April 8, 2011
My back slammed against the ground,hard, the surface cracking under the force as the air was pushed from my lungs. I didn't have time to catch my breath though, because it was on me in seconds, pouncing on me, steel like fangs trying to tear off my head, barely held back by the shaft of my spear against its neck.
I was in another pocket dungeon, the one from my third dungeon key, a C-rank. Unlike the first dungeon, which was labyrinth themed, this one was simply forest themed, forming near Captain's Hill. The monsters were mostly forest themed as well, magical bears, deer with horns tough as steel, and wolves, or more specifically…
[Riler Of The Forest, Alpha Direwolf Ranga.]
…Direwolves.
I was pinned down by the wolf, its jaw snapping loudly as it tried to tear my face off. I waited for the right moment, focusing as the world seemed to slow down around me.
I waited for the right moment, Ranga's jaws snapping at me all the while, thrusting its head at me to bite before drawing back for another. I waited for the moment before the wolf threw its head forward, then I acted.
My spear returned to my inventory in a crackle of lightning as I leaned my body to the side, twisting and grabbing the Direwolf by the back of the head and slamming it into the ground snout-first, the wolf releasing a pained whimper.
Ranga was dazed from the blow, making it easy for me to throw him off my body. Pushing off the ground to my feet, my spear was summed to my hand once again.
My mana flared, and my muscles tensed as I drove the spear through the direwolf's head and into the ground, killing it instantly.
Alarm
You Leveled Up!
You Leveled Up!!
Alarm
[You Have Slain The Ruler Of The Forest Alpha Direwolf Ranga.]
Pulling the spear out of the ground, I straightened out and looked at the reward drop from the boss this time.
[Item: Direwolf Trench Coat]
ITltem Classic
Type- Armor
A Trench Coat Made Of Direwolf Fur. It Is Highly Resistant To Fire Based Attacks.
I picked it up and examined it a bit closer, it was definitely useful, and stylish too, not that I was the best judge, but at least it wasn't covered in spikes or something.
Alarm
[The Boss Has Been Slain. The Dungeon's Interior Will Revert To Normal.]
I could feel the mana disperse from the air, and the few additions to the terrain peeled away. As I reentered the real world I could hear my phone ring for the first time in a few hours, pocket dungeons don't exactly have cell reception.
I answered the call, "Hello?"
…
"Yes, this is Jude Sung."
…
"Why, what happened?"
…
"Alright, I'll be there as soon as I can."
I let out a long, drawn out sigh, an annoyed scowl on my face. Man, I hate that school.
Winslow High, is, for lack of a better term, a cesspool. It's crawling with gang members trying to get new recruits, bullies who never have to take responsibility, all enabled by staff who don't care about what happens as long as it stays away from them.
If I had a choice, I would never have let Anika go there. If I had a choice,Iwould never have attended that school myself. But we simply don't have the money to go anywhere else, and thankfully there haven't been any problems…Until now.
As I walked into the school building covered in graffiti nobody cared to clean up, I was livid.
My walk through the halls attracted some stares, either from blushing girls, or racist gang members, but they all stayed out of my way, allowing a rather smooth trip to the office.
Upon entering the office I was met with a disinterested stare from the secretary, before she did a visible double take. Seriously, I know the system changed my appearance, but it couldn't be that drastic of a change right?
Walking up to the secretary's desk, I tried to give a polite smile, though it came out more menacing than anything else.
"I'm here to talk with Principal Blackwell, I'm Jude Sung."
She stared for a moment, "R-right. It's first door on the left."
That was all I needed to hear, already moving towards my new destination at a frustrated pace. I knocked twice, and without waiting for a response, walked in.
The office was small, probably bigger than most of the other offices in the building, but still small, nearly half of it taken up by the desk. Seated at the desk, was none other than Principal Blackwell, as stern looking as ever, and my sister.
"Blackwell," I greeted, only a little bit of venom entering my voice.
"Mr. Sung," the witch returned neutrally, "Please have a seat."
"Oh no it's fine," I replied with a smile, "I don't plan to be long, I have somewhere I need to be."
The tension was thick, it always had been. Back when I went to school at Winslow, I had ended up in this office on more than one occasion, and me and Blackwell developed a… less than friendly relationship.
"So," I placed my hands on the desk, looking Blackwell dead in the eyes, smile gone, "why am I here?"
"One of our teachers found your sister assaulting another student," the principal answered, getting straight to business. If nothing else, I appreciated her dislike of wasting time
I looked back at my sister, her clothes were disheveled, and it was easy to see multiple bruises along her exposed arms, and one big bruise on her face. Who assaulted who now?
"So a fight," I said, barely reigning in my anger, and my mana, "are you sure she started it, were there cameras?"
"There were no cameras, it happened on the third floor girls bathrooms-" oh? "-and due to privacy concerns, security cameras aren't allowed to be installed in that location. But we have three students who claim Anika started the fight."
"Any other students?"
"There were only five students present at the beginning of the fight, including your sister."
"And what does the fifth say?"
"The fifth student left before we could question them."
"I see…" I said, any anger, while still just as strong if not stronger, had taken a backseat to my curiosity.The third floor bathroom was where Worm started, was it not? And today is…
If this is what I think it is, it raises some concerns.If I'm right, that means those three are involved, which means any case I make will be as good as useless.
"...and what about punishment?" I asked begrudgingly
"Since this is her first offense, I've decided a warning will be sufficient," the principal said, as though it was the most generous thing in the world
My eyes went cold with understanding,so that's how it is. While I was thankful it wasn't anything more, I understood exactly why it wasn't anything more. If it's just a 'warning' then it's easier to sweep under the rug as if this never happened, whereas if they were to use the actual punishment typical of school fights, a suspension, it would leave a mark, and there are a few reasons Blackwell wouldn't want a mark.
"Alright then," I forced out, "If that's all then we'll be leaving."
And just like that, I grabbed Anika, who'd been oddly silent, and we left, walking back through the halls. Blackwell didn't stop us, probably wasted enough time with us already.
I was still very mad, but I was also worried. From what I've been told, Anika might have gotten on the wrong side of the Trio, the group that is responsible for bullying to such a degree it's frankly genius in its cruelty, and thanks to Blackwell and the rest of Winslow's staff, they've gotten away with it. If my sister got on their bad side, especially Sophia Hess, then it means nothing good.
"Jude…" Anika said sullenly sullen, "I'm sorr-"
"Don't you dare apologize," I interrupted, "Now tell me what really happened."
"W-well, I was going to the bathroom at lunch and I saw these three girls pouring drinks into one of the stalls, while holding the door closed to trap whoever was inside, so I pushed the one who was holding it closed, I think her name was Emma? Then the biggest one, Sophia, hit me and it escalated from there."
"I see…"So it was them.The implications of that were worrying for multiple reasons. The biggest one is that it means things are already changing. In Worm, when Taylor Hebert was being bullied, few if any people stood up for her, but Anika's interference, and during such a critical event in the story, means things are already changing, if only a little bit, and I haven't even begun getting active.
I'll have to accelerate my plans then. If things keep changing at this rate, then one particular bastard will get alotharder to deal with. But first…
We finally left the school and began heading towards my car. The glass on the entrance doors cracked from an unseen force. Looked like my mana control was slipping.
I think it's about time to deal with Shadow Stalker.