Blue Archive - An Otherworldly Sensei

As the morning sun peeked over the horizon, basking the landscape in the warm and inviting golden light, the group had slowly made their way towards Abydos High School to begin planning their trip to the Black Market to see if they couldn't find a way to discreetly sell the gold that Sjel Blad Castle was supplying them with. Ja'vassa was the first to arrive in the meeting room; he had some trouble sleeping the previous night, dealing with an unpleasant feeling in his gut. It wasn't entirely clear what was causing his discomfort, but all night, he was almost certain that something had gone wrong not long after they left the ramen shop; perhaps he was just anxious about the Black Market trip, though he figured he'd address the nervous feeling with the others once they arrived. One by one, the students had arrived in the meeting room; Nonomi, Ayane, Shiroko, and Hoshino had all arrived, taking their seats around the table. At first, things seemed fine, but they quickly took note that Serika hadn't arrived yet. A worried frown crossed Ayane's face as she glanced towards Ja'vassa. "You haven't seen Serika today, have you, Sensei?" She asked, her tone of voice sounding as anxious as she looked. Ja'vassa shook his head, a similarly nervous frown growing. "Not yet. She's usually the first one to arrive, so I'm a bit worried about her.. especially since it didn't seem she arrived with any of you." He replied, nervously tapping his fingers against the table. "That's concerning. I typically meet with her at her house. When I arrived I couldn't find her, or her bag. She hasn't responded on MomoTalk either." Ayane's frown widened slightly as scenarios raced through her mind. "I spoke with Master Shiba before I arrived as well, everything seemed alright when she left after her shift last night." Nonomi spoke up next, worrisome tears pricking at her eyes. "You don't think that she might've had a run in with the Helmet Gang? In an effort to get to the rest of us, they struck when we were separated..." At the mention of the Helmet Gang, Ja'vassa stood up and grabbed his tablet from his satchel. It was a long shot, but perhaps Arona could help with the situation. "Arona, is it possible for you to track Serika's cell phone? If she still had her bag before her disappearance, it's likely she has her phone on her." Arona nodded at him, her blue halo turning a deep green color as she worked on tracking Serika's location. It took several moments, but after a while she gave him a bright, determined smile. "I have her location, Sensei! She's a little north in the desert and moving quickly. I'm not sure where she's going, but if we leave now, we might be able to catch her." Ja'vassa nodded, releasing a brief sigh of relief. "Thank you, Arona. I knew I could count on you." He then turned to the others. "Come on, I have her location; let's not waste any time. Grab your things and prepare yourselves for a fight." Without any hesitation, the others quickly grabbed their weapons and bolted out the door, deciding to use the old truck that was tucked away in the school's storage area. As the only who could drive, Ayane took it upon herself to speed off towards the desert, making small talk as she drove. "What could she be doing in the desert? If the Helmet Gang is involved, why would they be taking her out there?" Ayane asked, briefly glancing towards Ja'vassa. "Perhaps they're intending to use her as a hostage. Kidnap someone close to Abydos High School, and use her as leverage into either paying them or forcing you to abandon the school..." Ja'vassa paused for a moment, rubbing his chin for a moment. "Why are they so eager to take over Abydos? I hate to sound cynical, but... what's so special about this place? Decaying buildings, mountains of sand... what value could they possibly have in it?" Ayane wasn't able to give much of an answer as she stared out at the road ahead of them. "I'm not sure, but Kaiser, the company we owe our debt to, has been buying up a lot of the land across Abydos District, or just taking parts of it. The school technically owned much of the district, but as the debt increased, we were forced to give it up." Her answer only confused him further. "If that's the case, then why don't they just force you to foreclose on the school, then? If it's bad publicity they're worried about, then surely they'd ease off on the debt by now. None of it makes sense... there's gotta be something hidden here in the desert that they're after. With the growing pressure from this... Kaiser group and the Helmet Gang, it's a wonder they don't just swoop in and finish the job." Ja'vassa replied, his eyes widening for a moment. "You don't think that the Helmet Gang has been getting their funding and orders from Kaiser, do you? For a bunch of hooligans, they seem awfully well funded..." It was an idea that none of them had considered before, but it made sense. Their goals seemed to align, but it never made much sense that the Helmet Gang was so determined to undermine them; the frequent attacks, the harassment on the road. If they really were in cahoots with each other, it started to make more and more sense, but without any proof to their connection, they wouldn't be able to bring this up to any legal authorities. Before Ayane could respond, Arona suddenly chimed in. "We're closing in on Serika's location. Be ready for anything!" Ja'vassa nodded, peering out the window slightly as the speeding truck and tanks ahead of them came into sight. Taking a moment to study the vehicles, he'd lock his eyes on the tires of the truck. "Serika's in that truck. Try to match its speed." He said to Ayane before glancing towards Shiroko in the bed of their vehicle. "Shiroko! Focus your firepower on the vehicles surrounding it! Fire on my signal!" Nodding at his order, Shiroko prepared her rocket drone for the attack. Keeping her eye on Ja'vassa, she waited for the signal. As Ayane closed in on the truck, the owners of the opposing vehicle began to take note. One of them poked their head out of the truck, aiming a shotgun towards the Abydos group. Before they could take the first shot, Ja'vassa jumped into action; firing off an Icy Spear towards the wheels of the truck. "Shiroko, now!" He yelled out. The sharp shard of ice struck his target, piercing through the tire and damaging the rim; this caused a sudden spinout, though the truck managed to remain upright, but was forced to stop. With the fleet of vehicles coming to an unexpected halt, Shiroko fired off a number of rockets towards the tanks that surrounded Ja'vassa's main target. They weren't completely destroyed, but they were damaged enough that it forced the gang to stop their movements. Several members of the group jumped into action, various firearms pointed in their direction and ready to blast at a moment's notice. "Shiroko, you're with me. Nonomi, Hoshino; don't give them a chance to hit back. Fire at them with everything you've got!" Jumping out of the vehicle, Ja'vassa and Shiroko bolted for the truck. He focused on covering his partner; using a combination of frost and shock magic to keep the Helmet Gang from approaching them while Ayane provided support from the sky. With Nonomi's rapid fire and Hoshino's quick, but precise strikes, they were able to make quick work of their opponents. Breaking into the back of the truck, Ja'vassa jumped into the back; relieved to see Serika was alive and in one piece. "S-Sensei? You... you came for me?" Serika asked, surprise and relief evident in her eyes. "How did you find me?" Ja'vassa hadn't answered and reached out to undo the ropes that bound her hands and feet. "Don't worry about that, Serika.. I'm glad to see you're safe, though." He replied softly, trying to mask his own emotions. "Are you hurt anywhere? I know we were a little rough when we got here..." Slowly, but steadily, Serika managed to stand up. "No, I'm fine. What about the others? Where are they?" Ja'vassa held out her weapon for her. "They're outside, holding off the Helmet Gang. They won't last forever, but I've got a plan. You're a pretty damn good shot, Serika. What do you say to giving them a little payback for tying you up like that?" He suggested. "I'll do just that. What'd you have in mind?" Serika asked, holding her firearm close to her. "I've had just about enough of them... they've caused us enough problems, it's about time I returned the favor." A proud smile crossed his face as he listened to her. "That's what I wanted to hear." Ja'vassa replied, stepping out of the truck. "See that building in the distance? Find yourself a vantage point; Ayane will give you the signal. Let your attack loose the moment the signal appears. Show no hesitation and we'll return to Abydos victoriously. I'll give you some cover, run as fast as you can and don't look back." Serika nodded at him as she stepped out with him, taking a moment to adjust to sudden change in light. "Got it, Sensei... and thank you for coming for me, even after I snapped at you." Ja'vassa shook off the gratitude. "Don't thank me, Serika. I was only doing what any teacher would. Now, go. We'll talk more once the battle is over." Now that Ja'vassa had properly rejoined the battle, he'd assault the tanks with various Thunderbolt spells in an effort to kick up some dust to give Serika some cover as she fled towards the nearby building. Thanks to their sudden attack, the Helmet Gang was largely in disarray and was unable to keep up with the relentless assault of their enemies, but they had the advantage in numbers. Despite the tenacity of the Abydos group, they weren't able to make much of a move without drawing fire from nearly any direction and were largely forced to fight back to back with each other, protecting Ayane and the vehicle. Fortunately, their distraction worked and within a few minutes, Serika was in position; her sights were firmly set on the battlefield as she awaited for the signal. "Ayane, now! This is our only chance! Take cover the moment you launch it!" Ja'vassa ordered. "On it, Sensei!" Ayane called out, launching her drone over the battlefield; carrying a number of powerful explosives. Seeing the bright red case flying over the truck, Serika took note of the signal and fired off a number of shots. The Helmet Gang were none the wiser as her shots connected with the explosive drone, and without much warning, the desert sands were sent up in flames as the gang's truck and tanks were completely destroyed; scraps of metal littered the battlefield and much of their attackers laid across the sands in a daze. Miraculously, none of them were killed, but with their weapons destroyed, they had no choice but to wave the white flag. Unfortunately, Ayane's truck wasn't spared from the explosion. She was largely unharmed, but found it difficult to stand back up. The adrenaline that had built up during the course of the battle had disappeared and with it, she hardly had any strength to stand on her own. "S-Sensei... can you help me?" She asked in a sheepish tone, an awkward giggle escaping her. Without any hesitation on his part, Ja'vassa gently lifted her up; hoisting her onto his back. "Let's head back to Abydos and rest up. I'll cook up some lunch for us and then we begin properly discussing our plans for the Black Market trip." With all six of them together again, they set off for Abydos High School. Before they had gotten too far, Shiroko had picked up one of the discarded shells from the Helmet Gang's attack; finding it to be fairly unusual when compared to everything else they were using. It wasn't clear how long it took for them to return to the school, but by the time they had returned, it was well beyond time for lunch and instead, it was time for Ja'vassa to get supper cooked up for them. They had joined each other in the school's cafeteria to begin their discussions. After setting the table with a few bowls of venison stew, bread, and apple juice, Ja'vassa sat down with them. "It took longer than I thought it would, but I'm glad to see you're all here again." He sighed softly, a relieved smile crossing his face. "Still... the longer I watch you fight, the more impressed I become. I can see why they've struggled to gain any ground against you so far. You're relentless, courageous, and brilliant; the makings of a great warrior." Hoshino nodded in agreement, a proud smile on her face. "The youngsters make this old timer proud. I'm... glad the school will be in their hands in the future, I know they'll take care of it for me when I'm gone." Ja'vassa smile softened slightly as he listened to her. "Don't sell yourself short, Hoshino. Your presence is a big help to them, too. If not for your leadership, things might've crumbled long ago." Hoshino wanted to retort, but she saw the looks on her fellow students and remained silent, but smiled nonetheless. It was comforting to hear those words from someone. "...thank you, Sensei. But, we can't skip giving you some credit, too. Your presence on the battlefield has been helpful, too. You might not know your way around a gun, but it doesn't seem like you need it with that magic of yours." Despite the somewhat playful banter, Shiroko interjected; figuring it was time for her to reveal what she had found in the desert earlier in the day. Setting the discarded shell on the table, she looked towards them expectantly. "I found this amongst the rubble. It's a discontinued tank shell... and unless I'm mistaken, it was made illegal before it was discontinued." She stated. Nonomi studied the shell, her interest growing. "Stuff like this would only be available on the Black Market, right? Could this be where the Helmet Gang are getting their equipment?" There was a brief silence amongst them, but all of them seemed to arrive at the same conclusion. Ja'vassa was the first to speak up. "That doesn't explain where they're getting all of their funding, however. I'm not sure if it's different here, but the black market back home often sold illegal products, but they weren't cheap. You'd be throwing thousands of septims for even just a small amount..." Ayane spoke up next, crossing her arms slightly. "You mentioned a possible connection between Kaiser and the Helmet Gang earlier, Sensei. Perhaps they're using the Black Market as a cover? They send a representative to meet with them, thus keeping Kaiser's involvement a secret. They've been getting more and more aggressive lately and Kaiser's been swallowing more and more of the Abydos district. Only the land surrounding our school has managed to remain untouched so far..." It sounded outlandish, but the more they thought about it, the idea was the only thing that really made sense. None of them liked the idea of it, but none of them had any other possibility. Serika let out an annoyed sigh, crossing her arms a bit. "Fighting a few troublemakers is one thing, but how can we fight against a company we're in debt to?" Ja'vassa shrugged in response. "I'm not sure. We may not have a possible answer until we've visited the Black Market. For now, all of you should get some rest. We've had a long day.. with any luck, tomorrow's trip will go off easier than what we had to deal with today." After finishing their dinner, the group had given each other their farewells at the entrance. One by one, they had left for home all except for Serika. She stuck near Ja'vassa, lightly clinging onto his sleeve. "Can... Can you walk me home, Sensei? After what happened the other day... I... I..." She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence, though it was clear she was a bit nervous. "Of course, Serika. I'd hate it if anything happened to you again." Ja'vassa nods, gladly walking alongside each other. Though neither of them said much of anything to the other, Serika was happy; a small smile gracing her face with each step they took. Fortunately for them, the walk back to her home was uneventful and quiet, no sign of trouble to be seen anywhere. They needed this moment, to just enjoy a peaceful night without having to worry about anything. The trip to the Black Market was likely to be dangerous, but they'd save those worries for the morning. As they arrived at the door to her home, Serika turned to him, a light blush dusting her cheek. "Thank you, Sensei. I, uh... I'll see you tomorrow!" She fidgeted slightly with the hem of her skirt, gazing towards the ground. "Any time, Serika. Have a good night and I'll see you first thing in the morning." Ja'vassa turned to leave. "Don't feel shy about having to ask for help, alright? I'll always be available for you should you need anything." His final words caused her blush to deepen, but she was touched by the sincerity in his voice. "I'll... I'll keep that in mind. Be safe on your way back to Abydos, Sensei... you're important to us." With their parting words, Serika watched as Ja'vassa left for the night, trying to gather her thoughts together. "Maybe I was wrong about him... he's not like the others." She muttered, quietly into her bedroom to sleep off the fatigue gained from the events of the day.