Fantasy Starson Academy for Gifted Students

[MoltenLightning]

Victoria knew plenty about the danger that she may or may not have been walking into. She also knew that she had the ability to protect herself if need be, although she was tired and still weak. Not wanting to admit these facts to herself, however, she held them at a distance as if they were vulgar and putrid. She needed to move up in this world. There was absolutely no way that she would let others best her through sheer luck alone, that would be completely absurd. Trekking along after the man and ignoring her fatigue, she took one glance back at the three figures who had decided to leave. She had only one thought in mind:


'Idiots.'


Without another word, she continued after him with only the slightest hint in her rigid stature that she was fatigued. Her shoulders were marginally hunched, though this difference wasn't hard to spot for how abnormal it looked on her normally strict posture. Blinking slowly as if to conserve energy, she took the Colossuem in bit by bit and let his words soak in.


"... The nature of your powers are going to be explained to you, as well as the reason we brought you here. You will demonstrate your powers within the Colosseum to the League..."


"You will just show us what you can do. No harm will come to you, I give you my word. That being said, if you understand, please continue to follow me."


Victoria's legs moved of their own accord, although she wasn't compelled to stop them. Mentally, she was preparing herself. She needed to be ready, after all...

 

[AI10100]

Gab watched as the three figures soon disappeared and then turned around to face Petrarch. At least they were still welcome if they choose to come back. He wasn't sure what the outside world was, aside from what was told to them, but he knew it was dangerous. And that this place doesn't even seem to be all that normal. Then again, they themselves weren't normal. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he spared one more glance at the three before walking behind Petrarch. Good luck, those were his last words to them for now. Yeah, he guessed they would really need that. 


Hearing that some of his questions would be answered, he smiled. Good. And that they would need to demonstrate their powers. Fine by him. But he wondered what sort of 'showing off' they wanted. Just merely showing it, or doing something flashy with it? But since it wasn't like combat training back in Starson, he guessed it would just simply be showing your powers and making this 'League' understand what they had in store. Then again, shapeshifting shouldn't be all that surprising. Compared with the others, he dare say that it was nothing at all.


He still had tons of questions, but he guessed that should be saved later after the demonstration thing.

 

[eero-prince]

He followed Cybele and Blude. Finian looked back seeing that he couldn't see the people who chose to stay. He then started to look around in front of him. Everything looked the same. Hm. This was now good. "Mhm.... We may have a little problem......." He taps his fingers on his chin. "Maybe we should make like a land mark just in case." Finian then picked up a stick and started to draw on the ground. "There!" But then the drawing magically faded away. "Shoot..." He furrows his brows. Gotta find another way.

 

[Ineptitude]

Louella stayed oddly silent as they approached the Colosseum. idly fiddling with her bow as she usually did when she was nervous. She was extremely anxious about the demonstration, since she wasn't quite sure how it would end with the kind of power that she had. Reinforcement wasn't exactly the first power that comes to mind in terms of being flashy or extravagant, but it was definitely a lot more flexible than everybody else's. Not only that, but she had so many questions swirling about in her mind, making her feel slightly dizzy. She supposed it would be best to simply see how everything goes for now.

 

[hes-dead-jim]

"Oh?" Petrarch's eyebrows rose when he heard the child on his shoulder wake. "Such language." He put the kid down and frowned at him. This was the first time he'd heard such language from a Senior in a long time. Most of the time they were too scared to say anything. "I will remind you that such language was not allowed at Starson nor is it allowed here. If you persist, I will have to use... disciplinary actions. Now, if you're ready, come along."


@Yoshiro

 

[Yoshiro]

Pffffffffh
​

Was this guy for real? 
​

"Allow me to remind you that I have no interest in stopping what I say. You can discipline me if you really want to, but it won't faze me. Go on, beat me. Hit me. Lock me away. Hold me down. Do something to show what kind of dominance you claim to hold over me."
​

Zack had made an apparent 180, now intent on showing what he felt. If it pissed people off, then that was their problem. He wasn't going to hold back anymore.
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​

 

[hes-dead-jim]

Petrarch sighed. There were always students like this every year. He always hated having to demonstrate his abilities to them. He wanted to be their ally, their friend, their confidant. However, he had learned that setting a strong signal at the start was often the best way to keep things running smoothly.


He stopped and turned to the other students. "It seems that we will be taking an unexpected break before we enter the Pavillion. Because one of your classmates insists on behaving in a poor manner, I will have to demonstrate what happens to unruly Seniors. I must say, however, that I certainly do regret doing this. I do not want to be your enemy, but if I must show you that bad behavior will not be tolerated, then I shall do what I must." He turned to Zack. "Do not worry, as I shall not kill you. But this will be a reminder for all of you what happens when you misbehave. If you desist, we can continue on to the Pavillion as scheduled and I will forget this ever happened. However, if you do not, then by all means, show me your strength. I will show you what happens when you disobey."


@Yoshiro

 

[Yoshiro]

"Oh Zacky, are we really going to do this?"


"Yeah, sure, whatever. This little outburst is costing you quite some time to leave me alone."


"Of course! Anything for my king!"


"Please be quiet, you're giving me a headache."

 
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The old man was wanting a show of his power? Man oh man, how long had it been since Zack had let loose? This would be his time to show the others his abilities. "Everyone watching?! Good, let this display show you how much I've held back! All this time I could've killed you, yet I kept it bottled up. So stay away from me because I hate every last one of you!!" Zack's form began to change. Dark energy burst forth from inside him, surrounding him in some kind of aura. A thick blanket of black covered him from view, with tendrils of darkness lashing out to keep them away. For a few moments this went on, before finally the veil was lifted, and Zack's true form was revealed. 
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"Let's dance, old man!"
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[Ammokkx]

Blude was walking... and walking... and walking.


His senses began to numb as the surroundings became nothing but white noise.


The boy knew he was in some sort of grass-filled plain, populated only by a few retreating figures and a few shade-casting trees. The others were long gone, out of sight and out of mind. Nobody to disturb him, nobody to put him down. There wasn't anyone who could get in his way now.


Or, he wished it was that way at least. His luck doesn't seem to be improving, as the figures of Cybele and Finian were right behind him at every step. Following. This wasn't Blude's intention. He wanted to sneak away, be forgotten. Come back impressive and show them all up... but no. These two tormentors had the bright idea to follow Blude, ridiculing his escape attempt by their very presence. He did not like it.


Even worse, Finian began to speak. Speak about a landmark, picking up a branch of a tree which the wind carried over. He drew something, only for it to be sucked into the ground. Unstable ground...


"What... was the point of that?" Blude asked the younger boy, a scowl on his face.


"If you... want a landmark, use... a tree." The little blood mage pointed over to one of the sparse trees that dotted this landscape, beginning to walk over to it. After a few minutes, the party arrived at it. Blude tore out one of his buttons, a piece of red glass that looked like a ruby. He gently tapped the back of it with his finger, right where a small needle was. As expected, a small wound formed on Blude's fingertip. A small, twisted smile washed over Blude's face, gently pushing the glass button into the tree. The normally brown bark now had a bright, red object sticking into it. To finish it of the boy painted an arrow pointing to it, right above the gemstone, with the blood he drew from his finger.


"There's your... landmark." The senior's voice croaked back to Finian. Blude was about to step away from the tree, but then a thought came to mind.


They couldn't see where they were going, and the only bit of height was that hill. The others went over that hill, however. That's not a direction Blude wanted to go in.


"..."


After a small pause, the boy started to gently touch the bark of the tree. Old, wise, hardened. Perfect for climbing, but he doesn't have the muscle to do so. Not without his magic. Blude turned back to Finian.


"If you're... going to tag... along, then make... yourself useful. Climb into this... tree. See where... a point of interest lies." With that said, Blude took a few steps away and gestured Finian. If the boy was going to be a nuisance, he'll at least make sure to have that nuisance be useful in some way.

 

[eero-prince]

Finian frowned a bit at Blude. "I was just trying to make sure we wouldn't get lost..." 


The younger male looked in terrror as Blude created his own landmark. The multi hair colored boy gulped a bit seeing the new land mark. Well... At least that's one way to create a landmark.


when Blude made eye contact with Fin he jumped a bit. Climb the tree? Finian can totally do that. He silently nodded, walking towards the tree and began climbing the tree. Once up there he had to find somewhere that stood out. Juniper saw the hill. But alas everyone else was there too. He continued to look around. All he saw was forest but then somewhere not so far but still distant he saw something. "I think I found a lake not too far!" 


A lake seemed interesting enough, right? Finian looked around some more to try and find civilization of any kind but there was none. What a shame.


@Ammokkx @Kairikudo

 

[Kairikudo]

Cybele Haniyasu
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​

Cybele followed Blade in silence.she really wasn't one for talking when she had nothing to say. She didn't comment on the comments given by the students that had decided to stay. She knew how dangerous her decision was. She was the one to speak of it, but she couldn't just leave Blude out there alone to deal with it by himself, even if that is what he desires. 


She glanced over at Juniper who had tagged along. She wasn't too happy about that since she didn't want him getting hurt as well, but it was to late now. The snake she had hidden under her sleeve popped his head out from under her sleeve when they came to a stop at the tree. She whispered something to it and set it down as it slithered away from the three. Her attention was back on to what the little blood mage was doing. Unlike Juniper, she has seen him do this before and it didn't seem to bother her at all. She watched as Juniper climbed the tree to call out that there is a lake nearby. Well a lake would be good to stop for a drink of water and maybe there was a city near it.


@eero-prince @Ammokkx

 

[hes-dead-jim]

Petrarch sighed as the boy transformed into a grotesque mass of claws and scales. Really, what manners. He hoped that the other students had been taught that these sudden outbursts were awful and rude, but judging from this... mess, they probably were all awfully behaved. Straightening them out would take some tenacity but he was sure that the League could do it.


"Students, get back!" he threw out an arm and the group of students vanished for a second and then reappeared a safe distance away. He then straightened out his suit and out of his pocket he pulled out a pocket watch and glanced at the time. "Well, if I get this over with quickly we should be on time." Then, he stuck out his right arm and out of thin air a long, metal cane appeared. 


"If you're just going to stand there, my dear boy, we will never get this over with," Petrarch said and his mustache twitched in amusement. Well, the kid was sure powerful, he had to give him that. He was like unpressurized carbon. With a little push, he might be great one day.


@Yoshiro

 

[AI10100]

Gab had the faintest of smiles on his face. While he didn't like the idea of one of the students challenging their guide, this was Zack he's talking about. He's never seen his power, not once in the Academy, because he refused to show it. It didn't seem that he was scared of him when he transformed though - more amused than anything. When you've grown up in Starson, even the most grotesque of forms won't faze you. It's not like he's seen worse, but he figured that he should stop being surprised every time a new power was added to his knowledge. 


Petrarch yelled for them to get back, and Gab inched backwards... before he seemed to have been pulled out of existence and pulled in again. Before he knew it, he and the others were at a safer distance. Teleportation? Yes, he guessed it was. He shifted his weight to the other foot as he continued to watch with great interest. 

 

[Yoshiro]

"Heheh....HAHAHAHA!! Damn you geezer! I'm all pumped up now!"
​

The demon roared, before launching himself towards Petrarch. As he drew closer. his claws swiped towards the older man. 
​

"This might actually be helpful for me."


 "How so?"


 "If I lose, then we know their limitations and abilities. 


"And what will happen if we win?"


"Phoebe, look at us. Just a few moments in this form and we've already expelled most of our energy."


"You should have trained more with this power! We would've wiped the floor with this idiot!" 

She screamed at Zack, her appearance suddenly morphing.
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"We could be so much stronger!!! JUST LET ME LOOSE!"
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sShe punched him directly in the face, knocking him several feet back. Zack hit the wall, unable to move. The demonic girl creeped forward slowly, a knife appearing in her hand. 
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"If you won't do it willingly, then I guess I'll have to be forceful." 
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Phoebe stabbed his eye, causing him to scream in pain. Wrenching her aggressive free brought the eye and all its connections out. Again, she stabbed him, this time in his throat. No longer able to scream, Zack could only watch as this monster ravaged his body with wound after wound.
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Again and again and again and again and again.
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The nearly dead Zack watched her take full rein of his body, as he could no longer do so.
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"Ph.....Phoe.....Phoebe please.....st......sto...."
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@hes-dead-jim
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[Ammokkx]

"...Lake."


Blude stared up into the tree, watching Finian try to point Cybele and him to the direction he saw it in. Blude looked off in the distance, but couldn't find it. Of course he couldn't. The plains are at an elevated height compared to the body of water, it'd just sink right into the background... or would it? If it's just a tiny lake, then yes. If the lake was larger, he'd at least see the back of it. This means that it's either too small to be of much use, or it's hours of walking away.


Now a second problem arose; Where does he go from there? Without giving Finian or Cybele any kind of notice, Blude started to walk towards the direction Finian pointed him. A lake... If nothing else, it's the best water they'll get in the immediate area. He'd much rather have it be a river, at least you could follow the current of those. A lake is just a still body, separated from any other source.


If the group was lucky, people in the area looked to that lake for water. Finian didn't mention a town, though. The best they'd get were nomadic tribesmen, a run-in Blude would rather not deal with. The boy's eyes were idle and unfocused, lost in thought as his feet carried him forward. So much to think about, so many options to consider. They'd have to find a place to stay the night... away from Starson. Away from the comfortable mattresses and warm blankets. 


Blude could endure it. He's suffered worse, from his peers. But he thought about how Cybele and Finian might take it. Would they complain? Would they miss Starson? Well, maybe not the first day. But, then, maybe the second... maybe when they start hunting for food. When they needed to do anything to survive... would those two miss the comfort then?


"...Huh?" Blude stopped briefly, blinking twice and looking at his scarred hand. Why did he even care what those two would think? If they didn't like it, they should've just let him be. It's not his fault they followed him of their own free will. He decided to stop doing that. Instead, the boy started to think on how to best survive by himself. Maybe he'd need to eat bark if no fauna or flora popped up... Blude remembers reading something like that in a book. Ah... books. Starson's library... the one refuge of peace and quiet. Yes, he spent a lot of time there... a lot of time.


Wait, Blude was getting lost in thought again. The blood mage stood idle, in the grassy plains. He looked back, seeing the other two being right there. The annoying pests caught up. Oh well... those fleeting moments of quiet were going to need to be sought out later. Blude's pace picked up again, this time with the other two in tow. In tow...


"Why?" Blude suddenly spat out, barely turning his head towards the other two.


"For... what reason would... you follow?" The boy continued the question. Curiosity does kill the cat, but Blude felt like he needed answers. Why would these people go through such lengths? For what purpose would they choose to torment him like they did? Finian was... an odd case, but he was still young. Blude could chalk it up to age, with the reckless behavior and fixation on being with the times. But Cybele... she was even more of a curious case. Always so calm... with that faux kindness of hers. The only girl on campus that would actively seek him out. Even when he was ill, resting in one of the many beds in the infirmary. Those moments when he needed to growl at her to go away, because she was disturbing his thoughts. Always trying to talk to Blude. No matter how much he hid from her, she just kept finding him again. Almost as if she... really considered him to be worth talking to.


Finian did that too, constantly pester him, talking and following like now. He tried to be his 'friend'. The younger boy made Blude the first to listen to his music, even when Blude kept asking to cut it out. Finian always coming to the older boy with his problems, be it homework or insecurities. It was completely illogical behavior, since Blude frequently missed lessons and had no social skills. Despite that, Finian never ceased to bug him. Trust... Finian trusted him. That seemed like the only logical answer.


...No, he can't think like that. Blude would start to trust them in return, only for those two to take advantage of it and stab him in the back. They probably just had the same mindset as him in the moment, not wanting to go with that creep of a man. Not being a puppet, dancing to everyone's whims. Free spirits, following the first person to take a stand. Using him as an excuse... that had to be it. The boy regretted the question already, as he found the answer only moments later. Still... he felt like he was missing a few pieces. There needs to be more answers... answers only the two that followed could provide. Maybe it wasn't such a bad question after all.


"Well? Why would you? I'm... waiting."

 

[Kairikudo]

Cybele Haniyasu
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​

Cybele looked in the direction that Finnian was pointing too. She herself couldn't see the lake, but she believed that it was there. Even if it's a small lake they can still get a drink of water if they stop by there.


She turned her head to see that Blude was already walking off. Cybele called up to Juniper.


"Time to go Finnian" she said walking after the blood mage who seemed lost in his own thoughts about how he would survive out here with out the luxuries that starson had provided for him. Cybele knew that those luxuries were gone, though she didn't mind. She enjoyed being outside anyways and she could very easily take care of herself out in the wilderness. Her original plan was to explore the different forest and see all the different floral and fauna the world had to offer.


She hadn't said a word the whole time as she finally caught up to him with juniper tagging along with her. The mages pace started to quicken as if he was trying to lose the two, which wouldn't be a surprising case, but what was surprising to the green haired female was the question he asked.


'Why? For...what reason would...you follow me?'


Cybele's yellow eyes blinked at the question that had come out of nowhere disrupting the silence that had been between the three. Well she knew eventually he would ask her that, but she was hoping that he would just blow it off as whatever like he did all the other times they had spoken to each other. She knew her reasoning would probably piss him off if she told him, but she didn't like lying so what was she to do? For awhile no one said anything until blude made a comment indicating he was getting impatient.


'Well? Why would you? I'm...waiting.'


That comment made her jump a bit as she snapped back into reality. She took a breath before she answered.


"The only reason I followed you out here is because I don't trust what Petrarch said about it being our choice to leave or not. There's a good chance that he will send his men after us to kill us or capture us anyway, and I didn't want you to get hurt and have to face those outcomes alone if it were to happen..."


She was being completely honest, though he would probably just take that as her lying to keep up that goody three shoes act he believes is a front for some none existing dark side of hers. He doesn't seem to realize that there are some people in the world who are just kind, that they have no alternative motive for their kindness. Cybele didn't have a alternative motive for her kindness, it's just her personality.


@eero-prince


@Ammokkx

 

[eero-prince]

He climbed down the tree and followed after the two. He may be young but he still wanted to prove he had a purpose. Finian did become a senior much earlier than expected after all. There must of been something special about him that he skipped many years of school.


And because of him skipping the many school years he constantly asked Blude for help in studies and such. He as well was very talented in the art of music. He was great at playing many instruments and of course, singing. Finian, being natural him, wanted Blude to be the first person to hear his first ever song entitled, Why me? Yep. Good times.


To knock Fin back to reality was Blude's question. That was a good question. Why did he follow the two? Juniper thinks for a moment before saying, "That big man seemed kind but a very off kind of kind.. And seeing you  two leave I worried about you two." That seemed  pretty foolish coming from a younger boy like himself but hey, he skipped years of school and went directly to senior year for a reason. "Plus who knows what that guy will do to the rest who stayed... This whole thing is ever since the can thing has been scary.. "


@Ammokkx @Kairikudo