Sworded Affair [LitRPG Apocalypse]

To his credit, Emma's opponent did start to ramp up, the speed and strength of his blows going from a Monday morning hangover to what wouldn't be too poor a showing in a playground brawl. It was still clearly sandbagging, but the progression was enough that Master Europe didn't call him out again, at least not immediately. Emma was content to follow his lead, sticking solely on the defensive, using Epitaph's greater reach to parry and keep him at bay; all the better to consider her options. As befit such an important milestone, each Keystone Trait carried with it a mix of short and long term considerations, making the final choice a lot harder than usual.

In Her House She Waits Dreaming provided no immediate benefit, being effectively inert until she got the chance to set a Domain, and even after that it would remain a purely defensive technique. On the other hand, the Death aspect resonated most closely with her existing build, and being able to guarantee the same theme for the next 20 levels would be a major boon. That was one of the main drawbacks of her levelling to date; the System followed its own logic, and the environment could have an effect as well on the choices offered, making it impossible to plan a build ahead of time.

[Practitioners are expected to experiment, dabbling in many fields to discover their talent and passion, a magical analogue for youth. Once that's over and done with, a Magus is expected to show more commitment to their specific path, at least until they grow enough to be recognised as a Master. The System's progression didn't appear out of nowhere, I modelled it after my own experiences, and those of my peers.]

That made sense, Emma conceded, thought it didn't make her choice any easier. Lord of Decay, for instance, provided an immediate boost to her combat potential, making even the slightest wound she inflicted a debilitating injury that had to be addressed immediately. The plague aspect, on the other hand, was almost entirely problematic; she'd mostly avoided taking similar offerings before due to their high potential to spread and indiscriminate nature. It was fine when fighting alone or with her summons, but even a single stray ability in a crowded area bore a catastrophic risk of friendly fire. It might have been an option at the very beginning of her journey, but now, just as Emma was starting to get involved with wider magical society? No.

The third and final option, meanwhile, was perhaps the most opaque in what it offered. She'd started with an Evil alignment, but owing to most of her battles being against dungeon mobs, it hadn't made much if any difference before being lost during her Class evolution. Karma, on the other hand was new, though there'd been hints that it existed in some form before now; Overmind's avatar had made use of techniques referencing it, during their brief confrontation in Scholomance. The problem was, Emma had little idea what it could do, and reluctant to take a leap of faith on an entirely new specialisation, pardon the pun. In the end, when push comes to shove, familiarity won out over an uncertain future.

[In Her House She Waits Dreaming selected. Congratulations, Magus.

Emma Knight

Public Title: Magus

Hidden Title: Auditor

Commendation: Order of the Empire, First Class

True Form: Level 20 Damned Apostle

Anima: 500

EXP: 16,474/17,500]

Emma expected something unusual to happen, to mark her rise in status. She didn't expect it to be her opponent who froze in place, squinting at something he shouldn't have been able to see.

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"Death aspect," he declared moments later, to Emma's shock. "Not the best choice for the young master, but also not the worst.

"Why would my Keystone Trait matter to you?" She pounced on the question, seeing as her opponent had suddenly become talkative.

"System-based healers are rare," the man explained. "The fastest rewards come from active combat, so few who unlock it go for a support role. If you'd gone Holy aspect, we'd be offering you a substantial amount of money to visit our family and treat a few delicate problems."

"So that would be your best cast scenario," Emma deduced. "What would have happened if I went for the Plague aspect?"

In response, her opponent tossed his dagger aside, grabbed his clothes with both hands and disrobed, reminding Emma of the stranger danger videos that were mandatory back in primary school. Thankfully, the man didn't use the opportunity to expose himself; compared to that, the bomb strapped to his chest was a much preferable sight.

[Time Bomb: A miniature spacetime anomaly with a fuse attached. Erases all nearby upon detonation, bypassing all resistances.]

"That bad, huh?" Emma mused. "I mean, I get it, plagues are no joke, but what could drive you to go so far, when you also wouldn't survive the blast?"

"The young master's family saved my daughter's life, when the Terminus arrived," her opponent stated simply. "For that, I would give my own a hundred times over. As for the purpose behind that order, I was not informed, only that a very reputable and expensive oracle declared that the safety of the Empire was at stake."

"I'm glad it didn't come to that," Emma concluded. "That being said, uh, you seem to have dropped your weapon?"

"My mission is done, and my presence required no longer," the man shrugged. "I concede."

"As you well should!" Master Europe's voice boomed, a massive white hand grabbing her opponent, even as a portal opened up, revealing a vast expanse of water on the other side. "The rules were clear; for the first three nights, no Magi allowed!"

The man was throw bodily through the portal, landing with a loud splash as it closed behind him.

"Good riddance," the proctor huffed. "I'll be having words with the Kimaris family about this, believe me. The elderly inserting themselves into the affairs of the youth, that's just not done!"

The bubble collapsed, returning Emma to centre stage, next to Princess Astaroth, who was by process of elimination the other finalist; an honest battle between friends, just as Emma had been hoping to cap the night with, after far too many strange machinations from the background.

[Ah. To be fair, that last one may have been our fault.]

How so? Emma asked, before her brain caught up with Master Europe's words. Wait, Kimaris? Wasn't that the guy who sent you nudes?

[Yeah. The curse I placed upon Marius Kimaris wasn't a simple one; not fatal, but very inconvenient and hard to remove. I'm not surprised that they're looking for healers with insight into the System, when that's about the only way to lift the curse without removing the affected bits.]

Wouldn't that be simpler? Emma wondered. With everything I've seen magic do already, making a few prosthetics can't be too hard.

[Oh, they could make the replacement very hard, but that still won't make little Marius eligible for marriage. Quite a big deal, arranged marriages between old demonic families. Can't have one party be unable to perform, that would be the height of shame.]

If you say so, Emma replied, quickly losing interest in the matter once marriage was brought up; arranged marriages hadn't been a thing for decades in the mortal world, and she was never much fond of the period dramas that still used it as a plot point.

"Now then, with that bit of excitement aside," Master Europe coughed. "It's finally time for the main event! The best of Britannia against foreign royalty, I couldn't have hoped for a better final!"

With just the two of them remaining, there was no need to stand on ceremony; one final circle appeared, Emma and Princess Astaroth got in position, and then they were off.