Chapter 25: Chapter 24: Meeting The Newcomers

Kon stared at Carl in semi-disbelief, the long absence of conversation drawing a veil of tension over everyone.

Suddenly, Kon’s slate beeped. “We’ll talk later, preferably with Madam Director present. Go inside it’s time to start the assembly.” Kon gestured for them all to enter the main chamber of the floor, following in behind them before closing it.

The hall itself was immense, a kilometre in diameter. Visual displays hung from the ceiling above at regular intervals, a necessity given that everyone present needed to be able to hear.

The students were split into two sides with an aisle down the centre, the students stood in their year groups. Each row was five-hundred wide on either side of the aisle then there was a phantom row represented by an instructor to separate the years where a teacher stood to insure no intermingling.

There was a significant disparity in the number of students in lower years and their seniors. The eighth-year students only had three full rows between the two sides, numbering sixteen-hundred and ninety-three without the four by the pre-starters.

The seventh-years numbered four-thousand and three and that trend followed, with each year having between one-and-a-half and two-and-a-half times the one above. These assemblies used to give Carl panic attacks, each one a stern reminder that falling behind and failing to meet standards would mean his expulsion.

That fear drove him, motivated him and made him the first person in history to make it to the second year without levelling up, a record he then beat every year til this one. This time though, he entered with nothing but confidence and certainty, the exact opposite to how he entered the first time.

The moment they entered some of the sensory type students shivered and fidgeted. “Professor Kon, what’s with them, just being next to them sent a shiver down my spine.” A young pre-first years asked.

“Don’t worry little one, apart from Gillian, they are all upstanding eighth years. Why don’t You four join here, it would be great if you could spend some time with the kids, give them some advice and ideas of what to expect.” Kon suggested, hoping that they could impart a fraction of what they had learned through conversation.

“Hi, I’m Klair. This is my husband Carl, the Madam Director’s son, Alysse who loves making things and Gillian, a jerk that grows on you after you shoot him a few times and teach him not everything is a joke.” She chuckled as she knelt down. “Do you mind if we kneel here? Madam Director will be mad if she knows how close we were to being late.”

“Did she say married?” Kon asked, disbelief finally seizing him completely.

“Yes, but I can feel Mum’s eyes burning holes in us, so maybe we should save that for that talk.” Carl chuckled as he and the others knelt down with the kids who would be starting when they left.

The assembly started immediately, it wasn’t a typical occurrence, more impromptu as a result of several planetary danger rating updates. Most were for the better at first glance, the optional settlement program that Leanna had implemented was quickly making human-ran worlds safer.

“However…” Leanna continued, the word warning everyone that the good news was at an end. “There have been several reports of Omina-class threats. One was close, during the recent material-acquisition exam, that particular threat is being deemed as active.”

The words sent a wave of unease through the thousands of students. “The threat, described as an older humanoid gentlemen, talks and behaves erratically. Do not underestimate him. His mere presence warped kilometres of terrain and ecology.”

Another wave of discontent spread out. “The threat in question was encountered by students Carl and Klaire, Rea- Ahem! Carl Reaga and Klaire Bashe…” Leanna’s cheeks flustered almost imperceptibly, unlike the two in question who were practically on beacons of embarrassment. “…They reported the beings mere presence was enough to leave them paralysed with fear and that was after he literally brought them back from the dead, seemingly on a whim.”

Everyone had already been subtly looking for them after Leanna’s slip-up, but now they weren’t being so restrained. “Attention!” The order wasn’t spoken loudly, but the authority in her voice was adamant and undeniable. “Do not engage, do not speak to it or even look at it should you encounter it… Even my mother was paralysed by fear upon noticing his presence.”

That final line was enough for anyone of the older students to understand, but the first years around the still blushing Carl and Klaire couldn’t help but ask. “Who’s your Grandma? Sorry, I don’t get why that’s a big deal…” One of the children whispered.

“The Madam Director is the daughter of the Mother of Demons, Lillim.” Klaire whispered back, making their blood run cold. “Lillim’s actually really sweet as long as you’re polite and respectful, just bow and ask her how she’s feeling if you see her.” She snickered.

The assembly came to a quick end with that final warning and Kon gestured to Leanna. The hall was so massive that Leanna tried to use a movement skill to cover the distance, but she was suddenly caught in mid-air and cause a commotion.

“Huh? What happened!?”

“Looks like something grabbed her in mid-air!”

“Wait! What is that thing!?”

Leanna was only confused for a moment, then she became quietly angry and then the quiet vanished…

“Carl Reaga! Tell your pet to shrink this instant!” The words made Carl realise immediately what had happened.

Suddenly Levi blurred into sight. this went well beyond the old camouflage, this was a new skill Levi had learned during her cultivation. “Presence Erasure” Was the ultimate in physical stealth, making her completely undetectable to any physical sense like sight, sound, scent or touch.

The only reason that Leanna could tell was that she had extra-sensory perception and recognised Levi’s mana-signature.

“Levi, please put Mu- I mean the Madam Director down and shrink down before she kills us.”

“Sorry Dad…” Her voice was no longer telepathic alone and having her call him “Dad” out loud made him fall in on himself. “…Sorry Grandma… I just wanted to stretch a bit, please don’t be angry.”

“You’re just a baby so I’ll overlook it this time Levi, but go and hug Mummy and stay out of trouble.” Leanna’s eyes then turned to Carl. “You four. Since your leader is responsible for this indignation, you can head to the front and give the pre-starters a morning long lecture and demonstration. Start by introducing the pe- Where’s Squidge?”

Carl filled Leanna in on what had happened with Matthew, of course she wasn’t pleased but she could understand why he retaliated and was glad he wasn’t holding humans in general responsible

“Carl Reaga, you will enlighten the ten-year olds, then you will submit the changes to your optional program administrator, then you will all come to my office with Professor Kon, we all have many things to discuss by order of the committee.”

The fact that her latest punishment was exactly the same as the last with a few details stated, that were already part of the plan was not lost on the four. Unfortunately, Leanna taking what happened with Matthew lightly was not in her nature, so they knew there would be more to it.

Regardless of that, they did as instructed, starting with a lecture on Levi and Squidge, who they were sure he would regret that later., then they gave a demonstration of their fighting ability, then they gave a lecture on how to work on unrestrained control as their levels grow.

“Mr. Reaga, question.” One of the children said, catching them a little bit unexpected by calling him “Mr”

“Err, Carl… Please… I’m not a teacher or anything.” He laughed awkwardly.

“Is it true you’re the first human with a plus?”

“Yes… Yes I am… That doesn’t matter though, I was still a failure who didn’t level up for over seven years. Work hard, ask your friends for help when you need it, or the teachers.” There was some enthusiastic chatter, mostly those with builds not entirely well received.

“Oh, Carl and what about your group, were you all always friends since you started?”

“Haha! Absolutely not!..” He laughed. “Klaire and I have been together pretty much every day since we turned ten, Gillian picked a fight with me first day, Alysse used to help me with crafting practice and material appraisal. They only agreed to join me in the last week.”

“So… Do you take all species? I’d love to work at your settlement, but everyone is a half-breed and you’re a plus so…”

“Hey! I’d love that! The only requirement for joining me is being good at what you do and not being prejudice with other races… I wan’t my home to be somewhere we are all free, our Lugarian neighbours are pretty big on freedom.”

“You settled Lugaria!?”

“No… The Lugarians settled it, we just have a little house there and some land for my pets, we don’t own it, we simply stay close in case the Lugarians need help. I will be settling desolate worlds only, I have permission from my grandmother to start with an uninhabited world she owned… She insisted on paying the first million years of dues in advance.” Carl sighed with the memory of her contract.

With that the question time devolved pretty quickly into personal question time and a break in the actual lectures.

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