Blue Archive - An Otherworldly Sensei

For the past several months, the mages of Sjel Blad Castle have been seeking to expand their research beyond not just the borders of Skyrim, but beyond the boundaries of Nirn itself. The lord of the castle has already had some experience in visiting these realms beyond the mortal plane, but his ventures into these realms isn't nearly enough. They desired more; their recent experiments revolving around the potential of exploring the Deadlands, the Daedric Realm of Mehrunes Dagon. Months of near constant study and preparation had gone into it, and when the promised day finally came; Ja'vassa himself volunteered to enter the portal. As not only the leader of Sjel Blad Castle and the strongest member of the faction, it made sense to him that he'd be the one to take the risk and see if their efforts weren't in vain. However, before entering the portal, Ja'vassa took some time to make a few preparations; he took a few days to ensure his equipment was in top condition, prepared some potions and poisons for emergencies, and made sure he had plenty of materials to write with just in case he needed to send messages back to his companions. Once everything was said and done, Ja'vassa returned to the ritual site. "Whenever you're ready, activate the portal. I'll send a message to you within twenty-four hours." The Dragonborn stated as he watched Relumara activate the runes on the ground. The group at the ritual site collectively held their breath. The moment the portal appeared, they released a number of relieved sighs. With the portal opened, Ja'vassa approached it with an eager grin plastered to his face. "You're in charge until I return, Relumara. I'm planning for the expedition to last at least two weeks. I'll send back reports periodically, so keep an eye on the Void Conduits across the castle." The Dunmer battlemage nodded in response, bowing slightly out of respect. "I look forward to your return. Safe travels, my Lord." After stepping through the portal, it quickly closed behind Ja'vassa in a brilliant flash of light. Holding his breath and closing his eyes, he awaited for the feeling of solid ground beneath his feet. It felt like an eternity, but as he finally had solid footing once more, his eyes fluttered open. The typical calm disposition had been replaced by a look of utter shock and confusion. He knew the stories of the Deadlands; they always mentioned that it was a desolate wasteland filled with rivers of lava, ruined towers, dead plants, and vicious daedra looking to turn any foolish mortal who entered into their new plaything. However, as he stepped from the portal, he'd find that this was anything but the hellish landscape the stories claimed it to be. He had found himself in the middle of a strange office overlooking perhaps the largest cityscape the old Khajiit had ever seen in his life. Though he could see a number of civilians walking on the ground from where he was staring out of the window; they didn't strike him as typical daedra. Some of them were seemingly normal looking girls with strange halos over their heads while others appeared to be humanoid dogs, cats, and rabbits. Yet, the office he arrived in seemed devoid of life and all was quiet. Curious and somewhat concerned, Ja'vassa began to explore the office to see if he couldn't find any information about this place. Approaching an empty desk, he'd come across a strange tablet resting atop of it. Something about the tablet drew him closer, prompting him to pick it up. "What is this...?" He muttered. At the moment he'd pick it up, the tablet came to life; the screen filled with a variety of vivid colors and eventually, a cheerful, energetic girl popped up. Despite the ever increasing confusion within his mind, he couldn't peel himself away from whatever was happening. This might not have been his intended destination, but this was an interesting development all the same. "Welcome to Kivotos, Sensei!" The girl spoke, her cheerful tone matching the glowing smile on her face. "Judging by the look on your face, you have no idea where you are. Lucky for you, I'm here to help! You can call me Arona, the AI of the Shittim Chest you hold now." Though he now knows the name of the strange place, it did little to help his confusion. "Kivotos? Yeah, I can't say I was intending to come here..." Ja'vassa admits, briefly glancing around the room. The technology surrounding him was almost overwhelming, but he did well to mask his nervousness. "What is this place? Why do you call me 'Sensei'?" A few playful giggles escaped Arona. "Kivotos is a massive city, home to a number of different academies, you'll find both the academies and the students that reside within them to have great stories to tell! You're currently within SCHALE, the Independent Federal Investigation Club. I call you Sensei because you were able to activate the Shittim Chest, you were summoned here to aid the students with their problems." The explanation did alleviate some of his confusion, but it only created more questions in his mind. "So.. my experiment failed and somehow brought me here? To be a teacher? I... I'm not entirely sure if any of my expertise would be beneficial to the students here." Ja'vassa stated, his ears flattening slightly as he spoke. "Oh! You're not here to teach them, but rather, just to support them." Arona assured him, her cheerful smile never leaving her face. "Don't worry; I've already called for someone to better assist you in figuring out your mission. She's the Vice President of the General Student Council, the ruling body of Kivotos. She should be here soon." As Ja'vassa waited for the Vice President's arrival, he found himself curiously wandering about the office; picking up a few of the books scattered on the shelves and skimming through them. While his experiment had failed, there was something highly intriguing about the world he ended up in. Sooner than later, he'd need to make a report and send it back home; he wasn't sure how his Inner Council would react, but he figured this would be an incredible discovery in and of itself. After a few moments, a young woman had entered the room; the lights in the office brightening slightly. "So, you're the Sensei that Arona claimed was summoned to our world." She stated, staring at him with an unreadable expression. Her eyes never left him, as if she was studying his every move, gauging his intentions. "I'm not sure if you're the one we summoned, but if you activated the Shittim Chest, then perhaps you're the one we're seeking." She approached him, her hand outstretched. "Nanagami Rin, Vice President of the General Student Council. Perhaps you'd be willing to tell me your name and where you came from, Sensei?" Hesitating ever so slightly, Ja'vassa firmly shook her hand. "Ja'vassa Anair, Lord of Sjel Blad Castle. I hail from the province of Skyrim, a land beyond this realm." He started, releasing her hand after a moment. "Arona claimed I was summoned here.. strange the summoning would happen in the middle of my group's latest project." His mention of the project caught her attention. "What exactly was this project of yours?" Rin asked, raising her eyebrows slightly. "We were attempting to create a portal to the Deadlands, one of the many planes of Oblivion for study and research. Something went wrong.. or was poorly timed, and instead of ending up where I had planned, I wound up here." Ja'vassa explained, crossing his arms as he spoke. "This may not have been my intended destination, but.. I can't say I'm upset by the results. There is still much to be learned here." Satisfied by his explanation, Rin looked him up and down; a light smile crossing her face as she took in his apparel. "Judging by your clothing, I'd suspect this Skyrim is a little... primitive. You should fit in well enough, as I'm sure you can see some of the citizens from here." There was a slight pause from him as Ja'vassa looked towards the clothing he had on. While the coat, boots, and gloves were fine, they clearly looked a bit outdated compared to the more refined uniform that Rin wore. His Goldbrand sword resting on his hip seemed just as ancient in comparison. "I... I suppose we're not nearly as advanced. Admittedly, in the centuries I've lived, I've never seen anything like this. I'm quite sure the entirety of Whiterun could fit within this stretch of road. The buildings make even the White-Gold Tower look small." A soft chuckle escaped her as he listened to him. "It seems you'll be learning from our students just as much as they'll be learning from you, Sensei." Rin replied, an amused smile crossing her face. "Give me a few moments to enter your information into our database." Silence had filled the room as Rin began to enter the information Ja'vassa had given her. After a short while, Arona spoke up with her usual gleeful tone. "You've been successfully registered as a member of SCHALE's Federal Investigation Club, Ja'vassa-Sensei! We'll probably be receiving some requests from students for aid soon; perhaps in the meantime, you should explore Kivotos a bit and introduce yourself to some of the students you'll be meeting with." She suggested. "That's a good idea, Arona. I've already sent out memos to each of the student councils at the surrounding academies. They'll know to expect you. Gehenna and Trinity are the closest ones to us, they're also among the largest and most prestigious of the schools in Kivotos. As an official SCHALE employee, you'll probably want to use this." Rin added, handing Ja'vassa a credit card and an ID badge. "You can use this for payment for anything you might need while you're working with us, and the lanyard will identify you. Arona can help you find the academies in question. I'll be in contact with you if anything comes up." Ja'vassa nodded as he took the card, staring at it with some slight confusion, though he figured that Arona could likely help him with it at some point. If all else failed, he still had plenty of supplies within his Deep Storage and could always contact his companions through the Void Storage. After Rin had left the room, Ja'vassa had followed suit and made his way to the city streets. Being on ground level gave him an entirely new perspective of the city, and his nerves were acting up a little. His ears twitch nervously as he glanced around him; he's been alive for nearly two thousand years and has visited nearly every point on Tamriel, and yet, nothing could've prepared him for the sheer size of Kivotos. The Imperial City seems tiny in comparison. "Uh... I hope you're good with directions, Arona." Ja'vassa said softly, glancing towards the tablet with a slightly sheepish smile. "I think... Maybe we should start with Trinity? Any idea where we should go from here?" Seeing the confusion etched onto the Khajiit's voice, a few cheerful giggles escaped her. "Don't worry! I'll pull up a map for you, just follow the highlighted path." Arona assured him. She'd disappear for a moment, being replaced with a map. "Just head north from here, and then go east, then north again. It'll be difficult to miss; Trinity is a large school, after all." With the directions given to him, Ja'vassa began his journey towards the academy. His gaze wandered towards the various buildings, his eyes sparkling with an almost childish excitement as he took in all of the different sights and smells; though his main priority was to meet with the students of Trinity and later at Gehenna, he'd make sure to properly explore the city at some point.