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Post by Delashano on Apr 5, 2015 22:22:33 GMT -5
Della hummed idly to herself as she strolled through one of the more complete sections of the Academy. The overwhelming majority of the Norther section were done in regards to the actual structure of the additional building, this section was primarily dedicated to acting as dormitory's for the students who would be staying with the academy for extended periods of time, Della had no inclination to force her students to live in the Academy but even to this day it was not particularly uncommon for the students of martial arts masters to also live with there master or in this case masters.
Because already there were a few students the construction of this part of the Academy had been expedited significantly in order to provide housing for her new students, most of the current students lacked a home to return to and so they more or less needed it, she had set up temporary housing for them within the arena itself but that would simply not do for long, the arena was currently where she did the majority of her training both personal and professional.
In addition to being the section that provided housing to her students this section was also where Della had set up her office, for now it was a fairly simple one as her concerns were primarily on getting the work at hand DONE but Della had every intention of making it a bit more... extravagant... with time, pushing open the door to her office Della smiled as she found the majority of her once rather messy paperwork nearly fixed into a series of somewhat organized piles along with a new addition to the room, a rather magnificent portrait of herself, Vixi, and No, in spite of likely being made with some combination of pen and colored pencil the portrait was practically like looking through a window into a moment in time. Vixi had evidently breezed through her office at some point and left if for her along with tidying things up a touch.
Lifting the portrait Della found an ideal spot on the wall to hang it admiring Vixi's work again briefly before strolling back to her desk plopping down into her chair and letting out a soft sigh, this chair was one of the few things aside from her paperwork that was not actually constructed from her own energy. It had been a gift to her from Vixi and No for her birthday and was absolutely the most comfortable chair she had ever sat in and Della was rather confident even with her advances in manifestation that she would be hard pressed to make anything that even came close to the comfort of this chair.
With a slightly less content sigh Della pulled herself forward and started sifting through her paperwork, Vixi was thankfully quite bright and had not mixed up the papers she had already dealt with and the papers she had not yet looked over which made getting back to work a bit easier, she would have to take another look through the pile that was likely her already finished work but that would be just a few minutes of her time. Before Della could begin however a light knock on her door drew her attention.
Lifting her head Della found No in the doorway, the artificial woman took a brief look around the room looking rather surprised with its current state of cleanliness "Vixi" Della offered as an explanation earning an amused chuckle from No "Figured as much, sorry to bother you Del but it looks like you have a meeting that sort of slipped through the cracks another of Vespasian's students ans his representative are here to see you." No said earning a raised eyebrow from Della.
All of those who had been taught by Vespasian who had come to her looking to continue training had come on there own, most lacked any sort of family or even friends considering where Vespasian had pooled his students from so to hear that THIS student had some sort of representative was odd to say the least. "Send them in then I suppose, I suppose I will just have to postpone the paperwork." Della said with a grin as already she began transferring paperwork from atop her desk to inside its many draws. "Do we have any names for our guests?" Della questioned as No began to move likely to retrieve the unexpected visitors.
With a gesture from No a thin blue screen appeared before her looking much like a holographic clipboard "The only name indicated is the representative, Doctor Ivan"
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Post by Man on Apr 6, 2015 0:26:23 GMT -5
Ivan was furious. Distressed. He had put so much effort into subduing Vespasian and nearly lost Model Zero due to the beast’s appalling decency. In the end, it took Prometheus himself to come down from his manor and remind the Arena Master of his duties. The scientist had been informed by the android himself that the gladiator had been recently replaced by another and that this person had been refusing to see any students until the Arena’s remodeling had been finished. The nerve! How unsightful! They were in the middle of a chain of important training regimes which were of utmost relevance to Model Zero’s progression. The android’s training had now been deterred because the walls were not the right color.
However, Ivan was no fool. On the contrary, the woman would not notice an ounce of contempt in his voice –even less if she proved to be a decent individual of etiquette. If she had any sense of responsibility, she would move on where the previous had left off; then again, rumors had it that she had refused and discontinued the training of every disciple Vespasian had thus far. Furthermore, Zero had been watching her since the moment she took over the mantle of the new Arena Master. He informed Ivan that she was about as strong as Wrath himself. The news was quite shocking honestly. The only other person who could possibly stand up against Wrath was Arctic. There were not many individuals with powers worth noting on The Omega Collective. He also couldn’t fathom why they seemed to be getting so much attention from the outside all of a sudden.
Upon arrival, a peculiar woman greeted the scientist. He thought it was interesting to note that they both shared the symptoms for heterochromia; for her purple and red eyes, he had hazel and blue. Another similarity was their white hair despite being so young, the scientist had no idea he was in the presence of an android –neither did Zero as she was just another figure on his scouter. Ivan had asked Model Zero to remain on stand-by somewhere nearby in case a strategic withdrawal was in order. He had learned his lesson from Vespasian and had prepared an escape route on the chance that this woman was as much a savage as the last –if not worst. However, Ivan was not alone. His trusted colleague, The Doctor, followed closely behind while making no eye contact. He was an anxious individual, frightened by his own shadow. His long reptilian tail extended out from the bottom of his lab coat, swerving nervously in place.
Ivan smiled as he studied the woman discreetly. She had a bizarre fashion sense, then again, maybe it was he who was unaware of today's trends. If he knew anything about clothes, he at least new she wore a victorian dress. The scientist politely announced himself to the woman, explaining that he was a scientist who had come to speak with the new Arena Master about one of Vespasian's disciples. He had initially attempted to contact her through other means, but none of his messages had been answered. Ivan neglected the tidbit about working for Prometheus Zex as he had learned from Vespasian that his backhanded tactics to manipulate others were not appreciated; sometimes, affiliating himself with the Lord was more harmful than it was a privilege. He had given Vespasian a letter from Zex himself, practically demanding him to train the android, but that only angered the gladiator. Therefore, Ivan would take a different approach with this woman in hopes of developing a positive relationship. If things went south quickly, he would make sure to inform Prometheus of the events that had transpired.
The woman promptly left to announce Ivan's arrival. Zero watched carefully from the shadows and braced himself for the worst. His hand hovered over the handle of his saber. As per command, the scientist entered the office after thanking their escort. He locked his hands behind his back, watching his composure to maintain appearances. He smiled at the woman, watching over her features carefully. It was always interesting to observe people who met him for the first time. He wondered what they would notice first; perhaps his white hair? His red skin? His hazel and blue eyes? Then again, her assistant had heterochromia too, so she might not have been as surprised. "Ah, the rumors don't do you justice," he started, breaking the ice with his silver tongue. He was known for his delicate use of language. Although he had no powers of his own, his words were said to be as deadly as the strongest poison or as persuasive as a cone of ice-cream on a hot day. "Your beauty is like the rare white rose that blooms among the red ones. It is an honor to finally meet you." The scientist bows before the woman, gazes upon closer inspection.
She had long ginger hair and emerald green eyes. Her skin was fair and she shared the same taste in clothing as her assistant. Ivan walked towards the nearest chair and motioned towards it, he would wait until the woman gave him an approving gesture before he allowed himself to sit. The Doctor simply stood behind him as if the chair would provide enough protection. He felt nude despite his long white lab coat when an object was not between him an another that was not Ivan. The scientist would continue if allowed to do so. "I have heard plenty rumors of you, but your name was not among them." he commented.
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Post by Delashano on Apr 8, 2015 22:15:15 GMT -5
Della was certainly rather curious what would be walking through her door today, she had grown accustomed over the past few months to the fact that it was not entirely unlikely for each visitor to her office to be of some new exotic race she had not yet encountered, No generally abstained from informing Della of the nature of her visitors beforehand as Della quite enjoyed the surprise. So long had she only ever encountered the Humans of Earth that the variety Omega offered was quite enjoyable. The most interesting times were perhaps the visits that involved people of races that Della had met before, seeing a new aspect of a known species of intelligent being was just as much if not MORE interesting than meeting entirely new beings.
When Ivan entered her office Della found herself immediately interested not in Ivan himself but in the being that followed him like a shadow, Ivan himself received a brief glance as Della sized the man up feeling no immediate sense of extreme power from the man she took a few moments to take in his appearance and she found him to be amusingly similar to No in appearance save for his style of dress and skin color. Here artificial companion no doubt amused by the similarities herself but thankfully remaining fairly professional at least for the time being. No was free to act in her normal slightly bizarre manner when not working or once they knew if those they were meeting with were friendly or potential problems.
While Ivan had not captured her interest particularly long the man shadowing him certainly did, she always enjoyed seeing those sorts of beings races who's physical forms were a more significant departure from the 'norm' or at least what was the norm for Della, the man or at least she assumed him to be a man based off what she knew of how male reptiles appeared on Earth, bore a striking resemblance to a mixture of man and reptile similar in some ways to how the Icejins of beta held some reptilian traits but his were FAR more pronounced. He seemed however in a rather perpetual state of fear and in an effort to alleviate it Della would give the reptilian man a smile if ever he looked at her.
Returning her attention to Ivan as he spoke up Della schooled her features into a mix of neutrality with a hint of amusement, she was for the most part actually somewhat amused by Ivan's words but ultimately she could feel that they were likely intended to try place the man on her good side with flattery, a lot of people seemed to think that to be a very good tactic but while amusing it did little to effect her decisions.
The fact that Ivan did not know her name was a slightly surprising one though ultimately not excessively unlikely, her work on the Academy had left her all but completely holed up in the ever changing remnants of the Arena, her time free from that work was generally spent either out aiding Gamma, or with No and Vixi in private and as such while she had done something rather news worthy she had not actually been involved particularly much with many people who would be capable of spreading her name and if Ivan did not listen much to the goings on in Gamma or the Arena her name was one that could be easily missed.
Looking from Ivan to the yet named reptilian man Della found herself curious as to which man was the former student of Vespasian, neither was particularly powerful but then again power was something that could be hidden, Ivan was apparently supposed to be simply the representative but of the two men he was perhaps the more likely candidate as the reptilian man likely would not have lasted more than a few seconds in Vespasians presence.
"I suppose depending on where you get your information my name might be a hard thing to find. You may call me Delashano." She said returning her attention to Ivan once again, when it came to being the one in charge of the Academy Della took up the use of her full name, those she became friendly with would be allowed to call her Della, people like No, Vixi, and Akassa. "No informed me that your name was Doctor Ivan, correct?" Della questioned mostly wanting to make sure that she was correct in her assumption that the red man was Ivan "She did not however provide a name for your associate, nor the student of Vespasians that you represent as the information she was provided with lacked those names. Vespasian kept fairly poor records of the training he did unfortunately so I lack a resource to simply pull the most likely name from." Della said briefly allowing a look of annoyance flash across her features.
With a gesture another chair would flash into existence near Ivan intended to be a friendly gesture to the other man as he was presently cowering behind Ivan, the chair was likewise clearly designed to account for the man's tail "You can take a seat if you want, I do not bite." Della said with an amused grin before remembering her last fight with Akassa "Well I suppose that is not entirely factual, I do not bite -often-" she said with a laugh before turning once again back to Ivan "I imagine there is something a bit different about the situation with whomever you represent, the other former students that have come forth looking to continue training have generally been the sort that lack the means of having representation and as such came to me themselves. I am curious why it is that, unless I have assumed wrong about your associate, they are not here with you." Della questioned.
Meanwhile elsewhere in the castle No hummed in perfect rhythm a song she had heard earlier in the day as she wandered the halls near Della's office, with Della in a meeting No was free to go about some of her other business for the day, meetings tended to take a fair amount of time and Della generally did not expect her to hang around her office for the entire duration, all No really needed to do was keep herself ready to respond to any attempts Della might make to communicate. In her free time No liked to explore the Academy, making sure all of the work that she had put into it was going just as smoothly as the work Della had put in. Where Della provided the physical building and more or less the bulk of everything else No provided something that Della could not easily produce, technology, MODERN technology. The walls of the Academy were lined with wires and transmitters and various other bits and bobs of tech to make everything work.
The most important parts to keep an eye on were of course the security features, making sure they did not develop any faults that could be exploited was crucial but thankfully that was not particularly likely, No had designed much of the security system herself and she was rather confident in her skills. Tapping into the security regardless No found a curiosity, an unregistered presence in the halls of the Academy, most of the workers were over on the other end of the Academy working on the training rooms and all of them were registered with the security so they could travel with easy, currently there were supposed to only be two unregistered presences within the Academy, Ivan and the lizardguy. Curious No decided to investigate, the presence was apparently keeping quite still and was not actually very far away so meeting up with it would be a cinch.
Down a few halls and No quickly found the unregistered presence, he stood in one of the more shadowy alcoves and curiously lacked an active energy signature, a quick answer came to No on why that was the intruder was an Android. That meant potential hacking risk but with how long he had been here and the fact that he had not made any attempts so far No brushed that off and decided to simply ASK why he was here. Vanishing from one end of the hall No would rather suddenly appear in front of the intruder a wide grin spread across her face as she gave a brief wave "Helllooooo"
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Post by Man on Apr 10, 2015 14:17:47 GMT -5
”Oh, please, there is no need for formalities or title; just Ivan is fine,” he insisted. His smile then turned to a blatant grin as the woman proceeded to explain the conditions in which she was required to work thanks to the previous Arena Master. ”Understandable, I wouldn't think that mindless hunk of meat capable of such meticulous behavior.” he stated. ”My colleague here is The Doctor, he may not look like much but he is a genius. The man and I go back a long way.”
Suddenly, a chair manifested beside the scientist as the woman now known as Delashano offered The Doctor a seat. The nervous wreck simply moaned and receded into the abyss of the back of Ivan's chair, whispering into the scientist's ears. "Haha!" he laughed, "Please don't mind him, he'd jump at his own shadow if left alone. However, your offer is appreciated!" The Doctor's long tail swerved behind the chair. Ivan, on the other hand, was more interested in the power Delashano had just displayed. As a scientist, he was not a firm believer of the super natural, but the way in which she manifested that chair was hard to argue. Was she perhaps an advocate for the flair and performing arts? The scientist glanced at the ceiling, wondering whether there was some kind of hidden compartment where she ejected capsules and had them activate upon touching the ground. It would certainly explain the phenomenon. Deep in thought as he contemplated her tricks, the scientist went quiet -allowing Delashano to speak and reach the heart of their meeting. The Student.
Ivan had thought about numerous ways of representing the android, but none of his methods seemed to scream at him. Obviously, trying to use his allegiance with Lord Zex as a diplomatic tool did not work out so well with Vespasian, so he would not think of trying the same back-handed trick with Delashano. Omitting his relation to the Lord, he went for a more semi-genuine explanation. "Ah, yes," he said, mind still pondering the sudden appearance of the chair. One of his legs were now crossed over the other, and his arm was propped over the chair to support his chin. He straightened himself up to speak with her directly, "Forgive his absence, I am the guardian of Vespasian's student, as I am also his creator. As you may have already inferred from my appearance; my colleague and I are scientists. For a long time we have been fascinated by us living creatures. How we're able to think and reason, make decisions and contemplate our own existence. Few think about it, but we are truly gifted. We were so intoxicated by the complexity of our existence that we decided to create a machine that could emulate those characteristics as if he himself were alive. This machine -this student, is called Android #0. Vespasian was a crude man, but I celebrate him for his contribution to our cause. You see, by mere incident, we discovered that Model Zero had a certain aptitude for combat. By now, it's been approximately a year since his creation and his power-level peaks just over 200,000! A child has barely learned how to walk during that timespan! We became curious, wondering just how far this machine can go and convinced Vespasian to take him under his tutelage. That is why we have come. I know you don't have any obligation, but we were hoping you would consider possibly picking up where the former Arena Master left-off?"
Model Zero was pressed up against the wall of a shadowy alcove. The arena had changed considerable -assuming he could still call it an arena. People had been speaking of an academy now, whatever that meant. Clearly, the android was unfamiliar with the concept of education or school, he only understood combat training. The perimeter itself was fairly easy to trespass; mainly because the android had been watching the transformation of this academy from the moment that strange woman defeated Vespasian and named herself the new Arena Master. Furthermore, the nature of his being was a boon as nobody could sense the presence of an android without a scouter. On the other hand, Zero had not been aware of the wires and transmitters which now conformed the many walls of the academy. Thinking he had been completely hidden within the discreet shadows, he strived to be as close as he could to Ivan's location so their escape plan would be secured if needed.
A power-level was drawing near, although it was impossible for them to know he was there. Model Zero receded back into the corner of the alcove, where the shadows were the strongest and his image was completely concealed. He had been monitoring Ivan's energy signature for any abnormalities the entire time, waiting for the individual to pass him by when the person's head popped up in front of him. "Helloooo! she said. His eye's widened. The same individual which had escorted Ivan to the Arena Master's office only moments ago now stood before him with that crazed smile, waving casually. The black pools of coal in Zero's eyes met with purple and red swirls in hers. For once, the android was unsure of what to do. If he threatened her, the woman would inform the Arena Master later and then Zero's training would end forever; if he didn't do anything, she would reveal his presence and the escape plan would be ruined. Ivan would not have been satisfied with either scenario.
For now, Zero refrained from pulling out his saber and instead decided to engage the woman in idle chat while Ivan and the Arena Master's meeting concluded. If everything went well, the woman would surely understand the scientist's concern. Having met Vespasian, knowing that the Arena Master defeated him, it was logical to think she would have been just as crude and fearsome. However, Model Zero was unaware that he had been in the presence of another android. Unlike others he had met, she was not as straightforward. His scouter could read anyone's power-level, but that was it, they were nothing but numbers on a screen. Physically, she resembled another living being perfectly. Even her behavior was unlike any other android he had met. Ona was cold and calculating, AEVA couldn't even form expressions. This woman was loud and in your face. There was no way he could have possibly known her to be an android.
Zero's stern face stared back at her, void of expression. She would no doubt question his presence within the academy. During the rush of pondering what to say, the android's mind blanked out for the first time and neglected to form a coherent answer. Instead, he sunk into complete and utter silence. Maybe she would think him a statue and walk away?
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Post by Delashano on Apr 14, 2015 23:59:16 GMT -5
Della nodded slightly at Ivan's suggestion that they abandon titles, truthfully she did not much care for the use of them in normal conversation a few of her staff chose to refer to her primarily as 'Headmistress' now but many of them lacked a more personal involvement with her to understand that she genuinely did not mind them calling her Delashano or even Della. Ivan seemed at least when it came to her, willing to drop his own title as well which was far more convenient for Della as it meant she could simply refer to him by name without mistakenly offending him. His jab at Vespasian brought a brief smirk to her face which slowly shifted to curiosity over the reaction from 'The Doctor' the man really genuinely seemed terrified over the prospect of being anywhere but directly behind Ivan and even when he was he still seemed to be in a constant state of cowering for his life. What could have possible happened to the poor man to drive him to such a state? This was clearly 'normal' behavior for the man as Ivan seemed not at all troubled by it. For now she would drop the matter as it was not her place to play psychologist to the reptilian man.
Today her concern was her newest potential student and the reason for his absence. The reason for which Ivan launched into a rather lengthy explanation skewing it quickly away from her question of why he was not here and venturing into her curiosity about what was different about this student compared to the others. The explanation that Ivan gave was a rather interesting one as he informed her that the being that he was representing was a particularly advanced form of Android one designed to emulate life as accurately as Ivan and the Doctor could approach. Evidently the Android had only been created just a year prior and in that time had made leaps and bounds in terms of strength as already he had a power in the two hundred thousand range, once such a number would have been meaningless to Della her ability to understand power was not one that held a numerical concept to it but rather a fine understanding of how the power of another being compared to her own.
Recently with No's aid she had begun to understand what those differences in power equated to in the numerical scale that was most commonly used throughout the universe. Vespasian had possessed at his peak in the fight a few months ago a power of four hundred thousand units, the fact that this Android was roughly half as strong as Vespasian was quite interesting as that meant that he possessed a power roughly on par with what she had put out during her own time in the Arena meaning that theoretically this Android could have with a bit more effort and perhaps a need to be less 'fair' to his opponents have survived all of the battles that she had fought.
It was because of this astounding amount of power that they had sought out Vespasian for training, Vespasian was a brute of a man but certainly knew what he was doing when it came to a fight and likely if he WANTED to teach someone he would have made for a decent teacher, but Della had the feeling it was rather rare that Vespasian actually -wanted- to teach anyone. The various other students she had spoken with all described it taking many lessons with the man before he did more than simply drill them into the ground for hours on end. This Android was likely to have received a similar treatment but considering his raw power perhaps he had gotten into the actual 'training' faster than the others. Evidently not quite fast enough to learn all that Ivan wanted the Android to learn as he was by his being here and his own admittance interested in having Della continue the training that the Android had begun.
"I suppose it is only fair that I give your Android as much a chance to train with me as I gave Vespasian's other students. I am a touch unaccustomed to dealing with Androids but my associate No has greatly helped in fixing that, considering he is designed with the intention of being as lifelike as possible I imagine little issue will come up in that regard. My restrictions on retaking a student of Vespasian’s are rather simple, a meeting with the student myself. Ideally one on one." Della said pausing to ensure that Ivan understood that she did in fact mean a meeting with herself and the Android without him present "Followed by a brief sparing session, I tend to find that by these means I can get a firm understanding of the type of person that my prospective student is and if they are the sort of person that I want to be teaching directly." Della explained, in her experience simple discussion was a very good way to get to know someone but likewise when it came to warriors a fight was where one truly learned what another warrior was like.
"If I find that your Android is not the type of person suited to direct training with myself I will still extend an offer for him to attend the Academy itself and learn from the instructors in my employ. Through that method he would be able to receive a another opportunity to train directly with me much like any other student" Della explained in a basic concept how the Academy would function for the Android should she find him to be not worth training or to be the type of person she could not train. "Was Vespasian instructing your Android in any of the advanced techniques of the Arena? I am aware that a few of his other students were receiving 'instruction' on how to perform a few of those techniques on top of general training." Della stressed the word 'instruction' as Vespasian’s methods even when he was 'teaching' were only barely what one would consider 'instruction'
meanwhile a few hallways away No eagerly awaited some form of response from her fellow Android(No mostly considered herself an android in spite of being primarily just an artificial intelligence) but the longer she waited the more apparent it became that he seemed to be trying to continue to hide from her by doing his best imitation of a statue, the Academy had a few statues but most of them were styled off of the art of the era of history that Della was from, the Android before her was clearly NOT one of Della's creations. "Ya know it would probably be a good idea for you to explain what you’re up to, I havent detected you doing anything wrong -yet- but I can’t just let stranger wander the Academy, pretty sure Del wouldn’t be a fan of that. So I'd like it if you started explaining so that I don’t have to give Del a call, I can’t tell how strong you are. But I'd wager Del is a lot stronger. Maybe start with a Hi? And telling me who you are, and also why you're here." No said her tone a decidedly confusing mix of seriousness and playfulness.
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Post by Man on May 17, 2015 12:51:30 GMT -5
Ivan nodded, listening intently to the woman’s terms. They were acceptable for the time being. She wished to speak with Model Zero alone and then assess his abilities for herself during a spar. Admittedly, it irked the scientist that they had to make so many leaps and turns just to regain their position as well-deserved students of the academy. It took their well over half of the android’s existence before Vespasian was subdued and forced to instruct Model Zero; rather crude in his methods, but they were training none-the-less. Now, this mysterious woman comes along and threatens to take away that privilege. However, the scientist would not protest. Delashano had total control over the situation and provoking her would only worsen things. He had the opportunity to create a new image for himself and form a mutually nurturing bond between them. For the moment, he would comply with her demands and hope for the best –if required, he would pull some strings from behind the scene.
Ivan raised a hand to his chin, rubbing his nonexistent beard as he contemplated the few sparring sessions he had attended to observe the android’s progress. “I’d use instruction very loosely…” he commented. All he could recall from his memories were flash backs of Model Zero getting thrashed and then yelled at by the hulking gladiator. “Hmmm, I’m not sure whether it was a technique, but I do remember Vespasian kicking Model Zero quite often. There were a lot of explosions too…”
Zero stared at the woman blankly as she spoke about some unknown being that went by the name ‘Del’. It soon became apparent that he would not be left alone and a response would be required. "Hi," is the first thing he answered as it was also the first thing the creature asking him to say -it was better than nothing. Glancing at his surroundings, Zero could easily escape without a trace; however, he could not leave without being certain that Ivan would be left unharmed by this mysterious new Arena Master. With that said, what should he say? Zero decided to adapt Ivan’s method and talk his way out of it. ”Forgive me,” he started. The android was not truly repentant of his actions, but he found other living beings tended to use that phrase as a way to ease their audience. "The Arena has changed drastically since the previous master and I wished to take a tour of the establishment. Am I wrong for doing so?”
Zero's body relaxed to show he was not hostile. As he spoke, his voice was young but dry and his facial expressions stoic; like a machine.
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Post by Delashano on May 24, 2015 6:40:20 GMT -5
Della watched with mild curiosity as Ivan took in her words finding the man to be a bit of a tough read, a few small quirks of his expression as she spoke likely indicated that he was not excessively pleased with her terms but none of these quirks seemed to be strongest at any point in her delivery of the terms by which Zero could potentially return to training meaning that it was just as likely that he was displeased that there was a need for any sort of evaluation as it was that he might be displeased with the way she intended to go about it. Overall it was not an excessively worrying sign, not many had been pleased with needing to prove themselves once again as Vespasian had been a notoriously difficult man to get to actually 'train' anyone and many of them were already rather jaded by what they had received.
Thankfully those whom Della chose to take in were quick to lose much of their annoyance once they realized that the training they would be receiving was in fact proper instruction and not simply Della using them as a punching bag as they attempted to emulate the moves she was using against them. Amusingly it appeared that Ivan too held the same belief that instruction while a technically correct term for what Vespasin had been doing was still not exceptionally accurate. Della let her business face drop for a moment as she grinned in amusement at Ivan's comment; there was no need to be all business all the time and it was generally worthwhile to see how people changed their tune once she dropped some of her more disciplined Headmistress demeanor.
"That sounds like the Dynamite Kick, it is depending on one’s skill with understanding the flow of energy, either the most of least difficult have someone like Vespasian teaching it. Unless Model Zero's time with Vespasian was short I would wager that means he has roughly average skill with energy reading" Della said her expression becoming thoughtful as she described her assumption of Zero, her comments lacking the edge of an effort to insult Ivan's Android but rather a simple almost clinical understanding "You said that Model Zero was designed to accurately as accurately emulate a living being as you were capable. How accurate is he? I have a fair amount of experience with Androids and other forms of Artificial Life and they seem to vary rather wildly. My assistant No, the woman who escorted you to my office, for instance is generally hard to distinguish from a non-artificial beings." Della questioned curious how well Ivan's work had gone, from her understanding No was a rather particularly 'advanced' AI and much of her ability to act according to how non artificial beings act stemming from the fact that her personality was extrapolated from a once living person.
No grinned excitedly once the stranger actually responded finally dropping his poor attempt to pretend to be a statue the threat of being removed from the premises further prompting him to continue speaking first with a rather clearly insincere apology followed by what he claimed was his reasons for being here. Were it not for the fact that he had remained stationary for so long No would have considered that story to be fairly likely though most who entered the Academy tended to make sure they headed directly for Della though usually they were greeted by No before they ever reached Della. "Well I suppose there is technically nothing wrong with wanting a look around, the Academy is quite a step away from what the Arena once was. Buuuuut generally speaking the proper conduct should be to seek out someone who works in the building you want a tour of rather than just wandering it yourself, the Academy is not properly open to the public since it is still under heavy construction after all"
"But we do take visitors regardless, most of our visitors have been the old students of Vespasian but we also get a lot of people looking for work or to join the Academy once everything is done. Tours aren’t exactly -normal- but I don’t suppose there isn’t any reason why I couldn’t show you around." No said beaming brightly at the stranger, while No certainly to most came off as simply goofy and dimwitted much of the time but her mind was in fact quite sharp, her offer was one that sought to call the possible bluff of the stranger, if he really did want to take a tour of the Academy then everything would be fine, but if not declining would be problematic for him as it was likely easy enough to understand that if he did not provide further reason for being here then surely it was time for him to depart.
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Post by Man on May 24, 2015 12:07:48 GMT -5
Ivan grinned in return. His confidence in her ability was increasing throughout the course of their conversation as the woman seemed to be exactly what they needed. Delashano's assessment of the android with what little information he had provided was spot on. "No kidding?" the scienstist said, genuinely surprised. "Your assistant is an android? She appeared so life-like." his eyes widened, his interest clearly growing as he now wished to observe No more closely. "This facility is filled with fascinating things, don't you think Doctor?" The Doctor squirms, hiding deeper into the abyss of the scientist's chair and nods slightly. Ivan chuckles and clears his throat, turning his attention back to Delashano as he was getting off topic. "That is correct," he said. "Model Zero's official training with Vespasian was rather short-lived, but I am ashamed to admit that he has not been able to harness ki for himself. He fights with weapons the Doctor and I designed for him -training wheels if you must, as they tap into his energy reserves in battle."
He crosses his legs and swallows before continuing, "As for his approximation to other living beings... his case is rather peculiar. You see, the most conventional way of producing an android with personality is by creating a database with recorded speech and expressions -as well as an algorithm which helps the android identify when a certain phrase is adequate in certain social situations. Speaking to them afterwards serves as a way to calibrate those responses and enhance their performance. Another method, becoming quite popular in this day and age is to simply upload a single person's entire personality onto a machine. This is where Zero is set apart from the rest, for his personality does not stem from another. Model Zero creates his own personality with time, similar to how we biological beings develop during our infant stages and continue to evolve our sense of self even to this day." Ivan smirks as he says the following, thinking it amusing, "You should have seen how he'd attempt conversation with toasters and other inert objects before realizing they were not like him. He's gone a long way now, but he still has plenty to learn."
Zero had two options, he could run away or he could accept the woman's offer. It seemed she was not about to let him just wander off as if nothing had occurred. However, the android needed to remain within the facilities in case of an emergency. As a result, Model Zero nodded, agreeing to take a tour around the Academy with the woman as his escort.
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Post by Delashano on May 26, 2015 3:53:37 GMT -5
Della shook her head as Ivan misinterpreted her statement believing that she had meant that No was an Android, the man was not wrong per-se to get such an idea from what she had said certainly as they had been discussing Model Zero when she had mentioned that No was a similar such being. “No is not an android, at least that is not what I understand what she is to be classified as. My understanding is that an Android is an artificial consciousness, even if basic, placed within a specific robotic form. No is ‘just’ an Artificial Intelligence she lacks a specific body, the form you saw was a projection of her preferred physical appearance. “Della explained knowing full well that if Ivan questioned No about being an android that the artificial woman would go into a FAR longer explanation about what she was without actually adding much more necessary content than what Della herself had explained.
Della nodded as Ivan began to explain how Model Zero differed from traditional Androids and likely by extension Artificial Intelligence in general. No often tried to explain these things to her whenever Della chose to delve into the subject of what No was exactly, Ivan was far more direct with his explanation of the traditional method though his interpretations did not –quite- fit No, the second and evidently more common practice was close to what No had explained herself to be but perhaps it was Ivan’s more direct and compact explanation that seemed to lack what No had described herself as being. It was interesting though to know that Model Zero was an attempt at an entirely new method of creating an Artificial Intelligence and by Ivan’s description it seemed likely that if successful it would probably be much more lifelike than the first option and while the second option might produce a more immediately lifelike being it was ultimately just a copy of a personality and in many ways not actually a new being.
No waited patiently as the stranger had to make his decision, his face was essentially unreadable as he kept his expression devoid of well… expression finally however the stranger nodded indicating that he would join her on the tour earning a bright grin from No as she quite liked the idea of giving a tour and far less liked the idea of having to try and contain a potential threat until Della could arrive. “Wonderful! Let’s GO!” No exclaimed as she began to draw on more power from the surrounding Academy systems providing her projection with enough strength to whip her hand forward with lightning speed in an attempt to grab hold of the strangers hand and begin dragging him throughout the Academy
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Post by Man on May 29, 2015 13:04:18 GMT -5
Ivan nodded as Delashano clarified what she meant about No being similar to Zero. The scientist thought she was mostly comparable to AEVA, whom was also an Artificial Intelligence –or Automated Evolving Visual AI, whatever that meant. There was still much he did not understand about the android, her core residing within Planet Earth’s atmosphere, he was much more focused on Model Zero and his development. The evening would continue uninterrupted. Ivan and Delashano would conclude the terms by which she would consider training his experiment while The Doctor cowered in fear behind him. And Model Zero would find himself getting dragged all over the establishment by some strange woman with purple and red eyes. The bright side was that nothing went wrong. The android was able to salvage his shortcomings and Ivan secured a cooperative and professional relationship between himself and the new Master of the Academy.
They had agreed upon a common date, in which the android would meet with the Academy Master one on one, without the presence of his creator looming over his neck. Zero would take the front entrance this time, expecting to greet No at the door. Surprised she might be, to realize that the same person she had given a tour of the Academy was also the next former student of Vespasian whom would be put to the test. The android’s armor had been polished for the occasion, giving his best face to the prospector. After being escorted to meet with Delashano, the android would stand before her with the same stoic visage as when No had met him. He did not smile or blink. His face was void of all and any expression.
”Greetings, Headmistress,” he said, dropping to one knee. Ivan had already explained most of what the woman needed to know about him, but she insisted that further discussion was necessary. Zero would announce himself. ”I an Android #0, code name Model Zero. I have come to request for your tutelage as you discussed with my creator previously.”
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Post by Delashano on Jun 18, 2015 23:03:58 GMT -5
Della was quite glad that today was not a particularly busy day, most of her day so far had been spent manifesting materials for the construction of the Academy and while it had been a fair strain on her energy it was nothing that a bit of relaxation had not recuperated the paperwork that followed her relaxation had been in many way far more frustrating than any other work that was ‘required’ of her and even then it was only ‘required’ because Della wanted things to be able to function without her someday. Most of the paperwork she was doing was intended to set up a proper functioning future for the Academy if ever anything were to happen to her work that legitimized the Academy as a part of Omega and that failing that she appoint someone else to the position that there would be someone to take over the day-to-day functions of the Academy as interim Headmaster.
But getting ALL of that work done was not something she could do in a day, even if she had all the time to fill out all the proper paperwork and send it off to the proper people those people would then simply send back MORE paperwork as it was becoming quite clear that unless money was exchanging hands the process of becoming a legitimate organization on Omega was a particularly tedious endeavor that was likely designed to drive those looking to try to simply bribe people to make it easier. But Della had all the time in the world and the fact that there was nothing anyone could do to stop her from operating outside normal parameters also helped quite a bit.
The primary reason however that Della was thankfully that her day was mostly just filled with Paperwork was because today she was to meet with one of Vespasians former students, specifically ‘Model Zero’ the android created by Ivan that wanted to continue his training or at the very least Ivan wanted him to continue his training. Today she would actually get to meet Model Zero and assess him personally, first would be a meeting to determine what sort of person he was, to see if he was actually as advanced as Ivan claimed, then provided he did not appear to be a complete sociopath Della would proceed into a physical evaluation to see what he knew about martial arts and then more specifically what he had learned from Vespasian. Ideally not much, a lot of Vespasians students require a significant amount of work to actually have them unlearn the man’s methods so that Della could more easily teach them her own or help them produce a more effective style of their own.
A knock at the door heralded the arrival of Model Zero and No and shortly after the knock the door opened to reveal the artificial duo, Della could already tell that between her office and the entrance hall No had likely never actually stopped talking to the unfortunate android and she could not tell if the stoic look plastered on his face was the look of a man who desperately needed time away from No, or a genuinely stoic default expression. Regardless he would be free from No shortly as Della gave her friend a look that told No all she needed to know, to go off and prepare the Arena for use while Della handled the meeting.
Not unexpectedly Model Zero was exceptionally formal in his greeting likely at the behest of his creator who had been quite the same way “You can call me Headmistress if you want but Miss Della is fine enough I am not overly fond of too much formality and kneeling is definitely not necessary, I am a teacher not a queen. It is nice to actually meet you Model Zero. I was surprised that Ivan did not bring you along during the initial meeting. ” Della would gesture for Zero to take a seat in the chair that sat before her desk
“Ivan informed me that you are a particularly unique sort of Android, I will not pretend to understand the innate differences between what you are and what is ‘standard’ those sort of concepts are generally where No’s expertise lies. What I do understand is that your mind operates a lot more like a traditional living being than a pure machine. So I would like to know a bit about you as a person. You said that you are Android #0, and your code name is ‘Model Zero’ but do you have an actual name? Or something you prefer to be called?”
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Post by Man on Jun 24, 2015 8:31:54 GMT -5
Zero glanced over his shoulder as No left the room and released an involuntary sigh of relief. From the moment he arrived, the individual beamed with words and random expressions. Her unfiltered and unrestricted verbiage just fazed through his non-existent ears as though passing cleanly through his head in a jumble of incoherent nonsense. If Model Zero were a living being, he would have felt almost overwhelmed and on edge.
Upon being addressed, Model Zero rose from his kneeled position. The woman asked that they leave aside formalities and offered him a seat, however, Zero did not know any other way to communicate. If she offered him another form to address her, then so be it, but he had not yet mastered the art of casual conversation. The android stepped forward, standing beside the seat, but standing. Sitting was also a foreign idea. He had no need to rest as his body was always fueled by limitless reservoirs of energy. He had to admit that his meeting with the headmistress was somewhat bizarre compared to his previous masters as she was actually interested in knowing a little about him. King Arctic was also similar in that regard, but there was a different vibe.
“Zero,” he responded promptly. There had been a time when he referred to himself by a different name, but ever since the events that took place on Belegost and Mement Mor, he was not so sure anymore. The mysterious man that invaded his mind kept alluding to abstract ideas he could not understand. Not that Zero would go around listening to whatever anyone told him, but there was almost a gut feeling that this mysterious man knew a thing or two about him and that he did not. That sole sensation was perhaps the only reason he had neglected to insist in calling himself “Man” and settled for his given name, Zero.
The android stood silently and awkwardly. He had anticipated some sort of physical examination of sorts to test his abilities. He did not truly know how to follow a conversation. Should he ask her questions? Should he anticipate her questions and answer them now? Should he just remain silent and stare at her like a statue? –That’s pretty much what he was doing... Don’t fix it if it’s not broken, right?
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Post by Delashano on Jul 8, 2015 6:32:29 GMT -5
Della nodded as Zero indicated that at the very least he preferred to be called 'Zero' over anything else, certainly a rather unconventional name but with all the strange ways in which various alien species named themselves 'Zero' was perhaps not the most odd name that the Android could have chosen. He seemed quite unused to conversation merely giving the necessary information and then immediately returning to stoic silence a somewhat frustrating if not expected reaction. While she was quite used to No being all but completely 'alive' in personality Della was aware that No was quite the exception to 'standard', she had of course hoped for a bit more out of Ivan's creation.
"My intention today is to find out a few things about you, I am unsure if news has spread at all but your creator has not been the first to come to me looking to have training continued, many of Vespasian's other more regular 'students' sought to continue there training as well. But I am a rather different person than Vespasian. Many of his former students were people he molded into his image or were already quite like him before. None of those students have shown me what I want out of those I would train directly, some were so bad I informed them that if I ever caught wind of them using what techniques Vespasian did impart upon them that are unique to the Arena that I would find them and make sure they do not use them again." It was rather frustrating to know that she had needed to allow some of those people to return to the universe at large, many had been violent criminals that had earned freedom through the Arena and Vespasian and unfortunately she had nothing to use to keep them detained short of simply doing so by force.
"So I want to know if you are someone I should train. I want to make Omega a better place and simply handing out power to those who would harm it is not in my interests." Della said pushing back out of her chair and standing "Since you're not much for sitting I suppose we can take a walk, on top of evaluating what sort of person you are I also want to evaluate where you are in terms of power and how much Vespasian taught you, that way if I do take you on I will know where to work from. For most I have needed to throw out more or less everything Vespasian 'taught', his methods were not so much 'teaching' as they were attempting to force those under him to learn out of necessity." With that Della gestured for Zero to follow her as she made her way out of the office.
"What did you think of Vespasian and your time training with him Zero? Was he any different with training you?" With any luck this question would get the android talking a bit more and also give her a decent idea of what he was like, she had already informed him as much that she was not a fan of Vespasian or his methods so it would be interesting to see how he responded, did he share her opinions and if not would he inform her of as much? Working well under Vespasian's methods was not necessarily a end to her intentions of training someone, she already had at least one student who had done well under Vespasian's training and Della had kept that in mind when continuing that girl's training pushing her a bit harder than she would have other students due to her exemplary ability to flourish under pressure.
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Post by Man on Jul 10, 2015 13:22:28 GMT -5
Model Zero listened intently as the woman spoke; however, he was not just listening, but analyzing her words and her behavior to create an outline of whom he was dealing with. So far, Delashano was an open book as she continued to reveal a wealth of information concerning herself and her first actions as the new Headmistress of the Academy. Former students of the late Vespasian were re-evaluated in regards to character and technique; just as she was about to do with Zero. It was then that the android realized this was his first test. Delashano wished to erase Vespasian’s teachings from his pupils and start with a blank slate. If the previous master’s teachings were engraved too deep within the students, then there was unfortunately not much the headmistress could do.
The second test, as Zero anticipated, would be an assessment of his abilities. What had he learned from Vespasian and how well has he mastered the teachings that now represented the Academy of Mystic and Martial Arts. Fortunately for Zero, he did not learn very much from his former master. Vespasian was much too crude and ruthless; thus, he never noticed a fundamental error in Zero’s design –one the android himself would not recognize whether it was through pure austerity and blindness or his creator’s ego reflecting off him. Because the android was well equipped with his weapons at all times, there was never a need to develop an affinity for the manipulation of ki. In fact, Ivan himself was unsure whether the android could learn such a biological application considering his roots.
Everything within the android’s ability depended heavily on the gadgets Ivan provided. In ways more than one, Model Zero could only progress as far as the greatest technological achievement. This limit –this weakness, was what urged the scientist to venture into the world of martial arts and discover whether or not the experience was beneficial for the android. If Zero could not learn how to harness the energy around him –or inside him, then that meant his success rests on the shoulders of science alone.
Zero followed Delashano as she led him out of her office. They would tour around the academy as the woman would attempt a start at conversation. Little did she know, Zero was already quite aware of the layout of her academy; it was thanks to none other than No herself, whom granted him a private tour while Ivan discussed the terms of their agreement. Model Zero studied the woman next to him as she continued to speak. His eyes shifted from the green tunic to her plump cheeks, to the scar rested just above her green eyes. The woman asked Zero to describe his experience with Vespasian. It was now blatantly evident what it was that she expected of him. The android must talk and anticipate what he believed the woman wanted to know about him. Although there wasn’t much to say that she didn’t already know, but Vespasian did seem to treat him slightly different.
“Very well,” Zero concurred, closing his eyes and nodding once as he called upon his memories. “As you already know, Vespasian isn’t very tactful or cordial whether you’re his student or superior. I believe he knew his craft well, and perhaps, I think he might have enjoyed forwarding his teachings –then again, he might have just used his position as a legal excuse to abuse his power.” Zero’s tone was not demeaning in the slightest. If one could hear past the monotony, they might detect a hint of what could’ve been respect for the man. After all, despite all the hoops Ivan and he had to jump just to convince –or force the Arena Master to teach them, he had taken up the role regardless. The android envisioned his sparring matches. Most of them were cringe worthy, nothing more than endless beatings, but within the slaughter remained a nugget of wisdom.
“I think he treated me differently from his other students because I’m an android. We do not tire or require sleep, therefore, our training sessions would continue for hours on end without breaks. After which I would return with my master for much needed repairs,” Zero smiled ever so slightly as he continued. He never told this to Ivan, his thoughts always kept to self. “He never said this, but I think there’s a method to his madness. I’ve observed living beings from the moment I awakened. They are fragile and fleeting existences, but they possess much potential. Even the weakest of them all, when chased and cornered, transcend their boundaries…” Zero was, of course, referring to the saiyans. He had seen smaller replications on The Omega Collective. While on missions, he could hear citizens struggling in the dark alleyways as they were mugged and ganged up on by crooks. Of course, Zero never intervened. He watched. Most of the time, the victim was beaten unconscious or killed, but within some of them existed a small light which burned fiercely at their bleakest moment. Those were the few who thrived, and perhaps the reason why Zero decided not to intervene –so he could witness it again.
However, he was not referring explicitly to them. They were but small renditions of the ideal he spoke of. The nugget of wisdom he believes Vespasian intended to teach whether he was aware of it himself or not. He spoke about the late Ninjin Hattori and the Intergalactic Champion, Conri Lane. How they shone so brightly in The City of Mor. How their emotions peaked and brought forth a power Ivan had been attempting to harness all of this time. He spoke of the man in his visions. The human, the half-saiyan, who defied fate and transcended his boundaries when he thought he had reached his limit. How he screamed. How the mountains were leveled and ravaged, how they quaked to his reverberating cries. That was the power Zero spoke of. However, he did not comprehend it himself. “I can’t say I agree with Vespasian’s methods, nor whether he is a good person, but he made me stronger –that much is true.”
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Post by Delashano on Jul 11, 2015 17:45:11 GMT -5
Trying to get a read on an android like Zero was perhaps one of the single most frustrating and probably ultimately futile efforts in existence, he was most certainly an entirely different sort of artificial being than No, he was an exceptionally odd blend of ‘real’ and ‘artificial’ with just enough ‘artificial’ in his mannerisms to mostly blank her ability to read his mood, his posture and tone were mostly rigid and formal and had remained pretty much exactly the same throughout their entire encounter. The only thing that had thus far shown Della that he certainly was far more than just a normal android was the way he had reacted to No’s departure, many people had similar such reactions to the rather exuberant AI but the genuine relief she had seen was something rather difficult to know to fake especially as Ivan had not gotten to interact with No long enough to understand her particularly well. That also indicated that Zero was rather likely to be the intruder that No had mentioned being around during Ivan’s meeting.
But where Della could not get any more of an emotional read on Zero she did pick up on one rather important thing, he appeared to be trying just as hard as she to get an accurate read on her, his eyes moved with a machine like precision as he took her in, she found herself curious what exactly he had managed to pick up about her so far taking in her physical form was, for the most part, a rather amusingly useless effort due to her ability to very easily change her appearance. What he saw now was merely what she liked to display to the world, it was her most consistent form, while on Earth she had been a bit more carefree with how often she made radical changes to her base form she had kept her current one fairly consistent since arriving on Omega, even choosing to retain a scar that she had received in the Arena. This was the form she had taken on Vespasian in, it was the form that Omega most recognized as the woman who had defeated Vespasian, and was the most recognized form for the Headmistress of the Academy. Any lasting changes to this form would more or less require her to make it well known that she had changed her appearance so people such as her staff, Ninjin, and Zasham were aware of whom they were dealing with presuming she wanted them to know.
“Vespasian was, without a doubt, an exceptional warrior. He may have preferred brute force but he was rather surprisingly effective in how he applied it. He certainly did not become Arena Master and retain the position for as long as he had without good cause. I imagine you are right as well perhaps it was even a bit of both, passing on his craft while also getting an opportunity to bludgeon willing opponents. The major problem I have with Vespasian’s method was a lack of flexibility, pushing your students can certainly be a very effective tactic, and a fair amount of those that continued it likely were the sort that could flourish under it.” Della said mostly agreeing with at the very least the sentiment of Zero’s statement.
“But the real ‘problem’ is as I mentioned the lack of flexibility, pushing is exceptionally good for gaining raw power, it forces someone to become stronger or fall, but a less forced methods are –generally- better for actually teaching technique, teaching control. A rather disturbing amount of Vespasian’s students were quite powerful but lacked any sort of refined control of the power they were putting out. They can hit harder than most, maybe even harder than those of similar power but generating anything beyond the most simple energy techniques? Not a single one of them was anywhere close to prepared to attempt learning the Energy Net, one of the major techniques of the Arena, and now the Academy and most probably could not reliably utilize the Dynamite Kick or initiate the Four Arms Attack.”
“But when it comes to gaining raw power and how to apply it effectively he was if he intended it or not, quite effective. I should perhaps invest in a scouter; Ivan speaks rather highly of your power so I am rather curious where exactly you fall in the grand scheme of things.” With that they would depart the physical Academy itself entering the main courtyard that lead rather directly to the old arena, the renovations to the Arena itself had been quite a bit easier than completely building the Academy itself and thankfully the bulk of the arena itself was able to be kept intact, already however it boasted two major upgrades. The addition of Della’s personal gravity chamber and simulator transferred out of the ring and into the arena, No’s advances with runic magic combined with modern technology even allowed Della to easily reduce the entire system into the form of a single rune stone if need be for transport.
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