Greeting one another, they begin to converse in worry as they all stand together on the inside of the Strongcastle headquarters, all captains who have been summoned by their commanders, waiting for their arrival, so they may be briefed on what they were called for. Comes Gunnar with clearing his throat, walking along with Vernon who stops in front of them, as Victor is greeted by Arnaldo, all dropping to silence to hear what their leaders have to say.

"Good morning," He greets, greeted by them the same. "I'm sure you all know why I've called you here. They are reports of a particular problem happening all over Strongcastle"

"Commander? Yes, sir. We've all learned of the situation and we're all worried for our people," A female captain addresses, supported by others who agree. "Have you perhaps learned of any information that could tell us the cause of this?"

"Unfortunately...I haven't," He speaks the truth, raising some questions among them, as even their competent leader hasn't gotten anything to solve this. "But, I hope what we're about to hear can help us, even if it's a small step"

He nods to a person inside the group, for all to turn their attention to one particular captain, all waiting for his report.

"Ahem. From my gathering of reports from el gente, these are the statistics that I have collected from different towns and villages all over; For starters, their animals from farms that are also going missing. And then there is this; From the percentage of people going missing, I've gathered that teenagers, and adults mostly between their 20s and 30s, are the ones that have been slowly disappearing since...hmm, it is early July now, and a small group of people had begun noticing it since the late of May, so about two months ago. Leaving mostly elders and the crippled less affected," Arnaldo shocks them with, creating an uproar of concern.

"Is there some kind of human trafficking ring going on here??" A captain questions, with Victor rubbing his chin, as Gunnar begins to silence the audience.

"Then, there's a pattern here," Vernon sounds, thinking of a way to at least ease it. "Listen up! This is our plan until we've gotten more info on this problem; In the coming days, every citizen must be in their areas of residence by 6 pm ...a curfew will have to be put in place if we don't any more numbers being added to that percentage. We will have to double the patrolling of all units! And we'll have to make sure we warn the adventurers the same way, we'll need as much help as we can get...and one more thing...this isn't happening in just Dragonford and Strongcastle as I've only thought it would be...it's all of Verencia that is facing this problem"

"What in the world is happening...??" Another captain frets. "All five provinces are experiencing the same type of problem? By the gods, I cannot believe this"

"That will be it! Spread the word to the other captains that weren't present here!" Gunnar orders, stroking his beard as he thinks of his plans that he'll have to delay. "Hmm, I guess I'm going to have to put off my little trips then, eh?"

"Hm. As I've said, we're gonna have to pay extra attention to this matter," Vernon tells him. "Victor! I need to speak with you"

"Hm? Yes, Commander?" Victor walks to him.

"About your work, they had some problems examining the drug, but we should be expecting some news this evening. Keep your phone charged, I'll call you when I get it," Vernon orders.

"Yes, Commander," Victor bows.

Hearing this news, all the captains immediately get to work, all heated up to protect their people with their utmost devotion dedicated to them, starting with giving orders to their units as requested by their commander.

***

And back inside the school grounds, within the arena that holds many activities, two students of 3b face-off against each other, both trying to get the upper hand to win this spar with their strategy and might, as Victor has just arrived to watch as well, greeted by the Thea and her other students who are spectating this match, cheering on their fellow classmates. Taking his time around obstacles, made of ruins and heavy grass, the lizardman keenly observes his environment, sword and shield equipped his hands, waiting for his opponent to reveal himself. The sounds of grass rustling tickle his ears, turning around to the shock of his opponent jumping from the foliage, charging with his large unsharpened sword in both hands as he warcries. Quickly the lizardman dodges his slower attacks of the two, his shield bashing against the weight of his opponent swinging down on him with sharp force. And so he begins to return pressure with his own set of combos, circling his opponent to get an opportunity for the chance of landing a critical strike, timing every attack and movement correctly as they both groan with every attempt. The opponent catches on to his plan, and with quick thinking, he dashes back, presently coming full force with a thrust that even brushes down the grass with its powerful influence. Seeing this, the lizardman lifts his shield to prepare, having the opponent ever more confident, knowing that will not stop his might. And within this moment of close victory, is the opponent met with sudden disbelief, seeing that the lizardman has long abandoned his shield to be left floating in the air, swept off his feet as the shield drops to the ground by the lizardman who skips across the walls, coming to the closure of this battle.

"And we have a winner! Yeah!!" A classmate cheers, followed by others who jump in applauding them both.

"Alright!" The lizardman takes his friend's hand, roaring like a dinosaur.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" His friend laughs, getting helped up by the lizardman.

They both make their way to the stadium seats, all packing out their meals as that was the second battle of their class, now resting before they commence with the rest of those available. Victor looks to Arlo who also reacts to this action, both greeting each, Arlo lightly smiling as he hails him. Chloe is also one who gives a slight nod, getting back to the listening of her playlist as Sabrina is busy checking her socials.

"Mmm, Sir Victor! You were just in time. What did you think of our battle?" The lizardman asks.

"Yeah, is there anything you believe we can do better?" The friend asks.

"Hmm. From the little I've seen, I'm not sure, but I'll do my best to advise you either way. I believe for you," He looks to the friend. "As you're a wielder of a great-sword, try your best to use the range of your weapon to its best potential. As yours is bigger, you already have secured an advantage for yourself, so if you can always manage to keep your opponents at a safe distance, and also learn when to thrust forward only when the enemy has truly wavered, then will your attacks be a greater threat"

"Ah, yes! Captain Victor!" He salutes. "...He said mine was bigger and yours"

"And I heard that," Victor staggers him, having others laugh. "As for you, I must commend you on your swiftness. As you're born with features unique to your kind, I believe you should take full advantage of those abilities. You used them quite well in this match"

"Thank you, Sir Victor," The Lizardman grins, rubbing his head to the compliment.

"Aghh! Come on, I'm the one who lost here. I don't think he deserves any advice until he loses to me in the next we fight," The friend explains.

"Just be thankful you even got some!" Thea hand-chops him in the head. "See? I told you I would have him give you all the exclusive tips and training you needed.

"Mr.Evelyn didn't exactly train them, Ms.Hansen," A student says, startled as she sees her teacher's face with a grim smile, hurrying with bowing to save her life. "Ah- Yes, Ms.Hansen! We praise your supreme capabilities of having this handsome knight come to our aid with 'tips and training'. Thank you!"

"Ngh! I saw you quoting those last lines, you little rascal. But, you are welcome!" Thea hits her chest, nodding as she smiles proudly.

"And I thank my 1# idol for this victory...Captain Arnaldo!" He jumps up, even imitating his accent.

"Arnaldo? Well then, he'll be delighted to hear this," Victor nods.

"I remember hearing the story of the Jørn mountain capture. When you, Captain Arwyn and Captain Arnaldo solely battled against the evil ogre and his minions. They were stealing from people's settlements and had taken one of the old castle ruins. I heard you guys defeated about 200 of them without any rest that day," The lizardman tells them.

"Is...that how you heard it?" Victor chuckles, scratching his head, confusing the kids. "Actually, we did have our units come along. And yes, they were many of them we had to fight, but it did take us more than a day as they were spread out around the mountain"

"Ah, is that how it went? Huh. But nevertheless, I heard it still was an awesome battle!"

"Indeed, it was a rather exciting battle, hmm," He agrees. "Any more questions you'd like to ask of me?"

"Umm...S-Sir?" A female student giggles with her friends.

"Yes, madam?" He looks at her.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" She bravely asks.

"I....was not expecting those types of questions," He rubs his hair.

"Be honest. No way someone of your level would be single. But if you were...would I have a chance? I can cook, and I know how to take care of a man like you," She winks.

"Okay!! Alright! That's enough questions for now," Thea squeezes on her students head, seeing Victor struggle with answering those questions. "Now, let's begin with setting up the next battles. Come! pull them out"

With opening her book, she starts to chant a spell of randomizing picks for the next battle and summoned are streams of light that encircle them all. Growing anticipation and some hoping not to be next, some fidget with excitement as some blowdown in wanting to just get this over with. And so it begins to come down into the middle, climbing on to two chosen participants, with one smirking and the other hissing.

"Alright!! let's go! Sabrina vs Chloe!!" A student hypes.

"Nope. We're doing this again," Thea shakes her finger.

"Aw come on, Ms.Hanses. I get their sworn enemies, but it's not like they're gonna kill each other or something...r-right guys?" Another argues, supported by others.

"I said no. Heh, and we all know they don't want to either. Am I right, girls?"

"It's alright, Ms.Hansen," Sabrina smirks, startling her teacher. "I'm alright with this. We are...classmates after all"

"Huh," Thea tilts her head. "And how about you, Chloe?"

"Hm..." Chloe looks at Sabrina, irritation going rapidly, calming her sentiment as she thinks about it. "I'm fine the same way"

"...If you guys are doing this to show off for Victor over here, don't," Thea chuckles. "He's not going to fall in love with you over this"

"Just go with it already!" A third demands, quieting down as he sees shivers to his teacher's aura.

"...Alright then," She confirms.

And to this, Chloe sips her box of juice, eyeing Sabrina who has instigated this match, both playing a mental battle of tearing each other down before the upcoming fight. She then turns to another, his eyes again shifting at her aggressive staredown, greeted by her hisses as she rolls her eyes away. And so Arlo brings his head down in the moment of weakness towards her, with Thea and Victor looking at each other, Victor gesturing for her to just wish them both the best in this contest. Bellies fed and energy heightened, the next match is about to begin with the two opponents walking onto the battlefield, gears on and minds ready, both confident with their skills, and both ready to beat each other down.

"Alright! I want this fight to be clean!" Thea orders, as Chloe ready her bow in hand and Sabrina her magical techniques. "If I see this is going too far, I want no argument when I tell you to stop the match! Clear?!"

"...Clear," They both answer.

For another spell, Thea turns to a different page in her book of commands. And underneath their feet, the ground begins to shake in slight tremor, as the terrain of the battlefield begins to transform itself, changing from the tall grass and ruins it was, to a low body of water, boulders and many trees in a complex arrangement. Thea looks at both of them, the other students doing the same, wondering with some betting who will win this battle.

"Begin!" Thea raises her hand.

In the moment of Thea's announcement being finished, Sabrina hurls a ball of fire towards Chloe, scorching heat of an attack that immediately seizes the girl into cover, splashing the field of water around her area, hissing as it didn't get her in one go. Chloe watches her steps, cover to cover as she seeks to find a place where she can return her attempts.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Sabrina taunts her, gazing around for the sign of her presence. "Face me like you mean it, Chloe! I never thought you would be so cowardly to hide away like a little rabbit! See! You never were intended to become anything of an adventurer nor Knight! And what did you do, punch me in the eye because simply told you my honest opinion! You never listen to others, you look down on people like you're some goddess or something, and then act lazy all the time. If you want to be like that, then go somewhere else, Chloe! This is Blue willow, the school of battle and strategy, not a school for lazy bastards like yourself, you fucking bitch!"

"Sabrina, you better calm down!" Thea warns.

"Tch..." Sabrina sounds.

In her moment of distraction, she turns in fright of seeing Chloe leaping into the air, shot by an arrow that scratches her skin as intended, dropped to her knees by the sudden attack.

"Instead of talking, focus on the battle, will you please?" Chloe smirks, aggravating her opponent.

Eyes turned ugly for Chloe, out of the calm water Sabrina summons spikes of ice, rushing them towards her at amazing speed. And reacting with her impressive agility, Chloe eludes them in quick succession, with only two spikes successfully scratching her body, spinning with a draw of her bow, sending off multiple arrows towards her enemy, successfully landing one scratch that forms on Sabrina's leg, weakening the girl's stance. Chloe wipes the running blood off her cheek, putting back her bow onto her body as she runs toward Sabrina. Before she could take a sip of her potion, comes a knee to the chin that knocks Sabrina back on her feet. She quickly summons more ice spikes to her side as Chloe pulls out her dull set of dual-wielded knives, defending herself from her opponent's vicious slashes, scraping her ice against these steel weapons, with Chloe then dropping one of her knives, trading in her blade with a backhand that is caught by Sabrina's nose, blooding her face. And in a turn of tables, Sabrina summons a gush of wind that separates them both, forcing Chloe to wheel back as she sees that her enemy calls upon a wall of ice that rams against her. And within the translucent wall of ice, she sees a bright colour of orange and red coming towards her, blown away by flames that come crashing through the ice, coating the area with a frost of cold mist. Sabrina clears away the mist, looking around as she does not see Chloe insight, running into the maze of boulders, teeth squeezing together in her state of anger.

"Chloe! stop hiding!! If you don't come out, I'm going to start blasting this whole place to oblivion!! You're making me upset!!!" She threatens, wiping blood from her nose. "Chloe!"

With catching a glimpse of her hair, Sabrina blasts the scene, rushing towards the area to confirm her catch, seeing nothing but steaming water. And it is there her nape tingles at the sense of lurking danger, adrenaline slowing down her view of the world as she sees as Chloe descends from above, knife in hand, and in that realization, she screams as she's ready to fire at her with intention of seriously hurting her. And in that quick event, it is decided. Sabrina had ready her attack, however, she was too late. Her eyes shake in the taste of defeat, looking at her opponent above her own, knife to her throat, knowing she has lost this battle. The crowd, mouths mostly opened as it has ended, can only clap and cheer as they have no words to explain what they just saw, mesmerized by these two girls.

"The winner is Chloe" Thea announces, blowing down as she's glad they didn't go too far. "Alright, you guys can quickly come up now!"

Smirking at the one below her, Chloe gets off Sabrina, a winner who will now return to classmates for recognition of her abilities.

"...Wait!!" Sabrina stops her.

"What? She said we should go up now," Chloe reminds her, tilting her head as she now hears Sabrina begin to laugh like a maniac.

"You little pig...h-how dare you do this to me?" Sabrina rubs back her hair, stress climbing into her head like an eruption about to go off. "First you embarrassed me, and now because you've won, you believe that makes you better than me"

"Tch...this fucking bitch," Chloe whispers, rubbing her eyes. "Look, Sabrina, you're not scaring anybody, alright? I've won, and you've lost...deal with it"

"...D-Deal with it??" Sabrina laughs, slapping her thigh like a madwoman."Alright...alright"

"Sabrina, the match is over. Get up here no-"

"Shut up, bitch! This is your fault!!" Sabrina jolts Thea, shocking her peers as well.

"Sabrina!! Down let me come down there!!" Thea warns, stopped by Victor with a hand.

Hands shaking from her disbelief of defeat, Sabrina reaches into her bag for another red potion, this time with it another item. She opens the potion, shocked as she accidentally drops two things from the other item into the medicine, watching in fright as they foam into the liquid.

"Huh?" Chloe watches, as the others wonder what she's doing.

"Round two...how about we go for another match, huh Chloe?" Sabrina sneers, lips trembling.

She begins bolting down the potion like her life depends on it, getting every last drop as she possibly can, ending with it throwing the bottle to the side. And it is then Chloe and Arlo begin sensing a terrible feeling in their tummies, watching as Sabrina stands there lifeless as she looks into the air. And like drums against her chest, her heart rapidly commences into beating faster, as she starts to crave for what seems like a mountain of air for herself, with appearing veins that strain on her body, head dropping down with no words from her mouth. And to everyone's surprise, her face raises with the fuming colour of redness that clouds her eyes, panting like a mad beast as she looks to her prey. She roars with lifting her hands, calling a sheet of flames that wipes its way over the water, pressing for Chloe to get out its way, leaving her with a small burn that scorches her arm. And comes Sabrina rushing with her arms flailing about with murderous intent, growling like a beast with every attempt, as Chloe dodges with sensing that these strikes may cost her a body part if she fails to do it properly. But comes a sudden strike she could not predict, a heavy punch to her stomach that forces her mouth open in gasping for precious air, grabbed by her throat with a grip that does not fit someone who does only magic.

"Agh! Du-de, calm down. It's...not a big of a deal," Chloe struggles to say, trying to set herself free of her classmate's monstrous grip.

"I hate seeing your face. You always piss me off more than you should. I'm gonna kill you, you bitch! I don't care anymore...I hate you! I...hate you.." Sabrina declares, head going down as she still holds Chloe in place.

"We have to stop this, come on," Thea tells Victor, both jumping down into the arena, halting as they all see her state begin to worsen. "Sabrina??"

Dripping of another source of water, they see as underneath Sabrina's skirt is a stream of fluid coming down her legs, mixing into the water below as they now comprehend that she is now peeing herself where she stands, her body shaking as she looks at Chloe once more, cursing as she slowly begins to lose her grip. And there she drops Chloe, shivering about as she falls into the water like she was bitten by the cold.

"Sabrina?! Sabrina??!" Thea shouts, holding her student in her arms as she checks her in worry and fear, as her other students get down as well. "One of you, go get the priestess! Quickly!! Victor, what's happening to her??"

"I think we've already found the problem.." Victor tells her, taking the small bottle of the item she had dropped, seeing a ladder of pills within it. "Frostbites"

"Wait, are those drugs??" The lizardman frets. "Don't tell me she took those!!"

The school's priestess gets there with no time to spare, along with the ordered student who comes running with a bed on his shoulder.

"She took something and then this happened," the student explains.

"Alright," The priestess nods, kneeling as she clasps her hands while starting a prayer, then putting them against Sabrina's head, with them all watching as she begins to calm down. "I need the help of two students. Please follow me"

They carefully place onto the bed, raising her up as they follow the priestess to her office.

"Victor, is this one of the issues you mentioned??" She looks to him, mouth covered as she cannot believe what had happened.

"I promise, I'll find the ones who did this to her," Victor puts his hands on her shoulders, and suddenly his phone begins to ring, answering to his Commander who has called with news to tell.

"I've gotten the report," Vernon tells him. "Cocaine was one of the major components they found, and there's another. They've found traces of Amanita muscaria"

"The berserker mushroom..." Victor answers, slowly turning around.

"Yeah. Have you found anything as yet? This drug will hurt a lot of people if we aren't quick with finding the dealers.

"Yes...I believe I have already found the suspect," Victor fixes his glass, eyes serious with the dedication of finding these dealers of the drug, facing one particular boy whose face has gone pale, watching as Arlo stands quiet with shaking fingers he cloaks to hide.