Sworded Affair

"I guess I can't wait too much longer to choose," Emma mused. "Delaying due to uncertainty is one thing, but I'm not losing a bonus just because I can't make up my mind."

That said, she saw no need to choose right this instant, and dismissed her status page. Absently kicking a few burning sheets of paper around the tent, Emma made sure that the entire structure was either alight or soon to be, before settling back down in her chair. All the sound cancelling wards had gone with their casters, so sooner or later someone would notice the flames and come investigate.

"Hopefully before I need to put this out myself," Emma grinned, slumping in place and doing her best impression of a statue.

Emma wouldn't have been nearly so sanguine if she were actually on fire; but thankfully, flames tended to spread far more slowly than Hollywood portrayed. In reality smoke inhalation killed far more people than the fire itself, and that was something she didn't have to worry about.

---

[ALERT: Administrator attention required!]

Felix cursed as the notification broke his focus, and his latest attempt at connecting with Scholomance with it. Shaking his head, Felix turned his attention outside the Dungeon Core, eager despite the circumstances to see what the System deemed so important as to bypass his Do Not Disturb setting. Recent upgrades had expanded his arsenal of Demons, enabling him to maintain eyes in the sky through the deployment of Vultures. They weren't quite as stealthy as the birds Emma preferred to possess, and needed to eat a lot more, but they were still undeniably useful for reconnaissance.

"Nothing out of the ordinary so far," Felix frowned, as his scout circled above a scene that had become commonplace in recent weeks.

Below them, a pack of Wolf Demons two hundred strong circled a small farmstead, growing in synchronicity to unnerve the residents. The nearest wolf collapsed, its head blown by a close-range encounter with a pump-action shotgun; two more soon fell in short succession, satisfying the requirements for admittance to his Academia. The farmer cursed as more surged into the barn, attempting to reload but not quite quick enough as a fourth wolf bit down on his arm. Not to be outdone, the fifth leapt and clamped its jaws around his neck; snapping it with a single twist.

"He might have what it takes to join the gymnasium," Felix admitted, feeling a faint warmth as another soul was added to his domain. "Still not seeing whatever's special though."

Directing the vulture closer now that there was no risk of catching stray shots, Felix could make out half a dozen bodies scattered around the barn. They'd all been caught unawares by his wolves despite their instructions to avoid stealth entirely; accordingly, none had managed so much as a single kill. Felix shook his head, dismissing the birds' eye view in favor of taking over a wolf directly, now that the action was moving indoors. His vessel loped up the stairs with renewed grace; Felix's memories were able to provide context as to their purpose, something that animal instinct alone could not. A frying pan met him at the top, courtesy of a woman utterly outmatched yet determined to go down fighting.

With a roar that wouldn't shame any gladiator, she shoulder barged the wolf, knocking him bodily down the stairs to land in a heap below. Frowning, Felix sent three wolves up in succession; they met the same fate, the woman's advantage of reach and height able to keep them at bay, aided by the stairs providing a singular choke point to funnel the attackers through one at a time. Watching the same song and dance repeat for thirty seconds more, Felix shook his head and issued a command.

[Administrator Override - Admittance]

His centurion materialised at the base of the stairs, walking up without a care in the world. The woman hesitated, less willing to swing at a man than a wild animal, and the Centurion for his part stopped close to the top of the stairs, handing her an ornate golden key. The moment she took it in hand, both woman and centurion vanished, reappearing within the Academia to be dealt with at Felix's leisure. Now freed from obstruction, the remaining wolves surged upstairs to continue the hunt - or at least they tried to.

"What just happened?" Felix frowned, as his viewpoint abruptly cut out.

The System's combat log began to update with increasing frequency, as over a dozen wolves were dispatched within seconds, all listed as no longer available for commands. Seizing control of a wolf further back, Felix finally set eyes upon the new arrival, only to freeze in disbelief.

[Anna Culling - Level 2 Tamer]

"She has a class," Felix marvelled, as he watched the wolves she'd stolen from him wreak havoc upon their former comrades. "The first outside the family that I've seen. Or should I say outside the immediate family?"

[Correct. Mana levels are now sufficient to support secondary awakenings. Lineal descent is no longer required for System activation. Cases involving natural onset of magical potential are also projected to rise 800% month-to-month, accounting for improved ambient conditions alongside a far greater chance of involvement in life and death struggle compared to previous peacetime society.]

"Huh. Overmind did say people would start adapting eventually, I guess that time is now. On the bright side, maybe with this, I can finally find some proper stars for my show besides Emma? If I can ever get this damnable connection to work, that is."

Turning his attention back to his work, Felix issued one final command, pulling his remaining Wolves back in search of easier prey. He wouldn't bring Anna to his Dungeon yet; she deserved a chance to grow outside, and she was likely to visit soon of her own accord anyway. Felix held her mother captive, after all.

---

"General, you're alive!" A panicked soldier exclaimed as he burst into the tent. "Where are the others?"

Not deigning to reply verbally, Emma pointed to the burnt pile of bodies in the middle of the floor, tilting her head slightly.

"Ah," The soldier winced. "This could be a problem."