The impact was like being hit by a freight train.

When I was struck, all of my hexamesh suits activated simultaneously, their beast cores flaring to life, but even their combined protection couldn't fully absorb the blow. I felt something crack - maybe a rib, maybe several as I encountered the wall and slid down.

Pain lashed across me, nearly making me throw up. For a moment, everything went silent and dark.

Time seemed to slow down. I caught glimpses of shocked faces - Cinder's eyes wide with horror, Emerald's gold-orange eyes gleaming with a mix of surprise and savage satisfaction, other students recoiling from the sudden violence.

Ouchies. Ow. Ow. Owwwww.

"Alexander Glock, 2025. Broken ribs, face laceration," I spat blood onto the floor, relying on the power of the hexasuits to rise and wobble forward towards Zalimar leaving a trail of blood behind me on the black marble floor.

More pain. Everything hurt. One foot in front of the other. Forward. Always forward. Don't let them see how terrified you are. You are not a human, you are a memetic idea with a metaphorical gun. You are the frontend bit of the [human[human[human[human]]]] multi-fold mind shattered by the Frontenachii Wendigo Fear Wards and put back together like an eggshell layer by layer to make four out of one.

"Send video to the student council with request to sign the infraction forms." I whispered in Kaska.

Through the ringing in my ears, I heard Zalimar's cold, razor-sharp voice. "Let that be a lesson to you, nullborn pond scum. Know your place. Did you really think that a pathetic lawsuit could bother me? I cannot be fired. I've been at this school for 625 years. I have tenure that predates most of the current administrative staff. Your pathetic lawsuit paperwork means nothing to me. I have enough gold in my vaults to destroy you or anyone financially in any court!"

The classroom was dead silent.

I successfully limped to the wide open, empty center of the auditorium where Arx-delving teams usually lined up before going through the ring-gate hanging about twenty meters on the wall on my right. My body stayed upright only thanks to the hexasuits like a mannequin being moved along by invisible strings. I closed my eyes and breathed in deep.

When I opened them, through blurry vision, I saw Cinder suddenly appear between me and Zalimar, her colorful wings flaring wide. Her feathers bristled as she took up a defensive stance.

One outta five. Good.

"You bloody bastard," she growled, her voice carrying a fiery edge of raw fury. "You absolute effin' monster."

"Ms. Nova," Zalimar's voice dripped with cold amusement. "Defending a nullborn? How disappointing. I expected better from Justice Nova's daughter."

"Protecting a human?" Emerald called from her seat. "Really, Ci? Have you completely lost it? Did you not read my texts you dum knob?! He's a nobody, here illegally!"

"He's not a nobody," Cinder snarled. "He's MY... friend. And if you want to hurt him, you'll have to go through me first!"

"What the actual F, Ci..." Emerald called out. "Why are you so Effin dum? I told you - my scrut says he's a fake, a cheat! He's manipulating you! He just wants to use ya to get citizenship. Or maybe he wants to get under your tail... Or maybe carve you up... Just like..."

"Shut UP, Em!" Cinder snarled, wings pure black. "I'm done listening to you! I'm done with your bullshit! I'm done with ALL of this!"

"Detention, Ms. Nova. One week," Zalimar commented.

"Like I give a shit," Cinder growled.

"Signature received," Yulia whispered in my ear. "Christi Negal has signed and submitted Form 204-A."

"Lets make it two weeks then," Zalimar smirked. "For you and your nullborn pet."

Cinder growled.

"Io," I said, waving a blood-splattered hand at the Mothman. "Wanna come join us in detention-land? Stand up to the mixie-murderin' Skeletor-ass over here?"

Iogann slowly stood up, his skull-capped wings fluttering. "Yeah... Okay. I mean, someone's gotta keep an eye on you two troublemakers, right?"

"Three weeks detention, Mr. Wanderer," Zalimar's silver flame eyes flared. "Anyone else want to join this little rebellion of fools to polish my classroom with a toothbrush for a month instead of delving on Arx?"

"Signature received," Yulia whispered. "Lance Nova has signed and submitted Form 204-A."

I moved my face across the students until I reached Vespera. She was staring at her phone and then at me. Yulia had been talking to her on my behalf since we traded Omnigram IDs, exchanging memes, jokes, complements, delving and world-conquest plans.

"Vesp, join the rebellion!" I offered the Thunderbird my hand. "We have chocolate chip cookies!"

"You know what? Fuck it," Vespera declared, standing up. "You didn't laugh at my beerch ass yesterday when I got my face smashed in. And you helped me up. So yeah, count me in on whatever this is."

She leapt out of her seat wings wide and landed beside me.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Three weeks detention for you, Ms. Simmi," Zalimar hissed, frost spreading out from him in all directions making the other students wince. "And I'll be having a word with your parents about this... insolence."

Vespera winced, pouting and seemingly regretting her decision.

"Don't worry," I whispered at her. "Already sent an email to your parents with the video of him punching me across the hall and signatures of the student council backing my actions. Your dad will absolutely understand why you are helping."

"Oh, daymn, you are fast," the Thunderbird smirked. "'Preciate it, bud."

"Signature received," Yulia whispered. "Mira Blackquill has signed and submitted Form 204-A."

"What in the Abyss, Vee?!" Emerald snarled from her seat. "Didn't you get my texts?! He's... not... his pictures aren't real! He's an illegal HUMAN! Why is nobody effin' listening to me!!!"

"Eh," Vespera shrugged. "He took some rad pics of me last night before my face-planting. Human? Yeah right. Humans ain't allowed in school, dummy."

"Silence!" the Koshchei Instructor boomed.

Emerald growled from her seat, dragonfire sparks raining from her mouth. She didn't dare move or speak again.

"We've wasted enough time on this nonsense," Zalimar added. "You four are dismissed from class. As for the rest of you miscreants, get into your teams or pick up the exam papers from my desk..."

"Katherine," I called out, ignoring Zalimar's glare. "Wanna be on our team of misfits?"

"Screw off Glock," the Stollwurm replied. "My life's too short to waste it on polishing floors."

"Is your life too short to help defeat this boney-monster?" I waved a hand at Zalimar. "Don't tell me you're too chicken to stand up for what's right?"

Katherine's emerald eyes flashed behind her dark glasses like green flares, sending a shiver down my spine. "What did you just call me?"

"Chicken," I repeated, louder this time. "Bawk bawk bawk! Hiding in the deep cus you too scared to act!"

Several students snickered nervously. Zalimar's silver flame eyes blazed with murderous fury.

"You little shit," Katherine growled, her tail lashing against black marble floor. "I am NOT a chicken!"

"Prove it then," I challenged, offering her my hand. "Join our team of detention-bound rebels. Unless you're scared?"

"ENOUGH!" Zalimar roared, frost exploding outward from him in a wave of killing cold. "Get. Out. Of. My. Classroom. NOW!"

"Come on, Kathy," I grinned, blood dripping from my split cheek and lip. "You know you want to. Your art practically screams 'fight the power!' Don't let your dreams be dreams!"

Katherine shook her head.

"Alexa wouldn't have backed down," I said. "Guess you ain't worth the salt you're writing, when the push comes to shove, eh?"

With a weary, deep growl, the Stollwurm rolled out of her desk towards us.

Bingo. Five outta five.

I turned to Zalimar Evernacht who was about to bless the wheelchair bound Omnid girl with a month of detention.

My hand slipped into my pocket, finding the grimy steel lighter. I pulled it out and lifted it into the air, pressing the ignition wheel. The little flame flickered above me.

"Oi, Skeletor!" I announced. "If the mundane lawsuit didn't scare you off my back, lets fight with our gloves off. You have insulted my honor by attacking me and drawing blood. In accordance to the ancient Firstborn Clans Omnid blood-laws, I challenge you to a duel... to the death!"

The classroom erupted into shocked gasps and murmurs.

"You... challenge ME?" The Koshchei laughed. "A nullborn nobody... dares to challenge ME, a Necromancer Archmage... to a death match? Is this a joke? What's with the lighter? Is that supposed to represent the flame of your rebellion or something?"

"Alex, no!" Cinder grabbed me from behind. "You can't! He'll kill you!"

"Then you can incarnate me," I shrugged, not taking my eyes off Zalimar. "No biggie. But at least it'll be an officially sanctioned death, not some 'accident' in a dungeon. What do you say, Professor? Care to show these students how you really deal with troublesome mixies? Or are you perhaps against ancient blood-laws as much as you're against modern lawsuits?"

"I accept," Zalimar said.

"Excellent," I grinned, wiping the blood off my face with the sweater. "Let's make this interesting then. If I win, you start to respect nullborns and humans in your classroom or resign. Your choice. If you win... well, I'll be dead, so I suppose you get the satisfaction of legally murdering yet another half-blood student."

"Alex, stop!" Cinder's claws dug into my arm. "This is insane!"

Katherine let out a low whistle.

I glanced at my stats.

[Mana: 381/0]

"As I am of low status and level far below yours," I grinned at the death Archmage. "I choose my team of four as my magical backup to equalize our standing."

"Granted," Zalimar stepped away from his black podium, cracking his iron covered skeletal knuckles.

"Holy shit," Vespera breathed. "Are we actually doing this? You gon' duel a teach? Damnnnn."

Iogann swallowed, then he seemed to look from me to the others and then at Zalimar. "What?" He blinked his large gray eyes, sensing the future. "WHAT?!"

"When you hit enough mana," I whispered at the Mothman. "Open a big portal to hell behind the bone-boy."

"Welp. We're all gonna die," Katherine sighed, stretching. "Might as well make it interesting."

"Alex," Cinder's voice was tight with worry, feathers shifting through anxious oranges and concerned violets. "You don't have to do this. We can find another way... maybe my Dad can..."

"Oh, but I do," I grinned, feeling the power from the lighter surging through me. "Besides, what's the worst that could happen? Death? Been there, done that, got the t-shirt."

"What t-shirt?" Vespa tilted her head.

"We'll print t-shirts, after we kick his ass," I grinned. "Everyone, check your mana."

[Mana: 653/0]

The other four team members made noises of shock and confusion as they looked at their stats.

"Any other Duel Terms?" Zalimar boomed from where he stood, clearly excited about legally murdering a student in a duel. According to Yulia, he enjoyed duels quite a bit and would draw them out only to absolutely obliterate his opponent in a swift strike.

"Simple," I said. "No killing of my team mates. Take me out and it's game over. They'll take me to the pool to incarnate and we'll be out of your bones today and then serve four weeks detention."

"Holy effin' Slayer!" Vespera whisper-gasped, staring at her mana stat. "How are you doing this?! My mana's through the roof!"

"Impossible," Katherine muttered, checking her own stats. "This shouldn't... how?!"

"Alex," Cinder hissed in my ear, grabbing at me. "What did you DO? How are you doing that?"

"Magic," I grinned, keeping the little flame burning. The lights above us began flickering and glowing brighter. The classroom's wards sparked below our feet, crackling with excess power.

"Agreed," Zalimar's cold voice cut through our huddle. "Shall we begin? Just tell me when you're ready to die, little scabworm."