So apparently the academy doesn’t have any lectures on weekends. Not that I’d know what to do with the time, it feels strange to have a fixed schedule and then suddenly, not.

(Most students use it for leisure or homework,) my Assistant points out.

I can’t say I really get the difference. I’ve mostly just been doing whatever I want anyway…. Hey wait, I’m a wraith again, right?

Nyx gives me a flat stare.

“That means I can farm ghost traps again!” I shout.

And wake up my paladin in the process. She leaps out of bed, sword in hand, looking around frantically for the source of the threat. After her moment of panic, her eyes finally stop on me with a questioning look.

“Eheh, oops. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

I pull a small amount of vitality through our bond and feel her immediately relax. Contrarily, she lets out a small “Hmph” as she gets back in bed.

“If it makes you feel any better, I know what I’m going to do today. I’m going to go visit someone I used to know!”

***

And of course, my paladin insisted on coming with me. I warned her that she’d probably be bored, but I guess that wasn’t much of a persuasion.

Where am I going? The sewer settlement back on the hive, of course!

(You really are an idiot,) Nyx jabs.

Doesn’t matter, moving fast. I wave to the transport facility’s attendant, the same one as last time. They shrink back from my obvious majesty, but I ignore them and make my way through the front entryway and – wait a minute, there were return portals in the same room!

(Do you really think they’d put them in a separate building? They’re just roped off.)

Hmm, hmm. I see.

Eh, doesn’t matter.

Without a word, I scoop Izahne up and take full flight, or at least as full flight as six inches off the ground counts for. We barrel forward down the uniform monotonous streets, heading toward where the settlement probably is.

(You know, the reason why I called you an idiot is that there are ghost traps everywhere. You don’t need to come back here for them.)

I figured there were? But I don’t care. I have a reputation there!

My Assistant sighs. (You have a reputation everywhere now, probably, thanks to the headmaster. There’s no way nobody broadcast that.)

Still don’t care!

I blow straight past the grates I’d used before and end up needing to backtrack a few blocks until I rediscover them. But, it looks like I’ve run into a snag.

“You won’t fit.”

Izahne tilts her head and says, “Why don’t we just remove the grate? It’s only retained with a few latches.”

Huh.

(Of course you didn’t think of that.)

Oh shut up.

Not one to be outdone by mere civil engineering, I hit the gapped metal with The Ravages of Time. It gradually decays and rusts until it falls free of its mounting, and without a word I drift through the opening.

“I’m going to be feeding as we travel. Don’t be surprised,” I tell my paladin. She gives me a nod.

Unsurprisingly, we run into several wraiths and a small pack of direrats on our trip, all of which I make short work of between my Aura and Consume.

“Why don’t you ever fight with your Class Skills?” Izahne asks.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

And, it’s not a bad point.

The next mob of monsters we meet, I hit with my Aura before instead cycling through them with Will Surge.

[Will Surge has reached Level 1!]

That’s a start! I decide to take this up a notch and activate Will Detection.

And find… direrats.

Just direrats.

Wait. Do wraiths just not show up?

Izahne seems to have noticed my confusion. “Is something wrong?”

“I can’t sense wraiths, not with Will Detection.”

(Do they not have wills?) Nyx posits.

That’s… a good question. I only know of one way to test it…

I find more of them, and eliminate all but one. Then I use Dominate on it… and feel no resistance at all.

Actually, was that the opposite of resistance?

(You’re basically a wraith queen or whatever, right? Maybe they just submit to you if you demand it.)

For Izahne’s benefit, I repeat the relevant parts of the silent dialogue.

And then she asks, “If they don’t have a will, are they even alive?”

“It’s a good question. I’m pretty sure I’m alive though… and I can make more, and I can feel them…”

Our conversation is interrupted when we finally arrive at the hidden entrance… where we hit our second snag.

(You have no idea how to open this,) Nyx says.

I sigh, the ash scattering in the humid air, and then set my paladin down in the ankle deep water.

“I’ll be back in a minute, wait here.”

Looks like they haven’t upgraded the –

(Not just going to burn out the enchantment?)

Nope! See, I’m smart enough to know that would make people mad! That would be like if someone who just wanted to visit me blasted open my lair’s entryway, and then it would be a lot of work cleaning it all up again – uh, not that it matters if it’s clean! That would just mean more people would be around doing work, yes, hmm hmm, too many people. Definitely too many people.

(Sure, keep telling yourself that. At least you’re a little bit less stupid now, or at least less careless.)

Izahne has been watching me half phased through the wall for a moment now, so I give my head a shake from the distraction and finish passing around the hidden gateway into the entryway.

And find guards, who are surprised to see me!

“M-monster!” one of them shouts.

“It’s huge!” shouts another.

I quickly reform my body as they train their entirely mundane spears toward me. Ah, one of them even has a runegun on their belt!

[Human – Unknown – Level 18]

[Human – Unknown – Level 16]

I see. I spread my arms disarmingly.

(Yes, I see what you did there.)

I resist a smug grin and instead open my mouth. “Hello humans. I’ve returned from abroad to visit! Is Nerin still here? Oh, would you open this gate? I obviously don’t need it, but my companion does since she can’t dematerialize.”

They glance at each other, sweat starting to run from the edges of their headgear.

And say nothing. I sigh.

“You know, I get that I’m scary. I really do, I’m absolutely terrifying! But I’m an Ascendant like you, even though I’m a monster, and if I was going to eat you, I would have done it by now. So would you please just let us in? I’m even playing nice and not destroying your gate!”

***

“What do we do?” I whisper toward Afran.

He shakes his head slightly. “No idea. You feel it?”

I nod. “Yeah. Yeah I do.”

“I can hear you perfectly well, you know,” the thing in front of us grates. We both flinch. “Also, those spears probably can’t even hurt me. You couldn’t afford enchanting? Or just better gear?”

“Of course we can’t!” I snap, and then immediately gasp and tighten my grip on my weapon.

The thing tilts its head. “Why not? Oh wait, everyone here is really poor, right? Sorry,” it says with a chuckle, ash and ember trailing from its mouth. “I’ve spent too much time at the academy, everybody there seems completely loaded. Couldn’t make it as adventurers? The salvage is probably good even if the pay isn’t.”

“You’re talkative for an abomination,” Afran says.

It grins and… bows?

What exactly is going on?

“You know though,” it rumbles, “I’m a lot more patient than I used to be but I have my limits. I’m not sure if it will even work, but – ergh! Okay, fine. Fine! I won’t do that!”

“Who are you talking to?” I blurt.

“Why, my master, of course.” It takes a step toward us. “The headmaster of the New Iden Charter Hero Academy. I know, I’m not in uniform, but I’m also not on campus so it doesn’t matter! These robes are a lot more comfortable.”

I furrow my brow.

“Let me guess. You want to know why that matters.”

Afran and I share a glance.

With a grandiose shrug it says, “I’m not allowed to kill you, or to use mind control Skills on you, or even threaten you much, really. It’s unfortunate, this whole whatever this is would have been over by now otherwise. So instead, I have to talk you into this. Look. If it matters, talk to Nerin the grocer, or hells, ask my companion! She’s a paladin! I’m not here to kill people or whatever. I’m here to scare-I MEAN! I’m here to visit Nerin, since it’s been a while! And to eat whatever’s in the ghost traps! Wait, while I’m thinking about it, did Boz come back? I left him and those others somewhere, so if they were going to come back here they probably would have by now!”

“Boz? Boz who?” Afran probes.

“Pooka,” it chuckles. “About this tall, green, scares easily? Leads a bunch of goons around.”

“Wait, do you mean Vrak?” I ask. It simply shrugs back.

That can’t be good. ‘Boss’ Vrak is a notorious troublemaker with a bounty from the town head.

But, this thing at least sounds like it didn’t come here to fight…

“I’m going to open it,” I say quietly.

“What? Elena!?” Afran starts, but I’m already moving.

I step around it along the side of the tunnel while keeping my spear pointed. It moves to the opposite wall to give me more space and smiles with a mouth full of darkness and eyes a discomforting red.

I back up into the closed archway, and after a deep breath, I turn and quickly drag my finger across the surface, tracing the invisible runes to open the way.

The gateway opens, revealing the tunnel beyond.

And a paladin in well-polished armor, with a shield and sword on her back, who raises a hand in greeting. She steps through the gate, and after looking both ways to make sure there weren’t more witnesses, I close it behind her. She immediately takes a few quick steps toward the monster, and –

Wait, why are they holding hands?