Bab 102: 101: Star Child: A Keepers Ascension V
'I thought she said a few guests!' I thought as I stared down the far end of the coliseum arena where the college had set up a rather elaborate and lavish looking stage with bleachers. There were at least a hundred people seated in the bleachers.
It was easy to see who was more important than who based on where they sat on the bleachers. The first two tiers were no different than the type of bleachers you'd see in a high-school. The third and fourth tiers were more comfortable looking with padded benches and arm rests that separated each seat. The fifth and sixth tiers looked fit for royalty, both tiers had actual chairs to sit in and only had four chairs a tier. Their was a awning over the sixth tier that blocked out the sun.
I looked over at Iris and then Jane who were standing at my sides. They both looked nervous as we stood under the entrance gate to the arena floor. Baset had the whole class clined up into two rows of three consisting of our groups, with her at the head of the line.. Astrid, Alberto and Damon were standing in front of the girls and I, looking just as nervous as the girls.
Admittedly I was nervous also. When Baset said that there would be influential splicers watching a small plan started to form in my mind. Admittedly it wasn't completely thought out but then again very few of my plans were. If it succeeded however it would set me up to having a lot of practice making enchanted items and shine a more favorable light on the girls.
'Here's hoping one of them is a spoiled pompous ass!' I thought and crossed my fingers.
"Oh gods! He's planning something…"Iris whispered when she saw me cross my fingers.
"I don't know what you're talking about…" I whispered back.
"It's time." Baset suddenly announced. Everyone stood straight and followed Baset as she lead us out into the coliseum arena. As we neared the stage and bleachers I felt the probing gazes of everyone in the bleachers, sizing us up and picking us apart.
That made my nervousness worse, I was uses to being ignored or looked at with scorn not the center of attention or watched with interest.
'Blank, blank, keep your face blank…' I thought, reciting my old childhood mantra.
As a class we stepped onto the stage and faced the bleachers, now that we were closer I could get a good look at all the guests that the dean invited. It was obvious from the way they were all dressed that they were from rich or noble families, not a single person was dressed in anything less than a three piece suit, elaborate dress or religious wear. They all wore gaudy and expensive looking jewelry that only got more gaudy the further up the bleachers you went.
'Spoiled pompous asses…check.' I thought.
As I looked over the people seated in the bleachers I saw Dean Baxter seated in one of the seats at the top of the bleachers, he was leaning over and whispering to a man to his right. A man that looked suspiciously like Alberto. Both the dean and the man stopped their conversation and eyed the class.
My eyes and Dean Baxter's locked for a few seconds, he tilted his head to the side and then after a second nodded and stood up and cleaned his throat.
"Esteemed guests! Let me be the first to welcome some of you to Andromeda College, and for the rest of you, welcome you back to Andromeda College. I want to thank all of you for accepting my invitation to witness the progress the students of Baset Paragon's advanced Splicing course have made in the short time they were here. I'm going to let Lady Baset speak of her student's progress herself." Dean Baxter announced. Baset nodded then took a few steps forwards to address the guests.
"My students were tasked with making a personalized spell that everyone in the their groups would be able to cast and use. As everyone here knows, learning a spell can be hard and difficult work but personalizing a spell…it's what separates the best in their country with the best in the world. It is the one skill that every single Paragon has!" Baset yelled. She spun on her heel and motioned to all of us. "Pay attention to all of the faces here for you are gazing at future paragons, Legends in the making!"
"That's certainly true for one of us here…" Astrid muttered to herself and gave me a sideways glance.
"Now! Which group wants to go first?" Baset asked.
"We do! We do!" Damon exclaimed throwing his hand in the air. Astrid discreetly poked him in the side.
"Why are you volunteering us?!" She hissed under her breath.
"Do you honestly want to present our spell after Chase's group?!" Damon hissed back. Astrid froze for a second then shot her hand up.
"Yes we'd love to do ours first!" She exclaimed. Baset chuckled with amusement but covered it up by fake coughing.
"Well then, You three have the stage, I would ask that The other group follows me off stage and do not talk while They are presenting their spell." Baset said moving to step off the stage and to the side off the bleachers. The girls and I followed Baset and now Astrid, Damon and Alberto were alone on a big stage in front of some of the most influential and powerful splicers in the world.
The three of them huddled up for a quick moment, seeming to argue about something while their audience looked on. It was right then hat I realized that Baset never gave us any parameters for presenting our spells. I expected to just cast our spell and be graded on how good it was and judging by the look on Astrid and her group they were too.
After a few moments of quietly arguing Astrid finally shook her head and stepped forward to address the guests.
"Good morning esteemed guests and sorry for the delay. I am Astrid Folders and these are my partners Damon DeCharles of the noble earls of Ashwold, and Alberto Silva the son Loki Paragon who we have here with us." Astrid said motioning to her teammates as she introduced them. "The spell my teammates and I chose to personalize was lighting bolted. Admittedly a simple spell. For those that specialize offensive spells its inevitable of the first spells you learn. However we managed to make it a more dangerous spell."
Astrid nodded to Damon who looked back at her confused. Astrid scolded at Damon then motioned her head to fhe open area behind him. Damon made a oh shape with his mouth then turned around and started casting offensive spell sigil.
Lightning shot from hand, splicing into three separate bolts that moved in a wide arch before the came back together and collided in the air making a shockwave that superheated the sand beneath the impact area and turned it into molten glass.
"As you can see…" Astrid continued.
I started to tune Astrid out and pulled my backpack off and quickly scrounge through it for some paper and a pen. When I found some I quickly scribed that telepathy spell I used in Talapo village then ripped it off the notepad and channeled some mana into it.
Baset watched me out of the corner of her eye as I cast the spell sigil and golden threads of light shot from my hand linking Jane, Iris and my mind together then faded away.
<CHASE WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!> Iris roared in my head while managing to look completely interested in Astrid's groups presentation.
<OW! MY HEAD!> I replied as I reached up to discreetly rub my head. <Making our presentation better. Look at Astrid and them. They're stiff, Astrid is the only one talking while Damon and Alberto look like two bumps on a log and there is no heart to this, look at the dean's guests they're falling asleep.>
Iris and Jane both snuck a peek at the splicers above them. Very few of them were actually paying attention, most had checked out like me near the beginning of her speech.
The only ones that were really paying attention were a few splicers at the bottom of the bleachers. Even Alberto's Dad had stopped paying attention.
<What's your plan Chase?> Jane asked.
<A very one sided one. If you two go through with it the one that will benefit from it will mainly be me.> I admitted. Iris narrowed her eyes at me..
<You want to show off don't you?> Iris asked.
<Yes. For that to work though I need to piss someone off…>
<You want to burn bridges before you even make them!> Jane snapped cutting me off.
<Not everyone just a few people!> I said quickly. <Preferably someone who has a background in Runic language study and spell crafting.>
<Why those fields> Iris asked.
<Because they are fields that he has the most practical knowledge in. Honestly he's probably the most knowledgeable about the Runic Language outside of the Tolapo tribe.> Jane answered.
<Exactly.> I nodded.
<Well then the person you want to piss off is The Morgan Paragon. She's the woman seated on the other side of Loki Paragon. She's a Paragon from Ireland who became a Paragon at a young age when she wrote her first axiom spell from scratch.> Iris reported.
I looked up at the spot on the bleachers that Iris told me and quickly found the woman. A very thin woman who looked to be in her mid to late fifties. Her long hair which had probably been onyx black at one point was now a mix of salt and pepper. She ware a very expensive looking low cut and reveling dress that really showed off her cleavage, despite her age.
<You do realize that if you fuck this up you also fuck up our reputations too right?> Iris asked.
<Yeah…you can probably kiss those goodbye….> I said just as Astrid and her group was finishing up. Baset quickly moved onto the stage and faced Astrid's group.
"Good Job, great execution and honestly a very powerful spell. The fact that the two remaining lighting arcs will hone in on whatever the first lighting arc hits makes this a much more dangerous spell like you advertised. I only hope your presentation left a favorable impression on our guests." Baset critiqued.
The looks on everyone's faces told me that they knew they hadn't, Alberto looked particularly crushed as he looked up at his father in the bleachers and he didn't even look back at him. Defeated Alberto dropped his head and walked off the stage and headed over to where our group was standing.
<I'm pissing off both paragons!> I exclaimed as Astrid's group stood beside ours. Iris and Jane both turned to me and looked like they were about to blow.
<Please no! Chase please no!> Iris pleaded with me using both her eyes and telepathy.
<Pissing off one Paragon is one thing but making a enemy out of two is stupid Chase!>
<Wait why both?!> Jane asked. I narrowed my eyes at Loki then looked back down at Jane and Iris.
<I want to piss off the Morgan because I probably have more knowledge about Runic language than her. Beating her at her own game will be a big boost to my reputation. Loki however just pisses me off, he reminds me of how my dad acted after my grandmother died and he felt he didn't have to pretend to care for me.> I replied.
<That could end with you getting your ass handed to you!> Iris exclaimed.
"I'd like to call to the stage the second group of my class." Baset said motioning towards Jane, Iris, and I. I took a few steps in front of the girls then looked over my shoulder at the girls and smiled deviously.
<Don't worry I have a plan….>
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Hutexa_The_Djinn
Hutexa_The_Djinn World Fact: There are currently only fields of study that a splicer can specialize in. Being the top splicer in any one of those fields can net you the title Paragon. As such there can only be twenty-four paragons at one time. however that number changes as new fields of study are discovered and recognized.
[HUTEXA_THE_DJINN HERE! New Chapters on the way! I'd like to ask all my fans to please, please, leave a review of the novel! I'll help getting my work to a broader audience, thank you!]
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone