Vanguard Academy

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Arthur -> Vanguard Academy (1/2/2015 10:32:53)
Vanguard Academy ~IC Thread~ If only I had seen this through, we wouldn't be in a situation such as this. It pains me to have to say this but I have failed you all. I have greatly overestimated myself and in doing so, I have lost what could've been saved. My only victory in this losing battle is that I have lived long enough to see my child, my Academy rise skywards. In this smallest of battles, I have no regret for the Academy of hopes, of bravery, and of education will always stand tall no matter what comes. I trust that my students, and their students will look after its many spires, its many hallways and its green fields as if they were their only friends, their dear ones. Vanguard Academy will not only stand as a Seat of Education, but as a symbol of resilience, of rebellion against all that pains us, that haunts us. Let no man be above the other within the walls of this structure, for that brings ego. Let no man be denied his right to the treasures of this institution, for that brings vengeance. This is Vanguard Academy, as I dreamt that it would be. Now, my dream is your dream. Treasure it. I wish you my very best and I hope you succeed where I have failed. -Gray Vaedian The Final Speech “A fine New Year to you, Vingeth,” the greeting rang out across the snowy field, meant for a certain Vingeth Rae, a Second Year student at the Vanguard Academy. “You too… whoever you are…” Vingeth shouted back over the fields trying to see who it was that had greeted him. It was already too late. The person was gone. A great snowstorm was blowing in that very night and the howling of the wind rang in the Second Year’s ears as he trudged through the snow making his way to the City of Gryestaff the location of which, he currently had no idea about. This snowstorm is making it impossible for me to see anything, Vingeth thought as he held an arm up to his face trying to shield his face from the chilly winds blowing all around him. The surroundings were absolutely dark and there was snow for as far as the eye could see, and beyond that, fog and mist. Vingeth, thankfully was clothed in his heaviest coat accompanied by the fur hood that covered his head for the most part while a cloth covered the lower half of his face. His satchel hung loosely around his body, not helping him much in getting through the snow. Before long, city lights started to show up on the horizon and the traveller who was almost at the brink of his willpower found new strength. Hope was rekindled. “Yes…!!” he bellowed through the cloth covering his face and took a huge step through the snow, then another, and then one more and within a few minutes, Vingeth Rae was dashing through the snow gleefully. BAM…! His leg banged into a rock and went flying right into the snow. Gryestaff was bathed in light and a million colors of celebration. People were teeming on the streets going from one shop to another. Some bought winter apparel while others brought fresh wood for their fires back home. A stone dragon breathed an incessant stream of flames at the center of the town square. A curious couple walked past a shivering Vingeth holding onto a baby Dragoline, a mystic fusion of cat and Dragon. It hissed a gout of flames at the boy as it passed him by. Vingeth pulled down the cloth and breathed the fresh city air openly, a multitude of smells flowing into his nose. “Happy New Year…” he whispered to himself as he reached into his satchel and pulled out a folded piece of paper. On this piece of paper was written the location where Vingeth would be receiving the new students from where he’ll be guiding them to the Academy. Why the hell was I picked for this task… “Because you are a very helpful person who always looks out for others,” came the reply from behind him. “Hey Vin…!” “Hey Arle,” Vingeth was all too familiar with the voice for it belonged to Arlea Trift, a Third Year and a skilled Mentalist. “You too…?” Vingeth turned around and there she was, her skin white as the snow that surrounded them and her hair a beautiful blonde. However, her most interesting features were her eyes. She had black eyes and red pupils. Arlea Trift was not human, she was of a race known to the world as Freyjhans, or Furies, as common man knows them. “So… are you just going to stare at me or should we go…?” she waved her hand in Vingeth’s face. “Wha… Yes… Yes. God, this cold is getting to me.” Vingeth replied in a hurry as he raised the paper once more and read it. “Gadvouver Stand, to the right of the Central Square.” “That’s the Central Square, let’s go.” Arlea pointed to the square with the stone dragon. Gadvouver Stand was nothing more than a small shack where horse-drawn buggies were meant to drop people off. Sadly though, this was the only location in Gryestaff that lay outside the magical barrier protecting the city. This place was vulnerable, and very much so. Even the shack, where a conductor used to stand at one time now sat dark and empty in the wake of this War that now raged all throughout the World. The area beyond the Stand was a war zone and so not safe by any means. Fog and mist surrounded the area obscuring even the Gryestaff buildings from view. Just the few lights that were visible reassured the two figures that presently walked down the lonely barren road towards the Stand. “I think I can hear Spellfire in the distance.” Vingeth quietly said. “There’s a war going on, and we are as close to it as we can be.” Arlea commented. “We shouldn’t be here.” “Are you afraid of Undead popping up from the fog…?” Vingeth grinned glancing sideways at Arlea. “No…! Of course not. You’re the one who’s afraid. How could you-” “Shh… Sh…!!” Vingeth raised his hand as he looked down the dark road. A light was slowly moving their way through the fog, growing in intensity every second. Accompanying it was the distant sound of wooden wheels rolling on gravels. “There… that’s our first batch of students.” Vingeth heaved a sigh of relief. “Vingeth…” “Hm…?” “Buggies don’t have lamps…” “Wha-?” Suddenly, out of the fog burst an inferno. It was a buggy indeed, but it was on fire and the horse was missing from the harness. It barrelled down the road towards the two at breakneck speed. Thankfully, the two jump aside at the last moment and the buggy passed them by disappearing into the foggy fields. “Heavens… Vin, they are being attacked.” Arlea cried out trying to stand up. Vingeth had already charged down the road and could be seen vanishing. No no no…!! The students...

Draycos777 -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/2/2015 12:13:15)
Kitsandra was jittery. Finally she would see Vanguard Academy! Ever since she learned that she could use magic, Kit had been practicing everyday at night and had soon realized that changing and controlling the properties of objects was her strongest point. At Vanguard, Kit hoped to not only perfect this kind of magic but also learn much more. Once in the buggy, Kit sat down and tried- and failed- to sort out the magical items she had brought with her in a sling she had bought from a traveling merchant, while subtly looking at her fellow students. Kit's excitement made her action's obvious though. The one who her gaze fell on the most, however, was a young, silver-haired girl that wore bandages over her right eye. For most, the bandages were why they stared at her, but for Kit, it was the look in the girl's eye that caused her to lock sight with her. "The look in her eye is the same as mine." Kit knew the moment their eyes locked that the girl wasn't like most. She wasn't here to become some 'hero', nor was she here just to learn her craft. Like Kit, this girl wanted to learn; that was why she was here. To learn, simply just to learn more. Kitsondra was happy that she had met someone else like her; and female at that! Hopefully they could be friends. Kit had heard a lot about Vanguard before getting on the buggy and felt that having a friend who you knew would be an excellent help in your studies felt like a huge leg-up. Kit wanted to talk to the girl, but she was as quiet and focused as Kit was when she was working. Kit doubted that the girl would hear anything she said if she sat down next to her now. So Kit acquiesced to watching her from the distance of their seats. After most of the day had gone, and Kit had long since resorted her bag three times and had taken a nap, the buggy was finally close to it's destination. A town called Gryestaff. Kit, decided that she'd walk up to the bandaged girl after all, and had a word with her before they got of the buggy and Kit lost time to speak with them. "Hey there," Kit said with a smile. "my name is Kit-" Kit stopped mid-sentence as she smelt something that made her cough. "Smoke? I know this is a warzone, but it's awfully close to be strong enough to make me cough." It was coming from in front of them... Quickly forcing herself onto the seat next to the girl, Kit kneed and pushed open the window and stuck her head out. What she saw shocked her. The buggy in front of their own had been set on fire and was racing out of control. Sure the path to Gryestaff was dangerous; everyone here knew and accepted the risk. Yet, seeing the buggy on fire was still quite the shocker. Bringing her head back in, so that she didn't take the risk of running into any stray arrows, Kit stood up and put her hands into her coat pockets. "This isn't good, that buggy could cause quite the panic in town if it isn't stopped. But I can't really do anything about it. ...I have a feeling that this will be troubling." She turned to the girl next to her. "Well now is as good as any time to talk to her I guess." "Have any suggestions on how to stop the buggy inferno?"

Bastet -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/2/2015 21:19:46)
Even though she was supportive of her father’s idea of sending her to the Vanguard Academy, Zayne was somewhat intimidated by the outside world. In all her life, she had barely left her hometown in the midst of the forest she was so familiar with. The presence of so many student accompanied by about as many carriages made her feel a bit… small. Unlike many others, though, she wasn’t carrying anything with herself. All the needed supplies were secured inside her pocket dimension, ready to be recalled in times of need. She was much quicker on her feet than those that seemed not able to leave anything at home, and she was slightly amused by that. Glad my mother passed her magic onto me. Inside the transport, she seemed to attract a lot of attention from those near her. Whether it was the bandages, the intense blood-red of her remaining iris or her spiky silver hair, every passenger seemed to have at least a gaze for her. Being the daughter of a ruler, however, she was used to being looked at. She returned most of the looks she received, trying to make the starers turn their head. She wished she could just retreat to her safe place until the travel was over, but even more hassle would've come after she returned. Zayne couldn’t help but notice that a black-haired girl wearing a white coat over a plain dark grey shirt had taken quite the interest in her. She had no idea why she was so interested, but her eyes seemed quite focused. She has the audacity to stare at me in the eye, too. Either I’m really that interesting… or this black-haired girl is just a creep. I wonder what’s in the bag that she was checking earlier. The staring game eventually came to an end, and the students spent the remaining hours of travel minding their own business. Zayne was glad that the one who seemed so interest in her eventually decided to take a nap, she wouldn’t have had to worry about her gaze for a while. When the carriage was about to reach its destination, Gryestaff, the girl finally decided to make her move. Zayne was glad, no matter the outcome she wouldn’t have seen her stare consistently again. Her friendly approach began with a smile. “Hey there, my name is Kit-” Smoke invaded the carriage, making the girl cough instinctively. As Zayne covered her mouth and nose with one of her arms, she remembered what she had read of the war against the undead going on in these parts. She had no idea who was causing all this trouble to the students’ convoy, but it wasn’t good either way. As the girl did too, Zayne noticed the smoke wasn’t coming from the sides of the transport, but from the front. The coat-wearing student forced her way next to her, peeking her head out of the window. She looked surprised at something, and Zayne managed to see what the matter was from a hole that temporarily let her see what was going on in front of the buggy. The carriage that preceded their own was little more than a blazing fireball, and nobody was controlling it. The girl retracted from the window and put her hands in the pockets of her coat, and then spoke. "This isn't good, that buggy could cause quite the panic in town if it isn't stopped. But I can't really do anything about it. ...I have a feeling that this will be troubling." Before Zayne could make an observation, she spoke again. This time, she turned fully towards her. "Have any suggestions on how to stop the buggy inferno?" Zayne looked at the floor of the carriage for a second, considering her options, and then spoke without turning her head towards the girl. “Unless anybody here is a skilled hydromancer, we won’t be able to do anything about these fires. Panicking would only make everything more difficult, so I suggest we all keep our cool. I already have my own, but I suggest that you guys begin searching for a way out in case things get dangerous. With her arm still firmly held on her mouth and nose to reduce the smoke intake, Zayne was ready to leave for her dimension the very second she would’ve been endangered.

TJByrum -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/3/2015 12:50:07)
Varick "The Wall" Valgard watched with arms crossed as the new recruits loaded themselves into the buggies. He stood as stoic as ever in the wintry weather, which was he accustomed to. He stood stern against the freezing temperatures, back straight and head cocked in a military-trained position. "How do figure the recruits will fare, Master Valgard?" Varick slowly turned his head to observe the figure beside him. It was Larus Veilus, a Captain in the Gryestaff Guard. He had been a local contact while Varick was on business for the Academy. "I believe in them, and I'm more than certain we'll produce some capable heroes to aid in efforts worldwide." Varick was ever so optimistic in the recruits. Each one of the them were misshapen pieces of materials in his eyes, and he knew with the craftsmanship they could become well-forged weapons. "Gray Vaedian is a remarkable man with a remarkable dream. To be in his presence... it honors me. I will ensure those dreams come to fruition, Gray has my everlasting loyalty." "Uh huh," Larus replied, "and we all know about the loyalty of the Valgards." In a way Larus spoke sarcastically. It was no secret that the Valgards were so often driven to corruption due to their excessive loyalty. Then again, Varick knew the man well and took his words in without offense. "Just do me a favor," Larus said as he started to turn around. "Remember that they're not Varan." Larus lifted his arm and signaled to the other guards that it was time to move out. But at that moment something happened. One of the buggies down the way had been lit alight! Already he could see Vingeth charging up to his location to help with whatever was going on. It was the undead! "Larus," Varick called out, "protect the students!" Larus turned his back and immediately motioned his guards to guard the recruits. Varick drew his greatsword which had been sheathed on his back. "Form a line, keep the students out of harm's way!" Varick readied himself, acknowledging the approaching Vingeth and preparing himself for the fight to come.

Legendium -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/3/2015 12:56:52)
Malqwen was bored. Quite bored actually. The trip in the carriage was slow, there was nothing to do and his three companions were just as boring or annoying as the trip. The pudgy kid next to him constantly had his face glued to the window, so much that it was fogging up and Malqwen was wondering if he was really looking out the window or just liked having his face stuck to it. Across from him was a tall, skinny dude with a tree growing out of his skull and a terrible complexion. Next to that weirdo was a small kid with a crutch. Apparently Malqwen was stuck in a cart full of nerdy wizards. Ugh. He had put his falconing cap over Mawik's head and gone to sleep after the first fifteen minutes. The occasional interrupting of window-face saying "Oh look, a tree!" while going through a forest only served to annoy him even more and make his nap very unpleasant. Hours went by with hardly anything of note happening, other than the odd "Oh look, a rock!" from Captain Obvious, until they were nearly to the town of Gryestaff. "Oh look-" Malqwen was about to tell the kid next to him to please shut up about rocks and trees until he heard the kid finish his statement. "the Shadowscythe!" Suddenly awake, Malqwen looked out of his own window. Skeletons and undead were raining down from one side of the hill, and a group of warriors from another. They were caught in the crossfire. Speaking of fire, the first carriage, two carriages away from them had a fireball hurtling toward it. "Oh look, a fireba-" "WE KNOW!" Malqwen shouted at window-face. "What should we do about it? There might be people on that carriage, and someone has to do something." Tree-head said. Never mind arguing and planning; let the thinkers do that. This was time for action! Kicking the glass out of his own window and ripping Mawik's hood off, he climbed on top of their own carriage, leaving the nerds inside. He would work out a plan on the way to the flaming carriage. Quickly ducking as arrows whizzed over his head, he dropped down to where the carriage driver was seated, leaping from there onto the horse's head. "Evening!" he shouted to the driver as he leapt from the head of his carriage's horse to the roof of the next one. They had reached the point where the hill was going down, and thus he simply slid down the inclined plane of the second carriage's roof, stepping on the head of its driver as he kept going. "Excuse me, coming through!" he yelled back as he jumped from the next horse to the first carriage. Barely making it, only hanging on to the very last little ledge on the thing, it started accelerating downhill. Behind him, Malqwen heard Mawik screeching at him. Oh well, can't keep everyone happy. Pulling himself up, Malqwen opened the flaming door quickly and dodged inside where there was no fire. Patting the fire off his sleeves first, he then took a look around, expecting to see puzzled panicking faces. Instead, he got a very different scene. "What the hell?" The buggy was empty, save for a few boxes of bizzarre smelling herbs. "Ah crap, what now?" Malqwen said to himself as he dodged forward, upturning a few boxes full of what looked and smelled like dragon bile. Most of the flames were at the back of the buggy. The front, while severely burned wasn't really on fire anymore. That was as safe as any a place to make a plan. Breaking down the glass that separated the driver's seat and the main cabin, Malqwen squirmed through, cutting himself slightly on the shards of glass. Luckily, (or unluckily) his coat took most of the damage. Up on the driver's seat, Malqwen had a clear view of where he was going; they were barreling through the main street of Gryestaff at a terrifying speed, causing civilians to flee and scream. Unfortunately, the horse and it's reins were gone and whoever had built it was stupid enough not to include a hand brake. And they were headed straight for a fire-spitting stone dragon statue. "HOW DO YOU STEER THIS THING!?!" Malqwen shouted at his bird, who was flying alongside him. When Mawik answered with an angry twitter, Malqwen shouted again: "WHY AM I ASKING YOU, YOU'RE A BIRD!" With no breaks and imminent doom in the form of a statue, Malqwen had to do some quick thinking. Turn or stop, that's what he had to do. He tried jumping on the far left end of the driver's seat. Nothing. What then? The flames were creeping back towards where Malqwen was and the statue was only getting closer. Then it struck him. Removing and rolling up his coat, he stuck it between where the left wheel met the carriage itself. Serving as a weak brake, the left wheel slowed. Unfortunately, the right wheel did not, and all that did was make the carriage crash into the stone dragon at an angle. Malqwen was thrown off the driver's seat, luckily not towards the stone dragon. One of the herbs inside was apparently flammable, and a small scale explosion set the rest of the carriage alight. Staggering to his feet and panting, Malqwen addressed the growing crowd. "Don't worry, everything went according to plan." He then promptly started staggering back to where the students were supposed to meet with the school officials.

Zephyrial -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/3/2015 20:20:30)
Gaius Arvain welcomed the relief of the carriage ride, bumpy and cramped as it was. After all, his journey up to this point had been long and arduous, to say the least; six endless weeks inching his way across moors and mountains, swamps and savannah, in search of the place of which he had dreamed all his life. Now, it was almost at an end. He paid little attention to the three others sharing his ride. Two appeared mostly brain-dead, and the other, a young man with a roguish air and a pet falcon, reminded him too much of the bullies of his youth. He contented himself with gazing out of the window, eager to catch his first glimpse of the academy. Suddenly, the sounds of war penetrated the stony silence of the carriage, and the smell of fire and brimstone became apparent. Scanning for the source, Gaius gasped - it was as if they had stumbled into one of the battlefields of yore. Painful memories of the ruins of his village returned to him... Be calm, Gaius. Be calm. You are not helpless... What can you do in this situation? As the rogue flapped around with a vigour that would put his bird to shame, Gaius instead closed his eyes and gathered his focus. He concentrated, casting out his vision into the world and hunting for the magical signatures that indicated that life thrived. Ignoring the distractions of the other carts - though he detected some interesting auras - he focused upon the burning cart. To his surprise, he could detect nothing at all within it; even a dead body would give off a faint whiff of magic. Withdrawing back into the real world, he gave a satisfied sigh and turned towards the rogue. "Don't worry, there's nob- he's gone." Typical. Poking his head out of the now-broken window, he watched with interest as the rogue clambered atop the burning carriage, displaying a surfeit of courage, if not any actual foresight. Quickly discovering what Gaius could have told him had he thought to wait a few seconds, he apparently decided to focus on stopping the cart instead, something that Gaius immediately realised could be a problem. The Shadowscythe did not often reach these parts, and even if they did not go anywhere near the city, the sight of a ruined carriage careening into the town square could cause mass panic. He briefly considered trying to take out one of the carriage's wheels with a blast of magic, but somehow he felt that the rogue had the situation under control. As it were, he achieved much the same end by using his coat as a makeshift brake. The cart overturned and exploded spectacularly, but Gaius could hardly fault him for that; the situation was not ideal, and he doubted he could have handled it any better himself. That can't continue. Eventually we're all going to have to deal with far worse - and win. That's why we came all this way... With the problem now dealt with, the remaining carts trundled to their final destination. Ignoring the other two students, he hefted his crutch and gently lowered himself down onto the ground. Leg still stiff from the prolonged journey, he limped over to the rogue, and flashed him a quick smile. "That was well-handled!" His expression soured a little as he regarded the undead horde advancing on the town. "I don't think we're out of the woods yet, though."

Draycos777 -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/3/2015 22:11:54)
“Unless anybody here is a skilled hydromancer, we won’t be able to do anything about these fires. Panicking would only make everything more difficult, so I suggest we all keep our cool. I already have my own, but I suggest that you guys begin searching for a way out in case things get dangerous." The bandaged girl's reply didn't offer a solution, but it was practical and Kit was at least happy about that. This girl was smart enough to know not to go about things head-first without thinking. Just then, Kit heard a loud 'thump' on top of their buggy. Had they been hit as well? Sticking her head back out the window, she saw one of the students on the roof saying "Excuse me, coming through!" as he jumped from the horse to the buggy that was on fire. "What the- what is that idiot doing?" Kit watched as the buggies picked up speed, going downhill, as the boy made his way inside the burning buggy. A few moments later and Kit could see broken glass fly from the front of the buggy. “I’m guessing that was the drivers seat. Does he even know how to steer a buggy at all?” Kit received her answer by the apparent lack of control the buggy was gaining as the boy- and his pet bird- sat in the front seat. Moments later and she say the boy use his coat as a makeshift brake. The scene this caused afterwards was a mix between borderline amusing and downright idiocy. The boy completely forgot that both front wheels were spinning at an alarming rate, and by only stopping one the other made the buggy spin out and hit the flaming dragon statue. The boy was sent flying out of the drivers seat and the collision with the fire sparked a reaction with whatever was inside the buggy causing it to burst into flames. “Oh, please tell me that wasn’t what I think it was that just exploded.” Kit said out loud. As the buggies finally reached their stop next to the city of Gryestaff and opened their doors, Kit jumped out and rushed toward where the boy, who had just been accompanied by another student, was. She then proceeded to run right by him and straight to the burning pile of magical herbs. Picking up a handful of non-smouldering herbs she groaned. All the herbs that were in the buggy had been basically vaporized . Kit stood up and quickly turned and faced the fool responsible. “Are you an idiot, or do you just have a death wish? Not only did you jump onto a burning buggy, that had no one in it. But you also caused a bigger panic than if you had left it to them!” Kit pointed at a group of men that were rushing to the student’s aid. She then placed her left hand like a prism on her temple and sighed. “You also cost the Academy valuable herbs, that would have no doubt helped the first years in their studies. To be honest, I’ve never seen anyone take matters into their own hands and mess up that badly before.”

Arthur -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/4/2015 13:29:09)
Wait, was there someone inside the buggy...?, Vingeth thought to himself as he dashed down the road, his satchel swinging wildly in the air. Another buggy passed him by, this one being unharmed. Vingeth slowed his pace as two more buggies rumbled past, both in perfect shape. He then saw what seemed like two figures standing in the fog ahead of him. Jogging on, he was just about to shout out to them when a flaming arrow whooshed past his head and struck what was a fourth buggy just passing him by. The buggy burst into flames with an explosion that sent Vingeth flying off the elevated road and into the grass that was at a depression on both sides of the road. Vingeth was blown to the left with force that almost dazed him for a moment before he crashed into the wet grass, his satchel flying over his head and dropping a few feet from him. My head, thought a stunned Vingeth as he raised himself on his elbow and rubbed his head looking around as to where he was. A clacking sound from his right made him turn his head. It slowly made its presence known as it hobbled out of the fog, first its eyes that glowed like flaming coals and then its skeletal body wrapped in heavy battle armor that was clearly too big for its Undead body. It held in its right hand a massive club that it dragged behind it, a shield was held in its left hand. This was an Undead. "Break you..." It opened its bony jaw and spoke in a wraithlike voice. I hope all the buggies have passed by now. Look after them, Arlea, Vingeth prayed as he slowly got onto his feet and wore his satchel once more. "Wraith's Claw of Judgement." he chanted. As the Undead banged his mace and started to inch forward, a dark aura gathered around Vingeth's right arm. Help me, Creator...

TJByrum -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/4/2015 13:59:42)
Varick stood in the street alongside Larus an the other guards, holding off the undead for the time being. The crack of bones and the clashing of steel sounded through the air while the chill of winter and the smell of smoke danced in circles in the chaos. "The Varan," Varick called out as he swiped his greatsword in a long sweep, "do not fall so easily!" Looking back he could see the last of the buggies go on its way, accompanied by an explosion not to far off. "Varick, there's to many of them, we need to regroup!" Larus and his men held a defensive line against the onslaught but it would not enough. "Agreed," Varick said, "order your men to fall back - steer clear of the buggies, we don't know many are going to explode." Larus began issuing orders to his men who slowly began to retreat. Varick himself finished off another group of undead and turned towards the burning cart. I must find survivors, if there are any. Varick came upon Vingeth, one of Gray's second-year students. He was obviously shaken up by the explosion and undead were approaching him. "Vingeth, is that you?" Varick charged for his position, greatsword in hand, and began fighting the undead who threatened the student. Vingeth had his own problems, however, as a mace-wielding undead warrior approached him. Vingeth can handle himself, Varick optimistically thought.

Legendium -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/4/2015 15:30:48)
"That was well-handled!" Malqwen turned around, his face covered with soot from the blast. It was the crutch kid from his buggy, limping towards him. He looked around and saw the advancing skeletons. "I don't think we're out of the woods yet, though." Technically they were, being inside the city's magic barrier. Before he could respond though, some girl rushed past him to the smoldering remains of the cart. Letting some ashes run through her hands, she turned around, glaring. Is she glaring at me? Malqwen wondered. Apparently she was as she exploded into a rant. “Are you an idiot, or do you just have a death wish?" Probably a bit of both. "Not only did you jump onto a burning buggy, that had no one in it, - " Which I didn't know. "but you also caused a bigger panic than if you had left it to them!” "Who?" Malqwen looked around, only then seeing a girl rushing towards them and a guy rushing off to another burning cart, only to be confronted by a big ol' skeleton with a mace. Further behind that was a warrior hacking and slashing bits of bone from more undead. “You also cost the Academy valuable herbs, that would have no doubt helped the first years in their studies. To be honest, I’ve never seen anyone take matters into their own hands and mess up that badly before.” Malqwen stared at her. They were in the middle of an undead invasion and she was moaning about school materials?! "Look, listen gal. I'm glad you're a good student who cares about protecting the school's stuff, no matter how bad it smells," He said in a voice suggestive of mockery. "but I think we have a slightly bigger problem on our hands." He grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her towards the scene of carnage amongst the remaining carriages. Just at that moment, the woman who had been running to them reached them. "What on earth is going on?" "An attack obviously. You blind? Now if you don't mind me saying, there are some students there who look much more in need than we do." He pointed at two students who were wrestling with a skeleton. Window-face had been tackled to the ground and tree-man was actually holding out well on his own, roots springing from the ground to ensnare his assailants. "Now, if you'll excuse me, someone should at least try to help them." With that he rushed off again, not waiting for their reactions. Picking up a rock on his way, he launched it at the skeleton attacking window-face and shouted "HEY YOU PILE OF BONES, PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE!" , which probably seemed funny judging by the fact that he was shorter than window-face. The skeleton turned around, blood dripping from its sword. Then Malqwen realized what a horrible idea this was. He had no weapons save for a screwdriver and a bird which couldn't peck the eyes out of something with none. "Ah crap" he muttered and then turned and ran for the nearest building as the skeleton started charging after him.

Bastet -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/4/2015 17:40:04)
Gryestaff was much more of a warzone than Zayne imagined it to be: the undead relentlessly clashed with the human defenders that were working to repeal them. She wondered what the organizers were thinking: why expose possibly vulnerable students to an entire army of undead beings? She almost felt like her life was being played with by those who had no right to. She didn’t pay much mind to the one who risked his life to save a carriage which she’d later find out to have been empty, being rather focused on making sure she didn’t incur any dangers while the buggies made the short trip that separated them from their destination. Zayne braced herself as the transports picked up speed by moving downhill, but before she could realize it the carriage had stopped. “Oh, please tell me that wasn’t what I think it was that just exploded.” The girl had spoken again, but Zayne had no idea what she was talking about: she didn’t know the contents that the first carriage transported. She jumped out right after Kit had, paying little mind to the other two students in their transport: she was sure they could handle themselves. Taking a few much-needed breaths of fresh air, Zayne carefully followed Kit. She was rather disorientated by the rough trip, but regained full control of her senses not long after. While Kit was busy complaining against the bird-owner, she took her time to observe her surroundings. Should I even interfere in this battle? I have a weapon and a small degree of combat training, but… nah, I’d just be in the way of the more experienced warriors. Just as she thought that, however, the handsome rogue rushed off to help one Zayne recognized as a student she saw mount the carriage directly behind hers. This student was being fiercely assaulted by a sword-wielding, yet quite short-sized skeleton. The boy threw a rock at the undead being, looking to distract it. Then, when he got his attention, he began running away, towards a building. What in the name of… why would he distract that skeleton if he has no way to fight it off? He’s going to get himself killed. Zayne decided that the skeleton looked weak enough that she could take it on, and warped the weapon that she had been given by her father for self-defense back from her dimension. The air swirled and distorted as a thin blade appeared out of seemingly nowhere. It was a well-crafted weapon from a smith of her homeland: a short sword with a curved blade. Sword in hand, she ran as fast as she could, looking to put herself between the fleeting boy and the skeleton. When she finally managed to, and stopped to face her target, the skeleton took advantage of its momentum to lunge at her. Zayne reacted instinctively, warping herself to her dimension just as the skeleton was about to reach her. A swirl in the air, and she was gone. The undead being slammed against the ground, its target gone. Just as it was about to get back up, though, Zayne reappeared where she had disappeared, turn around and kicked it back onto the hard stone of the town’s square. Without waiting for the skeleton’s reaction, Zayne aimed a slash at its neck. Just as the girl backed away, breathing heavily, the undead’s head rolled off. Did I just.. do that? Zayne’s resolve was restored as the girl decided that self-doubt would have to wait until the battle was over, and she picked up the skeleton’s weapon with her unarmed hand. It was a blood-stained blade riddled with rust, but it was better than fighting enemies bare-handed. She turned and walked towards the fleeting rogue, offering him the skeleton’s sword. “Here, and try bringing a weapon of your own the next time you join a fight. You might not be so lucky to have me save you again.”

Draycos777 -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/4/2015 18:55:17)
"Look, listen gal. I'm glad you're a good student who cares about protecting the school's stuff, no matter how bad it smells," He said in a voice suggestive of mockery. "but I think we have a slightly bigger problem on our hands." Kit wanted to punch the tan boy as he grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around, but resisted the urge. He was right after all, and the others unfortunately needed help. Help they could provide. While Kit was busy thinking up a plan, a woman ran up to them. "What on earth is going on?" The Tanned boy answered her, quite rudely in Kit's opinion but it didn't really matter at the time. "An attack obviously. You blind? Now if you don't mind me saying, there are some students there who look much more in need than we do." He then took off in the direction of two other students. Picking up a rock he throw it at the skeleton that was besting one of the students and shouted a challenge at it. "HEY YOU PILE OF BONES, PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE!" As the skeleton turned it's attention towards him, the boy then...started running away. Kit rubbed her forehead in dismay. "You sure do talk big, but I don't think that you think a single thing through." It was then that the girl Kit was talking to earlier sprung into action. As Kitsandra wondered when she had followed her out of the buggy, she watched as the bandaged girl tricked the undead to attack her then disappeared then reappeared, kicking it from behind. This caused the skeleton to crash into the ground, the girl then took the chance to slash at the skeleton's neck; defeating the monster. The bandage girl took the undead's sword and handed it to the tan boy. “Here, and try bringing a weapon of your own the next time you join a fight. You might not be so lucky to have me save you again.” "None of the students have a weapon here except you...we weren't allowed to bring any." Kit wondered how she was able to bring her own in the buggy, but pushed the question aside. It probably had to do with how she disappeared, but it hardly mattered at this point; as long as she could use it well and it looked like she could. Walking up besides the girl Kit smiled. "Nicely done, you not only got rid of one of the monster attacking us but saved the kid as well." Kit saw another skeleton coming their way and sighed. "I guess I should be happy that I get to show off my skills as well, but this could be endless if we don't do something soon." Kneeing, Kit touched the ground and pour her magic into it. The ground around the skeleton's feet started to soften and it's feet began sinking. Ending her spell, the ground returned to it's original form, with the skeleton's feet still trapped inside of it. As it struggled to get free, Kit ran up to it and dropped. Sliding between it's legs. Quickly getting back up, she ran and kicked with all her might to break it's knees. As the top of the skeleton fell over, no longer having the support of it's legs, Kit brought up her right leg and slammed it down, her booted foot coming in contact with the undead's skull. Turning around to the buggies, she trusted her left arm out and spoke in a loud, commanding voice. "To the students in the buggies that can hear me! Please check your surroundings! If your buggy is in danger please have someone signal some kind distress sign! Whether it be someone shooting off magic from a window or placing something on the outside that can attract the attention of someone who can help! Those who's buggies are safe, please begin to make your way out and into the city! Gather by the city's center and help will arrive soon!" Kit turned toward the bandage girl, though she spoke to the other two behind the girl as well. Smiling and placing her right hand on her chest, she redid her introduction. "My name is Kitsandra Fon. I'm going to help save the other students, can I count on your help as well?" "I'm totally going to get yelled at on the first day of school, but someones gotta do this."

Kinzdor -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/6/2015 10:07:31)
Chaos all around, fire blazing, under screaming, and students scrambling around. As the students under the leadership of a mage student made there way into the city one screamed. A blond haired girl began running around shouting about how she saw something move in the shed. A bold boy known only as Percy, armed himself with a stick and ventured inward. Then, a terrible scream was heard, as a goat man like being burst out of the shed. "AHH! Why would you poke someone with a stick? Why?" The goat man had a thing of brown cloth around his waist and a satchel slung across his body. "When we get there, I will write you up!" The children blinked, this mas was a tutor? "Why were you in the shed?" The stick boy asked, before coughing and adding. "Mister." Gibber stroked his beard as if insulted by this line of questioning. Gibber puffed and turned away, refusing to answer. In truth once the chaos had ensued Gibber ran out to use his epic Fawn powers to calm the horses on the buggies and save da day. He was then shot at with arrows and ran for safety while screaming like a girl. While Fauns could fight and would fight to protect there homeland of the woodlands, for the most part they were pacifists and war was not there element. Gibber sighed What kind of example is this? I am a tutor for young heros I should be a hero! With that Gibber took a step towards where the others were battling, and almost got his head shot through. Gibber ran back to the shed and decided that the students that needed help were more important. Gibber stomped his foot and let the wing bellow through his beard. Blam blam, blasts of kinetic energy flew his hands as the undead attacking the buggies were destroyed. "Come on, come on!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, the sooner all the buggies were in one place, the sooner he could put a force field around the shake. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The undead that had been attacking the students stopped and began to roar and swing at a new enemy. Large flying beetle like things where buzzing around the undead and aggravating them. The undead would swing and swing but there weapons would pass through the beatles as the light they were made of flickered. However being brainless the undead kept on swinging and swinging. Not everyone undead on the field were being bugged however only the ones attacking those of the academy. Meanwhile a buggie zoomed by with a solemn white haired girl, was hanging, from the buggies roof with her eyes closed. For the most part she was trying not to break focus on the illusion but she was also taking in the smells and sounds. So this was the Shadowsycthe? How could her mother even be though of as a part of this? The war the death, it was devastating. She pushed herself onto the roof careful not to break the illusion as she sslid down to the door, as the driver came to a stop at the shack.

Legendium -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/11/2015 17:29:39)
As the skeleton charged towards him, Malqwen quickly thought up a plan; climb a building, make a jump the skeleton couldn't and have it crushed by the fall. Just as Malqwen started running in the direction of a watchtower though, he heard a resounding crack behind him. A black-and-bandage clad girl with silver spiky hair appeared with a curved sword, somehow having brought the skeleton down; a quick slash with her sword and the beast's head rolled clean off it's shoulders. Well, well, well. Apparently he wasn't the only living human being here who was willing to act on impulse. And apparently, he wasn't the only one to sneak in a weapon; although the little blade he had in his shoe sole was useless for anything more than whittling. He had just brought it to be rebellious. She picked up the skeleton's sword and brought it over to him, holding it out in an offering gesture. “Here, and try bringing a weapon of your own the next time you join a fight. You might not be so lucky to have me save you again.” "Lucky indeed," he said, staring absentmindedly at the sword he had just accepted. It was useless to him. After all, he was coming here in order to learn how to fight. "But I had a plan; not that it matters." Unfortunately just at that moment, the girl from the flaming carriage ordeal just had to appear. "Nicely done, you not only got rid of one of the monster attacking us but saved the kid as well." Malqwen frowned. He was hoping she was referring to window-face when she had said kid. Unfortunately he couldn't make a comeback in time as she attacked one of the closest skeletons. Her little trick with getting the skeleton's feet stuck in the dirt was clever, but seemed very planned out, as if she had been counting on this moment and practicing for it. It was a technique that worked, but super-adaptability and creativity in plans were much more fun, albeit less reliable. The girl then turned around to the buggies, thrusting out her arm and acting all in-command. "To the students in the buggies that can hear me! Please check your surroundings! If your buggy is in danger please have someone signal some kind distress sign! Whether it be someone shooting off magic from a window or placing something on the outside that can attract the attention of someone who can help! Those who's buggies are safe, please begin to make your way out and into the city! Gather by the city's center and help will arrive soon!" She then turned to spiky-hair, introducing herself. "My name is Kitsandra Fon. I'm going to help save the other students, can I count on your help as well?" Feeling a moment in which he could annoy the girl even more, he acted as if she had addressed him. Stepping in front of the bandaged girl, he said "The name's Malqwen. And of course you can count on my help, what a ridiculous question. Not that it's particularly needed," He said, pointing back to the student's buggies where a cloud of bright beetles were distracting the undead attacking the students. A few were already escaping to safety. Tree-head was almost where they were, carrying a fainted window-face with him. Taking a more serious tone, Malqwen asked "Why hasn't support arrived from the Academy yet? We're supposed to be learning how to fight here; you would think there are some capable fighters in there to save us - I mean, I can't keep improvising forever, and whoever is keeping up that illusion certainly has a limit too." He looked up at the Academy on the hillside. He hoped help would arrive soon.

MoonrayDrake -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/12/2015 19:35:54)
Things sure had gone from bad to worse rather quickly. Then again, that was something Rose was used to by now. Still, being forced out of a comfortable buggie all of a sudden without knowing why was not what she was used to. She didn't like doing things without knowing exactly why she was being told to do so. Fortunately for the others, there turned out to be a good reason this time. Shadowscythe. "Just my luck.." she muttered as she drew a plain looking shortsword and looked around to see what exactly was going on. "We're going to be getting help soon, right?" she asked to no one in particular. She stood there for a moment, the chaos and death seemingly passing her by without giving her any notice, until a sharp and high-pitched voice rang through her mind, snapping her back to attention. Enemy to your right, it echoed. Rose whirled around and raised her sword, just in time to block the incoming downward slash of a darkened sword dripping with blood. She and the Shadowscythe stared at eachother for a second, both of their eyes filled with venomous hatred, before the skeletal being roared at her and withdrew its weapon for another swing. This time Rose was ready though, and she stepped to the side, easily avoiding the attack, and then kicked the skeleton on its side with her foot, sending it staggering backwards into several of its comrades. They turned around, their swords dripping with blood as two bodies slumped to the ground behind them. Upon seeing that, Rose's blood seemed to turn into ice. Images of her village being attacked and people being murdered in cold blood flashed through her mind. She saw the skeletons walking towards her, the one most in front seemed more angry than before, if that could even be read from their faces, but Rose didn't seem to move at all. Try as she might, she couldn't get her legs to start up. Something was stopping her. She wasn't going to be able to run. She was going to die here. She was ROSE! The sharp, high-pitched sound once again saved her life. She blinked, twice, and then finally moved, dodged, backwards. She shakily regained her bearings as she could feel cold sweat on her forehead. "Thanks Anjer.." she muttered, as the source of the voice revealed itself to be what most people had come to describe as a mini-dragon. It looked a bit comical as it dove down at the front skeleton, plucking at its face, trying to distract it long enough to allow the girl to regain her composure. "What would I do without you?" a smile appeared on her face, despite the situation they were in. She then shouted at the skeleton as she barreled into it, using the full weight of her body to once again send it crashing back into its comrades. The two skeleton behind it smashed their arms into the falling skeleton, causing it to smash into useless pieces, and then rushed at the girl. Rose wasted not a moment, and started away from the skeletons. She knew she could only barely save herself against one of these damn things, let alone two. Her first opponent had underestimated her because of her appearance. That had given her the edge needed, but its comrades would not make that mistake. As she ran, an image flashed through her head, that of some sort of herb. She looked to her side, noticing exactly that sort of herb, and reached out for it, grabbing a handful and tossing it at her pursuers, hitting them square in their ugly faces. They both paused, trying frantically to get this weird stuff out of their sight. Rose used this moment to jam her sword into one of their stomachs, using her weight again to send the skeleton barreling backwards. The force of the impact nearly ripped her sword out of her hands, but she was able to draw it out of the enemy before it could fall over. That left only one skeleton, who had by now gotten rid of the nasty herbs and came running at her, sword primed to strike. She jumped to her left, avoiding the imminent attack, which had the skeleton staggering due to its momentum. Rose then quickly gave it a firm kick onto its rear-end, and then smiled as it dashed its head on the gravel, shattering its head into tiny bits. "Phew...that was close.." she let out a sigh of relief, as Anjer perched himself on her shoulder. Rose stood there for a moment, enjoying her victory, and then realized where she was again. "Oh heavens! What about the other students? Are they okay? Where are the teacher? Damnit..I swear if we all die before we reach the Academy I'm going to..." She was left speechless as she saw one of the buggies on fire racing off into the distance. "Maybe we should try and run to meet the teachers..?" She decided to run in the direction of th Academy, to hopefully do just that and possibly help out some of the others if they needed it.

Arthur -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/13/2015 3:25:30)
The shattered bones lay at Vingeth's feet, nothing more than mere bone powder now. Raising his black arm into the sky, Vingeth let loose a sparkling red bolt of dark aura straight at the clouds high up, a flare of sorts, meant to signal for reinforcements. He then shook his hand to dispel the aura and return his hand back to normal. Sighing to himself, Vingeth charged up the slopes back onto the road wherefrom he ran towards the Stand where the buggies had stopped and students were getting off of them. The Undead had been attracted towards all the ruckus and were now attacking the students in droves. "Darn it...!! Leave them alone..!" Vingeth screamed as he scooped up a stone on the run and as he passed by and Undead, banged the stone into the Undead's skull causing it to dislodge and roll away on the ground. "Everyone...!! Get to the square now. I want everyone inside the barrier. You can't fight these creatures without proper training and weapons. I have signalled for reinforcements and they should be coming anytime now. Get back in." As Vingeth dodged past the Undead, charging straight for the buggies, he saw a girl running into the grass, heading for the Academy. "No...!! You there, stop. That way is not safe. Stay in the barrier." Vingeth shouted to her before jumping off the road and running into the grass behind her. "Arlea, take the students and tutors to safety and head for the Academy. Meet me where we met this evening. Go..!!" The Mentalist, Arlea took note of Vingeth's command and from where she was standing at the Stone Dragon square, sent out a mental broadcast to all who were within her range. "Students, I need you to gather at the square immediately. Stop trying to fight these things and get to me. We'll be leaving for the Academy." she projected. Varick was someone that all students Second Year and up knew. He had been teaching at the school for quite some time now, plus he was a very skilled soldier too. Arlea had known him for as long as she had studied at the Academy. "Varick... Sir." she called out. "Please help cover these students while I get them back into the barrier." She further saw Professor Goat trying to help out but before she could call out to him, something strange happened. A green glob like anomaly slowly floated out of the fog and headed for Gryestaff. It was at a medium altitude and seemed to have a strangely morphing shape that made it look like a Water creature of some sort. It hovered past the Stand above the conflict and straight for the translucent magical barrier. Within just a few seconds, it connected with the Magical barrier and exploded in a green flash that was blinding enough to make everyone shield their eyes. When the students opened their eyes however, nothing had changed, nothing seemed different except, those who meddled with magical energies would have already guessed by then. "Oh... My... God..." Arlea whispered as her eyes widened in horror. "The barrier's gone." ...

Micosil -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/13/2015 12:57:09)
Korb was not happy and, being the generous person that he was, he was sharing his unhappiness with an unfortunate skeleton that had had the gall of trying to stop him from leaving the new teacher's buggy. The creature was sturdy but rather slow, so the doppelganger had been able to slam the hilts of his daggers on its skull a couple of times while gracefully dodging blows, cracking it progressively until it just shattered in a rain of bone shards. "Bloody things." He cursed under his breath, patting away at his clothes, a rather unremarkable set of white shirt and brown trousers that made him look like a peasant more than anything else. "Nothing to stab, nothing to poison, nothing to confuse..." He pointed each complaint with a distracted kick at his fallen enemy as he glanced around the battlefield - for a battlefield was what this journey had turned into, and the battle was not going the way of the Academy. Students everywhere were doing what they could to fight off the creatures, and it was already a testament to the level in the Academy that, unarmed and caught off-guard, the untrained students were managing to hold their own with minimal losses - beyond a lot of frightened youths and a burning buggie, Korb could not see anyone severely injured. The city's barrier was clearly making things easier in that regard, but it didn't make the students' survival any less praise-worthy. A creaking sound next to him forced him to focus his attention back on the fight and, not even a second afterwards, a sword swung wide by his side, being sidestepped by the rogue by a hair's breadth. Focus on being alive, stupid. He chastised himself, though outwardly he was smiling. No point fighting here. In the distance, instructions were being shouted, garbled by the noise of the fights, but it was clear in Korb's mind that the best place to fall back to was behind the town's barrier. The skeleton swung again, but the rogue was already speeding off in the direction of the barrier - his buggy had ended up rather away from the students', but he had faith in his speed to get him there before he got surrounded by skeletons. The doppelganger bobbed and weaved through the skeletons and towards the shield himself, interrupting his steps every so often as he moved to aid students here and there, shoving a skeleton off, smashing another one's head - until a fellow illusionist created swarms of insects to harass the creatures, effectively removing them from the fight and letting him just sprint full-speed towards the barrier, skidding to a halt underneath it, panting lightly for breath as he looked at the students around him. In the vanguard another teacher was fighting off the skeletons, over there another fought with magic of his own, but they were pitifully outnumbered and would probably appreciate some help. If there are senses to fool... well, that does open up a whole new realm of possibilities! I might even be of assistance this fight. They're clearly not the type of skeletons I'm used to, but all the better for us, since I believe I can... A swirling orb of green interrupted his thoughts when it popped out of the fog's cover, heading towards the barrier in what could only be described as a determined straight line, as if it were alive. The moment it touched the protective shield, a blindingly bright green glow filled the field. A moment later, when his vision returned, Korb was staring at a complete absence of barrier - bad news for everyone. Sparing just a moment to think his actions, Korb launched into an incantation, quietly weaving the magic into an old battlefield prayer, eyes closed as power flowed through him - and then the magic into it sprung to life, as a large oval of the purest white appeared over the town square, swirling for a few seconds before splitting into two large wings, an humanoid figure glowing with such inner light in its center that it was hard to see anything beyond a blurry contour. Its hand stretched forward and a veritable rain of bolts fell on the battlefield, one for each skeleton, exploding in a shower of sparks in contact with their target. "Fear not." It said with a feminine voice as it curled its wings back into the central glow and, as the brightness dimmed, it was no longer there. Behind the angelic illusion, Korb had worked other, more subtle ones into some of its projectiles, ones that would make some of the skeletons perceive the other undead as targets - he hadn't had much time to work, so there were only four or five of the confused creatures in the field - the lightshow was mostly to hide what the attack consisted in, should the mage that had destroyed the barrier try to break this spell as well. "C'mon, let's move!" He yelled out loud, hoping the illusions would get them enough time to make a relatively clean getaway.

Zephyrial -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/13/2015 14:44:26)
"No, don't go out th- They're gone". Damned idiots! We're not the heroes here... we're the ones that are in need of saving! But glory was in the air, and ignoring his protests the other students had all rushed off near-simultaneously into the fray, despite not possessing weapons and being hopelessly outnumbered. The idea of remaining behind the barrier, in total safety, had clearly not occurred to any of them. Furrowing his brow, Gaius stared intently at the melee and considered his options. He could, perhaps, hobble out past the barrier and throw out a couple of blasts... but if he got overwhelmed he would have no way to escape, and he doubted he could do much. Or, stay safely behind the barrier, as the Academy representatives would surely rather they did. Yes, better to hang back. Perhaps his peers would call him a coward, but better to be a coward than a fool! As it was, he contented himself with observing the movements of the undead as they lumbered towards the town, heads lolling and skin peeling. A moment later, he was vindicated. Wielding a shadowy mace in his right hand, an elder student came barreling down the hill, roaring commands to retreat at the students. Looks like the cavalry has arrived! One by one, other powerful entities emerged, both older students and teachers, and launched into the fray, striking about themselves with spell, sword and artistry. A calming woman's voice invaded their minds, compelling the more sensible of the assembled students to rush for the town square. No doubt some would not be able to break away from the fight so easily. Then, from over the horizon, Gaius suddenly sensed a shift in the winds of magic that blew over the battlefield. A glowing green orb of indeterminate shape and consistency slowly made its way over the melee, heading with undeniable intent towards the barrier. It was dangerous, for sure, with a chaotic aura that seemed to warp the very fabric of the air around it. Unstoppable, it collided with the barrier, releasing a gigantic flash of light that flooded the town square with a baleful glow. When the light faded... no barrier remained. Even the least magic-sensitive of those gathered could see that the situation was now dire. Gaius went into survival mode. Without hesitation he fixed his gaze on the nearest undead and extended his hand, watching as tendrils of mana danced around his fingertips. For a moment, it froze - then, darted forward like a striking snake, forming a bolt that cleared the distance to the skeleton in the blink of an eye. His first shot missed, but the second struck the undead directly on the ankle, shattering it into a cloud of bone shards. Roaring, the creature fell to one knee - enraged, but slowed. Gaius repeated the process on each of the nearest skeletons, until he was reasonably certain that he could make a good break for it. Turning on his heel and fixing his crutch, he began to make his way as fast as possible towards the safety of the academy. Thankfully, his decision to hang back meant that he was in a good position to do so, despite his sluggish pace - he dreaded to think what might have happened had he made the rash decision to venture out from beyond the barrier. From out of the corner of his eye, he witnessed an aged man - dressed simply but oozing with exotic energies - dash out into the open. Muttering a quick incantation, he held his hands aloft - and the sky was filled with light. Beneath the surface, Gaius could easily sense that the spell had no weight behind it, but the spectacle was impressive regardless. And despite his convictions, it seemed that the spell was more than just a show, as he witnessed a skeleton suddenly spin around and drive its dagger into the abdomen of one of those he had crippled. Amazing... Soon, feats like that will be within my grasp. Just... got to... make it back...

Draycos777 -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/14/2015 15:40:42)
"They should have been here by now. Where are they?" Standing at the entrance of Vanguard Academy, along with the other tutor who would welcome the new arrivals, Arachnid waited for Vingeth and Arlea to show up if the students in tow. Waiting... She had been waiting for awhile now and the other tutors that noticed her ever increasingly worried face tried to comfort her with care-free comment of, "Don't worry, I'm sure they're fine" or "I bet they just got delayed during the trip. They'll be here any minute." So Arachnid waited and waited, until she was almost on edge and had half a mind to go out and find those two. That is until what she had feared became known. A red flash in the sky told it all. It was a distress signal sent out by Vingeth. The students were in trouble and it was her job to make sure they got back safely. Not just as the assassin hire by Gary Vaedian, but also as a tutor of Vanguard. Arachnid took off quickly and silently towards the direction of the flash, and before the other teachers could even form an organized team, she was on her way to the city. "I knew something was wrong. I should have trusted my instincts and went with them!" Pressing her lips together, Arachnid made a soft, but, high-pitched whisting sound. It didn't seem important at first since nothing happened right away, but soon after, seconds of quiet turn into far off rumbling as if a stampede was headed her way. It grew louder and louder, until Arachnid jumped as she reached the downturn of the hill the Academy rested on. Coming up beneath her was the source of the noise. A creature that, for all intents and purposes, could be described as a giant, organic armor plate with eight legs, six red eyes and a mouth with two large fangs with rows of sharp teeth. Landing gracefully and silent on the back of the creature, Arachnid gave it an order. "Alerhind! As fast as you can to Gryestaff's Caravan shack! The students are in trouble!" Alerhind, the giant spider, screeched and it's eight legs moved so fast that it looked it it's legs would start to burl if it could go any faster. As the large spider raced down the hill, Arachnid had to place her right hand down to steady herself on him as Alerhind suddenly jumped to avoid ploughing into a red-headed girl, who was making her way toward and up the hill. Arachnid caught a quick glance of the girl, she was one of the students. A new arrival then, coming to warn about the attack? Whatever the case may be, Arachnid's main concern was the rest of the students that haven't made it into the safety of the barrier yet. Landing, Alerhind kept going, his eight legs like clockwork, never missing a beat. They only stopped once. As they approached the bottom of the hill and to the city, a green mass made contact with the city's magic barrier and a blinding bright light ensued quickly afterwards. Alerhind skidded to a halt, leaving tracks in the dirt, as the light had blinded both of their eyes. When their sight returned, Arachnid's heart nearly skipped a beat by what she saw or the lack thereof. "The barrier is...gone. Now not just the students, but all of the city-folk are now in danger." As she spoke this out loud, Arachnid noticed a familiar face running towards them. It was Vingeth, who was no doubt chasing after the stray girl she saw before. She decide to call out to him. "Vingeth! Don't worry about the girl! She'll run into the group of tutors headed our way soon enough. More importantly, the barrier is gone! The whole city of Gryestaff is in danger now! Go, hurry and tell the Headmaster! I, along with the other tutors no doubt, are on our way to help the students, so don't worry!" With that, she gave Alerhind a pat and he took off once more, racing downwards to the students. Coming upon the scene, Arachnid notice that some of the students were fighting back against the skeletons of the Shadowsycthe themselves and Varick, who had traveled with the students was already in the fray. "How very like him, always the first to throw himself into battle." She pushed this thought aside quickly though and looked about the battle to see exactly who the enemy was. "Great, nothing but skeletons." This was both a blessing and a curse at the same time. While the undead, besides liches, were dumb, slow and easy to kill...again, their number were many and Arachnid disliked them more then any of the other members of the Shadowsycthe. Out of all the other Shadowsycthe, her poison didn't work on the undead, because they is nothing to poison to begin with. Which meant she actually had to use a bit of effort to kill these lowly things. As they raced into the chaos of fighting, Arachnid patted Alerhind and pointed to the buggies under attack by the skeletons. "Go and help the students! I'll clear out the city streets and make sure the path to the town square is safe for them!" With that she jumped off the spider and landed near the closest skeleton. Without it even noticing she was ever there, she cracked the spinal joint holding the head a top the neck between the palms of her hands and left to dispatch the next monster, as the skeleton's head fell and the rest of it's body crumpled to the ground soon after. "I hate wasted energy, but it's for the safety of the students so it can't be helped this time." Making her way to the town square, she took out all the skeletons in her way. Crushing skulls, breaking pelvises, snapping legs and fracturing spines. She left the street to the town square she was just in a mess of bones, until she came across Arlea, a burning buggy and a couple of students that had made it into Gryestaff. Walking up, silently as ever, behind the young second year Arachnid placed a hand on her shoulder. "How many of our new arrivals are still out there and how far has the enemy got into the city?" No sooner had his master had leaped from his back, that Alerhind had reached the buggies going at his speed. With an echoing shriek, he rammed his body into the ill-prepared skeletons that were attacking the students. The ones unfortunate enough to fall beneath his feet soon found themselves crushed by the power and weight of his body. Tearing and biting through their bones like tissuepaper, Alerhind cleared the immediate area of the monsters while the rest backed off in order to make sense of the new threat before them. With the time he had bought himself, he turned to the buggies. How was he going to get all these students to safety? Pushing the buggies one-by-one would be a pain and there was always the risk of one or more of the students trying to jump out and make a run for it. Looking into the buggies he could tell some of the students knew he was here to help while the others, panicked by the recent attack, looked completely terrified. One had even fainted. Useless human children. Alerhind sometimes wondered why his master even bothered teaching them. However, she had ordered him to keep them safe and he wasn't about to let her down any time soon. He decided to do this the most efficient way possible and bring them all to the town square at once, despite whatever protest they might have. With his decision made, Alerhind climbed onto the closest buggy and began to spin a web. Covering the door first he moved on to the roof and jumped from one buggy to the next making sure that the force of his weight didn't break anything. Once the roofs were connected, he hopped onto the side of the first buggy and began to web the sides, back and fronts of all the buggies together in a small dome leaving the only parts of the buggies not woven together the bottom and wheels. Once he was certain the buggies were firmly in place and not going anywhere, Alerhind wove and connected a harness. Biting down on it, he dragged the spiderweb-domed buggies to the town square.

Bastet -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/15/2015 15:43:25)
Zayne barely bothered to look at Kit’s display of skill, rather looking at the kid she had just saved absent-mindedly accept the sword she offered him. He was an interesting character, but that wasn’t the time to idly sit around admiring her fellow students. The black-haired girl spoke again, this time in a commanding voice. Zayne didn’t pay much attention to her until she was done shouting and turned to speak to a more enclosed group of students. "My name is Kitsandra Fon. I'm going to help save the other students, can I count on your help as well?" This girl is definitely interested in me. Why, though? I didn’t do anything to stimulate her attention. Perhaps I should stop wearing these bandages and just expose my blind eye. Nah, they’d just stare at that instead. Zayne didn’t often refuse eye contact with others, as she was going to inherit the leadership of a whole town, but she had almost no regards towards the others who would be joining the Academy. They were here to learn new crafts, not take interest in each other’s features. Before Zayne could reply to Kitsandra, the boy she had just saved shoved his way inside the conversation. Perhaps he was looking to annoy either of them, but the bandaged girl wasn’t open to picking up provocations for the moment. She let the dashing rogue interact with Kitsandra, stepping out of the conversation and taking her time to observe her surroundings. Suddendly, a telepathic message reached Zayne’s mind. She wasn’t used to interacting with such magic, and was quite surprised by it. "Students, I need you to gather at the square immediately. Stop trying to fight these things and get to me. We'll be leaving for the Academy." The surprises weren’t over, though: a green, floating glob was approaching the dome that protected the central parts of the city. When the two entities collided, there was a blinding flash. Zayne covered her eye while the barrier collapsed. As soon as she realized what had happened, she decided that she had to make her way to safety as soon as possible. Zayne wasn’t going to join the students who wanted to carelessly lose their lives on a battlefield they didn’t belong to. In the meanwhile, it looked like the boy whose life she had saved finally was done talking to Kitsandra. About time you quit making unnecessary noise. The situation is bad enough without you wasting everyone’s time. She stepped back towards the girl, and hoped that the students around her would listen to common sense. “You’ve heard the message and seen the flash, I hope you realize we have to make our way to the Academy. This is a battlefield we absolutely don’t belong to, we have to do as the one who sent the message said. My name is Zayne, by the way.” She looked at the girl for a second, giving her the time to understand what she had just said, and started walking on the road to the Academy at a brisk pace. The sword was still in her hands, but she would have rather faced a punishment than the loss of her own life.

Kinzdor -> RE: Vanguard Academy (1/16/2015 2:49:48)
Gibber stood providing ranged support for the buggies, keeping the mindless beasts at bay. The plan was to get all the buggies by the shack, create a force field to hold out the undead, and escort the students into the proper barrier. Gibber frowned as he felt something wiggling around in his mind. He got the students message, he understood it, and applauded her efforts but Gibber couldn't get over the fact that she dared enter his mind! He was about to turn around and yell at her with some rapid hand movements when, he stopped dead in his tracks. The energy's were off, a new strong and unnatural energy had entered the area. The green blob destroyed the barrier upon contact, a terrifying reminder of the true magical threat the Shadowscythe poised. Gibber took a few steps, he tried to mask it with a goofy grin but his eyes gave window to his true thoughts. The nature of the situation seemed to have blasted his witty and goofy personality away, as he walked through the town almost in a trance. ….................................................................................................................................................................. Jessie stood there for a while, it wasn't until a skeleton approached that she moved. She just stood there looking at the town, the blob had been Shadowscythe magic. Far greater then anything she had ever seen her mother do, but she believed she may have been capable of it. Outside of lessons and protection spells mother and hidden her spells and such from Jessie. It was all playing over and over in her mind. The words accusing her, the knife slicing through the black silk gown, and the wind in her face as she ran. Jessie screamed as the skeleton, grabbed her and tried to swing her around. She got her bearings soon enough, and manged to move out of the creatures grasp and roll underneath him. Her mirror like eyes scanned the ground searching for anything. Stealing all your meals and nightmares when you shut your eyes doesn't tend to booster ones energy. She almost passed out from the beetles, no this one would take a melee but there was nothing to use, unless.............she ducked quickly as the creature swung at her head. As she rolled on the ground kicking up small clouds of dirt she grabbed something in her hand. She ran her fingers down the rough edges and CRACK. The rock connected with the skeletons jaw, not a killing blow for a undead but it gave her enough time to move. Jessie manged to slip past the remaining undead as she made her way to the now defenseless town. She climbed up onto the roof of what seemed like a inn and took a shortcut towards the square, her feet were about to leap onto the next ledge when a angel appeared. I'm ether dead, or the powers of heaven shine upon us After that thought had come and gone, Jessie's brain processed what she was seeing. Blue sparks rained from the angels hands, Jessie could only make out the shape of angel as the light was so strong. “Magic. A illusion? But it can fight?” Jessie said partly in her head partly out loud, far more complex then anything she could ever dream of casting. It seemed to be a mixture of one magic on top of another, Jessie's mother had demonstrated magic like that but never on such a scale. Perhaps Jessie could wield that kind of power one day, that thought would have been a dream for most students of magic here. For Jessie however it made her stomach clench. The illusion magic shed practiced and enjoyed well enough, but the mirror magic terrfeid her. The magic was meant to be this gift yet what had it brought? Her mothers death? Shunned by society? Hideous white hair, and eyes like emotionless glass? Threats to her life? The possible death of her father? Was that the price of magic? Pain and sorrow? Jessie heard some random girl cry out for them to head to the academy, and was stirred from her thoughts.. Jessie hoped down to where she was and prepared to follow. While her mind was on the same track as the girl she had to wonder, why all these students kept acting like they were in charge. …............................................................................................................................................................. Gibber could hear a few cry's from students about the buggies being attacked, but Gibber could tell hostile movements from malevolent ones, and let the creature be, there where other worry's at the time. Gibber looked at the homes, and the family's that lived there. There homes would soon be up in smoke just as his had been, they would soon be lost without a purpose. Gibber approached the group forming to move towards the academy in the square. A skeleton that had followed them in came towards them. It raised its large ax, swung, and found the ax causing a surge of purple light. “Get close if you want to be in the field!” He called out as loud as he could, as he stood there taking charge in a way a tear rolled from his eye and down his cheek. He flicked it away No time for that! Must protect the future

Arthur -> RE: Vanguard Academy (2/1/2015 0:06:34)
Arlea led the remaining few students through the now empty streets of Gryestaff and into the snowy wastelands away from all the chaos that took place back at the Stand. Vingeth was still unaccounted for, having run after that girl into the wastelands. The visibility was as it had been at the start of that evening, less than 20 metres and still lessening. Having asked the Tutors to guard the back and the flanks, Arlea herself led the group of about 50 students through the 4 foot high snow into the endless night that occasionally rang out with a few howls, cries and metallic twangs being carried through the air by the wind flowing in from Gryestaff. Before long though, a massive dark shape made its presence known through the snow and fog, seeming like a gigantic dragon's skeletal remains except, there were huge walls extending to both sides of it endlessly away. "We're here," Arlea started. "We made it..." And all looked on in awe as what had seemed to be nothing but a skeleton was actually a gate. "...This is the Vanguard Academy." The gates swung open as Arlea led the group into the Academy grounds and didn't stop until they were well inside the campus and the Gates had swung closed behind them with a loud thwang. "Please look around the campus while I make some enquiries at the main office." Arlea directed the students. "You are safe here. I am sure Vingeth will come here and help you to your rooms shortly." And with that, Arlea disappeared off towards a huge building in the distance leaving the students and Tutors standing just inside the Gates. This was going to be a long night.

Bastet -> RE: Vanguard Academy (2/8/2015 15:01:46)
After walking off, Zayne didn’t have trouble finding the telepathic girl who had called for every stranded student. The silver-haired girl sent her weapon back to where she had called it from: the academy had been very clear about the ban of weapons belonging to the students, but Zayne was sure that a sword hidden in a parallel dimension couldn’t be found or confiscated by the authorities. Still, she didn’t like relying on people she didn’t know for safety. Zayne tried to ignore the chaos and the screams induced by the undeads’ assault, though it made her doubt if her new school could really ward off all these threats. Being trapped in an institution surrounded by such terrible creatures didn’t sound like such a good thing. Still, Zayne momentarily lent her trust to the Vanguard Academy. The absurdly low visibility didn’t help the group of students and teacher reach their destination, though Arlea seemed sure enough on her steps. This reassured Zayne, who walked towards the front to avoid unnecessary contact with people she didn’t know. At the very worst, the undead would have to go through the teachers protecting the back and the students in front of them before they could reach the head of the group and attack Zayne. These worrying thoughts were interrupted when a gigantic, skeletal figure appeared through the enshrouding fog. Zayne was almost intimidated by it, but Arlea seemed rather relieved at the sight. It soon turned out to be the entrance to the academy, pleasantly surprising Zayne. Perhaps they’d finally be safe behind the walls of the school. "We're here, we made it..." Zayne noticed that this was the time Arlea had spoken since she had managed to collect togheter all the students to lead them towards the institution, and perhaps this showed that she could’ve been just as nervous as the others were. "...This is the Vanguard Academy." Though Arlea immediately led the sudents into the campus, Zayne didn’t have much time to look around. Even if she wanted to, the fog would’ve prevented her from seeing anything important. Still, their guide eventually left them. While most students dispersed, Zayne stayed. She wanted to spend some time to see if the others she had met earlier were with her, alive and well. She didn’t particularly care about them, she was rather moved by curiosity.

Draycos777 -> RE: Vanguard Academy (2/10/2015 10:04:52)
"The name's Malqwen. And of course you can count on my help, what a ridiculous question. Not that it's particularly needed," As she addressed the group, the tan-skinned boy stepped between her and the silver-haired girl. The boy's, Malqwen's, actions were odd. Was there a mistake and he had not realized that she was talking to the both of them? If that the case was she doing this just to annoy the both of them? Slight irritation arose in Kit. There was no time for petty fights right now but this id-. "No calm down. Remember mom always said that a lack of composure would get one killed on the battlefield, and looking around this is nothing else then a battlefield right now." Pushing her angry down Kit looked at way the boy was pointing. The Buggies where being dragged away by a huge monster. Kit was about to go into a fighting stance when she realized that they were being taking to town. "Well, there goes my plan I guess." With the other students saved there was really no point for them to be here any longer. As if confirming her line of thought, a message was sent into her head and the girl she had spoke to at the town's square entered her head. "Students, I need you to gather at the square immediately. Stop trying to fight these things and get to me. We'll be leaving for the Academy." Kit would have no doubt been surprised by the sudden message in her head, however it was pushed back another surprise. Kitsandra was straining her neck to look skywards at a massive green blob. It ignored everything else going on and headed straight for the city. Making contact with the city's barrier a large flash was made forcing her and the nearby students to shield their eyes. When she opened them again things went from bad-but-handleable to extremely dangerous. The blob had destroyed the barrier and the whole city was now able to be attacked, leaving the Academy as the only safe place left. Even though she had asked the others to help her save the rest of the students trapped in the buggies, there was no more reason for them to be here now. RIght now, the ones she had to worry about were herself and those around her. Malqwen mumbled something, but Kit wasn't playing any attention to him while lost in her thoughts. “You’ve heard the message and seen the flash, I hope you realize we have to make our way to the Academy. This is a battlefield we absolutely don’t belong to, we have to do as the one who sent the message said. My name is Zayne, by the way.” The silver-haired girl finally answered her. She was right, as much as Kit disliked turning her back on an enemy that had attacked them, there wasn't much choice this time around. Zayne seem to wait for a moment or two for Kit, but she needn't had. As the girl was walking off towards town square, Kit too was walking off, although at a slower rate. While the group of students headed towards the Academy, Kit found herself a few students behind Zayne. With the low visibility and lack of anything better to do while walking, Kit studied the backs of those infront of her. Possibly because she was focused on the battle, Kit never really noticed Zayne's hair color. But now that she had the time to relax, she finally took notice of it. It was a silver that reflected the light of the Moon...like her mother's. Kit reach up to touch the ends of her own hair. She had inherited her father's hair and eye color, making her hair seem like the complete opposite of her mother and this girl. It was a deep pitch-black that made people entranced when they looked at it. It was as if they were staring into a gateway that led to a world void of light. At first the stares made her feel awkward, but is soon got use to them over the years. "We're here," The girl that was leading the group of students, Arlea, pulled Kit out of her thoughts. "We made it..." They had stopped infront of a skeleton-like black gate, as a huge Building loomed behind it. Even in at night, with the visibility as bad as it was, the Vanguard Academy was quite the majestic sight to behold. "...This is the Vanguard Academy." As they stood in the courtyard, Arlea left the students and tutors to their own devices. As most of the students disappeared within the walls of the Academy, Kit looked at the age old architecture in awe. Turning around she noticed that Zayne was also still there. "So, what do you think?" Kit asked the girl as she walked up to her. "I heard that the Academy was grand but I still wasn't prepared for this. I wonder just how they got a hold of someone that could build these old designs."

Bastet -> RE: Vanguard Academy (2/13/2015 12:52:58)
Zayne sighed as Kitsandra approached her once again. She was used to being sought after by people, but only rarely had someone been as persistent as the raven-haired girl. Still, Zayne welcomed her attention more than that of other students. By engaging in conversation with the girl, those that she had no interest in but that might’ve still approached her would’ve hopefully steered away from the conversing duo. "So, what do you think? I heard that the Academy was grand but I still wasn't prepared for this. I wonder just how they got a hold of someone that could build these old designs." Zayne took, for the first time, a good look at the girl. She noticed how stark the contrast between their respective appearances was: it was almost as if they were born as complete opposites. Silver and blood red greeted black and light violet. As she spoke, Zayne didn’t hold back from communicating her true thoughts. “I think that I’d rather not study in a school surrounded by the undead, as I’m not seeking to become a necromancer. As impressive as all this might be, I’d rather be sure I’m safe. Though I have to suppose it is defended enough, considering I don’t see any ‘dead around here.” Zayne stopped for a second, collecting her thoughts again. She had released out all the worries she had put away while she was trying to escape from the assault on Gryestaff. Behind the mask of calmness she had been wearing until then, she had been thinking she could’ve died in a foreign town, away from her home country. The silver-haired girl focused once again on her interloper and, for once, took the initiative. “As far as I know, the school is organized in dormitories, though I think we may choose who we’ll share our room with if we already know someone. Considering we already know each other somewhat, I have a proposal for you. I’d much rather share a room with someone like you than a random student.” Zayne paused for a second and pulled out a half-smile, tilting her head slightly. “Would you like to share a room with me, Kitsandra?”

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