To start their training, the class with their chosen instructors all went to different places to allow their training to be private from prying eyes. But also because they had placed a private bet on whose student would win by the largest margin and didn’t want the others to block their efforts.

Bea and Mimi had been part of the group that had headed outside the city walls. In the middle of a field currently were Bea, Mimi and Serena. Bea was anxiously waiting for Mimi to explain what she was expected to do.

“Ahem… you shall call me master!!!” Mimi began pacing back and forth with her hands held behind her back.

“Master?”

“Yes, I am your master; for the next week, you are my one and only apprentice.”

“But master,” Serena began.

“Hush, apprentice, I am speaking to my only apprentice! Anyways, Bea, we will be training a lot this coming week, so I am going to set a goal for you.”

“A goal?” Bea asked.

“Yes, you must land a blow on me at least once before the day of the duel. If you fail to do so, then you must forfeit the duel without participating.”

“Master, that is beyond unfair; she is young and petite, while you are absurdly fast,” Serena complained, placing herself between the pair.

“It shouldn’t matter the size of the enemy. Anyone as clever as Alex has told me Bea is should be able to work out how to best me.”

“Could I ever be able to hit you?” Bea asked, looking up at her new mentor.

“Eh, maybe… I’unno if you can. I’m just saying what little Ali said I should,” Mimi replied with a shrug. “The best way to know is to try!”

“Serena, grab a stick and draw a duelling circle. We will be fighting unrestrained,” Mimi ordered to which Serena shook like a leaf as she rushed off to grab a stick.

“While she is gone, you cannot use the light circle method against me while Serena is here. Sithy is on the seal, but she isn’t. You use it, and you will experience the punishment.”

Bea hastily nodded, going pale, remembering when Alex had begun even to mention another sealed technique only to have blood gush out of every hole. It was something that, even now, months later, made her shudder.

“Can’t she be added?”

“We have put in a request, but it takes time. Crozonia isn’t sitting around munching on snacks ignoring her duties… well, at least she shouldn’t be…”

“I have drawn the circle, master,” Serena said as she happily returned with a stick in her hands.

“So I need to fight without using… well, you know?”

“Yes, it is sealed,” Mimi said, nodding to confirm.

“What is?”

“Ah, yes, Serena. Bea here knows a spell system under an imperial seal. It was taught to her by my brother. So in our fights, she will be at a handicap like my brother was against you.”

“Wait, that fight was at a handicap?” Mimi just nodded.

“Gods, I can only imagine how dangerous he must be without the seal, then.”

“Hang on a moment. I’ve seen sir use that method in front of people uninvolved?”

“Bea, that is mostly because he was either killing them or he was using a method to conceal it. Like when he killed Serena, she blew up because he kept it hidden within her body.”

“Anyways, enough yapping; let’s do this!!! First, I want to talk to your demonic possession.”

“Why?”

“They are your truest partner in combat. I need to know their limits as well as yours,” Mimi replied.

“Ok… Come forth, for I seek the greater beyond!” as with the last time, her body began to change, showing a pair of pupils and a voice interposed over her own.

“Hello, my name is Amelia,” Mimi said with a little wave. “I am training your host in combat and request information.”

“All things have a cost,” Bea replied in a far deeper voice than she should be able to manage.

“Yes, I know how economics work.”

“No, I meant about the information. What you seek may not be all you truly need to know…”

“Well yeah, that’s why I am asking you.”

“No!! Please, listen to what I am saying. The information you seek, I will require something of intangible value.”

“Oh, cool… guess I’m ok being your friend then. No need to go in a roundabout way to ask.”

“Oh, for the love of the- Ok, I have what you want, right?”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Yes,” Mimi replied with a nod.

“And for my host to fully utilise me, you need that information, yes?”

“Yes,” Mimi replied, continuing to nod.

“And in return, I want something like the way a merchant might buy crops.”

“You want crops?”

“NO!!!! GODS DAMMIT, SCREW THIS. JUST ASK THE QUESTION AND GO AWAY!!”

“Deal,” Mimi said with a smirk as she shook Bea’s hand, which now had a shocked expression plastered on it.

“Did you just…” Bea narrowed her dual pupiled eyes. “Gods above you are related to him… Bumblefluff wasn’t kidding; you just annoy us into making deals that we have no way of gaining from.”

“I learnt from the best,” Mimi replied with a playful smirk. “Ok, what I want to know are the limits to your duplication clones for Bea here.”

“That all? Like I could reveal cosmic truths that would-”

“Nah, I’m ok knowing what I know. Just answer my question, please.”

“A dozen extra copies,” Bea replied, looking exhausted.

“Are they linked copies or independent?”

“Linked.”

“Ok, I can work with this if you’d be so kind as to bring out her copies, and I can have a riot beating them all up.”

“Wow, and they call me a demon…” Bea muttered as her image began to buzz and blur before spreading out into thirteen distinct Beas.

“Ugh… I will never get used to that… Ok, so I have my copies… now what?”

“I first would like to watch you fight with this technique before I truly participate. Serena, play with Bea for me.” Serena jumped at hearing her name be called and shuffled into the makeshift ring she had drawn on the floor.

“Ok, Serena, you are going to be an interactive training dummy. You need only block her attacks and make weakened counterattacks.”

“You sure, master?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Don’t worry; I’m sure she won’t kill you.”

“Master, I’ve been through this dying still hurts. This is the whole reason I joined the army!”

“You joined the army to avoid dying?” the Beas all asked.

“Yes, the theocracy won’t send people to kill me outside of wars.”

“I don’t really see the point. The worst they could do is kill you,” the Beas said, all thirteen giving a confused head tilt.

“Then you lack imagination. I have been caught by the theocracy before. When they realised they couldn’t kill me the normal way, they tied chains around me and threw me in the ocean.”

Both the Beas and Mimi looked utterly shocked and disgusted such a thing had happened. The very thought of what that experience would be like was enough to cause all of them to shudder.

“Serena… are you ok?” Mimi asked, resting a hand on her apprentice's shoulder.

“You get used to dying.”

“That is not a healthy mindset,” one of the Beas pointed out.

“Meh, the only thing I learnt was to cut off all feeling.”

“OK NEW PLAN!!!” Mimi declared, slapping her hands together.

“Beas here,” Mimi said as she reached into a pouch and took out two dozen feather dusters.

“Master, why do you have these?” Serena asked, looking increasingly worried.

“Me and my hubby like to… it doesn’t matter… Beas your goal is to get Serena to laugh today.”

“Can I avoid that attempts?” Serena asked.

“Of course, otherwise Alex will make fun of me for just making my first real session a tickle session. Ok, begin when you are ready!”

The Beas began to circle around Serena, who remained unmoving. The only part of her moving was her eyes which were darting nervously in every direction. Eventually, one of the Beas moved forwards at a perceived opening only to have her feather duster swatted out of her hand with ease.

More Beas began to attack one at a time, but Serena moved out of the tickle attempts before they could even brush her. Slowly but surely, more and more Beas began sitting outside the ring, having been declared out.

“Ok, stop!” Mimi said with a loud clap of her hands.

“But I can continue…” the remaining Beas said between pants.

“You can, but it’d still all be wrong. You are not working as one.”

“Master, I am working as thirteen,” Bea retorted.

“Exactly. You are all one person linked, but you keep going piecemeal. Ok, do me a favour…” the Beas looked up expectantly at Mimi.

“Close your eyes,” the Beas obeyed and closed their eyes. “I want you to move your right hand till it is above your head.” The Beas all followed, moving their arm directly up.

“Ok, open your eyes,” Bea obeyed and looked around and was surprised to see some of her had their arms only halfway up.

“See, you are one person split with a dozen extras. But that can cause the signals to delay, and any coordination becomes nigh impossible. Not to mention someone perceptive enough will recognise the delay and strike at the real you,” Mimi explained as she poked the real Bea in the forehead.

“Now I can see what we need to focus on. I am going to help all of you become one.”

“Why do I need to move as one? Can’t I just use the crystals again?”

“No, they have been listed as a banned material by the judges.”

“Bastards!!”

“Hey, blame Alex; he’s the one who suggested it be banned.”

Why would he do that?”

“Dunno, maybe he wants you not to use an easy technique and grow. Maybe he rolled a die just to see who to mess with that week. Even my brother doesn’t know the reason for half of what he does.” The Beas could only quietly seethe at their teacher's sabotage, each muttering quiet curses in his direction.

“Oh, also, Bea, I will be teaching you a few extra tricks that haven’t been banned. Especially one’s you seem ripe to start learning, especially with manastores that large.” In response to this promise, the Beas all began grinning again.

“By the way, Bea,” Serena began only to recoil as thirteen pairs of eyes all looked her way. “Does this skill have a name?”

“I dunno never thought to name it…”

“I got one,” Mimi said, holding up her hand. “A Bea-kers Dozen!” Mimi declared with a cheesy grin ignoring the thirteen grimaces at her pun. “Oh-oh-oh, an even better one, ‘We are Beagion’… geddit?

“Pfft…” the entire assembled group looked at Serena, who was doing her best to stifle a laugh.

“BEAS WE HAVE AN OPENING FULL ASSAULT, I SHALL ASSIST!!”

All at once, the Beas and Mimi, who went full acceleration, began to circle and use the feather dusters from every angle, reducing the girl into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

The scene before them would later go on in local legend as the joyous gifts of the fairies. When a passing farmer who witnessed the Beas and Mimi’s tickle assault on Serena retold the event at his local tavern, years later, it would be a ground where many would gather for the festival of laughs.