Disciples of Tysannir - Chapter One

[theonefate]

The halls of Tysannir University were alive with the sounds of students and staff interacting amongst one another in the classrooms making up the two wings of the university during a summer afternoon in June. There was hardly a dull moment for the students and the faculty; whether it be students engaging in combat against one another in a controlled environment, single sessions where students hone the skills they have studied from their teachers, or even the more traditional teaching style of textbook learning with a unique spin everyone had something to keep them preoccupied.

Tysannir had its fair share of talented students, but there were those who treated it as a typical college as well, despite the purpose that this school has been established for. It is no small wonder that the majority of the world leaders failed to take this, and the other world branches seriously...

There were students determined to establish the notion that Tysannir was an institution whose points were to be taken seriously, however. One of them was Ayse Hayes, a second-year student attending Tysannir University. He had joined up, intent on using his studies to lead up to creating a solution that would unite the world into dealing with the Ethereal Ones, divine beings that the schools were designed to keep in check, once and for all. The man was particularly devoted to his studies, and wound up a relative outcast from the rest of the student body. Unfortunate yes, but it’d be a necessary setback if he was going to perform well here. After all, someone needed to take charge amongst the students and show them why they were here in the first place.

Ayse was currently training for his upcoming finals, opting for an accuracy/speed target practice session in one of the shooting galleries in his Light Arms class. Un-holstering his customized beretta he assumed a ready stance as his portion whirred to life. He drew a quick breath before the first target popped up then quickly squeezed the trigger, nailing the first target in the center. As it fell two more shot up farther back, which Ayse promptly knocked down in a similar manner to the first target. The fourth target appeared at the extreme back of the room, and Ayse missed the first shot he fired at it.

“Damn.”

The second one did the trick, striking the target in its upper left quadrant. Two more popped up right near him at the very front of the target booth, but to the extreme left and right of Ayse. He squeezed off two shots after backing up, scoring the equivalent of a headshot on both. The seventh target to show up was of the moving variety, and moved about rather quickly on the ceiling in roughly a figure-eight manner. That one he struck at mid-range after a single miss, thanks to him remembering to lead his shots to hit a moving target. The ninth one was an immobile one designed to retract at exactly a second after popping up; Ayse hit that one in the lower-left quadrant as he took a deep breath, awaiting the final one. He never was good at hitting the last one; a target that moved blindingly fast and in a rather haphazard manner. He swore fiercely under his breath after missing two shots shots before he finally knocked it down; the target decided to mercifully move forward and back.

“This had better be good...”

He looked at the score counter that materialized on the shooting gallery stand, and let out an irritated growl when he saw a 71% for his overall accuracy; okay but there was definitely room for improvement. "Unacceptable," he then muttered as he turned away from the score counter. Even if his current target time of roughly 59 seconds became the new class record it still couldn’t make up for the fact that he essentially scored a C for accuracy. He wouldn’t have that kind of leeway during finals or worse, an actual firefight. But his Light Arms teacher didn’t share the same contempt as he noted Ayse’s results that popped up in front of him.

Ayse had been concentrating on his studies harder than usual, and for good reason. Not only were finals rapidly approaching but the summit that takes place every four years was also on the horizon. The best of the student body were taken along with the school’s representative, aiding them as representatives of the student body, and he had full intention of qualifying for that role. There were other students aiming for that same goal as well, so there was little room for slacking off right now...

[Caliban of Sycorax]

David dove into the university's olympic-standard pool, letting the feel of the water along his body give him an idea as to where the water was. He became familiar with its contours, its way of moving, and how he distorted its rhythm when he swam through it. He didn't know why he was doing this, he couldn't manipulate the water. His magic ability allowed him to create water, but he couldn't manipulate it. It was quite the opposite of some other people he knew; they couldn't create water but they could manipulate it. To David, it didn't really matter; the idea of manipulating something he knew and understood so well was strange to him. Better to create it than to distort it.

As he swam his laps, he considered his finals approaching. He had his Fist Combat exam first, he figured he'd pass it. He'd been training twice a week with his punches and strikes, and his gauntlets would help him a lot if he ever got into a real battle. His Basic Summoning class would be tough. He knew he'd do well, he was passing the class so far, but he had a strict professor. Arcana Magic also wasn't to be taken lightly. He made a mental note to practice some of the Intermediate techniques he'd learned in class the other day; they weren't on the exam but it would help him with his final nonetheless. Swordplay would be easy, he figured. He was a firm fighter with the katana, and he'd dueled most of the people in his class already and won or drawn. His only losses came from Rick; the English boy with a stellar fencing reputation. He figured he'd still pass anyway, not like losing to one person would fail him.

His swimming over, he hopped out of the pool and headed to the locker room to dry off and change. Afterward he headed back to his room to relax a bit before he would meet some friends for dinner. He placed his bag with his clothes that he'd have to go and launder later, and sat on his bed with the book he'd been reading.

[Snowy_One]

Outside of Tysannir University, upon the vast lawn, the summer air was hot and dry. As Elizabeth stood outside, her nose being slightly singed with every breath she took, she noted how different and uncomfortable this was from the wetter climate she was used to. She would have much rather preferred to be inside, in the cooler hallways, but there was a reason she was out here. She sat in the grass in a kneeling position with her teacher before her and the rest of her swordsmanship class on her sides. The teacher, a tall and slender man of Asian decent, stood before them with his sword, a slender and onehanded blade of exotic design, at his side. Surrounded him, arranged in a circle, were five training dummies.

"I am sure most of you remember this test from our midterm exam." said the man as he slowly moved about through the dummies, inspecting and adjusting them as he spoke. "It is quite a simple test really. Relying on your swordsmanship to deliver a single stroke to lethally damage as many of these as possible. You will be graded on the speed and accuracy of your stroke as well as how well you combine your skills with those you have learned in other classes. No guns or other weapons of any sort are allowed and you are required to demonstrate your capabilities with a sword, so while magic may be used, it can only be as support for your weapon. I don't want to see any fireballs or anything like that. Reagents have been provided for all if you need them. Now, shall we begin?"

Elizabeth watched as the first student, a short man with a large two-handed sword, approached. She remembered the student well from the class. A disruptive and overall irritating little whelp whom often picked fights with other students except for those in his own circle of friends. As he stood up, he quickly slammed his fist into one of them, a sign Elizabeth didn't understand but was apparently friendly as they cheered him on. He approached the circle of dummies, his sword held overhead, before smirking. Then, with a loud yell, he brought the sword back before swinging it down hard at the dummy. Foam went flying as the sword cleaved the target in twain in one powerful stroke! The boy quickly twisted his feet about then, with a mighty twist of his body, brought the blade about to cut through the heads of two more targets.

"That's enough!" shouted the teacher. The student didn't comply and, instead, lowered the sword before thrusting it into a fourth target, impaling it as he twisted the blade. He then ripped it free and turned towards the last target, ready to cut it down as well. A sudden shower of sparks burst forth as he tried to swing the blade though as the teacher darted in, his sword expertly skimming around the edge of the student and directing it to the ground. "Mr. Alderhein! I told you to stop!"

"But you wannted me to cut dem targets." replied Alderhein.

"Yes. In one stroke, as a demonstration of what you had learned in class. You used three strokes and swung like a drunken gorilla and cut down one target on your first stroke. I know you can manipulate the earth, but it seems you have used that talent to replace your head with a stone instead of using it to aid your swordsmanship. Sit down." shot back the teacher. Alderhein turned about and returned to his seat, muttering about how the 'damned teacher hates me and can't understand my style'.

Elizabeth was up next. Casually she stroked back her long and red hair, done up in a ponytail, as she grabbed her sword and stood up. Her uniform, a white blouse with a gray skirt, stood out in sharp contrast to the other gathered students. While there were others there that were well-dressed, many of them were dressed in casual clothing, t-shirts and shorts, instead of the calm, subdued, and official clothing worn by Elizabeth. She approached the teacher who looked at her for a moment, having returned to his position outside of the dummy circle. He reached down and picked up a notebook that Elizabeth had not seen before and made some notes in it before looking up.

"Elizabeth. Will you be needing water for your test?" he asked as he picked up a small bowl containing some water.

"What? She gets water? Why?" shouted out Alderhein. "You didn't even offer me any stone! That's unfair! Favoritism!"

"Mr. Alderhein, you started attacking the dummies before I had a chance to even make such an offer! Not to mention that you are standing on earth. Now please stop disrupting the class." replied the teacher.

"Commoner thug." hissed Elizabeth under her breath as she approached the center of the circle. The teacher grabbed the split dummies, pressing the sides against the still-standing parts, before muttering a few words. Suddenly, the cuts and gashes were gone, the dummies whole once again. "You may begin."

Elizabeth unsheathed her sword, a long and beautiful fencing sword. Slender on each side with a razor thin edge, it looked frail and weak, almost a match in design to the teachers. Along the flat of the blade images of crashing waves had been etched into the flat, the spray from the waves reaching up almost halfway along to the tip. At every inch along the weapon small lines, visible only when the light caught it just right, shimmered in the sunlight as well. Elizabeth moved to the center of the targets as the teacher moved out of her way. "May I begin, teacher?" she asked in a polite manner.

"You may." he replied.

Elizabeth raised her sword up, holding it up to her face as her eyes closed, focusing, concentrating on the bowl of water down at her feet. Faint shimmers of sunlight glinted as water droplets slowly traced up, moving through the air, congregating upon her sword before running up to the tip to form a small sphere of water. Then, her eyes snapped open as she burst into motion. She whirled about, the blade a silver circle as she spun through the air, the water flattening down to a thin edge. One, two, three, four targets she struck, the blade cutting in only a short way, less than a inch, the sphere diminishing with each hit. She came to a halt; her sword at her side free of any water. Then like bullets shot from a gun the water that had hit the dummies burst forth, ripping into the interior of the foam dummies like tiny lances that pierced through, then oozed out of the dummies. Four lethal strikes, one blow.

"Very good Elizabeth. Four targets. Not all five, but still very good, and all lethal too." remarked the teacher. Elizabeth bowed to him before she returned to her seat.

"Bitch girl showoff." whispered Alderhein from behind her.

[theonefate]

Ayse unloaded his berretta magazine and stored his weapon in his weapons locker after class ended. At the moment he was relatively free in regards to his schedule, but he had something class-related in mind. He needed to ask his one-handed weapons teacher for a tutor to help him in the finer points of this weapon category. His progress was acceptable, but also just par for the course; it was the Achilles Heel of his current curriculum, so to speak.

So the man found himself traveling to the one-handed melee weapons classroom not too far off from his current location. To his dismay he discovered that the door was locked, along with a small note that hung on the doorknob. Ayse then read the note out loud. “To my students in all classes: I will be holding classes outdoors in preparations for your final exams. Please head the the front lawn of Tysannir University for your classes, or if you need to contact me.”

“You gotta be kidding me...”

With a light groan he headed to the front lawn of the university, and paused when he saw an all too familiar exercise heading underway; one designed for pure efficiency. During said exercise a female student downed several practice dummies with a single strike of the sword, prompting a pleased response from the teacher. Even if magic was involved Ayse was still impressed with the feat: the best he could do was perform two lethal blows in a single strike with an un-enhanced Gladius, and he nodded in respect. Because the teacher seemed to be busy Ayse decided to wait in relatively plain sight, leaning against one of the pine trees that dotted the exterior of Tysannir University as he observed everything occurring. The only other reaction he gave was a shake of the head when Alderhein made a rude comment under his breath, prompting one from Ayse himself.

“...Talentless hack."

[Snowy_One]

Elizabeth calmly sheathed her sword as she went to sit down. Some of the students had come to notice the group practicing outside it seemed. "All the better to watch as Alderhein flaunts himself again and fails." thought Elizabeth to herself as she sat down again. She looked over to the thug, a thin smile on her face at the thought of him being embarrassed before the entire school. It was a unlady-like, un-noble thought, but still one that pleased her immensely. One likely being returned in kind by him right now in fact.

"Alderhein, McDoogle." said the teacher a moment later. "There is no reason for you to stay in this class for now. I would appreciate it if you two retired... To different locker rooms. Rest of the class, you stay here. In fact, Ms. Alecia, you are up next." he said. A young girl, probably of the youngest legal age for the school, with bright blonde pigtails dyed green suddenly sprung up. A pair of twin swords was in her hands. Elizabeth remembered her well, a earth-user like Alderhein, but not as crude by a long margin. As Elizabeth started to walk away towards the locker-rooms, she could even feel the earth starting to rumble beneath her feet, showing that the girl was far more adept than the brute already.

Never the less, the pair retreated, Elizabeth noted with pleasure that the monkey-man did seem to at least grasp the concept of a teachers order and went through a different door, likely still fuming inside about being upstaged.

[Caliban of Sycorax]

David remembered the one-handed weapons lesson that was happening outside, and quickly grabbed his katana and headed to the front lawn, where the students were practicing. He arrived in time to watch a girl with twin blades use a combination of earth magic and her swords to decimate four of the five dummies in front of her. He gulped slightly, remembering the first time he had to cut the dummies. He was able to take out two in a single stroke; not bad for his first time, but pretty amateurish. His magic wasn't as good then as it was now. Not that it was ridiculously impressive like the girl who just went, but enough to hopefully take out more than two dummies.

He sat on the field, near a group of students. The teacher didn't seem to notice David enter the scene, but that wasn't surprising, there were a lot of students in the class. One semi-latecomer wouldn't have made too much of a difference. He sat in anticipation of who was to go next, nervous somewhat.

There's a lot of people here, I don't really want to make a fool of myself.

[theonefate]

A twinkle could be seen in the teacher‘s eyes, indicating that he was plotting something. “...And now for something completely different. We will be now seeing how these lessons will pay off in battle,” the teacher then stated. A moment later his azure eyes were scanning his current class for two suitable combatants; he wanted to give a demonstration on how the concepts learned will help to become a better melee fighter. It didn’t take long for him to find the duo he wanted...

“Ayse! David! Come here; I need you two for a demonstration.”

Ayse’s attention immediately shifted to his teacher. “...Me?” Why not someone else in his current class instead? It...Oh. Shortly Ayse found himself walking to the center of the group, now looking at his teacher before shaking his head for a moment. He figured he’d take the two with the greatest potential here and pit them against each other, to not only teach the class a lesson but to work on improving the duo at the same time, effectively killing two birds with one stone.

Ironically this is sort of what Ayse wanted; to have him assigned a partner to improve his melee skills. Too bad he hated being called out, as he was a little shy when that happened. Especially when it involved someone he wasn’t familiar with...

[Zsword]

Zilliana drug her feet on the sidewalk as she slowly walked back to the grounds. She just got off of her shift at the fast food place... unfortunatly, the deep frier's igniter broke, so instead of sweeping like her shift was supposed to be, she ended playing pyro for about 2 hours on end... and damn was she tired. She heard a small clamour in the distance, it seemed like one of the melee classes was having a session outside today... Zill didn't have anywhere she needed to be... not for another couple of hours atleast... she did need to catch the priavte tutoring lesson on Ice Arcana...

With a sigh she drudged her way over to them, sitting far enough away that she wouldn't get in the way... (hopefully). She pulled out her wrench, and started flipping idly with a yawn as she watched the proceedings.

[Caliban of Sycorax]

“Ayse! David! Come here; I need you two for a demonstration.”

He was surprised to hear his name called, yet he was interested to hear what would be happening next. Keeping his katana at his side, he stood and crossed to where Ayse and the teacher stood. "Yes?" He asked.

"As you've seen, it's important to be able to perform quickly and efficiently; yet, these are dummies. They can't strike back."

A duel. Perfect. David grinned.

"However, fighting dummies means nothing if you cannot defeat an opponent in battle. Gentlemen, I want the two of you to duel. Show what you've learned in this class."

David drew his sword, the steel shining with the sun's light. He clipped the sheath to his belt and kept the sword in his right hand. "At your ready," he smiled to Ayse.

[theonefate]

As the teacher made the point about facing a live opponent. Ayse simply nodded, as the comment was a valid one. Their training meant nothing until you faced off against an actual opponent. That potentially meant trouble for Ayse, as he had little experience against a living target.

Unlike his opponent Ayse was not particularly fond of melee weapons, thus he didn't have one immediately on hand. Fortunately there was a small cache of weapons on the grass meant for the students to use. He retrieved one; a trusty Gladius a sword that he used well on defense. It was the main weapon he used in class, so it seemed like the obvious choice. After arming himself Ayse then walked back in front of David, sword at the ready. He then lowered his blade down to waist level, and assumed a fighting stance, wielding the blade with his right hand. "All right. Let's go."

"Ready...begin!" the teacher then yelled out. With that the two began sizing each other up, with the teacher judging their performances. He'd also be there to step in before a dangerous blow would be inflicted by either party.

Ayse wielded a more defensive weapon while David wielded one more suited for offense. Speed and defense were the order of the day here. I don't know his fighting style nor am I going to be more skilled than he is. Going to have to draw his attacks and be patient here... Ayse then began to circle around David as he awaited an attack opening. When he saw it Ayse wielded the Gladius with both hands, raised the blade, and after a quick grunt let loose with a diagonal swipe aimed at David's sword arm. His blow was intended to be quick as Ayse dealt with performing quick strikes that left him little time to recoil or in an advantageous position, thus it would be in his best interest to perform the first strike. After that, he'd fall back on defense and rely on setups so he could easily counterattack. He was one who punished mistakes as he was patient on defense and furious when on the attack.

[Snowy_One]

Elizabeth placed her sword within her locker before slamming it shut, a furious look on her face. "Damned brute!" she hissed as she locked her locker up safe and tight. "Always going out of his way to harass me. Filthy commoner. He should be punished severely, but of course he won't." The thoughts of what had just happened caused her to fume even more as she exited the locker room to return to the class. She moved down the hallway, rudely forcing people to the side as she headed back to the class so she could report that she was done.

Once she was away down the halls, the door to the mens locker room cracked open as Alderhein peered out. He watched as she stormed off, then slowly opened up the door. He wasn't going to let that dumb female dog of a woman get away with upstaging him at all! Being careful to ensure that no one was looking, he cracked the door to the womans locker room open. Inside, there were few, if any, girls as most were currently away in a class. Still being careful, his feet angled upright so as to try and reduce any sound, he moved in. He didn't know what locker was Elizabeth's, but he was sure she valued her sword greatly, and would likely lock up her locker. All he had to do was find a locked locker and hope it was hers...

Meanwhile, as the hot outside air poured down about her, Elizabeth returned to the class. The training exercise seemed to have been finished as several students were unsheathing their weapons and standing upright, as if to square off in a mock fight with each other, instead of focusing on the dummies. Quietly, Elizabeth returned to take her seat on the grass outside.

[Caliban of Sycorax]

David parried the first strike from Ayse, and stepped back, watching Ayse dance around him. He was lucky he had the extra arm with him, wielding a typical two-handed sword with one hand helped him with mobility. Looking for an opening, he swung his blade in an uppercut fashion.

[theonefate]

So far so good. He's not putting me in a compromising position. Ayse held his blade at a near 180 degree angle as he stepped back, blocking the blow as he placed his left hand on the back of the Gladius' flat side for additional support. He'd need to have a metal plate installed in his gloves if he was going to use them to support the blade in offense and defense however. As Ayse went in for a thrust of the blade as David was pulling back now the teacher pulled David out of harm's way, leaving Ayse reeling for a moment in surprise.

To be fair, this was less of a duel and more of a demonstration. “This class, is an example of not knowing how to use your weapons to their fullest potential. Ayse! That weapon doesn’t suit you, as it’s meant for stabbing, not slashing. Try out an Arming sword to help your all-around fighting style or a Talwar for surprise attacks." He then turned to David, shaking his head at the improper usage of a katana. “David! Do not draw the battle out while wielding a katana with telegraphed strikes, especially with fighters that focus on defense. Your blows need to be quick and decisive...”

At that moment one of the faculty members ran to the teacher as he was informing the class about what to and not to do in regards to combat. The staff member pulled him to the side and the two exchanged words briefly, and suddenly the melee teacher’s facial expression turned grim, with a slight hint of fury in his eyes. “I see...Insolence!”

The teacher then turned to the class after the messenger then went back inside of the school. “All classes have been dismissed for the day. I need to attend a sudden staff meeting so if you would, please return the weapons strewn about on the ground. I would appreciate it.” With that, he took his leave, leaving the students somewhat surprised at the sudden turn of events.

Ayse in particular stared blankly as he watched the teacher walk back into the building. “...That does not bode well." I can see a bit of deep rooted anger in his eyes. Not like him at all. Just what the heck was that all about?

[Zsword]

Zilliana giggled as the teacher disrupted the fight, standing up and dusting off her rear before walking up to the combatants. "Good round guys, need some help packing up?" She asked the two with a pleasant smile. "You got a lot of gear here..."

[Caliban of Sycorax]

David definitely took the teacher's words to heart, the katana was a deadly weapon used by the samurai. They were fast and lethal. If they couldn't defeat their enemy, it was seppuku. Death. Of course, the samurai were long since extinct, and such tactics were rarer now, yet David knew he had to be better if he wanted to pass the final. He shook Ayse's hand before turning to the girl who'd approached the two.

"Good round guys, need some help packing up? You got a lot of gear here..."

"Ha, none of this is mine," he replied, sheathing his blade and walking off, "thanks for the compliment, though." He navigated his way to the dormitory again, walking through the halls, and entered his room.

[Snowy_One]

Alderhein could feel his breath catching within his throat as he slowly lifted each latch to give it a small jiggle. At any moment a girl could enter within the locker room and it would spell certain doom for him! The first locker he opened was empty, meaning either it wasn't in use or the owner had nothing to store within. Then, a second locker full of small sidearms, but no swords. He approached the third locker, carefully lifting the latch, only to have it catch on the lock.

"Score!" he thought to himself as he took a step back, glancing down both ways to make sure there were no new people in the locker room. He then took out a small stone from his pocket, no bigger than a common pebble, and slid it through the vent slits. Then as quickly as he could, he turned to rush away from the room and out the door.

Outside, Elizabeth watched as Ayse and David 'fought' if it could even be called that. As soon as the teacher turned away, she stood up. "Pitiful." she muttered under her breath. "Not even using your weapon properly. That monkey man may be a brute, but at least he used his sword the right way." With that, she turned as if to leave, before a second thought crossed her mind. She turned back to the combatants, only to see one had already left. She approached the remaining one, Ayse, with a disdainful look on her face.

"You are a idiot, you know that? Not only did you fail to use any degree of magic to aid your combat skills, you failed to even use your weapon the right way! You clearly are not a melee fighter. Maybe you should focus your skill on something simpler, like gunmanship."

Edited August 17, 2011 by Snowy_One

[theonefate]

Ayse began to stare Elizabeth down. He was not the kind of brainless brute that Alderhein was, and he fully intended on showing her that. He had not trained so much for it to be a waste of time. “First off, I'm not primarily a melee fighter, I'm a gun user. If anything, this class gives me something to fall back on once I run out of ammunition. Second, I deal with hex magic, a school of magic not typically used for offensive combat. It deals with misfortune and decay, and I don't have the luxury of using it as a crutch right now.”

What’s this chick’s problem anyway? Instead of offering constructive criticism she flat out dogs me! Maybe that other guy had a valid complaint about her after all...

He then folded his arms as his anger began to fester. “Any moron can swing a sword or other such weapon around, but it takes a little more finesse to use a gun, lest one shoots their own foot off." He then mockingly waved a hand at her. “But of course you wouldn’t know something like that. I know that I need improvement, which is why I was originally seeking out my teacher before I got called out for a demonstration. I don’t care if you are a noble; you might want to ask about things before assuming such a brazen conclusion, lest you come off as a pompous ass. You seem like the type to make enemies quickly; you might want to work on that, as karma has the tendency of getting the best of us when we least expect it.”

[Zsword]

Zill gave then nice man a friendly wave as he walked off, he seemed nice enough, but was forced to wince as another girl came up to them, only spitting out insults and rude comments. "Hey know, he did very well... this is a SCHOOL after-all, we're here to LEARN." She said to the woman, though really, the man that she spoke to, his words had some meaning... but still. "Hey guys, I know it's fun and all being hostile to each other, but we're all on the same side here... can we not have internal fighting, please?" She pleaded to the pair... hoping to quell their nonsense before it got really bad. At least, i think we're all on the same side, if I remember my studies right atleast...

Edited August 17, 2011 by Zsword

[Snowy_One]

"We are on the same side miss." replied Elizabeth. "I am simply saying that it is clear that this man doesn't know what he's doing and should be focusing on what talents he is skilled in. Persisting in using bladed weapons when he clearly is not sk-"

A sudden and sharp sound pierced through the windows of the school, catching the attention of Elizabeth. Though it was not loud, the sound was unmistakable. It was a, small, explosion from the direction of the girls locker room. Within the locker room itself, metal lay ruptured on the ground as shards of gravel lined the flood, a locker looking as if some had shot it through and through with various small pieces of equipment poured out the bottom. Pieces marked 'property of Zilliana'.

OOC: I'll edit it if this is not okay.

[Zsword]

Zilliana looked up at the source of the explosion, then around to the people in the area... and then shot off toward the locker room. When she got there, she cried out in terror. It was the last thing she expected, for it to be her locker, exploded with gravel. She reached down and grabbed the tool box lid with her name on it. She didn't understand... why would anyone do this to her? She hadn't done anything to anyone... at least, I don't think I have... She started to tear up, her confusion and fear welling up into just plain pain...

[theonefate]

“Hardheaded oaf-”

Ayse’s retort was cut off mid-sentence by the sound of an explosion occurring nearby. He grunted after watching Zilliana run off. As much as he wanted to rip Elizabeth a new one the safety of his fellow peers came first. Thus he began to follow the younger student, but not before leaving the pious noble with one last insult.

“I’m going to go with her and check what just happened. Just sit there and look pretty.”

He then broke off into a sprint as he trailed Zilliana. Normally he wouldn’t go near the girl’s locker room, as he wasn’t THAT much of a pervert, or at least he preferred to think of himself like that. Things were different here, so he could safely throw caution to the wind. There he found Zilliana’s locker blasted open along with her grieving over the destruction of her prized tools. He wouldn’t comfort her since he wasn’t the best person to do that; instead he’d find the culprit of this act of sabotage.

So the first thing he did was bypassed her and knelt down to inspect the locker. It looked as if some kind of shrapnel had went off, similar to a grenade. But there were clusters of gravel, along with a small chunk of a pebble. Ayse narrowed his eyes as he turned to Zilliana. “Whoever’s responsible for this is likely a Natural magic user, definitely one with an Earth proficiency. But who...”

He let out a snarl as he remembered Alderhein. Someone like that wouldn’t be above something like this, no doubt. But why her locker? Unless...he had mistaken hers for Elizabeth’s; that would make sense. Ayse then stood up. “You might want to follow me. I smell a rat amongst our ranks, and I have a pretty good idea of the one responsible for this...”

With that he headed out of the door and back to the front of the school. There he spoke to Elizabeth; a necessary evil. “You. Where is that one boy from earlier, the supposed Earth Naturalist user?”

[Snowy_One]

Elizabeth looked at Ayse harshly. Whatever her opinion of the man was, being told what to do had not made her happier, or possibly being told what to do by him. Either way, she had not rushed off to examine the locker room as fast as the others, but instead had headed there at a much slower pace. She was aware that such.... crud... behavior happened in these sorts of schools, but it wasn't until Ayse asked about Alderhein that a sudden flash of realization crossed her face.

"Bruteface Alderhein? Why do you, how sh... OH NO!"

Crudely she shoved Ayse to the side as she rushed down to the locker room, fear that he had tried to bomb her sword forefront in her mind. As she rushed in to see Zilliana on the floor, surrounded by the remains of her locker, that a sigh of relief crossed her face. She looked two lockers down, seeing her own locker still intact. Then, looked down at the mess at her feet.

"Alderhein! How could the schools allow such a crude ruffian to remain here?" she asked, furious at his attempt on her property.

[theonefate]

"Gah!"

Ayse hit the ground bottom up, and he was not at all amused at Elizabeth's single-mindedness. Rising to his feet faced the locker room, ready to confront her about her...questionable behavior. There was only so much he could take before being driven to anger, and Elizabeth just crossed that threshold. He ran into the locker room, avoiding Zilliana and bee-lined for Elizabeth. At this point his eyes were twitching just before he got near her.

"Alderhein! How could the schools allow such a crude ruffian to remain here?"

"Well, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? I should smack you for all the flack you've directed my way right after just meeting you," Ayse retorted. For a moment he began to concentrate magic in his hands, but dissipated it shortly. This wasn't the time to start a fight; someone more pressing needed to be reprimanded, as much as he hated to admit it. "Gah...Not worth it. If you truly feel this way then help us find this person. We can't let someone like this roam the school unpunished."

[Zsword]

Zilliana stood up and dusted off her knees, pocketing what few salvageables she had. In the time Ayse had run out, Lizy in, and Ayse after. Wiping off her tears she walked to the two who were at lengths with each other. "Please don't be so upset, and try not to be harsh on him. It's not like he damage anything important, other than school property... I keep my valuables up in my room. All he got here was my tool box and hardware clothes, nothing irreplaceable..." She said, trying to calm the two down. Ignoring the remaining streaks on her eyes, she seemed okay with it... especially now that it was apparent that the reason her locker was targeted, wasn't actually her fault, and while it seems Liza's own arrogance made Zilliana a victim of misfortune, Zill couldn't blame Elizabeth for the mistake of another.

[Caliban of Sycorax]

David heard the explosion from his room, it was quite the loud boom. He grabbed his sword and ran out of the door; no time to put on the gauntlets. If there was someone injured, or an attack...

He tried to not think of it as he ran closer to the scene. He noticed his duel partner and one other person head into the girls' locker room; he figured he wasn't going to be there for any selfish motives. If he were to get in trouble, surely others would as well. He ran inside and noticed the girl from before in tears, it seemed her locker was the one that suffered the explosion.

"Jesus," he muttered, "and here I was thinking there was the next world war." Nonetheless he strode over to the girl and noticed her trying to calm the other two down.

"Please don't be so upset, and try not to be harsh on him. It's not like he damage anything important, other than school property... I keep my valuables up in my room. All he got here was my tool box and hardware clothes, nothing irreplaceable..."

He looked at her funny. "Although I don't blame you for trying to not be all 'go for revenge' schtick..." he began, looking towards the other two, "whoever did this deserves to at least pay somewhat for their actions." He looked around the room, as if to try and find whoever was responsible. (of course he doesn't know that everyone else in the room knows who did this)