Ambient Mage

*Ludwig's Pov*

"Hey Morgan."

"Ludwig get off the public line."

"Sorry."

Claudia was always telling people, to stay off the public lines, ever since her incident with Michael.

I switched the artifact on my ear to the solo line.

"Hey, Morgan."

"What's up?"

"What was Claudia's attitude about, she seemed standoffish, and edgy."

"She doesn't like talking about the princess, even though they are friends."

"I see, it probably has to do with people only talking to her to gain a connection to the princess."

"I didn't even see it like that. I always thought she didn't talk about him because of her inability to say anything that wasn't praise about her."

I couldn't tell is she was being sarcastic.

"I'm being partially sarcastic here."

"How'd you tell what I was thinking."

I threw a spell down as a gap widened between Lewis and Anna was filled with monsters.

"Thanks."

I got comms from Lewis.

"I can see your face, it was written all over it."

"How, we aren't anywhere near each other, we are on opposite sides of the wall?"

"I'm using a zoom spell, Ludwig."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Um, shouldn't you focus on Claudia?"

"Firstly, you think someone like her needs help? I occasionally throw a spell here or there, but she's doing all the work."

"Secondly, you asked how I saw your face, so I answered."

"That doesn't explain why you were facing me."

"But it does explain why I'm not paying attention to Claudia."

"You know I wasn't talking about your focus on Claudia when I said that."

"Sorry, I'm a commoner, I don't do roundabout conversation."

She was playing with me.

"Why did you take time out of supporting Claudia to watch me?"

"Now you're making it seem like I committed a crime. Can a girl not unfocus for one second?"

"And the zoom?"

"Remember the conversation?"

She had me.

"Yeah. Alright."

I give up.

But I left that unsaid, and cut the line.

***

*Morgan's Pov*

I think Claudia also had some clues, but I had to make sure he wasn't trying to flirt with me.

This environment is not fit for a relationship to bloom.

So throughout our conversation I fed him lines.

He was way too awkward though.

He didn't seem even remotely interested, thankfully.

When we talked it was more like two roommates, or friends, which was nice.

I guess I could relay that to Claudia, always good to share that kind of information.

***

*Claudia's Pov*

I started to prepare some casts as I moved to relieve Lewis and Celeste.

"Let's finish up here, and then we can rest."

"Alright."

***

The wave passed by smoothly and soon enough the night was over and the waves stopped.

"Hey Claudia, do you mind joining the rescue teams again since the waves are already over?"

Rose came to ask me again.

"Sure, but what happened to the 5th tier beasts?"

"We don't know, they left and we lost their mana signature after the few last waves."

"That's not at all terrfying."

"Right, Harry has sent us news. Although there is no day to night cycle here, beasts do actually sleep, especially the 5th tier ones."

"We assume they left to enter their sleep again."

"But just in case I'm going out first?"

"Precisely."

"Can't say I'm happy with that decision by admin, but you're right, it's too dangerous to let a group leave without a 5th tier person."

"I'm glad you understand."

"Just like your last operation we'll give you full support."

"Alright, and is there any areas we need to survey?"

"Aside from the south not really."

"Harry's near fanatic exploration of this dungeon has rewarded us with complete map and movement of the beasts on the north side, and the west side."

"There are quite a few beasts on the north side of the 5th tier, and upon fully mapping and recording the west side, he has speculated the places where the gates were in this labyrinth are actually places where the strongest beasts are."

"You're saying?"

"He thinks this isn't a natural labyrinth, or at least, people certainly inhabited it."

"It's an astute claim, given what we've seen, I'm almost tempted to say it was obvious due to the colosseum matching the known building conventions for a human structure."

"I mean this used to be a city, Claudia."

"What?"

"This is just a wild speculation from Harry, but it seems like an entire fortress city was engulfed inside a dungeon, and then naturally reappeared like this."

"That's terrifying to know."

"I thought we might even find traces of living people, but he reassured, me that every year the second years do this dungeon, no one has found a living person."

"Good to know."

"Alright then, Claudia, remember south side, and support."

"Got it."

I yelled over to her as she begun to walk away from me.

I moved to my quarters to begin packing for my rescue and expedition mission.

So I added one more person to the 5 man operation I had joined.

"Hello everyone."

"I'm Sasha, and I'm your cartographer."

"Claudia do we need one?"

Ryan asked.

"Actually, this whole rescue mission is also an expedition."

"Unfortunately we can't be sure about the sleep habits of the beasts, so we need to have a full map and grasp of the labyrinth."

"Ah I see now."

Ludwig began.

"You're here to protect us, she's here to map, and we're here, in case we find people to save."

"You're completely correct."

"I see, then is everyone here ready for the check?"

We all gave a postive response.

With that we signed out with Maria, and began to jouney southward.

"New day, but same us right guys?"

Marcia turned to the group

"Okay?"

Isaac questioned her phrasing.

"So Claudia mind explaining how Lucas is a better manager than the two of you?"

Ludwig spoke up, not very happy with her line of communication.

"Are we seriously still questioning Claudia at this point? Leave her alone, and focus on the mission a little."

The guys agreed while Sasha was busy mapping what precious little we hadn't covered on the southeastern side of the dungeon.

"AAAAAH!"

Yet another scream near us just like last time.

***

*Celeste's Pov*

"We need a healer over here now."

Someone yelled across the clinic, not very used to the rules of silent operation I guess.

Lauren had taken over for me at Lucas' bedside.

We had a rotation going between Aisha, me, and Lauren.

When one left the room, they would rest, and in a few hours, wake, start in the clinic, and then rotate into the room letting someone rotate out.

Ever since Lucas' retreival we've been rotating in 5 hour intervals.

Next would be Lauren's turn.

"I'm here, what do you need?"

"This lady over here is a little crazzy, and needs some mind magic."

"Where am I?!"

She was yelling as she entered the room.

"Relax you're at a student survivor camp."

"I know, but who is leading it?"

"Currently Rose Castelan."

"Not Damian?"

She seemed almost shocked.

"Nope there may be a Damian here, but as far as I'm concerned he has never been to admin."

"Admin?"

"You mean it's not like a tyranny here?"

"Here?"

"Are you saying there's another survivor camp?"

"Yes, they call it 'Base', and it's horrible."

"Where is it located?"

"I don't know, people who weren't strong had to bow to the 5 Supreme, and 6 kings."

"What the hell does that mean?"

Asked the boy nurse next to me.

I responded tersely.

"The other 5th tier beings are probably at that camp, not treating their fellow students like people."

"No, no, it's not that bad for most of them, and in fact, I know a few that want to go off and start their own camp."

"But it's Damian the high rank 5th circle mage."

"I'll run to admin, let them know."

"Currently our only active 5th tier is out in the field and we need to warn them."

***

I entered the door to Rose's office fast.

"Celeste?"

"What's going on? Something in the clinic?"

She stood up, her voice quickening.

"No, there's another survivor camp, called 'Base'. and most of it's 'Ruling Class' doesn't take kindly to their fellow students."

"We need to let Claudia know."

"We can't she's out of range of normal communications."

"But Harry isn't? Are you joking?"

"Actually yes, I was."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"No, no, my joke was in poor taste, I'll let her know, thanks Celeste."

***

*Claudia's Pov*

"Hey Ludwig, whatever happened to the girl and guy we saved?"

"Well the girl is recovering and has been asleep for the last 10 ish hours, but it would make sense after running that far from camp."

"As for Don? I have no idea, he's a weird guy."

"AAAAAH!"

Another scream just like the last.

A girls this time.

"Let's go save them."

I said to Ludwig.

We manuevered around the dungeon to the source of the noise, when it mysteriously stopped.

We picked up our pace, leaving Isaac alone with Sasha to hide somewhere.

We sprinted in the labyrinth to her rough location before finding a female and male student next to each other.

"Shut up idiot, do you want to-"

She bolted into a standing position as we rounded the corner to her.

"Who are you are you one of Damian's dogs?"

"Who?"

"Don't lie to me bitch, if you don't want to die."

Well she was a ray of sunshine.

"Hey, who are you, and why are you so far from the camp?"

"You mean Base?"

"No the survivor camp?"

Ludwig took over negotiations.

"Claudia come in, Claudia."

I answered the orb.

"We have recieved reports of another camp, called base, it severely mistreats it's people, take care not to be spotted, or taken."

"Got it Rose."

"Who was that? Was that a woman?"

"Yes, that's our admin, Rose."

"Mind telling us who you two are?"

The woman was almost in rags, and the guy was basically shirtless and had multiple cuts on his body.

"Actually, Ludwig stop."

"Huh?"

"Do you happen to know a Don?"

"You know that bastard?"

"Yeah he happened to leave his other teammate, who we also found, are you the other group to that?"

"Yes."

"Since, you're both alive, and decently well, then let's head back to our camp, and tell us everythiing you guys know about this place."

"Fine, your leader was a woman right?"

"The very only Rose Castellan."

"Rose? Let me speak to her."

I reluctantly gave her a spare comms orb.

"Here."

"Rose? Rose are you there?"

"Lily is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Is Iris there with you?"

"No, but apparently she's already at your camp."

"Really?"

"Yeah these guys just told me Lily and Don made it there."

"Ludwig can you confirm that was her name?"

"Yes."

"Then lets go back and solve this thing."

We took Lily and Xavier, back to camp, and reconvened in admin.

***

*Rose's Pov*

"We have Lily, Iris, Charlotte, Claudia, and myself here."

"Order of meeting is to identify the base, and find the best course of action for our camp."

Lily and Iris spoke first.

"When I left with LIly and everyone else, it was horrible, some men were already becoming like slaves. We left before we could see what happened to the women."

Damn. Those pigs.

"When Iris and Don went missing, I turned back to base to regroup with them."

"But they never came back."

"Afterwards, Damian tried to make a show out of making me his 'personal slave'."

She shivered, and everyone in the room began to get angry.

"What happened?"

Charlotte spit out almost venomously.

"He tried to collar and shackle me, in public."

"I see."

"How many people are at your camp?"

"Maybe 300, 250?"

"That should be everyone else."

Charlotte's anger calmed into a rageful ocean.

Calm on the surface, but with trembling, horrifying undercurrents.

"For now until Lucas wakes up I can't promise anything, but once he wakes up, there will be hell to pay."

"Who is Lucas, princess?"

"The man who made it possible for this camp to be established, and the one who saved the people who founded it, their lives."

She looked shocked.

"Stay here for a few hours, the beast waves are going to begin again soon, according to Harry."

"Okay."

With that, we had a focus now, a new top priority.

Destroy the other student's camp.