Children Of Infinity (IC)

[Charmera]

Alfenn emerged from his room a little after everyone else had already left for the banquet.
"Mmm, not tonight," he said to no one in particular, closing the door behind him. Banquets were a common feature of the formal calendar of the Black Cups. Whether someone was being born, dying or accomplishing any one of the myriad of milestones between those two events a banquet was used to mark the occasion and as son the reigning Grand Master Alfenn's presence was mandatory at nearly all of them. So if a banquet came along that he wasn't outright obliged to attend then frankly he couldn't care less. What he did care about was the slight stiffness in his limbs and the half drowsiness that was slowing him down but not quite making him sleepy. It was, he knew, a product of too long spent sitting down and traveling, the short walk up to the resort clearly hadn't been enough to shake it off so he decided to find somewhere secluded to run through some drills. Buckling his sword belt, with both his rapier and dagger attached, around his waist Alfenn stepped out into the balmy evening.

This was certainly an advantage of warmer climates reflected Alfenn, as he made his way unhurriedly away from the building. If he had tried to train outside at night on Narcosa he would've needed a heavy coat and warm underclothes, as it stood he was clad only in a light shirt and comfortable, but sturdy pants. He left the path and went a little ways off into the trees, not far enough to get lost even if he made his way back in the darkness but far enough that he was unlikely to be disturbed and looked up at the sky. The sun was a rapidly shrinking dome and Alfenn judged he had about an hour of twilight before it was properly dark. Hopefully, the boy thought, the moon would be bright tonight. Unsheathing his weapons, Alfenn took up a combat stance and began running through a series of basic drills.

"Hey" Spoke Jyn, not being comfortable inside the banquet room when there was all this beautiful greenery and flora and lovelyness around them. She couldn't comprehend staying in and banqueting. Perhaps she would pop in for a little food later, but when she saw Alfenn leaving into the moonlight, she couldn't resist walking in the cool night air in this wonderful place. She smiled at Alfenn, noticing him training. She could understand why he was doing that, but it still didn't made too much sense to be training in a place like this... at least alone.

"I see you're drilling yourself" She observed. "Mind if I join you or train with you?"

[The Starlight]

-snip-

She listened, interested, as Aressa spoke of her first trip. "Sure, I'd love to hear than some other time," she said, nodded. Hearing the loud voice, she raised her eyebrows, a bit surprised, but listened, and she would obey. Heading up to her suite with the others, she picked a room and changed into some civilian, more comfortable and casual clothes.

Pleasantly surprised to hear that there was a banquet, she decided to go along and try some more of the food, nodding in greeting to Shanath, and picking some select items off plates, determining to eat small portions of several dishes. While some were more to her liking than others, she couldn't deny that they were all cooked magnificiently and excellently. The nature was astonishing and the food was great. She could get used to here, Ellyn thought to herself, grinning at the thought. Finishing her food, she began to roam about, hoping to encounter someone or interact with some of her peers.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Now

While the other students ate their hearty meals on the lavish tables of the banquet hall, Elsis stood next to one of the massive open windows present there, elbows resting on the windowsill, her head resting on one of her hands. She really didn't want to eat someone else's food, she had never been quite able to come to terms with the fact that she wouln't always be able to hunt her own food and so, she was not used to situations like these, were food was provided for her and expected to be eaten. So instead of joining her guide Shanath and her fellow recruits, she looked out the window, gazing out at the clear azure sky with her coral red eyes as the gentle sea breeze swept through the room.

As she watched, though, she was unable to keep some of her memories from surfacing. In her loneliness, she was incapable of holding reminiscence at bay, and so, in but an instant, she found herself thinking about the one person she had been closest to, when she was still living in the territory of the Order of the Valiant Fang, the person she had been closest to until a fateful event that drove them away from each other.

Her sister.

---

Six cycles before the present

Juna sat in her room, face and body still bruised by the fight. She was no stranger to being beaten and battered, what hurt more was her wounded pride. She had sought to prove she was more than just her sisters shadow, more than some afterthought when considering Elsis. Not Someone to be forgotten and ignored, and maybe earn herself some respect. But all she had gotten was bruises and even more shame. Had her parents not obviously shown their favour for Elsis, they might have been disappointed.

It wasn't like she didn't fight well. She fought better than she had ever done before, not that it mattered now that her sister was once again proved to be the champion worthy of accolades and pride, while she was proved to once again be her sisters lesser.

"I should just give up" she spoke, sighing as she lay backwards in her bed. Not entirely sure what giving up would entail...

However, not a minute after Juna decided to lie on her bed, she would hear a knock on the door of her room, a fairly austere place despite the standing of the Salasanger family, not necessarily because she was shunned and ignored by her family in favor of her sister, but rather because of the simple reason that in the Valiant Fang, the young were given very little and forced to prove themselves time and time again to be granted more, while any luxuries and comforts were reserved for the old.

"Juna?" Called out a voice from outside, a voice that the girl knew all too well, though much to the surprise of anyone hearing it, said voice seemed to lack the prideful, arrogant overtones it usually carried, instead being seemingly laced with a hint of concern.

"Juna, I'm coming in." Asserted the voice on the outside. The door was pushed open, and standing in the doorway was none other than a girl with coral red hair, Juna's more warlike sister, Elsis. She was clad in a red combat uniform, the same she had worn in the tournament, and had some bloodstains on her hands and face, something that was altogether considered rather common by their society. She walked into the room, holding up a plate with some cooked meat on it.

"I, uh, I brought you food. I was famished after the tournament so I went and killed something. I thought you might want some." She said, stopping some distance away from the bed and holding out the plate, remembering how during their childhood she would usually be the one to procure food for the two of them, since Juna often refused to hunt. "Are you alright, Juna?" She asked afterwards, wondering if her sister was fine after the battle.

Juna perked her head up slightly as her sister came in. Juna had learnt a long time ago that it was best not to ask what Elsis had killed for her. She sat up. She took the plate, sorely tempted to slam into her face, but she didn't want to be cruel to her sister and only friend, even if she had beaten the crap out of her. She moved a small trunk to serve as a makeshift table as she usually did when eating alone, which was nearly all the time.

"No. No not really." She stabbed, her bitter voice stressing how she felt. Physically. She was fine. She got worse beatings on a daily basis. However it was never about physicality. "Did you come to gloat? You won and I lost after all. Your the champion and I got second place, like I usually do. So please get it over with." She spoke. "Shouldn't have even bothered to try..."

Normally she was extremely resilient, the type to grow and improve with trial and error. The more she got hit down the stronger she got. But she still couldn't escape the shadow of her big sister. She knew it wasn't all Elsis' fault, but it was frustrating none the less.

She sighed, realising she was doing what she had resolved not to do. She put her feet up on the bed and hugged her legs. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for..." She apologised.

Elsis frowned slightly as she heard Juna's first words, understanding very well why she would feel so bitter about the outcome of their last battle. Honestly, she thought it had been a pretty cruel twist of fate that she was forced to fight her own sister at the end of the tournament. While she was indeed quite impressed that Juna had made it so far and would be the first to admit that she had put up one hell of a fight, in the end, at least in Elsis' mind, the outcome was obvious.

Nevertheless, though she understood what it was like to have her pride challenged, she was not currently aware of just how deep was the frustration that Juna was currently feeling, and so, to her, her sister's bitter jabs came across as naught but a tantrum, something that only made the frown on her face intensify. Sure, Elsis was aware that this was partially her fault, but she simply would not stand by watching her sister act like a child or speak about giving up. She was especially angered by her last comment. Elsis knew that her sister was one to face loss with dignity. She would not allow a Salasanger to act like that.

The straw that truly broke the camel's back, however, was when Juna curled up and aplogized to her. At that moment, Elsis walked forward and grabbed Juna's hand, brusquely pulling her out of the bed and onto her feet, planting herself between her sister and the bed and crossing her arms.

"No no no. You don't get to apologize." Elsis snapped at her. "Go ahead, speak your mind! I'm sure there's more where that came from!" She insisted. "Get it all out of your system already! After all, with everything you've already said I'm sure you're still hurt about our fight and your loss. Insult me if that'll make you feel better. Maybe it'll get you to stop sulking and brooding in here all alone. Maybe it'll get you to stop acting like a child." She said harshly to her sister. A moment afterwards, she started feeling bad, thinking that she may have gone overboard a bit with her comments, but she gritted her teeth and said nothing more. It was too late to go back on her words now, and so she waited for her sister's response.

“I’m the childish one? ME?” She asked, rage and bile boiling inside her. It was violent enough that it made her desperate combat in the ring look like a play fight. She was swiftly becoming unrecognisable as the last rational parts of her were drowning in undressed, unreleased jealousy and anger. She laughed, laughing a bitter enraged laugh that had eight humour nor happiness. “Miss Elsis the glorious warrior, told since birth she’s the best thing since Vermilion himself is going to lecture me on being childish! Oh this should be rich!” She responded, her voice raised. “And yes there is more where that came from, more than you could ever imagine. Eighteen years of being ignored and beaten while watching everyone and their mother pile-drive their heads up your ass has been great. Maybe if you had been through half of the shit I’ve ha-”

"You think you've been through shit?!" Came her sister's violent interruption. "You really think I've had everything given to me on a silver platter since the moment I was born, don't you? How quickly you forget!" Elsis fumed at Juna. Getting into a fight hadn't been the reason she had walked into her sister's room, far from it, but even though she knew it was partially her fault for being too harsh earlier, she could not avoid feeling enraged by the hateful words Juna was spewing. She had only wanted to check in on her sister after having been forced to fight her in the tournament, and she tried very hard to restrain her emotions after hearing Juna's earlier comments, but now she had failed, and quivered with anger at what she considered to be nothing but slanderous insults from Juna.

"How quickly you forget that I took all the shit for you when we were little!" She continued, gesturing furiously. "Did you forget who kept you safe during our childhood training? Did you forget who kept you fed when you wouldn't kill an animal to survive? ME! It was me! I fought to keep you safe, I killed to keep you healthy, I struggled to keep you warm. Not our parents, not your magic, ME!" She shouted, pausing for breath before continuing. "And really, why the hell is it my fault that you were ignored? You're the one who decided to stick your nose in a book all day instead of doing something useful! In eighteen long years you never bothered to train instead of spending all day in a library, and somehow it's my fault that you got beat and shunned?!" She questioned. "Because of you, I'M the one constantly pressured to uphold our status, I'M the one who has to shoulder the burden of this family! You're just an ungrateful wimp!" She shouted, falling silent and panting after her furious rant.

“Why is it your fault?” Juna asked. “Name one time you actually stood up for me in front of our parents.” She asked, knowing there were none. “Also, keeping me safe? You’ve really done a bang up job of that recently. I’ve had to scrape myself off more floors that I can count. I’ve been beaten daily by people I don’t even know and you’ve done nothing! Not even bothered to care.” Juna replied. She also hadn’t wanted to fight, or maybe she had deep down wanted to release some of her pent up feelings. Besides, she had asked for this… Either way it was too late to go back now. It was all coming out like vomit from her soul.

“And yes everything has been given to you on a silver platter! You’ve had training from masters, the best equipment, the best room, the undivided praise and attention of our parents, Everything! All I’ve ever had is the sloppy leftovers of whatever runs of you. I have your old sword. I’ve had to watch you training in order to get the technique, because our parents haven’t let me train with you since we were young. Otherwise I’ve had to get in actual fights to get any training it, and they don’t hold back unlike the instructors! So don’t you say I haven’t bothered to try it your way. I’ve tried more than you’ll ever know to be you.”

“As for why I read books? What the hell else am I suppose to do!? I don’t have friends, you barely talk to me anymore and Mom and Dad seem intent on pretending I don’t exist. I have nothing else! From the moment I first expressed the slightest interest in anything but combat I've been stuck with it.” Juna exclaimed. “So don’t talk to me about ungrateful. You’re praised by everyone you know, you’ve won nearly every battle you’ve been in, so don’t you DARE say you’ve had it any less than easy! I’ve had to scrape for everything that was more than just survival. You’ve been given every opportunity and tool for success!”

"Given?! I had to EARN THEM!" Elsis responded, her sentences no longer simple utterances, now bordering on screaming. She didn't want to do this, she really didn't want to do this. Screaming at her sister had been the last thing on her mind when she had walked through the door. But now, hearing word after bile-blighted word, hearing her sister blaming her for seemingly everything bad that had happened to her in her whole life, Elsis couldn't help going into the defensive, and the fact that she was the more violent of the two didn't help matters at all. "I had to punch and kick and bite and scream for everything I've ever had!" She shouted. "I didn't start my life with any sort of privilege! I wasn't born with my sword! Everything you say I have wasn't just suddenly granted to me! I had to work hard for this sword, I had to bleed to be considered worthy of having a specialized instructor, and he DIDN'T HOLD BACK EITHER!"

Her sentence coming to an end, Elsis had to stop for breath, her vision somewhat blurred by reasons that were not immediately clear to her. She felt so upset, she felt every fiber of her being shaking with anger and she felt that she was barely in control anymore. But this was not just because Juna was belittling her effort and blaming her for everything, no. She felt like this because it stung. Her sister's hateful words, they hurt, and someone like Elsis was very poorly equipped to deal with this kind of sensation. She was used to facing problems that could either be ignored or solved by beating them enough to make them go away, but even though she was sorely tempted to do so by now, she couldn't possibly do that to her sister, she couldn't possibly solve this that way, and so she had no idea what to do but keep screaming. Idly, she realized what exactly was starting to block her vision. Tears.

"I've been struck and wounded and slashed and beaten too, and not once, not. once. did I get to make so much as a whimper, because if I did, if I dared to feel pain, I'd be shunned and spurned and shamed and disowned and disgraced and even now I can't show anything but strength in front of our parents, because if I'm anything but deserving of the blood I was forced to bear then they'll hate me and this entire family's going to fall apart and it's all going to be my fault and yet you start complaining that they don't pay you any attention and say that everything in my life is simple and easy?! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! You were born second, you had someone looking after you, you didn't have to dirty your hands, but if you really want to be so much like me then BE MY FUCKING GUEST!"

“YES! A MILLION FUCKING TIMES YES! I WOULD GLADLY BE YOU SISTER! I WOULD RATHER BE YOU THAN ME ANY DAMN DAY!” She screamed, hyperventilating. Tears were coming to her own eyes as she saw those in her sisters. At some level she knew she was being cruel. She was verbally abusing her sister, slamming her with things she didn’t even know she felt. But she couldn’t stop, animal instinct had taken over, and the tears might as well have been blood. “I’d rather bleed a thousands times than not exist at all! DO you have any idea what it’s like to be me? I AM shunned and spurned and shamed and disgraced! Everything short of disowned and I’m sure our parents would do that if the could be bothered to remember their daughter! Hell I bet the only reason they keep me around is to encourage you to not be me!”

“Why do you think I joined the Tournament? Not to beat you. I didn’t even want to fight you. No I just wanted a scrap of fucking respect! I wanted to be thought of as more than just the other sister! I was tired of being compared to you and I wanted something to call my own! I worked so hard so I could win that tournament and FINALLY make people like me! But ultimately, I’ll never be able to do that. Thanks to you.”

She paused again to catch her breath, feeling pain from her thrashing and her throat was in pain. She glared at her sister. “Admit it. The only reason you took care of me was out of pity. Because you felt sorry for you little sister and wanted to throw her a bone.” She then screamed out words louder than she had ever done in her life. “WELL I DON’T NEED YOUR PITY.” She inhaled again. “I’m tired of it! I’m tired of being pitied. I’m tired of being the “other sister”! I’m tired of being the family joke! I WISH I WAS NEVER BORN!”

She stood there, inhaling and exhaling, waiting for her sisters retort. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up. Her voice was already beginning to waver and she was on the verge of breaking down into a full on crying fit. She didn't want this. She felt guilt already, but apologising now or breaking down like she wanted would only be considered weakness. Besides, there was some despicable part of her which was enjoying this to some degree. One she was ashamed of even now.

"WELL, I'LL LEAVE AND TAKE MY PITY WITH ME THEN!" Elsis screamed in response, her whole body quivering in what was no longer fury but rather an enormous train wreck of emotions, her fingernails digging into her palms hard enough to draw blood with ease. She was rather confused, truth be told, by what she was doing, stepping forward with trembling steps and swinging her hand across Juna's trunk, sending the plate flying towards the wall and causing it to shatter violently, its contents falling to the ground. Outwardly, despite the blood trickling down her fists and the tears now freely flowing from her eyes, her visage had completely morphed into that of a beast by now, her scowl and her ignited eyes and her clattering teeth completely throwing away every last sliver of beauty or even humanity that she might have had. And really, she hadn't even meant to do that. What little part of her was not yet consumed by the maelstrom of emotions, at least, hadn't meant to lash out violently against her own little sister like that, even if it was an indirect aggression, but that didn't matter. Her body had done so anyway. Simply put, she wasn't in control anymore.

Taking several bewildered breaths, Elsis turned back to Juna, looking her dead in the eye. "If you wish you had never been born then I don't know what you're waiting for." She said, regretting such a cruel comment even before uttering the words but being completely unable to stop her wrath-fueled verbal attack. She hadn't screamed this time, her voice low but just as upset, somehow able to convey her emotional distress even better than her violent shouting had. Her last retort made, the girl with coral red hair tore her own gaze away from her sister's and turned around, walking out the room and closing the door behind her with such force that the wooden piece crashed against the threshold and simply shattered into a million splinters that clattered to the ground. By the time the last one had fallen, Elsis was gone, leaving Juna alone with her thoughts.

As soon as Elsis closed the door Juna tossed one of her books at it in rage. She was far too late to hit her sister with it, though would it matter if she did? She could have thrown a thousand books and it still wouldn’t be anything compared to the acidic bile she had just inflicted.

Juna began to cry then. Before it was just tears, but the sobbing came as a realisation of what she had been doing hit. She wasn’t just shouting the most hateful and disgusting things at her sister. She was telling the only person that had ever bothered to care about her that she hated her when the opposite was in fact true. She loved her sister and respected her. She looked up to her, the older girl being almost a hero to Juna. Without Elsis, Juna didn’t know if she could have survived. Without Elsis, Juna would have had little reason to survive, being the only person she ever really talked to. Without Elsis, she likely would have been thrown to the wolves without second thought as soon as she had even touched a book.

So if she’s done so much for me… why do I have so much hate for her…? Juna asked herself. It hurt, but some of what she said had been true. She was jealous of her sister. She was feeling more and more distant from her as she got more and more praise. She was mad that her attempt to try and break out of her shadow was ruined. She still couldn’t stand the praise Elsis got and the abuse she had to take. But…

She was her sister. For that alone she deserved to be forgiven. For everything else Elsis had done Juna’s outburst did seem unforgivably ungrateful. Juna knew she should hate her sister, she shouldn’t shout at her, but she couldn’t help herself. Once she had started... she couldn't stop. It was like all those years of pain were coming out of her throat.

Soon Juna just curled up and teared, the sobbing having stopped by now. Not even on the bed, but on the floor as she lay horizontally, holding her legs as she lay there. Self pity, regret and guilt all racing through her minds like horsemen of her own mental apocalypse… But that would not happen today.

Meanwhile, as Juna regretted the words she had spoken against her own sister, Elsis, too, suffered after the violent argument. Walking stiffly and with trembling steps throughout the hallways of the home of the Salasangers, the girl retained enough control over herself to drag herself to her room without rampaging through the house in the process, though even this was incredibly taxing on her mind, the maelstrom of her emotions difficult to contain and growing stronger by the minute, her palms still bleeding as her will struggled to unknot her white-knuckled fists. Indeed, volatile as she was, the argument with her sister had affected her quite a bit, her breathing troubled as the hot air seemed eager to escape her whenever she managed to inhale.

Reaching her room, she immediately threw herself at the window, her open hands slamming against it as she supported herself on it. It was a transluminic sheet of metal, placed there after several incidents with innocent bystanders and shards of falling glass, and it soon became apparent why it was very fortunate that it had been placed there, as after taking a moment to catch her breath, Elsis began slamming her fists against the window in fury, an animalistic scowl in her face, the impacts causing loud thuds that echoed through the house.

However, soon Elsis ran out of energy, or perhaps she simply saw how futile her efforts to rid herself from her anguish were, and simply allowed herself to slid down the wall, falling to her knees. She found herself blinded by fury no longer, and instead, the rest of the host of negative emotions that had sown themselves in her mind surfaced, forcing her to think of what Juna had said to her, and of what she'd said to Juna.

"She hates me..." Elsis thought to herself, hugging her knees closer to her as she faced the wall. "She hates me, and she has every reason to do so. I've forgotten to protect her. I didn't stand up for her, and now..." She bit her lip, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, her current situation making her seem so weak whereas she was usually a beacon of strength. "I screwed up. I'm a terrible sister, and when she told me so, I told her to-" She couldn't quite finish her thought, whimpering involuntarily as she thought of the last thing she said to Juna, more tears streaming flowing from her eyes. Such terrible words she regretted dearly, and indeed, at that moment, she would've given anything to take them back, but she knew that she couldn't, and she didn't have the courage to go back there, not after everything that had happened.

"Aradain, why am I such a failure?!" She thought as she dared to take a glance at the sky, so calm, so indifferent. She always had to fail at something. If her swordplay was good, then her magic was lacking, and if not, the opposite was true. And just when she thought she was beginning to succeed, when she thought that she would be able to succeed for her family, she had inadvertently failed her family, her argument with Juna being crystal-clear evidence of it.

With nothing else to do, Elsis devoted all of her willpower to the suppression of her own sobs, even as tears streamed down her face. She didn't want to think of what would happen if someone found the braveblood lying there, crying.

---

Six cycles before the present

Juna walked down the hallway towards Elsis' room. She had been doing this quite a bit now. Walking to her room, staring at the door for a moment. She sometimes gathered the courage to put her hand up to knock, but never once did her hand reach the door. Thirteen times she had done this. She had often thought of words that might heal the damage her other words had done, but she wasn't sure what to say anymore. What could she say? Her sister hated her, the last words of their conversations proved it. Juna didn't blame her, and in fact felt like complying with that last angry demand.

She suddenly heard voices at Elsis' door. She frowned, sneaking up to it. She heard her parents voices, a frown coming to her face as she did. She had barely seen them in the two days since the argument, though she didn't expect to. Her not even seeing her parents for days on end was not new to Juna. She pressed her ear to the door, listening, reading to sneak away if she heard movement.

"Are you sure, father?" Elsis' voice sounded from within her room, the clear echo easily reaching Juna's ears as she listened in on the conversation between her and her parents.

A grunt of confirmation. "It arrived just yesterday. The people from the Phantom Blade want to invite you to their little military school." Said the gruff, rough voice of Jarosis Salasanger, father of Elsis and Juna both. It was evident he did not appreciate what was, in his mind, an attempt from the neighboring Order to take away his little prodigy and possibly make her weaker with their foreign practices, though he was still relatively calm as he spoke.

"The truth is that the Silver Hand Academy is renowned throughout the Known Universe for their good results." The mother of the sisters interjected, eliciting another grunt from her husband.

"You know what I think about those paleblooded foreigners, Nara." Came his response, a bit forceful, though nothing the family wasn't used to by now. "What do you think?" He demanded afterwards, evidently addressing Elsis this time. There was a short pause.

"I want to go." She said, her voice seemingly resolute. "After all, even if I don't learn anything, I'll show those pales who the Salasangers are, right?" The girl added afterwards, her voice now lined with her usual arrogance, which caused a coarse chuckle to echo through the room and beyond.

"That's the spirit, girl! You'll make a fine champion." Her father stated. There was the sound of people rising from their seats. "If that's so, I'll think about it." The man said afterwards. There was the sound of footsteps approaching the door Juna was leaning on.

Juna backed off, then leaned against a wall so that the door would block her from the vision of those directly exiting. She knew it didn't matter whether or not her parents spotted her, (They would likely ignore her anyway. They tended to go out of their way to do that) but she didn't want Elsis to spot her. She wasn't yet ready for an apology.

As the door opened, the parents of the Salasanger sisters walked out of Elsis' bedroom and into the hallway. Jarosis, the father, was an imposing man, well-built and with short but wild hair and a full beard, all of the same light red color as his eldest daughter's hair, while Nara, the mother, was a significantly smaller Redemit, though not frail by any stretch of the word, as she too was of the Valiant Fang and hardened by their traditions, if nothing else. Closing the door behind his wife, Jarosis turned in the direction Juna stood and walked right past her, in no way acknowledging her, not even a nod or a passing glance. She received the same treatment from her mother Nara, who followed in her husband's footsteps, walking right past the distraught girl.

From within the room, a slight thumping noise on the door could be heard, and a long, forlorn sigh, perhaps the softest sound to ever come out of Juna's sister. There was silence from the room for several more moments, but suddenly, the voice of Elsis could be heard speaking something.

"That's great and all..." She said. "...but what about my sister?"

---

Three cycles before the present

The sun was high over the azure skies of Cathedral Dumea, and the wind swept wildly over the crowded open-air complex that was one of Dumea's many starports and all the way to the barren, apotheosic mesas in the distance, whose flat summits were elevated far beyond the wall of clouds that separated the land from the sky. The starport itself was a blot of grey and silver on a landscape that was otherwise naught but brown and the occasional patch of green. Chariots and rare instances of other vehicles for intergalactic travel were landing and taking off almost constantly, quite clearly demonstrating that, despite the apparent isolation and lack of proper protection from the elements, this was, in fact, the most important starport in all of Dumea, surrounded by a powerful force field that would block out most threats to the integrity of the structure and all of those within, though it neglected to block out the racing winds.

On one of the landing platforms, significantly less crowded than the rest of the starport, a chariot had just landed, one with a familiar crimson symbol which represented an Order long allied with the Valiant Fang, despite the frequent butting of heads that tended to occur between their leaders, as well as the rocky relationship both civilizations had sometimes. The Phantom Blade chariot opened up its door with a soft hiss, but no one stepped outside. No one had to.

Standing near the chariot's landing spot was Elsis, the sweeping winds causing her hair to behave in an unruly fashion, though she could hardly care about such things at the moment. Instead, she looked back to where her parents stood, not too far from her, but not close enough for her to speak to them, either.

But she had no intention to speak to them. She was, in truth, not even looking at them. Instead, she was scanning the landscape one last time, trying to see the one face that she wanted to see the most in that moment: her sister, Juna. They had barely seen each other after their fight, never speaking, never saying even a single word as they passed each other silently. And though the words that had been spoken that day had injured her deeply, the silence was a thousand times worse, like cold, jagged daggers constantly probing the edges of her wounded heart, without relent, the pain never numbing. It returned once again as she remembered this, and it grew ever more intense when she failed in her duty. She couldn't see her face. Her sister was there, but she didn't know; she couldn't see her, and so, with great regret, she turned and walked towards the chariot, boarding it and sitting down on one of the black cushioned seats. The chariot soon took off, leading the young braveblood away from her home and from her sister, towards the distant skies of Arcadia.

Juna looked down in shame when Elsis had turned around, hiding her head from the sister. She had found a place in the crowd where she wouldn't be spotted. She cursed her cowardice. Why could she not simply take back what she said, apologize and embrace her sister as she wanted to do? Would she even be forgiven if she did? Her sister had been as reluctant to talk to her as she was to Elsis, Juna assumed this was part of her 'taking her pity with her' never considering she might be equally ashamed of what she had said. Furthermore, did she really deserve to be forgiven after all the things she had said? After slapping the face that had kept her company for years? It was a question she didn't particularly want to answer...

Juna looked up as Elsis had turned away, then the ship had blasted off with her. In truth she had always wanted to go to an academy like the one Elsis was leaving for. A place where education and learning are valued, when reading is not punishable with beatings. Where she could find like minded academics. But she didn't really deserve to go, both for her defeat and for her cruelty.

... But she wanted... no... needed to go more than ever now. Even if her sister didn't want to forgive her, she still had to tell Elsis what she mean to her.

Sadly, it did not seem that this would be possible. The chariot flew away, further and further into the sky and beyond, swiftly and inexorably increasing the physical distance between the two sisters, though even then it paled in comparison to the enormous gaping abyss that was the emotional distance between them.

Back on the transport, Elsis sat. Next to her, and all around, were seated dozens of strangers, people she had never met. They were fellow future students of the Silver Hand Academy, fellow young ones chosen to be trained by the best. Yet, they were people she did not know, and so, they were people who could not know weakness from her. She sat, and did her best to suppress her emotions, as she had done many times in the past. But as the chariot rose and left the planet, the daggers returned, more painful than ever, as she knew, beyond any shadow of doubt, that she wouldn't see her sister again for a long time. Though outwardly she kept a facade of strength, one that drove away the others, she was going through her innermost apocalypse right now, wondering why, for all her bravado, for all of her courage and dauntlessness, she hadn't been able to speak to her sister, take back the horrible things she'd said, apologize for telling her to die.

As she thought about her sister, she wished things hadn't gone so suddenly sour. She wished things were simpler... like many years ago.
Without meaning to, Elsis fell victim to a bout of reminiscence.

---

Several years before the present

"Sister!" Cried out a terrified voice, the voice of a mere child, a black-haired girl with glasses, no older than ten, who stared at the furious eyes of one of the many Wavetusk Boars that pullulated the taigas of Dumea. Well, the child was most likely not looking at its eyes, but rather the twin curvy tusks that gave the species its name.

The oversized menacing swine appeared as though it was about to attack her, and the terrified girl closed her eyes, but before the beast could harm her, something else happened. Another girl, only slightly older, landed on its back, this one with wild coral red hair and eyes of a similar shade that glowered at the beast in wild fury. Having jumped on its back from a nearby tree, the girl held tightly onto the boar with one hand, and with the other, grabbed a crudely crafted knife, which she stabbed into the beast's head, over and over again.

"You! Stupid! Beast! Leave! My! Sister! ALONE!!!" She shouted as she continued her relentless attack, holding onto the beast's back even as the creature flailed wildly, trying to shake off the tiny creature that had begun assaulting its thick, sturdy skull with what might as well have been a toothpick. And sadly, strong as she might have been for someone of her age, the girl was still but a child, and so, she was soon thrown away, landing next to the other girl with a thud.

As she rose to her feet, one could notice the differences between her and the first girl, and also the similarities. While the first one seemed relatively untouched aside from looking a bit dirty here and there, the second looked a lot worse for wear. Her hands and feet were covered in dirt, her arms were bruised, and there were some cuts present on her face. The two had similar facial traits, one could tell from a simple glance; the two had soft features which belied their brave lineage and their inner strength, and the two had bright eyes which were full of emotion, but whereas the girl with the glasses was in a state of fear, shaking and hiding behind the other, the girl with the knife was angry, and clearly more than willing and able to fight despite her damaged state.

"Juna, run!" She said to the black-haired girl, who nodded and went for the trees. Meanwhile, she turned to face the boar just in time to notice it swinging its tusks at her. She jumped back just in time to avoid being gutted or impaled, but the very tip of the wavy bone spear reached her regardless, drawing a shallow red line across the young girl's torso and causing her to grimace and shout in pain.

"E-Elsis!" The girl with the glasses cried out at seeing her sister injured, but the wild girl did not seem willing to surrender just yet. Indeed, there was too much at stake for her to even consider giving up. This was life or death, not just for her, but for her sister.

Grasping her wound with one hand, Elsis took a stone and tossed it at the boar, hitting its eye, causing it to go berserk. Entering a mad charge, it went after the girl, who ran as fast as she could, eventually luring the boar into a trap and moving away right at the last moment, causing the beast to crash into a tree, dazing it. Taking this opportunity, she slashed at its legs, stabbing and slicing as much as she could before backing off as the creature recovered and attempted to charge towards her once again, only to fail to do so and fall to the ground, unable to move any further. Panting, the victorious girl looked down, and grimaced. Despite trumping the beast, and possibly securing some food, she was still wounded.

"S-sister! Sister!" She heard from behind, and turned around to see Juna running towards her.

"What is it Juna?" Spoke Elsis as Juna ran up to her, pulling off the bag on her back she always brought with her. Juna did not reply, instead quickly searching through her pack. Elsis could likely see the things within, several books and some other items. A few crystals, a lighter, a few things that were wrapped up but most importantly, Juna's first aid kit. She quickly pulled it out and opened it.

"Juna really? I'm cut, not dying. Besides that thing is still alive." Elsis replied, about to head off to the beast to go carve it up for food, before Juna grabbed her arm. She frowned, turning but seeing Juna's concerned face.

"Juna. Please... It could get away..."

"And you could get infected." Juna replied, she pressed her glasses to her face. Elsis sighed, deciding to humour her sister and she sat down. Juna moved over, she saw the wound and quickly pulled out a small damp cloth which she used to clean the wound, then used antiseptic. It stung as it was felt on Elsis' wound, but she had felt worse. A moment later and she heard her sister take out the bandages and cut them, applying them to her sisters wound.

"There. We'll replace the bandage after a while. See how that wound does." Juna spoke as she smiled. She was glad to help her sister. "Now you don't have to worry about infection anymore sis. I can also give you a painkiller if you want."

"It's Alright." Elsis spoke as she rose. "...Thank you for bandaging me."

"No problem. The least I could do for saving my life big sis."

Elsis smiled back, then gripped her knife. Moving over to the moaning beast. Juna watched, her smile fading a tad as she felt a bit of blood flick into her glasses.

---

Now

Juna sighed as she broke away from her memory, the same memory her sister had thought of moments earlier, and entered the banquet hall. Her expression was uncertain, she wasn't sure if she should be happy or upset. Shortly after her sister left, she too had gotten the notice that she should come train with the Silver Hand. She had been somewhat giddy with joy, and her parents had likely been happy to have some way to get rid of her without guilt, seeing as they put up not nearly the same amount of resistance to her going as they had to Elsis doing so. Still, she could finally be somewhere she felt she belonged.

But she also had a duty to perform. If anyone was going to make the first step to repairing the torn bond of sisterhood, it should be the one who started tearing at the seams. She needed to find her sister. Would she accept her apology? Likely not, but it needed to be given anyway for Juna to have a clear conscience.

[Wolfenium]

Seated on a table in front of each other, the Shirazis look like they were busy enjoying their food. Well... one of them, at least. As Niloofar savoured the tender skewered meats with delight, her brother merely dined in as if he were simply eating loafs of bread. Without a moment's haste, the lad quietly left her alone. Needless to say, she found his sulking increasingly intolerable.

-snip-

She listened, interested, as Aressa spoke of her first trip. "Sure, I'd love to hear than some other time," she said, nodded. Hearing the loud voice, she raised her eyebrows, a bit surprised, but listened, and she would obey. Heading up to her suite with the others, she picked a room and changed into some civilian, more comfortable and casual clothes.

Pleasantly surprised to hear that there was a banquet, she decided to go along and try some more of the food, nodding in greeting to Shanath, and picking some select items off plates, determining to eat small portions of several dishes. While some were more to her liking than others, she couldn't deny that they were all cooked magnificiently and excellently. The nature was astonishing and the food was great. She could get used to here, Ellyn thought to herself, grinning at the thought. Finishing her food, she began to roam about, hoping to encounter someone or interact with some of her peers.

"Can't he take a breather," she mused, resting her head on the table. On closer inspection, the girl appeared simply dressed, a bright, floral patterned robe of Oriental design not unlike a Kusanagi yukata. Spotting Ellyn in the crowd, she eagerly stood up and waved at her to come. She appeared desperate for company, especially with someone with similar interests as her.

---

Leaning on the railings of the porch just outside the banquet hall, Eamonn merely stared at the scenery in silence. Looking at his skewered prawn, he could not help but find the food too rich for his stomach. He was a simple peasant boy, hardly knight-errand material. For him to imagine himself off his hellhole of a home back then was outright ridiculous, much less find himself in a lush green planet like this. He felt a bit guilty inside, allowing himself to indulge after all that happened. He did not want to stray from his goal. He still had a head to claim.

[Atlannia]

"Hey" Spoke Jyn, not being comfortable inside the banquet room when there was all this beautiful greenery and flora and lovelyness around them. She couldn't comprehend staying in and banqueting. Perhaps she would pop in for a little food later, but when she saw Alfenn leaving into the moonlight, she couldn't resist walking in the cool night air in this wonderful place. She smiled at Alfenn, noticing him training. She could understand why he was doing that, but it still didn't made too much sense to be training in a place like this... at least alone.

"I see you're drilling yourself" She observed. "Mind if I join you or train with you?"

Alfenn was leaning forwards into a strike when he heard the familiar, cheery voice behind him. "Jyna," he said, lowering his sword and turning around. "I thought you'd be at the banquet," he said, smiling slightly. A silvery beam of moonlight was falling through the canopy to land on Jyna, lighting up her golden hair in a dangerously enchanting way. This is bad thought Alfenn, desperately trying to convince himself the sudden weakness in his legs was due to his training. I need something else to focus on "Why don't we spar?" he blurted out suddenly, as the first thing he could think of appeared in hsi mind. "That's erm, if you want to," he added awkwardly. "We only ever really saw each other fight during that first session with Professor Cyranis... Xan, do they realise how confusing that is?" Alfenn's brow furrowed and for a moment it seemed as though he might divert into a tangential rant but he shook his head. "What I'm trying to say is...I think this would be a way for us to get to know each other better,"

[Charmera]

"Hey" Spoke Jyn, not being comfortable inside the banquet room when there was all this beautiful greenery and flora and lovelyness around them. She couldn't comprehend staying in and banqueting. Perhaps she would pop in for a little food later, but when she saw Alfenn leaving into the moonlight, she couldn't resist walking in the cool night air in this wonderful place. She smiled at Alfenn, noticing him training. She could understand why he was doing that, but it still didn't made too much sense to be training in a place like this... at least alone.

"I see you're drilling yourself" She observed. "Mind if I join you or train with you?"

Alfenn was leaning forwards into a strike when he heard the familiar, cheery voice behind him. "Jyna," he said, lowering his sword and turning around. "I thought you'd be at the banquet," he said, smiling slightly. A silvery beam of moonlight was falling through the canopy to land on Jyna, lighting up her golden hair in a dangerously enchanting way. This is bad thought Alfenn, desperately trying to convince himself the sudden weakness in his legs was due to his training. I need something else to focus on "Why don't we spar?" he blurted out suddenly, as the first thing he could think of appeared in hsi mind. "That's erm, if you want to," he added awkwardly. "We only ever really saw each other fight during that first session with Professor Cyranis... Xan, do they realise how confusing that is?" Alfenn's brow furrowed and for a moment it seemed as though he might divert into a tangential rant but he shook his head. "What I'm trying to say is...I think this would be a way for us to get to know each other better,"

"In this place? I can eat anywhere, but this place... it'd be a shame to stay in for that long while in a place like this," Jyn remarked. She then smiled when Alfenn explained why they should train with one another. She walked a little more towards him. "Sure. That would make sense. We are on the same team after all so we should work out what the two of us can do." She spoke. She summoned her armour, the plates and parts fitting her form and making her look even taller. Next her Axe was summoned into her hand, having some weight to it but not nearly enough to hamper Jyn. She placed the blade of the axe down while holding onto it, the head on the ground. "So... should we have any ground rules? Limits? Should we use magic?" She asked.

[Esternial]

Ritz spent a few more moments in their common room, listlessly gazing outside as she balanced one of her funnels on the tip of her finger. Eating wasn't really on her mind right now, but she knew very well that sometimes there were things you had to do. Duties. Obligations.

Now, something as trivial as going to dinner didn't seem like a big issue, but her parents would have given her an earful already if they were here.

Her eyes wandered to the funnel atop her fingertip. It spun around slowly, aided by the flow of her energy, like a leaf twirling around in the wind. Maybe it was time to stop putting it off and send these to hyperspace storage.

The funnel stopped. With a whisper from her lips, she sent it to hyperspace storage, sinking away into nothingness. The second was appropriated to storage moments later. They were officially hers now, bound to her body and soul. With a sigh, she reluctantly clambered back onto her feet and left the room.

During the walk to the banquet, Ritz' mind was scattered all over the place. She herself couldn't even pin down what she was thinking about. Scatterbrained as she was, it was a miracle she didn't get lost.

The large hall unleashed cacophony of voices onto her, joined by the clattering of cutlery and plates as everyone engorged themselves on the bountiful banquet. Ritz couldn't help but feel faint discomfort at the chaos before her.

Ritz made a beeline through the crowd towards the banquet table and indulged her eyes with the vision of all sorts of delicious foodstuffs and exquisite delicacies. She spent most of her time there near the desserts, picking out all sorts of sugary goodies and discreetly muffled them away in her pockets.

Proper conduct be damned. She had spent her entire youth forcing herself to be ladylike, behave the way a noble is expected to behave. The pressure from her parents was far away, and Ritz had never had the opportunity to rebel. Now she could. Just a little. The leash left more room to roam.

When she left the banquet hall, the dessert table was a bit lighter and her pockets more full than they were before. In her hands she held a bowl of what seemed to be ice cream. More eager than she came in, Ritz left the building and ventured out into wide expanse of nature. The cool evening breeze was lovely, cool enough to give her goosebumps, but her blouse kept her shielded from the cold, and her thigh highs wrapped her legs in a warm cocoon. The temperature was close to perfection.

It was calm outside. Aside from the rustling of leaves there was little else that could draw her attention, except for Alfenn and Jyn. Her curiosity teased, Ritz calmly approached, spoon firmly embedded between her lips. A nearby tree would serve as apt back support as she observed and ate her treats. She wasn't exactly covert, but then again Ritz wasn't trying to be.

[Atlannia]

"In this place? I can eat anywhere, but this place... it'd be a shame to stay in for that long while in a place like this," Jyn remarked. She then smiled when Alfenn explained why they should train with one another. She walked a little more towards him. "Sure. That would make sense. We are on the same team after all so we should work out what the two of us can do." She spoke. She summoned her armour, the plates and parts fitting her form and making her look even taller. Next her Axe was summoned into her hand, having some weight to it but not nearly enough to hamper Jyn. She placed the blade of the axe down while holding onto it, the head on the ground. "So... should we have any ground rules? Limits? Should we use magic?" She asked.

"Hmm, I was always taught to spar with as many tactical possibilities as possible, which usually meant magic included," said Alfenn, summoning his own armour and checking himself over as the black, interlocking plates slid over him. "I don't really mind either way though, I need the exercise more than anything," Satisfied that the rather aged set of armour was functioning well and settled comfortably on his frame Alfenn raised his rapier and, with his empty hand summoned the long dagger he normally wielded alongside it. The two weapons made something of an odd pair, for while the rapier was a bare, workmanlike tool in appearance the dagger was a little more ornamented, its long, thin blade engraved in a small script and its slightly curved hilt set with a small ruby. Despite the odd pair that they formed Alfenn seemed equally comfortable with both of them, settling into a balanced stance with the dagger extended and pointing downwards ready to block while the rapier jutted forwards to exploit any openings. "Shall we say the first to drain their opponent’s shields to fifty percent is the victor?"

[Charmera]

"In this place? I can eat anywhere, but this place... it'd be a shame to stay in for that long while in a place like this," Jyn remarked. She then smiled when Alfenn explained why they should train with one another. She walked a little more towards him. "Sure. That would make sense. We are on the same team after all so we should work out what the two of us can do." She spoke. She summoned her armour, the plates and parts fitting her form and making her look even taller. Next her Axe was summoned into her hand, having some weight to it but not nearly enough to hamper Jyn. She placed the blade of the axe down while holding onto it, the head on the ground. "So... should we have any ground rules? Limits? Should we use magic?" She asked.

"Hmm, I was always taught to spar with as many tactical possibilities as possible, which usually meant magic included," said Alfenn, summoning his own armour and checking himself over as the black, interlocking plates slid over him. "I don't really mind either way though, I need the exercise more than anything," Satisfied that the rather aged set of armour was functioning well and settled comfortably on his frame Alfenn raised his rapier and, with his empty hand summoned the long dagger he normally wielded alongside it. The two weapons made something of an odd pair, for while the rapier was a bare, workmanlike tool in appearance the dagger was a little more ornamented, its long, thin blade engraved in a small script and its slightly curved hilt set with a small ruby. Despite the odd pair that they formed Alfenn seemed equally comfortable with both of them, settling into a balanced stance with the dagger extended and pointing downwards ready to block while the rapier jutted forwards to exploit any openings. "Shall we say the first to drain their opponent’s shields to fifty percent is the victor?"

Jyn smiled. "That sounds great. This should be a fun bout." She remarked, though she then frowned as she noticed he had two blades, which mean he had a higher chance of overcoming her defenses. So she quickly whipped up a small stone barrier by chanting a spell, one which would float in front of her and block attacks if needed. She smiled again, and bowed to her opponent to signal she was ready, and then prepared her axe, waiting for Alfenn to make the first move.

[The Starlight]

"Can't he take a breather," she mused, resting her head on the table. On closer inspection, the girl appeared simply dressed, a bright, floral patterned robe of Oriental design not unlike a Kusanagi yukata. Spotting Ellyn in the crowd, she eagerly stood up and waved at her to come. She appeared desperate for company, especially with someone with similar interests as her.

Seeing Niloofar beckoning her, Ellyn weaved her way through the crowd, eventually breaking free and coming to a stop before her newly made friend. "Hello, Niloofar. Nice robe!" she said, looking at the dress, taking in the vibrant pattern of colors. "So, what do you want to do? I'm stuffed, so I'll have to abstain from anymore food before I burst. But I remember we were talking about ourselves and crystals." she said, glancing at Niloofar.

[Wolfenium]

"Can't he take a breather," she mused, resting her head on the table. On closer inspection, the girl appeared simply dressed, a bright, floral patterned robe of Oriental design not unlike a Kusanagi yukata. Spotting Ellyn in the crowd, she eagerly stood up and waved at her to come. She appeared desperate for company, especially with someone with similar interests as her.

Seeing Niloofar beckoning her, Ellyn weaved her way through the crowd, eventually breaking free and coming to a stop before her newly made friend. "Hello, Niloofar. Nice robe!" she said, looking at the dress, taking in the vibrant pattern of colors. "So, what do you want to do? I'm stuffed, so I'll have to abstain from anymore food before I burst. But I remember we were talking about ourselves and crystals." she said, glancing at Niloofar.

"Thanks," she mused, "I bought it off a store in one of my trips. Reminds me of my birth planet. Anyway, yeah... I just wanted to talk. Not sure what. I'm kind of a boring person, with a tendency to talk about technical stuff..."

In truth, Niloofar was actually starting to feel a little lonely. Sure, her brother made nice company at times, but he tended to have very little to talk about with her, and little in common in general. Ellyn, on the other hand, was quite fond of forging herself, but the Xorshid felt she should not bore her with such talk unless asked for.

"Umm... yeah, crystals," she blurted absentmindedly, "not much left in Mervarid. Caverns' been hollowed out for centuries, so we hardly have any left to excavate. Nowadays, we get ours from neighbouring planets not far from our home. One of them is Serberūs, not far from Mervarid. It's a somewhat ruined planet, with large areas scorched by an ancient war predating the dragons, but it managed to restore itself to a degree. There's quite a history behind it, really."

[Atlannia]

Jyn smiled. "That sounds great. This should be a fun bout." She remarked, though she then frowned as she noticed he had two blades, which mean he had a higher chance of overcoming her defenses. So she quickly whipped up a small stone barrier by chanting a spell, one which would float in front of her and block attacks if needed. She smiled again, and bowed to her opponent to signal she was ready, and then prepared her axe, waiting for Alfenn to make the first move.

Alfenn nodded to show he understood and took a moment to compose a plan of attack, his face settling into an expressionless mask. In truth he was a little surprised to see Jynna take a up a defensive posture rather than try and seize the initiative. If this were a more serious match Alfenn probably would have waited as well, he could be extremely patient and normally preferred to let his opponent make the first move so he could gather information. It also sometimes unnerved others when what they expected to be a fast and furious match turned into a drawn out mind game. Alfenn wasn't sure such mind game would put much of a dent in Jynna's confidence and besides, he wanted to have fun too and such tactics, while effective, were hardly the most invigorating.

Jynna looked to be relying on her magic to bolster her defences, concluded Alfenn, eyeing the floating wall of stone warily. It was a sensible move, giving that her bulkier, slightly more unwieldy weapon might allow him to get in under her guard.
However what appears to be a strength can sometimes turn out to be weakness thought Alfenn, flipping the dagger in his outstretched hand. Suddenly, with a flick of his arm he sent the dagger spinning through the air towards his opponent's mid section, noting that the floating barrier moved to block it. The dagger ricocheted off the stone without leaving so much as a scratch and went flying off into the dimly lit trees until Alfenn calmly muttered "--Vulpin--" resummoning the blade to his hand. Interesting thought Alfenn, suddenly he sent the dagger flying outwards again in another attack, this time aiming for Jynna's face. When the shield moved to block the dagger it briefly obscured Jynna's line of sight and Alfenn made his move, closing the gap between them with a sudden burst of speed, the rapier extended, ready to strike and Alfenn's now empty off hand gathering sonic energy.

[Charmera]

Jyn smiled. "That sounds great. This should be a fun bout." She remarked, though she then frowned as she noticed he had two blades, which mean he had a higher chance of overcoming her defenses. So she quickly whipped up a small stone barrier by chanting a spell, one which would float in front of her and block attacks if needed. She smiled again, and bowed to her opponent to signal she was ready, and then prepared her axe, waiting for Alfenn to make the first move.

Alfenn nodded to show he understood and took a moment to compose a plan of attack, his face settling into an expressionless mask. In truth he was a little surprised to see Jynna take a up a defensive posture rather than try and seize the initiative. If this were a more serious match Alfenn probably would have waited as well, he could be extremely patient and normally preferred to let his opponent make the first move so he could gather information. It also sometimes unnerved others when what they expected to be a fast and furious match turned into a drawn out mind game. Alfenn wasn't sure such mind game would put much of a dent in Jynna's confidence and besides, he wanted to have fun too and such tactics, while effective, were hardly the most invigorating.

Jynna looked to be relying on her magic to bolster her defences, concluded Alfenn, eyeing the floating wall of stone warily. It was a sensible move, giving that her bulkier, slightly more unwieldy weapon might allow him to get in under her guard.
However what appears to be a strength can sometimes turn out to be weakness thought Alfenn, flipping the dagger in his outstretched hand. Suddenly, with a flick of his arm he sent the dagger spinning through the air towards his opponent's mid section, noting that the floating barrier moved to block it. The dagger ricocheted off the stone without leaving so much as a scratch and went flying off into the dimly lit trees until Alfenn calmly muttered "--Vulpin--" resummoning the blade to his hand. Interesting thought Alfenn, suddenly he sent the dagger flying outwards again in another attack, this time aiming for Jynna's face. When the shield moved to block the dagger it briefly obscured Jynna's line of sight and Alfenn made his move, closing the gap between them with a sudden burst of speed, the rapier extended, ready to strike and Alfenn's now empty off hand gathering sonic energy.

Jyn realised this ploy almost too late. She quickly stopped her foot on the ground and shouted a spell, shaking the earth in the immediate area to put her opponent off balance for a little time. The strike wouldn't hit it's mark exactly, still draining some of her shield energy with a glancing hit which was bad. Jyn wondered what sort of trick Alfenn had planned with the energy he was gathering in his hand. Jyn chanted, making sure to absorb the kinetic energy from the strike and the now calming mini quake. She used it to boost her speed as she sent her axe towards him with considerable force in a downwards arc, her strength put behind the swing. Not too much to put her off balance or anything, but enough for it to at least make it hard to parry. Even if her foe did, she could use the axe head to disarm her foe.

[Atlannia]

Jyn realised this ploy almost too late. She quickly stopped her foot on the ground and shouted a spell, shaking the earth in the immediate area to put her opponent off balance for a little time. The strike wouldn't hit it's mark exactly, still draining some of her shield energy with a glancing hit which was bad. Jyn wondered what sort of trick Alfenn had planned with the energy he was gathering in his hand. Jyn chanted, making sure to absorb the kinetic energy from the strike and the now calming mini quake. She used it to boost her speed as she sent her axe towards him with considerable force in a downwards arc, her strength put behind the swing. Not too much to put her off balance or anything, but enough for it to at least make it hard to parry. Even if her foe did, she could use the axe head to disarm her foe.

Damn! thought Alfenn as the ground suddenly became unstable underneath him, while Jyna's axe came arcing down towards him with surprising speed. The shaking of the ground had thrown him onto one leg so he was forced to hop backwards with much more energy than grace. The momentum di allow him to swing his spell holding hand forwards and release it as he moved backwards, although much further away than he had planned, a loud, piercing noise filling the air. The spell was designed to disorient and disable the hearing of the enemy, it worked best when deployed right next to the enemy's ear, as Alfenn had been planning to do, rather than the rough metre away he had managed.

Still it might be enough thought ALfenn as he regained his footing a few paces away, readied his rapier and made an odd pulling gesture with his empty hand. His eyes, narrowed in concentration, were watching his opponent but also seemed to be taking in the forest behind her, as though waiting for something. It's taking longer than I expected he thought, increasing the power of his pull. Hopefully it didn't get lodged too deeply in anything his fears were allayed as a soft whirring sound became gradually audible, to him at least, Alfenn was rather counting on the fact that, impaired by his recent sonic attack, Jyna's ears wouldn't be able to pick up the noise of the approaching dagger as it sped through the air towards her unprotected back.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

After the banquet

The group of aspirants and recruits began heading off towards the woods after having gathered outside of the Ocean Gazer once the welcoming banquet was over. Along with the A-23 group, consisting of Arcander, Aressa and their assigned recruits, there was also another group of people, a group of recruits under the care of the woman that the two aspirants had introduced to the group during the banquet, Shanath. They all headed off together, with the heads of the group having planned this beforehand. "It's a team-building exercise." Arcander would say to justify everything. "You should get along with people outside our little group too." He would say. All in all, it was quite the colorful little entourage that was departing towards the equally colorful forests. Aside from the many Phantoms, the handful of Xorshids and the lone Viridian that made up half of the group, there were plenty of Phantoms on the other half, but also members of Orders such as the Valiant Fang, the Red Dawn and the Fractured Sky.

Soon, they arrived at their destination: the forests of Cathedral Gladia. Shimmering beacons of beauty and serenity, they were vibrant and full of color. The hundreds of trees that dotted the landscape stood tall and majestic, sapphirine bark covering their trunks as roots and branches alike reached out around them in a serpentine fashion, and on those branches and strewn across the grassy ground, hundreds and hundreds of leaves could be seen, leaves like rubies and emeralds and all sorts of precious stones, all of them gently shimmering in the warm sunlight, their glow casting a show of lights onto the space beneath the colorful canopy, the illusion giving the impression that everything within the bejeweled forest was precious and priceless.

The group walked and talked for a while, going deeper into the shimmering forest as they did so. Eventually, however, something strange happened: the ground shook and quivered, and suddenly, the earth fell apart and swallowed the group, the students of the Silver Hand Academy ending up not in a serene forest, but in a deep abandoned cavern underneath the surface of Gladia. It did not appear to be very large, all things considered, and they appeared to be inside a large chamber of sorts. There was an artificiality to the whole cave, as if it was not a natural formation, as well.

"Damn... What in Aradain's name was that? This isn't even an archaeological zone." Aressa muttered with frustration as she stood up and dusted herself off, her voice betraying the sheer annoyance she felt at this unfortunate turn of events. She looked around and noticed Shanath quickly tending to her recruits.

"Is everyone alright?" Came Arcander's voice from somewhere nearby, as the white-haired aspirant shoved away a piece of stone that had fallen upon his leg, before quickly chanting a healing spell, fixing it swiftly and standing up to assess the situation as well.

[Charmera]

Jyn realised this ploy almost too late. She quickly stopped her foot on the ground and shouted a spell, shaking the earth in the immediate area to put her opponent off balance for a little time. The strike wouldn't hit it's mark exactly, still draining some of her shield energy with a glancing hit which was bad. Jyn wondered what sort of trick Alfenn had planned with the energy he was gathering in his hand. Jyn chanted, making sure to absorb the kinetic energy from the strike and the now calming mini quake. She used it to boost her speed as she sent her axe towards him with considerable force in a downwards arc, her strength put behind the swing. Not too much to put her off balance or anything, but enough for it to at least make it hard to parry. Even if her foe did, she could use the axe head to disarm her foe.

Damn! thought Alfenn as the ground suddenly became unstable underneath him, while Jyna's axe came arcing down towards him with surprising speed. The shaking of the ground had thrown him onto one leg so he was forced to hop backwards with much more energy than grace. The momentum di allow him to swing his spell holding hand forwards and release it as he moved backwards, although much further away than he had planned, a loud, piercing noise filling the air. The spell was designed to disorient and disable the hearing of the enemy, it worked best when deployed right next to the enemy's ear, as Alfenn had been planning to do, rather than the rough metre away he had managed.

Still it might be enough thought ALfenn as he regained his footing a few paces away, readied his rapier and made an odd pulling gesture with his empty hand. His eyes, narrowed in concentration, were watching his opponent but also seemed to be taking in the forest behind her, as though waiting for something. It's taking longer than I expected he thought, increasing the power of his pull. Hopefully it didn't get lodged too deeply in anything his fears were allayed as a soft whirring sound became gradually audible, to him at least, Alfenn was rather counting on the fact that, impaired by his recent sonic attack, Jyna's ears wouldn't be able to pick up the noise of the approaching dagger as it sped through the air towards her unprotected back.

Jyns ears rung with noise, the sound of the attack leaving her almost deaf for a while. However something odd happened at that moment. She could feel his moments through the earth itself to a degree. Her bond tied by energy still tying her to the earth itself, allowing her to feel his footfalls. She had heard of other geomancers doing this but never thought she could do it too. Though she probably wouldn't be able to replicate it, it did allow her to realize there was an attack coming for her. Allthough the sudden new sense left her with little time to react. Merely time to turn around and stomp on the ground, though the ringing, the confusion and the hectic nature of battle forced her to pour too much energy into the spell. The Earth was deformed, though only in the immediate area, in such a way as to catapult Alfenn onto Jyn.

Jyn's eyes widened, normally able to take an impact like this in her stride, but was downed by the sudden nature of it combined with her lack of balance due to the earthquake and the ringing in her ears. She fell, falling onto her back as the short quake stopped and she felt Alfenn on top of her.

Touching her...

She stayed silent, eyes as widen as saucers as she felt his proximity. Something about that made her blush heavily, comically even for such a tall, strong fighter.

[Esternial]

The shimmering forest was a whole new experience for Ritz. Though she had explored many forests, this one most definitely stood out. The trees seemed almost enchanted by a strange magic. As if their roots, anchored deep into the soil, were tapping into what seemed like the purest energy that the trees exhaled through their leaves along with the freshest of air one could ever imagine. This was a place of profound serenity. A sanctuary like no other. Ritz felt her body come to rest, the warm core inside her passively absorbing the abundance of energy around her. She didn't even need to focus.

Of course, an experience as wonderful as this one wasn't bound to last forever. Before she knew it, Ritz landed inside a cavern along with the other students. The low light conditions made her faintly glowing skin stand out more than it usually did, wrapped around her like a protective cocoon.

"I'm good." Ritz replied to Arcander's voice. She would have to get her bearings. Atomos and Akamptos. She whispered both their names as two pale metallic funnels emerged from hyperstorage. With a soft and gentle chant she guided their movement throughout the cavern, spreading out her reach and sensing the environment all around her and the flames of energy belonging to the other students and their guides.

It was a strange sensation, more difficult than pleasantly unusual. Maintaining control over both while trying to process all this input from a sixth sense, one that usually could never achieve this kind of reach. It felt like what she imagined echolocation was like. Seeing without her eyes. Until now she hadn't seen this facet of her abilities in such a manner. It shed a whole new light on how she perceived her own ability. Her funnels allowed her to expand her connection with the nature around her. After some time, her own energy had been stretched out across the cavern like a wide sensory network. Deep inside her body, her flame grew weaker as more of her energy was sent out to her metallic peripheral prosthetics. Replenishing it would take more focus than she had, but her invisible net covered enough of the cavern.

Taking a deep breath, she stopped her chanting. Both funnels stopped their movement and remained idle in the air. Ritz had been so focused that she didn't even have time to witness what she had created. Though nobody else could see it, the network she had created was positively beautiful. It felt as if she was inside a small solar system, with each star connected by a thin thread of energy, all of which eventually lead back to her, the centre of this pseudo-galaxy. Like a tree she had branched out over a much larger surface than she could accomplish by herself, and now it was time to replenish her power.

Ritz' usual uptake of energy was merely a small trickle compared to the steady stream that poured into her body now. The threads expanded and anchored themselves in her imaginary galaxy. Both funnels were surrounded by a positively glowing aura and her own body soon felt energised, much faster than usual. The funnels themselves acted like faint beacons of light.

Ritz exhaled with a faint and satisfied moan. The sensation she felt coursing throughout her body felt absolutely gratifying and surprisingly stimulating.

[Atlannia]

---

"I'm fine!" Called Alfenn, standing up and quickly turning to give Jynna a hand up, they had been walking close together and so had landed relatively near each other as well. "Are you alright?" he asked her, his mind flashing back to the events of earlier.


...Earlier...

Jyns ears rung with noise, the sound of the attack leaving her almost deaf for a while. However something odd happened at that moment. She could feel his moments through the earth itself to a degree. Her bond tied by energy still tying her to the earth itself, allowing her to feel his footfalls. She had heard of other geomancers doing this but never thought she could do it too. Though she probably wouldn't be able to replicate it, it did allow her to realize there was an attack coming for her. Allthough the sudden new sense left her with little time to react. Merely time to turn around and stomp on the ground, though the ringing, the confusion and the hectic nature of battle forced her to pour too much energy into the spell. The Earth was deformed, though only in the immediate area, in such a way as to catapult Alfenn onto Jyn.

Jyn's eyes widened, normally able to take an impact like this in her stride, but was downed by the sudden nature of it combined with her lack of balance due to the earthquake and the ringing in her ears. She fell, falling onto her back as the short quake stopped and she felt Alfenn on top of her.
l
Touching her...

She stayed silent, eyes as widen as saucers as she felt his proximity. Something about that made her blush heavily, comically even for such a tall, strong fighter.

Just as his attack was about to connect Alfenn felt the ground beneath them begin to shake. Probably should have anticipated that he thought, but it was too late to rebalance and his footing was swept out from under him so that he stumbled forward, colliding with something soft. Something soft?.. As the fighters pitched forward Alfenn closed his eyes instinctively against the impact and when he opened them again he was looking directly into Jynna's eyes, her beautiful, emerald, wide open, far, far too close eyes. Alfenn's mouth fell slightly open and he froze, his cheeks rapidly reddening to match hers.

Say something you idiot! he thought numbly.

"I… uh..." Alfenn fumbled for something to say. "S-shall we call it a tie?" he managed finally.

...Presently...

"Anyway," said Alfenn quickly, glad the dim light was hiding the fact that his cheeks had gone red again. "I don't suppose this is part of the team building exercise is it?" The boy ran his free hand over the smooth surface of the wall nearest to him, his curiosity piqued. "I thought their might be ruins around here, I didn't really to expected find any in such a dramatic fashion though," he mused aloud, studying the wall for signs of inscriptions or patterns.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

"This wasn't part of the plan, no." Spoke Shanath in response to Alfenn as she swiftly helped all of her charges to her feet, tending to their injuries, assisted by Arcander in this endeavor, as he was the one versed in healing magic. If Alfenn paid enough attention to the walls of the cavern, he would notice that they seemed not only artificial, but also relatively recent, an odd realization to be sure.

"Well this 'dramatic discovery' sure did a great job with getting in our way, I'll tell you that!" Aressa said to the boy in an irritated tone as she began heading deeper into the cave in order to search for some exit, moving through a passage that led beyond what Ritz had explored with her energy network. Soon she faded from sight, though her footsteps could still be heard clearly, echoing throughout the chamber, until they suddenly stopped. Almost immediately after this, her voice could be heard distantly, though it was anything but cheerful, her words betraying bewilderment.

"Oh, wow, shit." She said bluntly, clearly taken aback by something she had found. Arcander looked up upon hearing this, wondering what had happened, and began rushing towards the same passage his partner had taken, but stopped in his tracks when another word came from beyond.

"Aska!"

Upon hearing this, Arcander immediately knew that something was very, very wrong, which could be seen in his eyes as he turned to face the students. The sound of clashing blades and the light of sparks flying everywhere deeper inside the cave only served to confirm his suspicions.

"Recruits, be on your guard! Stormbringer!" The white-haired guide barked, summoning his armor and his energy hammer from their respective storage units before rushing into the passage and towards where Aressa had gone, quite concerned about the well-being of his partner.

If the students were to follow the aspirants into the cavern, they would first see Aressa locking blades with another individual at the entrance of a much larger chamber than the one where they landed. The aspirant's opponent wore a tan mask, and was clad in plain white robes, with a chestplate that served as a shield generator providing them with some semblance of protection. A symbol sat on the center of the chestplate, an insignia of a peculiar skull. He wielded an energy sword, but was clearly more proficient with it than Aressa, and was stronger too, about to overpower her had Arcander not stepped in and smashed the assailant into the far wall with a swing of his hammer.

"Heathens." Aressa breathed as she summoned her armor to herself and prepared for the upcoming fight. Aside from the first assailant, there was another soldier clad in a similar attire, as well as a woman who was huddled against the wall, clad in the same white robes, but holding no weapons and wearing no armor. She had long black hair and eyes of a reddish orange, which were wide open in shock at the sight of intruders. She was unusually tall as well easily towering over even Arcander, though it was not quite as noticeable, as she was hunched over and attempting to hide.

What would undoubtedly catch the attention of the students the most, though, was what stood in the center of the chamber. Now that their vision was no longer blocked by Aressa struggling against an enemy, they would be able to see, in the middle of everything, a large remnant of a distant nightmare.

A dragon's skull.

Before any of them had any chance to say anything about the matter, the two heathen warriors lunged at the group. They were vastly outnumbered, but they were also clearly well-trained and had been in real battles plenty of times, which couldn't be said for many of the students present.

But either way, the battle had begun.

[The Starlight]

The uttering of weapon names could be heard as each student summoned their weapons. Ellyn, jerking her spear up as she nearly skewered someone, ran into the chamber after Arcander. Skidding to a stop, her golden eyes widened, and she shuddered at the dragon's skull.

Every student here remembered the old nighttime stories of dragons and war, of the White Demon and ruin. At the time, it had been to quiet and scare into night's rest. Older now, many of them had dismissed those times, or forgotten times. After all, a millennium or so had passed. But here, was evidence that the dragons were real.

She was no archaeologists, so she had no idea how old it was. Snapping up her head suddenly, she found herself at the front of the group of students, and the target of one of the heathen warriors.

Ellyn, not wanting her to get too close, stabbed forward with her spear, getting caught surprised as the warrior swept aside her spear and slashed with her sword, Ellyn parrying it away with her own sword in her other hand. After that, the warrior had her on the defensive, and she barely parried or dodged each of her blows, Ellyn noting the quite obvious difference in skill and experience.

The warrior feinted a thrust, and Ellyn, falling for it, found herself neatly disarmed of her spear. Switching to a two handed grips, she went on the attack, swinging in a wide arc to provide some distance. The warrior, slipping under one of her swings, bent and thrusted directly towards Ellyn's stomach. Ellyn quickly threw out her hand, directly in front of it, using her telekinetic powers to stop the progress of the sword. The warrior increased her pressure, forcing Ellyn to use more energy to keep the sword stationary, the golden-haired girl eventually leaping back and using her telekinetic powers again to call her weapons back to her hands just quick enough for her to block another blow. Pushing against the warrior, she yelled out, "Need some help over here!" hoping some of her fellow peers would come to the rescue. She was outmatched here.

[Wolfenium]

Wincing a bit at her sore bum as she tried to get back up, Niloofar took the collapse quite badly. Getting to her feet, she whined, "who on earth dug this cavern!? Bullworms!? Someone could have gotten hurt! When I find that tube fiend I-"

"Niloofar," Mehran interjected, as if an order to stop her. Pouting a bit, she responded in a slight huff, "alright. I'll calm down." But something else was bothering the warrior this time, pointing at the girl with a serious look on his face.

"Niloofar, your hair," he stated, as the shimmering glow of her twintails illuminated the dark caverns. It was not something that, to his knowledge, happened before, barring the duration of Niloofar's magic use. Scooping up one of her hair fringes before her eyes, even Niloofar felt a bit disturbed by the sight. She did not need her brother to tell her that her eyes were acting the same. The two usually shine together in sync.

"I... I don't understand," she murmured, looking increasingly worried, "what's going on-"

"Recruits, be on your guard! Stormbringer!" The white-haired guide barked, summoning his armor and his energy hammer from their respective storage units before rushing into the passage and towards where Aressa had gone, quite concerned about the well-being of his partner.

If the students were to follow the aspirants into the cavern, they would first see Aressa locking blades with another individual at the entrance of a much larger chamber than the one where they landed. The aspirant's opponent wore a tan mask, and was clad in plain white robes, with a chestplate that served as a shield generator providing them with some semblance of protection. A symbol sat on the center of the chestplate, an insignia of a peculiar skull. He wielded an energy sword, but was clearly more proficient with it than Aressa, and was stronger too, about to overpower her had Arcander not stepped in and smashed the assailant into the far wall with a swing of his hammer.

"Heathens." Aressa breathed as she summoned her armor to herself and prepared for the upcoming fight. Aside from the first assailant, there was another soldier clad in a similar attire, as well as a woman who was huddled against the wall, clad in the same white robes, but holding no weapons and wearing no armor. She had long black hair and eyes of a reddish orange, which were wide open in shock at the sight of intruders. She was unusually tall as well easily towering over even Arcander, though it was not quite as noticeable, as she was hunched over and attempting to hide.

What would undoubtedly catch the attention of the students the most, though, was what stood in the center of the chamber. Now that their vision was no longer blocked by Aressa struggling against an enemy, they would be able to see, in the middle of everything, a large remnant of a distant nightmare.

A dragon's skull.

Before any of them had any chance to say anything about the matter, the two heathen warriors lunged at the group. They were vastly outnumbered, but they were also clearly well-trained and had been in real battles plenty of times, which couldn't be said for many of the students present.

"Well, that answers it," Niloofar growled, drawing her trident as she readied herself against the heathens, "of all places. It's like they turned into rats."

"That's because they are," Mehran mused, "cowards grovelling for power from a dead monster. Hideous." As Ellyn began parrying with one of the foes, the lad made a dash at his side. But a side swipe was easily blocked by the imposing warrior, his dull eyes bearing down at him like a berserker, swatting him off with his sword.

"Ack," yelped the Xorshid, spinning back on his feet as he slid back from the force of the blow. He could still feel the sting of the hit, his barrier-infused blades just barely keeping the energy blade from cutting him in two. These were killers, and skill-wise, they were clearly outmatched. But eyeing his fellow students, he could only hope they know how to team up. This would not be easy.

"Ok, if you have ideas, feel free to move," Nillofar went, standing beside her brother with her fighting stance, "we'll follow your lead."

---

Eyeing the giant dragon skull sitting in the background, Eamonn did not need to guess why these heathens were here. While some of the students were focused on the swordbearer, his attention shifted on the hammer-wielding hulk. Drawing his blades, he raised one in front as if standing at the ready. Going on a random berserker rage was going to get him killed. He needed to use his head again, and fast.

"Dia marbh," he uttered a small prayer, as his energy blades suddenly solidifed in a glowing green hue. Immediately, with a twist of his foot, spikes began jutting out from the ground like stalagmites, trying to land a hit on the heathen. As feared, his opponent took little effort to evade them, crushing one of the spikes with a hammer strike. But with his back turned, Eamonn took the chance for a hit. Leaping off a solid platform as it sprang out from his feet like a springboard, he surged forward with a quick strike. But as his swords struck the barrier, Eamonn's expression quickly twisted to shock. His blades barely even cut into his field, if at all.

"What the-" he blurted, barely able to utter a word before his instincts kicked in at an incoming hammer blow. Withdrawing his blades, he narrowly ducked as the foe swing his hammer across, diving back as he followed up with a smash into the ground, with a force so strong it blasted a wave of air and debris into Eamonn's path. Blocking, the hapless trainee found himself flung off to the side of the cavern, making a few tumbles on the floor before hitting the wall in a crushing impact.

"Shit," she griped, getting back out of the crater in the wall, as he tried to hold in his pain. He never expected his enemy to be this thick-skinned, or at least with aura so thick it made his armour look redundant. He was clearly in need of help, whether he himself would call for it or not.

[Saleon]

Kal mostly stayed in the back, not yet fitting in with the group. He didn't amass a happy disposition after the banquet, though half of it was due to them denying him a couple of shots to battle his boredom.

The "excursion" took them to a, well, trap. The fall made it clear they werent really not welcome. A hole opened beneath their feet causing quote a fall, nobody got seriously injured with only one or two needing minor healing. It was quite obvious this was not part of the "field trip."

---

Soon, he could hear the sound of screams, along with seeing the sight of a dead dragon. Before he could react, two large warriors appeared at their feet.

"Well this just got interesting," he said. He took a large breath as to mentally prepare himself, recited the code in his head, and then then readied his armor. Lastly, he calling forth his sword, "Kara," and his shield, "Kura," and looked for his target.

"Dia marbh," he uttered a small prayer, as his energy blades suddenly solidifed in a glowing green hue. Immediately, with a twist of his foot, spikes began jutting out from the ground like stalagmites, trying to land a hit on the heathen. As feared, his opponent took little effort to evade them, crushing one of the spikes with a hammer strike. But with his back turned, Eamonn took the chance for a hit. Leaping off a solid platform as it sprang out from his feet like a springboard, he surged forward with a quick strike. But as his swords struck the warrior, Eamonn's expression quickly twisted to shock. His blades barely even cut the exposed flesh between the gaps, if at all.

"What the-" he blurted, barely able to utter a word before his instincts kicked in at an incoming hammer blow. Withdrawing his blades, he narrowly ducked as the foe swing his hammer across, diving back as he followed up with a smash into the ground, with a force so strong it blasted a wave of air and debris into Eamonn's path. Blocking, the hapless trainee found himself flung off to the side of the cavern, making a few tumbles on the floor before hitting the wall in a crushing impact.

"Shit," she griped, getting back out of the crater in the wall, as he tried to hold in his pain. He never expected his enemy to be this thick-skinned, or at least with aura so thick it made his armour look redundant. He was clearly in need of help, whether he himself would call for it or not.

Kal quickly ran to the... man (woman? He couldn't tell) and helped him out of the wall. "With a brute like that, it's best to attack in a group," he advised. He then snapped his fingers and caused a volleyball fire to erupt from the savage's hammer.

[Atlannia]

This is... not good Alfenn surmised mentally, hanging back for a moment to assess the battle. Their two opponents were clearly dangerous and had the upper hand in their engagements. Eamonn had taken damage already but was being assisted by another student, Ellyn on the other hand was hard pressed and the students nearest seemed to have difficulty intervening. Without the time to think of anything more complex Alfenn simply pivoted on the spot and hurled his dagger as hard as he could at her opponent's side, sending it spinning towards the air at him. The boy's determined expression turned to one of shock as the heathen simply caught the dagger in his off hand and used it to slash at Ellyn, the attack only being thwarted when Alfenn recalled Vulpes to his own hand an instant before it struck home. Alfenn gritted his teeth. I don't think I even made him blink! he thought, as the enemy kept up his relentless attack on Alfenn's classmate. I'll just have to make him take notice of me! Alfenn realised, his eyes alighting on the crouching woman. With a sudden burst of speed Alfenn separated himself from the main group of students, making a beeline for the woman with his rapier extended.

He had correctly anticipated the direction of the next attack but not its speed and power. One moment the man had been pressing Ellyn with flurry of blows the next he was right behind Alfenn, his sword flashing towards him in a menacing arc. If Alfenn had been taken by surprise he had no doubt he would already be dead but he had been sure the warrior would move to intercept him and had planned his response, spinning on one foot and blocking with both of his weapons, the two blades forming an unequal X. The force of the attack sent shockwaves up Alfenn's arm and sent him skidding backwards, further separating him even as the man's follow up attack swung towards him, Alfenn's weapons barely readjusting in time to block again. He now understood why Ellyn had been having such a tough time, the heathen left no room for a counter attack, each of his blows coming in perfect succession and hitting like a falling boulder. Alfenn's weapons, with their uneven length were best suited for keeping an opponent off balance, not fighting completely defensively as he was doing now just to stay alive. All told Alfenn was seriously beginning to question his sanity for running out like this as he jumped backwards to avoid a horizontal slash he wasn't prepared to block, the blade sailing through the air he had occupied just before and the very tip of the blade digging into his shields, draining them slightly. Alfenn landed, barely parrying a thrust like a lightning bolt that lanced towards him before his feet fully touched the ground. Alfenn knew he couldn't keep this pace up for long, noting that the lust attack had actually grazed his shoulder a little. On the bright side his opponent was now fighting with his back to the majority of the students so Alfenn could reasonably expect some support soon.

Very soon he hoped, barely avoiding another attack.

[Charmera]

This is... not good Alfenn surmised mentally, hanging back for a moment to assess the battle. Their two opponents were clearly dangerous and had the upper hand in their engagements. Eamonn had taken damage already but was being assisted by another student, Ellyn on the other hand was hard pressed and the students nearest seemed to have difficulty intervening. Without the time to think of anything more complex Alfenn simply pivoted on the spot and hurled his dagger as hard as he could at her opponent's side, sending it spinning towards the air at him. The boy's determined expression turned to one of shock as the heathen simply caught the dagger in his off hand and used it to slash at Ellyn, the attack only being thwarted when Alfenn recalled Vulpes to his own hand an instant before it struck home. Alfenn gritted his teeth. I don't think I even made him blink! he thought, as the enemy kept up his relentless attack on Alfenn's classmate. I'll just have to make him take notice of me! Alfenn realised, his eyes alighting on the crouching woman. With a sudden burst of speed Alfenn separated himself from the main group of students, making a beeline for the woman with his rapier extended.

He had correctly anticipated the direction of the next attack but not its speed and power. One moment the man had been pressing Ellyn with flurry of blows the next he was right behind Alfenn, his sword flashing towards him in a menacing arc. If Alfenn had been taken by surprise he had no doubt he would already be dead but he had been sure the warrior would move to intercept him and had planned his response, spinning on one foot and blocking with both of his weapons, the two blades forming an unequal X. The force of the attack sent shockwaves up Alfenn's arm and sent him skidding backwards, further separating him even as the man's follow up attack swung towards him, Alfenn's weapons barely readjusting in time to block again. He now understood why Ellyn had been having such a tough time, the heathen left no room for a counter attack, each of his blows coming in perfect succession and hitting like a falling boulder. Alfenn's weapons, with their uneven length were best suited for keeping an opponent off balance, not fighting completely defensively as he was doing now just to stay alive. All told Alfenn was seriously beginning to question his sanity for running out like this as he jumped backwards to avoid a horizontal slash he wasn't prepared to block, the blade sailing through the air he had occupied just before and the very tip of the blade digging into his shields, draining them slightly. Alfenn landed, barely parrying a thrust like a lightning bolt that lanced towards him before his feet fully touched the ground. Alfenn knew he couldn't keep this pace up for long, noting that the lust attack had actually grazed his shoulder a little. On the bright side his opponent was now fighting with his back to the majority of the students so Alfenn could reasonably expect some support soon.

Very soon he hoped, barely avoiding another attack.

"Vyna! We have to do something" Jyn spoke. Her sister frowned, while her brother seemed strangely absent. Jyn had her armour on and had already summoned her axe. Vyna was glaring at one of them, Cursing.

"No opening. Dammit. I can't see one in the other guy." She muttered, "These guys are good, I'll give them that."

Jyn grunted in frustration and attacked the one that wask attacking Alfenn. Luckily she was able to actually trip the man, using her axe to send him sprawling to the ground. Before she could celebrate, she was also on the ground, tripped by his foot. She fell with a clang and had to fend off the man pushing down on her axe she put up to defend her with his sword. Luckily able to absorb some of the kinetic force from the attack which she stored for later. However the sword was getting dangerously close to her head. She grunted, trying to push the man's blade away. It was the first time in a while she had been outmuscled.

Fortunately Jon came up and blasted the man with a considerable about of bioelectricity, which only made him turn slightly. Not letting up, he released stinging blasts which were to keep him distracted from his sister. However the man seemed to realise they only stung his sheilds and did little else, so turned his attention back to Jyn. Ready to end the girl down on the floor.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

"Blade Soul!"

The heathen warrior about to attack Jyn was instead forced to block as an arc of crimson energy crashed violently into his blade, sending sparks everywhere.

The author of this attack, Aressa, then charged towards the enemy in order to draw attention away from the other student. Her energy sword, Aska, was in a tight two-handed grip, but instead of the normal green hue its blade usually had, it seemed to have turned into a blade of erratic crimson energy, twice as long as it should have been. She had imbued the blade with her magic, making it a much greater threat than it would be otherwise, and she attempted to take advantage of this by forcing her opponent to meet her blade. She doubted she would be able to get in a direct hit, but she would at least force him to block, which would cause him to burn through his sword's energy reserves quickly, while her own were preserved through magic.

Unfortunately, clever as her plan might have been, the warrior saw right through it. Instead of sending out his blade to meet hers, she crouched and dodged the slash, sending his gauntleted fist barreling into her gut with great force. Though a fair bit of the impact was absorbed by the armor she wore, it was still painful, and as it was not an energy attack it went right through her shields, sending her staggering back from the impact.

The warrior was about to follow up with a sword strike of his own, when all of the sudden, he was slammed into the wall of the cave by an unseen force. Behind the rest of the group, Shanath's voice could be heard chanting a powerful wind spell in order to bind the enemy. Taking advantage of this, Aressa stood up and thrusted forward, beginning to drill through the warrior's shields.

This only lasted for a moment, as a quick chant from the warrior himself caused a blast of fire to emerge from his hand towards Aressa, impacting her with such force that it sent her across the room, crashing into Shanath, breaking her concentration, releasing the warrior.

Meanwhile, the other heathen soldier, the one with the warhammer, seemed hardly fazed at all by Kal's spell, ignoring it as his shields tanked the damage and instead raising his monstruous weapon for another shot at the students. However, the attack was stopped as Arcander rushed in, his own hammer colliding with the incoming blow with such an impact that it made the entire cavern shake for a moment. The ground beneath the white-haired aspirant's feet cracked under the stress as he felt his own bones reverberate from the clash, and Stormbringer itself seemed to groan, complaining about the abuse it was being put through. Nonetheless, the heathen did not intend to lose any single moment, and neither did Arcander. He intercepted blow after blow of his enemy, though he was visibly slower and weaker, having to put in a lot of effort just to keep up.

Finally, the heathen had an opportunity and took it, smashing his hammer into Arcander's shoulder before he could recover from blocking the last blow. The guide howled in pain, the energy levels of his shields taking a nose dive, but he persevered even through this, not falling to the ground. In this bleak situation, he saw his own opportunity. Turning off his hammer, he raised it and slammed it into the side of the heathen's head with a loud clank, the weapon bypassing the shields on account of being deactivated and thus emitting no energy. The enemy's endurance was remarkable, as he did not seem defeated even after that direct hit, but he was certainly stunned, and so, Arcander took a step back from the battle, taking a moment to breathe. His shoulder hurt like hell, but he couldn't let this get to him, knowing the battle was not yet over.