♛Acheron's Pov:
The hands of the clock turned. 4:59. 5:00.
The agreed dueling location was a plain open field, east of the academy. It was surrounded by trees and broken columns from a battle that took place centuries ago. The columns were used as teleportation passageways in recent times.
Alackster was already present, along with Aurelia and some other students from the council. They were waiting for the Anaxagoras siblings to arrive.
In the meantime, the council students set up the relic 〈Runic Eye〉, a complex apparatus of brass rings and silver lenses that had runes glowing from the edges. The relic would broadcast all the action to the other half of itself, 〈Runic Plate〉, which was also set up in the main hall of the academy for students to watch.
Light shimmered from one of the columns. Acheron stepped out first, her footsteps crunching against the ground's rocks. She wore a fitted black combat uniform with silver threading along the seams. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, keeping it away from her face.
Arthur and Jamie emerged behind her, wearing matching outfits of black and red, with the Anaxagoras emblem on them.
As soon as Alackster spotted them, he grinned. "Well, well... you actually came." He pushed off the rock he was leaning on. "I expected you to come begging, but... well, I wasn't counting on it."
Acheron did not respond to his rage bait. "Let's get this over with, shall we?" she said, turning towards Aurelia.
Aurelia stepped up between them and took a deep breath. "This duel is sanctioned by the academy's authority and witnessed by hundreds of students. Victory comes from either restraining your opponent or knocking them out." She gestured towards the 〈Runic Eye〉. "Dangerous spells are prohibited. Use of them will result in immediate defeat."
She looked at both sides. "Do you all agree?"
"We do," Acheron said.
"Yeah, yeah... let's get on with it."
Aurelia nodded as she stepped a few feet back.
"Begin!"
...
Meanwhile, somewhere in Elysium Reach.
Derek and his friends walked down the narrow path created by the congested trees, their robes snagging against the low branches. One of them, Marcus, glanced back at how far they had gone.
"Shouldn't we be watching the duel?" Marcus asked, dusting dry leaves from his robe.
"Pfft... why?" Derek snorted. "Alackster will crush them like flies."
"I don't care about that... God's Gift, dude!"
"Yeah, same here. I want to see what it looks like," Steven, another friend, said.
"Hmph! I'd rather see the pathetic looks on their faces afterwards." Derek dragged his robe, which hung on a branch. "Tsk! Stupid trees."
They continued their bickering as they went deeper and deeper into the forest. They had one goal: to scout out a rumored elf baddie that was said to have gotten lost in this mysterious forest.
As they went, a flash of orange passed through Derek's eyes.
He raised his hand up, halting his friends.
"What? You found something?" Marcus asked.
"Shush...!" Derek quietly bent behind a bush, his friends followed suit.
They all settled under the bush, peeping through the leaves. What they saw shocked them to the point of blood bleeding down their noses.
A real elf baddie was bathing in the river!
"Bro... I can die now!" Marcus said, wiping tears from his eyes.
Steven and the others nodded in agreement.
Derek wiped the blood from his nose. "I am going in!"
They scurried away from the bush, crawling closer and closer to the tree nearest to the river.
The elf lady finished bathing. She grabbed a towel on the ground beside her clothes and wrapped it around herself.
Steven and the others had already passed out from blood loss. Marcus was at his limit.
"I... ark! Must...! See more..."
Thud!
Marcus fell unconscious not long after. Derek was still normal. He had a stronger mind than others—seeing a lady's bare body didn't surprise him. Although he was also affected as she was one of a kind!
The elf girl took a bottle of water and gulped it down.
Derek smirked and waved his hand, commanding the wind in her direction.
Flop!
Her towel fell, leaving her bare body in sight. "Oh my..." She bent down to pick it up and she did it surprisingly slowly.
Derek, driven by his emotions, immediately removed his trousers and rushed to make a deep connection with her backside.
"Ah!" The elf moaned.
"Hold still!" Derek gripped her waist, struggling to contain her as he pressed his weapon of steel inside her.
...
They were at it for almost an hour. Derek was already at his limit.
"Pant! You felt good!" He released himself, his weapon of steel dangling as he went back for his trousers.
The elf lady was already laid out, unable to move on the ground as her tongue stuck out.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The sounds of hands clapping came from behind the trees on the other side of the river.
A blue-haired figure appeared from the shadows, holding up a malicious smile. "You really are scum..." William Anaxagoras walked out holding up his hands. It seemed he was maintaining a spell.
"No... he is worse than scum... a pathetic excuse for a human being." Another cold voice came from a young girl who appeared beside William.
Nyerere's usual cheerful expression was nonexistent at that point. Every ounce of her stare translated that she wanted to murder Derek.
"Now, now..." William lowered his hands, holding his younger sister back. "That would be the last time he'll ever do such again."
"W-William!" Derek was stunned to the core. "H-How long were you watching?" he asked, his legs trembling.
The elf lady on the ground started fading, her skin returning to its original form. Ice.
The elf lady was an avatar created using the spell of William, then it was cloaked by the illusion magic of Nyerere to create the perfect trap.
Of course, they could not create an appealing elf without having a reference.
Movement came from behind William and Nyerere. Another figure stepped out from the shadows of the trees.
Araxie emerged, wearing the same towel the elf wore, her wolf ears shaking as she hid behind William.
Derek's eyes opened wide in realization. "You..."
.
.
.
Earlier that morning.
Acheron called on William and Nyerere. She gathered them in a private corner around the back of the mansion to help her execute her plan while she battled Alackster. She informed them of how they saved Araxie and the people who tried to take advantage of her while she was weak.
William and Nyerere's expressions darkened and saddened upon hearing her backstory, and they agreed without hesitation to Acheron's plan.
Then Acheron stepped into Araxie's room alongside William and Nyerere.
"I need to ask something difficult of you..." Acheron faked a worried face.
The beastkin girl's ears twitched in excitement. "I will do anything for my family!" She let out a smile.
"I need you to bathe inside the forest where we found you... we need to create a replica spell to expose Derek's hidden intentions." Acheron explained. "We want to put them down for good."
Araxie's body immediately stiffened. Hearing the sound of Derek's name brought back unwanted memories, the forceful feeling of Derek forcing his hands upon her waist and the smile on his face as he started to rip her clothes apart.
Acheron noticed this and held her hand. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to..."
"..." The room fell silent.
Araxie thought of all that could have happened to her if the Anaxagoras hadn't intervened. She felt indebted, and if doing something she didn't like would please them, she was prepared to do it!
"I'll do it!" She nodded her head.
A dark smile curved on Acheron's face inwardly. She behaved as predicted.
.
.
.
Derek was slowly starting to realize what kind of trap he fell into. His face was a combination of rage and desperation. He decided on what to do on the spot.
He was going to murder them!
He was far stronger than them, and no one would question a death in Elysium Reach. A smile curved on his face as he began gathering arcane energy in his fist.
Then suddenly, his magic stopped. His body started freezing up from his feet. "Wh-What is this!"
William stepped on the river surface. Each area he placed his foot on turned to ice. "While you were doing your business... I cast another spell to stop you from using magic and... to detain you temporarily. At least until we get the recordings to the world academy."
Derek could not say anything, but he struggled so hard to escape. If they left, his life was over!
Araxie walked up close to him, trembling as she neared. "I-I thank you! For trying to force yourself on me that day!" She bowed her head.
Derek was shocked at why she would do that. If he had ignored her then, Arthur would have never saved her and she would never have met her family.
William had reached the other side of the river. Then he came up close to Derek's frozen body.
A playful smile curved on his face.
"Checkmate."