The Journey #4

The class of twenty-four summoned humans gathered around a large tree stump, all sitting on the floor or on rocks and eagerly awaiting the verdict of their small competition. They were a kilometer away from Paytun's southern gate, so as to not block the path for anyone else. They may be high priorities, but that was not an excuse for them to be rude.

Ayama and Akiro sat on the far right of the large group, looking at Kaiser and Olivia who was on the stump. Sebastian was behind them, with two of Kaiser's old comrades, Mary and Brandon, both dawning their old, but well-maintained adventuring gear. His previous party members weren't the only ones that had an upgrade either, but also everybody in the class.

With the extra teachers, and two robes individuals taking a seat next to Takumi, there would now be thirty individual members in their caravan. "Everyone worked hard." Akiro thought, a sideway's glance peeking to his class, [ Appraisal ] activated. "Excluding me and Ayama, the highest levels would be Haruto and Masashi."

[ Tomigura Takumi, ice mage, Lvl 9 ] [ Onishi Akiko, Paladin, Lvl 5 ] [ Sasawa Yaso, Archer, Lvl 5 ] [ Matsumura Shigeko, Priest, lvl 5 ] [ Kenji Kinote, Tanker, Lvl 6 ] [ Yamazaki Toshiyuki, Martial Artist, Lvl 6] [ Nishimura Hitomi, samurai, Lvl 6] [ Hashimoto Mari, Magic Gunner, Lvl 6] [ Okuda keichii, Earth mage, Lvl 6] [ Isa Tsukiko, Healer, 5] [ Yastuke Kenji, Support mage, Lvl 5 ] [ Takeshita Eri, Fire mage, Lvl 5] [ Shimizu Sango, Healer, Lvl 5] [ Haruto Itsuki, High Knight, Lvl 8] [ Tahara Maki, Wind Mage, lvl 7 ] [ Tahara Kasumi, Lightning mage, lvl 7] [ Hamasaki Masashi, Berserker, Lvl 6 ] [ Teramoto Toshio, Ninja, lvl 7] [ Furutani Ryuta, Tamer, lvl 7] [ Matsuko Rei, Alchemist, Lvl 5] [ Kagiwara Tsukiko, Dark mage, Lvl 7 ] [ shinomura Mitauko, Light mage, lvl 7]

"Alright, everybody," Kaiser clapped to gather everyone's attention. "It's been two weeks since I last spoke to most of you." he smiled at them, "Now, I hope you were well rested."
Olivia nodded, her complexion brighter than before and the eyebags bellow her eyes gone, nowhere to be seen, "I certainly loved the rest." She sighed satisfied, "Now, were you all productive?"

Her energy was well-received, and the class agreed with hearty smiles and boisterous replies. "Okay, Okay--" Kaiser calmed the crowd, "Now, do you remember our little game?"
"If you did not, the ones amongst you with the highest points will win our little game." Olivia said, "Now, I will pass the stage to Mary, who was kind enough to tally everything."

Olivia and Kaiser exited the stump, with Mary stepping up quickly after them. She was wearing a combination of plate, leather, and chainmail-- with large, unmoving sections of her body covered in plate metal, chainmail by her neck and in between areas of plates, and leather over her joints and most of her pants.

"Well, hello there kiddoes~" She coed, smiling sweetly at the crowd, "If you hadn't heard, my name is Mary-- and Kaiser has hired me to help escort you to Oasis City!" Mary said, assuming a cutesy pose, a peace sign put next to her winking eyes.

The rogue procured a small sheet of paper, neatly folded in her small pocket. "I also had been hired to keep track of all your quests! I have a list of the top three, highest-scoring members of the class!" Mary pointed at the paper, "But before I do, let me explain to you the amazing prices!"

"There were prizes?" Ayama huffed, "If I knew, I would've worked more since we were done three days early."

"For the third-place prize, you will receive a bag of five platinum coins!" She declared, "Wowies~ talk about generous, I can only imagine the next prizes!"

Akiro turned his head to the side, noticing everyone giving her all of their attention, "She's quite an excellent stage person. She has everybody on the tips of their heels."

At the mention of the second-place prize, Brandon, the other hired hand, carried a large crate onto the stage. "In this box here, is a brand new suit of gear! All top-of-the-line!-- and it all cost a whopping ten platinum coins!"
"That certainly is a good second prize," Akiro nodded, "I'd settle for second place."

"And for the first-place prize," It was then Sebastian's turn to arrive on the stage, his hands were in his large sleeves, the items in his hands clearly teasing the crowd as the silhouette was showing through the fabric. "I have in my hands-- a priceless treasure from the King's own treasury!"
"Owwaaaah!"
"These potions will boost your strength permanently! Increasing your levels without working!"

Even that was enough to tickle Akiro and Ayama's ears, the excited crowd all the more so. Sebastian separated his hands, lifting the two items in his hands in the air for everybody to see. It was two bottles, they were both identical, symmetrical in every way-- all except for the material of their containers. The one on the right was gold, and the other was silver.

"I see that you are all excited," Sebastian chuckled, smiling like a grandfather looking at his grandchildren, "There is a proper order to things. Now, for the one in third place!-- Hamasaki Masashi! 27 points!"
Masashi jumped up, a slight irritation evident on his face. "Tch, third? So fucking embarrassing."

Mary smirked at the annoyed bully, "Don't worry. Cheer up kid, you can always do better next time." she said, "Spent it wisely."

"Now then," Sebastian continued, "For the second-place nominee--- We have Tomigura Takumi! 30 points!"
"Hm, I thought Masashi and he was on the same team?" Ayama hummed, glancing behind him to see Masashi clearly not pleased with the class otaku, "Speaking of which, when did he lose weight?! Good for him-- he doesn't look half bad."

There was no cheering, but a clap from Haruto could be heard. Takumi approached the priest, bowing a perfect ninety degrees in respect, before turning to the crate he won, the two-robed individuals he brought along with him helping him push the crate aside and away from the front.

"And now! For the first-place winners!" Sebastian smiled, "By far, they have worked quite hard these past two weeks-- with each day spent hunting monsters and completing quests, ranking up to D-class in that short time-- Hiroto Akiro and Nobu Ayama! 35 points!"

Just like Takumi's early reception, there was only one clapping, which was himself at Akiro and Ayama's success. "Would you look at that?" Ayama chuckled, making the other body sigh as he stood up.
"Suprised me too," Akiro shrugged, smiling, "But hey-- I'm not turning down a level-boosting potion from the king's treasury."

Their gain was the disappointment of most of their peers, with angry glares being disguised by calm faces. Only a few were bothered to voice their opinions. "That's bullshit!" Masashi clicked his tongue, "Tch, those two? Fuck, they probably cheated!"

"They definitely cheated!" Kenji protested, sending a chain of complaints like a domino effect.
"Frauds!"
"Cheaters!"

Their reaction was normal, but it was annoying as the teachers did nothing to stop it. “So much for congratulations,” Akiro muttered.

Ayama shrugged, receiving the golden bottle. "Well that's that," he commented, slightly annoyed by their accusations.

In front of everyone, the two boys popped open the cork sealant of the bottle, drinking the contents in one big gulp-- adding salt to the wounds of their peers. Despite the fluid being quite bitter, the jealous faces of the rest were enough to make it taste like cola.

[ Ayama Lvl: 14 -> 24 ] [ Akiro Lvl: 14 -> 24 ]

"Whoa, he wasn't kidding--" Akiro gasped, both in surprise and for air, "I leveled up ten times!"

After the final reward was passed, a sharp whistle caused the boisterous group to quiet down. The source of the sound was Kaiser, who just entered their private stagecoach. The other professors were already in or boarding it, with Sebastian being the last to do so.

"Alright everyone, We are departing for Oasis City!" The knight explained, "It is a three-day journey there, make sure to keep up!"

Akiro and Ayama nodded without complaint, watching the others as the sudden realization started to dawn on them. Among the first of which, was Haruto, who raised his hand politely. "Sensei, where is our transportation? Are you perhaps intending for us to travel there on foot?"

Kaiser smiled at the boy as he boarded the stagecoach, "Not entirely, however! You were given an opportunity to earn your keep, therefore this is a lesson-- You are only to rely upon yourselves and your comrades."
Mary poked her torso out of the window, and she waved, the stagecoach driver starting the horses, "Don't fall behind now, kiddies!"

"Well, they do have a point," Ayama sighed, "We can be pampered forever-- We're heroes, for crying out loud."

Akiro frowned but he shared the same sentiment, cumbersome as it was. With that settled between them, the two immediately started walking after the stagecoach.

The next three days could have been described as torture, with the Heroes being exposed to the life of an adventurer. They were instructed to hunt for their own food, foraging from the wild vegetables or hunting down nearby edible monsters. In addition to the constant need for supplies, unhygienic environments, and the constant threat of monsters-- When Kaiser said that it would take three full days, he meant it-- they camped at midnight and departed at dawn.

The professors also did not keep watch on the whole group, only their own, taking turns in keeping watch. Only on the second night and after numerous broken bones, stab wounds, and monster bites did the summoned figure out to rotate their watch-- this also meant that were getting less than four hours of sleep at a minimum. Maybe except for the solitude groups like Takumi's and Akiro's.

In the first two days, they were in a forest, but on the third-- the climate changed, almost drastically. From humid forests to scorching deserts and endless dunes of sand; but much to everybody's comfort, the dessert trek ended only after seven hours.

By the end of the three days, Kaiser had said, they arrived at a small fortress called Gaiza-- a well-stocked, heavily guarded fortress that towered over the landscape of flat sand. It was armed for a good reason, for Gaiza was a fortress built on a large hill. This outpost was guarding a special tool, almost as old as the kingdom itself-- a portal waypoint, which was a ‘bridge’ to Oasis City.

Instead of traveling through the blazing desert filled with monsters and sandstorms, traveling through the portal was much safer and faster.

"Wow," Haruto exclaimed, his voice sounding hoarser but still cheerful-- the side-effect of only three hours of sleep, "This is amazing--"

Everyone formed an orderly line and stepped into the portal. Upon exiting the portal, they exited onto a platform suspended over an enormous Oasis, and wherever they faced, they were greeted by a sight that shocked their eyes. A beautiful thriving city in the middle of a desert was a spectacle to behold after staring at endless sand for hours.

The shape of the city was like a colosseum. The oasis at the center was the lowest point of it all, but it was still enormous. The design of the city was like a colosseum but on a much, much larger scale. The central layer, where they were, was the bottom-most layer and was two miles in diameter; the second layer, a mile above their first, was another two miles; and the third was the same as the second, only now being on ground level, and surrounded by a half-mile thick wall that towered another mile in the air.

"Okay--" Akiro gasped, "I was not expecting this."