Omen of a Bluebell

Divvying out the rewards was an awkward affair, but by the end I’m wearing a new pair of leather bracers with intricate etchings of animals across its surface, each hiding sets of runes that no doubt make up the enchantments.

They’re really quite a lovely bit of gear, given their function.

The Manasilk Thread was turned into a bow for the base of my tail, per Bella’s suggestion. Initially I wanted to use it as a ponytail, but she insisted that I wouldn’t always want my hair up.

Which… true.

Then she took the ribbon and delicately tied it around the base of my tail.

The brush of her fingers against such a sensitive area makes heat rush all throughout my body, and I have to force my tail to hold still. I only mostly succeed.

I have to hide my face from her for a bit after that, just to recollect my senses, but thankfully I’m helped by Nyx as he alerts us that he’d discovered the Dungeon exit.

Unhappy as they are with not getting the answers they want, they still kept doing their job. I'm still expecting another shoe to drop at some point, though.

On an entirely different and totally not distracting note, I still find myself admiring the odd light absorption properties of the System's Dungeon doors every time I see one. It's so pitch black that it looks like the void, while somehow simultaneously being completely visible.

It's weird.

I wonder if there’s a Rogue out there with a Skill like that…

Dungeon Exit Discovered!

Would you like to leave this Dungeon?

Y / N

When everyone gives me a nod, albeit reluctantly on Seraphine and Nyx’s part, I select ‘yes’.

Instead of reappearing where we entered the Dungeon, in that spiraling section of the Tunnels that mimicked the Dungeon itself, we appear back in the Academy’s Tunnel entrance, standing atop the Fatebound Dias once more.

Before I can so much as take a breath, half a dozen faculty members suddenly appear and swarm us. Three of them split off to all but manhandle each of us, looking us over for injuries.

The only reason I don’t recoil from their sudden grasping hands is because of their tags.

Elf Healer

Level ??

Human Healer

Level ??

Human Healer

Level ??

That, and they are incredibly efficient as they check me over. No hand lingers, and no glance feels anything other than assessing. Still, it takes some effort to not just push them away as the elf meticulously tests my tail’s range of motion.

Who just grabs a beastkin's tail out of nowhere like that?!

I suffer in silence, though. Like a professional.

I still submit him to my Scruffy-approved death-glare, which he weathers like a champion, utterly unphased.

Then they move on, checking over the others with just as much efficiency.

“Please, step down from the platform as you are cleared,” one of the other three says from the edge of the platform.

It only takes another twenty or thirty seconds for the healers examinations to be complete on the others, but I do notice them cast some light healing spells on Arabella, Seraphine, and Nyx.

All three had been injured in some way, and though I’d made sure they were healed, it likely didn’t clear up any longer-lasting effects of their wounds.

Once off the platform, the three remaining faculty stand opposite us, and the one with the enchanted tablet looks up to meet my gaze.

Human Attendant

Level ??

Human Scholar

Level ??

Owlkin Mage

Level ??

“Emilia Ken, I presume? Leader of this party?”

I nod.

“Very good. We are going to ask you a series of questions, but be aware,” the Attendant continues, “the Academy maintains observational oversight of all active delves. We also have a truth seeker and investigator present.”

He pauses to gesture to the owlkin beside him.

“With that in mind, please only answer to the best of your knowledge. Any falsehoods will be noted and reflected in your evaluation. ”

I nod again, sparing the beastkin woman a glance to admire the blue and green patterned feathers in her hair.

I wouldn’t trade my ears for those, but they are distractingly pretty. Even the owlkin lady at the admin building had them, though hers were brown and white.

Huh… do all the birdkin races have pretty feathers like that? Or just owlkin?

“What is the name and nature of the dungeon you entered?” the Attendant asks, pulling me back from my curiosity.

I’m getting distracted again…

“It was called the Temple of Sleepless Vigil. It was a kind of… upside-down spiraling pyramid structure with long corridors that split into smaller rooms and hallways. It was overrun with intelligent undead,” I answer quickly.

He nods. “Duration of delve?”

I frown at that, as I’m pretty sure they know exactly how long we were gone, given… ah, whatever.

“About two days.”

He nods again, then his gaze is glued to the tablet as he taps away.

The Scholar steps forward then. “You said it was called a temple. Were there any discoveries? Knowledge? Magical items of interest?”

I quirk a brow at him, and he holds up a hand placatingly.

“I’m not asking because we seek to confiscate any findings—merely to learn what we can and compare with the recordings of the delve. If you did happen to claim anything of significant historical value, we will request to study it, and even pay you handsomely for the opportunity. But you do not have to agree.”

I nod. “The place was ancient. Thousands of years old, easily.”

At those words, the Scholars eyes light up, and he pulls out his own enchanted tablet before eagerly tapping away as I speak.

It takes a few minutes to describe the place to him, with the others in the party joining in to add details on occasion. Eventually, I also show him the Officer’s Threaded Mantle Clasp that I looted from one of the undead.

He analyzes it for only a moment before sketching down its appearance, making extra time to detail the insignia it bears. I give it a glance before pinning it in place again, feeling somewhat silly.

I never really considered its historical value, but it makes sense that the insignia would be worth recording, at least.

“And you mentioned the intricacy of these depictions on the walls. But each that showed the skies was missing the moon, Phoba?” he asks, wild curiosity filling his gaze.

I nod.

“Did anyone else see otherwise?” he asks the others.

They all shake their heads.

This time, as the Scholar taps away at his own device with something akin to manic fervor.

The owlkin steps forward, her expression stern.

“Approximately three hours before you completed your delve,” she says, “a foreign mana signature was detected within your Dungeon and we lost the ability to see what was going on afterwards.”

Damn. They saw everything? But not Bluebell's appearance... and maybe not even the Keeper.

“It did not match the Dungeon’s mana, nor any registered entity within Academy bounds.”

Her eyes narrow as she scans each of us critically.

“Explain.”

I hesitate for half a second.

“Well… that’s where things got a little weird,” I say.

“Yes, the weird part,” Seraphine says, her voice laced with sarcasm. “I was wondering when you’d get to it.”

The owlkin’s eyes flick to her, then back to me, and I resist the urge to sigh.

“At the bottom of the Dungeon,” I say slowly, “there was… the old man.”

The Scholar’s tap-tapping pauses for an instant, then restarts even faster than before.

“It was the same figure depicted throughout the whole place. He was bound to a throne by several strange constructs, and seemed to be feeding the Dungeon itself the mana it needed to operate.”

“And what was so ‘weird’ about it?” the owlkin presses.

“He didn’t have a System tag.”

“He was Faulted?” she asks.

I shake my head, only just managing not to wince at the word. “No. I mean he didn’t have a tag at all. Not Faulted. Not hidden. Just… nothing.”

The attendant finally looks up from his tablet.

“Do you have an approximation of this beings level of power?” he asks.

I shake my head.

“Curious…” he mutters, before returning to tapping away at his tablet.

“And that wasn’t the only anomaly,” Seraphine adds.

I close my eyes briefly and take a deep, deep breath.

“A second entity appeared shortly after we discovered the first,” she continues. “One that the System did recognize.”

The owlkin’s gaze sharpens. “Identify it.”

Seraphine’s glare stabs into the back of my head as she remains silent, clearly expecting me to continue from where she left off.

I sigh, thoroughly fed up.

“Bluebell,” I answer flatly. “And before you ask, yes, that Bluebell. From the fairytale.”

Both the Attendant and Scholar stop their recording efforts to stare at me.

“Not only does she exist,” Seraphine continues, sounding almost triumphant, “but Emilia, our party leader, apparently knows her well enough to treat her with total disregard. Even after Bluebell called upon the Goddess herself.”

The owlkin stiffens, turning to me again. “Is this accurate?”

I tilt my head slightly.

“I recognized her, yeah,” I say. “That doesn’t mean I owe anyone a detailed explanation on why.”

“You are in a party,” Seraphine snaps.

“And everyone is alive and well,” I shoot back. “Better than well, actually.”

“That is not the metric we use,” she says coldly.

“It should be.”

“Well it isn’t!”

The owlkin raises a hand slightly, cutting across the exchange before it can escalate further.

“If there was prior knowledge of an unregistered entity of that magnitude,” she says, voice measured, “withholding that information could be considered a risk to party safety, and a violation of several of the Academy’s mandates.”

“Right, because I definitely knew she'd just pop in. Besides, assuming she's a threat just because she's strong is stupid,” I counter.

“That is not a determination students are permitted to make,” she says.

I open my mouth to snap a response, only for another to beat me to it.

“That’s enough.”

The voice isn’t loud, but it doesn’t need to be. Every faculty member straightens instantly.

I turn, finding the owner of the familiar voice.

The Headmistress stands at the edge of the platform, expression unreadable.

Beside her, the Headmaster watches us all with quiet interest.

“Report,” the Headmistress commands.

The Attendant peers at his tablet and summarizes everything we discussed quickly and efficiently, not wasting a single word or laying any accusations upon anyone.

When he finishes, there’s a brief pause, and I'm momentarily stunned by the sudden show of impartiality.

Not that it's helped much so far...

Then the Headmaster speaks.

“Please check Emilia’s records for my personal addendum,” he says flatly, staring down the Attendant.

He withers under the Headmaster’s gaze, but taps quickly at the tablet to find whatever addendum the headmaster is talking about. When he does, he stiffens.

The owlkin peers over his shoulder and freezes as well, then glances between me and the Headmaster with a look of panic.

“As you can see, this matter is under our purview alone,” the Headmaster continues with a nod. “Continue the debrief, but forward any issues to the Headmistress and myself. And make note of the addendum, if you would. I’d hate for others to miss it again.”

Seraphine stiffens.

“Yes sir, right away,” the Attendant says, head bobbing in quick, apologetic bows.

“Understood,” the owlkin nods, immediately backing down from her earlier intensity.

“Sir, with respect—” Seraphine starts, only for the Headmaster to instantly shut her down.

“You will give your report,” he says. “That is all.”

His pale green eyes lock her in place, and she stills under his scrutiny. For a moment, I feel as though she might try to rebel against his orders… then she nods.

It’s jerky and stiff, but an acknowledgment nonetheless.

I don’t say anything, but a small curl of satisfaction spreads through my chest, pulling a slow smile onto my face.

I'm mature enough to admit that there's some validity to the concerns she raised overall, but she didn’t have to go about it like she did. She'd pushed, and pushed hard.

Whatever small bridge of respect I had built between the two of us has long since been burned down by her actions, and I have absolutely no intention of rebuilding it.

Shaking my head, we continue the debrief. I tell them everything I can about Bluebell and the Keeper without revealing my own secrets, and they seem to take it in stride, never once probing too hard. I even manage to skirt around the whole encounter with the faeries.

The owlkin still probes, of course… but she doesn’t demand answers. She seems to notice the moments where I hesitate to answer or explain further and backs off immediately, shifting into another question.

Now I wonder what note they left in my records to give me this much leeway...

Each member of my party is questioned just as thoroughly, if not more-so. Then, after about an hour, we’re finally done.

The attendant nods slowly as he manipulates his tablet.

“Unfortunately,” he begins, his tone full of performative apology, “your delving portion of the entrance exam will not be able to be submitted for qualification due to the interference of a third party.”

My ears and tail droop with disappointment.

Even if I’d expected it, it still sucks.

“However, given your performances up till that point, and the circumstances surrounding the interference, we are going to allow you to try again at a later date. Though…” he glances between me and a scowling Seraphine. “I doubt it will be with the same party formation.”

Bella waves him off. “That’s fine. I would rather delve with Emilia alone, if that’s acceptable.”

My ears perk up of their own volition, the tinkling of the earrings giving away my apparent—and poorly hidden—excitement at the idea.

He gives her a critical look before shifting his attention back to me. Then he smiles.

“If that is acceptable to you, Miss Ken, we would be willing to permit it,” he says.

I nod a bit too quickly and flush when I see Bella’s lips quirk into a smile.

“Very well. Then, Lady Kaerin, Sir Auvray, would you like to delve as a duo as well, or seek out additional party members?”

“We will find our own party members, if that’s acceptable,” Seraphine says tersely.

He nods. “That is acceptable. Please present them to us before the day of your second delve for approval.”

She nods.

“Now then…” the Attendant says, a smile forming on his lips. “While this delve doesn’t count towards your acceptance in the academy, would you all like to see your results anyways?”

“Oh! Yes, please!” I blurt, more than a little giddy to see what I got.

Can’t let Cari go beating me just because I didn’t take a second to look.

Even if I’m technically disqualified.

—————————

Entrance Exam Assessment Results — Delve 1

SEE ADDENDUM ATTACHED TO STUDENT’S FILE BY HEADMASTER KOPHIS.

Student: Emilia Ken

Tier: One

Level: 74 (from 63)

Evaluation Scale:

Liability - Lacking - Adequate - Exceptional - Overwhelming.

Results:

Individual Combat Ability: Exceptional.

Team Coordination: Adequate.

Leadership: Lacking to Adequate.

Tactical Decision-Making: Lacking to Adequate.

Threat Assessment: Lacking.

Operational Efficiency: Exceptional.

Overall Delving Performance: Adequate.

Notes:

Delve 1:

Demonstrates extreme individual capability relative to Tier norms.

Exhibits inconsistent leadership presence. Alternates between decisive action and complete delegation, with little transitional communication. Leadership classes highly recommended, as student exhibits a natural inclination towards taking charge.

Repeatedly prioritizes forward momentum over risk mitigation. This results in high efficiency, but introduces significant and potentially unnecessary risk to the party.

Threat assessment remains underdeveloped. Student identifies immediate dangers effectively, but fails to appropriately weigh long-term or abstract risks.

Control remains a critical concern. While no catastrophic loss of control was observed, behavioral patterns indicate a high probability of escalation under stress or provocation.

Notably, student successfully navigated an anomalous Dungeon environment containing multiple unclassified elements, including at least two entities of immeasurable power.

Interaction with said entities remains insufficiently documented.

Despite irregular conditions, student maintained operational effectiveness and contributed significantly to overall delve completion.

Close supervision recommended in future delving scenarios.

Delving exam invalidated due to third-party interference.

Reattempt authorized.

—————————

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