Chapter 3: Music to my ears
"Now, moving onto Elven culture…"
The high-schoolers-turned-heroes collectively groaned, though their teacher elected to ignore them. Out of everything they were expecting to be doing, out of all the training, adventuring and fighting, taking a cultural orientation class was not on the list. Speaking of which, their teacher was the kingdom's Diplomatic Advisor, Andrew, who explained that learning how the world worked was the most urgent of all their duties, something learned after painfully dealing with the previous generations of Heroes.
In other words, the heroes were stuck in school again, only half-listening to their teacher droning on and on about food culture. Kyle had conjured a skeletal hand that he was playing rock paper scissors with, Tyler the Flag Bearer was trying out baton tricks he'd seen in parades, Lena was staring out the window at the statuses of passing guards, and Cassie the Alchemist was swirling a bottle of water around, watching as it turned to ice, then mist, and back into water.
"I believe now is the time that I should mention the most vital piece of information you will need going forward. While his Majesty, King Charles, did tell you to slay the Demon King, the truth is that-"
"Sir!" A messenger barged into the room, breathless and panting. "The…the Demons have arrived!"
"Already?" Andrew asked, surprised. "That was earlier than-" Horror registered on his face as all 4 high schoolers ran out of the room. "No! Stop, you idiots! You don't know what you're doing!"
The four barged into the throne room with their higher than average stats, with swords drawn, skeletons raised, flag unfurled and magic channelled. Five figures of varying degrees of inhumanity, such as tails, horns, fur and fangs, stood before the King and his court, atop an infernal sigil. The arrival of a quartet of battle ready individuals drew the attention of all present, and though they didn't realise it due to adrenaline, most of those stares were confused ones.
"Four heroes this time, Charles?" One of the Demons asked. Something akin to a crown made of black stone, gold and rubies circled his head, weaving around his horns, and complimenting his equally dark skin and scales. "You got quite lucky."
"BEGONE DEMONS!" Kyle screamed as he sent his soldiers forwards. He'd always wanted to say something along those lines, courtesy of a few games he'd played, so getting to do so was surprisingly enjoyable.
Less enjoyable was the sudden mana toll of having his skeletons shattered instantly, and the feeling of a pair cold hands lifting him up by the arms mockingly. "Aww, he's so feisty~!" The demon cooed, light from one of the nearby windows reflecting off the crystal-like growths protruding from their body. Beside him, the other heroes were being treated around the same way. A massive suit of armour without a wearer lifted up Lena by the end of her shirt using its sword, an anthropomorphic wolf had stolen Tyler's flag, and finally, Cassie had been put in a makeshift prison as the floor rose up around her, courtesy of a much more human-like figure that still had horns halfway across the room from her. Strangely, none of them were injured.
Andrew ran in, frantically looking around, before seeing the Heroes in their humiliating states and sighing, as King Charles and what could only be the Demon King began laughing, followed by the rest of those present, save the quartet of heroes. "As I was trying to say, we're not on bad terms with the Demons. Do you see why you need these lessons now?"
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Kyle and Lena spent the rest of what was apparently a meeting between long-time friends standing sheepishly outside the dining hall. As it turned out, not learning about the general culture of the world led to very common culture shock, who knew?
Tyler did now, because he had bolted out of the room after trying what looked like a dessert, only to find out it was extremely spicy, while Cassie had gone after him to make sure he actually found milk or something similar instead of passing out on the floor.
Soft orchestral music played throughout as King Charles and the Demon King, who was apparently Lucifer much to the surprise of the otherworlders, chatted about the states of their kingdoms, new advancements they had made and stuff like that. The idea that they were planning to go to war was nearly unfathomable, and the truth was even weirder.
Apparently, the war they were summoned to take part in was closer to a sport, if anything. Belief in the Goddess of Death was a worldwide thing, which meant that every kingdom had at least one Church dedicated to her, and these Church members could provide a certain blessing that both allowed the person it was casted on to be revived after death, but also negated other factors such as shock and pain. Entire thousands of soldiers could be cut down, blown up, or killed in any way, and then show up the next day to drink with the enemy army like nothing ever happened. The war only officially ended after the ruler of one nation fell, and according to Lena, Charles was no slouch when it came to his stats.
Meanwhile, the Four Devas, who the guard brought by Lucifer, were currently having their own meal in a room nearby with their human equivalents, such as the Royal Army's Captain and Master of the Magic Tower.
It was a strange thought to realise that Linya had higher stats than all of them.
These wars served the purpose of both stress testing their armies in real combat, and making sure both sides could effectively develop their tide turning trump cards. Humans obviously had summoned Heroes as their trump cards, but it turned out that other races had their own ones too.
Around the same frequency that the Humans found it necessary to summon Heroes, Elves would find those among them favoured by Spirits, Dwarves would gain sudden bursts of inspiration and create weapons far more intricate than the others, Demons would either awaken to or be born with extraordinary abilities or properties, and so on. The power distribution was strangely equal.
Andrew also muttered something about 'monsters on the borders' under his breath, but said that they'd only have to deal with those after the war.
So in summary, their current duty wasn't to save the kingdom from a tyrannical dark lord responsible for the world's evils, but to train and prepare before engaging in what was essentially a kingdom wide sports event. That was something different from the countless manga they'd seen online.
Kyle leaned on the wall, enjoying the sounds in the background. There was a strangely soothing charm to the orchestra, and taking a quick glance into the hall, it almost enhanced the feeling of calm and peace between the two bantering rulers. A tug on his sleeve turned his attention back to Lena, and concerningly, she didn't look anywhere near as relaxed as he was.
"What's wrong?"
"There's something wrong with the music." Lena whispered. "Where is it coming from?"
Kyle frowned as he looked around. True, the musicians should have been in the dining hall if the kings wanted music, wouldn't they? And come to think of it, it didn't fade as he walked in either direction. Where was it actually coming from?
Shushing him as she tugged on his sleeve again, Lena led Kyle through the halls of the Castle. It was probably the Analysis cheat skill, which was a package deal of the tried, true, and more commonly seen Analysis that gave information, slightly enhanced sense towards magic, and increased resistance to mental effects. The final property was probably why she thought the music felt wrong, and the more he listened, the more Kyle had to agree. The music faded into silence for a moment as they entered the main hall, before starting up again with a different tune.
It was no longer the calming song they heard by the dining hall, but like something you'd hear out of a spy film where the characters were going through corridors like mice. The repeating harsh and high pitched grating of strings, the almost silent piano, the occasional flute and drumming sounds, it was nerve wracking, and it only grew in tempo as they continued onwards. Kyle felt like he was watching Jaws, but instead of being behind the screen, he was the one about to be munched on. Lena dragged him into a room that looked like an auditorium, before stopping, and looking around frantically for the source of the music that was reaching its peak.
The orchestra crescendoed with the blaring of assorted brass instruments as the lights in the room lit up, a set of fluorescent lamps on the ceiling, to reveal a very assorted group on stage.
One looked like a medieval bard, but in monochrome colours, playing a flute with a concerningly sharp end. Another with wings and dressed in a white gown played the trumpet, likely the brass player. Two twins sat opposite each other, one at the piano, and the other at a drum set, both wearing face paint similar to that of mimes. But the most notable member was the one in the back, a hooded figure with four extra arms sticking out of their back, puppeteering a wooden puppet that held a violin.
The flute player took off their hat as they bowed in a most showman-like manner, before putting it back on. "Welcome, Kyle and Lena! We weren't expecting an audience, but it's always nice to have one! What did you think about the music?"
The friendly greeting was not reciprocated as Lena conjured a fireball almost larger than she was, and Kyle summoned his skeletons. The band all laughed as Lena looked over their statuses, sweat rolling down her face from more than just heat.
The Pied Piper, the Trumpets of the Apocalypse, Gepetto and his puppet Pinnochio, Nayla the Drummer, and Lyla the Pianist. Those were the members of the band, three of which she could remember their world's equivalents of.
And they all had higher stats than anyone they'd seen save one.
In a blur of motion, the Trumpeteer pointed her trumpet at the duo, and blew, slamming them into the opposite wall with a massive sound wave. The skeletons dissipated instantly, and the fireball went upwards as Lena lost control of it. Both otherworlders slammed into the wall with sickening cracks, and Lena was instantly rendered unconscious, as Kyle struggled to stand.
"Perhaps that was too rough, Betty." Gepetto chastised the Angel of death and loud noises, who shrugged in response.
"They're not dead, I made sure this time."
Nayla gave a comedic ba-dum-tsh on her drums, as Lyla closed her piano.
"It's been pleasant to set the mood, but I'm afraid it's time we leave." The Piper announced as he played them one last parting tune. "We'll be seeing you!"
For a brief moment, Kyle thought he saw one last figure in the shadows, wearing a porcelain drama mask split halfway between comedy and tragedy, and in their hands they held a movie director's clapperboard. They gave a wave, and snapped the bar downwards.
In that snap, the entire band disappeared.
Then, Kyle fell unconscious.
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A mechanical figure tapped a metal finger against their chair as they watched over dozens of flickering screens. On their right arm, two large brown and bronze pumps went up and down, hissing silently, while the electricity that connected the pieces of their left crackled. A snap echoed throughout the room, and they didn't have to turn to know who it was.
"Ah, Director." They addressed the new arrival. "Need another set of props?"
The Director readjusted their mask. "We're travelling to a volcano region next, I'm sure you heard the news."
"The Griffon's Claw Magma Golem raid." The figure mused. "Certainly, that fight scene would benefit from a bit of background music. I'll have it done by tomorrow, and as usual it'll be delivered by Keter."
"Thank you, Innova." With another clack, the Director was gone, leaving Innova to watching his screens.
"Dad, we're home!" The camera displayed two girls approaching the base, a metallic black tower that reflected all light, one in green and the other with a sizeable rucksack carrying a crossbow on top. As the camera swivelled over, both waved as the doors opened.
"Hi Uncle Innova!"
"We're back."
A third figure inside the base could be seen walking by, dressed mostly in black and red. "Oh, hi Alex, hi May. Mind helping me and Kain out with the warehouse?"
"Sure Uncle Hank!" May shrugged as she followed Alex and Hank into the base, its doors sliding shut. Innova leaned back into his chair.
Just another day, he supposed.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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