GRADUATION

[descentinto]

[ There’s a spark in the darkness outside the dome, somewhere. The pale rainbow of some kind of bio-luminescent jellyfish. Then another. Then two more. Then ten more.

Within moments, the seafloor around you is illuminated by jellyfish, shining brighter than nature should allow, and you find your surroundings changed. Statues, piles of gold, paintings, all of them lie scattered around for as far as the eye can see in any direction. Just a disgusting amount of wealth.

The frosted glass box in front of all of you just… vanishes. And standing at a podium that doesn’t at all match the previous silhouette, you finally get to see The Professor, in all his slightly ghoulish glory.

Honestly? This might be exactly the kind of man you pictured he would be. ]

Allow me to introduce myself properly, boys and girls. I am Professor Gunnar Maelstrom, one of the five sitting members of the Faculty here at VILE. I suppose, one way or another, this is where it ends.

[ You’re getting close, gumshoes! Don’t give up! ]

Comments

[ladygeryon]

Acronym's little on the nose there, don't you think?

[descentinto]

Oh, you have no idea. It stands for Villains International League of Evil - or Valuable Imports, Luxurious Exports if you're talking about our cover company.

[nothingcanstop]

You are far too proud of that for your own good. BTW, keeping the title. Maelstrom sounds too cool for you.

[descentinto]

Do as you wish, Miss Duck.

[nothingcanstop]

...What was it that did it? Is it just that we're putting everything on the table now, no more stupid, insulting titles?

[philoxenia]

Probably some sort of reward for answering his questions.

[bolderfell]

That mean we won?

[philoxenia]

I... don't think it does. Not yet.

[bolderfell]

Least he could do during these endless trials is provide refreshments.

[philoxenia]

Honestly... if this goes on for a long time, he really only has himself to blame for not giving us something.

Luckily, I came prepared.

[ She'll dig through her bag and hold out a container. U want an apple cinnamon muffin? ]

[bolderfell]

[UM YES]

Great. I was starting to think about eating the chips Zerinda brought as evidence. ...Thank you, Mira.

[Om nom.]

[philoxenia]

Of course. Can't have you passing out on us, after all.

[ she has

so many muffins in this bag ]

[descentinto]

There's just no pleasing you, is there? I could tell you I run an orphanage on the weekends and you'd still swear vengeance.

[nothingcanstop]

I mean. Yeah, buddy. Two months of torture and mockery and threats and all the messing around in my brain, that'd kinda do that to a person.

[ladygeryon]

Even if you did, I bet it'd just be a way to get more recruits who are conditioned from childhood.

[mouflon]

[ are you for fucking real ]

So was that on purpose from the start, or did you get halfway through the acronym and then decide, hey, I can make this even more stupid?

[descentinto]

You'd have to take it up with our founder. I never met the man myself, but there's a reason we use just the acronym these days.

[mouflon]

The acronym isn't any better, and you know it.

[hardnosed]

The acronym's worse.