Cafeteria

'Of all the days they show up to school, it had to be today.' Amity slowly turned around to face the lifelong annoyances called her siblings. "Emira... Edric... Shouldn't you two be causing trouble somewhere else?"

Edric shrugged. "We tried. Mom got Dad to track us down and drag us to school."

Emira and Eric awkwardly waved at Willow. Ever since she and Amity cut ties, their relationship had become strained.

Willow ignored them and decided to have a different conversation with Gus.

Setting that aside, for now, Emira furled her sister's hair, much to her dislike. "Wasn't all bad." She gestured to the two Amity was previously glaring at. "Met those two this morning."

Luz blinked. "Wait. Amity is your sister."

Shirou noted that they shared the same eye color, but it seemed that Amity was originally a brunette that dyed her hair a mint green instead of the emerald shade the twins had. "I can see the polar personalities."

The elder sister hugged Amity from behind. "Yup. This little sourpuss is our little mittens. Always so serious."

Amity nudged her siblings firmly. "I told you guys not to call me that!"

Eric pouted. "Aw... but it looks so cute when you're mad."

Luz had to admit her red expression was cute, but she shook her head at that for now. "So, how was class?"

"Meh. I wasn't really paying attention. The Illusion track is pretty lax with our without us." Eric smirked. "If anything, I'm more interested in what mitten is so upset with you about. It's only been about three hours, and she's already having her level three glare."

"I do not!" protested Amity.

"No, she's right," Emira started. "It's a level two at best." When Amity seemed to seeth, she rolled her eyes. "You really need to relax, Ams."

"I am relaxed, and don't call me that."

"That's not really what a relaxed person would say," remarked Shirou. He turned to the twins and gestured to Willow. "Amity's confronting us about how we helped Willow with her Abomination, which caused her to lose her badge."

The twins whistled at that. Knowing their sister, they could assume how she was feeling right now. "Sorry to hear about that, sis, but it ain't all bad. You win some, you lose some. It's just school."

"Unlike you two, I can't afford to lose, and you know why." Amity pointed at the Master and Servant. "This isn't over." She walked up to Willow, who still avoided looking at her. "Wait till the War Games. I'll show you and everyone else what I'm made of." With that, she walked away, still clearly fuming.

Luz asked the siblings, "Is she going to be alright?"

They waved it off. "She gets like that sometimes. It's best to let her blow off some steam."

Shirou looked back at the retreating witchling. "Seemed to go deeper than that."

"Maybe, but it's a family matter. We'll deal with it."

"Your family matters aren't exactly a good thing..." muttered Willow.

"From the sound of it, Willow, you guys have War Games. I have assumptions, but what is it?" asked Shirou.

"It's basically a glorified exercise class, so we don't end up like fat slobs." Eric took a seat next to Gus and raised a brow. "Have we met you before?"

Gus frowned at the upperclassman. "We're in the same Illusions class."

The twins were surprised by that. "Really? Aren't you a little young?"

"Yeah, I skipped a few grades. Also, the professor keeps complaining about how you never show up."

Emira shrugged. "Makes sense. We wouldn't remember much from class like you, no offense." She took a seat next to Shirou. "They rotate out different competitions for us to do."

"Any that you liked?"

"Meh. It's team-based or one-on-one stuff like Capture the Flag or mock duels. Edric and I usually stay on the sidelines distracting the other team with our illusions, and the duels are optional. Not everyone is suited for it."

"I've been in fights before, so it would be interesting to see what's being taught here."

"Really? What magic do you use?"

"Simply put, smithing."

The witches around him got curious. It sounded like a sub-class from the construction coven.

"You use magic to help you forge weapons?" asked Eric.

"Something like that. I can make armor, bows, lances, and shields, but my specialty is swords."

"Yeah. Shirou even made me a wooden training sword," chimed Luz. She turned to her servant. "Are you sure I can't have a laser sword yet?"

"Not till you're older and can use a regular sword without losing a finger."

That last bit of information brought the witches to a pause.

"You can make enchanted weapons?!"

Shirou shrugged. "Yeah..." 'In a realm full of magic, that shouldn't be out of the ordinary, right?'

"Do you have any idea how valuable those things are?"

"Their magic is passive so that anyone can use it. You don't even need to make a spell circle."

"Some witches would pay good snails for that."

Shirou blinked at the declaration. "Oh... I see." 'Even in a realm akin to the Age of Gods, items like Mystic Codes or Noble Phantasms were still desired.'

Emira leaned against the redhead. "I don't suppose I could get one of your pieces."

"Yeah. Amity would be so jealous," added Edric. "Imagine me with a weapon that can shake the isles."

'The Minoan Trident'

His sister laughed. "I doubt you could even lift it. I'd have a weapon that never misses its target."

'Hrunting' Shirou shook his head of those thoughts and fibbed to quell their expectations. "I make good weapons, but let's not overpromise and underdeliver."

"Sure, but one can dream," commented Edric.

Erica nodded. "In any case, we wouldn't mind looking at the stuff you can make. Maybe we'll custom order a gift for our Dad. He's interested in that sort of stuff."

Shirou chuckled. "Should I ever get set up again, I'll let you know."

Edric turned to the human. "So, Luz, what do you think of our sister."

The master laughed awkwardly. "She's a little intense, but she can't be all bad, right?"

"She has her moments." They noticed the space on the table. "So, you guys gonna get any food."

Luz emptied out her pockets of scraps and junk she had. "Unless they accept pocket lint, I'm not buying anything." She turned to Willow, who decided to tolerate the twins now that Amity was gone. "I don't suppose they accept slimeballs as money."

While Willow chuckled at Luz's attempt at a barter, she pointed at the alleged slime ball. "Luz, I don't know about the other stuff, but this is a seed."

Luz picked it up and gave it a curious look. Thinking of her friend's affinity, Luz handed it to Willow. "Amity seems pretty serious about challenging you in your next class. Call it a hunch, but I think it'll be good luck."

The little witch smiled, placing it in her uniform pocket. "Aw, thanks." She wouldn't mind working with plants outside of class.

Later

The group of six continued to talk amongst themselves until the lunch period ended. After saying their goodbyes, the twins and Gus moved on to their next class, and Willow guided the duo to an open field with stands nearby while she went to change her uniform.

Soon, Willow, Amity, and several students in kneepads, shorts, and protective chest plates gathered in the center of the field with a muscular professor in a typical referee outfit. Professor Ulrich Bloodgood pumped his arm into the air. "Alright, kids. It's that time of the week again. Who's ready to throw down?!" There was a mix of enthusiastic cheers and groans, the groans mostly from the more scrawny-looking students. "It's once again time for a team battle! Empire VS Rebels! Who wants to be captains?!"

A hand quickly raised, revealing it to be Amity. "I do." She grinned. "and I'm sure Willow does too!"

All eyes went to the literal wallflower. "I-I-Uh..."

Professor Bloodgood checked his clipboard. "Hm... Actually, besides everyone else, Willow has never done captain position."

'There's a reason for that,' thought Willow.

"Well, I'm a witch of equal opportunity." He pointed at the witchling. "I can already tell what you're thinking. 'I can't lead. I'll fail.' Throw away those thoughts! It's time for you to step up with the fires of youth and face your challenge head-on! Win or lose, all that matters is that you gave it your all!" There was a fire to his eyes that burned with pride.

All of the students sweatdropped at the passionate words. He would get like this at times.

Left with no other choice, Willow accepted her fate.

Bloodgood flipped a coin and announced Amity as the Empire team. "Everyone pick your captain."

By the time both teams were chosen to neither Luz's nor Shirou's surprise, the more intimidating students chose to side with Amity, with the leftover students being filled in on Willow's team for a 6v6 matchup.

Luz cringed. "Willow got the short end of the stick here.

Bloodgood handed each student a roll of brown tape. "Remember the rules. Start on my signal at your designated side. If you get out of bounds, you are eliminated! No magic below the belt or while someone is down, or you'll see me personally. If you get restrained, you are also eliminated. You have 15 minutes to prepare and talk amongst yourselves before starting. If the leader is captured, it's a win. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir!"

He grinned. "Last team standing wins! Let's get started." Bloodgood drew a circle before slamming his boot into the ground. Within seconds, the entire field terraformed into a makeshift battlefield environment with two opposing camps.

After stopping by the lockers for last-minute items, Amity took her team to the left side of the field while Willow trudged with her own to the right. Now to their own devices, she took stock of her team.

There was Jerbo, a thin pale teen with brown hair and a pointed nose from the plant track. Viney was a brunette with green eyes from the healing track. A chestnut fur dog witch named Barcus came from the potions track. Bo, a long-haired brunette with brown eyes, came from the healing track. Finally, Celine, a lavender one-eyed demon with a crescent-shaped head, came from the oracle track.

They were all familiar since they usually ended up on the same team, the losing one. Willow was a little jealous of Jerbo being in the plant track. Then again, others had similar opinions too. Viney wanted also to do Beast keeping with her pet griffin. Barcus wanted also to do oracle classes. Bo and Celine seemed content with their tracks.

In terms of items, they had her Abomination, a potted plant, a collection of random potions, a healer, and a crystal ball.

Meanwhile

At the stands, Luz and Shirou watched Willow's team talk about some strategy with despondent looks.

"They don't look too happy," remarked Luz.

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, and check out Amity's team."

Amity was walking around on the left, giving orders like a military commander. They could hear the strict tone in her voice. Two boys from the construction coven gave each other light jabs in a faux spar. Two members of the illusion coven created afterimages of themselves. The last member plucked a few notes from her harp, releasing a small golden glow.

Luz frowned. "Think we're allowed to talk to Willow's team before the game starts?"

"Maybe." Since they were a good distance away, Shirou decided on a little shortcut. After searching his inner world for a moment, he found what he was looking for. Discretely, motes of light appeared in each hand and materialized into steel military helmets.

Luz blinked at the rather modern-looking objects. "Uh... Are you planning on us joining the game?"

"Nope."

"Then why do you have them? What are they for?"

"Helmets. George Patton's, to be specific," clarified Shirou.

"...Who?"

"I'll explain later. All you need to know for now is that we can communicate with Willow's team."

She quirked a brow. "If you can make magic armor, can't we just give it to their team to help."

Shirou deadpanned. "That's the second time today you suggested cheating. What's up with you? We're just gonna give them a little pep talk."

"Maybe I'm taking their rivalry too personally," admitted Luz as she grabbed a helmet and put it on along with her servant.

George Patton was a key military strategist and tactician in the United States Army throughout both World Wars. He displayed an uncanny ability to inspire and coordinate large numbers of people effectively and was unbending in his drive for victory, imbuing his helmet with this power. Like all noble phantasms, it is an extension of a person. For the smaller of humanity's stories, all it takes is the meeting of an object, a person, and a moment for the latent Earth magic to create something beautiful.

Willow and the rest of her team paced around their camp for ideas.

It didn't help that Jerbo suggested that they surrender and save face from getting defeated again. "I'm just saying that the option is on the table. This can all be over if we surrender."

Bo crossed her arms. "Remember when you asked the professor about that? Anyone who gives up without a fight is forced to run laps around the school until the period ends."

"Hey. It's still better than getting knocked into the dirt and hogtied.

Fed up with the negative talk, Willow spoke up. "Listen, guys, I know that we've lost... a lot of times so far, but I have faith that we can still do this."

"No offense Willow, but this is your first time leading the war team. Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

The Witchling opened her mouth to retort, only for nothing to come out. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. "You're right. I haven't done this before." She clenched her hands around the seed in her pocket. "But that doesn't mean I throw away the hope of friends who believe in me."

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed through the heads of the whole team. "You tell them, Willow. You're not gonna take this lying down. The magic of friendship will see you through!"

Everyone made shocked expressions, whipping around, trying to find the source of the mysterious voice.

Barcus dipped behind a wall at the sudden arrival of a mysterious aura, now connected to all of them. It wasn't malevolent, but it was still out of the blue. "Not cool, man. I nearly soiled myself."

The voice of Shirou came through. "I apologize for Luz. We were supposed to make a calm introduction. Not everyone is used to telepathic communication."

Luz chuckled, "Sorry, but we're here to help!"

Willow's other team members looked to her for an explanation. Willow turned and pointed to the stands in the distance, noticing Luz and Shirou waving at them while wearing some strange helmets.

"Who are they?" asked Celine.

"Just some friends and a possible tutor." Willow rubbed the back of her neck. "Not sure how they're doing this."

Jerbo shook his head. "Doesn't matter too much now." He spoke to the apparent friends of Willow. "Are you going to be our eye in the sky to help us beat Amity's team?"

Shirou shook his head. "Nope."

"Oh..." The rest of the team deflated at the answer.

"We will get your heads in the game and give a few suggestions here and there before you start!" cheered Luz

"Call it a bleeding heart, but you guys are the underdogs here. I want to see you guys with a fair chance to win. Lay it on us. What can you guys do?"

Celine gave a brief demonstration of her crystal ball spells. Willow summoned her modified Abomination, letting it stretch its limbs. Jerbo held up his potted plant and showed how it could act independently. Barcus listed off his current collection of potions, including various effects. Bo and Viney frowned, saying that the healing track couldn't do much in these games besides act as the field medic. Bo wanted to bring her friend Puddles into the game, but that was against the rules of her current track.

Luz whistled. "Those are some pretty limited options."

"You guys might be able to pull this off." Shirou mentally smirked, much to the team's surprise. "No magic is ever useless. I think we can make this work. Here's what I suggest."

Later

When the time was nearly up, the two teams stood at the ready at their starting point. Willow's team stood much more confidently than before.

Back at the stands, the helmets had faded away, leaving the two teens to cheer for their friends.

"Empire! Rebels. Ready or not!" Bloodgood slammed his fist against the ground. "Begin!"

---

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