Sparring and Scares
After making their way to the Kanghaskan Dojo, V and Techno stood at opposite ends. The Dojo, specifically the practice area they were in, was a birch like color, with a red-orange floor. There was also an entercard at the doorway. After a few seconds of silence, both fighters bowed to each other, and after a moment, they both burst into action. With a loud CLLLAANNGGG, their swords clashed, both vying for victory in this short duel. With a shout, V (who was the shorter of the two) pushed off Techno (who was only slightly taller than V), and then went on the attack, slashing rapidly with both of her hands turned into swords and her tail rapidly attempting to skewer Techno. Techno, on the other hand, was deflecting all of her attacks with only a sword and an axe, while also making sure to back up enough so he could dodge. After a brief scuffle (and roughly 30 seconds of this cycle), V tried a new strategy. Specifically, she shot a rocket at her feet, causing a momentary smokescreen so that she could strike Techno from behind and above. Techno, sensing that V was most likely to sneak attack him, switched his axe to a proper shield, and looked around him (but not above nor below). V waited for Techno to be in the right position… then pounced onto him, claws gleaming in the light as she landed on his back and made him stumble. V’s tail then wrapped around Techno’s torso and then throat, a silent warning that there was nothing he could do. Since the goal was simply to knock the foe to the floor, V flared her wings and jumped off Techno with as much force as she could, propelling herself faster and higher with her wings. V watched in excitement as Techno, overwhelmed by the force and V’s weight suddenly leaving him, fell to the floor. A moment passed by, then both combatants broke into chuckles as Techno picked himself up while V floated down. They shook hands, no words needing to be said. Then, both of them promptly exited the battle area, with the rest of Team Maelstrom watching them in undisguised awe (and the member the team was named after being very impressed and congratulating them from Malachi’s clothes (Maelstrom is a small, pocket sized rock that happens to be sentient/sapient)). After a few moments, Rune quite literally shook herself as she said the first words that had been uttered since the battle began and ended.
“How are the two of you so good?! I could barely follow what was happening!”
V chuckled, but said nothing of it. Techno, on the other hand…
“Practice kid, practice and a lot of skill”
She nodded, and then remembered something else. She spoke to Techno in a whisper, her voice barely audible.
“Do you think that we should tell Keaton and the Guildmaster about your plans?”
Techno paused, before finally nodding, having decided that it was best to tell their boss something potentially concerning for the team.
~~~This Timeskip was brought to you by Technoblade’s Chat somehow talking to V~~~
After they had gone to the Guildmaster and alerted him to their plans, he decided to contact Dumbledore, and ask him if this was alright. The Alakazam had agreed, but was concerned that there would be no time for either member to work, and that neither would have any way of getting to Hogwarts quickly (they were having this discussion in Dumbledore’s office). The Guildmaster had asked about the ‘Floo Network’ that Dumbledore introduced them to, but the Headmaster shook his head, saying that he didn’t know how to set up a Floo Connection. The four of them had brainstormed for a good few minutes, before V suggested using house-elfs, which at said point a house-elf apparated in. The resulting scene promptly happened.
V, grabbing onto a chair with all her limbs (except one, which was holding a sword) like a cat.
Techno, who had drawn his own sword, and was lowering his guard because it was a house-elf, not anything malevolent.
Dumbledore, who had gotten up, and aimed his wand at The Guildmaster, with a slight frown on his face.
And finally The Guildmaster, who had been startled and accidently let out a burst of power, which damaged or destroyed Dumbledore’s instruments (except the Pensieve, but shhh).
The house-elf in question looked more surprised at the reaction than anyone else. She lowered her ears, but then perked up as an idea hit her. She then spoke, with an excitement that contrasted her small stature.
“Oh! Topsy has an idea! How’s bout the Come-and-Go Room? Topsy’s sure it could’s make a door or tunnel to wherever you want to go!”
At this, Dumbledore looked at Topsy with confusion, having never heard of this.
“The Come-and-Go Room? What, and where in the castle, is it Topsy?” He asked politely.
Topsy smiled, and replied, “You’s would call it the ‘Room Of Requirement’. It’s a room that makes anything you want… within reason. Topsy’s sure it can make portals or doors or whatever you need.” She was smiling the whole time, but it became more and more sinister the longer she talked.
Sensing the need to get Topsy the fuck out of here, Dumbledore asked her one last question.
“And where is this ‘Room Of Requirement’, Topsy?”
Topsy, still smiling, replied, “Just walk three times on the seventh floor in the left corridor, opposite a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls ballet. You’ll get whatever you want then. If you’ll excuse me, I must go.” Topsy then bowed, before vanishing with a puff of smoke.
Everyone paused at that. No one had expected that there would be… whatever Topsy was (she was NOT a house elf), or that there would be such a convenient way. The Guildmaster then looked at the two non-mons, and asked a simple question.
“Weren’t you two thinking of teaching at the Dojo? How will you balance that?”
Techno froze, he didn’t think of that. V, however, smirked, and got up from her position on the floor. She had been sitting on the floor for too long anyway. She stretched, before speaking, addressing everyone there.
“Well, my idea is that Techno and I have alternating shifts. One week is Techno’s week, the other mine. On weekends we go through Dungeons, Quests, and Magic classes. If we get any days off, we’ll use them for either more Magic classes, or whatever activity one or both of us feel like doing. Whoever isn’t working at the dojo will work at Hogwarts that week, and vice versa. Actually, I’ve got a bunch of classes planned, and I know Techno does too. At least one of the shared classes has to be mandatory, so take your pick Headmaster.”
By the time she finished, she had gone to his desk and placed down a planner. In it were a bunch of possible classes, what they would be named, basic summaries, what you would usually expect. None of them involved magic, they were all based off physical or mental capability. One of the classes she had shown was labelled “Martial Arts”. Curious, Dumbledore opened it, and saw the scheduling (for both V and Techno), basic plans for each day, possible workarounds for special body shapes, and a ton of information on biology, martial arts, and special techniques. He closed the folder, before looking to the two possible teachers in front of him, one significantly more nervous than the other. He mustered up the words, before taking a deep breath, and ensuring their fate.
“Both of you… welcome to Hogwarts.”
~~~Like 5 minutes later~~~
Both naturally had to be sorted, and V went into Ravenclaw, oddly enough (these two were full of surprises), while Techno went into Gryffindor. Since only one of them would be at Hogwarts at a time, they shared a class, but both expressed their desire to both teach, and to make sure no one got themselves killed. Techno thought it would be a good idea if they could mix in what they learned from the Dojo into their classes, which Dumbledore allowed. When Dumbledore had asked where they would host the classes, V had given an exasperated expression, before replying ‘the Room of Requirement’. Dumbledore had also arranged a joint office for them, partially out of necessity, and partially to keep up appearances. There was some paperwork to be done, but eventually, everything was figured out. Hopefully, the Kanghaskan Dojo would make things go just as smoothly.
~~~This Timeskip was brought to you by V defeating Metal Sonic by chucking him at a Sentinel~~~
Things, somehow, went smoothly. The surprise was that the universe let them get their jobs quickly and easily, without so much as a bump. Granted, there were a few hitches, but nothing major. It was a bit of a shocker, but V took it in stride. There was barely anything that could ruin her day-
Oh wait. She doesn’t know Common. Nor does Techno. Hell, she doubted even the students at Hogwarts know Common. She needs a tutor, fast!
Driven by this newfound (not really) urge to learn, she bolted towards Malachi’s house and kicked down the door. Maybe not her best move, as she got hit by a surprised Thundershock from Malachi… which damaged her systems slightly, but way less than they should’ve. Odd. Deciding to figure that out later, she ran up to Malachi and grabbed his shoulders, a desperate look on her face. She then started speaking.
“HeyMalachiIreallyneedtolearnCommonandTechnoneedstolearntoocanyoupleasehelp?” She pleaded in an honestly pathetic voice, hoping to prey on Malachi’s ‘help everyone out’ sense. She might’ve been a bit too fast, as he was looking confused and slightly dizzy.
Someone cleared their throat behind them, and V noticed that Rune was behind her, standing on a stepstool and glaring at V. Chuckling, V turned around and her voice was lost in her throat as she realized it was Inigo who cleared his throat, not Rune (though she looked two seconds away from strangling V). Inigo then made a motion to follow him, and V complied, still slightly scared despite knowing that she had practically every advantage against him. The reason that she was so scared was because Inigo somehow mastered The Stare, which has any being it is aimed at scared at best, and paralyzed from fear at worst. V did not want that Look aimed at her again, and so she followed Inigo into… a library? Inigo paused, before grabbing a book and going to a nearby table, with V following like a lost puppy (the irony of this situation was not lost on her, and she wished she had N to rant to, as he had become, at some point, V’s therapist). Inigo sat down, with V sitting as well, and then Inigo passed her the book. Inigo cleared his throat, which removed any remnants of The Stare, and V startled, as she hadn’t realized that it leftover subtle mind control elements as well. Inigo then spoke.
“Normally, I don’t like doing that kind of thing. Not my style. But… I knew I needed to after seeing how desperate you were. So, I’ll become your Common tutor, and Malachi will probably tutor Technoblade. Techno will probably learn faster than you, but that’s because of who he is, not his tutor. So, let’s start with a book, shall we?”
Inigo then passed her the book, and V realized it must be a beginner’s guide to Common. She felt vaguely insulted, but kept herself calm with the thought that she was starting from scratch. She looked at Inigo, determination blazing in her eyes, as she resolved to learn at least a beginner’s level. Inigo, who was looking at her studiously, nodded to himself, and then began to teach her the basics of Common.
~~~Later that day~~~
Techno was taking lessons in Common from Malachi. He knew that he needed it, but he was still annoyed at the thought. Not for any particular reason, mind you, he was just frustrated he would have to start all over. Despite his own feelings, Techno admitted Malachi was a great teacher, even if he sometimes went a bit too fast for Techno’s pace. So, Mentor and pupil, teacher and student, the two of them talked, and Techno started learning Common.
As for why this whole thing was happening, it was because V had apparently kicked Malachi’s door down (rude), rapidly talked to him, and eventually figured out the cause. After a bit (read: a LOT) of talking and investigating, it turned out that V had been really eager, too eager actually, to learn Common, and had turned to Malachi. While Malachi was Confused (status condition), Rune had to handle the cooking in the meantime. Dielle, as Rune’s girlfriend, helped her out and made sure to do what she could to make sure nothing too bad happened from this mess. Long story short, V was slightly too eager, Malachi got stunned, Rune and Dielle were helpful, Techno arrived late because he was fishing, and Inigo decided to tutor V to prevent this from happening again. Hopefully.
~~~Nightime~~~
V fell asleep, surrounded by the sounds of her allies, before….
Death
DESTRUCTION
RUN
V was surrounding by burning buildings- a cathedral(?)- Flesh and goo, so much of it human- Sentinels, those damn things- Cyn’s laughter echoing off Elliot Manor, distorting and corrupted- Uzi’s laughter coming off of her as she saw N trying to help her up, echoing corrupted and distorted- Uzi falling into a large fleshy pit with seemingly no end- Explosions from all angles, copies of her and her squad destroying everything in sight- Pain- Gore- Destruction- Why- Is- There- So- MUCH- ?!-
And, as sudden as it started, it stopped abruptly, as she fell through a dark ocean gently, a whirlpool sending her along, before the world faded into black...
… and some color came back. V felt like she was in little pieces, all cut and scattered before being put back together. Why, oh why, did it seem like she was hurting all over but couldn’t feel any pain at all?
Movement.
Whirling around, she bared her teeth, one hand switching to a sword, the other to an MP5 (a submachine gun). She used her 5 extra eyes to scan for threats in all spectrums and she carefully looked around with her ‘regular’ eyes, internally cursing her poor vision. It seemed like there wasn’t anything around, not on any of her sensors, but she knew better. She knew that there was Something here, some Force, that would cause her to See all of that, to Know. … Though in hindsight, that sounded kind of stupid-
!
V rolled to the side, her sword hand switching to rocket as she saw a large… Thing rush into the spot she had just been standing in. Carefully switching both her hands into claws, she climbed a nearby rock face, making sure that she engaged ‘chameleon mode’ on her body, to let her blend in. She looked, and saw… Requiem, sipping tea. Though, one of their eyes seemed focused on her. Deciding that direct engagement with the deity in control of this place, the Dream Realm, she engaged her wings and used the graviton engines in them to boost herself and then slow her fall as she gently stepped forward, the rockface behind her melting into the background. She then stowed her claws and wings, and walked forward towards Requiem, who had been watching the entire time.
“Impressive. Very impressive.” Requiem stated, sipping their tea while not breaking eye contact.
V internally winced, had she known that it was Requiem the entire time… forget it, it’s not worth the time thinking about ‘what ifs’. She then kneeled briefly, before standing up and addressing her.
“Requiem. I trust that there is a good reason I am here?”
Requiem, now fully facing her and mostly on eye level, chuckled before nodding and gesturing to the side flamboyantly. As they gestured, a large amount of text appeared, but disappeared before V could read it. V then couldn’t think of that anymore, as she saw a nebulae and the beauty of the galaxy before her. It was shocking… but this was the Dream Realm. There were no limits to what could happen. Right before V could open her mouth and ask them, Requiem interrupted her.
“V. I’ve brought you here to tell you something. I regret to say that I’ve found the Hands that you and Techno are the Champions of. You can tell Techno when you wake up. Oh, and ask Malachi about the Hands and Champions. Regardless, Techno are connected to the Hand of kingship and combat: Aegeus. You, on the other hand, are connected to the Hand of rejuvenation and reincarnation: Ho-oh. Unfortunately, I have no idea where to find either Hand, so I doubt you will meet them. I don’t know why it was those two the two of you bonded with, and I frankly don’t care. Does that answer all of your questions?”
V nodded dumbly, astounded at all of the information presented to her. From what Rune told her, Requiem reveled in being mysterious and ominous. For them to reveal this much, and to be so snappy, she must have had a really bad day. There was then a POP! And a table appeared in front of V, who promptly sat in one of the chairs. Requiem sat in the other. They both grabbed their respective teas, and Requiem let out a content sigh. There was then a slight glow, and Requiem, seeing it, looked at V.
“Well, I guess our meeting’s cut short. Bye-bye!”
The Goddess waved goodbye at V, who wasn’t even able to do anything other than stare as the light overwhelmed everything…
…and V woke up. Specifically, she startled awake, before calming down and rolling off her bed. She had a slight headache, but she sorted through her files and made sure to put her most recent dream meeting (but not the nightmare…) into a special folder. Shaking off the tiredness, she checked her clock, looked outside, before checking clock again.
‘3 AM. Just greeeat.’
V blinked tiredly a couple times, before starting her morning routine, hoping today would be a normal day, with no complications whatsoever.