The Beginning of the End

Quis' POV:

The art of seduction.

It was an interesting field of study, and like any other art, it had many opinions revolving around it. People approached the idea of seduction in different ways. Some might try to use their good looks to get a person to mistake lust for love. Some try using a personality that is bigger than life to work their way into the hearts of others. Some even unknowingly have such a charismatic character that they accidentally affect everyone they meet.

To me, however, seduction was something akin to a logic puzzle. Everyone is their own person with their own traits that define who they are. If you simply enter the battle that is seduction without knowing these traits and how to counter them, then you'll only end up rejected. But if you can make the correct adjustments to yourself to oppose your enemy, then you will always succeed. Of course that is only on a personable level, once again, like any other art, seduction has a base set of rules.

You can't paint without a brush, you can't sing without tone, and you can't dance without rhythm, just like how you can't seduce others without boldness. Boldness is the key to securing the one that you wish to have, and without it, you'll only fail. No matter what strategy you take on in your seductions, you have to have boldness in that strategy to succeed in it. Those who act timid are fated to spend their time alone, living in the fantasy that one day a miracle will fall before them, even though it never will. But luckily enough, being bold isn't just something that the lucky few are born with, it's a skill that can be acquired through hard work. It only takes one shot, one plunge to begin your path of boldness.

I've been on that path for a long time, as without the boldness I had, I wouldn't be standing where I am right now. That was also why I was able to reignite the feeling Capcis had for me so easily. If I was unable to force the tension she had to burst, then she wouldn't act any differently toward me. But fortunately for me, I did, and it had an interesting effect on her.

Back when I was seducing Pulchra I used her "sheltered-rich-girl" personality against her. I participated in sarcasm, made daring moves on her, and said things that would normally be out of line, all so that she would see me as an escape from the life she had despised for a long time. And, despite losing myself along the way, this strategy still proved effective.

But for Capcis, love was something different. Love wasn't an escape from reality that she wanted to rely on, but a nice blanket that would keep her warm during the winter. Maybe this was an effect of her rocky just wanting some sort of shelter, but I'd be a fool to try the same tactics on her as I did with Pulchra. So I didn't. I worked with her personality and made a connection with her that brought the both of us even closer.

However, I never went as far as saying something along the lines of "I love you", only ever alluding to it. My goal of seduction wasn't to reciprocate that feeling of love but to keep Capcis attached to me long enough for her to be completely indoctrinated into my faction. To do that, I had to keep her in suspense. I had to keep her wanting to come back from more, but never close enough that she got what she wanted. If I let her have what she wanted right now, the excitement of love would lose its value and she'd revert to her earlier opinions. Due to the game I was playing, I couldn't commit to anyone, but I had to be courted by all. I had to show affection periodically to those close to me, without giving them too much of an idea of commitment. It was a thin rope to walk on, but one that proved very effective when done right.

Such were the difficulties of leadership, but I wasn't new to this, so it didn't bother me too much. I just had to do what I had to do to get stronger, for the sake of reaching the realm of the Gods.

Capcis and I parted ways a bit ago, which was something I wanted to happen. On one hand, I didn't want her to get too comfortable to the point where she felt like she didn't need me, and on the other, there was the idea that an important part of seduction was leaving space. If you didn't leave your target with the time to think about yourself and develop fantasies about yourself, then you were inviting failure. So I would wait a bit longer before making another move on her. It could be during the practical exam, or it could be after depending on what happens during the exam. But either way, she was being quelled and would soon join my faction, and I would make sure to make good use of her public speaking skills.

Suddenly, as I was walking down one of the many hallways inside the school, I came to a stop. I turned around and said, "Come on now, how long are you going to follow me? Let's just get this over with."

Once I said those words, as if phasing from inside of the wall, a figure appeared out of nowhere, "As expected of you. And I guess this means you really have entered Stone Class."

Soon his figure was made fully oblique, but I was able to identify who he was far before he showed himself. Who else would it be besides Spiravit? He had a wayward smile on his face as he looked at me. I looked into his eyes and only pure condescension stared back. One thing was for sure, he was very confident in what he was going to do next.

I already had an idea of what he wanted from me, but I wasn't going to make that clear. I wanted him to be as confident in himself as possible, so that he fell even harder, "What do you want from me Spiravit? Surely you aren't looking for a fight just before the practical exam."

His smile only grew brighter at my apparent ignorance, and due to his narcissistic attitude, he overlooked how strange it would be for me to ask such a question. Instead, he answered my question quite simply. He reached into his pocket and brought out the Video Device, or at least what seemed to be. When I looked closer, I could tell it wasn't real. He wouldn't be so over his head that he would forget how if he lost his Video Device everything would be over for him. But I also knew that he had to have the device on him because keeping it anywhere else would be too risky. Unfortunately for me, I had no clue where he was keeping it, and I couldn't just knock him out and take it as that would only backfire my plans of turning him over to my side.

He waved the fake device around a little bit before saying to me, "I'm sure I don't have to explain what this means Quis. I'm only here to remind you of who holds your fate. Remember that I hold your difference between life and death."

In return to his arrogance, I raised one corner of my mouth and gave an amused chuckle, "Alright then, just spill it. What do you want from me this time Spiravit?"

He put the fake device back into his pocket before raising his finger into the air, "I want your assistance. Let me explain. Right now, I should be standing at the top of the school, constantly in everyone's mind and on the tip of everyone's tongue, but there are a couple of factors stopping that from happening. The first is Iusus. As much as I hate to admit it, she is a strong adversary, so fighting her head-on is too much of a risk. That's where you'll come in. No matter what the practical exam turns out to be this year, I want you to help me come out on top. This will also solve my second obstacle: you."

I nodded my head, "I see, taking out two birds with one stone. And if I disagree you'll destroy me with your evidence against me. Well, this isn't something I can really refuse... So be it then. I'll go along with you for now, but after I'm done, you must give me that Video Device of yours."

He also nodded his head and stuck his hand out, "In that case, let's shake on it. You help me claim the number one spot during the practical, and I'll give you your freedom back."

Although he said those words, I could see in his eyes that he didn't mean a word that he said, but then again, neither did I. However, the difference between us two was that I could tell he was lying, but he couldn't tell that I was. This entire interaction was just me building him up and making him even more proud of himself, so I would do just that.

I reached out to shake his hand and said to him, "It's a deal then."

____________________________________________

"Alright, it looks like everyone is here, so let me begin. The practical exam this year is going to be a little bit different, just like every other year, so you will have to think on your feet. The main subject this year though will be Wild Beasts. I'm sure you all know of the recent Wild Beast attack that occurred in the sect, Well, the absence of The Bamboo Bear has created a chaotic environment around the sect and it will be your job to quell the Wild Beasts."

Convir turned around and started drawing on the blackboard behind him, "You will be graded based on how many of these Wild Beasts you bring back and how high of quality they are." He pointed to the first diagram he wrote down, "Dirt Class Wild Beasts are worth one point," he pointed to the next, "Stone Class Wild Beasts are worth ten points," he continued to the next, "1st half Coal Class Wild Beasts are worth 100 points," he then pointed to the final diagram, "And 2nd half Coal Class Wild Beasts are worth 1000 points. Any questions?"

He surveyed the crowd, and upon finding a hand raised, he pointed at the man, prompting him to speak, "Not to be rude sir, but is there really a reason to have Coal Class Wild Beasts as an option?"

Convir only nodded his head, "Of course there is. This year is different from the last in the fact that you all average as more powerful than most other years. If that's all, I'll continue."

After confirming no one had any more questions, he turned back to the blackboard and then wrote three words below the diagrams he wrote above, "Wild Beasts have different ranks of rarity, going from Common all the way to Heavenly. A Wild Beast's rarity isn't based on how hard it is to find compared to every other Wild Beast, but compared to the Wild Beasts within its own class. Because of this, rarities will act as a modifier. And since I know the area that surrounds our sect, we'll only focus on the bottom three rarities. Common Wild Beasts will be a times one modifier. Uncommon Wild Beasts have a two times modifier, and Rare Wild Beasts have a five times modifier."

He turned around to face the crowd of students in front of him and said, "Now that the point system is out of the way, let me explain some other things. To claim points, you'll have to save a key identifying feature of every Wild Beast that you kill. If you don't do this or take a feature that isn't specific enough to the Wild Beast, then you won't be given the points for the kill at the end. Also, keep in mind that there are going to be Elders on standby in case something happens, including Medisma and me. Don't mistake this as me telling you that you can do anything you want to do and you'll always be saved in the nick of time. We will only step in if you are seriously about to die, and if you get to that point, then you are disqualified and you'll get a score of zero despite any earlier kills. That's all for the practical exam. Are there any questions?"

A couple of hands raised into the air, and Convir randomly chose one, causing her to speak her inquiry, "Are there any restrictions on working with others?"

Convir shook his head, "You can work together all you want, just remember that only one person can claim the kill as their own at the end. You, speak."

"How far are we going to be allowed to go?"

"If you are going too far, then you'll be warned by an overseer of the exam, so don't worry about it. Next, you."

"Are we allowed to attack others?"

"As long as you don't use a Fruit during your assault, it's fair game. Just don't kill the other or you'll not be having a fun time later. And I might as well just say that kill-stealing is valid. It doesn't matter how you get the identifying feature, all that matters is that you have it."

With that last statement, the remaining hands lifted in the air fell and silence took hold over the room. After a few seconds passed by with no more questions, Convir continued speaking, "That is all you need to know for now, everything else is up to you to find out during the exam itself. I want you all to know I have high expectations, and that I hope for each of your individual successes. Good luck, and make sure you try your hardest."

Once he finished saying that, my head started to feel drowsy. Multiple theories went through my mind, but once I caught an unpleasant whiff, I could tell it was a sleeping agent of some kind. Maybe if I used one of the healing Fruits I stocked up on, I would be able to remain awake, but there was no point in doing so. It was obvious that this was their way of transporting us to the arena where this battle would take place.

I took one last deep breath just before I fell asleep.

'This is where I make it or break it. This is the deciding factor... So I won't fail, no, I can't fail!"

With determination in my veins, I was hushed to sleep by the gas, knowing that once I woke up again, the midterms would have truly begun.