Menagerie of Adventures

Meridia

Oh, someone was talking to her. A human about her age holding a sign above his head with what she supposed was his name on it. It made him look like an idiot.

"Oh, no, you're fine, I was just looking at the dorm assignments and realized I don't know anyone's name yet. Elliot, right? What a clever idea with the sign. I'm Meridia Roguesblood."

Then some shrimp in a ridiculous outfit drew their attention to the cyclops who was yelling earlier. That manic energy had been replaced by a general twitchiness, like he was a step away from bolting. It actually reminded her a bit of... her grandpa. Hmm. That might be interesting.

Edited by PossiblyQuiteInsane on Sep 14th 2020 at 12:28:07 PM

Shard

...and, of course, several people had noticed him.

Including the noble.

Crap.

Realizing there was no way in hell he could get out of this without looking more suspicious, Shard swallowed thickly and attempted a smile, waving at the group.

"H-hi! You, uh...you're looking at me very intently." He laughed a bit, but it sounded strained. "Did you guys want to talk, or...?"

Real smooth, Shard.

Hey, I'm new to this whole "fake identity" thing, cut me some slack.

Xera, Assembly Hall

“Pleased to meet you both.”

Xera couldn’t help but notice Sieg looked pretty spooked by her, and decided to try and address her.

“We Bogovi are very tall, that’s true. But we’re really not that different from anyone else. We just want to live out our dreams and find a place in this world, not... grind people’s bones to make our bread or anything like that.”

She awkwardly scratches the back of her head.

“Apologies if I sounded defensive. But no, I don’t bite.”

Sieglinde von Brandt

“Sorry~! You're taller than mom; it's pretty scary~!” Sieglinde admitted with a still nervous giggle, but managed to creep out from behind Freana finally and stare up at Xera in pure fascination. “...You're pretty cool, actually! Sorry I hid like that; you're pretty nice too!”

...I'm saying pretty a lot. Probably because she's pretty. And tall. Really tall. Like can't-miss-her-from-six-miles-away-tall.

She glanced back at Freana, before clutching her chin in her fingers and looking between the Bogovi and the Fenrir in a silent, pensive fashion.

Freana's nice! She'll be a good roomie! Verona... not sure... she seems perky but kinda snooty? Maybe she's just a little awkward... or I'm being a little awkward. Hmm.

...Yep, that name definitely rung a bell, it was on the board after all as his eyes sparkled a little.

"Thanks! I thought it'd cut down on time so people know where I am instead of them asking everyone here, Lady Roguesblood. I mean, granted, only people I'm with in whatever this 'dorm' thing is will probably care, but...w-well, it also saves a bit on introductions! Speaking of which, it's nice to meet you!"

And with Shard getting more flustered and on put on the spot, the young noble's cheerful grin became more of a simple smile.

"Only if you want to? Just a little concerned and curious if you're alright, is all! If you've got somewhere to be, don't let me stop you." Elliot nodded, thinking a little at why Shard was so anxious. Was it because he realized there were so many people? ...Just thinking about it was actually making HIM a little nervous.

“Um...hello?”

The blue scaled Dragonfolk knew he would end up late at the very first day of the academy. He tried so hard not to but fate seemed determined to make sure he’d fail. He’d missed the opening speech. He’d missed the opportunity to make new acquaintances.

Adding to his worry and slight anxiety was the fact there were no other dragon folks to speak of.

Figured. Absolutely figured.

He approached the group that seemed the least likely to not give him the cold shoulder. He pulled his cloth over his body to hide as much of his scales as possible and hoped they’d help.

Assuming they wouldn’t skirt away from him in fear. Mom told him confidence would go a long way so.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Smile. But hide the fangs.

“My name is Zyan. I guess I missed a lot. Do you think you could maybe help me get...caught up?”

To no one in particular.

Verona

Verona had just begun to celebrate her good fortune at sharing a dorm with a cute little guy like Pick, largely ignoring the arrival of the Bogovi in her excitement. That was, until a voice coming from directly behind her jolted her out of her racing thoughts. She swiveled on her feet toward the noise, still crouched, and her tangled legs sent her crashing the final distance to the ground. She was left sitting awkwardly cross-legged, staring up at - a Dragonfolk!

“Oh, wow.”

Truth be told, Verona was a bit intimidated by her first sight of a full Dragonfolk (the instructor, Maya, was similar enough to human that she hadn’t really registered the difference). Still, she should probably say something, instead of just...sitting on the floor, staring.

“Uh hi, Verona Auer. You didn’t miss much really - I...like your scales?”

With that she extended a hand upward to shake, still sitting on the floor. Like a loser.

Edited by furnacedoor on Sep 14th 2020 at 5:24:32 AM

Freana

"Hm?"

Freana was busy ogling Xena and Sig, but their latest arrival caught her attention. Not cause he aroused or offended her senses or anything. Not that she wasn't into guys, but this dude didn't check off her boxes.

And it was kind of hard to with that cloak covering everything.

Mostly it was because he was hiding. This guy was a dragonfolk. That was for certain. Even if he put on a Fenrir fur suit or something, her nose never lied.

But he was trying to cover it up.

Maybe it was because she grew up a Fenrir among Fenrir. Or maybe it was because it was that much harder to hide a big thick coat of artic fur than scales. But the very idea of hiding what you were... it wasn't unknown to her. Back before she knew it was a lost cause, she still tried to paint herself brown and pass herself off as your average Fenrir.

But now?

She could barely stomach it.

But she also knew what it was like not having confidence in yourself. Of who you were.

Of what you were.

So even if he was 0 on the scale, she still couldn't help but feel something for him. Even if it was more of a 'Gods this dude is a sadsack' kind of thing.

"Hey, no worries. You didn't miss much. Most of us are tryin' to find our schedules and dormies and stuff."

Come to think of it, didn't she see his name on the board?

Z... Zy...

Oh yeah.

"Zyan, right? Guess you're with us! Name's Freana." She held out her paw, hoping he'd take it. "And maybe it's too early to say, but you're probably not gonna need that here." She gestured to the cloak. "Can't speak for everyone, but you're safe with me. Honest. Okay?"

Edited by kkhohoho on Sep 14th 2020 at 7:24:11 AM

Okay well on the o e hand that was leagues better than what he was expecting to begin with. His brothers made it seem like they’d gawk at him like a freak and isolate him. You know, typical stuff.

She was gawking but...she complimented his scales! Even if it was stilted and felt less than genuine it was still an attempt at politeness no matter how forced!

“Thank you.” He said in silent surprise and shook her hand in appreciation his grin groaning a bit. “I appreciate that, I clean them everyday.”

Oh by god Zyan congratulations you just bragged about basic hygiene CONGRATU-FUCKING-LATIONS.

The second person to approach Was a fenrir, to which he immediately shook her hand and smiled in appreciation-and only faltered when she told him he didn’t need the cloak.

He was safe with her.

Promise.

One claw grabbing his cloak he looked at it for a moment and gulped. This was either genuine or it was a trap.

If it was genuine well then he had new friends that he could be more himself around.

If it was a trap then hey, it was just like being at home and he was used to that.

So...win/win?

He pulled the cloak off. He was scaled yes but also the beginnings of a muscular physique. He took his studies very, very close to heart.

“Thank you.” He said to both of them. And prayed there was no gotcha to follow.

Verona

Verona continued to stare for a moment as Zyan removed his cloak. She had been stalling with the scales compliment, but upon getting a better glimpse, they were actually sort of...beautiful. Iridescent and, yes, clearly impressively well-kept. As intimidated as she was, Verona couldn’t help but think that Zyan definitely shouldn’t be hiding them.

Wish I had scales.

Verona abruptly realized she was still on the ground and scrambled to her feet, dusting off her breeches. She took inventory of the bulletin board, and those around her - it seemed like most of the folks nearby were actually her dormmates. Fate, she thought, unbidden. This is fate. She shook the thought off - another daydream.

Then she raised her hand and waved it in the air.

“HELLO! ANYONE ELSE IN THE DORM WITH VERONA OR - uh - ZYAN?”

Edited by furnacedoor on Sep 14th 2020 at 6:34:53 AM

Freana

...okay, now that Zyan had the cloak off, he was a lot more *hawt*.

Bunch of rippling muscles and shirtless abs would look good on anyone.

Still a 7/10.

"Hey, no problem! Like I said, you're safe with us. Anyone who says different's gotta answer to me."

As if to emphasize this, she popped out her claws and flexed her muscles. She wasn't quite as ripped as Xena, and it was hard to make out with all that fur. But she was still pretty jacked.

Being a Fenrir had its perks.

"Not too bad, huh?"

And then Verona had to go shouting to the heavens.

Well, whatever. All of them standing together was probably a mite conspicuous, but if anyone wanted to make something of it, they'd have to answer to her.

Though preferably she'd rather they all play a game of cards or something if it came to it.

Old habits died hard.

Shard

Okay. None of them had recognized him. That was...good. And Elliot was being surprisingly nice to him. Shard allowed himself to relax just a smidgen.

"No, no, it's fine, I can handle a little...a little conversation." It didn't seem like Elliot suspected anything, but he wasn't so sure about the other two that had noticed him. "Er...name's Shard Alegyris. You're Elliot Etirina. Obviously. I mean, your name's written on a sign for everyone to see, it wasn't...it wasn't that hard to figure out...eheh..."

...yeah, he probably couldn't handle this. His nerves were in overdrive, and he was set to bolt at any moment. At any moment, he could be recognized, and if he was, then it was either back on the run or back to Saorant.

Elliot being cute also didn't help much—

NO. Bad Shard.

Assembly Hall

Freana trailed off before telling him which dorm he was in, but from her reaction he was fairly confident that he was in the same one as her. Pick confirmed this a moment later, when the throng of students around the board had thinned enough to give him a view through the bodies.

He quickly memorized the list of names, and matched them to nearby faces. Pick was not one to believe in fate, but he did have to acknowledge the coincedence.

"It appears most of our dormmates have already gathered." He noted. "Therefore, the shouting is likely unnecessary, Verona."

He turned to the knew arrival, the dragon, and took a step towards him, before raising a tiny hand upward, extending it towards Zyan. A 'handshake', Pick had been told, was a common greeting.

"I am Pick." He said. "I would like to assure you that you are not the only one who's visage may be unsettling to others. I am told the glow I emit is quite unnerving, as is my lack of pupils. But this does not inhibit social interaction."

From his tone of voice, it seemed Pick intended his words to be supportive.

"Well, it's entirely up to you, Sir Alegyris!" The young noble continued to give a reassuring smile. Or at least try to. "Or perhaps later? Quite a few people seem to be already busy with a conversation as it is, I wouldn't want to be rude and talk over the- ...Mm?"

Elliot was cut off by Verona's...considerably loud shout as he glanced over in her direction and raised his hand, cheerfully waving.

"I believe that'd be me, yes! And I'm fairly certain that Sir Alegyris would also be grouped up with you in...whatever this dorm...thing is." The young man pointed in Shard's direction. "As well as this good fel- Er...I...don't believe I caught your name, sir. Or madam." He sheepishly commented as he turned to Zoss.

Zoss was just finishing up their note-taking... seems like everyone in their dorm had gathered around this one spot. How convenient.

They looked up to get a better look at the others around them. There was Elliot, there was the giant fish lady, a Dragonfolk, a Fenrir - currently flexing her muscles in some sort of ritual display of courtliness - the overexcited idiot... oh, that'll be fun. They thought, getting a hint of a headache.

Ah, speaking of Elliot, he was talking. And confused. ...Fair enough, I guess it's easy to be confused. Especially if you're the sort of person who thinks sticking a badge with their name on it to their forehead is a good idea.

"Hmm? Ah... just call me Zoss. For the record, I'm not sir or madam. Just Zoss."

Sieglinde von Brandt

Ooh! A Dragonfolk! Sigi waved happily at Zyan before she idled up to him outright, narrowing her eyes as she looked him up and down in a curious fashion before outright orbiting him for a moment.

Then poked him.

Poked him right in the chest.

“You're cool-looking,” she decided, grinning up to him softly before sticking out a hand for him to shake. “Name's Sigi~! Nice to meet you! Don't hide if you don't want to; you look great under that cloak thingy~! No weirder than me, anyways...”

Edited by Enirboreh on Sep 14th 2020 at 3:19:18 PM

Assembly Hall

By this point, there were a lot of murmurs about the commotion started by the small group at the board. A few hushed whispers as several humans and other Saoranti-dressed races talked among themselves, staring at Elliot with wide eyes and sparks in their eyes.

"Etirina? Like the nobles?" "Oh I have got to get myself some of that." "Father will be so pleased if I end up having a boyfriend from the Etirina family..." Safe to say, Elliot had just painted himself as one of Ainsworths most eligible bachelors. There would undoubtedly be an endless amount of wannabe suitors for him soon, eager to elevate their status with noble association.

Meanwhile Freana, Sieglinde, Verona and Zyan were getting their own suspicious looks, especially Freana and Zyan, and none of these whispers seemed to be all too kind. Menagerie, nay, people in general, were far from perfect.

"I think I saw her hitting on the Alvar girl outside." "Gross..." "What do you expect from a Fenrir? I bet that dragon guy is the same." "Maybe that's why he hid his body like that." "Will probably up and leave whoever he gets with anyways." A lot of other Dragonfolk and Fenrir didn't seem to engage in this talk, most quietly taking their leave or confronting the gossips with low growls and glares.

"Why does that one guy wear a helmet?" "Bet he's like...scarred or ugly or some shit. Walks with a limp after all." "What's up with the cyclops? You'd swear he killed someone." Shard and Zoss attracted their own stares, mostly of confusion and curiousity, a few daring amongst themselves to get a look under Zoss' helmet and putting money on it.

Meanwhile, in the center of the room, a figure watched in silence. His interest had been piqued at the confrontation between the Fenrir and the Alvar girls almost coming to blows.

Fight fight fight fight!

When nothing became of it, he felt crestfallen, clicking his tongue in annoyance. The interest was there now, though, and he watched the group as a whole with renewed attention.

So, they're all in the same dorm? Lovely, makes keeping an eye on them all the easier. A shame that there wasn't a fight between the wolf girl and the Alvar girl, I could've used the entertainment. And there's a little Mesmer there too. Excellent. I'll have to try something later.

With that, the presence turned and took their leave.

I hope this will be fun.

Ainsworth International Adventuring Academy, 8:15 AM, Combat Room 101 - Basic Training

After everyone had dropped their things off at their assigned dorms, there was little time to look around, with the mandatory combat lesson being first on the schedule. As the class entered through the double doors into a spacious sparring hall, Instructor Maya was finishing a swig from a flask, putting the steel container securely into her pocket as they approached. Various wooden melee weapons and shields of all makes and types stood ready around the hall, mounted up neatly on racks, brand new and undented and unsplintered. When everyone had assembled, Instructor Maya greeted them all with a huge grin and a wave.

"Well good morning students! I hope you're ready for a lot of practicing among yourselves because I'm a better adventurer than I am a teacher! Only reason I'm here is because I'm between jobs at the moment, the pay is decent, and I owed ol' Alex a favour. So good luck!"

With that said, she turned and made to leave, only to swivel around and point at them, grinning even wider.

"Gotcha! I actually can teach, but don't expect me to get all technical or whatever on you. I don't really have much formal training. Just the pain of several years of beatings on the job, and the experience to avoid them! Which I will attempt to pass onto you! Through potentially painful but not life-threatening beatings! So still, good luck! Oh yeah, I'm Instructor Maya. Just Maya is also good. If anybody calls me Instructor Rothschilde or Mrs Rothschilde I am assigning them to target practice duty. Now, before we get started, any questions? That's a teacher-y thing to ask, right?"

Arms folded, she scanned the group in front of her, though what she was thinking was...almost impossible to tell from the constant smiling expression on her face.

Edited by UndyingPhoenix on Sep 14th 2020 at 4:42:52 PM

Sieglinde von Brandt

Sigi raised her hand upon being prompted to by Maya, tuning into what she was saying midway through after glancing around the area. That was a lot of weapons on display there. She hoped she could actually use one even slightly.

“Ms. Maya– wait, is that okay? I like Ms, it rhymes a little~! Do you have bows though, or is it just swordy thingies and maces for now? I like bows, that's all... they're pretty...”

She was also admittedly staring at a couple of the prettier knives, but a bow was her topmost priority. They were just cool. The instructor seemed nice, so far. Perky. Unreadable.

Just like me! ^-^

Freana

Freana had been uncharacteristically quiet on the way over to the training hall. At least for her. She'd been grumbling and muttering to herself the whole way, but compared to her usual chatter, she may as well have kept her mouth shut. She had half a mind to go up to those gossiping assholes and give them what for.

If anything, she'd feel a helluva lot better for it. The only thing that stopped her was her inkling of common sense. If she confronted them, she'd be stirring up trouble for her and everyone else. Trouble they didn't need.

And besides.

She was used to this sort of shit.

By the time she got to class, she was ready to tear into something. If only to let out steam. She generally prefered talking her way out if possible. Not that she didn't enjoy a good brawl, but the alternative was more fun.

Though she had to say, she was liking their good instructor already.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Still, she didn't see the need to use a weapon or anything. Not when she had ten good ones at her fingertips. She raised her paw, though she didn't wait before saying her piece.

"Question, teach. Do we gotta use weapons? I mean, I don't mind learning somethin' new. But it's not my style, ya know? And I don't see the need when I've got these puppies." She popped out her claws again, the tips of her fangs bared in sastifaction.

Verona

Verona had chosen a spot near the back of the classroom, for a few reasons. First, she could observe her classmates: especially Freana (potential threat), Zyan (kinda cool, probably strong), and Pick (again, adorable, and also apparently smart based on the way he talks, so probably worth listening to). This had the added benefit of putting her taller classmates in front of her, thus obscuring the professor’s view and hopefully ensuring that Maya would take less notice of whether she was participating or not.

Finally, and most importantly, she was nearest to the door. Although she had hopes for her ability to survive Ainsworth Academy long enough to convince her parents she wasn’t completely useless, in her experience combat class had been both too strict and too rife with ambush magic lessons for her to have a chance. She needed a quick exit lest she humiliate herself in front of her new classmates.

Speaking of, was the risk of drawing attention to herself in front of the instructor worth asking questions?

Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained, as father always said. Not that he followed his own advice.

She raised her hand, jumping a bit to make sure she was seen over Xera’s head.

“Uh, a couple questions actually, feel free to pick and choose. Can we switch weapons mid-fight? ... Is magic going to be used in class? ... And are you going to assign reading materials, you know, so we can improve our strategy?”

Good job, Verona. Slip the embarrassing question into the middle so hopefully nobody notices.

Besides, she was curious about that other stuff too. They’d been lacking in tactics primers in her village, and the theory practices were about the only lessons where her allergies hadn’t been a potential issue (and thus some of the only lessons she’d occasionally attended). And she did prefer to improvise.

Edited by furnacedoor on Sep 14th 2020 at 8:23:40 AM

Edited by kkhohoho on Sep 14th 2020 at 10:23:57 AM

The attention was definitely getting and something the young noble wasn't exactly used to as Elliot tried his best to smile back at those who looked his way but quickly turned his attention back to getting to the dorm begrudingly leaving his backpack behind while holding onto the notepad and pencil before confidently heading to the training hall.

Basic Training, 101.

"Understood, Ma-" he stopped himself short as he remembered the warning and quickly changed from saying Madam to Maya before glancing at the wooden weaponry and shields on display and contemplating his options.

"This isn't...quite what I expected what would be the basics." Elliot quietly admitted, trying not to sound a little disappointed before quickly trying to bounce back. "B-But I guess organizing and learning about what gear you'd need for an adventure WOULD be a little boring. My classmates do have a fair point though, it would be nice to know what rules or limitations are in place before I find myself getting into a potential scuffle."

It was so...chaotic. So many people came up to greet him. Show him some iota of affection. Pick greeted him and explained that he was also in the same boat as being "off putting" (Zyan certainly didn't think so, but the sentiment was certainly appreciated in an attempt to put some comraderie in there), and then Sigi orbited around him like a hyperactive little moon and upon poking him, declared how cool he looked. Shaking her hand and finding his smile growing more and more genuine as opposed to forced, he looked at the people around him and found himself actually fitting in.

Zyan actually had friends.

Why, even the casual snarky comments from the other faceless student body around him couldn't shake him of his newfound excitement!

Though...

It was hard to hide the annoyance, the anger, and the sparks of static lightning that tickled the edges of his mouth as he looked at them from the corner of his eyes.

Ah well. He had happier things to focus on at the moment.

Basic Training

Like training! Combat would be the perfect place to keep his anger in check! Lots of punching and kicking and general chaos is stuff that he could easily get ahold of!

He hoped the same was thought of by the others. His concerned look at Freana was evident. Maybe he could teach her some of that inner peace mumbo jumbo Master Kirtak taught him!

That'd be neat.

His questions for the matter were asked before he could ask them (Specifically about really needing weapons, he was far more akin to hand to hand, foot to foot, hand to head, foot to head, knee to gut-you got the idea) and he was patiently waiting for someone else-

But...since he was pretty much a special case in this class, there WAS something he could ask, Dragonfolk to Dragonfolk...

"Is it possible to train my...you know, breath weapon here?" He asked, gesturing to his throat. "It can sometimes go a little...wild. And I'd like to make sure no one gets hurt with it if I really need to use it."

Last time he used it was a complete accident, having a nasty flu that ended up singing his brothers hair off.

He apologize but boy sure didn't regret it.

Shard

...huh.

No one had ever called him "Sir" before. "I don't think I'm much of a 'sir'," Shard admitted, awkwardly tucking a lock of black hair behind his ear. "But if that's what you want to call me, I won't stop you."

Any other conversation would have to wait, though, as it was almost time for a momentous occasion—their first class of the year! Shard, having absolutely no possessions aside from the clothes on his back, skipped the dorms altogether and headed straight to the training hall, the spring back in his step and the smile back on his face.

Well, first class in, and he already liked the teacher. Mostly because she skipped all the boring lecture stuff and went straight to what they'd come here for—fighting! Shard impatiently bounced on his heels as his classmates asked questions, eager to get started.

Finally, he couldn't stand the wait anymore. His hand shot up into the air, and before the teacher could call on him he asked "Canwegetstartednowpleasepleasepleaseplease?"

Basic Training

Up first was Sieglinde's question on whether there were bows, to which Maya gave a firm shake of the head, though her smile didn't falter.

"Nope, sorry kiddo. No ranged weapons in indoor combat classes. Don't wanna inadvertently shoot out a window, ya know? Glass don't come cheap. But another day, we'll go outdoors and you can practice whatever marksmanship you think you have. Ranged weapons were never really my forte though."

Then Freana asked about unarmed combat, to which Maya only gave a shrug.

"Sure, if you want. Lotta adventurers fight with only their bare fists, buncha prudes and killjoys. Though, I should mention you probably shouldn't use those sharp puppies until everyone gets a hang of Body magic. Don't wanna have to send anyone to the infirmary with cut arteries or whatever on their first day. Bruises heal easier."

Of course, Zyan got a wholehearted nod from the half-Dragonfolk, but also a wary stare.

"Sure I can teach you! It's just like training a voice. Though, I suggest you keep it under wraps until everyone can actually safely get hit by it."

Verona's question was met by folded arms, and a quizzical look...and then a snicker, followed by cackling laughter when she got to the "reading" part, Maya wiping an imaginary tear from her eye.

"Hahahaha, oh please, don't make me laugh! Recommended reading ain't gonna help you in a fight, 'less you plan on throwing the book at someone. I didn't do any recommended reading, but I'm not gonna judge if you do. So whatever manuals or whatever you wanna read, go ahead. But ain't no better teacher than experience. Sure you can switch weapons mid-fight in a free spar, if you actually get a chance. As for if magic will be used...eventually! Not today! Don't want anyone being sent to the infirmary for burns. I don't expect any of you to know any actual hurting magic, but just to be safe. Anyways, here are the rules!"

Out of nowhere, a parchment page appeared in Maya's hand, only preceded by a slight distortion of space and the inevitable allergic reaction of Verona. Maya cleared her throat, and began announcing with her cheeriest voice.

"Rule number one: All fights will immediately end at first blood, knockout, or surrender. No exceptions! Rule number two: Faculty instruction is law. You are to follow them at all times even if they are merely observers, but exercise good judgment obviously. Rule number three: Unless otherwise stated in exercises, there are no other rules. Combat is a messy affair with no fairness, so this is just preparing you for that. Chivalry ain't dead because it never existed in the first place. So with that said, the rules for today. No offensive magic. No claws, breath weapons or biting. You are to use the wooden weapons of your choice or unarmed combat, nothing more. These rules will be maintained in future until I hear from Ke- I mean Instructor Mekel that everyone is sufficiently advanced in using Body magic or until stated otherwise. Understood? Good."

As Shard asked his question, Maya let loose a wide grin, revealing her fangs as a fiendish look flashed in her eyes.

"Good to see you're so eager. I'm so glad, I even have a surprise, and a reward waiting for you all at the end of the lesson! The surprise is...POP QUIZ! GO!"

With barely a moment for her words to settle in, she was a blur, dashing towards Shard with burning intent in her eyes, matched by her balled fists and the haymaker flying right towards his face in a matter of seconds.

"FIRST LESSON: DON'T RUSH INTO SOMETHING BLINDLY! OVEREAGERNESS WILL KILL YOU!"

It was clear that the exercise was for everyone, and it was starting now.