Ferdinand 2nd year Royal Academy

I lightly tapped a finger on the table in front of me. Today our first class of the year was high beast creation. On the one hand this would make traversing the forest significantly easier. This would in turn make gathering materials that much easier. However, it also meant there was one more thing for thing for ditter obsessed fools of Dunkelfelger to challenge me to. I could feel the beginnings of a headache just considering how they would drag me into this. Even now I could hear them discussing races and a form of fighting called Jousting. Where two knights would charge at each other on high beasts and attempt to knock each other off with lances. As if it wasn't bad enough that I was forced to endure training with them, they had gone and invented new ways of battling just to challenge me to something they would win at. Just train harder and leave me in peace.

I admitted to myself and only myself that I was being perhaps a touch unfair. Training was not awful or a waste of time. Quite the opposite really. Already I could move so much faster than I had been able to. My swings were gaining in strength and even Karstedt said he was impressed with my skills at various weapons. The challenges were even quite profitable. Though another noticeable change was Lady Minerva had taken a step back from being actively vexing. She still taunted and teased, but she reframed from challenging me or doing things that would bring untoward notice of our… what? Relationship, no that wasn't quite right. Rivalry? Even that did not seem quite right. Regardless, she kept her more blatant rudeness reserved for when no one other than our attendants were around to see it. Not that this had lessened the amount of foolishness I had to deal with. Her guard, Heisshitze seemed to make it his own personal mission to pick up the slack his lady was leaving. But by Gods, he was probably worse because he did not need to worry about scandalous rumors.

The sound of hard boots clunking across the stone floor drew my mind away from my thoughts. I looked up and watched as the teacher entered from a room off the front of the class. She was an older woman, wispy in appearance. So old that age had chased away whatever color her hair had originally been leaving it a bone white. Her long hair was haphazardly put up into a bun with fly-away strands. Even her clothes were wrinkled and mussed. As if she had fallen asleep wearing them. How had someone like this become a teacher?

"Now where did I put-," her voice was overly loud as she searched the room then her expression lightened when she found what she was looking for. "Ah," She went over to the podium and hefted a small crate under her arm. Surprisingly strong for someone so fail looking. She dropped the crate onto the table at the very front of the room. "Now, if each duchy will send a student to collect your materials." There was no discussion as a laynoble from each duchy walked up and collected a feystone for each student of his or her own duchy.

"These will be the basis for your first high beasts. During this class you will all work to create your high beast using this stone." She hummed to herself trying to remember something. Then again there was a spark of remembrance. "Please be very careful not lose them. They will be payment on your first day of brewing lessons next year. This allows us to reuse them." She smiled sweetly at us.

"To create your high beast, you must picture an animal in your mind. Then funnel your mana into your stone." She tilted her head and waited for something. Then surprise crossed her face. "Oh, but before you start that how about we move out to the field. This will be a little tight otherwise. Anyone who wishes to look at images I have provided of various animals may." She gestured to a small fortune's worth of scrolls.

It was mostly the med and laynobles who took the professor up on her offer. The rest of us took the side door that led to a sprawling lawn. Justus and Eckhart kept close to me as students spilled out around us. Though there was little to fear since Dunkelfelger students were Infuriatingly close.

"Do you know what you will create, Lord Ferdinand?" Justus asked.

I nodded but did not elaborate. In mind I pictured a lion. Not father's three-headed one, but a solid white one with a single head. It needed to be fierce and proud. Something that would command respect at the mere sight of. I pictured every detail from its large fangs, the majestic mane, powerful body, and beautifully crafted feathered wings. Then I merely needed to add a saddle and reins for mobility. Everything needed to be perfect, right down to the ability to move freely in the saddle. There was little doubt in my mind that I would be challenged to a 'joust' as soon as the test was over. A soft flash of light brought me out of my thoughts. Standing in place of the light was majestic stone lion. Every detail was just as I imagined it would be.

Perfect.

I glanced around at the other students near me. No one else had created a real high beast yet, or at least not one that was useable. There were a few ugly amalgamations of animals, but none would work typically due to being unrideable. But there were also a handful of people who created a high beast though these were much too small.

Then a series of gasps caught my attention. I turned to the Dunkelfelger students who were starring a large bird. It was easily considerably taller than the nearby students. The bird had a beautiful scheme of colors. Red at its core that faded out at the wings into an almost shining gold. Its head was crowned with bright blue feathers while its long sweeping tail feathers. I watched as Lady Magdalena climbed into the saddle of her high beast.

A second light flashed beside Lady Magdalena's mount. It was a large serpentine like creature that was a dark blue color. Scales covered every inch of its body. From the wedged shaped head down the absurdly long snake like neck down to its thick body, and all the way to the end of its winding tail. A pair of horns spiral off the back of its head with a trail of spines starting in between them and following its long spine all the way down ending in a flat spade shaped spine. There were no reins. The creature's body was easily bigger than my lions, and despite this the front legs were far to small for something so large. But a closer look at its feet revealed they were more human like with long scaled fingers and thumbs that ended in wicked claws. Implying that this beast was not meant to walk but fly. Then its wings snapped open revealing the oddest part of this creature. There were no feathers. Instead, you could clearly see the delicate boney structure of the wing with an impossibly thin layer of leather connecting it all. They were almost transparent.

"What is that?" Justus asked. I glanced his way and cringed. As if he had any room to criticize anyone else high beast when his was a bahelm.

"I do not know, but I doubt it will fly with wings like that."

Lady Minerva swung herself into the saddle that sat in between the base of her high beast's neck and its wings. She grinned at something one of the other Dunkelfelger students said, even going so far as to make an obscene gesture. Then she buckled some odd straps around her wait and slipped her feet into the stirrups before urging her high beast forward. Students parted as the great blue serpent took a single bounding leap, before flapping its wings, and shooting upwards. The beast's tail slapped to Heisshitze across the chest sending him sprawling into the dirt with a laugh. The rest of the students struggled to remain standing as the sudden gust of air buffeted them. Several Dunkelfelger students turned to watch Minerva arch a great circle over the field cheering as she swooped back around to them. Peter cursed as she went sweeping past him, her high beast snatching the tie that bundled his hair back. How brazen and obscene could one woman be I thought incredulously. I stared open mouthed at such a wanton display. And I wasn't the only one. Even her sister was staring at her like she had never seen her before. While everyone looked at Minerva with a mixture of shock and mortification, she merely tipped her head back and laughed completely carefree. She then took her high beast through a series of maneuvers. Spiraling, spinning, rolling, all while occasionally diving at her other countrymen.

While her display was as unnecessary as it was obscene, I noticed that it drove the rest of the Dunkelfelger to create their high beasts faster. Soon everyone from that duchy had a completed high beast and had mounted up. Several even elected to chase after their archduke candidate in attempt to retrieve the ribbon she had stolen from her scholar. They got to be such a distraction that the professor called for them to land off to the side. They did as they were bid, but once again they kept annoyingly close. Creating a half-circle around me and the rest of the Ehrenfest students. From this distance I could clearly hear their conversations.

"My lady, what sort of beast is this?"

"A dragon, I have decided to call him, Jörmungandr."

"It is quite fierce looking." The dragon's head continued to tilt and move looking at each person who spoke giving it more life than was normal. A waste of mana.

"Yes, it is supposed to be." She turned to Peter. "Your wolf is quite something too. I don't believe I have ever seen one with fangs that large." Indeed. The four fangs at the front of its mussel were so long that they stuck out completely past the maw. Not something you would want to be bitten by if it had been a real animal.

He chuckled, "I have elected to call him Fenrir. But setting that aside my Lady, may I have my ribbon back?"

"Not just yet. I will give back in due time."

After another few minutes later roughly two thirds of the class had a functioning high beast. Most of the lower duchies and laynobles were still struggling. Then the professor called over her three assistants and exchanged quiet words with them, before announcing to the class,

"Those who are ready, we are going to fly a lap around the school grounds. You need only follow me and we will meet back here. No need to rush. My assistants will be here to help those who haven't quite got the hang of it." She proceeded to summon her high beast which was a shumil with wings then started to fly off.

Then the students who were ready collectively floundered to get on their high beasts and follow. I was a tad worried for some of the laynobles now. With a teacher this… distracted? Ditzy? There was liable to be an accident that she would struggle to respond to.

I sighed and let myself just enjoy the sight of the rainbow of animals that had ascended into the sky. As we all rose higher and higher, I realized we could see the entirety of the Royal Academy. I recognized quite a few of the buildings such as the scholars' building, the attendants', and even the knights training field. The close we got to the training field the easier it was to make out the tell-tale blue capes of the Dunkelfelger students. They paused long enough in their exorcises to look up and cheer at the passing high beasts. Then I saw the reason for their excessive rowdiness.

Ladies Minerva and Magdalena had both dropped well beneath the rest of the students to do aerobatic maneuvers together. The giant red bird and the blue dragon would spin together, spiraling all the way back up to the rest of us before breaking apart and diving with stomach dropping speed back to the ground only to bank up at the last possible moment. They then returned to about mid-way between us and the students on the ground. Their high beasts opened their mouths and roared at their spectators. This only incited their knights further causing them to lift their practice weapons and roar right back. What a display, I thought sourly.

That is when trouble struck. Two students seemed to lose grip on their focus at the excessive display of the Dunkelfelger students' performance. Their high beasts vanished from underneath them. There were panicked screams not just from the falling students, but the classmates close to them. Many of whom instinctively tried to grab their falling countrymen. I swore to myself as I watched them plumet, there was nothing I could do. Instead, I was forced to watch what felt like slow motion as their terrified faces plunged towards death's arms. Then two streaks, one blue and one red raced against gravity towards the falling students. My heart leapt to my throat. Gods, please let them make it. Warmth collected in my hand and I saw a small flash of light out of the corner of my eye, but I was too focused on the students.

A sigh of relief went up through the whole class when the two high beasts each snatched a student. They hovered in the air for a long moment. I took that moment to glance at the professor and my jaw dropped. By some twist of fate, she was still continuing on not even aware of that several of her students nearly died. Was she deaf, I wanted to scream, but I kept that to myself. Then I turned back to the two high beasts that hovered in the air.

A flash of light came from near Magdalena's bird. A cat-like high beast appeared and the female student with a red cape climbed on and flew off. It was the student with the palest of blue capes that hung in Minerva's dragon's claws. This student; Frenbeltag, made no move to summon his high beast. Instead, he shook his head vigorously. Lady Minerva unhooked herself from her saddle and swung herself down so she could face the boy. What could she possibly be thinking, I wondered shocked by her behavior. That boy wasn't even a member of Dunkelfelger. In fact, if I remembered correctly, Frenbeltag was currently in opposition to Dunkelfelger. And judging by his clothes he was a laynoble no less. Yet she still saved him at the risk of her own life and possibly even failing.

After what seemed like an eternity, a second flash of light revealed a winged horse. The boy was dropped into the saddle and returned to his duchy's group of second years. Though his face was bright red. Lady Minerva on the other hand continued to fly lower than the rest of us. Not even bothering with the fancy flying she had been doing. Her eyes kept skimming across the line of high beasts. Keeping an eye for anyone else who might fall.

She caught me glancing back her way. Then she made a turn around gesture with her hand. I did so and instantly forced my high beast up to avoid colliding with Justus who was trailing behind to watch the Dunkelfelger lady. My face grew hot and I could feel her laughter without even having to look back. After that I resolutely kept my back to her and gritted my teeth for the rest of the flight.

Once we were back at the start the teacher called out to us, "Those who made the flight pass and you may go. Be sure to practice."

I turned my high beast back to a stone and pocketed it. Then waited for Eckhart and Justus to do the same.

"That was interesting. Klassenberg and Frenbeltag are going to have some awkward questions and even more awkward letters of thanks to give."

"Did you catch what she said?" He didn't need me to elaborate on who.

"No, she was turned to far away for me to see her face. But it was plain as day what the Frenbeltag boy said. 'NO' a lot of those in fact. 'I'm afraid', 'I don't want to fall, I don't want to die'. But at the very end he asked, 'You promise?'. Sounds like Lady Minerva promised to catch him if he fell again."

"What are your thoughts on it all?"

Justus considered my question carefully. As always, he treated my request for his thoughts with the utmost seriousness. "The maneuvers the two sisters did together were not only planned, but well-practiced. Not even you could fly that well on your first try." He had a slightly apologetic look on his face, but I gestured for him to continue. "Neither the students falling nor catching them was planned. Both archduke candidates looked slightly shaken and Minerva even looked a touch guilty. They reacted on impulse likely stemming from Dunkelfelger's hot-blooded nature. It was the reaction of knights not archduke candidates. That being said Lady Magdalena was clearly exasperated when Lady Minerva did not just land the fool on the ground and let him fail. Though I am unsure what she would have to gain by it."

Gain, I pondered. I thought back to all the odd things that Lady Minerva had done up until this point. There was very little gain in the things that she had done. Or at least, that I could see. It itched at the back of my whispering that I was missing something very important, and I needed to find out what that was before it came to bite me. I glanced toward Dunkelfelger students only to find Lady Minerva, Heisshitze, and Peter had already left.