Chapter 3
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"Fiona, my senior, Jenga, asked me to join his faction and I'm interested in joining. The thing is, he said something about ranking up being difficult for people who aren't in factions but didn't go into detail, would you mind explaining it to me?"
Jason wanted to make sure that there weren't any draw backs to being part of a faction, he only wanted to join Jenga's faction because there were ranking rewards, the main thing that interested him.
"Hmm well, there are lots of advantages of being in factions, but equally, there are many disadvantages too. For example, each faction inevitably has to make allies but factions aren't factions without people. People carry grudges and on top of that, there are rewards for being the best faction therefore meaning that competitive factions will naturally have enmity with one another.
Second, if you were a key member in a faction, then opposing groups could target you specifically, I hate to say it but some vile people injure opponents before matches, forcing their enemies to withdraw. This, if discovered by the school council would immediately disqualify the team, but even then, you would still be injured." Fiona explained the cons of being in a faction.
"However, the benefits, in most cases can actually be better than the draw backs. If you were the leader of a faction and you become high ranked, more people would know your alias, which makes you stronger."
"What do you mean? How does having more people know your alias make you stronger?" Jason asked.
"This is heavily debated by researchers, but the most commonly accepted theory is that since your alias becomes more famous, more people know of you personality, behaviour etc. Which means people will believe that those qualities are what make you.
This is called the True Belief theorem, because of the fact that your alias has a positive effect on your reputation, even your enemies will understand your key qualities and since the alias is discovered in one's soul, it cannot be faked. On the other hand, if one is a vile person, then their alias will show their true personality.
One could choose not to use their alias, but that would make one weaker. The final thing is that not only do aliases have psychological effects, they also boost spiritual power. The more people who believe in your alias, the stronger your spiritual power will become."
"Meaning that it would be better to become the leader of a faction if you want to become stronger?"
"Yes, but my little brother, don't forget, you need skills to back up your position."
"Thanks Fiona."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
{In the end, i'll reject the invitation, instead, i'll start my own faction.}
[That is a wise choice master.]
(WE COULDN'T HAVE HIM BOWING TO ANY WEAKLINGS NOW COULD WE?)
[Definitely not]
"Fiona said that to start a faction we have to submit a form to admin."
Jason pulled out a pen and scribbled down information.
Name - Devil's Advocate
{Not bad}
(Master, what does that name mean?)
{A devil's advocate is usually someone who expresses a... contentious opinion in order to provoke an opponent, to understand their mindset and use it against them. I am naming this faction Devil's Advocate because this in my opinion is the most effective way to defeat an opponent.}
[I must say, you are quite the cunning person master.]
{...by the way, Yin is male and Yang is female, how does that work?}
[An odd question, I do not understand]
{What I mean is... How exactly do your bodily functions work- ah no never mind}
(Yes master, it's best if you didn't know.)
Would you like to be included in the termly rankings?
{Of course, why else would you make a faction?}
Will your faction be willing to fight over faction facilities?
{Yes}
Jason continued to answer the questionnaire that was part of the form.
{All done}
{Yin, Yang can you guys summon yourselves? Without me having to chant the incantation?}
{Hold on, i'll go up top first}
He quickly jogged up the stairs until he reached the roof.
{Alright try it!}
A magic circle opened in front of Jason and sure enough, Harmony appeared.
{I guess that means that the incantation is just to notify the spirit that the summoner needs them or something like that}
[I would concur master]
{Take me to the admin office please}
Harmony stretched out their wings, witch towered over the entire dormitory complex. One flap of these wings vandalised everything in the gardens, the benches were sent flying, trees fell down and flowers were uprooted. Guilt spiralled through Jason's mind.
{Maybe next time we should take off somewhere else.}
Harmony shot forward, but not as fast as Marduk, Jenga's Spirit. This was because Jason wanted to see some of the buildings from above, he was sightseeing at his own academy. People below stared upwards in awe as their hats were stolen by the wind. Jason once again felt guilty enough to jump off harmony when he thought of the female students who were wearing skirts.
(Yang, Master is having dirty thoughts)
[I know. But at least he isn't a pervert]
{Shut up you two!} Jason was crying tears of laughter. Who knew that this mighty ancient class dragon worried about things like these?
Most of the academy's buildings were marble with gold decorations, the whole place felt like Pasargadae* but several times in both size and quality!
{That must be the plaza! Ah, I can see everything up here, the view is splendid!}
Jason took a deep breath of fresh air. This was both relaxing and exhilarating at the same time.
{When ever I have free time i'm going to stay in the sky} Jason thought, determined to make the sky his meditation area.
[Master, please hold on.]
(Yes do, we are landing now)
This time, Jason could clearly see faces of shock that littered the ground. The students and teachers alike stood stunned before sprinting to get out of the way of the menacing twin headed dragon. The ground shook when Harmony landed, sending many people flying off their feet. Jason hopped off his dragon and without any incantation, the hulking beast sunk into a magic circle.
{Don't blush, Don't blush, Don't blush}
[Yes master keep a cool face!]
(Poker face poker face!)
He was determined to make a cool image.
{Darn it! I need Old man Sam to make me a mask or something.}
People made way and stared as Jason walked towards the admin building. He stopped curtly at the desk and tossed the form onto the desk.
"Faction application form, I'd like to create a faction please." Jason stated, loudly but calmly.
"O-One moment please! Are your student credentials on the form?"
"Yes ma'am." Jason kept a stone cold face.
"O-Okay, it's been approved. C-Congratulations sir on creating a new faction. As of today, there are now twenty one factions competing. Devil's advocate is ranked twenty first. Good luck!"
The administrator was still recovering from the shock of seeing Harmony land.
"Much appreciated." Jason gave a curt nod before doing a one eighty turn and walking toward the centre of the plaza, where people had left a large space, most were still gawking at him like fish.
"HEED MY COMMAND O MIGHTY DRAGON!"
The magic circle reappeared, with it, Harmony. Once they were in the air again, conversation continued.
[Master...]
{Yes?}
[That last line was really cool!]
{Aha! Thanks. It was on the spur of the moment though. I felt really stupid doing it.}
(Yeah, you should have called us something greater than mighty, what about ancient instead?)
[Yin, you really have become smarter. Maybe i'll also try to read some of those human philosophy books that are all the rage nowadays.]
(You should try reading theory books, they're really interesting.)
[Noted.]
{I really need a helmet that obscures my face.}
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jason sat in his room, contemplating the best, most effective method to recruit faction members.
[Master, what about the one called Eva Noctis?*]
(She is currently the only confirmed friend you have right?)
{Hey! Don't make me sound like a loser. I have you guys as well y'know. that's three, not one.}
[Aside from what Yin said, recruiting Eva Noctis should be easier right?]
{I guess that's true}
Jason picked up the Spell Craft 101 book.
"Divine message, Divine message, Divine message... aha! Here." He murmured whilst searching for the spell.
"Nuntius de luminus"
A halo of light appeared over his head.
{Eva}
{Hello? Who's speaking?} Eva asked.
{Eva, it's me, Jason Balance Breaker.} Jason answered, clearly excited.
{Oh, is this a divine message? When did you learn this spell? Isn't it hard to learn?} She asked, a hint of admiration.
{It is? Oh. Well I learnt it from the book I was telling you about the other day, anyway, I have officially created a faction, I want you to join.}
{What's the name?}
{Devil's Advocate.} He said proudly.
{Well, how many members are in it?}
{Three.}
{I guess i'll join but if i find another one that I find more interesting i'll leave okay?}
{Sure! Good to have you on board! Can we meet up outside the arena in twenty? I'll pass you the form.}
{Fine fine, see you later BB}
"Finus Nuntius."
{Well, she just gave me a nickname.}
[Congratulations master! You have gone up in the world!]
Jason rolled his eyes.
(Master, an idea.)
{Yes?}
(Master since we are lacking in members for our faction, why not force people to join?)
{How do we do that? I don't want to black mail people, that could put the faction at risk and also my reputation.}
[I believe he means something else master.]
(Yes, what if you were to duel people and set a few terms for winning?)
{Ahh, if I win, they have to join my faction. That is a good idea Yin.}
[But we need to make it worthwhile for them too.]
(I was thinking we could offer them Lu, who doesn't like money? Besides, when they learn how strong you are master, they'll want to join regardless.)
{Yeah, speaking of power, there is still fifteen minutes till we need to meet Eva Noctis. I'm going to go up and practice my Unarmed skill.}
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Haah!" Jason threw a punch aimed at the head. He stepped back twice whilst redirecting the imaginary opponent's attacks. This was achieved not by stopping the attack head on, but brushing it away from his body. He then grabbed the imaginary opponent by the shoulders, stepped one leg forward and threw them over his shoulder.
[Well done master, You should be able to beat many newcomers with skill like that.]
(It needs more explosions master!)
{Five minutes left, let's go.}
Harmony appeared from the magic circle and they flew off toward the arena.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eva Noctis was leaning against the arena walls. She hummed a tune that reminded her of when she was young, she could almost smell the apple pie baked by her grandmother, it's fragrance filled her nostrils. All of a sudden, a gust of wind blew the apple pie out of her hands and woke her from her daydream.
"W-What in Luxio is that?!"
She gawked at the dragon that struggled to fit on the path outside the arena. Before she knew what had happened, a familiar face leapt off the dragon and handed her a faction recruitment form.
"Noctis, your application form." Jason said.
"A-Ahh." Still a little dazed, she took the form and began filling it out.
"BB, when did you get that dragon?" She asked, a hint of envy permeated off here normally expressionless face.
"When I was stuck in the Soul Searcher, remember? I heard that you even spent some of your precious time to look after me. Thanks for that by the way." Jason joked.
"Fine. I'm Done." She handed him the form.
"Noctis, do you know how to issue challenges for duels?"
"Go to the plaza and find the individual ranking board. There, you can see who is ranked higher than you, then go to the admin desk, tell them who you would like to challenge, their ID, name and your own."
"Ah thanks." He turned towards Harmony before asking," Want a ride?,"
"REALLY?! I mean... Ahem sure."
"Hop on." He grabbed her hand and leapt onto the dragon.
[Master, is this a date?]
{N-No it isn't!}
(Looks like it to me.)
{Quiet you!}
Time to grace the plaza with his presence once more.
*Pasargadae - Capital of the Achaemenid empire during the reign of Cyrus the Great, a ruler of Persia. In old Persian, it literally means Strong Club. Cyrus started building it in 546 BC.
*The alias functions like a second name, you would write her name as Eva Noctis but say Noctis or the full name. The first name by itself is offensive.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
"Fiona, my senior, Jenga, asked me to join his faction and I'm interested in joining. The thing is, he said something about ranking up being difficult for people who aren't in factions but didn't go into detail, would you mind explaining it to me?"
Jason wanted to make sure that there weren't any draw backs to being part of a faction, he only wanted to join Jenga's faction because there were ranking rewards, the main thing that interested him.
"Hmm well, there are lots of advantages of being in factions, but equally, there are many disadvantages too. For example, each faction inevitably has to make allies but factions aren't factions without people. People carry grudges and on top of that, there are rewards for being the best faction therefore meaning that competitive factions will naturally have enmity with one another.
Second, if you were a key member in a faction, then opposing groups could target you specifically, I hate to say it but some vile people injure opponents before matches, forcing their enemies to withdraw. This, if discovered by the school council would immediately disqualify the team, but even then, you would still be injured." Fiona explained the cons of being in a faction.
"However, the benefits, in most cases can actually be better than the draw backs. If you were the leader of a faction and you become high ranked, more people would know your alias, which makes you stronger."
"What do you mean? How does having more people know your alias make you stronger?" Jason asked.
"This is heavily debated by researchers, but the most commonly accepted theory is that since your alias becomes more famous, more people know of you personality, behaviour etc. Which means people will believe that those qualities are what make you.
This is called the True Belief theorem, because of the fact that your alias has a positive effect on your reputation, even your enemies will understand your key qualities and since the alias is discovered in one's soul, it cannot be faked. On the other hand, if one is a vile person, then their alias will show their true personality.
One could choose not to use their alias, but that would make one weaker. The final thing is that not only do aliases have psychological effects, they also boost spiritual power. The more people who believe in your alias, the stronger your spiritual power will become."
"Meaning that it would be better to become the leader of a faction if you want to become stronger?"
"Yes, but my little brother, don't forget, you need skills to back up your position."
"Thanks Fiona."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
{In the end, i'll reject the invitation, instead, i'll start my own faction.}
[That is a wise choice master.]
(WE COULDN'T HAVE HIM BOWING TO ANY WEAKLINGS NOW COULD WE?)
[Definitely not]
"Fiona said that to start a faction we have to submit a form to admin."
Jason pulled out a pen and scribbled down information.
Name - Devil's Advocate
{Not bad}
(Master, what does that name mean?)
{A devil's advocate is usually someone who expresses a... contentious opinion in order to provoke an opponent, to understand their mindset and use it against them. I am naming this faction Devil's Advocate because this in my opinion is the most effective way to defeat an opponent.}
[I must say, you are quite the cunning person master.]
{...by the way, Yin is male and Yang is female, how does that work?}
[An odd question, I do not understand]
{What I mean is... How exactly do your bodily functions work- ah no never mind}
(Yes master, it's best if you didn't know.)
Would you like to be included in the termly rankings?
{Of course, why else would you make a faction?}
Will your faction be willing to fight over faction facilities?
{Yes}
Jason continued to answer the questionnaire that was part of the form.
{All done}
{Yin, Yang can you guys summon yourselves? Without me having to chant the incantation?}
{Hold on, i'll go up top first}
He quickly jogged up the stairs until he reached the roof.
{Alright try it!}
A magic circle opened in front of Jason and sure enough, Harmony appeared.
{I guess that means that the incantation is just to notify the spirit that the summoner needs them or something like that}
[I would concur master]
{Take me to the admin office please}
Harmony stretched out their wings, witch towered over the entire dormitory complex. One flap of these wings vandalised everything in the gardens, the benches were sent flying, trees fell down and flowers were uprooted. Guilt spiralled through Jason's mind.
{Maybe next time we should take off somewhere else.}
Harmony shot forward, but not as fast as Marduk, Jenga's Spirit. This was because Jason wanted to see some of the buildings from above, he was sightseeing at his own academy. People below stared upwards in awe as their hats were stolen by the wind. Jason once again felt guilty enough to jump off harmony when he thought of the female students who were wearing skirts.
(Yang, Master is having dirty thoughts)
[I know. But at least he isn't a pervert]
{Shut up you two!} Jason was crying tears of laughter. Who knew that this mighty ancient class dragon worried about things like these?
Most of the academy's buildings were marble with gold decorations, the whole place felt like Pasargadae* but several times in both size and quality!
{That must be the plaza! Ah, I can see everything up here, the view is splendid!}
Jason took a deep breath of fresh air. This was both relaxing and exhilarating at the same time.
{When ever I have free time i'm going to stay in the sky} Jason thought, determined to make the sky his meditation area.
[Master, please hold on.]
(Yes do, we are landing now)
This time, Jason could clearly see faces of shock that littered the ground. The students and teachers alike stood stunned before sprinting to get out of the way of the menacing twin headed dragon. The ground shook when Harmony landed, sending many people flying off their feet. Jason hopped off his dragon and without any incantation, the hulking beast sunk into a magic circle.
{Don't blush, Don't blush, Don't blush}
[Yes master keep a cool face!]
(Poker face poker face!)
He was determined to make a cool image.
{Darn it! I need Old man Sam to make me a mask or something.}
People made way and stared as Jason walked towards the admin building. He stopped curtly at the desk and tossed the form onto the desk.
"Faction application form, I'd like to create a faction please." Jason stated, loudly but calmly.
"O-One moment please! Are your student credentials on the form?"
"Yes ma'am." Jason kept a stone cold face.
"O-Okay, it's been approved. C-Congratulations sir on creating a new faction. As of today, there are now twenty one factions competing. Devil's advocate is ranked twenty first. Good luck!"
The administrator was still recovering from the shock of seeing Harmony land.
"Much appreciated." Jason gave a curt nod before doing a one eighty turn and walking toward the centre of the plaza, where people had left a large space, most were still gawking at him like fish.
"HEED MY COMMAND O MIGHTY DRAGON!"
The magic circle reappeared, with it, Harmony. Once they were in the air again, conversation continued.
[Master...]
{Yes?}
[That last line was really cool!]
{Aha! Thanks. It was on the spur of the moment though. I felt really stupid doing it.}
(Yeah, you should have called us something greater than mighty, what about ancient instead?)
[Yin, you really have become smarter. Maybe i'll also try to read some of those human philosophy books that are all the rage nowadays.]
(You should try reading theory books, they're really interesting.)
[Noted.]
{I really need a helmet that obscures my face.}
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jason sat in his room, contemplating the best, most effective method to recruit faction members.
[Master, what about the one called Eva Noctis?*]
(She is currently the only confirmed friend you have right?)
{Hey! Don't make me sound like a loser. I have you guys as well y'know. that's three, not one.}
[Aside from what Yin said, recruiting Eva Noctis should be easier right?]
{I guess that's true}
Jason picked up the Spell Craft 101 book.
"Divine message, Divine message, Divine message... aha! Here." He murmured whilst searching for the spell.
"Nuntius de luminus"
A halo of light appeared over his head.
{Eva}
{Hello? Who's speaking?} Eva asked.
{Eva, it's me, Jason Balance Breaker.} Jason answered, clearly excited.
{Oh, is this a divine message? When did you learn this spell? Isn't it hard to learn?} She asked, a hint of admiration.
{It is? Oh. Well I learnt it from the book I was telling you about the other day, anyway, I have officially created a faction, I want you to join.}
{What's the name?}
{Devil's Advocate.} He said proudly.
{Well, how many members are in it?}
{Three.}
{I guess i'll join but if i find another one that I find more interesting i'll leave okay?}
{Sure! Good to have you on board! Can we meet up outside the arena in twenty? I'll pass you the form.}
{Fine fine, see you later BB}
"Finus Nuntius."
{Well, she just gave me a nickname.}
[Congratulations master! You have gone up in the world!]
Jason rolled his eyes.
(Master, an idea.)
{Yes?}
(Master since we are lacking in members for our faction, why not force people to join?)
{How do we do that? I don't want to black mail people, that could put the faction at risk and also my reputation.}
[I believe he means something else master.]
(Yes, what if you were to duel people and set a few terms for winning?)
{Ahh, if I win, they have to join my faction. That is a good idea Yin.}
[But we need to make it worthwhile for them too.]
(I was thinking we could offer them Lu, who doesn't like money? Besides, when they learn how strong you are master, they'll want to join regardless.)
{Yeah, speaking of power, there is still fifteen minutes till we need to meet Eva Noctis. I'm going to go up and practice my Unarmed skill.}
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Haah!" Jason threw a punch aimed at the head. He stepped back twice whilst redirecting the imaginary opponent's attacks. This was achieved not by stopping the attack head on, but brushing it away from his body. He then grabbed the imaginary opponent by the shoulders, stepped one leg forward and threw them over his shoulder.
[Well done master, You should be able to beat many newcomers with skill like that.]
(It needs more explosions master!)
{Five minutes left, let's go.}
Harmony appeared from the magic circle and they flew off toward the arena.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eva Noctis was leaning against the arena walls. She hummed a tune that reminded her of when she was young, she could almost smell the apple pie baked by her grandmother, it's fragrance filled her nostrils. All of a sudden, a gust of wind blew the apple pie out of her hands and woke her from her daydream.
"W-What in Luxio is that?!"
She gawked at the dragon that struggled to fit on the path outside the arena. Before she knew what had happened, a familiar face leapt off the dragon and handed her a faction recruitment form.
"Noctis, your application form." Jason said.
"A-Ahh." Still a little dazed, she took the form and began filling it out.
"BB, when did you get that dragon?" She asked, a hint of envy permeated off here normally expressionless face.
"When I was stuck in the Soul Searcher, remember? I heard that you even spent some of your precious time to look after me. Thanks for that by the way." Jason joked.
"Fine. I'm Done." She handed him the form.
"Noctis, do you know how to issue challenges for duels?"
"Go to the plaza and find the individual ranking board. There, you can see who is ranked higher than you, then go to the admin desk, tell them who you would like to challenge, their ID, name and your own."
"Ah thanks." He turned towards Harmony before asking," Want a ride?,"
"REALLY?! I mean... Ahem sure."
"Hop on." He grabbed her hand and leapt onto the dragon.
[Master, is this a date?]
{N-No it isn't!}
(Looks like it to me.)
{Quiet you!}
Time to grace the plaza with his presence once more.
*Pasargadae - Capital of the Achaemenid empire during the reign of Cyrus the Great, a ruler of Persia. In old Persian, it literally means Strong Club. Cyrus started building it in 546 BC.
*The alias functions like a second name, you would write her name as Eva Noctis but say Noctis or the full name. The first name by itself is offensive.
"Fiona, my senior, Jenga, asked me to join his faction and I'm interested in joining. The thing is, he said something about ranking up being difficult for people who aren't in factions but didn't go into detail, would you mind explaining it to me?"Jason wanted to make sure that there weren't any draw backs to being part of a faction, he only wanted to join Jenga's faction because there were ranking rewards, the main thing that interested him."Hmm well, there are lots of advantages of being in factions, but equally, there are many disadvantages too. For example, each faction inevitably has to make allies but factions aren't factions without people. People carry grudges and on top of that, there are rewards for being the best faction therefore meaning that competitive factions will naturally have enmity with one another.Second, if you were a key member in a faction, then opposing groups could target you specifically, I hate to say it but some vile people injure opponents before matches, forcing their enemies to withdraw. This, if discovered by the school council would immediately disqualify the team, but even then, you would still be injured." Fiona explained the cons of being in a faction."However, the benefits, in most cases can actually be better than the draw backs. If you were the leader of a faction and you become high ranked, more people would know your alias, which makes you stronger.""What do you mean? How does having more people know your alias make you stronger?" Jason asked."This is heavily debated by researchers, but the most commonly accepted theory is that since your alias becomes more famous, more people know of you personality, behaviour etc. Which means people will believe that those qualities are what make you.This is called the True Belief theorem, because of the fact that your alias has a positive effect on your reputation, even your enemies will understand your key qualities and since the alias is discovered in one's soul, it cannot be faked. On the other hand, if one is a vile person, then their alias will show their true personality.One could choose not to use their alias, but that would make one weaker. The final thing is that not only do aliases have psychological effects, they also boost spiritual power. The more people who believe in your alias, the stronger your spiritual power will become.""Meaning that it would be better to become the leader of a faction if you want to become stronger?""Yes, but my little brother, don't forget, you need skills to back up your position.""Thanks Fiona."----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------{In the end, i'll reject the invitation, instead, i'll start my own faction.}That is a wise choice master.WE COULDN'T HAVE HIM BOWING TO ANY WEAKLINGS NOW COULD WE?Definitely not"Fiona said that to start a faction we have to submit a form to admin."Jason pulled out a pen and scribbled down information.Name - Devil's Advocate{Not bad}Master, what does that name mean?{A devil's advocate is usually someone who expresses a... contentious opinion in order to provoke an opponent, to understand their mindset and use it against them. I am naming this faction Devil's Advocate because this in my opinion is the most effective way to defeat an opponent.}I must say, you are quite the cunning person master.{...by the way, Yin is male and Yang is female, how does that work?}An odd question, I do not understand{What I mean is... How exactly do your bodily functions work- ah no never mind}Yes master, it's best if you didn't know.Would you like to be included in the termly rankings?{Of course, why else would you make a faction?}Will your faction be willing to fight over faction facilities?{Yes}Jason continued to answer the questionnaire that was part of the form.{All done}{Yin, Yang can you guys summon yourselves? Without me having to chant the incantation?}{Hold on, i'll go up top first}He quickly jogged up the stairs until he reached the roof.{Alright try it!}A magic circle opened in front of Jason and sure enough, Harmony appeared.{I guess that means that the incantation is just to notify the spirit that the summoner needs them or something like that}I would concur master{Take me to the admin office please}Harmony stretched out their wings, witch towered over the entire dormitory complex. One flap of these wings vandalised everything in the gardens, the benches were sent flying, trees fell down and flowers were uprooted. Guilt spiralled through Jason's mind.{Maybe next time we should take off somewhere else.}Harmony shot forward, but not as fast as Marduk, Jenga's Spirit. This was because Jason wanted to see some of the buildings from above, he was sightseeing at his own academy. People below stared upwards in awe as their hats were stolen by the wind. Jason once again felt guilty enough to jump off harmony when he thought of the female students who were wearing skirts.Yang, Master is having dirty thoughtsI know. But at least he isn't a pervert{Shut up you two!} Jason was crying tears of laughter. Who knew that this mighty ancient class dragon worried about things like these?Most of the academy's buildings were marble with gold decorations, the whole place felt like Pasargadae* but several times in both size and quality!{That must be the plaza! Ah, I can see everything up here, the view is splendid!}Jason took a deep breath of fresh air. This was both relaxing and exhilarating at the same time.{When ever I have free time i'm going to stay in the sky} Jason thought, determined to make the sky his meditation area.Master, please hold on.Yes do, we are landing nowThis time, Jason could clearly see faces of shock that littered the ground. The students and teachers alike stood stunned before sprinting to get out of the way of the menacing twin headed dragon. The ground shook when Harmony landed, sending many people flying off their feet. Jason hopped off his dragon and without any incantation, the hulking beast sunk into a magic circle.{Don't blush, Don't blush, Don't blush}Yes master keep a cool face!Poker face poker face!He was determined to make a cool image.{Darn it! I need Old man Sam to make me a mask or something.}People made way and stared as Jason walked towards the admin building. He stopped curtly at the desk and tossed the form onto the desk."Faction application form, I'd like to create a faction please." Jason stated, loudly but calmly."O-One moment please! Are your student credentials on the form?""Yes ma'am." Jason kept a stone cold face."O-Okay, it's been approved. C-Congratulations sir on creating a new faction. As of today, there are now twenty one factions competing. Devil's advocate is ranked twenty first. Good luck!"The administrator was still recovering from the shock of seeing Harmony land."Much appreciated." Jason gave a curt nod before doing a one eighty turn and walking toward the centre of the plaza, where people had left a large space, most were still gawking at him like fish."HEED MY COMMAND O MIGHTY DRAGON!"The magic circle reappeared, with it, Harmony. Once they were in the air again, conversation continued.Master...{Yes?}That last line was really cool!{Aha! Thanks. It was on the spur of the moment though. I felt really stupid doing it.}Yeah, you should have called us something greater than mighty, what about ancient instead?Yin, you really have become smarter. Maybe i'll also try to read some of those human philosophy books that are all the rage nowadays.You should try reading theory books, they're really interesting.Noted.{I really need a helmet that obscures my face.}----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jason sat in his room, contemplating the best, most effective method to recruit faction members.Master, what about the one called Eva Noctis?*She is currently the only confirmed friend you have right?{Hey! Don't make me sound like a loser. I have you guys as well y'know. that's three, not one.}Aside from what Yin said, recruiting Eva Noctis should be easier right?{I guess that's true}Jason picked up the Spell Craft 101 book."Divine message, Divine message, Divine message... aha! Here." He murmured whilst searching for the spell."Nuntius de luminus"A halo of light appeared over his head.{Eva}{Hello? Who's speaking?} Eva asked.{Eva, it's me, Jason Balance Breaker.} Jason answered, clearly excited.{Oh, is this a divine message? When did you learn this spell? Isn't it hard to learn?} She asked, a hint of admiration.{It is? Oh. Well I learnt it from the book I was telling you about the other day, anyway, I have officially created a faction, I want you to join.}{What's the name?}{Devil's Advocate.} He said proudly.{Well, how many members are in it?}{Three.}{I guess i'll join but if i find another one that I find more interesting i'll leave okay?}{Sure! Good to have you on board! Can we meet up outside the arena in twenty? I'll pass you the form.}{Fine fine, see you later BB}"Finus Nuntius."{Well, she just gave me a nickname.}Congratulations master! You have gone up in the world!Jason rolled his eyes.Master, an idea.{Yes?}Master since we are lacking in members for our faction, why not force people to join?{How do we do that? I don't want to black mail people, that could put the faction at risk and also my reputation.}I believe he means something else master.Yes, what if you were to duel people and set a few terms for winning?{Ahh, if I win, they have to join my faction. That is a good idea Yin.}But we need to make it worthwhile for them too.I was thinking we could offer them Lu, who doesn't like money? Besides, when they learn how strong you are master, they'll want to join regardless.{Yeah, speaking of power, there is still fifteen minutes till we need to meet Eva Noctis. I'm going to go up and practice my Unarmed skill.}----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Haah!" Jason threw a punch aimed at the head. He stepped back twice whilst redirecting the imaginary opponent's attacks. This was achieved not by stopping the attack head on, but brushing it away from his body. He then grabbed the imaginary opponent by the shoulders, stepped one leg forward and threw them over his shoulder.Well done master, You should be able to beat many newcomers with skill like that.It needs more explosions master!{Five minutes left, let's go.}Harmony appeared from the magic circle and they flew off toward the arena.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Eva Noctis was leaning against the arena walls. She hummed a tune that reminded her of when she was young, she could almost smell the apple pie baked by her grandmother, it's fragrance filled her nostrils. All of a sudden, a gust of wind blew the apple pie out of her hands and woke her from her daydream."W-What in Luxio is that?!"She gawked at the dragon that struggled to fit on the path outside the arena. Before she knew what had happened, a familiar face leapt off the dragon and handed her a faction recruitment form."Noctis, your application form." Jason said."A-Ahh." Still a little dazed, she took the form and began filling it out."BB, when did you get that dragon?" She asked, a hint of envy permeated off here normally expressionless face."When I was stuck in the Soul Searcher, remember? I heard that you even spent some of your precious time to look after me. Thanks for that by the way." Jason joked."Fine. I'm Done." She handed him the form."Noctis, do you know how to issue challenges for duels?""Go to the plaza and find the individual ranking board. There, you can see who is ranked higher than you, then go to the admin desk, tell them who you would like to challenge, their ID, name and your own.""Ah thanks." He turned towards Harmony before asking," Want a ride?,""REALLY?! I mean... Ahem sure.""Hop on." He grabbed her hand and leapt onto the dragon.Master, is this a date?{N-No it isn't!}Looks like it to me.{Quiet you!}Time to grace the plaza with his presence once more.*Pasargadae - Capital of the Achaemenid empire during the reign of Cyrus the Great, a ruler of Persia. In old Persian, it literally means Strong Club. Cyrus started building it in 546 BC.*The alias functions like a second name, you would write her name as Eva Noctis but say Noctis or the full name. The first name by itself is offensive.
