"I'll get out of the tree, don't you worry." My voice was filled with spite.
I took off, landing back at my workshop, I barred the door and activated my portal blocking array. I put my hands to work, putting the finishing touch on the super lubricant everyone devised.
"Speakwrite: Engine test fourteen, Lubricant trial one." The engine started as I poured Eneru into it after a moment one of the pistons failed to extend, it got stuck in its chamber. "Failure: piston seems to be sticking to the sides of its chamber."
I cleaned out the lubricant and noticed that it would separate into its parts at higher temperatures.
"Let's just try a normal oil, Occa-what's-it's razor says that the simplest solution is often the best, or so Devin says."
"Speakwrite: Engine test fifteen, Oil-Lubricant trial one." The engine spoke in a hushed tone, making almost no noise, and after ten minutes of running, it was sufficiently tested for now. "Success: runs quietly but is not as efficient as hoped."
I put the testing log on the pile of others and started on some things to counter Devin's plants. First I made some herbicide vials and some firebombs, then I enchanted a length of wood to heat itself over time, last, I enhanced the flammability of some oil, making it similar to napalm.
"I don't need any more, I'm going to bed." I continued to speak to myself.
I shut down the portal blocking array because I couldn't use it in my sleep, then as I laid down, Laura portaled in.
"Ugh, I've been waiting outside all day! How long are you gonna make me wait for your apology."
"Not much longer, maybe after I wake up." I was not surprised by her entry, nor was I going to let it stop me from going to sleep.
I got under my covers and tried to sleep.
"I guess it is late." She said, sliding under the covers and marking the first time that we laid together while we were both conscious.
'Why is it weirder now than it was when she snuck into my bed?' I thought as I drifted to sleep.
********
In the morning,
"Morning Laura, I made apology coffee," I said from my desk, where I was working on weaving some metal so I could use it as a quarterstaff, intuitive manipulation is much cheaper and precise than flow manipulation.
"Don't you have dueling in like, an hour?"
"Yeah, but I was waiting on you because I do have to actually apologize, I don't see why I ran away and lashed out when you simply said that you still liked me despite my flaws, it doesn't make any logical sense, I should have thanked you, not go off and do something dumb like that. Sorry."
"Thank you, but you'd best be off, you're gonna have to prepare for your duel with Devin."
'That was... anti-climatic, she just kind of said thanks and shooed me off.'
'Puzzling, but she's right, we can't fly there because we have golems to bring.'
"Boel, Denny, follow me, and don't walk through any walls."
"Yessir!" I still hadn't figured out why Boel started talking differently
"Coming master!" Denny had his very own speech pattern.
"Remind me again why I gave them mouths?"
I left my rhetorical question unanswered and started the walk to class, all along the way keeping Denny and Boel from crashing into people and objects.
"Two paces left! Dodge Justin! Duck!" The orders poured from my mouth at lightning speed.
After a stressful ten-minute walk, we arrived at the platform where I started to set up my armory, I strapped some armor onto Boel that could be shed once it was damaged, I gave Denny a secondary crossbow in case he was cornered.
As for myself, I hid the firebombs, of which there were only two, under my armor, perfectly concealed as if it weren't there.
'I'm glad I never gave Devin the whole specifications on my Changeling Armor, it has basically two layers, the Mimic and the plate, the Mimic covers my entire body whereas the plate is moved around to block weapons. I need a lot more of these.'
After I finished equipping myself, displaying the herbicide openly along with the heating stick. Devin showed up with his equipment.
"You look like an apothecary dude, how many seeds do you need."
"A lot, don't you worry your little head, big-horns."
"The trash talk has begun? Eh, small."
"Slow ass."
"Late ass."
We both started to laugh, whenever we competed, there would always be trash talk.
"You ready?" I asked
"Born ready, but what is taking the rest of the class so long?"
"We're just super early, want a sandwich? I came prepared."
Orin popped out of my shadow, sitting on my lap and waiting on his meal.
"I spoil you so much that if you weren't so active, you would be the fattest fox in the world."
"Good thing I exercise," he said, jumping at the sandwich I was holding above his tiny head.
"Yeah, and you know how to get extra from me by being cute." I dropped the sandwich and he caught it, not dropping a single crumb. "Hey Devin, you think that Clara drew those cards fairly? It's too big of a coincidence that we're up against each other."
"Of course I drew them fairly! Otherwise, I could be biased! Gimme ten for doubting me!"
"For once you aren't my superior, so I'm going to have to pass." School hadn't started yet so she had no authority.
"Finally standing on your legs, eh? You seem to have grown a pair, unfortunately, I always arrive on time."
I heard Headmaster Larry doing the announcements in the distance, meaning school had just started.
Without a word, I started my ten pushups, I even threw in five more for insubordination.
"I am ready for the duel ma'am!"
"Calm down, wait for all of the students to arrive, our class doesn't start for the next twenty minutes."
A while later I was standing face to face with Devin, quarterstaff in hand, ready.
"Remember, all forms of casting are allowed. Begin!" Unda's sword fell.