Unlike how Det got onto the mistship—both times—through the platform on the bottom of the ship, this time, they outright docked. While the ship continued to fly, or float, or whatever it did, it pulled up alongside a freestanding, metal and stone dock that extended out from one of a pair of towers a bit further around the bend of the mountain from the Mistguard academy.

  Staging was set up within minutes, giving the five ReSouled and three survivors from Ironsalt a gangway off from a level below the deck Det had watched the approach from.

  “This is where we will part ways,” General Vans said as three distinct groups approached from the tower. The first, well, those had to be Mistguard there to meet the general and Captain Simmons. Something about the red lines on their uniforms made Det think of ranks, though there wasn’t anything to confirm or deny the feeling. Or, it could just be the way they walked, with each of them striding forward with a confidence and power that made the air warble around them.

  The second group, they were there for Nancine and her two charges. While they had a pair of what could only be guards with them, there was a softness to the faces of the three women in normal clothes. These were possibly the three most non-threatening people Det had ever laid eyes on, which was likely on purpose. They had kind smiles, understanding eyes, and one of them ever carried a plushy doll for Meliza.

  Too bad it’s not a wolf plushie.

  The third and final group, their eyes locked on Det and Calisco like the pair had targets on their backs. Representatives of the academy, no doubt. Similar to the first group, they were dressed in uniforms, though these were almost identical to what Det and Calisco had found in their wardrobes, and wore now.

  Seeing the two groups at the distance—the commanders and the academy reps—Det spotted small differences between the uniforms. They weren’t much. A bit of flair here, a tighter cut there, and even a little more personalization, along with short capes dangling from one shoulder for the commanders.

  “I want a cape,” Calisco said quietly, obviously noticing the same thing.

  “I would like to remind you of your oaths and promises,” General Vans continued. “What you have seen must remain kept close to your chest. The groups coming to meet you know about what you have been through, and will help guide you with next steps. They will inform you of who it is safe to talk to, and where it is safe to have those discussions.

  “Listen to them.”

  With the final reminder, General Vans and Captain Simmons began to turn, though they paused as Nancine called out to them.

  “General,” she said, Meliza embracing her mother from her side. “Thank you again for saving us. And, for giving us this opportunity.”

  “Of course,” General Vans said. “As I mentioned, you are family now that you’ve chosen to live here.”

  Det put the unspoken reminder of what would’ve happened to Nancine, Meliza, and Ruffal out of his mind as quickly as he could. They hadn’t made that choice, so they were fine. The general’s offer was a bit cutthroat, but Det just didn’t have enough information to judge it. Maybe that way really was for the best?

  “I’ll see you two tomorrow at the ceremony for the new class,” Captain Simmons said to Det and Calisco. “Try to get some sleep tonight. You’ll need it.” Then, with a double-thumbs-up and a bounce of his perfect curl, the man spun on his heel and walked to meet the first group with General Vans.

  “You’re not going with them?” Det said to Jeckles.

  “I’m not important enough,” Jeckles said. “I’m also not ranked enough to part of the conversations they’re about to be having. Besides, I’m going to see to getting you three settled.” The Medic’s last words were directed at the civilians.

  “Thank you, Mr. Jeckles,” Nancine said. “I appreciate how much you’ve taken care of us over the last few days.”

  “You’ve been through a lot,” Jeckles said. “It’s the least I could do. Now, come on. Let’s go meet those nice ladies, and leave our new cadets to their first encounter with the academy. They must have warranted a special welcome for Beauty and Beast to come meet them personally.”

  The names had everybody turning to the pair stalking down the dock, but Jeckles herded the civilians away quickly enough that Det and Calisco were left alone in short order. Coming in their direction, it wasn’t difficult to figure out where the duo had gotten the names.

  On the right, the woman had generous brown curls past her shoulders, a face with perfect skin and all the right proportions. The tight uniform didn’t do her any favors, but it didn’t need to. She could wear a potato sack and turn heads for a mile in every direction. Then there was the way she walked. Like she owned the place mixed with a sensuality that had been weaponized.

  Next to her somewhat petite stature, the tall man could best be described as stark. He wasn’t wide or beefy like the general was. If Vans was a Viking, this man was more like a cold-war soldier from an eighties’ action movie. He walked woodenly, like his left side didn’t work quite as well as it should, while a scar dominated his face. Starting at his chin, it ran vertically up his face, puckering his lips where it crossed and didn’t heal properly. Past his nose, through his left eye—now covered in a black and red patch—then up his forehead to run back the length of his skull. The unnatural part in his salt-and-pepper hair stood over an inch wide, the flesh there tight and slightly raised.

  Whatever had happened to the man, it had been gruesome. And, was that with ReSouled healing?

  “Your bitch-asses are late,” one of them said, and it took Det a moment to realize the words had come out in a silky-smooth voice from the woman. “Which of you back-ass-bumpkins is going to make the first excuse?”

  “The mistship…” Det started.

  “So, it’s your mouth-ass that thinks I want to listen to it,” the woman said, stomping right up in front of Det. He had to tilt his head down to look her in the eyes, and as soon as he did, a manic look came over her face, like she was just waiting for that. “And now your ass-lookers are looking down on me? Think you’re better than me, do you, punk-ass?”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Is every second word out of her mouth ‘ass’? It sure seemed like that, but Det wisely didn’t ask that question out loud.

  “Aw, look, the dumbass couldn’t think of anything smart enough to say, so he kept his little food-ass shut? It’s an ass’ing miracle,” the woman said to the man behind her, though she didn’t take her eyes off Det.

  “If we’re late, you’re later,” Calisco suddenly said. “Since, you know, you got here after us.”

  Slowly, almost like the woman’s neck was on some kind of hinge, she turned to look at Calisco, who stood with her hands on her hips and her head tilted. Closer in height to each other than to Det, the academy rep stared straight into Calisco’s eyes. “What did you say?”

  “Are your little flappy-ass-ears not working right?” Calisco said. “Pretty sure I didn’t stutter.”

  “Is that how you talk to your superiors, smart-ass?” the woman said, stomping over so her toes almost touched Calisco’s.

  “I don’t see anybody superior to me here,” Calisco said, eyes locked with the other woman. Det—for once—actually appreciated her unfounded and boundless confidence in herself. It was all kinds of impressive.

  “I am going to enjoy breaking your ass open,” the woman said.

  “You’re welcome to try,” Calisco said. “You want to give it a go right now? Just don’t complain when you’re falling a very long way to the mountain below.”

  “Calisco…” Det started. The general had mentioned very strict rules around ReSouled fighting outside of something he’d called sanctioned duels.

  “Beast,” the other—up until this point, silent—man said at the same time. His voice like sandpaper across stone. “We didn’t come here to threaten the new recruits.”

  Wait a second. She is Beast? Which means he is… Beauty?!

  “This bitch-ass needs to learn some respect,” Beast said.

  “And you need to learn to expand your vocabulary,” Beauty said. “We all have our weaknesses.”

  “And I’m planning to peel this ass open to find hers like a juicy center,” Beast said.

  “Maybe not the best choice of words,” Det groaned.

  “What did you say meat-ass?” Beast said, but Det had had enough.

  Standing straighter, he did look down at the woman this time. “We’re done,” he said. “That’s what I’m saying. If you think this ridiculous intimidation act is going to work, you’re mistaken. I’m far too old, and getting far too annoyed to put up with this shit any longer. If you’re here to take us to our dorms or whatever, let’s do that. If you’re just here to listen to the sound of your own voice, you can keep doing that.

  “After we leave. Come on Calisco.” As soon as he finished speaking, Det hoisted his ruck over his shoulder and started down the dock. From the sound of boots on stone, Calisco was actually following him.

  Beauty took a step to put himself in their path.

  “Like I told her, I’m out of patience,” Det said. “You want respect—or fear, or whatever—from us, do something to earn it. Otherwise, just move.”

  “We will show you to your dorm,” Beauty said. “That is why we came all this way. And, it is not a short walk from this dock.”

  “Your ass is just going to help them?” Beast said. “After their babble-asses talked to us like that?”

  “More like because of how you talked to them,” Beauty said. “You were asked—quite clearly—to behave. I will have no choice but to report your conduct to the headmaster.”

  “What?” Beast spun so quickly at the words, the air snapped around her. Just like that, she was in front of Beauty, her eyes somehow appearing larger, and practically sparkling. “You wouldn’t do that to me, would you Beauty? We’re partners. Friends. If you tell the headmaster, he’ll be mad at me.”

  By this point, her eyelashes even looked longer, their thick and luxurious lengths fluttering as Beast looked up at Beauty and blinked. Is the air around her glowing too? Is this her magic? But, then, why is she the Beast of the pair?

  “Actions have consequences, Beast,” Beauty said, words grave. “Perhaps you will learn from them this time.”

  “Nooooooooo!” Beast said, rolling her eyes and head both as she turned away from Beauty, only for Det and Calisco to take center stage in her field of vision. “This is your fault! You… ooooooooow!”

  The woman cut off as Beauty reached out, grabbed her by the ear, and lifted up until she stood on her tiptoes. “That’s quite enough out of your,” he said.

  “Not the ear, not the ear!” Beast said. “You’re stretching it!”

  “Actions and consequences,” Beauty reminded her, then turned and started walking down the dock, dragging Beast behind him on her tiptoes as she struggled. “As for you, cadets,” he said over his shoulder. “Please come with us. I will be pointing out locations you will need to visit in the coming days, so please ensure you’re paying attention. Should you be asked to board any mistships for classes or excursions that do not take place within the borders of Mount Avalon, this is the dock you will return to. Is that understood?”

  “Does the dock have a number or a name?” Det said.

  “Excellent question,” Beauty said. “Dock seventeen.”

  Det looked to both sides as he got the answer. There definitely weren’t seventeen-plus docks around him, so the numbering-slash-naming convention must have something to do with the total number of docks. That or he was getting hazed again.

  More immediately pressing was the view he got from the dock now that he didn’t have Beast demanding his attention. Opposite where the mistship had docked, the academy campus stretched out below them. There were the fields he’d seen distantly from the ship, now with other ReSouled running the courses, or sparring with each other. By the sheer amount of dangerous magic flying around some of those fields that looked a lot like squash courts, Det really hoped there would be something to prevent injuries.

  Or at least some good Medics on call.

  Interestingly, it wasn’t just training facilities Det spotted, now that he was closer. That over there, that was definitely a… flower garden. And, yup, people were working on it as well, carefully pruning, watering, and even singing to the plants. A little further beyond that was lavish barbeque area, with at least a dozen circular pits for large groups, and then another garden, though this looked to be for vegetables.

  Not exactly things Det expected to see at a military academy.

  “While the Mistguard engages in extensive trade,” Beauty said, clearly noticing what had caught Det’s attention as they’d started along the dock toward the large, connected building. “We also possess the ability to be entirely self-sufficient, should the need arise. Part of your training will be to maintain those standards.”

  “We’re going to learn to grow roses?” Calisco said. “And… please, not beets. I hate beets.”

  “Traumatic bathroom experience the first time you ate them?” Det said. By the glare Calisco gave him, he’d hit the nail on the head.

  “I didn’t get isekai’d to eat beets,” Calisco said.

  “Beets are part of a balanced diet,” Beauty said. “Though, the flower garden you see there is for the ingredients required in various potions. Alchemy—at least at the introductory level—will be a skill you will learn over the next three years. Among many others.”

  “I took a mixology class when I was in university,” Calisco said. “Thought bartending would make me a mint as long as I wore a low-cut shirt. Then my boss complained when I didn’t measure the shots. Who cares if they get one or four shots in their mimosa? Will that skill help me with alchemy?”

  “You put shots in a mimosa?” Det said, unable to keep the slight horror from his question. “Mimosas don’t have hard liquor in them.”

  “Mine did,” Calisco said with a wink.

  “It sounds like your style of drink making will be more of a hindrance than a help to alchemy,” Beauty said without missing a step, still dragging Beast along by the ear. “But, please pay attention to your surroundings.

  “The administration office is on the bottom floor of this building ahead of us. You’ll be expected to come here to choose your elective courses over the next month, after orientation classes begin. After that, we will show you to some of the training facilities I encourage you to take advantage of, the stadium—where the opening ceremony will be held tomorrow—the buildings where the majority of your classes will be held, and then your dorm. Please feel free to ask any questions along the way.”

  “Are you going to drag me by my ear the entire time?” Beast asked, still quick-stepping on tip-toes from where Beauty held her.

  “Questions from anybody other than you,” he clarified.

  “But…!”

  “Actions and consequences,” Beauty said, heading into the building.