‘Heresy. You speak heresy of the Goddess Aliza. Corruption is within this room. Within you.’ said Cris as he involuntary rose to his feet as the hand of Maxton Ge tried to grab hold of his noble clothing.
He shrugged off the weak attempt to hold him and despite the ache within and his own inability to access his own priest in training powers he still had sufficient combat training and he grabbed hold of both of the knives in the bracer which had been gifted to him.
Whether or not he could channel light energy into the blades didn’t matter if they were magical in nature and possessed a poison on them.
‘Master Cifesborn, sit down. We have additional students approaching and believe me, one of them does not need to be more antagonised then they already are. I have tolerated your behaviour, your lack of respect and shown you nothing but kindness and support but you are inside my building, my place of operations and you will sit down and listen. High Priest Schmidt is here through my authority and that of your regent, the Queen herself. Put your blades away.’ said Lady Joanne Dee Mawr as she kept her back straight and her attention entirely on the front of the room where High Priest Schmidt was gazing at his former student with a forlorn look on his face.
Footsteps echoed through the open double doorway. Where the construct Ren had simply thrown them open, almost smashing them off their hinges sound was clearly audible as others approached the mock classroom.
With his magical senses restricted Cris sought to tell the difference with the type of movements they were making. One was being half-dragged and the others were walking with strength enough that their footsteps were causing audible noise on the wooden floor even from this distance.
I know that noise. I know those footsteps.
A part of Cris deep, deep within him called out to the potential of having minions. Soldiers and monsters at his command. Allies to fight for and with. An adventure required more than one person. If he couldn’t fight then others could.
The sensation was both familiar and strange to him, it had been the deep part of him which had continued to ask questions, the part which questioned authority. The part which wanted to challenge.
Maxton Ge had placed both feet up on the empty table on front of him, resting both arms behind his head smiling as his golden eyes flickered. With a small kick he knocked over the books and writing materials on the table on front which caused a small sound in the silence of the classroom.
‘Ah No-Name Person, this takes me back to my old school days. Would you believe that my tutor was a Master of the Eight Snake Style? He broke half the bones in my body for talking back to him once in class. Of course the fact that I killed his precious snake collection and drank their five-hundred year old poison blood to recover was my own revenge. Go on then, stop the fight or don’t. I want to see how those broken gene-bonded partial-superhumans fare against you. Or I might even join the fun. Oh dear, I believe your mission parameters are in conflict. Construct. Whatever will you do? I haven’t had this much fun since I left the Jianghu.’
The construct Ren had stood up at the front of the classroom unmoving, one hand had been brought up in into the shape of a closed fist while another grasped for a weapon that wasn’t there. The golden robes of the construct with a single tear flowed without any wind propelling movement.
A deep sigh came from the front of the room as High Priest Schmidt raised his arms and bellowed out words.
‘PRAISE THE BLESSED GODDESS. HER LIGHT SHINES UPON US AND PROTECTS US FROM THE HATRED INFLICTED ON US. MAY SHE SMITE ME DOWN AND BURN MY SOUL IF I SPEAK FALSEHOODS IN HER BLESSED NAME. BLESS HER REPRESENTATIVE IN OUR KINGDOM, BLESS THE QUEEN AND HER HUSBAND AND THEIR NOBLE REPRESENTATIVES. BLESS THOSE WHO DOUBT US AND BLESS THE HERETICS WHO CAN SPEAK TRUTH TO FALSEHOOD!’
The loudness and sheer volume of the rotund man caught the attention of Cris as light and purity energy crackled off lectern and the wood began to crack and shards of broken wood drifted to the floor.
A semi-transparent bubble enclosed the man before the alchemical lights illuminating the room dimmed for a moment and then various random ones burst apart, shattering as the mixture of glass metal and liquid contained within fell on the floor.
A creak came from the open doorway as a bare long nailed hand reached into the door frame and broke through the damaged hinges holding the door. The fact that was the hand was on fire was an interesting twist as a deep growl came from a voice which was familiar to Cris, barely though.
The height of the hand squeezing the door frame was of more concern. Either it was a person crouched down on all fours or someone small enough with a full adult hand. Cris recognised the under-tones of suppressed violence and anger and the hand which had tinges of faint purple lines running along it.
He sheathed both daggers back into the leather bracelet on his arm and settling a hand out on his chair breathed a breath he didn’t know he had been holding and took a deep intake filling his lungs with air.
‘Richtson. Of course it is. And Marley and Agnes aren’t far behind. The rest of your so-called students. Am I the only normal one who’s been forced into this situation? Augmented, a construct, a vampire, a woman who can change her face and a High Priest of the Goddess with heretical views. Of course.’ said Cris as he began laughing deeply as he dropped back into his chair and tears began to roll down his face.
The laughter came from deep within and simply didn’t stop as the young man began to lose control and cry.
‘And what about Alessandro? Why not bring a retired assassin into the mix as well? Or a cultist? Or a demon?’ continued Cris as he began to lose control of his voice and break down.
Next to him Maxton Ge and Lady Joanne appeared for once uncertain over what action to take. Ren had remained frozen in his position although High Priest Schmidt had look of concern on his face as he remembered that they were
A voice called out from beyond the doorway. This time Cris knew it with certainty
‘Richtson. Your little joke scared our contracted noble. Stand and walk like a normal soldier or I’ll break a leg and you’ll be limping for a week. Sergeant Marley. You will secure the room and protect our client from his distress. I will enter into close engagement with him. We have an issue to resolve.’ said Agnes as she strode through the door kicking a hunched over figure onto the main wooden floor of the mock classroom with more than a little force.
As the figure fell forwards a distance his hood came undone to reveal a young feminine looking man with a slender face, flowing curly locks of brown hair and bright green eyes.
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He wore a single earring and his eyes were darkened as though he hadn’t slept in some time. Cris saw him glance around the room, as his face reddened a little as the figures of Ren, High Priest Schmidt, Maxton Ge and Lady Joanne simply stared at him.
When the young man saw Cris with his continuous laughter and tears of sadness coming down his face his face hardened as both his legs dug into the floor, causing the wood beneath to break and he leaped at Cris in a single bound.
A rush of air passed by his face when Cris saw that the construct Ren had moved in front of him blocking the approaching young man with one golden robed arm held in front and Maxton Ge had grabbed Cris from behind pulling him down to the immediate back wall of the mock classroom.
[Order priority override engaged. You will not touch Young Master Cristophen. Designate: Cris, is to be protected. Disease Master you will ensue his emotional state is settled. Assume rest of room is hostile until Lady Joanne Dee Mawr instructs otherwise. Recall your desire to enter Mount Penglai. You will obey and act accordingly.]
From their position at the back of the mock classroom Cris blinked through tears in his eyes as the deep laughter and bout of madness and frustration that had struck him had begun to settle.
A hand settled over his face as his nose was pinched and a small pill was crushed and forced inside his mouth as a gas released and he was forced to breath it. Immediately his mind began to clear as his heart rate decreased to normal and Cris realised that he had experienced a minor emotional breakdown in front of others.
The experiences over the past day had been too much for him to handle. The gas which filled his lungs relaxed his muscles and made his own head clear although his eyes and body ached.
A warm arm lay on his as a strong scent filled the entire room, far stronger than it had been previously as those within relaxed their tensed up muscles and breathed easier. Cris was aware by now that Lady Joanne Dee Mawr was using the same incense drug which relaxed a person’s mind and forcefully caused them to drift off.
Unless it was actually part of her natural abilities but at this point he had no reason to complain. As a young noble he was meant to be a representative of his class within the social structures of the city.
His education as a trainee-priest reinforced the values of keeping calm and a clear head in most situations. Folk who had watched their own family become corrupted and needed to be taken away for either treatment or if they were too far gone to the asylum on the mountain for safekeeping. People needed to be reassured and losing control of his own emotions and mental state had gone entirely against that. In short he was both humiliated and ashamed.
Before he could open his mouth to apologise for his actions he was cut short when Lady Joanne Dee Mawr walked to the centre of the room, one hand holding a small incense burner emitting purple style, sweet-smelling smoke. She let it swing in her hand allowing the smell to fill build up inside the mock classroom.
‘For the moment it appears that our lecture has been interrupted. High Priest Schmidt, introductions are in order. Please greet your three new students and task them to take their own seat as I see to your previous charge and his two new friends. The young become overtired so easily. Don’t you agree? I’m trying to calm down a tense situation. Captain Geisslerg you will instruct your newly healed member of your squad to stand down and take a seat. The same for Sergeant Marley who thinks he being clever by trying to approach from the hidden side room.’
Maxton Ge put both arms under Cris’s armpits and lifted him up, careful not to touch his main body before he brushed imaginary dust off his shoulder and upper back. Then the golden eyed man stepped back and took a seat down at his table before picking up the book he had been writing his strange chicken-scratches in
The room tensed up for a moment before High Priest Schmidt at the front of the room dropped a large book from the lectern onto the floor with deliberate purpose with a loud crash.
‘Oops. Forgive an old man for his clumsy fingers. Cris, I’d like your help at the front here to organise my lecture notes a little. You can let him go now Disease Master. I do like your title, wish the Queen would give me one of my own. Cris, come here quickly boy. My lecture notes aren’t going to organise themselves.’
Inside the room the construct Ren had observed the young feminine looking man back off after giving a strong look at him as he simply nodded at Cris and tried to give a smile although it came off wrong as though he was out of practice.
He bounded across the room, barely touching the floor as he moved directly behind Agnes and stood to attention behind her. She looked at the incense burner that Lady Joanne Dee Mawr was holding before she tore off three long strips of her own robe revealing her armour and weapons underneath and wrapped one around her mouth and nose before handing the other to Richter.
The last piece she kept in her hand before she glanced at Cris and signalled with a hand as Sergeant Marley seemingly emerged from the wall through a hidden door as he squeezed into the room sideways.
The augmented soldier signalled back before he took a seat in the middle of the room and waited for both Agnes and Richter to join him as they awkwardly tried to use the writing materials and hold the paper blank books gingerly.
Lady Joanne Dee Mawr held the incense censer in her hand as she swung it lightly before flicking a catch and the smoke that had been drifting out of it immediately stopped flowing into the room. Then she left it on a nearby table next to a blank book and headed towards the doorway as she called out instructions to unseen staff.
‘Prepare refreshments and ask someone to fix this door. The lack of privacy is beginning to annoy me. Another lectern will need to be brought in as well. Forget it, we’ll just move to another room. Prepare an inner chamber for our use immediately.’ said Lady Joanne Dee Mawr as she turned her gaze towards the occupants of the room.
Except for Cris and High Priest Schmidt who were standing at the lectern at the front as the older man had placed a hand on the shoulder of the younger and made several gestures as he kept his voice low and used his own magical abilities to restrict any eavesdroppers the others were all seated.
Sometimes, Lady Joanne Dee Mawr was glad she could change her face. Her expression was hard to read at the best of times but presently her original plan needed changing. The augmented were meant to have arrived earlier and the degree of feedback from the young man when she had forcefully settled and dampened his emotions from his earlier experienced has clearly failed.
He had simply gone through too much, not had the support of his grandfather or a familiar enough figure and not had a chance to rest. Part of it was his relative youth and naive innocence about the world. Only a bare two weeks ago he had been inside the safe comfortable environment of the Academy of Purity surrounded by those his age.
Brushing a hand over her face and keeping her back to the rest of the room Lady Joanne Dee Mawr changed her facial features once more within seconds. The fact that her esteemed visitors from the Celestial Empire had protected him would count for far more than even the young man realised.
If he actually knew the level of their nobility he would have been surprised. As it was, she needed damage control and to move quickly with her plans. The Council of Six would be informing the Queen shortly of their lack of financial support most likely and she needed a core crew for the mission at hand.
After her face had been changed into that more similar to the features of Ren and Maxton Ge she heel-turned and clapped her hands together in the style of a head mistress as she called for attention from unruly students.
‘We leave for another, more secure and suitable room for a lecture. This one has proved unsuited for purpose. Refreshments of various types will be available for all present students. Come now, time waits for no woman.’