Athena Academy

"I am not versed in the art of healing magic." She said simply and continued on. While they were walking up to the next floor, they saw a small trail of blood. "He's been wounded." She said, more of an observation than concern. As they walked she crossed her arms. "You've likely not learned about summoned creatures yet, how about a little lesson while we walk?" She asked, without waiting for an answer she went on.

"Summoned creatures are in essence the creature that you've earned loyalty from or at least have learned the way to summon them. They are weaker than the originals, sometimes only a tenth as strong as the real thing. Those hell hounds for instance, a real pack of hell hounds would have torn you limb from limb without breaking a sweat. Though, they're far easier to summon than a legendary figure, since they are easy to earn their trust from and there are so many. Some summons may require you to fight them, pay some kind of tribute, or, as in Cindy's case have a catalyst to summon them, but, they can grow stronger as the bond between you grows as you fight along with them in battle, though you cannot unlock their full potential. There are some rare instances where a legendary summon, a creature or person that have reached near deity levels of power, are so compatible that they can unlock their summon's full strength and you may as well be fighting alongside the real thing. Though, if one has made a contract with the same summon as you, you had better summon it first, because, in a battle a summoner call the same summon to their aid as their opponent, the summon will refuse to fight itself." She explained.

As she explained, they finally reached the final room... and it quickly became clear as to why she insisted that Erza stay behind. The floor was missing... well a large portion was anyway, some bits were actually floating in midair, they were connected together by planks of wood, though some weren't connected at all and would require one to jump across to the next platform. Below, they could see the dimly lit room where they had fought the hell hounds, and Erza resting below. The platforms were on the other side of the room, well out of jumping distance, and any attempts to use magic or transform were rendered useless, a rune glowed on the ceiling above them, far more intricate and carefully created than the one I had placed on the door... though someone had been able to get over that little obstacle.

In the center of the room there was a pedestal, on that was a golden mirror engraved with jewels, and a certain wannabe detective about to get on the platform and snatch it.

I was balancing on a thin piece of wood, I was almost to the platform, I grimaced when I saw them. "Too late, you wasted your time." I called out annoyed, just a few more feet...

 

"Anyone got a rock?" Tam asked, glancing around. "I want to nail a target."
"Hrrrm, I think there are some around here," Noroi muttered. Nearby, Cindy bent over and started taking off her shoes, unnoticed.
"Nah, too small, we should get a bigger rock and-"
There was a very satisfying "thwack," and Noroi and Tam turned to see Cindy hefting up her second shoe and throwing it.

 

I was too busy paying attention to put one foot in front of the other to notice the heavy piece of glass flying through the air... which slammed directly into my face and sent me careening over the edge of the plank of wood. "DAMN YOU!" I shouted as I fell. Luckily for me there was something to cushion my fall... the unconscious body of a hell hound. Which made a horrible snapping sound as I landed on it... which in turn caused it to burst into flame and send me flying to the feet of no one other than Erza. "Damn. Them." I muttered, I was badly wounded, my clothing was singed, and I had several bite and claw marks on my body.

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Naomi held the bridge of her nose. "Was that truly necessary? He was about to complete the objective." She said, she walked over to the wall and leaned against it. Next to her was a smear of blood, if anyone paid any close attention to it, it'd reveal that there were several handholds embedded into the wall, a line of blood showing the exact route that I took to get to the other end of the room.

 

"That was cathartic," Cindy said simply, walking barefoot to where Naomi was. Tam snickered, then composed himself.
"Alright, team, looks like we've got an obstacle course to get through," he said in a commanding voice. "I am tired, cranky, annoyed, and have been put through a hellish experience to get this damn mirror, and I will not tolerate any bullshit from here on out. If you have a complaint, you talk to me. If you have a request, you talk to me. If you have a question, hold it until later. Do we have an understanding?"
Tam's voice was crystal clear in this regard: he was in charge now, and his word was law. If anyone crossed him, heaven help them.
"Now then, Noroi and Cindy are probably the most adept at getting through this, but they will need help. Edgar, Adam, I want you to accompany them. Chryss, you are with me. We'll stay here and keep an eye on them in case they need help. As was demonstrated, we can clearly communicate with each other in this room. Do I make myself clear?"

 

Oh great, heights, why did it have to be heights? Adam was thinking when he suddenly saw Cindy throw something at Joe. Who then promptly fell to the ground... were... Erza... was.
The fairy was saying something, but Adam wasn't paying attention anymore.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO," he screamed and he promptly jumped off, his need to win overshadowing his crippling fear of heights. Jumping from such heights without anything to break your fall would surely result in broken legs, that's why Adam aimed for Joe.

 

Erza's eyes lit up like a christmas tree as Joe came to roll towards her feet. She squeeled like a little girl and prepared to jump on him, shouting at the top of her lungs,"I WON!!!!! ADAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I GOT HIM!!!!!!"

She giggled loudly about to hit Joe,"Those clothes are mine cutie." She winced getting a bit over excited as she looked up with a wide grin. Suddenly she squeeled getting hit by Adam and breaking his fall. She coughed, trying to push Adam aside so she could get to Joe first,"No...he is so close. I am not letting you take this from me."

She jumped on Joe in victory and giggled wildly,"Yes....Victory is mine!"

 

At the sight of Adam leaping off the cliff, Tam groaned and rubbed his forehead.
"On second thought, we are all going together. Noroi, take the lead. Edgar, stay ahead of me. Cindy, you and Chryss take up the middle. And no going off ahead, Noroi, or I will kick your scaly ass to Pasadena."

 

Edgar nodded,"Aye Aye captain."

 

I sigh heavily looking towards Tam. "Um....I don't think I would be much help up here." I looks down below. "I just....Noone should really take a fall like Joe did. If that ruin won't let us use magic than I should go back down. I can at least make a small gust to keep people from landing on the ground too hard.....I wish I was downstairs when Joe fell. "

 

Tam glanced at Chryss, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"That would be a great idea. Are you sure you want to sit this one out?" he asked, his voice soft and gentle.

 

"...Get. The. Fuck. Off. Now." I said, clearly in pain and angered, I didn't exactly wait though, I used a blast of light energy to push her off of me, nothing that'd damage her though. I sat up and scooted over to the wall, I reached into my pouch and pulled out the salve I made earlier that day, I opened it and began to rub it into my scratches, bites, burns, and cuts, letting out soft sighs of relief as the pain melted away, the burns disappearing, the flesh sealing back together, I did this until all of my wounds were dealt with, the only evidence of them ever being there was some slight redness, I put the empty salve jar back into my pack and shut my eyes.

 

"I WISH YOU WERE HERE THEN TOO" Adam screamed from below, he had heard Chriss. Argh, bugger, godverdomme. He had lost the bet, and he might've broken something.

"I regret nothing, except maybe jumping."

 

"I'm fine with sitting this out." I say looking down to Adam sadly. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't really think about this that quickly..."I mutter dejectedly before making my way out of the room and back downstairs.

 

She groaned landing not far from Adam with a soreness now on her stomach. She crawled over, looking down at him, with a smile, "Even though I did win, and you ARE going to give me those clothes. I say, since you did risk your life just to win the bet, I think that warrents ya a date." She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead then helped push him over to the side and sat him up against the wall, where she sat down beside him.

 

Despite his pain, Adam grinned, "Worth it," and he passed out.

 

I looked over at Erza and then looked away, I pulled out the remaining bottle of my healing salve and slid it over to her without saying anything. She was wounded and she probably wouldn't stop bitching and moaning over her wounds now that the adrenaline of winning this bet that somehow involved jumping on me would begin wearing off. "They better hurry up." I muttered.

 

Erza looked up at Joe confused, then took the salve and placed a few dabs on her ankle. She looked over at Adam, and then the salve and used most of it too try and take away some of his pain to. She finished up with her ankle so she could at least help him later then turned to look at Joe with a guilty expression,"Thanks....Good job on getting so close."

Edgar smiled looking down on him then moved over to Noroi and Cindy, "What do you both need. I can lift you, or propel you if you need. It might not look like it, but I'm quite strong."

 

"I would have had it if they hadn't thrown a god damn..." I said looking around and then saw the object that smacked into me that was miraculously still intact. "...Glass... shoe." I said. "...I'll kill that girl, I swear to god or whatever cosmic being takes pleasure in my suffering." I said through gritted teeth. "I managed to do all of this by myself, I didn't need anyone, people just get in the way." I said.

 

Noroi shook his head, and scaled up the nearly invisible hand holds, then stood at the top, signing. Cindy nodded, and experimentally prodded the wall.
"We're in stealth mode, apparently," she mouthed to Edgar, slowly scaling the wall.

 

Edgar nodded, following behind her. He strapped his sword to his back and dug his fingers into the grooves as he followed the blood trail upwards. He watched Cindy carefully making sure that he would be able to catch her if she slipped. He then eyed Noroi at the top and gave a confused snarl.

Erza watched them from the ground, the pain in her ankle receding,"Well if you weren't such a bloody prat then you would have completed this task a lot fucking faster with a group behind you willing to help, and no shoes flying at your head."

She looked over at Chryssalis as she came down,"Hi...Sorry I wasn't much help up there! Are you okay?" She says completely unaware she volunteered to come back down.

 

I looked to the side. "People just slow me down, I don't need any help." I said, I glared up at Cindy, if she would throw something at me, I'd throw something at her. I stood up and a ball of light energy appeared in my hand, I flung it at Cindy's back. It seemed like it would connect, but the second that it got over the floor, it dispersed. "Son of a..." I muttered annoyed.

 

I look towards Joe concerned. "...." When Erza addresses me I look back towards her. "O-oh. Yes I am fine. I just...well figured that I could come down here and help cushion anyone else's fall. Though.....I've failed on two. But that was before I thought of it." I say quickly looking back up towards the people still climbing.

 

I looked over at Cindy's forgotten glass shoe. I picked it up, marveling at the weight. "How does that girl wear these things?" I muttered, I shrugged, I had an idea... I threw the shoe into the air and then sent another ball of light energy out, but not at Cindy, but at her glass shoe. It caught onto it perfectly, as soon as the ball of energy got past the floor, it dissipated, but the shoe kept flying up and slammed into the wall right next to Cindy, it bounced off, and landed on a platform a few feet behind her. "Damn, so close." I muttered, if it had only fallen back down, then I'd have another shot at her!

 

I look towards Joe surprised watching his little stunt with Cindy's shoe. "Wait.....I know it wasn't on purpose but you gave me an idea Joe." I glance up at the platforms and position myself slightly to the side of the lowest one. "....Okay." I stop to take a deep breath and concentrate on my magic to lift me in the air a bit. "....I hope this works. " I mumble to myself before picking up the wind around me and propelling myself into the air.

Once I was I was close enough to the low platform I reach out and grab the edge. One of my hands slips a bit and I almost lose my grip completely. "Gah!" I somehow manage to hold on with my other hand and bring the other back up. I couldn't help but sigh in relief as I pull myself fully up to the platform. "It worked....well. Sort of." I mutter to myself and stand up looking across the path. "No magic from here on." I gulp walking up towards one of the planks and cautiously making my way across the boards. the height didn't so much bother me as the balancing did. Keeping on the boards took focus. I was more than happy to take my time to not fall off the edges of the boards. The same for the jumps. I stopped to gauge the distance so I didn't undershot it. As soon as I knew it I was nearing the mirror. I nervously stepped next to it and finally reached out to grab it.

 

Once Chrysalis's hand touched the mirror, it began glowing and the missing floor materialized. Naomi looked up from her book. "Not bad, I didn't think that anyone would think of that." She said, shutting her book. "Come along, we're finished." She said, without looking behind her Naomi walked out of the room.

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I crossed my arms. "Of course." I said sighing, without saying another word, I began walking down to the first floor of the ruins, not wanting to speak to anyone.