The Class were on their way to their next lesson, with Alex following their usual routine. They especially wanted to ask him about the homework he had given them. Stepping into his classroom, he was at his desk with Yuu sitting next to him, playing a game of cards.
Glancing around the classroom, the class could see there was no one else in the room with them this time round. They had half expected the next elementals mage to be sitting where Hadean had sat.
“SNAP!” Yuu shouted, slamming her hand down on the pile of cards.
“Hey, no fast-think,” Alex whined as he let her take the pile.
“Hey kids, I’ll just be a minute,” Alex said as he began quickly flipping cards onto the desk, only for Yuu to seize the pile once more.
“SNAP!”
“Dammit, when I can beat you, Yuu, I will be able to beat the little ones,” Alex said as he dropped his last couple of cards onto the desk.
“Ok, with that loss, how are you, kids?”
We are fine, chief. But we wanted to ask about the homework you gave us.”
“Yes, fun one, isn’t it? Time limit is the start of the summer holidays,” Alex explained.
“But to…To do that is impossible, sir!” Maxwell protested
“Come on; it’s not that hard.”
“What did you give them?”
“They have been given the challenge of successfully pranking Lord Sloth without being caught.” Yuu gave an amazed whistle as she looked at the class with sympathy.
“Good luck with that; you’ll need it,” Yuu muttered as she rose from her seat and made for the doorway. “Don’t forget, Alex, we have another meeting later today.”
“Gotcha,” Alex replied with a wave of goodbye.
“So, did you kids have fun learning from Hadean last week?”
“We did, actually. He was a very interesting teacher,” Maxwell replied.
“I was able to cast fire magic,” Tasha eagerly added.
“He was always a good teacher. You will definitely have fun learning from Rozoic later. If she hasn’t gotten lost on the way to the arena, that is.”
“So you learnt magic from the four great elementals?” Bea asked, looking awed.
“Oh yeah, I learnt from anyone who could teach me something. Never turn your nose up at learning anything.”
“I also discovered I was highly proficient at fire magic,” Daisy added.
“Yes, Haddy told me you nearly burnt down the ruined arena,” Alex teased as he arched a brow. “So what did he teach you? Not some world-shaking fire spell, I take it”
“Flash-Fire attack,” Daisy replied.
“Flash-Fire?” Alex repeated. “Like the stunning spell?”
“Yeah, but he used it in a way to suck all the air out of people's lungs,” Tasha explained.
“Suck all the… Genius, why didn’t I think of that?” Alex took out a notebook and scribbled down the idea.
“Wow, you two are really alike,” Kline observed.
“I’ve heard that a fair few times. Honestly, I don’t see it. We are distinct individuals.”
The class, however, were less than convinced by this statement, having learnt from both men and seeing too many parallels not to come to that conclusion.
“Anyways, I came up with a fun lesson today to make up for missing last lesson,” Alex explained as he closed his notebook with a snap.
“Oh no, it’s ok, sir. We had fun learning what we could,” Maxwell replied.
“Well crap… I wish you kids had made that clear before you came today. I already made a deal.”
“What Deal?” Bea asked before Alex could answer; one of the windows to the classroom shattered as a winged woman burst into the room, screeching.
“I AM HERE TO COLLECT FOR MY MASTER!!!” The creature screeched as she swooped down, grabbed Alex with her bird-like legs, and lifted him up.
“LET HIM GO!!” Daisy shouted, readying a magic circle.
“HE WILL BE DRAGGED TO PERDITION!!” The creature screeched in reply before nose-diving into the floor, where a hole opened up.
“What was that?” Bea asked.
“Looks like a harpy. They were mentioned as the debt collectors of Demon Nobility,” Bea replied as she looked down the hole.
“What do we do?” Kline asked, looking around for help.
“We need to get a teacher to help,” Maxwell replied. Looking down the hole himself, he could see it was an inky black void of nothingness. It was then the class began to notice it; the hole was slowly closing.
“We don’t have time, guys. A gate to hell closes quickly after it is opened to stop escapes. If we lose sight of Sir now, we may never find him,” Bea warned as she poked the hole with her mechanical finger, only to retract it with no issue.
“We either go in and mount a rescue ourselves, or we wait around, and he possibly dies.”
“I won’t let his kid grow up without a dad,” Kline said through gritted teeth as he held his nose.
“Kline, you don’t mean you’re goi-” Kline jumped into the hole before Daisy could finish her question.
“Crap; guess we don’t have a choice now. Gods dammit, Kline, I’m coming,” Maxwell muttered as he jumped into the hole after Kline.
“They will need someone who can speak Demonic,” Bea said as she stepped up to the hole, only to have Gunter stop her.
“Together,” He said, offering his hand to her. Nodding to his offer, she took his hand, and he lifted her up into a bear hug and jumped in together.
“What do we do?” Daisy asked, pacing back and forth.
“I won’t let Lady Elissa be without the love of her life. I may never be it, but that would hurt her more than I could accept. Daisy, you can stay here if you want, but I’m going in,” Tasha said before jumping into the hole herself.
“Crap-crap-crap,” Daisy muttered, still pacing back and forth. Finally, she gripped her hands into tight fists, closed her eyes, and jumped.
Opening her eyes, Daisy could see the rest of her classmates all looking around a solid stone room with no doors or windows. The weirdest part was it was well-lit despite having no obvious light sources.
“Where are we?” Daisy asked.
“Looks like a dungeon,” Bea replied, examining the stone of one of the walls.
“Dungeon? Like a prison?”
“No, these are the playthings of higher-ranked demons. I went through a mental one when I contracted my summon. The demon sets rules for the dungeon, and any who enter must obey them.”
“So what do we do then, Bea?” Gunter asked.
“We will have to play the game before us,” Bea replied, looking around the room, poking a stone every so often.
“What are you doing, Bea?” Tasha asked.
“Looking for the trigger stone. This is obviously an entry room for the portal, but there should be a trigger stone that starts the game for us,” Bea explained as she found the stone she was looking for. It seemed no different than any of the other stones in the wall, but with a light poke of her finger, this one sunk into the wall.
A panel began to protrude from the wall, and Alex’s image appeared on. Only his eyes weren’t their usual green but a demonic red. It was clear whatever demon had constructed this dungeon had possessed him.
“Well, looky here, you really did come. It would’ve been so simple to take his body had you not followed,” Alex laughed in a distorted double voice. One his natural and another a deep rumbling baritone.
“What is your name?” Bea asked.
“Now, now, young Blackgate brat. You, of all beings, should know we don’t give our names so readily. Just call me Alex, as that is this vessel's name, is it not?” the demonic Alex asked with a tilt of its head.
“This vessel made a deal with me to test your resilience and ability to see through illusions. If you fail, his body will be forfeited. So be sure to put on a good show for me and my friend,” Alex’s image threw its head back in a fit of mad laughter.
“Little beings, you will face many trials ahead; this vessel hoped that you would learn from it well. He even bade me to inform you one thing.” Alex’s eyes returned to their usual green colour. “Crap, kids, you came,” he said in a panicked voice free of the demonic baritone. “Kids, just do your best if I spend eternity in hell; well, that’s ok. Just remember to take a break to reflect before you progress down.”
Alex shook his head violently, and the red was now back. “Enough of that; I let you give your message!”
“Gods dammit, sir, we didn’t need this!!” Maxwell cursed.
“We will accept your challenge regardless,” Daisy said, looking at her classmates, who all nodded.
“MAGNIFICIENT!!” The demonic Alex boomed with a pleased look.
“Proceed through the right door,” Demon Alex said before vanishing, and several doorways opened up in the walls surrounding them.
“Ok, this way, guys,” Bea said, walking to one of the doorways.
“Wait, Bea, how do you know that is the right one?” Maxwell asked, reaching out to stop her.
“The demon told us. It is the right one. Meaning the only one on the right-hand side of the wall,” Bea explained, gesturing to the other three doorways, which were either centre or left of centre.
“But what if he was lying?” Daisy asked.
“Guys, I know demons. They were cursed to never lie by the gods when they were banished. It is why they are such smooth talkers. There are ways, to tell the truth without people realising it.”
“I… I did not know that…” Maxwell said, lowering his head in shame.
“No, you don’t! I am the only one here who has experience and training for demons so take my word for it,” Bea shot back in a sharper tone than she had intended.
The class followed closely behind Bea, who was leading the way down a narrow stone hallway when she froze in her step.
“What’s wrong?” Gunter asked, concerned.
“There’s a trap right here,” Bea replied, pointing at her feet.
“How can you tell?” Tasha asked.
“Because a circular blade just went over the top of my head. If you guys had stepped on it, you would’ve had your legs cut off.” The class all paled at this prospect, with Gunter looking panicked at how close Bea came to being hurt.
“How do we press forwards?” Daisy asked from her spot near the rear.
“Hmm,” Bea began to get lost in thought as she stepped on a tile up and down.
“Ok, there is a delay of about three seconds between activation and reset. I activate it then you each pass over me before it resets.
“Come on, guys, we don’t have time,” Bea grumbled as she stomped on the tile. The class all strained their eyes, and only then did they see the flash of a blade shooting out just above Bea’s head height.
Rushing over their Gnome friend, each of the class made it safe but only went so far for fear of more traps. The last to go was Gunter, who looked at his close friend with worry.
“You ready, Gunter?”
“I am Bea,” Gunter replied with a nod.
“Let’s go!” Bea shouted, stomping on the tile. Only when Gunter stepped forwards, his shoulders momentarily wedged against the narrow hallway. The entire class looked on in worry, only for them to pause in shock as the disc blade had gotten stuck in his ankle.
“You ok, Gunter?!” Bea asked in a panic.
“Yeah, armour skin is tough,” Gunter replied with a grimace as red began to seep from his leg.
“Ok, move slowly, and we can cast the healing spell,” Daisy suggested.
“Bea come forwards; the blood may spurt when he moves,” Maxwell warned, gesturing for her to come closer to him.
Following his direction, Bea stepped forwards and allowed Gunter as much free room as possible to get clear of the blade. Wriggling his leg free of the wedged blade, Gunter quickly manoeuvred before the trap could reset itself.
“Quick, heal him!!” Bea shouted in a panic. Kline knelt down in front of Gunter's heavily bleeding leg and tore away some of the fabric. Taking out a water skin, he poured some water to wash out the wound as they had been instructed. As he was so focused, he didn’t notice Bea had pushed her way past everyone and had her hands at the ready.
KNITAS, COLATIVAH, DERMIS,” with her chant, a pale light began to glow against Gunter’s skin, and his scrape began to visibly close before their very eyes. There was even an amazed whistle from somewhere further in the dungeon.
“You ok, Bea?” Daisy asked, concerned for her friend.
“Yeah, the mana cost was nowhere near as high as professor Alex suggested it would be.”
“Strange…” Daisy mumbled as she looked at Gunter’s now healed leg.
“Gunter should lead the way,” Maxwell suggested.
“WHY?!” Bea angrily asked.
“He has armoured skin. Not all the traps will be at just above your level Bea. Imagine if that blade was a few inches lower. We would’ve lost you,” Maxwell explained.
“That…” Bea began before trailing off.
“It’s ok, Bea. The chief is right; I am the best option; titans are often used as defensive units,” Gunter said with a weak smile as he shuffled to the front of the class.
Pressing on through the hallways with Bea only just behind Gunter, they were relieved they didn’t encounter any other traps; it was just a straight shot.
Eventually, they came to a larger open room with a dozen pedestals in a circle. On the walls surrounding the room were high-grade polished mirrors the likes, they had seen in Hades Seat. As they gawked at their reflections which in turn gawked back, a protrusion began to emerge from one wall.
“Ah, you made it to the first real challenge!!” The demonic image of Alex said with an unhinged smile. The kind of smile they’d imagine someone who had never seen a smile and only knew the mechanical way to do it would give.
“This one is easy; fix my clock, and you can proceed to the next floor.” Without so much as another word, the protrusion vanished, and the class were left alone with the twelve pedestals and the mirrors.
The class were left unsure of how to proceed and thus turned to Bea for guidance, as she had previously completed a dungeon. Bea, though was busy examining the pedestals.
“It’s obviously something to do with these,” Bea muttered as she looked at every angle of one.
“Well, there are a dozen, so maybe there is a number hidden on one of the stand thingies?” Tasha suggested looking around one of the pedestals herself.
“But what about the mirrors, then?” Maxwell said as he ran a hand over one of the mirrored walls.
“Maybe it’s like the first room where Bea found a hidden stone?” Gunter suggested.
“Best option here is to split up and check the entire room for any clue, no matter how small,” Bea replied as she went to the next pedestal to continue her investigation.
The class divided up into two teams, the girls checking the pedestals and the boys investigating the mirrors. This lasted an hour with no result; they had been over every nook and cranny of the room and had no luck. Kline himself was becoming increasingly frustrated with the situation.
“This room is clearly a trick itself!” Kline angrily grumbled as he glared at his reflection, which glared back as reflections tended to do.
“GODS DAMMIT, WE NEED SOME BREAKTHROUGH!” Kline shouted, punching the mirror in front of him.
“Break,” Daisy repeated as she mulled over the word. “What was it, sir said when we first arrived, and the demon let him speak?”
“Not to worry if we fail,” Kline replied as he spun around and slid to the floor against the mirror.
“No, after that.”
“Something about taking a break to reflect?” Tasha offered.
“That’s it!” Daisy shouted as she snapped her fingers. “Can one of you guys break one of the mirrors?” Gunter nodded and cracked his knuckles readying a punch, only for Kline to stand up and start punching the mirror quickly.
“YOU ARE SO USELESS!!” Kline shouted as he kept punching and punching, slowly bloodying his knuckles. Despite this, cracks started appearing in the mirror he was hitting.
“I WILL BECOME STRONGER THAN YOU!!” Kline shouted, not pausing his punches against his reflection. Eventually, the small cracks began to spread, and a small shard fell off the mirror.
“Any change?” Daisy asked, looking to her stunned classmates who were looking around couldn’t see anything different.
“Dammit, I was so sure that was right,” Daisy grumbled as she huddled up into a ball.
“It was a good suggestion,” Bea said, shuffling next to her and patting the despondent girl on the head.
“Guys… don’t discount her idea just yet,” Kline said, holding up the shard he had broken off.
“What’s up, chief?”
“The shard looks different,” Kline explained, handing the shard over to Gunter.
“He’s right, I can see the room, but there are jars on the pedestals,” Gunter explained, handing the shard to Daisy and Bea. They looked into the shard, and as Gunter had said, they could see themselves but on the pedestal behind them was a jar.
“This is too small. We need a bigger shard,” Bea said, excitement entering her voice. Without hesitation, Gunter drew back his fist and smashed it into another mirrored wall that Kline hadn’t been punching and shattered it into shards of various sizes.
Picking up the large shard that was bigger than Bea, he held it up so the whole class could see. On each pedestal was a large vase. So large that it was a wonder they couldn’t feel it. Seeing this, Tasha approached one of the pedestals and waved her hand over it. Her reflection did the exact same movement; only her hand went through the vase.
“Ok, we found the key to the puzzle… at least the first step to solving it,” Bea said as she looked at the reflection and noticed that the vases had numerals carved into their sides. Each numbering one to twelve.
“My best guess is we need to move these into the right order somehow. That one has five, and that one has eight,” Bea explained, pointing to two pedestals next to each other.
“Do we just pick up the stand thingies then?” Tasha asked, crouching down and wrapping her arms around one of the pedestals.
“Worth a try,” Be replied, nodding for Tasha to try. Tasha slowly lifted the pedestal with a grunt, only to be quickly told to stop.
“The vase began sliding off. We don’t know if they will break if they fall off, and if they break, we fail,” Bea explained.
“So, do we all need to work to reorder them?” Gunter asked.
“Maybe… or… Daisy, can you go to that pedestal and use your reflection as a guide to try to pick up the vase.”
“But Tasha’s hand went right through?”
“She waved her hand through it; she didn’t try to pick it up. If it doesn’t work, we can try the pedestal plan again,” Bea replied.
Nodding to the suggestion, Daisy approached the pedestal closest to where Gunter was holding the large shard and slowly brought her hands together as if she was going to pick up the vase. Stopping her hands roughly where the vase’s sides should be, she began to raise her hands. In the mirror, her reflection was picking up the vase as well.
“Knew it couldn’t be a muscle solution. This is a dungeon of illusions, so the illusions must also be the solution.”
“Ok, Daisy, that vase you got is number nine; we want it to go to this pedestal. Kline, can you be ready to pick up the vase on that one?” Kline nodded and approached the designated one.
“How are you sure that's the right one?”
“I don’t, but we can only assume Twelve is where it needs to be; worst case, we just move all the vases along one till we get it right,” Bea replied.
Daisy slowly shuffled, keeping her hands as still as possible so as not to drop the imaginary vase she was holding. As she neared the pedestal, Gunter manoeuvred the mirror along the room's perimeter so they could see. Kline carefully picked up his imaginary vase while Daisy put hers down. When she did, the pedestal lit up, and a clock tower bell rang out.
“We got it!” Daisy cheered.
“Ok, we just need to get the rest in the right place,” Bea said as she focused on guiding her classmates through this.
It took a further fifteen minutes of slow effort for them to get all the vases on the right pedestals. The only difference for each pedestal was there was no clock bell ringing. When the eleventh pedestal lit up, the twelfth one also did, and thin lines of light began to spiral into the middle of the circle and open up a black hole like the one they entered the dungeon through.
Without hesitating, the class all jumped into the hole and arrived into the second floor. There to greet them was Alex’s image on a protrusion on the wall.
“Colour me surprised. Though your teacher gave you a hint, so I guess it was far easier,” Demon Alex teased.
“Let me make things clear; on this floor, you will find nothing but death. All the traps will now be lethal, and before you ask, there will be more than the one I gave you on the first floor. I’d even go so far as to say at the end of this floor; you will find only death to welcome you. He will play you the tune of the dead.” Demon Alex threw his head back and sounded like he was choking.
“I think I have gotten this mortal being's laughter down,” Demon Alex said, turning to an unseen figure just off-screen. “Please continue to entertain me. If you so wish, though at any point, yell ‘I hereby forfeit!’ and I will return you to your classroom.”
The class, this time, were only given one pathway to choose from. Having been warned of the nature of the traps on this floor, they had Bea search the room they had landed in to ensure there were no secret passageways. Finding none, they were left with only one path.
“So, who should take the lead?” Bea asked, looking at Gunter with worry.
“I think I should go first, Bea. I am the toughest one here,” Gunter replied.
“Why don’t we take it in turns,” Tasha suggested.
“You fool, we would be eviscerated if another blade traps like the floor above,” Maxwell shot back with a scowl.
“We just have to proceed with caution,” Tasha said, twirling a staff around.
“Tasha, where did you find that?” Bea asked.
“Oh, it was in my hand when we arrived here. No idea where it came from?”
“Give that here!” Bea shouted, snatching it from the surprised elf's hand.
“Gunter, any curses?” Gunter held the staff and examined it.
“No curses, though it has a high-density metal core,” Gunter explained, showing the tip of the staff that had a metal rod through the middle.
“So we got a testing stick; we tap ahead of us and trigger any traps?” Daisy suggested.
“It is possible, sir, might have some influence on this dungeon and is trying his best in little ways to keep us safe?” Kline suggested.
“Maybe,” Maxwell said as he stroked his chin in thought.
“Ok, give it here. I will take the lead,” Maxwell said, snatching the staff from Gunter.
“No, chief, I got this,” Gunter said, reaching out for the staff only for Maxwell to move it out of reach.
“I noticed you were hobbling; your leg still hurts. If the traps here can really hurt you, and the ones here are lethal, that means they may be poisoned. Werebeasts have a far higher poison resistance than titans. I will take the lead,” Maxwell insisted as he pushed passed Gunter and proceeded down the hallway that was far larger than the one on the floor above.
Tapping the floor tiles ahead of him a few times before each step, Maxwell set a slow but safe pace which relieved some of the more stressed members. While Gunter took up the rear in case, any traps might trigger behind them.
Slowly but surely, they proceeded past the traps they were encountering, which were a mix of the bladed trap and dart traps that shot small, clearly poisoned darts across the hallway into the wall opposite.
This continued till Maxwell tapped a floor tile only to feel something violently yank the collar of his shirt from behind. Looking at the source, he could see Tasha had her hand around his shirt.
“What the hell are you doing there isn’t any-” Before he could finish angrily scolding her, a spike shot out of the ground his head had previously occupied.
“Wha-How-Thank you, Tasha; if you hadn’t reacted, that would’ve been my head,” Maxwell said, looking to the elf whose eyes were darting around the hallway.
“How did you know that a trap would trigger there?” Daisy asked.
“I can see the pattern,” Tasha said. “The traps only strike where a person wouldn’t be if they waltzed down the hallway,” Tasha explained, gesturing behind them to the hallway where the traps had not reset.
“If we danced down the hallway, we wouldn’t need to worry about the stick,” Tasha suggested.
“But that is insane!!” Daisy protested, before anyone else could speak up.
“I know how it sounds, but I can see it clearly,” Tasha insisted so firmly the class were left frozen, unable to respond.
“Are you sure?” Maxwell asked, finally breaking the silence. Tasha nodded firmly, locking her eyes with his.
“Very well,” Maxwell said with a grunt as he pulled himself up. “If the traps aren’t resetting, they are each one use, and we can’t waste time with the stick,” Maxwell said as he held his hands out for Tasha.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Maxwell, you can’t be serious!!” Daisy shouted.
“Daisy, I have been doubting Tasha for a while now. But last time I saw how sure she now looks, it was regarding Elissa,” Maxwell replied, not looking at Daisy as Tasha took his hands.
“Can we get a one, two, three?” Maxwell asked, glancing at his classmates.
“If you are sure, chief?” Gunter asked, only to see Maxwell nod. “Very well. One, Two, Three. One, Two, Three.” Gunter began repeating the numbers as he clapped his hands in the rhythm.
Maxwell and Tasha began to move back and forth, performing the opening steps of the traditional waltz all students learn; with their first step, they began to hear a piano play. After a moment to catch their nerves, they stepped out into the hallway ahead of them.
“One-Two-Three,” Maxwell repeatedly muttered as he and Tasha waltzed down the hallway. As she had predicted, the traps weren’t touching them.
The rest of the class followed close behind, staying a few paces behind the dancing pair and the traps triggering around them. They came to a large open room a few minutes into the dance routine. The room itself had a vaulted ceiling and a large grand piano standing in its centre.
Sitting in front of the piano was a man in the kind of clothing you’d see anyone wearing on the high street. Looking at the class, the man scrambled backwards with a look of fear in his eyes.
“You ‘is servants?!” the man asked as he held a knife out at the class.
“Servants?” Daisy repeated, confused. “We’re here to rescue our teacher.”
“So you another stuck on dat bastard's challenge?” the man asked. The class just gave a half nod, unsure if they were against the same demon.
“So we have enough for an audience then,” an ethereal voice said as a swirling black mass of smoke began to grow next to the piano.
“It is so nice to speak to mortals without being there to collect them,” the voice continued as the smoke coalesced into the form of a man in plain clothes. His features were nondescript. So much so that all assembled in the room were sure they would have difficulty identifying him from a crowd.
“So tell me…” the man began as he slid across the floor and right next to Kline. “What do I look like to you?”
“Er…” Kline began, confused. “Brown hair, blue eyes, about the same height as I am?”
“Interesting… what about you, big guy?” the man asked, pointing the finger at Gunter.
“Well, I see the same.”
“Interesting… so rare to have a stable image with so many witnessing me,” the man seemed pleased by this realisation.
“Who is you?” the man asked.
“I am known by many names.”
“Are you a demon?” Bea asked.
“Oh, nothing so pathetically weak. I am he who all beings must face one day. Thanatos, Shinigami, Osiris, Hel and thousands of other names on countless worlds. I am he who is a part of every pantheon but also not bound to them.”
“You’re death?” Kline asked, paling at the man right next to him.
“Bingo!” the man said with a smile as he snapped his fingers. “I owe Duke Bolango a debt that I’m repaying by playing a part in his little dungeon.”
“Duke Bolango?!” Bea repeated as she went a ghostly shade of white.
“You know him, Bea?” Gunter asked.
“He is the most powerful demon noble. Only the royal demons outclass his power. He is also known as the lord of tricks.”
“Nice saves me an introduction. So he has me here for the next century to serve as a gatekeeper for his third floor. The challenge is simple. Play me the sweet tune of the Dead, and I will open the doorway. I must warn you though one wrong note, even in the right piece of music, I will end your life.”
“Any music?” the man who had been quiet till now asked.
“Indeed, any music can be tried. But only one little ditty will pass.” Death said with a serene look.
“Wait, if you are here for a century, how are things still dying?” Maxwell asked.
“Oh, you silly boy. I am not a mere god whose absence will affect their domain. I am a Pure Divine. I am many levels above mere gods,” Death explained with a chuckle. “I am like a pure force of existence. Even if my form is absent, my domain shall proceed.”
“Screw this, I have to save my wife!!” the man shouted as he pushed past the kids and sat at the piano. “I only ever seen one in a shop window. How ‘ard can it be?”
The man lifted the cover and wriggled his fingers to get ready. Then he pressed down a single key on the keyboard and fell face forwards onto the piano cover.
“What happened?!” Tasha asked in shock.
“I just finished explaining this. One wrong key, and you die.”
Maxwell went over to the slumped-over man and held the man's wrist, looking for a pulse. He then held his ear against the man’s back, hoping for a heartbeat, anything. Only to finally confirm the man had died.
“So be careful. You lot have quite a few years ahead of you. It’d be a shame to cut it short. Then again, you can always forfeit; he did say to remind you of that option,” Death said with a smile as he casually lifted the dead man's corpse off the seat and threw it into the corner as if he were discarding trash.
“How long do we have to play the right tune?” Daisy asked.
“Till you die, obviously,” Death replied as he lifted the fallen cover and began playing a sweet sombre tune.
“Is that the tune?” Tasha asked.
“No, nothing so complex as this,” Death replied with a shake of his head. “I just like playing music, is all. My great-granddaughter Gaia is the same way.”
“Ok, guys, we need to work out what to play,” Maxwell said, calling the class into a huddle.
“Do we have to?” Kline asked only for the class all to shoot glares at him.
“Where is the gung-ho attitude that you started with?” Bea asked.
“Well, that was before we came face to face with the literal embodiment of death!” Kline hissed back.
“Well, you can quit if you want. But we just need to figure out what to play,” Bea said, turning her attention to the rest of the class.
“Well, he said it should be simple,” Daisy offered, gesturing to Death, who was playing away.
“We still have too little information to go off of,” Maxwell said with a grumble.
“Why don’t we ask him what to play?” Tasha asked.
“I don’t think so, Tasha; he would need to-” before Bea could finish her explanation, Tasha exited the huddle and turned to Death.
“Mr Death, can I ask what the tune we need to play is?”
“Tasha!!” Daisy cried out, trying to pull Tasha back into the huddle.
“You can ask.”
“Wait, we can?” Daisy asked.
“Yes, you can ask,” Death repeated with a nod.
“What tune do we need to play?”
“Young Daisy, you must play the tune of the Dead. Nothing more, nothing less,” Death replied.
“Thank you,” Daisy said with a respectful nod returning to the huddle.
“Ok, that was no help,” Daisy complained.
“What if it’s a clue to the keys we are meant to play?” Gunter suggested.
“What do you mean?” Bea asked.
“Well, I only have ever seen pianos. But aren’t there a D, E and an A key? What if the tune of the dead is just spelling out dead on the keyboard?”
“That guy did start a tune with the F key,” Maxwell added, gesturing to where the now missing body of the man had been.
“Excuse me, Mr Death. Is the tune playing the keys to spell out DEAD?” Tasha asked, breaking from the huddle again.
“That would be a sweet tune if you asked me. But one rule I was bound to was not to reveal if it is right until it is played,” Death answered.
“Ok, let’s play it,” Tasha said, returning to the huddle.
“How can we be sure it is right?” Daisy asked.
“We can’t; that's the point,” Bea replied.
“So, who will play it then?” Kline asked.
“I’d suggest we draw lots… but I think we all know how that would turn out,” Gunter said, glancing at Kline.
“We aren’t getting anywhere doing this,” Daisy said, breaking from the huddle and storming over to the piano.
“Please move aside, sir,” Daisy asked to which Death obliged.
“Ok, here it goes?” Daisy said with a wince as she pressed down one of the D keys. A melodic tune echoed out of the piano far sweeter than any piano should with a single note. Opening her eyes, Daisy let out a relieved sigh to see she was still alive.
“Ok next key,” Daisy again winced as she pressed down the E key. Once more, a melodic tune rang out and echoed around the entire floor of the dungeon.
“Yes, sweet so far,” Death said as he swayed his hand back and forth, pleased with the music.
“I will go next, Daisy; you don’t need to keep risking yourself!” Kline said as he stormed up to the piano.
“You’d need to start again. I don’t allow duets at my piano,” Death warned.
“I don’t care. I can’t let Daisy be the one to sacrifice herself!” Kline shouted as he sat on the seat and forced Daisy off.
“Kline, what are you-”
Kline ignored her attempted question and quickly hit the D, E, A and the D key in quick succession. A tune of true beauty that did not match the keys hit rang out. The entire floor was now filled with the melody that they recognised as the waltz they heard as they danced down the hallway.
“Ah, such a sweet tune. That is the tune of the dead,” Death said with a pleased smile. “The gate is now open,” he said, gesturing to a rapidly opening hole.
“Any clues about the next floor?” Bea asked.
“The next floor’s guardian will leave you exhausted in body and mind if you let him speak too much. Hopefully, you are sharper in wits than he is,” Death replied with a grin as he waved the class off.
The class descended to the next floor and arrived in a large open chamber. Unlike the previous floors, this one looked like a cavern of some kind. Before they could react, they realised they were falling into a pit of green sludge directly beneath them.
With a splat, all but Tasha landed in the pit. The aroma was strong enough to knock a bulldrake down. The class's eyes were rapidly watering as they dragged themselves out of the pit.
“This better be easier,” Bea complained as Gunter pulled her out.
Looking around the chamber, the class could see dozens of tunnels leading off in all directions. There, in the centre of the chamber was a solid stone monolith that was clearly out of place as it was smooth surfaced. Sitting in front of the monolith was a squirrel-like creature with a little pouch on its belly.
“Hello!” the creature shouted an excited greeting at the class.
“Hello?” Daisy replied, too exhausted to even feel weirded out by the strangeness anymore.
“Are you my next challengers?” the creature asked.
“I suppose we are,” Bea replied as she approached the creature.
“Ah, good, this one was lonely. So few pass the big grumpy’s tests. My test, though, should be fun. Yes, it is fun! But is it fun for them?!” the creature seemed lost in a conversation with itself, its voice changing pitch and tone as it rapidly spoke.
“So what do we need to do?” Kline asked.
“You need only place the key in the big stone. DO THEY?!!! Yes, they do.”
“Is the key down one of these tunnels?” Gunter asked.
“NO. No!!! MAYBE?! Definitely not, don’t believe their lies!!”
“We have the key. Do we? SINCE WHEN?!!” the creature seemed to be getting lost deeper and deeper in its own conversation before finally nodding. “We have all come to the agreement we do have the key,” the creature said as he took out a metallic key from a pouch on its belly.
“May we have it?” Daisy asked, slowly approaching the creature with her hand out.
“You can. YES, SHE CAN. Nice lady can have the key.” the creature said eagerly, nodding rapidly.
“Ok, come here and hand it over,” Tasha said, kneeling down.
“Hand over?” the creature parroted with a little tilt of his head.
“Deca does not just give it. It must be taken from us!” Deca declared as it ran in a circle as if it were chasing its tail.
“So we have to snatch it from you?” Bea asked.
“Yes. BIG LADY HAS IT RIGHT!!! Such a clever mongo!!” Bea gestured for the class to slowly circle around the frantic and excited creature.
“We have many rules. WE DO?! Of course, we do; the boss wrote them down. WE NEVER BREAK RULES, DO WE?!”
“Rules?” Maxwell repeated.
“Yes, on the big stone. THE BIGGEST?! Maybe…”
“GO!!!” Bea shouted as the class all simultaneously dove or lunged for Deca, only to miss as, in a blur of motion, Deca swiftly avoided all attempts to grab him.
“WE START NOW?!!!” Deca asked, bouncing excitedly. “YES, THEY TRY. WE CAN ALL PLAY NOW!!” Deca cheered as a flash escaped from his pouch. When the class cleared the spots from their eyes, there were now ten Decas wiggling excitedly at their feet, all holding a key.
“Only one key is right!”
“ONLY ONE DECA IS REAL!!”
“Can you see through?”
“WE WILL RUN WHILE YOU TRY!!”
“Don’t worry, tunnels all link back to here. There is no escape for us and you!!” All ten Decas at these words scattered in all directions running between the feet of the class and down various tunnels.
“CRAP!!” Bea cursed as she looked at the tunnels; she saw a few run down.
“This will be fun,” Tasha declared as she ran down one of the tunnels after a Deca.
“Anyone see which one had the real key?” Bea asked.
“They all looked identical; even the keys looked the same,” Kline replied.
“Looks like this will be an endurance game. We can split up into three teams of two and work on getting them one at a time.”
“What about Tasha?” Maxwell asked, pointing to the tunnel she had run down.
“We can work around…” Bea’s voice trailed off as Tasha came running out of a different tunnel she had run in right behind a pair of Deca’s.
“GET BACK HERE NOW!!” She screamed at the squirrel-like creatures.
“POINTY EARS LADY IS SCARY!!”
“But also fun!” the second Deca declared as they ran down a different tunnel with Tasha in pursuit.
“Guys, you split up, and I’ll wait here; we will need someone to hold them down when you do catch them,” Maxwell declared, stepping up to the monolith.
“I also want to read the rules and see if there is something we can find out or prepare for,” he added as he stepped up to the monolith, which on closer inspection, was coated bottom to top in writing so small that from a distance it just looked like decorative lines.
“Crap…” Maxwell muttered at the first line he read.
“What is it?” Bea asked.
“Says here he can divide up to one hundred times,” Maxwell replied. The class let out a collective groan at the task ahead of them.
Daisy was the first to tap out and rest next to the monolith where Maxwell was still standing, reading away at the rules. She couldn’t help but curse her lack of physical ability. Though she knew it was the cost of her manastores. Looking up at her classmate, she couldn’t help but see if he had made any headway.
“Found anything yet?”
“Nothing helpful yet, though he apparently is not allowed to eat acorns,” Maxwell replied, gesturing to the scribbled line representing that rule.
As Daisy glanced up at the rule on the monolith, Tasha came bursting out of one of the tunnels and dove forwards, catching one of the Decas she was close behind.
“I GOT ONE!!” Tasha cheered only to have a face full of fur as the Deca in her hand burst in a flash, releasing nine more Decas right into her face, all of which ran away from a stunned Tasha.
“Oh yeah, that must be what this rule means,” Maxwell muttered, looking at another rule.
“What’s it say?” Daisy asked.
“Being restrained while playing leads to a new division.”
“Are you the real one?” Tasha asked, the one still in her hand.
“I MIGHT BE TRY MY KEY!!” the Deca replied.
Tasha took the key from the Deca and handed it to Maxwell, who tried it on the keyhole in the stone. The stone began to glow brighter and brighter, only for the light to fade and there to be two keys.
“DAMMIT!!” Maxwell cursed as he punched the stone in frustration.
“No hit rule stone!” The Deca in Tasha’s hand protested.
Before Maxwell could retort, Bea and Gunter exited a tunnel with a Deca held in each of their hands. They looked none too pleased by their encounter with the squirrel-like creature.
“Yeah, just a heads up, we got even more to chase now,” Bea grumbled as she handed the keys to Maxwell, who didn’t put them in the keyhole this time.
“We should take a break,” Daisy suggested as she patted a spot next to her.
“Yeah, I got caught up in the moment I lost myself. This is impossible if we focus on the physical nature of the task,” Bea agreed, slumping to the floor next to Daisy.
“If only we could block off the tunnels and limit the paths they could take,” Gunter grumbled as he slid down next to Bea.
“I’m not great with earth magic,” Bea said.
“Yeah, I’m not great either. I only just learnt I’m good with fire magic, so not too sure how well I would do.”
“You know Kline specialises in Earth magic,” Maxwell added as he started the next line of rules.
“He does?” Daisy asked.
“Yeah, his family traditionally, while serving as stewards for my family, often assist with defence. He has had earth magic drilled as it has the best overall defences,” Maxwell replied as he squinted at the next line.
“Hey, guys, how many you got?” Kline asked as he returned out a tunnel without any Decas in hand.
“We got a few, but they divide when you catch them,” Tasha explained.
“Oh really?” Kline asked with a tilt of his head. “It’s just I got these,” Kline said, taking eight keys out of his pocket. “And they didn’t divide. I kinda guessed he was dividing anyway when I saw more, but the ones I caught didn’t divide.”
“They didn’t?” Bea asked.
“Yeah, I set a trap, and they fell in, and I offered to help them out if they gave me the key. They all did, and I said I would let them out before we proceeded to the next floor,” Kline explained.
“So maybe they only divide when it is forcefully taken rather than given?” Maxwell suggested.
“Seems possible,” Daisy agreed.
“We need your help with a plan, chief.”
“What plan?”
“We are going to block the tunnels and limit where they can go. Then get them all to give up,” Bea explained, only to have Kline shake his head.
“Won’t work; I tried blocking their escape with a wall, and they hopped right through it. It was a pit trap in the end that got them stuck,” Kline explained.
“So we can’t block the tunnels?” Tasha asked.
“Well, it’s worth a try. Deca seems a bit,” Kline trailed off as he looked for the right words.
“Why do you keep looking at me?” Tasha asked.
“Well, Deca is speedy and nimble like you are,” Kline hastily replied, a hint of panic entering his voice at the elf’s glare.
“Let’s try it then,” Daisy said, nodding to Kline.
Kline nodded in return, stepped up to one of the tunnel entrances, and held his hands out, ready to cast a spell.
“Lumus Rex!” with his chant, the magic circle for shape-earth appeared. Slapping his hand against the circle, the floor at the bottom of the tunnel entrance began rising, fully blocking the way in.
“Kline…” Bea began only to trail off as the class looked at Kline in surprise. “Since when have you been able to do the light circle method?”
“Since less than an hour ago. I ran out of reagents trying to stop Deca and grew frustrated and just tried it out of spite to stop him when a group of them were making fun of me,” Kline sheepishly replied.
As the class looked on with a mix of pride and joy at Kline, their happiness faded as the cavern began to rumble. Looking around in a panic, they saw three new tunnels opening up along the walls that had been untouched.
“Bigguns tried to cheat?”
“They wouldn’t; they must’ve tried to be tactimatical!” A pair of Decas said in conversation as they watched the class, who all had looks of dismay plastered on their faces.
“Hello, mongos!!!” A Deca said as it approached the class.
“I have been sent by the true Deca to let you know there is now one thousand Decas.” The class’s expressions all morphed from dismay to just utter despair at this news. The Deca turned to scurry away when Maxwell called out to it.
“Excuse me, Sir Deca. Would you kindly bring the true Deca to us? If it is not too much trouble, that is.” The class all stared at Maxwell, who had a smug expression on his face.
“OH YES, WE WILL BRING THE TRUE DECA!! IT WOULD BE A PLEASURE!!” All the Decas scurrying around the main chamber declared in a unified voice as they ran down a single tunnel.
A few minutes passed before a horde of what was now several thousand squirrel-like creatures. A veritable tsunami of a fluffy nature approached the class. Held aloft by the assembled army of creatures bound in twine was a single Deca.
“WE HAVE OBEYED THE POLITE MASTER!!” The thousands of Decas declared before bowing to Maxwell.
“Maxy?” Bea asked, turning to Maxwell.
“I’ve been reading the fine print here. There are several trigger phrases that each grant increased control over them. Opening a statement with ‘Excuse me’ will increase compliance by thirty-five percent. Using ‘Sir’ before the name adds a further five percent. Asking ‘Would you kindly’ adds a further forty percent, finally stating ‘if it is not too much trouble’ gets us to one hundred percent,” Maxwell explained, gesturing to the rules he had utilised.
“You use the rules to win the game?” Deca asked, looking up at Maxwell, who maintained his smug grin as he nodded.
“WELL DONE, YOU HAVE DONE WHAT SHOULD BE DONE FIRST!!” Deca cheered closely, followed by his thousands of copies.
“This test was not one of tactics nor speed but of understanding rules and how to use them,” Deca said, baring his large teeth in what the class assumed was a smile.
“Release Deca, and he will open the gate for you,” Deca said. Tasha nodded and began to approach the restrained squirrel, only to have Maxwell hold her back.
“I have read a lot of the rules. You are not obliged to assist us if you are free to move. Tasha, would you kindly hold Deca up to the keyhole so he can unlock the monolith for us,” Maxwell said.
“Curses, you read the really small print!” Deca cursed. Tasha followed Maxwell’s instructions and picked up the restrained Deca. The moment he was in her hand, all the other copies vanished in a puff of smoke.
“Ok, Mr squirrel open the gate,” Tasha said, holding him up close to the monolith.
“Yes, here we go,” Deca said, taking out a key and putting it into the second keyhole and turning the key. A clacking sound rang out as the monolith began sinking into the floor.
“Any clues to the next floor?” Bea asked.
“There are many beautiful thingies and many not beautiful thingies. Big Master always said beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
With his clue given, Deca vanished from Tasha’s grasp. With little else to do, the class jumped into the hole to the next floor of the dungeon. They arrived in a pitch-black room devoid of all light. Even those amongst the races with superb night vision were blind as bats.
“Is this the test?” Daisy asked.
“NO!!” Demon Alex declared as the entire room lit up with a light that felt blinding to the class as their eyes had begun adjusting to the darkness. With the room lit up, the class had to contain shocked gasps.
The room they were in was massive. In their own opinions, though, massive would’ve been an understatement. The room was so large they could’ve fit the entire school campus within and had space to spare. Filling the room were rows upon rows of statues of every race they could conceive of in their world. From giant statues of Dragons to a little statue of a squirrel-like creature, they recognised very well.
In the very centre of the room was another pedestal identical to the one on the first floor. Only this one had an aquamarine blue stone sitting on it. It was about the size of a golf ball. Approaching the pedestal, Tasha examined the stone only to see it had some writing carved into it.
“Anyone read this?” she asked, showing it to the class.
“That is a demonic script,” Bea explained as she held out her hand for the stone. “It says… It roughly translates to the ideal image, or maybe pleasant appearance.”
“Or beauty?” Daisy offered to which Bea nodded.
“Seems likely, considering Deca’s clue.”
“So what do we do?” Gunter asked.
“Simple little mortals. You have entertained me greatly, so I shall make things fair for you. Place the stone in the socket of the statue that is truly beautiful. If you are right, you will pass and finish this dungeon.”
“What if we are wrong?” Bea asked.
“The statue will come to life and attack you,” Demon Alex replied. “Please continue to entertain my friend and me here,” he added with one final smirk before his image vanished.
“So we need to find the most beautiful statue?” Maxwell muttered, looking around. There were countless statues that could fit that description.
“Isn’t that too subjective, though?” Kline asked. “Like what I might consider beautiful,” Kline glanced at Daisy before continuing. “And what Gunter might consider beautiful would be inevitably different.”
“Maybe it’s something we can all agree on?” Tasha suggested. “Like puppies. Everyone loves puppies!”
“But they aren’t beautiful,” Maxwell replied to Tasha, who shot him a pout. “Don’t get me wrong; they are cute and adorable. But they aren’t what everybody would consider beautiful,” this explanation seemed to mollify Tasha.
“Why don’t we split up and look at the statues and try to find something that could match the challenge?” Daisy suggested.
“Worth a try. But I want to try to mull over Deca’s clue,” Bea muttered as she began to wander off with Gunter in tow.
“Hey, what are you-”
“Well, we’ll head to the big beasties,” Tasha said as she grabbed Maxwell by the collar of his shirt and dragged him behind her.
“That just leaves us then,” Kline said with a blush as he looked at Daisy, who was more focused on examining the statue of what appeared to be a half-ogre half-gnome being.
“How do you even make a child like this?” she could only mutter as she looked at the statue from all angles, fascinated.
The class explored for the better part of a few hours, looking at countless statues of every race imaginable. When they regrouped at the pedestal, they had all prepared their candidates for the stone.
“Me and Maxy here found an ancient behemoth dragon. She was a real beaut,” Tasha eagerly declared as she slapped Maxwell's back.
“I have to agree it was exquisite,” Maxwell said with a nod.
“Well, me and Kline found the succubus’ and Incubus’. Surely one of those is the right option,” Daisy explained, her cheeks already flushing red. “I will warn you, though, they, unlike the other statues of people here, weren’t clothed,” she said as she hid her face behind her hands.
“Me and Gunter didn’t find much; we only saw eldritch horrors also; a random rat was amongst their statues for some reason?”
“So who do we pick then? The Incusbus’ or Succusbus’ or the giant dragon?” Kline asked.
“Guys, I got a suggestion,” Gunter said, speaking up. The class all turned their attention to look at Gunter.
“Well, Bea was considering the clue as we were looking at monsters. But as she is so…” Gunter trailed off as he looked for the right words. “As she is perfectly packaged, she couldn’t see as far as I could. I saw a beholder statue amongst the monsters.”
“A beholder?” Maxwell repeated.
“Yeah, and the clue Deca gave us.”
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Bea said with a snap of her fingers. “That must be it!! Come here, you brilliant lug,” Bea gave her usual hand gesture to be picked up and put on his shoulders, only for her to land a peck on his cheek when he knelt down close enough to the height.
“Let's go, guys. We got a beholder to put a stone in,” Bea declared as she stormed off in the monster statues direction. Gunter, however, did not move as he was frozen as still as the statues surrounding him while holding a hand to the cheek she had kissed.
“Come on, bud,” Tasha said as she hoisted him to his feet and got him to start walking, albeit in a euphoric daze.
The class wandered amongst the statues for a few more minutes till they found the statue of the floating eye with numerous eyestalks. Looking at the statue, they could see the lowest eyestalk was empty.
“Here we go,” Bea said as she placed the stone into the socket. All at once, the entire room began to rumble and shake. Dust fell from the ceiling, and rocks began falling as the dungeon began collapsing around them.
“Did we get it wrong?!” Kline asked in a panic.
“No, he said that the statues would come to life and attack us if we got it wrong!” Bea shouted back to be heard over the rumble as the class huddled close together, unsure of what would happen. They all closed their eyes, preparing for what was to come.
As they waited for the end, nothing seemed to be happening. The rocks falling around them began to dissipate into dust. Looking around them, the entire chamber began to warp and twist. All at once, the entire room vanished, and they found themselves standing in a huddle in the middle of Alex’s classroom.
Looking around in confusion, they were mystified, only for a small pop like a cork being pulled from a champagne bottle and a little horn being blown.
“Congratulations, kids, you passed illusion training,” Alex cheered as Yuu gave a little clap sat next to him.
“What is… Oh, you utter bastards!” Bea began before shouting at pointing at the pair that had barely restrained smirks.
“What’s going on, Bea?” Daisy asked, confused.
“The whole dungeon was an illusion cast by those two utter bastards,” Bea explained, pointing an accusatory finger at Alex and Yuu. “I should’ve known,” Bea said, lowering her head in frustration.
“Sir, is what is she saying true?” Maxwell asked.
“Yes, you kids kept falling for very easy tricks. I felt it best to do a deep end and drop you into an illusionary dungeon,” Alex answered.
“So everything we experienced was an illusion?” Tasha asked.
“Pretty much. You kids have been skulking around the classroom for the better part of two hours.”
“Two? We were there for far longer than two hours!” Kline exclaimed. Alex pointed to the ceiling, where they could see a strange magical array of multiple circles.
“I created a fast think field. You kids were experiencing the dungeon in an accelerated fashion while you perceived it to be normally paced.”
“But why?” Daisy asked, looking at Alex pleadingly.
“You kids are far too susceptible to tricks and illusions. I felt it best to ramp up your awareness to recognise when something is off.”
“How in the hell were we meant to know it was a trick, then?” Bea asked.
“There are many ways to detect an illusion. Illusions cannot recreate all the sensations of reality. Take this wall, for instance,” Alex held out his hand and created a light circle that conjured a solid-looking wall.
“This wall is one of the ones I used for the dungeon you were going through,” Alex gestured to the wall. “Examine it; use all your senses.”
The class stepped up to the wall and touched it and examined it, but to them, it looked and felt like a real wall. They could even lean against it, put their weight into it, and not move through it.
“What are we meant to see? It is no different than any other wall,” Bea complained.
“I did say to use all your senses. You didn’t try taste,” Alex replied with a smirk.
“You expect us to lick a wall?” Maxwell asked.
“I expect you to lick an illusion,” Alex corrected.
“I will give it a go,” Tasha said, stepping up to the wall and licking it.
“So, what do you taste?” Alex asked.
“Nothing,” Tasha replied with a confused look.
“So she can’t taste the wall. So what?” Daisy asked with a grumble.
“Everything has a taste. It might be faint, but a wall even has a flavour. But an illusionary wall has literally no flavour. Illusions cannot recreate all senses as that infringes the domain of the divine,” Alex explained.
“Solid objects can’t recreate flavours; liquid can’t recreate smells; visual illusions can’t recreate touch, and sound illusions can’t fully match the sounds. There will always be a small error, and only true masters can make that error nearly imperceptible.”
“But sir, you must be a true master then,” Maxwell complained, considering the idea of seeing through an illusion made by someone of Alex’s calibre was absurd.
“I’m not, though. I’m better at twisting words than images. It’s Sloth who is a truly unmatched master of illusions. He can make them so convincing even the Gods are tricked into making them real.”
“That… That is absurd!” Kline shouted out.
“Exactly,” Alex said with a nod. “But the dungeon experience I gave you helped you establish the foundations of skills and ways of thinking. At least, I hope it has.”
“Like what?” Maxwell asked.
“Well, let’s take you, for instance. On Deca’s floor, you recognised the solution was hidden amongst the long list of rules. You had an eye for detail and picked the rules that gave you the victory,” Alex answered.
“You, Tasha, on the dance tunnel floor, you picked up on the pattern in the tunnel and used it to clear the way,” Alex said, gesturing to Tasha.
“You all worked as a team to solve the mirror room and cracked the clue I gave you. Above all, you showed lateral thinking when solving the statue puzzle,” Alex said, holding his hands out as if to embrace the kids for their successes.
“What about the piano?” Daisy asked; however, Alex just looked confused.
“What Piano?”
“You know, with the embodiment of death. Play the tune of the dead?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about, kids. I gave you the clue for the mirror room, then left you to your own illusory world. Then Yuu’s familiar Deca gave the clue for the statue room. There was no piano,” Alex explained, looking utterly bewildered.
“But we saw a man who identified himself as death. He even killed a man right in front of us?” Kline protested.
“You’re screwing with us now, aren’t you?” Bea asked
“I swear on my unborn kids; I didn’t put a piano or a death image into the dungeon.”
The class were stunned by his declaration. They had definitely encountered a man who identified himself as death, and Alex was insistent he had nothing to do with it, even to the point of swearing on his children.
“Then, who did we meet after the dance tunnel?” Tasha asked.
“I honestly don’t know. Maybe you did meet the real death. I honestly couldn’t say. Yuu, you didn’t put that in, did you?” Yuu just shook her head.
“That… That is disconcerting,” Alex muttered as he held his chin in thought.
“Sir, I hope you understand this has damaged our trust in you?” Maxwell stated.
“Good,” Alex said with a firm nod. “You should keep a healthy scepticism towards everybody. I will deceive you kids if it would benefit me. Just know, though, while I may play about with you when it comes to your safety, I can be trusted,” Alex declared, a serious look appearing in his eyes.
“What about Gunter’s leg?” Bea asked.
“Oh, that… well, Yuu did try to keep her swing as soft as possible. Why do you think I taught you the skin healing spell last week?”
“Wait, the traps were Yuu swinging weapons?” Daisy asked.
“Yeah, you were just walking in circles around the classroom. I don’t have traps hidden in here,” Alex replied.
“Wait a second… You said we’ve been here for over an hour, right?” Daisy asked to which Alex nodded.
“Then we are late for our lesson with Rozoic!”
“Ah, don’t worry. As brilliant as she is, that lady can get lost in an open field. She is likely only just making it to the ruined arena now,” Alex said, giving a reassuring gesture.
“Wait, she gets lost that easily?” Kline asked.
“Oh yeah. Back in my adventurer days, she had to have a chaperone to ensure she didn’t wander off. Like you could put her in a tunnel with only one way through, and she’d still somehow get lost.”
“So we should make our way to the arena?” Alex just nodded.
“Go on, kids. I assure you you will see a show that will enlighten you as to why me and Sloth consider Bardic magics the best school,” Alex said with a wink as he rose from his desk.
“Ok, Yuu, let's go. We got that meeting to get to,” Alex said as they both left the classroom, leaving the class worried if this was still an illusion. Only for the tension to be broken when Tasha licked Maxwell’s cheek.
“Yep, you have a flavour; you are real!”