Spirit’s Awakening: The Path of Lightning and Water

As Rygar and the others settled into a brief respite, they each gave their thanks to Lassim. Rygar, his beastial tattoos still faintly glowing, turned to Lassim as well. His eyes reflected a mix of curiosity and admiration. "Your strength sure is something else. I think I can guess, but what happened to you here?" Lassim, leaning on his rune covered halberd, glanced up at the swirling mass above, then back at Rygar. "Well, a lot changed pretty quickly. I was pretty sure I'd need to be teleported out or I'd die when, well, these two lovely ladies decided to help out," he admitted, a slight smile playing on his lips. "They showed up, vaporized an ugly spider, and set me free. While that was happening, I advanced, as you can see, to the Spirit Growth stage. These are my elemental companions, Zaphyrella and Marinelle." Zaphy, hearing her name, zipped close, her electric energy making the air crackle around her. "Hi! Hi! I'm Zaphy! This is so much fun!" she chirped loudly, darting from one wide-eyed student to another, her vibrant presence making the students wary slightly as the erratic lightning leapt from her body into the surroundings. Her voice only carried through the mental connection to Lassim for now, so all the other students only heard her chirping as she zipped around. "Haha, don't worry. She says 'Hi and that you should call her Zaphy.'" He commented to ease some of the more concerned students. He supposed some might actually be afraid, but he thought she was like a cute stuffed animal. Though she was quite intimidating at 2 meters tall; even if he thought she looked like a feathery doll to him. Meanwhile, Marinelle maintained her serene demeanor. Her gaze sweeped the area with a calm, all-encompassing grace. "Lassim, there are others approaching," she communicated telepathically with a voice as clear as a mountain waterfall. "Various groups, some alone, others in small teams. They are all converging towards us." Lassim adjusted his stance, alert. "Can you tell how far they are, Mari?" he inquired, scanning the horizon for any sign of the newcomers. They are scattered, but the closest ones are a few kilometers out. They appear to be moving cautiously. While some are battling their way through," Marinelle responded, her fins subtly shifting as if sensing the distant presences. Lassim turned his spiritual sense outwards to scan the horizon to spot those Mari had noticed. He stopped leaning in the halberd and started to prepare himself. Rygar stood up, clenching his fists with the elemental spirit claws on them, ready for more action. "Oh? Do we have others coming to join us? Looks like you've become quite the safe spot, eh?" Lassim nodded in agreement. "Let's give them a clear path. We can use the strength of our numbers to push back the legion and secure a wider safe zone once we get enough people." "They've fought hard to get here; they deserve our welcome." Rygar added. Some of the group rallied at the two's conversation, but the rest were still trying to gather themselves. Two individuals had even decided to take a quick nap, just falling asleep right on the battlefield. Looking around he added, "Don't worry. For now, get some rest. I can handle this myself." Lassim announced this to the entire group before disappearing in a flash of lightning. His body jumped through Mari's water barrier of blades and landed next to the nearest group in a split second. He controlled his halberd to [Thrust] and conjure a swirl of his own water and lightning mana around the group of 5 people in front of him. He cleared out the monsters they were desperately fighting against and then turned around to head back towards the center. With an empowered [Slash] the entire mass of abyssal creatures parted like a sea before he shouted back over his shoulder, "Follow me if you want to rest!" The group didn't hesitate and quickly followed behind him towards the center of the storm. Zaphy followed nearby and zapped any potential threats to the group as Lassim led the charge. Mari opened a small pathway into the insides through the water blender, allowing the latest arrivals to join the others in a rest. Lassim continued his rescue and escort of the many other individuals and groups seeking him out over the next hour. By the end of it, he had already gathered 431 students in his army. Nearly 1/3rd of the remaining students left in the ranking. One of the students he escorted was a rather feisty sword elemental spirit user. She made quite an impression on Lassim with her sudden announcement once he guided her through to the eye. "Don't think you're all that and a bag of cheese zips from lightning mice, okay? You may be my great-great-great-great-great grandfather's disciple, but I'll beat you some day and also become his disciple. Hmph!" She then turned away, not dining to look at him anymore before walking a slight distance away. Confused, Lassim could only look at the bizarre girl before glancing to Rygar for some insight in her. Rygar just shook his head while raising his shoulders, unaware of who she was. Thankfully another student chimed in to inform him that she was the current #7 on the ranking list, Camie Morcan. The Morcan family was a branch family of the Ferrum family. When he heard the name Ferrum, it all clicked. One of his masters was Caelum Ferrum, the current Headmaster of Myriad Spirit Academy. It seemed she had a bit of inside knowledge as most students had no idea who he was, as he was one of the strongest guardians of the continent was. Ignoring the girl with the attitude problem, Lassim suddenly felt an emotional tug coming from his necklace. Focusing on the subtle pull, it led to him clutching it near his heart. Remembering its pair effect, he instantly grew concerned for Lustria's situation. He tried sending his spiritual sense into the jewelry as he attempted to gain a deeper connection with her; to see where her location was. The mental image of Lustria fighting with tattered martial robes and a group of over 160 students flashed in his mind. Her figure moved swiftly in the middle of a formation with her arrows flying every which way. He noticed she was still a bit far, over 10 kilometers away, but was barely entering the range of the effects of the pair necklace. It's sensory and connection distance grew with his new cultivation level. Despite the distance and chaos, the bond facilitated by the necklace bridged the gap between their spirits and they each felt a growing stable connection between each other. They instantly looked at the direction the other was in, as if they could easily see the other. They shared a smiled. Opening his eyes, that had unknowingly shut at some point, Lassim's gaze hardened with a resolve to save someone he cared for. Someone he was growing depth of feelings for. "We need to push forward in that direction," he declared, with his halberd pointing outwards while he addressed the amassed students. "There are still others out there fighting and we need to reach them. My friends are over there and it looks like their situation is a bit rough." His words, infused with the newfound authority of a leader, spurred the group into action. The amassed force, though weak, all formed ranks behind him. They had regained some of their strength and were ready to be a united force in carving a path through the legion for their fellow warriors. The feisty sword elemental spirit user, Camie Morcan, watched from a distance. Her earlier bravado softened by the sight of the tangible concern for his comrades. Her eyes lingered on the figure commanding the group and then the storm above. She felt a mix of growing rivalry, but also admiration brewing within her. As the makeshift army began their advance, the storm above roared louder, growing and mirroring the collective passion of the students beneath it. Lassim, at the forefront, lead the charge with Zaphy and Mari in tow. He took off ahead like a reaper of death amongst the horde. Zaphyrella's lightning strikes followed suit. She was clearing the path and targeting far away foes that were launching long ranged attacks towards the group. Marinelle controlled the surrounding water element of the storm to become tendrils that were ensnaring foes. They trapped and made easy targets of the abyssal legion for the weaker students in the group. Everyone's ranking points were equally rising as they advanced. With the mass of students behind him, their spirits were bolstered by his confident presence and strong back. They followed his lead, each unleashing their pent-up fury of being punching bags for the first half of the trial. They each were happy to use their elemental prowess on the beleaguered enemy ranks. The battle was a cacophony of elemental clashes of every type on display. One student sent rays of what appeared to be sunlight directly from a telescope in his hands; vaporizing many weaker enemies or leaving deep burns on the stronger ones. The high-rank Trolls mostly ignored it completely though. Another student, Tex Gravestone, was using his unconventional weapon as well. A banjo in which he strummed the strings and sent sound waves of wind elemental mana that tore the trapped beasts to shreds. He played a fast rhythm beat while he jammed out with a piece of wheat sticking out of his mouth. The air was filled with the sound of combat and the tang of spilled demonic ichor. The ground beneath their feet became witness to their glory, marred with the remnants of vanquished foes and scarred by the fury of their powers. Camie Morcan, followed swiftly behind Lassim in rivalry. She kept pace next to Rygar, who was also directly behind, the entire time. Her blade danced with deadly elegance, sending arcs of metallic energy that sheared through the demons. She moved with purpose, her earlier words to Lassim were not just for show. Her pride fueling her resolve to prove her worth, almost more for herself than anyone else as Lassim hadn't even really taken notice of her more than the earlier outburst. In the midst of this forward march, an oddity lurked. There was a peculiar imp, distinguishable by its' six extra sets of red eyes on it's head. The monster's of the abyssal legion that all the first-years had witnessed so far were mindless and dead-eyed with no pupils. They seemed blind and the demons all followed a random violent instinct it seemed. Yet, this imp was different. Yes, it was there. An unnerving intelligence that gleamed from the largest of it's eyes. In the central eye on its forehead, it gaped out unto the unfolding carnage. Unlike its frenzied kin, this creature remained aloof. Its sight calculating and cold. It had observed Lassim's advancement with the birth of his dual elemental spirits, and the might they all wielded. It had seen the unity he inspired among the students, turning desperate individuals into a formidable force. This imp, with its unnatural sentience, recognized the shift in the tide of battle and the emergence of a leader who could fight competently against the legion. This imp had not stepped forward on instinct or mindlessly in violence like the other creatures. No, this imp was a strange one that had gone unnoticed. Hiding amongst the bodies of it's brethern. As the student army pushed forward, rallying under Lassim's command, the imp remained motionless. Its multitude of eyes tracking their progress with an inscrutable purpose. It seemed to be waiting. Assessing. Its' mind not clouded by the instinctual rage that drove the weakened and captured abyssal legion. What plans it harbored, or what machinations it considered, remained shrouded in mystery. But one thing was clear. In this barren prison, Lassim had unwittingly attracted the attention of something far more calculating and potentially dangerous than the mindless beasts they faced. The silent observer in the crowd, with its unsettling gaze… It stared. It paid attention. It Peered. It Observed. It WATCHED.