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Day 1 ◈ Time: Night ◈ Weather: Light Rain, Cloudy ◈Location: The Infirmary ◈ Participants: Matron Fooma Sajid @Aeolian, Daemons (Iolana, Kannon, Sara) @Aeolian

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Everything had been happening so fast, Primose had forgotten how to breathe. White and black splotches began to coalesce in her vision, a reaction to the very real possibility of fainting. She would be no use to anyone, especially Fooma Sajid, whose words were being to sounds muffled by the warring of drums generated from her rapid pulse rate. It wasn’t until the little one tugged at her pant leg that the cottage witch gasped in a buffet of air. Firing oxygen back into her brain, ears, and eyes. The command to apply pressure was a voice not of her own, her body had just been acting on adrenaline and relied on instinct over her brain. Her body and brain eventually paired once more, and she was in full control of her facilities and proceeded to shadow and mirror Sajid in his effort to treat the wounded. Slivers of memories the two shared in the infirmary shot through her mind in this moment. Besides the library, the infirmary was where she had spent most of her time. Herbalism and botany came naturally to her, of course seeing as she grew up with native flora and had perverse knowledge of those that grew in her realm, not yet familiar with those of this island.

He paid no attention to her at first, simply because she was of no use and just sat to eat her figs between classes. His infirmary was no study hall, which quickly became evident to her. Instead of leaving, however, an extension to help rather than exist had been given to her. From then, she grew on him like a vine wrapping itself around the heavy and robust base of a tree all the way to the top where the leaves sat. Despite her student status she helped quite often in his efforts and boasted a knowledge that commanded respect even from Sajid. Though he encouraged her to be a nurse or physician she would simply have to stuff the role into her umbrella of titles she would one day hold. Yet, that encouragement he gave her then, found its use in the situation they had now. Whipping back to the present moment, all she could smell was the heavy scent of iron and salt from the sweat dripping down from everyone present. An infected larva bite was nasty work, but treatable, “At your service Matron” she looked in her satchel and fiddled through tubes and compressed bags, “I have a few, healing salves, coagulants, elixirs to reduce fever and pain, raw herbs and mushrooms.”

The little one looked up when she muttered mushrooms, reaching up and breaking a fruiting body off one of the stalks bulging out of its head. She smiled in what was a tense time and accepted his offer. “I guess that’s why you leave me in charge of inventory master” there was bite to her bark that was reserved for faculty she had a relationship with and those of the wild.

The girl was just about to speak when Sajid’s voice cut through her attempt and delivered the news rather directly. It was most often the best method while keeping the air of hospitable bedside manner for those involved. Primrose tended to be a bit colder and more sardonic when delivering prognoses that often-sent patients into tears. Swallowing her voice in embarrassment, her hands found the straps of her work apron and gripped the fabric until she was clear headed once more. Sajid’s words served as a guide to her idle hands. “Huh?-Yes! Of course,” she ran over to the mostly nude girl and retrieved a bottle with a spout at the end. Squeezing the sides of the container shot out water to clean the area of blood and infection, just enough they could begin working.

Amidst the chaotic eruptions that reverberated through the ballroom, a frenzy of movement ensued. The once elegant space was now a disarray of students darting in multiple directions, a blur of colourful dresses and suits racing toward the shelter. With determination etched on her face, Ana's arms enveloped Raffaella, squeezing the girl in a tight embrace. Beside her, Manny and Leah materialized, their presence solidifying their resolve. The Ni-Seraphi and their menacing Pupa were breaching the sanctity of the building. Time was a fleeting luxury, and urgency spurred their actions.

Ana's voice pierced the tumult, a directive laced with both authority and concern. Her gaze toggled between Raffaella and Manny, these two souls who she now entrusted with a pivotal task. "Raffaella, Manny," she began, her tone both stern and nurturing, "you've got this. Lead the way down that corridor," she pointed ahead of them, "and keep them moving to the shelter." As the two nodded, Ana's eyes turned to Leah, their gravity evident as she awaited the others to move out of earshot. "Leah," her expression was grave, "be ready to seal the path behind us. If they catch up, we can't take them all. Send anyone you see to the shelter or the infirmary if they're hurt and can still be useful. No one left behind."

Her commands issued, Ana's heart swelled with trust in her friends' capabilities. With bated breath, she watched as Raffaella and Manny guiding the students with a mix of firmness and reassurance. The gravity of their mission demanded every ounce of their strength and focus.

But chaos abounded. A Pupa materialized suddenly through a doorway, snaring a student in its clutches. Panic rippled through the air like an electric current. Without a second thought, Ana seized a standing chandelier, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Battle cries mingled with her determination as she lunged forward, the chandelier now an impromptu spear. With a resounding crash, she drove into the creature, her makeshift weapon ablaze with the fervour of her defiance. Wax dripped and flames danced in the midst of the chaos.

"Move! Keep going!" She shouted at the fleeing students, their safety her paramount concern. Left alone with the Pupa, Ana knew she had to hold it back, at least for a moment. Gritting her teeth, she faced off with the creature, the makeshift spear her meagre defence. The Pupa lunged, overpowering her with its superior strength, a bone-rattling collision that sent her staggering.

Barely regaining her footing, Ana locked eyes with the creature, a dance of defiance and desperation. The makeshift spear became her lifeline, a barrier between her and the relentless charge. The Pupa's red eyes bore into her, its determination matched only by her own.

And then, an opportunity presented itself. The Pupa lunged again, the chandelier poised as a weapon of defence. But it was a ruse. The creature sidestepped the crude spear, its momentum carrying it dangerously close. Ana's breath caught as the pointed finger end grazed her arm, pain flaring to life. Thankfully missing her chest.

With a grimace, Ana's gift surged within her, a golden flame of cleansing power that shrouded her form. Resilience coursed through her veins, and with a surge of adrenaline, she closed the distance. Her movements were a blur of determination. She caught the creature's head in her grip, her vitesse-infused strength surprising it. A whirlwind of motion followed, a breathtaking manoeuvre that sent the Pupa crashing to the floor.

Dazed and disoriented, the creature struggled to regain its footing. Ana seized her opportunity, the chandelier now a weapon of vengeance. The resounding impact was met with a sickening squelch, the stench of sulphur and scorched flesh pervading the air. A jolt of triumph surged through her, even as pain throbbed in her arm.

"I rather liked this dress," she muttered under her breath, her words defiant.

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Myrion looked at Miss. Sambul directly in the eyes, he hadn't interacted a lot with her before, just enough to be acquaintances with each other, but even from their first meeting he had recognized the way she talked and acted, a manipulator, with the number of noble kids that ran around the school it was not difficult to find someone that didn't waste any time trying to get an upper hand against their peers in some form, whether with money, skill or social aptitude, but having said that he could admit in his mind that she was one of the -if not the most skilled one he had met yet, something about her just managed to lower your guard.

Case in point her suggestion seemed completely good-natured, and the current situation as well as her status as Illuminaire added weight to her proposal, but that didn't mean that those were the only motives, she would gain a certain reputation out of this and she would be remembered as one of the model students that stepped up to handle the situation.

Ah whatever, it wasn't like that was a bad thing and her help would be greatly appreciated, giving her a nod he extended his hand and touched her shoulder activating his own Gift at the same time. Instantly his mind exploded with a new star inside of himself, the details instinctively settling into his mind, generation and control of pheromones, that answered a few questions about Miss. Sambul herself and raised a dozen more but he let them lay, more interested in what his version lacked, a gentle prod and he had his answer, control, he automatically knew that he didn't share the control that would allow him to direct the pheromones he could generate, the best he could do was create an area with him as the center, maybe adjust the shape but that was it.

Looking again at Miss. Sambul eyes he gave her another nod "You have ten minutes, make them count."

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Myrion observed the young woman coming towards his small team of eight people, vaguely recognizing her as one Miss. Faith, from what he had heard she was one of the Psychiccers of House Ivar, and if judging by her words a really useful one at that.

He was presented with a choice, he had one slot remaining and if her radius could be expanded then that would be a huge bonus, even if the evolution pulled in another direction assuming he received that part of her gift then it would be the same thing in principle. The problem came with the fact that he would remain locked with two gifts without direct combat application, he would have to trust the rest of the team if or rather when a combat scenario occurred.

Sighing he extended a hand towards the newest member of the Recon team "Miss. Faith, you seem to possess a very useful gift for our current situation, may I use mine to make yours even more valuable for the time being?"

Activating his Gift he felt the sensation of a star exploding inside of himself for the second time for the day, Reception and delivery of thoughts, the way he understood her power meant that he could read the minds of every person in his 20 feet radius as long as they were having a thought, and he could transmit her own using the same 'channel'. Except that wasn't the case, he could feel that the channel let external thoughts without problem but if he tried to send one he would simply not find a hold, rather that the two-way road that the original power was his version only allowed thoughts from one side to pass.

Bright side they had now two users of her mind-reading gift

Giving her a nod he directed his attention back to the whole group, it didn't seem like anyone was going to join so better not delay "It is the time! There don't seem to be more volunteers and time is of the essence! Those of you with combat ability divide half in front and half at the back, non-combatants in the middle, we will start from the places that were hit the worst so be ready!" Saying so he activated his flight and took to the front of the group, toward the direction where the explosions resounded "Miss. Faith I would appreciate it if you could take a side as far away from me as possible, when I used my gift I obtained a reduced version of yours so it would be better if we covered as much area as possible" He knew she would be listening, the Gift didn't seem to cease as far as he could feel "Also may I ask how do you deal with the 'noise'? it is more than a little distracting" He didn't need to hear how scared some of the other members of the team truly were, he could infer as much from how he himself felt.

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Lhoren agreed with the choice of Fasha as the recipient of Myrion's gift, her wild eyes darting quickly from one to the other as she listened to their inner monologues. She hadn't been too familiar with either's gifts, but the current situation was causing them to think about the nature of their gifts in great detail. Lhoren was very quickly brought up to speed. Lhoren was still both physically and mentally shaken and was using the call to help and keep busy to distract herself from her owh thoughts and the thoughts of those around her. They were scared. God, they were all so scared...

Lhoren hadn't even considered the possibility of herself being the second recipient. She assumed somebody with a bigger combat focus would be getting that. But when Myrion extended his hand and offered her, it did make sense. With a more powerful gift, she'd be able to find people easier, depending on how her gift evolved, of course. She took his hand, and felt the change immediately.

It wasn't that her gift felt 'stronger' or anything, but it felt distictly different. The wild look in her eyes subsided as she finally managed to calm down. Every thought she heard seemed clearer and more distict but she couldn't tell if that was the gift evolution or just her own adreneline. In accordance with Myrion's orders, Lhoren took her place in the middle of the party, at the opposite flank to Myrion himself.

'Right now? I'd say 'dealing with the noise' is being generous. This is what I deal with all the time. Sadly You're getting thrown into the deep end, getting a version of my gift in this room without being used to it yet. Once we venture away from the crowd and further into the school, it should become a lot more bearable'

Lhoren began to explore the differences in her gift that she felt. She could almost feel what her new ability was instictively, but couldn't quite fully place it yet. That's when she heard the thoughts of Raff and Ana as the party heading straight to the shelter passed by them on the way out of the ballroom. Ana needed Raff to calm down, be strong and take the lead, but Raff was very badly shaken due to one of the Ni-Seraphi having stared right at her despite her own gift. It wasn't that Raff's gift wasn't working. Lhoren only managed to notice Raff's mental turmoil in the first place because Ana was thinking about her. So why, then, had the Ni-Seraphi noticed her? Questions for later. Right now, she decided to help Raff.

'Ana is right. You need to be strong right now. You're capable of that,' Lhoren transmitted to Raff's mind. But then she noticed something strange. That thought was no longer in her voice. It was in Raff's. Raff's brain seemed to have absorbed the thought and made it one of it's own. Lhoren started to hear it taking effect, as Raff's other thoughts started to agree with it. Was this her gift evolution? Did she now temporarily have the abiliy to implant thoughts in other people's heads?! As the group moved out of the ballroom, Lhoren's head spun as she considered the possibilities.

As the actual Anastasia, the red-headed woman that Manny now recognized as an Illuminaire from one of the other houses, gave her and the short, pink-haired girl instructions, Manny glanced over her assigned partner. Considering Pinky was shaking like a rag in the wind and clinging to Anastasia like barnacles to an oceanship, it was clear the instruction to lead the escape was more to distract from the terror than any actual belief in this girl's capabilities. A distant thought pointed out that Manny was in the same boat of well over her head and was likely also being pandered to, but she ignored that one!

Pinky then shouted and pointed upward, directing Manny's gaze to a swarm of ugly creatures she had never seen before flying in through the hole in the roof.
"Aight we neida git goin'!" Manny announced as she grabbed the scared girl by the arm and peeled her away from her humanoid security blanket. Forget the rest of the students, they seemed to know what they were doing well enough, Manny could tell she'd have her hands full with just this one pile of nerves! "C'mon, Ainastaesia gaiv ussa job ta' do 'n theim buggers'll be gettin' our way if we dwaddle!"

It was fortunate indeed that the other students seemed to know where shelters might be, given that Manny knew the layout of the Academy like she knew the depths of the Endless Ocean Below, which was not at all, obviously. Just the Seraphine House alone was as big as an entire Yhartan airship, and there were buildings and pathways everywhere! Manny never cared much if she arrived at any particular destinations before, happy to explore and be late, but now getting lost would be... She contented herself with following the crowd and instead focused on making sure Pinky kept up.

"So..." Manny started. She wanted to put a fire in the other girl's eyes, burn that fear away. She'd gotten others to grow a backbone plenty of times! But those were her posse of daredevils, and all she needed to do was taunt, "Dun't bei a flownder!" or "Ya madea' birdbounes?" and all the others would jeer as well and the kid would eventually get over themself. Pinky looked like she'd just let herself get eaten if Manny tried that on her! So how was she supposed to help this girl?

"...Ah'm Manny. Ah liek treis, theiy're behtter fer cliemben than maists," she finished lamely, after an awkward pause backdropped by the sounds of fighting, panic, and otherworldly melodies. She didn't know where she was going with that, but it was probably better than nothing? "...Wattabowt you?"

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Raffaella's eyes widened in disbelief at Ana's words. "W-What?! Ana, no! I can't, I-I don't..!" Though she protested, Ana had already started giving her orders to the fighters. Her jaw dropped—and her face, if it were possible, grew even paler than it already was. I don't know where the shelters are, she finished in her mind, hopelessness once again taking hold of her heart. In that moment, she felt entirely abandoned. She could certainly run down that corridor, but then what? Would she just... lead the other students in a direction, any direction at all, and hope they didn't die? What if she was wrong? What then?!

What then, Ana?! she thought, frustrated, tears of desperation once again streaming down her ghostly face. Before she could waste any more time agonizing over what to do, thankfully, the other first year girl pulled her away by the arm and instincts took hold, allowing her to at least run on her own two feet rather than be dragged by them. The first year in question, Raffaella hardly even knew. She was from a different house, and Raffaella was hardly a social butterfly. Neither was this girl, it seemed, so at least they had that in common. Raffaella knew Manny as the girl whose speech she could barely understand even at the best of times, and hoping to understand her now was laughable. Perhaps she'd managed to catch something about "a job to do," or perhaps she hadn't, but her face said it all regardless. Raffaella felt—no, she knew she was utterly useless in a situation like this, and the girl that was now pulling her along was understandably frustrated by that. Honestly, if she tripped and fell flat on her face now, it would be par for the course, and she wouldn't even be able to blame Manny if she just left her there.

Ana is right. You need to be strong right now. You're capable of that.

The thought interrupted her spiraling negative emotions like a clanging cymbal, and made her reconsider her previous thought—just as one of those hideous creatures spawned by the Ni-Seraphi began to approach the two girls. Wait a minute—why were they running? ...A good question, Raffaella thought, as she lifted her feet and then her new friend off the ground, giving them just the speed boost the girls needed in that moment to get away. Perhaps it was because Raffaella was so small that she could move so quickly in the air, or perhaps her tiny body just held that much more vitesse. Regardless, the two were now speeding down the corridor Ana had indicated earlier.

...But now what?

Raffaella looked around the empty junction. Only, the junction wasn't empty; there were heartstrings pointing in every which way. It was a mess, but it was a color-coded mess. Several indigo-colored threads were pointing in a similar direction. Indigo—the color of worry. If they were worried about someone else at a time like this, they were probably safe, which meant that the shelters were probably... in that direction? Woah. Am I a genius? Raffaella wasn't sure if she'd ever had as much mental clarity as she did just now. "This way!" she shouted out to the other first years gathered behind her, her face the very picture of a defiant child who had no more tears to shed—that is to say, not a very powerful face. Still, it was enough to convince those scattering youths to turn around and follow her and Manny as they flew down the correct corridor.

When Manny introduced herself, Raffaella was a bit taken aback. Still, when their eyes met, Manny saw the fire she was looking for. She quickly looked back, unwilling to take her eyes 'off the road,' so to speak. "Uhm, I don't really get what you're saying—but I'm Raffaella! You're Manny, right? I got that part!" In a show of half-baked strength, she smiled. "Don't worry, I figured out where we're going! Pretty sure!" she said as she rounded another corner.

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Giving Lhoren a grim nod, Sylvia watched her hurry towards Myrion's group. Lhoren's gift would be perfect for locating any trapped or injured students, although Sylvia could only hope the casualties were minimal. "Thanks, and best of luck to you too. You've got this," she reassured her fellow Ivar. "As for me, I'll be fine." The bravado couldn't quite mask the waver of uncertainty in her voice at that last part.

It was only a familiar soothing scent, wafting through the ballroom, that could ease her taut nerves and unclench her muscles. Normally, she couldn't help being a tad uncomfortable when it came to Fasha's emotional manipulation, but this was different. This was a matter of life or death. She flew towards Kaspaan and Arthur, fur spreading up her forearms as she steeled herself to help guard the other students.

Ana's voice rang out through the cacophony once more, the calm in the chaos, directing her allies. "Let's go," Sylvia called to Kasp and Arthur, motioning for them to surround the retreating students guided by Manny and Raffaella. As she turned back to Ana, both hearts kicked into overdrive at the sight before her. A Pupa, lunging at Ana, who fended it off with nothing but a chandelier as a makeshift weapon.

"Ana!" Sylvia darted towards her, only for a blur of movement to ambush from the side. She spun out of the way, narrowly evading the second Pupa's strike. All the combat techniques she'd practiced over the past year, and had been mentally going over, seemed to leave her head. Acting on instinct, she leapt to avoid a second lunge, twisted in the air and hurtled down. Her outstretched foot connected with the Pupa's head, knocking it prone.

Her counterattack didn't appear to slow it down any. With startling speed, it flipped over and grabbed her leg. Yelping at the sting of its needle-like finger digging into her skin, Sylvia flailed and thrashed against its grip. With all her beastlike strength, she caught its other arm before it could pierce her aeonheart, her claws leaving deep lacerations in its skin. They grappled, their movements as fluid yet brutal as two wild animals.

A burst of silver liquid sprayed Sylvia and splattered on the floor. With a bone-chilling screech, the Pupa stumbled back, letting go of her, pressing its hand to its eye. Metallic-toned blood streamed down its face. Fighting down a wave of nausea at the gore soaking her dress and dripping from her fingers, Sylvia kicked it in the chest with her good leg, knocking it off-balance once again. Wounded as it was, the creature refused to go down easily, springing up, swiping with those weaponised hands.

The quiet had lasted for only a moment, the resulting tension snapping like a rubber band. For the briefest moment they were alone, and then the pupa came. Leah steeled herself as the noncombat students began to move, while the rescue team headed off and the defense students like herself moving to the rear of their formation to fend off the pupa as they entered through broken windows and from hallways out of sight. Not quite an overwhelming flood, but they came from nowhere and everywhere at once, and panic ensued. Students began to engage in their own battles, usually a senior accompanied by a junior or two.

Leah's eyes caught motion to her left, and instinctively, a piece of plate metal shifted, as a pointed fingers like spears pierced them but stuck. A Pupa tried to retract its nails for a second strike, but Leah was faster, throwing the plate up into the air to break the creature's guard as she threw several more chunks of metal into its chest. Once, twice, then thrice, Leah struck the creature, a steel gauntlet mimicking the motions of its manipulator as Leah rapidly jabbed her fist through the air. The steel itself wasn't enough to kill the creature, but dazed it enough for Leah to take the chunk of steel its nails were still attached through and lob it out the nearest window.

For the most part, the plan seemed to be working, Ana, along with Raff and Manny had begun to lead the remaining students out of the ballroom, which meant it was time for Leah to start sealing the way out. "Defenders! Fall back!" Her voice boomed across the ballroom, "Into the hall! I'm sealing the ballroom!" While most of them were capable fighters, there were too many Pupa for them to just fight off- not to mention they were still just students. The ballroom was too open, at least in the hallways they knew they could only be attacked from one or two, clear directions at a time.

As the remaining students began to back out, A flash of fur and silver caught Leah's eyes. Sylvia had bitten off a bit more than she could chew, the junior student taking on a Pupa by herself. She'd done a number to the pupa, but it had gotten a piece of her too. As the creature leaped up to swipe at the grounded Sylvia, a large chunk of steel knocked it off its feet as Leah landed behind her, sideswiping the Pupa with several bits of plate. Clasping both her fists together and bringing them down over her head, a storm of metal collapsed over the creature's head, driving it into the ground. Leah panted, sweating, tired from manipulating so much material in so short a time, but exhaustion could wait until after they'd gotten out of trouble. With a yank of her hand, a wave of telekinetic force pulled the caitshifter off the ground and onto her feet.

"We. Are. Leaving." Leah said to her with an exerted grunt, before another wave of telekinetic force urged the second year towards the hall. Leah's face strained again as she flew over and stood under the archway that connected the hall to the ballroom. As her fist clenched, the stonework above her began to crack and shift. Pebbles and chips of broken stonework began to fall from the ceiling as Leah's powers took hold of the structure itself, the rest of the steel that she had commandeered falling to the ground with a series of unceremonious clunks. "Everyone! Out! Now! I need to close them off, there's too many of them!"

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Hunched over the prone form of the gravely wounded professor Walter had a choice to make:

Try to rescue the professor or pilot the seraphim.

While he felt grossly unqualified to take the mantle of a seraphim pilot and feared that without medical treatment the old guy would probably die the main issue was the likely hood of being able to escort him to the infirmary in time, also measured against the likelihood of whether the infirmary was still standing or if had already been abandoned... Or worse.

If he were to escort him to safety in the high likelihood that they were attacked it was all but certain that either one or both of them would die. He had managed to successfully slay one Pupa and a fair bit of luck played into that. If fortune decided not to favor him then a single pupa could still get the best of him. Worse yet if any more than one pupa attacks him at once there was no way he could successfully stand his ground. One would occupy him while the other would catch him unaware and it would take little more than one stray stab to quickly end his desperate struggle. If the professor wasn't wounded so badly the odds would not be so uneven but such is as it was.

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"C'mon! Up you stand. We're going to the seraphim." Ordered Walter, hoisting the older man up by the arm and slinging it over his shoulder so he might act as a sort of crutch for him.

"Wh... What? I-, ah-" Incanowitz struggled through the pain, trying to clear his mind enough to comprehend just what Walter was trying to do. "I- I cannot... In this state I'd d-die trying... trying to pilot." It hurt his pride to say but all the same he could not sacrifice a working seraphim to sate his pride, to believe what he knows is not true, not now.

"Yeah, you probably would. That's why you're gonna tell me how to fly this thing." Walter hauled forth, burdening upon his light frame a larger man than he as he made his way to the great machine with as much haste as he possessed. Incanowitz looked down at him, a mixture of surprise and some skepticism. While it was no doubt dangerous to send forth a student with basically zero experience piloting a seraphim there was few others still around able to fill the seat. Walter had vim but little else going for him. All the same, he was impressed with his drive and an inexperienced pilot was still a better candidate than one who flitted between bouts of consciousness, struggling simply to keep the fragments of his skull from rattling loose about the mess of neurons he still had working.

"Hrr... You will need to, hrng, enter through the mouth. It should respond to a vitess infusion, allowing you to open... Open the way inside." As he limped along, barely able to stand as the kid did most of the walking for him, he gestured to a spot nearby. Some rubble had fallen, forming a small cover just large enough and deep enough to tuck someone in so they're unseen from outside. "Over there. Set me down. I'll tell you... T-tell you what to do." Just as he was instructed Walter took him over, leaning him against the wall the rubble was resting against so he wouldn't slide back down onto his back like before.

"Once... Once inside you will enter the brain. A s-seat will await you. sit within, place your... h-hands in the folds next to your sides. L-let it flow into it. Pull it's limbs. F-force it to walk, to swing, to... to fight."

"Right! I'll quickly go dust some Ni-Seraphs then come right back t'get ya some help you hear!" Walter assured the professor. Pained breaths and a shallow nod were his only reply. Things weren't looking good for him. All the same, nobody else would be any better off if the Ni-Seraph were not stopped before they reached the school. The wind cast droplets of water from the back of his coat and the rim of his hat as he turned to face the seraphim. It seemed to stare out, daring any to rise to the challenge.

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Flying up to it's mouth Walter looked befuddled, wondering just how he was expected to enter if it's mouth was closed. He approached the inert colossus and pressed his palm against the bottom lip. "Well, here goes nothing." He spoke aloud to nobody in particular before focusing on his hand, envisioning energy flowing through it into the surface it rested upon in an effort to will it forth.

He gave a start as glowing lines lit up, the energy flowing forth like water through transparent channels across it's surface. The cobalt blue essence infused the lip, resulting in it opening as if it were a reflex. The maw was now open, the entrance to this great mechanical beast now agape before him.

Tentatively but with some urgency he slipped into the stony mouth of the machine. It felt quite wholly unnatural for him, a human, to climb inside the mouth of something that mirrored monsters who used great winds to pull their victims into their mouths. This was, after all, the petrified body of one such Ni-Seraph, given new purpose through technomancy. He quickly looked about, partially in awe of standing inside this man-altered wonder but nonetheless the task at hand kept him mind focused on progressing. Right at the back the roof of the mouth gave way to an opening which led up into the brain proper where the seat of the pilot laid. He ventured up to find himself in something wholly unfamiliar, one might say alien even.

Cold stone grey neurons all laid pressed up against every corner of the room, from the walls to the roof and even the floor though most of it was bathed in darkness save for the small amount of light coming from the vitesse powered veins beneath Walter's feet, lines tracing out along the intended path. He took a couple investigative steps forward, his hands brushing up against a sort of railing which he then grabbed onto. As soon as he did more lines snaked out from his palm along the rail, tracing up a post leading up into the darkness. Within a moment the whole room lit up with lines, illuminating the sealed chamber with it's ambient cobalt glow.



It was like if someone had cracked open the head of a sea dragon and pushed aside it's brain so they could stick a bunch of stuff inside. In the middle of the room safely kept behind the railing the inert brain matter seemed pushed up against where the pilot's seat was located, a chair of fine decor like one a person could find at an upper-class parlour, only divorced from it's more terrestrial identity upon seeing the many wires, tubing, straps and metal restraints that adorned it. He cautiously stepped forward until he found himself at the seat proper, sitting himself upon it and then applying the straps where needed. Right above the chair loomed a wide obsidian mirror, square and held fast using a brass frame of sorts. It was hooked up with many wires as well, hanging from a jointed metal support that was anchored to the ceiling.

Now fixed to the seat, feeling like he's more set up for the electric chair than the pilot's seat, he set his hands into two stony crevices set in the cold grey neuron nodules, reaching into something that was probably once organic. Once he could feel the metal palm pads against his hands he attempted to focus energy through them not unlike how he did at mouth of the machine. His teeth grit and fingers tensed when the restrained hummed to life shortly before holding him fast. He was immobile now, cold metal pressed against his hands, neck and ankles. The mirror seemed to lower on it's own, orienting itself into the center of his field of view before illuminating all on it's own. It was not the same latent blue energy that flowed but rather a cohesive image, not unlike those spun by some of the illusionists at school. The image was that of the view of the school, Ni-Seraph's in the distance currently combating the teachers and some others. He was puzzled until it clicked: This was the view from the very eyes of the Seraphim, looking ahead from where it stood.

_
Any who were outside could see or at the very least hear as the large stone colossus attempted to step forward, only to drop to it's hands and knees. As more vitesse saturated the seraphim it's stone became pliable, joint's crunching with dust and other matter. Old air that was trapped within it's chest escaped as it's chest flexed, pushing with it's hands against the ground in an attempt to right itself back up again. Awkwardly it lifted, stumbling a bit before managing to stand proper. Inside he was still getting to grips with the mechanics of this whole piloting business. He wasn't aware that to manipulate the feet he needed to take his boots off first and was hastily trying to shake them off his feet so he could operate the foot pads in time.

Meanwhile he was still figuring out just what interaction produced which motion. It felt like trying to move in a dream, willing a motion only to see it but there was minimal feedback, like he was moving underwater. He could tell when a limb would come into contact with something and stop but there was none of the other tactile feedback he was so accustomed to. One other student he had spoken to had likened it to moving a marionette, extending strings throughout and pulling them to puppeteer the vessel in a sort of manner. He wasn't sure if this is what he would call puppeteering but right now at the very least he could say his vessel had the stability of a questionably stringed marionette.

Finally able to engage with his feet he took a couple baby steps before needing to stabilize himself against the nearby building. The roof cracked and roof tiles shattered, clattering down as the whole building rumbled under the seraphim's weight.

"Aaallrighty now... Nice n' easy..." He assured himself as he stood his seraphim back up. Looking ahead he identified where the Ni-Seraph's were fighting. This was it, the moment all this buildup was waiting for. It was time to sail in and save the day, so to speak. With the gusto of duty and everyone's lives hanging on his next choices he took two steps forward and...

Aw crud, how do I fly with this thing again?

Arthur watched from far above as the other students got into action with a retreat to the hallway. He assumed that the more senior students would fly out to fight the Ni-Seraphi. After all, many had been training to deal with that threat.

But the seconds went by with no one flying up to join him. Those were precious seconds in a situation where time was scarce.

Arthur hadn’t paid much attention to the safety presentation of ESP. In truth, he had little idea of what it was supposed to look like. Too many possibilities were playing out in his head. Are they all just retreating? Or are the senior students out there in need of help? he thought. He didn’t remember seeing them leave. But maybe there was a different way that was out of his sight.

The uncertainties played over in his head. While an obvious choice to someone familiar with the protocol, Arthur wasted seconds deciding what to do. And seconds were precious.

"Let's go!" Sylvia called from below, snapping the teen out of his turmoil. The situation became clear. There was no front assault, no flying out to fight these monsters, and the only thing to do was run and survive. But by this point, he was the furthest from the hallway by strides.

Arthur began to notice the horrific shrieking coming from above him. It was reminiscent of a wounded owlette, but coming from a cluster of larger bodies gave it a far more frightening quality. Arthur could see the pupa already coming in from above. They readied to attack. Some were far too close for comfort.

An ordinary student may have frozen up in fear. But an odd calm and certainty washed over Arthur. He had been in this situation before. Sure, the pursuers were different, but he had needed to break into a quick getaway plenty of times over. If anything, the creatures’ visible bloodlust and disregard for self-preservation could work in his favour.

Dive.

Arthur committed his entire force to flying downward head first. A combination of his will, winds, and gravity helped him pick up speed quickly. As he checked back, he saw that he was creating some distance between himself and the pursuing pupa. He slowed to maintain the current gap. If he went too far from the pupa, they may lose interest.

Obscure.

With a twirl of the wrist, the napkins orbiting the teen began to peel off. With a larger surface subject to air resistance, they shifted back behind him and suddenly sped up again to maintain a small distance behind. As commanded, they swirled into a circular formation behind him and created a shroud.

The pupa could no longer see him clearly, but he couldn’t see them either. The next move depended entirely on faith.

Turn.

Like a well-practised move, Arthur made a sharp turn away from the quickly approaching ballroom floor. The turn was so close that the sides of his unbuttoned jacket scraped the ground before he pulled up to a safe distance.

Behind him, many of the pupa were not so fast to react. Many of his pursuers plummeted straight into the ground. He could only hope that they would stay there. There wasn’t any time to slow down and check.



As Arthur approached the entrance to the hallway, he was still flying far too fast. It would be a collision course with the other students if he didn’t act now. He pulled up into a standing position, letting the drag pull him back with his suit and mask. The latter finally gave in and flew off his head to be left in his wake.

It should have been as easy as placing his feet down and transitioning into a final sprint through the door. But he was going too fast; he had done too little to slow down. When his feet hit the ground, Arthur tumbled instead. He fell forward into a clumsy roll that ended with his back thudding against the floor, barely inside the hallway.

The doorway sealed behind him almost immediately after. The smile of relief spreading across his face soothed the pain shooting up Arthur’s back. He was just happy to be alive. None other than Leah Clearwater had saved him. It almost made him feel bad about the trouble he caused in House Eusebia last year.

“Thanks, I owe you one.”

“And you too.” Looking over toward Sylvia.

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Fasha heard things about the other Illuminaire’s gift, although she never paid too much attention. It had always been a point of interest in her mind but there had always been bigger fish in the pond to pay attention to. Let’s see what that gift can do four-eyes. She thought to herself, waiting in anticipation.

A confused look appeared on her face for a split second as Myrion’s hand made contact with her shoulder. She flinched almost instantaneously after. A satisfied smirk appeared on her face. This is new… Was my gift always able to do that? Fasha raised her hands as if she were a conductor ready to start their masterpiece. She winked towards Mister Stevar. ”Ten minutes, I’ll have time in excess then.”

Her hands began to gracefully move as her gift began to spread across the room, traveling around. Soon enough the first person was hit by it. The once fearful student looked calm, serene even. Student after student became ensnared only to be guided her way by the pleasant smell. Laughter escaped the Illuminaire. ”Is this the apex of my gift? Can I push it even further?” She had never been so content with her own gift, who could stop her control now? Perhaps I could even manage to control one of the professors with this. Her symphony of enthrallment raced across the ballroom.

Fasha’s eyes darted towards Myrion once more. A look of pure excitement appeared on her face. ”Once this is over, we need to meet up again. I want to see the full extent of what you can do now.” With that he was put with the other people of interest in her mind.

Thunder boomed in the distance outside, either natural or someone's magic. Manny half-expected the girl beside her to flinch from the sound, but instead she seemed to have found her courage! A result of Manny's encouragement, no doubt, and good timing too, what with those bird monsters catching up to them!

As the two took to the air, Manny shoved a monster back with the slippered foot it was trying to bite and into the purple fire of someone else's gift. Then, she quickly followed Pinky over top the dozen or so teenagers escaping in the same direction. She noticed the bunch was slowed slightly as some of the older ones helped the younger or injured, but thankfully the defender group was behind them doing an awesome job at preventing monsters from passing!

Manny didn't see any way she could help the group though, so she instead flew to the front with Pinky where together they paused at a crossroads. Untouched as it was by the chaos of the evening, it looked exactly like every other hallway intersection Manny had been in as far as she could tell. She was just starting to the left (better to go the wrong way than nowhere at all!) when Pinky shouted, "This way!" and took off down the right corridor.

"Aight thein!" Manny grinned and kicked off the wall to reverse direction. This flounder girl was proving her potential after all! Or "Raffaella" she introduced herself as, these islander names were always such a mouthful! Manny decided to just call her Ruffy, she did seem very puppy-like.

Such thoughts were immediately forgotten, however, as when they rounded the next corner they came face to face with a battle. A young man with copper plate armor and spear held back two tall, gangly creeps, with an unconscious boy leaning against the wall behind him. Rain fell in through the broken windows, pooling together with shattered glass. As one, the two pupa seemed to forget about the boys they were fighting and turned towards the new group. No, towards Raffaella!

The creatures screeched like violins and dashed toward the smaller girl. Manny had no idea what Ruffy could've done to get their attention like this, but they needed to be stopped! There was no way that girl could do well in a fight! Diving forward herself, the pupa in front reached up with a needled hand to swipe her out of the way. Manny responded by halting the circulation of her vitesse, immediately dropping to the floor and rolling into the creature's knees to trip it. Glass lacerated her skin adding red to the puddles of rainwater, but it didn't sting that much.

The creepy thing was successfully knocked over, but Manny wasn't entirely sure what to do from here. While she'd fought plenty of times, they were brawls between children who at worst disliked each other, not life-or-death battles against adult-sized monsters! It was fortunate her incarnations were always in tip-top shape, and this current one was one of the tallest she'd had. So, she used that body mass by dragging herself onto the back of the tripped pupa in hopes of keeping it down, and bit down hard on its thigh. Blegh! It tasted worse than when that sister tried baking egg pie, and was just as ashy! If nothing else proved these things weren't human, they certainly tasted different!

The monster responded by stabbing its needle through her forearm. That- okay that hurt- quite a bit- But! Not as bad as cutting her thumb nearly off throwing sheet metal like a discus! So she gritted her teeth further into its leg and ignored the panging. The young man fighting before was not standing idle in the meantime, and took advantage of the opportunity by piercing a pole of pure copper through its head, disintegrating it into brimstone.

That was sadly the end of only one pupa, and the other had gotten past the conflict in its race towards Raffaella!
"Ruffy, watch aout! Manny screamed, pulling herself to her feet.

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Before the Pupa's strike could land, a large hunk of metal bowled it over, manipulated by an unseen force - the wielder of which could only be one person. "Leah!" Sylvia gave such a huge sigh of relief her ribs ached as an avalanche of steel plates crushed the creature.

Sylvia didn't wait to check whether it was dead. She made to rise, but her wounded leg seared and buckled. She yelped as her body suddenly moved against her will, taking on a standing position, no doubt courtesy of Leah. "Heh... Thanks. Looks like I'm down to eight lives." She gave a strained chuckle through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the pain, although a glance down revealed several deep angry wounds in her right ankle, matting her fur with blood.

Leah hurtled her ahead, towards the hall, rather less than gently - not that Sylvia could blame her. "But... Ana!" Panic spiked again as she remembered Ana's predicament. "Ana got attacked!" Sylvia stared over her shoulder to see her wielding the chandelier like a battle hammer, the Pupa in a mangled heap on the floor. A relieved laugh bubbled through Sylvia. "Impressive! You alright, Ana?"

Pushing off of her good leg and taking to the air to ease the strain on her ankle, she darted into the hallway. A crumbling, crunching noise echoed through the place. She whirled round, watching Leah clench her fist, her psychic grasp tearing down chunks of stone. A glance around revealed everyone had made it through just in time, Arthur rolling across the floor and thudding to an awkward halt.

"Arthur! Are you ok?" The air mage simply grinned, thanking her and Leah. "Ehh, can't say I really did much back there. It's Leah who saved us." Sylvia's gaze shifted from Arthur to the doorway, the last chunks of debris falling and sealing the entrance in a cloud of dust. Holding off the attackers - for now. "Let's keep moving. Don't want to be a downer, but I wouldn't put it past the Pupa to try and dig through."

She stuck by the other defenders, keeping her claws extended just in case.

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The pupa approached Raffaella, and she stood—or rather, floated—frozen, strangely not with fear as she expected, but at genuinely not knowing what she could do except run. Somehow, though, that just didn't feel right. Perhaps there were more logical reasons why she shouldn't run, like the possibility that there might be more than one pupa approaching from behind, just around the bend. A real, proper tactician might have suggested pushing forward to unite with reinforcements up ahead, but Raffaella was no tactician. Rather, a single, near irrational thought invaded the mental space that really ought to have been taken up by her survival instincts. You need to be strong right now. You're capable of that. It echoed in her mind like the lyrics of a song as the pupa charged at her, its hunger for the kissed mystic obvious in its cold eyes.

"Alright, you! Let's dance!" Raffaella spat defiantly.

The pupa jabbed at her, but she swerved out of the way quickly. It jabbed its finger again, intent on piercing her heart. Raffaella picked up on this and began dodging in counterclockwise circles around the creature. Frustrated, it charged at her, trying to predict where she'd be, but Raffaella spun around and started going the other way. The tiny girl may have had a big target beating inside her chest, but she was fast, and this time she did more than evade. As she spun around like an aerial ballerina, she lifted up one leg, kicking her assailant right in the side of its head. "Ow!" she cried, grasping her foot, as the young man who'd effectively rescued the two first years finished the job by stabbing the downed pupa. "I think I broke my ankle!" Raffaella cried out over-dramatically, prompting the boy to inspect the "damage" and insist that she'd be fine; it was just bruising.

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Miss Ashdale's words proved true, the further they separated from the rest of the student body the easier it became to concentrate on searching for others, they had adopted something akin to a square formation. Taking advantage of the small lapse of quietness that had fallen over the group he revised what he knew about them, specifically their names, years and Gifts.

There were ten in total including himself, Miss Sambul, and Miss Ashdale, besides them there were:

• Aarakocra: 8th year, Gift "Gigantism" he could grow 5 times his own size and enhance his strength and endurance to match, he would be useful in clearing rubble, carrying injured, and in case of a fight.
• Gati: 3th year, Gift "Momentum" a speedster, she didn't have an upper level of velocity, she could just keep accelerating and her body would handle it, emergency cases should be handed to her to bring to the infirmary, her Gift consumes vitesse at an alarming rate.
• Kynigo: 5th year, Gift "Bloodhound" his sense of smell was enhanced to superhuman levels, the best alarm they had for injured students and Ni-seraphi.
• Terren: 6th year, Gift "Tactil Geomancy" earth elementalist who could control earth by touching it directly, will take the front in rescuing those who have become buried under debris and could create shelter in an emergency.
• Yazi: 2th year, Gift "Phantom Grab" she possesses a strong version of telekinesis but is focused on pulling or pushing objects towards her, could be useful in case another student had a hostile Gift to be carried normally.
• Gewalt: 4th year, Gift "Force projector" his gift allowed him to create flat barriers of force sustained by Vitesse, he swears for their durability so in case they need to retreat or defend a position his gift could be very valuable.
• Sabunta: 8th year, Gift "Hydra" their crown of the jewel, his ability gave him a strong regenerative factor but what made him significatively more valuable for this operation was his ability to 'share' his gift with those he touched, in the worst case he would be the factor that decided between death and life.

It was a good mix, they had varied utility and could adapt to the situation, the worst-case scenario would be direct combat but as long as they could evade any Ni-seraphi then they should be able to pull this off, he just hoped that the casualties were as low as possible, he wasn't naive enough to believe that an attack on this scale would leave people unscathed but he hoped nonetheless that-

A sudden thought from a foreign mind entered his own and he whirled in the direction of Mister. Kynigo, making the older man close his barely open mouth, a look of confusion appearing on their face for a second. A nod from him made the other mand refocus once more and point in a direction. Arriving at the point the man signaled they came across a collapsed hallway, and the absence of a thinking mind made a pool of worry form at the bottom of his stomach.

"Mister Gewalt, please clear this rubble carefully, we believe there is someone under there" The younger man didn't hesitate, he gave a smile and a quick nod and set to work on slowly making the earth rise to envelop objects and push them slowly "Everyone else keep on guard, we don't want any problem"

Privately he sent a thought to Miss Ashdale "Excuse me for asking Miss Ashdale but... but if we didn't arrive on time could you make sure the rest of the team focused on the mission? I know I am asking for too much but I fear they may become demoralized" Being unable to save the first person they came across would most certainly deal a blow to their spirit, maybe it was underhanded from him to use means like these but if it meant they would be safe then he was prepared to act. And speaking of underhanded "If possible also inform Miss. Sambul of our intentions, I am sure she will act accordingly"

The little Yhartan sighed with relief as the final pupa was dispatched, and clutched her injured arm. Disappointingly but expectedly, her hand proved ineffectual in stopping the blood, with it instead trickling between her fingers. She didn't exactly have any bandages to use, though. Manny had heard stories of people ripping their clothing for use as bandages, but a look over the remnants of her muddy, bloody, and partially shredded jacket and ballgown had her wondering if that was possible in this case.

She'd ultimately decided just to call this incarnation quits and activate her Gift when Copper Guy kneeled down in front of her, having finished his quick examination of Ruffy.
"Here, let go," he commanded, his voice revealing his exhaustion and some amount of general frustration. Manny did so, believing now not to be the time to cause any friction, and held her arm out to the guy. His copper breastplate vanished into thin air, letting him tear a strip of white cloth from the shirt beneath his tuxedo jacket, which he used to wrap around her arm. The makeshift binding was awkward, showing the young man was not especially adept at first aid.

"Any of those cuts deep? Or other injuries?" he asked after he finished, glancing over the various scratches she'd acquired from frolicking in the fields of glass.
"Nope, ahll gud!" Manny answered with a smile and thumbs up. The guy sounded so done with the day as it was, and she felt silly enough accepting the bandage when she was inevitably going to reincarnate soon anyway. She decided to postpone that a little longer, just to be polite. At least until Copper Guy wasn't around to see his efforts wasted.

The young man nodded and returned to the unconscious boy he'd been protecting, picking him up in a bridal carry.
"Shelter's this way," he called back and started down the hallway. The rest of the group followed after him, some with stars in their eyes at his performance, others keeping nervous watch on the windows to the outside. Manny reconvened with her assigned partner.

"Yer a beidder fahghter thehn Ah thought, Ruffy! Ya'lmost had 'im!" she cheered, wiping some blood from a small cut in her forehead that was getting in her eye. "An' here Ah was thenkin' you were gunna let yerself be sharkbait!"

Manny gave her new friend a couple hefty pats on the back and started after the others, kicking a pile of pupa ash into the air for good measure.

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While Gewalt freed the trapped student from the rubble, Lhoren was surveying the surrounding area for both any approaching enemies, or any other people in need of rescuing. She managed to sense one. There was a first year hiding in a stairwell near their location. She quickly and easily sent the girl instructions to get up and look for the shelter squad, and told them exactly where they were, with assurances that the coast was clear. After a few seconds, she sensed that the girl hadn't moved, so like, Raff, implanted the thought into her head that she could and would build up the courage to move to safety. Satisfied, Lhoren returned her focus to her current location.

She responded to Myrion telepathically when she heard his message to her. "Of course. I can assure you the rest of them already are focused. Having doubts and fears is normal in this situation but I can already hear their will to be strong and carry on without any of my help. At least so far. I'll keep my mind open for any changes."

She then sent as message to Fasha, like Myrion had suggested. "If anyone in this group loses heart or gets too scared, can I count on you to, um, lift their spirts?" she asked telepathically.

Suddenly, she could sense a group of Pupa. Thinking quickly, she implanted a thought into the heads of all of them; 'Attack the right flank.'

She then broadcast a message to everyone around her while the pupa were still out of range.

"Pupa are coming! I've made them all attack the right flank so they can't take us by surprise! Aarakocra and Yazu, keep them at bay from the rest of us! Fasha, make them afraid if you can! Terren, trap them and then go and help Myron and Gewalt with the rubble. Gati, go with them and bring the student in the rubble to Sabunta when they're free. We need Myrion and Gewalt back here. Kynigo, is anyone hurt up ahead? I can't sense any conscious minds."