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With the beginning of a new year at Stellvallia Academy, the sun was shining bright in the sky as wagons and other transportation travelled down the roads converging at the main gate. The snow from last winter was all but gone, and as always, spring was the birth of new opportunities for the up and coming as well as returning veterans of the school. In the main courtyard, the student council were busy deliberating and organising the new arrivals, getting everything unloaded, registering applications, assigning dorms and rooms to those who needed it, as well as gathering together anyone who needed a formal tour. In the case of the students that remained on campus over the holidays, most all were usually roped into assisting in some form. That was what Fillia found herself involved in, the young knight steadily pacing the courtyard as she eyed over the proceedings, supervising and providing security.

It was always interesting seeing how different the two facets of the academy could be. On the one side, the mages tended to be more fantastical in their unpacking and arrival. Although many kept it simple with traditional carriages, plenty were more than ready to use magic to assist them in the manual labour. Portals, teleportation, golems, levitation… There were so many forms of magic with so much utility, and no doubt that, despite having wildly more elaborate contraptions and items to bring with them, the Mage academy would get through their arrivals far more quickly. Provided it all went to plan, that is. They tended to be a bit more disorganised, and given the majority of new arrivals were still novices-

Some mildly panicked cries filled the air as a golem unintentionally broke another student’s bag, that same student losing their focus on their levitation spell and sending a number of personal affects into the sky. Faintly, she could hear some arguing, but it wasn’t worth getting into. Her job was to look after her fellow knights, and she planned to do just that. Whether a point of pride, or perhaps to prevent micro-disasters like what was occurring on the opposite side of the courtyard, students of the Knight Academy would take their own luggage. It was physically draining, but anyone who couldn’t handle some flights of stairs with their personal baggage probably wasn’t going to last long as a knight.

Although today was formally the start of the educational year, there wouldn’t be any real drills or anything. Students needed time to get settled into their rooms, but there were a few opening speeches and such. Aside from that, people were free to explore the facilities, and some of the clubs would start spruiking for new members all through the afternoon up until the Grand Feast in the evening. Now that was something to be present for. Not only was there great food, but both sides of the school would get more of a chance to intermingle. Typically, that would lead to a few ‘traditions’ at Stellvallia, her personal favourite being the eating contest amongst the newcomers to the Knight Academy. Hazings could be particularly cruel, as anyone foolish enough to go for the trophy would find themselves in awful shape for the drills early tomorrow. Smirking at the thought, Fillia remained at the main gates, welcoming students back and helping make sure that the correct students went to the correct administration.

“...in order to pass, you must stay alive until the end of the hour! The timer begins on the count of three. Good luck!" The voice came seemingly from all around the field, making the ‘rules’ of the first test loud and clear. If it could be called a test.

“That’s it huh? Just don’t die?” Artellis mused to himself as he adjusted to his surroundings. An open field, but one surrounded by tall grass. For the moment, he squatted down on his haunches, remaining low and out of sight as he bit his thumb, thinking. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting with all the rumours about this place, but already he’d caught a glimpse of a whole new world inside here. A place far different to the tight, dank and smog filled slums he’d come from.

“There’s 500 of us. And we just need to survive an hour… Does that mean there’s something dangerous in here hunting us?” With that paranoid thought, Arty glanced down to his right hand, and the weapon he held there. Apprehensively, he began methodically adjusting his grip on the handgun, smoothly feeling over the trigger. If all he had to do was survive, then staying out of trouble would be the best plan. Even though he had cover hiding amongst this tall grass, he hated the idea that he could be approached from any side. He’d have to reposition somewhere that was easier to defend or more out of the way.

Creeping forward through the underbrush, stalking cautiously, the boy swallowed nervously. If he did encounter some sort of monster or danger, what then? Should he take aim and shoot? No, something that loud would just draw all the attention over to him. Perhaps he’d be better off running? He was fast, but who knew what the threats in here were capable of? Not to mention he could easily run into even more trouble if he was hasty. As he made steady progress forward, dirt and flora gave way to hardened rock as Artellis stumbled across a large boulder.

“Damn it, I wish I knew more about what was going on…” He grumbled. Slowly, he shifted himself to creep up the outcropping and peer over the horizon. He needed to get the lay of the land to find a hiding place, and also try and get an idea what was happening to others in the field. Somehow he felt that there’d be others far less cautious then himself, and if he spotted them that might give him insight into what he had to avoid around here. Just as he was thinking that, the sky and air around him erupted with what sounded like an explosion, causing the boy to flinch. What kind of monster could cause something like that? He'd need to find out and then make a point to stay clear.

Peeking over the edge and pressed tight against the rock, it was only when he cleared the top of the stone did he come to spot them as they landed seemingly out of nowhere. A lone figure, cracked the boulder heavily as they made impact, perching in place. “..!...” An uncontrolled noise of surprise escaped his lips, and Artellis quickly sunk back down the rock, covering his mouth to silence himself and trying to remain hidden as he shrunk his form down. Hopefully he’d go unnoticed by the individual. At least until he had a better idea of who they were.

Gritting his teeth, Artemis readied his trigger finger. If this was one of the threats in this field, he’d have to be ready.

A few moments of silence passed. No one called out. No sounds of rapid movement in his direction. No sharp pain or scorching blaze to indicate his impending death. It seemed he’d gone unnoticed by that monstrous figure. With a faint sigh of relief, he uncovered his mouth. He didn’t get the chance to get a good look at them between his panic and the silhouette of the sun, but no doubt they were some giant, brutish lizard creature if the tail and wings were anything to go by. Just what had he gotten himself into coming to a place like this? If that was another one of the competitors, it’d be insane for any normal person to attempt a test like this if they had to battle a creature like that.

“Guess my luck is still holding out if I managed to avoid a monster like that…” Art mumbled to himself, relaxing and resting his hands on his knees for only a moment before he felt it. The shift of the air and the shadow that darted over his head. Immediately, his body moved on instinct and twisted into position, firearm drawn and levelled directly towards the figure that landed no more than a few meters from his position with a heavy thud. Dirt and stray strands of grass blew into the air as she landed, another singular beat of her wings sending them scattering about the clearing that led up to the rock as she turned to face him. It seemed she was observing him and his weapon with something akin to curiosity as she took a few steps forward.

“A girl…?” He thought to himself, pausing briefly in shock and surprise. From what he’d seen of her earlier, he’d expected some completely ferocious beast from nightmares. And yet, other than some additional and changed appendages, she looked human. Around his age, even. That thought - if only for a moment - made him hesitate on taking the shot. That, and her casual disregard for the barrel aimed straight at her as she seemed to scowl at him. Steadily, she continued towards him, unflinching. That complete lack of fear… Was she that confident that he wasn’t even a threat to her? Just how powerful was she? Nervousness creeping in as she drew closer, panic eventually settled in as Artellis felt like this might end up being the end of him.

“Stop right there! Don’t come any closer!” Voice shaking a little as he strained to make it louder, Art did his best to sound commanding. Despite his training, he was having trouble stopping his trembling, which really wasn’t helping him maintain a clean bead right at her forehead. Maybe it was the fact she’d practically backed him into a corner? There was no way he could clamber up the rock faster than she could either reach him or toast him to a crisp, and his only other exit path would be trying to sprint right past her. As he glanced in that direction, Art faintly noticing movement behind her. Focusing on it, he identified what looked to be a large black Chul, though it wasn’t exactly looking in this direction. Still, that didn’t mean it couldn’t be used.

Extending his hand out, he pointed to the monster just a bit beyond them and behind her. “Look over there! That’s the… sort… of… opponent you-” Artellis slowly trailed off as the hulking monster made a few strange movements, before it began toppling backward. At the same time as the giant was felled, another figure leapt upwards, visible only for a moment in a shining uppercut before dipping back beneath the tall grass. Like nothing had ever been there in the first place. Lowering his hand, his attention now fully turned back to the girl in front of him. It seemed that she hadn’t even entertained the idea of looking over where he gestured. Still, she’d at least stopped approaching, and was simply staring at him with an expression he wasn’t entirely sure how to read. Well apart from the fact it didn’t seem to be a happy one with a glare like that. Perhaps a hunter observing their prey? The thought brought his fear and nervousness back to the forefront.

“Timeout! We really don’t have to do this! I mean, we just have to survive the hour, right? We both want the same thing, yeah?” Raising his arms up and away and taking his gun off his target, Art was somewhat relieved she didn’t jump him the moment he let his guard down. Seeing as he seemed to have her attention now that he’d started talking, Artellis continued to do so, hoping to at the very least buy himself some time to formulate an escape plan if she wasn’t open to negotiations. “I mean, a cute girl like you shouldn’t waste her time with a guy like me, I’m not even worth the effort! Hahaha!” Throwing in a little flattery, Artellis could only hope for the best that this didn’t backfire. Maybe if he was really lucky, whoever went and took out that Chul would come and save him next...

Carefully regarding the half-girl, half… Lizard? No, she had wings. Dragon maybe? Well, watching her closely, Artellis was somewhat relieved when he saw that stern expression break for a moment, kind of like she’d snapped out of a trance. Wait… That worked? He could scarcely believe it. That was a good sign, right? And she was slowly lowering her fist, so maybe..? No sooner than Art thought that, did the girl in front of him immediately return to full alert, her body tensing and fist clenching. In that instant, panic set in Arty as he scrambled to prepare his own weapon. Damn it, if this was how it had to be then-!

In that instant, she leapt upwards, Artellis backing up in preparation for her assault before he saw it. In a spectacle of aerial finesse, the formidable girl dismantled the assault from another warrior, battering away their weapon in a shine of sparks before finishing with a vicious chokehold into submission throw as she slammed him to the ground. Artellis could only grunt in exertion as the earth cracked around the point of impact, a wave of dust blowing against him and the arms he crossed in front of his face to shield himself. And, as he uncovered them to survey the scene, she was there. Hovering mere centimetres from him as she reached down. His initial surprise and fear made him freeze to the spot, but despite the armored claws she had formed moments before, Art was surprised by how gentle the touch was as she squashed down his hair.

"Don't die." She spoke, and with a voice that was surprisingly more compassionate than he expected after the brutality he just witnessed. Mouth left slightly agape, Art could only dumbly respond as she released him. “I’ll uh… Try. Thanks…” Blinking a couple of times in disbelief, Artellis watched as she then took to the sky, flying closed circles nearby and around the rock formation. Maybe she was just staking claim to this as her territory..? As she left, Artellis felt all his stress leave him, and the breath that he’d been unconsciously holding suddenly released. Taking a deep breath, he fell back onto his ass, taking a seat on the ground as he composed himself. And to think, this was just the beginning... The first real test. What chance did he have trying to climb higher compared to someone like her?

Resting on the ground, he calmly watched the girl flying about, somewhat in awe of her strength, composure and... Other things. Well, if he wasn’t going to get to the top, he could only hope that someone nice like her made it. Nice to him at least. Scanning his eyes to the mangled body that had been crushed into the earth, he somehow felt others wouldn’t quite have the same perspective. “Wonder what her name is?” Art asked himself, not really able to ask her anymore as she flew high and out of earshot unless he wanted to shout at her like some idiot.

"Hey! Yoohooo!" As if on queue, the voice came from not too far away, but was clearly trying to draw attention with how loudly he called. Sitting up and dusting himself off, Artellis picked up his weapon and scanned for the source. It didn’t take long, as the guy was wildly gesticulating with his arms. How had a guy like that not been jumped, and yet Artellis had managed to encounter two different assailants despite trying to remain out of sight? Still, it wouldn’t pay to underestimate the fellow. Perhaps he was trying to goad them into a trap?

"Heelloo! My name is Theri, I was wondering if you wanted to be friends?" The boy continued, and it was about at that point that Arty realised he wasn’t being addressed at all. Theri as he called himself, seemed to have his attention fully on the girl flying above him, and though warranted, did sting Art’s pride a little. Still, was Theri being genuine? If he’d witnessed her destruction, maybe he didn’t want to be on her bad side? No, if that was the case, he’d have just steered clear entirely. Maybe he wanted to use her like some sort of bodyguard? Art could certainly see the appeal in that after what had just happened, but for some reason, that didn’t quite sit right with him.

“Damn it, what am I doing…?” Art mumbled to himself as he made his approach. He should be just staying clear and waiting out the timer, but instead he was-

“Yo! Nice to see another friendly face. Theri, right? I’m Artellis.” Giving a salute and wave, Art made a slow approach. If this was an ambush of some kind for that girl, he wanted to scope it out. He owed her that much at least, and he hated having unpaid debts. “But you have to understand, I’m a little skeptical. How can I be assured this isn’t some trick to axe off more of the competition?” Smirking and playing it casual with some confidence, Art attempted to pretend that the conversation was directed at him rather than his flying friend. Hopefully that’d get this guy talking and make him a little easier to read. Even as he awaited a response, Art kept his senses peeled for danger, assessing both the man in front of him, and the surroundings for potential back up. Faintly too, he listened to the movements of the girl above him, as he wasn’t entirely sure how she’d react to this development.

One thing was for certain…

The tall guy in front of him really needed a haircut. Dang those braids were long.

As Artellis regarded Theri in front of him, he could tell that the man’s attention was divided, split between caution for him, and the girl flying circles about the area. Honestly, it was a wise move. At the very least, Art would have done the same in his position. Seemingly content that Art and the winged woman weren’t an immediate danger, Theri decided to answer Art’s question with what he could only take as a candid response. “Why would I spend time and energy to axe off the competition when the Tower was built to do just that ? More im-“

Cutting himself short, Theri’s eyes betrayed what caused him to draw pause, Artellis glancing to the piece of weaponry he had rested over his shoulder, before back to the man who was heaping praise on it’s capabilities. A workshop piece? I mean, he’d heard of the workshop, but something like that trickling down to the slums where he’d grown up was unlikely. Then again, he’d plucked it out of the trash from amongst a pile of weapons stolen from dead fools that got shredded by the Greasers. He found it hard to believe that anyone that went that high up the tower could have been taken down by his old gang of thugs, so then how did it end up here? Either Theri was mistaken, or maybe there was more to this weapon then Art realised? Just why had he even been drawn to it in the first place?

Putting those thoughts into the back of his mind, Art wouldn’t let the compliments to his gun throw him off guard. If it was that powerful, it might make him a target. Or Theri might have been trying to get on his good side by over-exaggerating. Still, it wasn’t worth worrying over. Not yet at least. Deciding he’d stayed silent long enough, Artellis butted in shortly after the comment about reaching the 30th floor. “Hah, you think? Maybe this baby’ll end up going further than I can, but until then we’ll see just how far we can go. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get to work for one of those bigshot families I don’t belong to.” Grinning like he’d told a joke, Art continued. ”At any rate, you said you wanted to be friends, right?”

Theri stumbled out his offer, which Artellis had to admit sounded reasonable. For now, there was no reason to fight, and it did seem like this guy came alone. As long as he was cautious, this might end up working out in both their favou- The telltale shadow and rush of wind accompanied the heroic entrance of Art’s first apparent friend in the tower, the ground splintering some more as she struck a defensive pose, guarding him from Theri’s advances. Art wasn’t entirely sure what he’d done to earn her good graces, but he wasn’t complaining. In fact, this looked like it was really starting to work out. As she glanced back to Artellis, wordlessly communicating with just a gaze and a shift of her head. It was surprising to see something resembling discomfort on her face. Why? What exactly did she have to be afraid of?

“F-friend of yours, Artellis?” Stammered Theri, drawing something of a laugh out of Art. Striding forwards, the orange haired lad came up next to the dragoness, patting her a couple of times on the shoulder. “Yup. Easy there dame. As your friend, I think maybe we could learn to show a little more hospitality if someone’s not trying to attack us?” Flashing her a smile and a wink, Art saw no reason not to act jovial and friendly with her. After all, it eased his nerves, and realistically it felt like she could tear him and Theri apart easily, so there was no sense acting guarded around her. Besides, she was clearly trying to protect him.

“Between the three of us, we could pass this test and the next with ease. Maybe even the whole floor?” Theri added, moving up to shake with her. Wanting to ensure that the ‘transaction’ went smoothly, Art moved to be mediator between the two, taking her hand and helping her to shake with Theri, laying his own hand on top. “Well, I don’t know if I’ll be much help, but I see no reason why we can’t work together on this. Ain’t that right…- Oh yeah, I was so busy getting my butt saved by you that I never got your name. Or gave you mine. Name’s Artellis. Braid-boy here is Theri. Oh, and thanks too by the way. I definitely owe you for helping me out back there.” Getting the introductions out of the way, Artellis was about to wait for her response when the announcement came through to declare that the round was over. They were done. One test, out of the way. Taking his hand off the top of Theri and his mystery fan’s shake, Art let out a soft woop of celebration, along with a fist pump.

“Hey, would you look at that? We’re through to the next round. Didn’t even die either.” Giving a pointed look to joke around with the dragon-girl, Art continued. “And we already have a good team for the next round. Well, I’ll try not to slow you two down at least.” Giving them a thumbs up as the teleportation effect began to transport them to the next testing area, Art whistled and gave a mention of thanks as he took some of the jerky Theri had.

“Thanks man. Used to live on this stuff where I come from.” Taking a big bite, and chewing, Art continued to speak even with his mouthful. “Also, I won’t shoot you in the back, and I don’t plan on letting you near mine, so we’re cool. Not that it should matter, right? We’re friends. No need to oversell yourself with some vague notion of secret information.” Waving the jerky around, Art seemed completely casual and in his element as he chatted away. “And just don’t upset our friend here and I’m sure you’ll be safe. Probably.”

As more and more people started filtering in to the room, Artellis took note of the comment about there being a ‘head scratcher’ in the next test. Hopefully he’d be able to help with that. Taking a moment to scan the room to evaluate the remaining 80 besides himself and his newfound friends, Art steered the grounp over to a nearby wall to rest and chat as they discussed their newfound arrangement. ”So, think we should try to find another two to round out our group and increase our odds? Or do we prefer our close knit little team?”