⭐ HUNTERS ⭐ Urban Fantasy ⭐ IC [Still Open, See OOC]

[Sraelyn]

Viktor Farkas
Santa Marina Hunter Academy, September 21st

---

“Yeah, no problem. I’m a first year as well, although I might be a bit older than most.” He offered a smile at the Tristan, who looked barely 18. “First time on this side of the world too. Most people here are American, as I kind of expected, so it is indeed good to find someone else from the old continent. I’m a Romanian Székely myself, and judging by your slight accent you are German or Dutch. Right? Barely noticeable though, you have much better English than me at least.” He let out a short a hearty chuckle at that.

"Anyway, I was heading out, so I’ll see you around.” Turning towards the other side of the hall, Viktor started walking away to the exit, turning back once Tristan called out to him. Judging by his looks, he seemed to be fully human, and decent enough so far, so no harm in letting him tag along.

“I was going for a run around campus, as I didn’t feel like keeping myself cooped up. Plus, it’s a good way to check this place out while not wandering aimlessly around. You are free to join me though, brother. Unless you had a better idea of where to go or what to do, I don’t know much around.”

[Theyra]

Olympia Galatas
Santa Marina, September 21st, 2020

"Olympia Galatas. American, but I'm from LA. First time on the east coast or out of state for that matter." Olympia shrugged. "First time here too, obviously, and first year. Hell of a lot nicer than what I'm used to." Granted, most places would be nicer than what she was used to, but still, an improvement was an improvement and one couldn't bother worrying about things like magnitude or whatever. You took whatever you could get and didn't complain.

"It's an absolute shithole. Back in LA, that is." Olympia said bluntly, all but spitting out the words, venom in her voice. "No, I don't want to talk about it." She didn't like talking about home, although she refused to call it home. It wasn't home, not for her, not anymore. She'd left, and she was on to doing bigger and greater things than running around with some unofficial untrained Hunters doing whatever the fuck they wanted, as fun as it had been. A bad place with some good people in was a good enough description for it. "Why'd you come all the way over here for the second year anyways? Just seems like you could do everything here back in Europe."

"Nice to meet you Olympia" and held his hands up close to him. "I will not ask about your home," Tavian was not the one to pry when someone did not want to take about something. Even he had some things he does not wish to discuss like his uncle. Though she sounded like she hated her home and he wondered why. He has an idea of what LA is like from the Leths, and it did not seem like a bad place to live. Maybe a little expensive to live there and full of celebrities. But, he will let sleeping gods lie, and he put his hands down.

"As for why I came over to Santa Marina, I admit it was nice to be closer to home in Dubrovnik, and I had a nice time there. I kind of just wanted to get away from and see what the rest of the world looks like. He said plainly, though that is not the whole truth. When you get unwanted attention from your classmates because a family member is a wanted criminal... it is a relief to get away from it and have it not be on people's minds. "I do not get to travel really, so when I saw an opportunity to come back to the States, I took it. That and maybe I thought that Hunter Academy here is better than the one in Dubrovnik. Tavian let out a small chuckle. "So want to check out the school together or something? If not, I will probably wand around and maybe get something to eat".

[Recuecn]

“I was going for a run around campus, as I didn’t feel like keeping myself cooped up. Plus, it’s a good way to check this place out while not wandering aimlessly around. You are free to join me though, brother. Unless you had a better idea of where to go or what to do, I don’t know much around.”

"I definitely don't--I need to figure this place out too, and a run sounds like a good way to do that." If he was being honest, Tristan didn't really like exercise much, or running, but this was about starting things off on the right foot with his neighbor and getting to know the campus. "I'm ready. Shall we?"

The pair headed down the stairs and out of the building onto the quad. A decent number of students were still walking around. Hopefully jogging past them wouldn't be too disruptive. Or maybe Viktor had had a different spot in mind.

"Which way were you gonna head?" Tristan asked. "I'll follow you."

[Lunas Legion]

Olympia Galatas
Santa Marina, September 21st, 2020

"Beats being alone, I guess." Olympia shrugged. She didn't mind being alone, really, but company of some form or another was always nice and she didn't exactly know anyone else here. It was a bit of a shame that no one from back in LA had wanted to come, or those that did couldn't afford to come or were going to college first to study whatever, but she'd make do.

"Not quite sure what's left to see on campus really, been wandering a bit aimlessly if I'm being honest, but sometimes there's just no fun in knowing where the fuck you're going now is there?" Olympia grinned, starting to walk again, tilting her head slightly to look back over her shoulder, waving for Tavian to follow after her. "Come on, day's not gonna last forever and I want to know where everything is because getting lost is just awkward." That was just who she was, really, not someone prone to long-term thinking or thinking through things, trusting in herself to get her out of them no matter the cost to herself or the situation.

[Theyra]

Olympia Galatas
Santa Marina, September 21st, 2020

"Beats being alone, I guess." Olympia shrugged. She didn't mind being alone, really, but company of some form or another was always nice and she didn't exactly know anyone else here. It was a bit of a shame that no one from back in LA had wanted to come, or those that did couldn't afford to come or were going to college first to study whatever, but she'd make do.

"Not quite sure what's left to see on campus really, been wandering a bit aimlessly if I'm being honest, but sometimes there's just no fun in knowing where the fuck you're going now is there?" Olympia grinned, starting to walk again, tilting her head slightly to look back over her shoulder, waving for Tavian to follow after her. "Come on, day's not gonna last forever and I want to know where everything is because getting lost is just awkward." That was just who she was, really, not someone prone to long-term thinking or thinking through things, trusting in herself to get her out of them no matter the cost to herself or the situation.

"I can understand that it can be fun to just go with the flow", Tavian followed close behind. "Yeah, no one wants to be lost on their first-day school". Tavian does find it easier to find everything here than in Dubrovnik. Which he considers a sign of good luck and finding someone to explore with, just makes it better. Even though he has got a good idea of where everything is.

It was nice to hang out with someone and he knows no one here. Most of Tavian's friends are back in Europe and maybe Tera is here but, Tavian does not know for sure and has not seen her. Well, at least he met someone today, it will be easier being here knowing some people. Maybe he will meet others down the road, who knows he may meet someone that he knows. Though he doubts that chances are he will meet more Americans. Then a thought came to him, what kind of magic does Olympia use? Tavian was tempted to ask her but, choose not to. Rather he thought it would be better for it to be a surprise for him. But, if she asks what magic he uses he will give it freely and he would feel inclined to ask her then. For now, he will be quiet about it and see the rest of the campus with her. "So are you going to join the compact team? I am on the fence about it".

[Sraelyn]

"I definitely don't--I need to figure this place out too, and a run sounds like a good way to do that." If he was being honest, Tristan didn't really like exercise much, or running, but this was about starting things off on the right foot with his neighbor and getting to know the campus. "I'm ready. Shall we?"

The pair headed down the stairs and out of the building onto the quad. A decent number of students were still walking around. Hopefully jogging past them wouldn't be too disruptive. Or maybe Viktor had had a different spot in mind.

"Which way were you gonna head?" Tristan asked. "I'll follow you."

“Great! Let’s get going then.” Once outside the apartment building, Viktor took a few moments for some quick stretches. “According to the leaflet they gave me at the administration office, there should be a café nearby. We can start with a light jog to it, then head south towards the plaza and the clocktower picking up the pace, and finish by bordering the rest of the campus back here. That way we should see most things of any note and build up a nice sweat.” With a good starting pace, the pair of them began making their way across campus to the café. Although Viktor could see a few other students also jogging throughout the academy, they were a very small minority of them. He was happily surprised to have found someone to join on his run in such a short timespan. From all the possible neighbors to have here, it looked like he had been quite lucky.

“Hey brother, if you don’t mind me asking; what sort of magic do you specialize in? Don’t know if it’s your thing, but if you haven’t heard, there will be tryouts next week to join the magical combat team. I’m planning on joining myself.”

[Recuecn]

“Hey brother, if you don’t mind me asking; what sort of magic do you specialize in? Don’t know if it’s your thing, but if you haven’t heard, there will be tryouts next week to join the magical combat team. I’m planning on joining myself.”

Tristan was already sweating as he jogged alongside Viktor. It was clear that Viktor was in much better shape than Tristan was. Of course he is. I never run at all. But it looks like it's good for making friends...

"Oh the person who I checked in with mentioned the team... I'm definitely curious what it's all about, but I don't know if I can make the team... I don't really have many combat skills. My magic is all a lot more general--mental/psychic magic, more specifically. I feel like that's useful support while you're on the hunt, but in a sports match? I don't know if that will float."

The pair jogged past the café. Tristan glanced over at it as they went by. It looked pretty nice. He wouldn't have to worry about what to eat, then, while he was here. That was good. Tristan had a sudden urge to go inside and grab something to eat, but not right now, out of breath and covered in sweat. Maybe after the jog they could come back and grab something.

His mind returned to the conversation as the café disappeared behind them. "So what about you, Viktor? What kind of magic do you specialize in? Something useful for the magic combat team, I'm guessing?"

[Lunas Legion]

Olympia Galatas
Santa Marina, September 21st, 2020

"Try to join the combat team, yeah." Olympia let out a low chuckle. "Probably fail to, also yeah." She had no real illusions about her chances there; she was a self-trained first year and there'd be people from both the first and second years trying to join and most likely limited slots. Yes, she had some experience in actual combat, but that didn't change she knew that she was going to be going in at a lower level of endurance than quite literally everyone else when it came to mana reserves.

"A self-trained fresher like myself doesn't really stand much of a chance given I'm about 90% sure everyone here has more staying power than myself, but it's probably going to be a bit of fun regardless even if I crash and burn." Olympia shrugged. "And a learning experience at that." Sure, she'd probably get bashed around a bit, but that was what made the lessons stick in her eyes. You remembered the feeling, remembered the reasons why, and you remembered not to get in that situation much more keenly than you would otherwise. Even if some of her friends back home insisted it was better that she didn't get hurt in the first place.

[Forest State]

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Following the start of the college year, the students of the Santa Marina Hunter Academy are ready to begin preparations in full for both their training and activities outside of it, such as the magical combat team which is holding tryouts on this day. However, in the background, things are playing out which are unknown to most of the student body - things which may end up impacting every single student at the academy, and getting many of them involved in a game which could quickly put them in too deep...

_________________________________________________________________________________________

H U N T E R S - BOOK I – CHAPTER 2: “LONG SHADOWS”
The Polish-Lithuanian Union
Some day in the Late Middle Ages…

_______________________

THE SIGHTS AND SOUND OF BATTLE WERE FAMILIAR HERE. In particular, the sound of the clashes between the local Polish forces and Teutonic knights from the west, the fighting running from the northern shores of the lands to all the way up to the Baltics, a number of interconnected fights breaking out over a number of years between various feudal factions… The world hadn’t yet become as connected as it was now, and yet a certain theme could be seen in all of these battles, and that was the sides that were involved. The defending side would be made up of the Poles and the Balts, the attacking side would be Germans… Geography pitted them both against each other, something that wouldn't be resolved until hundreds of years later when the borders had been drawn up again by the largest war the world had ever seen.

For now, it could be said they were natural enemies.

After all, this wasn’t the new world where things tended to be settled through limited conflict and through the diplomatic negotiating table. This was still the old world, where these conflicts happened out in the open, and where one way to strike at an enemy side was to simply push forces in and fight a war of destruction - sieges, pillaging, and looting were still viable tactics. Laws keeping civilians out of conflict hadn’t been created yet. And the influence of magic on the field of battle just made things more chaotic.

Magic was a wild card. A force multiplier, so to speak. Someone who had good mages, if they were strong enough ones, could hold off someone else with poor mages but a much larger conventional army. A few well placed spells could change the tide of a battle and some of the strongest kingdoms around maintained their strength through the threat of attacking with these mages, in what was potentially one of the earliest seen examples of the idea of mutually assured destruction… Well, not quite. Some kingdoms were less favorable to mess with due to mages and their presence, but conflicts still happened.

Right now, it was the middle of one of those conflicts. Another battle approaching. The defenders left with few options, the attackers making a push that would have a large impact on the region… For most people, the world. This wasn’t a point in time where the boundaries of the world extended beyond the immediate area for the majority of people. That period of time, it would come much later than this.

On the night before this battle, a noble lord responsible for the region of the kingdom which would be defending, and facing the brunt of the attack from the west, happened to be pondering the options here - there weren’t all that many. It seemed defeat was likely, that they would be down in both numbers and power. They lacked the advantage in magic. The enemy had made progress in recent months and they were now done being slowed down by the opposition they had faced on their push to their current position.

The battle that was soon going to happen, in other words, could be decisive.

It was the reason why the noble lord was walking through one of the many rooms of this fortress rather than sleeping at this hour, a map of the area spread out across the table, no solution having been found yet from pondering it for hours - it was easy to do that. To just look at the map and the positions marked on it, looking for anything that could be used to exploit the other side… In this case, however, it just wasn’t there. No amount of looking would change that. The outcome seemed like it had been determined barring some unexpected enemy incompetence or some unexpected bout of valor and competence from the side of the defenders.

And yet something unusual happened - through the window, a bird landed, landing on the wooden table where the map was, looking up at the figure that was standing in the room. It was a raven and it didn’t move in fear, didn’t act like a bird normally would around humans. This bird was also larger. Perhaps not a regular raven at all, but something strange. Perhaps it was magical, perhaps it was some kind of bird from another place that hadn’t been seen by anyone around here. Either way, it wasn’t normal for multiple reasons. And it was looking directly at the lord of the castle.

It wasn’t known yet, but one could say… This night, and the sudden appearance of this raven, were the start of a long history.

---

Santa Marina, Florida
September 28th, 2020

---

BACK IN THE PRESENT DAY, the Santa Marina Hunter Academy was getting ready for things to start in earnest. Classes hadn’t started just yet - not really, anyway. The classes would start in bulk the next week but there were still some things being worked out on campus before that point and one of those things was the magical combat team which would soon enough compete against other academies as well as regular colleges in competitive magical combat… But before they could do that, they had to train, and before they could train, they had to assemble the team itself. Scholarships hadn’t been given out just for magical combat - anyone that was a student could try for the team, although only three would participate in each match at one time. The team would be deeper than three people, of course. Substitutions were a thing, and the lineup could change depending on tactics.

Fox Liao - unrelated to the student named Bu Liao, interestingly enough, at least presumably - was the head coach of the Santa Marina Nighthawks, which was what they were calling themselves. Their colors were dark blue an a sort of neon aqua that contrasted with it decently, but mostly dark blue with black highlights, and they could be seen in the small arena building that Fox was standing in right now, the logo of the team emblazoned on one of the walls and in the middle of the ring. The ground was hard - getting slammed to it during a match was painful… But a combat sport was meant to be painful, she supposed. The ring had a diameter of about fifty feet on any side, making it large enough for three mages to compete.

The rules of the sport were fairly simple. Two teams would receive magical protections from a third party, according to specific specifications. They’d then battle - the spells were limited to ones that could fit in the ring so to speak - and someone was eliminated once their protection had been shattered. The team that had more eliminations at the end of the match would be the winner, although it was also possible to eliminate the other team’s entire eight person lineup… They could go into each match with eight competitors, although more could be kept on the active roster.

Fox herself had played the sport in the past - it was what she had done before becoming a Hunter, and she’d made her name playing with the Milan Hunter Academy before this place had even been founded. Although, it wasn’t as if SMHA was the oldest academy. It had only been established recently, hence why the team was only starting up this year, now that they had first and second years to choose from as a body of talent. She’d also been a hell of a player, both in the sense that she had led the team and in the sense that she had been a hit at parties, her natural charisma making her the big star on the campus so to speak. But now, she didn’t need to play, she needed to pass on skills to a bunch of inexperienced mages with SMHA not having juniors or seniors available to fill the ranks.

They weren’t predicted to be that good, because of that. It seemed their first competition would be the Casino Royale Invitational, in Vegas, but they weren’t predicted to win it or even escape the first round against the other schools in it - mostly from the southern United States. Florida, Arizona, the Los Angeles Hunter Academy… All of them were favorites over Santa Marina. Which Fox couldn’t stand. If she was coaching this team, they wouldn’t be pushovers. She knew that, even if she didn’t quite know just how she was going to whip them into shape.

Her assistant was Sieg Kuhn - one of the top combat instructors rather than a former player. Perhaps a strange decision, but she had been able to secure a very competent mage as her assistant due to the pull she had with administration as the coach… They respected her enough for her talents at the role both due to her time as a player and her longtime experience as an assistant with Milan and then the Hong Kong Hunter Academy, where she had been the main assistant for years before taking her first head coaching role here. And Sieg was crucial to her plans, his skill in magic making him an optimal one to aid in certain parts of the training.

Sieg had just arrived in the gym, and stepped into the ring with her, taking a look around. “So this is the day we’re whipping these… Freshman and sophomores into shape, isn’t it?” Sieg said, looking beyond the boundaries of the ring, to the empty seats around them. “Before this place is filled up for the first time… Lot of work left to do before then.”

“Part of the reason I pressed them to put you on the staff. Your magic should be good for getting them into shape quickly,” Fox said with a shrug. “The tryouts should start showing up soon, the list of students that has signed up looks decent but I wouldn’t say we’re going to have an easy time against the more established schools per say. We still have a lot of coaching, yes.”

“I’m not the type to set my expectations too high,” Sieg said with a chuckle. “We’ll see what kind of talent we have when they arrive… Can’t judge everything based on the files. Some will exceed. Others, I’m sure, will end up disappointing…”

It was probably the truth. They had just a few minutes left before the tryouts started showing up and they would be able to get underway with seeing what they had in terms of team talent. In the meantime, it was a waiting game, as they’d have to get everyone there before they could begin…

[Lunas Legion]

Gabriella Sara Bianchi-Costa de Inferenza
Santa Marina, September 28th, 2020

Gabriella woke with a yawn, eyes straying over to her alarm clock. 7 AM. She still had time to sleep in. Wasn't like she had- Her thoughts paused as she rolled over, thinking. Did she have anything to do today? She was fairly sure she did, but she couldn't quite remember through the haze of half-awakeness she was lying in currently. She rolled back over, hand darting out to grab her phone, the harsh light of the screen in the otherwise dark room making her blink until her eyes adjusted to it, the haze of sleep vanishing.

Oh, yeah, it was tryouts. She let out a low sigh, pushing herself up into a sitting position. She was almost regretting her decision to join the cheerleading squad, but, well, she had promised Candace and she wasn't about to be a liar on something like that. She yawned, climbing out of bed and moving to dress herself, still not entirely awake.

---

Olympia Galatas
Santa Marina, September 28th, 2020

Olympia was an early riser by force of habit, most of the time, but just this once she allowed herself to sleep in for a bit longer before she disentangled herself and rolled out of bed. Showering and getting dressed didn't take long, breakfast being hastily thrown together jam toast wolfed down in a few minutes. She'd meant to only sleep in for a few minutes, but that had become a far longer period of time by accident.

She wasn't going to be late or anything, but she was nervous, and that meant she was rushing. Regardless, she found herself humming as she left the dorm block, a confident stride hiding her own inconfidence about how well she'd fare in the tryouts as she sauntered into the gym, still humming to herself.

[Forest State]

???
September 28th

---

Gabriella, however, would notice something strange when she woke up - specifically, she would notice that there was someone resting in the ledge of her window, looking her over with interest, arms folded across her chest… She seemed kind of like the type of person that would be seen around here. Not much older, with red hair that ran beyond her shoulders, although there seemed to be a certain trait about her that set her apart - some kind of characteristic that was hard to put a finger on but was just… Different. Maybe it could be called a glow, but it wasn’t exactly a physical thing, but rather a general feeling, something that was perhaps subconscious.

She seemed relaxed enough as she sat at the edge of the window, watching, her own presence not having much in terms of a magical footprint. Not because she wasn’t a mage, because it seemed like she was, but because it seemed like her presence was a void - no information came out of it about her, and it felt like the mental magic that Gabriella used would have a hard time breaking through this. Whoever she was, she might as well have been a black hole that no information would flow out of. So just who was she?

Well… That was the hard thing to answer. Because she wasn’t someone that Gabriella knew. She wasn’t one of the new students either, from what Gabriella had seen. Nor was she anyone that had been in the first class, the ones who were second years right now. She wasn’t any of these… And yet she showed up here anyway, for whatever reason, behaving as if she was waiting patiently… For something. Or rather, someone.

Because her golden eyes were definitely on Gabriella. What it meant, exactly, was unclear for now.

[Lunas Legion]

Gabriella Sara Bianchi-Costa de Inferenza
Santa Marina, September 28th, 2020

Gabriella let out a loud, surprised yelp as she spotted the figure on her window ledge, taking an unconscious step backwards as her mind went into overdrive. She wasn't dead, and she wasn't out of her room, so this wasn't an assassination or kidnapping, she hadn't gotten drunk last night and brought someone back with her, or she was fairly sure she hadn't, which left...

Too many options for her liking. Right, okay. She let out a deep breath. Her eyes lit up briefly, faint purple light illuminating the room, but her magic just... Slid off. It was like trying to walk up a mountain of pure flat ice, no purchase, nothing at all. Under different circumstances, she'd honestly be mildly impressed that she couldn't get anything at all from her.

"So..." Gabriella said, stepping back and sitting down on the edge of her bed. "Are you just going to sit there ominously all day looking at me, or are you going to say why you're here? I'm guessing you were waiting for me to wake up." The eyes were odd though; golden eyes could mean several things; she looked over her shoulder towards the door; still shut, she couldn't see any physical damage. Okay, unusual unknown magical entity it was then. Fortunately she'd actually been told how to deal with entities like this, which normally consisted of humouring them and trying not to piss them off while not doing anything too stupid until they left.

[The Cross and Davids Star]

Samantha Chaffin
Santa Marina Academy
September 21st, 2020

Samantha was quite the heavy sleeper, even more so after she exhausted herself yesterday unloading and organizing her dorm room. Hell, she had so much to do in that space that she hardly had time to really introduce herself to anyone, which normally she would have done, but the excitement of the city and the academy itself kind of overridden her normal train of thought, if she even had one. Her alarm clock, which she lovingly called ‘Bell Sergeant’, was quite different, and everyday he ran on a strict schedule. Once every morning at exactly 6:02 and 33 seconds, he would scream until Sam got up to stop him, and that’s how he would spend his days, or that’s how Sam imagined it at least. Even today after the new room and unfamiliar surroundings, the pragmatic clock screamed at 6:56 and 33 seconds, as he always did. But she didn’t get up, as per usual, she’d try and block out the noise or something until she gave up, but she wasn’t even trying. Minutes passed and he continued to scream, but the girl continued to sleep, until she finally woke herself up by falling off the bed.

Already wasn’t a good morning for Sam, she rolled off the bed and hurt herself awake just as the dream had gotten good, and Bell Sergeant was screaming his proverbial head off. After a quick crawl to the nightstand, she finally shut the screaming clock up, though she was half tempted to fling the damn thing across the room. By then she was already up and solemnly got the day started, having herself a granola bar for breakfast before washing up and getting some sweatpants and a shirt, along with a stretchy hoodie, it was tryouts after all, comfort took priority over style this time around. After making sure she looked decent enough, she headed for the gym.

When she got there, she noticed the two instructors, but she also noticed a lone girl, as well as a man who was apparently talking with the instructors, so she decided it would be a good time to introduce herself, going to the girl first.

“Heya, I don’t think I saw you yesterday, my name’s Sam.”

[Forest State]

???
September 28th

---

“One could say that in a way,” said the mysterious girl. She was unmoving from the perch where she was located, her eyes not moving from Gabriella or blinking either - she hadn’t blinked since Gabriella had woken up for whatever reason, which was just another thing that gave the current situation a mildly eerie feeling to it. Aside from the fact that this was a mysterious stranger who just appeared as a void when looking to use magic to find out more about her… That was eerie enough in and of itself.

“I have a question for you, Gabriella Sara Bianchi-Costa de Inferenza,” the girl continued, her legs crossed as she sat where she was and didn’t show any intention of moving. Not now, anyway. “And that is… How far would you go for your desires?”

It was a strange statement - it wasn’t even entirely clear what ‘desire’ meant in this context. There were a number of things that could have been described as desires. Although it didn’t seem likely that a stranger would know about the important ones for Gabriella. The fight between her and Vivian, her matters with Candace, all of those things… They weren’t things that just anyone would know about. So how did this girl know about them, exactly?

Magic could be the answer to that. Although it wasn’t exactly guaranteed to be a matter of magic, either. The question continued to hang in the air after she had asked it, the weight of it particularly notable, and evident in the way that she said it, like she herself knew she was talking of something… Important. Something heavy. Like she was talking about a big problem and she had a serious solution for it.

“Your desires… To win against Vivian?” she continued, raising one hand as a gesture, before raising the other in contrast when she spoke again. “And your desire… To become something and follow after your mother?”

She paused, however, once again looking at Gabriella directly. “Or perhaps both of those wishes?”

[Lunas Legion]

Gabriella Sara Bianchi-Costa de Inferenza
Santa Marina, September 28th, 2020

Gabriella's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, mentally processing what she was dealing with here. She was silent as she thought, not processing what was said directly, but trying to mentally fill the context out around... Whatever she was dealing with, why it was asking her, how it knew what it knew.... The last, she could assume it knew though mental magic more powerful than her own, with enough skill behind it to invade and look through her mind while she slept. Given the defences whoever, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say whatever, this girl had it was a reasonable assumption to make and the simplest presented.

An unsettling prospect, to say the least.

"Are you leading somewhere with this?" Gabriella asked, meeting the girl's eyes. "Since I could do both of those myself." She fell silent for a brief moment. "And how far is... An odd measure, to say the least, but please, do elaborate since for all your promises there is little proof you can actually fulfill my 'desires' if I agree. I'm curious though, I must admit."

---

Olympia Galatas
Santa Marina, September 28th, 2020

"There's a lot of people around, can't expect to see absolutely everyone." Olympia shrugged. "Olympia. Depending on what they actually do for tryouts I'll try not to hand your ass to you too much." She grinned slightly as she spoke. Bit of pre-fight trash talking never hurt anyone, even if she was going in at a disadvantage. "How many people do ya think will show? Not sure how popular this type of thing is." And the less people showed the more chance she had of actually making the team, ven if she still knew that was a hell of a long shot.

[Lessoni]

Jack Dredd

Jack approached the gym the tryouts were taking place in. He'd been interested in the magic combat team since it was first announced, and that interest doubled when he found out Bu was trying out. The one thing he wasn't looking forward to was taking the brunt of every attack, but that, unfortunately, was what he was best at. Stepping through the doors, he quickly spotted Bu, heading to him mainly because he didn't have many other friends at the academy yet.

"Hey, Bu, you ready for this? I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty nervous, but I think I can get in," he said with a grin that was indeed nervous.

[Forest State]

???
September 28th

---

“You have little faith considering the spot you’re in - you realize that I already know things that I shouldn’t be able to know, you know that my magic is stronger than yours, and you decide to doubt anyway,” the red haired girl said, sliding down from the window and standing up, smoothing out her outfit which consisted of a black skirt and a lighter shirt, the two colors contrasting against each other and against her hair. True red, not orange. “As for my methods, however…”

“I simply offer you a boost to yourself. Skills that you wouldn’t be able to learn or use through the help of anyone else. Things they wouldn’t teach you around here. I can offer you a lot… To make yourself irresistible to the person that you’re after, so she wouldn’t look at anyone else,” she said, letting her voice hang for a bit to get the point home, before she continued. “Things that could make you stronger in general as a mage, helping you against the rest of your class, the little edge that you need to set yourself apart…”

“Or whatever else it is that you want…” she continued, moving closer to the bed and stopping, resting her hands on her hips. “The terms here are flexible. Although, from what I know, I’ve already offered you what you’re after more than anything.”

[Lunas Legion]

Gabriella Sara Bianchi-Costa de Inferenza
Santa Marina, September 28th, 2020

"And the price, for what you are offering me?" Gabriella asked, raising an eyebrow. "You wouldn't be giving this to me for free, I'm not foolish enough to assume otherwise." She had a vague idea of what she might be dealing with here, but that just meant she had to be careful; it was... Difficult to refuse when everything you wanted was dangled out in front of you like this, and it would take someone with a stronger sense of self-discipline to resist than she possessed.

The other important question was why her in particular; maybe she was just an easy target, maybe she was someone who would be in the right place at the right time for something... But it didn't feel quite right, doing this. It felt like she was cheating, but... Did that really matter, if she got everything she wanted? Ends justify means and all that.

"Out of idle curiosity, may I ask why me?" Gabriella asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over her as she shuffled backwards on her bed. "You don't have to answer, I'm simply curious as to why you would approach me and not Vivian or someone else I don't know."

[Forest State]

???
September 28th

---

“I don’t think the price is anything crazy - I’m not asking for your soul. I am asking for some help with some under the radar magical projects that I’m working on around here… I believe your family has an expertise in magic, and you obviously have skill in it… You’re here after all. I’d like to keep my reasons for inviting you to this task to myself, but know that I do have them,” the girl said in reply, moving closer and turning slightly to look at Gabriella directly, her eyes bearing into her to an extent.

“You put in some time helping with these projects. I help you in return. I don’t think this is an unfair arrangement,” the girl continued before extending her hand, as if she was offering the deal here and now - offering what Gabriella wanted in exchange for help with something she hadn’t elaborated on. Something mysterious, but at the same time, she didn’t sound like she was talking of something that Gabriella would have a hard time doing. If she was giving her help in exchange for something, it was with something she could actually do… Presumably, at least.

“Make a deal with me?” the girl asked, expectantly, smiling - her smile seemed to glow just as all of her did in a way, like there was just something different about her, something special. And it was here that her charm would maybe make a difference in these talks. She had a way of speaking that seemed good for impressing people, for making it seem like she had their interests in mind. And she was still offering her hand… It was hard to turn her down.

[Skyggeheim]

Aia Rikou
September 28th, 2020

---

Aia had to do a lot of convincing to herself to actually try out for the magical combat team this year. She was not at all a fan of organized competition, as she felt it took away from the spirit of fighting. After all, combat should be about just that: combat. The type of combat you train for in competitions is far different than the way that a real fight goes down. She had heard it shared before, from Chinese soldiers who sought refuge in the temple. They looked to mend their broken spirits, and sometimes their broken bodies. One member of the People's Liberation Army Special Forces, who had apparently helped pioneer a new style of fighting for their organization in his younger years, said that he had once entered a building and a pirate rushed him with a knife. As a response, the man simply jammed his fingers into the pirate's eye sockets, shoved him over a couch, and shot him several times in the stomach. All those years of training, innovation, and teaching, only to have your entire career and life depend on an eye gouge. Aia had been perturbed by the statement, but had taken it to heart. No combat should be for the sole purpose of competition, and every stroke should be meant to kill.

Yet, she found herself here in the gymnasium, surrounded by both her classmates and the younger members of the Academy. She had arrived early, and so had found a quieter corner of the room and began to meditate. Generally, people had left her alone. In fact, she had only sensed a few trying to disturb her calm. And then were quickly shooed away by other second years who knew better than to bother her when she was meditating. Not for fear of vengenace, Aia was not fond of such concepts, but for respect.

[Lunas Legion]

Gabriella Sara Bianchi-Costa de Inferenza
Santa Marina, September 28th, 2020

"And I suppose these under the radar projects are something you obviously can't talk about until I agree to the deal." Gabriella said, letting out a long sigh. It was tempting, oh so tempting. It did not sound like that high of a price to pay, but that was a red flag in and of itself; if the price didn't seem too high, it meant one of the two sides was being had in the deal. And now her curiosity was piqued too, with mentions of under the radar

"As long as none of what I am helping with does harm, direct or indirect, to myself, my family and those I care about..." Gabriella said, eyeing up the offered hand, not reaching out to take it quite yet, her own hands remaining clasped on her lap. "I suppose I can accept the offered deal of yours." Gabriella finally said, reaching out with a hand to take the girl's as she stood up. "What's your name, anyways? I figure if we're going to be working together on these projects of yours I ought to know that, given you know mine."

She had a bad feeling about this entire thing, but it was just too tempting. Instinct said something would rear its ugly head sooner rather than later, but she would deal with that when it came up. If it did. There was no certainty it would.

[Forest State]

???
September 28th

---

“You could call me Tia,” the girl said with a smile, although her expression was somewhat strange in that she was still unblinking even after this entire time. At least, if she had blinked, Gabriella hadn’t seen it since waking up. She shook her hand firmly, like she was doing it authoritatively, and she took a step back for a moment while she looked Gabriella over. “Well, I suppose since you agreed, I should hold up my end of the deal. I did say I would be able to make you… Better for the person that you’re after.”

She paused, closing her eyes and extending both of her hands, energy flowing freely from both of them - mana. It covered Gabriella, bonded with her in a way, extended across her entire body, this magic ritual being one that was high level and uncommon. Usually, something like this would require a lot of effort put into casting, but that wasn’t the case here. No complex gestures, no hyperfocus, no words, nothing of the sort… Tia didn’t break a sweat as she directed the mana and controlled it subtly, moving it around for whatever she was doing, commanding it…

Gabriella would be able to feel it, but not necessarily what it was doing. It didn’t hurt, but there definitely was a certain feeling that came from interfacing with the magical energy, and it was undeniable. It was the feeling of the energy changing her slightly, not drastically, but enough to be felt nonetheless… Until the feeling stopped. And Gabriella was left standing there with Tia standing in front of her, looking at her with the same expression and looking over her work as the mana receded.

“You should have… An advantage in the charm department to say the least,” Tia said, a slight smirk crossing her face. “Don’t worry about the magic… Consider it an enhancement. One that will help you with what you’re after.”

[Castelia]

Archibald "Archie" Lawson
Current Location: Tryout Gym, Santa Marina Hunter Academy

Today's the day!

The day of the tryouts for the magical combat team had finally come, and it was clear from Archie's general mood that he was looking forward to it. Archie was always excited for anything, but today was different. Archie was far more excitable than usual, as may be inferred from the ruckus and headaches he caused at the dormitory by running in the hallways.

After a brief lecture from the dorm supervisor about his behavior (again), Archie made his way towards the gym where the tryouts were to be held. Expecting a huge crowd, Archie was somewhat surprised to see that the gym was not as crowded as he expected. There was a couple of female students talking, one who was meditating on the corner, two older folks who appeared to be the tryout facilitators, and the Karate Club. There were a few others, too, but Archie didn't know any of them, nor did they stand out to him.

Approaching the two, Archie gave Bu and Jack a quick greeting. "Good morning to you guys, Jackie, sifu. You guys excited? I am! Not sure what kind of tryout this is going to be, but I'm ready for anything!"

[Revlona]

Samuel

Samuels eyes crept open as the sunlight from his window hit his face, hissing like a vampire he rolled over so he wasn’t laying on his stomach. He had just drifted off to sleep when his alarm clock went off. With a sigh he rolled back over and turned his body so his legs where hanging over the side. Quickly he silenced the clock, stretched himself out, and got ready for the day.

A little while later Sam walked into the gym wearing a black t shirt with flames etched across it and a pair of cargo khaki shorts. His knifes where strapped to his hip, one on either side. He noticed that not very many people had arrived yet, at least not as many as expected. He stopped as he entered the gym and smiled, these people would most likely be his teammates and he decked that he automatically liked them all.

With a smile still on his face he walked into the gym and sat down by himself, willing to let any relationships he formed with these people come naturally.

[Lunas Legion]

Gabriella Sara Bianchi-Costa de Inferenza
Santa Marina, September 28th, 2020

"Thank you." Gabriella gave a slight nod, her mind processing what had just happened. Tia, if that was even her name since it almost certainly was not, was, well... Most certainly not human, to say the least. She'd just cast an uncommon, high-level ritual like it was nothing, just by closing her eyes and extending her hands. Absolutely zero of the other parts that she'd been taught were necessary. Maybe she could even learn something from Tia's under the radar projects, if she could cast something like this.

"I'm assuming you'll tell me what, when and where you need help with your mysterious under the radar 'magical projects' on a case by case basis and you probably already have my phone number or some other means of contacting me? Or I suppose you can just show up mysteriously in my room again or something. You're the one I'm helping, so it's your decision." She was genuinely curious about what those were which had tipped her over the edge into agreeing, even if some small part of her insisted that it was a mistake.