Chapter 2: Introducing the Crew, Part 2.
"What!" was the first thing that came to the lips of the some hundred 10th years sitting in the hall. This had never been heard of in the hundreds of years that the two academies had been separated. The western academy in Geffen was the branch of the academy that housed the young women who hoped to explore the world as adventurers.
For as long as everybody had known, the two academies had been completely separate. Students of the two academies where forbidden to contact each other, and the western academy had its own exit level exam, something to do with finding something under the city of Geffen.
As soon as the noise died down, the head master waved his hands, and the door opened. In through the entrance stepped a shady mysterious lady. This new arrival seemed to be searching for something, maybe a certain teacher, but judging by her frown, she never found whatever it was. Corkk blinked, and she was next to the head master.
"What the Hell! Her speed was insane!" he thought, "If all of the women of the West are that fast, I might find a worthy opponent among them."
A peculiar noise made everyone turn their attention towards the doors again. In, past the great stone Titans that guarded the academy, and between the wooden doors, marched a line of girls. A better description might have been women, for none of them was below 17 years old. Each carried with them a weapon or two, and a pack, except the first two. The first two, the heads of the line, where holding pikes with flags fastened to the ends. One flag bore the griffon and crossed swords that signified the kingdom of Rune-Midgard. The second flag though held a Lotus, with a knife and a flaming staff. The second flag they could only assume was the flag of the west academy.
Once the Women where seated at the seats that had been left open for them (the first years where kept in their classes), the Head master began speaking again.
"As was previously mentioned, we have offered to host the exams for both academies, as a way to break the century long barrier that was erected by my predecessors. Today we have prepared a feast, feel free to mingle with the women, friendship now may just signal friendship later. Now, I seem to hear the stomach of one of our most prized students protesting to my long speech," Corkk blushed and looked away, his stomach had been rumbling for the past few minutes and he was sitting just feet away from the professor, "so lets begin the feast!".
Gasps of surprise were heard from the girls as the waiters dropped from the ceiling with large silver platters. The boys were used to this event, the Kitchen was directly above the Great hall, and this was the most efficient way to deliver the food, and what food there was! Some plates were heaped with tropical fruits, while meats where mounded on other platters. Giant bowls were lowered to each table, some containing salads while others held exquisite deserts. At intervals along each of the tables, there were pitchers of milk, juices, and, at the tenth year's tables, ale. Three waiters delivered a roast hog to each table, holding it between them as they were lowered to the table.
Over all, the feast left most inhabitants of the academy stuffed. Corkk, who had never had much of an appetite, had himself finished four platefuls by the time he was done. He had also drained several tankards of ale.
He looked over at Friiy; he was pathetic, reeling drunk after two glasses. He wouldn't be surprised if the lazy mage to be could get drunk off just the sight of the ale.
Colin next to him had finished his twelfth plate. "He may be small," thought Corkk, "but he certainly has a fast metabolism."
A few of the boys had gathered enough courage to saunter up to the girls table, and currently the table was giggling as a red faced 9th year was attempting to introduce himself to one of the flag bearers.
What really caught Corkk's attention was the trio of girls sitting in the corner. The tallest one was still shorter than him, and had long blonde hair, she kept blushing every time she looked over at him, but Corkk didn't know what that meant since he had been cut off from most of the opposite sex for the past10 years. The one to her right had short red hair and seemed to glow with utter selflessness, "bah," he thought she was definitely going to end up as an acolyte. The last one was short with medium-length curly hair she seemed to be doing all the talking and frequently burst into fits of seemingly uncontrollable giggles. They thought that Corkk hadn't notice them looking at him, and he decided that he would give them the idea that that was true. So he casually looked around the room and talked to Colin and Friiy, all the while keeping the three in his sights.
"What strange people," he thought after the blonde girl blushed for what seemed to be the millionth time. They didn't seem to be doing anything other than talking and blushing.
He was snapped back into his senses when the headmaster stood up.
"You may all return to your dorms now, except for you three," he said as he pointed to Corkk, Friiy, and Colin.
A feeling of dread spread through Corkk. Had they finally figured out who had blown up all the chickens?
"We are having some problems on our campus…" started the headmaster when they where the only ones left in the hall.
"Here it comes," thought Corkk, "we've finally been caught after 10 years of pranks and practical jokes."
"There seems to be a lack of space in our campus for the new arrivals," continued the old scholar, and I need you to escort three young women to the spare cottage near your dorm on the outskirts of camp."
All three of the students breathed a sigh of relief, since all of them thought that they were gonna be caught.
"The girls are waiting outside of the door…" he explained, "and remember, show them the best hospitality you can muster, we want to make a good impression on these women so that they will come again next year."
The boys trudged outside, relieved to be off the hook, but mad because they would have to listen to some giggling ditzy girls all the way across campus. Surprisingly for Corkk, and the girls they where escorting, they where the same ones who had been eyeing him from the corner earlier. As they all blushed at once, he tried to keep his calm and act like nothing had happened. Colin and Friiy where obviously confused, and would definitely force an explanation out of him later.
"Hello ladies…" he said in a failed attempt to sound smooth, "are you the ones that we will be escorting to the guest cabins?"
There faces turned dark, and Corkk knew he had said something wrong.
"Lets get this straightened out," exclaimed the tall blonde one her voice edged with bitterness, "first of all, whatever you have heard of us is most likely wrong, and second we don't need an escort, we need a guide, we are not some group of giggling second years, we are the best of the academy!"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," he answered.
"Typical," she glared at him, "men, humph! They say something offensive, and then try to cover it up with apologies."
"What's that supposed to mean?" blurted Colin.
"Simple, it means that if you think something is going to be offensive, then don't say it!" she was now yelling.
Corkk was extremely confused at the seemingly unprovoked change of moods (Oh to be that innocent again!) when he had seen them first, they had been smiling, but now the blonde one was seemingly furious, and the other two where looking away.
Friiy stepped forward, "this is going to get us no where, and do you guys and girls have to argue about such a simple thing?"
"Depends," shot Corkk, "is madam PMS over here going to swallow her pride and say sorry for insulting mankind?"
"YOU WANNA SEE PMS? CAUSE I CAN SHOW YOU PMS!" she shrieked incredulously.
Corkk could tell that if he said one more thing, that it would come to blows, but he was perfectly ok with that. He was about to make a rude retort, when Friiy and Colin grabbed his shoulders and pulled him away. He could tell that the same thing was happening to the blonde girl, by her outraged screams.
"What the hell is wrong with you man?" yelled Friiy, you were about to kill that girl, and if you hadn't killed her, she would of killed you."
"Yeah, so? I could have taken her, didn't you hear what she said, and those remarks can't go without punishment!"
"You need to cool down, dude, why don't you stay in the background, lay low and try not to talk" commanded Colin in a calm tone.
With no other choices, and not wanting to piss off his two best friends, he acquiesced.
It seemed that the same answer had been reached on the other side too, because the blonde girl walked on the other side of the group for the rest of the walk, while Colin, Friiy, and the two other girls talked about their past experiences in their prospective academies. Both Corkk and the Blondie fumed for the whole walk, and said nothing as the others bid each other farewell at the door to their cabin. Corkk was completely silent for the walk home, and the rest of the night, as he prepared himself for the task of surviving 14 days in the wild.
As he was drifting to sleep, he felt a pang of regret, Blondie was, he had to admit, pretty good looking, and he didn't doubt that they could have been friends under different circumstances.
Finally, he drifted to sleep, his last thought was, "only 9 more hours till the beginning," and then he was asleep.