Achronum

Of Blood and Magic

“My apologies, Princess. I was out of line. Good evening.” Varis said cooly. Varis’ temper snapped but he swallowed his next outburst at Ryner’s threat. He could feel his hands tremble as he gave her a short bow and stalked off to one of the lines, ignoring Victor completely. He wasn’t surprised the Astorio couldn’t grasp the severity of the situation. They weren’t known for their intelligence. Savages, all of them.

Varis took his place at the back of a line, staring holes into the mage assigned to stripping him of his senses. Ryner had all but slapped him in the face, treating him as if he was some common noble for her to shove around and threatening his reputation with his Lady despite mostly knowing how serious the consequences were. And recommending he speak to the head of the royal guard and general of the Council’s forces? She was out of her mind. No one questioned Nox about her decisions and policies and found themselves in an agreeable conversation. He may as well stab himself in the foot for all the good that would do.

Nerves and helplessness were a poor combination for Varis’ attitude and with every vampire lead away, the worse the dark cloud over his head got. If Ryner thought this was going to be settled so easily, she had another thing coming.

Pointedly ignoring [@ReuseableSword]

---

Madalyn Vazquez

“Hollyfield won. Rijker lost her focus and her evocation spells lost a bit of their punch. Not to say Hollyfield came out too great. Broke a leg on a bad landing but by then, Rijker was practically out of steam and Hollyfield knocked her head first into the dome. Out like a light after that.” Maddie shivered at the thought of hitting her head hard enough on anything to knock her out. She hadn’t missed the little spark of light on his fingertips and the gears in her head started to spin. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and light magic. She had a suspicion but she’d have her confirmation soon enough. “If Rijker hadn’t gone down with that, I think Hollyfield would have forfeited. He lost all of his mobility and that was what kept him competitive the whole game. But it worked out in the end for him.” It was fun talking to him about this, her idea about his identity aside. She’d kept her distance from the rest of the student body since classes started while she figured out her place in this whole mess. She was a little concerned that she was a third mage in the Marivaldi dorm and she didn’t want to make the wrong friends if she was just going to be torn away from her new home soon.

She turned her attention away from her companion when a flash of white caught her attention. A girl ahead of them was pointing at the names nearby but what held her attention was the pure white hair. It was really pretty and Maddie wondered if it was dyed. It had to be, right? The chances of it being that color at this age were practically nonexistent. When she saw her name near where the girl was standing, she was tempted to ask her about it but she opted against it. If it was a sore point, she’d come across as incredibly rude and that would be a terrible first impression. She looked down the line, seeing only Lilie Dionne, Aaron Starag, and Salem Spellman left. She hadn’t seen where the girl in white, Lilie, pointed at her companion but it definitely confirmed her hunch. Now if only she could remember what Ari said about him and his vampire. She only remembered he served a Sinnenodel, of all houses, and that definitely put her on edge but he was also just as into the League as she was and it would be nice to have someone to talk to about it consistently. “Well, it seems this is me. Thank you for the conversation. Since we’re in the same cul-de-sac, maybe we can watch the next one together? That way, you could see it on something bigger than a computer monitor.”

Interacting with @Obscene Symphony; Admiring @Hero

Of Blood and Magic

_{Time: 11:15 - Staging Grounds}

“You forget your place, Count Varis. While I may afford you a free tongue out of consideration of our professional relationship, you are currently under my authority as both the heir to the throne and the headmistress of this Academy. If you wish to continue abusing your privileges, I have no problem revoking them.” Ryner’s voice was low enough that only the two vampires could hear and her smile never left her face. “As for your concerns, you needn’t worry. Like Count Victor said, Princes Nox hand selected the personnel who cleared our area for the exercise today, although she is not personally present, and if that fails to satisfy you, I recommend you forward any further complaints about the security to her. I trust that conversation will be absolutely delightful. For the time being however, you will participate as intended.” Ryner raised her voice for the next part, making sure she was heard by everyone nearby. Not that it was difficult; most vampires had focused their hearing in an attempt to catch the Princess’ rebuttal.

“In the event you do refuse, I’ll have no choice but to fail your mage. Since you share this grade, this means I’ll be assigning you a failing grade as well, Count Varis. I doubt your Lady would be pleased with that result.” Ryner patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. “Now that we’ve settled that issue, please take your place among your classmates. Enchantments will be going out in a few moments. Good luck to the both of you.” She turned to overlook the assembled vampires, scanning the crowd and stepping forward.

“I’m sure many of you share the same concerns that Count Sinnenodel just shared with me. This is probably the first time since your childhood that you’ve had to rely on anyone so completely and nerves are understandable. However, your partner here at the Academy isn’t just anyone. This is someone who you will come to rely on more and more as your relationship with them develops, just as they’ll come to rely on you. It’s only been a few short months since you’ve met but I have no doubt that your mage will treat you with the same dignity and respect you’ve shown them.” Ryner beamed at the vampires. “This is just the first in a long line of trust exercises you’ll participate in order to grow closer to your mage, develop an appreciation for their support, and cultivate a deeper understanding of their skills, magical and otherwise. Now, without further ado, let’s start preparations for the practical!” A line of mages stepped forward, including Professor Hayes, in a neat row in front of the vampires. Royal and Academy guards stood ready to escort the vampires to their mages.

“Entem Vera Ambudatio.” Manuel murmured to himself before clearing his throat. The sound filled the entire clearing effortlessly, rising above any ambient noises so everyone could hear his voice. “Welcome to the First Year Practical Exam for the Dark Eyes Spell! I am your head proctor, Dr. Manuel Arjin. Some of you already know me from our thrilling Spell Theory classes and to those I haven’t had the pleasure of teaching, hello! The primary purpose of this exam is to test your mastery of the Dark Eyes spell. Once every vampire has been escorted to their mage, you will be teleported into the forest and expected to find your way back using the spell to read the instructions along the way. Even with guiding your partner, the task is simple enough which is why successfully exiting the forest is only 80% of the grade.” Manuel said cheerily. “Inside the forest, you’ll come across additional riddles and challenges that can also only be uncovered with the Dark Eyes spells. They’re quite fun, if I do say so myself! Successfully completing one of these challenges will add an additional 5% to your grade up to 110%. Mages, your partner will be an invaluable resource in solving these but you’ll have to gauge your magical stamina carefully. Focus too much on the challenges and you may find yourself unable to escape!”

Now, vampires! Please form a single file line in front of any of the mages standing before you. While under it the enchantment, your vision will remain dark and your capacity to judge distance and direction will be compromised. You will need to rely completely on your mage; otherwise, you may find yourself lost and if your mage returns without you, your team will be assigned a failing grade.” Manuel explained as he gestured for the mages to start casting. “As the enchantment is cast, you may feel a mildly uncomfortable tingling in your eyes and ears followed by a momentary bout of dizziness. Do not be alarmed. This is normal and it will fade within a few minutes. In addition, a pendant will be placed around your neck. Do not, at any time or for any reason, take this off. It is a special focus that will allow our Summoning specialists to call you and your partner back from the forest in the event you fail to complete the practical within the allotted six hours. Now mages if you would be so kind as to quickly find your places, we are set to begin a little early which means a few minutes of extra time for you! The first few vampires were already haltingly making their way across to the mages even as the guards expertly maneuvered them around a few rougher spots.

Max, Maddie, Lilie, Aaron, and Salem would find their names furthest from the vampires along the line in that order.

Harry Potter and the Alchemist's Quest - Discontinued

---

---

Artemis “Arty” Harrington

---

---

Location: The Hallway -> Compartment 3
Magic: N/A

---

Oh bullocks. Everything was totally chill not even five minute past and now everythings gone pear shaped! Merula’s gang, the posers, turned any and every pleasant situation into a shambolic mockery of it all. They acted like a bunch of cornish pixies, taking the piss out of any bloke unlucky enough to cross their paths. Well if taking the piss was all they did, then maybe the bloke was lucky. Arty shivered at a few of the worse memories he had of their little gang leader. There really was no lucky when it came to Merula Snyde, the tosser she was.

But he turned his attention back to the present. The sooner this was all over, the sooner they could have a kickin' time. “Come on guys. Just give her your names and we’ll wash our hands of this whole mess. Any miscommunications can be cleared up with your head of house afterwards, right?. Professor Flitwick will totally understand once you explain it to him, Mary.” Arty pleaded, silently asking for support from Madalyn since she was the senior prefect here. It was absolute rubbish that he was already getting in these situations. Why couldn’t he have the ride to hogwarts to enjoy? They’d been with muggles their whole summer! He just wanted to have fun with his friends. He barely kept the pout off his face at the utter injustice of it all.

ＦＩＮＡＬ ＦＡＮＴＡＳＹ Ｘ｜Ｖ： Ｔｈｅ Ｂｌｅｓｓｅｄ Ｔｗｅｌｖｅ

Well, all’s well that ends well! With a successful first venture under their belts, Kajin was more than happy to scurry out of the Thanalan sun and clambered up into the carriage. A bath sounded fantastic and lunch… His stomach audibly appreciated that but Kajin was far too excited to care. He was bouncing in his seat the entire ride, watching E-Siri excitedly hang out of the carriage. He chuckled to himself at the view: a Padjal, a highly respected member of the Gridannia community, taking in the sights like a boy on his namesday. He imagined they would be scandalized; Kajin thought it was endearing.

Admittedly, Kajin was just as excited as the Goblet approached. He’d heard stories of how beautiful it was but housing there was both inordinately expensive and selective so he’d never had an opportunity to explore. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped at the splendor of the place. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think he was in the richer districts of Ul’dah herself. It was everything he heard and more and he wanted to live here forever. He knew his family was attached to their place in Drybone but… he was going to have a place here of his own if it killed it him.

He was so absorbed in his surroundings that he barely noticed Lyveva call a halt to the carriage but she had his attention when she mentioned an orphan. He frowned. As much as his family got on each other’s nerves, he couldn’t imagine not having them. He’d probably die if he was cut off from them. A little pang of sympathy pulled at his chest and he was going to volunteer when E-Siri popped out of the carriage like an arrow from a bow and he wasn’t going to lose his prime resera- new friend so quickly. Kajin clambered out of the carriage after him and propped his hands on his hips.

“Well, what are we waiting for! Let’s gather up the rambunctious kid before he hurts himself. The Twelve only know what mischief I could get up to here. Could have I mean, definitely past tense.” Kajin giggled and started heading off in a directon before pausing. “Follow up question. Where is the Brimming Heart?”

Of Blood and Magic

“While I appreciate your ill advised attempt to offer comfort in these trying hours Count Astorio,” Varis snapped, turning away from Ryner for a moment. “This lunacy is an affront to our way of life! We fought wars just to sign into effect the very pillar that supports our entire society and here we are making an absolute mockery of it. We wield our authority, shoulder our responsibility, and uphold our obligations because we are stronger than them. Our image must stay strong, resolute, and infallible and stripping us of the basic means to maintain our awareness is the exact opposite of doing so. I’m not suggesting I sit this out; rather, I’d like to actually see may mage in the process of his struggles so I know where to shore up his shortcomings. There are bound to be plenty. I’d rather not be at the mercy of them. Varis scoffed in disbelief.

“What are you doing? He asked. Why in the world would Victor wear something too long just to roll it up here. What was the point? Meanwhile, Ryner hid a laugh behind a poorly disguised cough at Victor’s teasing but Varis missed it now that Victor was the target of his ire.

@ReusableSword

---

Madalyn Vazquez

Maddie turned at the tap, confusion turning to a polite smile as he asked about the match. She took the time to look him over, noting the quality of clothes and the way he held himself. Clearly not someone cut off the common cloth. “That’s too bad. They had us on the edge of our seats.” Maddie shook her head at the memory. “I was certain they would hit overtime. They traded blows at the beginning, the usual testing the defenses, but Rijker broke out of that earlier than normal and nearly covered the entire arena with fire. It was intense.” Maddie shook her head at the memory, her jaw hitting the floor at the display of raw potential.

“Of course, Hollyfield took to the sky. You could see him sweating but he kept trying to blow holes in the fire but Rijker wasn’t having any of it. She’d bring it back as fast as he could blow it out. It seemed like a bit of a stalemate until Hollyfield tried touching down and an arcane lance came hurtling out of the flames! Apparently, no one noticed Rijker holding like ten or twelve of them in the fires. She’d been placing them everytime she brought back the cover fire!” Maddie chuckled at the memory. The magical stamina that must have taken was incredible. “So we all think Holyfield’s done for. I mean, he can’t land long enough to get his bearings and he must be exhausted between the heat at the top of the dome and the drain on his magic but suddenly,” Maddie paused for a moment, leaning in. Her normal passive personality fell away the longer she talked, the adrenaline from the match coming back.

“All of it disappeared. Just gone. In the blink of an eye. No fire, no traps, nothing. Maddie chuckled. “Apparently, Hollyfield learned a new trick since his last match. He neutralized everything at one time and while Rijker was trying to process it, Hollyfield dive bombed her from thirty feet. Nearly had her too but she managed to deflect the brunt of it. The crowd was going absolutely wild.” Maddie shook her head. “Did you not at least record it so you can watch it tonight? I watched it live and I still did.”

@Obscene Symphony

Of Blood and Magic

To say Varis was displeased with this turn of events would be an understatement. The second he discovered what participating in this inane mage assessment required, he’d nearly marched over to Ryner’s office and gave her a piece of his mind. Leave a vampire blind in the hands of a mage? The commoners were understandable. They infested this sad excuse of an establishment and could be replaced as easily as rats but the nobles? She collected the irreplaceable ones and now had the audacity to send them stumbling about in the middle of the night when their mages couldn’t see the tip of their noses? No matter that’s the point of the exercise. The fact still remained, the boy would be in charge of his safety and Varis was barely ready to let him be in charge of his correspondence, much less this.

On the bus he wanted nothing to do with anyone so where he would have normally invited Eris to sit, he sat Aaron on the outside and refused any sort of interaction. He kept himself together in public, even as he still wanted to murder, and focused instead on how to handle the situation with Ryner. She’d probably politely “insist” that he accept it because everyone else has to. Varis would tell her that was unacceptable because not everyone else was a noble and had a hand in council matters. Anything that resulted in his injury would ultimately reflect poorly on her tenfold considering the situation during revel. That’d be his angle. She couldn’t use some second rate news broadcast to hide anything happening to him and he’d make sure to remind her of that. As if Varis was going to rely onthe boy of all people.

But Varis was prepared for the inevitable. As he expected, the royal dogs planned on magically searching each of the students and right after the boy was done, Varis immediately offered his phone to the inspector. “Don’t bother. Just take it.” Varis snapped as the man took it, stashed it away, and put his hand out in front of Varis before he could leave. Varis gave the man a look that would have killed anyone else but he continued with his job without batting an eye. It wouldn't be the first time handling an upset noble. He had children at home too.

“Compass, map, and pen light please.” The guard held out his hand. Varis’ jaw worked as he reached into his coat and pulled out the pen light, pulled the compass out of his pant pocket, and lifted his pant leg to fetch the map he’d folded so carefully out of his sock. He stormed past the guards and off the bus, furious that his ploy to get through this nightmare as quickly as possible was ruined, and scoffed at the words being blasted from a megaphone. Herding vampires around rather than mages? What a disgrace to vampire kind. These other sheep may be perfectly content being at their mage’s mercy but Varis would rather take a long walk at dawn than let any of them lead him anywhere.

Ryner caught his eye and he stormed through the crowd, not bothering with avoiding people as he made his way through. She was making conversation with some nobody as if she wasn’t practically sentencing him to death and that just riled him up more. He made little effort quieting his approach and Ryner broke off the conversation with a sigh when he snapped her name.

“Do you really expect me to think I’m safe after your little slip up during Revel? You want to put vampires, the nobles, and me at the mercy of mages barely even trained in their magic when for all we know there could be another deraigned killer on the loose. Varis snapped, having at least the forethought to keep his voice down despite the situation. “I will not allow this nonsense to happen to me while the security of your campus is in question! They’ve had their magic and actual training for a few months! Vampires are the superior race― our entire body of law revolves around that particular concept, in case you’ve forgotten―and here we are, surrendering ourselves to the whim of mages? I will not be made to look like a fool, Princess, so you’ll either wave my need for this enchantment or cancel this whole thing all together, do you understand?”

---

Madalyn Vazquez

Sleep did not come easily that day. What if she lost Ari somewhere in the woods? What if she got tired, ran out of magic, and had to forfeit the exam? Why was she being put in charge of a vampire’s safety so early on? She was a life mage. She didn’t really come with the skills necessary to escape a forest. Sleep came to her in bursts at first but eventually, she succumbed to sleep and resumed her normal routine of snoozing at least the first three alarms. There was definitely a process to her waking up and the sinking feeling in her stomach wasn’t making it any easier for her to face the day.

But eventually, she couldn’t ignore the alarms any longer and she hauled herself out of bed, stumbling into the kitchen where―and thank the Queen for whoever had the foresight to give them this―the preprogrammed coffee maker already had a pot of coffee waiting for her. She pulled out her favorite mug, poured herself a cup, added a healthy dose of cream and cinnamon, and leaned against the counter for a second while her brain caught up with the morning. She made sure to hurry up, being a little behind schedule, and launched herself through her morning routine. She picked out warmer clothes: A thick long sleeved shirt, pair of insulated pants, a plain jacket, a pair of sturdy hiking boots, gloves, and a scarf. When she shopped, she aggressively went for plain and nondescript in her clothing. She had no intention of standing out and only wore the nicer pieces that caught her eye to places that she felt comfortable with the people she was with. She tucked her focus into it's sheath and attached it firmly to her hip. Hopefully, she wouldn't need it but it was better to have ti on hand just in case.

“I wonder if it would look bad to have something confiscated.” Maddie thought out loud to herself. She really wanted another cup of coffee and she did bring a thermos but she wasn’t sure how far away the grounds were and leaving a half full thermos of coffee would be kind of gross. So, with a sigh, she opted against it. She left with Ari and trudged onto the bus, taking the seat next to the Countess. “This is more than a little nerve wracking.” She said softly to the Countess as the bus pulled away from the school. A name caught her attention, a fighter from the most recent Titan match. Another pair next to them was talking about the move one of the fire mages pulled, hiding a nasty evocation spell beneath the fire they started, that nearly won them the match when the air mage launched himself over top of it. Maddie listened in intently, adding her own piece or two when it felt appropriate.

When the bus stopped and it came time to seperate, she squeezed Ari’s hand discreetly before they stood. “I’ll see you soon.” She said as she followed the mage she was talking with on the bus ride. They kept up a conversation about the match, grabbing their bags and hand warmers before they split up looking for their names.

The Gifted - Concluded

James Kingston

---

Location: The Mutant Underground's New HQ
Skills: N/A

---

---

James watched things unfold and calm… down? Apparently Ben could do something but he probably got into something over his head by Casper’s reaction. Watching Casper lash out at whatever entity was bothering him was an odd sight but if that’s what it took to make him feel better, then who was he to question it. James watched with just a prickle of satisfaction as they booted Vulcan out of their immediate area. He was loathe to think of what the savage lands were though. They mentioned somewhere in South America earlier but he really didn’t have a point of reference. Hopefully, it was far enough away that he wouldn’t be making his way back anytime soon. He turned his attention to Viel when she spoke about the mission.

Shit around this place got serious real fast didn’t it? Ever since coming here, it had been a non-stop action packed adventure and while that sounded like a great time, James would like to chill for a few days. Even if they still had stuff to do, nothing life threatening would be nice for a while. He wouldn’t even be upset if it was just a day at this point. Ever since he got caught up with Max and Sunshine, it had been a rollercoaster and only one of them was still on the same ride. He refocused on the mission, putting those thoughts well aside because they didn’t have time to unpack all that, and nodded his understanding at the group assignments.

A suicide mission, huh? Well, good thing Colossus and Negasonic were there. He felt more comfortable with the heavy hitters around. James could hold himself decently in a fight and Casper was a really clever dude but neither of them could clear a room or take a few bullets if they needed to. And Glimpse he hadn’t really had the opportunity to get to know so she was kind of a wild card for him. All things considered, James felt that their chances of survival were pretty good. At least, he hoped they were.

James stepped through the portal and cocked his head curiously at Cayden. “Viel said the job is both. Rescue the captives and destroy the lab.” James reiterated Veil’s comment for him. James bounced on his heels a little, ready to get going. Hopefully, Veil’s warnings that not everyone may come back turned out to be wrong.

Harry Potter and the Alchemist's Quest - Discontinued

---

---

Artemis “Arty” Harrington

---

---

Location: Compartment 1 -> The Hallway
Magic: N/A

---

As the Head Boy and Girl spoke about the ball, Arty couldn’t resist popping open the the box of delicious and horrific beans and shove an entire handful in his mouth. What better way to reintroduce yourself into the wonders of the wizarding world than a totally horrible flavor combo straight out of Berty’s worst nightmares. Any hope of a scrummy mouthful was dashed as a wave of earthworm, dirt, and possible booger slammed into his taste buds washed down with banana, rotten egg, and sausage. He coughed and laughed, eyes tearing up as he chewed the disgusting combination and swallowed it. It took him a few moments to recover from it, laughing horribly at the pear shaped attempt, but he nodded his understanding to the Head Boy and Girl.

“This Celestial Ball is gonna be totally sweet with the best mates in Hogwarts on the job!” He announced excitedly after they were dismissed. He couldn’t wait to tell Apollo and Georgina! He bet they’d be totally chuffed! He bounced out after Madalyn and Mary, needing the extra second to recover from his first fist full of beans, and picked out two at a time. Marshmallow and Cherry this time. Not a terrible combination. He kinda wished he got Blueberry but cherry was still a delicious combination!

“Oh, codswallop!” Arty shouted as he nearly ran into Madalyn, having missed the minor pile up as engrossed in his flavor experience as he was. He watched the bean he lost at the sudden stop hit the floor and roll a bit, picking it up and pocketing it for later cleaning. He turned his attention to the group and froze. Ismelda, one of the ultimate wanker’s cronies. Those collywobbles kicked in and his eyes darted between everyone gathered for a few moments before he slowly edged his way to Georgina.

“Yeah, what Georgina said!” His enthusiasm sounded weak, even in his own ears, but he was determined not to lose his voice. And with so many of his friends around, everything should turn out fine. “No one needs to be gettin’ mental in the corridors or the Heads will have to get involved and then the Professors will totally spazz and then everything will be a downright bore. So let’s all be totally chill, head back to our compartments, and just have a rad time with our mates, yeah?.”

Of Blood and Magic

_{Time: 10:45 - Staging Grounds}

Colds wind swept over the campus the night of the practical exams, following in the wake of several days of clouds and light snow. Class had been cancelled for the first years to give them time to rest, eat, and prepare for the upcoming exam at midnight. The mage Professors had explained that the practical was a test of their magical ability and their teamwork with their vampire, who would be present with them in the forest at all times. The goal was to return from the drop point to the staging area before six am. Completing the goal generated an 80% for the practical and guaranteed passing. Failure to return to the staging ground by 6 am resulted in an automatic failure and a team of ages and vampires would collect the pair from the forest.

In order to find their way back, mages would have to employ the Dark Eyes charm to read a series of signs placed inside the forest and written with viatymbol. These signs had the directions to return to the staging area. The vampire would be magically disoriented and blinded for the duration, adding the extra challenge of a helpless addition that the mage had to guide through the forest and fostering the trust between vampire and mage. Vampires would wear a special amulet given at the staging area that would act as a homing beacon for the rescue teams in the event the pair required it.

The students had been instructed to dress warmly and meet at 10:15 at the bus stop, where students would be chartered from the school to the practical grounds. They had been warned that only their focus was permitted. No technology, including watches, and no navigational devices including maps and compasses. The atmosphere on the buses was nervous, every emotion from excitement to down right dread adding to the nervous sense, and even vampires shifted warily in the seats. Not many of them too kindly to the idea that they’d be losing the use of their sight for the duration but their protests had been shut down firmly by both their professors and Ryner with practiced ease. The other option was to withdraw from the school and no one wanted to drag down their family’s name. Royal guards accompanied each bus, two unmarked cars flanking them and four guards standing on the bus itself. Ryner made it clear that security had been increased for their protection and the practical was no different.

Busses pulled up at the grounds neatly at 10:45 and before being allowed to disembark, all students were required to leave any restricted items behind. They were magically scanned prior to leaving the bus, the guards confiscating cleverly hidden phones and notes and depositing them in lock boxes. The staging ground itself was a large clearing with several long tables. A variety of snacks and water bottles were being put in small bags for mages to take into the forest with them and another was handing out hand warmers for the cold night. Ryner stood with one of the guards and Dr. Manuel, the pair speaking quietly together while Gregor stared with disinterest at the arriving students though he did stand a little straighter than normal.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please!” Someone with a megaphone called out to the group. “The practical is set to begin at Midnight. If all vampires would please proceed to the Princess, we will begin preparing you for the enchantments. Mages, please take this time to grab food and water for the trip and some hand warmers in case you get cold! Once you have, find your name along the yellow line at the edge of the forest and your vampire will be brought to you. We will be giving out further instructions 15 minutes before the start of the practical.”

Testing well everything!

_{Time: 10:45 - Staging Grounds}

Colds wind swept over the campus the night of the practical exams, following in the wake of several days of clouds and light snow. Class had been cancelled for the first years to give them time to rest, eat, and prepare for the upcoming exam at midnight. The mage Professors had explained that the practical was a test of their magical ability and their teamwork with their vampire, who would be present with them in the forest at all times. The goal was to return from the drop point to the staging area before six am. Completing the goal generated an 80% for the practical and guaranteed passing. Failure to return to the staging ground by 6 am resulted in an automatic failure and a team of ages and vampires would collect the pair from the forest.

In order to find their way back, mages would have to employ the Dark Eyes charm to read a series of signs placed inside the forest and written with viatymbol. These signs had the directions to return to the staging area. The vampire would be magically disoriented and blinded for the duration, adding the extra challenge of a helpless addition that the mage had to guide through the forest and fostering the trust between vampire and mage. Vampires would wear a special amulet given at the staging area that would act as a homing beacon for the rescue teams in the event the pair required it.

The students had been instructed to dress warmly and meet at 10:15 at the bus stop, where students would be chartered from the school to the practical grounds. They had been warned that only their focus was permitted. No technology, including watches, and no navigational devices including maps and compasses. The atmosphere on the buses was nervous, every emotion from excitement to down right dread adding to the nervous sense, and even vampires shifted warily in the seats. Not many of them too kindly to the idea that they’d be losing the use of their sight for the duration but their protests had been shut down firmly by both their professors and Ryner with practiced ease. The other option was to withdraw from the school and no one wanted to drag down their family’s name. Royal guards accompanied each bus, two unmarked cars flanking them and four guards standing on the bus itself. Ryner made it clear that security had been increased for their protection and the practical was no different.

Busses pulled up at the grounds neatly at 10:45 and before being allowed to disembark, all students were required to leave any restricted items behind. They were magically scanned prior to leaving the bus, the guards confiscating cleverly hidden phones and notes and depositing them in lock boxes. The staging ground itself was a large clearing with several long tables. A variety of snacks and water bottles were being put in small bags for mages to take into the forest with them and another was handing out hand warmers for the cold night. Ryner stood with one of the guards and Dr. Manuel, the pair speaking quietly together while Gregor stared with disinterest at the arriving students though he did stand a little straighter than normal.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please!” Someone with a megaphone called out to the group. “The practical is set to begin at Midnight. If all vampires would please proceed to the Princess, we will begin preparing you for the enchantments. Mages, please take this time to grab food and water for the trip and some hand warmers in case you get cold! Once you have, find your name along the yellow line at the edge of the forest and your vampire will be brought to you. We will be giving out further instructions 15 minutes before the start of the practical.”