~NRK~
"Huh?!" Rosemary squawked. "Y-You can't just accept a fight out of nowhere!"
"Uh, yes I can," Naruto said as Aster chuckled.
"He seems pretty straightforward," he said as he strode forward before holding out his hand. "Aster, at your service," Aster introduced himself as Naruto chuckled before grasping his hand.
"Naruto Uzumaki, nice ta meetcha, Aster."
"Likewise, though, I'm confused," he said as they let go and looked at the school gates. "W-When was the school closed?"
"Hehe, um, well," Parsley grinned in embarrassment. "Due to some rather numerous Trabbers, it ended up like this," she admitted.
"Dark Trabbers?"
"Wait, those are a thing?"
"Oh, yeah! We learned that from Aloe's Bestiary!" Rosemary said before blushing as Aster chuckled. 'Oh, God! That's so cute!'
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised others have it, I mean, I'd think most with Guardian tutelage would," Aster said as Snapdragon chuckled. "Hmm, for now, how about we go in? I'd like to put my things down," he explained as they saw his luggage on the ground.
As they all nodded, going in with Naruto and Aster at the front, Rosemary blinked as her eyes flashed white for a mere moment.
'?' She blinked, the sight of two floating 'somethings' above Aster's shoulders getting a confused hum out of her. 'What's that?' Rosemary blinked again as those two hazes came and went as she kept looking. "?"
Weird.
~NRK~
Reaching their dorms, the group brought their things back in before meeting up in the living room.
"Hmm, so for our match, when do you think would be the best time?" Aster asked the meditating Naruto who opened one eye to allow its golden iris to be seen. "?!" Aster's own gaze widened. 'Does he also have spirits?!'
"Hmmm."
The world seemed to stop as a blue, feminine, figure appeared in front of him, the woman's flowing blue outfit covered in frills but with a warrior's grace, having a corset, vest, and slightly curly hat.
"No, despite how his eyes changed, his power is different… Ah, that's what it is!" The ethereal female grinned. "It's Worldly Power, I think it was called. Why, back in my day, that was something only reserved for elves and Changelings!" She chuckled.
The world returned to normal as Aster blinked, Naruto's lips moving.
"Well, honestly? It'll depend, our schedule for this week was originally supposed to be about our Exploring Hours," Naruto explained as Aster hummed.
"Oh, right, Snapdragon called them that. Did the names change?" He asked as the ginger blushed a bit.
"N-No, I just… it felt more apt," Snapdragon admitted as Aster tilted his head with a hum. "I mean, Everything Hours are divided, right? Why not call them something to keep the distinction?" He smiled bashfully.
"It's certainly caught on for us," Sage admitted as she looked over the Empowering Compound Eye book. "Honestly, Naruto, this book is still something I feel like you should read," she told the… blonde. 'Beastkin,' she reminded herself.
There were so many blondes in their group all of a sudden.
Speaking of, a familiar transformed mermaid hurried into the area. "Oh! You guys are here," Zinnia said with a smile as Chervil followed behind her, arms crossed as he looked around.
'Aster… he's the Spirit Tuner,' well, maybe this wouldn't be so bad. "Hmm, I'm surprised you all are here," Chervil said, confusing them.
"What do you mean?" Amaryllis scoffed at the boy's grimace. "Maybe be nicer next time and we'll be nicer."
"Tsk… the point is, Redbud told us to gather all the Freshmen students. You all came late."
"Huh?" Thyme frowned. "Late? Was there a meeting?"
"Yes," Zinnia explained as she pulled a potion bottle out of her pocket. "We're all here, right?"
"Should be," Mint huffed.
The mermaid smiled before smashing the bottle in the middle of the room, bright red bubbling clouds curling around everyone there.
~NRK~
The clouds unfurled, leaving the group within the main auditorium where they'd originally gotten their Vows.
All who'd been in the chairs stumbled on their feet, Naruto, Parsley, Amaryllis, Zinnia, Chervil, and Rosemary being the only ones who hadn't stumbled and helped their shaky comrades.
Rosemary giggled as she helped Sage up, Parsley doing the same for Amaryllis while Snapdragon helped Cal.
Chervil helped Aster while Zinnia did the same for Mint.
Last but not least, Naruto snickered as he helped Thyme to her feet, the elf girl's tall stature working to her disadvantage in that regard.
"Ugh, her potions are so dumb," Thyme huffed as the fox boy snickered some more, leaning back to help her stand. "I'm not a long wooden board, Naruto."
"Hey, I'm just helping," he said cheekily.
"Glad you all could join us so late," Redbud said to them.
Redbud was basically an old woman with fair skin, several wrinkles, red eyes, and gray hair set in a neat bun held up by a trio of hair needles, each with a gem of a different color on the tips.
Along with a flowing pale lavender kimono, some short geta sandals, and a staff in her hand, this was their Potion Making teacher.
It wasn't just her there, either, all their teachers were, Redbud, the Triad, Hakone, Caraway, Moss Phlox, and Bay Laurel, they were all around and coming over to them.
"Here, I suppose it would be better for this to be done in secrecy," the centaur said as she strode forward and handed Parsley a rolled-up map. "There, the map you'll need for tomorrow."
"... Oh! We're mixing the weeks together?" The dwarf asked as their teachers nodded.
"Honestly, after some thought," Caraway began with a nervous grin. "We spoke with Phlox and realized that five days in such territory would be a bad idea," he said as the satyr huffed.
"After some… thought," he began as Parsley chuckled at his huffing. "I guess… this works."
"Well, we don't mind," she said as the group outside of Chervil, Zinnia, and Aster nodded.
"H-Huh? What's going on?" The mermaid asked Naruto who rubbed the back of his head.
"Um, can we tell them?" He offered as the teachers hummed.
"It'd depend on if they'd go," Mature Triad said before nodding. "Very well."
"We're going to the Vulcan Mines," Naruto explained, Chervil choking along with Aster.
"That's one of the most precious and dangerous mines in the world!" Aster said in shock and awe. "I-I mean, seriously?"
"W-Wait, I don't get it," Zinnia admitted. 'We only heard their conversation from down the hall,' perhaps this was worse than just some ore?
"The Vulcan Mines are at the very midpoint of Scarborough," Chervil explained to her. "A dividing point where all the countries call a Neutral Zone."
"W-Wait! ALL?!"
"Yes, there's a chance you'll encounter Witch Country students or warriors there," Young Triad said. "And that's why it's been cut down. Your numbers aren't small and you all have a series of diversified skills between you, it's just for safety's sake."
"U-Um, are there valuable things there?" Zinnia asked.
"Yep, a bunch of good ore, Zinni," Amaryllis impressed upon her and the mermaid perked up. "Some real expensive stuff can be found there."
"R-Really?!"
"Yep!" Elder Triad grinned. "Why, we can actually donate materials to the Hunter's Guild and, if we do, we can get a cut of some of the things we give. Usually, this would only be for second-years but you all have opportunities don't waste them! GO CRAZY!"
"Not too crazy," Hakone chuckled. "But, she's got a few points, you should make the most of your situation. Though, whether you three wish to go is a different matter."
"Hmm, it'd be interesting," Aster said, rubbing the back of his head. "And, well, more protection for them can't hurt, right?"
"Hmph… very well," Chervil said. "I guess finding better material for my arsenal," and he'd also be able to keep an eye on Thyme.
"I-If I can make some money, sure!" Zinnia said with shaky determination. "... A-And when do we start this?"
"Hmm, with that, you've a 12-person group," Caraway chuckled. "So, we actually had some ideas."
"Originally, we wanted you to break up into three groups of three," Bay Laurel said as she pulled two more maps out of the ether. "Now, you'll be making groups of four. The fact remains, you all can't just focus on mining ore or going deeper. You need teams to cover your bases, your defenses, your exploration, and combat."
Parsley took all three maps and hummed. "I guess I get it," she said. "Still, we have classes right now, don't we?"
"No, not until after Everything Hours," Hakone said and the group balked. "Which will also be altered a bit. With your first two classes now shortened, Everything Hours will now be three-hours long along with my own class being 2 and a half hours for the next month."
"W-Wait, I thought it was only supposed to be a week!" Amaryllis said even as her grin shot on all cylinders. "SERIOUSLY!?"
"Yep!" Elder Triad grinned. "With the past year's odd change in tutelage, we decided to spice things up!"
"Every other month, from here on out, will be like this," Young Triad said. "Also, you'll finally get your mixed combat tutelage from Professor Hakone and our other teachers, starting with professor Caraway since its both his and Redbud's classes that will be getting disturbed."
"Wait so Redbud's teaching combat?" Thyme asked in confusion. "I… no offense to you, ma'am, I just don't see you as one for combat," the woman's normally fragile looks, dainty attire, and disposition just didn't seem accustomed to combat.
"Hm, hm, being Guardian doesn't mean you ignore combat, you just specialize," the old woman explained. "I've had my own fair share of fighting, thank you very much."
Curious. Amaryllis and Sage wondered what her fighting style had to encompass.
~NRK~
"Ah, we'll be sparring these coming weeks," Aster blinked. "I should mind my kits, these looks don't just keep themselves alive, I'll have you know," he smirked as Cal's eyebrow twitched.
'Is he a fruit?' He feared he might be.
The group was currently in the field outside of the dorms like many of the other students, Thyme making a big vague wooden block that'd be working as their 'table' as they planned.
"Let's focus on our upcoming mission!" Rosemary grinned as Aster chuckled a bit, getting a blush out of her. "A-Ahehe," she fiddled with her fingers.
Snapdragon raised a brow at that as Amaryllis snorted. "Oh, it's like that," he whispered to her and she grinned while Sage pouted a bit on the ginger's other side. "Well, good for her, Aster isn't really a bad person. He just seems to have interesting mood changes."
"Violent ones?" Sage asked in concern and Snapdragon shook his head.
"It's, well, how do I explain it? Every now and then, it seems like he'll have a more… dainty personality or a more rough one? He just seems more willing at times or more cautious. I'd been noticing it and slowly got a feel for his shifts, none of them seem bad so much as odd and in need of getting used to."
"... hmph."
"Aww, jealous?" The 'purple mage' whispered as the 'blue one' huffed.
"I am not, it's just… s-she's going gaga over someone she just met!" Sage whispered hotly as the three's eyes went to Rosemary's current 'dazed' expression as Aster, now bearing red eyes, spoke about some random adventure he seemed to have had. "And she's listening way too much that we're not focusing on our planning."
"Hmm, I mean, I have to bet she had a crush before."
"T-That was different, we were all kids and that other kid was 'Dole'."
"... I don't know what that means," Snapdragon sweatdropped. "Though, it seems like guys with 'D' as their first initial aren't doing too well."
"Ha! Doyle," Amaryllis snorted and shook her head.
"Alright, so, the way I've been thinking about it," Naruto said. "I think every team, no matter what, needs someone with healing skills in it," he offered, gaining everyone's attention. "Not only that but long-range and close-range as well. We need good skills so I think we should all tell each other what kinda roles we can have, that good?"
"Sounds good."
"Alright! Then I'll go first. I'm a close-to-mid range fighter with Support Magic that's based around a single regen skill, a single Protection spell, a new barrier spell, some Terrain control skills, and a pair of Runes made for increasing stamina and connecting our senses."
They all looked surprised by how he put it before looking bashful, Thyme rolling her eyes before speaking next.
"Fine, I'll do it. I'm a long-range fighter with some Support Magic based on creating things from stone and wood. My magic abilities also have a single Rune for healing, another for entrapment, some Terrain control, and Elvish Speak."
"Then I'll go next!" Rosemary grinned. "U-Um, well, I fight with my sword's range and stuff, I know one spell which helps increase its range a LOT! A-And I have my dagger, too!"
Aster blinked at it, cupping his chin as he leaned down towards the blushing Rosemary.
"It's enchanted, right?" He asked, light blue eyes shining as he saw it. "That's cool."
"Y-Ya think so?!"
Amaryllis looked far too amused. "I'll go next since someone's occupied and done," Rosemary blushed. "I'm a long-range fighter with some mid-range due to my whipping skills," she grinned as Cal coughed. "My Terraspheres can use energy blasts with Trap and Plant-based magic. No Support spells other than one that allows me to increase my voice's loudness. Oh, and I got a shield with a 'Condensed Defense'."
"Hmph," Cal rubbed the back of his head as she shot him a stare that told him 'she really didn't care for him right now'. "I'm a close-range fighter, I've got a hammer so I'm good with blunt force and stuff. I can do an Endurance skill, sort of," he blushed as Amaryllis smirked before he huffed. "Stop it. And, well, outside of that, I get stronger with heavier things to wield."
"I'm in a similar boat," Parsley said. "Though, I don't know a healing skill while my Vow allows me to handle more heat than most. Outside of those, I've got Terrain skills like Naruto and Thyme while I've got a couple of explosive knives, Naru's got a shield with increased protection."
"Right, that's true," Naruto chuckled. "Ya know, it's kinda comforting to know we've got more skills and stuff to speak about while doing this."
"Man, you guys have so many useful skills," Aster admitted while Snapdragon shrugged.
"You get used to it," he chuckled. "A-And I guess I'll go next. Well, I'm a close-range fighter with a Poison-Resistance skill? I also know a similar skill to Rose about improving my axe's reach, I know a little potion knowledge, and I've got Rune enchanted leather bracers that give me extra swinging power."
Amaryllis nodded, pleased.
"T-Then, um," Sage blushed. "I-I know mostly magic skills, I can handle most basic element spells, I-I know my Water Terrasphere has a pair of healing spells in it while my Light Core Sphere is based towards speed and flight," she admitted as Naruto tilted his head. "T-There are in-built spells for Terraspheres, I know you know, so my Light-element Terrasphere has some. Think of it like a mini-spell book."
"Oh! That's so cool!" Naruto chuckled as she nodded with a smile.
"It's diverse but we know two can't be used the same way at the same time. I have to make sure one is inactive before I try the other, it's where the question of control comes in."
"Gotcha. Let's see, who's next? Aster? Zinnia? Chervil? Mint?"
"You know most of what my Terrasphere does," Mint explained. "Also, reminder, you have hexes on your sides," he grinned bashfully and she smirked. "But it is a bit comforting to know we have more and more skills. Well, my Red Terrasphere is one based around perception. Whether it's notifications of where I place nodes or guidance. It has a decent attacking spell but that's it. Outside of that, I know a bit of Demon Language like Mr. Uzumaki does and that's it."
"T-Then, I'll go next!" Zinnia said. "I'm mostly good at using Water Magic, w-with this Ring Wand," she showed them her hands where silver ringlets sat on her pointer fingers.
"Wait, serious?! That sounds so useful!" Parsley said in awe as the others nodded.
"Yes, I've heard of those," Aster said with surprise. "I was of the opinion they were rare and made of Deep Sea Metal."
"I-I live near the coast of a lake and I dive often," Zinnia lied. "Besides that, I'm good at healing spells, water divination, a-and I have an axe," she pointed to the handaxe next to all their weapons.
"Hmm, I guess we'll leave Aster for last?" Chervil offered. "I'm an elf like Miss Thyme so I have the ability to use magic without a medium and I'm proficient in a pair of Lightning-based spells and two Elvish Battle Hymns. They're the power of words for those who don't know," he said, shooting Naruto a look before balking as the blonde nodded.
"Oh, right," he chuckled nervously. "I do know a single Elvish Hymn," Chervil choked while Aster perked up.
"How? I was of the opinion only, well, elves could use it," he said, normal blue eyes alight with interest.
"My energy network is a bit different. While I have this bracelet," he showed a false-Illusion Brace. "I can act like I have a similar pathway like elves."
"That's incredible!" Zinnia said with sparkling eyes as Thyme's eyebrow twitched. "I-I didn't know there were such things!"
"Well, it was something me and dad came up with. It was, well, not something you can find anywhere else due to how we got it."
"I understand completely!"
Chervil's eyebrow twitched. 'T-That ragamuffin!' T-To make him look like a young fool!?
How dare he!
"So, I guess I'm what's left," Aster said, eyes bright red, hands on his hips, and a grin on his lips. "My abilities are based around close-, mid-, and long-range through the ability to borrow powers from spirits," he explained as the group balked save for Mint.
"I'd heard of that from the Triad but they weren't specific," she said as he nodded.
"W-Wait, spirits?! I-I've got Spirit Vision!" Rosemary said and Aster's head snapped around like he'd lost a million gold coins. "A-Ahehe, t-tadaa~?"
"You have THE Spirit Vision?!" His normally blue eyes looked alight with excitement as he fistpumped. "I-I've always wanted to meet someone like that! I've heard that those kinds of people are one in ten thousand chances to exist!"
Rosemary's mouth struggled to hold off her grin as her face went neon red.
"Please, when we get the chance, can we talk i-in private?"
"YESSS!" Rosemary said immediately as Naruto, Cal, Amaryllis, Snapdragon, and Parsley laughed. "U-Uh! T-That is, well, um, YES!"
"Nice!"
Oh, there was some amusement to be had.
Mint smirked. "Ignoring all of that," Aster and Rosemary blushed. "Your skillset, please."
"U-Uh, well, I…" Aster looked embarrassed. "So, right, like I said. Spirits allow me to use things called Spirit Arts. Depending on the spirit, I have access to abilities they have."
"That's so cool," Snapdragon grinned. "Hehe, is there a general knowledge on those kinds of things?"
"Yes! My family's had great Spirit Tuners for over two hundred years. I'm the next in line to keep our lineage going. Outside of that, I've had some of the most amazing swordsmanship teachers."
"Hehe, that's cool," Naruto said with a determined nod. "With that, we know everyone's skills," he added as his nail sharpened and he made a few tables.
Melee, Healing, Support, and Sensory were the titles for all four, leaving them surprised by the last one.
"My idea is to have two melee combat students per 'party' with there being someone who can apply healing in each one. The last one of the four-person team is basically anyone to work on synergy," he said as they all looked at the 'Healing' table.
Healing:
→ Naruto
→ Thyme
→ Sage
→ Zinnia
→ Cal
→ Snapdragon
"I mean, is putting us down really noteworthy?" Snapdragon asked as Callum nodded.
"He's got a point, ours are mostly self-aimed and work half-well outside of that. We'd be no good as medics," he said. "Besides, that's four right there, you guys have the goods."
"Not wrong," Naruto said as they looked at their 'Melee Roster'. "This is basically everyone but Sage and Mint who can confidently use a weapon up-close. With that, let's look at the other two."
Support:
→ Naruto
→ Sage
→ Mint
→ Snapdragon
→ Cal
→ Aster
→ Rosemary
"Huh? Me?" Rosemary asked as Naruto nodded.
"Of course, I mean, you literally can see if someone's gonna attack ahead of time. That's too useful. Speaking of eye powers, Sage, how much leeway did you make on that book?" Naruto asked their Blue Mage who hummed.
"Well, I did get one of its spells down. It's the ability to see single streams of energy flow," she said. "I-It's a rather single-minded skill but it's more than I had before."
"That's good, it's more than enough," Parsley said. "So, that's seven people with Support Skills."
"But what about Sensory?" Chervil asked with a frown as Naruto nodded.
"That's basically a pretty short list but we can now add Sage to it," the beastkin said.
Sensory:
→ Naruto
→ Rosemary
→ Chervil
→ Thyme
→ Sage
→ Mint
"The ability to keep track of things in our surroundings we can't normally see, I get it," Thyme said. "We lucked out with having just enough for one per group."
"Seems pretty clear," Cal said as they turned to him. "Well, for one, let me ask you. What group would Naruto go in?"
The group shot him weird looks, or irritated ones in Chervil's case, before Naruto chuckled.
"I… I think I get what he means," he explained.
"What is it?" Zinnia asked.
"Well, I'm literally an All-Rounder in this case," Naruto said. "I can do any of our four jobs and that's a lot to put on one team. We want these teams to all have the biggest chances for success."
"I guess I get it," Snapdragon said. "But what criteria are we working with? Naruto's not only our best fighter but his sensory abilities are off the charts. We can't just leave him in an inactive group, yeah?"
"That's how it sounds," Aster said with a hum as he observed the other blonde boy. "So many skills, apparently the strongest of your group," he added with light blue eyes. "Sensory abilities you call out of this world?" He asked them.
"Yep!" Rosemary said with a nod. "Like, Naruto can sense for miles, it's kinda crazy."
"That's insane," Aster said in awe before cupping his chin. 'What do you two think?'
"It seems like the boy's simply too valuable an asset."
"He's ferociously strong from what they say, we'll see it for ourselves soon. If this is all true, that means he can work as a deterrent or as a trailblazer."
Aster nodded. "Well, two spirits are of the opinion that he can work as the one leading the exploration or the one who'll be working bodyguard duty."
"That'd mean either he's leading a smaller charge ahead," Mint considered. "Or working as the all-group protection?"
"It seems so."
Amaryllis considered it. "Then why are we thinking it only needs to be four-person groups?" She offered.
"Likely because the teachers said so?" Cal offered and she turned away from him, getting a flinch out of the taller grape head. "O-Ow."
Sage's sympathy rose. "I suppose I get it. Naruto's speed is actually ridiculous and he can keep going with his own stamina and Stamina Rune Word," she said. "If he's always moving, though, surely even he's gonna be stretched thin."
"That's why it can't be too many things," Thyme said. "If we, say, sent Naruto ahead with Pars and someone else who'll bring in more Support, that should work. Someone would just have to join another team."
"But Thyme also needs to keep checking everything out," Parsley said to her friend who shrugged.
"You're not wrong but I need to look at everything. Not just the most important stuff. That stone that Sage and Ryllis's crew brought back seemed unimpressive, didn't it? What if I find more good stuff?"
"Well… I guess she has a point."
"Still, who's their third member?" Chervil asked.
"Well…" Rosemary considered it. "Why not make it Snap?" She grinned as Snapdragon blinked.
"H-Huh? Why?" He asked.
"Oh, I see," Naruto nodded. "Snapdragon, if I'm able to handle healing and endurance, you can protect us from something I can't. Poison is, stupidly, in a lot of places," he sweatdropped. "It'd be a bad idea to let that happen and I can just keep on hitting all of us with my energy to keep us going."
Snapdragon blinked before considering it. "... well, if you'll have me."
"Welcome aboard!" Naruto and Parsley grinned as he chuckled.
"Well, if that's solved, that still leaves us with nine people."
"Hmm, we need people to mind the perimeter, I guess," Thyme said.
"Then I've got it," Cal said. "I know all the tricks to look for traps and perimeter hazards. Besides, I also know the most when it comes to our country and its punk-ass enemies."
"Eloquent," Mint said. "But he's right, I'll also be minding the perimeter, my magic was basically made for it."
"That's two," Parsley said. "Who else? We also need to remember our composition. Cal and Mint still need more melee and a healer."
"Then I guess I'll go with them," Zinnia offered as Cal bit back his smirk. "Still, I'm o-only a healer with some axe work."
"... Amaryllis," Thyme said as Cal flinched and the short mage's head slowly turned to the elf. "No, stop, look, I get it. But you have skills that are too good to just have in full attack teams. Besides, you know trap magic and can use a whip, last I checked."
"... well, she's not wrong," the Purple Mage huffed as Cal looked away from her, her fire dwindling. 'Dammit, Naru's killing my vibe,' she was thinking about his feelings, God.
Okay, sure, she knew it wasn't Cal's fault… and maybe she was being a bit mean.
… Dammit.
"Fine, I'm joining 'em."
"Then that means we'll go and check out the floors!" Rosemary grinned. "With Naru's team deciding to go in further to collect ores they can see and map the place out, we can take Thyme around and work as her protection squad!"
"She's right," Aster smiled as the rosette blushed hard. 'Is she feeling unwell?' Maybe she'd need some water?
His spirits looked ready to slap the oblivious boy.
"He's an idiot," they groaned in unison.
"Then we've got our jobs," Naruto chuckled. "Pars, the map?"
The dwarf brought them out and Naruto pushed one towards Aster and the other towards Cal.
"Aster, you've been to a lot of places, I feel like."
"I have," the new blonde nodded with a smile.
"And Cal's perimeter skills will work well if he knows what he's perimetering."
"That's not a word but it's not wrong," Cal smirked.
"Then I guess, for us, we'll have Snap handle the map," Parsley said as Naruto nodded and Snapdragon rubbed the back of his head.
"Thanks for your trust," he said.
"No problem."
"So, from here on out, we have to prepare for tomorrow," Sage said as she fiddled with her Blue Terrasphere Staff. "I-I guess getting more familiar with our Support and Healing spells would be good?"
"That sounds about right," Aster said. "Oh, Rubarb, we can have our talk later."
"Uhh," Rosemary blinked while the others snickered. "A-Aster, it's 'Rosemary'."
"...?" Aster cupped his chin as if scrutinizing his thought. "A moment."
He pulled out a notebook and started scribbling into it. "Rosemary… equals… hair poofs," he said slowly as he drew it into the page. "Um, right, you're Chime, right?" He asked Thyme as her eyes went flat.
"You might want to put our names down to paper."
With that hilarious factoid on Aster dialed away, the group went through a series of Support Trials.
Naruto stood in front of a worried Sage like a memory, the two prepared to use their newest spells.
"I-I guess since you've got a barrier now, this should be different," the Blue Mage said as she looked at her Terraspheres. "Which one?" She asked herself before putting the blue one away in her pocket, her white one shining as she activated it.
A staff formed in her hands, a pure-white thing with a simple wooden-like design.
"Alright," Naruto said as he raised his hand in front of his body. "Knit, Connect, Knit, Connect, form a healing tract in my body."
A green ring shot up his form, leaving him glowing, rather randomly, a softly white.
"Then next is this!" Naruto grinned. "Come to my aid, my glass, my protection, Glass Barrier!"
Sage looked on in awe at what looked like gold glass formed in front of her friend in two circular panes, the one closest to him larger than the one in front of it.
"T-That's so interesting!" She said as he chuckled.
"Apparently, this spell can be pushed but it can only hit three 'glasses' at max," Naruto explained. "I can make two."
Sage blushed as she nodded eagerly, eyes alight with interest. 'I'm practicing with a friend who can take more than I can dish out,' don't forget that. "Focus, ZIF," she whispered the Rune Word.
Then her staff's tip and her finger glowed, looking between the two, understanding dawned on her and she held her staff with both hands.
She drew out the magic array before her staff crackled as her hair lifted, the energy in the Rune Word growing more powerful.
"W-Wait! This seems dangerous!" Sage balked in horror as it crackled.
"Sage!" Naruto said as she locked eyes with him. "Do it."
She swallowed before steadying herself.
"ATTACK!"
An explosive white beam shot out at her barrier-wielding friend.
"Oh no," she realized in horror at the attack hit.
Naruto, meanwhile, braced his left arm as the air around him was tossed back. 'That's some good force!' He thought with a grin as white light filled his vision before the sound of cracking reached his ears. "So, even a brick wall's no good, huh?" The former shinobi chuckled as the first shield broke.
The floor beneath his feet crack as the beam began to die down, his solid stance keeping him up against it as it bit into his last bit of defense.
It cracked the center only a bit before it vanished, allowing him to look at the damage with a whistle.
"Damn, Sage, that's some sick power," he said with a chuckle as her jaw dropped again when it came to their 'testing'.
"Why are you so ridiculous?!" She shouted at him as he grinned. "A-Are you okay?!"
"Hmm? Yeah, that's why the Regen spell is up," he said as he dropped his shield, the aftereffects riddling his arm with a slight bristle of pain. "I mean it," Naruto reassured her as she looked at the ripped-up bits of his school uniform.
"Y-Your uniform."
"I know, it's fine," it was.
The scars didn't reach that far down and it was just a school uniform.
"That was wicked, Sage!" Rosemary cheered as the two came over. "W-When could she do a super beam?!"
"U-Um, since class?" Sage tried to say. "I-I never used that Rune Word with my staff before," she added, looking down at the staff in her hands. 'If Naruto hadn't had a barrier, t-that could have gotten really bad!'
"It was pretty spectacular," Snapdragon admitted with a smile as Sage huffed. 'That is cute,' she was like a puffy bird, he couldn't deny that. "Still, Naruto, what's your opinion on it?"
"Hmm, I'd give it the ability to dent that metal slab I've been hitting," Naruto said with a grin as most of the group choked while Sage blinked at him in disbelief. "The Layered Glass Barrier is supposed to have three levels to it. The first is supposed to be defined by the user and the barriers behind it are meant to be enhanced by more energy I put in it. That first shield of the two was supposed to be as hard as a brick wall I chipped some stone off of in Parsley's home."
"W-What about the second?" Thyme asked, surprised.
"The next layer is going to be far stronger, it's supposed to be up to three times as strong and I went that far. She cracked it but that's it."
"That's crazy," Amaryllis blinked in disbelief. "But I hope she realizes how useless that thing is."
"Huh?!" Zinnia balked. "H-How is that useless?!"
"It's because it takes too much time," Naruto explained as Sage blinked in surprise. "If she's even with one other person, what if they're against a group of people? What if Sage is alone? I'm sure there's a way around it but she simply can't use ZIF right now."
"I didn't think about that," Sage considered. "... I need faster attacks," she said to herself as she felt her earring.
Her form glowed blue as the Terrasphere did before the staff in her hands flashed and gained a ring around the base of the tip.
"... I'm guessing you just got another spell?" Cal asked, confused, as Sage nodded rapidly.
"T-That… it was like there was more there," she said. "... I guess I'm not good enough?" Sage didn't know.
It didn't make sense to her, much like Terraspheres did to a point.
"Rylls?"
"I don't know, I've never had a natural Terrasphere before," Amaryllis said with crossed arms. "Hmm, well, might as well try it out, yeah?"
Naruto nodded, turning around and preparing to walk off before Thyme's hand pulled him back.
"No, I'll be blocking the next volley," she told him as she walked past him. "I should also be able to try and test my own spells."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head while Aster tilted his head.
"You're oddly strong," he said to his fellow blonde male who laughed a bit. "And you can tell how potent her attack was?"
"I've been fighting for a good part of my life, I've gotten hit by a lot of stuff," the beastkin admitted with a nervous chuckle. "I've gotten good at it."
Aster looked amused.
Thyme stood across from Sage who looked more nervous despite her new skill.
"It'll be fine, I promise," the elf explained to her friend who swallowed before nodding. 'I guess she got used to Naruto being the defensive one,' which was fair.
Thyme knew that Naruto was tough and they'd all seen it in action.
"Ardaich mo neart spioradail, Meudaich," Thyme covered her mouth before forming that 'filter' and speaking her Hymn.
Feeling the change in her internal flow, she nodded.
"Wooden Shield."
Placing her hands against the ground, a spiraling shield the size of Thyme, herself, sprung from the ground in all its wooden glory.
"T-That's your newest spell, right?" Sage asked.
"Yeah, it's my only defensive one but it's big enough to cover me."
Sage nodded before raising her staff forward as the tip glowed.
The ring around it shot out at the shield in an instant, rotating like a flying saw-saucer before slamming into the protective wood.
The attack carved into the wood for maybe two seconds before breaking, reforming on her staff.
Looking around her two-inch-thick shield, Thyme hummed with a nod.
"That's pretty good," she said as Sage hummed, looking at her staff again while Thyme moved out from behind her barrier. "Keep going until you break it, I guess."
Sage attacked once more, the disk hitting a different part of the shield.
"O-Oh!" She burned as Rosemary chuckled.
"Just take good aim! I mean, you'll need to, anyway," she said, patting her childhood friend on the back.
"R-Right."
The next several blows were more concentrated but still not on target. Maybe ten hits in, she broke Thyme's shield, wiping her brow.
"I-I guess it's giving up power for speed," Sage said. "Well, it's not the worst thing," it was more than she had before.
"Huh," Cal hummed. "Well, Thyme's got a shield and Sage has faster attacks. Who's next?"
"Well, I think I can try the R-Ritual Blade Skill," Snapdragon offered as Cal hummed.
"How is that, by the way?"
"It's so cool! I-It's kinda like going back to my old axe for a bit but its on-the-move range and damage increases."
Cal looked very intrigued by this.
"Then me, too!" Rosemary grinned. "Hmm b-but what do we use 'em against?"
"Well, maybe I can give it a shot then," Amaryllis offered as they blinked. "My Terraspheres have four spells in total between them. One for a generic vine attack, two trap-based skills, and the voice thing. The energy blasts are just shooting energy," she explained as they walked forward while Thyme came back. "Alright, attackers, power up," she demanded as her Terraspheres glowed.
From the ground, two black weights sprouted?
"Oh no," Snapdragon swallowed as Rosemary raised a brow. "T-Those are basically the types of weights on chains, Rosie."
"I mean, I guess we're hitting them?" She said reassuringly before noticing his horrified chuckle.
"No, it might be the other way around."
Just then, the rosette squawked as the two 'weights' gained chomping mouths and white eyes, Amaryllis chuckling.
"Yes," she said. "Unc did say these were new ones but this is perfect!"
"... Snap, I'm never doubting you again."
"L-Let's just do this," he said with shaky confidence.
Out from their pockets came some colored chalk, mimicking their hair colors, before they wrote on their blades.
"Oh, so that's how it's done?" Cal asked the two who nodded.
"I-It's ickier," Rosemary made a disgusted look as Snapdragon shivered. "U-Usually i-it says to use our blood."
"I guess that chalk is magical?" Naruto asked only to blink at their shaking heads.
"N-No, the ritual is just more complex without the blood," Snapdragon again. "It's supposed to be faster but there were, thankfully, more squeamish people who learned this stuff," he explained as he wrote symbols along his axe's head.
When they were done, the weapons glowed their Vows' colors before expanding, elongating, to bigger sizes.
"Oh," Zinnia said with some awe. "That's so cool!"
Mint raised a brow at that while Chervil's mouth settled into an eye-rolling frown.
Aster tilted his head. 'Huh, I guess there would be similar skills to our own.'
The world froze once more and a hulking red man appeared within his sight with a grin.
Wearing barbarian-like armor, with a chest piece that only covered half his torso, left his arms bare, and a knight's helmet, he crossed his arms, the large greatshield on his back and the longsword at his waist emboldening the image.
"Heh, they wish they could reach the levels of my skills in my day," he said with a boisterous laugh. "Still, there's some potential here, I'm liking that Cal boy's hammer, and this Naruto kid's weapon is… interesting," he said as only Aster's eyes moved to the side, head frozen in time.
The beastkin's own longsword's fan-like tip made Aster curious.
'Is there something odd about it? I don't think it's enchanted.'
"... It's just familiar, the design, anyway. This boy might be a fan of the classics… or he's heading towards something," the spirit smirked despite his full helmet. "Something tells me you'll find some interesting comrades here, especially if that pink girl can help."
'I hope so,' Aster thought as he blinked and the world returned to normal speed.
"Alright, these Chompy Trapswill be good enough," Amaryllis smirked. "Though, if ya get caught by one, well, you'll be in for some jail time."
Rosemary grinned as her weapon's bastard sword status went to 'GREATSWORD' status. "It's a bit heavier but this baby's gonna put your monsters down!"
Snapdragon hummed as he hefted his ax. 'It is a bit more fitting now,' still kind of heavy but not as much as his dad's axe. "W-We'll be doing this now, I guess."
As he and Rosemary slowly inched forward, they jumped as the Chompy Traps came flying.
"Why?!" The girl squeaked as she glowed pink and swung up with her left hand only to gawk as the chomping weight clamped down on her blade. "WHOA!" She tilted before grabbing her weapon with both hands.
Snapdragon, meanwhile, ducked out the way of the flying trap monster before swinging out and back, form glowing orange as he locked his weapon into the trap skill's mouth to stop its attack.
'I-It's not as great but I can feel it!' He thought as turned and tried to swing out.
No luck, the chomper let go before tackling him.
"AH!"
Rosemary grinned as she pushed her weapon down into the monster's mouth before grasping the handle properly.
"SWING, BATTA-BATTA!"
Her body twisted with her swing that sent the trapped monster flying a bit away and crushing the floor beneath its weight, the creature groaning a bit.
"Can they do anything else?" Naruto asked from the side. "Like, energy slashes?"
"N-Not yet!" Rosemary and Snapdragon told him. "That's a couple levels away."
"Gotcha."
Snapdragon jumped as the chomper's chompers enlarged and latched around his waist and arms.
Moments later, he was immediately caught in a cage with a whine.
"Dammit."
"That's still a useful skill," Parsley said. "Hmm, who else?" She asked.
"I wish to face the blonde one!" Chervil declared as she sweatdropped.
All the other blondes in their group turned to him.
"Me?" Zinnia, Aster, and Naruto asked in unison, getting an annoyed eye twitch out of Chervil.
"The beastkin."
"Me? Sure!" Naruto chuckled and the short High Elf's eyebrows trembled. "What are we dealing with?"
"Hmph, if you're to help Zinnia with her quest, you need to be… ascertained," the short boy said. "Your reflexes are surprisingly top-notch if you could deflect lightning."
Remembering that event without the anger, most of the group realized that, yes, Naruto had deflected freaking lightning.
"He did…" Zinnia grinned in confidence. "W-Well, Scyphy wasn't exactly that fast out of water but under it he's basically pretty close."
"Sounds like we'll need to bring him out of it," Thyme said while cupping her chin. "If we could fish him out onto land, how fast would you say he is, really?"
"W-Well, I guess it's about our running speed? I mean, our running speed on a dragon is kinda sad."
"Wait, what?" Aster blinked in confusion. "What exactly have you all got to do in three weeks?!" He asked in excitement. "C-Can I join?!"
"SURE!" Rosemary grinned in excitement as Naruto facepalmed with laughter. "If your spirits are super strong, I bet you could handle that guy all on your own."
"Easy," Sage said as she elbowed her friend in the side before groaning. 'Should I take Amaryllis up on her offer?' This weirdness with her best friend was getting to her and Sage was left wondering if being a boy was really that great to the point of turning girls' minds to goo?
"Can we get back on topic?!" Chervil grunted as Mint shrugged.
"Go on, he's excited," she said as she pointed to the stretching Naruto already 'out in the field'. "Though, word to the wise? It's clear he doesn't hold anything against you, it'd save you enough breath to realize that you should just drop whatever out-of-nowhere grudge you had," Mint added as the elf huffed.
'He's messing with powers he couldn't possibly understand,' of course, Chervil wasn't an idiot.
The fact of the matter was, he was helping him in the future. Separating from Thyme was likely for the best due to the nature of both their races' 'higher grade' but also those same people's interest in her family.
Getting in the way of a High Elf wasn't to be underestimated and Chervil didn't hate the beastkin but knew that High Elves were simply… dangerous.
"Alright, what's your spell, Chervil?" Naruto asked the shorter boy, depositing his blazer. 'Gotta mind the scars,' he thought as the elf boy frowned.
"Hmph… my powers reside in lightning, it's not wrong to say, I'm the fastest of us here but… t-that doesn't mean I can always keep up, mentally," Chervil blushed as he admitted it and Naruto nodded.
"I get that so, what, we're gonna have you… you know?"
"Eloquent… and, well, no I won't be attacking you," the short boy said as he raised his hand. "Brùth m' inntinn, Eirich."
His head flashed before a pair of disc-like orbiters formed over both sides of his forehead.
"Wait, which one is that?" Naruto asked with interest and the younger male grumbled.
"It's Battle Hymn: Eirich, or 'Rise'. It's meant for raising our mental abilities and perception."
"That sounds way too useful."
"... It is," Chervil admitted. "Now," he raised his hand. "Become my agent of lightning, surge across these lands and attack my enemies, Lightning Golem!"
Lightning slammed down in between them, the others jumping as Naruto crossed his arms and waited for the hissing steam to clear.
When it did, a being made of sparking lightning stood there… around Chervil's height but that wouldn't make him underestimate him, Naruto knew better.
It was hunching forward on a cloud, its lower half unseen, while its torso was humanoid with a ball-like head and two-fingered claws.
"It's only bigger than Parsley!" Callum said in disbelief as the dwarf girl tilted her head. "No offense."
"None taken, I mean… it is supposed to be a golem, right?" She asked Chervil who groaned.
"You're… Mmm, listen, it can be made to be bigger but golems can be specialized through the manner of the chant. I want this one small because it will be at its fastest this way with as much power as I can muster," Chervil explained. "I need to be able to monitor it at its greatest speed," he explained as his eyes glowed. "I'll be sharing its vision so I can see if I can get used to it."
"That's likely the safest option," Aster said while Snapdragon nodded. "Alright, well, what is the goal of your trial?"
"... As much as it pains me to admit it, on land, Mr. Uzumaki is one of the fastest in our year, even ranking above most second-years. This will basically be a three-minute game of tag. You'll simply be trying to dodge while the golem tries to catch you. That's it."
"Alright," Naruto said with a nod.
With Meudaich still in effect, he focused on two bits of 'protection'.
"Uzu," he cast onto his forearm, form glowing golden. "Protection."
A flash of gold covered him.
"Ready," he said as Chervil nodded.
"Will someone work as the referee?" The elf asked as he pulled a stopwatch into existence.
"Got it," Rosemary said as she took it before raising it in the air, thumb over the button. "On your marks?!"
Naruto chuckled.
"Get set!"
Chervil jumped back and held his hands to his head.
"GO!"
A flash of lightning was dodged, Naruto's form righting itself as he landed.
"Hmm," he hummed as the golem turned. "!"
He skirted to the side with golden wisps licking off his heels as the lightning slipped by again.
Naruto leaned back nearly coming off the ground as the golem turned.
'He's got a serious problem,' the former shinobi thought as he kicked off.
Chervil grimaced as he sent the golem after him, the golem rushing in front of the blonde's eyes.
And Naruto didn't look the slightest bit surprised, no, in fact.
He grinned cheekily.
The group on the sidelines watched as the beastkin seemed to narrowly slip in and out of 'danger' with the golem time and time again.
"H-He looks like he's barely making it," Zinnia said in concern. "A-Are we sure this is the best way to do this?"
"... hmm," Aster cupped his chin while Rosemary blinked.
"Um, I don't think Naruto's actually struggling," she said as she tilted her head. "I-It's a bit weird, really, but it's like he's never not prepared to make his next move? The mental energy stuff around him is always shifting before the golem is coming."
"Oh, right, your future sight thing," Amaryllis said as Aster, Zinnia, and Mint choked. "Hehe, yep, Lil Rosie here is capable of, kinda-sorta, seeing your next move ahead of time."
"R-Really?!" Mint balked.
"... when you really consider it? Naruto is just ridiculous in a lot of stats," Snapdragon said. "While not exactly super-intelligent, he's got an amazing sensory ability, he's easily amongst the Top 3 in our class in strength, is the top combatant in that regard, and his reaction times are downright unreal."
"Well, what if it's due to the training he did?" Sage offered. "He did say he got a lot stronger due to that training after making use of it for two years."
"True."
"His speed's outrageous and he seems to have a high battle intuition," Thyme said. "At some point, it really does feel like it's a lot. When could he socialize?"
"Maybe he didn't in the way you're thinking," Amaryllis said.
"What do you mean?" Zinnia asked while Aster hummed.
"Well… if she means he helped people while constantly training then that'd certainly be some form of social interaction," he told her. "I mean, aren't you all also just moving too quickly? If what you say is true, he said for only two years, not his entire life."
"Still, Naruto's only our age, right?" Parsley offered. "Even amongst us, the sheer amount of advantage he has is simply unreal."
Naruto kept dodging like a madman, grinning the entire while even as Chervil growled.
"Dammit! How does he keep doing it?!" He grumbled as his golem came to a stop in the air above.
"You're stopping too much," Naruto said simply as he landed, not a bead of sweat in place. "Every time you attack, you have to turn around, Chervil," the elf looked alarmed. "If you ever want to master lightning abilities, you need to increase your ability to see even then and you're still too soft about it. Your golem isn't your body, you know, you should be going all-out with that thing."
Rosemary hummed as she considered the entire bout while clicking the stopwatch. "That's it!" She told them before blinking at the sound of hurried steps.
"Naruto, there you are!" Hakone said as he hurried over with a shaky grin. "Caraway had an… IDEA that we could make use of during our first sparring class."
"Shoot, pops," Naruto said with interest.
Hakone led him away, speaking in hushed tones before the blonde boy laughed.
"That sounds like fun!"
"Yes, I'm aware you'd say that about this of all things."
As the two left, the group blinked in confusion.
"High chances are that that isn't good for US," Amaryllis said without hesitation. "God, what if he makes US FIGHT NARU?"
The group stared at her in horror before Thyme shook her head.
"Stop scaring them," she said. "Besides, they could need his help moving things."
"Then why not ask the guy who's literally meant for heavy lifting?"
"..."
"Exactly."
"Come on, I'm sure we'll learn it once that happens," Snapdragon said. "I mean, we still have an hour of Everything Hours left, why not keep going?"
~NRK~
Naruto rubbed the back of his head.
"I guess that'd work with my Zone," he said to Old Triad as Spinel chuckled behind her.
"It's fine, you'd been taught the Rune Word for the occasion, it's fine. All you need to do is play the part!" She grinned as he looked at the outfit he'd been given.
"It's simply to keep the illusion up," Young Triad smiled. "You'll be restricted from most of your arsenal, though."
"Pashaw, why not? Are we teaching warriors or babies?!" The Old One said with a huff. "I'd say he goes all-out! There's no point to this otherwise."
"She's got a point," Spinel said. "After all, what's the point of this level of safety magic if he won't enjoy it to the fullest?"
Caraway chuckled before presenting the male blonde with a mask and a Terrasphere?
"Huh? What's this for?"
"Weights," came the voice of Anise as she and Aloe walked up to the group. "I set up the test area!"
"Thanks," Caraway chuckled. "This Terrasphere will allow you to both go all-out and not seriously hurt anyone," he explained with excitement. "Though, you'll need to explain to me more about that new skill you got! You and Mr. Spinel! This is utterly fascinating and I'm loving every second of it!"
Naruto chuckled while looking down at his 'Sparring Uniform'.
'So, this is gonna be… very weird.'
~NRK~
The fact they'd not seen their friend for over an hour raised their concerns.
Then add on the fact they'd been told to wear their actual combat uniforms and you got an emotional cocktail of horror.
"W-We're going to fight him, aren't we?" Sage realized with a choke. "A-Actually," she looked around in the rotunda.
Every one of the Freshmen were there, all dressed in their combat uniform and the like.
Aster came up to the group with an inquisitive-looking Rosemary in tow.
Wearing a pair of knee-high brown boots, black pants, a dark blue long-sleeved tunic, and his sword at his hip, Aster also tied back more of his hair and had on a pair of fingerless black gloves.
"So, what's the consensus?" He asked with a lazy smirk, hip a bit cocked with his hand on his blade's handle. "Are we fighting Naruto like I wanted?"
"Honestly? I think we will be," Amaryllis admitted, raising a brow at the shorter-than-Naruto blonde male. 'Oh, I see it now,' so he had an opposing shift, did he?
"I mean, what else could it be? Naruto's not back, we're about to be in combat class," Callum said. "And we're in the rotunda. My bet's on the idea that he'll be throwing shit at us in some sort of obstacle course."
"Are you sure?" Zinnia asked.
Wearing a long-sleeved light blue tunic, brown pants, black boots, and her ax at her hip, the transformed mermaid's only real surprising accessory was a short dark blue mantle over her shoulders that came down to her waist.
"It's not like they'd actually pit all of us against one person, even with his supposed combat scores, that'd be utterly ridiculous," Mint explained as Amaryllis considered it. "... supposedly."
"There it is," the short mage explained as Chervil hummed.
Wearing a v-neck long-sleeve white tunic, brown shorts, short black boots, and a pair of brown gloves, the short 'High' Elf was currently messing with a metal wand with a rubber/leather handle on his lower back.
"Hmph, I also doubt that he could handle all of us. There are still a few extra skills around," he explained as Thyme raised a brow at it all… before her and Chervil's ears perked up. "Look alive."
When the group of students turned, they all blinked in surprise at the sight of Elder Triad, Wyverna, Hakone, Caraway, Redbud, and Spinel.
"Oh, shit, we're actually fighting Naruto, aren't we?" Snapdragon realized in disbelief as the 'teachers' grinned.
"Welcome, all of you, to your newly altered Battle Tactics class," Hakone chuckled. "I hope you all won't mind this for the coming school year."
"This class took a major change in methods and today will be the first," Caraway explained. "For now, though, the first thing to do is, well, make a decision," he grinned.
"What?" Someone asked. "What do you mean? You mean between types of combat?"
"Well, later on, yes," the man chuckled as Elder Triad grinned. "But no, I mean right now, you'll be either sitting out or participating."
"Yeah!" She declared while Wyverna twirled her hands.
A large portal formed and the group of students could see nothing but large rolling green fields on the other side of it.
"This is a portal to a meadow outside of Lyngarth," Spinel chuckled as Amaryllis's grin grew shakier and shakier. "If you choose to participate, you'll be faced with many different aspects of combat. A single enemy who'll be using everything in his arsenal to handle you all by his lonesome."
There was indignation and disbelief.
"WHO'S THIS CHUMP!?"
"We'll kill him!"
More such things rang out even as 'Naruto's Group' slowly began to realize how this was gonna go.
"O-Oh… oh no," Parsley realized while her eyebrow twitched. "Oh, crap."
"W-We're about to fight… Naruto?" Rosemary asked in confusion as a rising excitement filled her core. 'Focus on Aster's thing later.' For now, she was gonna fight her strongest teammate!
"This oughta be good," Cal smirked despite his finger's twitches. 'Fighting him at his best, this will tell me just how big that 'gap' is.'
"If you step through the portal, there won't be a safety trigger spell," Wyverna informed the angered students in amusement. 'Ah, youth,' it'd surely be a show to see. "Once you step into that portal, no matter what, there will be no more warnings, no help, no anything. You'll be stepping into his domain and he'll attack you even if you're stepping through the portal."
"That's not fair!"
"Life isn't fair," Redbud said with a shooing motion, waving off the students' rising concerns. "Now, go and make your decision. Being a Guardian is all about making choices with the information you have at hand. You won't know what'll happen to you once you go through the portal to the Golden Meadows," she smirked as Spinel laughed.
"You've all got five minutes to choose," Elder Triad said with a grin before finding a group of students in front of her. "Not surprised."
"Well… w-we're expecting e-everything and anything," Snapdragon said with a nervous smile that was only worsened by the old principal's laugh.
"You'll be getting a taste of what true defeat is, after all, I tweaked the 'limiters' we put on him," she whispered to the group who stared at her.
"Limiters?" Chervil looked offended. "E-Excuse me?!"
"I guess that says a lot," Cal said. "Even though he could already not use all his magic."
"Hmm, perhaps," Spinel said. "But that doesn't mean he's not a physical monster in all the best ways for your occupation," he grinned as Amaryllis chuckled nervously. "Be assured, Little Gem, you can only do your best."
"T-Thanks, unc, but that's barely helping," she said. "God, we're gonna fight Naru, how in the world do we even approach this?"
Her friend group's faces went blank.
"... uhhhh," Rosemary blinked as Zinnia swallowed before growing determined.
"I-I'll see up-close how strong he really is," she whispered while reaffirming herself.
Her knocky knees went ignored for her sake.
'... Argos,' Aster thought as his eyes burned a brighter red.
"Haha! Of course! We'll be giving that youngin' the fight of a lifetime!"
Aster smirked at that as his sword's red gem glowed softly.
"If he's fast, we'll have to just be prepared to intercept," he told the others. "Right? I mean, we don't know where he is in that area. He could very well be right behind the portal."
"Oh, we wouldn't be that mean," Caraway chuckled along with the teachers. "It's just, well, your opponent won't hesitate, is all. You're right to have that mindset, Aster, you all need to be prepared to intercept."
"Hmm," Hakone looked at the portal with his hands behind his back. "He's probably meditating. I doubt you can sneak up on him but this should still be an apt bit of leeway he's giving you all."
"Hmph, leeway, you all really make him out to be a real combat fiend," Thyme said even as she pulled stone arrows out from the ground. "... this is medically prepared, right?"
"Of course, you all might suffer some broken arms, legs, torsos, thighs, hearts-" Elder Triad began to say.
"Alright, don't scare them… let him do it," Wyverna said as the group sweatdropped. "This exercise is to do what it sounds like, be as true to form as possible. You'll all have to survive on your own."
"Let's kick his ass!" Someone shouted from behind them. "I won't let one person think he can beat me in anything!"
More of such cheers rang out and Sage paled.
"Remember, the very moment you enter, you're essentially announcing that you'll be fighting. He'll know when you enter, have your wits about you."
As those headstrong individuals headed into the portal, Thyme held up her hands to her friends.
"Wait and watch," she said to them as Hakone and Caraway laughed heartily. "This is fine, right?" Thyme asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, it shows your level head and ability to plan ahead," Caraway said as the other students began to walk towards the portal-
An explosion rocked the portal's vision, the group of students maybe only ten meters away from its origin before being attacked.
"Whoa?!" Parsley jumped with the others as the dust and smoke cleared to reveal their 'attacker'. "... T-That's certainly a new outfit," she muttered.
A pair of his black 'ninja sandals' sat on his feet while his lower half was covered by a pair of orange pants that tucked into his sandals. A skin-tight sleeveless black top sat on his torso with a pair of orange straps crossing over his chest with a black Terrasphere at the intersection by the middle of his chest.
The straps held onto a pair of black bands on his scarred biceps, seemingly limiting his arm movement, while also securing a familiar orange sword to his back.
Around his head sat a headband while his face was covered by a blank white mask with a pair of slit-like eyeholes for a red light to peek through.
All in all? Bloody terrifying.
"I-Is that an insanity binding?!" Sage hissed in disbelief while the state of their fellow students was revealed.
Those groaned on the ground, hissed at their limbs, or were currently scrambling back onto their feet with rapid breaths, forms covered in golden glows and a familiar Rune Word.
"Wait, they're covered by his Support Magic?" Aster asked, confused. "... how? I mean, he literally just landed, how did he cover them already?"
"... H-His Zone?!" Parsley wheezed as Spinel grinned.
"After all, he desired to expand his way of using his Support Skills, no? So, if a Zone that allows you to coat every individual who enters it with your Support Magic exists…" He chuckled. "Well, it's obvious he'd use it."
"That's… but surely his energy is being used every time, isn't he?" Sage asked. "That was over 20 people, wasn't it? How is he not drained right now?"
"He adjusted it, I'm guessing," Thyme said. "Instead of, what? 5%? It's probably 2 or something."
"Right on the dot," Caraway said. "There are forty of you in your year, so with each one who enters, that's over 80% of his workable amount."
"... t-that's rather obscene," Mint said. "That's more than the Protection and UZU spells, isn't it?"
"Let's not go that far, why, he wanted to but there'd be no fun!" Elder Triad said. "He's too nice for his own good, why, he should have given you all one and be happy with it!"
"Besides, he said it, no? He's regenerating his amount as speak. It'll still be mostly fair," Wyverna said before another explosion rocked the portal's visuals.
~NRK~
He palmed the staff down before stepping in to knee the girl who'd attacked him in the stomach.
She folded before he swept her off her feet while also dodging a dagger. The blonde hopped over the dagger-wielder before catching his shoulder with the front of his foot.
An unnatural twist sent the student to the ground while Naruto landed at his side.
He stepped back and around rapier before kicking the throat of a rat boy, dropping him in an instant before he brought his foot down.
~NRK~
The group rubbed their necks as another explosion rocked the air.
"T-T-That's too much!" Snapdragon said, pale and shaking, as Cal grumbled a bit. "T-That would have killed him!"
"Likely not," Redbud said. "Two minutes."
~NRK~
Naruto hopped up, scaling a greatsword swing before landing on it.
The muscular girl who'd swung it felt her jaw drop before the fox beastkin's legs were around her waist already.
A twist sent her planted into the ground, her weapon falling as Naruto flipped onto his feet.
Then he opened his mouth and chomped down on the handle before his neck, core, mouth, and legs glowed gold.
An impossible spin sent up wind, magic, and force that knocked the students around him away.
~NRK~
"..."
"..."
"... I've got nothing," Amaryllis said as Cal shook his head.
"I… I know we usually say stuff about this but there's a point even for us," he said flatly as Rosemary looked on with stars in her eyes. "... Oh my God, Rose, no!"
"B-But he just 'nom'! And 'Grr'! While 'SCHWING!'!" She said.
"It's true!" Aster said as the group's jaws dropped at his excitement. "That was so amazing!"
"Right?!"
"IT WAS SO COOL!"
"Oh my God," Thyme facepalmed. "Ignoring that, when should we go in? Naruto's clearly on a warpath right now and he's not looking tired."
Even with all that ridiculousness from before, he was going strong, palms hitting stomachs, elbows cracking against cheeks, and feet stomping out many of their fellow students.
"O-Oh, right," Rosemary swallowed. "Let's do this thing!" She declared as Thyme cupped her chin.
"... Amaryllis," she said as the short mage hummed.
"You want me to send my dear lil Chompies in, don't ya?" She offered as her Terraspheres shined. "Well, not like it's not a good idea."
Four heavy-weight 'chompers' appeared from the gems before hopping in place like rabid dogs.
"Be some good boys and-KILL HIM!" She declared with a grin as they rushed through the portal with vigor. "Let's go cause some CARNAGE!"
Amaryllis gave chase, leaving the group with a facepalming Thyme and a chuckling Snapdragon.
"Well, might as well follow," he said. "... we'll be fighting him so we'll give it everything we have," Snapdragon nodded as his elf friend raised a brow.
"Someone's feeling daring today."
"T-That's just, well, I know Naruto wouldn't take a half-assed effort."
"Eloquent," Chervil said even as he tapped his fingers together and electricity sparked. "But true might is to be met with full might."
Time for what might be the fight of their lives.
~NRK Out~