On the Professor Side

Buzzing with various people and Engkanto, the courtroom with a circular-shaped inside catered to numerous licensed Slayers, researchers, and professors related to aswang slaying. They were assembled at this moment for the recent unusual activities by the aswang on the Ground.

The Slayers Council who stood proud and authoritative among the floating city was also alarmed in this abnormal situation, in which they reluctantly seek help from the academy to assist the extermination mission. At first, the Council didn't want to involve the fledging slayers to face the hordes of monsters, but with licensed slayers' population crisis, they were left with no choice, but to give the students practical experience against the hordes.

Sitting at the upper far side of the room was Professor Matteo Fields, he was browsing on his mobile device to check some mails while waiting for the assembly to start. He didn't bother to talk to other co-professors he spotted in the courtroom. The professor hated small talks especially to people who he didn't find comfortable with.

Professor Fields was already counting the moments to get back to Academy Dome. Currently, they were in the Capital Dome where the Slayers Council was located. The Council sent an invite to all available personnel in the floating city to gather at the Capital Dome for a special assembly that Professor Fields grudgingly accepted.

"Do you think the Council will give something new update to us?" Avatara whispered beside him. The blue-haired Engkato was sitting beside him and sipping her green tea-brewed paper cup while she let her eyes roamed around the room.

When he received the email from the Council, Avatara quickly popped a message to him, requesting the professor to accompany her going to the assembly which made Professor Fields forcefully attend this dreadful meeting. He was already thinking of random excuses to not attend the assembly, but Avatara happened.

The Engkanto was eyeing him, expecting for an answer in which he just shrugged his shoulders. He was also clueless about what this assembly was all about. Plus, they were already aware of the situation. Based on the hordes' movements, they were all converging toward Tawalisi. Or at least they were planning to until the slayers together with the students slaughtered them one by one.

"I won't be surprised if the topic is about politics again instead of our dire situation," he voiced out his thoughts to his seatmate.

Avatara just chuckled at him and shook her head, agreeing with him - one of her long-time friends in the city.

Then suddenly, somebody started hammering down a gavel that could be heard throughout the room. All conversations inside the courtroom were hushed immediately, expecting the entrance of the Slayers Council members.

All eyes turned at the center of the courtroom, and an egg-shaped chair flew from above and hovered a few meters above the ground, followed by four more egg-shaped chairs. The chairs were occupied by four men and one woman. All of them had the appearance of 50 years old and above, except for the woman - who happened to be an Engkanto with short curly green hair. The five members of the Slayers Council were all wearing silver robes, covering their whole bodies.

"Greetings, fellow slayers, researchers, and professors!" The man with receding hair and sitting in the middle of the council members greeted his audience with a booming voice. "Thank you for accepting our invitation to gather in the Capital Dome, despite your busy schedules!'

"Like I have a choice," Professor Fields mumbled under his breath where Avatara slapped his hand, telling him that she heard him.

"It's true!" The professor mouthed and looking annoyed at the Engkanto.

"But first," the man continued and flashed his smile at the audience. "I would like to congratulate every one of you for the successful simultaneous exterminations yesterday. I know there are still ongoing exterminations today, but yesterday was so successful which birthed to new heroes and future hope of our kind." The man looked at the direction where Professor Fields and Avatara were sitting, and he continued his speech congratulating every small win from yesterday's event.

"I guess, Councilor Marshall is still keeping tabs on you," Avatara whispered.

He was about to answer her when Professor Fields heard a little commotion a few meters behind them. Both, Avatara and the professor looked behind them and found a woman walking sluggishly and kept on bumping someone's seat.

The woman with waist-length orange hair and wearing red long-sleeve partnered with black tight pants spotted the head of someone familiar, and a smile broke in her face. She tried to hasten her walk, but she couldn't control her equilibrium. Using the back of the seats, she trailed her fingers and used it as her support while walking to Professor Fields direction.

When she reached her destination, Professor Fields could smell the alcohol reeking from her. He couldn't believe she came into the courtroom drunk.

"Hey, Matteo! My friend!" She slumped herself to the seat beside him and patted forcefully the back of Professor Fields.

"Rekka, please behave yourself! The councilor is having his speech, plus," Avatara looked irritated at the drunken appearance of their colleague, and people started to look at their direction, scandalized which the Engkanto was pointing out to Rekka.

"What did I miss?" she replied instead.

"Nothing much," Professor Fields answered. "Aside from the usual diversion speech he was doing right now instead of talking what matters the most."

"I was thinking of not attending this ridiculous meeting! Should follow my instinct!"

"By the way, I haven't thanked you for giving assistance to my students yesterday."

Rekka was also a fellow professor at the slayer academy who happened to be the class advisor of Jin-Yoo and Haruto. "Without Haruto and Jin-Yoo's help, things might get complicated."

Then their conversation was interrupted when someone raised his hand when the council members inquired to their audience if they have anything to raise inside the assembly.

"Esteemed Councilor," a male Engkanto rose from his seat. "We want to know what are the council's plans or strategies after finding out that the hordes were all heading to the direction of Tawilisi?"

"Good question," Councilor Marshal said. "I understand your concern or everyone's concern about this sudden development, but we're assuring everyone that security of the floating city is still at best. We already asked the security team to double-check the defense parameters and shield generation of the city. I hope my answer will sate your curiosity."

The Engkanto was about to ask a follow-up question, but thought better of it and nod at Councilor Marshall to end it.

"The better question should be - what is our offensive plan since we're always on defense against these monsters! But everyone is so afraid to ask it since no one want to take the initiative to rally with full force against the aswang." Rekka muttered to no one.

'She has a point though.' Professor Fields thought. 'Humanity is so afraid to fight full force against the aswang again after the aswang decimated the human population to the brink of extinction.'

His thoughts were interrupted when his mobile device buzzed, indicating an urgent message followed by the Rekka's mobile device tune. Both of them grabbed their devices and opened the message.

"Oh boy! A naive middle schooler sneak her way to the Ground, and now she's missing," Rekka announced to Professor Fields and Avatara. The Engkanto moved her head closer to her seatmate to get a better view of the message in Professor Fields's mobile device. Apparently, the message was sent to all instructors of the academy.

Professor Fields was about to ignore the message, since this was not the first time a student or a civilian sneaked their way down to Ground. It was basically a usual mission assigned to academy students, but he couldn't get out of his system that something troubling was about to happen.