The cold winds struck at Jett and if not for his glasses, he'd have lost both his eyes. Off in the distance was a rowdy noise, screams, laughter and yelling... Jett looked closer at the dot and soon realized that the one big dot was a swarm of little dots, almost a hundred. Jett smiled and looked down towards the griffin. Jett got down to the griffins ears and with the wind going down his throat he managed to say, ""I want to be there before that group of Orcs," Jett said while pointing in the direction of the noise. The griffin let out a grunt and almost instantly picked up speed, barely hanging on Jett laughed at the enjoyment of this flight. "Come on, I know you can faster!" Jett said, challenging the beautiful creature. Jetts glasses almost flew off and he himself struggled to even keep breathing. The noise of the Orcs quickly faded and bursting through a cloud revealed The Academy. The Academy was so white and elegant, the simplicity and the complex mixed well and created a beautiful scene and place to stay. Jett looked for a place to land but decided to ask the griffin. "Remember the Orcs we beat here, can you land me where they would be? I need to see the leader, if its not to much trouble." The griffin turned towards a landing pad and Jett jumped off before the griffin landed, "This is good enough, thank you for the ride and you need to work on you're speed, still too slow," Jett smirked at his comment. The griffin seemed to almost smile, he turned, flapped its wings and knocked Jett completely off his feet. He got up in time to see the griffin fly away. The big dot was now visible. Jett got up, wiped himself off, ignored the rude and random announcement and stood up straight, arms crossed behind his back and waited for the Orcs to arrive.

The trip through the Black Gale had been an uneventful affair, a tense atmosphere surronding the ride from being aware that she was sitting atop a predator much larger than herself, no matter how pretty it may have been. The griffin they had sent was a rather aged creature, the lions fur having been edged with grey, a few scars visible to the trained eye, but his eyes showed a languid confidence that hinted at having had years of practice honing is strength. 'Ah,' Amon thought to herself as she saw the creature, ' I suppose it was a bit much to hope they'd leave me with no guards on the trip.' Despite the fact she had found it a rather comfortable trip, having already been prepared from her last trip for the transition from leaving one world for another. She spent the time during the trip merely taking in the view, having little else to do on the trip. It wasn't long into the trip before they had joined a mass of griffins, each carrying their own load, but Amon was quick to note that for each of a diffrent race that appeared, and the multitude of humans to be seen, she had yet to see another of her own. It mattered little, as she'd probably have little to talk of with those of her own race. The last and only other time she had ran into another kumiho, it had been in a dispute over hunting rights in the village, and she had left fairly battered for the meeting. She felt little need to have another "family reunion." Turning her attention back to the rest, she noted with some satisfaction that most of the others seemed to be hunkering down and holding on for dear life to the birds, the image leaving a smirk on her lips. She had little trouble balancing on the creature, her many tails more than enough to handle any problems with balance she might have. The wind, however, was a bit more bothersome. Her ears were positively plastered against her head to ward of the offending gale, and the oncoming sight of the academy was a welcome one indeed. The two of them landed with little fanfare, her escort giving a small snort as she got off directed at a rather young looking griffin fall at what seemed like a meteoric rate toward the ground, wings flaring and tail whipping as it landed, the poor student on it's back looking rather shaken from the experience. The scene was mildly amusing for a second, before a gust of wind promptly reminded her of the cold weather currently in effect, her tails reflexively wrapping themselves around her as she glared at nothing in particular, annoyed at the current weather. The brochure had said the weather was controlled, and while she had never minded the winter before, it seemed a waste to keep it so cold when it wasn't mandatory. She had to fight off the urge to immediately shift to her apparently furred Fox form. She'd simply stick it out for the moment. Amon would rather avoid attention for the moment if she could help it. Instead, she threw on the cloak over her uniform and quickly wrapped her tails around herself again, resembling to be clad in a somewhat luxurious fur scratched briefly at the choker on her neck again before catching herself, grimacing at the reminder. She gazed at the structures ahead of her, admitting that they were quiet impressive. It was certainly a far cry from the schools she had seen during her time on earth, seeming more like a small town than a school, with hundreds up on hundreds of students gathering together. Amon held her orb as she began to feel a twinge of anxiety, the dark violet, melon sized orb emitting a pulse as she considered her next step. That decision was taken care of for her as a sharp noise caused Amon to wince as the speakers came to life, with a rather interesting message played over the sound system, causing a confused expression to appear on her face. It was a rather presented in a rather unorthodox attitude, but the point had come across easily enough. She was at a loss as to where this main hall may be, but quickly concluded that following the crowd that was already on the move seemed best. She worked her way into one such group, folding her ears back to drown out the noise, trying her best to ignore all the painfully unguarded students, many of whom she could smell rich reserves of mana, the scent incessantly reminding her that it had been some days she had last fed, but she had been assured that they would be able to cater to her specific tastes, and she didn't fancy trying for a daring escape so early. After all, she was here to learn was she not.

Penelope nodded to the griffin, which flew off towards the stables. She glanced around the grounds. Elegant buildings, immaculate grounds, and... was that a lake? Tide come in, it was! That was perfect. She would be able to feel open water on her scales. No siren should have to transform in a bathtub, after all. Walking up to the school entrance, Penelope took the measure of her fellow students. There were so many species represented, from orcs to elves, and the humans. She'd never had the pleasure of meeting a human, but she'd heard many interesting stories and rumors. None of them were true, probably, but it would certainly be something worth writing her mother about.

The Academy appeared before her, and happiness swelled in Zar's heart. Her golden eyes fixated on the modern buildings covered with snow as they descended before flickering about at the incoming students. Sure enough, there were familiar faces from the years previous, but there were also an influx of first years. It was difficult to imprint the faces to her memory as everyone quickly fell from the sky, but she knew she would have the year ahead to learn more about her classmates. The speed of the descent came to a slow halt and her griffon fluttered once to drop her luggage into the snow and once again for a soft landing beside the bags. "Thank you for the ride, sweetie," Zar said, pulling a piece of beef jerky from her pocket as she stepped off the beast. He happily accepted his treat and cuddled into the young woman before taking to the skies again. On solid ground again, Zar took a moment to gather her bearings. Sure enough, her headdress needed adjusting after the breakneck flight. She fixed it so it sat straight on her head and tucked a dark curl back under the cloth. She took another few moments to straight out the rest of her clothes and wipe her eyes free of the wetness that had spawned against the cold air. Finally happy with her appearance, she adjusted the strap across her chest that kept her weapon at her back, and picked up her bags. She was already heading for the main hall when a woman's voice greeted the students and then-- And then headmaster interrupted with his own flavor of greetings. She rolled her eyes as she walked, her smile fading as she closed out the noise about her. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 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. As she looked, she gave the large griffon a scratch on the head in appreciation for its ride before it flew away. Dagny chuckled and easily gathered her bags in her arms and looked around at the other students. The griffons were about as brutish as usual to the newer students. They were getting flung off the large birds, their luggage carelessly discarded at their feet. She laughed loud appreciative at the sight--it never got old. It was just another reason to tackle the landing on her own. She stood watching students crash and burn--or gracefully descend--from their rides of the sky for a while. Then, her bird watching was interrupted by the speakers coming to life. Dagny barely listened until the familiar and crude voice of the Headmaster took over, directing the uninformed buffoons to the main hall. The woman took over again, apologizing for the asshole, and Dagny chuckled as she turned to oblige.

Gabriel did it! He did it! He rode the griffin into the sky like a complete motherfucker, and he was damn proud of it. True, half the time he was prepared to say his last prayer in hopes of a painless death, but he did it! Maybe the next time he rode one of the things he could try out something even more ballsy! However, now was not the time to think of such things. Now was the time to bask in his last few minutes of glory before preparing himself for the change. There was no more Gabriel Paxton, Only Uriel. And now, Uriel was prepared for this year's challenge. He would survive to be a 4th year, and then next, a 5th year. As he adjusted his eyes to the change of scenery, it was obvious he was no longer on earth. He had entered the black gate, and his school was within sight. Once again he'd have to put up a little bit of a farce, at least so none of the students would know what his father did and get any strange ideas. Nonetheless, as he had done the previous two years, he started to regret his choice of fake names. It was very similar in both meaning, as well as their endings and origins. He first chose it because he had thought people would doubt he would choose such a similar name if he was trying to hide himself, but still, it might have been a bad idea. Now Uriel wasn't carrying much luggage with him on the griffin. His dad had already sent some of his clothes to the school beforehand, and he also had some 'leftovers' from last year in his room. so he was only carrying a backpack of some tools, identification, and other miscellaneous objects. The fact he hadn't been carrying much helped him birth another wonderful, and very intelligent idea. It was time for stunt 'numero dos'! Maybe Uriel just had a very smart griffin, or perhaps it was just one accustomed to stupidity. Either way it got Uriel's hint and stayed midair, keeping similar altitude as well as circling the spot where Uriel wanted to land. Uriel shoved his hands into the Bag of Mayhem, which had the initials BoM inscribed on it with black ink. After removing his hand from the BoM he had three marbles in his hand, all of them were cracked. At about one-hundred and fifty feet Uriel jumped off the griffin with vigor, and found himself falling towards the ground with his head leading the way. However after a few seconds he was able to adjust himself so that he had taken the position of a sky-diver. Not that he was jumping from such a height, no not at all. Its just that he was quick to prepare himself for impact. Now in his hand was three cracked marbles, two of them were purple and one light green. He was about twenty feet from the ground when he twisted his arm and launched them towards the ground. The impact of the marbles created a 'reverse-impact' zone after they detonated. The gravity marbles mixed with the wind and instead of creating a painful inward force, it lessened the velocity of Uriel's body tremendously while also pushing him away from the ground. After going through the field, he hit the ground without a scratch on him. Had he thrown the marbles earlier he could have even hit the ground feet first and stood tall! Once he had regained his balance, and picked himself up, he had heard announcements coming from the school and it's principal. There was some bored sounded lady speaking about taking your luggage and going to the main hall. Uriel had no real luggage beside his backpack with him, but it sounded like going there would be a good idea anyways. As he started to pick up a good walking pace, the message changed. Then thee headmaster took over the speakers and basically repeated what the other lady had said, with much more enthusiasm and a vulgar attitude. Uriel didn't hear much from the headmistress, but when he did it was often more fun then not. Uriel appreciated her attitude, as well as he way of speaking. At the very least if felt as though she had an attitude he liked. Uriel looked up and he had saw the Griffin he was riding earlier still rotating in the air. After a few minutes had passed of it circling around Uriel from above it gained some more altitude and left to go somewhere else. Perhaps back to wherever all the other griffins went. Godamn I would love one of those as pets. He gave it some consideration, were griffins common pets in Lucis? Would they be expensive? Although he doubted it was likely to happen, Uriel would have really liked to kept the most recent Griffin he had ridden as a pet. Would've allowed for a much more stylish way to get around the school too!

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 and of 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 that 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 griffin, 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. BZZ...BZZ...BZZ Maxwell's hand slowly clambered for the snooze button, as his eyes began to open, adjusting to the morning light pouring in through the window. So, I go back to the Academy today? Well, at least I spent my break having a memorable time with Maria and... Max's thoughts were interrupted as he sat up to see something unsightly standing over him. "Good morning, Maxy!" Maxwell looked at the unwanted presence, wiping his eyes so that he could see more clearly. They were obviously wearing some sort of girl's school uniform. If it wasn't for the fact that Maxwell lived in the same house as them, he would clearly mistake them for a young schoolgirl. "What do you want, George?" Max said, with obvious disdain. "It's Georgia. How do I look?" He did a quick twirl. Yea, he may have looked cute, but that was still pretty creepy. "You look like you normally do, a guy that cross dresses for attention, even though he has no real interest in it." George seemingly got mad and stomped off. Maxwell looked to his left, at Maria, who had pulled the blanket over her head to block the sunlight. "I'll make sure to call often." Maxwell got up from the bed, and picked the uniform up off of his desk. He showered, ate breakfast, and put on the usual Academy of the Arcane Artes uniform. While he was getting ready, he remembered this was supposed to be Varren's first year at the academy. Varren wasn't going to make it in a place like that, Max was sure of it. Max looked through the kitchen window in the stark silence. The griffin had just arrived. Maxwell got up from his chair and walked briskly to the front door, grabbing his bag, putting on his shoes. He quickly checked his bag. Clothes, guns, fancy hat, sunglasses, and things that shouldn't be mentioned. Everything was in place. Maxwell stepped out the door and walked over to the Griffin. "Hello, old friend." He got on to the back of the winged beast, and flew through the black gale. Once Maxwell had arrived at the academy, he quickly headed for the main hall, with his bag at his side. His luggage should have already arrived at his room, so he had nothing to worry about. The announcement was a bit odd this year, given the aggressive weirdness of the Headmaster.

Joseph checked his gear one more time as he prepared for his trip to the Academy of The Arcane Artes. His previous year had been nothing like the years before, and part of him was glad he had actually survived. Many of his classmates did not. It was to be expected. Even in well coordinated fireteams, with the best students and gear, it was not uncommon for a squad to be annihilated to the last man. A true trial by fire, as the Academy wanted the best to advance to the next year. No baby sitting, you learned on the job. And if you didn’t, well, you were dead. Joseph had thought he was ready for combat long before, but training was completely different from the real thing. You fuck up once in training, you get yelled at and possibly disciplined. In the Black Gale, you make a mistake and you die. If you’re lucky, you just lose a limb or two. Many of his friends died during incursions into the Black Gale. Another day, more dead. Joseph tried to look on the bright side of things. Perhaps maybe a certain someone had died as well, who probably deserved it, but as such that person lived, which soured his mood further. But life moves on. If he lived past his fourth year, Joseph would be just a mere step from becoming a fully fledged gatekeeper. A shrill cry outside interrupted his thoughts and signaled his ride was here. Stepping out of his humble abode, Joseph gave the griffon a friendly pat as he jumped onto it’s back. A while later, and he was at the Academy. As usual, the first years were crashing or making less than elegant landings. But it was to be expected. Joseph’s first landing didn’t exactly go as planned either, as he had fell off and skidded a good five feet before something. But he learned from his mistakes- It was better to let the griffon decide to land than trying to rush it along. His griffon landed gently onto the academy and lowered itself to allow Joseph off. He was late, but he knew the routine already. Joseph would have to get to the main hall at once, which he did promptly. No need to waste time gawking at botched landings.

Ralthavar Marchosias

This wasn't the first time Ralthavar ever went into the Black Gale, but this was the first time he, or anyone else, has ever gone this far. His parents always told him of the horrors within the Black Gale, and to ensure that they do not strike fear into the hearts of the orcs they regularly sent their own people inside. The Black Gale was chaotic, but nothing that centuries of hardship under Xia hadn't prepared them for. The only thing that they failed to do was set up a permanent stronghold and not for a lack of trying. So entering the Black Gale was nothing to Ralthavar. No, it was leaving the massive tear and entering the other side that made Ralthavar catch his breath. Ralthavar has seen grand cities and towering castles back at Lucis, but the construction here was on a whole other level. The amount of lights, the bizarre architecture. It made Ralthavar excited at the idea of conquering this world, but he had to put those thoughts aside. He did not come here to make an empire, but an alliance. And he'd have to do well to remember that. The Griffons flew closer to the ground signaling that everyone would soon be landing. Ralthavar shouted over the wind in an attempt to get the Harmonious First at attention. "Get ready to land!" The Griffons landed in a uniform formation at speeds that would have threaten to fling off any passenger that wasn't holding on tight. Luckily most of the Harmonious First were paying attention, and the few who weren't still managed to hang on. Ralthavar dismounted from the Griffon and unloaded his belongings from it. He and the Harmonious First stayed together initially as they gathered their belongings. This time, everyone in the Harmonious First were together. He even saw Jett, his contact with the elves, nodding at him in acknowledgement. He'd stay and chat but there was much to do with little time to discuses it. There was some tension in the air. Despite this group being made for diplomatic reasons distrust was rampant. They at least had the control not to cause a scene right now. Once he made sure everyone was accounted for Raltahvar called out to the Harmonious First. He stood above them on a rock he found on the side of the road. "Here we are. I'll be brief. Look at each other, remember these faces. You will be living amongst them. But some of you won't live through it all. We came here to grow stronger, to strengthen out bonds, but there will be some of us who won't make it. They, who served the Harmonious First and their nation with honor and distinction who in their final moments. Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that can not be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you." This was a more orcish speech than one tailored for the other members of the Harmonious First, but it seemed to have had it's effect on the others. Or so Ralthavar hopes. Jumping off the rock Ralthavar pointed towards the school. "Now let's go! Let's show these earthlings the Harmonious First!" A fairly subtle fanfare was held as Ralthavar lead the Harmonious First to the main hall, as the announcement had told them. They came en mass, carrying, dragging, or wearing their belongings. It would not be wrong to say that it appeared that Ralthavar was leading an army, because everyone in the Harmonious First was armed and armored, ready for a fight. They wanted to make an impression, and that impression was "Ready for anything".

Rei Maven

The ride through the Black Gale was largely uneventful for Rei. She's never been, but she didn't care much for it. She was more interested in who she might meet at the Academy. Sure it was suppose to be a place to train the students into becoming mighty defenders of their world and so forth, but everyone was mortal. Focusing on nothing but such a deary task makes people dull. While Rei would certainly make sure that she could fight with the best of them, she made no intention of forgetting one of the bigger reasons she wanted to be at the academy: entertainment. Soon the Griffon arrived into the world of the Academy and Rei was rather impressed. She's only seen such construction in passing through pictures brought back from travelers between Earth and Lucis. She didn't like the cold very much however, though it than made her wonder what sort of winter fashion some of the students would be wearing. Sometimes exposing your flesh was less titillating than being properly, but tightly, covered up. Rei salivated at these fantasies as the Griffon landed on a long stretch of land. Getting her things Rei left the griffon behind, but not without a playful pat on the hindquarters. Avoiding another kick Rei made her way towards the academy when a loud screeched pierced the air. A few voices called out, one more violent than the other. This made Rei chuckle. "Well, at least the staff aren't going to be so serious." Strutting through the snow Rei headed towards the main hall, keeping an eye out for any lone wanderers she could take into hiding and getting the first taste of.

"...And so after that, I was always careful not to touch strange plants" Mathew had just finished telling his Griffin ride a really long story. As he did, he noticed the Academy closing in "is that place? I have to admit, it's not what I expected. I had thought it would look more like a castle. However, this does look much more interesting then I had envisioned." A smile slowly broke out onto his face. Not long after that, they landed. Getting off his mount, Mathew said "again; thank you for ride here good sir" he bowed a little to the Griffin, who bowed his head in return before taking off. Before Mathew could do anything else, an announcement was broadcasted...one that the headmaster seemed to hijack "well, if the headmaster is any indication, this promises to be a very entertaining experience" he said as he readjusted his backpack. "It'll be interesting; not having to hide my heritage here. I dare say it might even take quite a bit of getting used to" he thought to himself as he made his way to the main hall

As the soft glow and whir returned sight to the girl, Mia blinked a few times readjusting to her surroundings; the golden feathers glistening softly as the snow dance across them. "Ah...it's snowing... she murmured curiously watching the snows data mingle with that of the griffins as she slowly slipped down of the beast keeping a hand trailing along it for balance. Hearing laughter, shouting, and general chaos the small girl turned around taking in the wide array of students, streams of data giving her classification and little bits of intel as a brief buffet of wind sent her stumbling forward, her griffin friend taking back off to the sky once more. Grinning Mia turned waving him off cheerfully, at least she had one friend in this place, before the loud speakers cracked to life a brief announcement with a monotoned woman's voice telling the students to make their way to the main hall before a man interrupted her, repeating the message in a much more colorful tone making the shy girl in the snow blush as it abruptly cut off. "Ah, well then...this is going to be interesting..." she commented to herself before turning to follow the crowd heading towards the stream of students making way towards what she assumed was the main building. The school itself took her breath away having missed seeing it's entirety during the descent because of her childish desire to see the Gale.

“Fufufu~ Finally, the peasants have arrived to pledge fealty to me!” “Get off the stage, you sack of meat. Don’t forget that while you stay here, your position means nothing.” “Silence, you juvenile blockhead! You shouldn’t forget that you’re in the presence of a Queen!” “Oh, my sincerest apologies, Madam Fleshbag. It slipped my mind that you’re the ex-princess of a non-existent monarchy.” “What an inelegant excuse of a headmaster you are! Hmpf!” “Hanh? Who was it that provided you amnesty again? Ungrateful sack of meat!”“'Ungrateful sack of meat'? Why you!!” “Now take back your words, you pig, or I’ll upload all these pictures onto the school website!” “No, I won’t…HiiiYAH!” WHACK! DONG! “Fweeeh……….” “Shit, I didn’t think she was THAT weak of a fleshbag…but mah, whatever, all’s well that ends well.”

After wiping off the remaining residue of the frozen projectile, Varren found his own place in the disorganized river of students. Although he would have gladly stuck a conversation with those he had already labeled as fellow first years, time was of the essence, and the boy had not the slightest second to spare. The outside of the building was capped with a circular roof, supported by finely and artistically grooved pillars, fleshed out by carved etchings of masterpieces embedded within portions of the building. At the base where the entrance lied, staff members were busy ushering in while attempt to control the flow of students. After all, having a student trampled to death on the first day was not an ordeal they would like on their hands. The academy itself was a homage to a few thousand students, small in comparison to most, and thus had to establish a building large enough to house their youthful souls in one confined space. The boy gritted his death while dragging along his luggage, wincing at the occasional bump or nudge he would receive from others. He would rather get into a close quarters quarrel with the devil himself in the lowest circle of hell rather than have his frail figure endure such a ruffling. If he was able to do so, Varren would have held his suitcases at each side and attempted to clear a path for himself with a tornado maneuver. Yet he was surely no superhuman or average orc, so that was all but a distant dream. The decor of the hallway leading to the main room was definitely glamorous, but its luster dwindled in comparison to the breathtaking appearance of where all of the students were residing, a sight even more awe-inspiring than the griffin flight he had just been on a few minutes prior. The room itself distinctly resembled an auditorium, with rows upon rows of seating leading down to a stage, the focus of the spectators’ attention. Rather than being organized vertically, year sitting was set horizontally, with the first years in the front and the fifths in the back. Already it was apparent that some sort of a hierarchy system had been established, given the older years presiding position over the first years. Yet this tact wasn’t an attempt at denouncing of the youngsters’ worth. Instead it was to motivate them to manifest a mountain reaching the clouds out of a chasmic molehill. Varren pulled his luggage into a mostly empty row and shuffled his way into his seat. The boy leaned forward as the spotlights on the stage suddenly flashed light in unison at a central point. Almost instantly had all of the veteran years ceased their chatter, leaving the first years still in the middle of their conversations. Soon enough they picked up on the sudden change in volume within the room and ended quieting themselves up. Perhaps it was time for the headmaster to make his appearance? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ It was not a manly, grizzled war veteran-esque person that walked up onto the stage. Nor was it a sexy, bespectacled, well-endowed mistress that stood at the pedestal. It wasn’t even a normal, homely older gentleman that strode onto the stage. Instead, it was a child, with hair so light that it was only a shade away from white. Much shorter than the majority of students present, the little boy, dressed in a black, plain uniform, took the steps two at a time. Each step resounded heavily throughout out the auditorium, the wood creaking under his footsteps. Yet there was no other indication that there was anything abnormal about the boy, and he continued toward the pedestal unobstructed, before finally facing the masses of students seated in the main hall. The golden light that shone down on him made his blue eyes sparkle with boyish innocence, before he took the mike in his delicate, unmarred hands. Then, without any change in expression, he crushed it with his grip, turning it into scrap metal in a screeching, violent instant. “Sup, you meatsacks! And good morning to all those who aren’t flesh-based as well! Glad to have you back, old years! How does it feel, having spent more years in the Academy than I have spent consciously existing? Oh yeah, I’d say something to you greenhorns as well, but seeing how none of you have made yourself worthy of my attention yet, sucks to suck, eh?” Brushing his pale gold hair to the side with a flourish, the boy’s black uniform expanded in size, before changing its shape into that of a massive suit of armor, complete with thick gauntlets and spikes jutting out every which direction. With a proud smirk, he said in a booming voice, “As you probably coulda guessed by now, if you had actually been listening to Mailov’s introduction, I’m the Headmaster of the school! I’m also your primary combat instructor, as well as examiner? How can I do all these things without succumbing to sleep or exhaustion? Because I’m a Gemstone, and I don’t need that weak shit.” “Now, if you’re here to half-ass your way through school, or use your talent as a crutch, consider yourself expelled. You’ll probably die like a bitch if you think like that, and I’d rather not soak in the tears of your parents, so get your ass in gear or get your ass out. Really though, I’ll say this straight-out.” In an instant, all of his arrogant flamboyance faded, his blue eyes becoming chips of permafrost. “If you’re not going to fight, leave. Now.” In that same instance, all that disappeared, and he said, in a friendly, yet still superior tone, “Anyways, my name’s Ier-Briar Thorn-of-the-Shield, my assistant is Mailov Rice-Tan, and we’ll be starting a fun little icebreaker now, so go check underneath your seat, yeah? You should find yourself a number there!” ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Under Varren’s seat was a bolded twenty-three scrawled onto a blank piece of paper. He glanced at the other students surrounding him, unable to peer at the numbers on their sheets in the dim lighting.

Sylus filed into the large, beutifully decorated assembly hall along with his peers. he glanced around at some of the other students as he found his way to the rows marked for year 2 students. he sat in the first empty seat he came across, setting his backpack beside his feet and straightening himself, and thinking 'I wonder what the headmaster's speech will be like this year... I highly doubt it will be less harsh at least. As the spotlights suddenly sprang to life and centered on the stage, the room gradually fell silent, and Sylus dutifully focused his attention on the figure making its way on stage. Even though Sylus had been exposed to Headmaster ler-Briar's rather, well, 'interesting' personality for an entire year so far, he still wasn't accustomed to it. I don't think I'll ever get used to his boisterous attitude... or his deceptive appearance the elf found himself thinking as he bent down in his seat and grabbed the piece of parchment underneath it. The number 435 was written on it. Sylus wondered who he'd be paired with this year as he glanced around at his peers.

To say that Mathew was surprised by the headmaster's little...speech, would be a huge understatement. However what surprised him the most was not the headmaster's age, nor his attitude. What surprised him most was something else '...that was a boy!? How could someone with such fair and delicate features be male!? And people back home think I look like too feminine for a male my age. Clearly none of them have seen...Ier-Briar Thorn-of-the-Shield was it? Quite a cumbersome name I must confess.' Reaching underneath his seat, he grabbed a piece of paper with the number sixty nine on it 'I wonder what this could be for?' He thought to himself 'I can only hope that the headmaster is sane enough to not make some sort of important decision using such a method. Too much relies unnecessarily on luck.'

Passing through the Black Gale was always a strange thing for FL. Not because of the sensation or any trepidation he felt (normal emotions and a conventional sense of touch were things well past him), but just out of sentimentality. For him, it was the same as coming face-to-face with his own killer. This is the reason you are dead. This is the reason your parents are dead. This is why you are up and moving around despite these facts. All strange truths that were difficult to comprehend for him, even now. But that aside, he would have time to contemplate later. Now he had to focus on his education, as all young men of his age should. The Academy was in sight, just as awe-inspiring as it was last he saw it. The scores of other griffins with their charges were flying into the campus, as well. While the sight of the various people, things, and things that were people was still quite intriguing to FL, he felt like he was missing out on the wonder that his more "mundane" peers were experiencing. To put it colloquially, he had, "seen some shit," as it were. The griffin landed, FL dismounted and collected his luggage, and the mount seemed very relieved to be unburdened by the perverse existence that FL represented. The walkways were filled with bustling students, many in awe of the sights and wonders of the Academy. How cute. A large tribe of greenskins was gathered in one area, shouting about honor in death and all that. FL felt a tinge of desire to correct them on their perception of the afterlife but, hell, let them have their fun. You only live once. Continuing through the main hall toward the auditorium, FL paid less attention to where he was going, and more attention to trying to decrypt the school WiFi key. WPA8? What was this, the middle ages? Before long, he made it to the auditorium, and filed into the undignified position that he and the rest of the underclassmen shared near the stage. Whatever, all of these "years" politics were bullshit, and FL had a hard time buying into them. Rather than continue to gawk at his surroundings as quite a few others continued to do, he spent the next five minutes watching funny cat videos on the internet browser inside his own metal skull. The message of "LOL" was displayed in bold letters across his facial display. The ceremony started, the headmaster came out, and the speeches began. FL was sure that the speech was meant to shock and terrify the various fleshy ones in the audience (though he did appreciate the indirect shout-out), and returned to his cat videos midway through. Thought the headmaster's comment on being a "gemstone" was intriguing. There was an analogy for youth here, somewhere. Something about shaping the mind like a faceted, something or another. Hang on. Like a diamond, Chip to sculpt its brilliance, Mogami River. -Frontal Lobe There, that should do it. Saved "asfbgfhsb.txt" and tucked away to be shat out for a creative writing grade later in the year. Easy money, baby. Oh, something about surprises under their chairs. He hoped it was a new car. Or just a fuckton of bees. Mostly the bees. Ah, nope, it was a piece of paper. It had its own appeal, but, you know, swarms of stinging insects had a little more zest to them. 435, huh? Why was it hand-written? They couldn't afford printers in this place? Toner was expensive, he supposed. Anyway, more important than that, someone was screwing with him. Four was death, three was one less than four, and five was one more. Triple fours by any account. Triple death. Truly an auspicious assemblance of numerals.

736 The flight to on the griffin had been fairly uneventful. In fact, the griffin seemed to not even acknowledge 736, briskly leaving at its first opportunity. It came as somewhat of a shock that no one reacted to 736's arrival. His appearance usually elicited some form of disgust or fear, but not so here. 736 was careful to note that, in fact, this place seemed to be much more cosmopolitan than the backwoods village he had once orbited. Truth be told, he was far from the strangest thing there. The message on the loudspeaker relayed the information to the student body, though it took its damn time about it. In addition, 736 was slightly taken aback. “What a paragon of consummate professionalism” he muttered in a deep, raspy voice. Only upon entering the designated facility was 736 struck by precisely the verisimilitude of the student body, seeming to pull the oddest outliers from every corner of both worlds. As 736 saw it, they were a perfect cross-section of extremes, ready to be observed and tested. 736 probably would have even smirked slightly, seeing the opportunities he had been granted to learn about the human condition, if his facial nerves hadn't been so sloppily assembled. On the subject of bizarre people, the figure that loomed over the crowd was no exception. Something about the child irritated 736, yet he couldn't help but find him intriguing. 736 made a mental note to inquire further. At Ier-Briar Thorn's request, 736 reached below his seat. There, he found a slip of paper (and around 80 dead spiders). The paper was slightly crumpled, as if it had been used for something else, a theory further supported by what appeared to be a crude drawing of 1/3 of a rabbit on the corner of the paper. Still, the largest detail was, naturally, the number 09, written hastily in pencil.

Zar strode into the main hall and quickly found a seat. She was silent as she observed other students on their way in. Some had been attending the Academy for a while now and they were relatively unimpressed with the ceremony to come. Others were clearly first years, probably wandering into the main hall by mistake with wide eyes. She kept to herself, however, and her attention promptly to the front at the crush of a microphone. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ When the microphone was crushed between the Headmaster's tiny hands, Dagny wondered if that was even allowed. Sure, he was the Headmaster, but if she pulled the same stunt she'd probably face detention. As she sat, her gaze flickered about at the other students. Now that it was quiet save for the Headmaster's droning, she occupied herself with thoughts on the fresh meat. The lineup was pretty dull save for one--you had your run-of-the-mill humanoids, but also a Frankenstein-like creature. Wow, Dagny thought, her gaze pulling away. As she did, students bent over and she looked around and then up at the Headmaster in confusion. Fuck, she should've been listening. She looked beside her and watched as the student fished a piece of paper out from under her seat. Dagny followed suit and found a number under her seat: 3546.

Amon entered the building gratefully, glad to have gotten away from the wind and snow. Now out of the elements, she vigorously shook her head to to free herself of the snowflakes clinging to her head and irritating her ears. Once in the room she saw that the veteran students seemed to be arranging themselves into the layered pews, quickly perceiving that they seemed to be separating by their classes, or grades, or whatever it had said in that brochure they separated by. Amon noted as the pews went higher, the groups numbers seemed to decrease rapidly staring the fourth year. No longer needing to shield herself from the elements, Amon's tails ceased covering her body, flowing out behind her as she made her way to the lowermost pews, gaining a few annoyed glares as her tails brushed into peoples faces as the trailed, a smirk playing across her lips. Despite all her thoughts that she should remain unseen, Amon felt the urge to show off, if only a bit and had always taken great pride in her tails. With that thought she glanced back, smirk turning into a grimace as she saw that they had actually become quite unkempt, fur sticking out at odd angles, no doubt from the trip in, with the wintery winds certainly doing nothing to help. This new crisis suddenly took a monopoly of her attention, rushing to find one of the bottom pews and sitting quickly, paying no mind to those who might be sitting near to her. She was soon enthralled with doing her best to smooth down the fur that seemed to be fighting back at her. She barely noted the introduction of the headmaster, bemoaning the fact that she hadn't been allowed to bring any of her own affects with her on the trip, on account of them being 'processed as evidence' when she had left. Amon rolled her eyes at the grandiose announcement of the headmaster, focusing on a particularly stubborn tangle, when she noticed those around her pulling something from under their seats. Unsure of what was going on, Amon reached under hers as well, grimacing as she found a hard piece of gum as well as the paper, and brought only the latter back with her. After a moment's hesitation, looking between the state Fox her tails and the piece of paper, she gave into defeat, realizing she'd have to grab some grooming supplies first chance, and studied the paper. It was an innocuous looking thing having no more than number 297 written on it. With a puzzled expression she turned it over, looking for some sort of explanation, before giving up and watching the others, worried she may have missed something important in her earlier frenzied state.

A small wave of panic hit Mia as she was jostled in the throng of students, the constant stream of data doing little to quell the uneasiness running through her. Perhaps this wasn’t the best place for the shy girl after all, as she tried to keep some control being pushed forward into the main hall as everyone dispelled towards seats. The older more assured beings making their way towards the front of the assembly as the rest filed into seats in some for a hierarchy the girl assumed watching them. In an attempt to escape the crowd, Mia attempted to free herself by inching slowly to the edge of the throng, but failed to notice that upon entering the Main Hall the crowd lessened causing her to stumble into a row almost tripping and landing on a blue haired boy (Varren) her face flushing bright red, ”S-so-sorry!!” the girl stuttered out quickly straightening herself looking down, before giving up and sitting a seat down from the boy. Muttering to herself, she shook her head reprimanding her foolish actions; this was a chance for a fresh start and become a more assertive person. Lost in her thoughts Mia failed to notice the small figure make its way up onto the stage until the ear splitting feedback echoed when the mic was crushed, covering her ears as she winced her attention firmly drawn to the stage blinking twice at the small human looking person announced himself in a rather colorful and superior way. A quick flicker of her eyes drew the stream of data focused on the headmaster out onto her glasses as she looked over the data curiously, most of it was missing sections but what he had said about himself matched what she could find. ”Guess I was expecting something a little less startling..hah…” she murmured to herself dismissing the data back into the constant stream, once more having neglected to pay attention to the announcements. She would have to pull up the recording and give it a proper listen later. Mimicking everyone else the girl reached down under her chair to withdraw a slip of torn paper, as if it was haphazardly ripped from a notebook and scribbled across it was a neat and pristine 69 a strange contrast to the tinged and worn paper, tilting her head curiously Mia looked around in the same confusion as everyone else before looking back towards the stage wondering just what she was in store for.

Yuga's arrival to the academy wasn't worth noting. Her trip through the Black Gale was equally uninteresting as it was oddly peaceful, and the scenery appeared to be the same as the last time she had gone through it back in her days at the academy. She wasn't sure if this was because the Black Gale was more static than Yuga had remembered or something else entirely. She still recorded everything she saw in the event her creators pick up on something she didn't. Upon landing at the Academy grounds Yuga bowed towards her Griffon and thanked it for it's services. And announcement was made shortly after her arrival for all students to head towards the main hall. Yuga could already see a crowd of students make their way towards the hall so Yuga just followed them. Her feet made a soft crunching sound in the snow, leaving behind hand-shaped prints in the immaculate white. Yuga made records of each of the students she saw in the event that she would see more of them and took record of their appearance, belongings, demeanor, and even voice if she could hear and isolate it from the rabble. Everyone looks sufficiently prepared for the school, but would they have the skills to back up their equipment? Eventually Yuga found her way into the main hall and found herself a place to sit. She had to manipulate her auxiliary arms in such a way that she wouldn't end up accidentally hitting someone else, but they were a bit tedious to maneuver. Yuga sat patiently and waited for the opening speech. When Ier arrived Yuga already knew that this wasn't going to be a long speech. Ier was never really the type to care about professionalism, as Yuga figured. She guessed it was due to being politically untouchable; the position of Head Master was important to both Lucis and Earth and neither side could would react well if their Head Master was fired. It also made things no easier since Ier was practically immortal and liked to flaunt it. Yuga's handlers disliked Ier and made it known to her that they wanted him replaced, but only if they could find someone better to take his position. She wasn't sure why they told her this, though she assumed that at some point she'd have a hand in the change in power. After Ier's speech he told everyone to look under their seat for a number. Yuga reached down and pulled out a slip of paper with the number 297. She assumed that someone somewhere in this crowd had another slip of paper with her number. Yuga was curios as to what the faculty wanted them to do if they found their person with their number. A simple meet-and-greet perhaps? Would this determine their partners for the year? Yuga couldn't say for certain. So Yuga started to see if she could pick up on the school's WiFi signal.