June 27th, year 024 Angels Descent

It had been a few days since the incident with Septus, and the class had yet to see their teacher. From what the servants had told them, he had his room moved to a different wing and was making an effort to keep his distance from them for the time being. So any attempts they had to make further apologies were entirely made impossible.

Settling into the dining room for breakfast, the class were left wondering what to do when, in a crimson dress that gave a very dominating presence, Lust arrived.

“Morning, little ones; how are you?” She asked, looking them over before looking disappointed at their lacklustre reaction to her arrival.

“We’re fine, my Lady… we just want to speak to sir,” Maxwell replied.

“Oh, is he still being a pouting baby?”

“I wouldn’t go that far….”

“Please, Maxy dear, you don’t need to mince words with me. Between us, I’m a bit divided on his reaction to what you did.”

“Divided?” Bea echoed.

“Yes, like the kettle calling the pot black. Seriously you did what he would do, and he has the gall to scold you for it?”

“Well, there is more to it than that.”

“No, there isn’t, little ones. He has done stuff of a more absurd level than you did, with even less justifiable reasons. He, if anything, is avoiding you, kids, because he’s off pouting somewhere. Though I will be honest, even I didn’t expect you to waltz up to the guard HQ in broad daylight to start a fight.”

The class began to look embarrassed, having what they thought was their valiant charge for justice and vengeance whittled down to such a dumb outline.

“But it was all in good fun. The Oracle’s invoices, though, are hurting my piggy bank, but in the end, it was worth it to see your value.”

“The Oracle?” Daisy repeated.

“Oh yes, I offered to cover her usual costs if she gave you… ummm… more affordable pricing. Information is incredibly valuable, and the lowest I’ve ever seen her price something was a small gold. Yet you kids kept asking away.”

“So this was all a test?” Daisy asked, feeling a stirring of ire build within her. “You were using us?”

“Yes,” Lust’s flat reply stunned the class. “You were the bush beaters. I sent you in to shake the bush and send the naughty fowl players into the sky. I even expressly forbid your teacher from pursuing the subject himself.”

“Which is why he let us in on the act without you knowing,” Bea said as she came to the realisation.

“Oh, littlest one,” Lust replied with a chuckle. “I don’t leave loopholes unless I want them there. He knew full well I intended to see what you were capable of. He played along and skirted my ruling, keeping you as safe as he could. Well, till you went off and planned to use him yourselves.”

“So, do you know where he is?” Daisy asked, feeling a fresh pang of guilt for her plan to use their teacher.

“Oh, I know where he is. He is off having a dance session with the imperial knight order.”

“D-dance session?” Kline asked, confused.

“Yes, you’ve seen how he fights in close combat, right?” The class nodded, remembering how he bobbed and weaved, making it almost seem like the attacks were avoiding him.

“Well, he learnt that by learning dancing. He keeps up practice to ensure his survival.”

“Survival?” Tasha repeated, confused.

“You should know better than anyone else. He was a rather typical mage if the love of my life’s reports were anything to go by. He was weak and uncoordinated, and basically one hit away from dying.”

“What happened?” Gunter asked curiously. The class had heard countless stories about their teacher's exceptional abilities, but it wasn’t often they came across a story about him not being up to snuff.

“Well, he enrolled in the Academy, of course. It wasn’t just the little puppy’s big brother trying to get him. That boy dealt with many attacks with no rhyme or reason and especially less planning behind them. Add that to who his sparring partner was throughout this time.”

“Oh, you mean Lady Elissa?!” Tasha asked.

“Oh, she did become one of his sparring partners, but I assure you he would’ve died very quickly had she been his first,” Lust chuckled at her double-entendre.

“I believe your large fellow there is the one who can answer that one,” Lust replied, gesturing to Gunter. “Little Yuu, baby girl that she is, was his first sparring partner and hoo boy; if the military reports about her creations are anything to believe, it is no wonder he became so proficient at avoiding hits.”

“What do you mean?” Gunter asked. He had seen some of Yuu’s creations first-hand, and they were all impressive, but even a normal soldier would survive a strike from them.

“This was back before she had imperial seals put on her. She went overboard, and part of their research agreements was to help each other test their creations. With him, it was often dragging him to the infirmary after he blew himself up. With her, though, well… how good are you at avoiding a lightning spear fired from a nova cannon?”

“So he learnt dance to avoid stuff like that?”

“Yes, Elissa has written about his flexi… ahem, you may be a bit young for that one. Let's just say he is very nimble. Regardless he has done much worse than what you perpetrated.”

“We still upset him, though,” Daisy replied, still looking melancholy.

“Well, why don’t you bribe him to cheer him up?”

“With what?” Daisy asked as Lust grinned, seeing the girl finally fall into her trap.

“For a little favour to be claimed in the future, I can give you this,” she replied, holding up a ticket.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“A ticket?”

“Yes, Daisy dear… a ticket to a very exclusive event that dork would undoubtedly spend everything he owns to go to.”

“What’s it to?” Tasha asked, around a mouthful of pancakes.

“A ticket to a private meeting with Sharkspeare.”

“The merfolk writer?” Maxwell asked, surprised to hear the name. Sharkspeare was famous for being a reclusive genius actor, writer and all-around master of stagecraft. It was said a rough note from his works was worth a mountain of gold.

“The very same, he has come up from the Aquarius Kingdom to do a private tour with limited tickets. One of which I have in my hands.”

“So you’d give us the ticket, and we give it to sir to cheer him up?” Daisy asked as she slowly reached out for the ticket.

“You’d owe me a favour to be called in at a later date. You’d also need to give your account of the fight to scholars. These are my terms,” Lust replied, holding the ticket out and giving it a little wiggle. The class were sorely tempted to accept the offer, but they had experience with this. Knowing when a deal seemed too suspect. But they wanted to make it right with their teacher.

“Ok, I will accept… but only me,” Daisy said as she took the ticket.

“Well spotted. Very well, I shall call on you at some point, and you must fulfil any order given so long as it is within your power to do so,” Daisy and Lust locked hands, and Daisy’s entire body glowed for a moment before dimming.

“I’m sure he will enjoy it. The first time I met that human, he waxed poetic about the Midwinters Day Dream and said it was even more enjoyable on hallucinogens.”

“Errr… thank you…” Daisy replied, unsure of how to respond to this unnecessary added information.

“Good, now that is sorted, I’ll send in the scholars. They have been eager to meet you.”

“Who are the scholars?” Maxwell asked.

“They are from the Order of the Akashic Records,” Lust replied as she rose up from her seat.

“The followers of the divine of History?!”

“Oh, you know of him? Very few do; a bit of an odd reclusive divine doesn’t even let aspects of himself become gods.”

“I read about him when Master Insithrilax had me study.”

“Oh yes, I heard that Bookwyrm had you as his study buddy. Any chance you’d get him to officially join the Shadow Empire?”

Maxwell shook his head, refusing to even consider the option. He knew Sithy hated social situations and would think of nothing worse than being made the ruler of his own nation. Throughout his training, Maxwell repeatedly heard how Sithy was refusing to become the overlord of dragonkind.

“Thought not. Oh well, be nice to the nice scholars, little ones,” Lust waved goodbye as she left the room, letting in an old man and a young man who looked identical except for the obvious age differences.

“Greetings, I am Victor Victorson,” the old man said as he stood at the head of the table.

“Hello, I am Victor Victorson as well,” the young man added as he stood half a step behind the elder Victor.

“Are you related?” Tasha asked as she pointed back and forth between the men.

“Oh no, not a drop of blood between us,” the elder Victor said.

“Well, there is one relative eighty-one generations back, so we may share an iota of blood,” the younger Victor corrected.

“Oh yes, I am becoming forgetful in my old age. At this rate, I will no longer be able to be named Victor,” the Elder Victor replied, happy at being corrected.

“Ok, I’m feeling confused now,” Tasha groaned as she gripped her head.

“Well, it shouldn’t matter. We can tell who you are addressing regardless. We are here to record a personal account of the vengeful assault on Whisperharp Castle by the foolish six.”

“Is that what they are calling it?” Tasha asked, her eyes alight with joy.

“Yes, but perspectives are everything when it comes to recording history.”

“Why don’t you just get Septus’ account? After all, history is written by the hang on…” Maxwell trailed off as he looked at the Victors.

“Oh yes, that troublesome saying,” the Elder Victor said with a groan.

“So many think it means victor as in winner. But no, it is we who have been granted the name Victor that record history.”

“That seems asinine,” Maxwell groaned.

“We don’t disagree, but we have been trained from birth to remain accurate and objective. We take all accounts, even from animals and then compile them into what can best be described as accurate,” the Younger Victor explained.

“So you just need our versions?” KLline asked.

“Exactly, you lot are the last ones. We have been blocked from meeting you by a very persistent mage. He was very insistent we not meet with you for a few days. Feel free to begin wherever you feel is relevant.”

So the class did. They recounted the tale of the events from their arrival in Hades Seat to the eventual battle with Septus. Leaving out very few details. Though anything they left out, the Vitcors kindly added in accounts from others, leaving them less room to omit details.

“Well, thank you,” the Elder Victor said as he nodded at them in appreciation.

“With these accounts, we can finally add a few chapters to this book,” the Younger Victor added.

“Now we will be off, have a good day,” both Victors waved goodbye before opening a door out of thin air and walking into it. Peaking through the strange opening in space, they could see endless shelves stacked with books. The Younger Victor closed the door, and the air returned to its normal state.

“Did… did we just see the Akashic records?” Maxwell asked aloud after a few minutes of silence passed. “Master Sithy is going to be so jealous!!!”

With part of their obligation settled, they set off to the royal training ground to find their teacher to give him the ticket to see Sharkspeare. With surprising ease, they made their way through the city, only for it to dawn on them. They had fought toe to toe with the city head guard in public. Clearly, the public was now terrified of them and was avoiding them.

Collectively exhaling a sigh, the class pressed on, at the very least enjoying the free passage their new reputations had given them. Eventually, they came to a square arena where the training ground was housed. It was here the public could watch the knights training day to day. They even held fighting festivals in this arena twice a year.

“SIR!!!” Daisy called out as they could see one of the sectioned-off areas where their teacher was currently avoiding the strikes of a trio of knights. To the onlookers, it looked like he was doing ballet around their attacks.

“Time out, fellas!” Alex said, making a hand gesture.

“Hey, kids,” he said as he approached the class. To the class’s pain, his voice held less warmth than it usually did.

“We have an apology gift for you,” Daisy said as she held out the ticket.

“Listen, it’s fine, I just need a few days to… is that a Sharkspeare ticket?” their teacher's tune changed immediately upon seeing the ticket.

“It is. We heard you liked him and got you a ticket as an apology.”

“You sure?” Alex asked as he tentatively accepted the ticket.

“Yes sir… we are beyond sorry for trying to use you like that and hope we can move on.”

Alex looked at the ticket now in his hands, then to the class, who were each trying puppy-dog eyes only to exhale a sigh.

“Ok, it’s water under the bridge. You, kids, should get ready. We have our trip to Vulcans Forge in a couple of days locked in.”

“We are seeing my folks soon?” Gunter asked.

“Yep. Now go on and enjoy your day.” The class left the arena feeling more upbeat now their teacher was responding positively to them.

“That was nice,” Gorm commented as he approached Alex while wiping sweat from his brow. “You sure it’s ok to forgive them like that, though?”

“Yeah, sure… they clearly have indebted themselves just to try to get me happy again… damn Lust,” Alex chuckled as he tore up the ticket.

“Why did you tear that up?”

“It’s expired. It was for a few days ago. Lust got them in her debt and knew I would be the bad guy for refusing. The cheeky woman always has to play a few moves ahead.”