Berke Bayamaar

Berke was glad to see that, for starters, the man that had been pushed did not seem all that determined to start a fight, even if he did leave the door open for one. Somebody else stepped in to use some magic to prevent their confrontation, and then shortly after that a teacher arrived with a display of far more potent magic and proceeded to chastise the hostile pair. Berke was somewhat happy to hear the teacher believed he had shown good judgement, though it was ultimately overwhelmed by concern over Azerus. She also launched into an explanation of the magic the other guy used, which was interesting. Berke had never worked with a condenser before, so this was learning something new. In the end, she hurried them on to start eating. Berke would have taken the opportunity to check in on Azerus, but he seemed intent on isolating himself from the rest, not even inclined to eat. Berke decided it was best he just recover his sidelined meal and get ready for the tests.

---

Berke had come somewhat prepared to take a written test, though his preparations were not entirely adequate to make a good showing here. While a few subjects had improved, for some his studies had not covered the material included on the test, and for those he had never been good at he did as poorly as he usually did. His performance would no doubt be overall middling with wildly vacillating grades between subjects. As for the essay, while Berke was not overly eloquent, he could certainly speak from the heart, and wrote a great deal on his desire to do right by his community and the lessons he had learned back in Altay. He had no idea if this was the kindof thing that the institute wanted to hear, but it was exactly what had brought him hear, and Berke wasn't one to embellish himself to sound better. At the end of the day, he wasn't remotely sure if he would pass this section, but he had given it his best effort.

---

Finally, it was time for the physical exam. If it was nothing more than a test of strength, Berke would definitely do well, though even he was sure there would be more to it than that. The problem right now was making a group. Berke didn't know many people here, so there was only one real choice as to whom to approach first, and that was Azerus. Berke did not notice the smaller student that tried but failed to join up with him, and simply went in with a broad smile on his face and placed his hand on Azerus' shoulder. "Hey buddy, want to team up with me?" He was completely oblivious to the fact that he might be less than keen to do so.

@Dark Light

Madock Holliday

Before Madock even had a chance to open his mouth again, he froze. He couldn't believe the magic that befell him and the students around him. In that singular moment, before the Professor began to speak, exhilaration and terror collided within him. Standing there unable to move, made him feel weak and vulnerable, something he never wanted to be again, but he also couldn't help but get excited. If this is the type of power he could attain by attending the Institute, the terror was worth it. Almost as quickly as the emotion had come, they escape Madock's body when the professor scolded him for talking to much. She even likened him to a comic book villain. Now the only emotion in Madock's chest was embarrassment. Did he really end up in a monologue? Was it really that bad? His mother always said he was a little long winded at times. She said that it's what made him such an amazing salesman for his father, but did he really talk that much? Didn't feel like it. Nevertheless, even if he did or didn't talk to much, he would work on it.

Then, suddenly, he could move again. He had barely registered the fact that there was such little time left to eat. Luckily he had already eaten. In order to wash away the embarrassment, he let out a soft chuckle. He then regained his composure, and sauntered off in the direction of the testing area.

---

The written test was going just as well as Madock expected, not well. Even though he was one of the first students who sat down and got ready for the exam, he was probably one of the very last to finish. He knew he wasn't the brightest tool in the shed and it showed. The only things he had a clue how to do were the math, chemistry, and physics questions. He found the Physics questions to be quite easy though. He even chuckled at the question involving the Law of Conservation of Energy. Physics was where Madock shined. It came easy to him, almost as easy as rifling the barrel of a gun. It wasn't until the essay portion of the exam that Madock had to pause. Why was he here? Why did he want to become a mage? The answer was simple enough, but putting it into words was hard to him. He then sat back and allowed his mind to drift. He let it drift back to the moment the professor froze him and the other student, drift back to when he watched the explosion that took his father's voice, and finally drift back to him holding Wyatt's lifeless body in his arm. After a few moments, Madock let his 5'8" frame hang back over the paper, and wrote one simple sentence.

I need to become stronger, so I never have to lose someone dear to me ever again.

---

The bus ride was quite comfortable for Madock. He didn't know how, but he ended up getting a seat all to himself. He used the extended downtime and leg space wisely, and took a nice little nap. When he woke, they had arrived at their destination. Madock's eyes widened as he witnessed the ruins of an old town. Most would see nothing by old ruins, but to Madock, he saw a playground of discovery. He then began to chide himself for not staying awake and memorizing the directions they took. This would make an amazing spot to explore one of these days. He would have to pester one of the professors later about this location. It was around this time that the other professor began to herd the student into a line. Not wanting to cause another ruckus, Madock slid into the middle of the line with little to no issue.

Madock listened intently to the professor, and smiled when he said it would be a combat test in teams of three. He had another chance to make a good impression on other people, and this portion of the exam was going to be held in format of a team based competition. He always loved competition, its one of the reason he got the idea to become a professional competitive shooter. When ever the chance to compete in something arose, even if he had absolutely no clue what he was doing, Madock would not shy away. Something about facing off against other people and yourself, in some sort of battle, made him giddy. Even now, his heart was racing, and his trigger figure was twitching in excitement. He didn't care how grueling and intense the practical exams were going to be. He was going to aim to be on top at the end of the day.

He then began to survey the students, trying to spot a few that may want to form a team with him. He saw a few students that looked like he would mesh well with, but almost as soon as he spotted them, they would walk away and join someone else team. His shoulders slumped slightly. This wasn't looking good. If I can't find a good cohesive team soon, I will end up rolling the dice by getting slotted with a team by way of lottery. I can not let that hap-- His train of thought completely halted. Not because he found somebody to team up with, but because he found a rifle. Without any delay, Madock picked up his bag and rifle case and slowly made his way over to the girl loading the rifle. She didn't notice him right away. She was too busy talking to another student. The exact same student, who stopped the kid from early from shoving him. He would have to thank him for that again, but the rifle and it's owner were more important. He stopped when he was about five feet away. Without a doubt, he knew that rifle. He looked down at the unsuspecting girl and gave a big smile.

"I can't believe my eyes! Without a doubt, that is our Custom Made Holliday Mk13 Bolt Action Sniper Rifle!" He slid his hand through his hair in disbelief, "It looks different though. Did you not like the aesthetic of the gun we sold you?" The gun didn't look bad, but his father would have made any aesthetic modifications to the gun, free of charge. He then looked up at the student who 'saved' him a few hours earlier and gave a soft smile, "Oh hey. Thanks for the assist a little while ago. That could've ended up pretty messy."

@FlitterFaux@hagroden

---

There was a subtle shift in the air behind Yrhen while she was speaking to Alex, and it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She was definitely not fond of people coming up that close behind her; it was rarely, if ever, a good thing. As she finished her last sentence and before she could round on the person behind her, they spoke up. She cringed at the voice, recognizing it instantly as that of the Holliday boy. She looked over her shoulder and her scowl deepened.

He noticed. Of course he noticed, it's one of his family's own works. In that case how could he not notice? Curse it all, how do I get him off my back? Maybe he might only remember the gun and not who he sold it to? No. I'm never that lucky.

"What kind of a stupid question is that? I did what I had to do to make improvements. The bipod and a third of that wood was just extra weight. Then I had to add springs and cushioning to the stock. Maybe consider the punishing recoil in the future if you want them to sell better."

Was that too harsh?

"Though... despite those flaws i suppose it is the best rifle I've ever owned."

Now I sound too nice.

"Now stop pestering us, we're busy looking for a third to round out our team."

Just right.

@Etranger

Azerus

"As much as I enjoy that hand on my shoulder." Azerus flatly replies with a dry sense of sarcasm as he moves only his eyes to look at the large fingers pawing over his shirt.
It was only a moment later did he realise the duality of his mistake. Berke most likely failed to interpret the sarcasm of his voice and now probably believed Azerus enjoyed physical affection and just as much wanted to be teamed with this oaf.

It was too late and difficult to explain or argue otherwise. Azerus simply sighed. He did need a team after all so he allowed the giant to think what ever he wanted. He may prove useful in a physical challenge after all.

---

---

Mallory was about to return to her food when another person intervened, displaying their magical ability for the whole cafeteria to see. Although the boy was probably doing it to stop the conflict altogether, his use of magic made her wary. Mallory was joking when she told the students in front of her that the whole fight might end up in a few bruises to the face, but now she was a bit more on edge when the fourth boy to arrive decided to bust out some magic. It could have gone extremely downhill from there.

Then, everything in the cafeteria came to a silent halt as one of the Professors stomped in.

The conflict had been resolved, for now. Mallory would find herself in a mini lecture as the imposing woman explained the source behind the previous boy's magic, as well as giving a good telling off to the rest of the boys in front of the entire cafeteria. Mallory snorted, taking the last bite of her bread.

“Well, they totally had it coming.”

---

---

The revelation of written exams weren't much of a surprise to Mallory. This was a prestigious school for professional mages after all; written tests like this, Mallory thought, were inevitable to come across in the first few days of the school year. Mallory wasn't incredibly intelligent by any means, but she considered herself smart enough. Had her parents not been the incredibly intelligent people they were, she wouldn't even have the slightest sense of what half the questions on the paper meant. The next time she went home, she would have to thank them for that.

Mallory answered what she could. But then came the time to start writing up her essay on why she aspired to become a professional mage. At first, her mind went completely blank. She had agreed to attend the institute for the sake of honing her powers as a mage, more so to gain good control and understanding over them. The more knowledge the better; her parents couldn't stress this enough, especially after what happened when Mallory decided to do a little 'experiment' on the one day she was left home alone. However, just recalling those memories all the way back to the first time she discovered her magical affinities struck a chord in Mallory. With that one idea in mind, she began to write.

Magic is a wonderful thing, but the more you know, the more fascinating it becomes.

---

---

For some reason, Mallory felt a bit drained after the written exam. Scribbling away on sheets of paper for an hour and a half in complete silence wasn't something she particularly enjoyed. But now it was time for the practical exam, which everyone else seemed more enthusiastic about. During the thirty minute bus ride to her next location, Mallory restrained her mischievous mannerisms (she didn't have the energy to play 'who can out-insult the other person' at that time) and decided to quietly rest up for the entire journey. Perhaps there were some short conversations in between, but Mallory made sure she was mentally and physically relaxed before the practical exam begun. She would definitely need it once she got off the bus.

Full-force, objective based combat test. Mallory was ecstatic.

The whole group sorting thing was pretty chaotic. Everyone was scuttling around in desperate search for decent partners, and Mallory could only let herself flow through the crowd in order to not get trampled on. With only five minutes left and having just escaped the more concentrated area of students, Mallory still had no one else to team up with. Her thoughts went back to the magic card boy from a few hours back, but in this large crowd she had no such luck finding him. She didn't have any time to thoroughly do so.

Somehow, the flow of the crowd had swept her towards the few people she did recognise. It was the victim and the peacemaker; two of the four boys from the cafeteria incident. Another, shorter person was there too, not looking very amused by the boy that stood over them. From what she could hear, harsh rejection against the boy followed soon after. Luck just wasn't on that boy's side today.

“Luck just isn't on your side today, is it?”

Mallory waited for an appropriate moment to approach the boy with that statement, preferably when he wasn't standing as close to peacemaker boy and his shorter comapnion. She thought it was likely he would take the opportunity to group up with her after being turned down by someone else, and the closer Mallory was to a full group the less likely she would end up with someone less tolerable. This kid seemed nice enough at least, better than she had come across so far.

“You know, I think the both of us could do with an actual group.”

@HeartlessNobody

---

Practical Exam Venue @Azereiah @Eragon

---

Mars had a filling meal and felt rather well fed. As he was finishing up he noticed the fight escalating, then her. Despite his rather good memorey he had trouble with names. He felt the power and thanked everyone and everything that it hasn't been directed at him. He only can recall one time it was, but once again surpressed a chuckle as the angry chimera fell under it. He still hoped he passed though he knew some people don't have a happy home and doesnt wish anyone to not pass.

Mars was looking through the crowd for that Celestial, Stellerias, Cest? Oh what ever the brekfast guy. He has trouble finding him, but he sees the person with wings from earlier. He watches him for a bit then notices he approaches Celeste. He goes over and says a semi friendly "Hello," before nodding to both Ohon and Celeste.

---

---

11:10 AM, August 6th, 1210PW. 43 Degrees Fahrenheit. Cloudy.

---

Albrecht Hamwheel's 'Radio' Device Finally Hits Store Shelves - BUY TODAY! - The Unoctoc View, July 5th, 1197PW

---

Nearly silent footsteps approached two of the largest students in the crowd. Mionrashk ar Wahaca, the tiny felid Monster from the opening ceremony, plopped down in front of Berke and Azerus, and stared up at the two with all four eyes. It was wearing a leather harness covered in deep red foreign-made Condensers. "Myon."

It seemed to want to team up with them. A ten pound creature would probably do well working alongside a Gorilla Chimera with its delicate nature. Azerus would immediately recognize it as a Telkit, given his interest in history (a rather notable and widely publicized event had happened some decades ago regarding violence at first contact). But it was still a Monster, and seeing a Telkit in human or chimera occupied lands was almost unheard-of. They usually kept to the Deadlands and only very rarely made contact with humans, and for good reason: Telkit colonies were feral and xenophobic, and didn't particularly appreciate other intelligent creatures treading on their land. Deadland Explorers who'd survived wandering into Telkit territories generally came back crippled by severe electrical burns and frostbite.

"I hope you don't mind my joining your team. I believe it would be beneficial for all parties present." The creature seemed to be using localized telepathy to speak.

---

---

The professor tapped his foot up and down the entire time the students were working to find teammates, staring at a clipboard and scribbling down notes. It was impossible to tell who or what he was looking at with his dark goggles, and some of the applicants half-assedly tried to hide from what might be his gaze. Of course, he made a note of everyone who did so on his clipboard. It'd be interesting to see what those students would do in the Practical Exam. Probably run and hide or something - a perfectly valid tactic, but it wouldn't achieve many of the objectives.

A small 'Ding!' noise popped up and Brovak pulled his sleeve back to reveal a bandaged arm with a small twist-timer on it.

"Alright everyone, your time is up. I see a number of you haven't gotten a complete group together, and that there are some... Stragglers. You do realize you were supposed to get in groups of three, right? Should I have repeated myself over and over? Or were you just too afraid of talking to people to choose?"

Brovak's tone of voice wasn't angry. It was just... Condescending. Very condescending. At least it wasn't targeted at anyone who'd made an attempt at grouping up.

"Alright, I suppose I'll have to put some of you into groups myself. _{Can't follow simple instructions...} Yes, hm. I think I've got it. You there - Mat Harken - you're working with Yrhen Oharra and Alexander Breckenridge. They're right there." - he pointed towards the two applicants in question before continuing - "Lester Astrante, you're with Mallory Mortimer and Madock Holliday."

He continued swinging his finger around and naming names for a solid three minutes, shutting down anyone who tried to speak over him as he went. There were quite a lot of applicants who hadn't made complete groups yet, apparently. When he was finished, there were ten groups of three in total.

"I don't care if you don't like who you've been paired up with. You had ten minutes to find a group and work that out. The Practical Exam starts as soon as I'm finished explaining things. Firstly, your equipment. Everybody with the ability to grip and use a rifle is being issued the 7.5x56U M1 Kubyezh, along with ten magazines, which each hold five rounds. Mind the recoil - I've seen unprepared people dislocate their shoulders with them before. A .38 revolver is also being issued, with three speed loaders. There is also a simple combat knife with an eight inch blade weighing two pounds - extremely heavy for a knife, but you'll be glad of it."

With a series of soft 'pops', a harness appeared for each person with opposable thumbs and fell to the ground, with a revolver holster on each hip and the combat knife sheath mounted to a strap crossing the wearer's chest. A pair of ammunition pouches were also on the harness's chest, out of the way of the combat knife sheath. Another series of popping noises a second later materialized the rifles atop the harnesses, unloaded and in pristine condition, followed by the revolvers and the knives.

"And just in case any of you actually understand magic, we're throwing in five Condensers as well. With the full charge of one standard-issue Condenser, you can raise the temperature of one cubic meter of air by roughly one thousand, two hundred degrees, or perform any other magical feat requiring the same amount of energy."

A third series of 'pops' materialized a rack of five Condensers in small cylindrical 'pockets' on the harnesses' right side vertical straps.

"Now, on to the Exam itself. We will be transporting each group to a location surrounding this town. There are three objectives: the first of which is to tell me what this town's name is and what happened here, and this objective is worth one hundred points for your group. The second is to capture and hold the town's central Temple against others, and this objective is worth one hundred points as well - however, the amount of points earned will be divided up amongst all of the groups holding the objective based on time held... Inverted. The group that arrives most recently will be awarded points based on the time the group that first captured the objective has been there, and vice-versa. Why? Because I said so. And the third objective? Survive. Ninety points to teams that survive in full, with thirty points awarded for each killing blow against another group and thirty points lost for each team member lost. If a team is completely wiped out, all of the kill points they have accumulated will be transferred to the ones who took them out. And the highest scoring team will be rewarded quite nicely. Any questions? No? Good."

The shape of a wicked smile formed under Brovak's facial bandages. He was finally enjoying himself, now that some of the groups were visibly squirming. The first objective was reasonable, but the second two were almost completely nonsensical outside of being meant to cause as much mayhem as possible. And he outright ignored anybody who raised their hand or tried to ask anything, instead pushing on with his speech.

"Oh, and... I've left a few presents in there, specially for you. Think of them as gifts for newcomers. You're welcome. We're starting in three, two, one..."

A series of ten much louder pops shot through the air and each group suddenly found itself in the middle of a grassy field outside of the town, with their assigned equipment lying on the ground at their feet. Low hills and tall, uncut grass made it nearly impossible to see where other groups had landed, but the taller buildings of the abandoned town were clearly visible over the grass, and they were much closer than they had been earlier. Low noises somewhere between rattling and hissing could be heard in the distance.



@Eragon@semicolon@Jay Kalton@Dark Light@FlitterFaux@HeartlessNobody@Etranger@hagroden@GrafRoy Zeppeli@thewizardguy

Throughout the group creation process, Mat had been stumbling around meekly seeing if he'd be picked up by anyone. With his nerves the way they were before the test, he really didn't have it in him to talk to these strange people. And non-people, too. All kinds of diverse characters had showed up, and all of them seemed to have some clue what they were doing. Halfway through Mat made an meek attempt at conversation with a darkskinned human guy, only to be completely ignored. Since then he had just stared at his feet and fidgeted, hoping he wouldn't get disqualified for failing to find a group.

When the teacher started talking, Mat couldn't do anything other than stare at his feet. By the time he was being assigned to a team his face had turned bright red, and he could swear everyone was looking at him. At that moment, he'd do anything to get out of the situation. However he solemnly marched over to his new teammates, although he didn't get too close. He refused to even look up from the ground, fervently asserting in his mind that as long as he didn't look at them, they couldn't judge him. He was broken out of his little bubble of self-pity when the teacher started explaining their equipment, however. A rifle? What in god's name were they supposed to use a rifle for? Were they going to shoot people? Were there going to monsters? Oh no, oh no, oh no. He'd thought the physical exam would be running or something, maybe some wrestling. Something he could get past, and then make up for in the written test. He didn't even know how to use a gun properly! Hell, he'd hardly ever even seen one!

While relieved at the fact that his knowledge and education would be able to net him some points in this exam, the explanation of the other two objectives left him staring incredulously at the teacher. They had to hold the central temple with REAL GUNS? Wait, KILL POINTS? They were going to send the students out to kill each other?! What kind of insane place was this!! Halfway through the explanation Mat's hand shot up, which swiftly transitioned into a sort of frantic hopping as he tried to get noticed. This was entirely unreasonable. There was no way that they were actually setting up some sort of death-tournament. There had to be a catch. Was the ammo rubber bullets? Were the students protected by magic? But no such system was established, and the teacher merely ended his lecture by teleporting Matt and the entire group off into the distance.

Defeated, Mat sank through his knees. It felt like his stomach kept sinking, all the way down into the ground. A cold knot of anxiety had taken it's place in his body. In front of him lay a small pile of gear he had no idea how to use, and in the distance he could already hear scary sounds. Biting his lip, he took a moment to collect himself. This was going to be fine. He might not be great at fighting, but he had his own talents. Surely the other students wouldn't be out for blood. And there were probably people with healing magic ready to make sure people didn't actually die. Besides, his teammates were probably skilled and competent people. Breathing in and out to calm himself, Mat decided to finally examine the people he'd been lumped in with.

First he took a look at the girl, and immediately discarded any illusions of camaraderie. She certainly didn't look like she was interested in light conversation. The look in those eyes could be accurately summed up as... hostile. Despite this, the way the small girl handled that rifle somewhat reassured Mat. She held it like she knew what she had some clue what she was doing, which was enough to put her above his own level of competence.

Second he glanced over at the guy. He looked even bigger when compared to the girl. This guy was wearing military uniform, and something about the way he handled himself radiated confidence. Like he'd been in situations like this before. In fact, something about his face seemed familiar. And the name the teacher had mentioned earlier. In his embarrassment and confusion Mat had completely forgotten what his teammates were called. How was he supposed to address them without their names? Oh no. He was going to make a fool out of himself all over again. If he kept quiet, maybe he could just kind of follow them victory....

Deciding against any misguided attempts at actual human interaction, Mat instead sat down and scooped up the condensers he'd been given. Those, at least, he could use. The guns he put in his backpack, handling them gingerly as if they might suddenly explode. The only reason he was picking them up was because he felt strangely bad about just leaving them on the ground. The backpack, of course, were magic. A bag of holding, one he'd made himself. It had been one of his first magic items. It wasn't very good, it only held twice it's normal volume and it didn't do more than halve the weight of objects placed inside. So it was only about as good as having two backpacks. But nonetheless he enjoyed using it, and it helped him store the rather large and cumbersome rifle. Next he retrieved something from the bag, which was getting a little full with the addition of the guns.

What he retrieved seemed to be a massive stack of brightly coloured paper. Reds and blues were the most prominent colours, although all the colours of the rainbow were represented in some fashion. Leaning down Mat placed one of the condensers on the stack, even as he said some arcane words. Or at least they were supposed to be arcane words. In reality, the activation phrase was 'fizzy gum sticks', but he added in some latin-sounding gibberish to disguise the poorly chosen password. As soon as the words left his lips the pile of paper started folding out, and then refolding itself, reconstructing it's appearance until a three-metre origami golem was formed. This brightly coloured companion was Fizzlestick, an easily storable and portable paper golem. Mat had also used his enchanting magic in order to make it waterproof so it could go out in the rain, and it was a good bit tougher than normal paper. You'd have trouble killing it with scissors, at least, although Mat hadn't considered making it bulletproof.

Once it finished folding itself into the proper shape Fizzlestick formed a seat with it's hands, and Mat hopped on. He wouldn't have to walk with his pet golem to carry him everywhere. And with Fizzlestick's long legs, there was no way he'd lag behind his newly found companions (or at least, allies). Besides, he always felt a bit safer with Fizzlestick around, even if the golem wasn't really suited to battle. Smiling shyly he turned to the other two, silently hoping one of them had an actual plan.

@Etranger@Azereiah
Azerus eyed the Telkit with equal parts caution, intrigue and disdain.
"Beneficial indeed." he replied much later once the scenery around him had washed away and was replaced with one vastly different. He was no longer in the same place as before and the only students around him was that of his team.

"Alright, so what can you guys do?" Azerus asked the others reluctantly as he quickly swept up his share of supplies and began moving forward, wasting no time he loaded and checked it over while on the move towards the town.
He didn't pause or wait for the others, instead holding his urgent pace and calling back as he stormed onward to his destination.
"Keep up, keep alert and most importantly don't die."

If any of this amazed, startled or even interested the hybrid, he showed no signs of it. He remained completely flat, calm and nonchalant regarding the whole matter. Just treating it as another job that had to be done. No excitement, no fear, just work. His eyes remained focused on the scenery unfolding before him.

Berke Bayamaar

Berke was glad his new buddy had assented to making a team with him. After all, who didn't love a good friend patting them on the shoulder? It was a perfectly friendly gesture. In due time, they were joined by a small monster. While there weren't many monsters at all in Altay, Berke certainly wasn't about to become judgemental all of a sudden. "Excellent! We're a team!" Berke exclaimed as Azerus clearly accepted their new monster buddy. Soon enough, the time limit for team building ended, and to Berke's shock, there were a few people that failed to actually form teams in the time allowed. Who wouldn't want to form a team as quickly as possible? Maybe they were just too shy?

They were all assigned weapons for their excursion. Berke had taken a go at using some of his family's hunting weapons in preparation for coming here, but he was hardly familiar with the use of a gun. He also wished he had been given a more blunted weapon; he knew he would have to hurt something in this career, but he could at least avoid slicing anything up like he would have to with this knife. Strapping on the harness, he was dismayed by the further explanation the professor provided. Were they to actually fight and even kill the other teams here? That was the one thing Berke did not want to do. He really hoped the professor was just kidding around. If not, maybe Berke had just learned that this place was not for him.

As quick as blinking, the professor whisked them away to their starting positions. Steeling himself for whatever was to come, Berke resolved to try and get this done without doing any unnecessary killing. Focusing on Azerus' question for the time being, he answered, "Well I can't say I have any truly special skills, but if you want me to bulldoze anything in our path, I can do it." While he said this, Berke hoped nobody was about to ask him to bulldoze any people down. The only fighting he'd done back in Altay was purely of the friendly variety against his family and other people that could take a good hit. As far as Berke was concerned though, Azerus' final statement was encouraging; he wouldn't tell them not to die unless he cared, right?

Otherwise, it was time to get moving. Berke kept his eyes peeled for a sign. There had to be a sign welcoming people to town, right? That would tell them the name.

@Dark Light @Azereiah

---

As she pretended to scan the crowd for a third person that was not Madock Holliday, Yrhen's full attention was on the boy behind her. She didn't need to see his face to know he was upset from her reaction. Who wouldn't be? Especially if he remembers that day in detail. Several months and hundreds of other customers may not be enough distance between us like I hoped.

She made it seem as if she was ignoring him as he pointed out that the recoil issue was brought up at the time, and that they would have been happy to make any changes then and there. Stars be damned, he remembers everything! He did say that, for sure... I just couldn't bring myself to ask at the time. She felt a sudden rush of blood to her face and quickly turned away from anyone close enough to see.

By the time she got her color back under control the Holliday boy had already excused himself. It was a relief and just what she had hoped would happen; but the mix of confused irritation and sad dissappointment in his voice was not lost on her. She felt a sharp pang of guilt which she had to spend the next half minute burying. With that ordeal over for now she went back to actually trying to find a third person, though she hoped Alex might have taken care of that on his own before-

It was too late. Professor Brovak called the time and even openly shamed those that had not formed a full team, and Alex was standing there alone, still her sole teammate. No... I'm such an idiot, I can't believe I just let this happen! Wait, maybe if I just grab Holliday fast eno- But that thought was cut short when she turned to see the boy she had just rejected already with another girl. She had to stop herself from physically recoiling when she saw that it was the pale girl she had noticed earlier. The one that looked perfectly normal and friendly otherwise. The one that still set her on edge.

She heard a name, Mat Harken, assigned to her and Alex and a sense of dread washed over her. Oh please, if the universe knows any mercy, don't let this be the worst case scenario. I don't care if I can't stand this Harken character, not anymore, just please don't let them be useless. She turned to the boy that had been decided for them and in just a few seconds of assessing him her face froze in a grimace.

Fuck you, universe.

Her hopes crashed down around her and she glared at the new boy in front of them as if this was somehow all his fault. He's scared. And he doesn't have a good handle on that fear would be my guess. A shiver went down her spine. There are few things more dangerously unpredictable than a scared human. This boy could get us killed or worse... She turned away from Mat with an openly digusted expression. She tried to calm down by focusing on Professor Brovak's instructions.

Fortunately, the new equipment that manifested in front of them was quite the distraction, as was the method of delivery. She had never seen magic used to make solid things like this appear, though she knew it was a simple thing for professional mages. Not only that but this was the first time she had ever held a semi automatic rifle, as they were rare and too expensive in the kind of places she had lived. She started gathering the harnesses and securing the uncomfortably tight things over her coat. She ground her teeth as they pinched in several places but she knew it couldn't be helped. The extra knife and revolver were a welcome addition as well since she didn't need to worry about how much weight was on her today. Taking her time to learn what she could about the new rifle her eyes narrowed and her movements slowed as the professor began to outline the details of their objectives.

Hunt... people? She did not succeed at fully disguising the shudder that went through her in that moment. We have to hunt down and survive against intelligent people using guns and magic. And we can't just run away, we have to fight over an objective. She stared at professor Brovak as his face visibly grinned under his extensive bandages and he continued talking. He then began a countdown with no other warning.

'Three,' Traps? On top of everything else?!

'Two,' We're all just applicants, we're not even students yet! Just what do you expect out of a bunch of clueless kids?!

'One.' Even I'm not ready to pull the trigger on another person just like that, and I've been killing to support our family for years!

The scenery abruptly vanished with a loud pop and a sickeningly uncomfortable and disorienting sensation throughout her entire body all at once. The shock was intense, she had never experienced teleportation before, and her stomach roiled. She clamped a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, barely managing to not vomit.

He did warn me this would be harsh, didn't he? I guess I forgot, for a moment, the most important lesson i ever learned. This world is cruel.

---

---

“Well, you heard the professor. Looks you'll be stuck with me for quite some time. Don't worry, I'm a decent person, I swear,” she told the boy, giving him a quick and reassuring wink. She assumed from the professor's words that this was the one named Madock. Mallory scanned the crowd, hoping this so-called Lester person would turn up soon. And once she saw their team's third member arrive, another devious smile would cross her face.

“Oh, it's magic card boy.”

Before she could speak again, Mallory was cut off. Professor Brovak's explanation of the practical exam was a long and tiresome one, but this was no test that anyone could fool around in. Mallory would quieten herself for a few minutes and listened with sharp ears, making sure not to miss anything significant.

The equipment that was dropped in front of her was certainly... interesting. But again, it didn't seem like a surprise either. This was still a military school for mages, and this was still a hardcore practical entrance exam. One that required the use of hardcore practical equipment, it seemed. Mallory's face seemed to twist with uncertainty at the sight of a rifle, a revolver and a giant knife at her feet. She'd never used a rifle before, and neither did she have experience with combat knives. The only thing Mallory knew how to operate to some amount of effectiveness was the revolver, since her parents knew their fair share about such things as former students of Mordhaben. But at home, her mother's old rifle was strictly off limits.

The condensers were something Mallory was familiar with. She understood magic to a plausible degree, despite her magical mishaps in the past. She could use them, and hopefully, not all at once. And when she really thought about it, a knife was a knife. If anything bad went down, she could just swing it around in the most practical way she could. Mallory had a decent amount of muscle, she could swing a two-pound combat knife well enough if the situation called for it.

"Any questions?" Professor Brovak finished.

Mallory's hand shot up above the mostly quiet crowd.

“Yeah, so, it's all good if we try to kill anyone we come across–”

"No? Good."

Mallory frowned. The professor not specifying whether she and other students could get killed or kill each other was becoming more of an annoyance than a worry. Death was a pretty morbid subject to Mallory, but just thinking about getting killed during an entrance exam to a school at the young age of sixteen almost seemed laughable. The thought of killing other students, however... not so much.

---

---

The teleportation to the outskirts was so sudden that Mallory almost fell over. In a split second, she found herself in a lot of grass around a lot of hills and trying to regain her balance. Those aggravating hissing noises didn't seem to help at all either. So, Mallory decided to squat down for a minute, eyeing the equipment she had been given before attaching them to the harness she had strapped on before hand. She held the revolver in her right hand, and then the combat knife, feeling their weight and testing her grip. Mallory summarised that if she didn't swing around too much with either of the weapons, her wrists would be fine.

“We should probably figure out some sort of strategy before heading into that giant deathtrap of a town,” Mallory said as she stood up, tilting her head in the direction of the faraway town buildings. “I guess it'll be useful if we all know what we can do first, because if anyone here can summon up barriers or whatever if we get shot at, I think it's best to speak up now.”

Taking her earrings off, Mallory continued. “It won't take us that long to demonstrate anyway, and it's not like I'm too enthusiastic to throw myself into my own deathbed anytime soon.”

She held her right hand out, and proceeded to demonstrate. A large flame twice the size of her head suddenly shot up, and Mallory flinched ever so slightly, which totally wasn't an unintentional reaction on her part. The flame vanished once she had clenched her fist tightly shut. Flashing an innocent smile, Mallory looked towards her teammates.

“So, yeah. I can burn things.”

@HeartlessNobody @GrafRoy Zeppeli

---

Alexander had remained silent at the approach of the young man he learned was named "Holiday," and opted to instead let Yrhen deal with the newcomer, as she seemed much more open to these types of interactions. Alexander simply stood passively, watching Yrhen as she vocally balanced open hostility and mere irritation, much to Alex's interest. Apparently the two of them had history, and it's seemed that history revolved around Oharra's rifle. A fourth person approached, a young woman with beautifully fair skin and snow-white hair. Alex averted his eyes, knowing that if he didn't he would stand staring at her, which would be a particularly odd first impression.

Much to his elation however, Professor Brovak began speaking and called the Students' attention, and began to, condescendingly, organize the lot of them. During this period, Alex heard Brovak assign a student by the name of "Matt Harken" to their group. Alex looked around, and found a young boy with a flushed face that refused to look up from his feet walking towards the duo. Alexander was about to speak reassuringly to the newest addition to the group and explain that there was no need to be nervous, but was interrupted by Brovak beginning to introduce the equipment provided to them for the exam. Turning his attention and body towards Brovak, Alexander listened attentively.

Accompanied by the soft sound of popping a harness appeared before Alexander, thanks to his quick reflexes, he was able to grab it gracefully and strap it on before it hit the ground. A moment later, a rifle appeared along with two revolvers and a knife. With an outstretched hand, Alexander used a small bit of magic and held the weapons in place as he quickly loaded and chambered his rifle, as well as his revolvers. He then sheathed the knife and revolvers, holding the rifle with his right hand and resting the barrel in the ground near his feet. Then, following a third and final pop, five condenser appeared already strapped to his harness. Glancing to the watch on his left wrist, he noted that his personal crystal configuration still had about 83% of it's charge. Listening to the professor, he also made a note that the provided crystals only had about 70% of the energy capacity his own personal condensers had.

Within moments, Alexander felt the familiar experiance of being teleported, and he instantly began to survey his surroundings; to the far North there was a small cluster of 2 story buildings, and the town appeared to be to his South-East. He noted a small handful of buildings that stood a bit taller than the huts that littered the cities outskirts. One building stood out in particular, a single four story building that seemed to comically dwarf the huts surrounding it.

Turning to his team, Alexander saw that, their newest addition had already packed his equipment and was now sitting on the hands of a brightly colored paper golem, and Alexander nearly shot the thing down on sight.

"Harken... Please disassemble the walking flare. The last thing we need is a nine foot beacon of blue and red to signal our location." Alexander said in a voice that was gentle and kind, but assertive no less.


"O'Harra, take the rear and keep that rifle ready. I'll take point and Harken can stay behind me. Regardless of what happens, if you hear shots, hit the dirt. We're moving to take the four-story building to our SE, and find the temple. We're playing this aggro, any questions?" He half asked, half ordered. Alexander wasn't fond of taking the lead, but he knew how to, and he was good at it. He'd lived the last two decades being prepared for the military, even if he wasn't sure that's what he wanted to do in life, he knew he'd be damn good at it.


Matt's smile faded a bit as his male companion berated him. It wasn't very harsh, but he'd been hoping they'd be more impressed. Everyone at home had always been very impressed by his golem. "Oh, but... umm, if the problem is that he's too tall, then I can fix that! After all, Fizzlestick is a self-folding origami golem! The first in the world!" With a gesture and some unnecessary fake Latin words (Matt doesn't actually know any Latin) Fizzlestick immediately began re-configuring itself once more. It seemed to flatten out, looking less and less like a humanoid until it most resembled an origami frog. Matt was sitting on it's back, once more beaming brightly. Now he was low enough that he didn't stick out above the ground. After seeing this, there was no way they wouldn't be impressed!

"Well? Well? I told you, right? Fizzlestick can do all kinds of things. Like this it'd be fine, right? An I mean, um, he's really fast too. Like, because I gave him long legs and stuff, and he can carry a bunch of stuff too. He's even big enough for all of us!" Indeed the new frog form did seem to have enough room to ferry up to four people on it's back. And even as a paper golem it remained a golem, and so was far stronger than a normal human. The fact that it could so easily carry Matt was proof of that. "If you want to get to that temple place it's best to get there fast, right? He won't be very fast with all of us on him, but he'll still be faster than just walking through the grass." In truth it wouldn't be very much faster, but Matt figured this was the best way for him to be useful at the moment. After all, he was relying on his companions to save him when things started to get dangerous.


Alexander felt a pang of remorse as his newest companion attempted to justify his golem, he was impressed to be fair, animation of lifeless objects was a powerful ability to have, and the boy was clearly well-versed in it's use. As the creature dwarfed down into something resembling a monstrously large frog, Alex couldn't help but smile at the boy and his Golem. Perhaps, however, the golem did have it's uses.

"Can you communicate with him?" Alexander asked with a smile warm enough to melt the coldest of hearts, primarily due to the boy's attempts at Latin. Alexander couldn't help but smile around Matt, to be frank, he was adorable, and his enthusiasm was nearly contagious. However, Alex couldn't think with his heart if he hoped to get the three of them through this exam without a scratch, and out of a mix for concern for his partner's well-being and the gravity of the situation they were in, Alex's smile faded quickly from his lips.


Yrhen Oharra opened her eyes and stood straight again, taking stock of her new surroundings for the first time. The terrain was hilly, with high grass and low shrubs. Plenty of places to hide just by crouching low but there was no real cover. There was nothing that could protect them against bullets or magic if they were spotted out here. It made her feel exposed, especially since there were three of them and she couldn't move freely like she normally would if she were alone.

Catching sight of movement and bright colors right on top of them Yrhen snapped towards it, bringing the new rifle to bear. She realized quickly that it was just Mat, who was creating... something. She watched with a mixture of amazement and horror as a giant, brightly colored paper construct formed. This boy is.. truly going to get us killed.

Fortunately Alex's thoughts mirrored her own, and he told Mat what he needed to hear. Unfortunately Alex also decided he needed to start telling her what she should be doing. While she had come to the Institute expecting to learn and follow the chain of command, something about how Alex just started throwing orders at her was very irritating. At the same time she was relieved it wasn't herself or Mat taking the role of superior officer. Not only that but Alex was probably the best qualified and most experienced of the three of them. Despite this she still couldn't help but feel irked. Why does this even bother me so much?

"Aggro? Breckenridge are you just assuming we know what 'aggro' means? Like you assumed I'd just be fine with you assigning yourself as leader? Lucky for you I do think this is the best arrangement. In this case. Now can we get moving? We're way too exposed like this."

Her voice nearly cracked with the last sentence as she thought she sensed movement right behind her. She grabbed at her knife and spun around but there was only grass blowing in a light breeze. Being out here like this is making me jumpy. There are people out there hunting us even as we're supposed to be hunting them. And that sound... traps and the other teams aren't our only problems.


It seemed that both Alex and Yrhen wanted to get moving, and Mat was inclined to agree with the sentiment. His worries from just moments ago had vanished like snow before the sun. Yrhen seemed like a hard person to work with, but Alex's smile made Matt immediately discard his earlier assumptions. "Not really? He can't talk. Some of the fancier ones can, but I'm not sure how to do that. But if I touch him and use some magic I can look through his... well, his memories. Although it's actually a lot more complicated cuz.... well, it is." At this Matt self-consciously started flipping a pen he'd retrieved from his bag earlier. He'd been about to explain the entire system of magically 'freezing' images and sounds, and how golems even 'saw' in the first place, but something about Yrhen's twitchyness made him think she wouldn't appreciate a long-winded explanation. Or a long-winded anything, really.

No longer scared, Matt whispered a word under his breath while placing one hand on Fizzlesticks' back. Immediately the golem lurched forward, using it's light frame and powerful legs to rapidly move forward. Like magic (well technically it was) the boy and his homemade friend vanished into the tall grass, as he could be heard softly but hurriedly telling the golem to slow down a bit.

The warmth Alexander often portrayed disappeared as Yrhen spoke, his eyes becoming cold in a way that didn't seem possible next to the kindness he had moments ago displayed. If they had not recognized him by the his surname and the redness under his eyes, the harsh face he now wore would surely give him away; The Breckenridges were known in military circles to be some of the harshest soldiers the world had ever seen, and their cold but efficient demeanor was not one that went unnoticed. Turning to O'harra, he spoke in a low, daunting voice as his eyes seemed to pierce through her entirely.

"I'm assuming you'd like to finish this exam without knowing what a bullet-wound feels like." He began, enunciating the word "assuming," before he continued, "So if the assumption is correct, I'd advice you to practice restraint the next time you decide to protest an arrangement that you agree with."

With that, he turned on his heal and began to jog briskly, clutching his rifle in a way that hinted to his familiarity with the act. Before long, he was moving alongside Harken and his Golem, and even sooner he had passed them, bee-lining for the large building a few hundred yards away.


Alex's eyes, far more than his words, cut into the girl that knew better than to trust anyone, but who had let her guard down anyway. Alex could be intimidating when he wanted to be, and a chill shot down her spine. She did not flinch or look away, but meeting his eyes and holding her ground was hard. What he said was hard to counter as well; she had carelessly spoken out of irritation without really knowing why. She still didn't know what had gotten under her skin this much.

So stupid, so very very stupid. He's not Pe'pe, never will be, and I'm an idiot for even once comparing the two of them. At the end of the day this Alex Breckenridge is just another boy who doesn't like it when things don't fit in to how he thinks the world should work. I really... let my guard down after all. But he is right, I'm complaining like this even though I agree with his decision, not even thinking about it before hand. This is how it would work in the military, though. There will always be someone outranking me, telling me what to do. But we're both just applicants at this point. Technically equals but he just decided on his own to place himself above us, above me. Best choice for the job aside, maybe that's what is pissing me off so much? Maybe...

Crouching low and holding the new, still unfamiliar feeling rifle close to her body, she followed behind the others as quickly and as quietly as possible. As she kept on the move, alert for any threats near or far, she wondered just how badly getting shot would hurt. Even if death would be prevented by their instructors, there was nothing said about the prevention of wounds, minor or otherwise. Pain was an irritatingly familiar companion in her life but she had yet to be shot. If it happened would it really be any worse than some of the other wounds she'd endured?

Better not to find out.

---

---

11:20 AM, August 6th, 1210PW. 43 Degrees Fahrenheit. Cloudy.

---

"Yes, I did throw the new students off a cliff. Why's that bad, though? They all survived, right?" - A Previous Administrator

---

While the new potential students were just getting their bearings and starting to move out, a distant Crack! could be heard in the distance on the east side of the ruined town, and various birdlike creatures flew up and away out of the grass all around. The hissing-rattling noises around each team disappeared with rapidly rustling grass moving away, indicating that the sources of the noises were very much alive and didn't like loud noises one bit. Probably Monsters. A minute later, a noise echoed inside the heads of all students present... Followed by Brovak loudly yelling.



"BWAHAHAHA! OH GODS, THEY-- THEY ACTUALLY... WOW. SORRY, THIS IS SUPPOSE-- BWAHAHAHAAHAAAA! --SUPPOSED TO BE AN ANNOUNCEMENT. ONE TEAM HAS QUIT AFTER A TEAMMATE WAS SHOT IN THE HEAD BY ACCIDENT. ALL THREE ARE GOING HOME, NOW GIVE THEM A GOOD LAUGH FOR ME. THIS-PFFFFF-- THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS EVER HAPPENED."

A few moments later, a followup message came in a more... Reasonable tone. "Oh, sorry. Volume control's a bit off, haven't used this kind of magic in a few decades. Don't aim your guns at your teammates, kids. This'll be the last you hear of me until the exam is over. _{Oh, and by the way, I'd recommend that everyone get moving. They're looking a little hungry, though that little accident drove them off for now.}"

@hagroden@Jay Kalton@FlitterFaux@thewizardguy@HeartlessNobody@GrafRoy Zeppeli

---

Ohon Katann was doing what he did best - being Ohon - when Brovak suddenly burst out laughing, prompting Ohon to nearly choke on the bee he'd bitten out of the air moments prior. Breakfast hadn't been enough to sate his appetite this time, just as it hadn't been any time in the past. When Brovak finally shut up, Ohon turned to finally answer his old classmate, Celeste. The boy was a far better student than Ohon had ever been. For that matter, Mars was too, and Mars seemed to have invaded his space. Ohon didn't particularly like Mars and opted to ignore him for the time being.

"...Why would I need to regrow my wings?"

He'd already forgotten the breakfast incident.

@Eragon@semicolon

---

"My senses of smell and hearing are better than most, and my kind are skilled in most forms of natural and elemental magics," the Telkit responded. Mionrashk hadn't been provided any equipment save for five extra condensers, which popped onto his existing bandolier alongside the other twenty. To underscore his comment, a small arc of electricity shot between the tips of his long, pointed ears, followed by a small puff of flame and a small pebble materializing in midair. The tiny monster wasn't about to waste any more energy than he had to on small demonstrations, and he hoped that what he did would be enough.

"I also know a fair bit about Monsters, though I'm unfamiliar with the species present this far north. Speaking of, we're being fol-"

Crack!

The gunshot echoed through the air only a few hundred meters to their south, startling Mionrashk into throwing himself onto Berke's shoulder and staring violently in the sound's direction, spikelike fur standing on end. When Brovak started shouting, he swung his head all around, staring in all directions for the source of the noise. It seemed to be incredibly uncomfortable for the small creature, and he was still shaken and uncomposed after the announcement finally ended.

"Clanlead be damned! Why must humans always be so loud!?"

@Etranger@Dark Light

---

---

Mallory's short conversation was rudely interrupted when the sound of a gunshot ripped through the air, and the girl nearly jumped out of her deathly pale skin. Her head snapped towards the source of the noise, and for a while she was only able to hear the sounds of her teammates' exhales and the faint, disappearing rustles of whatever had been in her group's company.

Then another loud, obnoxious shriek rang in her head, and Mallory stumbled back. It was Professor Brovak, who appeared to be very amused at the foolish actions of another group. Someone had gotten shot, someone had just died, and the Professor seemed to be in unusually high spirits about it. Mallory was shocked, shocked about the accidental death and shocked by the Professor's reaction, but at this point she was simply far too confused and disoriented to understand the entire situation. A part of her showed some understanding for the Professor's amusement however, because quite frankly, shooting yourself in the head or getting accidentally shot by your teammate is not exactly the greatest way to go.

Then Brovak calmed down, and mentioned that 'they're looking a little hungry'. Mallory went silent for a few seconds again, seemingly in deep thought, and later pivoted on her heel towards the direction where she could see the town buildings. She began to walk in that direction.

“Well, it probably is best that we get going then. Damn, I guess we really shouldn't have even wasted a second out in here. Perhaps there'll be a more appropriate time for you guys to see my special fire displays.”

Turning around to face her teammates, Mallory flashed her usual cheeky smile. “But that doesn't mean we can't walk and talk about plans! We'll need something decided before we become the next ones to get shot in the head. And it probably won't be an accident this time.”

Mallory turned back towards the direction she was walking in with her combat knife in hand, hoping her teammates - and only her teammates - would soon follow. She also hoped that they wouldn't walk right beside her at this moment, because the overwhelming storm of worry and paranoia she felt probably wasn't making her face look at all calm.

It was the first time Mallory had felt so alert and on edge, and most likely, it wouldn't be the last.

@HeartlessNobody @GrafRoy Zeppeli