Paladin's Academy

Act III, Chapter 8: Face Expulsion

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?!?!"

A sudden phone call interrupts Streetwise's plans, as Ms. Winter scolds him at the top of her lungs.

"NO! YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT BRING STUDENTS INTO THE CATACOMBS! WHY WOULD YOU EVEN ASK ME THAT?! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET A RISE OUT OF ME?!"

"But I'm the stronges-"

"I DO NOT FUCKING CARE!!! EITHER YOU'RE BEING INTENTIONALLY DENSE, OR I HIRED A MORON!"

"Y-you don't have to yell..." Streetwise lowered his head.

"I SWEAR TO GOD, IF YOU SO MUCH AS EVEN THINK OF TELLING THEM WHERE IT IS, I WILL SODOMIZE YOU WITH A FUCKING ICICLE!!!"

Ms. Winter hangs up, as she clears her throat, "I am so sorry about that, where were we?"

Across from her, Gateway and the newly formed team Caliburn avoid her gaze, "about the team advising..."

"Ah yes," Ms. Winter pauses, "As I was saying..."

Streetwise quietly puts his phone back in his pocket as he returns to team Aerondight.

"Yeah, I don't think Expel is in the Catacombs."

"So, trip cancelled?" Sparkplug tilts her head.

"Not quite," Streetwise puts his hand on his chin, "we still have the floating gardens."

"What even is the floating gardens?" Double Trouble raises his hand.

"Seriously?" J.U.L.I.A scoffs, "someone doesn't go outside."

"I also do not know what that is," Dreadnought raises his hand.

Glimpse, without saying anything, also raises her hand.

"Okay, it's settled, floating gardens it is."

As the team prepares to embark, White Mask takes a moment and sits on the bleachers. A distressing memory reeks its ugly head. All his life, White Mask has been searching for the demon villain Nocturne, who, ten years ago, murdered his mother in cold blood. One description of him reads:

"A large 6'3 man. Well-built, around 250 pounds."

It's just a coincidence. That's it, one sick coincidence.

Besides, Dreadnought doesn't look THAT old, he couldn't. Could he?

"Hey! Hello? You good?"

White Mask blinks twice and sees Matter, leaning over, flicking his mask.

"Huh? What?"

"They left."

"Oh."

"You went white earlier, when you saw him."

"I thought he was someone else," he mumbles, pushing her aside. Matter glares at him, yet follows him as the two catch up with the rest of the team.

Streetwise begins talking like a tour guide, "Little history lesson, during Zero-Point, when Asteroid Z arrived, a small chunk of that actually landed here at Paladin's Island. Avalon removed it, but some of its energy still lingers, causing gravitational anomalies around one of the gardens."

The team arrives at the floating gardens and immediately understands how it earned the name. Chunks of dirt formed small islands, complete with blooming flowers and thriving trees. Birds have built their nests and fly from place to place. Dreadnought even spots a flying squirrel, traveling from one tree to the next. Sure-Shot estimates that the entire area is two football fields wide, or one soccer field long.