Fantasy Avolair Academy: School For The Supernatural IC [Open][Sandbox][Collaborative][Literate]

[Clausewitz Halcyon]

Narrator
Currently: Just what is that book?
Interaction: Elentiya, Blackrose7 , Ian Temero
Classroom, South Wing

NEARBY: Hallway, Cafeteria, Men's Dorms, Lounge Area.

As Team Crystal barreled through the door, they stumbled into the somewhat normal looking classroom.

Emphasis on the somewhat. The sky, no longer a desert, now was a constantly shifting thing. The sky would shift into twilight, into the stars above, into a raging inferno, into pure darkness, into lunar eclipses, and perhaps even for a second or two a solar eclipse. The constantly shifting sky would make anyone looking at it stumble in dizziness, especially when the clouds swirled into a storm, only to turn pink as if in a far northern evening, where the sky itself seems to break apart.

Luckily for our team, the temperature did not reflect this changing weather. It seemed artificial, just like the air conditioning they were used to. Thank goodness! But curiously, though one might expect a classroom on social sciences to have oodles of books, it was ultimately barren. The few books that did exist seems comically introductory, and infuriatingly enough, there didn't seem to be anything on Egyptian gods, but on every other pantheon! However, at the professor's lectern was one huge tome.

It was large. Larger than two encyclopedia volumes stacked on top of each other. The old leather casing was a mismatched coat of different variations of blue, black, and grey leather, or at least, they thought it was leather. An ankh design embossed in soft gold was above an English title and below a hieroglyphic one.

Spoiler: The Classroom's Challenge

The Book of Creation

​

Voices seemed to whisper in their heads, not in a malicious way, but with the tone of a counselor or therapist. It was disarmingly calm and at ease, as if the person saying this already knew what they were going to do.

What do you seek?

Open the first page only. I promise this is safe.

I know you want to know more than just that....

In time, all in good time.

As the voices in their heads grew more and more convincing, the weather seemed to spiral in circles over the 'sky' directly above the tome. In a hypnotic spiral above them was a flurry of colors, clouds, and stars. If they had bothered to look out the door they kicked down, they'd see just a normal hallway getting clouded in the maddening weather they were observing.

The second challenge has begun!

 

[Clausewitz Halcyon]

Silus Allowick
Currently: Discussing the test with Zain
Interaction: RoyalPhoenix32 , Ian Temero
Mention:
Vampire B| 1C | Professor, Defensive Techniques | Auditorium

By the time the lights had gone out in the auditorium, Silus, along with all the other teachers, had hidden away expertly into a magical liminal space. While they seemed like they were either gone or in another dimension, the truth was a little more complicated. They were in a transitory stage of sorts, not out of this dimension, but not in it either. This meant that the teaching staff was hidden away from the students, yet able to reach them in a moment's notice should something go horribly wrong... or horribly right. To describe something like this would be nigh impossible, but for abstraction's sake, imagine a world where the surroundings are a miasma of dark hues and little rips in the fabric of space that can let the teachers travel around the school. This was a pretty limited use of magic, owing to the complexity, and wasn't what most of them did on any given day, that was what legs were for. But occasionally, when keeping track of an entire school, weird magic like this had its uses.

It also meant that when Headmaster Zain appeared amidst the veritable torrent of students, the professors were able to see him, maybe even good-naturedly laugh a bit, and observe the proceedings while informing him of anything substantially important.

Silus had great pride in this examination. Not only did it test the students physically and magically, but also mentally. Where they smart enough to figure out puzzles? Where they gritty enough to deal with difficult, but not entirely dangerous situations? Could they resist the mental temptations not caused by magic, but by their own self-doubt? Ultimately, someone who lacks any of these three traits, physical power, magical power, and mental power, would have a very low chance of winning. However, the biggest thing they were looking for in the students was not who could lob the most magic or break the most stone, but who could achieve the most. Perhaps a team was not actually that strong, or even mature! Yet, if when combined they could be greater than the sum of their parts and get far into the challenge, everyone assembled would be extremely impressed. Yes, there was a prize for the winners, but little did they know that the smaller prize of being noticed was also highly important.

Besides, it's not just the teachers noticing these teams. Their parents, if they were nobility or pureblooded royalty, would surely want to hear what their dear teachers thought of their darling pupils, and most didn't want glowing praise, but an actual summary. Guardian families were even more intense and Silus would be disappointed if they did not ask for a grade on a 100 point scale on their charges.

With this in his mind, he turned towards Zain, "Ah, this is a race to the finish, and then back again. It's a very dangerous relay race. The students must solve various puzzles and dangerous obstacles to retrieve one of the ancient artifacts in the museum, the Staff of the Nile's Serpent. They must retrieve it and then deliver it back to you. This means that even if one were to get the staff, if they were foolhardy in their approach, they'd be defeated by opportunists waiting here or along the way. However, just waiting isn't enough, as those who stay here... well, they'll be in for a surprise." Silus looked up at the sky in the auditorium. The pitch black of candles had started to shift into a dark night with the very faint twinkling of stars. He looked at one of the werewolves in the crowd. He'd have to leave soon, but it seemed as if his guardian and one of the more observant students was noticing this.

"Headmaster Zain, I do believe this test will be good for beginning our analysis on the students. While it is obviously dangerous, we can keep track of any potential over the top dangers. We've also made sure no students are using their designated weapons to prevent lethal injuries amongst the students. While some of the fights they'll face are certainly dangerous, none are lethal."

Silus disappeared for a moment, travelling through the space to examine how some of the students were doing. A few stragglers, some of the strongest in the class, were loitering around, taking very careful consideration over who they would join forces with. Potentially a good idea, potentially disastrous. A group was already getting quite far ahead in the challenge, Silus was honestly surprised that they didn't pass out in the corridor! He would have to make sure to tell Maya about that, though, knowing her, in the brief moments they had while making sure nobody died in the heat, she must have been keeping track of Akiko.

"As I understand some of the ah, patrons, might want some preliminary results on their children's or charges' education, I propose we grade the students based on how far they go. This won't be a big grade in the books, so to say, but would be equivalent to a double-quiz grade for the first semester. The winner gets a 110, and anyone who lays hand on the staff without hurting themselves (or knowingly planning to do so) gets a 100. From there, we decrease points based on challenges completed. Reaching the final room but failing to get the staff is a 90. If they fail to reach any challenge... I think that's a 0, unless they have a pre-existing accommodation or disability that would make the first part of the challenge especially difficult. Professor Maya, I think that means your daughter already has earned 10 points, even if she fails to achieve anything else!" Silus chuckled while writing notes down on a sheet of paper connected to a clipboard. The many rows on said sheet were populated by an impressive number of 0's, with a few 10s. The posse at the front rows had no scores.

Truth be told, he actually was impressed by the self-proclaimed 'Team Crystal'. Despite being mundane level spellcasters, Akiko had displayed an uncanny knowledge of history, and both Elentiya and Felicity were keen enough to quickly recognize what exactly was going on outside, unlike some of the more foolish teams that seriously believed that it was just a hot summer's day. Really! In September they were thinking that? It wasn't even a hot day, as can happen in this part of the world! If they couldn't even tell something like that, well, they had better listen closely in class. The only thing that might save people that clueless are overcompensation in many other categories. Still, he had faith that they could improve. He always did, even if he didn't show it. Silus turned back towards the rift in dimensions and looked at the students again.

 

[nios]

Name: Constance "Connie" Taylor
Race: Demon
Type: 2A
Rank: Guardian
Location: Avolair Auditorium
Mentions: N/A
Interactions: OBESE , Fluffy-Kat

"What do you think you're doing? Are you really still gonna do that," she heard Maxim speak among the mayhem orchestrating around them. The guardian only replied to the pureblood with her silence for he should already know the answer. Constance will always address him properly. She did so more out of respect for Maxim than from what she was taught at an early age. In addition to that, she said it for those around them to be aware that there is great power standing among them. Constance learned early on that Maxim was not the type to showcase his power or boast of his bloodline. So, whenever she addresses Maxim as her master, she does so with pride and a warning to the people passing by. Granted, there have been fools in the past who were too blind to sense the power leaking out of Maxim and so as her father once said, "Only fools are brave enough to stand against us, so as Guardians, you must show some respect by granting them a taste of your power."

Constance held herself still as Maxim swatted her upside the back of her head. Then she stood up silently as Maxim explained the situation. As he was doing so, she glanced over him briefly to ensure that he remained unscathed as well as keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings. If something or someone were to make an advance on them, Constance would know way before the others could. They won't know what hit them.

The uncanny buzz Constance could sense in the air was alarming, but she kept her emotions under wrap. In fact, she was actually more relieved, but that is, only to a certain degree. The worst-case scenario that originally housed itself in her thoughts was scrapped like garbage. An assessment, she thought with an unimpressed "humph". This will proceed smoothly with the two of-

"...And we can make teams of three... So as your punishment for being late, you have to find us one more member for the team."

The guardian snapped her widen gaze toward Maxim, only to meet his wolfish grin. His eyes indicated that he was not infuriated by her, but Constance was certain that he was also doing this out of punishment for the way she addressed him not long ago. He knew that Constance was wary of others. She was the most paranoid when it came to strangers and she wasn't a team player- not one bit. Unable to refuse his command, Constance dipped herself in a short bow before she scanned the area for any suitable team member. The auditorium was quickly losing its numbers, but luckily there were some figures standing within the same row as they were.

Constance looked at them, judging the way they stood and reacted to the situation around them. She could tell if one was weak or if one was strong. Their aura would either tremble like the fickle glow of a lit-candle or otherwise had an aura pulsing like that of monstrous waves in an ocean storm. Even with one eye, Constance could still see through people as if they were freshly soaked rice paper... Therefore, she immediately picked out some of the purebloods within the row and chose to cross them out of her list as they might have their guardian nearby to assist them. There was a part of her that didn't want to deal with other guardians and perhaps it was her competitive nature to show them that her pureblood exceeded their own. Or, it could be due to her family name, but Constance wasn't so openly boastful when it came to that matter.

Almost feeling she was out of options, Constance's eye landed on the female figure standing right beside Maxim. How could she overlook her so easily? The female's stature seemed promising and with a bit more focus, Constance could freely assume that the female was a werewolf just like Maxim. Though, not at the same level of power but she seemed manageable. Constance looked over hesitantly at Maxim. The scrunch of her lips made it appear that she was not in favor of choosing someone and that there shouldn't be any harm in doing this as a pair. However, the flow of rushing water and the damn bothersome music ambiance was forcing Constance to act quickly. In other words, she just wished to be out of this auditorium. The short-haired female huffed and stepped toward the werewolf female standing next to Maxim. She gave her a closer look, silently sizing her up and trying to get a feel of her aura.

Feeling satisfied, Constance twisted around and faced Maxim, jutting a thumb toward the female. "This one, Mas-" she cut herself off abruptly and cleared her throat before continuing. "I choose this one."

 

[OBESE]

Maxim "Max" Marozov

Werewolf | Pureblood | Magic Rank 2 | High-School | Auditorium front row
Interactions: N nios Fluffy-Kat Dmitri Tolenka | Mentions: Forgotten Home

As Maxim was waiting for Connie to find their last teammate, leaned back in the chair he was looking down on the ground and going through his thoughts. It was true what he meant when he said that he cannot be bothered and that he wanted to get to his dorms as quick as possible, but nonetheless he was all in to finish this test or challenge, whatever you want to call it. The great Tsar Peter the 1st was a visionary indeed and he was obsessed with making the Russian Empire the strongest power out there. He did a lot of things and sent expeditions to a lot of places, as far as Africa, America and all over the Asia and down to India. After learning about werewolves and then being educated by the Marozov Alpha about the supernatural world, he started to pay a lot of attention to all the myths, legends, religions and anything that felt supernatural.

All the resources, artefacts connected to the legends and myths were available to the Marozovs and they took a deep interest to educate themselves as well. As being part of supernatural world they always had questions where did they come from, where did the supernatural came from, all the species and everything. Throughout the generations it was important for the pack to know their history and the biggest legends, myths, stories and religions out there. Greek, Scandinavian, Egyptian, Aztec, Amazonian, Babylonian literally all of it. The only question was - how much attention were you paying to these stories and lessons.

"Egyptian God Geb?" he asked quietly to himself, trying to remember what he knows about Egyptian mythology. "This one, Mas-" the voice stopped mid sentence as he shot his eyes towards Connie and they glowed brighter indicating he was not happy with what he was about to hear. "I choose this one." she pointed at the girl that was trying to turn on her phone earlier. "Alright..." he replied to Connie in Russian and stood up from his seat. Out of no-where two people showed up right next to the girl and spoke up “Hello there, would you happen to still be looking for a group? We have room! We have intelligence! We sadly do not have any idea what exactly to look for yet but we aim to fix that as soon as possible. My name is Erich Doe, what is yours?” what Maxim overheard and did not waste no time. He stepped forwards, approaching the group and interrupted them before the girl could respond "Hey, Erich, have to deliver you the bad news, but she's with us!" he said with the fullest confidence in his voice and looked at the girl with his glowing eyes, letting her know that he's a werewolf and she should come with him. "Isn't that right?" he said, but with all the confidence and seriousness it was still up to the girl to either agree and confirm to what he said or refuse it and make him look like a fool.​

 

[Fluffy-Kat]

Aiyana Quil​

Aiyana was thinking of the possible places this mystery object could be. A history room? No that'd be too cliche, too easy. Ancient Egyptians were keen on preservation for the after life, perhaps there were some stuffed creatures in this school? Seems like they'd have some trophy bear standing on its hind-legs in a hallway somewhere with its teeth barred and claws extended. Or perhaps the artifact could be in some sort of zoological study classroom with multiple specimens that underwent the magic of taxidermy. The idea seemed a step above a history classroom but still too simple. Where would a historical object be held? A storage room? Display case? Somewhere completely unorthodox? Maybe this was all a joke and its with a bunch of sports equipment in a damp closet. Find a lead proved to be rather difficult. Aiyana was well versed in the Native American heritage of her people and family, but other than that, she was terrible with history. So many dates, important figures, wars, etc. Sent her head in a tizzy.

"I choose this one."

Aiyana turned her head to the side and stared at the young woman that suddenly appeared beside her. She whispered a small, "Oops, sorry," thinking maybe she was in her way and stepped to the side a bit to let her through. After a moment's pause, her eyes locked onto the girls thumb pointing directly at her. The she-wolf looked around before speaking up, "Me?" she asked sincerely. "Oh I--" she started, when another voice behind her ripped her attention with a, "Hello there," followed by an invitation and an introduction. Aiya turned around, her face lifting into a smile, but before she could open her mouth, the male she suspected was a werewolf beat her to the punch,"Hey, Erich, have to deliver you the bad news, but she's with us!" Aiyana hated conflict... and confrontation just the same. She didn't want to hurt any feelings or cause any problems. "Isn't that right," he asked in addition, applying more pressure on her than she already had.

Aiyana looked at Erich, scared to disappoint him, he seemed so pure-hearted, and that was the worst kind of person to have to let down. But, Aiyana would feel more comfortable and relaxed with someone of her kind. Werewolves had that natural tendency of socializing with one another, ergo often gravitated toward each other. Building and developing a pack mentality, it was an instinct she couldn't ignore, and sometimes wasn't aware of. But perhaps she could offer a deal. "Hello Erich, Im Aiyana, Aiyana Quil, its a pleasure to meet you," she dipped her head into a tiny, polite bow, before spotting the girl behind Erich. "Oh, both of you," she corrected herself and smiled again. If the girl didn't wave, Aiyana would have never spotted her. The girl was the complete opposite of Aiya, petite and very thin. She looked so fragile it almost made Aiyana afraid to get too close to her, in fear of unintentionally hurting the girl. "I don't want to disappoint you," Aiya began, then looked back at the glowing eyes of her new team mate, now certain her assumption was right. She looked back at Erich and the cute blue-eyed girl with him,"But my team mate here is right, by a few mere seconds I had agreed to join him before hand," she frowned, her eyebrows furrowed, awaiting his response. Now, for the offer, and the hope to make it up to him "However," she placed a hand on her chest,"If we have a class together, and if you're ever in need of a partner I will keep the position open for you," she gave a curt nod and smiled warmly once more,"You have my word."

With a half-smile, Aiyana looked back at Maxim and Constance, "We should get a move on soon, if you both wish to win this challenge."



Interactions: OBESE N nios Dmitri Tolenka Forgotten Home
(Sorry if my wording and syntax is off I have poo brain after work and school haha)

 

[Blackrose7]

Felicity Montgomery

ghost choir♪

| Ghost A | Noble | Rank 3 | High School Freshman | Southern Wing Corridor, Towards Classrooms -> Classroom, South Wing | Interactions: @TayMaiTer Ian Temero | Mentions: N/A​

Felicity was going to say that they should go to the ancient history classroom first for a great reason. The classroom would have helped them on their random adventure throughout the school during the competition.
Just as Felicity was about to tell them about that, Akiko said that the library would be a good idea. “Let’s go to the library after visiting the ancient history classroom. There might be a clue there.” said Felicity. She knew that the library and the agriculture classroom are a good idea, since this competition is about egyptian stuff.

They continued to follow her team, and just when Felicity was thinking of using her ice magic, so her team wouldn’t suffer from the heat. Akiko kicked the door down to a random classroom.
“That is one way to knock a door down.” said Felicity, who was going to open the door by using her telekinesis.
As she entered the room before Elie did, they looked around the room. The classroom didn’t look like an ancient history classroom, since it had other stuff in there. ‘This is not the ancient history classroom. But at least, we got one of the clues.’ thought Felicity.

The voice then talked to them, and as soon as they said that, they promise that the book is safe. She immediately got suspicious of that. “How would I know that the voice isn’t lying to us? They can easily lie, and we would never know about it.” said Felicity. The voices, then annoyed her, and it got to the point that Felicity said random stuff. “Lalalala. I can’t hear what the voices are saying now. Lalalalala. Keep talking, random voices, and I will block you out. Lalalalala. The random voices are now annoying.” said Felicity, who was trying her best to block the voices out. Sadly, she can’t do that, because Felicity is a ghost.
She never liked people who talked to her in her mind for this reason. They don’t know when to stop, and it is extremely annoying to a ghost like her.

 

[Dmitri Tolenka]

\ Erich Doe \ Abomination \ Rank 5 \
Auditorium
Interactions: Artemis Ravenhart Forgotten Home Maxim Marozov OBESE Aiyana Quill Fluffy-Kat Constance Taylor N nios ​

A familiar sting burns in his chest. Erich frowns just a tad, unsure of what to do next and visibly deflating. Literally, several changes subtly ripple through his frame as his muscles fade ever so slightly into fat for a heartbeat. Then his features snap back to what they were. His eyes sparkle with curiosity and interest as he looks up and down Max’s form. His glowing eyes stand out, yet to Erich they mean very little. Far too many supernatural beings had them to count. The boy, nay, man stood firm like an experienced or natural fighter. The small bit of uncomfortable tension in his pose gave it away. Funny, Erich didn’t sense anything dangerous or annoying. The girl with the eyepatch behind the man looked utterly lethal, but the man obviously literally trusted his back to her.
“Very well, I wish you all the best ermmmm. Who might you two be then? I’ll remember it for next time.” he offered cautiously. What has this man so on edge? Erich finds nothing around them before Aiyana draws his attention.

“The pleasure is all mine and it more than drowns out any disappointment. Very well! I would wish you all luck, but that seems counterproductive to my own ends for the moment. I’ll keep you to the promise!” he answers her. There is truly little resentment in his words, and other than the brief flicker earlier his form holds steady. Too late meant too late, no meant no. He did hope they all would meet later in class, all told he got a favourable impression from the people present.

“A very good day to you all! May the best team win. Coming Artemis?” he said, then checked himself. Just because so far she’d stood behind him didn’t mean she was an actual follower.

“Unless you’d prefer to find a third member, but I’d really rather get a move on.” he said. Damnit, he really needed to get a grip. Taking up the lead does not mean just bulldozering forward. Did he go too far too fast?

 

[Clausewitz Halcyon]

Paramirum
Currently: Joining a team?
Interaction: Dmitri Tolenka , Forgotten Home
Mention: Aaron, Mnemosyne, ArchAngelLexi , N nios , OBESE

Artificial Homunculus| 2A | College Sophomore | Auditorium

Paramirum had stayed quiet during the pandemonium. He was primarily looking to see how Aaron was doing, something subtle enough on its own, but other Guardians would surely notice it. Yes, there were actually hands-off missions on occasion. Sometimes, for whatever reason, a pureblood family would make their child fend mostly for themselves, with a bit of backup in the wings. Perhaps it was to prove themselves while not dying, or perhaps it was because being next to the charge would actually make their task harder, Paramirum learned not to care or judge what other families did. He was always far away and always separated. He wasn't just contracted out to his pureblood, he belonged to them. He was made by them, the situation was miles apart. Any other noble brat would judge however they'd like, they didn't understand half of it.

His young master was already talking to someone, how nice. One more and they'd have a cozy little team. He could technically join, but somehow his master had predicted some protracted examination could occur. His orders at this point were to 'not help Aaron, as he needs to prove his own worth', which really seemed a little irresponsible considering what might be going on outside. Paramirum's magical knowledge and skill with the fundamentals of magic let him see vaguely what was happening. There was some sort of pocket-dimension thing around the school, and the mass inside it was changing constantly, meaning people were coming and going. Most likely, this challenge was filled with danger, and people were being transported to safety at an alarmingly linearly increasing rate. Just what the hell was happening outside?

With Aaron's safety more or less secured, Paramirum started to look around. The roof, once darkened and only lit with candles, was now turning into a beautiful night sky during a new moon. Curiously, stars were popping into existence above them, showering them in more and more light. He turned towards the students around them. A group had already scrambled out. He groaned internally at the thought of joining the incredibly strong light mage. It would invite too many questions for him, and gave him a headache just to think about. However, something else caught his eye. A werewolf and a bowing Guardian? That could only mean one thing, right? The werewolf was actually a pureblood! If that was the case, this scenario got more annoying and yet more necessary for him to involve himself in. The Guardian, a demoness about as strong as he was had pointed to someone, another werewolf. The werewolf, after being approached by the pureblood, joined them and rebuffed the team with a bunch of weaklings. How rich.

The Guardian seemed familiar to him, actually. Some family that his master had called minor, minimal, or something of the sort. He, in his rare moments of attention towards Paramirum, had even mentioned that they owed a favor to a trifling family of werewolves deposed a long time ago. He didn't mention anything else, but the gears clicked in his head. So that was one of them, and that was the werewolf himself. The chance this lady knew of his master was high, he was after all, a very big personality in the world of supernatural and in the realm of demons. However, the chance of her knowing who he was? Much smaller. There was a rumor going around about a shadowy human-like creature that stuck around Aaron's family, but the reason they used human-like was not because he didn't look like a human, but because his essence, the signature of what he was, was wrong. It was human-like, you see. That girl, the vampire who seemed way too strong? She'd know with some thinking and investigating, but this pair? Probably not, unless the Guardian just happened to be an expert at reading souls or something like that. Still, it was best to avoid the group entirely, just in case. He waited just a moment until they had run off.

The two stragglers looked incredibly weak. He supposed they'd have to do. Honestly though? The second werewolf wasn't much better. His main goal was to do adequately on this examination and try to parse information about the others, not fight them. Luckily, his style of magic was perfect for defense, so they should be able to beat most groups stupid enough to fight them. He turned towards the human-like thing (ironic, he knows) and the human girl to size them up. As he approached them, he had the same scowl on his face as before, if not more pronounced, bordering on disdain.

Yet when he spoke, it was soft, and light, as if he planned his every moment of speech out before doing so, "You two need a partner if you want any chance of winning. I am the second strongest partner you will get, most likely, and I know about Ancient Egypt. I'm going to apologize now for being rude, as I'm told I'm very, in hopes that you will listen."

If Erich was worried about being a bulldozer, he was about to get a whole new perspective barrelling like a freight-train towards him. Paramirum used a simple magical trick that he used when getting information to put those weaker than him (or those slightly stronger and much dumber) into a favorable perspective. In his hands, a matrix of magic formed that would blanket the other two in a field of magic. It wouldn't hurt them, but it would feel as if someone was putting a hand on their shoulders and pushing down. Hopefully they'd listen with that. Or they'd run away, but really, who were they going to turn to, or where they really going out by themselves?

"We can actually get quite far together. You and you, agree to this set of instructions: first, communicate often on any phenomena you see, if in doubt, speak. Second: Ask many questions. Third: Run away once agreement is reached, not before or after. Fourth: Do not do anything without informing the team. Understood? Good."

The moment someone might speak up he'd turn towards them and raise an eyebrow, as if saying 'What is it that you have to say that's so important to interrupt me?' Then, he began moving his hands so that strange arrows and rectangles surrounded him. In truth, these were vectors and matrices, which they might know if they went to school. It was a bit of a chore, but Paramirum surrounded them in a purple arcane field that would make magic more visible to them, so they'd see the seeming shifts far away from them, presumably outside. He pointed these out.

"My magical knowledge, as you can tell, is quite advanced. Look closely at these anomalies, presumably outside. They indicate that somehow, students are being transported out. Consider how large the auditorium has gotten recently once the instructor activated whatever spell is in place. If this is true outside, these areas are not in some room, but in the courtyard, especially when you notice that the portals are happening around a radius surrounding us. Exiting the building presents a danger to us, and those further away are in more danger."

The magical field surrounding them turned into a planar rectangle in front of them, and on it a little stick figure was walking to a point. Once they reached a certain section of the plane, they'd fall over and have little 'x's' for eyes, before the entire scene looped again. Occasionally, one would make it when they moved remarkably faster, or one would fall earlier if they moved slowly.

"To put it more bluntly: if you value your hide for this obvious examination, you won't run outside but take a peek and be willing to go back to the obviously safe auditorium if necessary. Capiche?"

The screen in front of them fizzled out, as Paramirum wiped his brow a tad. If they'd go off and leave him or react negatively, it was their problem, and he knew it better than both of them. While the rules said three was necessary to win, there was no indication that they'd be punished for having less than three, and he was actually sure he could beat the two of them one on one, even if he didn't know their abilities. What did it matter? There was no need to fight a group when you could have them as a team. Even if they're weaker, it was obvious that three was better than one, and who knows, maybe they had more to them than meets the eye.

"By the way. My name is Paramirum."

 

[Ian Temero]

Inari Akiko​

Half-Kitsune | Rank: 4 | High School Freshmen | Classroom, South Wing
Interactions: @TayMaiTer Blackrose7

The classroom was a refreshing break from the heat and Akiko let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness that over with! I thought we were- Whoah!" Akiko's jaw dropped as she saw the sky outside. Zipping over to the window she stared at the shifting weather. "Oh my gosh that is so cool!" She squeed, face pressed against the glass. "Hey guys! Come check this out!" She turned to her companions, but found them focused on something else. Understandably so since it was a giant old looking book. One that was talking in their heads apparently.

What do you seek?

"Um... The artifact of Geb?" She responded, giving the voice some sass. She figured it probably wasn't going to give a straight answer. Wouldn't be much of a puzzle if it did. And sure enough it didn't.

Open the first page only. I promise this is safe.

For some reason this set Felicity off and she started arguing with the voice, questioning if it could be trusted, but Akiko didn't think that was actually be an issue. Once again it wouldn't be much of a puzzle if the clues lied to them. For this to be a game it needed to be fair and false clues were anything but.

I know you want to know more than just that....

Okay, this statement made the fur on Akiko's tail stand on end. Even with how nice and inviting the voice was, she could hear the danger in the statement. The ghost girl started yammering on trying to blot out the voices. She wondered for a moment how that was working out for her.

In time, all in good time.

Alright, so assuming the voice was being honest despite Felicity's fears, then here's what Akiko could piece together. The first page was safe. That was a fact. The voice promised this. But it didn't promise the rest were, even though it suggested they want to know more. All in good time? Maybe they just needed to take their time? "Well..." the fox girl started, stepping towards the book. "Why don't we do what the nice voice said and open the first page? Maybe there's more instructions there?" She reached out to grab the cover but froze. What if she was wrong? What if Felicity was right? What if something bad happened? "Um...E-Elie? Do-do you wanna do the honors?" She asked nervously, chickening out. She was still eighty percent sure that it was safe, though she wasn't to keen on trying her chances. However if neither of her partners were willing to, and it seemed like Felicity wasn't, then she'd push on through and try it.

(Note for Clausewitz Halcyon : Akiko will open the book if Elie doesn't)

Inari Maya​

Kitsune|Type: Tenko | Rank: 1C | Magic Mastery 2 | Auditorium
Interaction: Clausewitz Halcyon RoyalPhoenix32

The sound of bamboo chimes rang out as Maya appeared out of thin air next to Zain and Silus as they were discussing the scores, the chemical smell of the infirmary following behind her. "Really?" She asked excitedly, throwing an arm over the elder vampire's shoulder as she read his notes. She had in fact been keeping an eye on her daughter, between watching the students and rushing the unfortunate ones to medical, but to hear Akiko's progress from someone else filled her with a bit of pride. "That's my girl!" She cheered "Taking an early lead! You know, I may be a bit biased here but I think that that team is going to be a black horse. I mean sure most of the ones up front here are powerhouses to be sure, but with an angel for mobility, a cryogeist for the temperature, and my little girl's brains..." Her celebration came to a grinding halt when she realized that she was practically hugging the doctor and she quickly let go with a cough of embarrassment. "Anyways, as long they don't get utterly overpowered by another team they could quite literally fly through this." Again though, that was if they didn't get into a fight.

"Headmaster. Pleasure to see you again." She said to try to divert attention from her hugging a vampire a bit as she turned to Zain and bowed. This was their second meeting since she was scouted for the job.

 

[nios]

Name: Constance "Connie" Taylor
Race: Demon
Type: 2A
Rank: Guardian
Location: Avolair Auditorium
Interactions: OBESE Fluffy-Kat
Mentions: Dmitri Tolenka Forgotten Home

Constance supposed it would be wise not to anger Master Maxim any further. She was swift to divert her eye from meeting Maxim's, but nonetheless, she could still feel his gaze on her. To anyone who wasn't under his radar, would assume it was just a simple warning look, but nay. That was not how it felt. Whenever he looked at her with those eyes where generations of such potent strength are clearly displayed, she would stiffen in her spot. And yes, even someone as skilled and disciplined as she could undergo intimidation.

She looked to the floor as a sign of submission. This habit would forever be a stubborn one to crack. She stepped away from the female she chose once Maxim rose from his seat. Constance positioned herself from behind the two werewolves and her chest released an inaudible sigh. Nearly dodged that one, she thought. I shouldn't be making any more mistakes. I've already started the day off on the wrong foot.

Constance straightened her stance once she found her cool and clasped her hands behind her back as Maxim handled the newly made situation. The atmosphere around them was changing right before her eye. The projection of stars dotting the artificial moonlit sky... It was an intense level of magic. The staff who organized this must be quite formidable, Constance noted.

Her attention panned over to the new pair who had the intention of recruiting the she-wolf named Aiyana. At first glance, they seemed like a pitiful pair. The one who addressed himself as Erich Doe- a rather odd name in her opinion- was already at a disadvantage. The cast on his limb would serve as a hindrance to his performance was what Constance suspected. She found him, particularly peculiar though. Perhaps it was because he looked a bit too old to be attending this school or the way his features quickly transitioned similar to a deflated balloon? He expressed more emotions than Constance could ever do in a month. The girl beside him, in contrast, was much smaller in stature, looked young and unsure of herself.

"Would those two be able to survive this so-called assessment?" Constance felt a blanket of pity fall over her.

Constance eyed Erich as he asked for her and Maxim's name- chary to respond due to his cheerfulness slightly throwing her off. She looked toward the back of Maxim's head until she stared off straight once again. When he and his partner named Artemis left and Aiyana faced them, Constance kept silent.

"We should get a move on soon, if you both wish to win this challenge."

Winning was contrary to Master Maxim's interests. Just as her Master, Constance wished to get this extensive task over with. However, at the same time, she found herself at a disadvantage. Her tardiness prevented her from being informed of what this artifact was exactly. She wouldn't be of much help in reaching completion unless she asked. Enough time had passed and there were undoubtedly others already searching through the vast academy grounds.

"Max-," the Guardian began to speak in Russian, but it came off rather forced and uncomfortable coming from her lips. She caved and spoke again. "Mr. Maxim. May I ask for a quick run-through of this assessment?"

 

[RoyalPhoenix32]

Zain Ayumu

| Werewolf Hybrid | B (Rank A for Dragons) | 1A | On the way to Auditorium
Interaction: Ian Temero Clausewitz Halcyon​

Zain tilted his head a tad in understanding Silus' statement. Some students did have weapons with them and those clearly had an advantage if they were not blocked from using said weaponry. They needed to rely on their strength, intelligence, grace, and whatever else made them an unique individual. But everything was much to strict with rules and things, he could remember that he could transform and be in that form for days or a couple months in the high mountains without being noticed by humans. Now, he couldn't transform without gaining attention for his pelt and anything else a werewolf or a mythical dragon was known for....He clamped down on his need to shiver, but he did indeed shiver, just not from the cold since he couldn't get cold unless he was in a cold area for a long period of time and in human form. He heard Maya and turned his head towards her, nodding, though keeping his mouth shut as his dragon side was very much pushing to surface. The auditorium wasn't built to house his dragon form and he rather like to be in the garden with fresh air under his wings....He once more clamped down on his dragon side, hissing mentally at it for trying to reveal itself in front of people. His dragon side growled back at him and just pushed more, making him lean his head down to press it against one of his hands and he exhaled a puff of crystal dust from his nostrils, becoming startled from doing so....Oh crap!

 

[OBESE]

Maxim "Max" Marozov

Werewolf | Pureblood | Magic Rank 2 | High-School | Auditorium front row
Interactions: N nios Fluffy-Kat @ | Mentions: Dmitri Tolenka Forgotten Home

As Aiyana was speaking with Erich and his companion, who he later called Artemis, supposedly named after the Greek Goddess of hunt, maybe if this would have to do anything with Greek mythology she would have advantage in the knowledge, but who knows, Maxim felt this weird feeling going through his body. "This is weird..." he said in his head. He was slowly feeling becoming stronger and stronger, just as it happens when he get's closer to full moon until he reaches his peak strength during the full moon, but this time the growth of strength that he felt was happening more rapidly and it did not feel like usual, something was different and off.

With the concern still in his mind of something happening with him, he looked at Aiyana "Sorry for the way I pushed myself onto you. My friend Constance here really took liking of you and wanted you to be our last teammate." came out of his mouth with a little smile as he yet again played with the situation and clearly tried to put Connie in an awkward position. "My name is Maxim, I heard your name is Aiyana, so nice to meet you Aiyana and welcome to the team!" he said and noded to Aiyanas comment of moving, after what he turned towards Connie and started to answer her question "There is not much to explain...everyone is looking for a magical staff that supposedly belongs to Egyptian god Geb. Geb is basically Egyptian god of Earth, which includes a lot of things and in some Egyptians minds make him a god of many other things as well." he looked up before continuing "From what I remember of Egyptian mythology and what the speaker said from the stage, then this very much reminds me of the concept of "DUAT" which is something like a trial of your worthiness after you die." he paused for a second gathering his thoughts "DUAT pretty much is realm of dead where you have to travel through the lands of it, survive the dangers, pass through 12 gates and then at the final gate be judged by scaling your heart against a feather or something like that..."

He looked at Constance and Aiyana and you could tell that the "whatever" attitude was gone and the whole challenge was now being taken more serious. "I compared it to Duat as there was mentions of us being watched, therefore our performance being judged and the sudden change of our surroundings as if we would suddenly travel to a different realm. All that being said I am not sure, because Geb himself has nothing to do with the challenges in DUAT, only his children...but if this is anything like DUAT then there might me multiple challenges ahead of us." he looked back up in the sky again, then on his hands, still feeling the strength flowing through him "I think we should definitely move on, I don't like what Im feeling right now, it's too soon..." he said and gave Connie a look that she should know very well and what was happening...he was getting closer to turning or at least that's how it felt.​

 

[Fluffy-Kat]

Aiyana Quil
​

As Erich and Artemis gave their farewells, Aiyana still felt a lump of guilt in the pit of her chest but clung onto the hope that she'd be able to make it up to him in the school months to come. With a soft smile and a short wave of her hand she returned their goodbye and turned to her newly formed team, "So," she started, but didn't really have anything further to say. There was a moment of silence as Aiya looked back and forth between the two. However, when Aiyana looked at her new werewolf comrade he seemed a little....off...he gave off a sudden restless energy that Aiyana picked up on instantly. Much like a dog becoming aware of it's owner's emotions. All animals, to an extent, have a sensitivity to energy and emotions being out out by other living creatures, its a small part of how they communicate with out a complex, verbal language. Humans are a little harder to read, especially when still im her human form, but with Maxim it was so easy. As if his energy was stronger than most. Aiyana has never met a pureblood except for the alpha back home, but she knew there would be some at this school, just didn't know who...and right now she hasn't quite made the conclusion just yet. Going back to Maxim's sudden change, obviously she didn't know why but it made her curious to say the least. Using her telepathy, she "opened a channel", as she explains it, and wanted to ask him just to satisfy her curiosity but at the last second felt that maybe she was just prying into something private. However before completely severing the connection, Aiyana heard a very concerned, "This is weird..." echoing from Maxim's end of the two way channel. Instinctively she tilted her head to the side in confusion. For now she'll keep her telepathic abilities under wraps.

Maxim spoke up to close the gap of silence, breaking the she-wolf's concentration and forever left unknowing what he meant. Aiya was a curious creature, that sometimes made her compulsive but she knew her boundaries and figured she would've been invading his privacy with out his permission anyway. So she dropped it."Sorry for the way I pushed myself onto you. My friend Constance here really took liking of you and wanted you to be our last teammate," he apologized. Aiya was a little taken back by how apologetic he was, with Erich he was so firm and now it was like another person. She smiled at him and gave a nervous chuckle, "No, don't mention it, its okay. I have to admit I feel bad about giving Erich a little white lie about having already made the decision but you guys did ask first," she lied again, "Nice to meet you Maxim." The reasoning behind her decision was solely because Maxim (now confirmed) is a werewolf and it just made her less homesick. But who would admit that to someone they just met? If they stay friends, maaayyyybe she'll confess her true intention to him, but not today. Maxim, now introduced, gave her a welcome, to which she nodded in acceptance. Aiyana looked at Constance but seeing as she spoke....what sounded like Russian...she didn't exactly understand anything. Honey glazed eyes roamed over back to Maxim as he responded to her and reiterated what the challenge was. Using the context of his reply, she assumed the mysterious girl, Constance, asked about the objective at hand. Maxim continued with a little history lesson on Geb the Egyptian god.

"Earth and death, hmm?" Aiyana put a hand to her chin and he other under her elbow to rest on. She looked at the ground infront of her, trying to think about how those things can relate to what's around them, or what could be around them. A soft, white glow brightened the darkened room by just a shade. Aiyana stuck her arms out infront of her, turning them palms up. She could see them much better now, but why? Her gaze peered upward, and what she saw left her breathless. The whole darkness above them was now glittering with stars. What was previously just a vast empty space was now decorated with an unlimited amount of tiny lights. Night time was by far her favorite time of day. There was such beauty in its mystery. Even with this artificial night sky, it came close to the real thing, and knowing that this was under a man-made roof, made it all the more fantastical. Aiyana stood there, distracted in awe. The flickering of faint little lights twinkled in her eyes. It was beautiful and made her more homesick than ever. Due to her heritage, her family believes the stars to be remnants of ancestors past. Starlight was a cold and distant light, yet it still reached you and touched you in a way that was different from the sun or moon. The sun was boastful and swaggering. The moon was shy and melancholic. But the stars, they danced on their dark canvas, happy to be clustered together. An ancient and absolute nostalgic light.

Aiyana ripped her attention away from the false heavens and returned her gaze back to Maxim and Constance,"Being watched, you say? You have a point, we are being judged, why else make it point to have us monitored. But why? For a grade? An award? A placement or assignment? Could this just be a simple icebreaker so that students are forced to make acquaintances? In any case we should pick somewhere to begin our search. If there are indeed trials a head of us, we need to keep our eyes open. The trials themselves can be clues.... or am I looking too deeply into things?" Aiyana shook her head and gave a sheepish smile,"I love puzzles and conspiracies, so I get a little carried away, sorry." The young wolf looked at Constance and remembered that Maxim had previously given Aiyana her name. Aiya stuck her hand out, "By the way, nice to meet you! You have a really pretty name, and I have you to thank for being responsible of my being here. Im flattered!"



Interactions: N nios OBESE

 

[Dmitri Tolenka]

\ Erich Doe \ Abomination \ Rank 5 \

School corridors, Auditorium

Interactions: Paramirum Clausewitz Halcyon Artemis Ravenhart Forgotten Home
Mentions: Maxim Marozov OBESE ​

The spell starts to work as normal. Magic pressure bears down on Erich. Might made manifest. A statement of potency. The effect is immediate and obvious. Where before Erich sort of deflated now his features sharpen. The oily flame of his very soul behaves exactly like burning petrol, the pressure ensures it suddenly and sharply burns cleaner and hotter. His head slowly turns around and locks on to the newcomer, literally cast into a blank, neutral expression. A faint flicker of grey flashes across his features, before he exhales slowly and he manages to soften down to studious caution. The most noticable is how his shadow suddenly twists. Barely visible in the low light it oozes out in all directions, no longer that of a human at all.

“Oh goodie it’s one of those assholes.” There’s a brief shuffle. “Tovarish. Listen, to the Maxim guy.”​

The look of superiority in combination with the wiry, almost waif-like build lends itself to two theories. One, a potent wizard who takes confidence in their ability to twist reality into a pretzel at a whim. Two, someone with this vexingly difficult to quantify ‘social capital’, someone that has others make life so easy for them they assume that all people they meet exist purely for their benefit. Erich leans more towards the former, on the basis of the flashy magic spell used as an opener. The abomination sort of zones out about halfway through the little speech. The newcomer does raise a few good points at first, but frankly what Maxim says captivates just as much of Erich’s attention. His gaze still firmly locks on to Paramirum while his mind balances the two streams of information.

Given what Max says, they can expect some sort of trails that test not their abilities but their character. Given what Paramirum says it is some form of challenge to even get to a trail in the first place. A whole cascade of thoughts scramble for Erich’s mouth. A second or two after the mage finishes his explanation of what happens to idiots charging in without a plan, one finally makes it out. Unfortunately, it is:

“Did someone die to make you emperor or did a watery tart lob a scimitar at your head?”

“God fucking damnit Paul.”​

He exhales, and decides to bloody well roll with it. Paramirum can get rude? He can get rude right back. Calm, borderline robotic, Erich continues.

“From what I gather this will be more about who we are than what we can do. If we can get along well counts for far more than ability and knowledge. Which is a problem, as right now I already can tell that we will spend the majority of our time and energy together arguing and possibly plotting each other’s demise. There is a sliver of hope here. Replace the stick with your superiority complex for starters, grow some tact, and if you must open up with flashy spells to flaunt your power, start at a level that doesn’t leave you sweaty. Who knows, we might even get along at some point.”

With his piece said, he turns away slowly. This allows Erich to keep a half eye out for any potential… poorly thought out reactions. Paramirum didn’t strike him as the type for those, but rather safe than sorry. His deliberate slow gait also hides how his footsteps have an ever so faint metallic undertone. Lastly it also gives Erich time to scan the room for literally anyone else to grab along.

“Artemis, shall we then?”

 

[Clausewitz Halcyon]

View attachment 792599
Paramirum
Currently: From one mess right into another... at the classrooms in the south wing.
Interaction: Dmitri Tolenka , Ian Temero , Elentiya, Blackrose7
Mention:

Artificial Homunculus| 2A | College Sophomore | Auditorium

Paramirum stared at Erich as he turned away. Internally he thought one thing with two meanings.

What an idiot.

That was to Erich, for rejecting this offer. Was he so blinded by pride he didn't notice that he was outmatched? And that he spent valuable energy basically solving the first riddle for him? Hah! If they ran into each other again, he'd make sure to give him a piece of his mind. That was his first thought.

What an idiot!

Did he really have to antagonize someone like that? Of course their pride would get in the way! Of course his pride, the useless thing it was, would get in his way. And worse, he exerted himself just to show off to someone who wouldn't appreciate, due to his rudeness, the fact that he literally solved the first riddle for them! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

"Fine. Good luck. You won't need it on the first section, considering that I've essentially told you how to solve it before we even saw it. But yes, I'm such an emperor, as you say."

He walked past Erich, purple arrows circling back into his hand as the spells disappeared. He walked past the other group, acknowledging the demoness Guardian with a look of respect saying 'I'm not going to attack your charge.' As he looked up, the moon was starting to show, glowing brighter and brighter. They'd have to leave soon. At the doors, he opened them and put his hand out.

The difference was startling! Such heat! So quickly and unnaturally too. This must have been what was making the students pass out. Outstretched from Paramirum's hand came into existence an ethereal cylinder, where little arrows, this time colored red, went through faster and faster, bigger and bigger. The longer he stayed out, the bigger the heat would get. He put his hand back in again and then back out. The heat didn't necessarily disappear, but went back a tad. Probably to make sure people didn't cheat by entering a room as a pit-stop and 'resetting' the entire spell. The spell also wasn't angled. Despite the sun outside looking menacing, it was actually just for show, it seemed. The heat was coming from straight down, the sun must be an illusion.

He had to choose a path and then stick to it. No wandering allowed. But where to go? He wasn't going to get through this by going through fights, he needed information. While he knew all about the Egyptian gods, the god Geb, the Ennead and the entire magical output of the trials ahead of him, that didn't resolve the question of the hints to this puzzle. So, the Library was the obvious choice for anyone but him. He also didn't have any of his tools, paints, or anything like that. He only had access to his magical manipulations, not any of his more esoteric spells. Therefore, the first step would be a classroom. If someone was there... he'd just ask them to let him get sheets of paper and charcoal, or whatever else he'd need. And if someone would fight him, they'd give him all the information anyway. The south wing also had the men's rooms, so he could find his pre-packaged things quickly.

With that said, Paramirum closed the door again, waited a few seconds, opened the door, and bolted right out. Using a sort of displacement shroud, he was able to stave off the worst of the heat, but he couldn't afford to hold it forever, and unless he really wanted to waste energy, it wouldn't dissipate all of the heat. Ten minutes later he pushed the door into the corridor, only to find the heat had continued, and with his hopes dashed, it had worsened!

If the men's dorms had this same effect, he'd be utterly done. It'd be 30 minutes in, and the heat would, if it was linearly rising, reach boiling point. However, he vaguely heard mumbling and yelling. The classrooms? If someone was in there, they'd either be mad or maybe there was some respite. He dashed into the hallway, now incredibly long and with that blasted sun still beating down on him! The noises were coming from the Ancient History classroom, what irony. Looking at the metal handle, and being more tactically sound than previous adventurers, he kicked the door open and ran into the room.

Panting in the sweet respite of cold air, he finally looked up to see three people: a ghost, a half-kitsune, and an angel, of all things. The ghost was rambling and the angel and half-kitsune looked warily at something in the lectern.

Half-kitsune? Wasn't one of the professors a kitsu—

Oh, just perfect. If he beats her up too hard, that lady will not only have a grudge on her, but will likely warp in just to pummel him. He wouldn't be surprised if she got 'carried away' and entered prematurely into the fray, he'd seen it before as well (personally). But, no reason to panic. He told himself he wasn't here to fight, he wasn't going to win by fighting anyhow. He just needed materials and a breather. Besides, he was fairly certain he actually had a good chance of winning, even if it was three on one.

Putting up his hands (really, would anyone fall for that when magic was concerned? It might as well be drawing a gun!) as a sign of submission, he said, "I'm not here to fight. Just let me grab some materials in this classroom, some chalk, charcoal, papyrus, and tablets and I'll be gone. I don't know what you are all doing and I don't care. Just don't attack me, and we'll get along."

Paramirum looked around the room, noticing the Book of Creation and falling under its spell. He looked at it in parts longing and horror as the voices started to speak to him. He stood up shakily and pressed himself against a chair. The magic coming out of that thing was intense. It felt like a void, sucking one in. He could feel himself drawn towards it, having to resist running at it, wanting his questions answered, all of them, everything he could possibly want to know, the possibilities...

Materials. You are here for materials. The test isn't for you. They got here first. Just let them do the test and reap the rewards or curses.

"What the blazes is that?" He asked, in a rare moment of full emotion. "That's a riddle, isn't it? I won't steal your information, or anything, just ignore me."

Still, he waited for their permission as his breathing straightened out. If those fools tried to jump him, he was prepared. He stared at them, looking to see if they were preparing any spells.

 

[Blackrose7]

Felicity Montgomery

ghost choir♪

| Ghost A | Noble | Rank 3 | High School Freshman | Classroom, South Wing | Interactions: @TayMaiTer Ian Temero Clausewitz Halcyon | Mentions: N/A​

The rambling from the annoyed Felicity had stopped when an unexpected guest had entered the classroom by kicking the door. The guest was a human guy with black hair and purple eyes, and he was panting from the heat.
...Wait a minute. They are a human??!!
Upon realizing that there is a human here. Felicity has a big grin on her face, since she is curious about them now. It took them a while to react, since they were thinking about something. But when he put his hands up as a sign of submission, Felicity was confused by that. They then started to mimic the submission sign, because they thought it was a human game. "Is this a human game? Because I am not sure what you are doing." said Felicity, as she made her hands go through the human's hands. They are clueless as to what to do in front of a normal human. For they have never left the mansion until now for a good reason.
The human then said that he was here for some materials, and she was more confused by that. "Why go back to the extremely hot hallway with those materials when you can stay here for a bit. It isn't a good idea to do that if you don't have someone who can cool down Ra's heat." said Felicity. She knows that she can help them out with the heat problem with her ice magic. But they choose to not do that, since Felicity knows that he would pass out from the extreme heat if they were to leave the classroom. 'Normally, I would be nice to them, but since this is a competition. I won't help them at all through the heat.' thought Felicity. She wasn't sure if the heat would make the ice magic disappear immediately.
After saying that, Felicity thought it would be funny to mess with the human for a bit. She used her Telekinesis to make the chalks and tablets float to the ceiling. 'Let's play keep away, since the human can't leave the classroom so easily. The heat will get them if they try to do that.' thought Felicity. They did that, because it is a distraction from the annoying voices in her mind.

 

[Forgotten Home]

\ Artemis Ravenhart \ Witch, Type B \ Rank 4 \
Auditorium
Interactions: Dmitri Tolenka (Erich Doe) | Clausewitz Halcyon (Paramium)

Artemis frowned a bit, hoping to make a new friend with the girl who Erich had approached, but she just remained silent. She was glad to have at least made one new friend who could probably help fight if anything went badly since she was really bad at it. She lacked the physical strength that most of those around her had.

With that in mind, she gets hit with the magical pressure from the young boy and nearly falls on her knees, which begins trembling under her, threatening to collapse underneath her. One of her eyes closes in a wince and she looks at the boy weakly, using all her strength to keep standing. After listening to what he said, she took a deep breath as it was released. It took a few moments for her to adjust her balance before she heard Erich deny his offer and asking her to leave. The woman, who is towered by the guy basically, nudges him quietly.

"I know he not might seem that nice, but... we really could use another person..." she said quietly to him. "I'm not really sure the two of us will be able to complete it ourselves." Afterward, she got a bit fidgety.

"N-No offense, of course!" she said in a nervous chuckle quickly, waving her arms back and forth dismissively.

"Besides, it's always nice to have new friends..."

 

[Dmitri Tolenka]

\ Erich Doe \ Abomination \ Rank 5 \
School corridors, Auditorium
Interactions: Artemis Ravenhart Forgotten Home
Mentions: Aradia Wilder ArchAngelLexi Paramirum Clausewitz Halcyon ​

“Au revoir, Charles-Louis.” Erich mutters. Only Artemis is in the correct position to see it. A faint flutter of a whisp of shadow hovers over Erich’s shoulder, briefly backlit by the stars in the sky. The shadow briefly forms top half of a skeleton with a tattered overall on it’s shoulders and a rotten leather helm on it’s head. It gives Paramirum a jaunty wave as the boy makes for the exit. The next moment it is gone. Instead, a pair of concerned emeral eyes bore into hers in response to the nudge.

"Ne vous faites pas heurter par un train! Ce serait terrible!"​

Her remarks ring true. Erich sighs and clamps down on his irritation.

“You raise a fair point, however to repeat myself, this test appears to be just as much about character and the ability to work together. Frankly unless some miracle happens I don’t see that happening unless him and I ah… manually adjust our personalities?” he says as he waves around with an empty hand as if to physically grab for the right words. He could just flat out state he’d probably try to force feed Paramirum a crutch in less than half an hour unless the bookworm dropped the attitude, but the girl appeared intimidated enough by him already.

He wanted a teammate here, not a terrified servant. He leans back on his crutches in attempt to think his next words over and to loom over her a little less.

“You do raise a fair point about making friends. Look I’ll go talk with him once this is over, and make sure that at the very least he knows his help with this first puzzle was appreciated. I just do not handle being talked to like that very well. For now, however, it’s spilled milk. No need to cry over it.” he says. “Instead! Look, over there, that girl with the bags under her eyes! She’s still alone. What say you we try to make friends again, and possibly gain a teammate? Hell, I will let you do the talking this time. Let’s go!”

He points at a pale girl with peculiar silvery hair and black clothes. The deep black and the starlight make her silver practically glow in the dark. Erich practically bounces on his heel, but he does let Artemis take the lead on this one.

 

[Forgotten Home]

\ Artemis Ravenhart \ Witch, Type B \ Rank 4 \
Auditorium
Interactions: Dmitri Tolenka (Erich Doe) | ArchAngelLexi (Aradia Wilder)

The young woman smiled a bit when he said he would try to become friends with the boy. That was a plus! Although they were still down one person, so that was a minus...

Her eyes followed his hand to the woman with the silver hair. She smiled and looked up at Erich, giving him a thumbs-up, before walking over to the girl. She gives her a wave and a happy smile. "Hello, my name is Artemis! What's yours?" she said chipperly. Her voice, although uninfluenced by any sort of magic, was chipper yet something about it made it soothing.

"It's nice to meet you! If you don't mind me asking, would you like to join our team?" she said after the girl introduced herself, nodding over to Erich to show the girl who else would be on their team, before giving a gleeful smile to her.

 

[ArchAngelLexi]

| Aradia Wilder | Witch/Alchemist | HS Senior | Rank 4 |
| Auditorium | interaction: Forgotten Home Dmitri Tolenka |
​

As the competition was announced Aradia wasn't sure what to think, but it seemed that they might already be trying to pit the royals and 'commoners' against each other. Beyond that Aradia wasn't overly well versed in magic outside a bit about the priests in ancient Egypt and Geb was the god of the earth and known as the father of snakes. As she mulled over the little knowledge she has she was approached by a girl who seemed to be around her age.
Aradia gave a small polite wave in return as the girl, she now knew was named Artemis, intoduced herself. While the girl seemed to be rather bubbly she didn't seem so obnoxious that Aradia would be annoyed. "Hey, I'm Aradia," She responded gesturing to herself briefly.
Her eyes then moved to the man that Artemis nodded over to. He seemed to be a bit older and looked as if he was from another time period. She figured this wasn't something they could be doing on their own, so maybe this team might be her best, if not only, option at this point. She then looked back Artemis putting on a gentle and polite smile. "Likewise, I don't see why not. I'm sure it'll be mutually beneficial," She answered before standing up.
Moving over to Erich her smile remained. "Aradia. And you are?" She greeted giving a small nod as she spoke. After waiting for him to give his name she continued. "Well we should probably get a move on then."

 

[Dmitri Tolenka]

\ Erich Doe \ Abomination \ Rank 5 \
Auditorium => Frying pan/school grounds
Interactions: Aradnia Wilder ArchAngelLexi Artemis Ravenhart Forgotten Home
​

Erich hobbles along behind Artemis, considerably calmer now. He just hangs back while she strikes up the conversation, and lets his eyes take in what little details are visible in the darkness. He doubts Aradia is a vampire of sorts. No fangs, and there’s a moon tattoo on her arm… Werewolf possibly? She doesn’t radiate the wild energy he expects of one of the moon-touched. Quite the opposite in fact. A lazy intellect stares back at him through those sharp green eyes.

“Erich Doe, a pleasure.” he introduces himself. At her suggestion of a move on, he nods.

“Quite. Now, for all his poor manners, this other chap we ran into had an excellent idea about that.” he says and makes for the door. Gently he pulls it open, and sticks his hand out. The bright light burns his eyes, and the searing heat starts to affect his arm.

“So, if I understood him right some form of magical field out there drains stamina.” he says, and retracts his hand. He stares at it as it cools back down slowly. “Or more accurately it raises the temperature to unbearable heights. Should we stay out too long, we will fry. Should we move too quickly, we will fry. Like bacon and eggs.”

He stares out across the landscape, content to stay in the shadow of the doorway. At a glance, the various buildings stand far more distant. He recalls the irritation he felt at Paramirum, and concentrates on his left eye. There’s an audible click, and a grey lens replaces his normal emerald green. He hums for a moment.

“Okay. The Arena is definitely closest, and most likely holds way too many competitors. I vote we head for the library instead.” he says, and with another click his eye returns to normal. “No stopping for hitchhikers, let’s go.”

 

[Forgotten Home]

[ Artemis Ravenhart \ Witch, Type B \ Rank 4 ]
[Auditorium] => [Frying pan/school ground]
Interactions: [ Dmitri Tolenka (Erich Doe) | ArchAngelLexi (Aradia Wilder)]


The girl walked beside her friends happily, glad to meet two new people who seemed pretty nice. As she walked along, she remained quiet for most of the time as they walked towards the library. After a few minutes of walking, she decides to ask them a question.

"So, um, since we're all in the same party, why don't we tell each other what our powers or magic are?" she asked them chipperly, looking at Erich and then towards Aradia. "Since we're all working together, I figured we should know!" she said, beaming gently. Her scarf gently bumps up and down on her neck as she walks along.

She had no ill will behind these words - no plots or schemes for the future, nor was it simple curiosity. She said her intentions plain as day to them. It'd be best to come up with strategies and stuff if they all knew each other's powers.

"I can manipulate light into protective shields!" she said before scratching her chin a bit. "Although it's kind of hard to control the size of them sometimes..." she said with a nervous chuckle.

 

[nios]

Name: Constance "Connie" Taylor
Race: Demon
Type: 2A
Rank: Guardian
Location: Leaving Avolair Auditorium
Interactions: OBESE , Fluffy-Kat

Now, Constance had experienced numerous occasions fraught with unpleasantness before. Some of which brought even her, a Guardian demoness in her prime, to shudder and drip cold sweat. Of course, it was all in the job title whether it would be to bathe in the blood of her enemies or sweep fur from marble floors. However, this... This was just uncalled for!

Constance stiffened in her spot, her lonely eye that was once staring at Aiyana like a hawk darted in the direction of her superior. The look spoke for itself- betrayal for putting her in such an uncomfortable position. The demoness refused to meet eye with the she-wolf and reverted herself to looking at whatever may deem as a threat... In this case, it was the false moon floating in the ceiling that tickled her interest into suspicion. "There's just no way...," went Constance's thoughts before she listened to the male ahead of her.

Unlike Maxim who spent his entire life familiarizing himself with the mythologies, history of ancient civilizations, and the artifacts that were left in the remains of the past, Constance was only educated to a certain degree. It was as though Maxim had an enormous stake embedded into the soil of-said knowledge whilst Constance just had the equivalence of a toothpick. Her association with Maxim, who clearly showed he was well-versed in the material, caused her to pick up a few things throughout the years of serving him. Therefore, this Egyptian god going by the name Geb and the concept of DUAT was something she had some familiarity with.

Cutting through her train of thought, the Guardian could hear Aiyana and Maxim conversing. "Being watched, you say? You have a point, we are being judged, why else make it point to have us monitored. But why? For a grade? An award? A placement or assignment? Could this just be a simple icebreaker so that students are forced to make acquaintances? In any case, we should pick somewhere..." For one, Constance ruled out that this Aiyana was quite the chatterbox. Was it her nerves claiming the best of her? Perhaps her excitement? She had a hard time telling.

Moreover, Constance showed little to no ounce of care for whatever these examiners had to say about her. She was confident in her work and either way, she was too old to be considered a student. However, with Maxim in the variable and his sudden change in dedication for this challenge, she would have no choice but to match his efforts.

"I think we should definitely move on. I don't like what I'm feeling right now. It's too soon...," was what Constance's ears picked up. She could feel Maxim's gaze on her; meanwhile, her gaze rested upon the pale orb planted in the makeshift sky. So it appears the all-too-familiar waves of strength coming from Maxim was not the effects of her earlier embarrassment, but the confirmation of her recent suspicion. If that was the case, this trio needed to move immediately. There was no way Constance can guarantee anybody's safety if it were to happen. Otherwise, there would be far more dire consequences to pay than a bad rating.

"Then we must move, Mas- ah!" The moment Constance brought her attention back down to eye level, she was caught by surprise. She hid it well but the discomfort was apparent as the corner of her lip dipped further in a frown. The she-wolf, Aiyana, was stepping in Constance's bubble with her hand stuck out, "By the way, nice to meet you! You have a really pretty name, and I have you to thank for being responsible for my being here. I'm flattered!" was what she heard her say. The Guardian looked at her hand, feeling more discomfort but she found herself unaware of what exactly made her this way. Pretty name? Flattered for being here? Constance released her hold on the gun that hid within the fabric of her dark coat- a movement she previously made when she was caught off-guard. Unable to dictate her feelings in a timely manner, she rounded past Aiyana and walked ahead.

Constance grabbed the backpack lying on the ground, moving swiftly and unbothered by its weight. She gave Maxim and a single, but firm nod- a gesture that he should evacuate from the room with her. The demoness turned her attention to Aiyana, feeling slight hesitance. "Let's go... Miss," she said, this time in English. Without another word, Constance was making her way for the exit while making sure that Maxim was by her side.

 

[ArchAngelLexi]

| Aradia Wilder | Witch/Alchemist | HS Senior | Rank 4 |
| school grounds | interaction: Forgotten Home Dmitri Tolenka |​

As they moved toward the door the gentle smile faded from Aradia's face, replaced with her usual resting face. Once the door was opened she watched Erich with curiosity to see what was to take place. As he began to explain what he had been told Aradia gave a small nod in acknowledgement. "I see. The library should be fine," she responded, the faintest thoughtfulness showing in her tone.
As she stepped out of the auditorium and into the bright light of the outside she had to squint her eyes till they adjusted to the light. Wearing black wouldn't be doing her any favor's in the heat that seemed to only be growing gradually, but her hat did offer her a bit of shade on her face for now. Her lips had pressed into a frown as she began to warm up and looked out to see how far the library was
Her attention drifted to Artemis once she spoke up, asking about their powers and explaining her own. She studied the girl momentarily, both admiring and pitying her seemingly care free and gentle nature.
Then she was struck with an idea. Aradia then reached into her bag, pulling out a smooth river rock with a triangle carved into it. She held it so the it was pointed down towards her, being the alchemical symbol for water. She focused her energy in a steady flow into the symbol and quietly uttered, "aqua."
With that a steady flow of burst into the air, falling down into a steady mist, offering a cool effect to her and her companions. "Well, here's one thing I can do. I'd rather not reveal all my cards," She responded, taking in the feeling of the mist.
Her and her companions would feel an almost instantaneous sense of relief from the heat as the much cooler water reached them, but after about 10 minutes the feeling of the smoldering heat began to wear down on them, while the effects would be much worse without the water aiding to cool them they would likely begin to feel a bit sticky and warm as the temperature only continued to rise. ("Real feel" example 130 f or 54 c would feel 117 f or 45 c... hope I did that conversion right and it makes sense)

 

[Dmitri Tolenka]

\ Erich Doe \ Abomination \ Rank 5 \
Frying pan/school grounds
Interactions: Aradnia Wilder ArchAngelLexi Artemis Ravenhart Forgotten Home
​

Erich for his part initially just keeps a close eye on their surroundings. The changed landscape gave perfect sightlines for kilometers with plenty of low rolling hills to hide behind. He didn’t even have major issues with the heat so far. A strange energy flowed through him. He felt alert, awake, alive in a way he couldn’t put into words. Still most students they came across didn’t even want anything to do with them, just people eager to get out of the heat.

He snaps his head around when Artemis pipes up. Her smile is about as bright as the sun overhead, though infinitely more soothing.

“That seems like a good idea.” he agrees. Erich actually chuckles a little at Artemis when she mentioned control issues. Aradia’s ability hints at her true nature - he notices the rune in the stone, and while he cannot make out her speech the effect is obvious. He sighs in relief as the water hits his skin. Which leaves him.

How much to give away? Hell, how to even summarize the random grabbag nature of his power? Technically were they more than just allies at the moment?

Screw it. Artemis bravely took the first step in establishing actual trust. Aradia took the next one. He stares right ahead for a moment while he finds the words.

“I can change my form. It’s an innate ability, part of my very soul, and as such it’s heavily dependent on my mood. The angrier I get, the closer I get to a form suited for war and destruction. At will I can change parts of me to steel, or bring out a small utility item, like earlier I pulled out a rangefinder to check the distance to our destination. If I get truly outraged I can bring out the full fledged warform.” he explains. “I’m on meds that suppress my abilities, so don’t worry about me randomly smashing everything in sight after I stub my toe or something. I do kind of have this thing as well where I get weaker when I’m sad as well, fortunately also suppressed.”

He didn’t really want to bother them with the exact details. For one, he didn’t even know them all himself, for another, just dryly listing statistics out would be utterly dull and more than useless - if some aspect mattered or not would depend on context.

“Thanks for the cooling Aradia. It really felt like I could fry an egg on my face. Speaking of fried eggs! Snack anyone? I brought some in my backpack. Fruit mostly, but also fried egg sandwhiches and a few granola bars.” he offers. They should be able to chow down on a quick light snack before they hit upon the library, there is still a way to go.