Chương 118: Chapter 110-Chosen Mix Up

The door to the classroom opens as Professor Stargazer walks in. With a snap of her fingers, a chalkboard appears. Then she writes 'Synergy' on it.

"Welcome back, Class. I know things may have gotten a bit hectic over the last two weeks, but it's time to go back to normalcy, or at least that's what I'd like to say. Can somebody explain to me what synergy means to you?" she asks as her gaze passes over the class. With a yawn, I hide behind Talon. He's usually big enough to take a nap behind. Luckily, our seats didn't really change much with the new quarter.

Technically, we don't have a seating chart; It's first come first serve, but we have a sort of verbal agreement amongst us. Basically, everyone has a… chosen seat. Gods, was that a bad joke. Although we do have some switch-ups. My gaze lingers on the newest additions to our class. A human woman with white hair and white eyes raises her hand.

"Synergy can mean a lot of things. Could you please specify?" Professor Stargazer cocks her head.

"Clara Gehäuse, correct?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Clara answers.

"Do you know why I asked you the question the way I did?" she asks. The gears in Clara's head are almost visible.

"Is it perhaps because you were hoping for the correct answer?" she asks without a hint of malice.

"In a way, yes. Hmm. There are a lot of new faces this quarter. All of you have clawed your way into the Advanced Class from the General Class. You were the cream of the crop in the General Class, but here in the Advanced Class, I do things a little differently. I'm not looking to catch you on a technicality or even trick you into answering correctly. I ask the questions that I do because I want to see the answers that you may provide. They inform me of how you think and where a lack of knowledge may be.

It even shows me where you excel. So, I don't want you to overthink when you answer my questions. Just tell me what comes to mind," Professor Stargazer explains. Clara nods.

"I… think synergy is how things work together. Like gears in a machine or runes in a magic circle."

"Yes, that is one way to look at it, but it's not limited to only things. It can also apply to individuals, groups, and even magic. A fire mage and a water mage will, on most occasions, not synergize well. A group filled with purely tanks will not last long. Each group in this class has so far synergized well. So, today I will show you what happens when you don't have good synergy," she says as she draws out eight groups of three with our names in them.

"Professor, are you splitting our existing groups up into different ones?" Viola asks with a hint of worry.

"Yes, but only for today. Now, find your new group members and try not to get yourself killed," Professor Stargazer says as she begins to draw a magic circle on the chalkboard. Hopper looks over at me.

"This seems like it's going to be painful."

"Yup. Who did you get paired up with?" I ask as I kick back in my chair.

"Seems like I got William and Clint. I don't know how to feel about this. What about you?" he asks as he takes a bite of a carrot.

"Clara and Axel. The two new kids in the upper ranks. I've got a bad feeling about this," I say as I [Steal] the carrot from Hopper's hand. The general chaos of the room brings me a sort of joy that I can't quite understand. Hopper is quickly pulled away by William and Clint, while my gaze flicks through the room. Let's see. We have the obviously distraught Viola, who's being separated from Ruby. That should be interesting and- Penelope's green eyes meet mine. For a second I get lost in th-"Chosen One?"

Clara asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Yes, that would be me," I [Lie].

"Hello, I am Clara Gehäuse," she says, choosing each word carefully. A man with dark blue hair and eyes to match clears his throat.

"Nice to meetcha. I'm Axel Nightbane," he says with an overly friendly manner.

"Nice to meet the two of you. I'm CJ. Let's try to get through this," I say with a hint of worry. Professor Stargazer claps her hands, gaining the attention of the class.

"I wish you all good luck and… try your best," she says with a slightly worried smile. This should be fine. I mean they're in the top 12. What could go wrong? Blood covers the floor of the Whisperwood forest as Axel is cut down by the Goblins. With The Chosen Blade, I barely deflect an attack from a nearby archer. Clara places down a barrier that somehow cuts me off from Axel, but doesn't separate me from the Goblins. Fucking shit!

Rushing forward, I [Throw] a small barrage of rocks that discombobulate the four Goblins in front of me. Crashing into the biggest one, I lift him up just in time to block an arrow. From behind, another Goblin rushes to stab me in the back. A barrier suddenly appears, sending both of us flying.

"Clara, focus your barriers so that they don't hit me, too!" I yell as I decapitate a nearby Goblin.

"Understood. I will take that into consideration," she says without a hint of malice. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Another barrier appears inches away from my face, blocking an arrow. That's more like it. Grabbing another rock from Baggy, I [Throw] it into the treeline. The rock hits a Goblin archer, who releases his held arrow. That arrow is then sent into another treeline, taking out the other archer.

At the same time, I watch as a blood-covered Axel stands back up.

"Come at me, you stinkin' Goblins!" he yells. As seven Goblins go rushing towards him, I- Out of reflex, I parry a nearby Goblin's attack. Damn it! The blood-caked Axel suddenly glows with a reddish-black hue. Inches away from him, the seven Goblins go to attack. Then the stupidest, most idiotic thing happens. I watch as his blood forms spikes that fly out of him to attack the incoming Goblins, but they don't hit anything. The Goblins' attacks and Axel's blood spikes are stopped as they hit a barrier.

With no time to waste, I [Throw] The Chosen Blade and watch as it curves, decapitating the seven Goblins. With the last Goblin on me, I duck out of the way of his attack until it finally strikes one of Clara's barriers. The moment it does, I reach forward and grab the Goblin by the neck. In one smooth motion, I [Throw] him at Axel.

"Axel, now!" I yell with a hint of exasperation. Axel sends a blood spike straight into the flying Goblin's chest, killing it. 17 LvL. 7 Goblins have been Defeated.

"What in the fuck was that?" I ask, dropping my facade by accident.

"It's not my fault. My ultimate move would've taken those Goblins out if this one didn't get in my way," Axel says as he points at Clara.

"I was just doing as I was told. I don't see the problem," she says without a hint of emotion.

"First of all, yer both idiots. Axel, if ya had a move like that, ya should've told us. How are we supposed to know what yer doin if ya don't tell us!" I yell.

"Uh, yeah, sorry. Should've thought about that," he says as he scratches his head.

"And you. Clara, ya need to think on yer own. If you notice something, deal with it using your judgment. Don't wait for someone else to tell you what to do," I say, regaining some of my composure.

"Apologies. I will take that into account next time," she says without a hint of emotion.

"I need to get something through your heads. We got lucky. Any other fight and we would've been dead. Get that through your heads."

"We did it through, right?" Axel says as Clara nods along.

"We're done for today," I say as I pick up The Chosen Blade.

"But we've just started," Axel retorts.

"We still have exactly thirty minutes left," Clara clarifies.

"And I said we're done. The two of you aren't ready for a real fight yet, and I sure as hells ain't putting my life in your hands," I say as I sit down amongst the corpses. Clara and Axel look like they want to argue, but ultimately choose not to. I think I'm starting to understand why Professor Stargazer did this. Clara is far too caught up in her head and doesn't think for herself. She's the type to follow orders to the letter and won't think for herself. Axel, on the other hand, is the exact opposite.

He's overconfident and is probably used to working alone. To put it bluntly, they aren't synergising well. Clara needs a party that is far more organized and someone who can give her clear and concise orders. Axel, on the other hand, needs a far freer and looser party that can work around him. Then there's me. I can't give out exact orders to Clara, and I can't work around Axel.

"The two of you have talent," I say out of nowhere. Clara and Axel look at me in confusion. Of course they would. One second I'm berating them, and the next I'm praising them. Anybody would be confused. Hells, I'm confused.

"The problem is… as you are now, this team won't work. If we had more than just today, maybe that could change, but that's not the case," I say with a sigh.

"CJ, do you actually think we have what it takes to be in the Advanced Class?" Axel asks while being overly familiar.

"It doesn't matter what I think. You got in. It's up to you to stay in. So, whoever your permanent team ends up being, work with them. This isn't just an assignment, and it sure as hells isn't just a group project. The people you end up with will have your life in your hands and theirs in yours. If you can't handle that. Then it's best you ask to be transferred back down now," I say with a hint of coldness. Clara looks at me with her blinding white eyes.

"Could you tell us what we did wrong?" she asks without a hint of emotion.

"Yeah, I'm sure you've got plenty more to tell us. Can you lay it out straight for us?" Axel asks. They look at me with what I can only describe as puppy dog eyes. Well, Axel does. Clara's is more… like a predator looking at you, but I can sense the want for help… I think.

"Fine, but take this with a grain of salt," I say as I start to explain. The classroom appears as the blinding white light dulls. Hopper sighs in frustration as he pulls out some twigs from his hair. Penelope is covered in wounds, but looks more pissed off than anything else. Viola is covered in soot. The whole class looks a bit messed up.

"Well, I hope you all learned something important about team synergy. If you need healing, the infirmary is expecting some of you, and I'm open to any questions after class. Ah, Chosen One. Could I see you for a second?" Professor Stargazer asks. Grabbing my stuff, I walk over.

"Is everything okay? You're not feeling any lingering effects, are you?" I ask in a hushed tone.

"No, although thank you for checking. The effects of the Wrathborn have almost entirely disappeared. I just wanted to congratulate you," she says with a half-smile.

"Congratulate?" I ask.

"This lesson is an important one that I have the First Years go through every Spring Quarter. I'm always worried that some of you will get severely hurt, but I saw how you handled your group. It's exactly the conclusion I wanted from this lesson and why I put those two with you."

"Should've guessed it wasn't a coincidence. Well, thanks, Professor. I hope they take what I said to heart," I say as I watch the two of them leave the classroom.

"Have you considered what you'll do after you've completed your Chosen duties?" she asks.

"Why do you ask?" I ask as I avoid answering. Professor Stargazer looks me over.

"It's a little early, but maybe you should consider taking the Education path. I think it might suit you. Just think about it," she says as she packs up her stuff.

"I will," I [Lie]. As I walk out of the classroom, a single thought bounces around in my mind. I don't have to worry about the future. Afterall, I'm a Vashrin.