471 CHPT 471: The Nation Under the Sun….

The rest of the day at the University was spent as a day off of sorts. They'd spend the next two months in The Sunlands so they needed time to pack. They also needed an early nights rest since The Sunlands time zone was ten whole hours ahead of them.

Claude traveled light, he finished early and told Ursula to contact him when dinner came. He needed to sleep.

Not really. He needed to enter the Astral Realm. To work towards earning his next Skill from Fenrir.

Long story short, he didn't get anything but a series of flaming fists and steaming hot clubs to the face.

A challenge for another time it seemed. Dinner came and went, as did the night. He spent it awake, thinking of what would come of the Slayers Tournament. Thinking of how in over their heads his friends still were even with his assistance.

Thinking of Samuel.

It lit a fire in him that perfectly contrasted his cruel dark flame. Bright, intense. There was a good chance he wouldn't be in the Tournament in any capacity. But that would be a problem all on its own anyway. He wouldn't return alone. Lupines didn't last alone. He would know.

So, he prepared during everyone's sleep. He thought up plans and ideas, he talked with Arne who spilled everything he knew of The Sunlands to him, and he processed his anxiety. As best he could at least, through meditation and tending to the nature around him.

By the time it had gotten old, the Professors woke up the entire black castle-like University building with a menacing war-horn sound that got the blood pumping immediately.

Breakfast wasn't a steaming plate of burnt foods and fruits. It was sacks of nuts berries and dried meats. Simple, quick, on the move.

The entirety of the University ate in their battle-gear while HeadMaster Alaric gave them their final speech before stepping through the portal and into a new world.

He could still remembered the speech as they began to step through. He always did have a way with words.

"Students, you soon will face your most important event in life thus far. For some of you this will be a defining moment in your existence— an awakening moment. I know…. That feels ironic since you've been Reborn and made it to this moment. But I'm not talking about flashy abilities and Gods watching over you. I'm talking about every one of you as an individual. Your minds. You'll find yourself facing challenges most peculiar. People of diverse and beautiful backgrounds that'll change your perspective on things. It'll change your motivations. Whatever you see— wherever you find it. Don't forget why you do what you do, and what the world needs from you. The other Nations will see you as the worst. Use that to your advantage.."

VWOOMP!!

Tuesday March 3rd, 2241, The Sunlandian Province of Cairo….

As soon as Claude's feet hit the ground he could feel that he was in a new world. The richness of life rose through the ground and manmade flooring like smoke from a white-hot flame.

Diamondback hissed from beside him as they looked around, finding that they were in a massive room. White walls surrounded them in an odd triangular prism, only given color by the beige-gold markings running across the walls around them.

"Hey look…" Ursula said to him, pointing up to the golden markings to show the glowing blue essence traveling their length like horses on a track.

The longer Claude looked the more he realized how massive the prism like room was.

"[Sunlandians and their damned efficiency. I think they get their rocks off finding new ways to appear… ahead.]"

"What?" Claude questioned as the students idled by anxiously at the behest of their Professors.

"[Well, this Rune-work also seems to function as a clock. Just unnecessary….]"

"You sound like you're hating."

"[I am. I love this place and I barely ever got to go.]" Arne conceded immediately.

"Alright students, stand in formation and wait for our return. Look strong. Appearances are important, especially for todays Hero." Prof. Raizen said to them all before heading out of the building with a third year Professor.

"Did he clean up more than usual?" Warren whispered to Isaac beside them all as the Professor headed off.

His long coat did look a bit cleaner than usual— along with his face. It lacked the usual stubble.

"I hate that this feels like a dinner date more than ritualistic combat." Maris said to Ursula as the students formed up in rows.

"What do you know about a date?"

"Nothing Warren, and neither do you."

Ursula choked on her spit. At that same time, a portal further down to the left of Claude spit out a batch of Students.

They were few but larger in presence. They had a toughness in their silence that spoke of experience, understanding and inner peace. Their armor was foreign to Claude's sheltered eyes. Mail armor like the Knights of old but molded in an entirely new shape. It glowed like gold over their purple black robbing and undergarments. Some wore massive cloaks, others wore thick armor and plating with horned shapes and flat molds.

One of them even had a Serpent he would've mistaken for a Dragon if he caught it in his peripheral on the battlefield.

Their weapons were reminiscent of his own. But different nonetheless. Some though were completely odd, appearing as massive jugs made of stone with braided tethering….

His nostrils flared as he took in their scents. Spices— unbelievably rich and aromatic, it made his head spin.

Some of his male classmates began to murmur amongst eachother as the women removed their helmets. Some men too. Their hair was beautiful. Impossibly thick and dark like sparkling shadows.

As a matter of fact, the more he looked at them, the more he—

"Hey….. Claude some of them kind of look like you." Warren whispered over to him.

"[I take it this is what the Isle's of Indus has to offer. ]" Arne commented before adding, "[I too would agree with Warren, your features are as mixed of a bag as the Lupines of Romulus. But one bit of heritage within you I have considered is being with them. It makes me wonder more of your parents. With all due respect, mate.]"

"I've always assumed I'm half and half, Arthurian and Sunlandian." Claude replied flatly, "But I see it….. weirdly enough."

"[Arthurian?]"

"My grandfather on my fathers side was born there.]"

Arne could see it.

Claude also saw something else.

Among the crowd, a little girl stood. She was no older than seven. She couldn't have been. But she held armor and weapons like everyone else. And the more he watched her the more he noticed….differences.

Like the extra finger on each hand. And the closed eye on her forehead. When it opened— he couldn't accurately describe it, but he could feel that it was the eye of someone else— the little girl just held it. Like a vessel.

Loba whined and Frosty sniffed at the girl.

"The fuck are you looking at!?" A student yelled at him from their bulk. His mouth didn't shape English words but that's what he heard— assumedly thanks to the rune-written necklaces they were given.

Claude looked away from him, deciding to keep his eyes forward from that point.

The large bodied student had other plans. He broke his groups ranks, punching his fists together with quaking blasts of wind.

As soon as he hit his hands together the second time, the blue essence of energy running along the circlet of writing on the walls around them sent out a blast of blue energy that slammed into him.

PFOOO!!

"AUUUCK!" He yelled as the blast hit him, causing magical writings to spread across his bronze skin like a virus that paralyzed him.

SHVVVT!!

"[Ouch.]"

Immediately after, the floor ahead of them split open revealing two rooms below ground that spit out two units of Sunlandian Warriors wearing shimmering black cloaks, golden swords and animal hide shields.

They picked the student up and split up. One group hauled him out of the building and the others began to form up at the doorway Prof Raizen went through at the end of the room.

The second they were set, the door opened and their Professors re-entered with a woman leading them.

She was beautiful. Jewels held her braids up in a thick bun. Make up accentuated her radiant brown skin and made her mocha colored eyes pop and a cool green dress held her figure.

She didn't speak until she stood evenly between both groups.

"Heroes must have discipline, first and foremost. If you cannot wait among your people for my arrival then you have no business representing your home among many. You already embarrassed them."

Silence. Her point was made. Nobody disagreed. Some mourned the sudden loss of their teammate. Hopefully not permanent. But being detained in foreign lands sounded horrific.

She clapped her hands, "Hopefully this means the rest of you know what's right from wrong. In a rudimentary sense. Yes or no?"

"Yes." The whole room of students agreed, along with the Sunlandian Warriors.

"Good. My name is Layla, and I will be your tour guide on the way to the Ra Stadium. Follow my directions, pay attention, and welcome to The Sunlands."

"What a start, huh?" Ursula said to him as they led the Glorian students out first.

"Yea no kidding." Claude replied.

"I wonder if you can deflect the magic blasts…" Maris said.

"Man send her back to the University." Warren whined.

***

The sun had never felt so warm. The moment they stepped outside, he was sweating, he could feel his fat burning to quell the warmth as they made their way to a massive triple decker metal titan on wheels. A large cargo connected at the back smelled of animal. Beast Tamer cargo. He hauled his friends inside and hesitantly rejoined the line of students. Along the way he noticed more about the metal behemoth.

It was connected to a track that ran along the ground. He could see the faintest glow of runes written into the metal lining of the rail in the roads.

"It's a train…"

"[Not quite.]" Arne commented.

Slowly, everyone boarded the…. Not train. As everyone slowly filtered out, Claude found the Sunlandian Warriors at the back. As soon as the sun hit them, the metal bracers around their necks shifted and extended into helmets matching the shape of the triangular prism building they just exited. How they could see through them he didn't know.

"[The helmets— they're the shape of their most sacred locations.]" Arne commented as Claude slumped down into the mode of transportation and took a seat next to Warren and Isaac. Ursula with Maris and Chase.

"[Pyramids. Home to the Pharaohs and their gods. They believe wearing them and weaving the shape into their life is a way of bringing the gods favor to them as a people.]" Arne said.

Claude looked out the window at the massive city in the distance as the vehicle took off.

"Looks like it's working."

Soon after, two of the Sunlandian Warriors stepped in. One occupied the drivers seat of sorts and placed his hands on the metal platforms. His hands began to glow…

SHZZCK!

The whole metal structure exploded with life— letting out a shimmering scream as they suddenly were running along the metal railways engrained into the roads.

The New Glorian students lit up in surprise and disbelief.

Layla watched them with a proud smile, "Do you guys not have Electrists back home?"

"No, ma'am ." Ursula replied.

"That's too bad. They'd allow you to industrialize your lands in ways you couldn't imagine."

"[My god….. they did it. So crazy to hear casually.]" Arne commented as they traveled over sanded lands towards the more populated area.

"What?" Claude questioned.

"[Electrists. It's an idea founded on the concept that old world advanced technology functioned on Electricity. Mocking the mechanical structure and shaping of engines, and using runes and elemental magic— you can get the same thing. The only problem is writing runes means the smallest scratch ruins everything— in a rather deadly way. They must've found away to fortify Runes.]"

"Magical Machinery….."

"[Indeed.]" Arne commented as they entered the real Sunlandian Province of Cairo.

Skyscrapers in the dozens spotted all over. Runes and magical guardings glowed in pulsing unison as if they were all connected. Other Magical Machinery Train-cars piloted by Electrists ran through the city on railways that dove beneath smooth sand roads and even above buildings as if they were riding the backs of metal serpents.

"Holy shit! Look!" Warren said to Claude as he pointed at the sky.

Layla caught their focus and started her job as tour guide.

"Like the Electrists below, our Windmen above provide jet-wind propulsion for our Balloons and Sky-Ships. Cairo moves towards Victory in many ways you'll find. I hope you're ready for the Tournament." She teased.

"Cool…" Claude was in a state of culture shock to put it lightly.

The sky was dotted with massive hot air balloons given speed by men and women on platforms shooting devastating gusts of wind. There were even things that looked similar to Ships flying beside the birds under the sun.

For the next hour they traveled at speeds he wasn't sure regular horses could manage. It made him anxious and sick at the same time. He could feel the same from the beasts in the cargo behind them.

During that time, the tour guide, Layla continued rambling off facts about The Sunlands while also making Claude and the New Glorians feel increasingly more primitive.

It got to the point where they were just answering no to the things they weren't aware of on reflex. It was the last one that seemed to break the ice.

"Do you New Glorians know of any modern development?"

Warren made a angered face in unison with Maris.

"Didn't their whole Country get turned to Swiss cheese?" Maris questioned flatly in the seat beside them.

"Yea how are we still doing this classist bullshit, man?" Chase said from the windows seat beside her.

"Where there's classes there will be classism." Claude added. The same could be said for race in that sense.

"Not always." A student behind him interjected.

Claude turned around to find one of the other students. He was younger looking. A first year.

"You are a Beast Tamer too, right?"

Claude nodded, "Yea."

"I am impressed by your variety. You must be strong." His dark eyes seemed sincerely lulling behind his wavy black hair that he repeatedly swept out of his eyes.

"I try."

"As we all should. Us especially." He emphasized.

Claude froze, "What do you mean?"

"Beast Tamers. My Guru says those that commune with the wild grow rarer with every generation. He says the benefactors of this Tournament will take interest in us— as will sponsors and Guilds. You New Glorians have many. They watch us, friend."

Claude fought off the oncoming shiver. He knew the lulling eyed student meant no harm, but with what he knew, more eyes meant more problems.

Suddenly the Electrists piloted vehicle surged upward. Some students giggled and raised their hands as they ascended. Claude and Ursula watched as they rose with another vehicle beside them.

Layla began talking.

"In the Rail-Rider next to us, you'll find the other two factions of of next generation Heroes. Students hailing from what looks like Arthuria and Islandia. You shall know soon anyway, feel free to say hi."

Claude didn't say hi. He didn't say anything. Not with what he smelled.

Ursula smelled it too.

Another Lupine of Remus.

And it wasn't Samuel.