Implode ~ 24!

“I never cared about getting on the Council,” Joe grumbled as the Master celebrated with his people around them. A piece of rotten fruit bounced off of the Ritualist’s face, and the human whipped his head up with fury in his eyes, daring someone to try that again. A few of them appeared as if they were willing to take that dare, so he kept the smirk off his face and activated Exquisite Shell and Retaliation of Shadows. His protective spells sprang up into place, and as a walnut bounced off the barrier that was now in front of his eye, a crisp *slap* rang out.

The Dwarf that had been hit by the slap of Joe’s shadowy doppelganger had been completely unprepared for the retaliation and was directly knocked off his feet. As the bearded individual hit the ground, all sounds of jubilation stopped. In an instant, the crowd turned hostile, and a few began to advance on the human, seeing this as proof of his treachery. Suddenly, an arresting chuckle rang out. It started low, but each time it echoed off the surrounding buildings, it seemed to gain in strength and volume.

Soon, dozens of the people were holding their ears as blood trickled from the canals. The laugh stopped all at once, and a white-mustachioed Dwarf stepped forward, using an intricate cane to methodically approach. All the fight went out of the crowd as soon as they saw her, and a good number of them even saluted by slamming their fists over their hearts.

“Grandmaster!”

The Dwarf didn't bother to acknowledge the show of respect from the crowd, moving forward far more smoothly than someone using a cane had any right to do. Her eyes never left Joe, and he could feel the tell-tale prickle of a skill being activated on him. He saluted, just as he had learned to do in the Legion, and nodded his head at the leader of the city. His voice was low, but he knew that anyone of her status would be able to hear him clearly, no matter how quietly he spoke. “Grandmaster.”

“What's all this, then?” The ancient Dwarf was smiling gently, seeming to be no more dangerous than any elderly grandmother. As Master Stu began his tale, the Grandmaster’s expression turned ever more ominous. When he finished, she heaved a long sigh and shook her head solemnly. “Let me get this straight… this man arrived here via the goat path. He offered to solve any issue we had with our food supply, which would allow us to maintain our independence and remain a bastion fortress against the invading Elven forces. He was assigned a guard, who went out of his way to bend the rules, and then he was subsequently humiliated in a competition which he had not been provided the rules for. Rules which you, Stu, twisted almost to the point of breaking.”

“But only almost, Grandmaster,” Stu agreed with her irreverently. “I certainly didn't break any of the rules.”

The white-haired Dwarf appeared next to Stu, crossing the distance so instantaneously that it could have easily been a teleportation skill. She briskly bopped the Master on the head with her cane, shaking her own in disappointment. “The rules clearly dictate that the challenger is allowed to make the challenge properly. They get to set the time and place. They get to choose which Master they challenge, and they certainly get to choose how many people they train at a time. Let's have a little test, shall we? One where you don’t get to choose the perfect amount of people for you to train?”

“Grandmaster…” Stu looked around the area pleadingly.

“We are going to restart the training challenge!” the Grandmaster called, and by contrast to the previous event, no one cheered or said a word. “As the challenger does not know the rules, I will act as the arbitrator on his behalf. If anyone finds that this is unfair, feel free to speak up at any time. We will engage in two competing rounds, where each Master trains while the other attempts to throw them off their game. Whoever can train more Dwarves faster, to a higher level of skill, will walk away the winner of the seat on the Council. Major-General Master Joe, as the Challenger, how many people would you like to train in a skill at a time?”

“I would prefer…” Joe was still reeling from the unexpected turnaround, but he quickly regained his bearings. “Give me a hundred?”

The crowd murmured, some in excitement, some in disbelief over his Elf-like arrogance. The Grandmaster raised one of her eyebrows but didn't ask any further questions. “I need a hundred volunteers, those who would like to train under a Master in a physical skill.”

In an instant, there was an uproar as people attempted to be the first to volunteer for the Grandmaster. She smiled and waved them down. “Now, now… I see all of the people from Master Stu’s faction among you. Feel free to step back and away. We don't want a repeat of this last attempt.”

“I knew it,” Joe muttered as quietly as he was able, even still earning an amused glance from the Grandmaster.

“I certainly hope your teaching skill is up to the task. One hundred people learning from you at a time is no mean feat,” she cautioned him, her voice reaching his ears directly. No one else seemed to have noticed that she was speaking.

“Will I have a surprise for you when this competition ends.” Joe chuckled as her look shifted to one of minor confusion. The fact of the matter was, he didn’t currently have a teaching skill. The entire process was all going to be hands-on learning and an info-dump for the trainees.

“You have ten minutes and the undivided attention of the people who want to learn how to jump properly.” The Grandmaster waved her hand, and a timer appeared in the air overhead. Joe thought that was a nice touch, as it had felt like he had not been given a full ten minutes previously.

The human turned his complete attention to the Dwarves and began teaching them. As he spoke and demonstrated the motions required, it felt akin to being back in basic training once more, having to explain the most simplistic movements to people that had never needed to learn a skill in their life before this moment. It was an interesting memory, and it certainly impacted the way that he taught them. Then, the fly in the ointment appeared.

“You’re such a great teacher!” Stu’s voice overflowed with sarcasm, and Joe felt the skill activate against him as though it were a physical blow. “That's right, only focus on your best students! The other ones don't need this training at all!”

You are being affected by a Master rank speech skill!

You are receiving guidance in a Teaching skill from an Expert teacher! This skill will increase quickly under the tutelage!

The first message had been expected, but the second one almost made Joe burst into laughter. However inadvertently, it seemed that the Master was teaching him the teaching skill and giving him pointers on how to do it better. Joe let the sarcasm flow around him but began paying attention to what was actually being said.

The time passed rapidly, and he adjusted his efforts the entire time, based on the heckling that he was receiving. It didn't matter so much if he himself were unable to use the skill, which the sarcasm seemed to be targeting. Or, Joe mused to himself, it could be that the Dwarf was actively targeting his usage of the teaching skill, which would explain why he was constantly going on about better ways of instructing his students. The only issue was, since he didn't have the teaching skill currently… there was nothing to impede.

“Time!” The Grandmaster called, her eyes regarding Joe questioningly even as a smile tugged at her lips. “It is time for the next round. Joe, feel free to attempt to impede your opponent with your skill in whatever way you wish, so long as you do not stop him from instructing those around him or touch him.”

You have received instruction from a Master! You have successfully taught one hundred people at one time to use a skill, bringing 21% to the Novice rank, and 79% to the Beginner ranks as you learned how to properly teach.

Skill gained: Teaching (Student 0). You have shown an innate talent for this skill, gained instruction from an Expert Teacher, and learned the skill while bringing a century of people to new heights, literally! Uses: You are able to impart (n-iT-s/2)% of your skill level in a skill to those that you are attempting to teach, where n = skill level, iT = the inverse Tier of skill knowledge, and s = the number of students. When used in a public setting, others may be able to learn the skill as well at a rate of n/2-iT, so use caution when teaching skills you don’t want to let out! Cost: 1n*T mana per second.

The human nodded to indicate his understanding to the Grandmaster while he tried to simultaneously parse the new skill’s information. Deciding he could do that later, he got his head in the game and tried to figure out how he could use his Omnivaulting skill best. Could he jump on the Dwarf's head? Could he grab him and jump to the top of a building? The way the Grandmaster had set the parameters seemed to be a hint, and he got the sense that using any other skill to interrupt would not be a viable way of creating the interruption. The timer started, and the Dwarf began frantically attempting to teach all one hundred people under him.

Joe decided that there was really only one way he could use the skill, and he jumped to land directly in front of the Dwarf. Stu sputtered to a stop as Joe appeared a fraction of an inch in front of him, recoiling as if he expected to be attacked. The Ritualist simply smirked at him, then jumped over him and landed directly behind him, breathing down his neck as he tried to resume teaching.

Every once in a while, when it looked like a student was about to have a breakthrough, Joe would jump and land heavily directly in front of them, breaking their concentration and ruining whatever enlightenment they were about to attain. With one hundred students, Stu was unable to accomplish the same level of engagement that he had with the reduced number of his handpicked pupils, especially as Joe continuously distracted them and interrupted his ability to pull the crowd into the zone.

“Time!” the Grandmaster called, even though thirty-two seconds remained on the clock.

“What!” Stu shouted, completely frazzled by the attempt to teach so many people, the constant interruptions, and ultimately the fact that he did not receive the full amount of time.

“You were given exactly as much time as you allotted in the previous challenge.” The Grandmaster smiled coyly, and all the Master could do was clench his fists and drop his gaze in shame. “Humans are not all that bad. Well then, let's take a look at the results.”

Joe already knew that he was going to rock the challenge, since his skill gain had shown him a percentage. Within the one hundred trainees, he knew exactly what the breakdown had been. The appraiser came around, calculated skill levels, and concluded their passage in front of the Grandmaster. “During this competition, Master Stu was able to bring his students’ average level in the skill ‘Sarcasm’ to Beginner seven!”

This revelation caused no small amount of cheering, as he had performed nearly as well with one hundred students as he had with only ten. The Dwarf raised his hand in premature victory as the appraiser continued, “Master Joe was able to bring the average level of his students in the skill ‘Jump’ to Beginner eight!”

“Welcome to the Council,” the Grandmaster stated without any preamble. Before she could say anything further, Joe shook his head and walked over to Master Stu.

Raising his voice, he addressed not only the master, but the crowd as a whole. “My intent was never to join the Council, and so long as I am able to use one of the rights for a short while, I am more than happy to leave this Master in his position.”

The Dwarf looked up, hope filling his eyes at Joe's proclamation. Continuing on, the Ritualist explained. “All I needed was a few minutes of the Grandmaster's time in order to propose a plan to help the Dwarven Oligarchy. I cannot stay here, and I certainly cannot be a ruler in this city, when I am needed elsewhere. Grandmaster, could I please have a few minutes of your time?”

“I will allow it. After all, I didn't expect the Apprentice of Grandmaster Havoc to stick around.” She snorted as she took in Stu’s shocked appearance. “What? You think I would just assist a stranger to overturn our Council so easily? I was merely ensuring fairness, which is something our people are supposed to be known for.”

Stu shamefacedly nodded, saluting the Grandmaster and turning soberly to Joe. “My apologies for my actions. Please seek me out for recompense at another time.”

“All I want is a fair shot.” Joe shrugged and offered his hand to the Dwarf, who clasped it with a firm grip. “There is no need for hardships between us, not when this nation is undergoing such a trial. Think nothing of it.”

The Grandmaster tapped her cane on the ground, the echo shaking the air of the city. “Masters of the Council, I hereby call an emergency meeting.”

Then, dropping her voice to a normal tone, she winked at Joe and gestured for him and Stu to follow her. “Shall we go have that conversation?”