Raule grinned as he clasped the man’s hand tightly, nodding in response to the conversation. “You’re graduating this year right? There’s always work out here, you know?” The man was the captain of the guard here, this small forward town/outpost. Despite having a fairly large force for its size, the settlement still had constant trouble protecting itself. Such was a fact of life when one lived on the edge of controlled lands in the Black Gale, so they were more than welcoming to any individual who offered their services. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he promised before turning to look upwards as a shadow was cast over the pair of them for a moment. “Well that’s my ride.”

The gathered guardsmen and their leader whistled appreciatively at the majestic sight of the griffon’s flight. Though many had seen it over the years, hardened veterans that’d managed to survive whatever the Black Gale had thrown at them, it made the sight no less awe inspiring. “Still can’t get over the fact they send one of these to fetch every student…” He heard the muttering and was inclined to agree. Surely there had to be a less expensive way of transporting students, or hell they could have just made it so students had to find their own way to the Academy. It certainly would root out a few first years who didn’t belong in his opinion. Then again, if one had tamed griffons, why not put them to use? He shrugged at the comment, even if it wasn’t really directed at him. “Have to show the Academy’s awesome and what not I guess.”

“Well it is a good way to do that I suppose,” the guardswoman agreed with a small nod as the creature came to a stop in front of the group, its wings kicking up a cloud of dust that swept over them. Most of the group had already covered their eyes, used to this, but a few of the newcomers this year yelped in surprise as the dust covered them. When it had settled down and cleared, he saw a few of the older guards chuckling at the new recruits’ expense. Shaking his head, he turned and nodded at the captain once more. “I’ll see you in another year then.”
“Aye. We're counting on it.”

With that, he lifted his bag from the ground and approached the griffon. It watched him approach with intelligent eyes and Raule did the same, studying the creature carefully. All pretense of seriousness vanished when he finally reached it and proceeded to wrap his arms around its neck in a quick hug. The griffon squawked in protest, shaking its head rapidly in an effort to dislodge the fifth year. Raule didn’t so much budge an inch from the ground though, and the griffon quickly released what might have been a sigh had it been humanoid. Its “displeasure” was quickly mollified though when Raule freed a pouch of jerky from his bag and dangled it in front of the griffon.

Some chuckles told him that the watching guards still found his odd display of affection amusing, but Raule just ignored them. Bah. They didn’t understand it was quite something, for Raule at the least, that the same griffon found him for the past five years. He constantly travelled after all, but the griffon had managed to find him all the same, even at times when he was on the road. It might have been magically directed to, but Raule didn’t doubt that he was one of the more troublesome attendees to locate. So he appreciated the obvious intelligent creature’s efforts. With a final wave at his gathered colleagues and acquaintances, before he hopped onto the griffon’s back with practiced ease. “Let’s go.”

---

The outpost shrunk at an astounding pace as the griffon kicked off the ground and threw itself into the air. While someone less accustomed to the method of travel would have indoubtly been thrown off with the sudden acceleration, Raule simply bore it without complaint. He had gotten used to it after the third year, when this particular creature figured it had given Raule enough time to get used to the sensation. As they levelled out in the air, Raule took a moment to look down below. The lands were flying past at a swift speed as the griffon pushed itself to max speed, knowing its passenger was unbothered. He grew bored of that fairly quickly, and patted the griffon’s neck to grab its attention. “I’M TAKING A NAP,” he had to roar to be heard over the whipping winds given the speed they were going, but he was sure the griffon had heard, its attempted expression of exasperation was clear enough.

While others would have probably thought it suicidal, Raule didn’t think twice of it. There was nothing interesting about the flight to the Academy, nothing that five years hadn’t dulled. Given his location, the flight would also undoubtly take at least an hour, even at top speed. And if he did manage to fall, well he had faith the griffon would save its charge. Or failing that, he’d at least wake up and be able to half-ass some landing strategy of his own.

---

Raule awoke not to the wind whipping at his face as he plummeted to his untimely death, but to the hard stone of the ground. Groaning slightly at the abrupt awakening, the effects of last night’s party having crept back during his nap, Raule gave the griffon a pointed glare. Which it completely ignored with a huff as it stood tall, proud and majestic at delivering its charge without issue. Grumbling a bit as he fought off the last traces of drowsiness, he picked himself up and grabbed his bag from the griffon’s back. Before he walked away, he knelt and placed the pouch of jerky at the griffon’s feet. “There ya go.”

Ralthavar Marchosias

---

"Waiting... The Insufferable waiting." Ralthavar stood in front of a large horde of orcs. At least a hundred strong, with families and relatives to see them off. They looked less like students and more like a warband; each was armed to the teeth with weapons, no less than at least three and Ralthavar had four. It was quiet, eerily so. Normally such a gathering would have music and some festivities, but this one was full of anticipation, as though they were warriors on the front line, waiting for the cavalry charge. Some orcs were eating, speaking to each other, or even resting up. But Ralthavar simply stood looking towards the horizon searching for the sign of their ride. Soon a elvish woman came up to Rathavar and hugged her, nuzzling her cheek.

"My son, promise that you'll be good? I know that there is a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, but I also know you're strong enough to handle it. Make sure you write back to us too, alright? I want to know how you're doing!" Rathavar said nothing but smiled as his mother coddled him. His father stepped up, his arms crossed with a stern look on his face. But he cracked a smile, showing that he wasn't entirely serious. "And remember, this isn't a raid. Fighting shouldn't be all you're doing. We want you to make friends outside of the orcs, more so with these... Earthlings. The Harmonious Act may have improved relations for us here, but make sure that you give a good impression for the earthlings, understand my son?"

"I know father. I will do my best, and than some." Rathavar said quietly. His father came to him and hugged, as did Rathavar's mother. Their warm bodies were a comforting feel in the frigid weather. Soon a noise pierced the air. "They're here..."

Griffins from the academy arrived in swarm. A quick counter would notice there were exactly 100 griffins for 100 orcs. With final farewells, the young orcs gathered their equipment and supplies before gathering into a semi-organized formation. Rathavar was at the head of this formation. Though not the largest of the orcs, his presence was abundantly more noticeable than anyone else. Soon the griffins landed in front of the horde of orcs and watched them expectantly. There was silence. And than Rathavar spoke. "Mount your griffins! Wait for my call and we ride!"

The orcs moved in to find a griffin for themselves. Rathavar was the first to pick, and he chose a particular griffin with golden-blond feathers. He'd need to be distinct if he wants his orcs to be able to follow him, unaware that the griffins would lead them to school well enough on their own. "Sound off! I want to make sure everyone is here, and each of you are prepared for what we are about to do. This is a war that no have ever fought. A battle that we have the honor of tasting first. This, is a diplomatic mission! We must show the Earthlings our strength, and in turn, find what makes them worthy of our strength! We lead a new generation of orcs, a generation that no longer needs to eek out an existence against hostile forces. We have begun our golden age, where the rift between worlds have been torn asunder just for us! So let us go, and face these earthlings head on! We will take their knowledge, absorb their powers, and bring it back to our home and our people. We are orcs! We live, we strive, and we are victorious! NOW SOUND OFF!"

Rathavar had his griffin take the the skies first, followed by the hundred of other orcs trailing behind him. They circled the skies a few times to ensure that everyone was off the ground, and for one final farewell to the lands of Lucis and the country of Malakaus. The orcs in the skies and the orcs on the land had only one last thing to say before they were off. And it was quite audible.

"WAAARGH!"

After a journey that felt like it had taken days, the horde arrived to the academy. They dismounted their griffins and readjusted their belongings. The Academy of Arcane Arts was a new and unknown place to them, and because of it the orcs stayed together. Some were already gripping their weapons, at least until Rathavar found a large rock to stand on to speak to them. "Here we are. The Academy of Arcane Arts. Remember orcs, this is a diplomatic mission. We aren't here to conquer land or to destroy any enemies. But that doesn't mean that we should be weak and limit ourselves to mediocrity! We face new challenges here, things that we may have never faced before, but regardless we shall be victorious! Be it on the battle or in scholarly pursuits. And remember that you have each other as well. We are not alone, my orcs, and are strongest when we work together. When you are hurt, we shall heal you. When you are angry, we will calm you. And when we put our bodies and souls together, there is no force that can stop us! Now let's go, and make sure that our new friends know who we are!" A roar of cheers erupted from the orcs as Rathavar led the charge towards Academy. He didn't know exactly where to go, but that didn't matter. Wherever he took them, he would go there at full force and let nothing stop him.

Mariam Machina

---

Mary woke up to the sound of her alarm clock blaring a high-pitched screeching sound. Fumbling around on her nightstand she managed to put the alarm on snooze, only to be awoken five minutes later when it rang again. Mary groaned but got out of bed. She headed strait towards the bathroom where she did her morning routine, and when she was out she was much more lively, although still a bit groggy and hungry. "Biggy, what's for breakfast?" Mary asked as she began to change into her clothes. Biggy the mini mech entered the room than. He had to be careful not to hit anything with his considerable bulk, but still showed off his grace and dexterity by lowing a plate of food onto Mary's desk. After eating breakfast, Mary was much more chipper and seemed excited. "Alright! Are you ready Biggy? We're going to to the Academy of Arcane Art! I don't know magic, but I guess that's why I'm going, right? Hopefully we make lots of friends over there. maybe I could teach those Lucis people a thing or two about technology, you know? And they could teach me magic. Anyways, let's go Biggy! I don't want to be late." Biggy reached down and scooped up Mary into his hand. His chest opened up revealing a somewhat cramp space. Hardly big enough to a full sized adult, but just the right size for Mary. She entered Biggy and fired up her mech.

Soon a Griffin arrived to Mary's mansion, and it must have looked surprised to see a ten-foot tall mech greet it. The Griffin itself was super huge, just perfect for Biggy. Though the griffin seemed apprehensive, Biggy was able to mount the griffin and off they flew towards the Academy. By the time they got there, the Griffin did a haphazard land and was exhausted. Biggy however was completely fine. He got off the Griffin, bowed his head as thanks for his service, and headed off towards the academy just shortly after the orcs did.

Griffins and New Beginnings:


Varren’s eyes slid open as his ears picked up the incessant beeping of his alarm clock. Being the cause of his rude awakening, he mumbled a curse to it as he pushed off his fluffy blanket. Leaving the soft embrace of his bed, the boy moved his own weight, swinging his feet off to the side to gain a stable footing. Operating off of instinct, his hand reached out to a wrist-device; on its display was a notification ordering him to leave his peaceful slumber. Sluggishly applying an index finger to the screen, he silenced the alarm and let out a yawn. After proceeding with his morning procedure, a tradition of brushing his teeth and taking a shower in his drowsy state, followed by dressing himself. However, instead of slipping into his casual attire, he put on a neatly ironed uniform which rested on his desk. ”Oh… today’s the day.” Aside from the belated acknowledgement of his first day at a brand new school, he adorned himself with the jacket and weaved the tie through his collar. Once his uniform was fully prepared, Varren grabbed his packed luggage; a pair of large travel bags, filled with armaments and school materials. Being an arduous task to tug both bags with his frail arms, he lazily brought up his Toshinmac and tapped on the Messages tab. Scrolling through his contacts, he let out another groan and poked at the name of one of his family’s butlers.

”Please bring my carry-on to the front gates. I’ll be out there in five minutes.”

After committing the act of apathy, he creeped around the house until he found his mother. He found her waiting by the front door, wearing her usual business attire. Her face lit up when she saw her child, lethargically approaching her with a tired expression. She let out a high-pitched giggle and cuffed her hands over her mouth, her eyes affixed at the boy in his uniform, ”Today is the big day! My baby boy’s first day at his new academy! Good thing I don’t have to disown you~” The woman teased, grinning as she raised an arm towards him. Varren’s eyes traced the limb, settling upon what was within her hand. ”A present from your father. He had a meeting early this morning with the American branch, so hopefully this will suffice.” She faced the pistol grip to him, her fingers were wrapped around the main body of the gun, ”Relaying what he said, he felt you required a sidearm. It’s chambered with a 5.7x30mm anti-material round, with low recoil and high penetration capabilities, this gun is perfect for you. Also, the muzzle can be used as a bludgeoning weapon…”

The woman trailed off as her eyes beamed at his overall physique, ”...But I’m sure that such a tactic wouldn’t leave much of a mark on your enemy, hm?” His mother stepped towards him and folded his fingers around the pistol, then seized him in a bear hug. She pouted as she squeezed his arms, ”Wow, you may be taller than me, but you’re still a skinny twig. I hope this uniform isn’t a size too large...” Varren let out a sigh at the redundant statement, after all, the uniform’s sleeves were longer than his arms.

”I mean, really. A creature wouldn’t even want a bite of you. They’d only be able to nibble on the bone, that’s about it. That’s not appetizing.”
As the woman went on, Varren exhaled deeply, cutting her off from her ruthless critiquing session.

”Shh. This is supposed to be a memorable event, not a chance to go on a rant. Anyways, thanks for the farewell. Tell the old man I said goodbye. I’ll stop by the office when I get a day off, alright?” His mother nodded and released the boy, patting him on the back and pushing him towards the door, ”Alright, make sure to come back with some friends! Oh yeah, your first batch of ammunition should arrive tomorrow. Good luck, my dear boy!”

Still in a daze, he walked out of the front door, leaning forward in a hunch. Wrapping his fingers around the doorknob, he turned it and slowly eased it open. The sudden wave of chilled air barely registered, since Varren was used to the cold weather. He slipped the pistol into his uniform’s pocket and took a first step off the porch. The boy cautiously paced himself on the icy walkway, performing a distorted parody of ballet in the process. Managing to survive with his clumsy balance, he made his way to the metal gates, then placed his palms on the bars and pushed forward with his whole body. After moving the creaking gates, he stepped through the new opening and stopped at the sight awaiting him. Standing before him was a fully grown griffin, waiting idly next to his luggage on the snowy sidewalk about two meters away. It took a few moments for a reaction to manifest itself, a dazed smile formed on his face. ”Oh my. I really need some coffee… Probably should not have stayed up so late working on that project...”

Deducing that the beast was a creation of his mind, he playfully waltzed over to it and grabbed onto a feather, giving it a light tug. The supposed figment of his imagination suddenly let out a shrill caw of displeasment and stared back at Varren. Narrowing its beady eyes at him, it slipped a wing under the boy’s feet, then flung him into the air. ”...Wha?” The zombie of a student muttered as he did a front flip, before landing limply on a fastened saddle. With a blank expression and widened eyes, he tried to find a silver lining within his current situation. Wracking through his head for the reason of the griffin’s presence, the image of the letter he received a few days prior flashed vaguely in his memory. Abruptly torn from his leisure state, his mouth hung open out of realization.

”It’s so comfy!” Was all the boy had to say, lightly grabbing onto the creature’s exterior as he managed to hug it. Having completely forgotten about the type of transport he would taken to school, the boy subconsciously walked to the front of his house, thinking a bus would have escorted him to school. He glanced around for an attendant, only to be faced with empty street corners. He shrugged and deduced that the griffin had arrived on its own. ”Onwards! To the academy, and caffeinated beverages!” Varren cheerfully said aloud, holding out an arm, motioning the griffin to proceed with their takeoff. The creature grunted and set its gaze forward, slightly flapping its wings in preparation. Once it felt contempt, it grabbed onto his luggage with its forearms and propelled itself upwards, kicking up the snow which caked the concrete. He got a firm grip on the griffin’s sides as the creature ascended into the air. Varren watched the wings as they changed angles, utilizing the wind to push them forwards.

Gracefully soaring through the air, Yinyues couldn’t help but to shiver as he felt the cold air brush against his uniform. ”It is winter after all… I should have worn a sweater or something.” He mumbled as he clung closer to the griffin, hoping to grasp onto a portion of its warmth. The warm-blooded beast was bred to endure such conditions with flying colors, covered in a coat of feathers which held in every bit of heat. He lowered his forehead in between its scapula, resting his tired mind as they advanced to their destination. Varren closed his eyes, listening to the flapping wings. After a few minutes, his ears picked up the addition of more sets, up to the point where it stirred him from his peaceful respite. Slowly turning his head to the side, he opened his lids and noticed the plethora of griffins surrounding them. He realized that they were nearing the Black Gale, as the flock of creatures began to congregate in a more organized formation. Varren analyzed the faces of the students, though there were too many to remember any notes he mentally took. ”Interesting. They all have different expressions.” Sitting up, he stared ahead and smiled, ”Oh, hey! We’re almost there. Mr. Griffin, you have been a plausible form of transportation. Definitely more unique than a school bus~” The student chimed as he closed his eyes again, leaning on the beast while it passed through the wormhole, waiting out the hour long trip.

The boy let out a yawn as he rose, wearily staring down at the academy which was quickly growing in size. ”Wait… Aren’t we going a tad bit fast Mr. Griffin?” No response came from the creature as it descended altitude at an alarming rate. Varren had no time to bask in the academy’s glorious exterior as the griffin changed the positioning of its wings. It began to flap them against the wind, decreasing their speed as they reached the ground. By this point, the boy was left in shambles, a frightened heap of innocence. The griffin elegantly landed on its back legs, dropping Varren’s luggage then settled on all fours. Varren shook as he slid off the beast, nearly traumatized by the event, ”...Thanks Mr. Griffin. I don’t anything to gi- achoo.” The boy sneezed and sniffled, rubbing a finger against his cold nose. He yawned loudly and reacquired his luggage. Suddenly, the boy heard a crowd of cheers in the distance, which belonged to a horde of orcs.

...Oh. My. I really need a cup of coffee.” He sighed, longingly staring at the academy as more and more students landed. ”Such a lively lot of students. Wonder how many of them are in my class?” Not only was he intrigued by the students themselves, but also the weapons they wielded. It was going to be an eventful year, at the least.

A School like no other
Leonardo Hadn’t even considered the day, He’d spent the night as he’d usually done, working under candle and lamp light in his workshop building and adjusting yet more arcane technology. Picking up a pistol looking device he stepped out the small side door in to the back garden of the floating island on which the large house he lived in with his mother, grandfather and sometimes uncle. Looking at the side of the pistol like mechanism he flicked it with his thumb, the small LED on the back flicked from off to bright blue, slotting in a clip of mana crystals he pointed it down the garden and off the edge of the island. Pulling the trigger a beam of crackling energy leapt froth, hissing and spitting with electrical energy, dissipating about 25 meters away from him. He held it for a moment and counted under his breath, letting go of the trigger after a count of thirty he twisted the dial on the side with his thumb and the LED blinked out, dropping the clip he looked it over. “Half..” He said to himself pocketing the clip and walking back inside his workshop. The sun, such as it was right here, over the black gale, was just starting to rise, bathing the house on a pale orange and red glow. It warmed Leonardo’s back as he headed in to the workshop; on impulse he left the door open. Setting the pistol down atop a small pile of equipment, including Brahak and his casting pistol, the pile of equipment he was to take to the Academy. It wasn’t much, though he had organised something with his Grandfather to let him bring his larger preferences along, including his workbench. Setting the clip of mana crystals in a small port that he had for holding his crystals while recharging he set about making a second one. By the time he’d finished The sun had well and truly risen, he was happily adjusting the outer casing to make it look more ornate than it already did, He had a thing for the aesthetics of his equipment. It was unique, so it had to look as such. His reverie was broken when a small wall mounted screen started bleeping; it was a very old CRT display, one of the first things his uncle had smuggled through for him. It provided the output for a strange radar device he’d had put in to his uncles ship and on the base of the floating Island. He used it to keep an eye on his uncle whenever he was going in or out of the gale. On the screen a small green dot was heading steadily towards the centre of it. Setting the pistol down he ran outside and lent over the edge of the island watching the small spec develop in to a strange looking ship, Looking like a cross between a large cargo plane and a airship his uncles transport looked far more ungainly than it had any right to be. And it handled even worse in Leonardo’s opinion.

The ship came to a halt at what could only be described as a driveway, it was a long platform held out from the front of the house via struts, the plane-airship landed on it, listing to one side before settling down, Leonardo was already there, wondering if his uncle had gotten his hands on the bits Leo needed. Leonardo’s Uncle smiled and swept his nephew up in to a hug “Its good to see you before you go kiddo!” He boomed, Alexander was a bear of a man, bigger than most others, and built like a tank. Leonardo looked confused for a moment, then remembered “OH god, its today isn’t it uncle?” Alexander looked confused and then laughed “You forgot again didn’t you?” He teased “One of these days you’ll have to get your head out your workshop and in to the real world, You can’t go about forgetting the day you’re ment to go to school! You were up all night again working on that blasted Manalance weren’t you?” Leonardo laughed, his uncle could read him well enough. “Yes uncle, but it works now. Anyway! What did you get this time?” He asked, His uncle just shook his head “Nothing this time kiddo, the entire place is in uproar with the new uptake of Academy students. At this point Alexander’s Grandfather walked out the house with a large cup of coffee. Whilst he was a greater Demon he preferred to avoid assuming his true form in the house, Not only did it tend to make things smell like sulphur and ash, but his horns scraped something terrible on the ceilings. He appeared as a tall, well-built gentlemen in his late 20’s, wearing a suit and often wearing an eye patch. “What on earth is all this ruckus about? And Leo, are you not packed yet?” He added and Leonardo looked slightly panicked “No I didn’t!” and with that he sprinted back inside. Madly packing all he needed he also got changed and showered, washing the majority of the oil and mana dust from his skin. Picking up his two guns and Brahak he set them in to place, the two pistols at his hip and Brahak folded up over his back, he also had the long school coat on. As per the year before he carred a medium sized back pack and a hard cased suitcase. The back pack had some changes of clothes and the essentials for day to day life, The suitcase had several dozen large scrolls with transportation sigrils drawn across them, matching up to sigrils linked to several of the more important workshop benches, and his wardrobe and bed. The sigrils had been done by his grandfather. He came out the house to find his uncle and Grandfather pouring over what he identified as a music player, checking his pockets he walked over and took his Music player off them. “Will you stop taking my stuff. Even if it is manahanced.” He protested, then hugged them both. “I’m going to miss you two.” He admitted and grinned. “I’m still not going to write!” He said. They both said good bye to Leo and headed inside to have some breakfast, Leonardo having eaten much earlier in the day. Leonardo settled down on the end of the drive, tossing stones and other detritus over the edge, in to the gale, waiting for his lift to arrive.

After some time he saw a formation of griffins leaving the black gale, setting the back pack upon his shoulders and putting the hard case in to position under it he fastened the two together and stood. “One….Two….Three…” He started running. Last year he’d been so excited about going he’d accidently jumped off the edge of the island, prompting his Griffin to have to catch him, later that year he’d found the griffin’s and gotten to know ‘his one’ Once again he was putting in to practice a untested theory. And once again it was insanely risky. All this flashed through his mind as he leapt from the edge of the driveway, coat tails flapping behind him as he shot downwards, a coloured blur keeping pace with him he laughed. He was, as per usual, right his griffin was right beside him, stretching a hand out he grabbed hold of the saddle and pulled himself in to position, gripping tightly, He had his teeth bared against the wind he lent close to his ride and egged it on to push to the edge of what it could do speed wise, grinning he let the insane speeds wake him up. Being right atop the gale he got to leave later and arrive at the same time as the other students.

Due to the insane speeds he was going the landing wasn’t quite as majestic as some of the others landings, The griffin spread its wings to slow itself, but it still landed and skidded a good thirty meters or so, turning through 45 degrees as it did so. Leonardo let out a loud whoop of joy and vaulted from the griffin, landing and stumbling a little, earning a disapproving glare from his griffin. Doing a heel turn he walked over to his Griffin and rubbed its neck appreciatively. After a moment he turned and headed towards the building, the manic grin still on his face as he did so, his hair a total mess from the insane wind he’d just gone through.

////Location
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
////Time
0700

A banner with the words "GOOD LUCK!" sagged over the large entrance of a hangar. Inside stood a girl with striking white hair and more notably small wings sprouting out of it. Her cold blue eyes stared at the entrance, waiting for the arrival of her guide. Instead, a middle aged man in a sharp uniform entered the hangar. She gave a hasty salute and he returned it. "At ease flight officer, only came to see you off." he glanced around the hangar, noticing the empty plastic cups and stuffed trash cans. "I take it your going away party with your fellow squadron mates was a success?" he said with a chuckle

"Yes sir! Sort of regretting it now though... Still a bit hung over..." she said giving a yawn. "If my parents had seen me at that going away party I would been dead within a minute." The man chuckled again, but soon his expression became more solemn.

"Listen.... Flight-, no, Alika, I know you must resent them for not showing up to see you off.... It's just your father being a Colonel now and your mother in-"

"Marcus, you don't need to defend them. I'm sure they have their reasons...They always seem to do.... I'm just happy I'm doing something for myself for a change..." she paused and gave a sigh and sad smile "But it hasn't been all bad. I'm gonna miss you sir, and the 118th. I mean what will happen to Maxwell if I'm not there to stop him from crashing into another wing of the Academy!" she said, seemingly trying to keep a light heart about the situation. Just then a large gust blew through the hangar and at its entrance stood a mighty griffin. The two starred for a moment at the beast, amazed by its appearance. "Well, I guess that's my guide... I better be going." Alika walked over to her gear, picking up her gear and weapon before leaping into her Striker. The engines glowed blue for a moment as the warmed up. She began to taxi out of the hangar and looked over to see her entire flight on the side of the run way in a line. Marcus walked out in front of them.

"Attention!" They all stand straight, arms at their side. "Bear Arms!" Everyone gives and holds a salute, staring at her intently. Alika held by the urge just to run up and hug all of them and simply nodded instead. The griffin walks up to her confused. She turns to it, petting its head.

"Don't worry big guy, I can fly myself, could you just lead me there?" The griffin tilted his head and nodded, still no entirely sure if the strange human was speaking the truth. With a strong flap of his wings he was in the air, with Alika soon following. She glanced back below at the academy fading away into the distance. Giving a sad sigh, she looked forward towards the griffin, flying through the sky. After a few hours they passed through the Black Gale and began to approach the new academy. The griffin motioned to the school and waved off. "Thank you!!" Alika yelled. The griffin cawed in response and flew away. The early morning sadness was now replaced with the a new found excitement as she watched griffins carrying students landed and dropped off her potential classmates. Giving a big grin she dove down and did a fly by of the school at supersonic speeds, causing a sonic boom moments later. She circled again at more moderate speed before landing.

"I see your still your lively self Alika!"

---

////Location
Russian Federation FOB Kolski II, Chrimea
////Time
0700

The skies were dark grey and mud seem to be everywhere Leytenánt Akulova went. The only part that was solid ground on the base was the hastily paved tarmac of the runway and landing pads. Elena gave a big yawn and hunched over. She had spent most the night providing nighttime CAS (close air support) to advancing forces and she didn't even have time to change or anything. Instead she wore her somewhat muddy camouflage uniform carried her gear on her back. She already had her striker unit mounted and her gun set up as she practically fell asleep with it once she got back. Just then a griffin landed, causing quite a stir. Within a minute, several troops, an armored car, and a tank had stopped what they were doing and pointed they're weapons at the beast. The griffin cautiously looked around, suddenly feeling very small when his rider suddenly loudly proclaimed "BACK OFF COMRADS! THIS IS MY BEAST! I SHALL TAME YOUUUUUU!" and jumped into the air. The griffin had only one thought.

"...What????"

The griffin gave a yelp when Elena landed all 250lbs of equipment, not to mention her own muscular self onto it suddenly. "Forward flying beast! TO victory!" the griffin, still dazed and confused by what's going on, stumbled a bit before launching into the sky. "Mighty beast not so mighty eh? Of course you no match for me!" They flew through the skies for a couple of hours, the whole time Elena lazily napped on the beast's back, letting him do all the work. It wasn't before long they arrived at the academy. The beast shook Elena off, flinging her to the ground. "OW! Son of a bitch! Hey! Flying beast! GET BACK HERE!" But it was too late as the griffin had hurriedly flown away. Elena stood up, brushing herself off before looking around. "Damn... what a freak show.." she mumbled, seeing the wide diversity of the students. "Though I guess me and Alika don't have very much to..." a sonic boom rang out over the students. "Well speak of the devil." She walked over to where Alika stood and waved. "I see your still your lively self Alika!"

"Die in a fire Elena" Alika said, turning away, arms crossed.

"Eh? What? What did I do to anger my little birdie?"

"I still haven't forgotten what happened in Hawaii!"

"Ohh dat? Oh ho ho, come now, that was all in the past and besides..." Elena but her arm around Alika and leaned in next to her. "If I remember correctly you really enjoyed it." Alika's face went red and she pushed Elena away.

"I WAS REALLY, REALLY DRUNK NO THANKS TO YOU!" she then realized what she yelled and became even more embarrased. Elena simply laughed her heart out at the poor girl.

Wandering across what would be the unknown to him, passing through the labyrinth of a city at early in the morning, he was only greeted by students who were rushing to school and glaring at his odd appearance, covered in a cape was, apparently, not that popular inside the city areas, since this would not be the first one where this had happened. Of course, he took limited notice, and instead was swallowed up in his own world. ''412 tyrands... 412.001 tyrands.. 412.002 tyrands..'' For a man to be counting the time that had passed until his reunion with the famed Academy of the Arcane Artes, that is indeed what you can call patience. Having wandered for 412 tyrands, or the entire duration between the change of grades, that indeed speaks for something. ''Horidan, you should be coming now...'' He spoke silently, a glint of distortion could be heard from his voice, but not of anything mechanical, but of magic. After wondering some distance further, he came across a crossing of roads, and within short time, a griffon majestic enough to be from tales and stories came soaring down the heavens, and made a valiant landing in the very center of the barren crossroad. Wishing to waste no time for neither him nor the griffon, which he had named Horidan, he quickly swung himself atop the back of the well experienced and trained griffon and soon they took off towards the skies.

Whilst up there, it was no surprise to say the least, the griffons speed increased, but Mundus was not faced, he was used to rough traveling and his many Zir'Xals assisted him in his subconcious fight for balance, to him there was not even a chance of falling over, and whilst that was the case, he was unable to feel the inner workings of his nigh-mechanical body. The view was wonderful, but he did not bother, he was unamused by it. Maybe he would've been if he was older, or if it had not happened to him. But he did not feel it, nor did he feel anything about this travel, all he felt was respect for the majestic creature which he had named Horidan. ''I feel the deepest respect for you. In fact, it's reason enough for me to respect you for being a griffon, but that is not all. I respect your power.'' He did not need to scream, for the Arcanum made within him would bare the message.

Through traveling the distance which would be much harder for a car or train, it took a simple two hours time for the Griffon. Horidan had taken Mundus on every trip, it was easy to notice due to the distinct mark on the griffons shoulder. Upon their arrival and descent Mundus made his goodbyes with Horidan and said that they'd meet again. The two of them bowed their heads each, and then Mundus walked away, but not before handing out a small reward, from out of nowhere, he took out a piece of meat and gave it to the griffon, it enjoyed it greatly, and with that, Mundus bowed his head again and made his leave from the landing area. He followed the direction which almost all the other students were going, not because he did the same, but because he knew that was where he had to go. Within seconds the cape immaterialised to reveal a man in an academy uniform, nothing distinctively wrong unless you'd see him with only the bare minimum. Then the fact would be quite clear.

Loreal

Well before the griffon arrived, Loreal was ready to go. She awoke with daybreak as the light shattered through the trees of the forest and her home, though that was typical of most elves. They rose and set with the sun, staying up after sunset only for special occasions such as birthdays or festivities. She packed her bags—clothes, hygienics, some plants to add some life to the dull dorms—and had help from her sisters bringing them to the forest floor. They would grab a bag from the platform in the canopy called a room and then drop branch by branch until their bare feet dropped onto the soft ground. Then they’d easily climb back up the tree, hopping and swinging between branches without a sound—save for their complaining or gossip.

Once the bags—which were made of woven wood and leaf—were safely on the ground, Loreal grabbed the last of her belongings: her bow and arrows. She picked the bow up carefully from its place on the wall and a small smile brushed her lips as she admired the woodwork with the tips of her fingers. She sighed and gave one last look around the canopy and slung her quiver and bow over her shoulder. “I’ll be back next year,” she assured the empty air. And with that, she dropped from her room and onto a branch, letting herself fall to one and then the other until she found the ground.

“Do you have everything you need? Your furs? It’s cold in the Gate during this time of the year.” The low voice belonged to her father, who stood by her luggage with her sisters and their own baby griffon, Saxon.

Loreal nodded in response. “I believe so,” she added with a nervous smile as she played with the fur of her sleeve. Leaving home every year was something she still had not grown used to. She also wasn’t used to the dramatically changing weather at the Academy—especially the cold.

Her father watched her for a moment and then opened his mouth to speak. However, he was interrupted by a large winged beast dropping from the sky just behind him. It cawed in greeting and Loreal’s sisters all squeaked in surprise together, moving closer together. The baby griffon hid between her father’s legs, its eyes wide as it watched the older and much larger beast.

Loreal laughed as the Academy griffon only snorted and loaded up her belongings. Then she hugged her father tightly—she was generally the first to express affection between the two of them. “Goodbye, and I’ll be back soon,” she promised before pulling away to address her sisters. “And thank you for the help. Goodbye!” She hopped onto the griffon, thankful to be escaping the heat in the heavy furs she wore, and held on tight.

When she arrived at the school, the griffon landed easily and Loreal slid off the mount and into the snow. “Brrrrr,” she hissed, shivering as she pulled the fur tighter around her body. Her green eyes flickered around at the other students who had already landed and the ones still landing. There were faces she didn’t recognize—first years, most likely—and some faces that she vaguely knew. Who’s going to be my partner this year? she wondered, fixing her hair.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Dagny Ek

“You cold?” Dagny asked, her blue eyes on the young woman beside her. The woman was petite and slender, making Dagny look even larger in comparison. Much of her skin was bare despite the falling snow, her broad shoulders and thick arms still free of goose bumps.

“C-cold looking at you,” the other girl hissed, pulling her coat on tighter around her dark skin as she shivered. “Where is that bird?”

The dragon girl laughed a bit and spit fire from between her sharp teeth and into the air, providing some heat for the woman. “It’ll be here soon,” she assured, stretching her arms over her head as smoke rose from her mouth and nostrils.

“Here” was a small house in the middle of a tundra. Dagny’s family home was terrible isolated from the rest of Sweden, Earth, and the only sign that there was life outside of the property was the road. The road, incidentally, was covered in snow and ice and therefore blended in with the rest of the landscape. As snow continued to fall, her luggage—only a couple bags—was becoming covered in it. Noticing this, the purple eyed woman brushed the powder off with a gloved hand.

A screech broke the silence and the women looked up as a griffon fell from the sky. “Well, this is me,” Dagny stated casually. “See ya later.” She offered a wave as the griffon gathered up her things. Though the hand she waved with was grabbed and she was pulled back into a hug. The dragon girl felt her face flush red and she hesitantly hugged the other back.

“Write me or something,” the girl ordered as she pulled away to wink at the dragon.

Dagny glanced away, then back, and nodded. “Y-yeah,” she responded as she cleared her throat, coughing up more smoke. “I’ll do that.” And with that, she climbed onto the griffon and waved once more as they took off.

Time flew by and Dagny was more than comfortable in the air. When they were finally in school airspace, the young woman leaped off the griffon, who scolded her with a screech. Nonetheless, she hit the ground with a heavy impact, snow flying up from where she hit. “Woo!” she exclaimed, greeting the school grounds quite noisily as she stood at her full height, throwing her hands in the air. A drop from that height would break human bones at least, but she stood fine. In fact, the ground is what took damage from her drop: she stood in a small crater, lending evidence to her massive true form.

The griffon landed beside her with a caw of disapproval, but Dagny only shrugged in response. “It’s year four—I had to do something to spice it up,” she stated matter-of-factly, her eyes flickering about at the not so fresh and fresh meat alike—mostly looking for a reaction to her fall. She did love to show off.

The sky was pretty today. Lilith imagined it would be, to anyone who wasn't her. She eyed a silver of light peeking through the thick velvet curtains and peered through the window, and it was just enough to watch a burning orb rising into a blue expanse. It was an odd sight. She let out a yawn as she sat up from the invitingly soft sheets of her bed. Adjusting her nocturnal sleep schedule wasn't hard, but it hadn't fully settled quite yet. To top it off, she really shouldn't have stayed up so late reading, as she gently snuffed out the flame of a half melted candle on her desk. On most days, this would be her bedtime - but she knew that the Academy was of higher priority than that. She promptly continued along with the morning schedule she had planned : get up, take a bath, get dressed, get packed, and wait for the transportation.

She walked over to the ornate mirror in her bedroom, and dressed herself accordingly with the uniform of a skirt, shirt, and jacket. Lilith also put on a long black pair of stockings; a pair of gloves made with a thin material, and donned a matching sunhat with a brim that cast a shadow over her face. Once she was done adorning herself, she grabbed her luggage that was packed the night before and filled to the brim with the usual materials and supplies. Opening her bedroom door with a resounding creak,, she walked out into a hallway of gold rimmed paintings and crimson walls. Save for the clack of shoes on the lacquered floorboards, only silence greeted her as she walked past closed doors and unused chandeliers. She was likely the only one awake in the entire mansion - and it was better that way. The quiet was the sweetest song to her ears.

After dragging her luggage down a spiral of stairways, she began to make her way to the front door. Pulling open the door, she stepped outside onto the front porch. A daze came over her as sunlight poured into the doorway. She silently thanked no one in particular that she was sufficiently clothed and safe under the wide brim of her hat. Her scarlet eyes blinked as she did her best to adjust to the sudden brightness. She grumbled absentmindedly to herself as she balanced herself by grabbing the door handle with a free hand, feeling dizzy from the previous shock. "How does anyone even live with this... "

Sighing, she continued along the path that led out to the expansive courtyard. A heavy aroma of roses hung in the air. Looking down at her watch, she figured it wouldn't be long until it was time to leave. Lilith stood in the shade of a tree for a moment, taking out a small bottle from her pocket. Taking a brief moment to admire the intricate engravings on the glass, she uncorked it and lifted it to her lips. Although she had just fed a few nights ago on some unfortunate rabbit, it didn't hurt to have a little snack before she left for the Academy. Licking the crimson liquid from her lips, she enjoyed the honey-sweet taste before placing the bottle back in her pocket. Peering up at the sky, she noticed a large silhouette appear. A griffon flapped toward her adorned with a saddle. It had sharp, bright yellow eyes and a muscular body covered in shimmering golden feathers. A caw greeted her as the trained beast dropped down in the center of the courtyard.

“O-oh, why, hello there.” Having never seen a griffon in person before, Lilith widened her eyes and drank in the sight of the rather beautiful creature before her. She approached the griffon and loaded up her belongings before carefully climbing on its back. A hint of anxiety came up within her at the prospect of flying, but the griffon seemed rather intelligent and well-trained. She readied herself and the griffon gave a snort as if to ask if they could take off yet. She nodded, and the creature spread its wings, preparing to take off. Its claws scratched at the ground as it propelled itself upward into the air. Using her arms, she held on tight as the griffon rose higher into the sky. Looking back at her home, she noticed something at the corner of her vision. Two figures from one of the windows waved up at her. Lifting an arm, she waved back, but only for a few seconds as the griffon accelerated at a speed she never knew was possible into the sky. Sighing, she looked down at the ground until the manor was nothing more than a dot.

Lilith felt the wind toss at her hair as they tore through the air toward their destination. She closed her eyes and listened to the monotonous sound of powerful wing strokes beating at the air. She felt the warmth of the feathery body of the griffon pressed up against her as the air grew cold, and they neared the Black Gale. Lifting her head, she took in the sight of a profusion of other griffons with students on their backs. She began to wonder about each of them and who they were as they passed through the Black Gale. Looking forward, she noticed that the Academy was quickly nearing. The griffon surprisingly managed a graceful landing, despite having flown at supersonic speeds. The click-clack of talons on pavement sounded all around her as other students began to land as well. She carefully slid off the saddle and took up her luggage.

“Thanks for the ride.” She rubbed the griffon’s fluffy head in appreciation. The beast grunted in contentment. She then turned and looked about at the unfamiliar faces around her, wondering about how things would go at the Academy for her. She noted some of the foreign-looking weapons some of them were carrying, and assumed these were the students from Earth.

The forest was one of those places which had no palpable reason to exist. It was a creaking shack created by nature to serve as a reminder that things could always be much, much worse. The unnatural, choking mist that swirled and sprawled on the forest floor was the first thing that spoke of a strange sort of wrongness. The sickly white substance seemed to possess liquid properties which only reminded of the maggot-like texture of the eyes of a dead man who had been forgotten in his apartment for a few months, ready to burst at the slightest touch.

But this place was known as Ayaka’s home when the nomadic kitsune had failed to steal enough human currency to take a sweet suite in the numerous Hotels across Japan. The smoke made no sound however and only parted to swallow up her feet and her trusty weapon, the whip, as she marched upon a clearing that opened up to the view of human civilizations in the distance she was known as “Talia” and “The faceless corrupter of Japan” to. Ayaka gazed at this sight coldly with lips twisted downwards in a disapproving frown. She often dreams of more masochistic techniques she could subject the people to, but during through the years she has terrorized them, a larger enemy, much stronger than herself was rising to power. How dare they try to take her job?!

Her armor squeaked to a stop, as if the years of living in environments had caused the flawless equipment concealing her two tails to rust. She was leaving the secret clans of the Japanese legend, the Kitsune, to learn how to do her job better , or maybe even find a new direction in life.

Out of the smoke broke a whoosh of chilling wind nearly knocking the 5’7 female down to her knee and forcing her high ponytail to whip around and smack her rosy cheeks. “Somebodies about to die. …” Ayaka whispered harshly in response to the hair ordeal, crimson eyes close to glowing out of anger until they met a griffon. Her Griffon. For the time being at least.

The beast seemed to approve of the fearless, scary, resilient women the school had chosen to join the war- until the women feverishly threw her plated arms around it’s neck, cuddling it as if it were a precious infant.

“Griffffyy…!!!!” Akaya cooed innocently to the now frightened animal. She had even gone as far as cuddling cheeks with the animal, warming her body among the mounds of black fur. Ayaka shoved one foot into the stirrup….during which the animal decided that take-off was going to occur a little sooner than expected. The animal lurched forward, failing to waver the girl’s cuddling grip. The couple was at least 20 feet in the air before Ayaka decided to mount properly. This girl was a true, down to Earth animal lover, such a contradictory trait to the side that loved whips, bloodshed and what not.

The travel there was filled with calming tunes the griffon’s rider hummed or awes of silence at reality or the passing blurs of the world beneath her. There was even one point the women was so in love with the animal she had morphed into a fox wagging it’s tail wildly with appreciative yipping sounds the griffon merely rolled it’s eyes at. By the time the academy’s view broke through the clouds, the now human kitsune sat upright in a rigid posture with a stoic expression. Ayaka dismounted and the griffon shied away without a beat and took to the sky. On sight, one would think she had tortured the poor creature with the whip stapled to her side, not torture it with frightening kindness. On her other side was a simple, moving bag. Moving? Whatever was inside was alive—the same person might think she even had brought torture to-go for a later use. It was clear other first-years had arrived before her. After all, her flight may have been the farthest but she arrived in time to see the hoard of a 100 griffons approach like a massive black thunderstorm crowd with…grotesque and intelligent creatures bestowed upon them.

Nonetheless, a experienced looking lad had caught her attention, to which she made a beeline for as if it was love at first sight that she would tie him to forever, something more than some foolish highschool crush.

She halted in front of Raule, her fox-like eyes seemed to explore his soul for weakness while her mouth failed to speak her intentions or even throw him a smile. “Hey!” Her presence grew bigger has she approached, maybe even coming of as frightening as well to the stranger.

Yes, this was love at first sight…Of his beef jerky, of course! “Do you have anymore?!” The girl jutted a finger towards the bag he held in an innocent manner,. Her attire didn’t seem to match the girl’s shy voice and now softened, waiting eyes. “Oh how… rude of me. ..I’m…T-Talia.”

In a countryside town, where green is the only things you can see the moment you look out of the window, Ariadne rises from her bed. She stretches her arms and they even crack a little. She stops for a bit and looks at her right arm. "My, am I getting older that fast?" She puts her arms down and sits on the side of her bed. Dressed in her red pajamas, Ari lets out a yawn that exposes her long canines. She thought she was fully awake now, but she still feels drowsy, even if a little bit. She turns her head to the window next to her bed and sees the sun raising. "It's already that day, huh? I should hurry and get ready.... I just hope they don't send a griffin again." She lets out a sigh. She already had to ride one, and the fact that it had an eagle head made her so nervouse she thought she would die once or twice that day.

After dressing up in her casual clothes, a sleeveless purple shirt reaching just before her bellybutton and a pair of skimpy, purple caps with blue shorts under them. When she comes down from her room, the first one she encounters with is with her dad, a glasses-wearing, middle aged man with gray hair who, as soon as he sees Ari, lets out a sigh. "What? What is it? Why do you sigh at the sight of me first thing in the morning!?" Ari says, a little mad.

"No, it's nothing," Answers her dad. I was just wondering if you weren't chilly in that outfit. But I guess that's heritage from your mother." With an slightly irritated look on her face, she brushes her dad aside and walks over to a closet, where she keeps her things.

"Okay, whatever. I am getting eady for school, so I'll be taking it." She opens the closet and inside, she finds her bow. A rather simple wood bow, painted in green and its tips painted red. Carved all over it are odd scribles that look rather tribal. Ari was told by her mother that those scribbles actually spell her surname, Shishido, but she can't really tell, since she was never taught that language.

"Yeah, I know. Hey, Ari, they will be sending that griffin here again. Are you going to be okay?" He father asks, with a concerned look in his face. Ari was sliding the bow over her head to leave it hanging around her chest when her father asked that and she froze over. The bow fell into place, while Ari mechanically turned her head to her dad.

"It'll work out.... Somehow." Just as they were discussing the reason of Ari's demise, they suddenly hear a fluttering sound coming from outside.

"Seems it's already here, Ari. Ari's father says.

Ari just nods, while sweating a lot. She takes from the closet a pair of yellow fingerless gloves too, alogn with a belt filled with needles. She heads to the front door and puts on her black boots. After putting on her shoes, she grabs a single bag of luggage she had prepared since the night before. She opens the door with trembling hands. "Then.... I'm off."

Her father, who was sitting on the dinner table just a moments ago, is now standing with a hand on his waist, gives Ari a reassuring smile. "Take care now, Ari. Don't forget to write!" He says. Ari feels a little reassured by her father's words.

"Yeah! See you!" She gets out of her house, and comes face to face with the gigantic griffin. It turns its head and growls at Ari. 'Ugh, I just hope he doesn't decide to eat me up as part of its instinct.' She timidly approaches it, then puts her hand to try and caress it, but it doesn't accept her caressing and aggresively moves its head to make her stop. Ariadne is starting to get mad. She rudely takes it from its feathers and pulls on them. "Listen now. Your job is to take me to school, and my job is to be sitting above you, whether you like it or not. So, let's get this over with so both of us can continue with our lives, shall we?" It nods, after growling for a bit. "It's good that we could reach an understanding." She climbs onto its back. Even if she said so... the mere sight of the griffin's feathers is enough to make her tremble with fear. But she needs to stay strong, or else! At least, that's what she thinks. Ari holds the feathers of the griffon rather tightly and forcefully, though it growls in protest. "J-Just start flying already!" Almost as if it really were obeying Ariadne, the griffon flaps its wings and takes off from the ground. Her grasp on its feathers tightens even more. It starts goign faster, and faster, it even puts itself upside down. Ariadne bites her lip. 'Damn thing! Is it trying to make me fall!? Geh..... I forgot to put on my uniform. Oh, well, I'll change when I am there.'

After a while, it finally starts flying normally. Ariadne lets out a sigh. She's just glad she was hanging tightly onto her bow and luggage, or they would have gone off flying. It's finally in sight.... The Black Gale. Ariadne can handle that and more, but for some reason, she is scared out of her mind just by the fact of riding a griffin. As they are about to cross it, the griffin increases its speed, or at least it seems it does. She closes her eyes. She even felt like screaming, but she held it down, or it'll be the griffin's win. After a while, the griffin finally slowed down. She slowly opened her eyes. The school was in sight now. She let out a relieved sigh. "I think I'll walk here next time."

The griffin soon started its descent to the ground, however, Ari didn't feel like waiting. She jumped off the griffin when she saw the opportunity. She then proceeded to undust herself by sweeping with her hands her shoulders and thighs. When the griffin landed beside her, reproaching her reckless action, she showed it her tongue. "I don't care what you think. Now, shoo, shoo!" She motioned with her hands for it to get away. After letting out a disgusted cry, the griffin left, just as irritated as Ariadne. "And don't let me see you ever again, you stinky excuse of a bird!" Another high-pitched screech as it is leaving. "All right, now that mister birdie isn't here anymore...." She takes the bow off of her chest and leaves it in the ground. She opens up her baggage and searches through it for something. When she finally finds it, her eyes get brighter. She takes out the uniform she had stuffed into her bag and leaves it above it. Then, she nonchalantly starts undressing in the middle of the courtyard where the Griffin had left her. After stripping into her panties and bra, she puts on her uniform's skirt and shirt, and over it the blazer. She then proceeds to store her other clothes inside the bag. After adjusting her hair a bit, Ariadne starts walking, headed to her classroom. Though some would say she is rather airheaded and didn't notice that others were watching her, she indeed was aware of that, she just didn't care. She even threw a kiss towards a boy who was staring at her, with his jaw dropped.

Chris glanced down at his watch. It'd been 45 minutes now, and he was getting a little impatient. He looked back up to the girl sitting across from him at the table. She was cute; long blonde hair, blue eyes, smiling at him. Her name was Heather. He'd only met her a few days ago, at some party, through a mutual friend. It was spontaneous, and a little weird, when he saw her again and asked her out for breakfast a few days later. Who asks a girl out for breakfast? He was just glad that the girl thought nothing of the few cybernetic implants visible on him. They scared a few people away, and it saddened him when they did. Either way, he probably seemed like some kind of weirdo.

"So how long's it been now, like, 40 minutes since we ordered?" she asked. She glanced over at the waiter, who was currently serving another table.

"45," Chris replied, "and I am starving." The restaurant was a little packed, despite the hour. Several tables and booths filled with people. "Hey... Do you wanna just get out of here instead?" She smirked at him.

"My thoughts exactly." He smiled back, liking this girl more and more as the night went on. He raised his arm for the waiter.

"Check please!"

---

It was a relatively warm morning, but the breeze made it a little chilly. He pulled on his light jacket, as Heather buttoned up her sweater. The two stepped out into the plaza that the restaurant was stationed in the corner of. A few stores and cafes lined the other walls of the plaza, with several benches and a fountain stationed in the center. Stone slabs, probably meant to be sat on, jutted out from the bricks floor. It was pretty, but mostly empty at the moment.

"So much for breakfast," he said, slightly exasperated.

"Well," she started, "there are a ton of other cafes we could tr-" Her sentence was cut short as a large black shadow passed overhead. Chris looked overhead, trying to shield his eyes from the sun as he looked.

"What the Hell was that?" she asked. The question was immediately followed by the shadow looping back around, its owner landing gracefully in front of them: a huge griffon. Chris sighed deeply as soon as he saw the beast.

"Shit." Chris put a hand on the griffon's neck, patting it. "I forgot it was today..." He looked toward Heather. "I, am... So, so sorry. I have to go." The girl was still in shock from the sight of the mythical creature standing right in front of her. It was probably a good thing that the plaza was empty at the moment. "I have to go. Like, right now. Last time I kept him waiting, I had to pay quite a bit for broken windows..." He turned around to the griffon, rubbing the base of it's neck and side playfully. "Isn't that right, buddy? It's been a while, how are ya'?" It let out a cry and ruffled its majestic white feathers in response, before turning its head and nuzzling Chris's arm. Chris pulled a napkin and a pen from the restaurant out of his jacket pocket, scribbling down a number against the griffon's saddle. He handed it to the still-speechless Heather. "Text me later," he said with a smirk. "I'll explain everything... In the meantiiiiime..." he held the last word as he thought. "Wanna go for a ride?" He pulled himself onto the beast, and then offered a hand to the girl. She uttered a single word as Chris pulled her up.

"Wow." Chris rubbed the griffon's head.

"Alright, buddy, take us up. We've got a couple stops to make. And Heather?.. Hang on tight." The griffon took a running start before leaping and soaring into the sky.

---

The griffon landed in the same place it had the previous four years. Tons of students had already arrived, and were going about their business. Chris inhaled deeply as he hopped off the griffon. "Last year, huh?.. Man, time flies." He looked to the griffon next to him, and rubbed it's side again. "Don't let the fresh meat rough you up too badly, huh?" He smiled, and pat the beast. "Alright, bud. See you in a few days." With that, Chris took a few steps back, and the griffon took to the sky yet again and left. Chris turned back to the school, looking over the masses of new students. He looked over their faces, watching them already making friends, and- was that girl undressing in the middle of the courtyard? What the Hell?! 'Just when you think you've seen everything...' he thought. He shook his head, as if to dismiss the thought, before looking at the building ahead of him. This was going to be an interesting final year. He whistled a tune to himself as he made his way in.

Well, that was a surprise. When Ier-Briar had begun his preparations for departing to this so-called ‘Academy’ that Ezar-Mantine urged him to join, he hadn’t anticipated that the people who ran the educational institute would think that it was a good idea to send a host of griffins to escort him there. In the light of early morning, mist still unfurling over the sharp peaks of his mountain home, the heavily-armored Gemstone roughly patted the heads of one of those griffin’s, his gauntlet rustling its feathered mane. Each one of the four griffins were bursting with virility and ferocity, restrained only by the years of training that had disciplined them to obey whatever their master commanded them to do. They were majestic animals…who probably would have been a little more majestic if it wasn’t for the fact that their feet were chained by steel chains, which then lead to a sizable basket in which he was apparently supposed to step in. The basket itself was made of questionable material, only hardened wood that was spelled with reinforcement enhancements, but hopefully, it would be enough to house the heavyweight Gemstone.

Taking one last look at the mountain, at the forest that lay below it, at the sun that was cresting over the horizon, at all those familiar sights that told him he was home, the blond Gemstone stepped into the cradle, and sat down, an expressionless mask on his face.

He had already said his farewells the night before, and he had already done everything he had wanted to do. There were no more regrets left in this place, and he should be totally fine with leaving the place of his birth, but still…the six year old Gemstone still felt a teensy bit sad. Even though it’s not like any of them would die while he was gone. Immortality was nice like that, but homesickness was irrational like that.

Patting his dull gold armor, he listened to the comforting ring that accompanied the impact, before expanding his sense of smell and taking in the aroma of his homeland. Wild dew, crisp air, aging leaves, a plethora of scents accompanied by the musk of griffins. The wind began to pick up as those beasts flexed their wings, testing the strength of their chains and the weight of their passenger, before picking up a running gallop, pulling the cradle along. With a synchronized screech and a united effort, the squadron of griffins launched themselves off the cliff’s edge, jerking down almost instantaneously as Ier-Briar’s weight bore fully on them, before slowly, ever so slowly, recovering.

He probably should be scared about a body-shattering fall if the griffins weren’t strong enough, but Ier-Briar wasn’t particularly worried. He could always just walk to the Academy, after all. Having all the time in the world helped with that. Either that, or they could just try teleporting him, using whatever silly magics mages had nowadays.

The trip, thankfully, was short. The accelerating heart rates of those half-bird monsters was warning the Gemstones of their growing fatigue, and it didn’t help that they were clearly flying at a pace that was beyond them. Peeking over the basket and enjoying the scenery, he waited just until the Academy was in sight, before calling out, “Thank you for your hard work, griffins.”

And then, just like that, he vaulted himself over the basket, tumbled through the air, and struck the snowy terrain. A ‘boom’ could be heard at impact, as the six year old’s body was utterly buried in the snow.

A moment later, his snow-crusted head popped out of the white plains, before his hands grabbed both sides of his head and turned it around, righting the twisted neck. A screech and a crack could be heard, followed by a content sigh.

In the wintery landscape, devoid of sound, Ier-Briar marched stalwartly towards the school.

Incidentally, the first thing he saw as he crossed the school gates was a girl stripping down to her underwear in public view.

“Are fleshbags aroused every month of the year?”

Jeremiah awoke with a start as black paw descended repeatedly on his face, "was going on" he grumbled as the cat continued to smack him. " Wake up Jeremy were gonna be late." The cat continued the assault on his face. "Late, late for wha... OH". He shot bolt upright sending the black cat, Kasha, sailing through the air. "The academy." Jeremy looked around the small room he had for a month now called his home. He came to this bar hoping to exchange work for a room and food. Elisha the bar owner allowed him to stay.

Jeremy slid out of bed and began a desperate sprint around the room, "pens, paper, pencils uniform, oh god where is my uniform." He was spinning in place this was the first time he would attend a real school and he was determined that it would be a good impression. He began throwing the supplies he had bought (after begging Elisha to lend him the money that is,) into a ratty shoulder bag. "Kasha do you know where my uniform is." He couldn't keep the panic out of his voice even as she giggled. "Jeremy look outside" was all she said trying to suppress another laugh. He stared out into the darkness Wiping the fog away. "Is it here, please don't tell me the griffin is here already. He peered out positive he would see it, but he could see nothing but the street lights blaring along the road." It's still dark..." there were hours to go before he should even have to get up. Kasha couldn't take it any longer he could hear her laughing as he fell back into the bed he was much to relieved to be angry with her.

He was much to excited to sleep and after an hour of laying still he sighed got up and began to get dressed. He wondered what the school would be like he couldn't help but begin to panic again as he thought of it. He had never been to a real school before he was home schooled up until he stopped having a home and after that he did not really have time or money to try to go to a normal school. These thought continued to run through his head as he buttoned the school jacket over his uniform. "How does it look?" he said to the room at large. "Absolutely stunning" came the sarcastic reply from under his bed. Kasha stepped out two spider legs dangling from her mouth. "Why do you do that?" He said as he stared at the cat and visibly fought the need to vomit. "Because i know it bothers you." she said with a flick of her tail. "Well I'm going to get some real breakfast" Jeremy said turning and walking out the room.

"Surprise!" Elisha yelled as he stepped through the doorway. Jeremy almost jumped out of his skin he knew she was down here but he had not expected her to yell. "I-Wha-huh?" Jeremy stuttered looking at the decorations around the room. His eyes caught the banner on the roof "Don't screw it up!, the plate loaded with food, and finally over to Elisha who stood in the middle with a large smile on her face."Well?" she said staring at him from across the room. He didn't know what to say He just continued to look around, finally he found his voice. "Don't screw it up?" He said gesturing at the banner overhead. She beamed " You'd better not either when you come back next you will make an excellent advertisement." It took this a moment to sink in, "you want me to come back?" he asked. "Well of course," she smiled, " You're the best pest control around with that cat and once your an academy boy ill have costumers lined up around the block."

The two had spent the next hour talking about what they believed the academy must be like and eating the large breakfast She had made when the heard a light whoosh outside. The panic that had subsided came back full force Jeremy immensely regretted the large breakfast as he turned to the door. "I think that must be my ride." he said trying to smile. "Well Best not keep 'em waiting" Elisha said completely ignoring his now ghostly paleness, she threw open the door and found herself face to face with a snow white griffin, Kasha hopped into his bag and let out a small hiss. "What?" he said getting back some color. "don't like birds that are bigger then you?" He said with a smile. "You hush!" Kasha whispered from her hiding spot.

Jeremy looked at the griffin in awe "wow" was all he could say. The griffon definitely didn't mind the praise he received from Jeremy, and Jeremy was laying it on thick. "Can you under stand me?" he said to the griffin, which bobbed its head up and down, he took that as a yes. "Do you have a name?" he said still standing there staring. It froze up this time neither nodding yer or no. Jeremy smiled "It's alright if you don't tell me, I'll just call you..." He stopped and thought for a moment as the griffin eyed him, then his eyes lit up, "Mr. Feathers!" Mr. Feathers hit the ground. After Jeremy helped Mr. Feathers back up and with one last goodbye they were off. Jeremy could not help but whoop and sheer as they flew through the air. Mr. Feathers started doing acrobatics hoping to scare Jeremy into quieting down, this just made the cheers louder.

By the time they had made it to the academy Mr. F had begun to enjoy the praise. When that landed Jeremy slid of and gave Mr. F a pat on the neck, "Thank you, Flying is amazing." he said as the Mr. F looked on. Before anything else could be said Mr. F Began to fly off. Jeremy waved up to him "Bye Mr. Feathers!" he shouted after him. Jeremy almost thought the other griffins were laughing at something, at least there squawks felt like laughs. "Now where," Jeremy looked around he saw many other students mainly orcs and a few... Why was she in her panties? He resolutely looked in another direction," are we supposed to go." He continued to look around while Kasha climbed out of his bag and onto his shoulder. Not a clue." She said curling around his neck and falling asleep.

First Chapter


Varren yawned and let out a set of sneezes, while his feet crushed the snow below him. As he moved his luggage a few meters from the landing area, leaving prints of his own in the white scape. Unable to bear the cold any longer, he came to a halt and spun on the ball of his foot, then leaned over one of the travel bags. With numb hands he unzipped the front section, and proceeded to reach inside. ”Let’s see… Gun… Magazines… Gum… ah, here we go.” After searching through the contents of the bag for a minute, he pulled out a black scarf. It fit perfectly in contrast to the uniform of a similar scheme. Being a gift his mother had given him at a young age, the boy had become accustomed to tieing and weaving it around his neck. He let out a sigh of relief as he felt the comfort of the cloth against his skin. Running a hand through his hair, the boy watched as people disembarked from their transports. Some instantly struck conversations with others, others went on ahead without second thoughts, and there were some who simply froze on the spot, captivated by the academy’s beautiful image. Or maybe they had actually frozen to death, due to the sudden change in climate they could have been experiencing. Finding relaxation on the plastic exterior of his luggage, his eyes trailed off towards the constant flow of griffins, arriving and leaving just as quickly.

”All of these griffins are just barreling from the sky. What’s next, falling humans?” As soon as the query left his mouth, almost on cue, a figure plummeted into the snow to his side, nearly flattening the boy. ”Ow! Son of a bitch!...”, and a few more insinuations resounded from the girl as her ride bolted off. The student spoke in a heavy russian accent, though she had mastered the common tongue for all attendees of the academy. Humanoid in appearance, well, for the most part, exempting the modifications which had been made to her body. They looked familiar in an overall aspect, but he couldn’t quite recall where he had seen such utilities in the past. Rather than dwelling over it, he focused on what he believed was a new found power. He smiled slightly, opening his mouth, ”Alright. Falling griffins and humans. What’s next, falling caffeinated beverages?” Hoping that fate and reality would pull some strings just for him, he glanced up at the sky expectantly, hoping his dream would come true.

Alas, all he received was a sudden gust of wind nearly forcing him into the white surface. Still hopeful, he followed the trail of exhaust, ”Yes, they’ve finally done it! Supersonic coffee delivery! The peak of technological adva- nevermind, it’s just a girl with jet engines as legs, and what appear to be feathered extensions on her head...” After the thought crossed his mind, Varren raised an eyebrow and mentally paused, ”Wait. Jet engines. Physical adaptations. This is really ringing a bell…” Scratching the back of his scalp, he skimmed through vague memories of past projects he read over. Even though it was on the tip of his tongue, he was unable to put his finger on it.

Due to the variety of beings which inhabited both Earth and Lucis at this point in time, it could be a plethora of possibilities. Narrowing down one clear answer would consume both time and energy, things Varren had barely any stock of at the moment. About to continue off towards the main hall, a ping went off from his toshinmac wrist-device. The Messages tab was blinking with a notification, a note from his father. He pressed a deadened finger lightly on the icon. Caught by surprise as the 3D holographic projection took form in front of him, showing an in-depth diagram of his gift. He read the name of the machine pistol aloud, ”White Wolf…” Moving from the title in the upper left-hand corner, he focused on the composition of the firearm itself. Appearing as an expert in the chore, he parted portions of the firearm, quickly placing his hands on thin air. He examined each part of the pistol, noting its feed system and firing mechanism, ”Interesting… Operates off of a rotating bolt. Pretty sly, old man.” Speaking of the very person, another message was received from his father. Opening it up, an active conversation screen popped up.

”Good morning, son. I believe you have arrived at the academy safe and sound? And you have also received the blueprints for your going away gift?” A formal greeting was a commodity between the two. Though their father-to-son relationship was stable, the two barely had any time to speak to each other, as they each had their own projects and goals to accomplish. Both being crafters of firearms, they thought the same, and kept conversations based around importance and succinctness.

”Indeed I have. Thank you for enlightening me. Also, I have a request.” The boy narrowed his eyes at the screen as seconds passed by.

”...Yes?” Even though it was only mere text behind glass, Varren was able to hear his father’s doubtful voice in his head.

”I need a list of all projects Magpul has been involved in the past ten years, dealing with; genetic or physical alterations, or armament of recipients of said modifications.” Though he was still young, the student had mastered such a business-like form of speech, in preparation for the future.

”Well, luckily for you, we haven’t been involved in too many of those, so it should be easy to have some lackey comprise a list. Expect one later today. I can see why you’re asking, I barely remember the children of a few of my associates attending that school. Some from America… Italy… Maybe even one or two from England. Anyways, is that all?”

Varren hesitated for a second, thinking if there was anything else to address, ”Yes, that is all. Have a good day.” He sighed as the conversation disappeared from the projection. Feeling sufficed with his overview, he also closed down the diagram of the pistol and sighed, breathing the cold air into his nostrils. Glancing up from the device wrapped around his wrist, he noticed the gasps of a few students nearby. Following their stares, he instantly became flustered at the focus of their attention. Averting his eyes from the scene, he grabbed his luggage and went on his way, ”That was… interesting. I guess this school will never fail to surprise me.” As the boy scampered aimlessly through the snow, he heard the announcement of teachers behind him.

”All students, please proceed to the main hall with your luggage. You will be organized by year, and will wait for the headmaster to give his opening speech. Any students caught lingering around will be escorted personally.”

His eyes were already dug deep into the scarf, concealing his expression from those around him. The boy decided that he would give himself a few minutes to cool off, walking around blindly in the cold weather. He could only feel the chilled air run through his hair, until he suddenly came into contact with another person, causing him to fall flat on his rear. Propping himself against the luggage, he quickly raised his eyes from his scarf and made a surprised expression. The person standing before him wasn’t nearly as tall as him, and was sporting a black hat which complimented the uniform. She was still standing, as she probably saw the boy approaching and was easily able to gain a proper footing.

Varren noticed that his cheeks were still a little red, hoping that she would write it off as a reaction to the cold weather, ”Sorry about that, wasn’t watching where I was goi- He started, yet another announcement sounded from the teachers gathered near the main hall, cutting off his train of speech. Yinyues managed a greeting smile, unable to see the student’s face from this angle, only the locks of white hair which contrasted with her apparel. He cleared his throat and slowly rose, placing his hands on his knees as he pushed himself up, ”Guess we have to go… Don’t want to be reprimanded by the teachers.” He pouted after letting out another sneeze within his scarf, thankful that he would be able to escape the freezing temperature. ”Oh, and my name is Varren Yinyues! Good morning~ He paused, thinking over the phrase he just employed, ”Wait… No, that isn’t right. Erm, pleased… to meet you? Yeah, that’s it!” Aside from formal meetings, he hadn’t dabbled too much in social relations with others his age. Still slightly hunched over from sleep deprivation, he was able to see the girl’s face. A blank stare, accompanied by dark red eyes which peered into his soul. ”Well, if she is looking in there… There's not much to find.” He shrugged at the thought and motioned for them to move on.

”Let’s go, I wonder what kind of person the headmaster is!”

Karu awoke in the elven home he had grown up in, though he was most certainly not an elf. He was a fae dragon in fact. Unhatched, he had been found in the forest and taken care of until he came into the world, growing up among the other youths. The result was a rather friendly dragon. Most fae dragons were shy and would hide from other beings, playing the occasional prank from a safe distance, but Karu was much more social and even understood both elvish and common, and could even read and write! It wasn't much of a surprise that he'd be invited to the academy, it was probably more surprising that he had accepted, and would probably be the first of his kind to go to it, as most preferred to just live among the trees.

Now, the towering gryphon had been quite a scare when it arrived, but he turned out to be friendly enough and Karu certainly did not want to have to fly there on his own. His colorful butterfly wings were more for show as he had to use magic to fly. Having nothing really to his name, he traveled with only a few notebooks and writing utensils gifted to him by his caretaker and his favorite warm blanket. He didn't pay much attention to the scenery, he was capable of flight himself after all so he'd seen enough mountains and trees by now, though the rift was a little more interesting when they reached it.

When he finally arrived at the academy he was a little reluctant to dismount. Strange looking technology was everywhere, and he wasn't exactly confident it was safe to be around based on his past experiences. He may have gotten shot by an earth world gun once and never really gotten over it. It took him a good 5 minutes and an annoyed shake from the gryphon before he finally got down and was left alone with his luggage. His eyes darted around a little frantically from all the earth students and more importantly what they had brought with them, while his own light packing simply floating next to him, feathery antennae glowing slightly as he channeled magic through them with barely a thought.

He moved over to a wall for a bit to try and calm himself down, having his back to a wall helped with his nervousness, but what did not help was the rather loud announcement scaring the living daylights out of him, the small dragon jumping in surprise and twirling toward the source. That was certainly not something he was used to!

He took a couple deep breaths to calm his racing heart, reminding himself that this was an academy, most likely no one was out to get him here. No one here probably even knew who he was! Or what he was for that matter. He knew there was going to be a lot of scary earth trinkets here when he accepted, but surely they were not meant to be used on him! He just had to be careful not to agitate people... and not get stepped on.

Karu cautiously made his way toward the assembly hall, or at least followed the people that looked like they knew where they were going and weren't visibly covered in or wielding earth technology. He probably stuck out like a sore thumb, which was probably a good thing since he'd be lest likely to be stepped on or accidentally bopped with luggage.

Leonardo had seen snow before however due to the placement of his house he rarely had a chance to actually do anything with it. Deciding to cause a decent amount of mayhem he looked round for a suitable target, spotting a large orc hoard he took his time to spot the largest and most heavily armed ork, the one that seemed to be giving most of the orders( Rathavar). Stooping down and balling up a large lump he took aim and hurled it overarm, jogging sideways getting out of sight as fast as he could he heard a satisfying ‘Paf’ of the snowball hitting a target. “Yes!” He said grinning, balling up another one and breaking in to run again, deciding who to toss one at next he saw a girl sauntering along blowing kisses left right and centre(Ari). A sidelong lob made sure the next thing she kissed was frozen water. Now giggling like a madman Leonardo skidded to a halt. Taking the moment to gauge the situation, balling up another snowball and hurling it as hard as he could towards the two girls with what appeared to be parts of an aeroplane attached to them(Alika & Elena). Another mad sprint another satisfying ‘Paf’ noise, at this point he was pretty sure either he was about to be hammered by about half a dozen people with snowballs or he’d started a good sized Snowbrawl. Either way he wasn’t about to stop, Starting to run again he scooped up another handful of snow, balling it up he tossed it towards a girl in armour with a whip at her side who seemed to be berating another student over feeding the griffon some beef jerky. He was already running away, unsure of which of the pair he’d hit(Ayaka & Raule). At this point he decided the most prudent course of action was to go stand in the vicinity of someone he’d not thrown a snowball at. Then had a change of mind and just started to mill generally towards the main entrance. Hoping to avoid getting spotted by everyone he’d just thrown a snowball at.

Ark huddled in a small wooden building he had called home for the past 2 days. The flight from his hometown would have been 10 hours+ in the cold wind. That, in itself, would be hell. Though, in exchange for making the trip more like 30 minutes, he had to spend 2 days in the horrid cold of Alkvher, instead of Ghrenheim, with it's glorious tropical weather. Ark looked over at the old man he had been staying with for the past 2 days. The old Human had offered him a place to stay during those 2 days for the past 3 years Ark had been a student at the academy. The man was charitable and kind, and Ark was thankful for that, though he was nothing compared to his old friend back in Ghrenheim. His name was Earl. Earl was a farmer who sat in the old cabin during the long winter months, barely making it through each year.

"It's nearly time for me to go." Ark looked at the fireplace, then back at the kind old man "Thanks for letting me stay here again. I guess I'll help you with the next harvest." The old man simply smiled at Ark as he picked up his thick coat and walked to the door. Earl was mute, though he still managed to make a living without words. "Goodbye, Earl. Eyn' Gohdus." (Eyn' Gohdus is a draconian saying which means something like "Good fortune and hope to you") Ark stepped outside into the frigid cold, the leather on his feet barely preventing his feet from freezing. Ark watched as a majestic beast fell from the sky at brilliant speeds, landing a few feet in front of him with grace and elegance. Ark quickly checked the bags at his sides, making sure that all of his items of importance were there. Ark moved towards the beast, petting it slightly before climbing onto the saddle. Ark could not fly on his own at the moment. The air was too cold and it would have taken too much time.

The beast climbed through the clouds at speeds faster than most could imagine. Ark looked around at the clouds. Boring. He checked downwards, at the still-visible human settlement, and the many acres of farmland owned by the old man. Ark began to sing an old chant under his breath. A relic of his past, a memory of an old friend. A tear dropped from his eye, before being torn away by the wind. After the allotted time had past, Ark arrived at the school, right as the announcement was made. He dismounted the gryphon, petting it once again before thanking it and walking off. Ark made his way to the main hall with his bags at his sides, underneath a thick coat that covered his wings, which were hidden against his back. The walk, while annoying, was simple, even in the cold.

Ralthavar Marchosias

---

Rathavar smiled as more students arrived. Most arrived nonchalant, perhaps nervous, but others made their arrival much more apparent. Some who came in with the sound of an explosion, others who simply fell to the ground like a boulder. Not everyone was even remotely humanoid, including one dragon who came in and was presumably a student. "This... This will be interesting indeed." Ralthavar led his horde towards the assembly hall, but before he arrived someone tried to hit him with snow. Tried. One of his orcs saw the attack and intercepted it with his shield. Everyone saw the attacker, who than proceeded to assault others with snowballs. The orcs drew their weapons but Ralthavar shouted. "Stop! That's not necessary... Frosk, Sheol!" Two orcs stepped out of the horde and stood before Ralthavar. They had a sly grin on their face, and they knew what Ralthavar wanted. They were both ice mages, and could manipulate snow as well. Ralthvar simply nodded towards them and began to chant. "Here we go, here we go, here we go..." Soon all the orcs began to chant along side him, until the entire horde was chanting

HERE WE GO! HERE WE GO! HERE WE GO!"

This chant wasn't just to inspire the two orcs with their magic. Another group of orcs had instruments out and were using their magic to inspire competence within the mages, allowing them to unleash powerful magic. Frosk and Sheol waved their arms above them and soon, the snow all around them began to gather. From the ground, on the trees, and even as it was falling from the skies. And it wasn't just near the orcs either; soon all the snow began to gather from all over the court yard, forming into one colossal ball of snow above the horde. When the ground was completely bare of snow, the giant snowball that formed blocked out the sun.

"Form Bulwark! Now... Where is he..." Soon ten orcs with tower shields formed a protective wall around Frosk and Sheol, to ensure that no one disturbed their casting. Ralthavar looked around the crowd of students for the one who dared tried to attack him. he saw him trying to hide amongst the crowd and pointed him out to Frosk and Sheol. "There he is! No mercy, no surrender!" Frost and Sheol changed the shape of the snow ball and turned it into multiple dragon-like creatures. There was enough snow to make ten of these twenty-foot long dragons, and each of them zeroed in on Ralthavar's attacker (Leonardo ). However it wasn't just a single snowball, but all the snow in the courtyard, crashing into his general location. The other orcs, eager to get in on the action, also charged forward. While they didn't have their weapons drawn, they too took want little snow they could and were ready to fling them at anyone who would face them. Ralthavar lead the charge carrying a packed ball of snow, ready to smash it onto some poor fool's head.

Trudging through the light snowfall wasn’t too bad he supposed, though a bit unexpected. The outpost hadn’t seen much winter weather despite the time of year, so it’d been a bit of surprise to see the blanket of white that covered the Academy grounds. Pausing, Raule took a moment to look around at the other arriving students. Most came in the usual way, climbing off the griffons once they had safely touched down. Others decided that waiting didn’t suit them and simply came crashing into the snow from the sky above. And even less decided to arrive by their own means, though Raule mainly took note of the pair of Witches. It was hard not to given one had promptly announced her arrival with a sonic boom, but there were other reasons. He had seen some of the land-based Witches before when a number of them were apparently on exercise in the Black Gale. Never heard of aerial variations, though it would make sense given what he knew of Earth technology and they did have quite the resemblance.

He stopped reminiscing when he felt someone’s attention on him. It wasn’t hostile, but there was a certain intensity to it that made it easy for Raule to feel. Looking around, his eyes came to rest on a foxy looking girl. Even if she hadn’t been staring at him, the beeline she made towards him told him where the presence was coming from. Raising an eyebrow when she finally came to a halt in front of him, Raule could confidently say he had no idea who she was. When it came to appearances he was fairly good at remembering them even if he had only seen the individual in question once. So unless she was a shapeshifter or something like that, this was his first time meeting her.

He had a quiet sigh under his breath, before he reached back into his bag. It wasn’t the first time someone had asked for some after he had begun leaving his griffon bags of the smoked meat after his second year. Fumbling around in it for a few moments finally rewarded his efforts with another pouch of jerky; this one was marked with two lines, one red and the other yellow. When he travelled it wasn’t too hard for Raule to dig out some of the snacks, but since he was returning to the Academy, he hadn’t bothered to prepare too much. Untying the knot, he plucked a piece out and held it out towards Talia as a gesture to help herself. This flavor had a bit of heat that faded to a sweet after taste, mild in comparison to some he enjoyed. “Nice to meet you. You can call me Raule.” While he was fairly sure she was his junior in the Academy, with him being a fifth year and what not, the the unofficial hierarchy had never appealed to him in the slightest.

Before he had a chance to pop the piece in his mouth though, something else caught his notice. His hand rose before he brought it down in a flash and slapped the snowball into powdered snow. He could just barely catch the sound of his snack plopping onto the snow behind him. Sighing in annoyance, he turned his attention to the direction of the projectile. A few cursory glances around had shown that he, or Talia, had not been the only one to receive a snowball in their direction. “Here hold this for a moment,” he told the girl as he held the pouch out for her to take as he had a child to catch at the moment. Hopefully she wouldn’t devour the whole thing, it was enough for a few days by his rationed standards after all.

It wasn’t too hard for him to figure out who the culprit responsible was. There were dozens if not hundreds of students milling about in the immediate vicinity and a good portion of them had years at the Academy under their belt. So when he put on the “work” expression and looked around, it didn’t take long for someone to point towards a black-haired individual that seemed to be trying to sulk his way towards the main entrance. Flashing the student a grin and receiving a thumbs-up in return, Raule was about to make his way after the student, but…

”All students, please proceed to the main hall with your luggage. You will be organized by year, and will wait for the headmaster to give his opening speech. Any students caught lingering around will be escorted personally.”

And with one fell swoop, the announcement made any further moves on his part pointless. With a sigh that expressed disappointment, since he wouldn’t see the instigator face the wrath of god knows how many students, Raule was about to make his way back to Talia. That decision was hastened when someone decided to take this far too seriously. Muttering a quick, "Nope," he continued on his way.