The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima

by Antony W. F. Chow

  Gripper's black fur became matted with his dried sweat and blood.

  "Stop!" Terrwyn yelled. She ceased the spar to prevent further damage to Luka's pet gorilla. After all, this was a friendly practice, and Terrwyn didn't wish to incur the owner's wrath. Besides, she achieved her aim of helping the Elite Class regain its dignity against the two animals. Therefore, continuing the battle was pointless in her eyes.

  When Uhaen unsummoned the ogres, Gripper pushed the students aside and rushed over to Luka. The gorilla cried as he hugged its owner tightly.

  Luka winced in pain. He patted the animal's arm.

  [Stop crying, you big baby! Don't show weakness before those bastards!]

  Gripper released Luka immediately. He turned and stared at Uhaen and pounded his chest defiantly. Hoot!

  Terrwyn gave her team a brief respite before she began to talk. "We did much better in this mock battle. It's not how we start but how we finish that matters most. Bel and Gripper are highly experienced fighters, and we weren't prepared to respond to their divide-and-conquer tactic. That's why I ordered us to retreat so that we could regroup and counter their strategy. I'm proud of how you responded despite the initial setback, and this victory is yours."

  "When it's our turn to fight in the Battle Royale event, I want everyone to remember this practice session. Regardless of who we fight, the enemies in the other class will outnumber us. Therefore, our coordination will be doubly important to eke out a win."

  "For the remainder of this weekend, we will conduct drills to improve our teamwork. There will be instances where I cannot give out orders, and you must decide for yourself what to do on the battlefield. So we will also run scenarios using Luka's illusions, and you will roleplay and provide your response."

  The leader turned toward Luka. "Can you help us train with your illusionary magic?"

  He nodded. "No problem."

  "Excellent! Then I want you to create fifty students and have them bum rush us now!"

  The mage recreated fifty students with blurry faces and ordered them to attack the Elite Class. Luka used Void Step to hover high above the battlefield. He used Spatial Sense to track the live persons' movements and responded accordingly with his illusionary enemies. His minions prioritized Wickkuil, Terrwyn, and the four mages as targets.

  The classmates rushed to defend these individuals.

  Bel and Gripper cheered from the sideline. They mocked when Luka's minions missed their strikes and celebrated when they caused damage to the defenders. The two were still holding grudges from the mock battle.

  Terrwyn purposedly kept silent. She wanted to see how her teammates would respond in the absence of instructions. The leader winced when she noticed several people make silly mistakes by charging into the enemy clusters solo. However, Terrwyn also observed Luka making some mistakes in controlling the illusions' activities. She wondered if he did it on purpose or made certain assumptions on what less experienced students would do during the battle.

  Wickkuil and his followers unleashed their full strength. He acted as a spearhead and slashed his way through the thickest group of enemies. Since Wickkuil remembered that his opponents were illusions, he viciously bisected them.

  The other beastmen became incited by the sight and smell of blood. Wickkuil's followers fought recklessly against the other side and dispatched their opponents quickly.

  Wickkuil briefly surveyed the field and chose his next targets. Inwardly, he felt disappointed because all the illusions were generic in terms of their movements and behavior. Frankly, this fight was lacking compared to his previous mock battles against Bel and Gripper.

  However, Wickkuil did not relax because his followers were watching. If he stopped fighting seriously, then they would do the same as well. Consequently, the unit's prowess would suffer; Terrwyn would notice and punish them.

  Luka noticed that the Elite Class was becoming lackadaisical in this battle. He decided to turn up a notch to make the students change their attitudes.

  Mages hidden from view cast powerful magic; explosions knocked Wickkuil and his followers to the ground! BOOM! Rock golems abruptly appeared from the floor and stood among the Elite Class. The newcomers swatted the beastmen like flies!

  Evanora and Kayne quickly targeted the rock golems because these monsters were vulnerable to magic. The mages cast Lightning Bolt and Fireball, respectively, and blew up the magic creatures to smithereens. KABOOM!

  Viggo and Gertorn identified the enemy mages with their superior eyesight. The two rangers fired a slew of arrows at the casters and turned them into porcupines.

  Kherherac threw grenades at enemy clusters and caused body parts to rain on the field!

  Luka saw that the classmates were working hard to cover each other's back. He felt great satisfaction in their on-field performance.

  Terrwyn, on the other hand, had a different take. She compiled their mistakes inside her head while fighting her own battle against three enemy spearmen. They were more interested in pining her in one spot than trying to defeat her.

  These illusionary warriors utilized their reach-advantage to make quick jabs; this forced the defender to block instead of attack. And they quickly receded whenever Terrwyn used her shield bash but jabbed at her side to steer her away. In other words, the trio turned her into a raging bull.

  Terrwyn was frustrated at this impromptu stalemate and her helplessness to overcome it. She thought that Luka did this purposely to rile her up. However, she continued to pay attention to the other fights and saw that her classmates won their separate contests. Thus, they would assist her sooner or later. Thankfully, Terrwyn's prediction proved accurate when Uhaen directed his ogres to bash the spearmen into meat paste!

  The Elite Class finished mopping up the remaining enemies. They gathered around the party leader in jubilation.

  "Good job, everyone!"

  Chapter 76

  Semester Finals (Part 5)

  Terrwyn chose not to dwell on negativity with the students but instead encouraged them. As a leader, she thought they would respond better to positive reinforcement over persistent nagging. "Let's spend some time now to discuss our mock battle against Luka's illusions. First, I thought everyone had an excellent understanding of their roles and what they needed to do. Under Wickkuil's leadership, the fighters drew attention to themselves and forced enemy mages to target spells at them. At the same time, our mages played turtle and delayed casting magic until our opponents began to cluster more closely."

  "Kherherac played the x-factor with his assortment of gadgetry and confused our enemies. Our archers, Viggo and Gertorn, provided long-range support for our frontline and picked off the identified mages. The tanks stayed near our mages and protected our biggest damage dealers. We fought enough times as a group to figure out how to support each other by now, and we need to continue doing this during the Battle Royale match."

  "That said, I want to highlight areas of improvement. I noticed that some of our fighters were a bit overzealous and moved beyond the frontline. They ended up leaving Wickkuil behind, as improbable as this sounds." Terrwyn turned to Luka. "Can you replay that scene?"

  The mage cast an illusion and showed a clip of the incident. After the class viewed it, the guilty persons turned red in embarrassment.

  "Our frontline sets the pace for our battles. Wickkuil must tightly control it at all times. If our teammates move too far ahead, you must call them back," Terrwyn continued in a measured tone of voice.

  "I understand," Wickkuil nodded. Beastmen were aggressive by nature, and they often had difficulty reining these emotions. But at the same time, they followed a rigid hierarchy. Therefore, Terrwyn's public admonishment would convince his fellow beastmen to listen to Wickkuil.

  The class rep felt relieved that he accepted her criticism without complaint. She had singled him out for blame even though his followers were at fault. If Wickkuil refuted her, then Terrwyn's fragile control over the Elite Class would weaken further. Thus, she ma
de a gambit that could backlash on her if Wickkuil refused to cooperate.

  Terrwyn continued her honest review of the mock battle. "How many of you noticed that I was having difficulty fighting off three enemy spearmen?" she asked.

  Only Kherherac, Thoma, and Uhaen raised their hands.

  "This is a problem. Uhaen assisted me in the end, so he's excused. If Thoma intervened with buffs, the spearmen would target him instead. Kherherac, why didn't you help me?"

  "Your opponents wore heavy armor which resisted my bullets," the thief defended himself.

  "Did you call anyone to help me?" she pressed.

  "No." He looked down.

  "What about Viggo and Gertorn? How come you didn't see my stalemate?"

  "I was looking further downfield to assist the frontline," Viggo answered sheepishly.

  "Same for me," Gertorn added.

  "Let's backtrack a bit. I'm the class representative, right? That means I'm THE biggest target for our enemies. I'm the flagbearer for the Elite Class, and you must pay attention to what happens to me on the battlefield. Luka made a smart ploy in targeting me. You have to counter his tactic and divert his attention somehow."

  "Now, I realize that the enemies outnumbered us, and the battlefield was chaotic. But the basic strategy in a war is to take out the general to defeat his army. I'm your commander, and I need your protection."

  The classmates nodded. They were all guilty of not supporting her.

  "As long as you remember to look after me, then that's fine," Terrwyn said with a reassuring smile. She turned toward Luka. "I think we should break for lunch and then return here again in the afternoon. Is that alright?"

  "Sure." Luka took the class back to the academy and headed for the mess hall. Everyone sat at adjacent tables and ate lunch together. The students fed their leftovers to Bel and Gripper to appease the two gluttons.

  Terrwyn made sure to sit at his table to discuss something. She initiated the conversation with Luka after finishing her meal of chicken salad and juice. "Our allotment at the training grounds will occur at 2 o'clock tomorrow. Since the facility is public, I expect plenty of observers while we practice. What do you think we should do?" she asked.

  Everyone stopped eating to listen in.

  Luka noticed their attention on him and smiled faintly. "I think we should have a misdirection play by using Bel and Gripper as your practice partners."

  The Elite Class groaned at his surprising suggestion.

  "Why?" Terrwyn pressed him further.

  "There are two reasons. First, their participation would misguide the spies into thinking that Bel and Gripper will join the Battle Royale event. Second, these two are powerful fighters, and their presence on our team will force the other classes to waste time and develop strategies to deal with them."

  "Meanwhile, our classmates have to hold back. For example, Kherherac should only use a slingshot during the public spar. Thoma and Uhaen should fight with sticks and avoid using magic," Luka explained. "Also, our fighters should pretend to show weaknesses for others to exploit. In other words, we're looking to sell a fake image of our team in public."

  The class rep frowned at this suggestion because such deviousness clashed with her sense of knighthood. The beastmen also felt uncomfortable with showing weaknesses even on a pretend-basis.

  Luka noticed their hesitation and rapped his knuckles on the table. Knock-knock! "Look, I'm not asking you to cheat in an official school competition. I'm merely helping you advertise the party's supposed weaknesses."

  "The other classes will probably come up with dirty tactics to win during the competition. But I'm not pushing you to do the same thing. If you are serious about keeping your seats in the Elite Class, you must fight tooth and nail. So what will it be, folks?"

  Terrwyn looked around and saw nods. "We'll follow your proposal," she announced on their behalf.

  When the Elite Class returned to the shadow plane, the class rep led the group through various scenarios. Her goal was to nail down their priorities on the battlefield. "Kherherac, you see an enemy squad running toward me. A second group targets Uhaen. Enemies pinned down our escorts. Who should you protect?"

  The thief thought for a moment. Since Terrwyn wore heavy armor, she would fare better than the more vulnerable summoner. Thus, Uhaen needed his support more urgently. However, the class rep had a higher strategic value. Kherherac gritted his teeth and threw out his answer. "You?"

  Terrwyn nodded. "Sorry, Uhaen. Your sacrifice won't be in vain," she said lightheartedly.

  The classmates laughed, and their tensions suddenly decreased.

  "The longer I stick around, the higher our chance of victory," the leader continued. "I will certainly try my best to stay alive. But the other class may use their numerical advantage to isolate and take me down. That's why you need to rally around me."

  "Okay, here's the next scenario. This question is for our tanks. An enemy mage ambushes our counterparts and casts a Firestorm over Kayne's head. Should you jump into the firepit and shield Kayne, or stay out and pray that her fire resistance would allow Kayne to survive?"

  "What kind of a nobleman would let her suffer?" Zivadin asked with anger. He was attracted to her, but Kayne didn't reciprocate his feelings.

  "Aye!" The hot-blooded boys shared his sentiment.

  Kayne pulled out a necklace nestled in her ample cleavage. "This is my family heirloom. It provides near-total immunity to fire magic. While I appreciate the gesture, there's no need for your last-minute heroics, boys." She winked at them and smiled flirtatiously.

  Terrwyn banged on her shield to draw their attention away from the succubus. "Let's continue," she grumbled. She ran through the scenarios until dinnertime and then asked Luka to return the group to the mess hall.

  * * *

  The next day, the Elite Class ate breakfast as a group and visited Luka's private realm for another spar with Luka's magic minions. He included all the scenarios Terrwyn mentioned the previous afternoon. After the mock battle ended, the class rep reviewed the fights together using Luka's magical illusions.

  Eventually, Luka showed a clip of a Firestorm spell appearing over Kayne's. In response, Zivadin jumped on top of her to shield her body with his.

  All eyes turned toward the foolish rescuer. "I thought we agreed that Kayne could resist fire magic by herself," Terrwyn snarled and glowered at the culprit.

  The nobleman did not flinch from the sudden spotlight. "I won't apologize for displaying my affection for her," Zividin replied calmly. "And noblesse oblige requires me to protect her," he added.

  "Oh, is that right? Then thank you for taking us to dinner in the Noble District," Terrwyen retorted with a grin.

  Zivadin bowed. "It would be my pleasure," he agreed. As revenge, he planned to take the class to The Ephermeal Garden, where she and Luka supposedly had a date. Since this restaurant welcomed beastmen as patrons, Terrwyn couldn't refuse and go elsewhere.

  The leader continued reviewing the mock battle with everyone and actively solicited comments on their responses to various situations that arose during the melee.

  The morning hours passed, and lunchtime arrived. The Elite Class visited the cafeteria as a group and ate their meals together. They lingered in the mess hall until their appointment at the training grounds. When the class arrived, they saw many observers in the stands.

  Terrwyn expected this and threw a curveball. "Take a practice weapon and spar with each other in groups of two. We'll do this for a half-hour. Also, I will practice with Luka," she ordered.

  The students were surprised but quickly obeyed. The four mages split into two groups to fight each other with short sticks. The two rangers did the same. Poor Kherherac had to spar with Wickkuil, who laughed as he bashed the opponent like a practice dummy. Fortunately, the beastman held back and used only a small fraction of his real strength.

  Terrwyn fought enthusiastically against Luka. She was surprised to see him pick a wooden sword. More importantly,
their melee revealed his tremendous skill in swordsmanship, and the fighter couldn't hide her shock. After all, Luka previously fought only with his magical staff.

  Luka kept a blank expression during their spar. He was impressed with her arm strength and sword speed. But Luka found several flaws with her swordsmanship, such as her stiff left foot and cutting from improper angles. His Critical Insight ability uncovered these issues, and he started to become bored fighting her because Terrwyn couldn't defeat him with her meager skill.

  She noticed his lazy attitude and became angry. Terrwyn suddenly kicked at his crotch!

  The watchers gasped in horror. Luka fan club members shrieked. "Don't mess with Prince Luka's family jewels!" someone yelled. To their relief, he sidestepped Terrwyn's low blow.

  However, she persisted with another jab at his groin followed by a lunge at his torso.

  Luka's lost his footing and fell for her surprise tackle. She knocked him to the ground and straddled his waist.

  Terrwyn enjoyed her perch and lingered while savoring her small victory.

  However, the audience wouldn't accept her outrageous behavior. "Stop it! Get off him!" Luka's fans were furious with her shameless behavior and ready to climb down from the bleachers and pull her off his precious body.

  Terrwyn rolled her eyes and awkwardly climbed to her feet. As an afterthought, she roughly pulled Luka back up. The annoyed girl turned toward the stands and yelled, "Happy now?"

  The fan club members glowered at her. "Stop holding his hand!" they pointed out.

  The culprit flicked Luka's hand away like a venomous snake. Terrwyn felt her face turned red, and she pivoted her body away from him. The leader saw that her classmates had concentrated on their spars and didn't witness the tackle. "Stop!" she yelled.

  The combatants lowered their arms and turned toward her. Some participants were huffing and puffing, while others barely broke a sweat. Kherherac dropped to the ground in exhaustion; his body hurt all over from Wickkuil's playful love-taps.

  Luka noticed Kherherac's poor condition and jotted over. The healer cast a Light Cure on his patient.