Chapter 39 - For the Record

A thought transmission? Now?

I’m already seated, books and tools at the ready, and headmaster chooses now to interrupt my schedule?

It’s just as well I supposed, considering my  classmates present are already filing out of the lecture hall, and so I  begin packing my materials. In some ways I’m one of the less fortunate,  considering my dimensional storage is completely full of spell  components, research materials, and monster parts – I’m reduced to the  leather backpack I procured from a crafter in the academy town to move  those for my lectures.

No matter.

I finish my labor and exit, the last to  vacate, to find myself running headfirst into my party’s scout. She lets  out an unladylike “Whoof!” as we collide, though we both manage to keep  our footing. A testament to our real world experience, I’d suppose.

“Aha, there you are, Marcus! Come  on, we have to run, we’re gonna be late!” she unnecessarily shouts in my  face, overly exuberant per usual.

I sigh but fall into step with her. “We will  be fine, Eleonor. We certainly won’t be the last. Especially not with  [Agility Up],” I say as I cast the spell. Both of our bodies immediately  feel just enough lighter for an effective speed boost, allowing us to  slip past some other unfortunate students caught too far away from the  west arena at the wrong time.

After a brisk spell-assisted jog, we file  into the concentric seating encircling the earthen floor in the arena’s  center. I notice that there is already a raised platform in the center,  on which the headmaster stands with eyes closed, ever the image of  stoicism. The only times I can remember him ever having spoken more than  one sentence at a time is during the welcome speech at the beginning of  my first year. As a third year near the top of my class, I haven’t had  the opportunity to need his remediation, as the rumors indicate is  likely the only way to have his direct attention.

Eleonor and I entered separately from the  rest of our party, and so it comes as no surprise that we are seated  separate from each other. I notice our shielder three rows in front of  us, but our monk is nowhere to be seen. Which, to be fair, also comes as  no surprise.

After some five minutes of the entire student  body’s mind-numbing hum of chatter, the headmaster raises one hand and  says, “Students, staff. Silence, please.” His voice is clearly  amplified.

It takes the collected mass of people a moment to calm down, and once they do, the headmaster resumes speaking.

“I have not yet offered an introductory  address to our incoming class, and not without my reasons. One of which  I’m sure a number of you are already familiar, due to rumors or  otherwise. This will of course leave our returning or transferring  students wondering, I’m sure, why exactly you are here? I will enlighten  you soon.

“First, allow me to welcome our incoming  class of might, magic, and knowledge, to our hallowed halls. A great  many heroes and parties of heroes have taken root and grown from this  earth, and they will certainly not be the last. I look forward to seeing  what fruits you all will bear in this, the summer of your growth!”

He pauses, and the onlookers awkwardly  applaud – at least, once they realize that is why he’s paused. After a  moment, he continues.

“I am not known to be one of many words,  where many words are not needed. And I do not anticipate today to be any  different. But in lieu of further pomp and circumstance, I will  alleviate some of your concerns.”

He raises one hand and snaps his fingers, and  a confused looking indra appears on the stage beside him in first year  uniform. The student then spontaneously bursts into a cloud of ash,  complete with flaming red slashes for eyes and a glitter of embers  throughout. A malevolent aura washes over us for a moment, causing a  number of my surrounding classmates to gasp.

“You are no doubt already aware that this  institution does not discriminate against monster races for admission;  our only requirement is that the individual in question meet a certain  level of ability and already have entered a System Contract. This one is  no different, although their nature is significantly more hostile than  typically allowed. In a previous incarnation, this one was responsible  for a great many atrocities, the natures of which have forever stained  its soul. This is why you will see it as a red threat; in that past  life, the gods marked it a danger to all life. And while it remains  capable of the same today, here and now, I assure you that I have  personally put in place safeguards to ensure it will not act outside of  human – or at least near-human – sensibilities. I do not take the  freedom of a beloved student lightly; If not for already willfully  performing an act that has required my personal intervention, I would  have allowed it to remain relatively free. Let this also serve as a  lesson to those of you who would take pleasure at harming your  classmates, physically, academically, or otherwise.”

The cloud of ash briefly swirls and then  coalesces back into the confused indra, their uniform rematerializing as  well a split second before it would have approached indecency.

“Oh, and one last note. This unique wraith,  my student by the name of Nemesis, is under my protection like the rest  of you. Should any of you choose to attack it – say, for experience,  hmm? I have authorized it to defend itself, so long as that defense  remains within human-like sensibilities. Any who so choose to do so  anyway and manage to survive shall face the same penalty that it faced.  Freedom is precious, and you must all understand this, lest your eventual strength be reduced to petty tyranny.”

He waves a hand as though dismissing the indra – no, wraith – and it vanishes without a trace.

“As I have already disrupted your final  lecture of the day, you are free to use the remaining time for free  study. You are dismissed.”

After the headmaster vanishes in a puff of  white smoke, I stand and begin toward the exit – something with which  I’d make much faster progress if my classmates weren’t standing around  in my way, babbling in excitement or fear over things they do not  control. Eventually I make my way out, to find that Eleonor has stayed  with me as usual. She never was one to go her own way if she could help  it.

“That was crazy! What the hells even was that?” she inanely babbles.

I give her a deadpan look and say, “Exactly  what he said it was. And clearly, also the reason why upperclassmen were  included in his welcome address.”

“Hmm, hmm. I see, I see,” the scout mumbles.

Not expecting much more lucid conversation  than this, I decide to head toward the campus gates. There isn’t much  point in finding seating in the library, considering the entire student  body has been offered free study, so I may as well head to my lodgings  and continue my studies there. One of the perks of being a third year or  higher is the allowance to leave the campus during normal hours, given  we have a proper reason. My proper reason, of course, is that I want to  study in a peaceful place, and my advisor will unquestionably support my  decision should my decision face any faculty scrutiny.

Eleonor seems to have made the same decision,  though I highly doubt her intentions are as academically inclined as  mine. Oh well, it won’t be the first time I’ve vouched for her poor  decisions or roped her into studying for her own good. We’re approaching  an intersection of hallways when she runs in front of me and turns  around, leaning toward me as though she is about to produce another of  her one-liners, when another student unexpectedly collides with her at  high speed. The scout nearly crashes to the ground when the offending  party grabs her by the wrist with a… is that a tentacle? It then yanks  her back quickly enough that she’s thrown straight into an embrace with  them.

It’s them.

The indra.

The wraith.

Who simply says in a mind-grating voice, “Uh. Oops?”