June 12th, year 024 Angels Descent

The class had turned in for the evening and quickly fell into such a deep sleep nothing short of an earthquake would’ve stirred them. They were preparing for the following day, where Maxwell and Kline would be their guides for the city.

So when the morning came, they quickly got out of bed and ready to go. Heading down the stairs, they found the Boris Twins sitting at the dorm's meal table, already in an animated conversation.

“What are you two discussing?” Kline asked.

“What would we rather face? One Hundred duck-sized dragons or an ancient dragon-sized duck,” Little Boris explained.

“I personally would face the dragon-sized duck. Dragons, even when little are nasty bastards that will nip and burn yah,” Big Boris added.

“Nah, have you ever seen a duck? Right evil bastards they are. Give me a hundred mini-dragons any day of the week. What about you kids?”

“I dunno… I guess the mini dragons?” Bea replied unsurely.

“Whoop, I got me a fellow mini dragon slayer!!” Little Boris cheered.

“Now ‘ang on, we ain’t ‘eard from the rest of them,” Big Boris pointed out.

“I would stick with Bea against the little dragons,” Gunter declared. The Borises shared a look before nodding.

“Boris tell them maxim number one hundred and seven,” little Boris asked.

“Love knows no race, gender, nor size. Never feel shame for love as it is the greatest gift we can give,” Big Boris replied.

“Bit of a weird thing to say while we are discussing ducks and dragons,” Bea replied, not noticing how red her cheeks were going.

“Anyways, what about you, kiddos?” Little Boris asked.

“I guess big duck? I am a projection mage, so I am better against big targets… though I suppose my scattershot spell could deal with a swarm of mini dragons… I’m not sure anymore…” Daisy began to ooh and umm for a moment before finally deciding. “Big duck.”

“See, brother, not all of us are as small-minded as you are,” Big Boris said with a teasing smirk.

“Oh, brother, don’t get too big for your britches. We got three more for my team,” Little Boris teased right back.

“Well, I would prefer a single target… so big duck,” Kline decisively replied.

“Damn, we’re evens…” Little Boris muttered.

“Maxy?” Big Boris eagerly asked.

“I would do better against a single target like Kline, so big duck.”

“Whoop, I’m in the lead!!” Big Boris cheered.

“Now down to you, missy,” Little Boris said, looking at Tasha.

“Huh?” Tasha asked, snorting loudly. Evidently, she was half asleep while on her feet.

“Which would you rather fight, one hundred duck-sized dragons or an ancient dragon-sized duck,” Maxwell explained for her.

“Oh, big duck, obviously,” Tasha replied, which caused Little Boris to bang his head against the table.

“Dammit… guess I’ll get our large monster slaying gear ready,” he muttered as he rose from the table and left the room.

“Get your gear?” Maxwell repeated.

“Yeah, you helped us decide which job we are taking. We had two contracts. One was one hundred duck-sized dragons, and the other was a giant duck. Apparently, a mage doing size alteration experiments let them get loose.”

“So it wasn’t a theoretical scenario?” Daisy asked, surprised.

“Yeah, we get the weirder jobs every so often. It is a rotation deal here. Weird ones pay well as the mage has to pay a hefty fine for each escaped experiment, so they often pay well above standard guild rates.”

The class nodded in understanding. Especially considering Alex had actually picked their very first quest to be one such example.

“You kids got anything fun planned for today? You can join us if you want,” Big Boris offered.

“As fun as it would be to face a duck the size of a castle, I think we will be better off with our own plans.”

“Fair enough. Got anything fun planned then?”

“Just sightseeing,” Maxwell replied.

“Oh, be careful of the Market District then… lota gangs running amok recently. We need Meso and Cyano back, as they are our crime specialists.”

The class had to restrain a chuckle, considering that Big Boris wasn’t wrong. Only they were specialists from different directions. One being a pro at crime and the other being a pro at enforcing the law.

“Come on, brother, I have the large loaf of bread at the ready,” Little Boris muttered, holding up a small knapsack.

“How large are we talking?”

“About half a tonne; good thing we got Rosy to do the size thing on it to fit it in the clan bag.” The class settled into seats around the table and watched as the Boris twins exited the dorm building to go on their duck-slaying quest.

“I like ‘em,” Tasha declared while spraying crumbs onto the table.

“Don’t talk with your mouth… never mind, it's a lost cause,” Maxwell muttered before nodding. “Yeah, they seem rather nice.”

“So where are we going today, then?” Bea asked as she coated a slice of toast in an unhealthy amount of jam. Maxwell paused as he watched her devour the toast far quicker than anyone would suspect a gnome capable of doing.

It continued to surprise him the sheer amount Bea could eat; he was often left wondering where she put it. In contrast, a quick glance at Gunter left him with the opposite confusion. The Titan, for all his size, seemed to seldom eat anything substantial.

“Well, me and Kline discussed it last night in our shared room, and we came to the conclusion to show you our old haunts. The docks, market and trade district.”

“What about the common district?” Gunter asked.

“That’s a no-go. My father always told me never to go there,” Maxwell replied.

“Why not go now? We are bigger and stronger than we were as kids,” Kline suggested.

“I don’t want to defy father while we are in his city… you know how he gets,” Maxwell reluctantly replied.

“What is he like?” Daisy asked.

“Strict,” Kline answered for Maxwell. “He was very controlling and strict. I think seeing what a prick Celes turned out to be; he was a magnitude harder on his other kids.”

“Yo, kids!” Hadean cheerfully greeted as he approached the table with someone dressed in a bright pink peacock feather dress.

“Hey, guys!” Jack said, giving a little wave.

“I must say I am so pleased I snapped Jack right up… her fashion sense is mwah,” Hadean said, giving a chef's kiss.

“Please, boss, your sense leaves me in the dust.”

The class focused their gaze on the walking bush of pink feathers, then the man dressed in a silk suit and then back to the feathers. They were having a hard time believing Jack could think Haddy had a crazier sense than she did.

“Oh, I know those looks. Debby doubters… I assure you your welcome party this evening; I shall wear my most fabulous suit… I call them my party clothes.” The class couldn’t help but grimace at the prospect of what he could be wearing.

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“So Jack, you enjoying it here?” Bea asked.

“Oh so much… you know I’m going to do a job with the boss today… apparently, the Borises were picking which they wanted to do; then we are going to be left with the other one…. I will be sure to be showy regardless!!!”

The class once again paused to look at Jack and her outfit. Her very flammable-looking outfit. An outfit she will be wearing to face one hundred small dragons, each capable of small bursts of flames.

“Well, I’m sure you will light up wherever you go,” Bea offered as she finished her coffee.

“I WILL!!!” Jack declared as she clenched her fists in what she assumed was her preordained triumph.

“Ok, we should be off now. Got lots of places to see,” Maxwell said as the rest of the class pushed their plates forwards and rose from the table.

“Where are you going?” Hadean asked in a tone that parents use for inquisition rather than a normal question.

“Out sightseeing,” Maxwell replied.

“And your washing?”

“Washing?” Maxwell repeated, confused, before looking at the plates.

“Oh, the maids will get that, don’t worry.”

“Maxy… we in the Clan do our own cleaning and chores. You will not leave dirty plates on the table. Take them to the sink and clean them,” the class paused to look at Haddy, wondering if he was joking, only to see the serious look in his eyes.

“You serious?” Daisy asked. The class being from high nobility had never had to do cleaning chores. Even in the academy, all the cleaning was done by maids and various spells.

“Yes,” Hadean nodded, to which Jack joined him.

“He is, guys. Even I do my own cleaning,” Jack explained.

“I’ve never cleaned my own stuff before, though?” Kline muttered.

“Then you are a failure of future adults. What would happen if you were dropped from nobility or went completely broke? Learning basic skills is essential for anyone, no matter your station.”

“Very well, we will show you how professional we are at cleaning our stuff,” Maxwell declared as the class picked up their plates and put them in the sink. One by one, they washed their plates and put them on what they assumed was the drying rack.

“You call that washing? Getting them wet isn’t the same thing, you know?” Hadean teased between bites of his breakfast.

“You have to actually scrub them, you know?” Jack added.

“Only Bea seems to have actually done a good job,” Haddy added.

“Well, my family don’t use servants to save money for our demonology.”

“Do it again; otherwise, you are going to waste the day away fumbling around like idiots.”

The class each gave cleaning their stuff another try letting Bea guide them on the tools of the sink. Eventually, they managed the cleaning and put them back onto the drying rack.

“Far better now, off you go,” Haddy said with a wink as he and Jack approached the sink with their cleaned plates.

Finally, being permitted to leave the compound, the class set off for their sightseeing tour. Maxwell took them to all his favourite spots, like outside the bookmaker's shop where they could see new books being printed and bound.

“It is almost mesmerising watching this… I could watch it for days; it is very peaceful,” Maxwell muttered as he sat on the bench placed in the middle of the road facing the workshop. Each workshop had a similar bench setup. Evidently, watching the tradespeople at their work was a hobby for many people.

“I’m bored,” Tasha whined.

“How?!!” Maxwell asked, shocked that the class couldn’t enjoy watching as old men stuck bundled of pages to hard leather covers.

“No, she’s right, Maxwell… this has always been boring,” Kline admitted. Maxwell looked at his childhood friend like he had just betrayed him.

“We can go down the road and make a left,” Kline suggested.

“To games street?” Maxwell asked incredulously.

“Games street?” Tasha eagerly repeated.

“Yeah, they have lots of people playing street games. Like hit this thing and win a prize.”

“That sounds like fun,” Bea said as she was already trying to get her mount to move in the direction Kline had indicated.

“Fine, we can go to games street, but they are all conmen,” Maxwell muttered as he sulked at the back of their group.

Turning the corner, Kline indicated they came to what looked like fairground game stalls. Everything from getting the ball in a cup to knocking over the stack of blocks was represented. The class walked down the street, unsure of which one to pick, when one game caught their attention.

“I’m sorry ma’am, you done lost the game… bettah luck next toim,” a man with a thick accent said as he waved off a disappointed woman. Approaching the man, the class could see he had three cups neatly arranged on a table in front of him.

“‘Allo, ‘allo you wana play?”

“What’s the game?” Bea asked, already knowing the answer.

“Simple, easy game even a simpleton could play. But it takes a real genius to win. I got three cups on the table, and under one is a bead.”

To demonstrate this, he lifted up the middle cup revealing a small bead. He then lifted up the other two cups to reveal nothing was underneath them.

“Let me guess, you mess them up, and we find the bead?” Bea asked.

“Nah ‘dats dah boring way tah play it. I bet yah money you don’t find it,” the man said with a smile.

“Pardon?” Bea asked, surprised.

“Yeah, I mess them up, and your job is to pick up the cup that don’t have a bead under it. You ‘av a two in three chance of beatin me… den again, I ain’t lost yet.”

“Can we give it a go?” Tasha asked.

“They are always a scam, though,” Bea muttered.

“A scam?!! I good ole Spoony Two’Ats ain’t ever scammed no one ever. I swear on me, mams life.”

“Spoony Two Hats?” Maxwell repeated.

“It’s me name. Dough don know why as I am lacking in spoons and ‘ats.”

“Very well, we shall play. How much?” Bea asked.

“As much as you want, I will match it. Nuthin more than a large silver dough… I ain’t a toff like you kids.”

“Very well, a large silver it is then,” Tasha declared, putting the coin on the table, which Spoony placed his own next to it.

“Ok, watch closely, an be sure to pick a cup without a bead.”

He first lifted each cup to show the middle cup had the bead under it. He then swapped places of the middle cup with the right-hand cup. He then switched the middle with the left.

“Der’ we go pick away.”

“DAT’S EASY!!!” Tasha declared, being swept up by Spoony’s accent as she pointed to the left-hand cup.

“Sorry, missy, no win,” Spoony declared as he lifted up the left cup that had a bead under it.

“What?!” Tasha exclaimed, confused.

“Anyone else?” Spoony asked.

“I watched your hands closely, and you didn’t palm the bead,” Bea observed.

“Palm the… I take offence to such an accusation. I already swore on me, mam I ain't no scammer.”

“Fine, would you let me mix them up?” Bea asked.

“Sure, missy, but you need to bet first. I will lean back and have my ‘ands where everybody can see ‘em.”

Bea placed down a large silver, and Spoony retrieved his own coin leaving Tasha’s coin still on the table. He then lifted the cups to show the bead still under the left cup, then the other two showing they were empty.

“Go ahead, missy.”

At his prompting, Bea moved the cups, carefully mixing them up so the bead should be under the middle spot. She kept a close eye on the table to make sure there was nothing that was popping beads up out of it.

“You done mixing?” Spoony asked. Bea nodded.

“Ok, which one you want?” Bea pointed to the left-hand spot again.

“This wun?” Spoony asked as he tapped the cup with a finger. Bea nodded.

“Now, I don’ want you suggesting I cheating, so lift the cup yourself, missy.” At his insistence, Bea lifted the cup she chose and knew no bead should be, only to find a bead.

“Awh, tuff luck, missy… anyone else?”

“It’s gotta be the table,” Bea frantically declared.

“Dis table?” Spoony asked as he lifted the sheet to show a thin board of plywood suspended over a few propped-up wood planks.

“Anyone else?”

“Can we play it on the floor?” Maxwell asked.

“The floor?” Spoony repeated as he mulled over the request.

“Bit odd, but I’d say for dat, you’d have to put up three times the bet you av done so far while I only put up a single coin,” Spoony replied.

“And we can mess them up all we want?” Bea asked.

“Sure, why not? I won’t even touch ‘em at all and let you even lift the cup first.”

Moving the cups to the floor, Bea stealthily checked the cups and found they were just bog-standard pewter cups. She couldn’t even feel any magic in them, so it wasn’t an enchantment scam.

“Ok, three large silvers against wun of me own,” Spoony declared as he put away Bea’s coin.

Maxwell, this time checked the cups and examined them before putting the bead under the lefthand one. This time Bea only switched the two cups they knew were empty, never touching the one with the bead under it.

“Now you are just being sore losers,” Spoony complained. Bea felt a spark of delight thinking she had gotten the win.

“Ok, the bead won’t be under this one,” Bea declared as she lifted the cup before he could touch it and conure a bead under the cup. To her shock, there was a bead there as if it were mocking her.

“Wow, missy, you don’ impressed me; you mixed them up all by yourself and never let me touch it and still lost. Maybe you’d do better at Conman Carriers three-shell game.”

“How are you doing this?” Bea asked as she watched Spoony pocket their silvers.

“It is just a game, missy. Betcha, you will have a fun time tellin this story, aye?” Frustrated at Spoony having bested them, the class stomped off towards the adventurers guild deciding to poke their noses in as they entered, though, they were greeted with a raucous sight. A lot of adventurers were grouped around a man and were visibly excited.

“What’s going on?” Daisy asked one of the free adventurers.

“Alexander Guntherian is back in town, and he is offering to do a few quests.” Hearing their teacher's name, the class couldn’t help but let out a groan. He was the last one they wanted to see after being tricked.

“What’s this? Why is such a lovely maiden looking so down?” A man said as the crowd parted. The man approached the melancholic-looking group and gently gripped Daisy by her chin.

“Please don’t worry, sweet maiden Alexander Guntherian is here for you and your sweet little friends,” a man who decidedly was not their teacher said.