Day ~66~

When Rea suddenly woke up looking incredibly pissed off Sereda shrunk back for a moment, "I'm not mad at you Sereda... oh, Mrs.Fiery."

The scarlet red head mage instructor had shown up, "Glad to see you woke up, we had to call a priest. If your friend hadn't been breathing for you..."

Rea's eyes went wide, "My chest caved in!?"

The woman nodded, "Yeah you took a bad hit, one lung collapsed and you'd stopped breathing. You should thank your stars the headmaster asked me to check in once in a while. The poor girl had been blowing air down your throat for who knows how long before I got there."

Rea broke out in a cold sweat, Airi was right she is stupid... Better be a little more careful from now on, no more standing nearby while Sereda uses wood. "Thank you Mrs. Fiery"

"Mrs.Stella, please."

Rea nodded in understanding before looking over at Sereda who had been holding her hand the whole time, "Guess I scared you there huh?"

Tears started running down her cheeks, "I almost killed you!"

"That was an accident, and I'm fine. You almost killed me but you did save me." Sereda didn't seem very convinced so Rea pulled her in for their first deep kiss, the teacher went wide eyed for a moment before averting her gaze. Rea continued to pull Sereda in causing her to fall onto the bed, she didn't struggle to get away. When Rea let her go and laid back down against the pillow, Sereda descended for another kiss. Rea was enjoying the kiss for entirely too long... she also felt like Sereda really knew what she was doing...

*cough cough*

Sereda came to her senses and quickly pulled away, "Sorry..."

Rea smirked at her, looped an arm around her shoulder and toppled Sereda onto the bed. Reversing their positions Rea started a third kiss...

*COUGH COUGH*

Rea lifted herself off of Sereda with a grin, "Sorry..." she then used mana bonding to reform the line that had been severed, Rea was determined to max out her line mastery.

"Are the two of you finished?" Fiery was getting a bit annoyed by now.

Rea took in her surroundings and realized they were actually still in the private training area, the bed was a makeshift one. Realizing that they must not have wanted to move her before treatment, and likely after treatment, the bed was brought here. After looking back at the woman who hadn't left when she started to assault Sereda she realized they weren't allowed to be alone in here. "I take it you're our chaperone?"

"Bingo."

Rea wasn't actually all that upset, "Well I'm actually glad to have a teacher here to help us train, the only reason we're in here is to hide what spells Sereda is capable of using from any possible opponents in the upcoming tourneys."

Sereda had caught her breath by now, Rea really hadn't told her that bit of info, "we're competing?"

Rea crooked her head, "You saw the chumps in our classroom, three had a [Job] already and they were all for crafting. I seriously doubt any of them will end up stronger than you or me in a close range fight."

"But I don't..."

"I know you don't want to but odds are they'll ask us to do it, I'll handle solo tourneys. When we do duo tourneys you can just stand there and look intimidating."

Sereda was a bit relieved, "How do I do that?"

"Smile"

*pow*

Rea absently massaged the new bump Sereda had just given her, "I was being serious, they won't know what to think."

Rea looked back to the teacher, "Mrs.Rastel is there any way for us to not compe...ahhh!!!"

*Ka-BOOM!*

Rastel Letkan had attacked as soon as she heard her real name called out, she now looked on as the dust began to settle. Rea had pulled up an earthen wall as soon as she saw the quick spell forming, Sereda had sensed her intent and altered the wall to steel. The next thing Rastel Letkan saw was a [Greater Earthen Lance]. As the spell tore through settling dust it pierced her chest. The woman fell to her knees impaled by the half foot wide lance near her right shoulder. She looked up scornfully at her killer, "How..."

Sereda was shaking, Rea hadn't even hesitated to kill the woman who attacked them. Now she could see Rea's expression, cold and unforgiving. Rea absently walked past the half melted steel wall, "last words?"

"... oops."

Rea wanted to drill the woman for information but time was of the essence. "Sereda! Get over here, bind her arms and legs to the ground with steel."

Sereda knew exactly what Rea was about to... *POW!* Okay, she hadn't expected Rea to knock a deathly injured woman the fuck out. As Sereda followed her instructions Rea force fed Rastel an [Elixir], her major organs hadn't been injured, most importantly her heart was fine. A few seconds after the [Elixir] had gone down her throat Rea dispelled the lance. What happened next was freaky, they both thought so, it isn't every day you see someone rapidly regenerate a gaping hole in their torso. Rea sent Sereda to get the headmaster, and only the headmaster. Sereda argued for a few seconds before getting the deathly glare Rea had learned from Meril.

Rea knew her [Elixir] was probably gonna wake the woman up so she kept her hands on the woman's head, placed in a way that would allow her to snap the neck in an instant.

Rastel opened her eyes wide in surprise, "I'm... well that's scary."

Rea still had the empty expression on her face, "I spared your life because my friend is a little... she isn't stained with the worse parts of this world yet, and I'd like to keep it that way for now. So do me a favor and fight back before she gets here. Give me a reason to break your fucking neck and bury you."

Rastel was utterly terrified, she was looking into Rea's eyes and found absolutely no hint of betrayal. Rastel was positive she'd do it so the woman was too afraid to utter a single word. She wasn't sure how long it had been before Sereda returned with the headmaster.

Denarius looked to Rea, "Is it true?"

"Remember how I once told you I have the ability to discern the true nature of most things?"

Denarius nodded, "Like the skinwalkers?"

Rea affirmed without looking away from her captive, "Yeah, well it's a little more than that. I can tell what people's names are so when I see skinwalker it's kind of literal. The teacher here introduced herself as something else and I slipped up, I called her by the name I could see with my ability." Denarius looked down at the woman he'd known as Stella Kalon, "As soon as I called her that she tried to kill us."

Denarius placed a hand on Rea's shoulder, "You can let her go now, she can't hurt any of us with me here."

Rea loosened her grip, "right..."

"Anything to say in your defense Stella?"

Rea was glaring daggers at the woman, "..."

Denarius glanced at Rea, "Her real name?"

"Rastel Letkan"

The hero gaped at her, "The Rastel Letkan!?" Before Rastel could respond there was a flash of light and she was restrained in an intricate field of swirling light, "What were you doing here!? In my school!"

At this point Rea asked Sereda to leave, she obviously refused. "Exactly who is she?"

"Rastel Letkan is known for her control over beasts, she's wanted for wiping three small cities off the map... Five years! For five years you've been right here!"

Rea cringed and looked away from Sereda, the ophidian decided to bluff. Rea had decided to never torture someone again but the woman didn't know that, "Denarius I'm very adept at torture, even more so since I can heal fatal wounds."

Sereda's face drained of color as Rastel looked on in horror, "I'll talk, I promise, please don't leave me with her!"

Denarius wasn't sure what Rea had done to the woman but he was thankful, "well?"

"This is my home, my job, that's really all it is."

Rea hadn't seen the man sneer before, "You expect me to believe that a mass murderer just settled down?"

Rastel wasn't sure what to say, "I was just doing some experiments that went wrong, I never meant for those beasts to attack the cities... it was all a terrible accident."

Denarius swung his staff as Rastel flew across the room and hit the wall with a dull thud, "You have the gall to claim that after turning your magic on two of my students!"

"I swear it was an accident, I never came forth because I knew they'd kill me for it, I just want to live."

Denarius was absolutely fuming, but something had been bothering Rea, she'd seen people crack and lie under duress a thousand times. She'd seen them lie before the torture even started... sometimes they told the truth, right now this terrified woman who just tried to kill them was telling the truth. "Denarius she isn't lying, unless there's some magic spell to conceal lies..."

Denarius gave her a flat look, "You're sure? Really, really sure?"

While nodding she added, "the problem is shes too far gone, she didn't hesitate when trying to kill us."

Rastel knew exactly what Rea meant, she'd caused the deaths of thousands when her experiments went awry. Rastel's, whats a few more, mentality had even shocked herself.

"What's going to happen to her?" Sereda chimed in.

"She'll be put on display in the city and starved to death, or at the mercy of the people she may die sooner in a more painful way," he explained.

Rea didn't like the thought of drawing out someones death anymore, she didn't like that it would be her fault... she could've just let Rastel die. "No chance you'll pretend this never happened? Keep her under constant watch or something?" Denarius shook his head honestly, "Then leave us, Sereda go with Denarius."

Denarius raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "why?"

"Rastel Letkan died by my hands when she tried to kill us, I won't let her die a slow death. I've caused too much pain already, so leave us."

Denarius knew what she intended to do when Rea clenched a fist and bit her lip while walking towards Rastel. Sereda objected until she saw the heavy-hearted expression Rea was making, she was sure Rea herself wouldn't want her to see what was about to happen.

"It looks like we're alone." Rastle spoke, still bound by the headmaster's spell, "never thought I'd have such a beautiful executioner."

Rea smirked slightly while stopping in front of her, "I'm sorry that I didn't just let you die."

"You and me both..."

"I've seen that look on my own face often enough to know what it is, tough to live with so much guilt isn't it?"

Rastel shimmied a little in her constraints, "It isn't easy."

Rea held a hand over her own heart, "I only just started feeling guilty a few months ago, it wasn't until I saw someone die for me that I realized what this is, it seriously sucks... How do you wanna go?"

*ahahahaha* "Quick please, I don't like pain."

Rea pulled Rastel off of the wall into a warm embrace, "It'll be just like falling asleep, I'll finish afterwards. Don't fight, you'll just make it worse."

Tears began to well up, "I don't want to die... I..."

Rea began to wrap her arms around the woman's neck and flex her biceps, "I don't expect you to forgive me, if I hadn't called your name you may have lived a long life. I am so so so sorry." Rea bit down on her lip and tightened her hold as Rastel began to struggle, in a few long moments she fell unconscious. With a swift twisting motion Rea finished the dreadful task.

*Crack!*

A few minutes later Rea calmly walked out of the room carrying Rastel in her arms, the headmaster motioned for her to follow. Sereda didn't say anything as she fell in line, she couldn't. Denarius had already summoned a hearse, a few men opened the coffin. Rea spent a few more moments gazing at the dead woman's fearful expression before lowering her. She silently watched as they nailed the coffin shut and loaded it in the hearse. The last time Rea had seen a hearse it certainly wasn't a wagon... She looked down at her hands and remembered in vivid detail the feeling of breaking Rastel's neck. There was a time when it had felt good to her, killing someone who had done something terrible... but now that she was trying to be a good person again, now that she knew there was a chance to find her daughter again. The sensation just made her feel like a monster. For the first time tears fell from her eyes in response to ending the life of a criminal.

Sereda wasn't sure why she was happy to see Rea cry, Denarius was glad that she seemed to be less cold than he had thought. This incident instantly spread Rea's name through the entire institution. Rastel had been well liked as a teacher, a kind woman, some students had come to see the body of the mass murderer. They hadn't expected to see a student carry one of their own teachers out of the tower. Rea was easily recognizable, and she'd just become known for killing one of the teachers, Stella Kalon.

Sereda accompanied Rea back to their room, fending off a few angry students. Aside from drawing her blood Rea didn't do anything else today. Halfway through the day Selene showed up, she joined Sereda and watched over Rea. They all tried to ignore the sound of angry shouting from outside, and the occasional stone or fire spell hitting the window.

Day ~67~

The next morning Rea decided it was about time to get back to work, she didn't like wasting her time here. After waking up Selene and Sereda the three only took a few minutes to get ready and head down for breakfast. Overnight news had spread to most of the academia about Stella having been Rastel, and the fact that Rea and Sereda had survived an attack from the infamous mass murderer had turned their infamy to respect and fear. There were still a few people around who were glaring at Rea, she chose to ignore them on the basis that they probably knew the woman she'd killed personally. When they parted ways after breakfast Rea and Sereda, followed Selene to the mage training fields without her knowing. Rea knew that the people who'd known Rastel the longest would've been her more experienced students, and they'd also know that Selene was her intimate friend.

Sure enough before Selene could get to the fields where the teachers were at she was being dragged off by three male students wearing red robes. Rea was on top of them in no time and knocked the first one she got to unconscious with a violent sucker punch. The second one looked like he was casting a spell as Rea ducked low and tackled him. She ignored the third student who was yelling in fear while being dangled off the ground by a woman covered in metal. Rea proceeded to mount and pommel him into unconsciousness. Sereda wasn't too keen on hitting someone so she just dropped the third one, when he started casting a spell it really pissed Rea off so she swung a wide low kick, his face contorted as her foot made contact. Sereda winced at the sight of blood and teeth spraying across the ground. Selene was giving both of them the evil eye.

"What?"

"You both followed me!"

"Can you blame us?"

She took a look at the incapacitated students "...I guess not."

Selene returned a few minutes later with Gilleus, and after promising Rea that he'd keep an eye on her the pair left to resume their training. Gilleus used some sort of spherical water spell to carry the unconscious students off with Selene trailing behind him. Rea hadn't felt like they weren't quite finished with the private room, but she really didn't want to go back there for now. So they made for the spearman training grounds. When Rea arrived she was shooed off by a few of the pupils, namely, Philip and Telthos. The two guys she'd smacked around before proudly claimed that Felicity was off talking to the headmaster to get her expelled. As it were Felicity was a long time friend of Stella Kalon. That left a sour taste in her mouth as Rea was leaving, surprisingly enough Dunwalt walked out from behind the treeline and greeted them. Dunwalt explained that Felicity just went to get the truth and she'd told them to keep her off of the spearman field till she'd heard what really happened.

Rea looked at Sereda, "Today sucks."

Sereda gave her the same vacant look, "Today really sucks."

"We can go train at the unused spearman field, the dragoon, Laura Swantone, left Vestlei two years ago and it hasn't been used since." Dunwalt interrupted.

"You don't mind coming with?"

"...I'm sure you didn't just kill a teacher like everybody is saying, if you did you wouldn't be walking around here. What happened?"

"Stella Kalon's real name is Rastel Letkan."

The elf's eyes widened slightly at the mention of her name, "Then you're lucky to be alive... I never suspected her to be such a malicious person, hiding in plain sight."

Rea corrected him, "She wasn't a bad person, she made a huge mistake that cost thousands of people their lives. Her fear drove her to attack us, that's all there is to it. I'm sure Denarius will tell Felicity the same thing."

"There aren't many who would defend the honor of someone that tried to kill them."

Rea shrugged, "Call it sympathy for a kindred soul, which way are we heading?"

Dunwalt wasn't quite sure what to make of her last remark as he led them off.

They arrived at a field identical to the other spearman field within a few minutes, they had taken the long way around to avoid the others. Rea was a little curious about the fact that this place was still being kept up nicely. Feeling like she really wanted to get her mind off of things she let Sereda get to practicing her spear crafting and formed the hive. The first thing that happened surprised her, Dunwalt handed Rea a buckler while putting one on his own non-dominant arm, he explained that it would be worth having something to actually make contact with when sparring. For the next few days the three of them did nothing but train, eat, avoid people, and restore some of the less kept facilities. Dunwalt couldn't believe the rate at which Rea was absorbing information from him. How easily she was copying his moves, his forms, his abilities. Dunwalt also marveled at the way she continued to experiment with her water and ice magic... it was at that point he stopped her and asked what job she was. Rea didn't really see any point in hiding it so she just told him flat out that a goddess gave her access to all jobs. Dunwalt took the training a lot more seriously from then on. The elf was smart and he knew that Rea was likely to be a powerful ally in the future.

Rea had forgotten that as a lizardling she had learned a spear ability through practice. So when she started to learn abilities without getting the "[Job-Spearman] Level 15!" style revelation it had baffled her for a second.

Ability [Chop] learned.

Ability [Sweep] learned.

Ability [Shield Bash] learned. (Dunwalt wasn't very happy when she started smacking him...)

Ability [Hive Mastery Rank Up].

[Job-Spearman] Level 36!

Ability [Hoist] learned. (Rea wasn't sure how she felt about an ability meant to knock foes off the ground, instead of flat out kill... until Dunwalt landed with his rear facing skyward.)

Ability [Enwater Rank Up].

Ability [Freezing Geyser] learned. (Sereda laughed like mad when Rea yelled something-ryu-ken and went spiraling into the air firing off ice magic, Dunwalt sighed audibly, Rea was dumbfounded it generated an ability...)

Ability [Enfrost Rank Up].

[Hero-Spellsword] Level 14!

Ability [Sustained Magic Lv. 2] learned.

[Job-Spearman] Level 40!

Ability [Improved Piercing Power Lv. 4] learned.

Ability [Ascension] learned. (Something-ryu-ken resulted in another ability when she didn't use enfreeze... Rea was pretty sure this couldn't be a coincidence, some god was having fun.)

[Job-Spearman] Level 48!

Ability [Improved Piercing Power Lv. 5] learned.

Ability [Hive Mastery Rank Up].

[Job-Spearman] Level 50!

Ability [Job-Adept Spearman] learned.

Dunwalt nearly had a heart attack when Rea stopped moving and took a hit head on. As Rea tumbled across the ground painfully Sereda tried to use quicksand to stop her before she could collide with a nearby target dummy. Unfortunately she hadn't gotten the finer points of control down yet and Rea went headfirst in. Dunwalt and Sereda both panicked as Rea got planted halfway in the ground and started kicking her feet all around. With her entire torso sunk in Rea couldn't get out, she giggled and swallowed some dirt when someone got a little hands on with her lower half. A few minutes later Rea was covered in dirt but alive, Sereda was giving her the I almost killed you again look... Dunwalt averted his gaze thoroughly confused as they made up. While Sereda was spitting out some leftover dirt Rea asked, "Do spearman rank up at level 50?"

"No"

Rea absently rubbed her head, blacksmith hadn't ranked up at 50, "Correct me if I'm wrong but improved piercing power is only earned by leveling spearman to 100 right? Can't get it through practice?"

"Right"

Rea fell over and pounded on the ground, a hidden downside to accelerated evolution!!! After explaining to Dunwalt that she'd just gotten spearman adept he looked at her with pity. Rea didn't like that so Dunwalt ended up sinking to his elbows in sand. When Rea offered her thanks and Sereda averted her gaze the elf looked down to find that he'd left his trousers in buried in the sand. The unfortunate decision to bend over and dig through the sand for them resulted in whistling and cheering. Once Rea realized the elf still needed to train her though she quickly apologized and fished his pants out with earthen magic while paying his manhood a complement. Being called an indecent woman, and countering with honest woman again was an odd deja vu like situation. Rea was glad that she hadn't completely turned back into the person she used to be, glad that she could still joke around and have fun with friends. When she'd taken Rastel's life Rea knew that she wasn't the same person she'd been as a vigilante, and she was thankful for it. Trying not to give her persona any more deep thought she decided to just do what comes naturally, if acting like a clown for two months had warped her serious personality she'd just roll with it.

After practicing with Dunwalt for a while longer Rea stopped moving and took another bad hit, seeing stars didn't really bother her. She was too happy with [Improved Piercing Power Rank Up]. When Rea got up and slurred a, let's do this, they decided to call it a day. Sereda had to carry her back to their room because she kept falling over.

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