The Citadel of Sorcery

[SINIB]

Sakura

Sakura ignored the pain from the fierce flurry of blows and responded to Christina's lock with one of her own. She wrapped her legs around the woman's neck, tightening her grip with her thighs constricting her ability to breathe.

Christina

Christina's face was red for more than one reason as she struggled for air. She gave up on trying to punch Sakura into submission as the urgency of muscular thighs pressing in around her head took precedence. Instead she started to close the vice of her own deceptively powerful legs, hoping to be the one to crush her opponent first.

She was clearly running on more than just adrenaline and mana.

Sakura

Sakura tightened her grip. What a deviant this lady was! Her only choice was to intensify her efforts, and take advantage of her obvious attraction to her to the utmost.

Her heart and soul were for Luvia, so she felt secure in what she was about to do.

"Ahhhnnn~" She let out a loud, pained, erotic moan. She clamped down on Christina, pulling her closer. Her large, musclebound thighs tightened their iron grip on her neck, making it even harder to breath. "Not there~"

[YOLF]

Edelgard

The initial exchange of magic, reminding the Forsaken of the expertise of her new companion, had given way to a spirited, unyielding exchange of force and brutal finesse. In might and speed Edelgard had nothing to envy in the slightest, but their techniques were honed, their battle sense acute, and their commitment would have been worthy of praise in any inter-clan competition.

She blinked at the flushed expressions in the arena.

This isn't a magic test anymore, though?

[Aiden]

Christina

"Nnnmph?!" That reaction seemed to be enough to distract Christina, causing her to grab tightly onto Sakura's ankles in the hopes of freeing her head from its smothering fate. Their bodies inevitably rubbed together as the redhead fought to stop her opponent from choking her out before she could crush her torso into submission! But the distraction, it seemed to slowly weaken Christina's efforts.

[SINIB]

Christina

"Nnnmph?!" That reaction seemed to be enough to distract Christina, causing her to grab tightly onto Sakura's ankles in the hopes of freeing her head from its smothering fate. Their bodies inevitably rubbed together as the redhead fought to stop her opponent from choking her out before she could crush her torso into submission! But the distraction, it seemed to slowly weaken Christina's efforts.

Sakura

During the split second Christina was distracted, Sakura grabbed her legs and yanked herself free, sitting up suddenly. She maintained her grip around Christina's head, loosening it enough for her to breath again before triumphantly claiming victory.

"Is this going to be enough? I don't feel like my full magical abilities were tested, and I don't want to be prejeduced as a result of that." She turned to look at the Magister, releasing Christina and rewarding the woman by sitting on her face. Christina's world momentarily became the rolls of fat and muscle of Sakura's tremendous ass.

[Aiden]

Lapidarian Society

Christina gasped for breath, panting as being almost asphyxiated seemed enough to take the edge off whatever was driving her before. "Y-You can't just say you won and- mmph!" Sakura felt her opponent shudder for some reason. She reached up to grab at the big fat ass sitting on top of her face, but her efforts to push Sakura up off herself were... lackluster. At best.

"Ohohoho..." It was such a distinct laugh, but Mala couldn't help herself and the structure of the sphere allowed it to carry and reach all of them with ease. "Yes, I am afraid that was not quite the test I was expecting it to be. Your style of sorcery is magnificent - and uniquely suited to rendering the fighting styles of many of our members useless."

Then she sank into the miniature offshoot platform she stood on, and rose up from the main platform with an eager smile on her face. "However, I believe you would find my own specialty to be quite a bit less simple to face. And that, my dear, is where I make my offer!"

She motioned for Edelgard's platform to return to the main one, so she could join them in this discussion.

"I have no more room in the College of Spatial Studies to make you a Magus at this time - and that is the bare minimum I would propose to you." She seemed to get that the standard apprenticeship was... inappropriate given the circumstances. "And of course, I have no plans to relinquish my position as Magister to you when you are not even a member. Therefore, I offer you this: become my apprentice."

She held a hand out to her, as if offering to help her off of Christina's face. Her grin became absolutely wicked when the redhead under Sakura let out a muffled cry of shock.

"You will hold all the same privileges as a Magus, but you won't have the responsibility of training apprentices yourself for some time. We will work together to discover a solution to your dilemma, and in the process enrich our understanding of the darkness between spaces."

[SINIB]

Sakura

Sakura's plump ass sank into Christina's face as Sakura considered what the magister had said. She'd read that, well, people at that level of power didn't really take apprentices.

Period.

So, she was rather surprised at the proposal. "Hohoho, of course, I wouldn't dream of aspiring to your position as an outsider. That would be entirely unbefitting." Sakura did a sort or half curtsy, making sure to remain upon her throne.

"I'm honored by your offer, but I have a condition to accepting it. I would like to bring my friend here along as my apprentice. She's important into my research into this and other worlds."

The noblewoman smiled, flipping her singular purple drill. "Would that be agreeable?"

[YOLF]

Edelgard

Sakura and her had barely discussed Edelgard's sorcery. The Forsaken understood that her... friend, put this clause forward to her benfit, regardless of what her distinct assumptions and skills with magical corruption could do for them. It was a legitimate position where she could remain close to Sakura.

And whether her hopes produced results or no, perhaps this place in this college would be of use to Othinus, as well.

Edelgard approached to stand by Sakura's side, avoiding the girl splayed beneath her, casting the young magician a confident stare.

[Aiden]

Lapidarian Society

"Nnnn...."

It was either something Sakura said, or just the result of prolonged exposure, but Christina seemed to stop resisting by the time Edelgard got to her new (old?) spot by the purple head's side. Meanwhile, Mala gave the Forsaken woman a look over and frowned in concentration. Then, she nodded.

"I suppose that's reasonable. I would not wish to disrupt or limit your research by limiting your access to another so involved in it after all. Do we have a deal, then?"

The grin returned.

[SINIB]

Sakura

Sakura nodded. "Of course." She finally stood up, releasing the redhead from her prison to shake Mala's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Lady Mala. I hope our partnership goes well and that the results are fruitful."

[Aiden]

Lapidarian Society

"It is nice to properly meet you as well, Miss Edelfelt." Mala smiled, and giggled just slightly. "Now then, I suppose you have had a busy day. Shall I have Magus Verde show you to your quarters? By the time you arrive I will have taken the liberty of... creating them."

The way she was smiling made it clear the how was a mystery Sakura was intended to unravel.

Speaking of whom, Christina gasped for air and whined as her victorious opponent lifted herself up off the redhead's face. She pushed herself up onto her feet, and put her arms around herself, blushing as she looked away slightly. "You sure do know how to show a girl a good time..."

[SINIB]

Sakura

Sakura nodded at Mala. "Thank you. I anticipate the results of your magecraft."

Sakura suddenly turned in surprise when she heard the redhead whining. It was sensual and lewd. She looked at her, flipped her hair, and scoffed. "Did you really get off to that?" A wry, teasing half grin came onto her face with an eyebrow raised. 'I didn't take you for that sort."

[Aiden]

Lapis Spire

1:30 PM

Christina let out a short huff, and shook her head. "It's nothing! Let's just um, go find your room." She turned abruptly on her heel, and made her way back to the door that stood at the end of the Magister's crystal sphere - one that from this end seemed as if it should do nothing more than release them into the abyss. But as soon as Christina opened the door they could see the hallway from before, and it was a simple matter to leave.

The air immediately felt different - cooler, more refreshing. Or perhaps that was merely an illusion derived from the discomfort of staying so long inside an imaginary space? Christina certainly took a deep breath and sighed in relief. "That's why I'm not so great at Spatial Studies."

She took a moment to straighten herself out, and then nodded and smiled to Sakura and Edelgard. "So, what did you think?"

[SINIB]

Lapis Spire

1:30 PM

Christina let out a short huff, and shook her head. "It's nothing! Let's just um, go find your room." She turned abruptly on her heel, and made her way back to the door that stood at the end of the Magister's crystal sphere - one that from this end seemed as if it should do nothing more than release them into the abyss. But as soon as Christina opened the door they could see the hallway from before, and it was a simple matter to leave.

The air immediately felt different - cooler, more refreshing. Or perhaps that was merely an illusion derived from the discomfort of staying so long inside an imaginary space? Christina certainly took a deep breath and sighed in relief. "That's why I'm not so great at Spatial Studies."

She took a moment to straighten herself out, and then nodded and smiled to Sakura and Edelgard. "So, what did you think?"

Sakura

Sakura just smiled. She wasn't going to be rude and disparage her new order by answering honestly. She'd been expecting something far, far more imposing and powerful than what she'd found. Someone stronger than the lords, someone like the wizard marshels. Going by the people she'd met in this city, she had had no issues believing that she'd meet someone like that.

Eventually though, she answered. "Relieved. Can you take me to my room, I'd like to work on decorating it."

[YOLF]

Edelgard

The Forsaken didn't voice it, but the tingling on the edge of her vision finally fading brought a similar relief to that the woman voiced. She blinked a few times and then leaned out from her position behind Sakura's shoulder to stare at Christina.

"Make sure mine is close," she remarked simply.

[Aiden]

Lapis Spire

Christina seemed to pick up on something, if only because she started to look a little downcast. "Oh. Yeah, sure, I can do that." Then her jewels began to glow, and she started her ascent up through the central chamber by waving her hand over one of the adjacent wall - which opened to reveal a long set of spiral stairs. "It should be somewhere higher up - Spatial Studies members usually like to have a view."

The first trip was likely to be the longest given how tall the tower was from the inside. They passed by communal reading spaces, what seemed to be a kitchen from the delightful smell of baked bread and searing meats coming from one floor, and a pair of younger sorts carrying large boxes full of lower quality crystals and complaining quietly to themselves about getting the bum jobs.

But eventually, despite Christina being oddly quiet on the way there, they reached a single door in a side corridor leading off the stairs and away from the central opening space. An unassuming wooden door appeared before her in the blink of an eye, and she waved toward it. "I probably can't open this. Sakura, if you would...?"

And indeed, the door was enchanted upon further examination. Sakura couldn't really tell how it was done yet, but anyone who tried to open this thing without knowing what they were doing would likely suffer a terrible fate.