Scene 7c The Academy of the Setting Sun
Devyd yawned and looked at his watch for the third time in minutes, urging the minute hand forward silently. It was almost time for classes, which meant he'd been awake for nearly an entire day. Normally by now he'd already be inside the dreamscape, but with so many of his students procured for 'special projects', he had little to prepare. Besides, only those students directly connected with the sins in some way would be able to find their way into Sloth's version of the dreamscape.
Devyd wondered again to himself what particular piece of nastiness Lust had planned for him that required him to come out of his healing trance ahead of schedule. He knew he wasn't one hundred percent, he could feel it in the aches of his muscles and the fog in his head. He sighed and reached for the TV remote, switching off some comedy news show he'd never heard of before.
He eased back in the comfortable recliner in Adalade's livingroom. She had gone out earlier in the evening chasing after some interest of her own, or maybe just to try and tire her body to the point Lust couldn't steal it. Devyd closed his eyes and began the quick mental warmups he engaged in before settling deep into his trance. It was good that he was alone, he was all too out of practice at sifting through the distractions of everyday life, and he didn't want to be late.
When his mind focused on the Academy, the sun was just setting into the hills behind the dark imposing structure. Sloth always used the imagery of the ancient monastery where he had trained in philosophy and the martial arts both. The large obsidian building was shaped in a rough rectangle, with spiraling towers reaching up from each of the corners, with three additional towers dividing the interior space evenly into four courtyards.
Devyd shivered a bit in the cool evening wind, mentally willing his mystic armor into place like an old friend. Sloth liked to leave 'surprises' around for his students, and some of them could be quite painful for the unprepared... So Devyd decided to go loaded for bear. Who knew, he thought, maybe Wrath was in one of the dark towers already, preparing a combat lesson fit for screaming nightmares.
Although the slight distortion his armor caused in the air wasn't much to look at, Devyd was as well protected as anyone entering the academy was likely to be tonight. Except for Ken, Devyd was the most skilled at the defensive arts, and he'd always thought that Ken's regeneration gave him an unfair advantage when it came to things like that.
The front hall proved to be crowded, as students and faculty alike adjusted to the new arrangement of the academy. Several large placards gave directions, and many notes had already been hung on the support pillars, letting one person or another know where they could find their associates that evening.
Devyd examined the placards silently, reading as quickly as his supernatural senses allowed him to. They each proclaimed the same header 'Welcome to the Academy of the setting sun'. Beneath the header were various notes as to which classes were being taught where. Each of the Sins was assigned a tower, and all the classes looked interesting. Sloth was teaching a master's level course called 'The Art of War and the Way of Peace', combining Sun Tzu's military strategy with mystical teachings from ancient China. Devyd thought he'd check that one out, if he could get to the room without getting himself ejected from the academy for the night. Sloth played rough, and the way to any of the masterclasses was bound to be rife with traps and misdirecting passages.
Maybe he should visit Lust's course instead, something called 'Global Diplomacy'. At least he knew how Lust thought, Devyd thought. He grinned at the thought of what kind of traps Lust would have set. Young and innocent looking he was willing to bet, and more than willing to stick a knife in your back after they'd taken you for everything they could. Lust had always believed in humanoid traps, the cuter the better.
Sometimes Devyd wished it was easier to get to the classes taught by the sins themselves, but if it was easy anyone could do it. The Academy was their own personal hell, the secret they held from prying eyes and one source of their great cameraderie. If you could make it to one of the classes, you had in essence, proved you deserved to be there, just as Devyd's 'Danger Room' lessons did at the version of the academy he ran for the youth. If you could make it in the academy, you could make it anywhere.
End Scene 7c