As sunlight peaked around the edges of his curtains the sounds of the first bell barely managed to rouse Argent from his heavy slumber, his exertions from the day before having left him in a state of sleep nearly as deep as his prior unconsciousness had been.  The first bell sounded at six hundred hours in the morning, two hours before homeroom class began, providing generally enough time for students to get their equipment in order for the day’s affairs and to grab a bite at the dining hall if they so chose.  Yawning, he noted the dull white light of the morning sunrise filtering into his room from where he had forgotten to pull the curtains fully shut. Outside in the distance, movement on the training track caught his eye. Many students of the Academy were early risers who took their studies and training very seriously, and to find them out in the gardens and fields was not uncommon even at the crack of dawn, but today it was the familiar sight of tall rabbit ears which pulled his attention.  Following their movement he found Shizuka and Naiara paced side by side, running laps together on the track.

“Those two really are something..”

He mumbled to himself, stretching a bit before heading into the bathroom to prepare for the day to come. His mind wandered absently back to the bell system here at the DCA as he went through his morning routine, contemplating that in reality this ‘first bell’ was actually more of a heavy gong struck twice, as was the final bell which signified the end of day curfew at twenty-two hundred hours from which all students were required to be indoors.  The warnings which sounded ten minutes prior to the start of a class were more like chimes.  Only the ‘be in your seats by this time or be marked tardy’ sounds were actual bells, but everyone called all of them bells, and it somehow didn’t sound right to call them anything else.

It was this mundane train of thought which rumbled through the alchemist’s head as he idly brushed his teeth and fixed his hair whilst still only half awake, coming to the fullness of his senses only after he slapped his cheeks with a handful of cold water.  Moving back into the main section of his room, Argent managed to get himself half dressed when there was a knock at his door.

“It’s open.”

He called nonchalantly, expecting that it could only be Gauge. As the door pushed open it was not the rogue, however, but a particular little pixie who came fluttering in without hesitation.

“Goodmorning, Argent! I wanted to come check up on you before homeroom, I heard what happened yesterday. Sounds like Naiara roughed you up a little, huh?”

She greeted him cheerfully, all smiles.

“I-instructor! I’m uh.. I’m sorry. I didn’t know--”

“Oh hush, kiddo. You’re only missing a shirt, don’t be such a prude.”

She cut him off airily, waving a hand in dismissal.  Inwardly, Argent wanted to argue that modesty wasn’t exactly the point in this situation.  Her being an instructor and all, it was more a matter of professionalism and respect, but he knew better than to try and make that argument with the entirely too lighthearted pixie.  This being the case, he only nodded and quickly pulled on a shirt.

“Sorry.. In any case, I’m doing fine. A little sore, but honestly I blame Instructor Hanill’s smoke sessions for that more than Naiara.”

“Hehee, well that’s fair. I’m happy to hear it~”

The tiny Fae giggled in response, her eyes lingering on the many bruises and shallow cuts which were still quite fresh on Argent’s body before her gaze moved along to assess the shelves upon which he had carefully organized his books and alchemical supplies.  Everything was meticulously neat, clearly marked, and painstakingly categorized.

“What a good boy you are.”

She commented with a smile, quickly flitting through the air to hover just in front of Argent’s eyes and pat him on the head, softly ruffling the front of his hair.  He felt the unmistakable rush of healing magicks flow through him in that moment, similar to the regeneration spell the pixie had used to mend his shattered leg after the entrance exam.  The questioning look he gave the pixie garnered him a small wink in return.

“Just a little pick-me-up, you’ve earned it. I’ll see you in homeroom, Argent. Don’t be laaateee~”

Her glittering wings carried her out of the room before he could respond, her speed of flight surprisingly quick considering her size.  As Argent finished getting dressed, it was only a few minutes after the pixie had left that Gauge stuck his head in through the door.

“Awake? Good. Wanna nab some breakfast? I’m starved.”

The timing was perfect, as with the energies of Instructor Liamra’s healing running through his shallow wounds Argent was quickly becoming hungry himself.  Heading to the dining facility for a short breakfast with his rogue companion, the two made small talk as they munched through a simple meal of porridge and fruits.  Breakfast fare was typically much more basic than the other meals, the staff serving a limited menu during the early hours with the exception of lecture days on the weekends.  Still Argent found that the options were always good. Hardy, stick to your ribs sorts of foods that kept all but the most ravenous students full until the midday break.  The two boys hung around the dining hall nursing hot drinks and reviewing their study materials until the chiming ‘bells’ signifying that class would begin in ten minutes rang through the academy, packing up their gear and heading over to homeroom.  Stepping through the wide doorway and into the familiar threshold of their class Argent’s gaze naturally wandered the room to see who was present.  It seemed most everyone was already in their usual places, Haana and Fenn the only two not yet inside.  As his eyes moved over the members of Class X13 they found Naiara’s own staring back, and the two of them locked gazes.  Offering her a smile as if to say there were no hard feelings Argent was surprised when Naiara responded back to him with a subtle nod, something which may as well have been her equivalent of running over to give him a hug when contrast against the social precedents otherwise set by the silent wolven girl.  The gesture warmed him, turning his small smile into a full blown grin as he nodded back.  Argent wasn’t sure what this class held in store for its members in the long run, but he wanted to think of them all as teammates and friends.

Even the more difficult ones.. If they’d let me.

He thought to himself as he took his usual place at the table across from Cassius, Matthias and Seren.  The three chatted amongst themselves as though they were any other group of students, and the alchemist found himself wishing they would be as amicable with the others of Class X13.  As he settled into his seat alongside Gauge, Instructor Liamra came fluttering into the room right on queue with the final bell.

“Goodmorning, my lovies~  I hope you’re all rested well and ready for another good day!”

The fae chirped enthusiastically, smiling over at Shizuka and gesturing for the beastkin girl to take her seat, as she had the habit of always standing and bowing whenever an instructor entered the room.

“After homeroom you’ll have a busy road ahead of you, I suggest you take a look at the schedule in your handbooks in order to keep ahead of where you need to be, and ensure you have the proper equipment on hand.”

Argent did as was recommended, reaching into his pocket to withdraw the self-writing booklet and flipping it open to the daily page.  Whatever magic or enchantment operated within the book caused its contents to continuously alter as necessary, updating student and class information in real time.  Ranking, standing, notes and even personal profiling. The Daily Page was used to display class itineraries on core days, available blocks on specialty days, and open courses on lecture days.

Tuesday, 20th Day of Dragons, 107th Year of Stability

0800 -- Homeroom, instructed by Vivian Liamra -- Review of World History, Study Time

0900 -- First Class, instructed by Hexel Suran -- Dungeoneering

1100 -- Meal Break

1200 -- Second Class, instructed by Shayla Kingsfoot -- Forestry, Herbology

1400 -- Third Class, instructed by Chelsea Spinette -- Field Studies

1600 -- Fourth Class, instructed by Thune Redmane -- Aspect Arts

1800 -- End of Day

Instructor Liamra waited patiently for her students to finish looking over their handbooks from her perch atop the podium, clapping her tiny hands together when they all seemed to have digested their schedules for the day.

“Alright! With that out of the way, for homeroom this morning I would like to review the history of how things came to be.  When I say ‘world’ history, I don’t simply mean the world as we know it now, but the many others which led to it.  Who can tell me the name of the “First Reality”? Anyone~?”

Her sea-green eyes sparkled as they surveyed the class, coming to a halt as Matthias timidly raised his hand from the corner, drawing surprised looks from his two companions.

“Yes, Matthias?”

“M-ma’am, the First Reality was known as Aetheon.”

“Yes! Very good, Matthias. As I might expect from a Disciple of Ambris~”

The pixie beamed, nodding her head vigorously as she placed her hands upon her hips. The pride for her student as clear upon her face as though she herself had just accomplished something wonderous. Pointing her finger outwards at the class now, she resumed her train of thought.

“And who can tell me why the First Reality matters to us now?”

It was Naiara who spoke next, though she didn’t bother raising her hand.

“It was where the First Gods, the Seven Old Gods, first came to be and ascended to divinity.”

“Excellent, Naiara, right on the nose. So, which reality are we in now?”

Fenn spoke next, his lethargic voice creeping sleepily across the room.

“Trivenndia, the ninth reality… Also known as the ‘final’ reality.”

“Indeed, indeed!  Very good my little class! I’m actually impressed. Many folk in the world today don’t understand the long and winding roads that brought us to be. It makes my heart glow to see my students have not neglected it.”

Waving an arm towards the board, her fanciful illusionary writing began to display a spread of information depicting the worlds of the original Deities, otherwise commonly known as the ‘Seven Old Gods’, as Naiara had referred to them.

--Aetheon, the First Reality

--Eon, God of Creation:  Avalos, the Second Reality

--Vixiera, God of Destruction: Zogorath, the Third Reality

--Kalias, God of Space: Sphearos, the Fourth Reality

--Lazarus, God of Time: Etheron, the Fifth Reality

--Naphtalia, God of Arcana: Vatrecast, the Sixth Reality

--Turi, God of Elements: Laskeria, the Seventh Reality

--Aliandar, God of Order: Ambris, the Eighth Reality

--Trivenndia, the Ninth Reality

Glancing back at the board for a moment, Instructor Liamra made certain everything was in order before walking softly to the edge of her podium and sitting down, her legs dangling daintily from the edge as she began her lecture in earnest.

“In the First Reality, there were no Gods. We do not know how it came to be, or why, but we know that it was the crucible which forged the talents of those who would ascend.  The Seven Old Gods, the First Gods, grew in power and grace within the world they had been given until it could no longer contain them. Elevated within their respective domains, the Seven became the first pantheon and ruled Aetheon in balance for thousands of years-- but in time their conflicting methods began to cause strife. At the most critical moment, when tempers were at their breaking points, Eon God of Creation and Aliandar God of Order-- The First and the Last-- came to their fellows with a plan.”

The text on the board gave way as she spoke, shifting into detailed illusions which depicted the story being told, shaping now into the form of an ancient Blackstone Dragon grasping the sphere of a world in his claws as many smaller worlds formed around him.

“Combining the powers of Time and Space with that of Creation, Aliandar’s plan was to create an overlap of spheres which would allow each to oversee their own world.  Connected but separate, the Seven would be free to remain together whilst ruling their personal spheres of reality. Kalias and Lazarus agreed to assist Eon in the creation of the spheres, and thus the seven realms were born.”

Upon the board seven shimmering spheres coalesced around the form of the dragon, before gathering together into a seemingly single sphere held once more within his claw.  At his tail, the first reality grew dark.

“The First Reality was abandoned, left as a relic of the ritual used to create the seven, and the Gods took hold of their spheres and ruled them in their ways.  Thus did the seven realities prosper for untold aeons, until--”

“The Void awoke…”

Argent muttered under his breath, eyes wide as they watched the image on the board grow into a writhing mass of chaos. Tendrils of darkness, the indiscernible emptiness of chaos, present and yet not, neither living nor dead, consuming all in its wake, tearing the spheres of reality asunder in its malice.  Instructor Liamra nodded solemnly.

“The Void awoke.  Fortunately Lazarus, the God of Time, had foreseen this inevitability from the beginning. Unfortunately, the chaos was stronger and more virulent than even he could have known.  It devoured the seven realities within hours of its birth despite the combined might of the Seven and all their lesser gods fighting against the dark with all their might.  They did not have the time or opportunity to set in motion the failsafe they had left slumbering within the First Reality.”

The class watched the battle failing, countless champions from the pantheons of the Seven Realities rising to combat the Void only to fall beneath its overwhelming weight. The Seven wept at the destruction of their children and their spheres, cursing this emptiness which they had created. For the inevitable formation of the Void was the result of their new realities, an aftereffect of the ritual they had used to enact their plan.  Born of the unstable fabrics of reality left in the wake of their rapid creation and overlap of separate planes of existence, it had festered and tangled within itself with every passing eternity.  Now it sought to undo that which had spawned it.  The tension in the room was palpable as the members of Class X13 shifted uncomfortably in their seats, though Argent noticed that Naiara’s eyes never looked away from the board, her jaw clenched tight and her expression held like emotionless stone.  Despite the atmosphere their petite instructor continued on without faltering.

“In order to salvage their plan and save whatever was left to save, Eon retreated to the First Reality. There, using the last of his remaining strength, he created an anomaly.  One which would come to be known as the Ninth Reality, the Final Reality.  Placing within it any surviving pieces of destroyed realities, Trivenndia came to be so that the Seven’s plan to sever the Void might be carried out.  You see, left upon the First Reality was nothing, nothing, save for a single temple. Within it a sealed gateway, containing a sacred whitesmithing furnace called the Soulforge.  The Seven, having known thanks to the foresight of Lazarus that the Void would someday come, created the Soulforge within its own separate dimension. Hidden from all, accessible only with the use of artifact triggers containing portions of the Seven’s essence to act as keys.  Once within the dimension of the forge, these seven artifacts could be bound together in the presence of seven unique souls to create the only weapon capable of undoing the Ritual-- and with it, the Void.”

The artwork cut away from the scene of the void and spread across the entirety of the board, taking the shape of a monolithic hall of vaulted pillars, the walls carved with depictions of each of the seven triggers and fixed with altars for them to be placed. In the center an empty archway reached to the ceiling, a portal coalescing to life within as each trigger activated its corresponding altar, granting access to an ornate forge of Elven make.  Within stood seven figures, each holding an artifact trigger, whilst in their center a magnificent flame stoked before an anvil.

“Thankfully, Eon had already sent champions to gather all seven triggers.. But now, with the realities destroyed, there was no place for the chosen souls to fulfill their cycles of reincarnation. Thus it was that as the God of Creation, Eon forged the Worldsphere.  An anomaly in which a single new reality, our reality, was held together using the tattered fabric of the collapsing seven.  Eon pulled the essence of each chosen soul into the sphere to culminate in a single reincarnation… The Oversoul. Lilith.”

With the tangle of information presented it became clear that some of the students were struggling to keep up with the machinations involved, the complex, redundant safeguards the Old Gods had taken to ensure that no singular one of them could access the Soulforge without the cooperation or knowledge of the others seemed almost unnecessary.  That was all set aside as the Pixie uttered the final words of her current sentence, in particular the name, Lilith.  Seren immediately sat up straight, bowing her head and making a religious gesture across her chest. Fenn, Remelia, and Instructor Liamra herself performed an identical motion.

“Lilith, the treasure of our world. Saviour of the Spheres. The Goddess of Matter and Reality.  It was here that she was born, a demi-god amongst mortals, the essence of the Seven bound within her so that she might save us all.  Into the World Sphere to guide her Eon could send from the outside only one, a mortal born from the world of Avalos, who ascended to Godhood within that sphere and had sat upon Eon’s pantheon as the God of Combat.  The same Champion whom Eon had chosen to collect the triggers from the Seven Realities.. Tristan Isenhart.”

It was Izadura and Shizuka who showed reverence now, the both of them quietly gesturing hand to fist in a respectful motion. Naiara glanced at both of them, her expression difficult to read.

“As one who was born a mortal and earned his Godhood through skill and experience, he was the only source of help for Lilith. The Worldsphere, by necessity to keep it sealed from the Void, was held entirely separate from the rules and powers of the outside. Meaning that within the sphere even the Gods were returned to a powerless origin state.  So it was that Tristan entered the sphere as a mortal once more, and undertook the mission to find and raise Lilith. Training her into the warrior and leader she had to become, guiding her path to the Soulforge where she could create from the triggers the Ultima Weapon left behind by the Seven. Tristan fought by her side until the last, when Lilith cut open the Void and shattered the Heart of Time, separating the spheres forever and banishing the dark. Saving our world and all that was left of the others.”

As if she had timed it, the end of class bell rang only seconds after Instructor Liamra finished her piece, the images on the board fading away as the class let out a collective breath of tension.  Argent glanced up from where he had been struggling to hurriedly scrawl notes whenever he could manage to tear his eyes away from the illusionary depictions which had danced across the board. As tempting as it had been to glue his eyes to the scenes, there were so many details involved that he felt required notation. Argent was reasonably well educated and exceptionally well read, yet he found details in Instructor Liamra’s telling of the Story of Lilith which he had never before heard.  Her lecture had flooded him with new information, and he found himself wondering just how expansive her knowledge on the subject truly was if they were to sit down and speak about it in depth.

“Damn.. That was… That was kind of heavy.”

Gauge uttered from the side, sitting back in his chair as though suddenly released from paralysis. The rogue shook his head as he began to pack up his things, his eyes not really looking at the objects in his hands as he did so.  Argent agreed that it was much more than he had been expecting from a homeroom lecture, but their pixie supervisor didn’t miss a beat.

“And that’s that!”

She concluded, her smile as big as ever as her wings carried her up from the podium and into a hover.  Waving her arms out in a simulation of a hug before dismissing her class in full, she didn’t seem to notice the many stern faces of her students lost in their thoughts.

“If you’ve any questions, please feel free to bring them to me on our next core day~”

Something told Argent that there would be many questions, he knew he certainly had a handful. Whether or not they would be carried until next Thursday and actually asked out loud would remain to be seen. Tucking away his notes and quill, Argent waited for Gauge patiently before the two of them began the trek to the other side of campus for Instructor Suran’s course.  Glancing at his handbook for the schedule once more, Argent understood what Instructor Liamra had meant when she mentioned taking care to coordinate their timing and positioning between classes.  Almost every block was at a location on opposite sides of the academy, leaving very little window for errands inbetween transit.  

“We’ll have to get all of our equipment together for the field study after lunch. There won’t be any time to get it after Instructor Kingsfoot’s class.”

“Hm? Ah, yeah. I’ve got everything I need for dungeoneering, though.”

Gauge snapped back to reality as he responded, suddenly looking up as Argent’s voice pulled him back to the present.  The alchemist laughed a bit, honestly surprised that the rogue displayed such an interest in the old lore.

“Had you heard the Story of Lilith before?”

“Of course I had, I mean.. Not until I left the southern kingdoms, mind you, but you can hardly set foot beyond the Calm WITHOUT hearing about her.  I just.. I’ve never heard it told like THAT.”

Argent nodded lightly.

“I hadn’t either... I was trying to take notes, but it was all so fascinating. Hard to believe something like that really happened barely more than a hundred years ago… It makes me wonder, so many of the elder beings, the elves and the dragonkin, the celestials, those who live for hundreds of years… How many of them were alive when it happened? Before it happened? What kinds of things did they see?”

“She’d probably pitch a fit if she heard me say it, but if you ask me Instructor Liamra was around before Lilith. I get the feeling that story was more to her than just a story.”

Gauge’s reply lit a spark of realization within Argent in that moment, and he was strongly inclined to believe the same. Depending on the type of fae, it was possible for a pixie like Instructor Liamra to effectively be what was known as a ‘lesser immortal’.  That is to say, a being that would never age beyond their prime nor die of natural cause, but which could be killed.  The High Elves were such a race, as was any celestial with a heritage more than half-blood.

“Great.. Now I’m going to have to swallow the urge to ask how old she is every time I see her.”

Argent muttered, and Gauge patted his companion on the back sympathetically before grinning and raising his arms up in a ‘what can you do’ sort of gesture.

“Sorry... But hey, if you take the dive and ask for the rest of us, I’ll buy you dinner... If you survive.” 

The two friends joked their way along the rest of the path, finally coming to the deep granite steps leading down into one of the academy’s mock dungeons in which Instructor Suran had indicated he would be conducting their class. Little was known about the shadowy figure, addressed simply as Hexel by the majority of his fellow instructors, but he seemed precisely the sort one would expect to teach the courses he did.  Dungeoneering was simply the tip of the iceberg, as he was also the primary instructor for the subjects of stealth, subterfuge, and assassination. He was also considered the most skilled user of the aspect of darkness amongst the academy staff, and although he did not teach courses directly related to the aspect arts, it was not unheard of for him to occasionally provide a seminar during lecture days if the demand was high enough.  For today however, the subject was traps. Simple traps, mostly.  Traps of the sort a rookie adventurer might find left behind by lesser humanoids looking to safeguard their encampments and dens. Devices ranging from something as rudimentary as strands of metal scrap and garbage strung together and hung in places where an invader brushing against them would cause noise, to basic tripwires and pressure plates loaded with crude blades and spikes.  Primarily the course of instruction was set to enhance one's abilities to detect and understand these devices, increasing their situational awareness and general trapsense, though Instructor Suran did provide an opportunity for the more daring students to make attempts at disarming them if they wished.  Seren, Naiara, and Gauge all took him up on the offer, and Argent stuck close to his rogue companion throughout the process. He watched with curiosity as Gauge perfected his technique over the course of a few very close calls.  Naiara succeeded easily in removing her traps without assistance, and Seren seemed to be doing perfectly until the very end.  He hadn’t been watching and so could not say for sure what had caused it, but Argent’s gut feeling was that overconfidence spurred the dragon-eyed girl to rush an attempt to keep up with Naiara, resulting in a mistake.  Thankfully Matthias was there to mend her up, his healing arts more than sufficient to close such a minor wound.  Instructor Suran did not scold her, but he did make a point of noting that he had set the traps loaded at a much lower pressure than would typically be the case, reminding her that if she made the same misstep outside the academy it would cost her more than some embarrassment and a shallow wound in her shoulder.

“I wish I’d had that class before our entrance exam. I wouldn’t have nearly drowned myself.”

Argent commented as the students of X13 made their way up from the dungeon and towards the dining hall for the meal break.  His statement drew knowing nods from both Gauge and Shizuka, but a few their classmates looked back at him with questioning glances.

“You.. Encountered traps, during your examination?”

Haana spoke up for what was possibly the first time she’d ever addressed him directly, and Argent turned to face her as they walked.

“Yeah, a pressure plate in particular. It was rigged to flood a chamber Shizuka and I were in after I removed an item from its place.”

“That sounds.. Distasteful. Our test had only enemies and strange puzzles.”

The wildling girl responded. Her accent was thick and her speech somewhat strained, but it was clear that her mastery of the common tongue had improved over the weeks she had spent here at the academy despite her hesitant pauses and the placement of a few odd word choices.

“What kind of giant mecha-guardian did you get at the end?”

Gauge chimed in, looking over his shoulder at Argent and Haana.

“It was…”

Haana frowned, searching for the word she wanted with some difficulty, looking to Remelia for approval.

“...The animal you call a bear.”

The little white-haired girl nodded in agreement, causing Haana to look relieved that she had gotten it right. The thought of a massive mechanical bear filled the front of Argent’s mind, as he imagined its body lined with the glowing runes and glyphs.  Their encounter with the Spider may have been personally horrifying for Gauge in terms of creature type, but comparing the arachnid to a gigantic ursine made Argent glad they had gotten what they did.  The rogue’s following response made it clear he did not feel the same.

“Lucky.  How did that fight go? How was it protecting the orb?”

“The stone was.. Inside the den. We did not know.  At first it was difficult.. The bear tried to stop us outside, but Remelia hit it... knocked it back into the den.”

More than one pair of eyes shifted to look at Remelia where she walked amongst her class, a pointed reminder of the raw power the girl possessed in case anyone had forgotten. Gradually noticing the gazes which came her way the girl’s black eyes looked from side to side at her classmates before opening her mouth in her gentle, monotone voice.

“...What is it?”

Argent couldn’t help but smile at her.  Even with his eyes on Remelia and Haana, he could feel the way Gauge facepalmed in that moment. The wildling girl reached down and patted the smaller female on the head, continuing.

“With the animal inside.. We did not see the stone until things were very bad.  We could not lure it back out. It had been hurt by its paw. Leif was also hurt, but subdued the beast with vines so that the little one could retrieve the stone.”

From the side Leif snorted heavily through his nostrils as he came striding up, fists clenched inside clawed fur gauntlets, his ears and tail twitching animatedly as he swiped angrily at the air.

“Filthy metal fake! Imposter amongst beasts!”

He growled deeply, teeth clenched in a snarl.

“It brings dishonor to the strengths of nature. Had it been true, I’d have gouged its eyes and conquered its flesh!”

“Being metal was the entire point, you mutt. Had it simply been a bear, any one of us could have put an end to it.”

Cassius scoffed, looking annoyed by the shouting volume Leif had elevated to.  In a scene that was becoming typical, the beastkin rounded on the blonde boy, fur on end as he snarled.  Argent watched in surprise as Seren of all people set about putting a halt to the encounter, stepping to place herself inbetween the two.

“What he’s saying is that you’re right. If it wasn't a machine, you’d have killed it.”

She stated dryly, shooting Cassius a venomous look as the boy opened his mouth as though to protest, stomping the heel of her combat boot into his toe to cut him off.  Leif narrowed his eyes suspiciously, tail swishing, before giving off a huff and turning away from them to resume his course towards the dining hall. Swearing under his breath, Cassius stopped to nurse his foot for a moment while glaring after Leif’s back.

“What was that about, Seren?!”

He hissed, giving the girl a glare. She quickly matched him, turning the slit pupils of her crimson eyes around to glare right back. She advanced on Cassius until she was nearly in contact with his chest, causing him to take a step back when she pointed a finger upwards at his face as though it were a dagger.

“Drop it, Cassius.”

“Drop what, exactly? What’s your problem?!”

Seren had been about to turn away from the boy again when he snapped back at her, at which point she balled her pointed finger back into a fist and slammed it into the center of his chest. The force of the blow was enough to make Cassius stumble, almost toppling over himself.

“I’m tired of hearing you argue with a dog, that’s my problem. I don’t know what about harassing a wild animal feeds your ego, but it’s getting tedious. You may as well be trying to prove your intelligence by holding a debate with a cow.”

Cassius straightened up with a sneer, his hand moving to the hilt of the samshir at his waist as he glared back at Seren.  The members of Class X13 who remained to observe the scene had stopped dead in their tracks, standing like marble statues as the exchange between their two most fiery members grew into an inferno to match the sun.

“That’s cute, but I don’t buy it.”

The boy’s sapphire eyes narrowed into accusing slits, his grip now tight upon his sword.

“You’ve been acting out ever since this morning.  What’s the matter? Feeling guilty? Did the story of your precious Dragoness stir your conscience, or is it just that time of the month?”

He jerked his head to the side and spat as though the words had put a foul taste in his mouth, the blatant disrespect drawing him ire now from several of his classmates who had up until this moment been spectators only.  Remelia advanced from the sideline, her ring beginning to harbor a faint glow, before Seren stepped in front of her and blocked her with an outstretched arm.

“You’d best mind yourself, boy… A desert rat nesting in a den of gold is still just a rat.”

Argent swallowed hard. Seren’s words could have froze him in place had he been their target, such was the dramatic shift in her tone. The graceful, feminine sound of her voice replaced entirely by the fierce rumble of an ancient being, still distinctly female but not the slightest bit human.  It caused several of their class to take hurried steps back, and even Remelia looked away from Cassius for the first time since she had been stopped in order to look up at Seren instead.

“You filthy reptile, you think you’re something special? This isn’t the age of the Rift anymore, your kin are nothing, YOU are nothing. Yet you would dare pose insult to a son of the Great Houses?”

There was a grating sound of rushing steel as Cassius drew his weapon from its sheath, pointing the slightly curved edge outwards and directly at Seren’s center mass.

"I'll see that you bleed for it."

Argent could scarcely believe it.  Abrasive and condescending as Cassius might have been, in this moment the alchemist was in awe of his unshakeable poise… Though one might have questioned whether or not his lack of fear was due to confidence or blind foolishness, in either case he held to his pride with impressive conviction.

“I, Cassius Albore, issue to Seren Ulfrecht an official challenge of combat. Individual match. Wager, Rank.”

Before anyone could respond, two crimson rune circles appeared surrounding Seren and Cassius. The massive voice which made academy announcements blared over the entirety of the campus, drawing the attention of students and faculty alike.

--ATTENTION ALL. AN OFFICIAL CHALLENGE HAS BEEN ISSUED. TRIAL BY INDIVIDUAL COMBAT FOR THE PURPOSE OF RANK. ISSUED BY CASSIUS ALBORE, RANK C1. RECEIVED BY SEREN ULFRECHT, RANK C1. ACCEPTANCE PENDING--

Suddenly, the collective excitement of the student body could be distinctly heard from every part of the campus. Argent found himself looking around as other passing groups of students all turned eyes in their direction with shouts, cheers, and yells audible from the distance as the news spread to the academy as a whole.

“Wow, really?” “Already?! It’s only been a couple weeks!” “The new kids must be thirsty.” “Why even bother fighting at that rank?” “Who cares, it means we get a match!” “I wanted to get noodles, though…”

Murmurs and chatter filled the air.  In their midst, Seren and Cassius stood unmoved. The dragon girl’s eyes fixed on the sword directed towards her chest for a long moment, before her teeth grit into a fierce baring of fangs as she hissed her response under her breath.

“I accept.”

--ACCEPTANCE VERIFIED! CASSIUS ALBORE AND SEREN ULFRECHT WILL COMPETE IN INDIVIDUAL COMBAT FOR RANK. THE MATCH WILL BEGIN IN TEN MINUTES AT THE SECOND ARENA.--

The voice boomed out its message and immediately the runic circles beneath the two competitors pulsed with arcana, giving off a low hum of energy before Seren and Cassius vanished. Argent could only suppose it had teleported them directly to the second arena where the voice announced their match would take place.  Turning to look at Gauge and the other members of the class, it seemed that everyone was at as much of a loss as he was.

“So.. What do we do now?”

He questioned tentatively, inwardly hoping that someone would take the lead.  It was Naiara who spoke up, though her response was not the clear guidance Argent had been hoping for.

“Do whatever you want, just don’t be late. This doesn’t change the schedule for anyone but those two.”

She stated bluntly, shrugging her shoulders in an uncaring gesture. Turning away from the others with a shake of her head the wolven beastkin headed off towards the dining hall, her voice trailing over her shoulder as she went.

“I’m going to eat. Their little blood feud means less to me than a full stomach.”

The words ‘full stomach’ roused Remelia back to the world around her, the petite girl moving for the first time since Seren had stopped her.  A loud grumble emanated from her stomach, which she gingerly put a hand over.  Torn in her desires between battle or bread, Remelia’s frown grew deeper before she let out a gentle huff and turned to take off after Naiara in a flurry of bouncing white floof.  By this point the others had made their decisions as well, Izadura and Haana making their way towards the second arena whilst Fenn and the rest of Class X13 gradually followed in Remelia’s footsteps towards the dining hall.

“What’s the move, Argent? How hungry are you?”

Gauge posed the question, and Argent hesitated.  Biting his lip slightly the alchemist tried to weigh responsibility against curiosity. Truthfully he knew that getting through the day without a proper lunch was going to be miserable, but…

“I don’t want to miss this fight.  I’ve got some jerky in my pack, if nothing else.”

“Stellar. I figured you’d say that.”

The rogue responded with a smile. Swinging his own pack down from his shoulders, Gauge quickly removed a few items before pushing the bag towards Argent with his boot.

“Take my pack and go straight to the second arena. I’ll run by the facilities and try to grab us some extra grub, takeout maybe if the lines aren’t too long… I’m sure others will have the same idea though, so don’t hold your breath. We’ll probably end up eating jerky and hard biscuits.”

“Sounds like a meal fit for a fight.”

Argent said, grunting a little as he hefted his friend’s bag up over his other shoulder.  Breaking off for their respective destinations, Argent had to stop once to check his handbook for the location of the second arena.  There were five different fighting pits upon the campus, and that wasn’t even counting the training fields and other battle locations not designated specifically as 'arenas'.  By the time he made it up the steps the alchemist was well and truly winded, the elevated seats of the circular amphitheater rising quite high.  Dropping down the two packs he was carrying, Argent fell into a sitting position on one of the carved benches, relieved to be off his feet.  Looking around the expanse of the arena he noticed that despite all the uproar surprisingly few people seemed to have gathered. A few groups of first year students from the other classes crowded around the lower seats closest to the floor of the arena, and Argent supposed it made sense that the newest wave of students would be the most excited for this.  Their upper classmen had probably seen dozens if not hundreds of duels.

“Looking kind of empty, huh?”

“Well, what did you expect. It’s two C rank newbies from the first year, AND it's during the middle of lunch hour.”

“Sure, sure.. But it’s the first duel of the year! Besides, that kid who issued the challenge, his name was Albore. Isn’t that the family name of the Desert Falcons?”

“Hmm… It does seem familiar, but you know I’m not a history buff.”

“You’re useless, is what you are.”

“Hmph...”

An exchange of banter between two male students caught Argent’s attention from several seats up, though he hadn’t heard or seen them approach.  Looking back out of his peripheral vision he realized the reason why-- both of them had wings.  The first boy, dressed in well fit linen clothes of silver and blue, appeared to have manifested his by some sort of magic. Their shimmering white glow fading behind him after a few moments as he sat down, deep brown eyes peering outwards towards the arena floor from beneath the sideswept bangs of his black hair.  His companion owned his wings quite physically, a beastkin of avian descent, though it was impossible for Argent to discern by his feathers which clan he belonged to exactly.  They were a mottled brown with soft white tips, curled neatly behind his back as he took a seat beside his friend. Shaking his head to flip a tuft of his long silvery hair away from the intensely yellow amber of his gaze.

“Shouldn’t it have started by now? Where are they?”

“Maybe they backed out.”

“Of course not, the announcer would have said so.”

“Shhh, look. The circles are activating now.”

“Finally. We can’t hang around forever, you know. Don’t forget we’ve got to finish that contract before evening today.

“Yeah, yeah.. We’ll get it done, stop worrying.”

At the mention of a contract, Argent found his attention pulled away from his classmates even as they appeared within the arena. Only third year students were permitted to take on guild contracts without supervision, as part of their initiatory process. His head raced with questions he wanted to ask, but before he could work up the courage to address his seniors Gauge came trotting up the steps.

“Phew.. Looks like I just made it, huh? Here.”

The rogue handed Argent a small burlap sack. One of the academy’s infamous ‘field lunches’ which were often provided for students whenever they went out for extended field studies. It was rumored that they had actually been implemented by Instructor Spinette herself, a compromise between her and the Grandmaster so that she could routinely keep students out longer.  Inside were two hard pieces of biscuit bread, a modest hunk of cheese, an apple, and some smoked meat.

“Takeout lines were swamped, huh?”

Argent teased, nudging his friend playfully with an elbow to ensure the good nature of his jab was understood, not at all wanting to seem ungrateful for the meal.  Gauge chuckled, shaking his head and rubbing an apple off on his sleeve.

“Mm.. We’ll probably see more wandering in, lots of people seemed interested but not many looked like they were in a hurry.”

“Just another day at the academy, newbies. You’ll get used to it.”

The black haired third year spoke up from behind them, grinning as they looked back.  He leaned casually on the bench and rested his arms behind his head, nodding down towards the arena.

“Now keep quiet for a second, it looks like they’re ready.”

Below, Seren and Cassius stepped out from their circles. Both had slightly changed their apparel, but neither were what one might consider armoured.  Seren’s supple combat leathers were the closest thing to any real protection present on the field, as Cassius was dressed in loose pants and a sort of short robe tied shut at his waist. His samshir glinted against the midday sun as he moved into the arena, ankle height sandals testing the footing of the sand.  Across from him, Seren’s boots dug deep into the loose terrain as she stormed several paces out, violently jerking her weapon from its sheath with a visual flash of heat. The blade itself glowing red hot for several seconds before appearing to cool into a sort of glassy black obsidian. The black haired third year let out a low whistle.

“Ohh, nice… Wasn’t expecting a first year to come out swinging with blackrock.”

“..Blackrock?”

Argent whispered to Gauge beside him, unsure of what exactly the material was. There were many unique things in this world, and edjucated though he was, even Argent was not privy to all of them.  The winged beastkin behind them overheard the question despite their hushed tone, and took his turn to speak up.

“Sometimes called ‘Dragonglass’, or ‘Dragonstone’... It’s a heavy composite material said to be created by the dragonkin of the far east, by combining dragonscale with some sort of sacred metal mined only from their island.”

“If you believe that--”

The dark haired of the two interjected.

“--If you ask me, they use dragon argonite. They just don’t want to admit it.”

“Well. Whatever you believe aside, the point is-- It is very strong. Very sharp… And it responds dynamically to the arts of its wielder.”

The winged one closed off the interruption with a shrug.  Argent listened to his description of the material intently, mentally tucking it away for later.  Something to do some research on the next opportunity he had to spend a few hours in the academy library. 

“So.. It’s like a form of etherium?”

He probed for confirmation.

“Similar, but not quite.. Etherium inherently possesses the essence of an aspect. It IS that aspect, no matter who holds it or what it’s used for. Blackrock adapts to the aspects used by the one who owns it. It can possess any aspect they possess-- Look.”

The buzzer signifying the start of the match sounded through the arena, and like a shot Seren exploded from her position on a direct path for Cassius.  Around her feet a faint green energy shimmered as she covered incredible ground with no more than three steps, as though driven by a force beyond her own.  Cassius’ reflexes were impressively sharp, as the desert prince stepped back and brought his feet into stance with a heavy stomp against the earth, causing the sand in front of him to burst upwards and obscure the line of sight between Seren and himself.  The cloud of thin debris also served to mask for but a moment the earthen wall which had sprung up between them.  Seren detected the barrier just soon enough to avoid slamming into it at full speed, cutting her advance to a halt upon her heel.  The energy glowing around her boots took hold within the broad blade of her knife as she hopped back, the blackrock taking on a steady green light before she lashed out in two consecutive cuts. Blades of wind shot out from the edge of her weapon, concentrated pressure which sheared apart the barrier Cassius had created in an explosion of dust and dirt.  On the other side he barely managed to avoid being struck by the first blade as it rushed past. Stepping nimbly around its edge in the nick of time, raising his samshir into a lightning fast parry-- its blade shimmering with internal arcana-- pushing aside the second blade of wind as though it were a physical attack.  Several of the first year students from the lower sections of the arena cheered as the explosion shook the air, settling into a chorus of ‘ooohhhs’ as the dust settled, revealing a small trickle of blood seeping down from where the second wind blade had cut Cassius’ cheek.

“Who’s making who bleed, rat?”

Seren hissed, the smirk on her face cold as ice even as the fury in her eyes danced like flames. She kicked off from the earth and dashed straight for Cassius again, the boy gritting his teeth with distaste as she closed upon his position.  She cut at him wildly, like a blur, but his weapon found hers with each exchange. The sounds of clanging steel echoed throughout the arena with every strike, before Cassius suddenly swept into a backstep to avoid a blow, using the opening to lunge inwards.  There was a crack of thunder as electricity jolted along the length of his blade, shooting outwards in a bolt at the end of his stab, a stab which had only just missed Seren’s ribs. The dragon girl narrowly batting the assault to the side with the flat of her blade, tumbling over the thrust acrobatically in a flip as it passed beneath her.  The smell of burning leather and singed flesh rising from where the electricity burnt away a swath of clothing along her waist.  It almost looked as though she had been cut, save for the fact that the entire section of her shirt had been reduced to ash in a perfectly straight line.  The two broke apart from one another for a moment then, each sizing their opponent up in a slightly different light as they circled upon the arena sand.

“They’re.. Surprisingly decent.”

The silver haired beastkin admitted almost ruefully, his companion only nodding, too absorbed in the fight to mutter anything back.  Argent felt his heart sink slightly.  If this display of power was what their upperclassmen would merely consider decent, then where did that leave him?  Swallowing down the pang of insecurity, he turned his eyes back to the battle below as Cassius took it upon himself to maintain the offensive. With highly polished footwork he cut forward, slashing outwards at Seren’s face before quickly moving into a side kick as she used her weapon to block the bow. The dragon girl caught the kick on the flat of her elbow and forearm, guarding low before rotating her weapon side wrist around the length of her opponent’s blade, forcing him to the outside and cutting towards his chest.  Turning his body sideways to avoid the cut whilst bringing his samshir back to further push Seren’s knife away, Cassius attacked again with a flicker of his wrist.  Similarly to the first time, once Seren utilized her own weapon to block the attack he shifted into a kick…

“He baited her.”

“Mmhm.”

The upperclassmen mumbled amongst themselves before the kick fully landed, Seren once again dropping the elevation of her stance in order to catch the blow within her guard.. But this time Cassius’ kick sparked with electricity, another roar of thunder shaking the stadium as it connected with her left arm at full force in a blinding flash.  The power of the attack threw Seren across the arena, rolling head over heels before managing to catch herself in a kneeling position with the blade of her knife dug into the ground for support, breathing heavily from the tumble.

“Not so full of fire now, are you?”

Cassuius jeered, flicking his weapon through a flashy cutting movement down to his side.  Switching stance to angle his blade behind himself he broke into a sprint with the intention of denying Seren any time to recover, closing the gap and bearing down upon the girl with another series of cuts.  Seren dove into a roll beneath the first swing, narrowly avoiding the others by a hair’s breadth as her acrobatics carried her to her feet and allowed her to angle her body around each slash. It was clear that Cassius sought to corner her, pushing her further back towards the arena walls with every exchange. 

“That idiot.. Why isn’t she maneuvering around him?”

Gauge questioned exasperatedly, fists clenched where they rested atop his knees. Argent was surprised that the rogue would be rooting for either of them in this fight, but he supposed it was indeed Cassius who had made himself the aggressor in this instance… That and, well. Seren was a girl. He had quickly learned over the course of their time here how Gauge was with girls, regardless of how they treated him.

“Maybe she’s trying to wear him down?”

Argent suggested, considering the fact that Seren had transitioned largely into dodging now rather than blocking or parrying.  The beastkin behind them shook his head, stretching his wings as he spoke.

“I don’t think so.. For one, I’m sure she’s realized by now that if she tries to move around him, she’ll be caught in his aspect art… For two, the way she’s giving ground feels too… deliberate.”

Neither Gauge nor Argent knew what that was supposed to mean, but the upperclassman nodded towards the fight.  They did as they were bidden and turned their attention back to the center of the arena. Cassius appeared to believe he was at an advantage, Seren badly burnt across the left side of her body and ceding ground to his assault.  Once she was all but backed against the wall his blade sparked to life with electric flow as he pulled back to pierce her once again,  Samshir plunging forward with a flash of light and sound indicative of a hit.

“Damn.. is it over?”

Gauge leaned forward to the edge of the bench, a drop of sweat sliding down the side of his neck from the stress this encounter was putting him through.  Argent wished he had an answer for him.  The smoke and sand began to clear, wisping away from the point of impact to reveal Seren untouched, Cassius’ samshir halted between the two of them by an unseen barrier of power, visible only as faint ripples upon the air where the tip of his weapon pressed against it.

“No way!” “What is that?!” “That was awesome! What class is she from?” “I thought she was done for sure!” “That guy is really packing some power!” “How did she stop that?”

The crowd below went ballistic with chatter, only to be silenced in awe as Seren suddenly released the barrier and shot inwards beneath Cassius’ blade. Kicking his arm upwards and out of her way she closed the gap, seeking to drive her knife into his chest.  He twisted to the side, pushing her strike away before attempting to gain distance once again, only to be stopped by an invisible barrier behind his back.

“Don’t tell me you forgot about my Sacred Shield?”

“Tch, damn you!”

Suddenly it was Cassius on the back foot as Seren’s blackrock weapon thrummed with power, unleashing three consecutive wind blades on his position.  Desperately working to parry them off but limited in his motions by Seren’s barriers, Cassius swore in outrage and pain as one of the blades tore through the side of his shoulder.  The fine golden and white clothing he wore seeped with red as his blood flowed from the wound, down his chest and arm.  Seren smirked, tipping her weapon up over her shoulder and tapping it on her cheek.  The wounding on her left side was proving to be largely superficial despite its charred appearance, the burns having come mainly from the electrical surge of Cassius’ attacks.  It was clear that she was in pain, but the damage had not penetrated deeply.  Perhaps in part due to her draconic heritage.

“Had enough? Or shall I cut you a third time.”

“Worthless lizard, you think I would yield to you?!”

Cassius shouted back in anger, brandishing his weapon. Grinding the grit of the arena beneath his sandals, he shifted his stance wide and forced his heel down firm against the ground.  Seren easily avoided the chunk of earth which erupted from the ground beneath her, stepping off of its path with casual grace.

“A little slow isn’t it, that earth trick of yours?”

She taunted, only to find herself at the mercy of a hailstorm of stone. Cassius’ aim in dislodging the portion of earth had not been to take her with it.  With his blade he had conjured another bolt of lightning which he sent surging into the hunk of rock the moment it was airborne, causing it to explode like a bomb. Fragmentation of rock and stone scattered every which way like bladed shards, rattling off the arena walls.  As the dust cleared Seren become visible where she crouched beneath a conjured portion of her Sacred Shield, only to have the earth beneath her once again lurch upwards at Cassius’ bidding.  She narrowly avoided being crushed between the stone and her own barrier as she dismissed her unique art, allowing the dislodged portion of ground to carry her high into the air.  Cassius hurled another bolt at her, forcing the dragon girl to abandon the stone as she kicked off into a backflip and placed a Sacred Shield between it and herself.  Landing upon the invisible barrier whilst the exploding rock pinged off it from below.

“I can’t believe they can keep it up like this.. Were they really only C Rank? What the hell kind of arts capacity do they have?”

Argent’s eyes were drawn to the side as the dark haired upperclassman stepped down several benches in order to be closer to the action now, muttering to himself and shaking his head in visible disbelief.  His winged companion stayed put, though he too seemed surprised by the events transpiring below.  His solemn face and tightly crossed arms remained steady, but behind his back the feathers of his wings had ruffled and he didn’t seem conscious of the fact that he was partially unfurling them.

“You two, what’s the deal here? You know them?”

“Ah.. Yes. I mean, they’re our classmates.”

“Which class?”

“First year, class X-Thirteen.”

Both of the upperclassmen stopped and looked at Argent and then at one another.  The gears in their heads turning visibly as they digested that bit of information, before gradually the winged one stepped down and sat beside Gauge.

“And what are your names?”

“I’m Gauge, this is Argent… The two below are our classmates, Cassius and Seren if you didn’t catch it from the announcements.”

The beastkin nodded.

“I’m Jovane. This is Arik. We’re third years from Class Six... “

Jovane paused, looking Argent and Gauge over again more carefully.

“I didn’t realize there was an Experimental class this year.. I’m going to have to keep an eye on you.”

Argent laughed nervously, unsure of whether or not that was good or bad.  Jovane’s voice was serious, and the intensity in his eyes made it difficult to ascertain his intentions behind the statement.  Arik however, was clearly amiable.

“Well damn, I didn’t think we’d see another EX class before I left the academy!  They only seem to put one together every couple of years… I guess that makes the crazies from Twelve your real seniors here, huh? Have you met any of them yet?”

“Ahh.. No.. Are they third years like you?”

“Mmhm, started the same time. They’re on an entirely different level though, as much as I hate to admit it... Looking at this-- I have to guess you guys will be too.”

Once again Argent felt a pressure in his chest. Being compared to the level of his classmates made him feel somehow dishonest.  Gauge didn’t feel the need to make any comment on their supposed power levels either, simply shrugging the complement away with a bit of a coy smile.

“Well, that’s what it is.. A bit of an internal power struggle.  Both of them have an attitude and a half, and today proved to be the breaking point.”

The rogue explained with a ‘what can you do’ sort of gesture, haplessly raising his hands.  Jovane frowned slightly but seemed to accept the explanation.  Arik didn’t seem to care much either way, too busy enjoying being impressed by the fighters’ ability to keep hurling arts at one another as they tore the arena apart with bolts of lightning and blades of wind.  Seren continued to artfully navigate the battlespace with her manipulation of Sacred Shields, and after a time it became clear that Cassius was beginning to strain, though whether from blood loss or aspect exhaustion it was difficult to say.  Seren was putting up a strong front, but to those amongst the crowd with eyes trained for battle, it was clear that the dragon girl was barely managing to hide her laboured breathing.

“It looks to me like this is a tougher fight than either of them bargained for.”

Jovane muttered, once again folding his arms across his chest.  Argent believed that was probably true, knowing his classmates and their interactions with one another it seemed safe to assume that both of them had thought they would roll overtop of the other.  Still, he doubted this exchange would do anything to humble either of them. Although, thinking about it, it had ironically been Seren’s change in attitude rather than her usual haughtiness which had caused this entire ordeal.

“Have either of you heard of that art she’s been using? The Sacred Shield?”

Argent asked, suddenly remembering Seren’s performance at the first obstacle of their entrance exam.  At the time he had supposed the art being used had been a Kai Barrier, but it didn’t seem now like that was the case. What's more, Kai Barrier was a third tier spell and should have been extremely draining to cast in rapid succession.  Seren’s Sacred Shield seemed even more potent and yet she was throwing them around as though it were nothing.

“I suspect.. It must be a unique art.”

Arik spoke up, his answer coming as if he had read Argent’s mind.  As someone with a unique art of his own, Argent had begun to harbor suspicion over the course of this battle. Jovane also seemed to have drawn the same conclusion, silently nodding his head.  Gauge was the only one who looked surprised.

“A unique art? Isn’t that.. A really big deal?”

He gaped, looking between Argent and their upperclassmen.  

“Not so much as you might think…”

Jovane replied, shifting his gaze to the side for a moment to give Gauge a look that implied for him to calm down. Argent tried not to show it, but he was relieved by that answer.

“Anyone who cultivates their aspects will develop at least one or two in time.. It’s having one this EARLY which makes it unusual.”

Argent kept his mouth shut as Arik and Gauge nodded in understanding. The opportunity for questions dying away as Seren and Cassius engaged fiercely once again, both of them back upon the ground of the arena.  Cutting and weaving, slashing and kicking, blocking and parrying.  They were tangle of weapons and limbs almost too quick to follow as they engaged in close quarters, and Argent found himself struggling to keep up with the flow of the battle.  Even wounded as they were it seemed to the alchemist that their attacks were getting faster instead of slower. A collective gasp went up from the gathered crowd as Cassius’ blade was knocked from his grasp by a skilled disarm from Seren, and for a moment it looked like the dragonkin had a clear shot at running him through.  A burst of blue electricity around the boy’s hand and a surge of magnetization brought his samshir flying back to him with just enough time to perform a parry, drawing a cheer of disbelief from the spectators.  Irked that he had been forced into using such a skill, Cassius attached the crackling electric ‘chain’ to the pommel of his weapon, extending his reach as he swung it outwards like a whip.  Spinning with his samshir whirling upon a string of magnetic lightning, he pressured Seren back until she too was forced to reveal her hand in more depth. Reaching back to the heavy sheath worn scout style at her waist, Seren flicked away a protective leather cover on its end to reveal a second blade identical to her first. Drawing it out in a flash of green light and sending a blade of pressurized air past Cassius’ chain weapon which the boy only managed to avoid by elevating the ground beneath his feet and launching himself into the air.  Whipping the length of his weapon around his shoulder, he came down upon Seren at full force. She caught his attack in a crossed guard, both of her knives locked together to halt the blow before glancing it aside.  With one knife grinding along the length of the electric strand between Cassius and his samshir, she shot inwards on quick steps to make a go at cutting his throat.

“Is this..?”

“Not yet.”

Arik and Jovane’s commentary synced up perfectly with the unfolding action scene, Seren’s blade centimeters from finding its mark before the desert prince became a dazzling flash of blue light.  Electricity burst from his center in a full sphere of coverage, as several animated falcons formed of raw electric power soared high into the air, coordinating with one another into a dive against Seren.  The initial explosion forced her to step back, quickly placing a Sacred Shield to stop the first falcon only to have the others sweep around the barrier as though expecting it.  Dodging one with a back handspring, Seren grimaced as the third clipped her legs and sent a jolt through her body locking her in place.  Landing on her feet clumsily due to the shock, she had no time to recover before the electric birds of prey were upon her once more. With numbed legs and no room to block, it looked like the end had finally come.

“It’s over…”

Gauge groaned, shaking his head in disappointment.

“Mhm...”

Shizuka’s voice came from nowhere, causing both Gauge and Argent to do a double take as the beastkin materialized from the shadows along with Naiara. 

“It is definitely over, but not how you think.”

The wolven girl added in, directing the group’s collective attention back towards the arena.  A gathering wind shimmered beneath Seren’s feet, pale green lights dancing like spirits as she was launched straight upwards into the air at a height to surpass Shizuka’s vertical leap. The image of green dragon wings unfurled behind her as the aura of lights grew into a coalescent glow.  Under his breath, Argent heard Jovane whisper in disbelief.

"No way.. She's dragon blessed...?"

Seren tilted forward, gaining altitude at a speed which left the elemental falcons in her wake below as she spiraled through the air like a living arrow. A Sacred Shield materialized above her at the height of her ascent which she twisted midair to hit with her feet, legs bending deep as she braced against the barrier before kicking off directly towards Cassius.  Her wings spread wide in her descent, returning to the earth so rapidly that she appeared only as a streak of green light and a spray of blood as she shot past her opponent, tearing a rift in the ground as she came to a stop some twenty feet behind him.  Cassius' frame shuddered, collapsing in a heap before Seren had fully come to a stop, a massive X shaped cut carved deep into his chest. 

“Holy… Shi--"

Gauge and Arik’s exasperated expletives were drowned out as the crowd went insane, screaming and shouting at the top of their lungs as the match was brought to its sudden conclusion. Medical staff rushed onto the field as the announcement system bellowed over the academy grounds.  

--COMBAT BETWEEN CASSIUS ALBORE AND SEREN ULFRECHT HAS CONCLUDED. WINNER BY INCAPACITATION; SEREN ULFRECHT.--

“Hahaha! Yes! Gods yes, suck on that you bastard! Maybe next time you’ll think twice before running your mouth!”

Gauge added his cheers to that of the crowd, pumping his fist in the air as he jumped up from his seat in triumph.  Naiara raised a brow at him.

“Watch yourself. He may have lost to Seren, but he’d have murdered you.”

It was a pointed reminder which immediately caused Gauge to sit back down again, muttering something under his breath which Naiara chose to ignore as she turned instead to Argent and gestured towards the arena steps.

“I told you not to be late. You’d better run if you expect to make Instructor Kingsfoot’s class on time.”

Before Argent could respond she and Shizuka had vanished into the shadows as quickly as they had come, leaving the alchemist to hurriedly begin picking up his things.

“...More classmates, I take it?”

Jovane asked, garnering a nod from Argent and Gauge.  The older boy hummed lightly in response, looking over at Arik with a sigh.  

“We’d best be getting out of here too, Arik. We’ve still got a contract.”

“Ahh, yeah.. Alright. See you newbies later.”

Arik rose to his feet, stretching his arms out wide and arching his back before straightening up and summoning his wings.  The glowing appendages formed as he leapt up, hovering above the arena with a few heavy flaps as he offered a wave in parting. The two members of X13 waved back as Jovane also went airborne, and the two upperclassmen flew off into the distance. Gauge watched them go until they were barely visible before shouldering his pack and giving off an exasperated huff.

“Well.. Like the Prez said... Guess we’d better run.”

It was a mad dash across campus from start to finish, Argent’s lungs burning from the effort as he and Gauge sprinted the length of the academy grounds.  Their desperate rush drew more than a few questioning glances as they maneuvered through gardens and pathways, jumping over bushes and ponds, vaulting handrails and fences.  Bursting into the greenhouse, the two of them flopped into a heap as the rest of their class turned to stare at them-- the bell sounding only seconds after their arrival.  Naiara’s eyes were stern, but she folded her arms over her chest and nodded before turning away from the two boys.

“Seems like we had some excitement during the break, eh?”

Instructor Kingsfoot called out with a chuckle, hopping down from her seat.  She was short, as short as a halfling to be exact, dressed in a ranger’s earthtones and greens. The heavy cloak draped around her shoulders held a cream coloured ferret nestled in its hood, the creature’s hind legs supported within the fabric as it sat with its front paws hanging casually over its master’s shoulder. Shayla Kingsfoot, or Instructor Kingsfoot as the students of the academy would call her, was sleek and muscular for a halfling. Her hair was long and blonde with braids wrapped around the sides, her eyes a lively olive green and her skin a dark tan, and unlike most other halflings she actually saw fit to wear boots.  A pair of twin tomahawks hung from loops at her belt, aside from which she appeared to carry no other weapons openly.  

“I’m supposing we won’t be seeing our golden-haired smartmouths this class, aye?”

She asked while trodding over to where Gauge had moved into a sitting position on the floor, looking down over the panting rogue as though it were amusing to her to actually be ‘taller’ than him.

“Y-yeah.. They cut each other up.. Pretty good.”

He responded heavily in between forced breaths. Instructor Kingsfoot clicked her tongue a few times, shaking her head as she paced back across the greenhouse floor to stand in front of the rest of the class.  Dipping into her pockets for a bit of hard cracker, she held the treat out for her animal companion to take as she tapped the side of her cheek with the fingers of her other hand.

“Hmm hm hm… Well, I don’t see the good in pushin’ ye into new materials when students be missin’..”

She reasoned to herself, moving back up onto the elevated platform which housed her chair and chalkboard.  Climbing up the double-stepped stool infront of her lecture board she began to scrawl the names of various herbs across it, nine in total.  Argent watched curiously, already visualizing the plants in question as their names were formed upon the board.

“This’ll cover ye lot for an hour or two, aye? Each of these can be found in the greenhouse. I want ye to find a sample of each. Write a short explanation of where it can be found naturally, as well as its uses and effects in your field notes.”

“Why? Isn’t identifying it in our textbooks enough?”

Heads turned in surprise as the all too familiar voice of Cassius came from behind, as he strode into the greenhouse with his usual swagger.  If his pride was wounded, he wasn’t showing it.  Speaking over the murmurs of the class, Instructor Kingsfoot clicked her tongue at him scoldingly as she answered.

“Because, lad, I highly doubt ye will find yerself carryin’ a textbook with ye everywhere you go.  Travelers pack light for their roads, aye, but all the best will always have a field journal.  These herbs are some of the most basic, and also the most commonly useful. It’d do ye well to have ‘em at your disposal in a pinch.”

Cassius sighed irritably but offered no argument, instead allowing himself to be distracted by Matthias as the priestly boy approached him.  The two began chatting as the rest of the class slowly grouped up and wandered off into the greenhouse, Instructor Kingsfoot shooing them on their way before calling Naiara over to her desk.  Focusing in on his assignment rather than the many small interactions occurring around him, Argent opened his journal and began spacing out sections for the various plants.

“Funny, how the one taking this the most seriously is probably the one it’s least relevant for.”

Gauge poked at him, garnering a bit of a smile from Argent.  It was true, he had these plants easily committed to memory even before he arrived at the DCA, but it was more than just self study. 

“Maybe.. But there’s something to be said for refreshers.  Besides, what if it isn’t for me? What if I get knocked out or injured, and one of my companions has to mix a tincture? You’ll be glad for my notes, then.”

“...Fair point.  Lets see..  Ginka, Kadura, Hanamure… Shyvirre, Buttontops-- Oh, I know that one.”

The rogue paused after writing down the name of the fungi in question, pointing at it afterwards.

“Those are the brown, circular mushrooms that are used to make smoldering sticks.”

Argent nodded his head in confirmation, though he did expound upon the description further.

“Very good! That’s exactly it, in the basic sense.  As well as their rounded shape and earthy colours, you can typically identify Buttontops by the dense colonies they grow in.  When pressed into a paste or oil, they can hold a flame for an extremely long period of time.  They’re quite popular amongst Woodsmen for simple torches or watchfires.”

Gauge carefully scrawled down the information, looking pleased with himself for knowing the general use of the mushrooms despite Argent’s further input. With one item down, the two set about locating the other eight.  Ginka, Kadura, Hanamure, Shyvirre, Mountaincrest, Fleunnir, Fairy Clover, and Whitecrowns.  Taking great care in locating and handling each item, Argent tried to resist providing a full lecture on each as they made their way down the list.  Even with his enthusiastic explanations, he and Gauge had completed the task before the first hour of the period had fully passed.

“Well now, I cannae say it isn’t expected, but ye could have dragged this out a little.”

Instructor Kingsfoot commented with a bit of a wry smile, drawing an abashed look from Argent and Gauge as the two of them offered their journals for review.  Looking them over with a quick sweep of her eyes, she waved a hand in approval shortly after.

“That’s all, then.. But Argent, ye stay here a tick. I’ve got somethin’ for ye.”

Gauge exchanged glances between Instructor Kingsfoot and Argent for a second before shrugging, stepping off from the platform and disappearing back into the rows of greenery.  Argent couldn’t imagine he had done anything wrong, but felt suddenly nervous all the same.

“Yes, Instructor?”

“Relax. Yer gunna make me stiff, holding yer shoulders all square like that.  It’s nothing serious, lad, but it’s clear that ye know the material better than the rest. So, yer the best for the job, and the job is this-- I’m givin’ ye permission to cut samples from the greenhouse, for Seren.”

“Uh… For Seren?”

“Aye, for Seren. With Cassius here, I can’t rightly have her be the only one to miss the coursework now can I? Would throw off the entire cirricumlum, aye? I want ye to cut samples and take them to her, and help her learn their uses.”

Argent blinked, standing as though his body had forgotten how to move.  His mouth opened and closed slightly a number of times as he tried to think of a response.  The request made sense, it was logical, but the idea of interacting directly with Seren in an after hours lecture? Already a cold sweat threatened to break out along his neck as he imagined the glare of those crimson eyes.

“.. Lad, yer stressin’ me out.  Stop wobbling yer mouth like a fish.”

“A-ah.. Uh.. Sorry, Instructor.  It's just that, well…”

Instructor Kingsfoot held up a hand for him to stop.

“Aye, aye. Believe me, I understand. But i’m still askin’ ye. And i’ll not let it be without perks. Ye handle this for me, and i’ll let ye take cuttings of the plants once a week so long as ye coordinate with me as to which ones ye need.”

To others it might have seemed like an absurdly mediocre offer, but to Argent, Instructor Kingsfoot had suddenly become the master of the deal.  

“Any, plant?”

The halfling ranger sighed.

“I should’ve seen that one coming… Aye, fine. Any plant. But as I said, ye have to speak to me first about which and when. This isn’t free reign to do whatever ye please with me greenhouse.”

Argent grinned.  Here under the watchful eye and careful stewardship of Instructor Kingsfoot, there were many herbs and ingredients which would have otherwise been extremely difficult, expensive, or flat out impossible to obtain locally.  And although nothing in the greenhouse was inherently powerful or fantastic all on its own, in the right hands they could easily be made into many useful items.  Especially due to their high quality thanks to Instructor Kingsfoot’s horticultural skill.

“Besides, Argent.. I know it’s not something easy to see, but.. Hm.. Nevermind it, aye, it’s not really my place to say.  Still… Rough as she is, something about that girl seems sad, to me.  And yer peers might have ye beat in a lot of areas, but none of ‘em can match yer heart. Trust me, yer the only one for this job.”

She nodded thoughtfully to herself, leaving Argent to stare blankly as he tried to process what seemed like a thinly veiled insult mixed with a condolence.  

Basically, you’re saying i’m soft. Both physically AND emotionally.

He thought with a frown.  Instructor Kingsfoot took notice of the expression and clasped a hand around his shoulder, her ferret companion skittering along her arm to circle around Argent’s neck for a moment, fussing with his hair before climbing halfway atop his head.

“Don’t ye think too hard or worry too much about it, lad.  Everything will come in time.”