The fact that this year there weren’t any midterm exams, like they were used to because the class had been fractured due to the elective, meant that time passed quite more quickly. The weekly study group sessions of the previous years had allowed Christie to keep track of the passage of time far more attentively, and even though they still shared some classes, the study group ended up disbanding.
The first one to go was surprisingly Mateo. Everyone had expected the first one to falter to be Shayla, and that took the dark-skinned girl by surprise too when it happened. Because there weren’t exams, the weekly sessions turned into monthly, but then Mateo failed to appear for one and when he was asked about that at class, he responded by saying he was too busy and that these lessons didn’t contribute anything to him. He said so in almost an aggressive manner.
And now that one had faltered, it was only a question of time before Shayla started skipping too. It was only like a handful of hours per month, yet the merchant’s daughter apparently valued her alone time far more than those meagre hours which might contribute to her studies.
That severely annoyed Christie.
Not because her former roommate wasn’t taking her studies seriously, but because she would snatch Agatha from time to time to study with her on Agatecrafting. Sure, they were the only two students of that class, and sure again, she also snatched Christie when studying for Military Engineering, but that didn’t soothe the redhead in the slightest.
She was more than willing to help Shayla study, but how dare she snatch her ladylove?
Why couldn’t this be a whole study group? Sure enough, Christie had no idea of Agatecrafting and she couldn’t even practice the discipline, but she could still be there, couldn’t she? Why did Shayla need to be alone with her ladylove?
The annoyance only continued to grow.
So the time for midterms came and went without anything happening. Not that it mattered considering how those midterms had never had an impact on student scores beyond the fact of checking how poorly you were doing. And soon, the students were notified of what awaited them for the final final exam. The one that actually mattered and not those of Physics and History.
The only ‘exciting’ thing that happened at that time was that Agatha had her pen a letter to the estate as she had won enough confidence to make the whole flight, even if she had yet to reach the Sixth Stratum. Something told Christie that the airborne journey wouldn’t be exactly easygoing, but she had confidence in her ladylove. Though not being able to bring back their luggage to restock on books and clothing was a bit saddening…
“Class is about to end, so could I get everyone’s attention?” René Dago clapped softly to get the students’ attention.
Christie simply bothered to look at him as she was still finishing her last sit-ups series. Advanced Lapiloquia had forced them to up the stakes on their military exercises. Building stamina was no longer enough, they had to build body now too. Apparently, core was relatively important to lapiloquia, as much as legs, though not quite as arms or upper body.
Doing sit-ups in uniform wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world, but at least they were allowed to take their jackets off. A thing that didn’t apply to Christie as her… body’s constitution didn’t work well with sit ups. So the jacket needed to be kept on.
So there she was, doing sit-ups in late spring underneath the noon sun with a jacket on and piles of bedrock on her feet to keep them in place. Lapiloquia had a positive in that sense that anywhere was a prime sit-up spot as she could just shape the ground to put a layer of rocks on her feet lock them.
I should get some bandages, Christie mentally and physically panted as she was done with her last sit-up, and she returned the rocks to their original place with a wordless command. Exercising with a jacket on in winter was fine, but now it is getting quite dreadful. I should start binding my chest. Unfortunately for her, her height wasn’t the only thing that had continued growing. But fortunately, her growth spurt finally seemed to be ending as she hadn’t gain a single centimeter these last months. Very fortunately at that, for now she understood what Esmeralda told her about aching backs.
The moment she sat on the ground after finishing the series, Teacher Dago started speaking.
“This year we will have a very special final exam. As you might know, electives are very different and diverse, but not any less useless because of that. So the final exam will be one where every subject – from Commanding to Agatecrafting – can shine. A pitched battle!”
The class of Advanced Lapiloquia, who had grown more disciplined and quite over the years, now ruptured into a howling cacophony as the students whispered ever-so-loud.
Hmm… Christie pressed her elbow against her leg as she had her legs crossed and rested her chin on her palm deep in thought. Yes, a pitched battle will allow everyone to shine. Whether they are those who went for pure theoretical classes about warfare to those who decided for a full soldier regime.
It only now struck Christie that she was one of the latter ones. Whilst she was a more mentally-oriented person, it was amusing how both of her subjects were purely military in nature. Of course, she hadn’t chosen her electives because she was fond of war, but because they were her best path to learning to control her agates. And so far, she was doing quite well as she was able to have her inner sea unleashed for almost half an hour. Perhaps pathetic compared to her ladylove who could use two Fourth Stratum agates with active series for a full hour – which entailed a massive mental load – but the redhead was still proud of it.
Way back then, back at the statal examination, she couldn’t even hold her sea of stone for more than a handful of seconds, yet now she was starting to catch a glimpse of the magnitude of hours. A megalithic increase. I wonder what might happen when I am able to ‘indefinitely’ maintain my agates. Indefinitely here meaning from waking up to sleeping, so around sixteen hours, give or take two. Will I then reach the Second Stratum?
There was nothing confirming that, but she couldn’t help but feel giddy at the thought. Perhaps controlling her sea of stone had been her forever dream, yet since she arrived at the academy, reaching the Second Stratum was something she had desperately ached for.
And perhaps now that goal was within sight.
Christie was so excited and enamored with her inner thoughts that she partially failed to hear Teacher Dago’s explanation of the pitched battle.
***
The prophesied day soon came. Christie had to stop for a moment and think how time had gone by this fast, for it was but a blink for her. She couldn’t help being a bit nervous as the whole class gathered on the training ground wearing their uniforms. She gave Agatha an awkward smile as she held herself from holding her ladylove’s hand in public.
Because last year they hadn’t had a real final exam, the last one they had had involved a behemoth. No matter how much her life changed or how much time went by, she would never forget the image of that lithic monstrosity that towered over pine trees.
Just recalling the memory made her even more nervous.
A hole in reality opened and from it popped out two people wearing dark soldier uniforms. The redhead instantly recognized them.
“Everybody!” René Dago clapped powerfully, assisted by lithorica. If anyone had failed to see the massive sphere of refracted light of a faraway place, then the soundwave definitely got their attention. “We will be soon starting the exam. As it is bound to get chaotic, today we will have the assistance of another teacher – who some of you might already recognize – Sandra.”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
The sentence ended weirdly because it almost looked like he was about to say something else, but the man stopped himself before adding a single syllable more. Is it me or was he trying to say her surname? It was likely her imagination, but Christie couldn’t help but think about it as her Military Engineering teacher had failed to give them a surname.
“As René has said,” continued Sandra, “this pitched battle intends to recreate a real battlefield, and real battlefields are far from orderly. We intend to use the same logic as high-level duel and we will have agates overwatching you. Everyone will be given an agate that must be kept close to them. If for some reason you were to lose it mid-fight, then you are counted as disqualified. Your assigned agate will be your lifeline in both ways, for your life and for your exam. Furthermore, I will personally keeping my senses on the earth. ‘Foul play’ involving the commanding of the ground through lapiloquia is not only allowed but heavily encouraged. There are no rules in war. But if I detect that one of your allies has gotten trapped in a landslide because of your acts, then you will be disqualified. Friendly fire will not be tolerated. Is that clear?”
The whole class nodded in understanding. Even though Sandra was far more… whimsical than René Dago, that stark contrast was what made her far more intimidating at times.
“Just as Sandra has said,” it was now Teacher Dago who spoke, “the pitched battle will be divided into two teams. They will be first drawn randomly, and then Sandra and I will do a check to keep both teams at an equal level of skill. Having said so, Master Echevarria, Miss Malachite, you will be the leaders of each team.”
Christie couldn’t help but instantly be happy. She was well aware that her ladylove had no attraction whatsoever to men – something that the redhead couldn’t quite say the same – but that didn’t stop her from seeing all those gazes that Cristobal Echevarria threw at Agatha. Her Agatha. So having them separated was the best outcome she could have asked for.
“Now everyone else will draw lots between team one and two,” Sandra explained. “Do not make yourselves too comfortable with that position.”
For some reason, Christie had a stinging feeling when she heard that. And then when she drew her luck and she was assigned to Agatha’s team, that feeling became worse. Oh, do not tell me it is going to happen exactly what I think is going to happen.
“Hmm, what do you think?” René Dago asked Sandra as he scratched his mildly-shaven beard.
“I am not as experienced with your class, but I think team two,” Agatha’s, “is a bit stronger. I cannot account for individual competence, but they have two more lapiloquists.
The redhead looked around and she was horrified to find that most of the members of the Military Engineering elective were on her team. She awkwardly waddled next to her radiant blond and tried to make herself as small as possible to not get seen. Quite the daunting task considering she was the tallest person in the whole field. Not even the tallest student, the tallest person. She had gained a couple of fingers – if not more – on René Dago. And it wasn’t like the grey-eyed teacher was small, she was just that megalithic.
The moment both of the black-uniformed soldiers’ gazes landed on her Christie became aware how damned she was.
“Miss Valasela, change teams,” Sandra said.
“Furthermore,” added Teacher Dago, “Miss Alfargar, swap with Miss Rivera.”
Christie did her best to keep all of her etiquette classes at work by holding a massive groan and strutting to the other group alongside Christina, who changed places with Veronica to balance the lapiloquists around.
“What about now?” He asked his fellow teacher.
“Seems about right,” the military engineer shrugged.
That was enough for René Dago as he performed his characteristic loud clap. “Now that the teams are done, we will have you split and placed on a battleground where you will have an hour to strategize and make units, if you need to do so. It will be a standard battle in practice, so you will need to stand your ground and can win without needing to knock all of your enemies if you manage to root them or conquer the battlefield. Now,” he produced two massive agates at his left and right, “make your way into the battlefield.”
Several people where awestruck by René Dago’s display of lithorica, Christie included. They knew he was the lithorica teacher, but such display needed to be appreciated. And if someone didn’t do so, it was because they were unable to comprehend how megalithic of an endeavor they were beholding. These weren’t just two Gates, but four of them, and quite massive at that, so he had to be using all of his agates.
Even with the two-meter radius Gates, Christie hesitated a bit and crossed herself in a hunchbacked manner. She wasn’t two meters tall – yet at least, considering her current size – but they still felt somewhat small for her.
Crossing a Gate was only jarring when you directly looked at it as the surface behaved strangely with light, but otherwise, Christie found herself on a barren field before she realized it. If anything, that was always the most jarring aspect of the Gate command. Once everyone was through, Sandra crossed with them and the massive spatial distortion closed behind her.
“Alright,” she clapped softly. “I am not aware with the fighting style of most of you – if any at all as I do not really instruct fighting subjects – but I believe we can work something out. But first, some extra notes on this exam. The leader of the team is Master Echevarria on paper, but you all can elect another one. Furthermore, we might do some extra bouts if the battle ends too quickly, so do not worry about having bad scores because you get eliminated quickly. Otherwise, you are now free to organize yourselves.”
“What about the agates you need to give us?” Asked Christina. The noble one.
“After the preparation time is over, Miss Rivera,” Sandra explained. “René and I might be the elite of the elite, but not even we cannot handle having more than a dozen agates summoned with so many commands during a whole hour. It is better if we are fresh as your safety depends on it.”
“Understood,” the brunette-blond noble nodded and the whole class started strategizing together.
Everyone except for Christe.
Ah… She gingerly pressed her hand against her chest as she saw the rest of the class talking between each other with no difficulty whatsoever. She felt back to her meek and shy self, the one who had just stepped outside of the Valasela estate. Christie had been so focused on Agatha that she had forgotten to interact with others, to create bonds with her classmates. Perhaps it was the same with her ladylove, but unlike Agatha who was mostly uncensored and free-spirited, the redhead found herself unable to engage in conversation.
At least until a given someone called out to her.
“Are you the best the best lapiloquist, Miss Valasela?” It was Cristobal Echevarria.
“What?” She mumbled by reflex before correcting her posture and coughing to clear her throat. “I would not dare to say so, but it is true that I am the one who is able to shift the greatest volume of stone in Military Engineering.”
The both of them were at Advanced Lapiloquia, but Teacher Dago was always about control and expertise rather than raw manipulation, so no one had ever shown their true capabilities there. And even if the class allowed them to do so, she doubted most would. After all, having their skills hidden would be a powerful tool during an exam like this one.
“You can call me Christina,” she hurriedly added at the end.
“Likewise, Cristobal,” he smiled warmly.
Christie didn’t know why but she blushed ever-so-softly. Well, in any case, she was completely aware of the why, and that partially infuriated her. The boy’s looks with his brass locks, his invigorated and positive smile, and his singlemindedness in battle all of them reminded her of her ladylove. How horrible it was that her body was incapable of differentiating both people just because they had a handful of similar traits.
Yet another reason to keep this boy far away from her Agatha.
“I have been thinking that – and talking with others – that your agates might not be wholly useful in the battlefield due to their limited range and on the off-chance someone uses Invert Summon Range,” he calmly explained.
Christie raised a brow. “No one will be able to maintain that series barring Agatha.” Because to maintain Invert Summon Range series one also needed the Protect Summon series, which meant that instead of a three-command investment, it was a five-command one.
Only a handful of students were scratching the Fourth Stratum, so there was still a long way to go before they could sustain such a powerful series.
“So you do not deny the limitations of your range?” Cristobal said with an amused grin.
Ugh, it was a ploy, she groaned mentally. Another item on the list on why I love Agatha so much. She is too straightforward to play such tricks.
“Yes,” the redhead nodded diplomatically. “The only reason I got so far in duels was because my opponents were not able to run away from me, but this will no longer be the case.”
“I thought as much,” the blond said, but not in a belittling manner, but in the way a strategist might talk. “Your lapiloquia, however, will prove crucial in this confrontation. I, myself, will reserve mine for close-combat skirmishes as I tend to play offensively, so I would like to recommend you as head of the lapiloquists and military engineers to create a defensible terrain.”
Christie calmly listened to his words, and they made sense to her, but she couldn’t help but be lost in those bright eyes of his, especially when he talked about close-combat skirmishes. Not because they were exactly beautiful, for he had rather common verdigris eyes, but because they shone as if commanded by Light. But more importantly, they shone like her ladylove’s. The redhead could instantly understand that as logical as her classmate might be, his lust for battle trumped over anything, and the only thing she could see was a beast in heat ready to fight to the last breath.
Well, at least it seems I will not get bored in this pitched battle.
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