Crippling a Class it is a fraught method Derek cracked his knuckles and turned away from the interrogation room This is a test Someone is sounding out the depths of Kharon with this man Seeing what sort of spirit we have
So what do we do to stop such a sinister plot Hydie asked Her imagination quickly shifted from crime drama to international spy thriller Perhaps they would need to meet a contact in a casino
Derek chuckled again The one good thing about being at our level is we might sometimes worry about the high level stuff but it isnÆt our job to solve it For now we just go interrogate him See if we can find out any details
Oh OH HydieÆs expression brightened as she hurried after Derek So are we doing good cop bad cop or
From the very beginning Tim had been relatively unsure about DelilahÆs sure fire plan to have Tim not get bulliedÆ in the weird country that the Ghosthound had taken him to learn Engraving Honestly he wasnÆt even sure he had been bullied in that first day But after making Tim talk about it Delilah announced that she would accompany Tim to that place next time
He needed her protection she had claimed Tim knew she was just bored But he didnÆt mind Seeing Delilah was energizing somehow Her determination and energy was infectious And considering the difficulty of Engraving he could use all the extra help he could get
A few tantrums later the Ghosthound threw his hands up in the air and Delilah was brought along with him as the Ghosthound teleported them to TimÆs new teacher Lucretia Honestly Tim quite liked Lucretia She smiled a lot and had hair that was a lovely lilac color Even when Tim had needed her to explain things several times the prior day she was always patient with him
The only problem was her other students As someone who had recently moved Tim had some recent experience reading the attitudes of other children around him And from the jump the children of Lucretia did not appreciate TimÆs existence Their intent gazes had followed him as Randidly Ghosthound took him to meet Lucretia
The wide field where Lucretia hosted her school was filled with her house and dozens of differently colored flags setting atop or beside simple cloth tents Apparently the flags denoted various factions amongst the students and the colors showed how proficient the groups were at Engraving Tim also later learned that there was an inherent hierarchy in their placement only the strong could set up their flags near LucretiaÆs house
But due to the fact he had been brought by the Ghosthound Tim had been set up basically outside of the door to LucretiaÆs house Whenever he had a problem she would come over and help him instantly After giving a general lecture Lucretia would then wander through the field in looping motions so that those near the middle would receive her guidance more often than those at the periphery But when Tim had struggled Lucretia had veered from her path and returned to his side Due to Randidly coming personally it was clear that Lucretia valued Tim highly
And the children at the surrounding flags observed it all
But while he might someday be bullied for this Tim could tell that there were a lot of rules that these other kids followed that he didnÆt quite understand The few children he saw only went to the tents of those with similar flags So even though he kept being pricked by sharp gazes those invisible rules also functioned as a protection for Tim The other kids couldnÆt freely come and make trouble with him
Of course the first thing Delilah did when she arrived was give the other kids the justification that they needed
A loud crash spread out through the relatively sedate grassland as Delilah stood innocently next to a flag that she had knocked over With a sigh Tim set down the spear that he was trying to Engrave and looked around to see what DelilahÆs reckless behavior would bring Of course she had chosen the flag next to the largest tent
Aside from TimÆs new position it was the tent the closest to Lucretia
Tim didnÆt need to wait long for his fears to be confirmed After ten anxious seconds of stillness the surrounding tents erupted in movement Various youths between the ages of 8 and 16 hustled out of their small dwellings and began to form a vast circle around them Delilah spun around continually trying to find a single antagonist amongst the kids that gathered in order to perform her goal of protectingÆ Tim but no one made eye contact with her So she continually frowned around as more and more people began to gather Very soon Delilah was glaring around in frustration
She looked over at Tim and threw her hands up into the air Why are they all just circling around like creepy ghosts
Tim pointed toward the tent next to Delilah and the knocked down flag The student within that tent hasnÆt come out yet I think I think they are all waiting for him
What here Delilah walked up the tent and batted the walls several times with her hands The tremors ran through the cloth surface of the structure but it ultimately stood tall underneath her small hands Eventually she frowned and stood with her arms akimbo Are you sure Because it seems like this tent
Cease this nonsense Said a high pitched voice as a young boy stomped out of the tent that Delilah was slapping He looked to be TimÆs age but that meant that he towered over the much younger Delilah You have already dishonored yourself enough Why do you insist on making trouble for me during the training period
Hehe Delilah giggled She waved her hand toward Tim Well you havenÆt been giving my friend and me the respect that we deserve So I figured it was time to show you how things are going to work around here from now on
From now on Tim shook his head nervously How long do you plan on remaining in this place I asked around and no one here has even heard of Zones or Kharon before If you plan on moving here it seems pretty far away from home
Him The kid who came out of the tent looked over at Tim Despite the fact that they were a similar age he certainly talked like he was pretending to be an adult He was brought by Mr Ghosthound yesterday We havenÆt spoken to him at all Nothing so petty as bullying has occurred I refuse to allow you to slander my honor like this
Just shut up and fight then Delilah growled pouncing forward with her hands raised Inwardly Tim sighed He had seen her behave like this in the past Despite the fact that she was much younger than most of the kids in Kharon she had earned quite a bit more Skill Levels than any of them had and therefore could overpower most people with the element of surprise It seemed that Delilah planned on using similar tactics here
But the kidÆs response surprised Tim He easily knocked DelilahÆs hands away and then kicked her in the chest Her breath came out of her lungs in a rush and she tumbled backward While Delilah was struggling to her feet the kid returned to his tent and then came out carrying a long wooden pole He leveled it at Delilah Hmph Weakling
Bah just because you are a little bit older oof Delilah glared at the kid and began to mutter but he then launched himself forward and jabbed his weapon into DelilahÆs stomach She was sent tumbling backward once more
True I might be older than you The kid said I have recently turned thirteen But at least I am not full of excuses A loser has no right to complain of circumstance Especially when she instigated the conflict in the first place
HeÆs only a few months older than me Tim thought in a daze As the kid turned away from the collapsed Delilah he shouted at his back You whatÆs your name IÆm Tim and this is Delilah IÆm sorry about her attitude
Delilah wheezed as she rolled around on the ground likely trying to say something like Someday you are all going to be sorry about my fist Æ