There was someone sitting on Psiksi’s desk. Not just anyone, but a shadowy being with blackened wings and faintly glowing red eyes. But while most beings would have been scared by such a creature, Skyavok like Psiksi weren’t that bothered. They liked shadows and they liked shadowy beings. Their old matron deity was a shadowy being after all.
“Uh, old All-Ksa, what are you doing here?” Psiksi asked.
“Just wanted to talk.”
Psiksi had admittedly not been working in this office for long. He’d just been given his own private office. Before that, he worked out with other folks, but everyone he worked with was A-Class. The whole building was A-Class. If Psiksi wasn’t utterly ripped and stupidly muscular already, he would have stuck out like a sore thumb even more, since he was Ξ-Class. Formerly Ξ-Class. Psiksi was a retired gladiator, literally one of the best, but he’d gotten out while he could still walk, mostly to combat a separate illness. And while Psiksi recovered from said illness, he was working in A-Class and Ξ-Class at the same time, writing up commentary reports and analysis on other Skyan gladiators, as well as studying gladiator and arena statistics.
It wasn’t a bad job, not at all. But sometimes Psiksi missed the weirdness of being a gladiator. Not today though. Today, Psiksi had a lot to do, and he now had the former All-Ksa sitting on his desk. Somewhat seductively as well. That would have been confusing enough, but Elkay Athanasion was living up to his surname and had been made into the deity of knowledge and shadows. And Psiksi was pretty sure that being deified had messed with the insanely old Skyan’s head a little.
“Talk about what?”
“About stuff. Is a guy not allowed to want to talk to the fourth ever Triumphant Champion?”
Psiksi shrugged, then sat down on his desk. Elkay wasn’t a threat in any way, he was just a kindly old Skyan. A weird one, an insanely powerful one, someone who had been blessed by the long-gone Silent Blade, but a friendly old guy nonetheless. “I mean, sure, I don’t mind chatting, but I don’t feel like a champion, not any more.”
“Oh, how comes?”
“Honestly? I feel like A-Class was my calling the entire time. I’ve spent thirty years being a gladiator, I was really, really fucking good at being a gladiator, but…” Psiksi gestured around his office. “I like data more. Timik used to think I’d just go in, kick the piss out of people then leave, but he had no idea how much time I spent staying up late at night and studying my opponents’ previous stats and matches. That was how I worked out that Ret had partially injured his leg the day before our match and focused on that so I could beat him, and I did the same thing to Timik, learning that he rarely fought Skyavok and shadowjumping scared him pissless. But I wouldn’t have won had I not used my little A-Class knowledge ways.”
Elkay smiled briefly, but that smile faded. “Maybe I should have opened up the shadowtouched laws sooner.”
Psiksi shrugged some more. “You didn’t really have much choice. The Ayvee-En situation forced your hand. Sure, no one knew you weren’t just a Phantasma, but the fucking Shadow itself, but you were the Ksa of K-Class and a bunch of Phantasma guys did try and kill the Second in Command of the N-Class. At least, from everyone else’s point of view. Veeyel doesn’t have any of that baggage now L-Class are in charge. How is your pretty little body guard by the way?”
“Teekay is doing great. Much happier now he doesn’t have to follow me around. Admittedly, despite not being shadowtouched, our new Vice-Ksa Veekay mostly looks after himself.”
“I see… so why are you here?” Psiksi suddenly changed the subject. “Is it really just to chat me up? Because I think that’s what you’re trying to do. You’re being vaguely flirty.”
“I’ll be blunt, you are very attractive. And you’re still somewhat Ξ-Class.”
“I know I am!” Psiksi grinned briefly. “I’m also literally the best Skyan gladiator ever. You’re… a bit old for me though.”
Elkay continued to smile, despite Psiksi’s dismissal. “Yeah, fair enough. I’m just being flirty for the sake of it. Admittedly though, I did somewhat want to be friendly with you for two reasons. Firstly, you are, as you say, a cool dude. Secondly, I’m looking for some ins into A-Class, and I think you’d be a useful friend to have. And also, you’ve chatted with a god before. I hope you’re not too freaked out by me.”
“Makes sense… I have to ask though, I met the Silent Blade once… You’ve met him way more than me. Was he always a super hot Skyavok with no dress sense?”
“Yeah.”
“Ah. Why?”
“He barely ever spoke to anyone. 2023 and 2024 were anomalies, and even then, Arkay’s physical presence came and went. He only ever wanted friends, not worshipers, he just wanted to help and care for us, but the other gods always told him no, the other gods used him as a slave. And now he’s gone and hopefully made the friends he always wanted in a more peaceful life, away from all his suffering.”
Psiksi sighed. “It’s a shame, really. He seemed like a nice guy.”
“He was…”
“You’re a pretty good replacement though. And it’d be pretty cool to be friends with a new god.”
“I appreciate that…” Elkay went back to smiling but suddenly trailed off. There was sudden and frantic knocking on the door. “Uh, let me answer that.”
Elkay got up off the desk and made his way to the office door. He opened it up and revealed a rather large being.
“Mama! The ball is back! The ball is back!”
“Is that… is that a Rethan, and why did they just call you mama?” Psiksi whispered.
Elkay was not at all amused. He crossed his arms and hissed at the intruder. “Litvir, what the fuck are you doing here?”
“The ball is back!” Litvir repeated themselves. “It is back! After not even 24 hours!”
“Litvir, calm down and answer my question. How did you know I was here? I’m off duty right now.”
“The… the ball…” Litvir stuttered. “It is back.”
Realizing that Litvir was legitimately concerned and genuinely scared, Elkay sighed, then patted the young Rethan on the thigh.
“Alright, we’ll go and deal with the ball. But I need to finish what I am doing first. Can you go and fetch Aster, then take him to the ball, please? I need to finish what I am doing and I will come to help, alright?”
Litvir snapped to attention, then nodded.
“Go on.”
“Yes, mama…”
With a frown, Litvir left the office, being careful to not bang their head on the door frame, then disappeared in a flash of light.
“Uh… is… everything alright?” Psiksi asked.
Elkay rolled his eyes. “Yeah, things are fine. Litvir just gets panicky about things they don’t understand sometimes…” After some fiddling around in his bag, Elkay pulled out a contact card and handed it to Psiksi. “Anyway, I have to go. But call me whenever, alright?”
Psiksi smirked, then grabbed a card from his desk and gave that to Elkay. “You can call me whenever too. Have a good one, mate.”
“Hah, you too!” Elkay exclaimed as he disappeared in a puff of darkness. “See you soon.”