Angel swung the door open and came face to a young woman with skin tanned by the desert sun and long white hair. Her clothes were stained but hardy – the garments of a worker, or perhaps a Tinkerer. He ground to a halt before he accidentally ran her over.

“Didn’t expect someone to be here, sorry about that,” Angel said. As he spoke, his eyepiece flicked down and he scanned her. He didn’t put it past the Reawakening to send an assassin in the form of a pretty girl. Not that he had any interest in anything other than Magitech.

Race: Human

Name: Alison Adder

Level 12

Status: Healthy

Information accuracy: 98%

Strength: 4

Intelligence: 24

Nimbleness: 2

Toughness: 2

Rating: Laughable

Weak point(s): Heart, Neck, chest… (100/100)

Element(s): None

Angel didn’t pick up any Magitech on her body either. Probably not an assassin then. He pushed his eyepiece back and raised an eyebrow. The girl was just staring at him with wide eyes, not saying anything.

“Hello?”

“Oh,” she said, flushing bright red. “I’m sorry. I got distracted. I’m Vanessa’s classmate, Alison. She asked me to come get you.”

“Ah.” Telling classmates to run chores wasn’t exactly how Angel would have done things, but he supposed she was still a Magistrate’s daughter. “Well, I need some oil, so I suppose now is as good a time as ever. Lead the way, Alison.”

The girl nodded and Angel closed the door, locking it behind him before following her through the halls. She led him out of the building and over to the mess hall. His System artifact, which had slipped out of the room before he’d left, floated after him.

Angel didn’t bother hiding his awe at the huge trees in the courtyard. They were so large and… well, wooden. He was strongly tempted to walk over and see if he could pry some of the precious material away, but something told him that would be a bad idea.

Their short walk led them up to the building that Captain Jameson had identified as the mess hall. Alison led him up a set of entirely pointless yet beautifully carved stairs and through a pair of double doors that could have rivaled some catacomb’s fashion senses.

Easily a hundred students sat scattered throughout the hall, chattering avidly around their tables as they ate. The food smelled heavenly. A few gazes followed them as they walked, but Angel noted that they were mostly on Alison rather than him.

“Fall in a puddle on your way here?” a girl asked as they passed, snickering.

Alison pointedly ignored her. Angel’s brow furrowed, but he couldn’t be bothered to intervene in teenage posturing. At the far end of the room, seated at a small table with a large boy and a tiny girl, was Vanessa. Her eyes lit up as she spotted them approaching.

“I see you’re doing well for yourself,” Angel said as they came up to the table. “How have you been liking the Academy?”

“It’s… interesting,” Vanessa said, rubbing the back of her neck. “I think some of the teachers were surprised with how much I know. You and Wind Snake taught me so much that I’m a fair bit ahead of my year. But please, sit down.”

“How did he decide on Wind Snake?” Angel asked, obliging her. “That is possibly the stupidest name I’ve ever heard.”

“You’ll have to ask him,” Vanessa said with a grimace. “But I’m being impolite. Angel, these are my friends, Tom and Tilly. You’ve already met Alison.”

The large boy gave him a nod, but he seemed more interested in his food than anything else. Tilly offered him a guarded smile, but she was clearly on edge. Vanessa pushed a plate of seared meat up to Angel.

“Please, eat. The food doesn’t cost students anything,” she said. “Honestly, I’m surprised you took my mom’s offer. I didn’t think you’d have time.”

“I found out I needed some upgrades,” Angel said, glancing down at his arm. “And I need a real workshop to do the important stuff. I’ve had to agree to let some munchkin shadow me – I don’t suppose that was you?”

“It turns out, I’ve taken more to Wind Snake’s field,” Vanessa said, turning red. “I’m still taking Tinkering classes, and I think it’s interesting, but I want to be able to defend my friends.”

“That’s a respectable goal,” Angel said between bites. “So, aside from the reunion, why did you call me here?”

“What do you mean? I was just–”

“You could have chosen a more private place,” Angel said, swallowing and raising an eyebrow. “Nah, you’re making a point about something. I don’t mind, of course. But now I’m curious.”

Vanessa’s nose scrunched and she let out a sigh. “How did you know?”

“Too many people were watching Alison when we walked in. Not to sound self-important, but my arm generally ends up being the center of attention during new meetings. If Alison was more interesting than I am, there’s something going on. No offense.”

Alison let out a small squeak. Tom and Tilly both focused more on him, and the boy’s muscles tensed slightly. Was Tom going to try and punch him? A grin tugged at the edge of Angel’s lips. That would be amusing.

“Damn. I almost feel embarrassed you read it that easily. It’s not for me, though. My mom got me more than enough status here.”

“Gathered that as well. Alison, then? Don’t tell me this is some stupid bullying thing.”

“Pretty much,” Vanessa admitted with a frown. “She’s a Tinkerer, like Tilly. It’s just…”

“All my work explodes,” Alison said, practically throwing the words up in her haste. Her hands tightened and her cheeks flushed with shame. “Badly. Nothing I craft turns out right, and I’m a charity case. If I can’t catch up with the rest of the class, I’ll get booted out of the Academy.”

“I take it you’re the one I’m meant to teach, then?” Angel guessed.

“I hate for my first surprise over you to be this,” Vanessa said. “But no. I asked mom, but she refused. Your shadow is actually going to be Tilly. She’s contracted to work for mom after we graduate.”

Ah. That explained why the girl had been wary of him. And it also explained why Vanessa had Alison get him.

“Tugging on my heart strings, are you?” Angel asked with a chuckle. “You could have just asked, you know. There’s no difference between one or two people watching me. So long as they leave when I tell them to, I don’t care. I suppose a helper couldn’t hurt.”

“Really?” Alison asked, her eyes going wide in disbelief. “Thank you! Thank you! I’ll do whatever you ask me to!”

“Ah… no problem? I didn’t think it was that big of a favor,” Angel said, sending a confused glance at Vanessa.

“Most Tinkerers are very guarded with their secrets,” Vanessa said. “Even the teachers don’t go into too much detail on their personal methods. Only top ranked students have the opportunity to watch a master Tinkerer work for more than a few minutes at a time.”

“Sounds like a bunch of hardasses,” Angel said, finishing the rest of his meal. Tilly hadn’t looked straight at him since he started working, but he could feel her gaze on him the entire time. Well, it was either on him or the artifact floating by his shoulder.

“Just don’t tell that to their faces,” Vanessa said, lowering her voice. “So, Tilly? Do you approve?”

“Of course I do,” the small girl said without an ounce of hesitation. “Magistrate Dalliah picked this man, so I am confident he’ll be capable.”

She couldn’t have sounded less sincere. Angel nearly burst into laughter. The girl thought he was a fraud. He wasn’t exactly sure how she’d come to that conclusion, as there was an artifact floating over his shoulder and his arm should have been a bit of a dead giveaway.

“Cut him a break, Tilly,” Tom rumbled. “He just arrived from the Barren. You can’t expect every Tinkerer to be prim and proper.”

“I’ve got some work to catch up on,” Tilly said, rising to her feet and inclining her head respectfully to Vanessa. “Thank you for keeping me company. I’ll see you in an hour for our next class.”

She darted off.

“Tough crowd,” Angel said, not bothered in the slightest by her behavior.

“She’ll soften up soon enough,” Vanessa said. Her words carried a note of apology in them. “She’s very talented. Tilly just hasn’t really seen how the world is. Not everyone talented is the polished gem she expects.”

“Much like a certain someone I once knew.” Angel smirked. “She was an interesting woman. Wanted to ride around in the Barren with glowing lights strapped to her skates, making sure all the monsters knew where she was. I hope she’s doing okay now.”

Vanessa flushed. “You still have to fix those.”

“Bring them by my workshop,” Angel said. “I’ll take care of them then.”

“I can get them!” Alison volunteered, launching to her feet and darting out of the mess hall. Someone jeered at her as she left, but Alison didn’t even glance in their direction.

“At least she’s energetic,” Angel decided. He crossed his fingers and leaned forward. “But I’ve come here seeking something from you as well. Maybe consider this my fee for taking on another apprentice.”

“Oh?”

“I need oil,” Angel said. “The good stuff – the kind blimps use. Can you get me some?”

“I’m sure my mom can arrange something,” Vanessa said, not bothering to ask what he could possibly need it for. “I’ll get it delivered and ask Alison to bring it to you.”

“Perfect,” Angel said, a grin stretching across his face. The next step was secure. “With that, I’m going to go dropkick small children or do whatever else it is that Tilly thinks I do. Thanks for the meal, Vanessa.”

He rose, bidding Tom farewell before tracking his steps back out of the mess hall and towards his new workshop.