A bargain of extremes.

"Think. What do these trainees want? How do I give it to them?" Ralli had no idea how to flexibly adapt her lesson plan around the curveball the knight captain's letter had introduced. "They all probably want different things... This is impossible. Shall I simply give everyone exactly what they want? Is that the spirit of the captain's instruction? But after they have what they want, they will become complacent. They will become lazy. It cannot possibly be an effective motivator. Then again, humans always want more. They are greedy creatures... How can I ensure everyone gets something they want? While remaining so hungry for satisfaction they continue to strive?"

Finally, the captain hit on something, in her own strange way. Nobody would see her face smiling in a rare delighted, self-congratulatory way as she hit on what she was sure was the answer: "I'll tell them I'll give them whatever they want, then give them an unreachable goal to strive for." It sounded so perfect, it had to be right. Now, she simply had to speak eloquently and sell the idea. With a little careful consideration...

"I'll give you trainees whatever you want. All you have to do is reach an impossible goal," she said in a tone of unmistakable cruel delight.

Everyone remained silent for a while. What the sergeant had said sounded... Good? Bad? She sounded happy when she said it... but also sadistic?

"Uh, Teach? Unpack that for us, if you don't mind," Liam said with a smile that looked pitying.

"Damn you, Liam," Ralli replied, unable to hide her frustration for being pulled off of her momentary high. "Listen up, trainees! Today is going to be the day you finally prove yourselves! We're doing laps today, right? Today will be the day one of you finally catches up to me!"

Everyone remained even more oppressively silent, having received an odd pep talk when they wanted an explanation.

"Whosoever catches me shall be granted his or her heart's desire!" she shouted at her students, dramatically extending one hand. "Anything! A day off-"

Ralli had intended to start listing examples, but at that, everyone immediately started cheering. The classroom exploded into noise as everyone began their own conversations.

"... That is merely an example!" she attempted to shout over the crowd. "Remember that you can choose anything you wish! I will literally grant you anything in my power!"

"A-a-anything?!" Harley shouted, her bright eyes flashing as they peeked beneath her curls and she leaned forward from her desk. "L-like from our conversation this morning, anything anything?!?!"

"Yes," Ralli responded nervously, unable to recall what, exactly, Harley was referring to.

"So, it's a blank bill of services, Teach?" Liam asked, a disconcerting grin splitting his face. "We could ask for all of us to get a day off then?"

"... We can negotiate when you earn it," Ralli hedged, crossing her arms. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Liam. As if a worthless trainee-"

"How about the cute nun?!" Harvey roared, the only guy with the guts and lack of brains to actually tie this back to his previous conversation in the classroom. "Are you really gonna get a cute nun with a hot ass in here when I catch you?!?"

"... If it is within my power," the sergeant agreed, digging her fingers into her arms. "Let me remind you that the knights and the nuns currently struggle for dominance of the public-"

She stopped, realizing she was talking to herself. The whole classroom was ablaze with internal conversations, something that hadn't happened since she nearly kicked Harvey's head off on the first day when he started doing that. The transformation... felt unreal. It felt...

"So successful! I have never had such unfettered success. My students are completely motivated. I am the finest teacher of the academy. Thank you, Captain. Thank you, Bella. Thank you, Ralli," Ralli patted herself on the back, still standing with her arms crossed like a gargoyle. "Unfortunately, I will need to harvest a new carrot when the time comes. The students will tire when they realize they will never match me. I will have to consider implementing half a wish for half a success... However, that is in the future."

"Worthless maggooots!!" she shouted, easily silencing the room with a yell that had every oppressive quality of a deathspeaker except the poisonous fog. "If you are sufficiently motivated, let us gather at the track! We shall start exercises early today! Show me you can grasp a carrot with your own gauntlets!"

The crowd yelled, looking excited for exercises for the first time in nearly a year. Each of them was so eager for a miracle and so confident in their insane, otherworldly sergeant instructor's ability to grant it... Feeling that, it wasn't hard for them to picture that today might finally be the day they caught up to her shadow.

"Today, I'll run harder than ever!!" Harvey roared.

"Today, I'll be unstoppable!!" Harley shouted, a rare case of her looking as crazed as her brother.

"Today, I'll... hope Teach trips and falls while we're chasing her," Liam said with a grin and a shrug.