[IC] Of Blood and Magic

[Obscene Symphony]

Aaron had no time to be appalled at Count Benjamin’s little joke before the proctor’s voice rang through the clearing once again, announcing the beginning of the exam. They were told to keep close to their partners—not difficult considering Varis would probably take his arm off completely before he let go—and soon enough, everything was gone.

The spell was unsettling, to say the least; for an impossibly long instant, all light, sound, sensation, everything was torn away. Aaron had no concept of where Varis was, where he was, whether he was moving or still—he hardly had a concept of being at all. All he knew was the chill, unlike any he could describe, until their jarring foray between time and space came to an equally jarring end in the middle of the forest.

It took Aaron a second to regain his bearings, planting his feet into solid ground and swaying a little as he quickly re-learned which way was up. Of course, the pain in his arm dragged him back to reality pretty quick, too. Varis must have tightened his grip during the trip; he tried to move his fingers, but to no avail, his hand curling stiffly into a fist as Varis pressed on his tendons. He could feel his pulse thumping against Varis’ hand, and the tips of his fingers were starting to tingle, but what occupied his attention the most was that the pain had graduated from "bad, but tolerable" to very distracting.

Varis didn’t seem to realize what he was doing, going off on a continuation of his earlier tangent about the Princess’ flagrant disregard for his position as a noble rather than readjusting his grip. Aaron had to admit, he was almost flattered that the Count saw him as a sympathetic ear. Maybe he shouldn’t have felt too special, as Varis was generally in the habit of airing his grievances to anyone in earshot, but Aaron would take what he could get. Besides, Varis was keeping pretty close as he fumed—surely that meant he trusted him a little, right?

He didn’t miss the rising pitch in Varis’ voice, and did his best to console him, though his voice did betray a bit more of his pain than before. “Well, Master, now you’ve asserted yourself as the only noble courageous enough to stand up to Her Highness. Maybe she was unmoved, but I’m sure your determination did not go unnoticed by the rest of them.”

Hoping that would be enough to distract from Varis’ panicking for the time being, Aaron took a moment to try and gather his surroundings, looking around before he activated his spell. As always, he could see everything clearly; they were deep in the forest with no one else in sight or earshot, and the only sign of life was a sign embedded in the tree in front of them, currently blank. He imagined whatever instructions it bore would reveal themselves once he activated his spell, but there was something rather more pressing to take care of first.

“Master, please, you’re hurting me,” he finally conceded (a little more pathetically than he would have liked) as the pain in his arm grew too great to ignore.

_@Achronum

[Trainerblue192]

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Interacting with:

Salem stood and waited as his partner seemed to muck about. Watching Varis throw his tantrums, seeing another new partner for Lilie and watching their interactions closely. The man appeared to be fondling her face as he reached her, failing multiple times to perform certain tasks such as a mere pat on the head. Salem pinched the bridge of his nose in embarrassment for both him and her especially as he began to make more of a scene offering good luck to those here today. These nobles appeared to get wilder and wilder as time went by. Between Victor's tantrums, which he was sure was how he performed his business as well in getting the negotiations he wanted, Eris' dramatic ensemble and just general self, this new Eve's childishness? Was that right? And Then Victor...well just Victor in general. He was glanced back at the pair and was certain Lilie may of made mention of him before, but he couldn't recall his name. As for the Marivaldi on campus, Salem was too preoccupied with his own life to pay her much attention, which was an utter shame given her family was the base model for his own families lineage of partners.

Alderman and Starag seemed to exchange words and it made Aaron reach for his ear. Had something occurred between the two? Or was this Max's usual ornery self? Salems head began to fill with more and more questions as he looked about in patient waiting. Not allowing for any thoughts of nervousness to find their way into his head. He found himself looking towards the line of vampires and rolled his eyes as he saw how far back Victor was, clearly he'd be waiting for a while. It didn't feel right to interject between anyones interactions, and he hadn't known if he was allowed to walk over to them so as to not shout over Aaron to get to Lilie. A nagging question began to tug on his mind, should he try and wish Aaron luck? Should he bother with friendly appearances? Regardless of any words that may of been exchanged after that night, Salem felt a bit of animosity towards the light mage. It was clear they were of opposing minds, and he really wished they could get along better, why couldnt he be more like Dora?

Salem went to open his mouth when Victor came stumbling in. Not long after the announcement rang cutting him off again as he stood there with a scowl on his face that his partner luckily couldnt see. The instructions were clear and Victor aided him in adding more. Once the Mage began to incant Salem turned to Aaron, no breath in his lungs as his words caught in his throat and all he could mutter was a "Starag" But no sound came, instead there was the sight of bright lights and colors as Salem closed his eyes and held his breath, like a child going through a tunnel, he made a simple wish to do well in this exam, and that his friends may do the same. Cold began to bite as the passage continued and then finally a 'warmth' it wasn't warm perse but it was no longer biting at his bones. Sound returned to the space around him and he finally opened his eyes, allowing them to adjust to the moonlight once more.

"I dont exactly see why Lilie would need to know of this, doesn't exactly make for interesting conversation. Though if I may amend your plan slightly. I can sense the life around me, the plants that cling and hang like vines. I can use one to help tighten my grip on you so that I'm not exerting too much energy trying to stay on you. After all you will be moving at a faster pace than I am accustomed, much like riding a bucking bronco. But before we do that..." His sentence trailed off as he made his way towards a sign. "Tiltoure. Sunflowers do say goodbye to their sovereign in the sky each time it rests its head. Follow their whispers to find your stead." He canceled the spell shortly after as he tapped on his chin. "I hate riddles. There's a few things this may mean. Either they want me to follow a path of sunflowers, or sense where they are and head that direction, or I must follow the direction in which the sun sets. Which would be West." Salem looked towards the sky and recalled the time. It was high moon, so no clear indication of which way was east or west based off of that. "What do you think Victor?"

[Bert Macklin]

The noise around them died, a queer sensation on his skin alerting him to a change in scenery, and at that point Ben had to let out the chuckle that had been building in his chest. The satisfaction of getting the last word in on both Count Sinnenodel and Mr. Samael had put Ben in relatively high spirits. Now, if he could get this spell lifted and see again, the night would be right as rain. He could hear Lilie moving, the scent of dirt and plants around them giving him the impression that they must have been taken to the woodlands. He didn't need eyes to confirm his thoughts; years of hunting for sport practically marred the scents into his memory for better or for worse.

He listened with interest at the soft mumbling of his mage, waiting patiently as he fully expected Lilie to speak to him when needed. She instructed him to stay close, but he wasn't exactly sure how close or far he was from her. Not had he any idea on what she was doing. Presumably, she was reading, but from where or from what, he hadn't a clue. He honed his listening as she finished speaking, but the gentle pull as she led them away let him know that she had apparently made up her mind on what to do next. It seemed she didn't need him after all. It did present a chance to see what had caused the minor drift, though.

"Well done," Perhaps the praise was premature, but he hoped it would soften her some. "I do hope if you find yourself lost that you would think to ask. Even without sight, I can always offer some insight if need be."

Ben cleared his throat as he decided to broach the topic. "That said, I can't help but notice that you have put some distance between us. Have I offended you any further?" He asked.

[Hero]

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Lilie looked back over her shoulder at Ben, suppressing a sigh. They were literally just getting started, did he really think so little of her? This was her test, she had to figure things out on her own. She didn't really know how to respond to his offer to help, but she guessed maybe two heads would be better than one. Princess Ryner did say it was a trust exercise, but Lilie felt it was more for vampires to trust their mages rather than vice versa.

As if he read her thoughts, Ben suddenly brought up that he felt like they were distant. She didn't really know how to respond to that, either. But even if she did, this wasn't exactly the time or place to do it. Then again, he was right, and she wasn't entirely sure he was going to drop it. He had this thing where anytime he thought there was a problem or some kind of issue, he wanted to fully talk things out. At first that seemed reasonable and she was happy she never had to worry about actual punishment or other correctional techniques, but after receiving a lecture on the importance of silverware that lasted an hour because she complained that having more than one fork was pretentious, she wondered if it was too callous to wish he would just lock her in her room or something instead.

So yeah, talking right now didn't really seem like a good idea.

"Um, no, you haven't done anything," Lilie told him, deciding that he probably wouldn't press further if she just said that much first. "But, um...I have to concentrate right now. So..." She looked up at the canopy, hoping that he wouldn't ask her anything else.

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Staying close to @Bert Macklin.

[Scribe of Thoth]

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"Eric, for your own sake, don't tell me to go around exacting revenge," Max muttered as an empty threat as he stared at the sign.

"There's cardinal directions marked on the top of the sign, so I think a compass to clock analogy was probably the intent. Then again, Professor Hot Wheels does seem to love fucking with me..." This was so stupid. How far apart even were the signs? How long did he need to wander before he'd figure out he went the wrong way? Whatever, he was wasting time sitting here, and he doubted some epiphany would strike either of them anytime soon.

"If I turned around, that'd only be noon to six. So... you're useless. We're going north." Figures Eris wasn't any good at riddles, despite vampires' insistence on always talking in them. This became significantly less fun very fast. Then again, if Eris wasn't going to be any help, Max really didn't have much of an incentive to treat him nicely. Decisions, decisions.

He glanced up at the sign for confirmation and trudged off, yanking his arm to drag Eris along with him. "Stay close if you don't wanna trip." To his credit, Max stepped a bit more heavyset than he normally would to give Eris some auditory clues on where he was going. The less magic he had to waste tugging him around, the better. Best case scenario, a vampire with a competent mage steps into range of his magic field and he can tail them back to the finish line. Worst case? He's gonna have to start walking Eris into trees to keep himself entertained while they wait for the time limit to expire.

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@Hero

[Hero]

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There was a direction given, too? Eris rolled his eyes, letting out an annoyed huff. How the hell was he supposed to know that? Eris was blind, if he wasn't given all the details, he was going to be useless! Part of him felt like he was given incomplete information on purpose just so Alderman had an excuse to belittle him. Well the joke was on the kid, Eris had plenty of experience dealing with a manipulative assholes who could find holes to poke through an airtight seal, he was not going to let him get under his skin.

Eris had crossed his arms in indigence, clearly unhappy at being called useless, although he did give out a yelp of surprise as Max tugged on the vambrace. Great, he was going to have to deal with a pissy Alderman, and the night was young. This was going to be oodles and oodles of fun, if only the sun would rise so he could walk into its warmth and have just as much fun burning to death. So fun.

Still, he didn't really know how to keep quiet, deciding to at least speak his mind. "Next time give me all the clues, would you? You didn't say anything about any directions. I can't see," Eris huffed, stomping after the direction that he assumed the kid was going--no need for sight, all he needed to do was follow the sound of pure spite emanating from him.

But as much as Eris would be happy staying quiet and pouting the entire time, there was this tiny, annoying voice in his head that kept pushing him to try to talk to the kid. "This ridiculous exercise is supposed to be building trust, are you really going to half-ass that part? So long as he put it out there now, he would at least get the voice to shut up and then could justifiably just seethe in silence for the next six hours.

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Offering a flammable olive branch to @Scribe of Thoth.

[Achronum]

Varis snatched his hand away as quickly as if he'd been burned. "Hurting you? You forget yourself. I would never lay a hand on you like that. I'm not some Astorio brute. Clearly, the Knight of the Evening misspoke about your training. I was under the impression your sessions with him were particularly gruelling, though it is now apparent I misunderstood. We'll have to rectify that when we return." Varis snapped in the boy's general direction. Now without something solid to anchor himself to, he could feel the panic rising again. What if the boy just left him here? What if he left and they couldn't find him? What if she managed to get something on Ryner and this was just a ploy to get rid of him?

No. This wasn't acceptable. And Varis wouldn't let some sensitive mage ruin everything he'd built up. "Fine. If you can't handle a light touch, we'll have to do this another way. Come here and turn around. We can put that obnoxious height to use. I'll be riding on your back for the duration of this. No one can make me stumble around blind in a disgusting forest." Varis demanded, snapping at his feet. It wasn't an optimal plan but he was a Sinnenodel, they didn't lay hands on their mages like that. They were above such savagery and he wouldn't let a mage sully his reputation.

Interacting with: @Obscene Symphony

[Scribe of Thoth]

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Really Eris? Trust building? What were they supposed to do? He didn’t trust Eris to do anything outside of his own interests, which was fine as long as he was consistent, and Eris trusting him was a nonissue as far as Max was concerned. If anything, he preferred it if the leech was the tiniest bit uncertain whether he’d wake up every morning staked on a metal pole. Or worse, was this Eris’ attempt at small talk? It made sense, he was always on his phone, and now he only had Max to talk to.

"Do you just like hearing yourself talk or do you have something in mind? Because I was under the impression vampire is synonymous with untrustworthy," The mage grumbled, lessening the harsh tugging on Eris’ wrist to a gentle pull to conserve energy. "If it’s the former, maybe pick a conversation topic that won’t end with me shoving you in a lake."

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@Hero

[Obscene Symphony]

Aaron withheld his sigh of relief when Varis let him go, and equally contained a painful hiss as the feeling returned to his fingers and he rolled up his sleeve to assess the damage. His forearm was a splotchy mess of redness, and just like William, he could already see marks left by Varis’ fingers. He grimaced. That would probably be a nasty bruise in a night or two.

A flash of indignation, however, distracted him from the throbbing in his arm as Varis admonished him. Contrary to the Count’s remarks, Aaron did have a high pain tolerance; he was accustomed to taking hits and continuing his assault without skipping a beat, letting pain clear his mind of the haze of adrenaline and keep him alert and in the present. But that didn’t mean he was interested in trudging through a cold forest for six hours with a marble vice clamped around his arm! And Varis attributed the inherent fragility of a human body to a lack of discipline on Lucan’s part. Ridiculous; Aaron recalled a particularly gruelling phase of his training where each session began with a broken nose, just to teach him how to take a hit without losing his focus. Hell, every other session ended with cracked ribs or broken fingers, and even the ones that didn’t were never painless. He had a burgeoning dependency on life magic because of it, for stars’ sake! All of which Varis knew perfectly well. He’d seen his medical records.

But, Varis’ insults needed not be true for his purposes, and Aaron got the message loud and clear. He had thought that the Count would have appreciated being told if he was damaging his assets, but apparently not. Lesson learned. He did feel a twinge of guilt over it—in retrospect his phrasing may have come off as accusatory, especially with Varis in the mood he was in—but it was best just to learn and move on.

“Of course Master, pardon my griping. I meant no offence,” he replied dutifully, stepping in front of Varis and kneeling facing away, as ordered. The prospect of Varis literally riding him for the duration of the exam was… iffy, to say the least. Sure, being reduced to a beast of burden was demeaning, but Aaron had been learning to value his dignity less and less during his time with Varis. No, his principal concern was why Varis didn’t think it was demeaning to himself to possibly be seen being carried by his mage like some kind of stubborn child.

But that was his prerogative, and Aaron wouldn’t argue. He tried to look on the bright side; at least this way he could probably travel faster than if he was concerned with guiding Varis’ every step alongside his own. He turned to reach behind him, taking Varis’ arm as gently as he could manage and placed his hand on his shoulder. “Here I am, Master.”

_@Achronum

[Hero]

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Oh wow, the kid was actually open to this. Well, not as open as most normal people, but this was still pretty big all things considered. But now Eris had put himself in the precarious position of actually having to followup with what he said, and that wasn't good, either. So much for making a token effort and immediately withdrawing due to rejection. Stupid voice. He should've just kept quiet or continuously complain to annoy the kid out of spite. But no, he could hear that voice telling him to talk, and the more it did, the more it felt like Ismene nagging at him. So stupid.

Now that he had little choice but to actually follow through, though, he had to think of something. The temptation to talk just to hear himself was strong, but flailing in a lake blind was clearly the worse idea here, so he may as well take the chance.

"I'm basically responsible for your well being for the next sixty-something years before you die from a massive stroke due to the pent up rage you refuse to simmer down. Pretty sure at one point or another that rage will be pointed to me, and I'd like to reduce those chances," Eris sighed, shaking his head as his mind wandered back to the Revel. "And you having zero trust in me is all hilarious and whatever, but--If something else happens, I think...what I mean is that..." For a second, Eris actually didn't know what the hell he was actually trying to say.

After a few seconds of trying to articulate himself, Eris threw one arm up in exasperation. "Okay, so, basically it's painfully obvious to anyone that interacts with us for maybe two seconds that we don't get along. And believe it or not, that's embarrassing," And absolutely terrible for his image, but he wasn't going to say that.

Wait a minute, what the hell was he saying? Great Anastasia, this was painful, he was just making a fool of himself. Yeah, no, he couldn't do this. He sounded and felt awkward as all fuck, and despite already hearing Ismene's nagging, he just couldn't do it. "You know what? Forget it. I'm just bored," He changed his tune, shaking his head. "Small talk, small talk...you have any family?"

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Offering a flammable olive branch to @Scribe of Thoth.

[ReusableSword]

Victor Astorio

“A test is a test no matter how simple. You will see and hear many things while in my company that you can never repeat to anyone. The more I trust you the bigger the secrets.” Victor quieted down while Salem continued to speak, something about vines and bucking broncos. “I’ll humor your idea but be prepared to adjust it, im not your mighty steed.” He said with a raised eyebrow. “So you know, obviously I can’t see, I can’t judge distance so you will have to tell me, and my internal compass is fucked.”

Again he took a deep breath while Salem continued to talk about riddles and not understanding them too much. Sunflowers were an interesting topic but suiting, “did you know that the head of a sunflower will follow the sun during its trip through the sky? Im sure you did. But, do you know that when they can’t find the sun they look at each other?” random sunflower facts he learned from others some time ago. Never thought they would come in handy. “So yes, west is the direction we need to go. Is there anything on the sign or nearby that would tell us which direction is which?”

@Trainerblue192

[Scribe of Thoth]

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Huh, Max wasn't expecting Eris to start tripping over his words. Either he didn't expect Max to go along with what he'd said or he was genuinely having a hard time with candidness. And he wonders why Max wouldn't find that trustworthy. This was all over the leech's public image anyway. What did he want Max to say? He'd behave in front of important people? Max wasn't even sure who important people were. Besides, trusting had nothing to do with liking. If Eris thought he'd avoid backtalk through fun little chats in the forest, he was severely underestimating Maxwell Alderman.

Not that his small talk was much better. Definitely not any better at putting Max in a good mood, at any rate. There didn't seem to be a lake around yet, unfortunately. He'd just have to bide his time.

"Do I... have any family?" He repeated, staring back at Eris incredulously. "Yes. I think everyone does." And that was as far as he was going to elaborate on that. Rough start, not that Max could really blame him; generally when you want someone to talk, you ask them about themselves. Unfortunately, Eris would've been better off talking about Harmonica or whatever the fuck his sister's name was if he wanted to play the family angle.

"Who's Emmett Anderson?" He asked abruptly, throwing the vampire a bone. Better to avoid pestering on sore subjects, even if watching Eris squirm was enjoyable for the time being. Plus, it would be nice to know who the fuck he name-dropped earlier in case it came back to bite him in the ass somehow.

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@Hero

[WeepingLiberty]

Amaris Marivaldi

_{Mentions: Lilie @Hero
Interacting with: Madalyn @Achronum}

It seemed the guard in charge of escorting her to her partner’s side was more than confident in his ability to lead as Amaris was able to make the trek without so much as a stubbed toe. She smiled as she felt her hand being exchanged from one to another, feeling somewhat accomplished despite her severe lack of provided effort. Everything was so far so good, and that was about as much as she could hope for.

“Thank you. Your assistance is appreciated.” Amaris spoke to the guard before they took their leave to retrieve another disoriented vampire, the countess listening as best as she could to the footfalls in an attempt to calibrate any semblance of spatial awareness. The shock of having lost her sight was beginning to wind down but it had not yet yielded adjustment to her other senses. It was her hope that by the time she and Madalyn began the exam that she would be less of a burden to her partner, even if only slightly.

She couldn’t help but to wonder how Madalyn was reacting to it all, standing silently across from her newfound responsibility. Amaris was fairly certain she could sense a rising tension in the mage, nerves perhaps? Whatever it might have been, Madalyn steeled herself against it with a deep breath and decided on her first move. The countess was guided gently out of the way of any potential passersby in a gingerly manner, gentle pressure moving her along until she had reached the desired mark. She listened carefully to Madalyn as she listed off the names of those standing nearby, Amaris taking a reflexive half-step away from the area where Lilie was supposedly standing.

There was little way for Amaris to know how close they were actually standing, but she could just imagine the looks Lilie would have for her. Anger, betrayal… disgust? Did she blame the countess for the loss of her classmate, her neighbor, her friend? Would she think that Cassandra was easily replaced in the eyes of a noble, that Amaris would forget the mage like she had cast aside Minfilia? Amaris couldn’t tell what was worse, imagining the possibilities… or being faced with the reality. Caught up in her runaway thoughts Amaris almost missed Madalyn’s question, the countess snapping back to attention just short of violently.

“Hm? Oh, right. I’m already starting to adjust and I don’t sense any interference with my balance... A general description of our surroundings and a guiding hand should be enough in theory. We should be prepared for anything the princess and her staff might have in store for us though, so we’ll likely have to play things by ear and adapt as necessary. There’s really not much else we can do.” She responded thoughtfully, catching her mind before it wandered off into a spiral of possible tricks and traps and challenges that bore no life outside of her imagination.

As if to prevent the disasters of overthinking, a familiar voice rang out in the darkness. Amaris was able to identify it as belonging to the mage proctor from before, or at least that was what she would have to assume. Little else would be able to silence the raging storm that was Varis, who seemed to have a challenger other than Victor. She did what she could to annoy the man here and there, but she had never been so bold as to mock the Sinnenodel so openly. Manuel went on to explain that the time tables had been moved up due to a fortunate stroke of efficiency. Fifteen minutes might not have sounded like a lot, especially if the time of transport was taken into account, but every moment was going to have to count for something when the children were leading the blind.

“Alhinc ieclei vadete. Magua salituen in usque mundadi salituen…” Amaris squeezed her partner’s hand just the slightest bit tighter with an expectant smile plastered to her face.

“Down the rabbit hole.”

“...et te teraga.”

~~~

Ice seeped into every atom of her being, a chill so intense that even she could not escape it. It was unusual for Amaris to feel cold but she knew that her preference for cooler temperatures was very different than the side effects of magic. She suspected it had less to do with actually feeling cold and more of the body’s way of protesting a forced and very sudden relocation but she didn’t know enough about how the spell actually functioned to theorize specifics. There was no sound to accompany the pair’s journey, not a whisper, a sigh, or heartbeat. Amaris couldn’t even say that she experienced the distinct draw of the vacuum of empty space. It felt as if she existed but the very fabric of the world did not, an eternity etching this solitude into her very being; and yet all washed away in the blink of an eye as if nothing had ever happened.

The experience forced Amaris to a knee, her free hand planted palm down on the ground beside her to keep herself from dragging her partner over. So much for her claim to balance. Amaris took a few moments to gather herself, feeling out the space around her whilst searching for her hidden voice. Despite her lack of sight, Amaris was confident the pair had moved. The air felt different from the clearing where the students had gathered. It was thicker, heavier, calmer… the air did not flow as freely, its path twisted and confused by the seemingly endless growth around them. Amaris carefully found herself upright once again, clearing her throat to see how much of the sound would be cannibalized by their environment.

“Are you alright Maddie? Fingers and toes arrive in the proper order?” The countess attempted a joke but her laughter fell somewhat flat as set to composing herself. She released the mage’s hand so that she might move freely about the space and gather what information they would need to start their lengthy journey.

“I suppose it would be too much to ask for the sign we’re supposed to be following to have plain arrows, wouldn’t it?” Amaris heaved a sigh once she learned their starting point was a riddle based around some sort of cardinal direction. She wasn’t exactly a survivalist and had little experience with long term, unsupervised outdoorsy activities. If Maddie didn’t know the answer she would have to hope trivial knowledge would be enough to get them started.

[Hero]

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Gee, that was such an informative response. Although no, not everyone had a family, but Eris assumed that was all he was going to get. Eh, he wasn't that fond about talking about his family, either, so he could let that one slide. Now that he thought about it, though, he was floundering, the urge to groan growing. If he could get a fake princess illusion to reluctantly agree with his services, he could get the kid to not throw him into a lake. Something impersonal, but could qualify as small talk. But small talk was so boring, what was the point of talking if you weren't either trying to get information out of them or trying to see if they were down to get dirty?

Wait a minute, what if the kid thought the same thing? Except for the latter, he was pretty sure Wells would rather sit on a cactus. But more importantly, here Eris was, trying to do something that was so obviously pointless with someone who literally couldn't care less. He was trying way too hard, the kid was probably just trying to rile him up.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as Wells suddenly asked a question that was actually relevant. Fuck, was he wrong? The mental gymnastics involved in this conversation was starting to stress him out. This is what happens when Eris felt vulnerable, it was the worst feeling in the world, and he thought he couldn't feel any lower after finding out the polls said he was 'just as' hot as Julius Monraine. He was way hotter and a good fifty years younger! What was wrong with people?! What was wrong with him?! He was never going to do anything that would leave him in such a vulnerable position ever again!

That said, the tiny pause before his response didn't stretch for too long despite practically drowning himself in his own thoughts. He did, however, perk up slightly at the mention of a familiar name. "He's a former costar of mine, these days he sticks to action films, though," Eris replied with a small shrug. "We both grew up under Professor Diana Ilma's tutelage." Ah, the good old days of learning how to use intimate gossip to frame stupid Umberto Klein of hating Patricia Montgomery despite the two being the best of friends. Good times, good times.

His smile faded after a minute, and he decided to make another attempt at saving himself from getting caked in lake water. Or at least he would have, if it wasn't for the root he nearly tripped over. "Whoever thought of making this practical an outdoor activity should get staked," He muttered. "If they really wanted to test magic, they could've done this at the arena for the same amount of time and I wouldn't need to rummage through last year's athletic wear for these sneakers."

Alright, more small talk. "Speaking of magic, are you planning to go after all the other extra credit?" It was pretty relevant all things considered, but he kinda wanted to know if Wells was going to do the bare minimum or go all out.

---

Offering a flammable olive branch to @Scribe of Thoth.

[Achronum]

_{Time: 12:01 - The Forest}

Max/Eris Trip

There was little difference as they walked, a few more signs with much more straightforward instructions. Left 500 paces, continue straight, and slight right were all directions they encountered. These led the pair to a spot where the canopy thinned to let more moonlight illuminate a clear space wide enough to fit the large table that sat in the middle. Two glass domes sat on the table, five yellow wooden rectangles under one and five blue wooden rectangles under another, each set carved with intricate designs. The table, in similar fashion to the signs, read:

"Take what solace you each can find, that of others or that of mind, and keep it close as you trudge west to try and pass your first test."

Lilie/Ben Trip

The path through the woods grew narrow and winding, no other signs making a ready appearance for sometime until finally a neat wooden plaque blocked the center of the path, ten faintly shimmering vials hung from the tree tops around it. A variety of plants grew in the area although two bushes stood out from the rest: Long, slender stalks with bulbs at the end and a small sign with the image of a flower with a trumpet shape set on a star-shaped background and another bush with woody stalks studded with thorns with the familiar spiral flower pattern on the sign. Nothing flowered on either plant but the bulbs suggested they were close.

"A little lost is not all bad but it's time to find your way. Now that sight is lost, what keeps you safe in these early nights? See it bloom and take it South."

Salem/Victor Trip

The path West was easy enough, a few more signs guiding them onwards until they reached a stream. Little glass baubles floated on the water, little whirlwinds blue, red, and green in them respectively, and each was tethered to the bottom with a simple string tied around them. A sign on the opposite side read:

"In the garden of time do the sightless sow emotions, fed by action and belief alike. Passion and envy and sorrow survive the encroaching centuries. Pick that which flourishes and face its consequences to the South."

[Scribe of Thoth]

---

This was painful. Max could see it everytime he looked back; the gears turning behind Eris' carefully crafted facade. Earlier he was likely just floundering for something to say, but now he'd been offered an easy question. Was he caught off guard by the fact that Max had bothered to reply at all? Or was he picking that statement apart for doublespeak and veiled malice? It was three words, for fuck's sake, what happened to all that talk of trust?

Nice to know Anderson was an actual big name, though. That mage really wouldn't have any way of fucking him over now that the test was already underway, and it wasn't like he particularly cared about his grade here anyway if they decided to flunk him for "cheating", but it was better to avoid annoying complications if he could. He had no idea who Diana Ilma was, but he assumed it was some big name acting coach if Eris bothered mentioning her. Or he was desperately trying to plug his mentor so she could become a big name acting coach.

Eris' second comment actually got a smirk out of him - or maybe that was from the vampire stumbling, who could say? Good choice, Eric, Max was far more comfortable talking shit than discussing inane bits of his home life.

"Ryner had something to do with this. She wanted to make you guys squirm, for one reason or another. Maybe keep the new generation in line, maybe get a cheap laugh," Max theorized aloud, "As for the extra credit, I don't really care if we get it or not. If it's a pain in the ass- oh, look, a pain in the ass." He gave Eris' arm another sharp tug, increasing his pace as he spotted the random table in the middle of the woods.

"Another riddle. We got a table and two domes, one's got yellow blocks inside and the other's got blue blocks. There's some runes or some shit on them but fuck if I know what they mean," Max described rapidly, taking note of Eris' earlier whining about getting an inadequate visual description. "Riddle is 'Take what solace you each can find, that of others or that of mind, and keep it close as you trudge west to try and pass your first test.'. Direction's clear, so this is obviously part of the extra credit. You got any ideas or should we just keep going?"

---

@Hero

[Achronum]

Varis found the boy's shoulder and climbed onto his back quickly. If they were going to take away his ability to see, that was fine. Varis wouldn't stumble over nature and have the boy miss catching him. This way he could at least keep some semblance of control over the situation. And anyone who mattered was just as blind as he so his reputation, outside of groundless rumors out of mages, so he would just get down before they broke out of the forest. It was a foolproof plan; it wasn't like he was going to have to do anything anyways. All the responsibility laid on the mage. Maybe this would be refreshing.

"Now that I've accommodated you, let's go. I'm sick of this insane exercise but there is still no excuse for not finishing first with full marks. You've wasted enough time. Where is this sign you have to read?" Varis demanded.

Interacting with: @Obscene Symphony

---

Maddie wasn't sure what to expect when the incantation finished but she certainly didn't expect the absence of everything expect cold. A bitter, bone chilling cold that overwhelmed her. She tried to feel for Amaris, for the ground beneath her feet, and she tried to speak but it was as if everything had disappeared and she was loose in the world, without anchor, without grounding. It was terrifying. She was certain this was where it ended.

The world slammed back into her, the chill of the winter air warm compared to wherever she just was. Ari hit her knee next to her and Maddie clutched at her, both to provide support when the Countess stood back up and reassure herself that Ari was still there. Maddie took a deep breath, laughing shakily at Amaris' question. It took her a moment to find her voice again after that and when she did, she wouldn't deny it came out more shakily than she cared for. "Yes, Countess. It seems everything is in order thankfully. Next time, I believe we should politely request an alternative method of transportation. That was certainly unsettling."

Maddie squinted in the dark if the forest. How useful being a light mage must be right now. She supposed she'd just have to suffer through trying to maintain the spell. She wasn't confident she could keep it up for all six hours so she may have to conserve it early like a marathon runner. Start easy. As long as they completed it they would pass so it's the bare minimum. They'd focus on challenges later. Maybe she'd find the edge of the forest first and then go back to find challenges once she was confident they knew the way out.

"Well, we can discuss that on the way. Tiltoure." The area didn't quite brighten but she could make everything out now and the expected blue lettering popped up on a wooden sign she hadn't seen previously. "The compass spins and spins and spins and spins until it finds your heading. Huh. Compasses only point north, right? There's a little compass carved on top too. How nice of them." The last part was a bit more sarcastic than she intended.

Interacting with: @WeepingLiberty

[Obscene Symphony]

Aaron stood once Varis was in place, adjusting his weight as sublty as he could manage until he was something resembling comfortable. Luckily for him, Varis was surprisingly light; he probably wouldn’t feel so light two or four or six hours from now, and his fingertips still dug into Aaron’s shoulders like little tent spikes, but at least for the moment, carrying him was easy.

“In front of us, Master, set into a tree,” he replied, closing his eyes for a moment. He refrained from his usual deep breath—Varis was fond of telling him he did an awful lot of breathing and he didn’t need another sharp comment right now—and took just a second or two to centre himself, banish his lingering frustration and focus. “Tiltoure.”

Though the rest of their surroundings remained unchanged, the writing on the sign showed itself, glowing blue just as it had in their practice classes. He briefly wondered if he could conserve energy by de-activating his spell and re-activating it anytime he came across something that looked like it didn’t belong, but quickly brushed the idea aside. For all he knew, instructions might be written on trees or rocks or something now and then, and he didn’t want to risk missing them for the sake of a shortcut.

“The sign reads: Dancing lights in the sky illuminate the way. Follow them closely and you'll find your way. There’s also a drawing above it indicating the cardinal directions,” Aaron reported thoughtfully, reading the sign over a few times. Riddles? Already? He’d never been a great fan of riddles, but now apparently they insisted on appearing everywhere; his dreams were riddles, Varis’ little tests were riddles, half of what the Princess told him were riddles—why this, too? He thought it was the extra credit instructions that were meant to be puzzles, not the directions themselves. What would happen to a student who was proficient in Dark Eyes but hopeless with riddles?

He suppressed a sigh. They were only a few minutes into this—once more Aaron cursed the absence of his watch—and he shouldn’t get himself worked up so soon. Even if he did find himself siding just a little more with Varis’ criticisms of this exercise.

“Dancing lights…” He looked around the area curiously just in case there was some glaringly obvious indicator of his direction, but of course, none appeared. Dancing lights… the only light aside from the glowing sign were the thin shafts of moonlight filtering down through the trees, but they couldn’t be his guide; they were everywhere. Part of him thought it might be a nod to the bright lights at the staging area, but they must have been too far away, because there was no sign of those, either. Not that they needed to be miles away to be hidden, with how thick the surrounding forest was.

Aaron rolled his eyes. He was overthinking this, surely. That certainly would be fitting for him. Either that, or the proctor severely overestimated his riddle-solving skills, which he supposed couldn’t be ruled out either. Dancing lights in the sky… the stars? No, that wouldn’t be fair; the stars were obscured by the canopy, and he doubted their instructions would be that demanding. The moon, then? He wouldn’t exactly call that a ‘light’, and it was just as obscured as the stars were. Obviously it wouldn’t be the sun, but what else was there?

“Oh,” his eyebrows shot up when it came to him, and he had to inwardly tease himself a bit for struggling. “I think it’s referring to the Northern Lights, Master,” he updated. Surely that had to be it. At certain times of year, if you were lucky, they could be seen from Noila Castle, and it was the only heavenly body Aaron could think of that could be described as ‘dancing’, let alone associated with a cardinal direction. Plus, there was no way they’d provide a compass if it wasn’t meant to be used to solve their riddle.

“North it is, then,” he concluded, smart enough not to phrase it as a question but also smart enough not to set off until he got the OK from Varis.

_@Achronum

[Bert Macklin]

The aversion to speaking was not a good sign. Opening communication during the practical was likely a mistake on his part, but unlike most people who would take the hint, Ben felt that he couldn't leave things like this. For one, the lackluster response didn't convince him in the slightest. Lilie was a poor liar, and while her sincerity was endearing it showed that this was something that needed to be worked on in the future. He could see the expression even without his sight: a small frown, an aversion of eye contact, and a tiny bow of her head.

Would it be impolite to insist? He silently wondered. He had to. If he left it to her they would never address any problems and loathe be it for him to willingly let a potential issue stew needlessly.

Ben decided to say, "Forgive my forwardness but I can't help but feel it's to the contrary." He hoped it wouldn't be seen as pestering but he wouldn't wait for the blood to cool to find out. "The once open conversation between the two of us has iced over since we returned from our break. If there is something I have done wrong, I would like to know." There was the temptation to add that it was a little juvenile to avoid his question, but he would keep that to himself for the moment.

[Hero]

---

---

The trek was mostly silent with Lilie focusing on her magic. When she first cast the spell, she saw things crystal clear, but if her affinity lessons taught her anything, it was that she had a tendency to push too much magic into everything. The last thing she wanted was to fail because she ran out of magic, so she was trying to limit the spell as best she could. That and she felt like she should've seen something by now, right? Did she do something wrong?

She bit her lip worriedly, though she took in a deep breath to calm herself. She was getting nervous, the weird feeling of holding a vampire growing more and more to her. They weren't warm at all, making her feel like she was holding a mannequin's hand or something, but honestly, she felt like she was getting all nervous and more attentive to that because she was convinced she messed up somehow. The one thing she wanted to do well, and she probably messed up. She didn't think she could hate things any more than right now.

Unfortunately, Ben didn't like her response. Of course he wanted to talk, why wasn't she surprised? But she really, really didn't want to, she wanted to get to the next place already. She sighed, trying to think of something. "Well, like I said, you didn't really do anything wrong," She admitted, and that much really was true. "Arcane magic doesn't come as easy to me as my affinity, it's actually really hard for me and I have to practice a lot just to be on the same level as my classmates. So...just let me focus. Please."

Lilie stopped for a second as she spotted another plaque. Finally! She released Ben's hand as she approached the sign, squinting at it. If she read the sign out loud, that would make it seem like she was including him. She decided to read the clue out loud, that way if he wanted to offer whatever advice he wanted he could, and she would avoid any more uncomfortable talking.

"A little lost is not all bad but it's time to find your way," She read out loud, the realization hitting her after it was said. Lost? But she went east! Unless she wasn't supposed to? Great, the sign ratted her out. She should've just kept it to herself, now he knew she messed up, too. Clearing her throat, she kept reading. "Now that sight is lost, what keeps you safe in these early nights? See it bloom and take it South."

She eyed the vials warily, then looked at the bushes. Approaching one, she knelt down and gently ran her thumb over the bulb. The picture of a trumpet-shaped flower made her think it could have been a honeysuckle, but she didn't know for sure. As for the other one, it reminded her of a rose bush. Would the vials make them blossom, maybe?

Looking back at Ben, she sighed again. Maybe she should clue him in. "There's a bunch of vials hanging from the treetops, and there's two bushes with signs. One has a trumpet shaped flower with stars and the other one has a spiral flower pattern," She told him as she stood up straight.

---

Staying close to @Bert Macklin.