier. I¡¯m actually a dud, so I don¡¯t have an aspect and can¡¯t enter alone.¡± Ch 2.43: Gate Ch 2.43: Gate Dud. Just the word brought panic to ina, transported her back to her first night at Endrin. She was frozen again, barely even aware of her surroundings. She could hear the polite titudes being exchanged, but she couldn¡¯t process them. ¡°ina?¡± Tira said. ¡°Huh?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how long it had been, but everyone was looking at her, everyone except Koh, who was already gone. ¡°Where¡¯d she go?¡± ¡°Up to her room,¡± Flora said. ¡°She needed to pack.¡± ¡°Right, pack¡­¡± ¡°We should get going too. I have a report to make,¡± Tira said, lightly grabbing ina¡¯s hand. ¡°Come on.¡± They made their way to the edge of town, not far from their inn, and to a depot of carriages. ina¡¯s mind was still zed over as Tira arranged their transportation back to the school, only lucid enough to follow along. On carriage ride back to school she saw about as little of the town as she did when Flora and Tira had distracted her on their way in, but this time she just wasn¡¯t paying attention, not until they finally reached the school gates again. It was only the second time she¡¯d seen them from the outside, the second time she had to go through the barrier. She remembered the tingling she felt the first time she walked through, the fear she¡¯d felt before going through it, the fear that she would be a dud and be denied. But she wasn¡¯t. She knew that, and she walked forward. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine,¡± she muttered, that same strange sensation washing over her body as she made her way through the barrier. Once she¡¯d felt it, once she was inside again, knew she wasn¡¯t going to be locked out, her mind returned to her. The other three were staring, of course. Probably had been staring most of the ride back. ¡°Uhm, I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, trying to decide how to move through the awkwardness. ¡°Gods, I froze up right in front of her¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Flora said, eyes filling with life again. ¡°She basically just said ¡®bye¡¯ and excused herself.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that about her,¡± Tira said, biting her lip. ¡°Don¡¯t really know too much about noble gossip.¡± ¡°How old is she?¡± ina asked. ¡°Twenty one,¡± Flora said. ¡°She¡¯d have been in our year, if she were epted.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± ina said. She¡¯d just assumed Koh was old enough to have graduated, as that was the only reason she wouldn¡¯t be at school that made sense, at least the only reason that she had considered. ¡°We should go unpack,¡± Carline said, turning back to the school. ¡°We could probably all use a break.¡± ¡°Really quickly,¡± Tira said, looking side to side and dropping her voice to a whisper. ¡°We need to get our story straight. We can¡¯t talk about about ina talking to the golem, but we need to let them know we saw one. I¡¯ll tell Alonse we ran from it. After that, the full truth should be fine.¡± ¡°We¡¯re telling them about the hostage?¡± ina asked. ¡°Absolutely. They need to know these people are willing to kill students.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Flora said. ¡°I only even knew she was there cause of my ss. If they start asking too many questions about how she got away to try and figure out whatever aspect they were using, then we might be in trouble¡­¡± ¡°No, Tira¡¯s right.¡± Carline looked resolute, standing straighter and taller than usual. ¡°If they send someone else out there without knowing about what happened and someone gets killed, then we killed that person just as much as the poachers did.¡± Flora looked shocked, like a parent whose child had just spoken back to them for the first time. ¡°Well¡­¡± She eventually looked over to ina, pleading eyes asking to be rescued in the debate. ina looked back towards her bag, towards Temmie. Any extra information they gave the school was an extra step towards them discovering the System itself. ¡°Carline¡¯s still right. We tell them as much as we can.¡± Tira responded with a nod, and Carline with a sigh of relief, her posture deting again as Flora pursed her lips, but the girl didn¡¯t protest anymore. ¡°And that¡¯s our first practicum mission done,¡± Tira said, visibly rxing herself. ¡°We did good, all things considered¡­¡± ina still had a burning question, one that was even more pressing after their recent decision on what to report back. ¡°Am¡­ am I going to be in trouble for letting the girl go?¡± ¡°No,¡± Tira said. ¡°We weren¡¯t assigned to take hostages, certainly not aspected ones. And she would¡¯ve been dead if you hadn¡¯t let her go, right?¡± ¡°Just make sure to mention ina tore the poor girl¡¯s clothes off,¡± Flora said, ¡°so they¡¯ll know she was doing her best.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t actually say that,¡± ina said, blushing. ¡°I don¡¯t need people thinking I¡¯m more of a pervert than I am¡­¡± ¡°Sorry, no can do,¡± Tira said as she finally started off back towards the school. ¡°It¡¯s very possible the guards will end up picking her up, so knowing to keep a lookout for the half-naked poacher will actually be very important.¡± ina felt a chill at those words, imagining herself trying to make it back home wearing nothing but underwear. If she was wearing underwear, that is. Getting caught by guards as she tried to sneak past¡­ ¡°Can¡¯t she turn invisible though?¡± Carline said. ¡°Sure, but we don¡¯t know for how long,¡± Tira said with a slight chuckle. ¡°Hey,¡± ina said, snapping out of her daydream. ¡°Are you just messing with me?¡± ¡°Why, how could talking about someone trying to sneak back home in her underwear and trying not to get caught by guards mess with you?¡± ina puffed her cheeks out as Carline and Flora looked back at her, feeling them burn red as she exhaled. ¡°Fine, tell them. I don¡¯t care; I was just trying toplete the mission¡­¡± ¡°Seriously though, I am trying not to lie too much. It¡¯s easiest to keep things consistent that way. I will of course, not mention anything about any shows put on for a certain carriage driving couple, since I was unconscious anyway¡­¡± Floraughed at that as ina blushed an even deeper red, but it was the end of the jests at their expense. As their conversation naturally trailed off, ina¡¯s mind started to wander, again to Prisma, to Koh, to Waine. Her blush fell away, and she felt her face began to frown. The hollowness from earlier in the morning was still there, and even with the finality it brought, the closure, she still couldn¡¯t help but frown. There really was never a chance. ¡°ina?¡± Carline¡¯s voice was even meeker than usual, like a mouse asking for permission to speak. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Do you want to go for a walk once we put our stuff down?¡± ina could see the concern in her eyes. One anyone but Carline, it might look like pity, but ina knew better than that. Carline never wanted anyone to be upset, but she didn¡¯t pity them. ¡°That¡¯d be nice.¡± Carline smiled at that, giving an energetic nod back. ¡°Thanks.¡± ina could see a weighte off Carline¡¯s shoulders, and she felt a pang in her heart as she realized it. She really wasn¡¯t mad at Carline, not after realizing howplicated everything had been, and she wanted Carline to know that too. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± ina said, slipping her fingers in between Carline¡¯s. ¡°Where did you want to walk?¡± Ch 2.44: Carly Ch 2.44: Carly The group split up once they were inside the school itself, Tira going to report their mission and Flora breaking off to go change in her dorm room. ¡°We should probably shower,¡± ina said as she looked down at herself. Her uniform definitely wasn¡¯t in the worst shape it had ever been, but it had been two days since she¡¯dst bathed, and she could definitely justify changing into her spare jacket and skirt as well. ¡°And we need to put our bags down anyway.¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably right,¡± Carline said as she continued walking. ina was almost underwhelmed by the reception they were getting, orck thereof. A couple people seemed to nce her way, probably at the dirt on her uniform, but she expected more, some acknowledgement that they¡¯d fought a golem, avoided an assassin, beat five mythical creatures. Instead, she was just another student, one who most people probably didn¡¯t even know had left the school. ¡°That wasn¡¯t how these missions are supposed to go, is it?¡± ¡°No,¡± Carline said. ¡°At the most, they probably expected use to find a handful of poachers without aspects¡­¡± Things were different now though, whether people realized it yet or not. ¡°Hopefully Tira can convince Alonse that these missions,¡± ina whispered. ¡°I mean, students really shouldn¡¯t be going on them. We got lucky, and we¡¯re us.¡± Carline¡¯s hand moved to her neck, stroking her throat. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± They didn¡¯t speak the rest of the trip to their dorm room. ina let out a sigh of relied as she opened the door and shrugged her bag off onto the bed, smiling as she thought of the warm shower she was about to enjoy, what might happen after the shower if Carline was in the right mood. But her excitement dissipated as she turned around and actually looked at Carline. She was stood just inside the doorway, arms shaking as as her legs were stuck to the ground. ¡°Carline?¡± At the sound Carline fell over, catching herself with her hands and knees as she began panting on the ground, tears welling up in her eyes as the contents of her bag spilled onto the floor. ¡°Carline!¡± ina shouted as she ran over, dropping to the ground next to her and lifting her head up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Carline threw herself into ina¡¯s arms, bawling. ¡°I didn¡¯t even see the knife at first, not until you all pointed it outter.¡± The assassin¡¯s knife, in the cave. ina pulled Carline in, doing her best to cradle the girl while still on the floor. The dagger had disturbed her too, caused her anguish the night it happened, but Carline had seemed fine the whole time, had made everything seem fine while they were out there. ¡°Carline, it¡¯s okay. We¡¯re safe now.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see her. Not with my eyes, not with my aspect¡­ She could be here right now, watching us, toying with us, waiting to to strike¡­ How do we know we¡¯re safe?¡± A chill ran through ina¡¯s body. There wasn¡¯t a way to know, as far ina could tell. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have a reason to go after you. We were in over our head, somewhere we really shouldn¡¯t have been, but we¡¯re back home now. She¡¯s going to be worrying about that cave, the crystals, and we¡¯re not there anymore.¡± Carline didn¡¯t respond, just buried her head into ina¡¯s jacket, still crying. ina felt more helpless in that instant than she had on the entire trip. She¡¯d rather fight off ten golems, a hundred assassins, a thousand giant typuses if it meant Carline would feel safe. But she couldn¡¯t do that, so she pulled Carline into her with one arm, and grabbed Carline¡¯s hand with the other, using her fingers to slowly trace circles around the back of her friend¡¯s hand. It wasn¡¯t even a conscious decision to start messing with Carline¡¯s hand like that, just absent-minded fiddling while she tried to hold her friend close. She continued doing it for a while, fingertips dancing over carline¡¯s hand, across her wrist, down her fingers, over her joints while Carline stayed pressed into ina¡¯s chest, slowlying down from the emotional high she was at, sobs fading, breathing returning to normal. Eventually she lifted her head up, watching ina rub at the back of her hand with slightly confused, slightly teary eyes. ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really sure,¡± ina said. ¡°It just¡­ felt like I should do something. Does it feel nice?¡± ¡°Kind of? Mostly it¡¯s just¡­ distracting.¡± inaughed at that, dropping Carline¡¯s hand and pulling the girl close again. ¡°I didn¡¯t say you had to stop,¡± Carline said, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks. ¡°Okay,¡± ina said, grabbing Carline¡¯s hand and resuming the motions. ¡°Do you want to talk more?¡± ¡°Not really. I think I¡¯m¡­ mostly okay. Not like, okay okay, but¡­¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ina continued rubbing Carline¡¯s hand and fingers, looking down at her friend as Carline closed her eyes, still breathing heavily. If ina had found her like this she¡¯d assume Carline was asleep, but she could tell the difference with her in her arms, that Carline was just doing her best to stay rxed, a task ina knew the difficulty of all too well. Despite the difort of sitting on their dorm room floor though, ina was willing to hold forever, maintain the embrace her best friend needed for as long as she needed to. Best friend? The words felt strange in ina¡¯s mind, words she hadn¡¯t really thought of in a long time. She¡¯d had friends as a kid, but that was back when everyone was your best friend, anyone you vaguely liked being around anyway. By the time people started having actual best friends, ina herself had been friendless, so she hadn¡¯t ever really felt this way before. ¡°Hey, is it okay if I call you Carly?¡± Carline opened her eyes, looking back up at ina with even more confusion in her eyes, even more blush on her face than when she¡¯d stopped crying. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Never mind,¡± ina said, feeling blood rush to her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know why I said it, it just sort of came out¡­¡± ¡°No,¡± Carline said, pushing herself to her knees and wiping her face. ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize. It¡¯s fine; I like Carly.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ina really didn¡¯t know why she¡¯d asked. It was like rubbing Carline¡¯s hand, just something her body had decided to do without consulting her brain with first, but she wasn¡¯t exactly upset that either had happened. ¡°Then¡­ Do you still want to go on that walk, Carly?¡± Carly smiled lightly, a bit of life jumping into her eyes. ¡°I do. But I don¡¯t think I want to shower first, actually. Let¡¯s unpack first, but keep a spare uniform in your bag.¡± Ch 2.45: Confidence Ch 2.45: Confidence Carline feltforted by the word, ¡°Carly.¡± Thanks to her parent¡¯s insistence on her using her proper name, no one else had ever called her that, other than Flora of course. She¡¯d always been too impertinent to listen to Carline¡¯s parents when they chastised her, and even though Carline had been reluctant to answer to the name at first, over time it just sort of stuck between them, even though no one else would be afforded the same grace if her parents caught them using the nickname. She was honestly terrified of the idea that her father might one day here ina using it, what he would do in the face of amoner even addressing her by her first name at all, but she liked it when ina called her Carly, and for now that was enough. So much so that she was now walking through the forest, between the trees leading to the de that she was slowly starting to think of as ¡°theirs.¡± It was still on school grounds of course, and anyone could technically show up, but no one else had a reason to go that far out, and certainly not in that specific direction. That¡¯s what she was telling herself anyway, her attempt to convince herself that what she was nning was safe. ¡°Are we going to the clearing?¡± ina asked. ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Carline said, still facing forward. She couldn¡¯t afford to even nce away from her destination at the moment, not without risking losing her nerves. ¡°It is pretty nice out today,¡± ina continued. ¡°It is¡­¡± Carline was normally fine with small talk, at least with the people she really liked, but right now she was distracted by her ns. She needed to keep focus, maintain herposure for as long as she could. And then they were there, had crossed the threshold without Carline even noticing. The clearing was as picturesque as ever, maybe even more so due to the cycle of the flowers. Some had began dropping their petals to the ground below, creating a rainbow of colors littered across the ground as streaks of sunlight fell between the trees from up above, new pink flowers blooming on their branches as well. It seemed like the entire grove was made for just them at this moment, a trail of flowers leading them across it, to the small pond on the far side. ¡°Guess we¡¯re here,¡± ina said, setting her bag on the ground. ¡°Y¡ª yeah,¡± Carline said, her mind catching up to her body. Carline could feel her own cheeks burning, but she saw ina¡¯s doing the same, and that made it a little better, somehow. She hadn¡¯t told ina exactly why they¡¯de out here, but she couldn¡¯t imagine ina hadn¡¯t figured it out, not with Carline having specified to bring a change of clothes. ¡°So, uhm, I thought maybe we could bathe out here?¡± Carline said as she dropped her bag to the floor. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s a nice day out, and Flora said the water is actually kind of warm. We have showers and everything back in the dorms, but sometimes soaking in the water feels nice, you know? If that¡¯s okay with you, I mean. I really probably should¡¯ve asked first¡ª¡± ¡°That sounds nice.¡± ina said as she started pulling at the buttons of her jacket. She turned around once she had it off, folding it up andying it on top of her bag. Was it really that easy for her? No. Carline knew it wasn¡¯t just matter of fact for ina like it was for Flora. She was still embarrassed by the idea, her elevated heart rate and blood flushing to her cheeks were proof enough of that, but it was something she wanted to do anyway, so she powered through. And Carline could do the same. She started unbuttoning her own jacket, eagerly keeping her eyes on ina as the girl unsped her skirt. Should she be looking though? ina had said it was fine to look at her whenever, but Carline still had some residual guilt over just how much she enjoyed watching ina, even with permission. But even beyond that, there was another potential reason for Carline to turn around. ina had started undressing first, and would probably be faster than Carline at it too. Would ina walk straight over to the pool of water, or turn around first, watching her undress? Carline almost did turn around, stopping herself mid-rotation as ina slid her skirt down her backside. If she¡¯d looked away before that, maybe Carline would have stood a chance, but once she had her eyes on it Carline couldn¡¯t look away no matter how much she considered her own modesty. And so she watched, idly removing her own clothes as ina pulled her boots off, her socks, her shirt over her head, finally sliding her bra off her shoulders, peaks of her breasts appearing from her sides for Carline to look at, and then finally removing her panties, her perfect assing into view for Carline¡¯s pleasure, and then finally turning around towards Carline herself. Carline was down to just her underwear and shirt by the time ina came fully into view, but she didn¡¯t even care at that point. ina was still blushing, one arm to her side as the other cradled her breasts from below, not actually hiding anything, but still disying her vulnerability. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll go get in,¡± ina said as she started to turn. ¡°No!¡± Carline couldn¡¯t believe the word hade out of her mouth, and so forcefully too. ¡°Uh¡ª I mean, it¡¯s okay¡­ if you watch.¡± ina just nodded as she turned back around, eyes glued to Carline as she continued fumbling with her shirt buttons. It wasn¡¯t easy to keep going, to show her body to anyone, but she wanted to be close with ina. For a long time she thought she¡¯d only ever want to share this part of herself with Flora, but the moment ina called her ¡°Carly¡± had changed things, had given her a confidence that she¡¯d beencking before. It was strange, because she didn¡¯t have exactly the same feelings towards ina as she did Flora, but maybe they could get to that point? Even if it didn¡¯t get to that point, Carline knew that they could be closer than they were, more than they were, and she didn¡¯t want to be the reason their rtionship stunted. Which was why she was reaching behind her back, undoing her bra sp in broad daylight, preparing to give up something to ina she¡¯d only given to one other person before. Ch 2.46: Helping Ch 2.46: Helping ina could understand Carly a little better now, appreciate the joys of watching a little more. She was able to forget her own nakedness in the moment, instead reveling in the beauty that was in front of her. Still, she could sense a hesitation in the woman¡¯s voice, her movements. ¡°Carly, you don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Carly froze for a moment, staring at the ground. It wasn¡¯t like Tira, who had been so reserved at first, but then able to remove everything so easily at the end. Carly was still nervous, terrified even. ¡°I do want to¡­ It¡¯s just hard.¡± ina could rte. She remembered the first time she stripped in front of Tira, and Carly herself. But she had trouble doing it for different reasons. ¡°You know you¡¯re beautiful, right?¡± Carly¡¯s eyes widened, snapping to ina. There was innocence in them, joy at those words. ¡°Really?¡± ina stepped forward as she reached up to Carly¡¯s head, pulling it towards her own, opening her mouth and taking Carly¡¯s into her own. She was gentle with her kiss, lightly taking Carly¡¯s lip in between her own, feeling the girl loosen up and copse into her chest. ¡°Yes, really.¡± ina said as she pulled away, running her hand down Carly¡¯s side, the smooth, supple skin, soft curves flowing underneath her palm. ¡°I want to help you realize that.¡± Carly was looking up into ina¡¯s eyes, her own eyes sparkling as she melted into ina¡¯s arms. ¡°Can you do it for me?¡± ina¡¯s response was wordless, reaching around her friend¡¯s back, undoing the sp of Carly¡¯s bra with her hand. She could have done it with [Restraint], but she wanted any excuse right now to touch her friend. Carly didn¡¯t react either, not when the bra came undone, and not when ina pulled it forward. Even that was wonderful, just Carly¡¯s bare shoulders underneath the light of the sun, but the girl shone even brighter as ina continued, letting the garment fall to the grass and flowers below, unleashing her heavy breasts out into the world, breasts ina wanted nothing more than to grab and fondle. But things needed to be taken slow. The sight was glorious anyway, Carly¡¯s whole torso bared to ina, to the whole grove. And ina wasn¡¯t done yet either. ¡°These too?¡± ina asked as she ran her fingers up Carly¡¯s thigh and towards her underwear. Gods she was soft, so wonderful to touch and press into. ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Carly said, leaning into ina even more, pressing her gentle body into ina¡¯s. ina couldn¡¯t have asked for anything better in the world, her fingers reaching into Carly¡¯s waistband and pulling down, ina herself having to crouch down to pull the panties down, rubbing her face over Carly¡¯s chest, her soft tummy as she pulled the underwear to the ground. She found herself at eye level with Carly¡¯s sex at the end, watched Carly¡¯s lips spread ever so slightly as the girl stepped out of herst item of clothing. She wanted to do more, to ravish her friend right there and then, pull her legs apart and go down on her until the sun went down, but she knew things had to be slow, so she simply pulled herself up, stepping back and full admiring the woman in front of her. It really wasn¡¯t fair. She had seen three friends naked now, and each of their bodies was wonderful in their own way, Flora with her lithe grace, Tira with her hardened body, and now Carline Forsythe, the voluptuous beauty standing in front of her. She wanted nothing more than to pull the woman back into her embrace, run her fingers over every inch of her body. But that could wait. Though hopefully not too long. ¡°So, bath time?¡± she asked, reaching her hand out. She had to try a little touching, right? Carly looked at the hand for a moment, then nodded, smiling. ¡°Okay,¡± she said, taking the offer, letting herself be led over to the pool of water at the edge of the de. Her hand was soft, but ina could feel her grip intensely, the excitement in it as she led her friend over to the pond, her own heart racing as she stepped into the cold water. Somehow, the chill on her skin couldn¡¯tpare to the warmth of her beating heart. Ch 2.47: Uplifting Ch 2.47: Uplifting ¡°I thought the water was supposed to be warm,¡± ina said as she made her way across the pond. It wasn¡¯t really deep enough to swim in, but she was able to wade through it at waist height. ¡°It was warm the other day,¡± Carly said, stepping in and sitting down. ina felt a fresh sense of tion at the sight of her friend submerging her body into the clear water, her breasts floating at the surface. ¡°I guess the temperature changes.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Wait, the other day?¡± Carly looked away and blushed, covering her face. ¡°I mean, you don¡¯t have to be embarrassed about it¡­ I just didn¡¯t know you¡¯de without me.¡± Yeah¡­ Flora and I came out here a few days ago, and she convinced me to get in.¡± Carly took her hands down, still blushing. ¡°She¡¯s really persuasive¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± ina had experienced it firsthand, and seen Tira fall victim as well. But as convincing and alluring as Flora was, ina¡¯s mind was otherwise upied right now. Carly seemed to be more at ease with her body under the water, but ina herself wasn¡¯t drawn to it any less. ¡°So, are we just out here to sit in the water, or was there something else you wanted to do?¡± Carly was silent, but she did look up with eager eyes, did stand up and start wading across the water. ina was hesitant for a moment, but began walking over herself too, meeting Carly in the middle of the pond, pulling her close as Carly extended her head up, their lips joining together. It was as wonderful as it had been just a few minutes prior. Carly¡¯s lips were as warm as ever, her body just as soft, but the water only served to highlight just how smooth her skin was as well. ina¡¯s hands moved on their own, tracing down her friend¡¯s back, running over Carly¡¯s waist. She squeezed there, relishing thefy nature of Carl¡¯s body, reveling in the softness of flesh. Carly seemed to enjoy it too, and ina could hear her grunting, lightly sighing into her mouth as ina¡¯s other hand went to grope here chest. And then ina felt it, the hand below her own waist, stroking her slit upwards and pressing into her clit. It was sudden, no forey to it, and she threw her head back, gasping in surprise. ¡°I want to do something for you,¡± Carly said, still rubbing as she spoke. ¡°I guess it¡¯s for me too, but mostly for you.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± ina managed to squeak out, her own hands floating limp in the water. She hadn¡¯t realized how ready for Carly¡¯s touch she¡¯d been. ¡°Good,¡± Carly said, right before she submergedpletely into the water. ina was confused for only a moment, and then she was utterly baffled as she felt arms wrap around her thighs, hands grasp her ass. ¡°Woah!¡± she screamed as she was lifted up, Carly¡¯s head emerging from the water pressed into ina¡¯s groin. ¡°The extra strength is nice,¡± Carly said as she started to walk. ina¡¯s mind was dizzy, both from the sudden elevation change and the fact that she was being carried like a piece of luggage. Realistically she would be stronger than Carly with her additional level, but in the moment it felt like she was helpless, and that drove her already aching pussy to a new level of readiness. She felt herself thrown against a rock, yelped as her tailbone hit it. ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± Carly said, bringing her hands to her mouth. ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­ good.¡± ina said, savoring the pain as it radiated through her body.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Carly said, dropping her hands and sighing in relief. ¡°I¡¯m not really¡­ I can¡¯t really do that stuff like Tira, but I still want to try and make you feel good.¡± Try? Effort or not, she¡¯d already done a pretty good job so far as far as ina was concerned. As her mind came down from the high of the incidental pain her eyes began to refocus. She was up against a rock, angled slightly back, just enough to keep her from sliding down it, but still able to see down into the pool. Her legs were closed from when she¡¯d been grabbed and carried, but Carly was right in front of them, gazing right into ina¡¯s closed thighs. She had an idea what wasing. She opened her legs, revealing her pussy to the chilly breeze of the forest, and to her best friend. Carly wasted only a moment staring, then dove in between ina¡¯s legs. Her tongue swirled around the outside of ina¡¯s lips, flicking over her clit and then diving into her. ina closed her eyes let out a cry in ecstasy, immediately lost to pleasure. She¡¯d only had this done to her once before, when her and Flora did it to each other together, but this was different. Maybe it was the angle, the fact that she was gently reclined, maybe it was the coarse stone digging into her skin as she was pushed into it, the sharp yet slight pain elevating the experience, or maybe it was just Carly¡¯s intention, not trading, not expecting anything in return, simply being there for ina, doing everything she could to make her roommate happy. ina¡¯s eyes opened again as Carly continue ravishing her, looking down at her own body. She was on full disy if anyone were to walk into the grove, but that wasn¡¯t the only piece of exposure. Carly¡¯s eyes were open, looking up ina¡¯s body, at her pleasure-contorted face. ina could feel herself burn a deep red at that, knowing that she was syed out like that and that Carly could see everything, including whatever shameful faces she was making. She hadn¡¯t been holding back her screams until that point, but she had to bit her lip at this point, lest she scream so loud someone outside the forest hear her and start running. Would that be so bad though? Yes, but ina couldn¡¯t convince herself of that, failing to hold back her voice and screaming out anyway, into the grove, the trees, the sky, the entire world as her groin convulsed and her hips bucked, her thighs softly squeezing Carly¡¯s head as the woman dutifully continued her mission to please ina, not ceasing the relentless assault on her pussy until ina finally quieted down, released the pressure from her thighs, still rocking her hips back and forth into Carly¡¯s head, enjoying the gentle slowdown of the oral pleasuring as ina came down from her orgasm, panting instead of screaming. Carly backed away, and ina let herself slide of the rock and into the water. Justying down wasn¡¯t going to be enough to recover from that; she needed to be weightless, so she let herself fall into the pond and float in the water. Head still in a daze, she looked over to Carly, feeling an instant sense of guilt. ¡°Oh, wait, you need a turn,¡± ina said as she righted herself onto shaking legs. ¡°No,¡± Carly said, smiling as she sank into the water. ¡°I got what I wanted.¡± ¡°But I barely touched you¡­¡± ¡°I touched myself a bit while you were up on the rock. I¡­ I came too. Maybe not as intensely, but it was nice, watching you, hearing you.¡± Carly spoke like it was so obvious, but it still didn¡¯t feel right to ina. She couldn¡¯t just get pleasured like that for no reason, right? She needed to do something back. It just wouldn¡¯t be okay otherwise. That¡¯s what she thought anyway, until Carly pushed herself over, turning her back into ina and falling into her arms. She could feel it, the calmness and serenity in Carly¡¯s heart, solely through the way Carly¡¯s head rested itself against ina¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It was good?¡± Carly asked. ina wrapped her arms around Carly, one across her chest, one across her stomach, each soft under her hands, each warming to her heart. She was perfection. ¡°Yeah. It was. For you too?¡± ¡°Mmhm,¡± Carly said, nuzzling in close. ina¡¯s own heart was beating, but Carly seemed at peace, even seemed to drift off in her arms as they floated in the water together. Then there was soft snoring from the peaceful girl in her arms, and ina knew she was trapped, that she would cradle Carly until she woke up, unmoving. She¡¯d wait until the end of time if she had too, and she¡¯d savor each moment of it. Ch 2.48: Dry Ch 2.48: Dry ¡°So,¡± ina said, once againying naked on the rock just outside the water, ¡°we probably could¡¯ve nned this part better.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Carly was on the other side of the rock, their backs to each other. Carly was also naked, and though they¡¯d long since decided bathing time was over, there was still the small issue of drying off. ¡°The same thing happened with Flora the other day and I meant to bring towels this time but I just sort of got caught up in the moment and, well, forgot.¡± ina chuckled as she looked over her shoulder, only seeing the top of Carly¡¯s wet hair. She wanted to get up, take in more of Carly¡¯s body, but she was trying to be respectful, for the time being at least. Carly of all people couldn¡¯t me her if she happened to identally get a look at her while they were getting dressed, right? But no, ina would avoid that too, reluctantly. She¡¯d explicitly given Carly permission to do those things, and she¡¯d wait until Carly was ready for that step too. ¡°At least it¡¯s getting warmer,¡± ina said as she sat up, bringing her knees to her chest. ¡°Maybe next time you have to use the ¡®it¡¯s so hot¡¯ excuse to take your clothes off¡¯ it¡¯ll actually make sense.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ina said with augh. She was a little surprised at thating from Carly, but happy she was opening up a little at least. ¡°I doubt our hair is gonnapletely dry, so we can probably go soon.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ina heard footsteps as Carly stepped off her side of the rock, and despite her earlier resolve to be respectful, ina¡¯s eyes did wander in the direction of the sound, seeing Carly walk back over to her bag and pull a fresh set of underwear out. She really didn¡¯t mean to stare, but Carly didn¡¯t make any attempt to hide herself as she got dressed, barely even seemed to register ina was there until after she¡¯d pulled up her panties and was pulling her bra up. ¡°You going to get dressed too?¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± ina said as she crept off the rock, finally braking her gaze and going back to her own bag. She did manage to keep some semnce of control over her eyes once she had a goal to focus on, dressing herself side by side with Carly until they were finally both decent and started off back towards school. ¡°ss again tomorrow,¡± Carly eventually said as they were approaching the school entrance. ¡°I have to go do some homework for Medicine in the library. I had a deferment if we were gone the whole weekend, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll count since we came in so early today.¡± ¡°Okay, I think I¡¯ll head back up to the room.¡± It was all she really knew to do at school with Flora and Tira both gone. Carly stopped as they entered the hallway, ina stopping with her. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll see youter then. I, uhm, had a good time.¡± She leaned forward taking ina into a deep hug. ina¡¯s initially reaction to the embrace was to freeze, look around to see if people were there. And people were there of course, but they were just walking along, talking amongst their groups, or otherwise engaged in minding their own business. No one even seemed to notice the two girls stopped off to the side of the hall, so ina returned the hug, relishing in the touch before releasing, beaming with a smile. ¡°Maybe you should hang out in themon room,¡± Carly said as she pulled away. ¡°Oh, uhm, I don¡¯t know,¡± ina said. ¡°People still don¡¯t like me after the whole¡­ the whole orientation thing.¡± Carly frowned, shaking her head. ¡°I think you¡¯re too worried about that. Maybe just give it a shot. I¡¯ll talk to youter though!¡± Carly was gone before ina could protest anymore. She guessed she didn¡¯t really have to do it, but would Carly feel bad if she didn¡¯t? She had to go through themon room anyway, so maybe a few minutes wouldn¡¯t be that bad. Resolved to at least humor Carly, ina took a breath as she entered lounge area below their dorm room. It wasn¡¯t as popted as it normally was, just one group of three students she didn¡¯t recognize over by the firece. Still, she¡¯d told herself she¡¯d try it, so she sat down on one of the single chairs, decided she¡¯d stay ten minutes, and then head back up. Except she felt awkward immediately. There were only three people there, and she wasn¡¯t talking to them, so why even bother staying? She could just tell Carly there wasn¡¯t really anyone to talk to, right? Yeah, that would be the truth, no need to stay at all really. ¡°Hey, Weaver, right?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Her had snapped as her worst fear was realized, that someone actually wanted to talk to her. For a moment she thought the two boys walking through the doorway and headed towards her were Waine and his crony-friend Ivis, but she sighed a breath of relief when she realized it wasn¡¯t them. They did look vaguely familiar though. ¡°I¡¯m Leen Sturgess. We have Engineering together now,¡± the lead boy said as he sat on the couch across from her. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the one that makes swords.¡± ¡°Ah, well, weapons in general,¡± the boy said with a blush. ¡°But mostly swords, yeah. And this here is¡ª¡± ¡°Brink,¡± ina blurted, the nameing out of her mouth as soon as she recognized him, the first person she¡¯d had a proper sword duel with, not counting the aspected duel with Waine. ¡°Oh, you know each other?¡± ¡°Hmm. Fencing,¡± Brink said as he walked off. ¡°Cool! Well, nice to meet you officially,¡± Sturgess said as he leaned back and kicked his feet up on the table in front of him, surprising ina with his brazenness. ¡°I wanted to introduce myself to you a couple times, but you always seemed to be in a rush whenever you came through here.¡± ¡°I, uhm, was probably busy¡­¡± ina said with a flush. Maybe Carly was right after all about the actual damage to her reputation orientation had done. ¡°Yeah, I get it,¡± Sturgess said as Brink returned with three sses of water, setting them down on the table and taking a seat next to his friend. ¡°Brink here doesn¡¯t have much homework, but us with technical aspects sure get the brunt of it,¡± Sturgess continued as he ced his arm around Brink. ¡°Anyway, we just got back from a quick trip to Castletown. What¡¯ve you been up to?¡± ¡°I was actually just there too,¡± ina said as she took a drink of water from the ss she assumed was for her. ¡°My party, err, my practicum team had an assignment out that way.¡± ¡°No shit? Well, your weekend might have actually had more excitement than ours then. I wanted to go to Mirage yesterday, but Brink here got cold feet at thest minute.¡± ¡°S¡¯expensive. Addicting.¡± ¡°Mirage?¡± ina asked. She¡¯d heard the word before, but she was pretty sure it was something to do with the desert, which she didn¡¯t think they were anywhere near.¡± ¡°Oh, right, you¡¯re amoner,¡± Sturgess said as he took a swig of his water. ¡°Forgot not everyone grows up hearing stories of Castletown nightlife. It¡¯s a game house. Poker, dice, stuff like that. And we¡¯re definitely going next weekend.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Brink grunted in agreement. ¡°Special event. Only need to pay entry fee.¡± ¡°Special event?¡± ina asked. She¡¯d grasped they were talking about gambling at least, but she wasn¡¯t sure how a special event for that would work. ¡°Dunno. The whole thing¡¯s kinda hush hush, just got announcedst night. But it¡¯s a poker event with points instead of money, and there¡¯s some big grand prize.¡± ¡°That¡¯s sounds kind cool actually,¡± ina said. ¡°What¡¯s the prize?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the thing,¡± Sturgess said with a snap, ¡°no one knows! Some people think it¡¯s a person, but I know that even Mirage isn¡¯t going to go that far.¡± A person? ¡°Why in the stars would people think that?¡± ¡°Well, they aren¡¯t saying exactly what the prize is, but they did give it a name. They¡¯re calling it a ¡®Temmie.¡¯¡± Ch 2.49: Strategizing Ch 2.49: Strategizing ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t mishear?¡± Tira asked in a hushed voice. ¡°Yeah, they definitely said ¡®Temmie,¡¯¡± ina replied, hoping her voice was masked to outsiders by the crowd of students in the dining room. ¡°I heard it too, from different people,¡± Flora said, as she ripped into a piece of bread. ¡°And you¡¯re sure our Temmie is safe though?¡± ¡°Yeah, I checked on her right after. Shes fine both here and out in the forest.¡± ¡°Are we sure this is actually like, a subcore?¡± Tira asked, making extra certain to muffle thatst word. ¡°Temmie isn¡¯t even her real name, it¡¯s just a silly nickname Flora came up with; no on else should know it.¡± ¡°ina said the name while you were out,¡± Carly said, pushing her food around her te. ¡°The brown haireddy heard her say it, before she escaped.¡± ina winced at the description, urate and non judgemental as it was. She didn¡¯t like being reminded that the woman had gotten away because of her, or that she¡¯d let out Temmie¡¯s name around her either. ¡°I still don¡¯t get why they¡¯d call her that though, or it that, I guess¡­¡± she added, trying to change the subject. ¡°Well, what else are they going to call it?¡± Flora said. ¡°It kind of looks and sort of acts like an awakening stone, but those are heavily regted, so they can¡¯t exactly go around advertising that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just that,¡± Tira said. ¡°They could just call it a mystery prize with no name if that were the case, but they¡¯re being specific with a name no one recognizes. No one except us.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± ina said, the weight of the situation finally dawning on her. ¡°We¡¯re being baited? Why.¡± ¡°Well, from what it sounds like, thedy tried to get our ¡®Temmie¡¯ when she ran off,¡± Tira said, propping her arm on the table and resting her chin on her palm, cocking her head slightly sideways and closing her eyes. She looked cute when she was deep in thought. ¡°They still don¡¯t really know what a Temmie is though. They do know that we¡¯re Endrin students, and that we probably know what it is¡­ If we¡¯re going to do this we need to go in with that in mind, that we¡¯re not customers, but targets.¡± ¡°Uhm, are we sure we should be doing this at all?¡± Carly asked. ¡°I mean, these are criminals, right? Should we, you know¡­¡± ina didn¡¯t need her to finish the thought to know she was suggesting to alert the authorities, but she also knew why Carly couldn¡¯t utter that part out loud. ¡°We can¡¯t let anyone know about Temmie. We need to get the subcore, and not lot anyone else figure out what it is.¡± ¡°Easier said than done,¡± Flora said, finally pushing away her empty te. ¡°I¡¯ve been to Mirage before. It¡¯s not the seediest ce, but that¡¯ what scares me. If they¡¯re somehow involved with some criminal syndicate and are able to maintain their reputation, it¡¯s not going to be some small time thing. They¡¯re going to be in deep.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this like, all against the rules anyway?¡± ina asked. ¡°Like, how are they even getting away with advertising something like this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not illegal,¡± Tira said. ¡°Just¡­ against school rules.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re going toe anyway,¡± Flora said, poking Tira¡¯s nose and sending the girl into a state of shock.¡± ¡°Did you just¡­ boop my nose?¡± ¡°Attention,¡± a deep booming voice said from the head of the dining hall. Only one person¡¯s voice could be that loud. ¡°I¡¯d like to take just a moment of your time,¡± Alonse continued. ¡°We are still recovering from the incidentst week, and we will never fully recover, not truly, not in our hearts. But our institution is strong, will remain strong, and today we¡¯re taking a step forward in rebuilding. ¡°Students, I¡¯d like to introduce your new fencing master.¡± Ch 2.50: Echoes Ch 2.50: Echoes The room began murmuring a little at the mention of a new fencing master, though the talking ceased once a series of footsteps began sounding through the hall. ina turned with the rest of the student body,ying eyes once more on Kohpicia Fireguard. If she had been close to the most beautiful person ina had seen earlier in the day, it wasn¡¯t even apetition anymore. It wasn¡¯t the same beauty she saw in her friends, the kind that sprang forth both from body and soul, but one of pure aesthetics, an undeniable aura about the woman that called your attention to her. The entire school was a chorus of quiet as Koh walked through in a shimmering, fire-red ballgown, her curled tinum blonde hair flowing across shoulders that held themselves and her head high, sporting with a gentle face, neither smiling nor frowning, just existing in an elegance that ina had never even dreamed possible before this moment. At first she thought the room was as stunned as she was about the woman¡¯s beauty and grace, but she felt an eerie simrity as Koh climbed up to the staff table, walking and taking her spot next to Headmaster Alonse. This wasn¡¯t the silence of a room stunned by beauty, but that of a people speechless from shock, the echo of the silence ina felt on her orientation, as dozens of people stared on while she failed to even get a single reading from the awakening stone. This time it wasn¡¯t just the first-years though, hundreds instead of dozens. ¡°Hey Waine, noments about duds this time?¡± The words weren¡¯t the same, not even from the same person, but they were an echo of Waine¡¯s own outburst during orientation regardless, and the cacophony ofughter that followed was an echo of the response then as well. ina¡¯s eyes darted around, watching countless peopleughing. She hadn¡¯t seen itst time, only felt it, and somehow seeing it made it worse, the hateful glee in the eyes of the people jeering. Almost everyone was joined in, even to the teachers who were failing to stifle theirughs with their arms, only two groups still sitting in stunned silence, one being ina¡¯s party, and the other a couple on the other side of the room. Prisma had her head down again, the same look ina had witnessed when this happened before, and most of her friends, Ivis, Daly, N, all had the same obnoxious, guffawing faces as the people around them. But Waine didn¡¯t. He was looking up at the staff table, still stunned into silence, eyes zed over with shock as they stared up at his once fiance. Koh herself had a look ina recognized beyond any of the others, though not one she¡¯d ever seen before. It was the look of abject despair, the sickening realization that you were a failure, the knowing that nothing was ever going to be okay again, the look ina knew she must have had on her face when she had stood in that same spot just weeks ago. ¡°Enough!¡± The word rang through the hall with the intensity of a thundercrack, causing ina to wince in pain at the volume, her ears ringing as the sound echoed over and over, dissipating again into silence. As ina opened her eyes again she saw the heads of here fellow students, all lowered in shame except her, her friends, and Waine and Prisma. ¡°You,¡± Alonse continued, a wrinkled finger pointing into the crowd and singling out one students ina didn¡¯t recognize, ¡°my office the instant I am done speaking. And the rest of you should feel equal shame, everyone of you,¡± he said as he nced to the staff behind him. ¡°Professor Fireguard is the most aplished swordfighter in the world, and she could defeat a good ny percent of you here in a duel without restrictions. With aspects restricted, she could just as easily beat any two of you simultaneously. You should be grateful and honored for the opportunity to study under her.¡± Alonse¡¯s presence washed over the room. Even without his altered voice, the manmanded a certain amount of respect. It gave Koh enough time to step up and clear her throat. ¡°I¡¯ve thought a lot about what to say here,¡± she said, hands folded across her waist, her face now returned to the state of grace and tranquility it had before. ¡°I¡¯d first like to thank you for having me here. It is an honor to be allowed to teach here, to take over for my dear friend and mentor who taught before me. ¡°In another world, I would have been your ssmate, sitting out there in those same tables. The headmaster overstates my skills a little, but everything I know I learned from Professor Ranlit. I can¡¯t imagine I¡¯ll be the level of teacher that she was, but I know she¡¯d want her teachings carried on in some way, and that she thought me capable enough to dere me a master of her sword arts.¡± She bent low, presenting the top of her head to the student body sitting below her. ¡°I will do my best to carry on her legacy. In an effort to do such, I ask for your support, so that I will have the opportunity to support you in turn.¡± Returning upright, she walked away, leaving both Alonse and a wake of silence behind as she sat down at the staff table. ¡°That is all,¡± Alonse said. ¡°Now if you''ll excuse me, I must away to my office for a meeting.¡± As he too left, ina began to grind her teeth in rage. There had been shock before, the pain of being reminded about what happened to her, but it was festering into something different now, an even worse feeling. Beyond monsters, beyond the Red Order, beyond criminal organizations, ina was bing more and more aware of the ugliness in her world, and she didn¡¯t like it one bit. Ch 2.51: Gold Ch 2.51: Gold ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to go through that, ina,¡± Tira eventually said, breaking the silence. The four of them had been in her office for almost ten minutes, none of them making a sound. ¡°You know,¡± ina said, looking back up at the crystal monitor on the wall that disyed the dining hall as it was slowly clearing out, ¡°I actually felt bad for him. For Waine.¡± Tira sneered, shaking her head. ¡°Not him, the new professor. She¡¯s the one people wereughing at, even if his name was the one said.¡± ina did feel bad for Koh, of course, felt more for her than she did Waine. But that was what she expected of herself, what anyone decent would expect. Waine was different, someone she¡¯d never feel bad for. Not even during the attack when it seemed like he might¡¯ve died did she feel bad about that, but for some reason this was different, the one time she could imagine feeling something other than contempt for the boy. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the time sensitive topic, shall we?¡± Flora asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± ina said, resolving to sort her feelings regarding Waine and Koh outter. ¡°Brink said something about an entry fee, but not how much it is. I¡¯ll need to know how much I need to bring.¡± ¡°I actually heard about the entry fee in the library,¡± Carly said. ¡°It¡¯s twenty a piece.¡± ¡°Twenty?¡± ina asked. That was way steeper than she¡¯d been thinking, but she could afford it, barely. Unless she means¡­ ¡°Wait, do you mean bronze or silver?¡± ¡°Uhm, it¡¯s gold, actually.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± It took her brain a moment to even process the information, that twenty gold was what it would cost, that twenty gold was something anything could cost. She remembered her mother telling her once that their family made about five gold a year, and that had been something to be proud of, even if they¡¯d never actually owned an entire gold piece itself. ¡°Gods,¡± Tira said, leaning back into her chair and kicking her boots onto the desk. ¡°Nobles and their fucking gold.¡± ¡°We can cover the entry fees for the four of us,¡± Flora said, gesturing to herself and Carly, who nodded in agreement. ¡°But that¡¯s, that¡¯s way to much money!¡± ina said, heart starting to beat as the reality of it set in. Twenty gold, each, eighty total. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Flora said, ¡°don¡¯t worry. I mean, it¡¯s not literally nothing, but it¡¯s not that big a deal to us.¡± ina couldn¡¯t even think of more words to protest, so she let that portion of the conversation drop even as it rolled her mind over inside her head. ¡°I wish we could have just one weekend where something System rted wasn¡¯t going on,¡± ina said. ¡°It¡¯ll be fun though!¡± Flora said. ¡°We¡¯re going to Mirage! Drinks, games, all sorts of stuff.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what this is,¡± Tira said, face in her palm. ¡°And you know it.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah, I¡¯m just kidding,¡± Flora replied, with a side-eyed look to ina that indicated she very much did not seem to be kidding. ¡°There is one thing to worry about though if Carly and are paying, and I think you can help with that ina.¡± That at least seemed like an honest thought, but ina wasn¡¯t sure how she could be of any use. ¡°What am I gonna do?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re all gonna need dresses of course!.¡± Ch 2.52: Permission Ch 2.52: Permission ¡°And why exactly are you asking for permission to make dresses of all things, Miss Weaver?¡± Professor Sylvas asked. ina took a deep breath, doing her best to ignore the students filing out of the lecture room. She¡¯d prepared arguments for why she¡¯d need to use school property to make clothes for going out into two, but they were all flowing out of her head. Something about the Engineering professor intimidated her, despite his short stature. It could have been the prosthetic leg, the gruff voice and ent, the burly beard that remind her of the butcher back home who¡¯d never seemed to like. Whatever it was, she¡¯d lost the faculties she needed to make coherent arguments in her head, much less speak. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t really know about the rules for going out into town, so I didn¡¯t bring many extra clothes. I mean, I can¡¯t go out naked, so I need to wear something other than my uniform at times, so I¡­¡± She trailed off at the look of incredulity her professor was giving, feeling herself burning bright red in the gaze of his confused eyes. ¡°Lass, I think you misunderstand. I appreciate the request to use dangerous things like the forge, but looms and spinning wheels? You don¡¯t need to ask about that. This a student workshop; go do work.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± It was that easy? ¡°I do ask you do one thing though, to keep your aspect in mind. What¡¯s a restraint, after all? You probably haven¡¯t considered it, but things like belt buckles, knots tying clothes together, shoces, these could all be considered types of restraints. While you¡¯re putting your garments together, think about what you could use in a fight, how to trip someone, pull on their scabbard even.¡± ¡°Uhm, yeah, I guess I hadn¡¯t really thought about that¡­¡± ina didn¡¯t have the heart to tell the man she¡¯d already realized she could do much more with cloths than just trip someone with her understanding of restraint. He just looked so proud. ¡°Aye, and that¡¯s why I¡¯m the professor. Remember, what¡¯s engineering again?¡± ¡°Solving problems,¡± ina replied. The look of pride on the man swelled even further. On someone else it might have looked smug, but it didn¡¯t on Sylvas for some reason. It was a kind pride, a happiness he¡¯d helped someone¡ªin his mind at least¡ªthat contrasted with his seemingly grumpy demeanor. ¡°Aye,ss. I may check in your progress. If you¡¯re as good as your family name suggests, I may even ask you to make one for my wife. Her birthday¡¯s in a few months.¡± ¡°Huh? I mean, sure of course.¡± She¡¯d have to be careful about when she worked then. She had only mentioned making a dress for herself to him, but that wasn¡¯t all she was making. Tira and Carly had said they had clothes they could wear, but Flora insisted on having ina make her one. Didn¡¯t she know how long dresses took to make? Well, to be fair, hers might not take very long to make with what she requested. Won¡¯t use much material either. All the more reason to not have Sylvas see her making that one, though. ¡°Only if it doesn¡¯t interfere with your schoolwork. And I¡¯d pay you, of course. What would you charge, five silver, a gold?¡± Five silver. One gold. ¡°No?¡± For the rest of her life, ina wouldn¡¯t be able to exin why that was her answer. It was urate, in a way, because she couldn¡¯t think of charging that much for a single dress, but even before she said it she knew the answer was inappropriate. Still, it was the answer that hade out, and the one she¡¯d have to live with. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I mean, uhm, I wouldn¡¯t want tomit to a price without going over the design first. I don¡¯t want to overcharge you, after all.¡± ¡°Ah, of course!¡± Sylvas said, the smile he had from earlier returning. ¡°Well, I unfortunately have the paperwork side of teaching to get to. No matter how much I do, never seems to be enough. Remember as well, end of the week you¡¯re going to make a beartrap for me, a functional one, that I can trigger and reset using only kic energy, not aspected, understand? I do take away workshop privileges for personal projects if students are behind on any schoolwork, understand?¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± She hadn¡¯t forgotten, of course. It was one of the many things piling on in her life, and they were constantly at war in her head, vying for her attention. ¡°Excellent! I¡¯ll be off; good day, Miss Weaver.¡± Once she was alone in the ssroom, ina let out a sigh of relief, but was still left unsatisfied. It was one task done in a list of hundreds, and all getting it done did was give her permission to start another task. She didn¡¯t mind making a special dress for Flora actually, that sounded fun, but making a full one for herself was going to be extremely annoying. Weaving, school, System, Red Order, Mirage. At this point she¡¯d just be happy to have things stop adding onto the pile, much less start working down the list, but there was a nagging suspicion in the back of her had that even that wasn¡¯t going to happen, that there were only more tasks yet toe her way. Ch 2.53: Struggle Ch 2.53: Struggle It was certainly getting warmer finally, the sun beating down on ina and Tira as they sparred during Combatives. It was less sparring than practice though, a luxury Professor Calivahn was happy to provide them since they were part of the same practicum team, allowing them to work on tandem attacks, where ina would make a chain for Tira to swing around, or Tira would help aim ina¡¯s attacks at training dummies. The awkward part was figuring out how to practice in a way that would be useful to the to of them while under the instructor¡¯s eye, since they couldn¡¯t exactly openly use their skills, or even the full strength of their aspects anymore. ¡°Weaver, make a weapon.¡± ¡°Okay, what kind?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure whether Calivahn meant rope or chains, or maybe something. ¡°A weapon. Something that you might find in an armory,¡± Calivahn replied. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m not really sure what you mean¡­¡± ina wasn¡¯t Sturgess, so she really wasn¡¯t sure what was expected of her. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s there yet, Professor,¡± Tira said as she took a swig of water from a canteen. ¡°I¡¯ll try and get her to that point.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Calivahn said as she walked away to observe other students. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± ina asked, grabbing her own water from the floor and taking a drink from it. ¡°You need to be more active inbat. Restraining things is obviously great in a lot of contexts, but not all of them. You won¡¯t always be able to just tie up multiple enemies all the time. Sometimes you¡¯re only going to be able to spare the mana to make one thing, and you¡¯ll need to use that one thing for multiple opponents.¡± ina looked down at her hands, trying to picture herself doing what Tira was describing. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I mean, with my mana pool, I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be a problem.¡± She had a hard timeprehending Tira¡¯s expression when she looked back up. It wasn¡¯t quite pity, not quite sympathy either, maybe somewhere in the middle. ¡°Try and hit me.¡± ¡°Hit you?¡± ¡°Yeah, with a chain. Do it.¡± ina stepped back, putting distance between her and her opponent as soon as she focused on what she was doing. She was getting better at the instinct side of things, at the least. She hesitated for just a second, not wanting to hit Tira as she just stood there, making no effort to fight back, but she steeled herself and formed a chain, swinging it at Tira¡¯s side, but with not nearly as much force as she needed. The chain curved upwards as she swung it, soaring over Tira¡¯s head and then falling to the ground. ¡°No. More mana than that.¡± ina grit her teeth, feeling redness swell through her face. It wasn¡¯t embarrassment though, but annoyance. ¡°Come on, ina. You know I¡¯m durable, don¡¯t hold back.¡± It was the tone of Tira¡¯s voice that was putting ina on edge. It wasn¡¯tmanding or authoritative, but goading, a much more unwee tone, especiallying from Tira. But if Tira wanted harder, ina could provide it. She sent a wave of mana through her already existing chain, whipping it back towards Tira at twice the force previously. And still, it soared over Tira¡¯s head. ¡°More mana.¡± ¡°If I go any harder I¡¯m gonna seriously hurt you!¡± ina hissed, looking around to make sure no one was paying attention. ¡°I¡¯m still a level higher than you. If I go any faster I know you won¡¯t be able to stop it, but I¡¯m not trying to break your bones!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say harder,¡± Tira said. ¡°I said more mana. You¡¯re not used to actually fighting someone whose aspect actually interacts with yours, right? You need to pour mana into keeping your attack straight, on target. You can go as fast or hard as you want, but if you¡¯re not focusing on keeping a straight shot, I¡¯m going to be able to deflect it.¡± ina had a hard time understanding what Tira was saying, but it made a little sense, she supposed. Tira was just changing the direction of ina¡¯s attack, not the speed after all, not in this instance anyway. ¡°Now try again. Don¡¯t focus on a hard blow, just on hitting me. Put as much mana as you can into making sure the attack is on target, fighting against my attempt to alter the course.¡± ina nodded, trying to visualize the attack in her mind, the way she¡¯d have to use her aspect. If what Tira was saying was true, she wouldn¡¯t have to really pile a lot of force into the hit, which would make it easier mentally at least, since she wouldn¡¯t have to risk seriously hurting Tira. She reached out into the chain again, slowly raising it into the air at first, and feeling it move slightly off course as well, slightly move to the side. ¡°That¡¯s what you need to fight against,¡± Tira said. ¡°Focus on making sure I can¡¯t do that.¡± That had helped, actually. She hadn¡¯t really paid attention to the feeling thest few times, but it was there, the counterpull of Tira¡¯s aspect on her own. It wasn¡¯t like trying to restrain a moving, living being, or pull a heavy object. It was its own thing, a separate factor she had to ount for when using her aspect, aside from the actual physical movement of the chains. Ready again, sheshed out once more, a moderate speed attack, in between the strengths of the first two, until she felt that supernatural resistance, Tira fighting back. ina refocused her mana though, dumping as much mana as she possibly could into keeping her attack straight, pouring energy into the path rather than the power, and sending the chain directly into Tira¡¯s shoulder. Then ina fell to one knee, clutching her chest and taking in a deep breath. ¡°What the¡ª¡± She couldn¡¯t even finish the curse, going lightheaded and her vision going blurry. It allsted only a second, was more disorienting than anything else, but she was left dumbfounded, kneeling on the ground, no idea what had happened. ¡°Tira, is she okay?¡± she heard Calivahn ask from across the field. ¡°Yeah, just dumped her mana pool,¡± Tira said as she raised her waterskin to ina¡¯s lips, the girl dly gulping down from it. ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch on her, and we¡¯ll go easy the rest of ss.¡± The answer must¡¯ve been adequate enough, because ina didn¡¯t hear a reply. And Tira was right. ina¡¯s mana pool, nearly full when she¡¯d started the attack, waspletely empty. ¡°The more mana you use at once, the worse the kickback for emptying it is,¡± Tira said, reaching her hand out. ¡°Yeah,¡± ina said, taking the hand and letting herself get pulled up. ¡°It was¡­ a lot.¡± ¡°The point is, even with arge mana pool, it can empty fast.¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve just told me that, you know,¡± ina said as she walked over to one of the benches on the side of the field, pulling her own water out and taking another swig. ¡°You needed to experience it anyway,¡± Tira said while rubbing the small of ina¡¯s back. Through just the thin uniform shirt, it almost felt like her actual hand. ¡°Aspect teaching is about letting the student figure things out for themselves.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like you, at all.¡± Tira was the one who blushed at that, looking across the field at Calivahn. ¡°It¡¯s how she taught me, got me to where I am. I¡¯m not even supposed to be here, you know, not on merit. The strength of my aspect wasn¡¯t strong enough, but mom is the one who got me in, and most of the teachers treated me like that. Calivahn was different though, never expected less of me than any of the other students.¡± ina could see it. She hadn¡¯t exactly felt derision from any of her other professors, but Calivahn treated everyone the same, it seemed. She expected the best from Endrin students, whether they were ina Weaver, or the person she was currently coaching, Prisma Fireguard. As always, it was a spectacle to watch Prisma do anything. She¡¯d been banned from practicing against the straw dummies on the first actual day ofbatives after demonstrating to Calivahn that she could burn them to a crisp near instantly, and she had moved on to a spare sheet of chainmail Calivahn had acquired from Professor Sylvas, pouring streams of fire into the metal, causing the individual links to burn bright, even in the light of the sun. ¡°Enough, I¡¯ll test it now,¡± Calivahn said, her authoritative voice carrying across the field. She pulled her sword from her scabbard and thrust into the mail, her weapon going straight through the would-be armor. ¡°Still more resistance than I¡¯d like. Try smaller mes, more intense. You don¡¯t need to melt itpletely, but I want to see how weak you can make it.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Prisma said, wiping sweat from her brow. Was that a side effect of her dumping her mana? ¡°Alright ss, that¡¯s all for today. Good work, everyone,¡± Calivahn said as she sheathed her weapon and started walking off. Most of the ss started wandering off immediately as well, trusting the Endrin automatons to clean up after them, but ina sat and watched Prisma, the girl still staring at the piece of chainmail, clutching her fist together. ¡°Go talk to her,¡± ina heard from next to her, breaking her out of her own thoughts. ¡°I know you want to, need to after what happened.¡± ina nodded, but hesitantly. Tira was right, but despite knowing in her heart she needed to talk to Prisma, she had no idea what to say. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Just start with the obvious.¡± The obvious. ina wasn¡¯t even sure if Tira knew what the obvious was, but she supposed that didn¡¯t matter. She herself knew, and that¡¯s all that mattered. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you at lunch.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Tira said, standing up and stretching for a moment before walking off. It was only the two of them left on the field as ina stood up and walked over towards Prisma. Ch 2.54: Overdue Ch 2.54: Overdue It had been hard for ina to talk to Prismately. She¡¯d always been the one to approach, always been the one to to have to figure out what to say. Somehow though, knowing what to say didn¡¯t make it easier this time. It was simple, but she found herself fighting her inclination to turn around and walk away anyway. ¡°Why?¡± she eventually said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just tell me.¡± Prisma didn¡¯t move, didn¡¯t even nce back as she still examined the piece of mail in front of her. ¡°There wasn¡¯t anything to tell. Untilst week, he and I were just family friends.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true, and you know it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the type of thing you talk about. No one, talked about it.¡± ¡°Bullshit. You knew, everyone else knew, apparently. I know you were all talking about it.¡± ina herself felt like she was talking to a wall, to Prisma¡¯s back as she was still turned away. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know what this is really about? I¡¯m not like you, am I? I¡¯m just ina Weaver, the girl who didn¡¯t even have ast name a few weeks ago, so it¡¯s okay to keep secrets from me, right?¡± That finally moved Prisma, her heels spinning as she turned. ina wasn¡¯t sure what she expected Prisma¡¯s face to look like. She¡¯d thought it might look mad, perhaps hoped it would look sad, that she would feel bad for keeping ina in the dark. It was neither though, instead just hollow, the face of a person who¡¯d had the life sucked out of her eyes, the joy ripped from her soul. ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Even the emphasized word held no anger, just emphasis. ¡°I wanted to tell you, but I¡­ I never talked about it,¡± Prisma continued. ¡°Not once, not with Koh, not with Waine. I knew because I heard the way people whispered around me, but I didn¡¯t want it to be real.¡± ina wanted to stay mad, but the winds of anger were taken from her sails, because somehow she knew it was the truth. As bare as Prisma¡¯s face was to her in terms of emotion, as dull as the tone she spoke in, ina could tell there was no facade in either, nor the meaning of her words. ¡°Prisma, do you even like him? Like, do you like being around him at all?¡± Prisma shrugged. ¡°Not really. He was okay before, but ever since Koh¡¯s awakening, he¡¯s be¡­ well, cruel. ¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it, you know. They can¡¯t make you marry him.¡± ¡°They can. They will. I¡¯m the heir to the house now that Koh took up the teaching job.¡± ¡°You say that like it¡¯s a fact, like you having to marry him is the same as the sky being up and the ground being down.¡± ¡°If my father says the sky is down and the ground is left, then that¡¯s what it is.¡± Something about thatstment broke ina. her anger had tempered, was something she was proud that she was getting better at controlling in general, but it returned, swelling into a raging me that rivaled anything Prisma could produce with her aspect. ¡°That¡¯s not true, and I¡¯m not gonna stop until you realize it. I don¡¯t care who you marry; you can be with anyone you want, as long as it¡¯s your choice.¡± Prisma didn¡¯t respond with words, but as ina turned around she thought she saw something, a tiny shred of light returning to her eyes. Ch 2.55: Fairness Ch 2.55: Fairness ¡°Okay,¡± Tira said, leaning up against one of the support beams holding up the workshop roof, ¡°we have our entry fee sorted out thanks to generational wealth, but we still need to figure out what happens once we¡¯re inside. Flora, what do you know?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you start with what you know? You were supposed to be getting info too, you know,¡± Flora replied while sitting on one of the sawbenches. ¡°I really don¡¯t think you should be up there,¡± ina said, ncing over from her sewing machine. ¡°I don¡¯t even know if you¡¯re allowed in here at all. And shouldn¡¯t we wait for Carly?¡± ¡°She said she¡¯d bete, might not make it at all,¡± Flora said as she hopped down and started wandering around the shop. ¡°Medicine¡¯s a really intense course, apparently. Anyway, what do you know, Tira?¡± Out the corner of her eye ina saw Tira blush and turn away. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find anything out. People wouldn¡¯t talk to me, just thought I was trying to bust them or something¡­¡± ¡°Hmmph!,¡± Flora said as she hopped up onto one of the anvils a ways away. ina sighed, thanking chance that the shop happened to be empty now, and praying that Professor Sylvas wouldn¡¯te by to check things. ¡°Guess it¡¯s all up to me then. ¡°Twenty gold entry fee, unlimited entrants. You get a certain number of chips for entry, and pick a table to y at. A table¡¯s game starts when there¡¯s eight yers, and then ys until there are only two people with chips left. Those two go on to the second round, and everyone else is eliminated.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s the second round?¡± Tira asked. Flora shrugged. ¡°All hush-hush. People seem to think it¡¯s still poker, but no ones sure what the rules are.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know poker,¡± ina said, cursing her ownck of knowledge. She¡¯d have to somehow learn the game in only four days, on top of making the dresses. At least the newfangled sewing machine was working well. Getting used to the hand-crank machine was taking some time, but she thought it would be beneficial for time overall. ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like you need to know it that much,¡± Tira said. ¡°Why?¡± Flora asked. ¡°We¡¯ll need as many chances to get into the second round as we can.¡± ¡°Nope. Not how this is gonna work,¡± Tira said as she started pacing around the area, driving ina¡¯s anxiety to the max as she walked through all the machinery. ¡°Eight yer tables, and you choose which one you y at. Sound strange to you?¡± ina stopped cranking the machine, wiping sweat from her brow and looking back up to Tira. ¡°Not really, means we don¡¯t have to go up against each other though. Sounds like we can just pick two tables, and try our best to win the two spots at each of them.¡± ¡°Yeah, that sure is what it sounds like. But that¡¯s not how things are going to y out. We do that, and we guarantee none of us get in. We¡¯re going to need to be at the same table, and two of us will need funnel our chips to the others to give them the best chance at winning.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that cheating?¡± ina asked, turning to Flora. ¡°Like, that¡¯s against the rules, right?¡± Flora pursed her lips, furrowing her brow in though. ¡°No, the rules I said were supposed to beprehensive, at least for the first round. There wasn¡¯t anything about collusion.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m not gonna be the only one with this idea,¡± Tira said. ¡°It¡¯s the logical result of the system. If eight people show up, they get two people guaranteed to make it to round two. But you don¡¯t even need to go that far; a team of five can still easily win the table, and make sure the other three entrants at their table don¡¯t have a chance.¡± ¡°So we lose automatically if we just show up in twos?¡± ina asked, trying to reconcile how the bizarre system would work. ¡°Isn¡¯t thatpletely unfair?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Tira said. ¡°But it¡¯s going to make them a shit ton of money. People as rich as Flora and Carline are going to bankroll groups of friends to make it through to the second round, and the slightly less wealthy and shrewd will throw their moneypletely away trying to pull off some hero win.¡± ¡°Just another one of these fucking things,¡± ina murmured to herself. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Tira said. ¡°ina!¡± a voice said as the door from inside flew open, revealing a panting Carly clutching a giant book to her chest. ¡°Good there you are,¡± she said as she ran over, throwing the book down onto the desk next to the sewing machine. ¡°Carly, aren¡¯t you supposed to be studying?¡± ¡°No time,¡± the girl said, opening her book and then shoving it under ina¡¯s face. ¡°You have to see this.¡± Ch 2.56: Distraction Ch 2.56: Distraction Flora realized she was on the sawbench again, wrinkling her nose at her own carelessness as she got down. She didn¡¯t mean to do it, but she didn¡¯t really care for silly rules like that either, so it was hard to notice. Still, she knew it bothered ina, so she¡¯d do her best to keep off the dangerous things. ¡°You¡¯re sure you¡¯re up for ying?¡± she asked. ¡°Not really,¡± ina said, frowning as she moved the piece of fabric around on the sewing machine. ¡°But I¡¯ll do my best. Only one of us needs to win, so really I¡¯m just there to support Carly.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Flora was happy enough with that. She¡¯d thought she¡¯d be one of the two actually ying, but she didn¡¯t mind ying a supporting role every now and then, contrary to popr belief. She wasn¡¯t exactly sure she understood whatever revtions Carly had brought in with her textbook earlier, but Carly sure thought it warranted having ina being the second participant, and ina herself seemed to understand it, which is what really mattered. ¡°I think I¡¯m done,¡± ina said, pulling the dress off of the bench. Dress is a pretty strong word, Flora thought to herself with a grin. ¡°Are you¡­ sure this is going to be okay?¡± ¡°As long as it fits,¡± Flora said, walking over and taking a look. Truth be told, it didn¡¯t even look like clothes, just a few strips of green fabric and some connecting straps. Flora owned underwear that covered more¡ªnot that she ever actually wore it. ¡°I think so,¡± ina said, biting her lip. ¡°But ¡®fits¡¯ is a strong word for something like this.¡± ¡°Only one way to find out,¡± Flora said as she started humming, relishing in the look of amazement that grew on ina¡¯s face. Of all the things that came with her ss, the instant ¡°outfit¡± change was definitely the best one. She normally liked to make more of a show of things, but tight quarters limited her movement, so she settled for one quick spin instead. And then she focused on that ¡°pocket¡± that she had, the best way for her to visualize it. It was strange, cause she was definitely pulling her outfit from the pocket instead of storing her current clothes into it, but the results didn¡¯t look that way. Still, that was how it worked as she felt herself bathed in the shimmering crystal light, felt herself be bare to the world. She wanted to focus entirely on that feeling, but that wasn¡¯t possible of course. She had to use her aspect to increase here sense of hearing, her general awareness. The idea of danger was definitely part of the thrill for Flora, but getting caught was really only good as a fantasy, not an actuality. Still, she felt the rush over her body as the wind started to caress her bare skin, as the sheet of crystal dust fell away and left her nude form standing in the middle of the outside workshop. Being caught might not have been realistically pleasant, but an audience always was, especially one as eager to take in her show as ina. She wasn¡¯t quite as enraptured as Carly usually was, but her puppy dog-eyed stare,plete with panting breath was certainly a bonus for her. ¡°Mind handing that here?¡± Flora said as she extended an arm, thrusting her chest forward as well. ¡°Huh? Oh, sure,¡± ina said, handing over the bundle of fabric. It took Flora a second to actually right the garment into a way she could pull it over her head, but once she did it went on surprisingly easily. She could feel herself grinning right away as she saw how it settled on her frame, doing her best to crane her neck and see how it fit. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± ina said almost right away, ¡°I can fix that, raise it up to¡ª¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s perfect.¡± Flora knew what ina was talking about, and she knew ina was probably right that it needed to be fixed, but she didn¡¯t care. ¡°Come on, I think I saw something I can use as a mirror over here.¡± Flora ran through the workspace as ina followed. She could feel the sway of the fabric on her backside, the pping in the wind as she made her way through the rows of benches and tools, stopping in front of arge sheet of steel near the forge. It wasn¡¯t a perfect mirror by any means, but it was good enough for Flora to get a general look. And she loved what she saw. It was barely anything, but that was what was best about it. Two connected triangles up top, surprisingly tight fitting across her chest as they were pulled back with thin straps, the same type of straps that crossed over her stomach, holding up two rectangle just under her waist, one in the front, one in the back. The back one was fine, she saw as she turned around in the mirror, longer and wider than the front one to amodate the rear Flora counted herself blessed to have. It was the front one that she was sure ina thought needed to be fixed. The size wasn¡¯t really a problem, technically covering everything, but it did hang far lower than she¡¯d expected it too, just barely above the area she¡¯d need to have covered and not worry about being arrested. Might be risking arrest anyway. She¡¯d need to wear something over the dress to leave the school for sure, probably even to walk around town, but she was sure she¡¯d be fine once she got to Mirage. She¡¯d heard tale of the wild things that sometimes happened there, after all. ¡°I love it!¡± she said, grinning as she spun around, feeling the ps on her hips rise and fall. ¡°Flora, it¡¯s too low! Let me fix it for you.¡± ¡°I said I love it the way it is,¡± Flora said as she stopped, blushing as the fabric settled. ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to wear something like this my whole life, but I¡¯ve never been able to. I can¡¯t just go into a store and buy something like this, or evenmission it without it getting back to my parents. And Mirage is made for this type of stuff! Come on, I know you understand.¡± Flora did her best to turn on her own puppy dog eyes, sping her hands together and leaning forward. She could tell she¡¯d won as soon as ina¡¯s eyes started drifting, guiding themselves down the strap of the dress. She had a mixture of looks on her face, somehow a little bit of both Carly in the way she was taking Flora in, and Flora herself, a hint of jealousy, admiration as well. ¡°Fine,¡± ina said with a sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t really have time for alterations anyway. But get dressed! I¡¯m gonna go at least pick out fabrics or my own.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Flora said, jumping and pping. She started sliding out of the dress, was about to reapply her uniform when her mind started to wander. She¡¯d barely been able to control it when she had the dress on, but with it off, standing naked only a few feet away from the school, she could feel her body heating, blood rushing through it, heart pounding. ¡°ina, do you want to go up to your room for a bit?¡± Ch 2.57: Diversion Ch 2.57: Diversion ina really needed to work on her dress, needed to study the textbook Carly had left her afterwards, needed to go over the rules for poker, needed to eat, needed to sleep. All were very important things, and all were in the very, very back of her mind as she stared at a naked Flora holding the dress she¡¯s just made. ¡°I really need to work on my own dress, Flora.¡± ¡°Ohe on,¡± Flora said as she walked over, pouting in front of ina. ¡°You made mine in a day!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wear something like that out in public!¡¯ ¡°Oh course you can! I¡¯m going to after all.¡± Flora punctuated the point by holding the dress against the front of her body, showing that it did very technically cover the most important parts. ¡°See, perfectly decent!¡± ina waved Flora off, returning to drawer that held fabrics to pick out something for her own outfit, and to try and take her mind off of how Flora and that dress looked. ¡°You are wild for wanting to wear that in the first ce, but even if I was too I couldn¡¯t wear that. I have a bit more in the chest than you, you know.¡± ¡°So a boob or two spills out every now and then, what¡¯s the big deal?¡± ¡°Flora!¡± As alluring as the idea actually was, ina should¡¯ve known she was being baited before she turned, but it was Flora¡¯s cheeky grin as she was bent over and holding her hands behind her back that let her know the girl was actually kidding. And even more than she was cheeky, she was just so damned inviting, with bright eyes and an eager smile that anyone would have a hard time saying no to. I can probably start my dress tomorrow. ¡°Fine, we can go to my room for a bit.¡± To say Flora looked ted would be an understatement with the way she hopped into the air, pping the dress in between her hands. ¡°Thanks the gods! Carly wouldn¡¯t hang out with me earlier cause she was so busy, and I was really afraid you were about to say no too.¡± Flora started off towards the school, and ina almost thought she was going to forget to get dressed at first, right up until the school uniform started materializing around her again. ¡°Youing?¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± ina said as she started grabbing her things, her faculties somewhat returning now that Flora had clothes on once more. But even with a firmer grip on her mind, she didn¡¯t want to stay, didn¡¯t want to change her mind, didn¡¯t want to give up the chance. After all, Flora was the person in her party she knew the least, had spent the least amount of one on one time with. It would be good to get to know her more, productive even. Never mind that the same could happen if they just chatted while ina worked. Once she had her stuff packed away, Carly¡¯s book included, she started off after Flora, running to catch up as her senior stood in the door way. ¡°You look pretty eager yourself,¡± Flora said. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you holding the door open forever,¡± ina said,ughing as they entered the engineering ssroom. ¡°You know, this lecture hall is pretty empty.¡± ¡°Not a chance.¡± Not in the middle of the day anyway, ina added to herself. Gods, what am I even thinking? Flora. Flora was what she was thinking. Even besides the obvious allure of her walking, those damns hips swaying, she just had an aura you wanted to follow, the air of a true leader. Part of it was definitely that Flora had a good read on people, knowing what to ask for and when, but regardless she was just so easy to say ¡°yes¡± to. Part of ina felt that maybe she¡¯d be a better leader for the System. ina was sort of the de facto leader, but she didn¡¯t have the experience that Tira had, or the charisma that Flora did, not even the knowledge that Carly did. She was maybe stronger on a technical level since she was level three, but that was by mere chance, not her own merit. ¡°Flora, I think you should go with Carly into the tournament. As the ones we¡¯re trying to actually get to round two, I mean.¡± Flora didn¡¯t break stride as she exited the ssroom, stepping through to the hallway and into the light crowd of students. ina thought that the girl hadn¡¯t heard for moment, but eventually the reply came. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± ina waited for a follow-up, for some rational behind the answer, but it didn¡¯te. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to y though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that hard. I only barely know the rules myself. And besides, Carly has a n. We should trust her.¡± That was that, somehow. It still didn¡¯t quite feel right to be going in as the second for Carly, but felt even more wrong to argue with Flora. She really does have something I don¡¯t. ina¡¯s mind danced with turmoil as she walked through the halls, unable toprehend why Flora was so easy to follow, and why she believed in ina at all. Her thoughts finally returned to reality, to the present, as they walked through to her dorm¡¯smon area. Visitors were allowed this time of day, and one might not normally have gone noticed, but Flora¡¯s height and volume of hair made her stand out even putting aside her general eye-catching nature, and eyes did she catch. ina couldn¡¯t help but feel the entire room¡¯s gaze on them, and she couldn¡¯t help but blush at the fact that she was pretty sure they all knew what was happening as well. Flora¡¯s walk was just too determined, to purposeful as she led ina towards the stairs for it to be anything else. Somehow though ina managed to push through that minor embarrassment, even managed to enjoy the slight boost of pleasure from in through [Humiliation Factor]. Still, she was grateful the awkwardness was over, right up until Flora opened the door to ina¡¯s room and they walked in, catching the attention of a book-holding Carly sitting on her bed. ¡°What¡¯re you two doing here?¡± Carly asked. ¡°Each other,¡± Flora replied. Ch 2.58: Performance Ch 2.58: Performance ina was left staring at Carly while Flora tossed her bag onto the floor, kicking it over to the corner. Carly likewise stared back at ina, both of them stunned at the frankness of Flora¡¯s exnation as to why they were there. And then Flora started unbuttoning her jacket, and both pairs of eyes turned back to her. ¡°You can keep studying,¡± Flora said matter-of-factly. ¡°Don¡¯t let us bother you.¡± ¡°R¡ª right,¡± Carly said, closing her book. Flora wasn¡¯t even making a show out of it this time, and somehow that made it more eye catching. She was just shrugging her jacket off, discarding over to her bag, and then moving onto her boots, stripping down as if she didn¡¯t have the magical ability to remove all of her clothes at once. The mundanity of it all somehow drove a heavier beating in ina¡¯s heart, the slow, casual stripping of the girl as she slid off her boots, her socks, her tie. ¡°You need help?¡± Flora asked, the question making ina¡¯s face grow red. ¡°No¡­¡± ina said, looking over to Carly. She¡¯d been surprised to find her in the room, thought they might even need to change ns at first, but she was now realizing how silly that though had been. Carly waspletely engaged with the non-show in front of her, eyes glued to Flora as she started to unbutton her shirt, revealing more of her bare chest, braless as always. No Carly seemed more than fine in this moment. Before ina even realized, Flora¡¯s shirt was off, leaving her in just the deep blue uniform skirt. That didn¡¯tst long either though, just a flick of Flora¡¯s wrist causing the sp toe undone and the fabric unfurl onto the ground, a quick reveal that Flora hadn¡¯t only not been wearing a bra, but no underwear at all. ¡°Sure you don¡¯t need help?¡± she said as she fell back onto ina¡¯s bed. ina¡¯s only answer was a quick gulp, that and the quick movement to fumble her jacket open. She felt unnaturally rushed as Flora leaned back, stretching her arms up across the sheets, eyes sharp and inviting as ina dropped her jacket to the floor and moved towards her shoes. She could see Carly too out the corner of her eye, watching ina now almost intently as she had Flora, the only difference being the quick nces she made towards the already naked woman. And somehow even that embarrassed ina. She was the one stripping, so shouldn¡¯t Carly be looking at her? Of course she understood why, knew that if she had been the one to strip first it would¡¯ve been reversed, but it still somehow amplified the mortifying feeling of stripping in front of her roommate, that she was doing it and Carly still was looking elsewhere anyway. Heart beating like she was in a race, she didn¡¯t even bother to undo the buttons on her shirt other than the top ones, simply pulling the garment over her head and tossing it aside. Now in just the bra and skirt though, Carly¡¯s attention was at least back on her in full. And it was worse again, somehow even more embarrassing than the split attention? It was a different type of embarrassment than something like stripping for Tira¡¯smands, the casual stripping to get ready for sex, sex she was about to have in front of her roommate. I really need to make up my mind, she thought as she pulled the sp of her bra apart, letting her breasts free to room, nipples standing up at attention in her excitement. Skirt and panties. She pulled both of them down in one motion, leaving her standing there naked in the middle of the room, her focus shifting away from herself and onto her audience again. And they were both touching themselves, Flora tantly rubbing between her folds, Carly subtly moving her hand under her nket. I¡¯m really about to do this, ina realized. She¡¯d yed with Flora a bit in the grove in front of Tira and Carly, but that wasn¡¯t what this was going to be, and ina herself had been dressed then as well. She went to cover herself, but with one hand over her chest and one covering her pussy, she found her fingers starting to move on their own, gently rubbing across her own are, gliding through her own already moist slit. ¡°You know, we can put on a more entertaining show together,¡± Flora said, spreading her legs and sliding up ina¡¯s bed. ¡°I¡¯m sure our audience will appreciate it.¡± Gods damn this woman, ina thought, unable to resist the call of Flora¡¯s smile. She took onest look at Carly, wanting to make sure she was okay with what was going on. Her worries were unfounded. Carly was staring like she was watching a y, hips and arm both moving away under her sheets, mouth wide as she panted. No, Carly was fine, so ina turned back towards Flora, dropping her arms and climbing onto the mattress, crawling over Flora¡¯s body and letting her lips fall towards the girl¡¯s soft smile. Ch 2.59: Rough Ch 2.59: Rough Flora had wanted this for a long time, to really be able to show off for Carly. She¡¯d had a taste of it when meeting ina, a decent bite with Tira on the carriage ride out of the academy, but this was the real thing, the full course. For a while she¡¯d thought Carly would recoil at the idea, of Flora with another woman at all, but she¡¯d been pleasantly surprised when Carly had mentioned being with ina herself, seeming to not even consider there would be something wrong with that, which did make some sense. She doesn¡¯t really see the two of us as an ¡°item,¡± after all. No, no time for thoughts like that. Flora knew where their rtionship was, and she was happy to have at least this much. Really happy, considering a nude ina was crawling over her, breasts and hair both hanging down, lips falling onto her own. ina was always so passionate, hungry, forceful. It was different from Carly¡¯s soft, almost timid lovemaking, but the variety was nice. They kissed as ina fell onto Flora, the two of them enraptured by each other, Flora having her hair stroked as she ran her hands down ina¡¯s body. She couldn¡¯t help but take a peek as they embraced, see how Carly was doing. One strap of her nightgown had fallen off her shoulder, leaving most of her breast bare, everything except the nipple which she was busy fondling. It wasn¡¯t the most revealing sight, her other hand and legspletely covered by her nket, but that wasn¡¯t what Flora was really looking for anyway. She loved the way Carly looked in times like this, the girlpletely entranced by the show that Flora and ina were putting on for her. There was something about her face when she got this way, eye like she was hypnotized, lost in a dream of endless bliss, mouth slightly open as she panted softly, cheeks flushed red. There really was nothing more beautiful. It was almost torture, how good it felt. Flora couldn¡¯t manage to keep her gaze at Carly for more than a few seconds before bing lost in the pleasure of everything once more, closing her eyes in reflex. It was probably better that way too, which she realized as her mind became ever so slightly aware of everything again, aware of ina. It would be entirely rude to ignore her physical partner in this, after all, so she pushed ina up, throwing the girl onto her back and rolling over herself. It was a position she knew ina would befortable in, and one she knew well from ying with Carly too. Flora took the role of stroking the body now as ina melted into the bedsheet, running fingers up the girls thigh, dancing around the groin, but not letting ina have that sweet release just yet. They had an audience, after all, and even though Carly had always been quick to cum even just watching Flora solo, Flora knew that the voyeur loved watching even after that, loved rubbing herself even after. Even if she¡¯d already managed to sneak in a quiet climax, Flora was more than happy to prolong the show. And there were some other things she wanted to try as well, stuff she¡¯d been curious about before, but that Carly had never been interested in receiving. ¡°Hey, you like things a little rough, right?¡± she asked. ina grabbed Flora¡¯s head, pulling it back down into another kiss before even answering the question. ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± she muttered through both of their lips. Flora was shocked at the forcefulness, how fast ina had reengaged her, but she wasn¡¯t disappointed by it, obviously. This girl may be even hungrier than I thought, maybe even hungrier than Carly. Hungry for pleasure and pain, Flora reminded herself. She wasn¡¯t quite sure how to go about it, so she did the simplest thing she could think of while on top of ina, making her way up to the girl¡¯s breast, slowly circling it with her fingers, and then pinching down. She could feel ina buckle underneath her, body seizing as she opened her mouth and broke their kiss, abination of moan and cry escaping her lips. It hadn¡¯t even been that hard of a squeeze, but ina had made a type of sound Flora wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d ever heard before. She snuck another quick nce at Carly, wanting to make sure the girl was okay. She seemed more than so, still enraptured by the events happening in front of her, mouth gaping even more than before, eyelids half closed in pleasure that she had to be struggling to keep open through sheer will. Gods that made Flora happy. She was itching to get into that type of pleasure of her own, but right now she was the one on top, and having a little fun with ina besides. She had ideas for this new type of ything. Flora reached inside of herself for [Nature], changing the skin on the tips of her fingers. It wasn¡¯t a huge change, just a little bit of grit, like the texture of rough stone. She ran the finger over ina¡¯s ear, just a tease of what it felt like, but enough to elicit a small gasp from her anyway. ina¡¯s eyes opened, a mix of surprise and curiosity as she followed the finger down her cheek, under her jaw, down her neck, across her corbone. It was one thing Flora always prided herself on as a lover, patience. Even when it was just her and Carly she could put aside her own needs to let Carly get what she needed, and this wouldn¡¯t be any different, except that now she got to relish in the fact that she was performing a show as well. Reaching the ina¡¯s shoulder, Flora turned back and down, tracing the curve of ina¡¯s chest, heading for the nipple once more. It was just that curious look at first, until Flora reached the edge of the girl¡¯s are and she started to squirm. Flora circled that area of pink flesh surrounding the nipple a couple of times, narrating to Carly as she did. ¡°My finger¡¯s rough right now, like sandstone.¡± And then she went for the main target, flicking the pad of her finger over the nipple just once, causing ina to gasp out again, bucking her hips up as Flora went back over, rubbing the nipple ever so slightly between two rough fingers as ina¡¯s face contorted into a mess of emotions. Flora didn¡¯t want to overdo it though, didn¡¯t want to rub the girl raw, so she slowly undid the change from her aspect, reverting her fingers back to their normal smoothness. ¡°You were such a good girl, how well you took that,¡± she said, not quite understanding the additional moan of pleasure ina let out at hearing those words. ¡°I think you¡¯ve earned this.¡± She went low with her other hand as she leaned in for another kiss, running her fingers just around ina¡¯s lower lips at first, and then splitting the slit as she kissed harder. The girl was already soaking even with just this first touch, almost like she had control of her own [Nature], but Flora knew it was really just from the experience so far. But Flora didn¡¯t want it to end yet, obviously not for herself, but not even for ina either. They could still do so much more, she thought as she remembered something else, something Carly had actually agreed to try a a while ago. Carly hadn¡¯t really liked it, but Flora was still intrigued by the idea, and she though ina just might be up for it. ¡°Hey,¡± she said, pulling her face away, still rubbing ina below. ¡°Can I try something a little different?¡± Ch 2.60: Ice Ch 2.60: Ice ina didn''t think it was fair for her to be asked questions when Flora literally had her clit between her fingers, but she was up for anything right now. ¡°Go ahead,¡± she managed to squeak out, ¡°try whatever.¡± No verbal response from Flora came, just another deep kiss, continued rubbing on ina¡¯s clit down below, on her chest up top. They continued for a while, long enough for ina to start to wonder if she¡¯d somehow missed whatever Flora had done, but then Flora lifted her head again, standing up on her knees and pulling both of her hands up. She looked more mischievous than usual even as she brought them down, fingers mping down on each of ina¡¯s nipples. She let out a gasp at the feeling, right before jerking back into the mattress. Ice. It was the only word that came to mind, each of Flora¡¯s fingertips freezing to the touch. It hurt from both the temperature shock and the pressure, even more than the rough touching from earlier, with a sharp intensity that was entirely foreign. But that wasn''t all. Pain was a familiar sensation, and [Pain Response] was usually good to ina these days, not letting her feel too much of it at once. But the cold wasn¡¯t exactly pain, even if it did hurt. It was more difort than pain, even if it sent simr signals to her brain, and that difort wasn¡¯t numbed by the skill, leaving her sensitive skin to burn under the icy cold pinching. ¡°Was that okay?¡± Flora said, pulling her hands back, looking a little worried. ¡°More,¡± was all ina could speak, grabbing Flora by the wrists and pulling her hands back down. It was her palms this time, groping ina¡¯s breasts in full, just as cold as before. Flora leaned in to kiss her as well, even her lips and tongue ice. Gods it was strange, but strange was good in this case. The whole situation was strange, really. Eventually ina¡¯s nipples started to numb, the sweet sharpness of the cold bing routine, but there was thest lingering bit of strangeness to it all, Carly. She was right there as ina opened her eyes, still enraptured by the disy ina and Flora were putting on. That was somehow the best part of it all, a part ina hadn¡¯t expected when she came up to the room, but one she was beyond grateful for. Even still, ina wanted more, wanted Carly to watch her cum underneath Flora, yes, but even that wouldn¡¯t be enough to satisfy the greedy lust inside ina right now. A flicker of hope grew inside of her though, as she watched Carly shift a little. The girl seemed hesitant at first, but then grew bolder, stepping off the bed, sliding her nightgown up over her head, revealing that underneath it she¡¯d been as naked as Flora and ina. ¡°Uhm, ca¡ª can I join in?¡± Ch 2.61: Threesome Ch 2.61: Threesome ¡°Sure,¡± ina said. So many questions being asked, so many things to say yes to. ¡°Of course!¡± Flora chimed in with, looking a little surprised at Carly¡¯s request. ¡°But, uhm, how do we do that?¡± The other two looked at each other for a moment, then turned back to ina. As much as she enjoyed the view, Flora leaning over her and Carly standing naked only a few feet away, she instantly went red, unable to handle the pressure. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me! You two are the experienced ones.¡± ¡°Only with Flora,¡± Carly said, blushing herself and stepping back, covering herself with her arms as if she¡¯d just realized her own nakedness. ¡°Yeah. I mean, not only with Carly, but never two girls at once,¡± Flora added. ina took in one deep breath, then exhaled. It was better somehow, finally being in a situation where she wasn¡¯t the one with the least experience, even though the idea was so intimidating. ¡°Well I¡¯m still not the one to ask. You two figure it out!¡± Flora seemed surprised at the admission, or maybe at the submission as the case may have been, but then ina saw an idea go off in the girl¡¯s head. ¡°Alright. If you¡¯re so insistent, justy there.¡± ina wasn¡¯t sure what she expected next, but it wasn¡¯t Flora sitting up, patting ina¡¯s nose, and saying ¡°sit¡± to Carly. ina blinked at the touch on her face, only understanding the word that came out of Flora¡¯s mouth a few secondster. She was about to say ¡°huh¡± herself, but Carly was already moving, climbing onto the bed, her body swaying back and forth as she crawled over to ina, and then finally over ina. She could look up the line of Carly¡¯s back as the girl lowered herself, cing her sex directly on ina¡¯s mouth. And ina was happy to take it, probing with her tongue the instant she could. She was a chair on two ends now, Carly on her face, Flora on her pelvis. She could hear Carly moaning up top, then hear the two of them kissing each other, both of them starting to grind themselves onto ina. She was feeling jealous for just a moment, wanting more herself, when she felt Flora¡¯s touch again on her breasts, letting out a squeak into Carly¡¯s folds. She knew it was Flora because it was ice cold, the numbness she¡¯d built up to the sensation earlier having faded already. And then another hand slid in between Flora and ina¡¯s groins, Carly¡¯s hand moving in between each of their pussies, juices from both girls lubricating each other and Carly¡¯s finger all at once. ina only wished she could see it, how it was working up top whatever contortion Flora had done to make this dual stimtion possible. The view she had was great, what she could see of Carly¡¯s ass, the girl¡¯s arched back, but she knew there was so much more going on. In a way, that felt right though. She remembered the way Flora had said ¡°sit,¡± like a friend casually weing someone into a their home and directing them towards a chair. A chair was what she was now, after all, and chairs didn¡¯t have good views. It was a kindness they were giving her the stimtion she was getting, and she¡¯d behave like a good chair to keep it going. And go it kept. Flora did eventually remove her cold fingers, right about the time ina was going numb again anyway. ina wanted to protest as Carly pulled her hand away too, but then Flora lifted her hips just slightly, and the chill returned, this time on ina¡¯s clit. She bucked wildly at the sensation, wriggling underneath Flora and squeezing as the girl slid another cold finger deep inside of her. The only real outlet she had right now was Carly though, so she startedpping up the girl¡¯s pussy like it was thest thing she would ever do, mind addled by the sharp chilling sensation down below. She guess Carly was ying with Flora¡¯s sex now, so the only way to get through to Flora that she was enjoying it was to make Carly feel so good that she had to pass off the intensity to Flora. From the way Carly started squeezing her legs together into ina¡¯s head, it hadn¡¯t seemed to take long. The girl was losing the strength to hold herself up on her knees, lowering more and more onto ina¡¯s face, burying her in her ass, and ina never wanted it to stop, losing control of her own legs and pussy as the squeezed around Flora¡¯s chilled hands. She could feel herself winding down though, feel Carly easing up, righting herself up again, then falling over onto her side, curling up into a ball next to ina¡¯s head., leaving just a panting, close-eyed Flora kneeling over her, hair more of a mess and frazzled than ina had ever seen it. ¡°Fuck me,¡± the girl said, leaning forward andying over ina¡¯s body, head falling on Carline¡¯s side. ¡°Is what I would say, but I think even I¡¯m tired out.¡± ina smiled, looking up and seeing the girl, seeming top be at peace. She¡¯d been a little worried since she hadn¡¯t really done much for Flora directly, but it seemed the n of getting to her through Carly had worked well enough. There was one small problem, that ina still needed to get back to the workshop. Flora was on top of her though, and Carly was extending her arm, her hand wrapping around ina¡¯s. Maybe it was okay to take the night off from making her dress, she thought. She could always save time by making it just a little skimpier like Flora suggested, after all. Just tonight, I¡¯ll rx. Ch 2.62: Alive Ch 2.62: Alive ¡°Surprised I managed to get away from Prisma,¡± Carly said, panting and taking a swig from her water as she set her training rapier up against the weapon rack. ¡°Yeah,¡± ina said, taking a drink herself and wiping the sweat from her brow. It was a hot day, the first really hot day of spring, and she was learning rapidly that whatever enhanced physical traits they received from their sses didn¡¯t seem to affectfort in that scenario. Flora probably can take care of that herself though. ¡°Probably for the best. I still don¡¯t know if she believes we weren¡¯t cheating that day.¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± ina said with a shrug. She had other things to worry about. Thoughts of Flora were reminding her of the time she¡¯d wasted thest couple of days, the time that should have been spent working on her dress. Each little rendezvous with Flora and Carly was a little less fabric she had time to prepare, a little more skin shown in the final product. ¡°Want to go again?¡± Carly asked as she picked her sword back up. ¡°Not so fast, Carline.¡± The voice caught ina off guard, sending chills down her back with its singsong nature, but when she turned she realized she¡¯d been mistaken about who it belonged to. It was the elder sister, Kohpicia Fireguard d in an outfit of tanned leather and rough cotton not unlike what Professor Ranlit used to wear. ¡°Prisma wants to face you.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t she facing Brink?¡± ina asked. ¡°Was, but she poked him in the eye. He¡¯s off to the infirmary.¡± ¡°What?¡± Carly said, rushing past Koh and looking around. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bring him here? I can¡ª¡± ¡°Not that seriously,¡± Koh said, waving off Carly¡¯s concern with augh. ¡°I think his pride was hurt more than anything, and I could tell he needed a break. Besides, you two were the finalists of the ranking tournament, so you should probably be sparring each other anyway.¡± Carly looked to ina for some direction, maybe for some way out, but ina didn¡¯t have one, so she just nodded her head yes, leaving Carly to make a quick nod to Koh and heading off to find her new partner. ¡°I wanted to apologize,¡± Koh said once it seemed they were alone, bowing her head. ¡°Hmm?¡± ina said, looking back to her new professor. ¡°I heard what Waine did. What he said at your orientation¡­¡± The look on her face was one of pain, but not just guilt. ina knew it, the empathy when you know what someone else has gone through, and where you kind of feel responsible for it as well. ¡°You didn¡¯t say it,¡± ina replied. ¡°You weren¡¯t even here.¡± ¡°But I should have been. If I was, things would¡¯ve been different...¡± ina wanted to chastise the woman, but she knew it wasn¡¯t her ce. They were practically the same age, but even she knew that she wasn¡¯t in a position to argue with a teacher. Still, she couldn¡¯t say nothing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry too. That guy might not have said anything at all if I hadn¡¯t caused a scene before.¡± ¡°It was Waine that started it. And he wouldn¡¯t have said something like that if I hadn¡¯t¡ª If I wasn¡¯t such a failure, none of this would have happened.¡± The word ¡°failure¡± hurt, even if it wasn¡¯t one ina could rte to. Maybe that was the worst of it. She was called a lot of things, weird, creepy, perverted, but never a failure. ¡°We can only move forward, though,¡± Koh said, standing up straight and smiling at the field of students. ¡°And you¡¯re without a sparring partner now, if I¡¯m not mistaken,¡± she added, pulling her own sword from her waist. ina could barely process the words as she looked at the de. It wasn¡¯t like the dull-gray sword they were using, didn¡¯t have the almost silly looking cup hand protector, didn¡¯t seem like an object. It was like polished silver, reflective enough that ina could see herself in the thin de, with an intricate web of wires for a handguard, and even as it was held still the de seemed alive, like it was ready to shoot off on its own to do battle. And then Koh set it against, the rack, taking up one of the in training swords instead. ¡°I saw on the scoresheet that you only lost to Prisma.¡± ¡°Uhm, yeah,¡± ina said, staring at the weapon Koh had just discarded. ¡°I can¡¯t fight you with that, it¡¯s sharpened,¡± Koh said, seemingly trying to answer to ina¡¯s staring. ¡°I heard you don¡¯t have any formal training either. It kind of seemed like you and Carly weren¡¯t giving it your alls when I was watching earlier, to be honest, so I wanted to test you myself.¡± ¡°Sharpened, right,¡± ina said. That hadn¡¯t been her concern though. The sword that she had been amazed by only moments ago seemed to have disappeared, leaving a cheap imitation in its ce. What remained was still shiny, still had the intricate handguard, but was lifeless. And as ina turned she realized where the life had gone. The metal stick that had been hanging up on the equipment rack was dull as ever in color, but it too seemed alive in the hand of Kohpicia Fireguard as she raised it up to inspect it, then turned to face ina once more. ¡°So let¡¯s duel, shall we?¡± Ch 2.63: Skill Ch 2.63: Skill There was no terror, no dread. ina didn¡¯t feel threatened by the dull training sword in Koh¡¯s hand, not like her life was in danger anyway, but she knew it was something she couldn¡¯t beat, at least not while hiding her true strength. Still, she had to try, do something. She raised her own de up, and Koh pointed hers down, towards the dirt. For moment ina thought she¡¯d been messing with herself, as the weapon seemed to lose its life, die even,pared to what it felt like just a moment ago. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready,¡± Koh said, weapon still aimed at the ground. ina didn¡¯t have a hugepetitive streak in her, but she still felt a little bit of thrill at the idea of sparring with Koh, the best fencer in the world as far as she was aware of. She wanted to win, at least one point, and if it took taking advantage of Koh¡¯s hubris to do that, she would. So she lunged forward, practicing a move Carly had been showing her earlier. Thrust at the neck, but before impact spin the de, whacking the top of the head. Koh¡¯s de was still pointed at the ground, useless as ina closed in with the feint, as the training sword twisted around, finally nging with Koh¡¯s de inches from her target¡¯s head. ¡°What?¡± ina said out loud, retreating. The de had been away, too far away to block one moment, the next deflecting the strike. ¡°That was good,¡± Koh said, returning her de to the guardless position from before. ¡°You¡¯re fast. Again.¡± ina closed her eyes, shaking her head. So Koh was fast, but not inhumanly so. ina could definitely get one hit off, just maybe with a different strategy. She raised her sword again, focusing on her opponent¡¯s de this time. A quick strike to the top of the sword arm would do the trick, not enough range of motion to defend in time. So she prepared bringing her de up over her left shoulder, swinging down towards Koh¡¯s right. But her de didn¡¯t move. She nced down, seeing Koh¡¯s de had moved once more, snaking its way in between the back of ina¡¯s hand and the guard of her rapier, Koh pinning the hand shut with locked joints. ¡°Far too telegraphed,¡± Koh said, stepping back once more. ina still felt trapped as Koh moved away, arm still stuck in the air even as the block Koh had done had been released. ina could have overpowered Koh in that instance for sure, she realized, but in the moment she had been so lost as to what had even happened that she couldn¡¯t even process how to get out of it. ¡°I¡¯ll go this time,¡± Koh said, raising her sword up in a proper stance. ¡°Focus on defending, but if you get a chance to riposte, feel free.¡± Riposte. ina had heard Carly mention the word, a type of counterattack. She had a feeling that possibility wouldn¡¯te up though. Before she could even finish remembering what the word meant though, Koh was on her, the de alive once more. ina brought her sword up to block the first attack, a thrust straight at her chest, but she failed to bring her de to the right spot, Koh¡¯s sword just barely scraping the metal of ina¡¯s own before gently tapping her on the sternum and retreating back to Koh¡¯s side. But no, it wasn¡¯t ina¡¯s de that was in the wrong spot. Koh¡¯s had been on a set path one instant, changing the next, only an inch over, right as ina had moved to block. She was reminded of her fight with Prisma, the way the girl¡¯s de had moved like a snake. This was almost that, but Koh¡¯s rapier didn¡¯t move like a snake. It moved like a sword would if it were a living creature, slithering when needed, flying when needed, seemingly teleporting when needed, even. ina backed off once more, raising her de, determined this time. ¡°Start!¡± she said, trying to say it to herself more than her opponent. Koh was moving as soon as the word sounded though, darting forward with unbelievable speed. ina was ready this time, ready to do whatever it took to block the attack, with all her speed, all her strength, everything but her aspect. But the deing at her was unreadable, a blur of iron-colored air, unreactable even with all of ina¡¯s advantages as it came up and tapped her on the top of the head. ¡°Hmm,¡± Koh said, stepping away and lowering her weapon once more. It seemed to be in the same position as when they started fighting, but ina could tell it was different. The sword was pointing at the ground, but this time Koh actually wasn¡¯t fighting, actually wasn¡¯t guarding. Somehow that was even more unnerving, because it meant that when she had seemed helpless before, she really never had been. ¡°What I heard was right,¡± she continued. ¡°You¡¯re fast, strong. But youck the fundamentals. Have you considered taking sses for the longsword, or greatsword even?¡± Longsword, greatsword? ¡°No? I just take whatever I¡¯m assigned.¡± Koh nodded. ¡°If you¡¯d been training since childhood, you¡¯d be excellent, world ss even. Fencing isn¡¯t really useful outside ofpetition though, but I think you could excel with arger weapon.¡± ina finally lowered her weapon, sighing in relief as she realized they were probably done. ¡°My aspect doesn¡¯t really help me with swords though.¡± ¡°Neither does Prisma¡¯s, but she trains both anyways. You need to be prepared, in case it happens again.¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina said, looking down at the piece of iron in her hands. She remembered that night, how Prisma had came to her rescue with a sword, how even Waine had done the same. ¡°I¡¯d rmend it, at least the longsword. It¡¯s only once a week.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± ina said, watching as Koh went to ce her own training sword back on the equipment rack, pulling her real de back to her belt as well. ¡°I¡­ I wanted to thank you as well, ina. I heard you fought alongside Ranlit, helped her.¡± ina¡¯s stomach began to turn. She was still doing her best to ignore that part of that night. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything useful.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I heard.¡± A hand fell on ina¡¯s shoulder as she tried her best to look away. ¡°Don¡¯t be ashamed for doing your best.¡± The hand on ina was meant to beforting, she knew, but it only burned her. She didn¡¯t wantfort from the best friend of the woman she¡¯d left to die. Thankfully, the hand moved though, as Koh walked off back towards the center of the field. ¡°That¡¯s all today, ss. Now that I¡¯ve seen you all fight, I¡¯ll have detailed improvement ns for next week. You¡¯re dismissed.¡± The air was uneasy, no ¡°yes professor¡± from the students, no acknowledgment at all except a quiet murmuring as the ss moved back to the equipment rack as a mass, Carly pushing her way to the front of the pack and making her way towards ina in a huff. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± ina asked. ¡°How did yours go,¡± Carly said, eyes wide with genuine interest. ina blushed, looking askance at the attention. ¡°You know how it went. Her de was¡ª¡± ¡°Alive?¡± Carly asked, stifling a little giggle. ¡°I hated fighting her when we were kids. It always scared me.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ina lifted her sword once more, testing the weight. It was weightless to her, but the only thing she could think of was how it felt to Ko, and whether or not she could learn to move like Koh did. ¡°Did she fight you right-handed, or left-handed?¡± The question caught ina off guard as she hung her rapier back up. ¡°Right-handed¡­ Does she fight left-handed to test people sometimes?¡± Carly was the one to look askance this time, biting her lip. ¡°It¡¯s, uhm, kind of the opposite. She only fight¡¯s with it when she¡¯s really serious, but she¡¯s actually left-handed.¡± Ch 2.64: Remembrance Ch 2.64: Remembrance Tira was nervous. It was the only feeling she had as she slipped on the leather pants, struggling to pull them up. The damn things had practically never fit, even the knee high boots Tira put on after were easier to get on, but they did make her ass look good, so in the wardrobe they stayed. The nicest shirt she owned came next, sliding over her shoulders, buttons closing up over her stomach, over the ck bra. She looked at herself in the mirror to try and distract from the nervousness, and was pleased with what she saw. The vibrant red of the shirt contrasted well with the ck pants, matched well with the shade of pink she¡¯d chosen for her eyeshadow tonight. Her hair was still wet, but it would dry quickly, and she never really cared for that part of making herself up. That was the reason she kept it so short anyway, after all. ¡°Deep breaths, Strask,¡± she told herself. Not a lot of good it did for her. She was good at keeping people in order, better at fighting. But here she was about to go off into an actual criminal den, intending to y by their rules, literally, in order to obtain stolen goods. ¡°Gods, dad would be so pissed¡­¡± A knock on her door snapped her back into the present. ¡°Come in,¡± she said. The door opened a crack, and Carline¡¯s head poked through before she pushed all the way in. She really was a cute girl, in the nobility sort of way, the type of person you could tell didn¡¯t really fit in with the other nobles. She we wearing a long velvet dress, one that clung to her curves just enough to show her form up top, billowing out just a bit at the bottom. And then came the next one, that one. The exhibitionist that Tira had busted so many times for sneaking out past curfew before, who¡¯d irritated her for months, and who was bing annoyingly attractive in thest few weeks. She was wearing a surprisingly conservative dress though, one that didn¡¯t quite match the picture Tira had in head of the dress she¡¯d heard ina describe making. Maybe the girl finally got some sense in her head. And then came ina. All of Tira¡¯s new friends were pretty, Carline especially tonight, but lord was ina the winner in Tira¡¯s eyes on this asion. She had makeup on for the first time, surely applied with her roommate¡¯s help, but only a light amount, a little bit of eyeliner, some blush Tira thought, but it was hard to tell with how flushed ina got regrly. The star of the show was the dress though. It was a deep green, silky, and not quite as modest as the one ina had described intending to make. Had she swapped with Flora or something? Thoughts like that didn¡¯t linger long, not with the distraction the outfit was providing. The ¡°dress¡± was really more of an ensemble, a pair ofce shorts with straps attached that went to about mid thigh, ace ¡°top¡± if you could call it that, though it looked more like a bra, with simr straps crisscrossing across her chest, all wrapped up in an actual dress, two thick straps that fell down her shoulders, going around her breasts instead of over them,ing together into one piece around the waist and tied with a ck sash before splitting again, into two flowing sections, arge panel in the back that would cover a good bit of modesty, but a thin strip of cloth in the front, barely wide enough to cover the gap between ina¡¯s legs as she hurried in and closed the door. ¡°Gods¡±, the girl said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can actually go out in this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me,¡± Flora said with augh. ¡°At least you can walk through the school.¡± Tira was a little confused at that remark, but she was more focused on trying to make sure ina feltfortable. ¡°You look great, though!¡± she said. ¡°I can, uhm, tell you spent a lot of time on the inner pieces; that must¡¯ve been hard to do so fast.¡± That was the most impressive part, to Tira at least. She wasn¡¯t really too into wearingce herself, but she knew it was verybor intensive to make, obviously what ina would¡¯ve spent the most of her week on. ina only blushed even redder at theplement though. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I didn¡¯t make them this week. I¡¯ve had these for a while. They¡¯re my underwear.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Tira said. ina, in her underwear, going out into the town at night. Gods, if she¡¯s doing this of her own ord, I can¡¯t imagine what she¡¯d do if I ordered her. Well, Tira could imagine, but she needed to control herself. She had a mission, after all. ¡°I wanted to make more, but I don¡¯t really know how to use the sewing machine yet, and I kept getting distracted by stuff, so I could only had time to prepare so much fabric, and¡ª¡± ¡°You look, great,¡± Flora said, reaching out to grab one of ina¡¯s hands. As irritating as she was to Tira herself, Tira couldn¡¯t help but admire Flora somewhat. The instant she took the hand, ina seemed to still a bit, calm overtaking her. Rule-breaking aside, the exhibitionist had a way of warding off distress for others, and for that Tira was thankful. It was a quality Tira couldn¡¯t help but be attracted to. ¡°Tira, you thought thece was part of the outfit, right?¡± Flora asked. ¡°Huh? Oh,¡± Tira said, trying to reframe her thoughts. The outfit, right. How did that streaker even get my attention off of ina in a dress like that? ¡°Yeah, no, I really thought it was all just part of the outfit. The colors just match so well, so I didn¡¯t think otherwise.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± ina said, nodding and looking a little relieved. ¡°We should probably get going. I don¡¯t want to bete cause you girls are busy trying to make me feel better.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Carline said, an unexpectedly loud outburst, reaching into a shoulder bag she was carrying. ¡°Uhm, before we go, well, I kind of wanted to do this but couldn¡¯t think of a way to do it earlier, but then I saw the mirror in here, and, well¡­¡± She continued digging through her bag for a few seconds, pursing her lips, then finally finding what she was looking for and pulling out a small rectangle, a crystal portrait. ¡°I wanted a picture, to remember, tonight¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± Flora said, reaching for the hem of her dress. ¡°Let me get into my actual outfit really quickly.¡± Stunned was all that could describe Tira as Flora pulled the dress up, revealing the little more than ps of cloth that she was wearing underneath. Ah, there it is, Tira thought. ¡°Everyone get together,¡± Flora said as she grabbed ina and Tira, pulling them next to Carline at the mirror. ¡°And smile, ina!¡± Tira was caught off guard by the whole thing, but she didn¡¯t really mind. ina looked the most shocked, had probably never posed for a picture of her own volition, was a ball of blush both from her makeup and natural skin, but still very cute. They all looked good, Tira realized. Carline had that nervous smile you¡¯d put on when you wanted to take a picture but still didn¡¯t quite know how to smile for it, Flora had that natural smile that you didn¡¯t know how people put on for portraits, and even ina seemed to be adjusting to the idea, a genuine, non-posed smile growing across her face. All that was left was Tira herself. She didn¡¯t mind taking pictures, and she certainly wasn¡¯t going to spoil the fun of the other girls, so she put on her own trademark picture smile, the slight smirk, no toorge, not too fake. ¡°How long do we have to do this?¡± ina asked through her teeth. At that, Tira couldn¡¯t help but open her own smile up more, struggling not tough as the click of the crystal portrait went off, then finally giving up once she knew it had been taken, falling back onto her bed and covering her own face as the other two girls startedughing at ina¡¯s innocence as well. ¡°What¡¯d I do?¡± ina asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t mean to make fun of you,¡± Tira said. ¡°It was just funny.¡± ina blushed even more as the other girls regained control of themselves, Flora and Carline apologizing too, profusely in thetter¡¯s case. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get going,¡± Tira said after they all had a chance to look at the portrait. ¡°ina was right, we don¡¯t want to bete.¡± It seemed okay now, somehow. The n was still against the rules, dangerous, and a situation that Tira wasn¡¯t really in her element for, but with her friends, she felt like it was going to work out okay. It really was a good picture. Ch 2.65: Den Ch 2.65: Den The building was nondescript enough that ina hadn¡¯t even realized they were at the right ce, still wasn¡¯t quite certain. In face, none of the wooden buildings around had any sign or marker to indicate what was inside. ¡°You¡¯re sure this is right?¡± she asked Tira. ¡°Mmhm.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± ina had no idea how any of them could tell where something was in a town as huge as this, but the general area they were in did seem like it would house a ce like Mirage. It was lit with what looked like red crystal light simr to the Red Order crystals, but she¡¯d been assured they were just normal crystals housed in red ss. Despite that revtion, the red light still dripped with an ominous air, bathed the girls in crimson shade as they maneuvered their way through the nightlife crowd. The stares back at school had been pretty intense, even for ina, but by the standards of the people around her she was pretty averagely covered up, she found. Flora, having shed her cover-up dress in the carriage ride over, still was drawing the gaze of passersby, but she was the only outlier. Not that that bothered ina, of course. She didn¡¯t really want to be stared at, after all. She was brought back out of her thoughts as they approached a door with tworge men standing outside, both wearing all ck, both very intimidating, even to ina now with all her power. ¡°Here for the event,¡± Tira said. ¡°Hmm,¡± one of the men said, looking them over. ¡°Crystal portraits,¡± the other said, reaching his hand out. ¡°They¡¯ll be returned when you leave.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t own one,¡± Tira said, holding up her hands. ¡°And these pants are tight enough that you can tell." ¡°Own one, but I left it at home,¡± Flora said, spinning in a circle for the guards, the pping of her skirt showing more than enough to prove she was telling the truth. ¡°No pockets,¡± she added with a smile. ¡°Here,¡± Carly said, digging into her bag and handing over hers, looking a little sad as she did. ¡°And you?¡± the guard asked ina. ¡°Oh, uhm, don¡¯t own one either,¡± ina said, holding her hands up as well. The man looked at her a long while, considering, then shrugged. ¡°If you¡¯re lying, you¡¯ll be the one to regret it, not me. Go on in,¡± he said, opening the door as the other guard had Carly sign some sort of inventory sheet. Strange sounds and lights poured through the entryway, calling them in. Tira entered first, ina following behind with wonder in her eyes. There were red lights in here too, but green, yellow, purple, even white as well. It seemed blue was the only color that was absent from the rays of light swinging around the room they entered. But even beyond the dancing rainbows, the strangest thing was the sounding from a stage in the corner. It was music, some instruments ina could recognize like fiddles, horns, guitars, but some she¡¯d never seen, heard, nor even heard of. A giant fiddle bigger than the person ying it, propped up on the ground, horns that wrapped around their yers like snakes, an entire set of drums and metal discs. Still, none of thosepared to the strangeness of the person at the front of the stage. She was sat on a stool, singing with the volume of Headmaster Alonse, but doing so into some crystal contraption, a ball with thousands of holes into it. But even that wasn¡¯t the most fantastic thing. That honor was reserved for the thing in front of her, a giant b of crystal that she was skating her hands across. That was it, the source of the eerie, unnatural sound that pierced the room. There was a crackle to it, a grit that seemed to crunch through the air as the woman¡¯s fingers danced across the crystal tablet, cutting in and out as she pressed on it, pitch rising and falling as she slid up and down its length. ¡°Eyes forward, ina,¡± Tira said. ¡°Come on, Iron Whip,¡± Flora said,ing in from behind with Carly. ¡°This stuff¡¯s going to be entirely new; she¡¯s never been to the capital before!¡± ¡°This is what it¡¯s like in the capital?¡± ina asked, still unable to contain her amazement as she looked around the area. It wasrge,rger than it seemed when she first saw the entrance. She could tell that was the idea, how the wall behind her would¡¯ve overtaken what she thought were different buildings from outside. There were various games going on, some she vaguely recognized like cards and dice, but others as new as the strange crystal instrument, like a giant spinning wheel with numbers on it, standing tables with pegs in them that metal balls were bouncing down, the sound of them adding to the cacophony of the hall. Tira was right though; ina had to focus. Tira had assured them they¡¯d be rtively safe, in the public areas of Mirage anyway, but they were in the wolves¡¯ den, even if the wolves were hosting guests. ¡°Is this where we y?¡± ina asked, gesturing to the small set of table with cards. ¡°No,¡± Carly said. ¡°When he took my portrait the guard said we go to the very back.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Tira said. ¡°Remember, this is a trap for us specifically in all likelihood. Stay with your partner at all times, no matter what. And stick to the n, got it?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Flora said as she grabbed onto Tira¡¯s arm, looking down into her eyes with faux-enamorment. ¡°Why would I want to leave you anyway, my dear?¡± ¡°Off,¡± Tira said, pushing the girl away as ina and Carly giggled. It was a needed moment of levity, something Flora was always good at providing, but even Flora herself became serious afterwards. They were all in agreement that getting the missing subcore was the most important thing tonight, second only to their own safety, and they knew the danger they were in. Stick to the n, ina told herself. She still wasn¡¯t sold that she could pull it off, but Carly needed her, and they all trusted her. Further into the wolves¡¯ den she would go, and she¡¯d make sure the n seeded, no matter what. Announcement As of today, ENF Academy will be changing its update schedule to Wednesday, Friday, Sunday at 3 PM EST, instead of the old Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat schedule. There is a very good reason for this that I will exin in full on the next chapter of Academying out Sunday, but if you pay attention to my author profile age or the SH "Latest Series" tab tomorrow afternoon, you may be able to figure it out sooner. Ch 2.66: Robbery Ch 2.66: Robbery ina did her best to ignore the sights, sounds, even the smells as they made their way across the floor. As they ventured in those became more potent, a vulgar mix of colognes and perfumes that almost masked the overwhelming smell of booze. But she was focused, and their goal was clear. Another guarded door, this time by a man and a woman with a line in front of about ten people. She couldn¡¯t hear what was being said, not over the noise of the music and those damned metal ball counting machines, but it was soon their turn, after the previous two walked away looking dejected. ¡°Hi, we¡¯re here for the event,¡± Flora said. ¡°Thirty each,¡± the woman replied. ¡°¡±What!¡± Tira screamed. ¡°Bullshit, we know it¡¯s supposed to be twenty!¡± ¡°For most, but not you four. Special instructions.¡± Tira lookedpletely taken aback by thement. ¡°That¡¯s fucking robbery, you can¡¯t just¡ª¡± ¡°Be careful with your next words, the man said, stepping forward. The woman was taller than average, but this man was a veritable giant, physically imposing enough that even Tira seemed dwarfed, both in height and threat. ¡°This is aw abiding establishment, and we do not take kindly to usations that we are anything but.¡± Dwarfed or not though, Tira didn¡¯t flinch. She red at him with intensity ina had only seen in her twice before, once when fighting Myri, and once when she found out what Waine had actually done to her in the forest. But even if she wasn¡¯t physically scared of the man, she didn¡¯t make the mistake of arguing further. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Carly said. ¡°I have the extra money.¡± ¡°I only gave you mine and Tira¡¯s though,¡± Flora said. ¡°You can pay me backter,¡± Carly offered as she pulled two coin pouches out of herrger bag. ¡°I ended up bringing the full amount myself just in case.¡± ina could tell Tira was struggling to hold herself back, but ultimately she managed it, stepping aside as Carly handed the money over. ¡°Enjoy yourselves,¡± the woman said, taking the money and opening the door. ¡°First round is standard poker. Tables seat eight, two winning yers move on to round two, and games start when a table is full. I rmend not dawdling, as if thest table doesn¡¯t fill up, those yers will lose automatically.¡± ¡°d your pricing isn¡¯t the only thing that¡¯s fucked then,¡± Tira said as she pushed forward. ¡°Come on, you heard thedy.¡± It didn¡¯t seem like losing out on thest table would happen though. While the room was smaller, and definitely quieter, it was still filled with table, most of them only half full. ¡°That was bullshit,¡± Tira grumbled as they walked through the door. ¡°Why¡¯d they even do that?¡± ina asked. ¡°They want us to know they¡¯re out for us. And they¡¯re mocking us to do it.¡± That drew an unhealthy feeling to ina¡¯s stomach. Wolves¡¯ den indeed. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem to find a table,¡± she said, scanning the area. There were plenty of tables with four participants seated, and more besides with only two or three. ¡°Where should we¡ª¡± ¡°What the fuck are you doing here?¡± The voice was familiar, and when ina turned to find the source she saw the familiar face it came from, leading a familiar group of five people. She groaned internally, but she supposed she shouldn¡¯t have been surprised that Waine Ferris and his crew were there. Ch 2.67: Proprietor Ch 2.67: Proprietor She almost hadn¡¯t recognize him outside of the uniform with his all ck outfit, hadn¡¯t recognized Prisma and that blue dress either, but ina really didn¡¯t have the headspace to deal with either of them. ¡°I can go wherever I want,¡± she said, turning away from the boy. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about you, idiot,¡± Waine said as he pointed to the head of the group. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the cop!¡± ¡°Me?¡± Tira said, stepping forward with an angry scowl. ¡°What did I do?¡± ¡°Guests, please, please,¡± a sultry voice said. It drew the attention of both groups, Tira and Waine both turning to the source. ina wasn¡¯t sure who she was looking at, but she could tell she was important in an instant. Long, ck hair that curled all the way to her hips, dark eyes, a tight fitting, vibrant red dress, and an amount of bracelets ina wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d ever seen in one room, much less on one person, various silvers and golds jingling on her arms and even from a strip of cloth attached to her hip as she walked over, a the sound cutting through the mumbled conversations behind her. ¡°My apologies,¡± she added. ¡°I am meant to be weing event participants, but was distracted for a moment by other matters. May I ask what the problem is?¡± ¡°The problem is that there¡¯s a snitch in here,¡± Waine said, still pointing at Tira. ¡°She¡¯s head of the school watch! She¡¯s gonna get us all suspended.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the snitch? Isn¡¯t your father literally the minister of education?¡± ¡°Now now,¡± thedy said, stepping in between the two of them and holding her hands out. ¡°The only people who aren¡¯t wee here are one¡¯s who¡¯ve broken the rules of the establishment.¡± She side-eyed Waine, speaking directly at his group. ¡°I believe I¡¯ve already briefed you on the full rules. I suggest you find a table, lest you be disqualified from round two before it even begins.¡± Waine looked like he was ready to go again, but a hand from Prisma fell on his shoulder. ¡°Come on,¡± she said. ¡°If she wanted to report us, she just would¡¯ve done it, note all the way here herself.¡± Waine grunted, but finally turned around. ¡°Let¡¯s find a table of three and get this over then¡­¡± ina wanted to sigh in relief, but she had a feeling that things weren¡¯t over, not even just with Waine either. ¡°Who are you,¡± she said, turning to the woman that had stepped in. ¡°I¡¯m d you asked, ina,¡± the woman said, stepping back and ncing over the the group. ¡°My name is Shein, and I¡¯m the proprietor of this fine establishment. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you four.¡± ¡°Your assassin spill everything she saw?¡± Tira asked, trying to step forward. ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m more interested in speaking to the actual leader,¡± Shein said as she continued making eye contact with ina, ¡°not the front that falls asleep at the first sign ofbat.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Even Tira seemed caught off guard by that, slinking back slightly. It was a little distressing to see Tira like that, but ina had steeled herself for this, was ready to take her actual duties seriously, so she stepped forward. ¡°Why are you doing this? Just to get us toe here?¡± The woman half shrugged, half gestured to the room behind her. ¡°I¡¯m making a ton of gold off of this, as you can see. We were actually nning something like this for a while, but the information we got when you four bumbled your way through the forest and back to town was interesting. ¡°After all, we¡¯re offering up a ¡®Temmie¡¯ as the grand prize, apparently, but I¡¯m note even sure what that is. I thought using the name would be enough to get the attention of four students who did know, though. Especially since you, my dear, seemed so distraught at the idea of losing yours.¡± ina wasn¡¯t quite sure how to respond. She couldn¡¯t really deny any of that, but she wasn¡¯t about to reveal any actual information either. ¡°We¡¯re just here to y your game, and win.¡± ¡°Fine. But how about this, a little side wager,¡± the woman said, snapping her fingers. A uniformed guard came over with a piece of parchment on top of a small table, then ced a quill and inkwell right next to it. ¡°I¡¯ve written out the contract. There¡¯s no trickery, no wordy. My gamble is this, if you don¡¯t win the grand prize at this tournament, you must exin what a Temmie is, and what you were doing in that cave. If you do win, however, I¡¯ll provide you with something of equal value. The crystal orb itself, of course, but also the location of another one.¡± ina¡¯d had negative interest in the deal at first mention, but the location of another subcore was enticing. She looked back at her party, wanting to find advice, but all of them were looking to her, the party leader, the admin, for guidance instead. ¡°Let me read it,¡± she said, turning to nce at the paper. From what she could tell, there wasn¡¯t any word trickery going on. ¡°Tira, is this safe? The contract, I mean?¡± Tira came over and looked over the document as well, nodding. ¡°It¡¯s not like she¡¯s going to take us to the lord¡¯s court over something like this anyway. If we try to welch, she¡¯ll use enforcers, and they don¡¯t care what¡¯s on some paper regardless.¡± ina looked back up at Shein. The woman¡¯s smile was irritating, a smirk that screamed she knew she was in a higher position than the people she was dealing with. ¡°How do we know you¡¯ll keep up your end? That you even know where one is?¡± ¡°I run a gambling house, dear. I¡¯d be out of business if I didn¡¯t pay my debts.¡± Knowledge for knowledge. A wager that seemed fair, at least. ina could always lie a little bit if they lost, she guessed. And if they did lose, they were in big trouble anyway. A subcore going to some random town citizen or Endrin student would be a catastrophe. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll do it,¡± she said, signing the paper. ¡°Wonderful! Then let me exin one final rule,¡± Shein said as she reach to her side, pulling off four of the extra bracelets she¡¯d been wearing on her dress. ¡°In order topete, you must be wearing these at all times.¡± ina raised an eyebrow as she was handed one, but shrugged as she grabbed it. It was a gold loop, with what looked to be a crystal center. ¡°What¡¯re these for?¡± she asked as she sped it around her wrist. She didn¡¯t need an answer though, as the purpose became clear the moment it was on. Ch 2.69: Blind Ch 2.69: Blind Despite the glowing from the crystal center, strapping on the bracelet was like being shoved into darkness, the sensation immediate. ina had only had it for a few weeks, but losing the sixth sense that came with her aspect was more dramatic than she could¡¯ve imagined. She hadn¡¯t even noticed the little ways she was aware of those around her really, the straps of a dress, the buckle of a belt, the button on a coat. Her awareness of them all was ripped from her the moment the bracelet strapped onto her wrist. And the damn woman just smiled. ¡°First time?¡± she asked. ¡°Get this off me,¡± ina said, undoing thetch and ripping it off. The feeling returned, everythinging back into focus, the strap of her bra, the clip of Carly¡¯s handbag, the lock on the door behind them. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Shein grinned, holding up her own arm. The mass of bracelets fell down her arm, leaving only one atop her wrist, a matching piece to the one ina was now holding in her hand. ¡°They¡¯re required for all patrons and staff. You get them either when you enter here, or when you purchase chips for the front room. They restrict aspectspletely to prevent cheating. They¡¯re easily removable as you just demonstrated, but doing so is grounds for immediate removal from the premises. I¡¯ll let that incident just now slide, provided you put it back on immediately.¡± ¡°No way,¡± Tira said, stepping forward. ¡°You¡¯ve already tried to kill us once.¡± Shein shrugged. ¡°Different locale, my dear. I can¡¯t have anyone being murdered here, for multiple reasons. Bad publicity both for customers andw enforcement.¡± ina frowned, looking down at the piece of jewelry, at the crystal jewel in the middle that had gone dark as soon as she took it off. Shein was glowing in the same way hers had, but she still had her doubts. ¡°How do we know you¡¯re not cheating? Yours could be fake for all we know..¡± Shein shrugged, taking hers off and offering it out to ina. ¡°We can trade if you want. I don¡¯t even have an aspect myself, but I wear it for appearances. Again, I think you¡¯re underestimating how seriously I run this establishment. The game rules already favor the house; I don¡¯t have to cheat beyond that.¡± ina cautiously swapped bracelets with the woman, watching Shein put hers on her wrist, clip it together, dim crystal light shining. ina did the same after bracing herself for the dulled sense, wincing as it happened once more. ¡°Hers is real too,¡± she said to the friends behind her. Shein rolled her eyes. ¡°It actually offends me you¡¯d think otherwise. If it was fake, I just wouldn¡¯t have offered to trade. Now, the rest of you follow suit, and I¡¯ll leave you to finding your match.¡± ina turned around, nodding to her party. Each hesitated, and each winced when they did thetch. ¡°Damnit,¡± Flora said. For a moment ina wasn¡¯t really sure what for, but then she noticed Flora¡¯s hair, how it was growing just a little less neat, the curls bing slightly less perfect, the whole thing slightly more frizzy. ¡°You actually use your aspect to do your hair?¡± Tira asked, trying to stifle augh. ¡°Shut up!¡± Flora said, blushing, the first time ina had ever seen her blush. ¡°It¡¯s straight up not possible to manage it otherwise.¡± ¡°Focus, you two,¡± ina said. Scolding her two seniors? That felt strange. ¡°Are we good to y?¡± she asked Shein. ¡°Oh, of course,¡± the woman said with a flourish, gesturing to the room beyond. ¡°And like I said, I rmend finding a table quickly for the best odds. I hear the speed you qualify may affect your odds in the second round.¡± ¡°She said, after wasting a ton of our time,¡± Tira added, walking off. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± ina and the others followed. They weren¡¯t headed to a table though, ina knew, not with this new information. ¡°We¡¯re fucked,¡± she said once they got to a corner. ¡°Not fucked,¡± Tira said, though she looked less confident than her voice suggested. ¡°We just have to y fair. We can¡¯t count on Carly¡¯s n without ina¡¯s aspect.¡± ¡°That¡¯s as good as fucked,¡± Flora said as she tried to straighten out her hair with her fingers. Carly shook her head. ¡°No, not yet anyway. With four people we should be able to get through round one still, at least one of us, hopefully two. And we don¡¯t know what round two is at all other than it¡¯s still ¡®poker¡¯ and that the rules will be different. For all we know, it could be poker with the bracelets off, anything goes.¡± ¡°So what do we do,¡± ina said, staring at her wrist. It actually looked nice, which was kind of annoying. The first time in her life wearing gold jewelry, and it may as well have been a chain. ¡°Same n, I think¡­¡± Carly said. ¡°ina and me proceed on. I still know the math the best, and we¡¯re the best two to be ying on the off chance we can actually use our aspects in round two.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Tira said. ¡°Let¡¯s go find our marks, I guess.¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina said, gazing out over the room. She needed to project confidence. Even without Carly¡¯s n in y, even with Tira¡¯s natural authority, they still looked to her as some sort of leader, and she¡¯d have to y the part. Even if that meant ignoring how being without [Restraint] somehow made her feel more naked than the fact that she was walking around in lingerie. Ch 2.68: Blind Ch 2.68: Blind Despite the glowing from the crystal center, strapping on the bracelet was like being shoved into darkness, the sensation immediate. ina had only had it for a few weeks, but losing the sixth sense that came with her aspect was more dramatic than she could¡¯ve imagined. She hadn¡¯t even noticed the little ways she was aware of those around her really, the straps of a dress, the buckle of a belt, the button on a coat. Her awareness of them all was ripped from her the moment the bracelet strapped onto her wrist. And the damn woman just smiled. ¡°First time?¡± she asked. ¡°Get this off me,¡± ina said, undoing thetch and ripping it off. The feeling returned, everythinging back into focus, the strap of her bra, the clip of Carly¡¯s handbag, the lock on the door behind them. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Shein grinned, holding up her own arm. The mass of bracelets fell down her arm, leaving only one atop her wrist, a matching piece to the one ina was now holding in her hand. ¡°They¡¯re required for all patrons and staff. You get them either when you enter here, or when you purchase chips for the front room. They restrict aspectspletely to prevent cheating. They¡¯re easily removable as you just demonstrated, but doing so is grounds for immediate removal from the premises. I¡¯ll let that incident just now slide, provided you put it back on immediately.¡± ¡°No way,¡± Tira said, stepping forward. ¡°You¡¯ve already tried to kill us once.¡± Shein shrugged. ¡°Different locale, my dear. I can¡¯t have anyone being murdered here, for multiple reasons. Bad publicity both for customers andw enforcement.¡± ina frowned, looking down at the piece of jewelry, at the crystal jewel in the middle that had gone dark as soon as she took it off. Shein was glowing in the same way hers had, but she still had her doubts. ¡°How do we know you¡¯re not cheating? Yours could be fake for all we know..¡± Shein shrugged, taking hers off and offering it out to ina. ¡°We can trade if you want. I don¡¯t even have an aspect myself, but I wear it for appearances. Again, I think you¡¯re underestimating how seriously I run this establishment. The game rules already favor the house; I don¡¯t have to cheat beyond that.¡± ina cautiously swapped bracelets with the woman, watching Shein put hers on her wrist, clip it together, dim crystal light shining. ina did the same after bracing herself for the dulled sense, wincing as it happened once more. ¡°Hers is real too,¡± she said to the friends behind her. Shein rolled her eyes. ¡°It actually offends me you¡¯d think otherwise. If it was fake, I just wouldn¡¯t have offered to trade. Now, the rest of you follow suit, and I¡¯ll leave you to finding your match.¡± ina turned around, nodding to her party. Each hesitated, and each winced when they did thetch. ¡°Damnit,¡± Flora said. For a moment ina wasn¡¯t really sure what for, but then she noticed Flora¡¯s hair, how it was growing just a little less neat, the curls bing slightly less perfect, the whole thing slightly more frizzy. ¡°You actually use your aspect to do your hair?¡± Tira asked, trying to stifle augh. ¡°Shut up!¡± Flora said, blushing, the first time ina had ever seen her blush. ¡°It¡¯s straight up not possible to manage it otherwise.¡± ¡°Focus, you two,¡± ina said. Scolding her two seniors? That felt strange. ¡°Are we good to y?¡± she asked Shein. ¡°Oh, of course,¡± the woman said with a flourish, gesturing to the room beyond. ¡°And like I said, I rmend finding a table quickly for the best odds. I hear the speed you qualify may affect your odds in the second round.¡± ¡°She said, after wasting a ton of our time,¡± Tira added, walking off. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± ina and the others followed. They weren¡¯t headed to a table though, ina knew, not with this new information. ¡°We¡¯re fucked,¡± she said once they got to a corner. ¡°Not fucked,¡± Tira said, though she looked less confident than her voice suggested. ¡°We just have to y fair. We can¡¯t count on Carly¡¯s n without ina¡¯s aspect.¡± ¡°That¡¯s as good as fucked,¡± Flora said as she tried to straighten out her hair with her fingers. Carly shook her head. ¡°No, not yet anyway. With four people we should be able to get through round one still, at least one of us, hopefully two. And we don¡¯t know what round two is at all other than it¡¯s still ¡®poker¡¯ and that the rules will be different. For all we know, it could be poker with the bracelets off, anything goes.¡± ¡°So what do we do,¡± ina said, staring at her wrist. It actually looked nice, which was kind of annoying. The first time in her life wearing gold jewelry, and it may as well have been a chain. ¡°Same n, I think¡­¡± Carly said. ¡°ina and me proceed on. I still know the math the best, and we¡¯re the best two to be ying on the off chance we can actually use our aspects in round two.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Tira said. ¡°Let¡¯s go find our marks, I guess.¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina said, gazing out over the room. She needed to project confidence. Even without Carly¡¯s n in y, even with Tira¡¯s natural authority, they still looked to her as some sort of leader, and she¡¯d have to y the part. Even if that meant ignoring how being without [Restraint] somehow made her feel more naked than the fact that she was walking around in lingerie. Ch 2.69: Split Ch 2.69: Split ¡°No, doesn¡¯t work,¡± Flora said, holding her hand up to the light and looking at it. ¡°Can¡¯t make any illusion at all with the bracelet on.¡± ¡°So skills are suppressed just like aspects,¡± ina said, frowning. It had been worth asking Flora to check, she guessed. ¡°Guess we should should just get to ying. Does it matter where we sit, really?¡± she asked as they walked into the y area. She was silently happy they wouldn¡¯t be up against Waine¡¯s crew, at least. The math didn¡¯t work out since they were a group of five, though she still was worried about seeing him in round two. ¡°Has to have four empty seats,¡± Carly said. ¡°I guess more empty seats is better, since it means the table won¡¯t be full of a whole team ganging up on us.¡± ¡°Depends¡± Tira added. ¡°We¡¯re alreadyte. If we pick an empty table, or one with only one or two people, the table might not fill up at all, and then we¡¯re screwed automatically.¡± ¡°What¡¯re the odds of that though?¡± Flora asked. ¡°There¡¯s still plenty of people waiting to y.¡± Gods ina wished they could use their aspects. Plenty of people were drinking, which was great for their n. It really would have been so simple. ¡°That table,¡± Tira said, pointing off to the distance. ¡°That¡¯s ours, let¡¯s hurry.¡± ina was able to identify the one Tira was pointing at rtively quickly, but she wasn¡¯t sure what the urgency was for. She trusted Tira with her life though, so she made a beeline, darting off as fast as she could without drawing attention to themselves, through the crowd of dressed up patrons, weaving around tables already ying, ignoring the overwhelming smell of too many different perfumes mixing together into a thick fog. ¡°Our table, sorry,¡± Tira said to another group of four that arrived to the table just after them, cing her hand one two of the open chairs. ina instinctively ced her hands on the other two, and she realized why Tira had chosen the table. Tira and ina where right next to each other, but they weren¡¯t off to one side like all the other tables full of a group of four, but dead center. The four people already at the table weren¡¯t a group of four sitting together, but two groups of two, a much easier set of people to bully with thebined betting power and strategy of their group of four. ¡°We saw it first!¡± one of the woman from the group said, a tall older woman with quite a modest dresspared to most patrons. ¡°Well we were here first,¡± Tira said. ¡°It¡¯s ours, and I won¡¯t say it again.¡± The two woman stared off, and the dealer seemed impartial, more than happy to let the patrons figure it out for themselves. But it was a forgone conclusion who would get the table; Tira just wasn¡¯t someone you said no to, especially not when she was in the right. ¡°Whatever,¡± the woman said, turning around. ¡°Come on girls, we don¡¯t want to sit in chairs trash like her has touched anyway.¡± Tira snorted at thement, but simply pulled her chair out, sitting down. ¡°I think that¡¯s eight yers, dealer.¡± The dealer nodded, beginning to shuffle cards as the rest of the party sat. ina took a close look at the table for the first time, the sets of gold and silver coins atop the green velvet covering with no decoration, no break in the uniformity other than the eight cupholders along the outside and the small cutout at the head to mark where the dealer sat. ¡°My my, that was quite insistent of you,¡± one of the other yers said. She was a woman about their age, but didn¡¯t look familiar from school. With the way her hair was cut, half shaved on one side and the rest all swooped over to the other side, ina was pretty sure she would have recognized her too. ¡°We just happened to be here first,¡± Tira said. ¡°Didn¡¯t want to walk all the way to another table. ¡°Sure it¡¯s not just because you wanted your group of four to try and pick on two groups of two?¡± The woman¡¯s partner to her right snickered. It wasn¡¯t just him either though, but the couple on the other side of them as well. They were all snickering, like they were all in on a joke together. ¡°Of course,¡± Tira said at the same time ina though it. ¡°Whatever, four on four it is.¡± ina couldn¡¯t help but be frustrated at that. It was fair still, the most fair it could be in a tournament that encouraged collusion in a game that was meant to be a free-for-all. Still, she didn¡¯t need fair right now, she needed to win. Still, the odds were okay. She had Carline next to her, Tira on the other side, Flora just one chair down from there. They were together, and they were of one goal. With any luck, the allegiances of their table opponents would be as divided as their seats. Before she realized, two face down cards were in front of her, and the two people to the right of Carly were moving coins forward. It caught her off guard, as even knowing the rules she didn¡¯t expect the game to start so silently. Carly looked at her cards and called without word too though. And that was how the game would go, apparently. ina looked at her own cards nodding to herself and pushing forward her own coins, leaving the rest up to fate. Ch 2.70: Beginner’s Ch 2.70: Beginner¡¯s The first few hands were normal hands, from what ina understood anyway. One person at the table would seemingly have a good hand, and the rest would fold, little money exchanging hands. Overall, her and Carly had gained a small amount of coins while Tira and Flora had lost about that amount, not unlike their n. The same seemed to happen on the ends of the table too though. The woman who¡¯d taunted them at the beginning and her seatmate, a simrly grungy looking guy had been siphoning money from their friends on the other side of the dealer. ¡°Two gold,¡± the woman said, upping from the five silver blind Flora had just paid. Her partner to her left was looking at his cards intently, before silently pushing them into the center of the table. ¡°Out,¡± he said. The other two of their group didn¡¯t even bother, folding one after the other, leading to Carly. She thought about it, but eventually folded as well. ina peeked back at her cards. Jack of swords, jack of hearts. A good hand, great hand even, she was pretty sure. A quick nce to the side confirmed heads hung low, Tira and Flora would be out, each having paid the blind, eight silver total. Their team needed to win this hand, keep those chips, and it was up to her. ¡°Three gold,¡± she said, doing her best to keep a straight face. She might be able to bully that woman off if she was lucky, but even if not she could afford to keep ying with her hand. Tira and Flora each folded immediately, and the woman looked up with a grin. ¡°Two more,¡± she said, matching ina and tossing in another gold as well. Shit, ina thought. She¡¯d been fine with three, but wasn¡¯t sure about four total. She¡¯d started with five gold pieces, fifteen silver pieces. She was also pretty sure they were actual gold and silver pieces, which was anotheryer of absurdity in all of this. She knew she didn¡¯t keep the coins regardless, that they were just game pieces, but it was still easily the most money she¡¯d ever ¡°had¡± in her life. And she was about to wager another gold of it. ¡°Call,¡± she said, pushing forward with a wince. ¡°Flop,¡± the dealer announced, turning over the next three cards. ¡°Four of crystals, two of shields, jack of shields.¡± ina couldn¡¯t help raising her eyes wide at thest card. Three of a kind, almost the best thing she could hope for. ¡°Stay,¡± the woman said, looking as stoic as she had before. ¡°All in,¡± ina said, pushing forward. She could tell she¡¯d done something wrong the moment the words had left her mouth, the entire table, even the dealer, looking at her with confusion. The woman she was betting against justughed though. ¡°Yeah, no, you got it,¡± she said, pushing her cards back to the dealer. ¡°That¡¯s the most ¡®I have pocket jacks¡¯ look I¡¯ve ever seen in my life.¡± ina looked down, feeling herself growing red both in anger and shame. She¡¯d known better, been taught better. If she¡¯d yed a little more conservatively, she could¡¯ve milked a little more out of the hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Tira said, cing a hand on ina¡¯s leg. ¡°You won the pot.¡± ina nodded. That was true, at least. Up to 26 silver, nine gold. And the woman, despite her earlierughing, was now ring at her own pile of coins, a little less than twenty silver, one gold. Overall, a big victory. And she had to pay the big blind next, good hand or not. The dealer threw cards out as he finished shuffling, and ina peaked at hers, a three and an eight. Trash, in other words. All of her four opponents stayed in, but Carly folded, ina forced to follow suit. Tira did as well, but Flora looked at her cards for a good bit, thinking, before finally deciding to fold as well, giving up the three silver she¡¯d put up as blind. And then the woman broke face again, smiling. Her crew didn¡¯t even pay attention to the flop, just let her raise one silver, and then all folding. In an instant, she was up another fifteen gold, easily a yable amount now. ¡°We can¡¯t keep getting bullied like that,¡± Tira mumbled. It was true, but also not much to be done. There were four chances for the opponents to have good hands, four chances to just get lucky on the flop too. ina hated that there was no sure way to win here, no way to just be better. I really wish I had my aspect, she thought, staring at that damned woman as she took a long swig from her drink. ¡°Tastes like victory,¡± the woman said, mming the ss into the holder on the table as the dealer shuffled away. ¡°You¡¯re still down, as a team or individual,¡± ina said. ¡°Team? I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± She extended her hand across the table, leaning forward to make it halfway to ina. ¡°Name¡¯s Rain, by the way.¡± ina red at the offered hand, wary of some trick. But no, there wasn¡¯t anything the woman could do, even if she had some aspect. That same arm was wearing the damn aspect-blocking bracelet, after all. ¡°ina,¡± she finally said, leaning over and grabbing the hand. ¡°Why don¡¯t we make a deal? Call us the winners, you and me? Four on four is such a mess, after all. I paid for these three to enter so I could get the best shot at getting in, but I honestly don¡¯t care about them getting in.¡± ina looked to Carly, then Tira. ¡°Could be worth it,¡± Tira whispered. ¡°If we¡¯re lucky with the rules for round two you¡¯d be better off than Carly.¡± There was silence for a moment, then Carly speaking up, ¡°Tira¡¯s probably right. I know the math, but¡ª-¡± ¡°No,¡± ina said, snatching her arm away from Rain. ¡°We¡¯re going to win, and we¡¯re going in as a pair.¡± Rain leaned back into her seat, tut-tutting as she shook her head. ¡°Oh well. I tried to be nice. I honestly hope it¡¯s still you and me, because I¡¯m just going to be so sad seeing your face once you¡¯re crushed.¡± ina was even more red than before, vaguely aware of the looks of horror from her party. This was the original n; she was already up in money, just needed to keep getting good hands, and everything would be fine, right? Did I just make a huge mistake? Ch 2.71: Luck Ch 2.71: Luck Things were going fine, ina was trying to assure herself. As fine as they could, really. Flora was almostpletely out of chips, but one of Rain¡¯s team was out entirely, taken out in a close gamble with Carly. Tira and and the boy next to the girl that had been knocked out were about half down as well, leaving just Rain, the man next to her, Carly, and ina herself with more chips than when they started. It was painful though, seeing bad hand after bad hande her way. ina was barely up from when she won that big hand from Rain right before the attempted deal, and she was starting to worry what would happen if she couldn¡¯t repeat that again. ¡°All-in,¡± the boy with about half his coins left said. ina nced back down to the flop the dealer had justid out. Queen of shields, ten of hearts, king of crystals. ina had called the blind with a respectable ace and two of swords, but there was no way of staying in after that flop. Carly seemed of the same mind, folding immediately, and ina following after. Tira hesitated though, rolling her fingers over the back of her cards as she stared down at her pile of chips. ina did the quick math, realizing that Tira wouldn¡¯t have to bet her entire pile to call, but that she¡¯d be left with only one gold and two silver after. ¡°Call,¡± she eventually said, pulling those three coins off the top and shoving the rest in. ina could feel her heart racing, but she trusted Tira. The other group had gotten away with too many aggressive calls early in the hand to let them keep doing. There was a high chance the other woman was bluffing, and they were the only two left that had called the blind. If Tira had a decent hand to y, ina figured they would have a pretty good chance. ¡°Raise. One gold, two silver,¡± Rain said, shoving forward a giant stack of chips of her own. ina felt her heart skip. Rain had been the big blind, but she hadn¡¯t bet anything at the start of betting after the flop, and if she had anything good she would¡¯ve bet at least something then, right? ina had considered her to bepletely out of this hand. And it seemed Tira did too, she was mostly pensive, but ina could see her hand under the table, the long nails on her left hand digging into her skin as she balled her hand into a fist. It didn¡¯t even matter though. Poker faces did you no good when you were thest person with the option to make a bet anyway. She had to either cut her losses, almost surely a death sentence with the other stacks growing, or hope her hand was better. ¡°Call,¡± she said through gritted teeth, pushing herst chips forward. ¡°Showdown,¡± dealer said. ¡°All yers flip your hands.¡± ina was a little confused by that, not having been briefed on this, but the other yers seemed to understand, each revealing the two cards they¡¯d bet with. ina had a moment of panic thinking how that would affect betting, before she realized that with two of three yers all-in, there wouldn¡¯t be more betting anyway. That made the whole thing a little more sensible, she realized as she looked at the cards on the table. Tira had a queen and king of hearts, a perfectly reasonable hand to call the initial bet with, and a great hand considering the flop gave her two pairs and possible royal flush! Inexplicably though, the other girl who¡¯d gone all-in hadplete trash, the nine of hearts and a four of shields. ina was still staring at that sorry excuse of a hand when she heard Tira shout, ¡°Fuck!¡± ina looked over to see why, and her heart dropped when she did. Rain had revealed the tens of both swords and shields, giving her three of a kind, enough to beat two pairs. Which was absurd. Rain had checked once she saw the flop, with three of kind? That made absolutely no sense. Unless the other girl was in on it too. It all clicked. Worse case scenario, a couple of chips would have floated to their struggling yer in this scenario. Best case though, this happens. And that meant they¡¯d somehow coordinated this, signaled the all-in yer to make that bet even with trash, to bait Tira into thinking Rain had nothing with her check. But it wasn¡¯t over. The turn came, the jack of hearts. ¡°Yes!¡± Tira said, abandoning all attempts to maintain herposure. That was it, still the possibility of a flush, a royal flush even. ¡°Come on, I need you, ace!¡± That confused ina a little bit. If thest card was an ace or a nine, the hand was still Tira¡¯s, after all. But then ina saw it again out of the corner of her eye, the nine of heartsying on the table, discarded from the other all-inners trash hand. That left only the ace of hearts as Tira¡¯s out, but that was still a chance. If they were lucky, they¡¯d have knocked out two of the opposing team, crippled another. Their victory was all but assured in that case. Just have to have a little bit of luck. And then it hit her. ina¡¯s heart began pounding, a painful beat as her breath increased. The dealer was still reaching for the river card, thest card they could potentially, but ina couldn¡¯t even look at it, didn¡¯t even need to look at it. The only card to save Tira was the ace of hearts, but ina knew it wouldn¡¯t being; it was already in the hand she¡¯d folded herself. She watched as Tira¡¯s anticipation sunk away off her face, eyes going dead. Luck had dictated: Tira was out, Flora nearly so, and Rain had just be thergest chip holder by arge margin. Ch 2.72: Turn Ch 2.72: Turn Rain burst outughing as she started pulling coins over to her side. ¡°Gods, that¡¯s actually hrious.¡± ina turned back to the woman, then the table, finally realizing which card had been flipped, yet another ten, giving Rain four of a kind. ¡°I was worried you¡¯d get a full house or something, but I definitely didn¡¯t expect to win like that,¡± Rain said as she slumped back into her chair. Full house? No, Rain was right. ina had been focused on the royal flush, but there were other ways Tira could¡¯ve won the hand. That was scarier, that ina was still misreading the table after all her studying anyway. But that didn¡¯t matter, there was only the future, and she needed to win. It was still three people on their side to two on the other side. That didn¡¯tst, of course. Flora had been in rough shape already, and she didn¡¯tst her next set of blinds, forced into pots with bad hands. Carly had actually seemed to try and bail her out of one of them with a bad hand of her own, but the table cards ended up giving Carly that hand anyway, and Flora was out after the next round. Which meant there was one thing to do. Rain was almost untouchable with her chip lead right now, but the man she was sitting next to actually had a little less betting power than either Carly or ina after thest few hands. If they could knock him out, they¡¯d still be able to guarantee one spot in top two, one person moving on to the second round. At least that way I¡¯ve matched her offer from before¡­ Soon the opportunity came to ina: a pair of tens, hearts and crystals. It was the same hand Rain had knocked Tira out with, just in opposing suits. And she was the big blind, no need to give away anything before betting. Rain called, the man beside her called, Carly folded. Carly folding was, realistically, the best thing for ina. They had about equal stacks of coin, so ina didn¡¯t want to siphon from her right now. And ina was pretty sure that she¡¯d win the hand anyway. Rain¡¯s team had gone for too many hands statistically for them to have been in good positions the whole time, so ina wasn¡¯t going to fold to pressure alone. ¡°Raise,¡± she said, sliding two gold forward. Both her opponents paused, looking back at their own cards, but both called again. That was a little scary, but also offered a greater potential reward. ina checked, not wanting to risk re-raising, but still fairly confident. The flop came, and ina couldn¡¯t have been more ecstatic. A two, a seven, a queen, of swords, crystals, and hearts. No straight chances in sight, no flush in sight. She was still beat by a pair of queens, but what were the odds of that? She really wished she knew the answer. ¡°Raise,¡± she said, pushing forward three more gold chips. She didn¡¯t know the odds, but she knew she was doing okay, and maybe it was time for a little more bullying at the table. The other two were hesitant, both staring down at their cards, both taking a little too long, both holding their hands a little too high up. ¡°Hey!¡± Tira shouted, standing up and pointing. ¡°They¡¯re showing each other their cards!¡± Both yers mmed their hands on the table as the dealer turned to them, shrugging. ¡°Oh,¡± Rain said. ¡°Held my cards up a little too much maybe, but didn¡¯t know he could see, and I wouldn¡¯t expect him to cheat and try to look at mine intentionally.¡± ¡°Same,¡± the man said with an innocent smile. The dealer nodded and then turned back to the table. ¡°Dealer, what the fuck?¡± Tira said. ¡°It may be strategically inadvisable to hold your hand in a way where other people can see, but doing so doesn¡¯t give you an advantage. Cheating would only ur if a yer intentionally tried to look at another¡¯s hand while it¡¯s in a standard holding position.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Rain said. ¡°It was my mistake if he saw my cards. I¡¯ll be sure to be more careful. Call, by the way,¡± she continued as she matched ina¡¯s bet. Gods was ina¡¯s blood boiling. How long had they even been doing that? Every hand? With that type of information, Carly would know who would win every hand, ina was sure of it! ¡°Raise,¡± the man next to Rain said. ina slunk into her chair. A pair of tens didn¡¯t seem so strong anymore. What was she supposed to do? The pot total was amassing, and she couldn¡¯t afford to lose if she went in. But could she even afford to back out now? Carly would know what to do, maybe she could try and show her cards and ask? No, too risky. Asking for outside advice would surely be cheating, and ina wasn¡¯t sure Carly would even realize she could offer advice, or maybe that wouldn¡¯t be allowed? Fuck! ina pushed chips in again, raising three more gold. That actually caused another moment of hesitation from Rain, who did decide to fold. The man beside her called instantly though, and worry coursed through ina. She had a pair of tens though, and the only thing beating her right now were queens. She let the dealer continue with the turn, and she could¡¯ve almost screamed when she saw him flip over the ten of swords. Three of a kind, surely the best hand she could have with the table cards this way, right? ¡°One gold,¡± she said. Best hand possible or not, she¡¯d learned her lesson about going all-in so quickly. She didn¡¯t want to scare this guy; she wanted to squeeze him for everything he had. ¡°Raise,¡± he said, pushing forward three gold. ¡°Raise,¡± ina replied instantly, pushing five more forward. He froze. He looked back at his cards, looked back at the folded cards from Rain. She actually went to touch them, had the gall to start lifting them up to remind him of what they were before the dealer¡¯s hand fell on them. ¡°Miss, you may not touch your cards again after you¡¯ve folded. Consider this a warning.¡± ina let out a sigh of relief. There were some rules after all, it seemed. But the man moved forward anyway, shoving his whole stack forward. ¡°All-in.¡± Gods, that was too much. He had so much information, and even if ina remembered everything she¡¯d studied about the game this week she wouldn¡¯t know how that affected her odds. If he had a pair of queens and saw that Rain had the fourth ten, that would lock ina out of winning, she was pretty sure. But what were the odds of that? ina still had more chips than him anyway, wouldn¡¯t be outpletely if she lost. Have to do it. ¡°Call,¡± she said, starting theborious process of counting out the exact number of coins to push forward. ¡°Showdown,¡± the dealer said. The man flipped his cards over the same time ina did, and she could have jumped for joy again. A pair of twos. Not impossible to lose to, but beyond unlikely. She saw that same look of terror that was on Tira¡¯s face earlier spread across this man, and then saw him nearly cry as the dealer turned over thest card, a four. She¡¯d won the hand, knocked out another. And the look on Rain¡¯s face was almost better than the look on his. ina barely had time to collect her thoughts as she pulled and organized her coins before the next cards came her way. She had more chips than anyone, was two people up against Rain, and as she peeked at her cards, she couldn¡¯t help but smile, poker face or not. Ace and queen of hearts. She could do it, in this one hand she could knock out Rain. She was riding the high of gambling, ready to go all-in again, and nothing was going to stop her now. Ch 2.73: River Ch 2.73: River ina only had a small chip lead over Rain herself, but thebined total between her and Carly was more than enough to bully a win for the two of them. Because of that, ina didn¡¯t necessarily have to y aggressive, but the ace and queen of hearts hand was too good to pass up, especially when Rain was the big blind, forced into the pot. Carly even called with her hand, meaning they had two shots at winning the hand. It wasn¡¯t time to go crazy, but ina would be a fool not to call at least, so she did, and the flop fell into ce exactly as it needed to, seven of swords, king of shields, ace of swords. ina had a pair of aces, and still a chance at a straight besides. ¡°Raise,¡± Rain said, pushing two gold forward. That gave ina pause. Rain clearly wasn¡¯t showing signs of hesitation, but did that mean she had a good hand? No, Rain had to be desperate, was forced into the hand by being the big blind. She couldn¡¯t afford to lose it no matter what, so ina couldn¡¯t afford to let her get away with winning, not when she had such a great hand. ¡°Call,¡± Carly said. ina did the same, and she thought she saw a little frustration on Rain¡¯s face. Good, ina thought. A slow burn would work, even if ina wanted to go for the knockout. As long as the turn wasn¡¯t something dangerous, ina could push in. But ¡°dangerous¡± didn¡¯t quite describe the next card that flipped over, a beautiful queen of crystals, giving ina two pairs. Rain hesitated again this time, but ultimately she did raise again, pushing three gold forward this time. Carly did seem a little scared by that, making no immediate move. Then she went to check her cards, lifting them up off the table, facing them just a little towards ina. The ace of shields, and a four of crystals. ina smiled. That wasn¡¯t an ident, she knew. She lifted her own cards up as well, angling them for Carly to see. The both had aces at the very least, meaning there was no way Rain could have two of her own. Carly nodded at the table as she ced her cards down, pushing them back in towards the center of the table. That confused ina at first, but then she realized why. Carly had less chips than ina, so it didn¡¯t make sense for her to funnel anything further into the pot when it looked like ina was the sure winner. ina herself didn¡¯t fold though, didn¡¯t just call either. She pushed forward an additional five gold on top of Rain¡¯s raise, and she couldn¡¯t help but grin as she did. She could see the look of dejection on Rain¡¯s face as she looked back down to her coins, shoving forward the call. She had to be desperate, hoping for a miracle as the river came down. And it was a miracle all right, one of the most beautiful things ina had seen all night, and that was saying something. The ace of crystals, giving her a full house, aces full of queens. That was it, that was the hand. Still, there was a moment of panic when Rain pushed her entire stack of coins forward. ¡°All in.¡± ina¡¯s brain had to reset, she had to examine the table. A regr flush didn¡¯t beat her, and there was no way for a straight flush of any kind, right? So she just had to worry about another full house. Rain could have a pair of kings, but that still wasn¡¯t enough? To beat ina, she¡¯d need an ace and a king, the only way to win this hand. Realizing that, ina called with a sigh of relief, abandoning her poker face entirely. It was over. ¡°Reveal hands, please,¡± the dealer said. ina did so happily, flipping her cards for thest time before she could sail away with her victory. ¡°Fuck this shit,¡± a voice said from across the table, apanied by the banging of a ss against the wooden edge. The woman next to Carly was already standing up, marching. ¡°Come one, honey. Let¡¯s go.¡± The man seemed as confused as ina felt, but he did bow his head apologetically as the table stared on, shuffling off. ¡°I¡¯m out too, no point in staying here,¡± the man next to Rain said, standing up in a much less dramatic way, but walking off all the same. ¡°Some teammates you have there,¡± ina said to Rain as the woman stared down at her cards. ¡°Nowe on, let¡¯s get this over with.¡± ¡°Afraid I don¡¯t know what you mean,¡± Rain said with a smile as she reached for her cards. ¡°This game is a free for all, of course.¡± ina had to squint as the cards were flipped over. The king of swords, and an ace of crystals, the thing that could beat her. ¡°Full house, ace full of kings, is the winning hand,¡± the dealer said. ina was still busy staring at the cards, the impossible hand that had just beaten her. ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Carly said, as the dealer started collecting cards. She flipped over her own hand. ¡°I had the ace of crystals! She couldn¡¯t have one too!¡± ¡°You fucking bitch,¡± Tira said, leaning forward as Flora grabbed her by the arm. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± The smooth voice drew all eyes to it, the proprietor approaching from behind. ¡°Madame Shein,¡± the dealer said, standing up and bowing his head. ¡°It appears the deck we were ying with may have had a misprint; two aces of crystals are in it.¡± ¡°Bullshit,¡± Tira said, pulling free of Flora, ignoring the girl¡¯s protestation to calm down. ¡°She¡¯s been cheating the whole time. She had this ace hidden somewhere!¡± ¡°Where, exactly?¡± Rain said, standing up herself. Her clothes were tight, but they weren¡¯t long, no sleeves to speak of even. ¡°My hands were on the table the whole time, and I don¡¯t even have pockets.¡± ¡°Your teammates,¡± ina said, still in her stupor. ¡°They made that scene, then all left.¡± ¡°Now now,¡± Shein said, cing a hand on ina¡¯s shoulder. ina wasn¡¯t calmed by the gesture, but was still too out of it to brush it off. ¡°I¡¯ll take this deck in for examination, you¡¯ll y with a new one for the time being. The results of thest hand yed must stand though. It¡¯s not fair to assume someone cheated and rob them of a well earned pot.¡± ina was only vaguely aware of Tira arguing with Shein, the dealer cleaning up the table, taking out a fresh deck of cards as Shein walked off and Rain pulled her ¡°well earned pot¡± over to her side of the table. In the end of it, ina was left with only eight silver, enough for one more cycle of blinds. It wasn¡¯t over in the most technical sense, but ina knew how it would y out. She let the first hand slip away, a two and a seven in her opening. The next two hands drained her chips, a six and a nine, a pair of threes. None were good enough to beat Rain, and so she was out. Eliminated from the tournament, unable to try and save the piece of Temmie that Shein was holding hostage. ¡°That is the game,dies,¡± the dealer said as he handed out a special card, an ornate ace of swords with a splendid rapier emzoned on it, to the Rain and Carly. ¡°This is proof you have advanced to round two. Please take them, but leave coins and all other game pieces and vacate the table, so I may amodate more guests.¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill her,¡± ina heard Tira say. ina understood the sentiment, maybe would have agreed with it in her right mind. But right now, she was only numb. ¡°Come on,¡± Flora said, pulling ina and Tira both by the arms. ¡°We need to talk.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point?¡± ina said. ¡°I blew it.¡± ¡°Enough of that! Carly¡¯s still in, and I have an idea.¡± ¡°Pardon me,¡± a voice said, cutting through the noise of the room, the joy of winners screaming and the anguish of losers shouting. It was Shein again, and ina¡¯s vision seemed to clear for the first time since losing that hand. Gods, she really was pretty herself. ¡°I¡¯d like a word with you, Miss Weaver. Alone, in my office.¡± Ch 2.74: Double Ch 2.74: Double ¡°Just ignore her,¡± Flora said, still pulling at ina. Tira still looked ready to pounce, but she was holding back, for the time being. ¡°I think you¡¯ll find meeting with me worthwhile,¡± Shein added. ¡°Come on, have drink with me, to dull the pain of the loss.¡± ¡°A drink?¡± ina said, snapping out of her stupor and pulling her wrist from Flora. ¡°Yes, if you want one. That¡¯s half the point ofing to Mirage, after all.¡± ¡°ina, it¡¯s not worth it,¡± Tira said. ¡°Let¡¯s just go figure out what¡ª¡± ¡°You three go ahead,¡± ina said. ¡°I¡¯ll catch upter.¡± ¡°Very good,¡± Shein said with a smile. ¡°Right this way, if you would.¡± ina nced back over her shoulder, nodding to her party. ¡°It¡¯ll be alright. Talk over whatever Flora¡¯s n B is.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s n C at this point,¡± Carly said, lost in thought. Flora and Tira both seemed nervous, but she just seemed focused. ¡°Figure it out, see youter!¡± ina said, hurrying off to catch Shein. ¡°They care about you,¡± the woman said as they stepped back out into the main gambling hall, back into the raucous noise, though it had seemed to die down somewhat from when ina first walked through. ¡°Sign of a strong leader.¡± ¡°We care about each other,¡± ina replied. ¡°Ah, sign of a weaker leader.¡± ¡°You just rule by fear then? I know a guy like that; even his ¡®friends¡¯ don¡¯t like him.¡± ¡°Respect, I like to think of it,¡± Shein said when they reached the opposite back corner of the room, pulling a key ring up from the long chain of bracelets dangling from her side. ¡°People respect me enough to know what I¡¯m capable of, and treat me appropriately.¡± ¡°Sounds like fear to me.¡± ¡°No, but only because I return the favor. I fear none of my employees, but I respect them all, to some extent. Once that respect is gone, well, they¡¯re no use then, of course.¡± Shein clicked the lock once she¡¯d grabbed the right key, pushing forward into the room beyond. ina had expected some sort of opulence for the room, and she was unprepared for the reality. It was nothing like Alonse¡¯s or Tira¡¯s offices, just small room with one simple desk at the end,rge enough for maybe three people to sit opposite the main seat, but there were only two chairs at the moment. The floors were wood, walls wood, and the ceiling only boasted two crystal lights at each end to illuminate it. If ina had been expecting Shein to rx, she was wrong. The woman maintained full decorum as she sauntered over to a shelf behind her desk, grabbing two small ss and a clear bottle before sitting down. ¡°What do you want from me now?¡± ina said as she took her seat. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly in a good mood, so get to it.¡± ¡°Patience, my friend,¡± Shein said as she poured into the sses. It was a clear liquid, not brown like the brandy ina had drank in Alonse¡¯s office. ¡°Just rx for a moment.¡± ¡°Easy for you to say, I¡¯m still busy¡± ina said as she took her ss, staring at the liquid inside. Poison? No, there wasn¡¯t a need for that when Shein had an invisible assassin at her disposal. ¡°Busy? Funny,st I checked you were eliminated from the tournament, but I still have much work ahead of me tonight.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± ina said, bringing the drink to her lips as Shein did the same. She still coughed, despite preparing herself for the taste. It was definitely worse than brandy, less earthy, more heart. Maybe it was the booze, or more urately, the [Pain Response], but ina couldn¡¯t help but notice a certain level of mature beauty in Shein as she giggled then downed some of her own drink with no effort. ¡°Not used to hard liquor?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had some,¡± ina coughed out. ¡°That was worse.¡± ina set the ss down, clearing her throat before continuing. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she had with Shein, but she needed to make the most of it. ¡°So what are you doing tonight that you need to remain sober for?¡± ¡°Small talk, now? I thought you wanted to get down to business.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not in a hurry,¡± ina said, taking another small sip, barely coughing this time ¡°Despite having so much to do?¡± Shein shrugged. ¡°Not much to do till the end of the tournament, really.¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina said, ying with the bracelet in her hand. ¡°Anyway, I guess we should get down to business, since round one will be ending soon. I wanted to express my apologies that you were knocked out in such an unfortunate manner.¡± ina had to hold back her strength as she gripped the ss, preventing herself from crushing it. ¡°She cheated, and you know it.¡± ¡°Of course she did,¡± Sheins said, looking at ina like she was talking to a child. ¡°Cheating without getting caught is the name of the game at Mirage. You think I don¡¯t know the house is being cheated by half the people on the floor out there?¡± ¡°How does running a business like that even make sense?¡± ¡°Simple,¡± Shein said, taking another long swig and then pouring herself another drink. ¡°When someone gets caught cheating against the house, they¡¯re kicked out, less whatever money they brought in that night. It all evens out at close of business that way.¡± ¡°Must suck to be running a poker tournament then, for such a high value prize. No way to rig it to your advantage.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯d be surprised.¡± I don¡¯t think I would, actually. ¡°So, spit it out, what do you want?¡± ¡°Double or nothing,¡± Shein said. ¡°I offer you a fair chance to get back into the tournament, one that won¡¯t piss off my regrs of course, and you offer something up as a wager in exchange, your Temmie.¡± ina froze, ss almost to her lips. She wasn¡¯t sure what she¡¯d expected, but it wasn¡¯t that. ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s only if you lose. Come on, think about it. I don¡¯t even know what to do with the damn things. What harm could it do?¡± ina knew it was a bad idea. Shein had just admitted that she had the tournament rigged somehow, after all. But ina was also pretty sure she knew how the tournament was rigged, even if she didn¡¯t know exactly what round two entailed. ¡°What¡¯s my chance to get back in?¡± ¡°There¡¯s another yer who felt cheated tonight, made a fuss about it while you were in deep concentration about your game. I felt less bad for them than I do you, but I can arrange a redemption match of sorts between you two, let the winner back in as a wild card.¡± ¡°And this is just a regr yer? Not one of your employees?¡± Shein grinned. ¡°Why, you wound me, Miss Weaver. But no, I promise they are of no rtion to me, just a random Endrin student I hadn¡¯t met before tonight.¡± ina knew it was a bad idea, knew things could end up going very south. ¡°Show it to me,¡± she said. ¡°Show me the Temmie. If I¡¯m wagering mine, I need to know you can pay up.¡± Shein¡¯s face grew cold at that, squinting at ina with inquisitive intensity. ¡°It¡¯s not in this room, but I¡¯ll be showing it off to the crowd before round two anyway. I suppose I could do so before your redemption match.¡± ¡°If I see it, then I¡¯ll agree,¡± ina said. ¡°But one more thing,¡± she added, reaching for her bracelet once more. ¡®I want to trade again. I still don¡¯t trust you.¡± Shen raised an eyebrow, studying ina once more as thetch came undone. Everything returned to ina, [Restraint] flooding back into her like air after a held breath, coalescing in her palm. The freedom would onlyst for a few seconds, but that would be enough. ¡°I warned you against doing that again,¡± Shein said, but despite the protestation she undid hers as well, offering it across the table. ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re not going to kick me out now,¡± ina said as she reached over their drinks, trading the crystal-embedded jewelry and then staring back down at the new one. She braced herself as she strapped it back on, once again losing everything, [Restraint] and all her skills. ¡°See? Same bracelet as you, as before,¡± Shein said, downing the rest of her drink, coughing into her hand as she did. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get going. We have an exhibition match to arrange.¡± Ch 2.75: Nothing Ch 2.75: Nothing ina noticed the main gambling hall slowing down even more as Shein led her back out. Some members of the staff even seemed to be escorting patrons outside. ¡°Cover charge,¡± Shein said, anticipating ina¡¯s question. ¡°Five gold to see the remainder of the night y out, for people that didn¡¯t already pay to participate in the tournament anyway.¡± ¡°I¡¯m surprised you let yourckeys take care of that. You seem like more of a hands-on type of boss to me.¡± ¡°Only the important things, like dealing with you,¡± Shein said with a quick sh of a smile over her shoulder. ina was even more sure of her n now. She didn¡¯t really mind less people in the main room since it gave her a chance to think. There wasn¡¯t much she could do now though, other than focus on this match ahead of her. As she wondered, her eyes wandered, towards the quiet stage, devoid of the musicians before, only one person on it, a blonde girl in a shining blue dress. Prisma looked irritated, to ina at least. She was definitely trying to look dignified, hold herposure, but that natural smile ina remembered from what seemed almost a century ago wasn¡¯t there right now, instead reced by a forced look of contentment ina saw on far too many of the kids at Endrin. ¡°She¡¯s my opponent,¡± ina said as they approached the stage. It wasn¡¯t a question, just resignment to the fact. ¡°Indeed,¡± Shein said. ¡°You know her, if I remember that little squabble from earlier correctly?¡± ¡°We¡¯re acquaintances,¡± ina replied. Gods, it wasn¡¯t the time for distractions. Temmie was on the line, and that¡¯s all that mattered. ina would be able to push everything else aside, no matter what. ¡°ina!¡± she heard a voice shout from the side. It was Tira, alone. ¡°Where are they?¡± ina asked as Tira ran up, still following after Shein. ¡°Bathroom. Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, you¡¯ll see what¡¯s going on soon enough, I¡¯m pretty sure.¡± Tira wanted to continue the conversation from the looks of it, but a guard stopped her from following as Shein and ina walked on stage. It was a different feeling, looking down on the room from up top. Everything seemed just a bit smaller, a little more distant. She could get used to this, she thought. Maybe in another life she could¡¯ve been that singer, ying whatever crystal instrument there¡¯d been, singing songs for her living. But that wasn¡¯t this life, and she had work to do right now. Prisma looked surprised too, of course, but only for a moment before righting herself. That moment was one ina would remember though, a genuine look of expression, that long flowing blue dress, modest shoulders and legs, less so in the chest, her hair pulled up into a bundle of curls up top held by a matching blue ribbon, her eyes looking like someone who¡¯d just seen a friend they¡¯d been missing for years. Shein grabbed the crystal device from the stand in front that the vocalist had sang into. ¡°Well, lovely patrons, do I have some good news for you. We have a special exhibition match for you tonight. Feel sorry for those that have already left, and think twice about leaving just because you haven¡¯t paid the cover for viewing the rest of tonight¡¯s tournament. ¡°These two lovelydies think they¡¯ve been cheated out of their rightful spots in tonight¡¯s grand event.¡± A chorus ofughter rang through the establishment at that, all eyes turning to the stage. ¡°I know, I know. My patrons, cheating? Perish the thought. But I understand the frustration, with the fabulousness of tonight¡¯s prize and all.¡± Shein walked over to the center of the stage, grabbing a cloth from one of the instrument stands and whipping it off the side, revealing a locked, ss case. Inside was indeed the subcore, wrapped in two leather strips, a suspiciously familiar looking crystal embedded in them, the same kind that was on ina¡¯s wrist at that very moment. The crowd gasped at the sight of it, which ina found a little odd. ¡°Behold, a Temmie! One of thergest pieces of pure crystal on its own, in a perfectly spherical shape no less. It also acts as an awakening crystal, but beyond that it emits crystal energy in suchrge quantities we¡¯ve had to suppress its power with our aspect restraints, less who knows what happens. ¡°Which is of course why I¡¯m trying to offload it. I¡¯m hot myself, and enjoy hot things like these two beside me, but this item is a little too hot, even for me, if you know what I mean.¡± The crowdughed again, though Prisma seemed to recoil at thement. ¡°Now, for the prelude to the main event, or maybe the real main event, considering how lucky we are. ¡°The youngdy on the right has suffered what she considers betrayal. Someone she believed her ally betrayed her, taking her spot in the tournament that she had been promised. And thedy on my left was the victim of a very unfortunate deck misprinting, ended up losing to a duplicate ace. These types of things just happen in poker, as you all know, but I¡¯m a generous host, so I¡¯m extending an offer to them out of the goodness of my hearts. Ladies, gentlemen, and all other fine people, tonight, in ast ditch bid to remain in contention for the glorious Temmie, these two beautiful women will participate in the most exhibition-est match you¡¯ve ever seen! Now, participants, are you ready?¡± ina looked around the stage, pretty sure she wasn¡¯t ready. ¡°There¡¯s no table?¡± she said. ¡°Oh, dear me, I¡¯ve forgotten to exin the rules; how silly of me! This will not be a round of poker, as poker is dreadfullycking as a spectator experience. You¡¯re both familiar with the game ¡®stone, parchment, shears,¡¯ correct?¡± ina had to think for a moment, but she nodded, followed shortly after by Prisma. Everyone knew the rules to stone, parchment, shears; it was the ultimate way to settle things when you were a kid. ¡°Good! We¡¯ll be ying a game of that, first to take, say¡ª¡± Shein paused and looked up and down Prisma and ina both before continuing, ¡°five points, I think, from your opponent will win the match. Of course, I have my other payingpetitors to keep in mind. I don¡¯t want them to feel slighted by this change of events, so to make it up to them, we¡¯re altering the rules slightly. I said earlier to consider whether you wanted to leave without paying the In this game, each point will equal one article of clothing, and as you lose, you¡¯ll have to strip down.¡± Even despite the gambling machines no longer running, the band not ying, and the smaller crowd, the roar of the apuse that followed was the loudest sound that ina had heard that night. ¡°What the fuck?¡± she barely heard Prisma scream from only a few feet away. ¡°Neither of you are forced to participate, of course,¡± Shein shouted, taking the crystal voice amplifier away from her face. ¡°That¡¯s absurd!¡± ina shouted. She couldn¡¯t do this right? Even with half the crowd gone, there were dozens of people out there, all their eyes looking towards the stage, all of them apuding¡­ Soon enough, she could bepletely naked in front of them, ssmates and strangers alike. She could feel her pulse pounding, her pussy longing to be touched just at the thought, ready to plow into herself right there on the stage. Gods, she knew she wouldn¡¯t be able say no. Winning was another chance at getting the subcore, and losing? Well, if she lost, she would just have to deal it. ¡°Now,¡± Shein continued into the crystal, ¡°I¡¯ll exin the conditions in full while thesepetitors decide if they¡¯re up to the task. The winner will be allowed to redress, and then continue on to round two of the poker tournament. The loser, of course, will remain naked for the rest of the tournament for all our viewing pleasure, but will also be under my personal protection. Remember, harassment is never tolerated in this establishment. ¡°It¡¯s up to you two whether you want topete, but once you agree there is can be no backing out. So, what say you?¡± The room ended up as quiet as ina¡¯s bedroom at night with that question, everyone waiting on the answers. To ina, the loudest thing was her own beating heart. ¡°I ept!¡± she shouted, triggering another round of raucous cheers. ¡°Wonderful,¡± Shein said, turning to Prisma. ¡°But the game requires two to y, I¡¯m afraid. What say you, youngdy?¡± If Prisma heard the question, she didn¡¯t make it known, instead staring straight at ina, eyes popping out in astonishment, mouth hanging open. For the first time, ina realized what would really happen if she were to win, what would happen to Prisma. That thought ran circles around her head, causing her heart to beat even faster. But no, she couldn¡¯t do that to Prisma. She shook her head, holding her hands up, ready to ce all her trust into Carly. ¡°I¡¯ll y,¡± Prisma said, ¡°and I won¡¯t lose.¡± The crowd started cheering again before ina could process the response. Why in the stars would Prisma agree to something like this? ¡°And that¡¯s that!¡± Shein continued. ¡°We¡¯ll start in just a few minutes, so pay your fees now if you haven¡¯t, tell your friends nearby if you have them, and soon enough we¡¯ll be seeing one of these two lovelydies walking off the stage with sweet victory, and one walking off the stage with absolutely nothing.¡± Ch 2.76 ? House Ch 2.76 ? House ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± ina said as Shein ced the voice-amplifier-thing back on its stand. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Prisma replied, looking incredulously irritated. ¡°You were the one who said yes first! How am I supposed to turn it down at that point? Everyone is watching!¡± ¡°I know! That¡¯s why¡ª¡± Gods, everyone really was watching. With the notice that things wouldn¡¯t be started for a few minutes, people had mostly turned their attention elsewhere, digging in their purses, buying drinks. ¡°Come on,dies, don¡¯t fight now. Save that for the show,¡± Shein said, stepping back deeper into the stage. ¡°After all, you specifically ina shouldn¡¯t be too disturbed by this turn of events. You¡¯re halfway stripped already, and it¡¯s not the first time that¡¯s happened, if I heard correctly. Though Flora may have even been more willing, now that I think about it¡­.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Prisma said. ¡°What¡¯re you getting up to that she knows about these habits?¡± ¡°Those were idents!¡± ina said, but she there was no way to defend off the usations of both of these women right now. Shein let out a long yawn, shaking her head clear after she was done. ¡°Oh, apologies,¡± she said. ¡°Anyway, you can exin your stripping practicester, for now I want to start things up. Round two will take a while as it is, and I¡¯m feeling tired.¡± Shein stepped back up to the front of the stage, scanning the crowd for a moment as she grabbed the crystal from the stand again. ¡°Prisma, listen,¡± ina said. ¡°Just leave. Drop out, do whatever. I have to win this.¡± ¡°Oh, you have to win this? I¡¯ve got pride on the line here!¡± ¡°That¡¯s your own fault and you know it!¡± ina hissed. ¡°Just run! I¡¯ll convince her to let me into somehow.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t leave at this point. If we¡¯d both said no then it would be fine, but now the only way out for me is to win!¡± Prisma turned her head away, a rush of blood flooding her face in her anger, or annoyance? ina wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°You know it¡¯s¡ª it¡¯s not like I want to be ying some stupid strip game on stage, right?¡± ¡°What?¡± ina said, barely able to consider the question before Shein starting speaking to the room again. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s a few minutes, enough to kick out the freeloaders and to let the rest of the red-lighters know what¡¯s happening. I¡¯ll get to exining the house rules while some of you file in and out, and then we¡¯ll get started.¡± The crowd, well over a hundred people at this point, roared with approval ¡°Stone parchment shears is a ssic game, but here at Mirage we like a little more strategy in our games, so I¡¯ve devised some house rules to make things more interesting. Withdies this lovely I¡¯m not even sure that''s necessary, but s, the rules are as follows: ¡°Stone is basic, a standard point. Win with stone, and your opponent removes one item of clothing. Parchment is good for covering you up though, so winning with that earns you back a point, letting you put on a piece of clothing you lost. Shears though? You¡¯ll find they¡¯re remarkably good at cutting cloth, so winning with that removes two points from your opponent. And just to keep things moving along, if there¡¯s ever three turns without someone removing an article of clothing, both yers remove one, so that a tie doesn¡¯t hold the game up forever.¡± ina was pretty sure she had the rules to it down. It wasn¡¯t nearly asplicated as poker, and the modifications made sense besides with the way Shein had exined them. ¡°Let¡¯s get started,¡± Prisma said, no hesitation in her voice or expression. She was staring at ina as if they were fencing, ready to strike, ready to win. ¡°If you¡¯re so eager,¡± Shein said as she backed away. ¡°For rity, shoes are one point, your dresses one point, underwear one point for each piece, and the fifth point for each of you is your hair ribbon and waist ribbon respectively. You two step up to front, and the audience will count you off. Throw your options on the ¡®strip¡± of ¡®stone, parchment, shears, strip.¡¯¡± ina walked up feeling small next to Prisma as they approached each other, despite being taller. The crowd quieted as they reached center stage, all lights coalescing onto them. ina only had a few moments to n her attack. No point in parchment if I have all my clothes right now, she thought. She did want to y it safe though, had her choice locked in before Shein started counting the crowd off, winding her fist back and throwing it out with word. ¡°Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± The unison yelling of dozens of people was entrancing in a way, and the final word, shouted at the top of everyone¡¯s lungs it seemed, was the most entrancing of all. For some reason, ina closed her eyes, kept them closed for a second even as she threw her hand out a final time. When she opened them a secondter, she saw the results. Stone in her hand, stone in Prisma¡¯s. ¡°A tie!¡± Shein said. Right, ina thought. But she was already noticing a problem. There was no reason for her to pick parchment right now, but none for Prisma to either, right? And that means¡ª ¡°Again! Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± ina had barely had time to react to the call, throwing out stone again before she could finish her thought. Prisma had realized it too, it seemed. And if both yers knew there was no reason to ever throw parchment, then there was also no reason to ever throw shears. They were in a stone-stalemate. ¡°Another tie!¡± Shein said to a booing crowd. ¡°Not unexpected, but prepared for! Remember, three ties and you both strip,¡± she added, pausing the crowd¡¯s jeering and moving them towards cheering again. Ah, that¡¯s it. Shein had said that rule was to move things along, after all. ina supposed either her or Prisma could¡¯ve made a mistake, but they¡¯d both avoided that oue, at least. ¡°Now! Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± Two stones again. ¡°Alrightdies, off with your shoes or ribbons and ce them at the front of the stage when you do, unless one of you want to be more daring?¡± Both ina and Prisma red at her with thatment, but bothplied as well Prisma reaching to her hair and ina for her shoes. ina was a little hesitant to do that honestly, especially since she was borrowing shoes from Carly, but she was reasonably certain they wouldn¡¯t be tossed out or anything. ¡°Well then,¡± Shein said as the discarded clothing was set aside, ¡°with the mandatory tied rounds done with, we can finally move along with some stakes involved.¡± The crowd shouted in approval as ina looked over her opponent once more. Somehow, seeing her with her hair flowing like that felt wrong, private even, despite having seen it like that at school before. It seemed to be flowing in a new, more natural way. ¡°Let the real game begin! Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± ina threw shears this time, trying to be aggressive. But that wasn¡¯t the right choice after all she realized as she stared down at Prisma¡¯s stone. There were even more cheers, the loudest yet as ina stared down. ¡°You know what now, ina,¡± Shein said. She did. She could barely believe what she was doing, her hand moving on its own towards the ribbon holding her dress together. She was already showing off plenty of skin, even parts of her ¡°underwear¡± that she¡¯d resigned herself to disying, but as her trembling hands pulled the ribbon away the hurriedly-made dress fell to her sides, revealing far more of them she¡¯d actually expected to. And as she went to ce the ribbon down she realized the depths of Shein¡¯s impishness, undoubtedly the real reason they¡¯d been instructed to leave their clothes at the front of the stage. She had to face the entire crowd, give them a look at the wide open top part of her dress as she ced her belt over Carly¡¯s shoes. So many eyes¡­ The next call came before she was even back in her own mind. ¡°Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± Ch 2.77: ? Rules Ch 2.77: ? Rules Carline was supposed to be paying attention to Flora, supposed to be trying to find Tira as they pushed through the crowd. Could you really expect her to though? The most insane thing she¡¯d ever seen, ever even heard of, was happening a few dozen feet away on that stage, right before her very eyes. ¡°Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± ¡°Stone wins,¡± Shein announced, offering a congrattory gesture to ina. ¡°Your shoes, I presume?¡± That was what, three items left for each of them now, by Carline¡¯s count? Her eyes were glued to the stage as Prisma slipped off her shoes, cing them on front of the stage near her hair ribbon. Neither were really showing more than they had been when the took the stage, but the tension in the room was palpable. Everyone knew where this was going, where one of them would end up, and Carline could feel the lust pouring from everyone in the room. ¡°Can¡¯t find her anywhere,¡± Flora said, stopping as they reached a point in the crowd too dense to push through, craning her head up to look through the rest of the room. ¡°Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± The crowd groaned, both participants having thrown shears. ¡°Tie, go again!¡± Shein shouted out almost instantly. ¡°Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± The uproar as Prisma threw shears again and ina through rock was maybe the loudest thing Carline had heard in her life. There was a look of disbelief on Prisma¡¯s face as Shein announced the winner and directed Prisma back towards the front of the stage. No, I can¡¯t watch this, Carline decided, no matter how much I want to. That¡¯s what she thought at first, anyway. But as soon as she turned her eyes towards Flora she felt something familiar pulling her gaze back to the stage. It was the feeling she¡¯d felt from ina many times over by now, the rush of lust and excitement as the girl would strip her clothes off, as people were watching her in some state of undress. But it wasn¡¯t from ina this time, it was from Prisma. Her blood was growing warmer, her breathing growing heavier, her head rattled by the situation she was in while her anxious heart beat faster and stronger. There was now mistaking it, Prisma was turned on by this, the same way ina would be. Maybe it shouldn¡¯t have made a difference to Carline, but it did. With that knowledge, she could look on at the disy on stage, at Prisma unzipping the back of her dress, sliding it off her shoulders and revealing the ck bra underneath, her cleavage and stomach, matching panties, and all the while her growingly excited body. Carline had always knew Prisma was pretty, but things were changing as she stepped out of her dress and ced it by her other discarded clothes. Seeing the woman revel in showing off herself, despite the growing embarrassment, was enough to make even one of the most beautiful people Carline had even seen somehow look even more attractive. ¡°Nice fiance you got there,¡± Carline heard a voice say, followed by a chorus ofughter. It was barely audible amongst the cheering, but Carline was still able to find the source of the voice, Ivis, and theughter, N and Daly. ¡°Shut up,¡± Waine said, a disgruntled look on his face that Carline knew all too well. ¡°That¡¯s all you¡¯re going to see; she won¡¯t lose any more.¡± ¡°Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± Carline¡¯s head whipped back to the stage as the crowd shouted again. That could be it, right? If ina won with shears then Prisma would have to strip twice, losing immediately. That sure seemed to be ina¡¯s thought process at least, and something Prisma expected in turn, throwing out her own stone in response. They were even again. ¡°Now that¡¯s what we¡¯ve been waiting for,¡± Waine¡¯s voice said, his sneer piercing through the crowd. It drew Carline¡¯s attention once more, her horror and disgust as she was him reaching into his pocket and pulling out a crystal portrait, pointing it right at ina as she walked up to the center of the stage and prepared to shrug off her own dress. Carline barely had time to think of how terrible a person Waine really was, barely had time to think of what she could do to stop it before she felt it. It was a feeling she hadn¡¯t felt from another human since the attack on the school, one she¡¯d hoped to never feel again, the cracking of bone. Waine shouted out, probably as confused as Carline was, both of them feeling the pain course through his body before seeing what the cause was. Waine¡¯s crystal portrait fell to the ground, arge boot stepping on it, the boot belonging to the same gigantic man who had grabbed and snapped Waine¡¯s wrist. ¡°People who break the rules aren¡¯t wee here,¡± the man said in a deep, smooth voice that somehow cut through the crowd, ¡°and we¡¯re always watching.¡± He bent over and picked the crystal portrait up off the floor with his free hand, then started yanking Waine away by his broken wrist as the boy screamed out in pain while his friends and Carline watching on in shock,pletely missing the events going on up on stage. ¡°What¡¯s the baby screaming about?¡± Tira¡¯s voice said. ¡°Tira!¡± Carline and Flora both said, both having apparently been distracted by the situation with Waine. ¡°That¡¯s my name,¡± Tira said, slotting into their group. ¡°Would¡¯ve found you sooner, but I was looking for a ball of frizz in the crowd, not Miss Perfect-hair here.¡± ¡°No idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Flora said with a smirk, turning back to the stage. ¡°But tell me, what the fuck did ina get herself into?¡± Carline turned too, just in time to see ina stepping out of her dress and kicking it forward. She¡¯s so brave. ¡°She didn¡¯t get into anything, but she¡¯s getting out of her clothes, one of the things she does best,¡± Tira said with a chuckle. ¡°I feel bad for the Fireguard girl though, actually. There¡¯s no way she¡¯s getting off on this the way ina does.¡± ¡°You¡¯d be surprised,¡± Carline said, ignoring the looks of confusion from her friends and watching along as bothpetitors turned back to each other. ¡°Well, guess we kick back and enjoy the show,¡± Tira said. Carline couldn¡¯t agree more. Ch 2.78: ? Flush Ch 2.78: ? Flush ina was trying to keep her wits about her, really trying. She was approaching the front of stage, sliding her dress off and kicking it towards a roaring crowd of over a hundred people at least. She¡¯d only been near this many people a handful of times in her life, much less the center of attention, stripping down to her underwear. She had a moment of panic as she saw a hand reach out towards her dress as it hung off the stage, but a bouncer intercepted the casino-goer, shoving them back into the mass of people, the mass of people ogling her as she sheepishly covered herself with her arms, eyes wide with wonder, breathing heavy to try and control her emotions, her whole body flush with arousal. Gods was this situation fucked; she had to win, but for some reason losing felt so good¡­ Looking back at Prisma didn¡¯t make the situation any better. ck,cy underwear contrasting under the lights on her pale skin, breasts held perfectly high as she did her best to cover them as well, the thin triangle just below her waist, it all gripped ina¡¯s mind. There was a little bit of hesitancy, a little bit of guilt in knowing what had to happen for ina to win. ina would do her best not to ogle, would try to convince Shein to let Prisma cover up of course, but right now her head was too light, too dizzy with adrenaline and her own horniness to to not stare at Prisma. ¡°Alright crowd, that¡¯s enough of a look for now. Ready for the next go?¡± The responding cheer of approval hit like a wave, washing over the stage as ina tried her best to ignore it, tried to focus on strategy. Because there really was strategy, especially at this point. Both yers having two items of clothing left was officially the danger zone, where one win with shears would officially end it all. That made going for shears so appealing, but ina knew Prisma would realize that as well, meaning she might be more likely to throw stone, but if that were true, parchment was stronger here, right? Except that still risked an instant loss. No, parchment was out for sure. ina couldn¡¯t risk aplete loss, so she had to choose between the other two. ¡°Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± ina kept her eyes on Prisma the entire time, watching as they each threw out their options. Stone for ina, stone for Prisma.¡°Again,¡± Shein announced, no time for thinking. ¡°Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± ina threw out her choice, instantly regretting it. Parchment was the one option she couldn¡¯t safely do, and she¡¯d done it anyway, cringing and closing her eyes as she realized what she¡¯d just sentenced herself to. She heard the boos from the crowd before she even stopped to consider she might not have lost, peaking out and seeing a shaking, nervous Prisma holding out stone. ¡°Now now, no need to boo, my good friends,¡± Shein said. ¡°We¡¯ll all still get our reward in the end. Go ahead ina, take back your dress.¡± ina¡¯s mind began to clear a little bit at that as she put her hands down, walking over to her clothes pile in front of the jeering flock of people, even managing to put aside just how embarrassing putting her dress back on was in front of all those eyes. She¡¯d won the hand, actually, wasn¡¯t punished for her short-thinking brain, and that meant the game was different from here on out. ina wasn¡¯t one hand away from losing anymore, but Prisma still was. ina could see that Prisma knew too, the wide-eyed stare, the heavy breathing, skin growing flush, all from the anxiety of it all. Prisma was going to be eager to cover up, to try and preserve her modesty, and ina could exploit that. ¡°Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± ina threw shears with no hesitation, no doubt in her mind that it was the right choice. But Prisma wasn¡¯t as eager to cover up as she¡¯d thought, and had thrown out stone instead. It was a dulled cheer from the crowd as ina realized she had to take off the dress she¡¯d just gotten back. She was honestly more annoyed at having lost the round than having to strip. She was sure Prisma would¡¯ve been eager to get dressed again, or at least throw shears to try and take the lead. The middle option though? Now they were just back where they started. Even Shein seemed to not care about that fact, listening and nodding along as some employee who¡¯d ran on stage whispered in her ear. ¡°There, that¡¯s better,¡± Shein said , waving the bouncer off the stage and returning her attention back to the game and ina kicking her dress over once more. ¡®But let¡¯s keep it going! Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± ina was once again caught without time to think, barely having gotten back to her ce on stage. But she knew in a instant what to do. Prisma had the momentum, would want to finish this now without risking more embarrassment for herself. Prisma would throw shears to try and end it all, and ina would throw stone to counter. But the damn girl threw parchment! Why was she acting like this? Prisma seemed surprised herself as the boos went out once more, but she still skittered over to her clothes. ina and Shein both raised an eyebrow as she grabbed her hair ribbon though, tying it onto her arm instead of donning her dress once more. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna keep taking my dress off over and over!¡± she said, answering the question no one had asked, but that everyone had though. It made sense, ina realized. She had felt just as embarrassed putting on her dress as she had felt taking it off, and taking it off the second time had someone been even more mortifying than the first. But that was the past, and Shein was calling for another chant already. ¡°Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± ina wasn¡¯t really sure why she¡¯d thrown stone this time. Maybe out of annoyance, maybe because she was scared of Prisma taking herst two items with one swoop like she¡¯d done before, but the sh of two stones together cause the audience to freeze again, but Shein didn¡¯t skip a beat. ¡°Again! Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± ina was angry. Prisma wasn¡¯t making any sense to her, and all she wanted to do was win. There was one fastest way to do that, one way to make sure she won as soon as possible, right? Shears, she said to herself, throwing it out with far more force than she needed, as if slicing through the air would somehow make Prisma more likely to throw parchment. By far, the loudest roar from the crowd yet. ¡°My good friends,¡± Shein said, ¡°the first win of the night with shears!¡± Prisma looked dumbfounded, like she couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened. ina felt the same way, really. It made no sense for Prisma to throw parchment there, not when she was up on points, up on clothes already. ina had just thrown shears out frustration, with no strategy at all. Maybe that was why it had worked, Prisma thinking ina wouldn¡¯t expect parchment, getting a leg up on her with an unexpected win. But that wasn¡¯t what had happened. The crowd steadied, didn¡¯t silence, but the buzz of a hundred murmurs filled the room as Prisma pulled at her ribbon, the strip of silk undoing and falling off her arm. She paused then, looking down at it as it flowed to the ground, still holding it in her hand. And then she looked up, ina catching just a glimpse of Prisma¡¯s blue eyes. It was just a glimpse at first anyway, as Prisma¡¯s head darted away, but she slowly turned her head forward again. It was the first time they¡¯d made eye contact since the game started, ina realized. Prisma had been avoiding her, as much as she could while they were on stage together anyway. They¡¯d only been looking at each others hands, asionally at each other bodies too, but now they were really together. The girl continued eye contact as she reached for her chest, grabbing the cups of her bra, an action that confused ina until the cups themselves pulled apart from each other, Prisma¡¯s breasts spilling out into the open from the front-sped lingerie, drawing ina¡¯s gaze towards them, the pale, barely visible are and nipples resting atop them as the breasts themselves swooped downward. The crowd was wild, the loudest thing that ina had heard in her whole life, but she barely noticed it, lost on the stage with Prisma, her acquaintance, as the girl slid the bra over her shoulders and tossed it to the side. She may have done it on stage, in front of dozens of ssmates and strangers alike, but as their eyes met again, somehow ina knew that it was meant for her specifically. Prisma tossed the items aside, covering her her chest as she looked back at the crowd, biting her lip as she somehow grew more red, face more like a tomato then a person at this point. Even ina would be embarrassed in the situation, but things did feel different now. They were in a contest, but they were in it together. One of them would lose, the other would win, it may be ufortable, it may be thrilling, but they weren¡¯t going to hold and hard feelings about it after. That¡¯s what Prisma¡¯s eyes had told her, anyway. ¡°Settle down, now, settle down,¡± Shein said waving the crowd down as Prisma bit her lip, staring at the floor. ¡°Once again, this could be it. Two items on one of them, one on the other. How will it end? One way to find out!¡± As annoying as the woman was, the enthusiasm in the room made it so ina couldn¡¯t deny she was good at working the crowd, at putting on the show. ina was prepared this time, ready to y with intention. Prisma could still try to end it with shears, but she could try to cover herself up again, a likely option, really. And why would ina go for shears, after all? She only needed one point to win, so rock would do. That was it, the trap she¡¯d catch Prisma in to end it all. ¡°Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± But Prisma had evaded her again, throwing stone and turning the tables. ¡°Fuck,¡± ina muttered under her breath as the crowd cheered again. ¡°Lucky us,¡± Shein said. ¡°Both contestants down to theirst article of clothing. We as an audience are getting quite the show tonight, maybe even the ultimate show if we¡¯re lucky! But first, what¡¯s it going to be, ina?¡± Not really a question, was it? She could take off her panties, she guessed. If she¡¯d been wearing a smaller pair she may have seriously considered it, but this was already the most covering pair she owned. No, she reached behind her back, struggling to get at her bra. It was surprisingly hard after only a couple weeks of using her aspect to unhook it, but with the bracelet still on that wasn¡¯t an option; she couldn¡¯t even sense the damn thing. But she did manage to find it, letting the straps loose and feeling the garment bounce forward just a little before she caught it. She looked back up at Prisma. It was only fair, after all. Prisma had already seen ina down below thanks to that regrettable incident on the day ina had no underwear, but this would be the first time she saw ina¡¯s chest, and ina felt she owed it to the girl to look at her while it happened, offer the same courtesy that Prisma had The crowd still roared, just as loud as when Prisma stripped, but it faded into the background once more as ina let the straps slip off her shoulders, the cups fallpletely into her arms. For that moment, it was just them again. Only for that moment though, as the room shot back into focus as ina turned to the crowd, holding her chest and throwing the bra to the front of the stage. Her heart was like a hammer in her chest, her breath as fast as an arrow as she saw the people staring at her, men, woman, every eye in the building on her. No, there was no way she could¡¯ve taken off her panties, not with how wet she could feel she was growing. She was lucky they were dark green, because any lighter and it¡¯d be showing through regardless. ¡°All good things muste to an end, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Shein said. ¡°Let¡¯s see who is really lucky tonight, shall we?¡± The crowd yelled in approval again, starting the chant off on their own this time, ¡°Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± ina threw out stone without thinking, mind still addled by the high she was feeling, the pressure and pleasure in her crotch, and Prisma had done the same. Maybe they were both too nervous to even open their hand to another shape, or maybe Prisma was actually thinking, actually strategizing. ¡°Again! Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± Stone again, from both of them. Think, breathe, ina told herself. She closed her eyes, was finally thinking now, and she needed to shut out all distractions. She could do this, could win this. ¡°Once more! Stone! Parchment! Shears! STRIP!¡± ina was too nervous to check what the results were. ¡°This lovelydy has won the hand,¡± Shein said, cutting in before the crowd could even react, ina¡¯s eyes still closed. ¡°And with that, it is a fabulous end to our marvelous game!¡± The silence after was deafening, and ina couldn¡¯t see which girl Shein was referring to as the winner. But with her having announced that there was a winner at all, ina already knew the oue. She opened her eyes to see for herself, even though she already knew the game was over. Still, what she saw confused her. Ch 2.79: Strip Ch 2.79: Strip Shein had announced there was a winner of the hand, that the tournament was over, but that couldn¡¯t be right. ina herself had thrown parchment, picking up on Prisma¡¯s habits. For whatever reason, the girl hadn¡¯t been willing to throw shears almost the entire game, and ina had hoped to exploit that. It had worked too; Prisma had thrown stone for the third time in a row, so ina had won the hand, but it wasn¡¯t over. ¡°I won,¡± ina said, ncing over to her bra. ¡°So it¡¯s not over.¡± ¡°Incorrect, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Shein said, looking down her nose at ina with a smug smile. ¡°It¡¯s been three turns, remember?¡± ¡°But we didn¡¯t tie,¡± Prisma said, looking just as confused as ina felt. ¡°Ah, but the rules were very clear,¡± Shein said, trotting around the stage, motioning towards the two participants with her arm. ¡°There wasn¡¯t anything in the rules about tying, I¡¯m afraid. The exact rule is, ¡®if there¡¯s ever three turns without someone removing an article of clothing, both yers remove one.¡¯ This is the third round with no clothing lost, so you both strip, and you both lose.¡± ina actually winced at the sudden cheer erupting behind her, ears hurting from the volume. No, that can¡¯t be right. But it was. She remembered the words. Shein had mentioned the rule was to prevent tying hands forever, but it didn¡¯t actually specify tying was the only trigger. They¡¯d been had. They were also victims of dumb luck, not just Shein, but that didn¡¯t matter. They¡¯d ended up in the worst situation possible. ¡°That¡¯s bullshit!¡± ina heard Prisma scream, barely audible over the crowd even though she was just a few feet away. ¡°There has to be a winner!¡± ¡°Calm down, calm down,¡± Shein said, waving down both Prisma and the crowd before letting out a long yawn. ¡°Apologies for that. Anyway, while I always knew this was a potential happy ident, I didn¡¯t actually expect it toe to this. By the letter of the rules, you¡¯ve both already lost, but something¡¯se to my attention that changes things. I was informed just a short while ago that there¡¯s been a disqualification in the tournament, meaning there¡¯s another spot open. Out of the goodness of my heart, I¡¯m willing to offer both the original spot for this event and the new spot so that you both my participate, as constion prizes. ¡°Of course, all other original rules still stand. You can bothpete, but you each must pay the forfeit for going three rounds without progressing to a finish, and as only the official winner of the match would have been allowed to dress again, you will both be required to remain undressed for the duration of the tournament.¡± The crowd went even wilder at that. ina was dumbstruck, barely able to form a coherent thought. She¡¯d won? Not really, but yes, in effect. She could go on to the next round, but she¡¯d have to do so undressed. Completely naked, in front of the entire building. For how long? Minutes, hours, till the morning? After Shein had stopped speaking, everything had seemed a haze, like she was in an actual mirage. Her mind was slow, pussy throbbing, panties that she was about to peel off growing wetter by the second. She turned to Prisma, finding a simrly nk stare on the girls face to what ina expected her own to look like, skin as red as well. Gods, she did feel bad for Prisma. If ina could¡¯ve just been the one to strip and go on from the start she would¡¯ve taken the opportunity, but those had never been the rules. Prisma nodded to ina, an affirmation to go on. It was strange, because for a moment ina felt that Prisma might have actually looked excited. That had to be wrong, of course. No one but ina herself would excited be in a scenario like this, embarrassed and about to strip naked on stage, but at least Prisma didn¡¯t seem too upset about it. ina nodded back, turning away from the crowd. She had to strip, but she didn¡¯t have to exactly show them everything, right? Maybe she wanted to, but she couldn¡¯t actually admit it, even to herself. Prisma followed suit, turning to the back wall, and Shein didn¡¯t seem to protest. ina could feel Prisma watching, that she was the one who was going to need to start it. Things were moving in slow motion again now that she¡¯d resigned herself to it. She¡¯d imagined something like more times than there were people in the crowd, stripping naked in front of her whole town at the autumn festival, identally walking into the school dining hall with no clothes, but those were always fantasies, pipe dreams to fall asleep to while touching herself. She hoped she would be able to keep from touching herself right now. She reached for the waistband of her underwear, pushing the fabric down. It was snug at first, catching on the shape of her ass, but once it cleared her hips it began racing down her legs, thest bit of modesty in store for her for the entirety of the night dripping away as she felt her own arousal dripping down her leg. Out the corner of her eye she saw Prisma doing the same, the band of her underwear hugging her thighs and pressing in as she pulled them down. That final sight burned itself into ina¡¯s memory, caused her to turn her head to take it in. Prisma waspletely naked, panties at her feet, bent over at an angle as she stepped out of them, breasts hanging to the ground. Both of them turned to face each other directly, both of their faces bright red, both of their eyes glued to the other¡¯s body. ina tried to subtly wipe her leg and crotch off as she rose back up before turning around to walk back to her clothes pile. It wasn¡¯t on the floor though, but held off to the side by a woman bouncer. Struggling to cover herself as best she could in front of her screaming fans, ina ced her panties on top of that pile and resigned herself to spending the rest of her evening like this. ¡°Ladies, gentleman, all other fine people, your losers from tonight¡¯s special exhibition game!¡± Shein said as the women walked off stage with two piles of clothing. It was really the first time seeing them since she¡¯d started stripping, ina noticed the hundreds of eyes on her, all screaming in approval as she stood there with the only thing on her body being that stupid aspect restricting bracelet, on arm over her chest, one hand covering her crotch, trying her best¡ªand somewhat failing¡ªto keep that hand from rubbing into her lips. ¡°But that¡¯s not the end of tonight¡¯s entertainment, however. There is one final round of poker still, and I¡¯ve yet to exin the rules. It will be a one-on-one, single elimination, winner stays tournament. We start with two participants, theypete, the losers walks, another challengeres to take on the winner, and so on until there is one person left, the winner.¡± That was the only time the crowd seemed to dull in enthusiasm in thest few minutes. Quite a few of them were still in the tournament after all, so the rules did matter to them. ina was lost in confusion herself. Wasn¡¯t one-on-one poker kind of a strange way to do it? And what was with the winner stays aspect? ¡°In order to reward yers for excellent performance in the first round,¡± Shein continued, ¡°we¡¯ve ordered the the bracket already. The people who qualified first will best in line to y, and the people who qualifiedst will y first. Luckily enough for us, the two people who qualified for this round most recently are already on stage, which is where we¡¯ll be ying the remainder of the tournament.¡± ina was honestly getting tired of the cheers at her own expense, and that of Prisma¡¯s. Or maybe it was that the cheers usually came with a wave of embarrassment for a her, a guilty pleasure to revel in. This time was different though. She was in a tournament where in order to win, you had to defeat not only your own opponent, but every participant who hadn¡¯t yed yet, and she was going first. ¡°Fuck me,¡± she heard Prisma say. ina agreed, but when she looked over to the woman she grew confused again. For just another moment, she could¡¯ve sworn it looked like Prisma was excited. ¡°Of course, that still leaves the format of the game itself, not just tournament rules. This is a new type of poker to Mirage, but one I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll all find it enjoyable viewing experience, especially giving our first matchup. The game materials, please!¡± The lights shifted, momentarily catching ina off guard and causing her to shield her eyes, cursing herself for failing to hide her chest in that moment. The lights had been mostly focused on ina and Prisma for a while, but not terribly bright, while now the entire stage was lit up as bright as possible. As her eyes adjusted though, she saw two bouncers, the same ones that had taken their clothes, walking up onto stage, each carrying a long, thin, ornate case about as long as long as ina was tall. They were fine leather, emzoned with the word ¡°Mirage¡± in golden thread, with a goldentch holding them shut. The woman who¡¯d taken ina¡¯s clothes presented her case forward and bowed her head. ¡°Open the cases,¡± Shein said, ¡°and you¡¯ll find the materials needed to y these final hands.¡± Ch 2.80: Poker Ch 2.80: Poker ina stared at the case for a while, pondering exactly two question: what was in the box, and how was she going to open it. The second question was mostly answered for her. The audience had seen her chestpletely uncovered already, and she¡¯d managed to keep her most vulnerable ce covered so far, so she would keep her pussy covered as she undid thattch. Her first thought was just to use her aspect, a surprisingly useful everyday skill, but that was still out of reach with the damn bracelet on. She¡¯d had her chance when she traded bracelets with Shein earlier, but that was all over now. Prisma seemed ahead of her, as ina could see the lid of the leather case flip up on the other side, both the contents and Prisma¡¯s reaction hidden. ina decided waiting wasn¡¯t going to help anyone here, so she got it over with, releasing her breasts to the view of the crowd once more and reaching for thetch. She flipped it up, pushed the box open, and found a sword. Not just any sword either, but a rapier, with a visibly dull de and a capped point. Prisma had already drawn hers from the box, eliciting gasps from the crowd as she swung it through the air, entrancedpletely by the weapon, seemingly no care at all that she waspletely naked anymore. As nonchnt as Prisma was though, ina was probably equally concerned. She reaching into the case and picked hers up, gingerly removing it and extending it out. ¡°The final round of this poker tournament,¡± Shein said as her employees walked off, ¡°is actually a game of poke-her. Or poke-him, as the case may sometimes be, but the ultimate objective is still poke-her. When you think about it, fencing and traditional poker aren¡¯t too far from each other, feints and bluffs, ripostes and re-raises, and in this case, flops and flops.¡± Most of the crowd took a moment to get the joke, but theughter reached its apex as Prisma did another test swing, her chest shaking in full view of everyone and finally remembering she had modesty to preserve, hastily covering her chest again and turning both it and her blushing face away. ¡°But ultimately,¡± Shein continued, ¡°the reason we¡¯re doing this is to make sure the Temmie here goes to a good owner. It¡¯s a hot item, almost as hot as these two participants here, and whoever owns it must be martially skilled. It¡¯s just a happy coincidence that the first two participants are these two lovely, nakeddies.¡± ina had to wonder how much of this really was coincidence. The rules for stone, parchment, shears were already made up obviously, and she couldn¡¯t imagine the crowd of people who¡¯d signed up for a poker tournament and found themselves in this scenario would take to it so easily in other circumstances. But this wasn¡¯t other circumstances, the crowd had a show to look forward to, and their shouts and whistles of approval seemed to indicate they didn¡¯t mind that much after all. ¡°Standard fencing tournament rules apply here,¡± Shein said. ¡°I¡¯ll call start as the referee, and then it¡¯s first to three touches. In the absence of an actual ring, the entirety of the stage in front of this microphone stand will act as your arena.¡± ina had to double check that spacing. It was longer than the typical rings they used at school but also more narrow, less room for side to side movement. It wasn¡¯t how she¡¯d practiced, but it also wasn¡¯t liked she¡¯d had that much practice anyway. Prisma won¡¯t be as used to that though, so it might actually be to my advantage. ¡°Alright now, fencers ready!¡± Both hesitated, but Prisma moved first, facing her back to the audience and stepping into her stance. Gods she¡¯s pretty, was the first thought in ina¡¯s head. The sight was doing something to her brain, messing with the roadways of her mind. Prisma naked, extending out a rapier, eyes on ina¡¯s naked body, expecting her to do the same. ina had imagined seeing Prisma naked before, in her dreams, in her bed alone when she wasn¡¯t dreaming, but never like this, the side profile view, just the slight glimpse of chest, a long leg pointed at her, just barely hiding what was in between it and the other. ina¡¯s fingers were twitching, her pussy begging for more than that. She could do it, she realized, start masturbating right here on stage. Maybe it would be better, even? The clear her head, sort out her thoughts, unfog her mind. At this point, she knew it wouldn¡¯t even take a minute, not with Prisma in front of her, the eyes of the entire building on her. No! That was beyond absurd, she realized, stilling her hand. There was time for thatter, all sorts of ways she could relive this moment. She could do it alone, with Carly watching to simte an audience, Tira acting as Shein, maybe with a couple toys to take the ce of the rapier¡­ Fuck, no! She was actually doing it this time, running her fingers between her lips. Stopping was so hard, the hardest thing she¡¯d done in her entire life, but closing her eyes, she managed it. Normally closing her eyes would cause her imagination to run wild, but there was nothing she could imagine right now worse than this, better than this. Did they see? ina thought as she opened up her eyes again. The angle she was at, only Shein and Prisma could have, and neither were looking at her hand, but their expressions told the story. Shein had that smirk, the I-know-what-you-were-just doing smirk, and Prisma, well, the wide-eyed I-can¡¯t-believe-you-were-just-doing-that stare told ina everything she needed to know. And gods that just made it worse, made the pangs of her body ring even louder. It was so hard to focus, but she had to, and there was one way she thought of that could help, just maybe. It had to happen anyway, she supposed. The fact that it would be a distraction from her hand was just an added bonus. Prisma was on the left side of the stage, and that granted her an undoubted advantage, that only her backside was presented to the audience, a boon that ina didn¡¯t have. ina turned to face the audience, unable to bear looking at them. She looked down at her body instead, saw the entire thing glowing red despite the fact that was the one light that didn¡¯t seem to be in the rainbow of lights in this buildings, bearing down on stage right now. I¡¯m really about to do this, she realized. It was insanity. To be honest, she was pretty sure no one outside of this room would ever believe what was happening, no matter how emphatically the participants here would try to insist that it was. But it was real, and as ina took her hand away, bending her knees to fall into that fencer¡¯s stance, she resigned herself to that fact. Of course, even she never could¡¯ve imagined what happened next. As her hand left her crotch, just the slightest brushing over her folds as she took it away sent a spasm through her body. She gasped as the audience cheered at her exposed lips, the glistening skin shining under the stage lights, doing her best to keep standing as her legs shook, wave after wave coursing through her veins as she inhaled and bit her lips to quell the rising moans inside her. It wasn¡¯t the most physically intense orgasm she¡¯d ever had, but the mental strain was unmatched. ¡°Start!¡± Shein shouted. Ch 2.81: Tilt Ch 2.81: Tilt ina wasn¡¯t ready, not for the round to start, not for Prisma to lunge at her, for the snake-like de to strike out. Her legs were still halfway to buckling from the orgasm, barely able to step back as the rapier darted forward, tapping her on the knee. ¡°Point!¡± Shein said, the crowd offering a mild approval. ¡°Maybe she¡¯s trying to get used to this; her legs are shaking after all.¡± ina did have time to collect herself, nt her feet down as Prisma stepped back. ina thought the girl was moving awkwardly, and she was, shuffling back without baring her front to the audience. It was bad, ina knew, that she¡¯d lost once already. Prisma was the better fencer in skill by far, and ina hadn¡¯t really practiced much since theirst bout. She had the minor boost in speed from being level three now, but the incremental increases in her physical ability between levels weren¡¯t anywhere near the vast increase she¡¯d gotten upon first receiving her ss. ¡°Start!¡± Shein said, both contestants moving at once this time. Even though the gain was smallparatively, ina was faster now. Maybe it was that, maybe it was the little bit of extra practice, but she was managing to keep up with Prisma somehow, parry, sidestep, attack. They were trading blows this time, a thing ina had never been able to dost time. Am I that much better? Whatever it was, she needed to press whatever advantage she could. She remembered their first duel, the one way she¡¯d been able to to score a point, and mmed her rapier towards her opponent. Prisma blocked, just like ina knew she would, but the force was too much, and Prisma¡¯s rapier flew to the side, overwhelmed by the strength of someone with a ss. This is it! Prisma sidestepped the follow through, just an inch away from ina¡¯s de. But that wasn¡¯t all, as ina¡¯s sword crashed into the wooden stage Prisma¡¯s was moving in a circle, rotating at that same speed as ina¡¯s, the spin of Prisma¡¯s wrist propelled by the same strike that ina had knocked it away with. The dull de dug into ina¡¯s breast, causing her to shout out in pain. ¡°Point!¡± Shein said. ¡°And that one looked like it hurt. Remember, folks, always where proper protective undergarments when practicing fencing. Or at least some at all.¡± ina bit her lip, failing to ignore theughter at thatment as she rubbed her breast. That only made it more embarrassing she knew, but that had hurt, and there was no [Pain Response] to dull the blow, transfer it into something much more ptable. Even without that skill though, the sting of the blow right across her nipple was distracting, a lovely little ce to be rubbing against. She found herself biting her lip in a different way, shaking her head to distract from the tingling going through her body. Shein was nice enough to give her enough of a break to fall back into her stance, at least. Maybe she was just letting the crowd get their enjoyment out of the disy though. The crowd. Impossible to ignore, necessary to ignore. In any other situation it may have been a boon, but without her aspect it was meaningless, a blinding distraction. ¡°Start!¡± ina was ready this time, really ready. She wasn¡¯t going to go for tricks either. It was match point against her, and she knew Carly still hadn¡¯t been able to win against Prisma during fencing ss, so ina needed to give it everything she had. At the very least, she needed to wear Prisma out, give Carlyter on the best chance at victory. Their swords shed again, ina focusing on defense, keeping her feet nted and fending off Prisma¡¯s attacks. There was something about this way of fighting defensively that felt right, reacting to Prisma¡¯s attacks instead of going on the offensive. It wasn¡¯t ina¡¯s usual way of fighting, but it was working surprisingly well. She needed to figure out why it was working, exploit that, but ¡°working well¡± against on of the Fireguard sisters was a rtive expression, and it didn¡¯t leave much room for thinking. As they moved across the stage though, as ina danced to the side to dodge an attack, she saw an opening, saw the way she could win. She didn¡¯t attack after the sidestep, just kept walking, circling around Prisma as the girl kept her foot nted, futilly chasing after ina with the tip of her sword as ina ran past. ina just kept running, tapping the back of Prisma¡¯s leg as she passed by, catching her bouncing chest as she slowed down. ¡°Point! And a fun one at that. Return to stations.¡± ina barely heard the instructions, doing her best to keep her eyes off the crowd as she walked back behind Prisma. It was one thing to exploit, the fact that Prisma still had a bit of modesty to lose in this fight, but that wasn¡¯t it, ina knew. Prisma seemed slower, evenpared to ina¡¯s new speed, evenpared to the fact that she was holding herself back from rotating. She was nothingpared to how ina had perceived her before, nothingpared to¡ª Koh. It wasn¡¯t that Prisma was slower. She was the same, but ina had seen what true speed was, the pinnacle of human swordy. It wasn¡¯t even just speed, but the way the sword move, jumped through the air, seemed alive itself when Koh fought. ina had only seen it once, only experienced the piercing bite a couple of times, but the memory of it lingered. ¡°Start!¡± Prisma was on the attack again, and ina knew from experience that a trick like passing her by wouldn¡¯t work again. Maybe if she was really lucky it would work a second time, but never a third. Still, the serpent that was Prisma¡¯s sword wasn¡¯t unbeatable, not anymore. ina could sense the fang¡¯s momentum, the desperate de looking to bite into her flesh, and she was able to repel it, asionallying mere inches, less than an inch even from getting hit, but that was far enough away. Prisma wasn¡¯t as concerned about her modesty this time either. She wasn¡¯t baring her entire body to the crowd like ina, but she had no problem turning her body, twisting her waist when needed. Still, ina didn¡¯t give up, pressed when she could, retreated when she had to, and then finally it happened. As Prisma struck out, her de gently gliding across the t of ina¡¯s sword, ina struck back, a quick flick, like vipershing out from the brush. It caught only the tip of Prisma¡¯s knuckle, a bare graze. ina had scored a point, no tricks, just a clean strike. Prisma jumped back, sword still raised, and the room watched in silence. ina looked over to Shein, who was still staring between thebatants, intently watching, not calling the round. She didn¡¯t see the point! It happened behind Prisma¡¯s hand from her view! Out the corner of her eye ina saw her iing defeat, Prisma moving at lightning speed. Of all the ways it could have ended, this would be the worst. She barely had time to look back as the tip of the de touched skin and Shein finally called out, ¡°Point!¡± It wasn¡¯t ina that was hit though. Prisma had stepped forward for what ina thought was the finishing blow, but instead ced her finger on the tip of ina¡¯s de. ¡°She touched me before,¡± Prisma said over the dulled crowd. ¡°It just wasn¡¯t a good angle for the referee.¡± The crowd erupted at that disy of fair conduct as Prisma turned around, really turned around, no concern at all that her body was exposed to the crowd as she fell back into her stance. ¡°That¡¯s one real one for each of us, and one gimmick one. We¡¯re even,¡± she said. ¡°Right,¡± ina said, still in her stance from before. This is was it, thest point, and she knew it was gloves off for both of them now. They weren¡¯t holding back, no more tricks would work, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to live with herself if they did anyway. ¡°Start!¡± Ch 2.82: Split Ch 2.82: Split ina could hardly believe it, but she really was keeping track of Prisma¡¯s moves. Even though they didn¡¯t seem as unreadably fast though, Prisma was still tougher this time, unconcerned with her own modesty and focused on the swordy between them. They traded attacks and defense, a seemingly even bought to any outside observers. ina knew that wasn¡¯t really true, though. Prisma was being cautious, showing more respect towards ina¡¯s abilities, but she wasn¡¯t in danger. It was all ina could hope for to stay in the match, barely having enough time to throw out a few half-hearted counters in the times when Prisma knew she was just about to press too far, the times when she was most ready for them. Except Prisma was always ready for them. She¡¯d said ina had gotten one cheap point and one ¡°real¡± point, but ina was pretty sure that wasn¡¯t the case. Prisma hadn¡¯t expected the second one because she¡¯d still been underestimating ina, but that obviously wouldn¡¯t happen again. ina really didn¡¯t know how she did it. Prisma¡¯s eyes were always forward, always locked on to ina¡¯s even while ina¡¯s were wildly dancing, chasing the swords, looking for her next opening. Anything ina did Prisma saw out of the corner of her eye, and her level of focus was so far ahead that it was enough to dominate the fight. But could ina turn that focus against her? She vaguely remembered a word of advice about fencing, words she hadn¡¯t been interested in hearing at the time but that stuck with her nheless. ¡°You¡¯re too predictable,¡± she¡¯d been told. With Prisma¡¯s seemingly inhuman ability to focus on ina¡¯s eyes, that would only be amplified. So, be less predictable. That still probably wouldn¡¯t be enough she knew, but it was a start. She couldn¡¯t stare Prisma straight on and track the sword at the same time, so she¡¯d need something else too, some other edge. But even just trying to keep her movements ambiguous was a task, one that easily left her on the backfoot, being pushed towards the edge of the stage. She was reminded of their first day fencing together, how dominant Prisma had been that she could ring ina out in merely seconds just by advancing. If ina kept up this pace, it¡¯d be a repeat of that. But that wasn¡¯t the only thing ina remembered about that day. There was one chance, a gamble for sure, one that Prisma might be ready for, might not be. It was also arguably a trick, a gimmick, but it wasn¡¯t exactly one Prisma would be able toin about either. And so ina let herself get pushed back, mindful of the distance, careful not to go too far. But even knowing she was getting pushed towards the edge it happened so fast. She couldn¡¯t exactly look behind her to check the stage length¡ªmight as well throw her sword down at that point¡ªso she knew she had to act fast. Less predictable, she thought. Prisma was tracking her eye movements, predicting every strike she¡¯d make. ina made a quick bat at Prisma¡¯s sword, not enough to disarm her, but more forceful than a standard block. Step one, done. Step two was simple, look someone she wasn¡¯t going to strike, somewhere that could hold her eyesight well enough to not betray her true intentions. Prisma¡¯s bare boobs? Yeah, that¡¯ll do. Eyes distracted by that glorious sight, ina moved on to step three: falling. More specifically, falling with style. She let her legs spread apart, sliding into a split that she was mostly certain she could do. She¡¯d never been able to before, but her ss made her stronger, so why not more flexible? It worked, her falling to the ground as Prisma watched, dumbfounded as she swung another desperate swing. ina was ready for that, able to parry with ease thanks to Prisma¡¯s rapidly sinking target. And that was all ina could do, really. Eyes still locked on to Prisma¡¯s perfect chest, she swung her sword, and Prisma brought hers up to block. Prisma was left holding her sword in front of her nipples like it was a bad attempt to preserve her modesty as ina¡¯s struck the girl¡¯s knee. ¡°Mirage, your winner: ina Weaver.¡± Shein said, as ina stood up to the roaring crowd. Prisma remained where she was, still staring at her sword. ¡°You¡¯re the better fencer; I just got lucky,¡± ina said as she covered up with her hands. It was true, she knew. ¡°The better is the one who wins,¡± Prisma said, letting her body slump and handing the sword over to a bouncer that came to grab it. ¡°Go find my friends,¡± ina said, pulling her own gaze away from Prisma. ¡°They¡¯ll keep you safe until they give you your clothes back at the end of the night.¡± ¡°Right. The end of the night¡­¡± Prisma looked lost, wasn¡¯t even covering herself up, just staring off into space. ¡°Win for me?¡± she finally said, turning back to ina. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you want that crystal so bad, but I could tell you do.¡± For a moment, they were alone again, just the two of them. ¡°I¡¯m going to get it, one way or another.¡± ¡°Good¡­¡± ¡°Prisma! Over here!¡± The shouting shook both of them out of whatever state their minds were lost in as they turned to see Flora waving her hands off to the side of the crowd. ¡°I¡¯ll be going,¡± Prisma said, finally covering herself and hurrying off stage. ¡°Good luck!¡± ¡°Will number fifty pleasee up to the stage?¡± ina heard Shein say. ¡°Number fifty?¡± ina asked. ¡°The winner cards,¡± Shein said, taking the microphone away from her face and rubbing at her eyes. ¡°They¡¯re numbered up to fifty. Up to a hundred, actually, but there were only fifty winners.¡± ¡°Fifty,¡± ina said, heart beginning to sink. I have to fight fifty people to win. Ch 2.83: Shuffle Ch 2.83: Shuffle ¡°Ten down, forty to go! This contestant¡¯s physical strength seems unmatched so far, but certainly someone in this group can take down this fencing tyrant?¡± ina let out a long breath of exhaustion. Since Prisma, she¡¯d only had two points taken off her, but each of them was in thest two matches. Those people didn¡¯t seem to know what they were doing either, but the toll of going nonstop for this long was starting to buildup for ina, and she could feel herself growing sluggish. And I¡¯m not even close to being done. But it was what it was. Shein was calling contestants up at breakneck speed, no time to breathe. ina had half a mind to just drop out now, leave everything to Carly, but that wasn¡¯t okay. ina knew most of her exhaustion was from having to fight Prisma and then not getting a break afterwards. Even though ina was pretty confident that Carly would be better than anyone else other than Prisma, she couldn¡¯t risk letting another somewhat skilled fighter make it to Carly and wear her out too. The only thing she could do was try her best, and hope was that Carly was deep enough in the lineup that she could finish everything off with little trouble after ina let her win. Those hopes were dashed when her next opponent came up the stairs, Rain, the woman who had knocked ina out of the first round. The order was based on when people qualified, so if she was up next then Carly would be right after. And forced to fight every remaining opponent. ¡°Fuck,¡± ina said, inhaling deeply as she raised her sword. She¡¯d managed to sneak her way over to Prisma¡¯s old side, the one where she could avoid at least facing the audience during her mandatory nude matches. She was doing her best to not think about that, not get distracted like she had before. But I guess my time¡¯s almost over, one way or another. As bad as it was for their chances, she was d she¡¯d get a break after letting Carly take over. ¡°Like your outfit,¡± Rain said with a smug grin on her face as she raised her de. It wasn¡¯t some half-assed stance like most of the other opponents either; she knew what she was doing at least a little bit. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with,¡± ina replied. Shein called start, and the two women jumped into action, shing des ringing out amongst the cheering of the crowd. Rain was probably the best duelist ina had faced besides Prisma, but her de was soon wrenched from her grip tumbling to the ground as ina stabbed into her stomach, maybe a little harder than she honestly needed to. ¡°Like your fencing,¡± ina said, though there was no smug grin on her. Grinning took energy, energy she needed to conserve. Still, she took delight in seeing Rain tremble as she picked her sword up. The next point was even shorter, a timid Rain barely engaging before ina rapped her arm with the de. ina was relieved that despite Rain having some basic knowledge, she still seemed mostly unskilled. Going into the third point though, ina found herself struggling. Rain was still timid, scared to advance, but she wasn¡¯t rolling over either, instead focused on defense. In a moment of impatience inamitted too far, tried to knock Rain¡¯s sword aside, but fell victim to the same trick Prisma had pulled, Rain¡¯s de spinning through the air, using her wrist as an anchor point anding back around to p ina on the side as Rain dodged the follow-through. ¡°Friend of yours had some neat tricks. I learned a lot,¡± Rain said, her returning confidence littering her voice as ina gripped her sword handle. The fourth point, the final point, wasn¡¯t nearly as close. ina smacked Rain¡¯s sword so hard it went clear across the stage and then gave her a light tap on the head before returning to her starting position. That was bad, she knew. Disying so much strength was something that could easily call attention, and exhausted her further to boot, but after a moment of stunned silence Shein dered her the winner, and the crowd cheered. She was the favorite it appeared, so long as her continuing on meant they still had a naked woman on stage she supposed. Sorry to disappoint, everyone. That¡¯s going to be myst go. Carly was on stage less than a minuteter, and ina could feel the weight lifting off her shoulders just at the sight of her. It was like her muscles were rxing, her lungs filled with an infinite supply of air. Freedom! ¡°Can I just surrender?¡± ina asked before the match started Shein frowned at the question, but took the microphone away from her face. ¡°It¡¯s not against the rules, but your fans will be disappointed.¡± ¡°Fine, then I¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Carly said, face looking panicked. ¡°ina, I can¡¯t fight in this dress, and you¡¯re better than me at this.¡± ¡°What?¡± ina said, confused. They hadn¡¯t exactly nned for this eventuality, but Carly knew swords better than her by far. ¡°You can always take your dress off too,¡± Shein added. ¡°Shut it, you! Carly, I¡¯m tired, I¡¯m not going to be able to¡ª¡± And then she realized it. She wasn¡¯t tired, not at all. It was like that moment of uplifted spirits when Carly had walked on stage had cured herpletely. Her eyes nced towards Carly¡¯s wrist for just a second, seeing the glowing crystal bracelet. It was still there, but there was no doubt in ina¡¯s mind, Carly had figured some way around it, and she had just used [Health] to take care of ina¡¯s exhaustion. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it.¡± ina said, still a little wary. ¡°I surrender then,¡± Carly said, holding her sword out. Shein hesitated for a moment, but then motioned for a bouncer toe take the de. ¡°Friends, in a stunning disy of cowardice, this youngdy refuses to even fight the Naked Sword Demon! Will others be simrly bullied? Next contestant, number thirty-eight please!¡± Carly handed the training sword and then walked over to ina, stopping to whisper in her ear. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get close until my match was up, but I¡¯ll stay nearby now.¡± ¡°Let me sweat,¡± ina mumbled. ¡°Make it look real.¡± Carly nodded and was off, ina feeling a surge of energy flowing through her, and not just physically either. With the mere threat of exhaustion gone, there was a new wind blowing throughout the building, one in her favor. Still, she knew that wouldn¡¯t be thest surprise of the night, and she was pretty sure Shein had one final trick. ina had done everything she could to prepare for that, but only time would tell if it was enough. All she could for now do was fight through this rotation of opponents. ¡°Thirty-eight to go¡­¡± Ch 2.84: Fifty-two Ch 2.84: Fifty-two ¡°Why do we have to be at the front again,¡± Carline heard Prisma ask as ina¡¯s next opponent walked onto the stage. ¡°Quiet down, you¡¯re hidden enough,¡± Tira said. It was true, from what Carline could tell. The three of them had formed a barrier around the girl already, but the four bouncers surrounding them besides was easily enough to make sure no one could see the girl. Well, no one except Flora, Tira, and Carline herself of course. Thank the stars Carline had ina to stare at. She was pretty sure she¡¯d be able to maintain some decorum around a naked Prisma, but without the distraction on stage she knew she wouldn''t have been able to make at least a couple of nces towards the girl. ¡°And another goes down, twenty in a row! Can the Naked Sword Demon even be stopped?¡± ¡°No!¡± the crowd cheered in unison. ¡°The next contestant was unfortunately disqualified, but let¡¯s be honest, he probably never stood a chance anyway. Bring on number thirty!¡± Carline gasped as she saw Ivis walking on stage. He looked different than before when he was gawking at the stage with Waine, more scared, not how she would¡¯ve expected him to look in this scenario. ¡°Go easy on me?¡± she was pretty sure she heard him ask. ina was, apparently, disinclined to acquiesce to his request. Three times in quick session Shein called start, and ina smacked him across the head. Not hard enough to cause any serious damage, but definitely a bit harder than she¡¯d hit people prior. Carline couldn¡¯t honestly say she was having a bad time. She was nervous for some final trick to be yed, but as it stood it seemed the tournament was a foregone conclusion. With both [Unseen Watcher] and [Viewer Rating] active, she could easily maintain ina¡¯s stamina for the second half of everything, so long as ina remained naked, of course. That use that gave her a power boost the more attracted to her target was quite handy, actually. All she really had to do was stay back and enjoy the show. *** ina wasn¡¯t physically tired, but she was beginning to umte mental exhaustion by the time she¡¯d made it near the end of the event. ¡°Number three takes the stage,¡± Shein said as her next opponent came up, taking the sword from the bouncer and shaking in ce. Like the previous opponent, this one seemed to be a real rich dude. Probably rigged their way in at the start of the event. But that didn¡¯t matter at this point. They¡¯de expecting a poker tournament, not a poke-her tournament with swords. After just a single point, he surrendered and made his way off stage. ¡°Go ahead and move ina¡¯s party back,¡± ina heard Shein say. ¡°Don¡¯t want them interfering with the matches.¡± ina shot a quick nce back at her friends, seeing one of the staff approaching them. Carly looked up at her with a concerned look, but ina just waived them off. She knew the next two rounds wouldn¡¯t be decided based on her losing stamina. She could hear Tira protesting yet again, but ina turned back to focus on the match. ¡°And now, between the Naked Sword Demon and the next opponent, we begin the next bout.¡± For only a moment, ina was confused. No one had been called onto the stage, and no one hade on the stage either. The bouncer who¡¯d taken and handed off the sword was still up there, holding the training rapier, falling into a fencing stance. So that is the game you¡¯re ying, ina thought. A muffled confusion seemed to run through the crowd. ina¡¯d had a feeling something like this was going to happen though, a way for Mirage to maintain control of the subcore at the end of the tournament. There was no doubt in her mind that this bouncer had technically qualified for the fencing portion of the tournament though. It would be trivial to run the first table of the night and ensure the spot went to her. And this is only the second tost fight; the real final boss hasn¡¯t evene out yet. ¡°Start!¡± The bouncer was good, skilled, but nowhere near the level of Prisma. Round one was easy, a couple quick exchanges and a tap on the arm to give ina the point. If this is the second best they have to offer, maybe this won¡¯t be too bad. Round two was much the same, a quick series of thrusts and swipes from ina, but at the end something strange did happen. The light caught ina¡¯s eye funny, and she lost sight of her opponent¡¯s sword. Still, she was able to retreat at the time, refocus her vision, and take the point with a swipe to the leg with a riposte after the bouncer closed in again. Round three was where the trouble began. The two were standing there in stance, same as before, but the instant Shein called start ina lost sight of the bouncer¡¯s weapon again. There was no denying it either, it wasn¡¯t a rick of the light, the sword simply disappeared. ¡°What the¡ª¡± Before ina could finish the question, she¡¯d been stabbed in the stomach, and the sword reappeared as it poked into her flesh. She looked to the side, seeing the crowd yelling and cheering, nothing seemingly amiss to them. They¡¯re here, ina realized. Whoever it was in Shein¡¯s employ that could make people, make things invisible was here. But how would they get around without a bracelet? A stupid question, she realized. It did of course leave the question of how exactly the person was able to make both other people, objects, and seemingly themselves invisible. That wasn¡¯t how aspects worked, after all. You could only target yourself, other people, or objects. Unless you have a ss. It wasn¡¯t something anyone in ina¡¯s party had achieved naturally yet, but she was sure she remembered Temmie mentioning that it was possible to expand your aspect¡¯s targeting through ss levels. ina herself also had a situational way too extend restraint to herself, but it also came with freezing herself in ce. She nced around the stage. Such a stiption wouldn¡¯t be too bad for an invisibility aspect, she realized, and Mirage had had the subcore for a while already. Fuck, this might be way worse than I realized. ¡°Start!¡± Another lunge from the bouncer, another invisible de. ina tried her best to guard where she thought the sword would be, but she swung through air entirely, feeling the crack of the de across her elbow a secondter. ¡°Well well, the worst off the Naked Sword Demon has been since her first bout! Has she finally met her match in Mirage¡¯s own Mille?¡± ina was in trouble, and she knew it. The only thing she could think to do was to appeal to the crowd¡¯s sense of justice, pressure Mirage into ying fair, but the crowd still didn¡¯t think anything was wrong, somehow. Was it just cause they were untrained, already had trouble following the swords? They were almost all drunk too, now that she thought about it. Are they really going to get away with this? ¡°Start!¡± ina braced herself for the inevitable, an invisible thrust that would ruin everything, but it didn¡¯te. Mille made a show of attacking, but she wasn¡¯t actually trying, and the sword was visible the whole. ina knocked the weapon aside and won the match with a strike to the chest. They¡¯re toying with me, again. That pissed ina off more than even the cheating. She knew she still had one more opponent, and she also knew that she wasn¡¯t going to be ying a fair game. ¡°And that¡¯s contestant number two defeated! An unprecedented streak of victory by any tournament¡¯s standards, so give it up for the Naked Sword Demon!¡± The crowd began chanting the words, ¡°Naked! Sword! Demon!¡± over and over, and the distraction of that began to cloud ina¡¯s mind more, turn her on more. Fuck, I can¡¯t think about that now! I have to focus, win this. There was still one thing she could hope to use to turn things around, after all. ¡°The Demon hassted through hours of grueling exercise, and you can certainly tell she¡¯s exhausted by how much she¡¯s sweating, how it glistens as it drips down her body.¡± No, don¡¯t focus on that! ¡°But, my friends, all nights must end. It¡¯s time for the final match, and one way or another, she will be leaving the stage.¡± Shein didn¡¯t call a number though. She ced the microphone back in its stand and walked out onto the stage, taking the sword from the bouncer herself and and turning to face ina, tip raised. ¡°Are you read to face number one, ina?¡± Ch 2.85: Card Ch 2.85: Card ina knew only one thing, that the final match of the tournament wasn¡¯t about to be decided by fencing skills. ¡°You don¡¯t look that surprised,¡± Shein said. ¡°Though I guess you did point out earlier that I like to do things on my own. ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t going to let go of the Temmie, so it was obvious something was up. Even easier to piece together once you made it clear employees could be contestants, but I had a feeling before then.¡± ¡°Aye, you always have to have a trump card. So, are you going to raise your de, or are you just going to give up?¡± ¡°Onest time,¡± ina said, walking forward and holding her wrist up. ¡°Trade with me.¡± Shein rolled her eyes, but tucked her sword under her arm and started walking to meet ina at the center of the stage. ¡°You wound me, that you think I would cheat, use an aspect in a duel. But since it¡¯ll be the one chance the crowd gets to see fully, naked, I¡¯ll humor you once more.¡± ina tucked her own sword away in her arm and undid the bracelet, feeling everything flood into her. [Humiliation Factor] was as a maximum, even after all this time. Her nakedness, Shein¡¯sments, the reality of what she was doing was finally settling in for the first time, finally real thanks to the feeling of the skill. It was humiliating, frightening, mortifying, every terrible, wonderful emotion ina had been reevaluating her rtionship withtely all at once, and it was driving her hormones wild, clouding her brain with daydreams far more distracting than any mental exhaustion she had She only had a moment. The seed she¡¯d nted earlier was still there, so she locked herself in ce, activating [Personal Restraint for only a moment, one where she instantly burned all of her mana, willing that seed to grow. She had been too afraid to try it before now¡ªtoo risky to do on one of her friends¡ªbut this first time had to work. Shein let out a long yawn as they traded bracelets, taking a moment to wipe her eyes and blink rapidly before locking the new one back on her wrist as ina did the same. ¡°Mille, start us off, please.¡± ¡°Start!¡± Defend long enough, that was ina¡¯s goal. With that in mind, she stepped back as her first move, but when Shein¡¯s sword remained visible ina knew she had to take advantage of that. They shed together, Shein looking surprised by ina¡¯s quick burst of speed. There wasn¡¯t a point in holding back anymore, no reason to try and hide her true skills, so ina twisted her sword around, taking advantage of the bind they were in and knocking it to the ground before throwing a quick stab into Shein¡¯s torso. ¡°You¡¯re honestly very skilled,¡± Shein said as she collected her sword again. ¡°But surely you know you can¡¯t win?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± ina said. They returned to their positions, and Mille called start again. This time was more of what ina expected. Shein¡¯s de disappeared the moment start was called, and Shein herself flew forward in the same instant. It still wasn¡¯t all a lost cause though. ina was prepared for the trick this time, could still make some sense of where the weapon was just by watching Shein¡¯s hand. She was able to block the first two strikes, and if she could get the des to bind again she¡¯d be able to manipte Shein¡¯s with overwhelming strength regardless of visibility. But the third strike was too elusive to catch, a feint that ina tried too hard to cover every possibly range of that slipped by her defenses. Whether by and inch or a mile she didn¡¯t know, but ina knew she¡¯d been hit regardless. ¡°Point!¡± Mille said. ¡°I appreciate you giving the crowd onest show,¡± Shein said as she walked back and took a deep breath. Her eyelids were finally starting to droop. ¡°Honestly, setting this whole thing up I imagined some uproar when it was revealed I was the final contestant, the ¡®her¡¯ you have to poke three times to win. But the crowd¡¯s so distracted by you that I don¡¯t think anyone even cares.¡± ¡°Only the person who makes it to the end has a right to be pissed anyway,¡± ina said. ¡°Start!¡± Shein was slower now, ina could tell. So it is working. Once again the de was invisible, but Shein¡¯s approach wasn¡¯t as lightning fast this time, easier to read. Still, an invisible de is always a formidable threat, and even with the speed differential amplified she wasn¡¯t able to find an opening, struggling to y defense just by focusing on footwork and avoidance. Fuck, even when she¡¯s this slow I can¡¯t get in! Prisma would be able to¡­ That was it. ina moved her focus away from Shein¡¯s wrist. That was a deceptive tool after all, a pointer to a general area the de could be depending on how the angle and strength of Shein was holding the sword, but Shein¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t lie. They didn¡¯t reveal the location of the de, but they revealed her intent, her will in this battle. With that, ina was able to parry effortlessly, nt her feet still and maintain her ground while she defended, until finally she saw it in Shein¡¯s eyes, the wide cut Shein was about to make, the cut that ina could beat her to. ¡°Point!¡± ina caught Shein¡¯s attack right after finishing her own, just out of habit, but it was already toote for Shein at that point anyway. The woman stared down at her sword as it popped back into existence. ina still wasn¡¯t sure of exactly how it worked, but she was sure of one thing, that it was only invisible to her. She could hear the crowd chanting her new embarrassing nickname, knew they were on her side at this point. If they could see the obvious cheating, there would be a riot. Still, knowledge of that didn¡¯t stop the inevitable. She was up two to one, and she knew what to expect as Mille called, ¡°Start!¡± Shein disappeared entirely. ina had half a mind to throw a miracle-seeking thrust into thin air, but she knew better than that. She retreated as far as she could, swiping at the air as fast as she could, as randomly as she could in a feeble attempt to hopefully just barely graze her invisible opponent. I probably look ridiculous right now. ¡°Point!¡± ina winced as she felt it, the training de poking her right in the navel. Shein came back into view, grinning as she pulled the weapon out of ina¡¯s belly-button. ¡°I honestly wouldn¡¯t mind sticking it in some other holes of yours too, but even I wouldn¡¯t do that without permission.¡± ina swallowed, eyeing the sword as Shein pointed it just a bit lower. ¡°You know I have no interest in that, right?¡± ¡°And you know I can tell that isn¡¯t just sweat between your thighs, right?¡± ina pursed her lips, feeling herself blush. But this was good, actually. Anything to keep Shein upied for a moment. Gods, how much longer is it going to take? ¡°Maybe I could be tempted,¡± ina said, barely believing the wordsing out of her mouth, ¡°but if I was, it wouldn¡¯t be from someone who cheats at games she designed herself.¡± Shein sighed, shaking her head and turning away. ¡°I told you, cheating¡¯s the norm. Getting caught is the problem.¡± ina followed, dragging her feet as she made her way over to her starting position. ¡°Hurry up and let¡¯s finish this,¡± Shein said, yawning again. ¡°I¡¯m getting awfully tired.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ina said, taking every possible inch as slow as she could. ¡°Why might that be?¡± Shein was left puzzled at that, squinting at ina. Or was that just her eyes drooping again? Some semnce of realization overtook her right as ina was stepping into position, and she nced around in a panic. ¡°The Health girl? I had her removed though¡­¡± ¡°Start!¡± ¡°No, Mille¡­¡± Shein¡¯s protest was toote. ina was already on the move, and Shein could barely move her arm by now. She dropped her sword the same instant ina¡¯s struck her stomach. There was silence as the building took in what happened, followed by Mille muttering into the microphone, ¡°P¡ª point!¡± The sea of cheers raged as the crowd¡¯s darling contestant won, but Shein just stared up, eyes barely even open. ¡°How?¡± she asked. ¡°Always have a trump card,¡± ina answered, unable to help smiling. And then Shein copsed to the floor, and everything went to shit. Ch 2.86: Pickup Ch 2.86: Pickup ¡°Holy shit,¡± Tira said as she watched Shein copse. ¡°Carline, was that you?¡± ¡°No,¡± Carline replied. Tira was pretty sure she could see a proud smile growing on the girl. ¡°Grab them!¡± the bouncer who¡¯d taken over hosting screamed, right into the microphone. Some of the crowd was already gasping at the sudden fall, but at thatmand they went into a full frenzy, screaming and running for the door with no idea what was even going on. ¡°That¡¯s probably our cue,¡± she said, watching as the four guards that had supposedly been there to protect Prisma¡¯s modesty turned towards them. ¡°On it!¡± Flora was already in motion, performing some sort of spinning kick to take out three while Tira herself was busy unhooking the bracelet around her wrist. Once she did had it undone though she was able to join in herself, pushing the fourth bouncer away and using [Momentum] on his clothes to carry the force farther, knocking him down. ¡°I¡¯m up on you, Tira, three to one!¡± ¡°You probably want to stay with us, Princess,¡± Tira said as she ignored Flora¡¯sment and darted off towards the stage. ina had her wristband off too, was pulling that bouncer Mille off that stage with a chain and heading for the other Temmie as more casino employees flooded the stage. Just as she reached the subcore though, reached out to grab it, her face filled with confusion. Tira could only watch as ina tried to grab it multiple times, her hands phasing through the object each time, like it were nothing but a mirage. ¡°It¡¯s not real,¡± Carline said as Tira slowed, progress impeded by the stampeding crowd. ¡°Fuck,¡± Tira said, trying to push through the crowd. It was no use though; they¡¯d have to go the long way around. ¡°Were we yed? Has it been gone the whole time?¡± ¡°No,¡± Carline said, eyes darting around the room. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t get rid of it, not when they don¡¯t even know what it is. It¡¯ll be here, somewhere.¡± ¡°What are you people talking about?¡± Prisma said, hands clutching at the back of Tira¡¯s outfit. ¡°We need to get out of here!¡± ¡°If you want to run out into the street, be my guest,¡± Tira said, pushing Prisma¡¯s arm away, ¡°but I wouldn¡¯t go outside in that outfit.¡± ¡°Actually,¡± Flora added, ¡°you already promised¡ª¡± ¡°The office!¡± Carline shouted, pointing to the back of the room. ¡°ina¡¯s trying to get to the office!¡± Tira turned to look. Carline was right, that¡¯s definitely wear ina was heading, wading through a sea of both regr patrons and employees alike, whipping them aside with dual chains and plowing ahead, making a beeline for the back door, disappearing into the crowd. ¡°We¡¯ll meet her there; Flora, take point!¡± ¡°Aye aye, Iron Whip,¡± Flora said as she cracked another bouncer across the face and charged ahead, stopping to let a group of people by. ¡°But there¡¯s a lot of people whose bones I probably shouldn¡¯t be breaking. ¡°Leave it to me,¡± Tira said, closing eyes. [Momentum] had always been handy in situations like this, multiple people all around her, Tira needing to wade through them all. She couldn¡¯t sense people, but she could sense their belts, their shoes, their bracelets. Nudging them in certain directions was hard, but not as hard as before she had her ss, and in the midst of a crowd shove she could do it without attracting too much attention. But she wasn¡¯t just feeling around herself, not anymore. She had the link through ina¡¯s [Good Girl] skill, and as such she could feel from ina¡¯s point of view as well. It was actually quite inconvenient that ina was butt naked, since that made it harder for Tira to get a bearing on the girl, but she was still able to get a sense of the people around ina at least, and it was easy to pick out the bouncers with them all sharing a uniform. And so, Tira practiced something she wasn¡¯t too familiar with: subtlety. She couldn¡¯t draw too much attention to herself, but the gentle force she could apply on the people around them was better than nothing. A quick push forward of one shoe while the other slowed down, a guard flying just a little further than he should have and into his friend as Flora threw him aside, an innocent bystander a little bigger than the others unable to stop himself as he bowled a path through for Flora. ¡°Key!¡± Flora shouted. Tira opened her eyes to see they¡¯d made it to the locked door. ¡°Got it!¡± ina¡¯s voice said, cutting through the crowd. She emerged, pushing through a group of people who, despite themotion, still turned back to watch her naked body running and jiggling through the building. The lock clicked open though, the five of them funneling inside and ina closing the door behind her, the lock clicking once more as Tira could feel their pursuers closing in. ¡°I think we¡¯re trapped,¡± Carline said, suddenly looking panicked as people began banging on the door from the outside ina pushed past them, looking over the room. ¡°But the door will hold, so we¡¯ll worry about thatter. Find Temmie, she¡¯s in here somewhere.¡± ¡°What is going on!¡± Prisma said, backing up against the wall and covering herself with her arms. ¡°And Florence, were you using your aspect back there? What about the bracelets?¡± ¡°Oh, these are just [Body Paint],¡± Flora replied, joining ina in the search of the room. ¡°Body paint doesn¡¯t dangle off your wrist!¡± Prisma said, but the other girls were ignoring her, ina going through Shein¡¯s desk, Flora running her hand across the walls, Tira tossing books off of a small bookshelf and across the room while Carline scanned the office as a whole. ¡°Carline, is Shein going to be okay? Is she gonna live¡± ina eventually asked as she pulled out a bottle of liquor and threw it aside, the contents spilling out. ¡°I think so,¡± Carline said. ¡°You honestly went pretty light with it. I didn¡¯t notice until right before your match.¡± ¡°How did you even do it on the middle of the stage?¡± Tira asked, grunting as she pushed the bookshelf off the wall and looked behind it. ¡°Damnit, nothing here either!¡± ¡°Have none of you checked behind that painting?¡± Tira looked around, confused, seeing Prisma pointing at an empty area on the wall. ¡°Are you daft, Princess? Nothing¡¯s there.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± ina said. ¡°Prisma, can you move that?¡± ¡°Sure¡ª I mean, but don¡¯t look at me!¡± Despite the condition given, Prisma didn¡¯t really hesitate to do as ina asked even as the four of them stared, moving towards the wall and standing on her toes, giving them a unique view of her naked body that even Tira had to reluctantly admit to herself was quite nice. ¡°ina, do you see something?¡± Flora asked. ¡°No, but I feel something.¡± Once Prisma reached all the way up, the girl grabbed something. It looked like she ripped off a square panel from the wall, but behind it was just more wood, the same wall that had been ripped off in the first ce. ¡°This is it, right?¡± Prisma asked. ¡°What¡¯s it?¡± the other four all said together. ¡°The thing,¡± Prisma said as she threw the wooden panel to the ground, a panel that broke apart at the edges suspiciously like a picture frame might. The girl reached into the wall, the same way ina had been reaching through illusory the subcore before. She started to pull her hands back out, and something with them besides, hanging on to a strap just like the one the fake Temmie on stage had around it, dragging the dull crystal sphere through the wall. ¡°Wait,¡± ina said, ¡°Prisma, stop!¡± But it was toote. Prisma turned at the sudden shouting, losing the footing on her tip-toes and stumbling backwards. She pulled hard on the strap surrounding the Temmie, ripping off that aspect¡ªand apparently crystal¡ªsuppressing device and leaving the orb to fall through the air, suddenly growing bright blue. Prisma¡¯s ass hit the ground first, and the subcore fell into herp. ¡°System User confirmed as Star Blessed. Status: Aspected, ssless. Age: twenty-one years, zero months, two weeks, five days. Partypatibility for System Administrator ina Weaver: One hundred percent. Initiating protocol: ss Assignment.¡± Ch 2.87: Sadomasochist Ch 2.87: Sadomasochist No matter how many times it happened, ina never really got used to the instant deluge of information. Prisma Fireguard System Hierarchy: [User] ss: Sadomasochist Spellde Level: 1 Aspects: [Heat] - {Environmental Targeting} User Skills: [Brat¡¯s Riposte] - Rank 1 - User receives a power bonus of {x1.5} to aspects and skills used when immediately making a counterattack. [Switch Stance] - Rank 1 - User can switch between [S-Mode] and [M-Mode]. In [S-Mode], all physical abilities are slightly enhanced while actively attacking. In [M-Mode], all physical abilities are slightly enhanced while actively defending. Once modes are changed, they may not be changed again for five minutes. [y Fighting] - Rank 1 - User can choose to have her crystal weapons, aspects, and skills deal physical pain directly instead of actual damage. User Equipment: [Crystal Sword]: Crystal rapier that can be coated in searing mes by its user¡¯s aspect. Prisma sat there, a surprisingly modest pose considering her current state of dress, the subcore hiding herp and her arms pressed to her chest in shock. ¡°Nothing happened just now,¡± she said. ¡°We all heard what just happened,¡± ina said. And I got more info than that. ¡°Oh, right, I¡¯m asleep,¡± Prisma continued. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I didn¡¯t realize earlier. ina gets undressed a lot, but she only ever getspletely naked in my dreams.¡± Tira let out half augh before Flora¡¯s hand pped her mouth shut. ¡°ina,¡± Temmie said, ¡°those bindings had me unable to process from this unit, but I have now regained ess to this core and am beginning initiation protocols. Excellent work.¡± ¡°It talked!¡± Prisma said, throwing this version of Temmie rolling across the floor as she scooted her way to the wall. ¡°I mean, nothing talked! Everything¡¯s fine!¡± ¡°Do not throw me again, Miss Fireguard!¡± ¡°Oh gods, The door cracked once, the shouting from the bouncers outside growing louder as the seal keeping them at bay weakened. ¡°Fuck,¡± Tira said, pushing her way away from Flora, any sign ofughter long gone from her face. ¡°We¡¯re gonna have to plow through them to get out, really plow through them, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°No!¡± Flora shouted, backing away to the far wall herself. ¡°Not again¡­¡± Carly stepped into the middle of the room, pointing just past Flora. ¡°I think there¡¯s another way. That wall, I feel people on the other side, drunk people. I think it¡¯s another bar, and if the walls are just wood and not stone, then¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it either way.¡± Flora pushed herself back and readied her leg to strike, her heel turning the color of stone, shaping itself to be more like an axe than her foot. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Wait,¡± ina said as she picked up the subcore, tossing it to Carly. ¡°Put that in your bag.¡± ¡°The nerve of you people tonight!¡± Temmie said as Carly plucked her from the air. ¡°I regret preparing this for you at all, and while I am still regaining my full functionality too!¡± It had been dyed, so much so that ina had forgotten it was even going to happen, but as Prisma was just standing up crystal dust began to swarm around her, causing her to scream once more. Oh! I can do that too, ina realized. ina focused on her own ss gear just enough to start materializing it, but she was really focused on Prisma. As the dust settled around the girl, falling slowly over her, it revealed a suit that at first nce seemed not too unlike the Endrin uniform. It was simrly cut to Prisma¡¯s body, but colored a deep ck with red highlights, with long ck pants instead of a skirt. It also differed in a few other ways, namely the cape falling from her shoulders, ck on the out and red on the inside. Most differently of all though was probably the fact that there wasn¡¯t an undershirt where ina would have expected one, just bare cleavage right below the ornate bow. Capping it all off was her hair, pushed back away from her face and held by a gold tiara, the color of which matched the borate rapier hilt hanging at her waist. ¡°I¡¯m not naked?¡± Even with the look of bewilderment she sported, she still somehow looked regal in this moment, more like nobility than anyone or anything ina had ever seen. ina was brought back into the real world with another crack, this time one of the door¡¯s boards flying through. ¡°They¡¯re there, all five!¡± a voice shouted. ¡°Flora!¡± ina called out. ¡°On it!¡± There was a third crack as Flora whipped her foot around, mming into the wall and blowing chunks of wood and splinter through to the other side. Gasps and screams came through the hole she made, but before she could wind up for another blow, the door behind them gave inpletely, and Shein¡¯s minions started flooding through. Ch 2.88: Run Ch 2.88: Run Only three of the bouncer got in before ina was able to react, throwing a series of chains on the door frame including her crystal one, using a considerable amount of mana to hold them in ce. ¡°I got these,¡± Tira said, pulling a ckjack out of her pants that ina was pretty sure she¡¯d seen in Tira¡¯s toy drawer before. It was quick, the strikes to their faces as the bouncers tried to take in the situation. Each blow didn¡¯t seem to do much physically, but the receivers of them each stepped back, standing flush against the wall, no doubt a result of Tira¡¯s [Domineering Presence]. ¡°Gyah!¡± Flora was through, from the sounds of the wall cracking and bar patrons screaming, having used her forearms as a battering ram to break through and create a hole the rest of them could fit through. ¡°Come on!¡± ¡°What in the zes is going on?¡± the bartender said as the group started making their way through the hole and over the bar. ¡°Sorry!¡± Carly said. ¡°Shein¡¯ll pay for it!¡± Tira said as she bounded pass. But Prisma wasn¡¯t moving. ¡°Come one,¡± ina said, offering her hand out. Prisma stared at it, unmoving as the bouncers behind were slowly but surely pushing aside ina¡¯s chains. But then she looked up, caught ina¡¯s gaze, and nodded, taking ina¡¯s hand and following her as ina ran into the other bar. This ce, ina thought as they ran, chasing Flora¡¯s hair as it made its way over and through the bar. It was lit simrly too the outside, lots of red lights, and with a stage like Mirage, though it wasn¡¯t musicians on this stage but dancers, dancers performing acrobatics on metal poles both vertical and horizontal, undisturbed by the ruckus. Those dancers weren¡¯t quite fully clothed either, ina couldn¡¯t help but notice. None of them were naked like she¡¯d been moments before, but the all had on lingerie at the most, and one just had on a pair of panties and some sort of pasted-on star coverings over her breasts. Those look interesting¡­ But it wasn¡¯t time to fantasize about jobs she could have had in another life, it was time to focus. ina found herself relishing the new freedom of [Restraint], using it to keep track of Tira¡¯s belt buckle as well as pull and push aside people in her way by their clothes. By the time they¡¯d caught up to the others, they were already at the far back wall¡ªno, the front entrance? By some miracle the entrance to this bar was on the opposite side of the entrance to Mirage, giving them even more of a head start from anyone trying to chase through the streets. ¡°Take the bag,¡± Flora said, stepping over two seemingly unconscious bouncers and throwing Carly¡¯s satchel into ina¡¯s arms. ¡°They aren¡¯t going to be looking for you two in those outfits; get to the meetup point, and we¡¯ll distract them.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t break up now,¡± ina said, but she did throw the bag over her shoulder. ¡°What if¡ª¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s right,¡± Tira said. ¡°We¡¯ll lose them, then meet upter, once we¡¯re all sure we¡¯re not being tailed.¡± ina was left standing there as the other three took off into the night, Prisma still behind her. But the bouncers on the ground were starting to push themselves up, and more wereing their way besides. ¡°Come on,¡± she said, grabbing Prisma and running off in the opposite direction. There was one major problem, that she didn¡¯t know where to go. That and the fact that she could see what were very clearly two bouncers from Mirage on the street corner she was running towards. ¡°Slow down,¡± Prisma said, halting to a brisk walk along with ina¡¯s hand. ¡°Florence was right, they¡¯re not looking for us.¡± For the second time in a row, ina listened against her better instinct, walking along to street with Prisma, hand-in-hand. As they approached the two people who were undoubtedly on the lookout for them. ¡°They even gonnae this way?¡± ¡°Dunno, but be on the lookout.¡± Despite their attentiveness, neither gave more than a passing nce to ina or Prisma as they walked by, rounding the corner and each breathing a sigh of relief when they were out of earshot. ¡°Fuck, how did you know that was going to work?¡± ina said, hanging her head low as they carried on. ¡°No one was looking at our faces when we were up there,¡± Prisma said, face blushing even in the red light. ¡°Trust me, I heard how they were talking about us.¡± ina could feel herself blushing at that thought too. Over a hundred people in total¡­ That¡¯s how many had seen herpletely naked. Sure, some were at a distance, and she¡¯d managed to hide most of her body the majority of the time, but there was no getting around the fact. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we did that.¡± ¡°Neither can I¡­ Stars, my father is going to kill me if he finds out I lost a fencing tournament without Koh in it.¡± ¡°Would that really be his priority?¡± ina said. ¡°I mean, you and I were both¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to pretend that part never happened, actually,¡± Prisma replied, holding her head and back up straight as she walked. ¡°Especially with them around,¡± she added with a mumble, gesturing at another pair of Mirage employees running through the red-light bathed street, dressed like bartenders this time, though still clearly on the hunt. Guess they¡¯re all in on the chase. Those employees also passed by them, not even a nce at the two people they should¡¯ve been hunting. ¡°If it¡¯s any constion, you¡¯ll probably never lose a fencing match again. Maybe to Koh?¡± Prisma stopped, looking down at the sword on her hip and going to grab it. ¡°Don¡¯t draw it here, it¡¯ll draw attention itself.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Prisma said as she resumed walking. ¡°It¡¯ll never be a fair fight between me and her again. I have this¡­ this thing, a stance switch. I can alternate, but I already feel one of them on, and I can¡¯t just turn it off.¡± ¡°I know,¡± ina said. ¡°You¡¯re also stronger and faster in general too, and there¡¯s no way to turn that off either¡­ That¡¯s how Carly and I¡ª why you thought we were cheating in the tournament.¡± Prisma stopped again, looking down an empty alley before dragging ina into it. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s in that bag, and what happened to me? It called me a name, a crude, weird name!¡± ¡°Shall I exin, ina?¡± Temmie asked. She considered the offer for a moment, but ultimately shook her head. ¡°No, I will, Temmie.¡± ¡°Temmie is its name? Is it some sort of pet?¡± ina bit her lip, struggling to find the words. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but I¡¯ll tell you everything. You deserve that much, at least¡­¡± Ch 2.89: All Ch 2.89: All ina told Prisma everything, all of it. She took the news surprisingly easily, mostly just nodding along as ina exined the general strokes, only asking for details on the particrs. They were engaged in conversation for a while, neither of them even making mention of the light drizzle that started raining down in the middle of it. ¡°So¡­ no one knows, except you four?¡± ¡°And you, now,¡± ina said, still a little nervous about that part. She¡¯d exined why they were keeping it secret, but Prisma hadn¡¯t really affirmed that part. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not going to tell anyone, right?¡± Prisma looked down at her hands, examining the fencing gloves on them once more. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how you kept it a secret for so long. I don¡¯t see how I can¡­¡± Not a, ¡°I¡¯m going straight to Alonse,¡± at least. ¡°Listen, I know you¡¯re still, involved, with Waine. And I know this doesn¡¯t change that, but there¡¯s room for five in a practicum group, right?¡± ¡°Waine won¡¯t let that happen. But after tonight, after what he did¡­ Stars, I¡¯m not even sure what to do.¡± ¡°What he did?¡± Prisma nodded, looking squeamish. ¡°The reason he was disqualified. He snuck a crystal portrait in, tried to get pictures of us on stage.¡± ina shook her head, remembering that he had in fact apparently been disqualified from the second round. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Fucked,¡± Prisma said, walking back out into the street. ¡°It makes me not want to be around him, knowing he¡¯d do that¡­¡± ina followed, making quick nces across the street to make sure they weren¡¯t in danger. She wanted to respond, but for some reason Prisma¡¯s thought process still lingered in the air, like she wasn¡¯t done speaking. Despite that though, they walked three blocks straight, in a direction ina wasn¡¯t really too sure about, without speaking. Eventually, the silence was too much for ina. ¡°Why did you y like that at the end?¡± Prisma looked back, eyelids hanging, downcast. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean,¡± ¡°We drew so much at the end. I thought I could read you, but I was wrong, every time.¡± ¡°Maybe you just don¡¯t know me as well as you think.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t just me that was wrong, Prisma. Something was wrong with you, I could tell.¡± Prisma stopped, in the middle of the street this time. They were far enough away from Mirage that themps of the street weren¡¯t red anymore, weren¡¯t really plentiful at all, leaving them in the pale blue light of the moon and only a handful of overhead crystals. ¡°Once you were in your underwear, I knew scissors was all I needed to win. I was going to throw it, and I guess you knew it too, but I couldn¡¯t. I remembered back then, in the forest¡­¡± The forest. ina winced at those words. ¡°Prisma, we don¡¯t have to talk about that, we¡ª¡± ¡°How can we not!¡± Prisma said, fists clenched. ¡°I did horrible things to you, barely managed to convince Waine to let me stop at your underwear, took a picture of you anyway even though I knew it was wrong, knew it was all wrong.¡± ¡°Stop,¡± ina said, trying to ignore the ball in her throat. ¡°That was a mistake, and you were forced to¡ª¡± ¡°I made a choice. I put my stupid family ahead of you.¡± Prisma turned around, and even in the rain ina could see her eyes welling up. ¡°At first, I really was trying to beat you up there, cause I was upset about Waine letting Ivis take my ce, and annoyed you even agreed to such a ridiculouspetition at all. But the more we yed, the more you took off, the more guilty I felt. I started to feel I should lose, to make up for back then. At the very least, I wasn¡¯t going to be the one to strip you naked. That was the one thing I could say about myself from that night, the one way I can sometimes convince myself I¡¯m not the the literal worst person in the world, just in the running for the title.¡± Everything seemed more wet through ina¡¯s eyes now for some reason, even though the rain hadn¡¯t picked up. ¡°Can¡¯t we just forget that?¡± Prisma shook her head, looking irritated now. ¡°I can¡¯t, and you shouldn¡¯t either. I¡¯m not gonna force you to put up with me.¡± ¡°Prisma, I¡¯m not ¡®putting up¡¯ with you. I get things may be awkward for a while, but we can¡ª¡± Someone was there, creeping towards them. ina almost turned around on the spot, but from Prisma¡¯sck of reaction, she knew that was a bad idea. The person was walking up behind ina, but if Prisma couldn¡¯t see them, they probably didn¡¯t expect ina to be able to know they were there either. ¡°Let¡¯s just get to the meetup point,¡± ina eventually said, trying to inflect some urgency in her voice. ¡°We need to make sure everyone¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll talk about uster.¡± Prisma seemed confused at first, but realization spread over her face soon enough, nodding. ina had exined the invisible enemies to her, and she hoped the girl was picking up on the seriousness of the situation. ina walked, trying to right herself in directions. She¡¯d know how to get to the meet up from Mirage, but having exited on that back street and then following Prisma off to who knows where, she was more lost than she knew she could be. Damnit, I should¡¯ve paid more attention. The only sce she had was that the person tailing them seemed more interested in following than attacking, for now at least. Eventually, she did recognize andmark, the inn they¡¯d stayed at before. Perfect. She turned and walked east, until they reached the outskirts of town right next to the forest. She looked around for guards, anyone, but in the middle of the night, in the rain, they were alone. Guess I have to hope it¡¯s just the one. If it was, they stood a chance, even just her and Prisma. If it wasn¡¯t though, then ina could only pray. ¡°This is the meeting spot,¡± ina said, turning back to the city. Just as she suspected, there was no one there, no one she could see anyway, but she could feel their presence with [Restraint] all the same. ¡°Right,¡± Prisma said, ignoring the fact that they very much weren¡¯t at the stables that ina had mentioned earlier, turning around as well. ¡°We just wait for them?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ina really had to wonder if their hunter knew ina was aware of her and Prisma¡¯s status as prey. They just stood there, invisible, only a few feet away. ina was itching to make the first move, afraid that their n wasn¡¯t going to work after all, but if Mirage¡¯s invisible agent was willing to wait, so was she. ¡°ina,¡± Temmie said after an agonizingly long wait, ¡°it¡¯s time.¡± Prisma¡¯s eyes shot to the satchel, clearly confused about the voice, but before she could do or say anything more, six daggers were flying out from the bushes. Ch 2.90: In Ch 2.90: In ina really hoped that Prisma would understandter. Five of the six daggers stopped in mid-air, stuck in their invisible targets no doubt, targets that were invisible to ina, at least. The sixth flew off into the distance, the target somehow managing to dodge it. She¡¯s good, ina thought. ¡°Prisma, there!¡± she said, already forming traps. She wasn¡¯t particrly keen on using bear traps against other humans, but they didn¡¯t have much choice with how slippery these particr people could be. Six traps in the ground, five triggers, each of the people that had been struck by a dagger now ensnared to the earth as well, though thatst one still managed to evade. At least I don¡¯t have to hear their screams. Prisma, to her credit, did recognize the situation fairly quickly for not having been let in on the n, drawing her de and swiping at the direction of the trapped pursuers, fire swiping out from the cut and bathing the area, leaving five vaguely person-shaped dancing mes in its path. Prisma was using [y Fighting], right? Probably. Either way, ina was now really happy she couldn¡¯t hear them. But their was still one more, thest one. ¡°That really was a nice attempt,¡± a voice said from¡­ well, everywhere, in the same way Temmie spoke directly into their minds. It was Shein¡¯s voice, but ina already knew she was the one that got away, so that wasn¡¯t a surprise. ¡°Attempt over, though. I got your three friends back in range, so I¡¯m invisible to them too now.¡± Five people popped into existence, screaming and writhing in pain on the ground. ina turned to them, then saw a fisting at her from the corner of her eye, right before she felt a foot hit her in the stomach on the other side and causing her to drop to her knees. That actually caught her off guard, the fake fist connecting with her, but not causing an impact. A mirage, just like the subcore on the stage had been. ¡°I never wanted to kill any of you, you know. ce the Temmie on the ground, and I won¡¯t have to hurt you.¡± ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like you, Shein,¡± ina said, standing up and backing off, still clutching the bag to her chest. ¡°I won, fair and square. It¡¯s mine.¡± ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that. I¡¯m not sure what you state dogs want with this, but I¡¯m not giving it up so easily.¡± State dogs? A version of Shein appeared right in front of ina, wearing a very loose dress, more potato sack than fine linen like she¡¯d been wearing earlier. ¡°It really was too easy to follow you once you split up with the Health girl,¡± the figure said, voiceing directly from it rather than everywhere around ina. ¡°Throw on a piece of clothing without any clips, buttons, ties, and what do you have to sense me? I was a little worried about your partner in nakedness, but she¡¯s Heat if I remember correctly, so not much trouble there, so long as we didn¡¯t carry torches.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ina said, legitimately confused, doing her best to maintain eye contact with the Shein standing in front of her. ¡°A modest bribe to the registrar helps me keep track of new arrivals and their aspects. It¡¯s mostly just to make note of any that could be used for cheating, for circumventing the bracelets specifically, but it¡¯s also handy when some upstarts start trying to encroach on our other operations. I still haven¡¯t figured out how the the Health girl got around her bracelet to keep you energized, or how she was able to make me copse when I had her moved from the stage, but you¡¯ll tell me those answers soon enough. It¡¯s been fu, honestly. I never imagined it¡¯d go down quite like this, and I¡¯m interested in what your motivations are. You¡¯re not under the Stormshine boot, after all.¡± ¡°Stormshine boot?¡± Fuck, did she hear when Prisma and I were talking? No, she definitely wasn¡¯t around then¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll say it one more time. ce the Temmie down, and then you¡¯ll exin exactly what it is, what you want with it, and what the capital wants with it.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it,¡± ina said. She had questions, many questions, but they could wait untilter, she decided. She let her arms rx, the bag opening up just a little as she reached inside. ¡°You promise you won¡¯t hurt us though?¡± ¡°I promise,¡± the fake Shein said, ¡°once you hand over the¡ª¡± ina used [Restraint] and her physical strength both, pulling one of the bracelets out of the bag and throwing at Shein, the real Shein that was still invisible behind her. Once the bracelettched onto the woman¡¯s wrist, the illusion disappeared, and she came into view as well, looking not quite herself as she usually did. ¡°Wait, you?¡± ina shouted. The girl, not Shein, or yes-Shein-but-also-someone-else, was raising her hand, ready to stab or throw with her dagger, but ina pulled on the bracelet, snapping her hand into the air and pinning it to the sky, dagger dropping uselessly to the ground. The woman in front of her was scowling. It was Shein, had to be Shein, but it was also the assassin from the cave, messy, short brown hair, rounder features, shorter even. ¡°Fuck,¡± Shein said, ncing around. ¡°How did you even see me?¡± ¡°You cane out now,¡± ina said to the bushes, still eyeing her capture. ¡°I still don¡¯t see her,¡± Tira said as she walked out of the brush, quite a ways off. ¡°She probably set her aspect on us when she ran up to the bushes,¡± Carly added as she emerged as well. ¡°Tagged us with excess mana to make itst, then ran back to ina and Prisma.¡± ¡°You people that can use your aspects on anything but yourself always confuse me,¡± Flora said, following behind Carly, naked for some reason. ¡°Flora, what the hell?¡± ina asked. ¡°When was that part of the n?¡± ¡°What n?¡± Prisma said, looking between everyone present. ina wasn¡¯t sure exactly which thing she was most confused about. ¡°I¡¯d very much like to know the answer to that myself,¡± Shein, the assassin, whoever she was said. ¡°First, was it you the whole time?¡± ina asked. ¡°In the cave too?¡± Shein rolled her eyes. ¡°You said it yourself, I like getting my own hands dirty.¡± ¡°ina,¡± Tira said as she pulled thin daggers from the now mostly just whining bouncers, wiping them off and cing them in her belt. ¡°We should get going. Guards coulde by any moment.¡± ina looked back out towards the street. There weren¡¯t any visible, but Tira was right; it just wasn¡¯t worth the risk. ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°Carly, make sure these five don¡¯t have any life threatening wounds. I¡¯ll sedate Shein again, then we can get going.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯ll sedate me?¡± Shein asked. ¡°But your aspect isn¡¯t anything to do with that!¡± ina couldn¡¯t help but grin. ¡°You obviously haven¡¯t been reading any medical textbookstely. Haven¡¯t you ever heard of chemical restraints?¡± Ch 2.91: Open Ch 2.91: Open ¡°The fuck is a chemical¡­ restraint,¡± Shein said, right before she dropped to the ground for the second time. Prisma stood there, still looking baffled at what was going on as Carly attended to the other Mirage employees. ¡°Okay, but yeah, what actually is that?¡± she said. ¡°Something ina really shouldn¡¯t be mentioning in front of the enemy,¡± Tira answered with a slightly pointed re. ina winced at that, shaking it off and then picking up Shein¡¯s limp body. ¡°Right, sorry. I¡¯ll exinter, we have to go for now.¡± ¡°Go where?¡± Prisma asked as she looked down the streets. ¡°We can¡¯t really carry her body through the town, can we?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± Flora walked over to ina, quizzically looking over her. ¡°We¡¯re going somewhere else for now. ina, I can take her off your hands, assuming that¡¯s her you picked up? I still can¡¯t see her.¡± ¡°Yeah, here.¡± ina did her best to shrug Shein onto Flora¡¯s shoulder, thetter shaking her head in disbelief as she took the, to her, invisible burden. ¡°Wild, but doable! Carly, those five¡¯ll be fine?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± the girl said, biting her lip as she walked away from the groaning people. ¡°You won¡¯t get away with this!¡± one of them said. ina recognized her now that she¡¯d drawn attention to herself, Mille, the bouncer she¡¯d fought in the second tost round of the tournament. ¡°We know who you are now!¡± ina¡¯s party had started to move off, but they all stopped at that. ¡°We did talk about this,¡± Tira said. ¡°We¡¯re not just going to kill them,¡± ina said. ¡°Not unless we have to¡­¡± ¡°What defines ¡®having to¡¯ though?¡± Tira looked askance, obviously ufortable with the conversation herself. ¡°This one here is going to hold a grudge at the very least, obviously. They know who we are, our aspects, where we live¡­¡± ¡°They can¡¯t do anything with that though, right?¡± Flora said. ¡°I mean, maybe there are some people with weaker aspects that could get through the barrier, but the school¡¯s already on high alert.¡± ¡°We leave them,¡± ina said, starting to march off. ¡°There are at least a dozen other bouncers that have to have seen us and know the same things. Killing five of them is just going to cause problems.¡± There was a certain benefit to being the de facto leader, even if it was only because she¡¯d happened to have touched Temmie first. She wasn¡¯t sure it was the right call to make, but she knew the choice would fall on her, and it was still the only call she was going to be able to make. If Tira or anyone else had further protestations, they kept them to themselves as ina made her way outside the town. ina was a little worried as the walked on, actually. They weren¡¯t in the streets anymore, but they did have a little ways to go before they reached their destination, and anyte night travelers would have some questions. We¡¯ll probably have to answer some regardless. ¡°So, now that they¡¯re gone, what were you talking about?¡± Prisma asked. ¡°What did you do to her?¡± ¡°Been wondering that myself,¡± Tira said. ¡°How¡¯d you get it to work?¡± ¡°Chemical restraints,¡± ina began. ¡°Carly found them in her medical textbook. They¡¯re medicines and stuff, make you sleepy, or unconscious. I had nned on using it in round two when we thought it was actually poker, slip some into someone¡¯s drink, make them y bad. Everyone¡¯s drink, preferably, except Carly and me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª that¡¯s cheating though!¡± ina winced at that. She hadn¡¯t liked the first time Prisma had used her of cheating, back in their first fencing ss, and back then she hadn¡¯t been, not really. This time though, there was no denying it. Carly was, unexpectedly, the one toe to her defense though. ¡°Shein stole the subcore, the Temmie. From the kingdom by all rights, and this point from ina too, more so. She¡¯s the Administrator, after all. We needed to get it back at all costs.¡± ¡°Yeah, what she said¡­ Anyway, when Shein took me to her office, she made us both drinks. I forced her to trade bracelets again, made some of the medicine in my hand, and dropped it into her drink. It wasn¡¯t enough though, not strong enough to take her down, but once it was in her I could feel it. I asked to swap again before the duel, and then used all the mana I had to strengthen it. Still took a little longer to take effect than I wasfortable with¡­¡± ¡°You really can make them stronger in the first ce,¡± Carly said. ¡°A little more study of the chemical makeup should do you wonders.¡± ina shook her head. ¡°Maybe.¡± She doubted she¡¯d ever reach the realms Carly thought she could with chemical restraints¡ªthey were already difficult enough for her to wrap her brain around even the basics of¡ªbut she did appreciate the extra weapon in her arsenal, as hard as it was to rationalize the concept as a legitimate restraint to herself as it was. ¡°I was afraid of killing her, an overdose or whatever the textbook called it.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you know to do it to her though?¡± Flora asked. ¡°Like, I get that it was lucky she took a drink in her office, but you couldn¡¯t have known it was her in the final round, right?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that, but I knew she was lying about the bracelets. When I first put one on and ripped it off cause I got scared, I was aware of it, cause it definitely is a type of restraint. But the one on her wrist wasn¡¯t, so I asked to trade then. I don¡¯t know exactly how, but it was somehow a restraint for me, but not her? That time was just trying to catch her in the lie, but it still made me realize she had an aspect, and that she was going to somehow use it to cheat us. Iter figured out she¡¯d either be thest opponent or try to mess with me while I fought one of her cronies. It was honestly lucky she tried to mess with me herself though. She could¡¯ve made me lose to Mille before I ever even got to her, but she got cocky¡­¡± That thought was terrifying, how close they¡¯de to losing. ¡°But yeah, it was lucky catching her taking a drink, even luckier that enough of the stuff was still in her body that I could sense her when she was trailing Carly and me, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t have known she was there.¡± ¡°I think it was a fake bracelet,¡± Carly said. ¡°Like Flora did for me and her in the bathroom. Her aspect has to be something like Senses, or Perception maybe, external targeting. She probably just makes everyone see the bracelet on her, but since it wasn¡¯t actually there you could tell it wasn¡¯t restraining her.¡± ¡°And didn¡¯t you say something about the cave?¡± Flora said. ¡°That she was¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re here, quiet down,¡± Tira said. They had walked only a few minutes into the night, finally finding the carriage parked off the side of the road. ¡°Heydies!¡± Char said with a wave as they rounded the corner, before leaning forward and then jumping off the carriage. ¡°Bloody stars, is that girl alright?¡± ¡°A little too much to drink,¡± ina said. Close enough to the truth. ¡°We¡¯re still headed to the same ce though; she¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Alrighty,¡± Char said, eyeing the limp woman as the rtively spindly Flora lugged her into the carriage, letting out a gasp as Flora identally banged Shein¡¯s head onto the side door, but a groan that escaped from Shein at the blow at least proved she was alive. ¡°You sure she¡¯s okay?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Tira said. ¡°Carline here is a doctor, basically. Says she¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Alright then¡­ And who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Prisma Fireguard,¡± Prisma responded, giving a slight bow, suddenly acting as if nothing was amiss at all. She¡¯s really good at ying up the propriety. ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Miss¡­¡± ¡°No ¡®Miss,¡¯ just Char,¡± the carriage driver said as she extended a hand. ¡°Pleasure to meet you. Any friends of ina are okay in my book, I reckon. But hop in, and let¡¯s get the six of you students home for the night!¡± Ch 2.91: Collusion Ch 2.91: Collusion ¡°Home?¡± Prisma said, looking over at Shein, not doubt wondering what the n was to do with her at the castle. ¡°Home for the evening,¡± ina said. ¡°Back to the inn.¡± ¡°What?¡± Prisma said, lowering her voice to barely above a whisper. ¡°We¡¯re already out toote, we need to get back sometime!¡± ¡°And we will, tomorrow morning,¡± Tira said. ¡°We¡¯ll be back by breakfast, though it is inconvenient that you don¡¯t have your uniform to go back with¡­¡± ¡°She can borrow mine,¡± Flora said with a wink. ¡°Unless she wants to be the one walking around naked with the clothes illusion?¡± Prisma didn¡¯t respond to that other than by hiding her face as she climbed into the carriage the rest of the girls climbing in as well as Char got the horses ready. ¡°We¡¯re not going to get much sleep tonight, are we?¡± Prisma said. ¡°No,¡± ina replied. ¡°We still have to ¡®watch out¡¯ for her.¡± ¡°Mmhm¡­¡± The party remained mostly in silence as the carriage made its way through the stables, ina focused on maintaining Shein¡¯s level of sedation, the other girls no doubt relishing in the momentary break. By the time they did reach the inn, Carly and Flora were already starting to nod off. ¡°Alright girl¡¯s, here¡¯s your stop.¡± Flora let out a yawn as she looked over at the body leaning against her. ¡°Woah! I see her now!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Tira muttered. ¡°Her aspect on us wore off a while back, but no need to make a stink of it.¡± ¡°She looks just like her though,¡± Flora continued. ¡°ina was right, she is the woman from the forest.¡± ¡°Thanks, Char,¡± ina said, ignoring their conversation and hopping out and running to give her a hug. ¡°I really appreciate it.¡± ¡°No worries,¡± the woman said, taking a look back at Shein as Flora lugged her out. ¡°You sure she¡¯ll be okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll make sure she is.¡± ina honestly wasn¡¯t quite so sure of that, but she was certain she was going to try her best. She knew the dangers that came with leaving her alive, but they had more they needed to learn from her, and ina still didn¡¯t like the idea of executing someone that was defenseless, even if they weren¡¯t innocent. Soon enough though, they were at Castle¡¯s Wake. ina started the process of having Shein wake up, slowly letting up on the amount of chemical restraint she was pumping inside the woman¡¯s body as Carly helped coax her into a state of half-consciousness with [Health], enough that she would walk with her arm slung over Flora¡¯s shoulder That was enough to get them through the doors of the inn and towards the stairs, not drawing too much skepticism from Able as he tended to the night¡¯stest drinkers while they made their way to the rooms they¡¯d reserved for him earlier. ¡°Couple extra girls staying the night with us, ¡°ina said as they started up the stairs. We¡¯ll still just need to two rooms though, and we¡¯ll pay for their food in the morning.¡± ¡°Aye, aye,¡± the man said, waving them off and still barely recognizing they were there, probably about three-quarters as drunk as the most sober patron he was dealing with himself at this time of night. ¡°No worries, just square up for breakfast and we¡¯ll be good.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you said you¡¯d do?¡± Prisma asked as they went up. ¡°Yeah, but the less he thinks about us the better,¡± Tira said. ¡°After all, we still don¡¯t know what we¡¯re going to have to do with her before the night¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Where are we?¡± Shein said, almost as if she recognized being referred to. ¡°¡¯Snot my office, not my room¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, dear,¡± Tira said, giving the woman a pat on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re safe with us.¡± ¡°You¡­ Am I Shein, or the assassin right now? I don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°We¡¯d like to know that too,¡± ina said as Carly opened one of the hallway doors. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe on in, and we¡¯ll figure it out together?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, that¡¯s a good idea. Thanks, ina.¡± Shein was beginning to walk on her own now, making her way to the bed and plopping herself down on it. Tira pulled over a chair from the corner and turned it around, sitting on it in reverse andying her arms over the back. ¡°How long till she can actually talk?¡± she asked. ¡°Right about¡­ now,¡± Carly said. Like light enters a window when curtains are drawn, it entered Shein¡¯s eyes as well. She only took a quarter of a second¡¯s nce around the room before jumping back further on the bed, trying the remove the bracelet from her wrist. ¡°Not gonna work,¡± ina said. ¡°I¡¯m keeping it locked. And you shouldn¡¯t move so suddenly, you¡¯re probably a bit woozy.¡± The woman took stock of her current situation, looking around the room and untensing, sitting up slightly more straight. ¡°Well, if you were going to kill me, you would¡¯ve done it already.¡± ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Tira said. ¡°We have information we need, but we still haven¡¯t decided what to do with you after that.¡± Both Flora and Carly winced at that, though ina did her best not to. Tira was technically right, after all, and it was important Shein feared them. ¡°Nah, information could have been gotten out there. You took me to an inn, which means one of two things. Either this is a party I don¡¯t remember epting the invitation for, or you¡¯ve kidnapped me but n on letting me leave.¡± ¡°Right before the tournament,¡± ina said, trying to avoid that other subject for as long as possible, ¡°you said you knew where another Temmie was. We want to know where, now.¡± Shein shook her head, closing her eyes repeatedly and looking back up. ¡°Did you really kidnap me for that? We already had a deal, I would¡¯ve told you that anyway.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try that card,¡± Tira said. ¡°Your people were the ones who attacked us back at Mirage as soon as we won.¡± ¡°Well, yeah; they thought you¡¯d killed me. I suddenly copse on stage, leaving no chain ofmand? If you had left me conscious at least, I could have had Mille call them off. And then the five of you bowled through the ce, busted a whole in the wall, told the other barkeep I would pay for that for some reason, and kicked the shit out a number of my people. All to steal something I would¡¯ve just given you anyway!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true,¡± ina said. ¡°You faked it being on stage when you were hiding it the whole time!¡± ¡°Yeah, to keep it safe. I knew you all would probably pull a stunt like that even if you lost, so I needed a decoy.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Carly asked, drawing all attention to herself and blushing for a second before she continued. ¡°Your aspect, Sense, Perception, Sight? It can¡¯t be thest one really, since you affect the way people sense with their own aspects too.¡± Shein rolled her eyes. ¡°Cat¡¯s out on how it works, so I guess telling you the name doesn¡¯t matter much. Yeah, it¡¯s Perception.¡± ina was pretty sure she saw Carly pumping a fist at that answer. ¡°So, you made the entire room see a fake orb, and altered our perception specifically of your office painting just in case we went in there?¡± ¡°Yeah, but I didn¡¯t realize the Fireguard girl was actually working with you too. Should¡¯ve probably done the entire audience just to be safe, but it would¡¯ve taken so much mana to do that¡­¡± ¡°Mana that could be spent on dolling yourself up?¡± Tira asked. ¡°Oh please, that¡¯s light work,¡± Shein said. ¡°And having two faces is so very useful in my lines of work.¡± ¡°You said you never wanted to hurt us,¡± ina interjected. ¡°But you tried to kill Carly in the cave.¡± There was the slightest hint of shame, just a small nce to the corner as she responded. ¡°I meant since then. I saw your uniforms, knew you were there on a mission to hunt us, thought I was just killing government dogs, protecting my people. That was before I fully looked into things.¡± ¡°Looked into what things?¡± ¡°Well, that circles back around to the crux of the matter, doesn¡¯t it? The location of the second, or third, rather, since you five already possess one, subcore.¡± The final word of Shein¡¯s sentence rang silence throughout the room. ¡°We never mentioned that word near you,¡± Carly said. ¡°Ah, yet I know it anyway, don¡¯t I? And so do you, just like I expected.¡± The woman crawled off the other side of the bed, wobbling a bit as she did, but making an effort to project tallness, steadiness. ¡°Don¡¯t try anything,¡± Tira said, standing up from her chair and pulling a knife out of her belt. ¡°I¡¯m not. I meant it when I said I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± Shein walked over to ina, looking at her with that same wry smile she¡¯d wore back at Mirage. That part was her, at least, not the illusion, even if otherwise she looked nothing like herself right now. ¡°I told you I¡¯d tell you the location of another subcore. There¡¯s one at Endrin Academy, probably in one of your rooms, or locked away in Strask¡¯s office.¡± Gods did that pissed ina off. ¡°That is not what you meant, and you know it! You said no trickery, no word magic!¡± ¡°And I gave you neither,¡± Shein said as she fell back onto the bed,ying downpletely this time, a very self satisfied look on her face. ¡°I said I¡¯d tell you the location of another, and I have. Of course, I do know where yet another one is, after all, and I¡¯d be more than happy to divulge the location to a partner.¡± ¡°Partner?¡± Shein shot up again, messy hair framing her grin an eerie manner. ¡°Partners, you and me, ina. I know what a subcore is, because I have eyes and ears in many ces. The details on what exactly they can do are pretty vague, but the description was perfectly clear: a round orb that acts as an Awakening crystal, exactly what we found in the cave when we just so happened to be looking for regr crystals to poach. And rumor has it, there should have been one locked up inside the academy ages ago, one that was never found. The one I know you have.¡± ¡°She knows too much,¡± Tira said, raising the knife and walking forward. ¡°And and a number of my employees do to!¡± Shein said, crawling back across the bed, eyes open wide. ¡°Mille, but others too, ones I won¡¯t name. Try all you like, Strask, but this secret doesn¡¯t die with me.¡± ¡°She still doesn¡¯t know everything,¡± ina said, throwing her arm in front of Tira. ¡°And we¡¯re not done talking.¡± ¡°Exactly, exactly,¡± Shein said, still looking a little panicked as Tira backed off. ¡°And besides I¡¯m not interested in telling anyone, is what I¡¯m trying to say! I don¡¯t want the kingdom getting ahold of these things, else I would have sold them ours a week ago.¡± ¡°They wouldn¡¯t do business with you,¡± Prisma said. ¡°They¡¯d have you arrested and take it!¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t do¡ª Oh, dear, your father is the minister of defense, and you think the government would be above dealing with some low level criminals? That¡¯s honestly very sad.¡± ina thought she was going to have to stop another de from heading towards Shein with the way Prisma¡¯s face scrunched up and went red, but it was Carly thatid a hand on her shoulder first. ¡°I know it¡¯s hard,¡± she said, ¡°but there¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s a lot more that our parents tell us, or that they don¡¯t know in the first ce about what goes on in the government.¡± ¡°Tch! Shein said, shaking her head. ¡°One way of putting it, for sure. But as I was saying, I want these things away from the government, if only because they want them. And the way you all have acted, it seems we¡¯re aligned in that goal.¡± It didn¡¯t sit a hundred percent right with ina. She still doubted she could trust Shein much farther than the range she could use [Restraint], but she still didn¡¯t want to kill the woman, and ying along could avoid that eventuality. ¡°We¡¯ll consider the offer. First, tell us the location, in good faith since you knew that¡¯s what we were expecting when we made the side wager.¡± Shein squinted, ncing into ina¡¯s eyes for a good while before nodding. ¡°Fair enough, fair as things can be while I¡¯m your captive, at any rate. The other subcore I know of is in the capital, beneath Stormshine Castle.¡± Ch 2.92: Collusion Ch 2.92: Collusion ¡°Home?¡± Prisma said, looking over at Shein, not doubt wondering what the n was to do with her at the castle. ¡°Home for the evening,¡± ina said. ¡°Back to the inn.¡± ¡°What?¡± Prisma said, lowering her voice to barely above a whisper. ¡°We¡¯re already out toote, we need to get back sometime!¡± ¡°And we will, tomorrow morning,¡± Tira said. ¡°We¡¯ll be back by breakfast, though it is inconvenient that you don¡¯t have your uniform to go back with¡­¡± ¡°She can borrow mine,¡± Flora said with a wink. ¡°Unless she wants to be the one walking around naked with the clothes illusion?¡± Prisma didn¡¯t respond to that other than by hiding her face as she climbed into the carriage the rest of the girls climbing in as well as Char got the horses ready. ¡°We¡¯re not going to get much sleep tonight, are we?¡± Prisma said. ¡°No,¡± ina replied. ¡°We still have to ¡®watch out¡¯ for her.¡± ¡°Mmhm¡­¡± The party remained mostly in silence as the carriage made its way through the stables, ina focused on maintaining Shein¡¯s level of sedation, the other girls no doubt relishing in the momentary break. By the time they did reach the inn, Carly and Flora were already starting to nod off. ¡°Alright girl¡¯s, here¡¯s your stop.¡± Flora let out a yawn as she looked over at the body leaning against her. ¡°Woah! I see her now!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Tira muttered. ¡°Her aspect on us wore off a while back, but no need to make a stink of it.¡± ¡°She looks just like her though,¡± Flora continued. ¡°ina was right, she is the woman from the forest.¡± ¡°Thanks, Char,¡± ina said, ignoring their conversation and hopping out and running to give her a hug. ¡°I really appreciate it.¡± ¡°No worries,¡± the woman said, taking a look back at Shein as Flora lugged her out. ¡°You sure she¡¯ll be okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll make sure she is.¡± ina honestly wasn¡¯t quite so sure of that, but she was certain she was going to try her best. She knew the dangers that came with leaving her alive, but they had more they needed to learn from her, and ina still didn¡¯t like the idea of executing someone that was defenseless, even if they weren¡¯t innocent. Soon enough though, they were at Castle¡¯s Wake. ina started the process of having Shein wake up, slowly letting up on the amount of chemical restraint she was pumping inside the woman¡¯s body as Carly helped coax her into a state of half-consciousness with [Health], enough that she would walk with her arm slung over Flora¡¯s shoulder That was enough to get them through the doors of the inn and towards the stairs, not drawing too much skepticism from Able as he tended to the night¡¯stest drinkers while they made their way to the rooms they¡¯d reserved for him earlier. ¡°Couple extra girls staying the night with us, ¡°ina said as they started up the stairs. We¡¯ll still just need to two rooms though, and we¡¯ll pay for their food in the morning.¡± ¡°Aye, aye,¡± the man said, waving them off and still barely recognizing they were there, probably about three-quarters as drunk as the most sober patron he was dealing with himself at this time of night. ¡°No worries, just square up for breakfast and we¡¯ll be good.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you said you¡¯d do?¡± Prisma asked as they went up. ¡°Yeah, but the less he thinks about us the better,¡± Tira said. ¡°After all, we still don¡¯t know what we¡¯re going to have to do with her before the night¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Where are we?¡± Shein said, almost as if she recognized being referred to. ¡°¡¯Snot my office, not my room¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, dear,¡± Tira said, giving the woman a pat on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re safe with us.¡± ¡°You¡­ Am I Shein, or the assassin right now? I don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°We¡¯d like to know that too,¡± ina said as Carly opened one of the hallway doors. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe on in, and we¡¯ll figure it out together?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, that¡¯s a good idea. Thanks, ina.¡± Shein was beginning to walk on her own now, making her way to the bed and plopping herself down on it. Tira pulled over a chair from the corner and turned it around, sitting on it in reverse andying her arms over the back. ¡°How long till she can actually talk?¡± she asked. ¡°Right about¡­ now,¡± Carly said. Like light enters a window when curtains are drawn, it entered Shein¡¯s eyes as well. She only took a quarter of a second¡¯s nce around the room before jumping back further on the bed, trying the remove the bracelet from her wrist. ¡°Not gonna work,¡± ina said. ¡°I¡¯m keeping it locked. And you shouldn¡¯t move so suddenly, you¡¯re probably a bit woozy.¡± The woman took stock of her current situation, looking around the room and untensing, sitting up slightly more straight. ¡°Well, if you were going to kill me, you would¡¯ve done it already.¡± ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Tira said. ¡°We have information we need, but we still haven¡¯t decided what to do with you after that.¡± Both Flora and Carly winced at that, though ina did her best not to. Tira was technically right, after all, and it was important Shein feared them. ¡°Nah, information could have been gotten out there. You took me to an inn, which means one of two things. Either this is a party I don¡¯t remember epting the invitation for, or you¡¯ve kidnapped me but n on letting me leave.¡± ¡°Right before the tournament,¡± ina said, trying to avoid that other subject for as long as possible, ¡°you said you knew where another Temmie was. We want to know where, now.¡± Shein shook her head, closing her eyes repeatedly and looking back up. ¡°Did you really kidnap me for that? We already had a deal, I would¡¯ve told you that anyway.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try that card,¡± Tira said. ¡°Your people were the ones who attacked us back at Mirage as soon as we won.¡± ¡°Well, yeah; they thought you¡¯d killed me. I suddenly copse on stage, leaving no chain ofmand? If you had left me conscious at least, I could have had Mille call them off. And then the five of you bowled through the ce, busted a whole in the wall, told the other barkeep I would pay for that for some reason, and kicked the shit out a number of my people. All to steal something I would¡¯ve just given you anyway!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true,¡± ina said. ¡°You faked it being on stage when you were hiding it the whole time!¡± ¡°Yeah, to keep it safe. I knew you all would probably pull a stunt like that even if you lost, so I needed a decoy.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Carly asked, drawing all attention to herself and blushing for a second before she continued. ¡°Your aspect, Sense, Perception, Sight? It can¡¯t be thest one really, since you affect the way people sense with their own aspects too.¡± Shein rolled her eyes. ¡°Cat¡¯s out on how it works, so I guess telling you the name doesn¡¯t matter much. Yeah, it¡¯s Perception.¡± ina was pretty sure she saw Carly pumping a fist at that answer. ¡°So, you made the entire room see a fake orb, and altered our perception specifically of your office painting just in case we went in there?¡± ¡°Yeah, but I didn¡¯t realize the Fireguard girl was actually working with you too. Should¡¯ve probably done the entire audience just to be safe, but it would¡¯ve taken so much mana to do that¡­¡± ¡°Mana that could be spent on dolling yourself up?¡± Tira asked. ¡°Oh please, that¡¯s light work,¡± Shein said. ¡°And having two faces is so very useful in my lines of work.¡± ¡°You said you never wanted to hurt us,¡± ina interjected. ¡°But you tried to kill Carly in the cave.¡± There was the slightest hint of shame, just a small nce to the corner as she responded. ¡°I meant since then. I saw your uniforms, knew you were there on a mission to hunt us, thought I was just killing government dogs, protecting my people. That was before I fully looked into things.¡± ¡°Looked into what things?¡± ¡°Well, that circles back around to the crux of the matter, doesn¡¯t it? The location of the second, or third, rather, since you five already possess one, subcore.¡± The final word of Shein¡¯s sentence rang silence throughout the room. ¡°We never mentioned that word near you,¡± Carly said. ¡°Ah, yet I know it anyway, don¡¯t I? And so do you, just like I expected.¡± The woman crawled off the other side of the bed, wobbling a bit as she did, but making an effort to project tallness, steadiness. ¡°Don¡¯t try anything,¡± Tira said, standing up from her chair and pulling a knife out of her belt. ¡°I¡¯m not. I meant it when I said I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± Shein walked over to ina, looking at her with that same wry smile she¡¯d wore back at Mirage. That part was her, at least, not the illusion, even if otherwise she looked nothing like herself right now. ¡°I told you I¡¯d tell you the location of another subcore. There¡¯s one at Endrin Academy, probably in one of your rooms, or locked away in Strask¡¯s office.¡± Gods did that pissed ina off. ¡°That is not what you meant, and you know it! You said no trickery, no word magic!¡± ¡°And I gave you neither,¡± Shein said as she fell back onto the bed,ying downpletely this time, a very self satisfied look on her face. ¡°I said I¡¯d tell you the location of another, and I have. Of course, I do know where yet another one is, after all, and I¡¯d be more than happy to divulge the location to a partner.¡± ¡°Partner?¡± Shein shot up again, messy hair framing her grin an eerie manner. ¡°Partners, you and me, ina. I know what a subcore is, because I have eyes and ears in many ces. The details on what exactly they can do are pretty vague, but the description was perfectly clear: a round orb that acts as an Awakening crystal, exactly what we found in the cave when we just so happened to be looking for regr crystals to poach. And rumor has it, there should have been one locked up inside the academy ages ago, one that was never found. The one I know you have.¡± ¡°She knows too much,¡± Tira said, raising the knife and walking forward. ¡°And and a number of my employees do to!¡± Shein said, crawling back across the bed, eyes open wide. ¡°Mille, but others too, ones I won¡¯t name. Try all you like, Strask, but this secret doesn¡¯t die with me.¡± ¡°She still doesn¡¯t know everything,¡± ina said, throwing her arm in front of Tira. ¡°And we¡¯re not done talking.¡± ¡°Exactly, exactly,¡± Shein said, still looking a little panicked as Tira backed off. ¡°And besides I¡¯m not interested in telling anyone, is what I¡¯m trying to say! I don¡¯t want the kingdom getting ahold of these things, else I would have sold them ours a week ago.¡± ¡°They wouldn¡¯t do business with you,¡± Prisma said. ¡°They¡¯d have you arrested and take it!¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t do¡ª Oh, dear, your father is the minister of defense, and you think the government would be above dealing with some low level criminals? That¡¯s honestly very sad.¡± ina thought she was going to have to stop another de from heading towards Shein with the way Prisma¡¯s face scrunched up and went red, but it was Carly thatid a hand on her shoulder first. ¡°I know it¡¯s hard,¡± she said, ¡°but there¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s a lot more that our parents tell us, or that they don¡¯t know in the first ce about what goes on in the government.¡± ¡°Tch! Shein said, shaking her head. ¡°One way of putting it, for sure. But as I was saying, I want these things away from the government, if only because they want them. And the way you all have acted, it seems we¡¯re aligned in that goal.¡± It didn¡¯t sit a hundred percent right with ina. She still doubted she could trust Shein much farther than the range she could use [Restraint], but she still didn¡¯t want to kill the woman, and ying along could avoid that eventuality. ¡°We¡¯ll consider the offer. First, tell us the location, in good faith since you knew that¡¯s what we were expecting when we made the side wager.¡± Shein squinted, ncing into ina¡¯s eyes for a good while before nodding. ¡°Fair enough, fair as things can be while I¡¯m your captive, at any rate. The other subcore I know of is in the capital, beneath Stormshine Castle.¡± Ch 2.93: Cash Ch 2.93: Cash ¡°No!¡± the chorus rang in ina¡¯s ears, from Carly, Prisma, and even Flora. ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± Shein said, looking in between the trio and ina. ¡°Wait, are you with the capital?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Flora said, conflict in her voice and manner both. ¡°Do you have any idea what you¡¯re suggesting? There are dozens, hundred of guards on the castle grounds at any time, any number of high ranking officials with aspects as strong as ours even with¡ª¡± ¡°Even with us being Endrin students,¡± Tira said, stepping on Flora¡¯s foot. ¡°And not to mention the king himself, the crown prince too. We wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.¡± ¡°Is the king really that strong though?¡± ina asked. She wasn¡¯t arguing that the idea as a whole sounded good, not even that it sounded possible, but they had sses now. The king was supposed to be strong, but shouldn¡¯t they be beyond that, or close, at least? ¡°More than you could know,¡± Prisma said. ¡°My father¡¯s there often too, Waine¡¯s father, all the ministers and generals. It¡¯s not even a remote possibility we could win in a fight.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± Temmie buzzed in the corner, though ina couldn¡¯t exactly engage her in conversation in front of Shein. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about fighting them,¡± Shein said. ¡°Surely you know that¡¯s not my style? Imagine what we could do, your connections and knowledge, my supportwork and aspect.¡± For all their protestations earlier, that did actually cause the rest of the party to consider the idea. ¡°There¡¯s still no way,¡± ina said. ¡°It¡¯s going to be hidden, just like¡­ the others. We can¡¯t just go in with no idea of where it is.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s where Ie in, with myriad spies and others at my disposal, I can narrow things down.¡± ¡°How?¡± Tira said still obviously not convinced in either the n or Shein as a person. ¡°There are tunnels, secret passages in the castle that are hundreds, thousands of years old even. Escape routes, storage, dungeons, most left untouched for generations. There are still patrols down there, but that isn¡¯t a problem with me by your side, and I have a lead on getting a map to them. It¡¯s not going to have a giant ¡®X¡¯ on the subcore, but it¡¯s a start. Reference that with patrol routes, find the ces nobody goes anymore, and suddenly we have a much better start at things.¡± ¡°How long?¡± ina asked. Shein thought to herself for a moment then shrugged. ¡°Months. Longer, perhaps. These aren¡¯t fast moving things. I only heard about the subcore stuff so quickly because it was such a big fuss that everyone in the know has heard of it at this point.¡± Tira shook her head. ¡°Months is too long. Even if this stuff could¡¯ve been figured out in a week, that¡¯s far too long to let her live.¡± Let her live. Tira wasn¡¯t beating around the bush anymore. ¡°Now hold on,¡± Shein said, shaking her head at the turn the conversation had taken. ¡°What danger am I at this point? You have your subcore, you have the same level of information I have.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t kill her,¡± Flora added, stepping in between Tira and Shein, even though the former wasn¡¯t making any overt threats. ¡°Not like this, not defenseless. If it happens in battle, it¡¯s one thing, but this¡­¡± It seemed a three person argument, Prisma and Carly both looking on with apprehension, though neither taking a side. ina herself, she didn¡¯t know what to say either. ¡°I could¡¯ve killed you when you entered the building,¡± Shein said. ¡°Could¡¯ve done anything, yet you all trusted I wouldn¡¯t go that far then, right?¡± ¡°Only cause you wanted something from us. But now that you can¡¯t get it your way, what¡¯s to stop you from trying to take it by force? Like you did barely an hour ago?¡± Shein¡¯s eyes narrowed, the sides bing points that ina was almost worried could cut. ¡°I came unarmed, trying to get the subcore back as leverage. Was that theft? Yes, that¡¯s one of my tools, a tool I was willing to use to level the field and get back to a state where we could negotiate on more equal terms, but we wouldn¡¯t have gotten there in the first ce if you lot hadn¡¯t made me copse on stage. Gods, I told you before my people thought I was dead, but I was pretty sure I was dying myself too!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make the decision,¡± ina said, turning all eyes in the room towards her. ¡°Unless we want to make it a vote, but it doesn¡¯t seem like Prisma or Carly have anything they want to add, so I¡¯ll be the decider. It¡¯s obvious neither of you two are going to change your minds, but I still haven¡¯t decided yet.¡± Neither Flora nor Tira seemed to back down at first, and Carly kept her head low. The first response was from Prisma, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t think I really should have a say anyway.¡± ¡°ina,¡± Tira said. ¡°Killing doesn¡¯t even have to be it. We can hold her somewhere, you can keep her locked up. There¡¯s plenty of ces we could keep her captive.¡± ¡°Or just turn her in,¡± Flora said. ¡°The town guard are still looking for her, and¡ª¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter,¡± ina said. ¡°The real danger is how much she knows, not what she can do to us. Giving her over to the guards is probably the worst thing we can do, honestly.¡± She walked over, Flora stepping out of the way as she stood in front of Shein, looked directly in her eyes. ¡°Tell me, why did you want to kill us when you thought we were ¡®dogs¡¯ of the kingdom, as you said. Why then, but not now?¡± Shein took a moment, but wasn¡¯t thinking about her answer, ina knew. She was confused by the question itself, the motive behind it, why that mattered. ¡°Because Endrin is usually full of noble shits, people looking to get ahead for themselves at any cost, or help the throne at any cost for the glory and prestige, so long as it doesn¡¯t hurt them, of course. I thought the same of your group for a while, honestly. ¡°That¡¯s not who you are though, at least. Strask too, murderous intentions aside. It¡¯s honestly rare, cause the non-noble students are often the worst about it, I find, but you two are different. Your exhibitionist friend here is mostly in your camp, Forsythe is halfway there. The only one I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve made a great deal of progress with there is Fireguard here.¡± Prisma looked offended at thatment, visibly bit her lip, but she didn¡¯t retort. ¡°We¡¯re not going to give you any of the subcores,¡± ina said. ¡°If that¡¯s what you think this rtionship is going to be, tell me now.¡± Shein did wrinkle her nose at that, but eventually she sighed and nodded. ¡°I suppose I have lost so thoroughly that I should expect that. Tell me, these aren¡¯t just valuable as trinkets, are they? They do something, something dangerous, powerful.¡± ina didn¡¯t answer verbally, but a quick nce back at her party was all it took to have Shein nodding again. ¡°I thought so, from the sounds of it. I can¡¯t take on this venture with no payment with how much I¡¯m risking, how many favors and debts I¡¯d rue making it, but it honestly sounds like the subcores are more trouble than they¡¯re worth, at least for me. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s plenty of ways to make a trip to the castle worth my while though, so if you let me loot whatever else I can, we can do this together still. I¡¯ll pay off my debts, recoup my investments, and maybe make a little profit, and we both get that orb out from under King Stormshine¡¯s nose. Otherwise, I have to take back my offer, regardless of the consequences. I¡¯d rather die at your hands than those of capital-level loan sharks, I¡¯m sure.¡± ina had made her choice. ¡°She lives. We¡¯ll take turns keeping watch over her tonight, won¡¯t let her out of our sight. Tomorrow I¡¯ll chain her to something in here while we leave, and it¡¯ll dissipate a bit after we¡¯re gone.¡± Flora and Tira both sighed, though ina was pretty sure only one was in relief. ¡°I¡¯ll keep first watch,¡± the former said. Tira looked angry, not necessarily the angriest ina had seen her, but what was shocking was who she was angry at. Not Shein, not Flora, but ina herself. For a moment ina thought the gritted teeth, red face and intense eyes were going to overflow, that shouting was about to start, but eventually she just said, ¡°Watch her bracelet, at all times. We need to tie her up too just in case.¡± ina sighed at that, too finally feeling like it was over. It wasn¡¯t, not technically, but they¡¯d already managed to keep Shein tied up through the night once before in the forest, so she wasn¡¯t worried about that. ¡°Uhm, question,¡± Prisma eventually said, looking around. ¡°If there¡¯s only two rooms like this, and one bed in each, how are we going to sleep?¡± Ch 2.94: Out Ch 2.94: Out ina was, in a word, disappointed. The sleeping arrangements did make perfect sense, of course. It stood to reason that ina and Carly should be in the same room as Shein since they could both help sedate her to some extent, also that they should both stay asleep to preserve their alertness. Not that I¡¯m getting any sleep anyway. She¡¯d imagined though, when Prisma asked how sleeping arrangements would work, that it might work out that they slept together in the same room, in the same bed. Not like that would even mean anything. That wasn¡¯t how it happened though, Tira offering up a genuinely sensible rotation, her and Flora taking turns on watch duty, trading turns in the other room that Prisma would stay in. Flora taking first watch over Shein meant that Tira and Prisma were in there now, sharing the same bed. There was no idea what they were doing in there, what they were wearing, what they weren¡¯t wearing. Gods, why does my mind even go there? She knew it wouldn¡¯t be something like that. Cause¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be, right? Who knew though; Prisma was a type of masochist as well, ina was naked herself since she didn¡¯t have anything to wear other than her ss gear, so Prisma would be in the same boat. It¡¯s fine though, they can do that if they want. And that was true, mostly. Tira and her certainly weren¡¯t exclusive, and Prisma, well, ina had no say over what she did, who she did it with, and when she did it. Still, something felt wrong about that, Tira and Prisma together, at least¡­ not if ina wasn¡¯t there. For the first time, at least. The first time? Still getting ahead of herself. From what ina could tell, Tira still hated Prisma, and Prisma hadn¡¯t even fully agreed to keep the System a secret, much less join the party, and even less so to anything¡­ more. And she¡¯s still engaged to Waine too, regardless. ina¡¯s thoughts came to a halt, her mind diverted as light poured into the room from the hallway, heavy footstepsing in. ina opened her eyes, seeing a still sleeping Carly as she did her best to subtly turn and see Tira walking in. Except it wasn¡¯t Tira, but Prisma instead, still wearing her own ss gear. ¡°Not the relief I was expecting,¡± Flora whispered. ¡°She¡¯s asleep,¡± Prisma replied. ¡°Doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m here. I just thought that, well, maybe we could take three shifts, you know? Lighten the load on you two a little?¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± Flora mused, a yful lift in her voice. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it that you weren¡¯t even sure if you wanted to be a part of this yet? Seems awful strange for you toe here offering to take a watch position. Maybe I should wake up our illustrious leader and see what she has to say about it?¡± ¡°No!¡± Prisma said in her best half-whisper, half-shout. ¡°Don¡¯t bother her, I¡¯ll just go back and¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m awake,¡± ina said, sitting up and holding the nket to her chest. Carly still didn¡¯t stir, rolled a little as ina sat up, but seemingly remained asleep. ¡°Huh, she really can sleep through anything, huh?¡± ¡°Just about anything except daylight,¡± Flora said, standing up from the chair. ¡°Tira would have my ass if I let Prisma take an actual watch shift, but I am a little cramped. Maybe you two could watch the lump together while I go stretch my legs in the hall a bit?¡± Flora was already walking out, leaving no time for either ina or Prisma to respond in either the affirmative or negative, closing the door behind herself and leaving them in the dimly lit room, only the flickeringntern lighting them up. Prisma didn¡¯t look at ina, instead sitting in Flora¡¯s chair, staring at Shein sitting against the corner. The casino owner, organized crime boss, two-faced aspect wielder had her eyes closed, but ina knew that couldn¡¯t be trusted. They had two bracelets on her now, just in case, her hands bound with rope tied over them, but Prisma was right to keep an eye on her; they couldn¡¯t becent. ina didn¡¯t care about Shein right now though. ¡°What¡¯re you really doing here?¡± Prisma ignored her for a bit, leaving ina sitting there while she maintained watch, though she did eventually reply. ¡°We got interrupted before. Didn¡¯t get to finish our talk.¡± ¡°Prisma, that¡¯s¡­ This isn¡¯t really the ce for that. There¡¯s still too much to talk about, stuff we can¡¯t say in front of her, stuff that¡ª¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have to, cause I have my answer. I¡¯ll keep everything a secret, as long as I don¡¯t discover a reason not to, but I¡¯m not joining your party.¡± It cut. Words weren¡¯t supposed to be able to do that, but they did nheless, as easily as if Prisma had a skill to make it so. ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°You said it yourself. We can¡¯t go into specifics in presentpany, but that¡¯s my answer.¡± ina gripped the bedsheets, hands wanting to rip them apart. ¡°You¡¯re doing this on purpose, telling me now so I can¡¯t fight back.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s my choice. You don¡¯t have a right to fight back, but you always do¡­¡± Gods was ina mad. At Prisma? At the world? At herself? She didn¡¯t know, but she knew she wanted to scream. ¡°You¡¯re not making that choice on your own. You said it yourself, on the night of the attack.¡± ¡°ina! You can¡¯t talk about that!¡± ¡°Why, you think she doesn¡¯t know? Yeah, she¡¯s awake, yeah, maybe I¡¯ve woken Carly up too, but who cares? You said you chose me, that you would give up on Waine, on everything else. Why not now, when it makes so much more sense? When you know everything.¡± Prisma¡¯s stoicism was infuriating. She was always like that, emotional one moment, ina feeling like they were finally connecting, and then¡­ this, her sitting there, staring off into the corner without even making eye contact, ignoring everything that actually mattered. ¡°That¡¯s the worst part of you, you know?¡± ina said. Prisma¡¯s head actually snapped towards her, mouth agape. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You sit there and pretend like things are fine, when you know they¡¯re not. You pretend like we never could¡¯ve been friends, even when we were, if only for a couple hours. You pretend like Waine is fine to be around, when you hate every second with him. You pretend like when we were up there tonight, that you didn¡¯t know how right it felt, us together, like the rest of the world didn¡¯t exist in that moment. All you do is pretend!¡± ina could feel the warm tears streaming down her face, plopping onto the nket below, could see Carly stirring out the corner of her eye, certainly awake now, could even see Shein peaking out of the corner of her own eye. She didn¡¯t care about any of that right now though, only Prisma. ¡°I¡¯m good at pretending,¡± she said as she stood up from the chair. ¡°Too good, and I don¡¯t want to keep doing it to you. Yes, I know all those things. Yes, you¡¯re more than an acquaintance to me. No, I don¡¯t know what that is, and yes, that scares me. But I have obligations, ones I made before I met you. ¡°There¡¯s one thing that isn¡¯t pretend though; I can¡¯t look at you without feeling terrible. Every moment we share, in the street, at school, up on that stage¡­ It¡¯s tainted because of what I did to you before. I can¡¯t pretend that didn¡¯t happen, that I deserve to be around you, that you deserve to have to be around me.¡± Bootsteps knocked on the floor as Prisma walked away, piercing through the silence of the room until she opened the door. Flora was just on the other side, looking down. ¡°You can have your watch back,¡± Prisma said, stepping across the hall and towards the other room, one final door opening, one final door closing. ina threw her face into the pillow. Ch 2.95: Counting Ch 2.95: Counting The sun rose. ina ignored it. Carly and Tira were talking. Flora and Prisma were absent from the sound of it. ina wanted nothing more right then than to sleep. It wouldn¡¯te. ¡°Should we wake her up?¡± Flora said. ¡°I don¡¯t know. She didn¡¯t sleep well, really. Tossed and turned all night.¡± ina supposed that meant she had eventually fallen asleep. It didn¡¯t feel like it. ¡°I didn¡¯t really mean to hear, didn¡¯t hear the beginning, but they were so loud at the end¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I wasn¡¯t awake for the whole thing either¡­¡± ina finally realized they were whispering. The probably thought she couldn¡¯t hear even if she was awake. Her earing had gotten marginally better since Level 3 happened though. The door opened. Tira¡¯s boots, not Prisma¡¯s, walked across the wood floor. ¡°What the fuck, Flora? Did you stay up all night?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not hard for me, just a little mana to push away the drowsiness.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the bitch? I wanted to have a word with her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡± Carly said. ¡°She¡¯s not with you?¡± ¡°No.¡± The one chair in the room scraped across the floor. That meant Tira was the one sitting in it. ¡°I remember her getting up, figured she was going to the bathroom, but then I fell back asleep. She was gone when I woke up.¡± ¡°Must¡¯ve gone back to school,¡± Carly said. ¡°In the middle of the night?¡± Tira asked. ¡°She broke up with your illustrious leader,¡± a new voice said. Who? Shein. Right. ¡°They had a falling out over the dumbest things it sounded like, and then she stormed off.¡± ¡°Hmmph!¡± Tira said. ¡°Maybe she has more sense than I thought. If she¡¯s gone though, that¡¯s fine enough for me. Good riddance.¡± ina shuffled under the sheets. She didn¡¯t want to hear Tira talk like that right now. She didn¡¯t want to wake up to stop her either. The rest of the room was silent for a moment. ¡°Should we wake her?¡± Tira eventually asked. ¡°Already had that conversation. Carly says she didn¡¯t sleep well, so we were gonna let her be for a bit.¡± ¡°Well, we can¡¯t really let Shein go without ina up to make sure she doesn¡¯t try anything.¡± ¡°You know that I¡¯m not going to do that, right? Again, if I wanted you dead, I could have done it anytime before I copsed yesterday. Even drugged, I could¡¯ve had Mille or someone else try it while I made them invisible to you.¡± ¡°You know more now., could¡¯ve just been waiting for information. I still think ina and Flora are wrong to trust you.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t trust you to make a watch shift!¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one you can trust! ina made a decision, and I¡¯ll follow her, even if I don¡¯t agree.¡± ¡°Oh, but not about the Fireguard girl?¡± Shein asked. ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± ina had had enough. ¡°Morning,¡± she said, rising up, pressing the sheets to her chest still. ¡°Oh, uhm, good morning,¡± Carly said, turning her head away. She really wasn¡¯t good about hiding guilt. ina waved her hand at Shein, creating a blindfold over the woman¡¯s head and causing her to shake violently. ¡°Hey, what gives!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t want you watching me get dressed,¡± ina said, standing up and conjuring her ss gear back to her. ¡°I¡¯ve seen everything already, you know,¡± Shein said with a smirk. ¡°But I suppose I haven¡¯t seen you put clothes back on, so you can keep that bit of modesty, I guess.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± ina said, letting the blindfold disappear, realizing that she apparently considered a blindfold a type of restraint. Makes sense. ¡°I¡¯m untying you as well, but the bracelets are staying on.¡± ¡°Right, right,¡± Shein said as the ropes uncoiled around her. ¡°So, how do we send her back?¡± Tira said. ¡°I¡¯ll lock her bracelets on her with enough mana tost an hour or so,¡± ina said. ¡°They¡¯re not big, so that¡¯s not that bad. Then I guess we just send her off while we go catch our ride.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me!¡± Flora said. ¡°Is she eating breakfast with us?¡± ina thought Tira¡¯s eyes might actually fall out of her head with how far they popped out at that question. ¡°I could go for some coffee, honestly,¡± Shein said. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± ina said with a shrug. ¡°Why not.¡± Tira and Carly packed up the rest of their stuff as ina stretched, Flora still keeping an eye on Shein before they all went down together. ¡°Morning, Able!¡± Flora said as they walked down. ¡°Morning, girls,¡± he said. He seemed surprisinglyposed for how drunk and how upte he was the night before. He had to have gotten less sleep than them, but was probably just used to it. The inn¡¯s sitting area was mostly empty, just two people drinking some hot drink in the corner. Most sane people are asleep right now. ¡°I thought I remembered hearing something about someone extra staying with you,¡± Able said as he came out with five steaming mugs, a dark liquid ina wasn¡¯t really familiar with inside. ¡°Coffee!¡± Shein said, taking one of the cups and immediately bringing it to her lips, no doubt scalding her throat. ¡°Thank the gods, and you, Able.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it! I¡¯ll let my wife know to have food out in just a bit. And no worries about the extra person, your room fee covers it.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± Carly asked, reaching for her purse. ¡°It¡¯s really fine.¡± ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Carly looked like she wanted to protest more, but he was already gone. ¡°I¡¯ll just leave a few copper on the table,¡± she said. ¡°Hmmph!¡± Shein said. ¡°You lot really aren¡¯t like the Endrin brats I¡¯m used to.¡± Breakfast was mostly a silent affair after that, aside from Able¡¯s trips backs for refills and small talk. ina ignored that, focused instead on the hole inside her stomach. Coffee was interesting, a little more bitter than tea, but very ptable once their porridge topped with an egg and bacon came out, the creaminess helping temper the sting of the coffee. And for some reason, by the time they finished eating, ina was feeling more awake. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go ahead and get this over with,¡± Shein said. ¡°Since you¡¯re all kicking me out so unceremoniously.¡± ¡°We fed you breakfast, for gods¡¯ sake!¡± Tira said as they all stood up. ina couldn¡¯t help but notice Carly putting five whole copper pieces on the table as they walked out. That was way more than what breakfast for one would be, surely, but there was no reason to mention it really. ¡°So, I just walk home, and in an hour I can take off my bracelets?¡± Shein asked as they stepped outside. ¡°Yep,¡± ina said, making the quick thought in her mind, locking some of her mana into the bracelets. Shein sighed. ¡°Fine, then. You¡¯ll be in touch, I presume?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be watching,¡± Tira said. ¡°And we¡¯ll contact you when and if we need to.¡± ¡°Ooh, ominous! Ta ta for now, darlings,¡± Shein said as she walked away, hips shaking in¡­ Gods, even without her ¡°made up¡± face and body, the woman was still attractive. ¡°Alright,¡± ina said, trying to purge that though from her mind. ¡°Let¡¯s get walking.¡± ¡°You sure this is going to work?¡± Tira said. ¡°I told you, Carly and I did it once before. And Temmie says she can do it again, basically whenever we get a new subcore.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± It wasn¡¯t long before they reached their predetermined spot, a thin alley on a small street, not much traffic on one of the weekend days. ¡°Coast is clear, Temmie. Go ahead.¡± ¡°Affirmative.¡± It still caught ina by surprise, the suction-like feeling of being ripped off of the ground, through the air. It was over quickly though, a sh of light as they were suddenly back in the grove¡¯s cave just on the outskirts of the school grounds. ¡°That was awesome!¡± Flora said, looking around and feeling herself, as if she wasn¡¯t sure her own body was real. ¡°I¡¯m going to vomit,¡± Tira replied, dropping to one knee. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re fine!¡± Carly said, rushing over and cing her hands on Tira¡¯s back. ina let out a sigh. It was a lot, but they were back. As she turned to the bag they¡¯d left in the cave with their spare uniforms in it though, swirling crystal dust started spinning around her, like she was putting on her ss gear. But she was already wearing that, so what was this? Ch 2.96: ? Winnings Ch 2.96: ? Winnings [Armory Subsystem Activated] Users ina Weaver, Carline Forsythe, Tira Strask are eligible for either weapon upgrade or armor bequeathment. User Florence Stouth is eligible for either armor upgrade or weapon bequeathment. The crystal dust was hanging around ina, suspended in the air. Even though the System notification was for everyone though, there wasn¡¯t anything on the other girls. ¡°Temmie, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Now that you are back on school grounds, the mission to retrieve the third subcore is considered sessful. Since you regained ess to the Armory subsystem with the previously retrieved subcore, you may now guide the gear enhancement of the party.¡± ¡°What¡¯s she talking about?¡± Tira asked. ¡°ss gear, change into it,¡± ina said, waving her hand through the dust. It scattered at her touch, though she didn¡¯t feal it at all, and the scattered portions reformed as quickly as they had dispersed. ¡°Don¡¯t have to tell me twice,¡± Flora said, doing a spin and singing her song. As she transformed, the crystal powder surrounding her didn¡¯tpletely disappear like usual, instead hanging like a cloud like ina¡¯s. ¡°Hey, get this off me!¡± she said, trying to wave through it. ¡°It¡¯s covering me up!¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s the point,¡± Tira said, crossing her arms and changing herself. Carly was doing so as well next to her. The clouds hung over them as well. ¡°You¡¯ll finally have something you can actually use in a fight with the general public.¡± ¡°I did finest night.¡± ¡°Give me a sec,¡± ina said, focusing on the System message. The options given to her made it seem that Flora would get a weapon like the other four of them if ina chose that option for her. And they would receive¡­ something like Flora¡¯s headband? That could be bad. Or good¡­ Best to banish thoughts like that from her mind though, she decided. Tira was right about how inconvenient Flora¡¯s ¡°outfit¡± was. That wasn¡¯t the only thing bothering her though. ¡°Temmie, what about Prisma? She¡¯s not on the list.¡± ¡°Prisma Fireguard is currently considered an inactive System User.¡± ¡°What, why? Change her to active! She can still help out if there¡¯s another attack on the school, would still help!¡± ¡°Negative. Her own actions have resulted in her current status. It is not a conscious choice made by me to ssify her as such, just a fact that she is not an active member of your party, and as such cannot be considered an active User.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Tira said, ¡°so does she not have her skills and everything?¡± ¡°As of right now, Miss Fireguard still possess her skills even as an inactive member, unless ina chooses to revoke her ss entirely. She simply cannot gain levels or System gear in her current status.¡± Tira looked deep in thought as they were told that, but ina wasn¡¯t interested in discussing the matter further. ¡°Whatever. We¡¯re all getting new ss gear, apparently. Weapon upgrades or new armor for us three, armor upgrade or a new weapon for Flora.¡± ¡°I like my armor though,¡± Flora said, hands raising up to clutch her headband. Gods, with her like that, barely covered by a transparent plume of crystal, it was somehow worse than if she waspletely naked. Something about how she was almost hidden, but not quite¡­ Focus. ¡°Fine, Temmie, give her the weapon.¡± Armory choice for Flora Stouth epted. Equipment dispersal pending uponpletion of 3 other choices. ¡°Still just this stupid dust,¡± Flora said, waving her hand through it again, scattering as much as she could. ¡°I need to make the other three choices too, apparently,¡± ina said, grabbing at her dress. It wasn¡¯t the most modest thing, but the thought of it turning into something like Flora¡¯s¡­ That was a new level of distracting. ¡°Uhm, I don¡¯t¡ª don¡¯t want armor like Flora¡¯s,¡± Carly said, clutching her staff like she was hiding behind it. ¡°Yeah, me either¡­¡± Tira added with an almost whisper, a light blush showing through her dark skin. ¡°Temmie, is the armor¡­ Is that going to make us naked?¡± ina asked. ¡°I do not know. Subsystems are handled automatically with the guidance of the Administrator. It is simr to how your circtory system is handled by your brain, but not something you are consciously aware of.¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina said, doing her best to pretend she knew what that meant. ¡°Well¡­ can you guess?¡± ¡°It would surprise me if all of your outfits were as revealing and Flora¡¯s. That is not typical, and hers fits her ss.¡± ina looked over to Tira and Carly, shrugging. ¡°I think getting armor at all is better than upgrading what we do have, right?¡± ¡°Uhm, if you say so¡­¡± Carly said. Tira just bowed her head. ¡°Armor for the rest of it,¡± ina said, wincing, bracing herself for what mighte next. Armory choices for ina Weaver, Carline Forsythe, Tira Strask epted. Equipment dispersalmencing. The swirls of crystal sped up, faster than ever. ina¡¯s dress began to change, glowing like it does when she first equips it, but only in small ces, the hem, the frilly,ce sleeves, morphing into a new shape as the light from the changes filled the entire cave with dim blue light. [Armory Subsystem Deactivated] [Returning to normal progression] [Tira Strask has reached Level 3] Skill Gained: [Sub-Training] - Rank 1 - Active - User may expend mana to coerce someone who has been the target of [Domineering Presence] to obey hermands. The level of effect is determined by how much the target has been affected by [Domineering Presence] as well as the targets will power and the perceived reasonableness of themand. Skill Enhanced: [Pain Management] - Rank 3 - Active - User may expend mana to increase or decrease pain caused by wounds inflicted by objects affected by User¡¯s {Environmental Targeting} aspects a {great} amount. [Florence Stouth has reached Level 3] Skill Gained: [Extroverted Personality] - Rank 1 - Passive - User¡¯s Active skills are more mana efficient the more people there are currently perceiving her. Skill Enhanced: [All Natural] - Rank 3 - Passive - User receives a power bonus of {x2.5} to all aspects when not covered by any armor or clothing. By the time that information had finished processing in her head, their outfits were changed, all except Flora anyway. And then the information kepting [ina Weaver has been granted a new armor piece] [Revealing Dress]: A slutty blue dress that takes damage for the User. User still experiences pain rted to any damage absorbed. ¡°A what?¡± ina said out loud, looking down at herself. It was a lot more simr to her old dress than she thought it would be, the sleeves gone, now with two ribbonsing up from the ¡°cups¡± of the dress, if you could call them that. They were mostly just triangles, providing practically no support, the ribbonsing up and tying around her neck. Like before, she could tell there was no underwear, but the hem seemed frilled now, just ornamentation, ornamentation that happened to shorten it, by the looks of things. And it¡­ takes damage for me? [Carline Forsythe has been granted a new armor piece] [Healer¡¯s Gown]: A white gown befitting a noble healer. When the cloth from this gown is draped over a wound, all User¡¯s aspects receive a {x2} power bonus to affect the wound. Again, not terrible different from herst piece of ss gear, thought this one certainly had some changes. Carly had a v-shaped neckline now, no moreplete modesty on her chest, though it wasn¡¯t nearly as revealing as ina¡¯s own dress. ina was also pretty sure the slits that were already revealing on the old version were higher as well, wider too. Gods, why does she feel the need to hide herself, ina thought as she saw Carly closing her arms over her chest. [Tira Strask has been granted a new armor piece] [Boss¡¯s Bodysuit]: A leather striped-bodysuit with an imposing look. Grants User the ability to sense how close enemies are to physical and mental breakpoints inbat. It was maybe the outfit with the smallest changes on a physical level, but that didn¡¯t mean there wasn¡¯t anything new to look at. It was still the same high-waisted, leather-striped one piece, the leather alternating with bits of sheer fabric, but the stripe¡¯s had changed just slightly. Before, they were about even, maybe the leather being slightlyrger, but now it was reversed, the sheer panels taking up more of the space on the garment. In the fading light of dissipating crystal, ina could just barely make out Tira¡¯s are peaking out from behind the leather. Tira had that wonderfully cute blush again as she looked down, but she didn¡¯t make any attempt to cover herself. ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t too different, I guess.¡± [Flora Stouth has been granted a new weapon] [Snake Vines]: Thorned vines that are considered part of the User for the purposes of aspect targeting. Even though it was ssified as a weapon, it was as much an outfit change as the rest of them had had, and the name was an apt descriptor. It was a series of coiling vines running up and down Flora¡¯s entire body, vines that conspicuously avoided providing any cover on Flora¡¯s chest, instead framing her modest breasts like a frame, and while they snaked down her hips and around her thighs, her crotch was uncovered as well. ¡°You know, I think I¡¯m technically more covered, but I actually don¡¯t mind it,¡± Flora said with a giddy smile as she twirled around, punching and kicking the air with her new, spiky fists and feet. Ass still isn¡¯t covered either, ina noted. It was all way, way too much. Not the System information, not the levels or the details of the ss gear, but here ina was, standing in front of three of the most beautiful girls she¡¯d ever seen, all dressed in quite frankly the most ludicrous, ridiculous, iprehensibly hot outfits she¡¯d ever seen any of them in. ¡°Hey, uhm, do we want to go back to Tira¡¯s room and hang out a bit?¡± she asked. Tira winced, the first response, biting her lip. ¡°I have watch duty. Like, now. I already had to call in a couple favors to getst night covered, and I need to make sure thing¡¯s didn¡¯t go to shit while I was gone.¡± ¡°I have a shift in the infirmary,¡± Carly said, head downcast. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± ina said, turning to Flora. ¡°Then¡ª¡± Flora¡¯s face was the most guilty looking of them all, no doubt feeling the pressure from the two that already had declined. ¡°I¡¯m barely awake right now after staying up all night. I kinda pulled an all nighter the night before cause I had homework to do as well, so I¡¯m not gonna be much fun to hang out with right now. ¡°Right, of course,¡± ina said. ¡°Maybeter?¡± It won¡¯t be the same though. ¡°I¡¯m free at dinner,¡± Tira said. ¡°Me too!¡± Carly added, maybe a bit overenthusiastically. ¡°Yeah, I should be good after a nap!¡± Flora said. ina gave as much of a smile as she could muster, but she knew what she was hoping for wasn¡¯t going to happenter. They¡¯d probably eat together, have a nice time, but there was something they were missing out on if they didn¡¯t act right now, a chance she wasn¡¯t sure she was going to get again anytime soon. Someday, hopefully. ¡°All right, at dinner then.¡± The four of them hurriedly put on the spare uniforms they¡¯d stored in the cave before heading back. They didn¡¯t talk much, all seemed to be about as out of it as Flora was. It had been a long night, and they all had woken up at sunrise after all. Maybe a nap sounds good for me too, ina though. But there were thoughts, images of three other girls, and maybe a fourth if she squinted, that wouldn¡¯t get out of her head. I¡¯ll have to take care of that first, she added, feeling the muscles in between her legs clench. By the time she got to the room she was almost delirious. Tired, horny, it didn¡¯t matter. She needed to fix both of those problems, and there was a certain order they needed to be done in. She had barely opened the door before plunging the new subcore in her underwear drawer with the old one and closing it shut, kicking her shoes off, ripping her uniform off as quickly as she¡¯d thrown it on in the cave, heading over to her bed, and¡ª Looking at the note that was lying on her sheets. ¡°To, ina Weaver From, Alonse Stormshine¡± Book 2: End Ch 3.1: ? Honor Ch 3.1: ? Honor ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m actually doing this¡­¡± ¡°You promised!¡± ¡°You know I was joking, right? I wasn¡¯t serious!¡± Listening to Tira and Flora argue over it wasn¡¯t doing anything to calm ina¡¯s nerves. The raging storm wasn¡¯t exactly helping either, thunder roaring overhead, rain crashing onto the roof of the outdoor workshop¡¯s wooden roof while her two upperssman had a near shouting match, each trying to make their voice heard over the rumbling in the sky. What exactly did I do to get wrapped up in this again? ¡°I know you were joking,¡± Flora said, ¡°but then you said you¡¯d do it for real! Before and after we saw the giant typi!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way ¡®typi¡¯ is the the plural! I¡¯ve epted everything else, but you¡¯re making that up!¡± ¡°I think I read it in a book?¡± Flora said with a shrug, her hand sliding up to her jacket buttons, tugging at herpel. ¡°So, are we going to do this?¡± It was the moment of truth. For all her yful protestations, ina could tell it was a genuine question this time, that if Tira said no Flora would drop the subject. Up until now Tira herself hadined, groaned, griped, but she¡¯d never said she wouldn¡¯t do it, and this was herst chance. She sighed, shaking her head and starting to unbutton her uniform. ¡°If I don¡¯t honor my promises, then I don¡¯t have any honor at all.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Flora said said, jumping into the air and pping. ina thought she saw both a hint of both a smile and blush growing on Tira¡¯s face. ¡°Gods, it¡¯s so fun, you¡¯re both gonna love it!¡± Even taking a pause to celebrate, once Flora started undressing she was soon far ahead of Tira, having her entire jacket off before thetter even had the buttons on herspletely undone. ¡°Why are you so fast at this?¡± ina said, starting do undo her own uniform. ¡°Lots of practice!¡± Flora already had her shoes off, skirt undone and set on the workbench next to her jacket. ¡°You learn to be quick when you¡¯re doing stuff like this!¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just, you know, sing your song and twirl your clothes away?¡± Tira asked. ¡°Of course not! That¡¯s for stripping, not streaking. Speed is the name of the game here!¡± Just a quick pull on her tie and a lift of her shirt and Flora was done,pletely bare while her twopatriots just had their jackets off. No bra, no underwear to speak of at all, just her, running in ce as both ina and Tira stared. ¡°Come on, hop to it! You can stare all you wantter.¡± ¡°I am not staring,¡± Tira said, turning around and slipping her boot off. ina could see it though, both the embarrassment and the lust in the woman¡¯s eyes. ina also did finally remember how she got roped into this. After all, was she really going to sit it out while two of her best friends ran across the castle grounds naked? Of course not, and that¡¯s why she was now standing in the middle of the workshop in the middle of a thunderstorm in just her underwear. And of course Flora was staring at her now. Tira was moving slower, had her back turned besides, so that obviously left ina as the object of attention. Somehow it never got any easier, having eyes on her as she got dressed, certainly not eyes as hungry as Flora¡¯s were right now. She did wish there were hungrier eyes there, Carly¡¯s eyes, but that wasn¡¯t meant to be. Tira had made it very clear that anyoneing along had to participate, not just watch, which was both fair and something Carly wasn¡¯t willing to agree too. Maybe next time. ¡°Are you excited?¡± Flora asked, leaning towards ina as she unclipped her bra. ¡°Have you ever done it before?¡± Excited? ina wasn¡¯t quite sure which version Flora meant, but she certainly felt one form of the feeling. ¡°N¡ª no. Not exactly¡­¡± ¡°Oh? And what does that mean,¡± Flora said, stepping closer, eyes tracing over ina¡¯s chest as she shrugged her bra off, covering her chest with her arms. ¡°In¡ª in my underwear, not naked.¡± ¡°You¡¯re gonna love it then! Gods, running naked is the best feeling. And rain both makes for good cover and feels great as well!¡± ina bit her lip, nodding. She knew she was going to like it, was already liking just standing out there in only her panties, pulling them down as she crossed her legs to hide herself while Flora watched, feeling the slipperiness of her thighs rubbing against each other as she tried to hide her wetness. ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± Tira said, sliding her shirt off, revealing remarkably toned back muscles that ina honestly didn¡¯t get to appreciate enough. ¡°This is the stupidest thing I¡¯ve ever done¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll love it too, promise!¡± Then a grin grew across Flora¡¯s face, one that would¡¯ve actually fit better on Tira. ¡°And if you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll be your toy for a whole week.¡± If it weren¡¯t for the downpour, ina would¡¯ve thought time had stopped. She sure stopped moving, Flora stopped moving, and Tira Strask was as still as a statue. ¡°You¡¯re on.¡± Tira started making up for lost time it seemed, throwing her skirt to the side, pulling off her bra, leaning over and presenting her ass to her friends as she ripped off her underwear. ¡°Alright,¡± she said, turning around and covering herself with her hands, only the smallest hint of her thin strip of pubic hair peeking out. The girl was still blushing, clearly, but there was a look of determination on her face as well. ¡°Lead the way, Flower Girl.¡± ¡°Alright, but try to keep up!¡± Flora was off, and she was fast. ina and Tira both stood there for a moment before running after her, plunging themselves into the torrent of water and letting out small shrieks, instantly soaked as they chased after the sound of Flora¡¯sughter. ¡°Fuck that¡¯s cold!¡± Tira said. She was faster, but that wasn¡¯t a bad thing entirely, ina soon realized. Tira looked downright silly running through the field, more waddling than running honestly, hands wrapped over her body. ina knew she looked the same, but at least no one could see her, right? There were the mindless armor suits walking around, but ina knew from experience and Flora both that they didn¡¯t care about Endrin students walking around the grounds, clothed or not. What if the suits weren¡¯t empty though? ina couldn¡¯t help but thinks back to that humiliating evening only a few nights prior, standing on stage just as naked as she was now, a hundred pairs of eyes on her for nearly two hours straight. That was certainly more embarrassing, but there was a different thrill to this, the trill of running, the fear of getting caught. Gods, she was going to need to relieve the pressure mounting in between her legs sooner rather thanter. Flora turned around, starting to run backwards just as a sh of lightning illuminated everything in sight, causing both ina and Tira to yelp as Flora got to take in the view of them running in their shame. ¡°Faster! Don¡¯t cover yourselves, just be free!¡± ¡°Not while you¡¯re looking!¡± Tira shouted over the storm. ¡°If you beat me to theke, I¡¯ll give you another week of my being your toy!¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± Tira sounded exasperated as she cursed but then she started tough. ¡°Damn you, Florence Stouth!¡± she said as she dropped her arms, sprinting to try and catch up. That was never going to happen though. Once Tira started trying even a little bit Flora shouted, ¡°Yippee!¡± and turned around again, darting through the rain at speeds ina never could have believed a human could run, aspected or not. Level 3 in addition to [Nature] was serving her physical abilities well, it seemed. Still, Tira wasn¡¯t giving up, and ina had to drop her own arms to keep pace. It was a short run from that point, maybe thirty seconds of full sprinting at their top speeds before theke came into view, Flora leading the pack and diving in off a rock, Tira and inaing up and jumping in just a few seconds behind her. ina let out a gasp as she came up, unwittingly having winded herself when she collided with the water. Gotta watch out for my own speed. ¡°Hey,¡± Tira said, treading water with her feet and folding her arms over her chest, once more reserved. ¡°I said I¡¯d streak here, not go swimming!¡± ¡°But what¡¯s the point in that!¡± Flora said, backstroking across the water as sheughed, raindrops pitter pattering on both her body and theke surface. ¡°And I never said you had to either, you jumped in on your own.¡± Tira sighed, shaking her head and smiling again. ¡°Whatever. I guess you did beat me here.¡± ¡°And you had fun!¡± ¡°I did not say that!¡± ¡°Not saying you didn¡¯t either though, are you?¡± Flora said as she let her body fall back into the water, giving a wink. For a moment, ina felt a tiny twinge of regret. She¡¯d had fun on the run, was still¡­ excited wading in the water, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel like she was a third wheel. No matter how much was being left unsaid between her two friends, there was obviously something there, something ina wasn¡¯t quite sure she fit into. Then Flora turned towards her. ¡°ina, I¡¯m horny. Do you wanna have sex?¡± Ch 3.2: ? Dynamic Ch 3.2: ? Dynamic ¡°Wanna have sex?¡± The words rang through ina¡¯s head. Of course she did, but could she just say that, in front of Tira? ¡°Yes,¡± was the answer to both questions. ¡°Great!¡± Flora said, pushing herself out of theke and onto the rock they¡¯d jumped off. ina recognized it for the first time, the rock that Flora and her had first met on. Was that on purpose? ina was sure it wasn¡¯t a coincidence, but did Flora just alwayse to this spot, or was it just because ina was here? ¡°Are you two insane?¡± Tira said, still covering herself in the water, face in disbelief. ¡°No, we¡¯re horny,¡± Flora said, leaning forward and cing her head on her arms. ¡°You can join too, you know. At least, I don¡¯t mind, and I¡¯m pretty sure ina wouldn¡¯t either.¡± Both eyes fell on ina, right when she was climbing out of the water herself, much less gracefully than Flora had, sticking her ass out out directly at Tira, chest dangling right in front of Flora. Gods, why me? she thought, mind barely functioning at this point. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª that¡¯s fine,¡± she managed to say, pulling herself up. ¡°Or, I would like it, I mean¡­¡± ¡°Or you can just y like our voyeur and watch,¡± Flora said, raising her arm. At first ina thought she was gesturing at Tira, but the arm moved over, bracing on ina¡¯s shoulder as Flora threw her leg over. In one smooth motion she¡¯d gone from sitting next to ina as equals to mounted on top of her, kneeling over her as ina fell backwards, barely able toprehend what was happening. She hadn¡¯t expected this, really, thought it would just be a quick trip to theke and back, fuel forter fantasies, a good story to tell Carly while putting on a show. But now Flora was leaning forward, disying her body for just a moment before she descendedpletely, wet hair falling across the ina¡¯s torso as her mouth fell right onto ina¡¯s breast. ¡°Fuck!¡± ina said at the feeling. Flora was doing it again, messing with her [Nature], ice cold lips and tongue dancing around ina¡¯s nipple as she squirmed. ¡°You like it when I torture you like that, don¡¯t you?¡± Flora said as she lifted, only for a moment while she swapped to the other breast. Torture? That wasn¡¯t the word ina would use to describe it. Intense, a little painful in the way sharp cold could be, but not torture, not to her. Flora added her hand too, rubbing through ina¡¯s lower lips, causing more moans of pleasure to escape her upper ones. ina was doing her best topose herself, but she was failing. Flora wasn¡¯t giving her any time to think about what was happening, much less time to response. She didn¡¯t want to be a bad partner, but she couldn¡¯t make a move with the way Flora was on top of her, couldn¡¯t reciprocate at all. It was almost like she was¡ª Tied down. She understood now. For a brief moment she¡¯d even forgotten that Tira was there, watching, but Flora wouldn¡¯t have. They were more alike than they maybe realized, both with a penchant for teasing, both assertive, and apparently both with a reputation. Flora would know of Tira¡¯s, how she¡¯d want to be in bed, what would turn her on, what would make her jealous. ina managed to open her eyes, regain some sense of consciousness as she looked around Flora, past the woman¡¯s body into theke. Tira was there, eyes glued to the scene, no longer trying to cover herself, just watching. ¡°I guess I get you all to myself today after all,¡± Flora said, raising her head head and staring into ina¡¯s eyes, pulling her hips forward and grinding. It was unnatural the way her legs were bending, how her pussy lips were stroking ina¡¯s own as her hips moved forward, how wonderfully warm and wet she was down there. When it came to aspects, Flora¡¯s dynamic body really might have had everyone beat. But even beyond that, ina was awestruck. The girl on top of her was stunning, from herrge green eyes to her seemingly floating breasts, pinpoint nipples standing erect as raindrops flowed down and dripped off of them. Every distant strike of lightning that illuminated her body for ina to see it just a little better was a gift from the gods. No, she was one them herself, and the celestial gifts were everything Flora was offering. ¡°I¡¯m so d we can spend this time together,¡± the goddess said. ¡°It¡¯s just a shame; I really thought you¡¯d get the pampering you deserve, but I know one person just can¡¯t do that alone. ¡°Gods damn you, Florence Stouth,¡± Tira said from behind. ina could barely nce past Flora for a moment to see the woman swimming over to the rock, pulling herself up as gracefully as Flora had, her own body shining as light from the lightning hit the water droplets falling off of her. Two goddesses. That was thest thing ina saw before the pleasure Flora was wracking her body with forced her to close her eyes again, sumbing not to sight, but only the sensation of touch, to the rain dripping across her body, Flora sliding up and down her slit with her own, and Tira¡¯s hands falling across her as well.. Ch 3.3: ? Duo Ch 3.3: ? Duo It wasn¡¯t real. It couldn¡¯t be real, right? It sure felt real though, Flora still grinding against her, Tira¡¯s mouth falling onto her mouth. ina returned the kiss, pressed into Flora¡¯s body as hard as she could while Tira yed with her chest. ¡°There we go,¡± Flora said. ¡°Isn¡¯t it nice to give her what she deserves for being such a good girl?¡± ¡°Mmmmh,¡± was all ina could get manage to say while Tira¡¯s tongue was dancing with her. Tira herself didn¡¯t utter a sound, but she did speak through her actions, breaking away from ina¡¯s lips and traveling down her neck, across her corbone, finally falling on the breast that Flora had so cruelly abandoned moments before. Was it really cruelty though? ina couldn¡¯t honestly say it was as she moaned into the sky, uncaring of the rain droplets falling into her mouth. Flora had made room for Tira after all, so any momentarypse in attention she had was worth it. Something else touched ina below. She and Flora both let out gasps simultaneously, ina¡¯s head craning up to see what had happened. Tira was still kissing ina¡¯s chest, running her hand through ina¡¯s hair, but her other hand had snuck away, rubbing at both Flora¡¯s and ina¡¯s lips together. ¡°Oh, gods,¡± Flora said, her own eyes rolling back as Tira yed with them both, thumb on Flora¡¯s clit, fingers running through ina¡¯s slit. In between Tira¡¯s kisses on her nipples, ina could see a self satisfied smile on Tira¡¯s face, quick, proud nces back at the girl riding ina struggled to maintainposure. Flora was honestly pretty good at pushing the buttons she had, but now that Tira was on the scene it was clear who was in charge. ¡°Can¡¯t¡ª ugh! Can¡¯t let you go without though, right?¡± Flora said, cing her hand on Tira¡¯s back. ina felt it, the sudden jolt of energy through Tira as she identally bit down on ina¡¯s nipple, shocked by Flora¡¯s hand falling on her. ina herself let out another moan at the bite though, and after a moment Tira regained control of herself, acting like Flora¡¯s finger tracing her spine was the most natural thing in the world. ¡°Bite more,¡± ina whispered, and for a moment she thought Tira hadn¡¯t heard her, but just as she was about to speak louder it came, just another quick nip, a stab of pain and pleasure both. That continued, randomness keeping ina guessing as Tira swapped between breasts, back to ina¡¯s neck, kissing her on the mouth again before biting at and pulling away with her bottom lip. All the while ina watched as Flora¡¯s hand danced around Tira¡¯s back, drawing circles and other patterns she couldn¡¯t see clearly, inching downward just a bit every few seconds. As Flora¡¯s hand dropped, Tira grew more aggressive with both her hands and mouth, pulling at handfuls of wet hair, pushing deep inside ina with her fingers, teeth digging into her flesh so much that ina knew she¡¯d have the lingering pain of bruised skin to look forward to feeling for at least the rest of the week. She couldn¡¯t see the moment Flora stopped teasing, the moment she reached Tira¡¯s pussy, couldn¡¯t feel the sensations Tira was feeling directly, but each stroke of pleasure Flora gave Tira gave back, grinding into Flora¡¯s fingers as Flora continued grinding Tira¡¯s fingers between herself and ina, as inaid there in bliss. She wanted to do something more, so she reached up with a shaking hand, massaged Tira¡¯s head as best she could with what strength she could muster. Everything was so much though, a nket of pleasureid over her entire body, stifling her motor skills and making it hard to do even that. That wasn¡¯t that bad though, really. She did her best though, grinding into Flora¡¯s slit and Tira¡¯s fingers as best she could, squeezing the back of Tira¡¯s head, returning kisses when Tira cam back up. The rain and thunder were fading into the background, the rock inaid upon melting away. She was on a cloud, soft as air, nothing in the world right now except her, Tira, Flora. I really wish they could be here too. A fleeting thought, one that was washed away by the rains of adoration being bestowed upon her. Tira was silent, but Flora kept talking, praising ina, telling her how hard she worked, how much she deserved to be pampered, how well she was going to be taken care of. ¡°We¡¯re all lucky to have met you.¡± Something about thatst one did it, sent ina over the edge in a way that the other words didn¡¯t. She was afraid to let it happen, to signal that they could stop, but she started shaking as she truly sumbed to the feelings inside her, pulling Tira¡¯s head up with both hands and kissing her deeply while she pumped her hips down below, body all but vibrating as she slowly, unfortunately, returned to reality. Even after orgasm, she didn¡¯t want it to be over. She kept Tira there, kept kissing her as she still worked herself against Flora, but Tira did take her hand away down there, and Flora did get up as well, crawling across the rock as ina whimpered for more. ¡°I¡¯m not sure she¡¯s done,¡± Flora said as Tira pulled her head away. ¡°What do you think, Tira?¡± Tira smirked, shaking her head. ¡°I think you¡¯re giving her too much praise at once. She may be a good girl, but you can¡¯t let it go to her head.¡± ina wanted to respond, wanted to stand up for herself and say she did deserve it, but she couldn¡¯t form words no matter how hard she tried, too out of breath. ¡°I think she might be tired, actually,¡± Flora said with a tilt of her head, and with a cruelly innocent smile. ¡°Poor girl can hardly breathe.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Tira said, sitting up and scooting back, kneeling in between ina¡¯s spread legs, lowering her head towards ina¡¯s inner thighs. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, maybe we should keep going? After all, she needs to build up her stamina.¡± ¡°Exactly what I was thinking.¡± Mouth moving, no sounding out but panting, ina closed her eyes as she was plunged back into pleasure by the duo once more. Ch 3.4: Time Ch 3.4: Time ina could barely breathe by the end of it, going through the motions of panting but without any air moving, just the steadily slowing rain falling into her mouth as she came down from the high of her final orgasm and the other two finally pulled away from her. ¡°Gods,¡± Flora said as she flopped onto the rock next to ina, ¡°even I¡¯m tired after that.¡± ina saw Tira stepping away out the corner of her eyes, just the curves of her back as she stepped back into the water. ¡°You¡¯re telling me. I can¡¯t just decide I have more stamina either.¡± ¡°Are you still that shy?¡± Flora said as she sat up, tilting her head to the side as she looked at Tira. ¡°After all that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get naked when it¡¯s time to get down to business,¡± Tira said, lowering into the water until even her chin was submerged, ¡°but I¡¯m not gonna just show you everything for no reason. That¡¯s your two¡¯s thing.¡± Two? ina thought. Oh right, I¡¯m naked. By theke. At school. Pulling in a deep breath, she sat up and crossed her legs, covering herself as she felt her body go warm. ¡°And somehow she¡¯s still embarrassed when she realizes that, despite everything,¡± Tira said with a smirk. ¡°We¡¯ve lost our minds,¡± ina said, looking back towards the school. The rain was letting up now, but it was alsoter, so visibility was about the same as before, maybe even a little less chance of them being seen considering the lightning had seemed to calm as well, only a handful of strikes much further off. ¡°We should get going.¡± ¡°Aww, but we haven¡¯t even swam much!¡± Flora said, looking at ina with wide eyes that were very hard to say no to. ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Tira said, stepping up to the shallows of the water and covering herself with her arms. ¡°We need to get back before dinner, and I still never said I would swim!¡± ¡°Done a lot of stuff you didn¡¯t quite say you¡¯d do,¡± Flora mumbled under her breath, but she did stand up, looking back to the school. ¡°But alright, running is always the best part! Or it usually is, though I rather enjoyed some other things we did this time. Race you there!¡± Both ina and Tira were caught off guard as Flora took off. She wasn¡¯t moving at the full speed she had before, but the abruptness was still enough to have them each stumbling, ina to her feet and Tira out of theke. Tira was still ahead of ina though, and while ina was just about to cover herself and start running Tira dropped her arms and broke into a full run. Well, it¡¯s a race¡­ It wasn¡¯t really though. Flora was obviously slowing herself down, running zig zags and twirling in circles,ughing as she swerved through the fields. Tira was at a run, but not a sprint, and ina followed suit. It was different this time. Before it really had been a mad dash, trying to get to the safety of the water as soon as possible, panic set in her mind as ina tried to only technically fulfill the conditions of the agreement she made toe along. This time though, she was willing to take her time a bit, relish in the cool breeze that was flowing over her wet skin, the grass between her feet, the faint shes of light from the distant lightning strikes. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was the fact that the lightning wasn¡¯t surprising her as much any more, the tensions she¡¯d released over thest hour or so with Tira and Flora on top of her, or maybe just the fact that it was the second time doing it, but it was calmer now, her head less panic-ridden. There was still that itch in the back of her mind, especially as they got closer to the school, the feeling someone might be there, somehow gotten through the locked door to the ssroom and the one out the workshop itself, or for some reason braved the storm to walk from the other side of the academy to go to it even though it was closed down¡­ Those thoughts were nice, a bit of thrill in her heart, an excitement between her legs at the thought, but there was unpleasant anxiousness before that was gone now. She could truly enjoy the moment this time, focus on her breasts as they bounced up and down, imagine the empty suits of armor as astounded passers by, picture them walking up on the three of them back on that rock¡­ They were back to the shop far too soon. Tira was covering herself again, this time with a towel she¡¯d had stored with their clothes, and tossed a second to ina herself. Flora opted to air dry. ¡°Was that not the best thing ever!¡± Tira rolled her eyes, trying to hide her smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure ina over there would agree.¡± ina covered herself with the towel and did her best to hide her own emotions by turning back, drying off while trying to protect her modesty. As if I have any of that left. ¡°We should do this again some time. With Carly.¡± ¡°Hey, I only agreed to do this once!¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t say no,¡± Flora said. ¡°I¡¯m saying I fulfilled my end of the bet. Not that you put anything on the line.¡± ¡°And she still doesn¡¯t say no!¡± ina heard Floraing from behind her just as she opened the towel, quickly folding it back over her body as the girl jumped right in front of her, hands sped together like she was praying. ¡°Will you really help me convince her? I think she¡¯d really like it too, but she¡¯s just so nervous. And once she hears even Tira was willing to do it again¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that!¡± ina had to try her best not tough, and she did actually manage this time. Flora and Tira continued arguing, leaving ina to dry off in peace, but when it came time to get dressed she did turn around to see her friends. Flora was naturally nude as ever, and even Tira seemed to forget her nakedness as she threw the towel down and started pulling her clothes back on. Those two only made a slight nce to up when the dinner bell rang, but a wave of panicked realization flowed through ina¡¯s body like the lightning in the sky. ¡°Shit, I can¡¯t bete!¡± She was eating dinner in Alonse¡¯s office tonight, after all. Ch 3.5: Dinner Ch 3.5: Dinner ina knew it was better to just knock, get it over with. She was alreadyte, after all, and waiting just made her morete, but there was a pit in her stomach that still didn¡¯t want to touch the door of Alonse Stormshine¡¯s office. Breathe, get it over with, just raise your hand and¡ª ¡°Ah, Miss Weaver.¡± ina turned, eyes wide as she backed up to the door at the sounding from behind her. But it wasn¡¯t whatever frightening thing her subconscious had imagined, just Alonse, looking slightly taken aback himself. ¡°My apologies, you must¡¯ve been waiting on me a while,¡± he said, reaching into his robe and pulling out a key. ¡°Oh, not really,¡± ina said, stepping away ash he walked forward and opened the door. ¡°Only a minute or so.¡± ¡°No need to humor me,¡± Alonse said with a chuckle. ¡°Tardiness is not the worst of my faults, but it certainly is one of them. Please though,e in.¡± ina did as she was told, stepping into the headmaster¡¯s office for the second time. It was only a few secondster that she jumped again at another sound, the footsteps of Endrin¡¯s automatonsing up behind her, two of them, each with a lidded te they ced on the desk as Alonse pulled two sses out from the same cupboard he hadst time. ¡°A bottle of water for the student, please. I¡¯ll pour for the both of us.¡± Silent as always, the automatons made no indication they¡¯d heard him, but ina knew they would certainly be back with her drink soon. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you,¡± she said, still on edge in her mind, doing her best to hide it. ¡°And you as well,¡± Alonse said with a warm smile as he sat down. ¡°Thank you for epting my invitation.¡± The automatons lifted the lids off of their tes at the moment ina sat down herself, revealing a disy of food genuinely unlike anything she¡¯d ever seen. She¡¯d thought herself spoiled by her regr meals already, but the dish in front of her was another thing entirely, consisting of a pre sliced, bloody-red steak, some sort of dark purple sauce drizzled over it, what looked to be a potato somehow shaved in the shape of a spiral with flecks of grated cheese and pepper on top, some sort of mashed orange vegetable thing with dots of white cream on it. At that moment, she would¡¯ve sworn her eyes were stuck in one direction. Remedial Etiquette lessons ran through her mind. Unfortunately, only three things were sticking out at the moment: don¡¯t show up with wet hair, don¡¯t bete, don¡¯t gawk at food. ¡°I lost track of time and had ate shower,¡± ina said, peeling her gaze up from her te. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Alonse looked taken aback once again, but simplyughed. ¡°No worries, dear. This is not so formal an event you need to be worried about such things, else I would¡¯ve had a proper meal prepared. I just wanted to speak with you about a few things.¡± ¡°Oh, okay,¡± ina said, ncing back down at her food and wondering what in the stars a proper meal would consist of. ¡°How have your sses been?¡± Alonse said as he poured from the bottle of water an automaton had just ced down for him, followed by a tall pour from the same type of brandy he¡¯d once served ina. ¡°Uhm, fine, I suppose. Good, I mean,¡± ina said as she picked up her knife and fork. Drinks were poured, so it was safe to eat now, right? ¡°Excellent,¡± Alonse said, right before shoving an entire piece of meat into his mouth. ina was astounded that nothing seemed to get onto his beard. ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve heard from your instructors of course. Each are nothing butplimentary of you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ina asked. She wasn¡¯t too surprised to hear that about people like Calivahn, Koh, Sylvas, but when it came to etiquette¡­ Maybe he¡¯s just being nice, she thought as she took her own first bite into a steak that seemed to melt directly onto her tongue, the sauce coating her mouth and overwhelming her with the vor of berries and rosemary. ¡°Indeed. Not to mention, Watch Captain Strask has taken to you quite a bit as well.¡± Tender as it was, ina still choked slightly on the piece of meat she was eating, but Alonse didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve gotten to work together quite a bit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one thing I wanted to discuss.¡± He made it look so easy, speaking only while he used his utensils, always finishing a bite at exactly the right time. ¡°Her report from your practicum assignment was quite unusual, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware.¡± ina froze mid bite, looking back up at Alonse. His eyes were on his own te as he ced his fork down and grabbed a spoon for that pureed vegetable. ¡°It was?¡± she asked. ¡°Quite,¡± Alonse said as he took a bite. ina followed suit, and the taste of that bite almost calmed her, some type of pumpkin or squash she wasn¡¯t fully familiar with with nutty overtones. Almost calm. ¡°There is not official leader in these assignments, but I had assumed she would be the de-facto one with her experience. She was adamant that you were the one who showed the most leadership though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ She¡¯s being modest,¡± ina said, blushing a little at the thought. Alonseughed again. ¡°That girl is many things, but modest isn¡¯t quite one of them. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that the matter has been looked into. The camp you four found was abandoned, but clearly was there, and we found the golem guarded cave you mentioned as well. Let me tell you, it was hard to convince the capital of that, but I knew Tira meant it when she said it.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± ina said. ¡°So, everything¡¯s good then?¡± ¡°Excellent, actually. A contingent of Awakened with suitable aspects were dispatched and eliminated the threat, so the crystal mine is under out control now.¡± If ina hadn¡¯t been in the process of swapping utensils, she would have dropped hers. Alonse once again didn¡¯t seem to notice her freezing up, mind consumed by his dinner and his own thoughts. The golem¡­ it had thoughts, just like us. ¡°Which brings us to the primary matter at hand. Strange things are happening all over the world. Golems in caves, typi in the forest, monsters on school grounds, strange explosions in the mountains near the capital. The kingdom is short on people who can handle these things.¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina said, though truth be told she wasn¡¯t exactly sure why she was the one in this meeting. Surely this was for the king and his ministers, right? ¡°These are unprecedented times,¡± Alonse continued, cing his utensils down and staring out the window. ¡°I wanted to tell you in person because I wanted you to know this was not my idea. Your and your fellow students¡¯ educations is my foremost concern, one reason I decided to be headmaster in the first ce. But the Minister of Education has made a decree, one that I have no authority to argue with.¡± ina had stopped eating as well, both of them avoiding their tes, Alonse staring into the stormy night, ina at him. ¡°What¡¯s the decree?¡± she finally asked. ¡°An expansion of the practicum program,¡± Alonse said, turning to look her in the eye. ¡°In light of your recent performance, your group will be deployed the front lines of the Kaldesh Rebellion.¡± Ch 3.6: Guest Ch 3.6: Guest ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ina said. ¡°The Kaldish rebellion,¡± Alonse said, returning his attention back to his food. He didn¡¯t eat though, just moved it around a bit with his fork. ¡°Our northern border. There has been unrest there for some time, and with growing need for soldiers domestically the kingdom is stretched thin.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª We¡¯re first years, second years at most¡­¡± ¡°A fact I¡¯m well aware of.¡± Alonse ced his utensils down and emptied his drink into his mouth before filling it up again. ¡°I bought you a month. The ministers weren¡¯t even happy with that, but it was all I could get.¡± ¡°So, a month from today¡­¡± ¡°A month from three days ago. They wanted you sent off this past weekend.¡± ina could barely understand what she was hearing. She¡¯d heard of Kaldish of course, lived near the northern border her entire life, but she wasn¡¯t exactly that close to the country. And there was some rebellion there? She¡¯d never heard of that either. ¡°I don¡¯t really know what this all means¡­¡± ¡°Right, of course.¡± Alonse took another drink. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to be on the front lines of abat zone, not really. Just an upied area with some minor peace disturbances.¡± The quavering tone of his voice did little to soothe ina¡¯s pounding heart. ¡°So we¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°More like town guards than soldiers,¡± Alonse said, nodding as if he were trying to assure her, or maybe himself. ¡°It¡¯ll be a good experience, honestly. And you won¡¯t be alone, either. A few groups of third-years and two or three professors will be there too. Those have yet to be selected, but I¡¯ll let you know as soon as they have been.¡± And with that, Alonse kept nodding as he resumed eating again. ina sat there for a while before she went back to her own meal, but what had tasted like the height of luxury only a few minutes before now tasted like pig¡¯s slop. ¡°How have your rtions with other students been?¡± Alonse eventually asked. ¡°Huh? Oh, uhm, fine, I guess.¡± ¡°Good. I was hoping that incident at orientation would¡¯ve been moved past by now. Prisma Fireguard hasn¡¯t given you anymore trouble about that?¡± ¡°Prisma?¡± ina said, trying to refocus her thoughts. Had he known about what happened between them before, after? ¡°I don¡¯t really understand the question¡­¡± ¡°Then nevermind,¡± he said, waving his hand like that somehow exined everything. ¡°It¡¯s still very regrettable that ever happened, and I could see why she would feel slighted by my decision, but I¡¯m happy she¡¯s not taken it out on you.¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina said, drinking her water again. At least that didn¡¯t taste awful. Still, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder why Alonse had singled out Prisma instead of Waine there. ¡°Are you perhaps not very hungry?¡± Alonse asked. ina looked down, noticing the discrepancy between their tes. Alonse hadn¡¯t exactly been scarfing down his food, but his te was cleared off now, and hers barely half so. ¡°Not really, sorry,¡± she said. It was a minor etiquette mistake to not clear your te, but tonight she couldn¡¯t help that. ¡°Very well then. You make take your leave when you wish, and I¡¯ll call the servants.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± ina said, pushing herself up. ¡°I think I¡¯ll go now then.¡± Alonse nodded, standing up and walking to the door, opening it for her with a wide smile. Not finishing your food was one thing; staring was another entirely. But ina couldn¡¯t help but stare at his bearded face right now, that wide smile. He¡¯d seemed genuinely upset earlier, talking about sending them off to some rebellion, but he¡¯d been able to ignore that before he brought it up, seemed to convince himself mid-conversation that actually it was a perfectly fine thing to do, now was acting like nothing had ever been wrong. She¡¯d been on the fence about how she felt about him before, but this was something else entirely. There was acency in his smile she just couldn¡¯t stand. Ch 3.7: Expectations Ch 3.7: Expectations ina had far too many thoughts running through her mind as she walked down the halls away from Alonse¡¯s office. Other students seemed to be making their ways out of the cafeteria and back to their dorms, and their whispers and nces her way only added fuel to the fire. ¡°That¡¯s here?¡± ¡°Naked naked?¡± ¡°Prisma too?¡± ina did her best to ignore the words. It was only a few dozen of the hundreds of students at Endrin that had actually seen her, but word spread fast for something like this apparently. I wonder what it¡¯s like for Prisma. Not even close to the things she needed to worry about right now. That night was over, Prisma had made it clear their friendship was over despite everything, and the only thing ina really should¡¯ve been worried about in that respect was Prisma¡¯s still lingering ss. Of course the way her ssmate¡¯s eyes fell on her as she wandered the halls only drug her mind back to that night every time she tried to wriggle her thoughts away. The vast majority of them hadn¡¯t seen her, but their eyes fell on her as if they had, gazing across her chest, drifting down her torso, between her legs, piercing through her clothes with their imagination, and no matter how urate or inurate their mental images were she just couldn¡¯t focus her mind on the things that actually mattered, couldn¡¯t get her head in control instead of her lust. Her hand was knocking on the door as she squeezed her legs together. ¡°Come in,¡± the voice came from the other side. ina shook her head clear, clear as it could be, and pushed through into the Watch¡¯s office. ¡°You so missed out,¡± Flora said. ¡°We ran there, swam around a bit, did some other stuff.¡± ¡°You¡ª you were all gone quite a while¡­¡± a pouting Carly said, ncing up at ina as she continued in. ¡°What kind of stuff?¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Tira said, feet kicked up onto her desk and ncing back at the crystal monitor behind her. ¡°ina¡¯s back, and we need to know what¡¯s up.¡± ¡°It can wait five seconds,¡± Flora said with an eye roll. ¡°No, it can¡¯t,¡± ina said, taking a seat next to Carly. Tira softened her face and sat up straight, and even Flora seemed to sense the seriousness of the situation. ina exined it in simple terms. There wasn¡¯t much to it, really. They were being recognized for their performance in Shein¡¯s illicit crystal mine, and as a reward they were being shipped off to war. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be fucking with me,¡± Tira said, eyes pointed like she¡¯d just been insulted in a foreignnguage she almost understood. ¡°Alonse is actually okay with this?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ At first he seemed hesitant, but as he was trying to tell me it wasn¡¯t that bad he sort of seemed to convince himself instead.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not actually like, war war, right?¡± Carly said. ¡°I mean, I still would rather not go, but¡­¡± Carly¡¯s face grew more somber as she trailed off, seemingly answering her own question. No one else seemed keen on adding to the thought. ¡°You said other students were going too, right?¡± Flora said. ¡°Yeah, other second and third-years. We¡¯re just special because we made an impression on our mission¡­¡± ¡°This fucking sucks,¡± Tira said, throwing her head back and groaning. ¡°For so many reasons. We¡¯re going to have to tell Shein.¡± ¡°And figure out what to do with Temmie,¡± ina added. They probably should¡¯ve had her here for this discussion, but when they nned to go over her meeting with Alonse they hadn¡¯t quite expected it to be something like this. ¡°There¡¯s two of her now, not even counting the one in the cave. We can¡¯t leave the subcores in my dresser forever.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t leave them here for¡­ however long we¡¯ll be gone,¡± Tira said. ¡°I guess we just have to take them.¡± ina nodded, and each of the girls seemed to drift off into their own thoughts. ina¡¯s were firmly in the realm of practicality again, trying to think of some way out. ¡°What if we just leave?¡± Flora said. ina had considered it. ¡°Temmie¡¯s still here, the main core anyway. I mean, it¡¯s not like we can move her anyway, and she probably wouldn¡¯t be found, but¡­¡± ¡°Where would we go?¡± Carly asked. ¡°And what would we do? We¡¯d be expelled.¡± ¡°Expelled doesn¡¯t even begin to cover it; we¡¯d probably be arrested.¡± Tira stood up, tapping the device on her desk that caused the monitor to change pictures. ¡°We need toy low, get this over with with as little incident as possible. They¡¯re not going to have us out there permanently. I¡¯ll ask my mom for advice, if I can convince Alonse to let me write to her about it.¡± ¡°Your mom?¡± ina asked. ¡°She¡¯s been to the border.¡± Tira¡¯s exnation didn¡¯t seemplete, but she remained focused on the monitor as she swapped pictures over and over, cycling through the entire list of pictures without sign of stopping. ¡°So we¡¯re actually doing this,¡± Flora said, standing up herself and walking to the door. ¡°Sooner orter, I suppose. At least our parents will be proud.¡± ¡°Yeah, yours,¡± Tira said, slumping back into her chair and letting her head fall to the table. ¡°Parents¡­¡± ina said, mind suddenly racing again. ¡°You okay?¡± Carly asked as she got up as well, eyes ncing between Flora walking out the door and ina sitting with a nk stare. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m from near the border. My parents are still up there too.¡± Ch 3.8: Distractions Ch 3.8: Distractions Tira wished her clear head from the outing at theke hadn¡¯t been ruined by the news from ina¡¯s meeting. It wasn¡¯t ina¡¯s fault of course, but that fact didn¡¯t do anything to quell Tira¡¯s worries about the matter. She¡¯d sat in her office for a good half hour after the other girls left just thinking about everything. Having to leave, having to go to war, having to go to Kaldish of all ces. ¡°Homing for both of us, in a way,¡± she muttered to herself, looking down at her hand. ina had seemed about as excited about the fact as Tira herself was. ¡°Should¡¯ve asked her if she was okay with that part of it.¡± Tira knew she obviously hadn¡¯t been. ¡°Fuck,¡± she said, standing up from her chair and making onest nce at the office monitor as she pulled her jacket on. There wasn¡¯t really much to look out for at that time of night before curfew, but she needed to work somehow. Reports were caught up, monitor clear, no underlings to mess with, so she guessed a patrol was what it had to be. As useless as that was at the moment, at least it would be better than letting her mind eat away at itself. One foot outside was all it took, just existence in the presence of others. Tira could feel her spine straightening, her heart calming. The handful of students in the hall didn¡¯t cower at the sight of her like they might some of the stricter teachers, but she could tell that they stood a littler straighter as well, some casting quick looks as she walked by to make sure they hadn¡¯t somehow caught her attention with their untidy uniforms or some other infraction they¡¯d conjured in their minds. Tira wasn¡¯t interested in busting her ssmates for stuff like that though. She did like the authority, the sense of respect that her titlemanded, but truth be told curfew was the only of those administrative rules of that she really cared about, and mostly because the off chance of a teacher finding a student out at that time before the Watch would reflect poorly on her. There were some things she cared about of course. She didn¡¯t tolerate bullying, harassment, cruelty. She¡¯d always had a need to protect people when she saw even the littlest injustice, and as a kid that had actually gotten her in a bit of trouble herself. Her level of aggressiveness in dealing with such things as a Watch member and then captain had garnered her somewhat of a reputation, and that did make it hard to keep rtionships of any kind, but it was what it was. Maybe I can get by in Kaldish the same. Don¡¯t enforce stupid shit, do the right thing. But that was thinking about it again, which she was very much trying not to do. And besides, she knew better than to think so wishfully anyway. She knew exactly what they were being signed up for, even if the other girls and even Alonse himself didn¡¯t. Fuck, thinking about it again! ¡°I can¡¯t believe Kalivahn expect us to actually do this much work. Like, it¡¯s raining, so ss should be canceled, not just held inside.¡± That voice drew Tira¡¯s attention back to the patrol. It wasn¡¯t one she was super familiar with, not even one she could put a face to, but it was one she recognized, one that had some significance in her mind, and as she turned it clicked into ce into ce. One of Fireguard¡¯s friends, one of the two girls always hanging around her, Ferris, and the other boy. Prisma was in the middle of those two girls, the boys nowhere in sight right now. Tira couldn¡¯t be assed to remember the names of those, but seeing any of that group was enough to sour Tira¡¯s mood even further, especially Prisma. Something did look strange though. The girls didn¡¯t pay Tira much attention as she walked towards them, not too umon for first years who didn¡¯t quite know her reputation, but that wasn¡¯t what was wrong. Prisma was looking down at her feet, a deadness in her eyes that bothered Tira. It wasn¡¯t that she hadn¡¯t seen that look on the girl¡¯s face before. Tira had seen it plenty of times, any time ina was nearby. But Tira had also seen Prisma in the halls, on the monitors, in the cafeteria without ina nearby, and each time there had been some degree of life in her eyes, some manner of joy and yfulness as she talked with her friends, but even with ina absent that life wasn¡¯t there right now. Tira herself stopped in front of the trio, looking at them more out of curiosity than anything else. Eventually the two girls surrounding Prisma did notice her, stopped yapping as they looked her up and down, eyes freezing on her Watch pin. ¡°Oh, sorry, uhm, we didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± one of them said, scrunching her nose. ¡°Wait, what were we doing wrong?¡± Tira ignored her, locking eyes with the girl in the middle, those dead eyes. She wasn¡¯t sure why she had stopped in the first ce, why she was still there. Prisma had apparently made it clear that they were all done with everything after all, so why were they staring at each other right now? ¡°I need to talk with Miss Fireguard about something,¡± Tira said, still unsure of herself even as the words came out. 3.9: Chat 3.9: Chat Fireguard¡¯s ¡°friends¡± gave her a look as Tira stared on before nodding to each other and slinking away as Prisma herself looked back to the the ground. ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked. Tira bit her lip, still honestly unsure of what to say. She¡¯d had to get the girl out of that situation, no alternative when her eyes were that dead inside, but they weren¡¯t lighting up now that herpanions were gone either. ¡°The other morning, you were gone before I got up.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Prisma said, pushing herself off the wall and meandering down the hallway. Tira had to recollect her thoughts before running off after the girl. ¡°Hey, wait!¡± she said, still trying to get over the fact that another student had actually just walked away from her while they were talking. ¡°I¡¯m tired, so I¡¯m heading to bed. You can walk with me till I get to my dorm.¡± It didn¡¯t take Tira long to catch up, but she was still stunned by the fact that Prisma was all but ignoring her. ¡°Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡± ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re not stopping me for that stuff.¡± Tira bit her lip again, ring at Prisma from the side. She was right of course, that Tira didn¡¯t have an actual official reason to stop her. Still, that wouldn¡¯t have crossed the minds of most students in the school. ¡°You hurt her.¡± A slight nce at Tira from that, but nothing more. ¡°I know.¡± That pissed Tira off. No regard for decorum, she grabbed Prisma¡¯s arm and pulled her towards the first door she saw. ¡°What are you¡ª¡± Tira was already through the door, dragging Prisma through and mming it shut. It was a ssroom, empty, blessedly. ¡°What is your problem? ina is hopeless, but she¡¯s not an idiot, so I know there has to be some crumb of decency inside of you. Then you go and pull this ¡®I know¡¯ shit when I¡¯m talking about how you hurt her?¡± Tira walked up to Prisma, looking down at the girl with teeth clenched hard enough to hurt her jaw. ¡°It¡¯s not a rhetorical question; what is your problem?¡± Prisma stood up against the door, hands pressed against it as she shook slightly. Her eyes were wide with fear, and Tira counted them having at least some emotion as a win for the time being. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m not the person she thinks I am. I¡¯m selfish, but I can¡¯t even decide what I want, so I end up fucking everything up for everyone. I wanted to be her friend, but I still did those horrible things to her, and I want to help her now but can¡¯t convince myself to go against the crown¡­ ¡°I did that stupid game on stage, and I actually liked it, and then I started to understand her a bit more with that too, but I fucked that up too because I hated that I liked it, even though I wasn¡¯t the only one. I¡¯m just so done. I¡¯ve messed up everything so bad, and now I don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m bothering with living anymore.¡± Tira was the one frozen now, suddenly finding herself trapped in the empty ssroom with Prisma in between her and the door, the girl scrunching her face in every effort not to cry, failing to stop the tears that were leaking out. Gods, I do not know how to handle this. It was almost an actual prayer, and religious or not she would¡¯ve weed a divine intervention, but no such things came for Tira. ¡°Don¡¯t say stuff like that,¡± she eventually settled on, stepping back to sit on one of the ssroom desks. ¡°You asked what my problem was,¡± Prisma replied, slinking to the ground as she wiped her face with her sleeve. ¡°Yeah, guess I did¡­¡± It was painful, watching Miss Perfect try andpose herself, failing to stop the tears as she sniffled and sighed before eventually pulling out a small hand mirror from her pocket and holding it up to her face. ¡°Are you seriously worried about how you look right now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already embarrassed my family enough this week.¡± Family. Tira cursed herself for not considering that. It wasn¡¯t a concern for ina obviously, but word of a noble daughter getting naked on stage would spread far. ¡°It won¡¯t be that bad¡­ You can always just say it was an exaggeration.¡± ¡°There are exaggerations, and some people are believing them.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Prisma huffed and put her mirror away, pulling her knees up to her chest and nting her face in them. Tira was still trapped, effectively, despite not knowing how to handle something like this. ¡°I don¡¯t like you,¡± she eventually said. Prisma looked up, pure confusion on her red, puffy face. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like you, you don¡¯t like you. I honestly don¡¯t think anyone should like you, but ina does anyway. She sees something in you that I don¡¯t, that you don¡¯t, maybe that no one else sees in you, but she sees it anyway. ¡°Be that person. If you want to be better, start by being the person she thinks you are. You do that, you might find a way to convince me to forgive you. And maybe you¡¯ll forgive yourself too.¡± Tira walked forward, hand reaching out for the doorknob, hoping Prisma would move over. The girl stared up with those bewildered eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± she whispered, scooting over on the tile floor and leaving Tira enough room to leave. Tira opened the door to the hallway, happy to see they hadn¡¯t somehow amassed a crowd of eavesdroppers. ¡°Thepany you keep isn¡¯t going to help you with that. You¡¯d be better off partied up with us.¡± Tira didn¡¯t wait for a response before leaving and letting the door close. Just saying it had been hard enough on its own. Ch 3.9: Chat Ch 3.9: Chat Fireguard¡¯s ¡°friends¡± gave her a look as Tira stared on before nodding to each other and slinking away as Prisma herself looked back to the the ground. ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked. Tira bit her lip, still honestly unsure of what to say. She¡¯d had to get the girl out of that situation, no alternative when her eyes were that dead inside, but they weren¡¯t lighting up now that herpanions were gone either. ¡°The other morning, you were gone before I got up.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Prisma said, pushing herself off the wall and meandering down the hallway. Tira had to recollect her thoughts before running off after the girl. ¡°Hey, wait!¡± she said, still trying to get over the fact that another student had actually just walked away from her while they were talking. ¡°I¡¯m tired, so I¡¯m heading to bed. You can walk with me till I get to my dorm.¡± It didn¡¯t take Tira long to catch up, but she was still stunned by the fact that Prisma was all but ignoring her. ¡°Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡± ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re not stopping me for that stuff.¡± Tira bit her lip again, ring at Prisma from the side. She was right of course, that Tira didn¡¯t have an actual official reason to stop her. Still, that wouldn¡¯t have crossed the minds of most students in the school. ¡°You hurt her.¡± A slight nce at Tira from that, but nothing more. ¡°I know.¡± That pissed Tira off. No regard for decorum, she grabbed Prisma¡¯s arm and pulled her towards the first door she saw. ¡°What are you¡ª¡± Tira was already through the door, dragging Prisma through and mming it shut. It was a ssroom, empty, blessedly. ¡°What is your problem? ina is hopeless, but she¡¯s not an idiot, so I know there has to be some crumb of decency inside of you. Then you go and pull this ¡®I know¡¯ shit when I¡¯m talking about how you hurt her?¡± Tira walked up to Prisma, looking down at the girl with teeth clenched hard enough to hurt her jaw. ¡°It¡¯s not a rhetorical question; what is your problem?¡± Prisma stood up against the door, hands pressed against it as she shook slightly. Her eyes were wide with fear, and Tira counted them having at least some emotion as a win for the time being. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m not the person she thinks I am. I¡¯m selfish, but I can¡¯t even decide what I want, so I end up fucking everything up for everyone. I wanted to be her friend, but I still did those horrible things to her, and I want to help her now but can¡¯t convince myself to go against the crown¡­ ¡°I did that stupid game on stage, and I actually liked it, and then I started to understand her a bit more with that too, but I fucked that up too because I hated that I liked it, even though I wasn¡¯t the only one. I¡¯m just so done. I¡¯ve messed up everything so bad, and now I don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m bothering with living anymore.¡± Tira was the one frozen now, suddenly finding herself trapped in the empty ssroom with Prisma in between her and the door, the girl scrunching her face in every effort not to cry, failing to stop the tears that were leaking out. Gods, I do not know how to handle this. It was almost an actual prayer, and religious or not she would¡¯ve weed a divine intervention, but no such things came for Tira. ¡°Don¡¯t say stuff like that,¡± she eventually settled on, stepping back to sit on one of the ssroom desks. ¡°You asked what my problem was,¡± Prisma replied, slinking to the ground as she wiped her face with her sleeve. ¡°Yeah, guess I did¡­¡± It was painful, watching Miss Perfect try andpose herself, failing to stop the tears as she sniffled and sighed before eventually pulling out a small hand mirror from her pocket and holding it up to her face. ¡°Are you seriously worried about how you look right now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already embarrassed my family enough this week.¡± Family. Tira cursed herself for not considering that. It wasn¡¯t a concern for ina obviously, but word of a noble daughter getting naked on stage would spread far. ¡°It won¡¯t be that bad¡­ You can always just say it was an exaggeration.¡± ¡°There are exaggerations, and some people are believing them.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Prisma huffed and put her mirror away, pulling her knees up to her chest and nting her face in them. Tira was still trapped, effectively, despite not knowing how to handle something like this. ¡°I don¡¯t like you,¡± she eventually said. Prisma looked up, pure confusion on her red, puffy face. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like you, you don¡¯t like you. I honestly don¡¯t think anyone should like you, but ina does anyway. She sees something in you that I don¡¯t, that you don¡¯t, maybe that no one else sees in you, but she sees it anyway. ¡°Be that person. If you want to be better, start by being the person she thinks you are. You do that, you might find a way to convince me to forgive you. And maybe you¡¯ll forgive yourself too.¡± Tira walked forward, hand reaching out for the doorknob, hoping Prisma would move over. The girl stared up with those bewildered eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± she whispered, scooting over on the tile floor and leaving Tira enough room to leave. Tira opened the door to the hallway, happy to see they hadn¡¯t somehow amassed a crowd of eavesdroppers. ¡°Thepany you keep isn¡¯t going to help you with that. You¡¯d be better off partied up with us.¡± Tira didn¡¯t wait for a response before leaving and letting the door close. Just saying it had been hard enough on its own. Ch 3.10: Diversions Ch 3.10: Diversions Carline wasn¡¯t even jealous about theke anymore. Walking with ina bacon to their dorm was an awkward affair. ina still hadn¡¯t talked since mentioning she was from the north, and Carline couldn¡¯t think of much to talk about either. They were off to war, after all, a war that Carline was only vaguely aware was happening, a thing she¡¯d heard of throughout her life at dinner parties, always spoken of in light conversation. She¡¯d never liked that. It was maybe the greatest relief in her life once her aspect had awakened, been revealed to be Health. She remembered her parent¡¯s disappointment at the time, but that was the one time she was happy that they were sad. It hadn¡¯t helped her avoid this though, hadn¡¯t helped her avoid anything really. She was still an Endrin student after all, a soldier in the making despite what she could do in a hospital back home, anywhere, really. The two girls entered their dorm before Carline even realized they¡¯d walked through themon room. ¡°I¡¯m probably just going to go to bed,¡± ina said, shrugging her jacket off and onto the floor. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we get Temmie out? Tell her what happened?¡± ¡°Tomorrow,¡± ina said, undoing her tie and bending over to take off her boots. Stars, why was Carline like this? All she could do now was stare, stare down ina¡¯s blouse, across her legs as her socks came off, at her face as she rose back up. ina herself didn¡¯t seem to relish in taking her clothes off in front of Carline as much as normal though, too distracted for that. She hadn¡¯t spent the whole day with pent up energy studying though¡­ Carline went to take off her own clothes as well. She¡¯d gotten better about doing that in front of ina, not bothering to cover herself in the short moments she changed, though she still wasn¡¯t confident enough to lounge around or sleep naked of course. She could tell she was in a rush. As ina casually unbuttoned her shirt, Carline had already hung up her jacket and ced her boots next to the dresser, and she was soon caught up. I need¡­ something. She knew what she needed, and she knew how to get it too. It felt wrong though, for her to initiate something. What if ina didn¡¯t want to do anything like that right now? What if she was really so tired she¡¯d be disgusted by the idea of it, not just distracted? But gods was Carline distracted herself. ¡°Hey,¡± she said, sliding her own shirt off. It took every ounce of willpower to not cover up immediately as ina turned, eyes locking eyes with Carline first, then drifting down. ¡°You, uhm, didn¡¯t tell me about theke.¡± ¡°Right,¡± ina said, hands stopping, leaving her shirt hanging off her shoulders, buttons open as the fabric flowed over her curves, cleavagepletely on disy. That was something Carline loved, the casual moments of undress, the types of things you didn¡¯t get to see for very long even if you were involved with someone, but somehow the sight of Carline herself undressing had frozen ina in this moment. ¡°You should tell me about it¡­¡± Carline continued, unsping her skirt and letting it fall to the floor. She felt so exposed as she let go, being the one who was most undressed for once, arms pressing into her body. It was hard to believe that someone like ina could look and find someone like her attractive, but Carline knew the look on ina¡¯s face, the stunned gaping as you stared at someone else. Despite Carline¡¯s own reservations, ina clearly liked what she was seeing. ¡°Okay,¡± ina said, sitting on the bed as Carline stepped forward. She wasn¡¯t even making an effort to undress herself anymore, only watching Carline. I really am taking the lead this time, Carline thought as she reached behind her back, feeling her face burning red as she pulled at the sp. ¡°So, how¡¯d the run go?¡± Ch 3.11: ? Comparisons Ch 3.11: ? Comparisons Carline was getting morefortable with taking her clothes off in front of ina. That was only natural, of course, but she knew she¡¯d never bepletely at ease with anyone seeing her body, and she couldn¡¯t get off on being embarrassed the same way ina did. Sure would be nice, honestly. ¡°The run?¡± ina asked as Carline tossed her bra to the ground, feeling her own breasts hanging in front of her. She covered up out of instinct, standing there in just her underwear, in white bloomers as ina stared on. ¡°Earlier today? With Flora and Tira?¡± ina shook her head, a bit of mindfulnessing back to her zed eyes, making eye contact now that Carline had stopped stripping and started covering her self. ¡°Right. It was, uhm, fun. I wished you were there.¡± ¡°Maybe next time,¡± Carline said as she let her arms go, still feeling her chest and arms burning red. ¡°Especially if it¡¯s just you and Flora.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± ina said, a hint of disappointment in her eyes as she nced to the side. That hurt, not in a way that ina could¡¯ve meant, just in Carline knowing that she wasn¡¯t able to offer everything ina wanted. ¡°I mean, maybe¡­ If I got to know Tira a bit better, with you and her, inside at first, maybe we could work our way up to it¡­¡± Carline¡¯s heart was racing at the thought, not even sure how much she was offering, what she¡¯d be able to stop herself from doing once the blood started rushing in the moment, but the excitement on ina¡¯s face made her happy again. And after all, Carline wouldn¡¯t exactly scoff at the idea of seeing Tira. She just hoped it would be okay if such a thing was more on her terms, at least at first. ina stood up, beaming as she let her shirt fall off her arms and started stripping herself again. ¡°If we¡¯re doing this, let¡¯s get to it.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Carline said, but despite the wordsing out of her lips she was entranced herself now, eyes stuck in ce, watching as ina finished removing thest bits of her clothing. Her breasts fell out as well as she tossed her bra aside, bouncing just slightly, hanging as she bent over to remove her underwear, pulling them down and then jumping back up again. A thought struck Carline, that ina didn¡¯t really have a body like Flora at all. She was shorter, had more in her chest, her hips, more everywhere really. She still wasn¡¯t built that way Carline herself was, but Carline found that she liked looking at ina pretty much the same as she did Flora, beingpletely honest with herself. And even though ina¡¯s body was closer to Flora¡¯s than Carline¡¯s in most ways, there was aspect of herself Carline saw almost perfectly in ina. In ina¡¯s still hungry eyes, Carline could see herself, the way she looked at Flora, Carline, Tira, that same look was in ina¡¯s eyes as she looked at Carline. That made it easier again to bend over, push down her own underwear and step out of them. Maybe she was different, bigger than most other girls, but she wasn¡¯t bothered that ina and Flora didn¡¯t look the same. She could see beauty in all kinds of girls herself, so why was it so hard to believe ina saw the same in her? ¡°You want to watch me?¡± ina asked, gaze drifting across her roommate¡¯s body. ¡°No,¡± Carly said, moving forward and taking hold of ina¡¯s hands, pulling her into a kiss with an intensity that surprised both of them. ¡°Right now,¡± she panted as she pulled away for air, ¡°I want this.¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!