Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire

Everyone fell on their asses then.

Kaya, Aylin, Delia, Doran, and Aurelius hit the ground while letting out breaths of relief. And then they noticed the attention of the rest of the class was on them. Some looked ashamed that they had stayed out of the fight after getting smacked once while others just looked happy to have let that small group handle the annoying exercise.

Baler Khione was part of the ashamed lot. It was hard for him not to be when his two friends had been far more active than he was. Hell, Doran, who he oh so liked to insult for being a commoner, had been a far bigger part in taking down the Beast than he was.

And then, there was his sister…

Was this the first time she hadn't been satisfied with just being in the background of a combat situation and actually showcased some of what made her—undeservingly as far as Baler was concerned—the genius of the Khione family?

While they were getting all that attention, Aurelius quickly became introspective. He had his hand held out in front of his face, clenching and unclenching it into and out of a fist.

This was far from being the first time Aurelius had faced off against Beasts. It hadn't been the first time he felt on the back foot when faced against one either, but, this was the first time he hadn't managed to push through the disadvantage with a surge of magic.

He hadn't tapped into the true extent of his magic during this exercise but he worried that even if he had, he might not have been able to defeat the Bullcroc on his own. That troubled him.

Something was stagnating in his magical development.

Advancements as well as unique, situational boosts to his magic, had come so much easier to him when he went from First to the Third Circle but now, he felt like something was missing.

"Oh Caius," Eloise cried out then. Of everyone, she was probably the least exhausted and she grabbed one side of the Bullcroc trying to heave it off Caius's body but was not at all successful. She made to implement magic into her attempt when she heard a clap.

"Well done all," Lea said, bringing her hands together as she stepped forward from the spot she had stood in throughout the exercise.

She approached the Bullcroc and smiled at Eloise who was looking at her.

"You did good," she said.

"Thanks," Eloise said stiffly.

Lea smiled like she could tell what was going through Eloise's head.

"When it comes to Magical Beast pacification, there are scarcely any better tools than sound. Regardless of their level of susceptibility, sound will almost always be a sound—pun intended—strategy when faced with a Magical Beast.

I wanted a Beast that would test the class physically and magically while also requiring one of the best Unique Elements for dealing with Magical Beasts to shine for a win."

As Lea spoke, her voice was loud so the entire class could hear because this was meant for all of them. But then, she reduced the volume of her voice to address Eloise more intimately,

"I've had conversations with Professor Kragsten. I know of your aversion to combat. If I were to posit a guess, I'd say your desire lies more in serenading many with your voice. If I'm right, then I must ask you; Is that not what you have done here?

Have you not serenaded this brash but ultimately gentle beast into a peaceful sleep?"

Eloise looked from Lea to the Bullcroc and she could not deny that she had quite enjoyed herself while she sang. The entire exercise and being the focus of ending it didn't suck so much when she let the musical notes flow.

Still, she wanted to dispute something from all the Professor had said and quickly found something she disagreed with and let out a scoff as she looked at the Bullcroc out of the corner of her eyes.

"That thing? Gentle?" She asked.

The class heard her and they agreed with her sentiment.

Lea smiled.

"This particular Bullcroc is in fact gentle. Hates naps though even though it always wakes up to appreciate taking them. I'll pass on its thanks to you once it wakes up and delivers them to me."

Again, Lea addressed her words mostly to the class as a whole and then reduced the volume of her voice so she was addressing Eloise much more directly.

"It's approaching a time when you'll get to leave classes behind. I hope this class will remain on your schedule. You have a talent for Beast pacification that can and should be honed. I want to help you do that."

Lea and Eloise exchanged a long look. Most of the class was watching them and Caius was as well as he noted this was a development that had never happened in the original story.

Although this particular class never got an on-page layout in the original story, from the results of it that was referred to during future events, Caius was sure Lea hadn't set up this exercise with Eloise's sound magic at the center. It was from then that this particular departure from the original story's canon began.

Eloise didn't have an answer for Lea. Partly because the Professor hadn't actually asked a question.

Lea gave her one last smile and then looked down at Caius still under the massive weight of the Bullcroc. He smiled up at her and Lea acknowledged it with a curious look on her wild and sexy face before she glanced at the raven on her shoulder.

"Karen?"

The raven shook its feathers, looking like one preparing its robes for a grand outing. And then it opened its beak and let out a cry.

*CRAW!*

Caius had heard the Raven's cry many times now but this was the first time it carried something more than sound… It carried magic. Magic that spread in sonic ripples.

Far from being as versatile as Eloise and the Nightingale family was with Sound Magic, and definitely incapable of serenading with sweet-sounding music, Karen the Raven WAS capable of some level of sound magic. Or at least its annoying cries could he infused with magic.

Watching it happen showed Eloise just a bit of how serious Lea was when she said there were scarcely any better tools for Magical Beast pacification than sound. Why else would the Professor have been traveling with a sound-magically capable bird?

The ripples were concentrated at the Bullcroc's ears and instantly, its closed eyes flew open and it sprang to its feet, freeing Caius of its weight.

The Bullcroc shook off the sluggishness left behind by the nap but there was no anger in its eyes. If anything, it looked quite rested. Even opened its maw and let out a sound that had to be its version of a yawn.

Lea grabbed its head then and stroked her hands across its scales.

"There you go," she said in a sweetly caring tone.

The Bullcroc nuzzled its nose against her face and looked so affectionate that Caius was sure it would have licked her face with its tongue if it were not fixed to the bottom of its mouth.

"Hmm, yes, yes, Thank you," Lea said like she was having a conversation with the Beast, "You can go now."

With one final nuzzle and a hard breath blow to Karen whose shrill cry had woken it up from sleep, the Bullcroc turned around—managing not to step on Caius whose presence it hadn't even acknowledged beneath it—and whipped its tail widely around almost like it was wagging it. And then it waddled toward the part of the forest it had first shown up from to start this exercise. In a minute, it had completely vanished from sight.

Lea addressed the class then with a wide smile on her face.

"I see this as a wonderfully successful exercise. You all show promise. There are edges to be sharpened and I'll relay most of them to Professor Cynthia Kragsten who should help you all to better your combat awareness as that is not exactly what Study of Magical Beasts is for.

In any case, during the weeks leading up to the Mid-Semester Tests, you will explore the Lochxen Forest more with me as your guide and you might face even more 'surprise' Beast encounters such as this preparing you not just for the tests but the wilds beyond the Academy at large.

It's going to be so much fun."