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A line of drums began to roll, and triumphant horns blared. Throngs of people lined the road beneath the enormous coliseum of Kikka to cheer their friends and loved ones. The wide, colorful banner over the coliseum's gate proclaimed the Magic Knight Selection Exam, an opportunity that came but once a year.

The Clover Kingdom was a mountainous country, and Kikka was quite large for a city in the Common Realm. Layers of housing and other buildings followed the sloping landscape, and at the heights of each cresting hill was an enormous wall of stone. But above all of them, in the far, blue-tinged distance, stood the Royal Capital as if judging the next generation of its protectors. A warm sun and a clear blue sky watched from above as the wind stilled in anticipation.

Vendors in colorful tents dotted the cobbled streets, eager to sell their wares to observers and participants alike. Some among the crowd could already feel the tingle of Mana in the air, as so many hopeful mages gathered. A big, rough looking boy with a shocking head of orange hair and a thickly freckled face barged through the crowd with little care for whom he might bump into.

"Miracle Potion! Come try my Miracle Potion!" called one of many peddlers to everyone who passed, a rotund man in colorful striped garb. "It'll increase your Mana for two whole hours! Your spells will be twice as strong!" Many of the would-be-knights, especially those of noble birth, passed the man with their noses upturned...but others slowed their walk, clearly tempted by his offer.

There were many other distractions along the coliseum road. The smells of fresh treats drifted through the air like curling, beckoning fingers. A young blonde man, with a numbered badge on his chest to mark him as an applicant, wobbled from cart to cart as he precariously balanced several varieties of snack foods.

Several small tents outside the coliseum's gate had long lines for this year's applicants. Official looking men and women with clipboards would take the name, age, hometown, and other relevant information of each applicant before assigning them a numbered badge. There were easily a few hundred people here. One poor girl, wringing her hands as she looked around with tired, deep-set eyes, kept getting cut in line. Every time she would simply try to go to the next shortest queue, and yet due to a lack of assertiveness the same thing happened again...

From across the Clover Kingdom they had all come; for this day, they had prepared their resolve. Some walked with heads held high. Others muttered to the stones at their feet, shoulders bent under the weight of unknown burdens. Many an eye glinted with the foolhardy confidence of youth, or the stony glare of steadfast determination. Many boots bore mud and scuffs from long days of travel throughout the divided realms of the kingdom. Those of noble blood, however, displayed their status with immaculate fashion and fresh, clean faces. But every young man and woman, tomes in hand, strode towards the gaping portcullis as if prepared to walk into the maw of a dragon.

Today, some would become Magic Knights, and others would fail. All would start from the same place--but how far each could go would be decided by their results.

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Kikka - Coliseum Road

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The red-headed young man stood with a canvas sack over his shoulder, looking up into the hills. The circular, megalithic defenses gave the city a terraced appearance, like some of the fields he had seen in the smaller villages of the Forsaken Realm. Yet the castle beyond must still dwarf them, he thought.

Just how enormous was it, the Clover Castle, if it could still be seen towering like this from so far away? The whole time he had traveled, the youth had never seen it go completely out of sight. Like the north star in the night sky, as long as one kept the capital in sight they could almost certainly find their way anywhere in the kingdom.

"Tristan Goffe! You're number 176!" called the official. Tristan adjusted his bag as he took the small wooden badge he was offered, and pinned it to the shoulder of his cloak. As Tristan left his place in line and proceeded towards the updrawn portcullis, he gulped and placed one hand on the leather book-holster at his side.

His grimoire let off an ever so light glow, like the yellow embers of a forge peeking through an iron grate. Reassured by its presence, he tried to control his breathing.

"Hmph. More Commoners this year than ever." sneered a voice to Tristan's left. He glanced over, and saw a trio of boys around his age wearing much better clothing and looking quite smug. Oddly enough, the one who'd made the comment had black hair coifed into a brilliantly gel-slicked and shiny pompadour. Tristan wondered if it was one of those fashion things where rich people intentionally imitated the lower classes out of "humility" or something. "It's a shame what's been happening these last few generations--even the Golden Dawn takes them in now! They'll let anyone call themselves a Magic Knight!"

The red head let the comment slide off his back and kept walking, but the three nobles kept pace with him. They were all going to the same place, after all. The one with the pompadour stepped closer to him.

"Where are you even from? One of those orphans the church wastes so much of our tithes on, hm?" Tristan didn't answer. "Hey! The fellow with the red hair, I'm speaking to you!"

"...I'm from Cheka. My family owns the forge there." Tristan gave the noble a side-glance as he deadpanned his answer.

"Hmph! Never heard of it, of course!" Pompadour chuckled as he looked over his shoulder at his two cronies. "But, you know what? I can respect a craftsman, to some degree!" He suddenly threw an arm around Tristan's shoulder, and the commoner boy immediately fixed him with a cold look. "How about this?" Digging into a pocket of his petticoat, the boy produced a jingling bag of coin. "I'll give you...let's say, 5,000 Yule, to go back home today, huh? You can buy yourself...I don't know, a nice hammer or something!" Tristan started to duck out from under the other youth's arm, but the noble stepped to the same side and tightened his grip. Again, he shook the bag of coin. "C'mon, it's easy money! Isn't that supposed to be what your kind's all about...?"

Tristan's lip curled under the collar of his cloak. For one thing, a proper smith's hammer could cost several times that amount, and it was an insult to his craft. For another, if it weren't for this kid being a noble, he would've been much more forceful about removing his arm...

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It was a bright and sunny day, the city was full of people - both locals and visitors from near and far. Thousands of voice, footeps and equally many other sounds could be heard ringing out across every inch of the cobblestreet-laiden town. For a day like this, when a monumentous event for so many took place, this was surely a sign of great things to come! Or, so the superstitious or overly faithful may see things at least.

But that had nothing to do with, or was of no cocern to, the young lady who was now casually strolling along one of the main streets of the city. Eyes like magenta gemstones, hair of royal blue that sparkled in the sunlight, a curvaceous body dressed in an equally eye-catching - and some would say needlessly - short dress of white and blue, with fine buttons. Her legs carried her forth, one step at a time, hips gently rubbing together in pure white thighhigh boots, with a certain slight sway to her hips. The young woman wore a carefree smile, with half-closed eyess, arms gently moving in tandem with her stride. There was a certain elegance to her, as well as an overwhelmingly blatant allure. More than a few young men, and even some who weren't that young, turned therir heads or at least allowed their eyes to wander as she passed by. There were also some females who gave the bodacious beauty their own glances, though these were either more rooted in disbelief, embarrassment or outright envy.

Yet, despite many following her with their gaze, the blue-haired girl didn't seem to mind - or care. She merely continued her walk along the street, climbing ever higher on her path to her destination. The coloseum.

On her way, she spotted a few interesting sights and people. The large number of food stalls made the air full of delicious smells and fragrances, enough so that a particularly large lad came bulldozing through the crowd, eager to go from one stall to the next. The scene made her giggle melodically, though it didn't stop or slow her pace. She passed by a peddler who was trying to hawk some kind of miracle brew, and he'd actually garnered the attention of some potential customers. Of course, she knew better, and so merely kept on walking.

Once she'd come enough of the way and reached her goal, it was time to get in line. There was quite a turn out this year. A lot of people from a lot of places, both high and low. She did notice though that, following her selection of a queue, there was an oddly large increase in the number of applicants to chose to take a stand in the same line as her... Even though some of the other queues were shorter...

Oh well.

Though as she stood in line, the young lady noticed something up ahead. There was agirl, probably around her own age, who was repeatedly being cut or shoved aside, with other people stepping infront of and robbing her of her chance to sign up and register. How sad. But she wasn't an ally of justice, nor a saint or savior, and if this girl - who looked a bit frumpy to be honest - wasn't even able to muster the backbone or cry out with a voice of discontent, then what chance did she have of actually joining the ranks of the Magic Knights? It would probably be for the ebst if she just returned from wherever she'd come from.

Oh, the line was moving again!

"Next." The man in recatngular glasses and a finely pressed and wrinkle-free suit, holding a clipboard, called out.
"Yes, yes~ I'm here."
"Name, age, place of birth?"
"Baroness Camilla Azurios, 17, and I was born in the Azurios Estate."
"Alright, one moment." The man penned something down, his voice as dispassionate and dry as his eyes and facial expression. "Alright, you're registered. You're number 184, here's your badge, don't lose it and please report to the waiting area over there." He gestured nonchalantly in a direction.
"Thank you, sir." The girl called Camilla said, gingerly plucking the wooden slip from his hand before leaving and heading off in the direction indicated.

She kept on moving for a bit, until a sight caught her eye, and some sounds caught her hear. She noticed a young boy, in simple garb, being followed by a trio of gaggling clowns. The most obnoxious of the lot, a fellow with a horribly out-of-fashion hairstyle, even slung his arm around the poor boy and jingled a bag of - what was most likely - money in his face. Was this jerk flaunting his finanical supremacy to the obvious commoner-child? What poor taste. Still, no matter how he poked and prodded, the young red-head still managed to keep his mouth shut and his hands in check - a remarkable feat, as many of today's commoners had grown brazen and ill-tempered. A fact she knew far too well...

Still, as he hadn't done anything to try and drive off this bothersome bungle of buffoonery, yet had the good gaces and patience to put up with the treatment, it was clear this boy wasn't one of them. With a slight sigh, but still a smile, she let her feet carry her up behind the two who were locked in arm-over-shoulders.

"Now, now, is this really how you should be spending your time, young sir? Surely there must be something more productive you could be doing with your time, hm~?" Her voice was gentle but clear, but neither barbed nor venomous. "Do you really want to be spending time on this poor boy when the exxams are about ready to begin?" Her smile was very sweet and her eyes, half closed, had a glint of ... Something... in them.

Her left arm was held under her - rather ample - bosom while her right elbow rested in the left hand and supported her chin with the right arm and hand. There was no hostility or hint of annimosity. Hopefully, this pathetic excuse of a loser would be get flustered or bored now that someone else had taken note of his boorish attitude. More so when the person who had interfered was a fellow noble. But who could say? Maybe the oaf would continue his bullying, or re-direct it at Camilla instead. Whatever the case, this was sure to provide some decent, pre-exam amusement.

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A young girl, no older than 15 and with piercing green eyes, worked her way through the bustling crowd. She was almost a head shorter than just about anyone she came across, and her long hair would have seemed snowy white had it not been for a certain amount of dirt mixed into it. This unkempt state, along with the fact that she was dressed in a rather shabby set of tunic and trousers and carrying a battered rukcksack, meant that she might have been mistaken for a beggar. However, anyone with a certain amount of perception could see that she carried a light blue grimoire with her, marking her as someone who wasn't just here for easy coin.

"Uh, excuse me!" she called to a passerby "Could you point me to the colosseu..." her voice trailed off as the stranger walked on without a second glance. She repeated the exercise twice with similar results. Right she thought to herself Too young, and too poor to be noticed. Guess I'm on my own, like usual. Frustrated, she glanced around the crowded street until her eyes fell on a pole topped with a lamp on a street corner. She deftly weaved through the sea of people towards the lamp, stowing her grimoire in her rucksack before leaping, catlike, onto the pole. In what looked like one smooth motion, she clambered hand over hand up the lamp until she was at the top. She gazed out over the crowded streets, smiling as she felt the sun on her face.

There she thought to herself as she spotted the colosseum gates down the street to her left. She slid down the pole as swiftly as she had ascended it, noticing a few extra stares in her direction as she did so. Normally she would've been fine with not being noticed, so the extra attention unnerved her slightly. That was just how she operated though. Short, quick, unseen, and unremarkable. If today went as she hoped though, that would all be in the past.

As she past the food stalls, her stomach gave a considerable rumble. Frowning, she dug through her pockets and pulled out a handful of coins. It wasn't much, in fact it was barely enough for some of the cheaper stalls, but she knew it would be a bad idea to take the exam on an empty stomach. Coin would come her way eventually, it always did, but it still never felt good parting with the last of what she had. She handed over the pile of coins and received a hunk of grilled and seasoned pork on a stick. Food in hand, she made her way to the the registration lines and, before long, was at the front of one of them.

"Kohra Mey. 15. I'm from Ihu." she said to the attendant matter-of-factly.
"Ihu. Never heard of it, but whatever you say", the attendant replied in a bored sort of voice as they noted down the information.
Kohra clenched the fist that wasn't holding onto her rucksack. Of course you've never heard of it, it probably barely exists anymore, she thought.
"Aren't you a little young to be taking the exam?" the attendant replied while filling out Kohra's information.
Kohra felt anger rise in the back of her throat. She was young, she knew that, but she didn't have time to tell everyone her life story. This was upsetting, because maybe they wouldn't underestimate her if they knew what she'd been through.
"I have my grimoire, so I'm applying.", she replied flatly to the attendant.
"Well, here's your badge anyway, number 198", the attendant said, handing her a small wooden badge that Kohra clipped to her tunic wordlessly before walking away and towards the gates of the colosseum.

As she walked, she took several deep breaths and tried to calm down. It wouldn't do well to be all worked up during the exam. She would have to rest and focus while she could if she wanted to pass, and she needed to pass.

"C'mon, it's easy money! Isn't that supposed to be what your kind's all about...?"

Those simple words were all it took to snap Kohra out of her calm space. She could immediately tell where the voice had come from. A little further ahead of her, a group of raucous individuals looked like they were taunting a red-headed boy not much older than herself. Initially her instincts told her to brush it off, that it wasn't worth getting confrontational over, but then she remembered why she was here.

Right, run towards trouble, not away from it. If I'm going to be a knight, I better start acting like one. I'll keep an eye on this and see if he needs me to step in at all.

Kohra fell into lockstep behind the rowdy group, listening intently as a busty woman began verbally poking at the troublemakers.

Hikari wiped sweat from his brow as he continued walking through the streets of Kikka. The city was bustling, full of life and people from throughout the entire kingdom. He stopped for a second to stare at the Kingdom’s palace, but instead of admiring like most people, he would use it as a reminder as to what he was there for. To watch it crumble and fall. He carried almost nothing on his person aside from a few tools and rations. His clothing screamed commoner, a simple shirt and pants with his grimoire on his hip. The multiple pieces of jewelry embedded into his nose, ears, and lips almost had a shine to them as the sun pierced down on him. His hair was long and shaggy, almost wolf-like to the point this heat made him debate cutting it off. He would probably be considered handsome to some if he actually put some effort into his looks, but it was clear he didn’t mind. He heard shouts of a miracle potion, but one look at the guy and a frown formed on his face. Yeah, I wouldn’t trust that guy even half the distance I could throw him…

Enough distractions, today was the day! He trained a year for this, and this was the first step to enacting his plan. His plan for a better world. He approached the coliseum’s gates and scanned every line, every person. He was bigger than most people here, and knew he stood out from the stares he got in return, but they would quickly turn away once he matched their eyes. A girl caught his eye, constantly being skipped and moving from queue to queue. What a pathetic little…

Hikari sighed and made his way to the front of the line where the girl was. Nobody dared say anything to the boy with a grown-man physique, for all they knew he probably was an adult. His palm touched the girl’s back and he gently slid her forward to get her number, but with ease. “If you’re going to be a Magic Knight, the very least you can do is speak up for yourself. Don’t let anyone get in your way again.” Hikari had no interest in hearing a response from the pipsqueak, if there even was one. He just folded his arms and waited for the girl to finish.

“Hikari Tahada, number 180!” Hikari took his badge and continued forward. He bumped a few people in the crowd accidentally but gave a head nod as the only gesture of an apology. His attention would be shifted as he saw the situation unfold in front of him with the trio of boys scolding the red-hair boy. Disrespecting commoners, check. Disrespecting the church, check. Of course, because why would nobles be any different? A woman would walk up with her attempt to diffuse the situation, but the last thing he was going to let happen was have this boy and girl be berated in front of his eyes. Vander would never have that. Before he knew it, he was behind the trio of boys, both of his large arms wrapping around the two remaining nobles' necks pulling them into a headlock just like the one did the red-haired boy. His laugh was loud enough to cascade throughout the colosseum, not out of joy however, but to suppress an angry expression on his face.

“Don’t tell me the combat round started already?” Hikari placed a huge smile on his face as he tightened his grip. “Oh riiiiiiight, that’s because it didn’t…” Hikari didn’t care where these people came from or who they were related to, if they didn’t belong in his new world then they were less than garbage. These three were less than garbage. “I respect trying to get competition out the way early and all, I really do, but if you really think so lowly of us commoners then wait until the combat round starts and you can meet him there, or me.”

Hikari released his grasp on the nobles, pushed past them and approached the main bully, towering over him. His hand rests gently on his grimoire, the smile still ever so present on his face. “So unless you are interested in starting this round early, how about we take the lead this gorgeous lady has set out for us, and stop this before the exams begin huh?” Hikari was ready to activate his burning palms at the slightest sign of further aggression. He sent a wink Camilla’s way, although more of an act of acknowledgment than flirtatious.

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Illios stretched as he walked the streets, countless people were talking, hustling, and within their own worlds. The sun flew high and shined with such incredible wonder that it was bright enough to chase away any shadow, leaving barely enough room for even shade. For many, the sun bore down on a great day. For some, the sun was too bright. Yet for Illios, he walked head high. As the sun bore down, the light poured down onto Illios, and he felt vigor fill him. He stretched wide, his black curly hair lightly shifted with the wind, and a big smile adorned his face.

The city was filled with hustle and bustle. Countless magic knights, to be knights, vendors, peddlers, and wannabes. The city was filled with such energy that it felt like it would seep into the body. Illios had not felt something like this in a long time, the last time he had been in a city of this size, his mother was alive. Today would not be the last time he would enter a city like this again, only the first in a long time to come.

Illios made his way to the signup center near the coliseum where he waited and listened as the official called his name and told him, "Illios Avalona! You're number 201! Good luck!"

Illios took his badge number and began to walk around. He had some time to kill as he felt his stomach rumble as he headed for the food stalls. There were many different foodstuffs, many of which came from various parts of the kingdom and assembled here. The scents filled the air as Illios began to take notice of the lines, many of which seemed to be filled with countless people, yet there was one thing he noticed. A boy was trying to perform a balancing act with his food and seemed not to get much help as he wobbled from place to place. Illios made his way over quickly as he called out to the boy, "Hey! You need some help with those?"

Illios offered to help the boy carry the foodstuffs as he seemed to be struggling with the wide assortment the golden-haired boy seemed to carry.

The streets were a party, people flooded the streets like a dam that broke way. Hopefuls that dared to hope to get into the Magic Knights walked around with equal parts of fear and trepidation. Stalls lined up for as far as the eye could see, some filled with snake oil salesman, some that offered trinkets and other doodads, and then there was, well, the questionable. The latter would be where one of those hopeful Magic Knights would be, narrowing his sharp, cat-like yellow eyes cautiously before he looked back to the heavy-set vendor.

"And that would be...?" He asked hesitantly, pointing at a glass case filled with numerous and oddly shaped fried food heated by what was probably some magical device.

"Fried pie on a stick." The man responded gruffly.

Ludo's eyes scanned the glass case before he pointed to a strange oblong object that looked like it naturally had a handle but had a stick coming out of the other end. "And that?"

"Fried turkey leg on a stick." Because yeah, a turkey needed to have a stick in order for it to be eaten.

"Does it really all need to be fried... or on a stick?" Ludo asked, not exactly what kind of road that led a man down to deep fry slices of pie and turkey on a stick, but it must've been horrifying.

The stall owner glared at his very inquisitive customer and said quite frustratedly, "Look kid, it's what I do. Scram if you aren't gonna buy something. You're scaring away my business." There was positively, absolutely, not other customer waiting behind Ludo nor was there ever one before him. Ludo was his first customer of the day and probably will be the only customer of the day unless someone as morbidly curious as the aspiring Magic Knight was. Eventually though he ordered the two items in question and just left this strange, strange stall of fried foods on a stick.

Ludo hung around, munching on a piece of deep-fried pie on a stick. His eyes scanned the surrounding area, watching and waiting. He had been told to go ahead of his master and arrive. It was to prevent themselves from being noticed too much since it would have been a strange sight for a royal to share a carriage with a commoner such as himself. After all, he certainly dressed the part with his white collared shirt sloppily half tucked, his black jacket slung over his shoulder, navy blue pants held up by a loose black belt, and black boots that needed some serious polishing. Well, that's how he was told to dress. Under any circumstance he'd have to be spick and span for that master of his. Just the very thought of him made Ludo's face sour in disgust, or maybe that was the fried pie.

"You know, most people smile at festivities." A very familiar voice called out to him that only made his skin crawl. He turned and saw a very well-dressed young man with long icy blue hair and golden eyes, smiling ever so charmingly at Ludo. Ludo on the other hand wanted nothing more than to smash that damned smile deep into his skull. However, the only thing he could do was politely bow towards him.

"Greetings, young master," he said with a bow and as much courtesy and professionalism that he could muster. It never got easier doing this every single day for over a year, to bow to a man that was so damn disgusting. The very thought that his freedom was being held in his hands made his stomach churn and that certainly was not because of the questionable food he just ate.

The young royal laughed so light heartedly and waved his hand to dismiss the stuffy greet. "Oh, drop the formalities Ludo. We're friends, you can call me by my name," he said as if he was ever good natured about forgetting his status for the sake of friendship.

Ludo held back his glare as much as he could, but he wasn't sure if he succeeded. All he knew that the young master had an amused expression. Ludo sighed and said, "My apologies, Isvelt. Force of habit. I have not forgotten." Right, the plan. They were to pretend to be friends to hide Ludo's unsavory connection to their family, some cliche about being childhood friends since his father was an employee for his family, and more of that sort of nonsense.

Isvelt arched his brow when he realized that Ludo was holding something, "By the way, what are you eating?"

"Fried pie and fried turkey leg on a stick," he replied completely deadpanned and took a big hulking bite out of the fried turkey leg. Isvelt looked completely disgusted, as if he was watching an uncivilized creature rip a piece of meat off the carcass of a dead animal and shoved the entire piece in its mouth. Ludo, however, was unfazed. "I'm not sharing."

"I never asked!" Isvelt said exasperatedly. "Look, let's get registered."

For the first time since he knew him, Ludo actually could agree with him on something. The lines were long, and the wait was ever boring, but at least he had something to snack on and some mild entertainment in watching Isvelt's horror. Other than that, there was nothing else of note or to be more accurate, Ludo just wasn't paying much attention to much else except for the slow pace of the line.

Eventually he heard some faceless, unimportant official call his name. "Ludo Liszt! You're 209!" He received a wooden badge and pinned it to his jacket. He was hanging around some part around the coliseum with Isvelt.

"And now we wait." Once again, Ludo was stuck with Isvelt. "You know, I have to ask. What squad do you want to be accepted by?"

Ludo narrowed his eyes at the royal before exhaling a puff of air. "Why should I tell you. You're just going to give me shit for it," he said with the bluntness of a club to the head.

"If you think if I'm going to give you shit for it, then you're aiming high. So, what is it? Crimson Lion? Silver Eagle? Golden Dawn?" Involuntarily, Ludo twitched when Golden Dawn was brought up. "Oh, I think I have a better idea now." Isvelt wrapped his arm around Ludo's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Don't dream big. Just be a good boy and become a Magic Knight like father said. You wouldn't want anything to happen to your dad, would you?"

There was murder in Ludo's eyes. The only reason he had not tried to rip Isvelt's arm off his shoulder and then rip it off Isvelt's own body was the self-control to keep him from ruining everything. "Get your god damn arm off me or so help me I will-"

"You'll what?" Isvelt interjected, his supposedly friendly expression suddenly turned colder than ice. Those were the eyes that saw Ludo as something even less than a mongrel, a creature that deserved to be taught a lesson and needed one as to not bite his master.

Ludo's eyes averted away from the royal's; his teeth gritted in frustration. Nothing, I will do nothing."

"That's what I thought. You really overreacted to just some casual rib-" With no warning, he got knocked face first to the ground from behind. His face absolutely ate shit against the stone floor. Isvelt gasped for air as he forced himself up to see the one responsible walk away, a massive unit with orange hair and freckles. "Hey, get him back here! I demand retribution!"

"You can't fight your own battles?" Ludo asked with a mocking grin on his face before he rolled his eyes at the pathetic sight before him. There was no getting out of this one. Ludo turned around and with lungs full of air he shouted, Hey you, red rocket. Yeah, I'm talking to you! Get back here and apologize!

Albie knew Kikka would be crowded due the Magic Knights tryouts but this was more than he expected. He looked around constantly, having to resist the urge to spend his all his money at the many stalls. "Miracle Potion! Come try my Miracle Potion!" That was clearly something that sounded too good to be true but curiosity almost got the better of the farm boy. Luckily before he could approach the stall selling the miracle potion Albie was distracted by an attractive blue haired girl who seemed to know where she was going.

Reminding himself to save his money for food and hopefully a room at an inn Albie followed her from a distance, hoping she was going to the coliseum as well. On the way there he passed a stall selling food on a stick with only one customer around who left after buying something. Figuring that a stall that ignored probably sold low quality and his hopefully cheap food Albie gave up on following the girl to buy a meager breakfast/lunch. "One turkey leg, please." "Here." The stall owner handed over Albie's order, holding his hand out for the money. After paying Albie immediately tried a bite. Honestly Albie didn't think the deep fried turkey was terrible, but than again meat wasn't something he had often.

Not knowing where to go Albie went with the flow of the sea of people, and as expected arrived at the coliseum. After getting in the shortest line he could find he spotted the blue haired girl from earlier again. She was quite a bit away so he had no idea what was going on but she seemed to be talking to another girl.

While Albie didn't have to wait too long it still felt like quite a while but he eventually made his way to one of the selection officials. "Name, age, place of birth?" "Albie Finch, 17, Bullmar. I use Arro.." "I don't need your life story kid, you're number 212. Next!"

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Kikka - Coliseum Road
@Xaltwind@Databug@Expllo

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As Hikari approached the shy girl and basically forced her forward in the line, she let out a squeal and looked back at him like a frightened animal. Her long, wavy chestnut hair hung over a face with fine features, but anguished eyes. She wore a long sleeved white shift and a plain, dark blue dress over a lean frame, but aside from that it was hard to make out much about her form. Her posture was somewhat hunched and she held both of her arms close to her body, as if hugging herself.

"I-I-I-I-I'm s-s-s-s-sorry!" She practically hyperventilated on the spot, until she realized Hikari was helping her instead of shoving past her like everyone else had. As he spoke, all she could do was stand in place, shivering and wringing her hands, and then nod when he finished. She turned around, and straightened up a bit. With visible effort, she gave the official her information--

"I-I'm Elyssa Barnfield. F-F-from S-Sosshi...F-fifteen..." She flinched when the man handed her the badge. Numbly stumbling out of the line, she simply stared it for several moments...before a big smile broke out over her face. She turned back to Hikari as he was given his own badge, and seemed like she was about to say something.

Then he turned and walked swiftly away without a word. Her outstretched hand fell, and she settled for holding her badge to her chest and sighing wistfully. As she did, the next person in line got their badge as well and strode past her, bumping her shoulder hard in their rush.

"Get outta the w--" They bit their remark back as Elyssa turned to them with a new glare in her eyes. She held up one hand, fingers curled into a claw, as a sudden, bone-chilling breeze swirled around her. The shadows cast from her hair gave her an outright menacing look, causing the boy to shrink back.

"No, you get out, maggot!" she hissed. The other applicant held his hands up submissively as he backed away, one careful step at a time, then ran for his life.

Elyssa turned back towards the direction Hikari had gone, and started to giggle as she made her way towards the coliseum gates...

---

Meanwhile, Tristan was beginning to think he would need to get forceful after all. Pompadour kept taunting him, while the two lackies behind him laughed in typical "hur hur hur!" fashion. But the fact that both of them fell silent at the exact same time was what cued the redhead in that something had just changed. With a grunt of effort, he straightened his back against the noble's grip, almost dragging the other youth's arm off of him--

"Hey, c'mon! Fine, how about six--" Pompadour now noticed who his two cronies were staring completely slackjawed at as Camilla made herself known. Tristan felt his own cheeks flush a bit as he averted his eyes from the young woman, his stoic expression now wavering.

Good LORD! She blows all the girls back home out of the water! he thought. Was she a noble as well? Surely she had to be--that kind of skin, and complexion, and...figure...didn't come from working on a farm and eating Nomotatoes with every meal!

"W-well, y-you know," said pompadour with a gulp. Both of his cheeks were practically shining pink, and his eyes were clearly not on Camilla's face. "I just thought, these poor urchins! Maybe they wouldn't be, um, so willing to put themselves in harm's way, if they, uh, had a little coin!" He withdrew his arm and actually patted Tristan's head, despite the commoner being an inch or two taller than him. "They're so desperate, you know--but we don't want them getting themselves hurt, now do we?" Some of his swagger seemed to be returning...

At that moment, both of his lackies let out an "oof!" sound as Hikari grabbed them. Tristan turned as the taller, more well-built boy challenged the nobles. Pompadour didn't seem very pleased to have his attention taken away from Camilla, either. His nose wrinkled as he clenched his fists at his sides.

"How dare you! Unhand my friends at once, you uncouth--what are you, anyway?" He pointed at Hikari. "Ah, I see! You're someone's dumb ox that got loose! That explains the nose ring!" Beside him, Tristan reached up with one finger and pulled down the hem of his cloak's collar to reveal a growing frown as his brows furrowed...

At that moment, one of pompadour's lackies decided to use the moment of distraction to escape. He worked two fingers up to Hikari's ribs and pinched, hard, before pulling away from the bigger boy's headlock.

"Commoners can't lay hands on nobles, you gutter trash--!" As he stumbled backwards, the young man smacked right into poor Kohra, who'd been observing the whole fiasco. He flailed his arms to regain his balance, which would've made the situation worse--had Tristan not caught him by the collar and yanked him back onto his feet, setting him down sternly before glaring at the others. His other hand had reached out to steady Kohra, if she needed it, but now he crossed both arms.

"Enough!" He said, raising his voice for the first time. Pompadour blinked. The blacksmith's son looked from him to Hikari. "Thanks, but...Don't start fights on my behalf I didn't ask for." He then turned to Camilla--eyes squarely on his own feet--and bowed his head. "Miss, your concern's appreciated as well. Please, don't mind me." And to Kohra, a simple, "Sorry about that." Then he turned on his heel and headed for the gates again.

"Uh, um, m-yes, well!" The noble with the pompadour tugged at his petticoat dismissively, and gestured to his followers. "As milady says, we're wasting our time here! Clear out, you ragamuffins!" Turning his nose up at Hikari and Kohra, he smiled in a way he no doubt thought charming before offering his hand to Camilla. "Shall we, then?"

---

---

---

---

@Th3King0fChaosThe young blonde man Illios called out to peered around a kebab of some sort stacked a foot high, and a paper tray in the other hand piled with nomotato wedges, cheese, and diced bacon. Between his fingers he held a Fried-Pie-On-A-Stick, an extra large pretzel, and a chain made from interconnected onion rings.

"Oh? Thanks man, I appreciate it!" he smiled, before handing off the tray. This mostly freed one arm, which rapidly whipped the whole fried-pie into his mouth, pulling it off the stick as his cheeks expanded. His short hair bristled above an oblong face with a large, smooth forehead. As he chewed, the movement of his facial muscles made a pale scar on his right side apparent--it was a pale gap between his right eyebrow that trailed next to the eye, not quite down to his cheeks. As he chewed, his bright blue gaze fell on Illios, and he returned the other youth's cheerful expression. "Yoowa nishe gai, ya nodat?"

His tall, skinny frame was draped by a plain green tunic over black pants. A pair of thick, elbow length leather gloves were tucked into his belt, and he wore boots of the same material. It was hard to place his social status--his clothes seemed finer than most commoners' but they weren't as fancy as nobility. He swallowed with an audible sound and licked a flake of pie crust from his lips.

"I'm Bryant! Nice to meetcha!" He nodded by way of greeting rather than shaking hands, given his current predicament. "What's your name?" He then took an extra large bite out of the pretzel, crunching through the thickly baked dough without issue.

---

@RemramAt the sound of Ludo's voice, the orange-topped giant stopped. A huge build, with broad hands and thick legs, slowly turned. Roughspun clothes dyed in fading colors stretched over the broad mass, dark sleeveless shirt and blue pants held together by a rope belt. Dum, dum, dum came the heavy, plodding steps as a large shadow fell over Ludo and his employer.

"Are you talkin' to me?" growled the...youth(?)...as he tilted his thick neck. His hair fell in an untamed mop over his eyes--until he brushed it aside with one hand, revealing a large and watery pair of doe-brown orbs.

"Cause you didn't have to insult me! M-my name's Maverick!" he sniffed as his lip quivered. "I'm stressed enough as it is, I didn't even get to town until this morning! I'm scared I'm gonna be late!" He looked at Isvelt, then bashfully bowed deep at the waist. "I'm very sorry I knocked you over! M-My eyes aren't s-so good, but, ya know, it's hard for a Commoner to afford a good pair of glasses..." He straightened, and then turned back towards the coliseum. "A-anyway, l-let's hurry! They might start without us!"

---

@DuthguyAs Albie was hastily urged out of line by one of the less patient officials, the hub and bub of the moment surrounded him. Up ahead, he could see the (really, rather unmistakable) figure of the blue haired noble girl he had been following, along with several others--an odd mix of commoner and noble, it seemed.

However, before he could follow, someone stepped in his way. They were so close they almost ran right into him--but it wasn't another mage come for the exam. Instead, the figure was an old man with a scraggly beard and a big, hooked nose. Clad in ratty robes, he looked like a vagrant of some kind.

"Psst! Hey kid!" The old-timer adjusted his hood as he peered around in a conspiratorial fashion. A bit odd, to be wearing such a thing when the sun was bright in the sky. "You, you're a Commoner, ain'tcha? It's unfair, competin' with all these nobles, ain't it?" He reached out as if to take Albie's arm like a long time friend. "Howz'about it?! I got..." He looked around once more, before whispering, "Information~!"

He then whipped a notepad and a stick of graphite out of one sleeve, dangling them before Albie's eyes.

"Which noble families had kids get their grimoires, this year and last year? I can tell ya! Any famous names coming to apply this year? I know 'em! The juicy gossip from the Royal Capital on the Captains?! I know it all! What they're lookin' for, what they hate to see, and who knows what else! I knows what else, that's who!"

He took the graphite in hand and flipped open the notepad, licking the tip of the writing implement before he looked at Albie again.

"So, whaddya say?! Willin' ta make a little trade, kid?!"

Such pristine walls.

Such beautiful, untouched things.

She reached out with a hand, blue arcs crackling over her forearm.

What mark could she leave upon this?

…

Kreszenz Leichenberg had chosen to walk. The cost of a carriage was prohibitive if one’s starting destination was the very edges of the Forbidden Realm, and anonymity was, in theory, a better defense against bandit attacks than an armed escort. Her father had disagreed, of course, but her mother, the bluer-blooded Leichenberg, understood the desire for a child to see the world at her own leisure. She ought to experience the world before swearing the oath to protect it.

So the young daughter of a fallen House packed up her finer clothes, drew a cloak over her shoulders, plotted a course different than the one she had taken when her parents accompanied her to obtain her grimoire at the edges of the Common Realm, and allocated a month’s worth of rations to make her journey to Kikka.

In practicality, there were bandits desperate enough to attack even lone travellers. Of course, it was the season for Magic Knight prospectives to be heading towards Kikka, their pockets filled with travel funds. Perhaps those bandits had some reason after all, though Kreszenz didn’t dwell on it when she dropped a lightning bolt or three in their general direction.

That, perhaps, was the most excitement she got out of her journey. Maybe in the years to come she would look back fondly upon the days she spent crossing ravines or striding up switchbacks, the nights she spent upon crude mounts or by gurgling falls, but after having seen three villages and shared the road with a dozen other travellers before their paths diverged, Kreszenz found that they all blurred together. Just villages in desolate places, self-reliant but bland. A few held landmarks worth raising a brow over, but what of it? The Castle stood tall in the distance, a mountain all on its own. Her steps drew her ever closer to that grand fortification, where the future of the nation was decided far beyond the voices of the populace.

No wonder that in every village and town she had passed through, Kreszenz heard at least one loud-mouthed buffoon speaking ill of the Royals and the Aristocracy. Enemies within and without, yet those walls remained so pristine still, as if it hadn’t seen conflict since the inception of the Kingdom.

Kikka came to focus as she crested a hill.

At the base of the castle-town’s walls, there was someone in the drab clothes of a custodian, removing what stains others had left.

That explained it.

…

The crowds were almost overwhelming. A life spent in the far west and a month-long trek had meant that even at most, Kreszenz saw maybe thirty people in a place at a time. In Kikka though? There were hundreds, each of them shuffling along or picking fights or selling their wares or making friends. She could throw a rock up in the air and it’d land on two people, that was how many there were in a single street. The queues snaking up to the application tents were a hydra in reverse, dozens of lines merging into each other before they connected to only one of five tents, while the smell of cooked food, after weeks on nothing but hard bread, cheese, and river-water, was so enticing that she reckoned that she’d be able to gain an easy five pounds…if she had money to spare.

But, of course, she did not.

Her boots had worn down to the thickness of sandals. Her cloak smelled of earth and the tang of ozone. Her hair was in such need of washing that she had half the mind to save herself the trouble and cut it off. Deep in the recesses of her pack was coin and fine clothes, but those were for emergencies and the future, not to be squandered on frivolous displays of vanity. So Kreszenz kept her eyes forward, her face up, her strides long and purposeful, as she marched with the countenance of a noble even in the garbs of a vagrant, her gaze settling in with unnerving focus upon the officials in the distance, before gradually ‘resting’ in an expression of imperial disdain.

Far too much time passed before Kreszenz Leichenberg received her badge. She swore that the queue seemed to have traverse the width, rather than the length, of the line before she was at the front, but there was nothing for it now. The Exams awaited her and the chattering and cheering and brass band cacophony was making her nauseous, so she stormed for the portcullis without another word.

Or well, tried to.

Twenty paces in, and there were yet more imbecile children clogging up the streets, and Kreszenz was seriously beginning to consider taking to the rooftops instead.

@Zeroth, @Expllo, @Databug, @Duthguy[ish), @ERode(ish)

---

---

Initially, things were going smoothly and basically as expected. Once her voice had been heard, the heads of the four young men turned to take a look at who this new arrival was. Two of the youths dropped their jaws on the floor, the red head's eyes widened like saucer and his face flushed - how adoirable~ - and the one with outrageously hideous hair-do began to fumble over his words and relinquished his prey, focusing now instead on the significantly more interesting person that had deigned to speak with him. Juat as she'd thought, this little interaction would serve as a fun distraction to kill time up until the exams started, how delightful!

... Except, of course, someone had to come and spoil it all.

Before she could reply in any maningful way, the footsteps of something big and heavy could be heard approaching. Next, the two non-pompadoured followers of Mr. Pompadour let out a pair of pained, whiney noises. This prompted all three present, the red head, the pompadouche and Camilla, to turn their heads and look in the direction of the source. And there ... It(?)... was. A massive, hulking, towering... Boy? Man? Shaved bear? It was a bit hard to tell to be honest. Regardless, the one - who will hencefroth be refered to as 'The Large One' - had wrapped its own limbs around the necks of pompadour's friends, and was now spewing out some rubbish from its mouth.

While The Large One was hard to identify in terms of age and ... Species... It very clearly belonged to the common class of society, given its ... Attire... and its behavior. Yes, that sort of behavior. Their behavior.

It was but for a moment, perhaps so quick that nobody noticed, but Camilla - still smiling as sweet as when she'd arrived on the scene - gave the giant ogre a glance. A glance of considerable disapproval. But, as it was something that merely lasted within a moment and a blink of the eye, chances were high that unless this fellow had the observational skills of a falcon, he wouldn't even have noticed.

All this fuss was stirring up the interior of the place though. Other applicants were stopping to gawk and see what was going on. It was causing a scene. That wasn't what she'd wanted out of this. It was supposed to have been a quick and simple distraction, but now it was turning into a whole tuing - all because this large lummox had to barge in and stir the pot. What a nuisance.

Thankfully, the red-head had more sense than his fellow low-born. He managed to draw the attention of everyone else, and announced he wasn't interested in the large one's 'help', and he then politely thanked Camilla. The blue-haired girl simply gave him a qink and a good-natured 'Mhm~' before he said his apology to a poor girl who'd been unfortunately bumped into during this whole mess. After which, the youth promptly took his leave, leaving pompadour and his friends, as well as several other spectators, a bit baffled and unsure of what to do next. Well, at least he had a good head on him.

... And then the hideously hair-do'd buffoon addressed Camilla.

The young baroness smiled and placed a hand on her cheek, cheeks tinged slightly pink and her eyes half closed as she looked at the young noble and his extended hand.

"My~ Such a gentleman." She flattered the obnoxious turd without a shred of insincerity to her tone or body-language. "However, good sir, I'm afraid I was just on my way get freshened up before the exam. A lady needs to powder her nose and make she looks appropriate for something like this after she's been on a long journey, no?" She leaned forward slightly and tilted her head ever so slightly. "But I'm sure we'll meet up at the waiting area later, yes? For now, a brief farewell." She straightened bakc up and gave the lout a well-mannered, nearly exquisite curtsie, before turning around on her heel.

Thus, she freed herself from this little slice of drama. How unfortunate. She could've gotten to play so much more if that big brute hadn't barged in and borked everything beyond bemusement. She walked off, still that slight sway to waist and rolling of the hips. Now there was nothing left to do but go and wait until this whole exam-thing got started.

How dull... Perhaps I really should visit the bahtrooms first.

---

---

Hikari actually let out a genuine laugh at the ox comparison. It helped loosen his grip, allowing the noble to slip away. Hikari just reached down and rubbed the area he was pinched without paying the guy any mind. He expected a punch, at the very least, from how these guys were talking. If a single pinch was what all three of them could muster together, maybe it wasn’t serious and it was a waste of time coming over here. He was hoping to learn something. It wasn’t until he caught the glance from the woman that had everyone’s attention, that his mind changed. It was quick, almost too quick and if he wasn’t trained to watch people, he probably wouldn’t have noticed. His photographic memory made him aware of what couldn’t have been noticed otherwise or without a longer stare. It was something dark behind her eyes, something she knew well how to hide and show, it was clear. Hikari knew well not just anyone could learn something like that. Now he was interested, and she was the first person on his radar so far. He would keep an eye on her, and play it off as gawking if questioned. He just gave a playful shrug in return. His attention would return to the red-haired boy who he almost forgot was there, the entire reason he walked over. Hikari offers no response besides a respectful nod. He need not explain his true intentions of wanting to observe what everyone had to offer, he was more than happy to have everyone thinking he was just a brute itching for a fight. Although, he had nothing but respect for a man that wanted to fight his own battles and stayed level-headed. Maybe he would be watched closely, too.

Once everyone walked off, and the woman rejected the noble, Hikari stood for a moment before letting out another small laugh. “Well, back to where I started.” He looked over at the girl that got pushed, Kohra. “You doin’ okay little one? We should probably keep heading forward, see if we can get a good spot where the captains have a good eye on us.” He nudged his head forward and with his hands stuffed in his pockets, began walking waiting for the exams to begin. Today was the day.

@Zeroth@ERode

Well, this was a first. Ludo had never met someone whose steps made a sound similar to boulders hitting the ground. As the bigger boy's shadow casted over him, Isvelt stood behind Ludo to use him as a meat shield if anything were to happen. Meanwhile, Ludo narrowed his eyes and stepped forward to not show that he was some coward that was going to step down to someone who's just bigger than him. "You got that right," he said confidently before having the wind ripped away from his sails as soon as those teary brown doe eyes were revealed from that orange mop of hair

Huh? Ludo and Isvelt blinked a few times stunned before Ludo said, completely off guard, "Uh, yeah, let's go."

Holy shit, talk about judging a book by its cover. Now he just felt like an asshole. While rushing Ludo said, "I totally misread you. I'm actually so sorry about that. Uh, my name is Ludo, and this is Isvelt." He motioned his hand towards the royal. Oh god this was awkward. He totally though Maverick was some hulking brute, but he was just some gentle giant who needed glasses and probably a hug, not like he would give him one because that would be weird.

"I'm afraid that I must apologize as well. If I had known Ludo was going to say, I would've stopped." Isvelt said disapprovingly even though he knew damn well that he was the reason why Ludo had done what done just moments ago and received the dirtiest look from him. However, there was a spark of an idea growing in Ludo's head.

"How about this? Let's get you some glasses after this. Isvelt and I will cover the cost," he suggested with a grin knowing that he wasn't going to pay for shit.

Isvelt looked at Ludo like he had worms growing out of his ears. "Wha-?" He was about to say, but he was cut off by Ludo who quickly shoved the remaining fried pie of a sick deep into his open mouth, causing him to cough on reflex.

"In fact, he insists on it. He's a royal with more generational wealth than he knows what to do with, so there's no need to ever pay him back. It's the least we could do and it's the least he could do. After all, the royals do have a certain responsibility towards commoners, and I know that his character would never let him ignore a commoner in need." He looked back at Isvelt with a light in his eyes and shit eating grin.

The royal swallowed the remains of the pie before looking at Ludo with a dirty glare but knew that he can't back out after all the glowing remarks that were said. He also knew how badly it would've looked if people thought that a royal and his 'friend' were harassing commoners. "Yes, he's right. We'll get you the finest glasses."

While they were talking and walking the overly congested streets entering the portcullis, Ludo accidentally bumped shoulders with some random blonde on the street. He looked at her and apologetically said, "Oh sorry, my bad. You okay?" Ludo had no idea that she was a noble because she was dressed as well as any commoner.

---

---

Illios helped Bryant carry his food as he took hold of the tray. Illios watched curiously as Bryant started to adjust for a moment then began to inhale and swallow his food with ease. Illios chuckled a little as he watched the spectacle. Illios nodded and laughed as he said, "Thanks! I just thought you might have needed a hand to eat, you looked like you were ready to drop everything".

Illios nodded with Bryant and gave his name in turn, "My name's Illios!" He then noticed on Bryant's chest a badge, Illios smiled and made notice of it, "Oh! You're a Mage Knight Applicant as well?"

@Zeroth

"Hey!" Kohra cried out as Pompadour slammed into her. Rather than make any move to break her fall though, her arms instinctively went for the strap of her rucksack. The world seemed to move in slow motion for a moment as she twisted so that she would land on her shoulder, but then she felt her fall stop as the red-haired boy reached out to steady her. Her balance returned, Kohra returned the red-haired boy's apology with a simple nod of the head and watched the rest of the exchange with a modicum of interest.

Something about the way that nobles talked seemed strange to her. The way they used words seemed like the way the stood or walked. Neat, measured, and proper. Kohra didn't understand it. It wasn't as though she didn't understand the value of being polite, but she preferred to simply say what she meant and not mince words instead of treating conversation like an intricate dance.

She felt a smile spread across her face as the busty woman rejected Pompadour before walking away with that seductive walk she seemed to pull off so effortlessly. She snapped back to her current position as the towering young man addressed her.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Nice work on those idiots back there." she said, giving him a playful punch on the arm before returning her gaze to the hall leading further into the colosseum.

"She could've had him eating out of her hand.", Kohra said smiling, "Just seems like a wasted opportunity to have a stupid noble on a leash. Anyway, yeah, I'd like to get a spot with a good view", she said, matching the tall boy's stride as best she could.

"It's Kohra, by the way", she said, holding a hand out for the tall boy to shake.

Maybe today wasn't going to be so bad after all.

@Zeroth@Xaltwind@Expllo

_@Remram

An impact from behind jostled her shoulder and instantly, Kreszenz’s mind flashed through an entire flow chart of possibilities. It could have been a thief. An assassin. An accident. Another asshole trying to pick another fight. An intentional impact made in order to draw her attention and initiate conversation. The words that the cat-like boy spoke registered, a banal apology unfitting of her position, but his intonation was genuine, if not somewhat dismissive. He wasn’t an enemy, and his companion had all the affects of a noble, so the boy himself must be a servant of sorts.

Or a friend. Some aristocrats were quite friendly with commoners.

Regardless, that singular impact was enough. Kreszenz flicked her cloak to the side and immediately drew out her grimoire from its leather holster. A three-leafed clover adorned its cover, intersecting an embellishment of a golden rose with a jagged stem. Was she seriously going to kill a child for bumping into her on accident? Lightning crackled, the grimoire’s pages flipping speedily, the build-up of mana bright through her veins.

“Caesura.”

Twinned orbs manifested, spinning around each other in conjoined orbits before the force of their cycles tore them apart. One merged with Kreszenz, the other flying up into a neighbouring rooftop. She set a glare upon the raven-haired boy, her head tilted slightly upwards and to the side. An accident was just that. And it was a failure of administration and city-management rather than mere individual carelessness.

But did she have to be accepting of that? Did she have to forgive that?

“A mere commoner deigns it necessary to console this esteemed self over such a trivial incident? Spare not another thought upon this, boy, and dedicate your concern instead towards the trial that shall determine your life’s worth.”

And with the manifestation of polarities, Kreszenz flew skywards, her feet barely clearing Ludo’s head (he should be thankful she had worn the soles of her boots down so heavily) as she skidded to a stop upon the roofs of the buildings lining the street. From her vantage point, she looked down at him once more, as if confirming that this was the proper way of interacting with the unwashed masses, before the haughty young lady continued through her exclusive avenue of travel.

Indeed, she supposed she may spare him a sliver of gratitude for confirming that it was upon solitary heights, rather than within the motley stream, that the Leichenberg heiress belonged.

Albie didn't like how the official brushed him off, but seeing the line of people the guy still had to deal with could at least understand it. He was looking for the actual entrance of the coliseum when he noticed the blue haired girl from earlier in the distance, even in this crowd she was hard to miss. While he wondered if he should use the opportunity to talk to her even though she was no doubt a noble he realized she was already the center of attention of several other guys. Shrugging he gave up on meeting her and pinned his badge to his chest.

Just as Albie had decided to circle the coliseum he nearly bumped into an old man. He almost instinctively reached for his pouch to see if his money was still there but resisted the urge not wanting to reveal where he kept it. "Sorry." "Psst! Hey kid! You, you're a Commoner, ain'tcha? It's unfair, competin' with all these nobles, ain't it? "Howz'about it?! I got...Information~!"

The old man was right that Albie was a commoner and that he had a disadvantage compared nobles, or really anyone that could get close to him, but his offer seemed fishy. On the other hand if it was legit it could be helpful. As he was thinking it over the old man went into more detail as to what information he had, even revealing a notepad.

"So, whaddya say?! Willin' ta make a little trade, kid?!" Figuring that with them this out in the open a robbery was unlikely Albie decided to take the possible bait, and to just take the info with a grain of salt. "What do you want? I don't have any money."

The steady drum of the carriage as it rolled along the gravely road, its gentle rattling, and the echoing hoofbeats of the horses could have easily lulled some to sleep. Yet all the occupants of this particular vehicle were awake and alert, the youngest two playfully active.

“Hey, Sol, I’m good to go again!” Rhys chirped. Her cousin was 14 years old, on the tall and slender side. His shiny champagne hair fell in straight locks past his ears, framing his delicate face. His fringe fell into his bright blue eyes at times, though he didn’t seem to mind. He wore a tailored suit, and his demeanour was usually sedate and studious.

He was cheerful around her, though, since they’d bonded fiercely after that fateful day when a demon had been unleashed upon their home.

“Oh, yeah?” Solveig smirked. She’d been practicing with one of the two guards – a pair of mages working for the von Brandts – who sat beside them. Neither her father nor Rhys’s parents could make it today, unfortunately. Neither of them minded, either, because they knew how busy they were.

“Let’s switch it up then.”

Franklin, a man using metal magic had been firing different sized projectiles at her at varying speeds, made of materials with differing melting points. Solveig had been holding a compact ball of flame between her hands, aiming to intercept and annihilate the attacks before they got to her. She’d been encouraging her flames to actively eat at the opponent’s magic, though this wasn’t working out as well as she’d like. One of her spells did feed passively on magic, but she knew the efficiency of it could still be improved by leaps and bounds.

Chelsea, a mist mage sitting next to her watched the proceedings with a dissatisfied frown. She’d intervened when necessary, but to Solveig’s pride, she hadn’t needed to do so more than twice throughout the entire journey.

Inhaling, she closed her eyes, transforming the fire ball into a long fiery snake which curled around her neck. It wouldn’t burn her, of course. She held out her hands in front of her in a basic open-palmed defensive posture. “Go!”

Rhys didn’t immediately fire. He waited. He ignited his flames. The hiss of his magic made her tense up briefly. He waited some more. Then, in a swift flaming strike, he sent the magic toward her. Solveig formed scales around a part of her palm, fending off the attack successfully. Practicing reflexes, defense, and using two spells at once, even if one of them was passive, took a lot of concentration.

Even so, this went on for a while.

Around the time Sol was starting to sweat buckets, grimacing so hard one could uncharitably compare her to someone in the middle of a particularly hazardous nature’s call, Chelsea interrupted. Politely, of course, but with a no-nonsense attitude as was her wont. “My lady. You must stop now, and rest. Else, you will be low on mana reserves by the time of the tournament.”

“She’s got you there, cous,” Rhys chuckled.

Groaning, Solveig opened her eyes, and leaned back into the carriage seat with a loud exhale. “Fine,” she whined only slightly. She knew this was the most sensible course of action, she’d just got caught up in the practice too much. With a sigh, she allowed her magic to dissipate.

If only she knew of a way to absorb it back into her body–!

“Khm,” the mist mage coughed politely.

“Oh, come on, I wasn’t doing anything,” she complained jokingly. “Are you sure you aren’t a mind mage?”

“Very sure,” Chelsea retorted dryly. “I merely know you well enough,” there was a tiny smile there, a crack to her otherwise humorless self.

Solveig conceded with a nod and a smile, then turned to Rhys. “C’mon then, tell me the latest on Kikka,” she urged.

She’d been to the city before, and knew the generalities, but her cousin was the one who was practically obsessed with this stuff. So, she leaned against the backrest, relaxed, and let Rhys’s voice wash over her as he enthused over facts, rumours, mercantile deals, and other information.

And thus, their journey to Kikka passed.

The line of carriages in front of them at the mouth of the city brought the final stretch of the journey to a slow trundle. Solveig was itching to go out, and walk the rest of the way, but stayed put for the sake of sticking together until they made it to their lodgings, at the very least.

Minutes later, they were finally parked in front of an in.

“Whew,” Solveig stood up, picked up her sheathed sword, and jumped out of the vehicle. She belted the blade at her hip. It was a practice blade, crafted from steel, its edges blunt; it would still hurt to be hit with it, but it wouldn’t kill anyone unless she aimed to crush their neck. Which she wouldn’t, obviously.

With her outfit, Sol could pass for a guard or mercenary herself, but the von Brandt family crest engraved into her breastplate loudly proclaimed her status to all who cared to notice. She stretched thoroughly once outside; the metal parts of her armour were few and light enough to allow for easy maneuverability.

“Joann, William, Samuel,” she called to the three other guards who’d accompanied them; two on horseback, one on a broom. “I have a favour…” she grinned, a devious sparkle in her eyes.

A short back and forth later, she’d convinced the three to go intel gathering in the city rather than guard her and Rhys.

If there were any ill-intentioned folk out there who wanted to make an impact…An event like today’s could be used by them either as a distraction or to cause mayhem.

She knew her family’s three guards were barely a droplet in a sea of people, numerous of them Kikka’s guards. Yet, they might uncover something. One never knew.

The four of them stopped by a stall for snacks. Solveig had some heavenly satay, while Rhys took grilled veggies. They shared with each other, and the guards had their own meal as well.

When it came time for them to separate, Solveig cheekily claimed, “Watch me win out there.”

There wasn’t any winning per se. Some viewed being selected as a win. However, it was only the start when you were. For her, she’d simply do all she could to come out on top of whatever challenge was set in front of her.

As she waited in one of the lines, Sol marveled at all the people. Some were fighting, some were flirting, some were posturing, some were making new friends, and others, new enmities.

As for herself, it was enough for her to watch, at least for now. In time, it was her turn to receive a badge. “Name, age, birth town?” the bored official droned out without even looking up.

Nonetheless, Solveig smiled at him. “Solveig von Brandt, 16, Zagros.” He gave her a slightly startled look. Her smile didn’t falter, and he handed her a badge. “Number 230,” he informed her. She pinned it to her belt, and proceeded onwards.

---

@ERode

---

As Kreszenz escaped her awkward encounter with the servant boy, his noble master, and the seemingly dull-witted giant trodding alongside them, she found herself with an aerial view of the coliseum road. Traveling from rooftop to rooftop would get her ahead of the lines quite easily, but on the last building before she would need to drop to ground level once again, something stopped her. Apparently, she wasn't the only one to have this idea.

Crouched at the lip of the roof was a young woman who, had she been standing straight, would be quite tall for a lady. Her body, too, was packed with defined muscle, especially her shoulders and back. She wore hunters' leathers, a cutoff-shirt and pants made from buckskin along with a thick, brown fur vest. Before Kreszenz had even approached her, the girl seemed to sense her presence and turned to face her without rising from her perch. The allure of glittering amber eyes and a delicate face were somewhat thrown off by her grin; she was missing one of her top teeth on the right side. Her black hair was wild in the front, but bound into a long braid at the back.

"Howzzit goin'?" she chirped at the incognito noble, waving her hand in greeting. "You scopin' out the competition too?"

---

@Xaltwind

---

As Camilla entered the Coliseum proper, she would find it a rather plain structure despite its grandiose size. More officials stood within the entrance chamber just beyond the portcullis, directing the applicants and the audience in different directions. Those who were only here to see the spectacle were directed to one of two hallways on either side of the main path, which would rise up via stairs and ramps to the seating areas. The applicants, on the other hand, would proceed under another set of iron bars, before passing through two great double-doors. Camilla, and a hundred other hopeful prospects, stepped onto the arena floor.

She saw that same flash of red hair from before, bobbing up here and there among the crowd. But where she stood, it seemed there were a few others doing their best to stand out as well.

A young man with long, straight blue hair hanging over a furrowed brow stood with his arms crossed. Intense gray eyes set in narrow sockets glared at the upper levels of the coliseum--particularly, at a balcony where nine high backed chairs sat. A thin duelist's scar marred the left side of an otherwise perfectly smooth, chiseled face. He wore a teal vest over a white turtleneck, and navy leggings tucked into black, fur-lined boots. An elegant rapier hung at his side--as did a whole crowd of apparent admirers.

"This test will be a cinch for you, Alwin-sama!" giggled a preppy girl pressing herself to his side. "I hope we end up in the same squad!"

"Hah! As if anyone will even pick you! Alwin-sama, don't you think we'd look good in matching knight robes?" countered another from the other side. A third got into the mix somewhere, but it looked like a couple of male cronies were present as well, just like that pompadouche outside. The apparent object of their affections, however, never responded to any of them.

"Makes ya sick, don't it?" said a rough voice nearby Camilla. The man it belonged to was short, yet thickly muscled beneath his dark red doublet. A pair of riding boots rose to the knee of his beige trousers, their spurs still jingling as he shifted his weight. A flick of his thumb produced a flame to light a cigarette, which he drew from while meeting Camilla's eyes. Black, shoulder-length hair in a tight ponytail revealed an angular, serious face with small, dark eyes. His nose was slightly crooked, and he had the beginnings of five o'clock shadow. Pursing his lips to one side, he blew the cloud of smoke upward before flicking the ash down.

"Gunnar Einsley." he introduced himself, holding out a rough palm to Camilla. "And if ya don't mind me sayin' so, you are the definition of high class." He winked at her as he brought the cigarette back to his lips.

---

@Expllo@Databug

---

As Hikari and Kohra exchanged words, then made their own way towards the coliseum gates, they would be able to see the aftermath of the pompadour-styled noble as Camilla left him hanging like wet laundry.

"...You hear that, boys?" The noble slowly turned to his two lackeys, before throwing an arm over each of them as they engaged in a huddle like some kind of sports team. "She's gonna go freshen up for me! I do believe I have her, as they say, in the bag!"

"Yeah, big bro! She was eyeing you up, I saw it!"

"Did ya see the way she was shaking her hips!? She wants him bad!"

"Dohohohoho!" Pompadour chortled as he threw his head back. One could practically see his nose growing with pride. "Well, don't fret too much, boys! I'm sure we can find a few more nice wenches for the two of you--there's got to be a few good-looking commoners out and about, as many of them have swarmed the city today!" His cronies joined in the laughter, shaking each other back and forth with much patting of the backs as boys are wont to do.

@imia Of course, this meant the three of them weren't paying any attention at all to the crowd around them...

Meanwhile, trailing Hikari and Kohra from a different direction, was a girl currently chewing on the hem of her own dress (luckily, the white shift beneath preserved her modesty). Her eyes blazed with hatred as they locked onto the young woman at Hikari's side, completely unnoticed by the other two applicants.

"_{Who is that hussy!? How dare she touch his arm so...so...so callously!}" Elyssa hissed, a gust of cold air rolling off her like heavy fog. Others in the crowd were giving her a wide berth, and a few of them even crossed themselves with a prayer under their breaths...

---

@Remram

---

"O-oh, um, it's...it's okay, really! I'm the one who should apologize!" Maverick held his hands up in supplication as Ludo and Isvelt expressed their guilt over their quick judgments. "Besides, I'm, I'm used to it...I am really big and clumsy, after all..." He rubbed his arm self consciously as the three of them proceeded down the road. At the offer of glasses, however, he suddenly brightened up. Grabbing Isvelt's whole forearm with his palms, Maverick "shook hands" the way a gorilla shakes a snake to death.

"R-really!? Oh gosh, oh wow! Mr. Isvelt--no, Lord Isvelt, you're so kind! I don't know how to thank you enough!" With a sniffle, he wiped a tear away from his eyes as he positively beamed at his two newfound friends.

When Ludo bumped into Kreszenz, and the noblewoman started charging up some kind of electrical magic, Isvelt once again jumped behind his manservant in the case of any violence--and the huge Maverick jumped behind the nobleman, sticking out like a comically sore thumb as he shook with an audible rattling noise like some kind of small dog.

Luckily for them, however, it seemed this lady had a flair for the dramatic as well as a forgiving heart. She disappeared over the rooftops in a crackling flash. As Maverick stared up after her, a bright red blush crept over his granite-like face.

"...She should be careful going up high like that. People m-might see her, her p-p-puh, puh, puh p-panties..."

---

@Th3King0fChaos

---

"Shoo amf!" Bryant confirmed through the last mouthful of his pretzel, giving Illios a thumbs up and a wink. As he gulped, then shifted the towering kebab of various meats, he nodded at Illios's own badge. "I'm from Kokki, right on the edge of the Common Realm and the Forsaken Realm! What about you, huh?" They walked side by side towards the portcullis, past the odd sight of a giant following two other boys, and coming up on what seemed to be some kind of huddle session among three nobles, one of whom had a rather outlandish hairstyle.

"What's your name? Where ya from?" Bryant took another huge bite, juice from the meat drizzling down his chin. "Ann whash yore majjick laik?"

---

@Duthguy

---

"No money?! We-he-heelll, that means we're in the same boat, m'lad!" the old man chortled. "How's about this, huh? You give me a name, and if I don't already know it, I give you a name! Maybe even yours? Or..." The informant shrugged, and twirled his graphite stick between his fingers. "Maybe, I cut you a little credit, and if you make it into the Knights, you can pay me back later? Huh? How's that for ya?"

The man again looked around as if expecting to shoo away eavesdroppers, then back to Albie.

"I'm tellin' ya, I got good stuff here! If you come up against any of these folks, don't you wanna know what kind of magic they use? What kind of training these noble brats get? It's only fair, ain't it--you and me, we're Commoners, we gotta use our brains to even the scales if our Mana can't do it for us..."

---

@SilverPaw

---

As Solveig proceeded up the streets, she would see many sights that hadn't been here the last time she'd visited Kikka. Other mages around her age, of all sizes and shapes, were steadily proceeding towards the coliseum. Some of them had armfuls of food in hand as they chatted amicably, others stood out by their great size, and she even saw one girl suddenly leap onto a rooftop!

There was also a guy whose stall didn't seem to be doing well, yelling that he had "Anything and Everything, On-a-Stick!"

But as she walked, the noblewoman would also see another odd character moving in the opposite direction as the rest of the crowd, despite having an applicant's badge of his own. Gray, frizzy hair hung over a long, sallow face with hollow blue eyes set in dark sockets. A small patch of freckles sat over each pale cheek, as the figure smiled creepily at a glowing blue flask of liquid in his hands. The man had a tall and athletic build, but walked with a wide gait and hunched shoulders. Under his breath he seemed to be laughing to himself.

He ducked into an alley, uncorked the potion, and began chugging it down...

“Ouch!” Hikari said as he jokingly rubbed the spot she punched. He noticed the smaller girl trying her best to match his pace, so he purposely slowed his stride. They walked on towards the gates, and he took in her words as they corresponded with the scene ahead of them. That woman, leaving another man to sulk and fantasize. Hikari knew women who played her tricks back home, they were all too common. Women that used their beauty to lure men into set-ups, Vander would use them from time to time. They would sweet-talk whoever owed them money, drop their guard, and Hikari would come in to handle the rest. “I think she’s smarter than she lets on. At the very least, selective.” The image of Camilla's glare flashed in his mind, his only lead that she had more going for herself than beauty, but who would know that besides him? Hikari shrugged. “Or I could be completely wrong and she missed a perfectly good opportunity.”

As focused as he was to be moving forward, he almost didn’t register what Kohra had said. He took about two steps too many before stopping and turning back to Kohra with her hand extended. “Oh, sorry… I’m Hikari. It’s an odd name ‘round here, I know...” He took her hand in his and shook gingerly. In this position Hikari realized this entire time he hadn’t actually looked at the girl. Her hair would have blended in perfectly with a heavy winter’s snow, minus the dirt which added a sort of charm. Hikari was the last person to judge someone’s hair. Her perforate green eyes struck him, and for a moment he found himself lost in her gaze. The shuffling of the crowd is what brought Hikari back to reality, the reality being that he was staring at this girl for entirely too long without saying a word or having a clear reason as to why. He cleared his throat and looked back to their destination, seemingly no care in the world as to what had the crowd unnerved. “Anyway, our good spot…”

Without letting go of Kohra’s hand Hikari proceeded forward and pushed through the amassing crowd of people attempting to enter the arena. He created an easy path to the arena floor, and as soon as they were in the middle Hikari withdrew his hand instantly and shoved them back into his pockets. He stared up at the area where the captains would sit, both to avoid Kohra and ponder what was next. ‘I know I’m not the most talented or trained here, but I have something in me. I know at least one of them will see that. I just need one hand.’

---

---

Illios was chuckles and laughs as walked with Bryant. Illios had taken the moments he could to try and purchase some food for himself. He didn't want to be hungry when he was to enter the exams. He took a bite from some of his own food, a large nomotatoe that was baked with multiple fillings. He took a bite, being gentle with it as to not allow any of the fillings to spill. The moment he took a bite was also when he was asked by Bryant his name again, then where he was from, and even his magic! Illios mentally shrugged, there wasn't to much to think about over all, to Illios, Bryant seemed like a nice person.

Illios finished the food in his mouth before he spoke, "Oh, you didn't catch my name? It's Illios". Illios chuckled as he began to wipe his mouth to make sure there was nothing on it as he continued, "I'm from a small town in the Forsaken realm, it's called Pome. It's nothing special". Illios was mostly excited to talk about his magic as he didn't even think about taking another bite of his food, "My magic is actually really cool! It's called Sun Magic and I can do a bunch of cool stuff! I can make fires! Light! I can even fly a little!"

He realized before he went into his magic or tried showing it off, he should save it for the actual even as he asked quickly, "What about your magic? What is it like?" Then Illios took a bite of his loaded nomotatoe.

@Zeroth