Trails of Blood and Steel

by ultimatedbzmaniac

The Blood and Iron Chancellor, Giliath Osborne. The Debaucherous Prince, Olivert Reise Arnor. The board is set; the players are ready. Caught between these titans, Class VII are forced to serve as pieces in their game. However, three of these pieces: Rean Schwarzer, Fie Claussell, and Crow Armbrust; are not content simply being used. No, they would make this game their own.

2. The Birth Of Class VII

Jose19: Good, I'm glad you feel that way, and thank you. Yeah, don't worry, I know that. If you couldn't tell by now, I, obviously, went with Fie, so...yeah.

Heero De Fanel: Cool, I'm happy you like it. That will be revealed soon enough, and yeah, most definitely. I'm already going over when it happens, in my head at least. Why thank you! And I, in turn, look forward to writing more.

Apex85: Oh yeah, most definitely. Glad you've taken an interest. I had thought of that too. Don't worry, there's no need to repeat that whole thing, so I won't be doing so. Thank you, and yeah, every update will be at least nine thousands words or more, so they should have a decent amount of content within. Infrequent and sporadic actually. I could update next week, could be next month, could be literally whenever, I never really know. It all just depends on how things play out, ya know? Once again, thank you, and happy New Year to you as well. :)

Before we get on with it, I'd like to thank those that reviewed, of course, but also those that added this story to their favorites and alerts. So 8Swords, Relyt42, Code-Emperor07, GeassKing101, bri333865, and wargman, thank you!

UPDATE

As with the first part of the prologue, this has been rewritten, cleaned up and extended with additional content. It flows better, and definitely deserves another read.

Anyway, here's part two of the prologue. Please read, review, and enjoy.

---

PROLOGUE

...

Trista, Thors Military Academy
Old Schoolhouse

Underground, in a dark, spacious, hexagonal-shaped room: the forms of nine teens were sprawled about on the floor.

"Ugh...what just happened?" Machias inquired as he sat up, rubbing his head.

"The floor gave out from under us..." Emma replied as she sat up.

"I can't believe I fell for such an obvious trap." Laura remarked as she stood up, having already recovered from the fall.

"Does this mean there's a series of catacombs beneath school grounds, then?" Gaius wondered aloud, eyes scanning his surroundings; he noted the presence of a single double door exit, and a multitude of tables,

"Hmph. What does that woman think she's playing at?" Jusis scoffed as he lifted himself from his knees, onto his feet; recovering from the drop with relative grace.

"Ow." Alisa groaned in pain. "That really hurt. What was the instructor thinking?" She asked, rubbing her aching backside.

"Phew. I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest!" Elliot exclaimed as he propped himself up on his elbows. "Hey, Rean, are you o-" His speech faltered as he turned to look at his friend. "-kay?"

At the mention of Rean's name, the other three who'd been aboard the train turned to check on him.

"Are you injured?" Machias queried.

"Are you alright, Rean?" Emma questioned.

Alisa said nothing, but still attempted to make visual confirmation that he was okay.

All four teens hesitated at the sight that greeted them.

Their sudden silence induced curiosity in the others, who sought out what the others were staring at.

The scene that drew so much attention: Rean lying on his back, Fie atop of him; his face buried in her modest chest. The fact that his arms were wrapped around her with his hands located at the base of her back, dangerously close to her posterior, only made it look worse.

"What are you...?" Came Fie's voice, her tone one of genuine surprise.

"I'm not doing anything, I swear!" The raven-haired boy preemptively defended himself; he removed his hands from the young girl's person, and raised them into the air so that they were completely visible to all parties.

'This is...not good. Considering how the incident in the park could be taken, I'm probably giving off a serious creeper vibe right about now.' He deliberated.

Fie sat up at that point, but noticeably failed to get off of Rean as she did; she was now straddling his abdomen.

Fuchsia met lime-green as they came face to face, and the Schwarzer heir took notice of the light blush staining her face.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-" He attempted to apologize.

"It's fine." The silver-haired girl immediately brushed him off; on her feet and off of him, she put some distance between them.

The black-haired boy followed suit, pulling himself up onto his feet, as he tried to apologize once more, "I really am sor-"

However, his words were drowned out, as the sound of ringing, multiplied by nine, filled the air.

"What's that sound?" Elliot queried, eyes searching for the source.

"Is this...?" Rean opted not to finish his thought aloud; pulling out the device he had tucked away on his person, he stared at it as it continued to ring.

The rest of the teens mimicked his actions.

"It's coming from the devices we received with the academy guidebook." Emma identified the source of the racket.

'Our orbments are...ringing? That's weird...' The orange-haired boy thought to himself.

The group of nine proceeded to flip the objects open; the incessant ringing ceased in that moment.

"Seems to be some sort of...portable orbment." Laura stated the obvious.

"Right you are! These handy little devices are a special kind of battle orbment." The sound of Sara's voice filtered through all the devices simultaneously.

"Is that...Ms. Valestein?" Gaius questioned.

"So these devices have built-in communications functionality, then?" Machias inferred.

"W-Wait, don't tell me these things are...!?" Alisa started.

Only to be spoken over. "New-model battle orbments made through a partnership between the Epstein Foundation and the Reinford Company. Newly made fifth-generation battle orbments, in fact. They're called ARCUS units." Sara expounded

"ARCUS..." Rean repeated to himself.

"So these are battle orbments...that means they'll allow us to use arts, right?" Emma presumed.

"Sure will!" The instructor confirmed. "Just set a quartz into one of it's slots, and you can use arts all the live long day. Which is why I prepared one for each of you." She informed them.

It was at that moment, the lights flickered to life in the room: revealing the presence of everyone's luggage, along with small lock boxes accompanying them, laid out on each of the tables.

"The weapons you brought are all here too, each packaged neatly alongside a little box containing a quartz. Find yours and try setting the quartz into your ARCUS." Sara directed them.

...

After the nine had done as directed, retrieving their weapons and placing their quartz into their orbment, something a peculiar occurred.

A blue-white light emanated from each teenager's chest; simultaneously, their ARCUS units shined with the same light.

"What in the world?" Rean vocalized his confusion, just as the light faded out of existence,

"That light means that you've successfully synchronized with your ARCUS. Congratulations. Now you can use arts as much as you want." Sara explained. "Those ARCUS units have plenty more nifty features...but I wouldn't want to bombard you with too much info all at once, so we'll cover those another time." She assured. "Anyway, since you've got your ARCUS all set up and ready to go, here's what I want you to do."

As if it was timed, the double doors slid open, revealing the corridor that lay beyond.

"When you step through that door, you'll be in an underground testing area. Basically...it's a dungeon. It's pretty large, and full of twists and turns. I'd almost guarantee you'll get lost at least once." Sara was frank with them. "But when you find the exit, you'll be able to return to the first floor of this old schoolhouse. There are monsters wandering around, though, so don't let your guard down for even a moment." The instructor advised. "With all that said, let's commence our special orienteering exercise! Your objective is to make your way through this area and back to the surface. Make it back in one piece and I'll be happy to field any complaints you might have. If you make it back safely, I might even give you a kiss, free of charge." She incentivized. "On the cheek, of course." She tacked on at the last second, before cutting the line on her end.

Silence consumed the room, all the students turning to look at one and other.

"Ummm..." Elliot was unsure of what to even say after all that.

"I don't think she was joking." Alisa opined.

"What is that woman thinking?" Machias huffed with annoyance.

"I doubt anyone here could answer that." Laura remarked.

"If that's the only way out, then I guess we'll just have to get going." Rean reckoned; pulling his weapon from his bag, he strapped it's sheathed form to his left hip.

'I have to talk to her. I need to know why she's acting this way.'

The moment Fie noticed the raven-haired teen's eyes on her, she moved to leave.

"I'm going." She informed the others, before taking off at a brisk pace.

"Fie, wait!" The Schwarzer heir called after her; needless to say, she did not listen.

Turning to the others, he addressed them, "Look, I need to sort things out with her. You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up."

Then he took off, running after the silver-haired girl.

...

"I understand why she would be embarrassed, but, she does realize it was accident, right?" Alisa queried.

"She must. Surely she would have been angrier if she thought it had been on purpose." Machias conjectured.

"He must have tried to catch her mid-fall, which would explain their unfortunate positioning." Gaius surmised. "Considering the height from which we fell, he must have absorbed most, if not all, of the impact. I doubt she was upset enough to not realize that."

"I believe you're correct. I'm not so sure that's the problem." Laura voiced her doubts.

"Neither am I." Emma agreed.

"Then what is the problem?" Elliot inquired.

Jusis did not engage with the others, instead opting to move toward the open doors.

"And just where do you think you're going?" The bespectacled boy posed to the noble-born blond. "Were you planning on wandering off on your own without saying anything?"

Jusis halted his stride as he was personally addressed.

"If you lot wish to stand around and speculate about those two, then be my guest. However, I have no interest in doing so. Nor do I have any interest in becoming friends with anyone here. So, I'm leaving. Though, I'm surprised you, of all people, give a damn what I do." He responded, just a tad snobbish in tone. "Unless you've suddenly decided that you actually do want to keep company with one of us 'stuck-up hedonists' after all."

Machias had to resist the urge to growl at the noble.

"Still, if you're afraid of the monsters, I suppose I could accompany you. After all, what kind of Erebonian noble would I be if I didn't have at least some degree of prowess with a sword? And noblesse oblige dictates that it's my sacred duty to protect powerless commoners such as yourself." The blond youth mocked.

"What the hell!? Nobody's asking your high excellency to deign to help us!" The dark green haired teen angrily spat. "But if that's how you're going to be, I'll just...find my way out of here before you!"

He strode over to the threshold of the doorway.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself without some relic of an outdated class system dragging me down!" The bespectacled youth declared.

Fully intending to follow through, Machias walked through the open doors and into the corridor, leaving to find his way out.

Jusis merely scoffed at this, before doing much the same, as he'd originally intended.

...

"Umm..." Elliot was, once more, unsure of what to say.

"That just leaves the five of us, then." Alisa remarked, as the two stubborn youths faded from everyone's line of sight.

"What should we do?" Emma questioned.

"The only thing we can do. We should begin exploring these catacombs for ourselves." Laura answered. "I believe it would be prudent to remain in small groups, however. Our chances of finding one of them increase that way."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Would the two of you have any objections to accompanying me?" The blue-haired noble asked the other females present.

"No, that's fine." The blonde agreed.

"That would be a huge help, actually." The bespectacled girl said.

"I'm certain you gentlemen will be fine, but do take care." The noble-born girl wished the two males the best of luck.

The orange-haired boy chuckled nervously at that. 'I hope we find Rean or Machias quickly.'

The foreign youth just nodded his head.

"So, shall we be off?"

---

"Fie!" Rean called her name; turning a corner, he came to a sudden halt.

Before him was all but a dead end; a pillar stood tall and proud just ahead, and there was a walkway above, but with no clear way to reach it. Worst of all, there was no sign of the girl he was looking for.

She had managed to lose him.

Or had she?

Closing his eyes, Rean focused his senses.

...

He felt it. Her...aura.

"I know you're there Fie, I can sense you. Come on out. Please." He entreated.

There was nothing but silence for a number of moments, until, finally, the girl complied.

She stepped out from behind the pillar and into view, revealing her hiding place.

"Thank you. Now if you'll just let me apologize-"

"Why did you follow me?" She cut him off with a blunt inquiry, her tone impassive.

"Because I wanted to apologize. I didn't mean to-" He attempted to answer.

"Tell me the real reason why you followed me."

"I-" Rean hesitated at that. He knew what she meant.

"I just...I want to know why you're acting this way. So...distant." He disclosed his true reason. "You're avoiding me, and I have no idea why. We haven't seen each other in eight years... I thought you would be happy to see me." He confessed. "We're friends..."

"Is that what you think?"

"What?" He questioned, nearly doing a double take at those abrasive words.

That's when he saw it.

Standing before him was the girl he remembered from his childhood, yet, at the same time, now that he truly got a good look at her...she wasn't.

Rean felt a shiver run down his spine as he truly saw the girl standing before him.

"We're friends?" She repeated the phrase, her voice cold, as she locked eyes with the boy.

The lively lime-green color of her irises was dulled considerably by the darkness that filled her eyes...

She had the eyes of a killer.

"I'm not the same girl you used to call friend." She asseverated dispassionately.

Rean was taken aback by her near dead eyes and her complete lack of emotion; she had always been a stoic child, but nothing like this. He could see it all too clearly: she'd taken on a heavy burden since they were children.

"Fie..." He breathed her name with overflowing solicitude.

He wanted to say something, anything, to clear the shadows and bring the light back her eyes. But what could he say? 'What could I possibly know about what she's gone through, what she's suffered?'

It went unspoken, but Rean understood the implications of what she was saying.

She was a jaeger: the path she walked was filled with blood.

Fie had killed more people than he could even imagine.

This was the ugly truth.

"Maybe...you're right. You are different than the girl I knew." Rean somberly conceded.

The darkness behind her eyes swelled.

"But...you're still you. You might be different, you may have changed, but you're still Fie Claussell. No matter what you've been through or what you've done...that doesn't change the fact that you're still my friend." Rean gave an impassioned proclamation.

He still accepted her.

He still cared about her.

It was in that moment that a crack in her mask was made; the darkness ebbed from her eyes, and a fragment of emotion found it's way into her voice.

"But... If it wasn't for me...that day wouldn't have happened." Regret. That was the first real sentiment she had shown.

Unable to bring herself to look him in the eye any longer, she averted her gaze.

"That day?" The Schwarzer heir repeated, confusion plain as day on his face.

Silence filled the air between them then, lingering for what seemed like forever...

Until, finally, the girl spoke once more.

"Even if you can accept me..." She began, before trailing off.

The young maiden struggled to find the words.

"Don't you...resent me?" She asked of him, quietly agonizing over it behind her stoic disposition. "It was my fault, after all. It was because of me that jaeger found his way there. If I hadn't been there, you and Elise wouldn't have had to suffer. If it hadn't been for me..." She openly lamented, shame ever so subtly coloring her tone.

Even to this day, she'd been incapable of banishing the image of nine-year-old Rean, bathed in a grown man's blood. Worse still, she couldn't forget what came after. How he'd broken down in his mother's arms, crying his eyes out as he whimpered about how scared he was of himself, of what he'd done.

It had torn her up inside. It had yet to stop.

'It's all my fault.'

That single, lone, poisonous thought, had consumed her mind for years.

It'd taken her a long time to force it to the back of her mind. She couldn't forget it, but she could bury it.

Now, faced with Rean once again, it was unearthed, and all those old feelings regarding him came roaring back.

...

"Fie...you can't be serious." The raven-haired boy spoke up, breaking her out of her thoughts. "You know that wasn't your fault. You couldn't possibly have know what he was going to do." He tried to assuage her sense of guilt.

He could hardly believe she blamed herself in the first place. It didn't make any sense to him.

"You found the guy in the middle of a blizzard. You can hardly blame yourself for leading him somewhere safer. If it had been Elise or me, we would have done the same." He assured her.

It seemed to do little to abate her guilt, as the young girl failed to respond, and continued to avert her eyes.

Rean could only sigh at this. "Fie..."

...

It was the sound of footsteps that finally got the silver-haired maiden to look at him; he'd closed the distance between them, and was now standing right in front of her, only a few short rege of space between them.

He patted her head to comfort her.

"I don't blame you; the thought of it being your fault had never even crossed my mind. And I know it's the same for Elise. It wasn't your fault. You have nothing to feel guilty about. You did nothing wrong." Rean reassured her with a smile.

To see him smile at her like that after all this time, after everything that had happened...it stirred her emotions in a way she could not describe.

It reminded her of the day, so long ago, when he'd made her a promise.

Closing her eyes, she released a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding, and allowed herself to relive the memory.

---

Snow blanketed every single inch of the ground, just as it had every day here in this town.

Nothing ever really seemed to change here.

The white of the snow was always present; every day the children would come out and play, the adults would spend their time doing the same chores over and over again...

Everything was so...static.

It was just so different from how she lived with Zephyr: always on the move, never seeing the same face twice.

This disparity between the two lifestyles was the reason it took nearly two months for her to bring herself to so much as interact with anyone outside the Schwarzer household. And even then, she'd only done it at the behest of Rean and his sister.

The experience was not an unpleasant one. Ymir was filled with kind people. Though, none were kinder than the Schwarzers themselves.

They were the only people outside her corp that treated her like family. They had welcomed her with open arms when Rean brought her home, even without knowing a single thing about her.

It made her happy.

Even still...

It had nearly been six whole months, and she had yet to so much as hear word from Zephyr.

It worried her more than she could put into words.

She just couldn't stop thinking about it.

'What if they don't come back?'

It was a grave, somber thought. But she couldn't rid herself of it.

What would she do if the only family she'd ever know suddenly vanished from her life?

It was one thing to take a child in for a few months, just until someone returned for her. However, it was an entirely different matter to basically adopt her. Especially since she was some stranger their son had found in cave, in the middle of a blizzard.

As kind as the family of four was, that seemed like it would be too much, even for them.

And then she would be all alone again.

'I can't think like that.' She tried to convince herself. 'The Boss and the others would never die on me...right?'

"Hey, whatcha doin'?"

Fie was broken from her trance-like state of thought at the sound of that voice; her eyes shifted away from the horizon and to the boy who spoke to her.

Rean was standing there beside her, dressed in warm, baggy clothes, just as she was; a courtesy of the boy's parents.

The nine-year-old was smiling at her, awaiting her response to his question.

"Thinking." She answered honestly.

"What about?" He inquired, taking a seat beside her on the bench as he did.

"Zephyr." Was her simple reply; she returned her gaze to the view the funicular station offered.

"Your family? You must miss them."

"I do." She admitted. "I miss them a lot."

"Is that why you looked so sad a second ago?" He queried bluntly, in the way only a child could.

She just nodded her head at that.

"You don't wanna be alone." It wasn't a question.

Once more, she nodded.

"It scares you." It was almost like he could read her mind.

For the third time, she nodded.

"Yeah, me too." He confessed to her after a moment's pause.

A heavy silence hung between the two of them for several long moments, until...

"Well, you don't have to worry then." The raven-haired boy assured her.

"Huh?" Her confusion at his words was written all over her face, as she turned her head to look at him once more.

"As long as I'm around, you won't ever have to be alone." He averred, lifting his right hand to place atop her head, patting it. "No matter what happens, you'll always have me." He promised. "So stop being so scared Fie, it'll be okay." He regarded her with the biggest, brightest smile she had ever seen as he said this to her.

Fie was at a loss for words, her eyes wide, shock and amazement written all over her features. Unable to think of how to properly reply, she simply nodded her head in understanding, adoration gleaming in her eyes for this boy.

Then, she hugged him.

---

Fie opened her eyes, and her mask fell away completely; she pulled herself closer to Rean and embraced him

Surprised by this, the raven-haired swordsman had to catch himself so as to not stumble back.

"I've missed you." The silver-haired maiden confessed to him softly.

"I forgot how sweet you could be when we're alone." He remarked with a lighthearted chuckle, returning the embrace.

"Shut up." She retorted, red dusting her cheeks as she fought back the worst of a blush. Regardless, she made no move to end the contact between them.

"I've missed you too, Fie." He shared her sentiment.

This just caused her to tighten her hold on him.

---

The trio of Laura, Emma, and Alisa, had made considerable progress in their navigation of the underground dungeon. However, at the current moment, they found themselves a little...off-track.

"Didn't we just pass that pillar a minute ago?" The blonde posited with a hint of worry.

"I am unsure." The blue-haired noble admitted. "I find myself unable to distinguish between certain aspects of this labyrinth. I had assumed we were going in a circle earlier, until we came across a pillar much like...this one..." She trailed off momentarily.

"Perhaps this is the same pillar." She suddenly granted, realization evident in her tone.

"We're lost." Alisa asserted with a sigh.

"It's not so bad. As long as we stick together and retrace our steps, I'm sure we'll find our way." The bespectacled girl propounded optimistically.

"There is no need for concern." Laura reassured. "Now that we are aware of the problem, we can take steps to solve it." She stated confidently.

Drawing her large bastard sword, the noble-born girl approached the pillar. Placing the cutting-edge of her sizable blade flush against the support-construct, she slowly and carefully dragged it across, carving a noticeable gash in the material.

"Now we have a marker to identify this particular pillar. If we come across another, no matter how similar, we'll be able to differentiate them." She expounded, before putting away her weapon.

"That's smart thinking. Great job, Laura." The blonde complimented.

"Very practical. Do you have survival training?" Emma queried.

"No, not in the sense you're thinking, at least. On rare occasions, my training would take me out into the wilderness, to test my strength against those of the local beasts. In one particular instance, when my father was accompanying me, an especially heavy blanket of fog obscured our vision, clouding our path home. Rather than simply take my hand and lead me, Father saw fit to teach me how to navigate in such confusing conditions. One of those methods was to leave markers, showing where you've already been." The sword maiden elucidated.

"Well, it's certainly coming in handy." Alisa commented.

"Indeed. But enough about that. Shall we continue onward?" Laura proposed.

...

Alisa and Emma guarded the rear, as Laura took point; the three maidens had managed to find their way into new territory, and were now exploring it in hopes of finding one of the four who'd run on ahead. They'd just dispatched some pesky monsters, and as such, their weapons were drawn and at the ready, as they continued to advance.

...

After a few minutes with no further threats, the three set into a steady pace, remaining on alert as they did.

The sheer quiet that enveloped them as a result was only disrupted by their footsteps.

The blonde lowered her bow cautiously, and decided to fill the silence. "Hey, Emma?"

"Yes?"

"Since arriving in Trista, I haven't really had a moment to myself. From being whisked to the school nurse for medical treatment, the opening ceremony, and the instructor traipsing us about, I've been preoccupied. Now that I finally do have a second, I just wanted to thank you." The archer voiced her gratitude.

"Thank me?" The bespectacled girl said.

"For what you did on the train." Alisa clarified.

"Oh, you're welcome. But, I didn't do much in the end. You should thank Rean, Machias, and Elliot, it was the three of them that really helped you." Emma humbly replied with a smile.

"Don't downplay your contribution. You disarmed one of the thieves, and you helped escort passengers to safety." The blonde girl reminded her.

"Yes, but that's all I did." The kindly brunette contended.

"Are you two speaking of the incident the instructor mentioned?" Laura suddenly interjected with a question.

"Yeah." The archer confirmed easily enough.

"We are, yes." The bespectacled teen affirmed.

"If you two would not mind, I find myself a tad curious about it. Could you recount the events for me?" The blunette asked of them.

"I suppose so."

"I don't see why not."

Both girls agreed, and proceeded to kill time by telling her about it.

---

Rean sheathed his blade, having just slain a pesky flying feline creature that had nearly gotten the jump on Elliot.

"Thanks for that, Rean." Elliot gave his gratitude with a sigh of relief.

"No problem."

Rean and Fie had arrived just in time to see the cat-beast nearly get the orange-haired boy from behind, said boy and Gaius too preoccupied with fending off the fiend's ilk.

"Please tell me there aren't any more of those things lurking around here..." Elliot vocalized his anxiety, feeling safe in doing so since no creatures remained.

"I hate to tell you, but I can sense more further in." Gaius broke the news to him.

"So can I." Rean affirmed. "A fair amount of them, too. Sorry, Elliot."

The orange-haired youth simply groaned in response.

"I'm assuming it went well?" Gaius addressed Rean and Fie then.

"Yeah, everything's been cleared up." The raven-haired teen replied.

"That's good. It would really suck for a misunderstanding like that to keep you two from being friendly." Elliot commented.

"Yeah, it really would." The Schwarzer heir remarked, glancing at the girl beside him as he did.

She met his eyes, but said nothing.

Looking away, he did a quick scan of the area.

"Where are the others?" Rean asked.

"Well, Machias and Jusis got into an argument and stormed off. As for the rest of us, we split up to look for them, and you guys." The orbal staff user explained. "But you two found us first."

"Got it. Well, now that we're here, you guys mind if we tag along with you?" The swordsman queried.

"Sounds good to me." The orange-haired boy approved. "Three groups looking for those two would probably be counterproductive anyway."

"No objections here. I'd be happy to accompany you." Gaius answered. "Considering I just arrived in the Empire, any help offered to me is much appreciated. So, you have my gratitude for your assistance."

"It's no trouble." Rean responded amicably. "I couldn't just let that thing sneak up on you guys."

"Oh, so you are from abroad. I'd been wondering..." Elliot thought aloud.

"Yes. I'm from the Nord Highlands, to the north of the Empire." The foreign boy informed.

'That's where Emperor Dreichels raised his army...' The black-haired teen thought to himself.

"Wow, you came pretty far just to attend Thors." The orbal staff user said.

"I saw it as an opportunity that I couldn't bring myself to pass up." The taller teen left it at that.

'And here I am, not even wanting to be here...' Elliot couldn't help but think, unable to push down the negative feelings this invoked in him.

...

"You know, Rean, I've been meaning to ask you since I first saw it back on the train, what kind of sword is that you got there? It's a beautiful blade." The orange-haired youth suddenly piped up, wanting to change the subject.

"Yes, the craftsmanship looks exceptional." Gaius added in agreement. "Though it's different from the kinds of swords I thought the people in the Empire use."

"It's an Eastern style of saber called a tachi. Any way you slice it, though, it's basically a longsword." Rean explained. "They're renowned for the layering of their steel and the sharpness of their edge."

"Well, judging by how I just saw you use it, you seem like a good guy to have around when the going gets tough." The kind nord opined. "That said, I think we've been standing around long enough. We should really be getting ourselves into trouble."

"I think I can manage that." The swordsman responded.

"Not gonna lie, not a big fan of your choice of words." The meek teen confessed with a nervous chuckle. "I don't think I can handle much more trouble today."

"Don't worry, Elliot. We'll be fine." Rean reassured his new friend.

"Yeah, I know. Between the four of us, I'm sure everything'll go smoothly. It's just nerves, is all. Mine have kinda been fried ever since this morning, ya know?" The orbal staff user disclosed.

"The train robbery, right? Was it that bad?" Gaius inquired.

"It could have been a lot worse." The Schwarzer heir asserted. "That said, Elliot had a hard time of it, even compared to the rest of us."

"It's not like I actually got hurt like that Alisa girl. It was just...that was the first time I had a gun forced into my face, the first time someone had threatened me. It freaked me out a little, that's all." Elliot divulged, incapable of hiding his grimace.

"That's perfectly understandable." The dark brown-haired teenager replied with a gentle tone.

A lull in their discourse occurred then, as they were unsure of what to say from there.

"Let's get moving." Rean put an end to the silence, as he shifted attention to the matter at hand. "We'll take it slow and steady. That way we can take the time to adapt to each other's fighting styles, and really learn to gel as a team."

"Mm." Fie hummed in agreement, engaging for the first time.

"Got it." Elliot agreed, wanting to get away from the topic of his anxiety.

Gaius nodded his head in affirmation.

With that, the four set out.

...

A short time later...

The four had come across one of their fellow Class VII initiates.

Machias, orbal shotgun in hand, stood amidst a gathering of large, oddly colored beetle-creatures.

He would blow one away, killing it instantly, just for another to leap at him, and he would proceed to dodge. It was a consistent pattern, however, with each instance, he came that much closer to being caught in one of the fiends' mandibles.

He was holding his own for the moment, but, if this kept up, it was only a matter of time before he was overwhelmed.

Recognizing this, the four charged in and provided support; between the five of them, the dozen monsters were wiped out with little trouble.

...

"Phew. Thanks for that." The bespectacled boy voiced his gratitude, lowering his shotgun to his side.

"No problem." Rean assured.

"Huff...huff..." Panting, Elliot dropped to one knee, catching everyone's attention in doing so.

"Are you alright?" Machias inquired with a tad of worry.

"You okay, Elliot?" The raven-haired youth queried with some concern.

"I don't see any obvious injuries..." Gaius noted after a cursory once over of the teen.

"He isn't hurt." Fie stated.

"She's right, I'm fine." The orange-haired boy confirmed. "I was just so relieved the fight was over that the strength, well, just sort of left my legs." He confessed, incapable of hiding the minor undertones of embarrassment in his voice. "You guys though... I'm amazed at how calm the four of you are. You don't seem tired, or worried, or...anything!" Amazement manifested where his embarrassment was, as he focused on the others instead of himself.

"I guess I'm just accustomed to fighting monsters like these." The kind nord divulged.

"I knew what I was in for when I enrolled in a military academy, so I steeled myself for this sort of occurrence." The dark green-haired youth disclosed.

"I've dealt with monsters a hundred times more dangerous than these things." The silver-haired girl told them nonchalantly.

That statement got the boys, excluding Rean, staring at her.

Gaius' gaze was curious.

Machias and Elliot's were of incredulity. 'What the hell is her life like!?' The two silently wondered.

"You need a hand?" The black-haired swordsman asked, changing the focus to the downed orbal staff user.

"N-No, I'll be fine. It was just a momentary lapse on my part. I can get up." The orange-haired boy assured. "Aaaand, there we go." He said, as he managed to rise back to his feet.

With the assurance Elliot was alright, Machias proceeded to address them as a whole.

"You all have my apologies. I came to realize that I shouldn't have just stormed off like I did. I let that arrogant noble goad me into losing my composure and acting on impulse. I acted foolishly, and I hope you can forgive me for it."

"I don't think you should be apologizing to me, what I did wasn't much different." Rean replied.

"But it was." Machias contended. "Even if you caused the problem by mistake, you went to solve it. My actions were of a more foolhardy nature. I was trying to prove a point and complicated matters for no good reason." He acknowledged.

"If that's the way you feel, I won't argue. It's fine though, no big deal, really." The Schwarzer heir told him.

"Yeah. We all have moments when we say or do things we regret. That's human nature for you." Elliot commented.

"After I'd cooled my head, I decided to retrace my steps, and...well...you saw the rest." The bespectacled youth elaborated on how he'd been ambushed.

"That's why it's best to travel in group in unknown territory." Fie spoke up.

"You are correct. I made a mistake." The shotgun user admitted. "Since you're here, I assume you two came to an understanding?"

"You could say that." Her reply was vague, and she clearly had little inclination to say more on the subject.

Machias picked up on that, and moved on. "Where are the others?" He inquired.

"We lagged behind for a bit, so everyone should be ahead of us. There's no one back the way we came, at least." Gaius answered.

"I see." Machias said with a nod. "I don't suppose you'd mind if I came with you, would you?" He queried. "You've come to my aid twice now, Rean. And you, Elliot, and I all have some experience working together, so, it only makes sense." He put forth his reasoning.

"Sure thing, glad to be working with you again." Rean welcomed him.

"I'd like that." Elliot concurred.

"Don't mind." Fie said simply.

"As they say, there's safety in numbers." Gaius was for it.

"Also...just one more thing, could...could I ask what social class you each belong to?" Machias suddenly asked them, becoming visibly nervous as his sentence progressed.

Well...this got awkward.

"I know it's strange to ask after what the three of us went through, a-and I realize how this must sound considering my recent outbursts...but, please, don't take it personally. I'm simply curious to know who I'm associating with." The bespectacled boy seemed rather genuine, despite the uncomfortable nature of the situation.

"Um...well, both my parents are commoners." Elliot was the first to answer the somewhat impolite inquiry.

"Do I look like a noble?" Fie's rhetorical question was all the response Machias would get out of her.

"Likewise. Though, my homeland has no class system to begin with." Gaius stated.

"Ah, so you're from abroad then?" The shotgun user asked.

"That I am." The kind nord affirmed.

"What about you, Rean?" The dark green-haired teen prompted, turning his gaze on the boy in question.

'This...probably won't go over well. But, better to get it out of the way sooner rather than later.' Rean decided.

"Fie already knows, so I don't see a reason to keep it secret from everyone else." The Schwarzer heir began. "There isn't a single drop of noble blood in my veins, but, yeah, technically, I'm a noble. I was adopted into it." He elucidated.

"Huh, I never would have guessed." Elliot took the news rather well, it clearly didn't affect the way he saw his new friend.

Gaius was silent on the matter, but seemed unfazed.

As for Machias, it seemed to take him a moment to process this information and to register what had been said.

It was easy to tell when he'd finished doing so, as his eyes visibly narrowed behind his glasses.

"Got a problem with that?" Fie came right out and asked him, picking up on his growing hostility all too easily.

"No, I do not." Machias replied curtly.

Rean just sighed at this.

---

The group of five had been walking in silence for some time.

Thankfully, the sudden tension between Rean and Machias wasn't anything too detrimental: it had yet to interfere during battle even once. However, it did make things somewhat awkward.

Machias made it a point to go out of his way to keep his distance from Rean, not address him when speaking to the others, and when forced to speak with him, would forgo any real sense of politeness.

Rean, for his part, made no comment on the sudden hostility being directed his way. He bore it without so much as a retort. That said, his disappointment at the treatment was evident.

Fie kept to herself, same as she'd been doing since she and Rean had met up with the others.

Elliot and Gaius were unsure of how to approach the situation, so, for now at least, they stayed out of it.

As such, the state of things wasn't likely to change anytime soon. And the silence would continue.

...

The group was coming upon a split in the path, when some of their fellow Class VII initiates rounded the corner.

The five halted their stride, as they came face to face with Laura, Emma, and Alisa; the trio of maidens came to a stop at the sight of the other teens.

"We meet again." Laura greeted.

"Good to see you guys hangin' in there." Elliot remarked.

"I'm glad the five of you are unharmed as well." Emma shared the sentiment.

"Well, it seems you've cooled your head a bit, at least." The blue-haired girl spoke once more, referring to Machias.

"Yes, I've calmed down now." Machias affirmed.

"And I see you two have patched things up as well." Laura added, shifting her gaze to the pair of Rean and Fie.

"Yeah, we're good. Just had to talk it out a little." Rean replied, not bothering to give any details.

Fie simply nodded her head in agreement.

Alisa took a few steps closer, getting everyone's attention.

"I would have liked to do this earlier, but this is the first chance I've really gotten." The archer prefaced. "Thank you guys. You saved me from a pretty bad situation, if I'm being honest. One I doubt I would have been able to get myself out of." Her gratitude was abundant.

The three in question quickly assured her it was no trouble.

...

After speaking with the three who helped her for a number of moments, she stepped back, and the topic changed.

"So, now that we've all run into each other, how about we stick together?" Elliot suggested.

"I think that would be for the best. It's not safe for a group of girls to travel alone. You may require protection." Machias posited.

"You needn't be concerned about that." Laura gave her assurance.

"I beg your pardon?" The bespectacled boy had clearly not expected such a response.

The blue-haired noble pulled out her bastard sword in that moment. "I don't mean to boast, but I'm confident my swordsmanship will be more than sufficient to protect us." She stated with confidence. "For now, I think it's best to remain in separate groups. One of us remains unaccounted for."

"That's right. We still haven't run into Jusis." Emma pointed out.

"In that case, it seems two teams are still necessary." Gaius commented.

"Precisely." The sword maiden put away her blade, before looking back at the two girls accompanying her. "So then, shall we be off?"

"All right." Alisa agreed. "Take care." She spoke to the others.

"We'll see the five of you later, then." Emma did the same.

The three girls turned and walked away then.

...

Once the trio was out of sight, the conversation continued.

"Is no one else worried about leaving a group of girls to fend for themselves in a place like this?" Machias queried with a touch of concern. "There are four of us here, perhaps one of us should go follow them." He propounded.

Fie pointedly met his gaze then, reminding him of her presence.

"Uh...what I meant was that there are four men here, and that it is a gentleman's duty to protect a lady." The bespectacled boy proceeded to insert his foot into his mouth.

Fie could have said something in that moment, but found that she couldn't give a shit what this guy thought of her, and as such, had no real impetus to speak up. So she settled for fixing him with a disinterested gaze that managed to speak volumes of how little she cared about what he had to say.

"Umm..." Machias was visibly unsettled by the way she was looking at him.

"I don't think we have anything to worry about as long as Laura's with them." Gaius interposed, saving Machias from further mortification. "She really wears her skill on her sleeve. I doubt she drags around a sword that big just for show." The kind nord presumed.

"It's certainly an enormous blade. I'd call it comically huge, if it didn't look so dangerous." The bespectacled youth latched onto the lifeline thrown his way. "But at the end of the day, a lady is a lady, regardless of combat ability." Yet, he still persisted on the subject.

"Laura's taller and sturdier than I am! I really don't think she needs our help." Elliot gave his opinion. "Though, I admit, it's still hard to believe anyone could swing that beast of a sword."

"I'll bet she can whip it around without breaking a sweat." Rean postulated with confidence, attracting all eyes to him in doing so. "The Arseid school of swordsmanship serves as a general basis for the techniques used by knights throughout the Empire. And her father, the viscount, is arguably the strongest swordsman in the country. People call him the Radiant Blademaster." The swordsman apprised them. "I doubt any of the other students here could even stand their ground against her in combat, much less beat her."

"W-Wow..." Machias was rather surprised by this assessment.

"Interesting. I didn't know there were still roots of the old knightly styles alive in the Empire." Gaius remarked.

"You sure know a lot about this stuff, Rean. Hobby of yours?" Elliot queried.

"I'm a swordsman myself. I guess the lore sort of comes with the territory." The raven-haired youth

"Still...stronger than all of the other students? Do you think she's really that tough?" The orange-haired boy questioned.

"She'd wipe the floor with me, that's for sure." Rean stated matter-of-factly.

'It's rather...odd for a noble to admit something like that.' Machias thought privately.

"Fie'd probably stand a pretty good chance against her though. At least, as far as I can tell from seeing her in action." The Schwarzer heir speculated. 'Technically, it's because I can sense how strong she's become. But I should probably wait to unpack that one for them another time...'

"Wait, what!?" The bespectacled teen exclaimed in shock, before looking over to the silver-haired girl in question and recalling what he'd said to her. 'I really might have put my foot in my mouth...'

"Whoa..." Elliot just stared at the girl with wide eyes. Considering what he'd seen Rean do on the train, he was inclined to believe him when he spoke of strength.

Gaius gave the girl an appraising look, clearly curious, but said nothing on the subject.

'He sure is selling himself short.' Fie thought to herself, feeling a touch annoyed by that.

...

"Anyway, we should continue on." Rean said then, thinking it best to keep moving.

That snapped Machias out of it, as he proceeded to level a glare at Rean that imparted his feelings rather clearly.

Don't tell me what to do.

"We still have to find Jusis." Rean continued, ignoring the hostility being sent his way.

"True." The kind nord agreed.

"Hmph. I couldn't care less what happens to that pompous ass. He can rot down here." The dark green-haired teen proclaimed.

"That's a bit much." Elliot commented.

"Let's get moving already." The silver-haired maiden finally spoke, striding ahead of them.

Rean caught up with her immediately, and the others quickly followed after them.

...

"What's a place like this even doing on school grounds?" Machias suddenly offered an open inquiry, breaking the silence that had set in some time ago. "It's difficult to navigate, looks to be in such disrepair that it is frighteningly feasible that it could collapse on top of us, and, not to mention, it's filled to the brim with strange monsters. The phrase 'safety hazard' doesn't even come close to describing the peril of entering this building."

"It's certainly unorthodox, that's for sure." Gaius commented.

"Yeah... Who puts a giant trap door in a schoolhouse anyway?" Elliot wondered aloud.

"Sara." Fie answered immediately and without hesitation.

"Huh?" Was the unanimous response from the four boys.

"Sara." She repeated. "I doubt she was the one who actually put it there, but, it's definitely something she would do." She clarified.

"She certainly sounds...eccentric." The bespectacled boy remarked, the other three males nodding their heads in agreement.

"I get the sense you two know each other." Rean brought up.

"We do." She confirmed with a nod of her head.

"How?" The black-haired teen queried.

"Mm. Later." She told him.

All of a sudden, Rean, Fie, and Gaius slowed their pace, getting the other two to slow down as well and look back at them.

"Did you hear that?" The nord questioned.

The silver-haired maiden nodded.

"Someone's fighting up ahead. Come on!" Rean quickly said, picking up the pace.

Fie and Gaius followed behind.

"W-Wait for me!" Elliot shouted after them, running to catch up.

"Don't just leave me behind!" Machias quickly did the same.

...

The five teens came to a halt as they came upon the scene of the fighting.

Jusis was surrounded by enemies: beetles, flying felines, and gelatin-blob-like creatures; there were a dozen hostiles in total.

Unlike Machias, however, who fought well but couldn't prevent himself from being overrun, Jusis managed to hold them at bay with his swordsmanship. Swiftly striking one, defending himself from another, then inflicting a lethal blow on the next; with this pattern of movements, he went on slay each of them, thwarting their ambush all on his own.

"I-Incredible..." Machias muttered without thinking, his awe showing.

"That was really somethin'." Elliot commented, very much impressed.

"Not bad." Fie acknowledged the blond's skill.

"Judging by that display, I don't think he needs any help from us." Gaius opined. "I take it that's another form of imperial swordsmanship?" He went on to ask, looking toward Rean as he did.

"Right. That's court fencing, an agile style favored by the nobility. And judging by his poise, he's no amateur." Rean inferred.

"Did you need something?" Jusis curtly regarded them, turning around and lowering his sword to his side.

"Grr..." The bespectacled boy had to repress his snarl.

"Sorry, I was just admiring your swordsmanship." The raven-haired swordsman replied.

"I see." The noble-born teen didn't seem to care much about that statement, gaze drifting to the green-haired boy. "I have to say, I didn't think you had it in you. I'm impressed."

Realizing he was being addressed directly, the dark green-haired youth inquired, "What are you talking about?"

"After all that bluster about finding your way to the exit alone, I wasn't expecting you to actually rely on others for help." The blond fencer admitted. "I assume you came to your senses shortly after storming off, and then wandered back to apologize like a good boy." He concluded. "Truly, the virtue of the common man! Why, a preening noble such as myself would be far too proud to do such a thing." The noble lampooned dryly.

"What the hell is your problem!?" Machias demanded. "You nobles really are all the same. So full of yourselves it's a wonder you don't pop! And you'e not just a garden variety noble, either. House Albarea is one of the highest ranking in the country. I'll bet you just love looking down on us less-fortunate souls, don't you?!" He derided.

"Tch. You're one to talk. I don't need a lecture in rank from the son of the Imperial governor." Jusis riposted.

"Wait...what?" Rean was surprised by this information.

"Oh! I thought the name Regnitz sounded familiar..." Elliot said more to himself than anyone else.

Machias looked visibly distressed at this point.

"Carl Regnitz, the first commoner to ever hold the seat of Imperial governor in Heimdallr. The first to rule the capital. And this headstrong young lad just so happens to be a chip off that old block. Pretty rarefied air for a simple commoner, don't you think?" Jusis taunted.

"What does that have to do with anything?! Yes, my father is the Imperial governor, but he earned that position through years of hard, honest work! Don't go lumping him in with you nepotists who get your titles handed to you for just being born!" Machias vociferated with fervor.

"Perish the thought. No, I mainly just regard your father as a reformist...and a close friend of the chancellor, at that. And as you're vividly aware, his faction is in conflict with the Noble Faction, led by none other than the Four Great Houses. When you look at it that way, your vitriolic disdain for the nobility seems rather...cheap, wouldn't you say?" Jusis ridiculed with a shrug, a shake of his head, and a small, snide grin.

"Y-You son of a bitch!" Machias exclaimed, completely infuriated.

Marching over to the blond, his intentions were apparent: he as going to shut him up, one way or another.

"M-Machias, don't!" Elliot shouted.

Before the situation could escalate and the two boys came to blows, Rean intervened.

Stepping in, he physically restrained Machias, holding him back from assaulting the blond.

"I know he's taunting you, but lashing out at him isn't going to solve anything. And Jusis...don't you think that was a little uncalled for? Bringing his father into it was a little low. I figured you were better than that." The black-haired swordsman reprimanded the both of them.

"I wasn't the one who started this." The noble-born teen responded.

"What do you know?!" The bespectacled boy rebuked Rean, his ire only growing as he struggled against the hold the swordsman had on him. "Of course you would defend him, you're both nobles! You couldn't possibly understand! You can't comprehend the plights of us commoners! So what if you don't heave noble blood!? That doesn't change the fact that you're one of them! Just another rich kid sucking on a silver spoon, looking down on everyone else around you!" He spat vitriol.

Rean did his best to hide how he flinched at the sheer venom behind those words. They hurt, simply for the fact that they came from someone he considered a friend.

Fie's eyes narrowed, having been the only one to notice Rean's reaction.

"You're a blind idiot."

"What was that!?" Machias rounded on Fie.

"You heard me." She responded. "Rean couldn't be further from who you're trying to paint him as. If you took a moment and pulled your head out of your ass, I'm sure you'd be able to see that." The silver-haired girl castigated, her dispassionate delivery somehow making it worse.

Machias' teeth were grit so hard they threatened to chip, indignation still flowing through him. However, he could not find it in him to argue, her words striking him as genuine.

"Look, I understand you hold some kind of grudge against nobles, and it's probably none of my business why. But you can't just judge every noble as the same. When you thought I was a commoner we were getting along just fine, more than fine, even. But now that you're aware I'm a noble, even though I'm still the exact same person you've known since this morning, you treat me completely differently. You can't possibly not see what's wrong with that." Rean delineated the unscrupulous nature of his friend's attitude.

"I-I...I..." Completely at a loss for words, Machias ceased his struggling and hung his head in shame. His anger had been effectively doused. "You're right." He admitted. "I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... I shouldn't have lashed out like that. I...I let my anger get the better of me." He apologized, voice so low the others could barely hear him. "Just...just let go of me, please." He implored.

Rean didn't hesitate to do as he was asked, releasing Machias from the full nelson hold he'd locked him in.

"Rean, you...you didn't deserve that. I was out of line saying those things after what we went through on the train. I'm very sorry." He repeated his apology, remorse and shame coloring his voice. "I just... I think that...it'd be best if I was alone for a while."

With that, he walked away from everyone. And even as he passed Jusis, he didn't spare him so much as a glance. "You guys go on ahead without me. I... I'll catch up." He assured them somberly.

No one said anything in response, nor did they try to stop him. They simply watched him go until he was finally out of their line of sight.

...

"Perhaps I was a bit out of line." Jusis suddenly conceded with a sigh. "I should have chosen my words more carefully. It would seem I still have much to learn." He fully acknowledged his fault in that distasteful exchange.

"Uh?" Elliot was honestly taken off guard by the noble's reaction.

"You look shocked. Why?" The blond queried, focusing his gaze on the orange-haired teen in question.

"W-Well, you're the son of Duke Albarea, right. I wasn't expecting the son of a noble, especially one so high up, to admit he was wro-ahh! Wait! No! That came out wrong! I'm sorry." The timid boy was tripping over himself attempting to not upset the noble.

"There's no need to address me so formally." Jusis informed with a sigh. "We may come from different social spheres, but here at this academy, we're supposed to be on equal footing. Or so the idea goes, anyway."

"Y-Yeah, that's tru-I mean, yes, I'm with you all the way there!" The orbal staff user spat out nervously.

The noble-born teen was noticeably uncomfortable at the younger boy walking on eggshells around him.

"Elliot, relax." Rean told his friend with a chuckle.

"Just talk to him like you do Rean." Fie suggested. "He's a noble, too. You don't let it stop you from talking to him normally."

"Is one's social class really that big a deal here in the Empire?" Gaius inquired with a whisper to the dark-haired swordsman.

"It is. This country has a long history, and the class system has been one of its central institutions for pretty much all of it. A man who doesn't wish to become nobility is rare: it can mean everything to people. At the same time, there are others who see no value in it at all." The Schwarzer heir explained.

The kind nord didn't respond, as he began to silently contemplate this information.

...

"We should keep moving." The raven-haired swordsman said, getting the others attention. "You wouldn't mind coming with us, would you?" He asked of Jusis.

"Seeing as it's my fault your down a man, I could hardly refuse."

---

The five teenagers had been hoofing it awhile before they finally found signs their trek was coming to an end.

They crossed the threshold leading from a corridor into a new, large room: within they found a large gargoyle statue, and two flights of stairs leading up to what appeared to be the exit to this dungeon. The sunlight pouring in through the entrance way clinched it, as they all realized they were at what equated to the finish line.

"H-Hey, are we...?" Elliot couldn't bring himself to finish the thought aloud, momentarily overwhelmed that they might finally be done with the monster pit.

"Looks like we are. That definitely seems to be the exit." Gaius opined.

"I can see sunlight streaming in, so I'm guessing we're in the clear." Rean observed.

"Done already?" Fie wondered aloud.

"Hmph. This was a complete waste of time. Pointless busywork at best." Jusis articulated his displeasure. "Considering the school's esteemed founder, I was expecting more of a challenge, but nothing here posed even a modest threat." He asserted.

"Did we even fight the same enemies? I feel like I've been stretched to my limits." The orange-haired boy put forth, unable to hide his exhaustion.

"Didn't even break a sweat." The silver-haired maiden commented.

"It was quite the warm-up." The kind nord remarked.

"Yeah, we didn't have nearly as hard a time as I thought we would." The raven-haired swordsman expressed his pleasant surprise.

"Am I the only one who had a hard time down here...?" Elliot groaned pathetically as he hung his head.

...

The sound of footsteps caught the group's attention then, the five turning around to see another of their ranks join them in the final room.

It was Machias.

Upon noticing them, the bespectacled youth came to a stop, lowered his head and stared at his shoes, rubbing the back of his neck out of anxiousness.

It had only been perhaps an hour since his outburst, so things were still understandably awkward, at least on his end.

"Hey guys...I, um...look, again, I'm truly sorry about what happened earlier. I lost my head and-"

"No sweat." Rean cut him off.

"Huh?" The dark green-haired teen's confusion was apparent.

"I can't speak for the others, but as far as I'm concerned, it's water under the bridge. You apologized. We're good." The Schwarzer heir reassured his new friend with a small smile.

Fie took a moment to scrutinize her childhood friend. After she found whatever she was looking for, she shifted her gaze to Machias and nodded her head in agreement.

"I suppose I am partially to blame for the incident, so I have no right to hold it against you." Jusis acknowledged.

"Like I said before, we all do and say things we regret sometimes. You didn't really mean it, right? And you said you're sorry. Kind of hard not to forgive you after that." Elliot opined.

"I couldn't agree more. After all, if everyone agonized over every mistake they've ever made, nothing would get done." Gaius put forth.

"T-Thank you so much." Machias' gratitude was all too clear, as he put his hands to his sides and performed a small bow to the others.

As he pulled up from the bow and corrected his posture, he noticed the entrance way above them. "Is that the exit?"

They confirmed it was. Thus, the topic of whether to proceed for the exit or wait for the others came about.

...

"I wonder what all that business about Class VII was, anyway?" Elliot mumbled to himself, having momentarily zoned out of the discussion.

"Good question." Rean commented, having heard him. 'We've got people here from different backgrounds, classes, even cultures... Is there some sort of secret agenda with this whole Class VII thing that we just don't know about yet?' The swordsman pondered to himself.

...

Without warning, the entire room shook.

All notion of discussion was forgotten.

"What was that?" Jusis questioned.

"What's going on?" Machias queried.

"What's happening?" Elliot wondered aloud, doing his best to stifle the anxiousness in his voice.

"The floor is rumbling..." Gaius observed.

"Something feels...off." Rean remarked, something playing at the corner of his senses.

"Look." Fie called attention to what she saw, pointing it out to the others.

Their eyes collectively followed her to the point she was staring at. That's where they saw it.

The large stone statue of a gargoyle had, quite literally, come to life!

The dull grey of it's stone body was no more, its mass brightening into a livelier shade with an ink-black coating; the joints connecting its limbs to its torso sprouted hardened-pads that were bright purple in color; and its denticles became actualized into rows of razor-sharp fangs.

Breathing its first breath of life, the creature's wings began twitch and jerk, as its spear-like pointed tail started to sway back and forth.

"The statue?!" Rean's shock was on display for all to see.

"What the heck is THAT!?" Elliot cried.

"A gargoyle come to life? What sorcery is this?" Jusis questioned in surprise, taken off guard.

"H-How is this even possible!?" Machias wondered in the same vein, completely shocked.

Peering downward, it caught sight of its prey.

"I don't know, but here it comes!" The Schwarzer heir warned.

And so it did: the newly born gargoyle leapt from its resting place upon its pedestal, and landed hard on the floor below, cracking the very ground they stood upon with its considerable weight.

Fangs bared, it craned its neck down towards them, staring at the lot with its grey, lifeless eyes. Determining them as prey, its maw opened and it proceeded to let out an eardrum-splitting roar, shaking the very room around them.

"Aaaaaah!" Elliot shrieked in fear.

"Are monsters like this common in the Empire?" Gaius inquired, almost unsettling calm in the face of the fiend.

"Not outside of old wives' tales they aren't!" Machias and Jusis hurriedly replied in tandem.

"You'd be surprised." Fie interjected to contradict them.

"What kind of life have you lived that you can say that with a straight face!?" Both Elliot and Machias demanded to know, incredulous, and a little exasperated, at her statement.

"This thing's cutting off our only route to the surface. There's no choice, we have to fight it!" Rean apprised the others, drawing his tachi.

The others quickly followed his lead, drawing their weapons.

"Right!" The kind nord affirmed.

"Finally, an opponent worthy of my skill." The noble-born teen pridefully remarked.

"It's likely to try and skewer us with its horns, if not just outright eat us. Watch yourself." The silver-haired maiden cautioned the others, despite looking wholly unconcerned about the situation at hand.

"Okay, now you're scaring me!" The bespectacled youth exclaimed with open irritation.

"Aidios, help us!" The orange-haired boy beseeched the Goddess.

The fiend reared back.

"Move!" The raven-haired swordsman shouted

The six all dodged to the side, as the gargoyle lunged for them.

Three of them jumped to the left: Rean, Fie, and Machias; the other three jumped to the right: Jusis, Gaius, and Elliot, splitting the group evenly.

This put them on either side of the creature. Using this to their advantage they flanked the stone construct, attacking in tandem.

Rean ran forward and slashed at the beast's right arm, his blade was met with resistance. However, despite the hardness of the stone-flesh, his blade managed to tear a minor gash in the limb; blood failed to flow from the injury.

Fie stood back, firing at its side, pelting it's mid-section with bullets from her gunblades.

Machias took aim with his orbal shotgun and supplemented the girl's shots with blasts from his own weapon.

Jusis pivoted forward and stabbed the gargoyle's left arm, his imperial saber managing to puncture its hide, but failing to sink past one third of its length due to the density and toughness of its epidermis.

Gaius carved at its left leg with the dual side-blades of his cross-spear, an x shaped mark cut into the extremity as a result. He followed up by thrusting the head of his weapon into the center of the damaged area, allowing him to force it deeper into its skin than he would have been capable otherwise.

Elliot backed up, before giving a wave of his orbal staff, unleashing three blue-colored balls of arts energy. These projectiles flew into the stone-beast's left side, popping as they made contact with the target, leaving hairline-thin cracks behind in their wake.

Howling in pain, the gargoyle went on the defensive.

Spinning its body a full three hundred sixty degrees, it lashed out with its tail, whipping it in a circle in an attempt to swat its assailants.

Pulling back, all six combatants jumped back to avoid the tail spin.

However, the wind pressure exerted from its maneuver was enough to affect them, forcing the majority of the teens to squint their eyes as they braced themselves against it.

The one who got the worst of it was Elliot, who couldn't hold up against the rush of air. "AAH!" He cried as he was bowled over.

"Elliot!" Rean and Machias called in concern.

They weren't given the chance to check on him, as the beast, not intent on allowing harm to come to it again, turned and swung on the left group with its deadly claws. This forced them to evade, Machias just barely managing.

Gaius was at Elliot's side, helping him to his feet, leaving Jusis the only one who could capitalize on the beast's back being to them.

The blond noble was unable to do so, however, as when he tried, the thing's tail lashed out, keeping him at bay.

Fie broke into a sprint, rushing headlong into danger as she raced toward the creature. It swiped at her with its claws, missing as she jumped and leapt over them each time it attempted, dodging its repeated attacks almost casually. As she drew closer, the gargoyle abandoned its first tactic, and instead opened its maw wide, spewing flames from its mouth; she evaded the stream of fire as effortlessly as its previous attacks, kicking off the ground and flipped over its head, she stuck the land on its back. Not wasting a single moment, she turned and opened fire with her gunswords, bombarding the back of the fiend's skull with lead.

Vocalizing its renewed sense of pain with a wail, the gargoyle began shaking its head frantically in an attempt to shake the girl off. Simultaneously, it swung its tail back and forth in an endeavor to ward off its other assailants.

It was to no avail, though, as the five still on the ground seized the opportunity presented them and barraged the beast with attacks

Rean sliced up its right arm, creating tear after tear, gash after gash, gouging out the beast's stone-flesh; ducking and dodging any swipes the beast made for him all the while.

Jusis stabbed into its left arm, before ripping his sword out and slashing the limb from top to bottom; backstepping and sidestepping, he avoided the monster's attempts at slicing him to ribbons with its claws.

Gaius tore into the gargoyle's left side, carving into its hard skin with the side-blades of his weapon to soften up the area, before sinking every rege of the spearhead and its side-blades into its body. He could only just manage to force it that deep into the creature's hide; ripping it out, he swiftly repeated the process.

Elliot, back on his feet, focused on its left leg, pelting it with wave after wave of arts energy. He swung his orbal staff as hard and fast as he could; fear gripped him and pushed him to try to do as much damage as he possibly could.

Machias took the front, unloading a salvo of blasts into its neck and chest with his orbal shotgun.

All the damage the fiend accumulated in a matter of moments was staggering; the former statue began to shake and tremble, its movements becoming sluggish as its body slowly succumbed to the trauma inflicted upon it.

This served to make Fie's task of keeping herself from being dislodged from atop its back all the easier. Taking advantage of no longer having to keep herself rooted, she ceased her rapid fire and instead held the triggers on her weapons down. Delaying the firing process, she charged her next shots for additional stopping power.

Releasing the triggers, two shots flew from her gunblades and damn near punched through the gargoyle's skull, rocking its cranium upon impact and breaking chunks of stone off its head.

Screeching in agony, the monster collapsed to the floor, its body slamming into the already cracked ground so hard that it fractured further.

The five on the ground leapt back to safety as this occurred.

The silver-haired maiden hopped off the the thing at that point.

All the teenagers regrouped in front of the gargoyle; the beast lie still, seemingly breathless, appearing dead to the world.

...

"That should be the end of it." Jusis concluded.

"No, it's down, but not out!" Rean notified the others.

As if on cue, the beast took a shaky, haggard breath, and began climbing back to its feet.

"Aaaah!" Elliot couldn't help but scream in fear once more.

Its body ceased shaking; seemingly having composed itself, it began to glow a dark purple.

"W-Wha-What's it doing!?" The orange-haired boy queried with trepidation.

"I think it's...changing." Machias theorized aloud.

Indeed it was: the fiend's colors morphed, the majority of its form turning a light shade of blue, almost cyan, while its wings, tail and the bottom half of its arms and legs became a dull gold; its claws and horns also turned a deep maroon.

Transformation finished, the purple glow faded out of existence, and the stone construct's wings began to beat.

"It's stronger than before." Fie remarked in an offhanded manner.

"That's one hell of a second wind." Gaius opined.

"Stronger or not, we still have to take it down." Rean proclaimed.

The gargoyle roared at them once again, before, with the strength of its beating wings, it left the ground and took to the air; rising up around three arge or so, its legs and tail hung down to where they were just in reach, while the rest of its body had become much more difficult to get to.

"It can fly now!?" Elliot exclaimed with equal parts incredulity and dread.

"Come on!" Machias complained with vexation.

"It does have wings." The stoic girl pointed out.

"Not the point!" The bespectacled youth snapped back.

"Guess it's time for round two." The raven-haired swordsman remarked.

The gargoyle's arms came careening at the six from opposite ends, forcing most of them to dive out of the way to avoid being eviscerated by its claws: Fie was the exception, as she nimbly avoided its long reach. Remaining on her feet, she lined up her gunblades with the thing's chest, adjusting her trajectory for its airborne position, and commenced rapid fire.

Machias scrambled to his feet and hurriedly joined her; opting to not be a sitting duck, he kept moving as he discharged his weapon repeatedly, hammering his buckshots into flying creature's torso.

Elliot pulled himself off the ground and took a second to catch his breath, before once more swinging his orbal staff about, sending spherical-form arts energy at the aloft beast.

Rean, Gaius, and Jusis had already recovered, but were unable to really assist. With their melee weapons, they could do little from the ground while the enemy was up in the air.

The fiend nearly unhinged its jaw as it opened its mouth wide, and proceeded to spit fire at those below. The flames flowed like a stream from its maw down onto ground, scorching the floor; the half dozen teenagers were forced to abandon their positions and run, so as to avoid the danger.

The silver-haired girl made the best of it, calmly swerving out of the flames' path, while continuing to fire; the orange-haired boy got the worst of it, panicking and throwing himself hard to the ground to get away, sheer heat pressing down on him as the stream just missed him.

A few moments wasted, that's all it was, yet those precious seconds led to one of them almost being torched.

That wasn't acceptable.

'If we don't do something quick, this is only going to get worse.' With that thought, Rean sprang into action.

"I'm going to try something." The swordsman hurriedly informed the others, before rushing off toward the stairs.

Once at the base of the stairway, he began rapidly ascending the two flights, reaching the top of the walkway in no time at all. Backing up to where he met the wall, he broke into a dead sprint, and proceeded to take a running leap off of the walkway.

He covered a distance of nearly three arge to reach his target, landing on the gargoyle's back.

"Rean!" Machias and Elliot both shouted his name with concern.

'He's rather reckless.' Jusis thought to himself.

"That's a better tactic than simply standing down here and waiting for an opening, I'll give him that." Gaius remarked.

Fie said nothing, but watched her childhood friend as best she could out of the corner of her eye, as she chipped away at the stone-beast's body with her shots.

Rean clung onto the stone construct's back with one hand, while using his free hand to wield his sword and slash at its spine repeatedly. From left to right, right to left: he cut and cut, each stroke of his blade gouging out more of its stone flesh than the last.

The fiend's stream of fire died as its wing-beats grew furious, it growing agitated due to the damage it was taking to the back.

The gusts of powerful wind created by the rapid flaps of the stone-creature's wings pelted those below, forcing Fie, Gaius and Jusis to brace themselves to keep on their feet, while outright flooring Machias and Elliot.

'Enough of this. I refuse to stand idle any longer. If I can't hit it with my saber, then I will simply have to use a different method of attack.' The blond noble resolved, as he retrieved his ARCUS from his pocket.

"ARCUS activate!" As the device started to glow, Jusis threw his free hand out in front of him. In the empty space in front of his palm, air began to physically swirl, spinning and spinning as it gathered together, turning a vibrant green as it formed into a large ball of compressed air.

"Air Strike!" The green orb went flying, striking the creature's right side a moment later, breaking apart upon impact and assailing it with wind, dealing concussive impact and some miner slashes that induced cracks in its hard epidermis.

The nord spearman saw this occur, and mimicked the blond, pulling out his ARCUS and letting loose the same art, striking the beast's left side rather than the right.

The gargoyle attempted to swipe at those on the ground with its claws once more, missing yet again. Provoked by all the pain it had endured, the beast wasn't content to let them go unpunished; after they'd dodged it, it made no move to try for another, instead, it flew an arge or so higher.

From its higher elevation, it steadied its thrashing wings, calming for the briefest of moments, and pulled them as far back as they could physically go. Cocked back like weapons, the creature tensed, before beating its wings with all its might three times in rapid succession, unleashing dangerous gales upon those below.

These gales cut through the still air of the room, acting like blades of wind, tearing into the ground upon impact and leaving deep gashes and mini-trenches in the stone-floor, sending chunks of it flying, and filling the air with dust.

Fie all but danced around the danger, refusing to let up on her attack, firing still.

Jusis retreated to safety, prevented from remaining on the offensive.

Both Machias and Elliot were pulling themselves up off the ground, nursing bumps and bruises; they were sitting ducks.

"Get down!" Gaius shouted in warning, as he himself dodged.

The bespectacled youth and the orange-haired boy heard him, noticing what was heading their way as a result. The pair's eyes went wide in surprise and fear, as they acted almost on auto-pilot and dove out of the way, rolling for their lives once they hit the ground again.

It was just enough to keep them from harm.

Rean, having watched this unfold from above, ceased his cutting. Wanting to prevent the stone construct from repeating the dangerous attack, he took his sword, reached out and stabbed the blade into its left wing with all the strength he could muster, forcing nearly the whole weapon into its stone-flesh.

Squawking at the sudden sharp-pain it felt from its wing, the creature halted any further attacks, and seemingly opted to focus on the one plaguing it from behind, hiding upon its own body, no less. Reaching over its shoulder, it attempted to pluck the pest from its back.

The silver-haired girl noticed the beast's new priority, and as such, focused fire on its face, in hopes of distracting it from getting at her only friend.

The tactic worked for a brief moment, the unnatural thing pausing its actions as it took a moment to shake its head. Every bullet hit its mark, however, due to the sheer thickness of it's stone-skin, they all did little more than sting.

Talons reaching for him once more, Rean pulled his tachi from the creature's wing, and prepared to defend himself to the best of his ability.

Gaius figured out what Fie was doing immediately, he also understood that it wasn't really working, and that Rean was in trouble. And he was unable to do anything but watch as it happened, his attempt at arts not panning out against the stone monster.

Eyes flickering down to the weapon in his hand, the nord boy came to a quick decision.

'This will leave me defenseless, but, I can't simply stand here and do nothing.'

Gaius planted his feet and cocked his arm back over his shoulder; pivoting forward, he threw his cross-spear with all his might. The weapon flew upward toward its target: hitting its mark, it pierced the side of the fiend's neck; the force behind the throw was enough to sink half the length of the spear into its stone-epidermis, creating numerous large cracks in its form.

Bellowing in anguish, all thought of the pest on its back was momentarily forgotten.

Taking notice of the spear imbedded in the stone constructs neck, Rean made his way toward it: climbing up its back until he was in position. Using his off-hand, he took hold of the portion of spear's shaft not inside the beast, and proceeded to wrench it free.

The swordsman tossed the spear down to Gaius, before burying his tachi hilt-deep into the beast's fresh wound, and twisting the blade for good measure.

The gargoyle simply couldn't handle all pain being inflicted upon it, and began to flail in the air, its wings struggling to keep it aloft as it writhed; Rean was forced to hang on for dear life so as to not be bucked off.

Fie perceived the fact that the beast was weakening, switched targets to its left wing, the one already injured, and held down her gunblades' triggers, charging her next shots.

Jusis was immediately able to discern what she was up to, and decided to contribute. Targeting the right wing, the blond noble began casting the air strike art over and over again, as swiftly as he could manage, unleashing a salvo.

Machias, finally recovered and on his feet, took a moment to realize what the two were doing. Once it clicked in his brain, however, he quickly rushed to join them. Taking the right wing, he assisted Jusis' effort, unloading on it with his gun.

Elliot, just now managing to get himself up off the ground, was groggy for a few seconds and failed to understand what the others were up to. Clarity came to him shortly, and he did his best to help.

Raising his orbal staff, it glowed for a moment, before a large orb of water came into existence before him.

"Aqua Bleed!" The water ball went jetting toward the stone construct's left wing: it broke apart when it hit, dealing concussive impact and wetting some of its hard skin.

Well aware that wasn't enough, the timid orange-haired boy began to cast again. He would imitate the blond noble by repeatedly flinging arts at the enemy.

Gaius, his spear firmly in hand once more, debated with himself whether it was wise to throw his weapon again. 'I was fortunate that Rean assisted me by retrieving my spear, if he hadn't, I would be left with little but Arts, of which I know one, and even then, I have little experience casting it. Risking the loss of my weapon for the rest of the fight when there isn't a pressing need to...'

'I will just have to make do with what I'm capable of at the moment.' With that decision, he pulled out his ARCUS and went to work alongside the others, joining the attack on the right wing with his own air strikes.

...

Between the combined assault of those below and the damage it'd already sustained, the fiend was granted no reprieve from its pain, continuing to flounder in the air, lashing out with its talons all the while.

It didn't take a genius to work out what the five on the ground were doing, as such, Rean decided he didn't want to be on it when it went down. Gripping the hilt of his sword, he proceeded to rip his blade free from the stone construct's neck.

At that same exact moment, two small holes were punched in the creature's left wing: Fie had released her triggers, letting loose two charged shots that tore straight through its stone-flesh.

The gargoyle shrieked in agony, its entire body thrashing ferociously as it fought to remain airborne; in desperation, it began to the breathe fire once more, simultaneously whipping its tail forward and swinging its arm down at those below.

This chaos nearly dislodged the raven-haired swordsman before he was ready to jump down, the teen having to hold on tightly until just the right moment presented itself, and let go.

Hitting the ground, he ignored the dull ache in his legs from the landing and immediately broke into a sprint to reach the others, putting some much needed distance between him and the beast.

The assault came to a halt then, as Rean joined the others, and they regrouped; the six didn't take their eyes off of their enemy for a moment as they did this.

Its wings finally failing it, the gargoyle dropped out of the air, crashing into the ground with a thunderous bang: riddling the stone floor with innumerable cracks on top of those already created. The state of the ruined floor reflected that of the beast, as its stone body was akin to fractured glass in appearance.

Even in spite of its substantial fatigue and myriad of wounds, it forced its battered form off the ground and onto its feet once more. However, it failed to take to take flight, its wings too damaged to support it.

It was readily apparent the fiend was running on fumes. But a cornered beast would not simply roll over and die.

"Ugh... I can appreciate a certain degree of tenacity, but this thing needs to just die." Jusis voiced his frustration.

"It's on its last legs. One more push and it'll go down for the count." Fie apprised.

"Argh." Came Elliot's tired groan, as he all but collapsed, only just managing to keep himself off the floor by pushing against it with his free hand. He was visibly exhausted.

Machias wasn't in the best condition either, panting despite himself.

'Fie, Gaius, Jusis, and I should be able to outlast this thing, Machias more than likely can as well, Elliot, however... I don't know if he can hold out much longer. He can barely stand. If we don't finish this thing quick...' Rean ruminated apprehensively.

"Stand back!" A new voice suddenly shouted.

An arrow came out of nowhere then, hitting the gargoyle dead-center in its chest. It was quickly follow by a second, then a third, fourth, and even fifth.

Looking back behind them, the six saw Alisa, bow drawn, having been the one to fire the projectiles.

At the same time, three purple-colored orbs of orbal energy came flying, hitting the creature dead on: courtesy of Emma and her orbal staff.

After that, Laura rushed in, passing by the other teens; with a cry of effort, she proceeded to nearly lop off the beast's left arm, her large bastard sword tearing through its stone-flesh with ease. The only reason it didn't end up losing the limb was its reflexive reaction of leaping backward in the face of danger.

"Y-You made it!" Elliot exclaimed with relief, as he managed to stand back up

"You've certainly got some good timing!" Gaius said, pleasantly surprised.

"Phew... Seems like you're all okay. That's good." Alisa remarked with relief of her own, as she came over to stand with the six.

"I-I'm sorry we took so long." Emma apologized as she joined them.

"You're here, and that's what counts." Rean reassured her.

"So, a gargoyle, is it? I didn't expect to find the Dark Ages alive and well down here." Laura commented, backing up, being the last to fall in line with everyone else. "It appears as though it's barely hanging on as it is. This shouldn't be difficult to finish." She assessed.

"If we can find an opening, that is. An animal is never more dangerous than when it is cornered: finishing it off won't be easy." Jusis expounded.

"Fine, guess I'll try this time." Fie stated lackadaisically.

Before anyone could question her regarding the implications of that statement, she was off.

Closing the distance between her and the stone construct, she sidestepped a swing of its arms, before leaping upward to avoid its jaws, as its fangs snapped at her; effortlessly, she landed in a crouched position behind it. Tearing into the back of its right leg with slashes from her gunblades, she carved deep into its hide.

The fiend faltered then, almost collapsing, vocalizing its agony with another screech.

"There's our opening, go!" Rean commanded in the heat of the moment.

Vibrant blue-white light began to emanate from each of the nine teenager's bodies in that moment, the ARCUS units in their pockets glowing in the same manner, as the Class VII initiates rushed the fiend.

Attacking from the left: Machias, Elliot, and Gaius; attacking from the right: Emma, Alisa, and Jusis; attacking from behind: Fie; and finally, attacking from the front: Rean and Laura. The nine cannonaded the creature with slashes, stabs, bullets, arrows, and orbal energy: this onslaught gave the gargoyle no room to launch a counterattack, evade, or even defend itself, completely overwhelmed to the point where it could do nothing more than writhe and roar.

Now was the time to finish it.

Alisa let loose a flurry of arrows, Emma cast the needle shoot art, and Jusis performed a series of rapid thrusts.

Elliot cast aqua bleed, Machias blasted buckshots as fast as he could pull the trigger, and Gaius threw all his weight behind a powerful thrust of his spear.

Fie unleashed rapid-fire from her gunblades.

Laura sped forward, and with a great cleave of her bastard sword, sliced clean through the stone-flesh of the beast's left arm, severing it from its body completely.

The amputation caused a severe loss of stability for the creature: off-balance, it fell forward, slamming into the floor with great force, vocalizing it's immense pain all the while.

Rean pivoted forward and thrust his tachi forth with a cry of effort, sinking his blade to the hilt in the gargoyle's skull, skewering it right between the eyes; this deathblow brought the fiend's cry of anguish to an abrupt end.

In that moment, the onslaught ceased, as the stone construct went perfectly still, and deathly silent.

The gargoyle's coloring faded, its mass returning to its original dull-grey, then it began to glow once more. Dark purple light consumed the statue, before it dematerialized into nonexistence in its entirety.

At the same time, the light originating from the nine students and their ARCUS units faded as well.

"I-It's gone." Elliot muttered to himself with relief.

"We did it!" Alisa exclaimed.

The group of teens put away their weapons and regrouped.

...

"Phew... I think that's the end of it." Emma breathed a sigh of relief.

"At the very least, that creature doesn't seem like it'll be coming back for a rematch any time soon." Gaius opined.

"Yeah, let's hope not." Machias added.

"You never know." Fie jested, but due to her stoic manner, it didn't come across that way.

"Would you stop that!?" The bespectacled youth all but begged her.

"What happened there, anyway? Right at the end of the battle..." The timid orange-haired boy wondered aloud.

"Now that you mention it, I did feel something wash over me for just a second there." The blonde archer mentioned.

"It was like each of us were engulfed in some faint, blue light." Machias brought up.

"I did notice something as we fought. Perhaps it was just the blur of combat...but I felt like I could see everyone's movements in precise detail." Laura gave her observation.

"I don't think it was just your imagination." The silver-haired girl let her know.

"Agreed. I have a feeling what we just experienced was-" Rean started.

"...the biggest selling point of the almight ARCUS? Give this man a prize!" Only to be cut off, as Sara finished for him.

Surprised by the sound of her voice, the nine turned to face the two flights of steps leading up to the exit, to see the young woman in question there, at the top of the first flight, already making her way down the stairs to them. "Looks like friendship and teamwork save the day once again! I'm so proud of you guys!"

No one was sure what to say in response to that, simply idling silently as the red-fuchsia haired woman descended to their level and approached them.

"Anyway, that about finishes up today's special...orienteering...exercise..." Sara's joyful momentum faded considerably as she realized none of them looked particularly pleased; she stopped about an arge and a half from them, a small disappointed frown adorning her face. "...Aww, what's with the long faces? I thought you'd all be happy!"

"W-What are we supposed to be happy about?" Machias questioned with bewilderment.

"I have so many questions, I'm not even sure where to start..." Alisa admitted.

"Oh?" The instructor simply said, clearly awaiting these questions.

"I'll take a stab at it." Jusis volunteered. "What exactly is the purpose behind this Class Seven?"

"Class VII, actually." The twenty-something corrected.

"Again with that!?" The bespectacled youth griped.

"I mean, we get that it's supposed to be some sort of melting pot that includes a broad cross-section of people..." Emma picked up where the blond noble left off, in an effort to get past the whole class name thing.

"But why were the nine of us chosen, in particular?" Laura asked straight out, getting to the point.

"Hmm...that is a valid question." Sara conceded. "There's no single, monolithic reason you all made the list...but if I had to name one of the major contributing factors, it'd be those ARCUS orbments you've got there."

"How so?" Rean inquired further.

"Well, like I explained earlier, the ARCUS units are developed jointly by the Epstein Foundation and the Reinford Company. And like any battle orbment, they let you use arts, and these have communication functionality built right in. But their crowning feature is what's known as combat linking. That's the phenomenon you all experienced just now." The instructor elucidated.

"So that's what that was..." The archer whispered to herself.

"Seems like a pretty apt term. It did feel like we were all connected, somehow." Elliot granted.

"Precisely! Doesn't take a genius to imagine how much of an advantage a feature like that would be on a real battlefield. An elite unit that can sense each other's movements, acting in perfect sync, even in the most chaotic conditions... You can hardly put a price on that!" The red-fuchsia-haired woman explicated. "It could bring about a revolution in the way wars are fought!" She asserted.

"Hmm...it does sound rather..." The blue-haired noble girl started.

"Idealistic." Fie finished.

"Well, yeah. The technology has its limits. Some have a natural aptitude for it. Others just...don't. And out of this year's fresh batch of bright-eyed students, the nine of you turned out to have the highest aptitude. And since aptitude trumps background in Class VII, well...here you are." Sara explained.

"I see." Gaius said, clearly contemplating this new information.

"But what gives us this aptitude, though, as compared to our peers?" Machias queried. "It just seems so...random."

"What, indeed!" Was the young woman's response, clearly having no intention whatsoever of expounding on the subject. "As promised, if any of you have objections to being in this class, speak now or forever hold your peace." She instructed.

Rather than giving them a moment to do so, she continued, "I think that pretty much covers the hows and the whys of your situation. But this program isn't cheap to run, so we're not about to force anyone into it if they don't want to be here. You should be aware that Class VII's curriculum will be tougher than any other class' coursework. Just fair warning." She divulged.

"So now you know. And that leaves you all with an important decision to make: will you stick with Class VII, or not?" She posed this to them. "Oh, and if you opt out, you'll just be placed in the class you would've been assigned to otherwise... There's no pressure. Nobles will land in class I or II, commoners in III, IV, or V. It's still just the first day, so there's no real catching up you'd have to do." The instructor enlightened them. "I'm sure you'd fit in just fine." She added as an afterthought.

Nothing but silence followed, the nine teenagers each lost in their own thoughts.

...

Rean closed his eyes, taking a moment to think it over.

Images of Fie's bloodied, frail form; Elise's terrified, desperate expression, and his crimson stained body flashed before his mind's eye.

'I don't ever want something like that to happen again.' Opening his eyes, he glanced Fie's way, eyes lingering on her for several seconds, before returning to the instructor.

He had made his decision.

Rean was the first to step forward. "I'll do it. Whatever Class VII has to throw at me, I'm game." He proclaimed.

"Wait, what?!" Alisa nearly did a double take. 'He hardly knows anything about the ARCUS or this Class VII arrangement, how can he agree to be a part of this thing so easily!?'

"Just like that?!" Elliot queried in shock.

"So, you're the first then. You seem pretty sure about it. Any particular reason?" Sara inquired.

"Not really. I just feel like I've put my family out, asking them to send me to this school. So if it gives me more to show for my time here, I'll take whatever opportunities come my way." He settled on a half-truth for his answer.

"Mmm. A noble sentiment." The red-fuchsia-haired woman remarked. And what about you, Fie?" She went on to ask, shifting focus on the silver-haired girl as she did.

Fie failed to respond at first, her eyes seeking out her childhood friend, and remaining glued to him for a number of moments.

Until, finally, she returned her gaze to the instructor. "Yeah, I'll join." She said, stepping forward,

"Good, you're finally making your own decisions. I'm proud of you, Fie." Sara let her know with a smile. However, she did not linger. "Okay, that makes an even two. Anyone else?"

"Count me in as well. The greater the challenge, the more I can push myself to excel. One can't hone a blade without grit, after all." Laura reasoned, as she stepped forward.

"Let's make it four." Gaius spoke up. "Considering how far I came to attend this school, it'd be silly to back down before I even started." He opined, while stepping forward.

"Well, looks like we've got the country's strongest freshman on board, and our foreign exchange student, too, Any more takers?" The twenty-something queried.

"Allow me to take part as well." Emma stepped forward then. "I was only able to come here because of the school's generosity in extending me a scholarship, so I feel it's my duty to help in any way I can." She replied humbly.

"S-Sign me up too!" Elliot steps forward. "I kinda feel like fate brought us here for a reason, y'know? And you all seem pretty easy to get along with." He commented, scratching his cheek.

"And that's a yes from our two orbal staff testers. Though I feel compelled to remind you: your weapons are still in the prototype stage. So, on top of your other work, I'll be expecting reports from both of you!" The instructor informed them.

"Heh. Of course." The bespectacled girl agreed.

"Ugh... Maybe I spoke too soon." The timid orange-haired boy thought aloud.

"Let me join too." Alisa piped up, stepping forward as well.

"Oh? There's a surprise. I was almost certain your rebellious streak would see you opt out just on general principle." Sara spoke frankly.

"It does bother me that you've got us using these ARCUS units that are still pretty clearly in development, but if I let every little nitpick like that hold me back, I'd never amount to much." The blonde girl elaborated on her reasoning.

"Haha. Words to live by, right there." The busty young woman remarked with a chuckle. "We've got a magnificent seven now... Which just leaves the two of you. So, hows about it? You guys in, or out?" She'd singled out the pair of teens yet to give an answer.

The two in question, rather than reply, glanced at each other, clearly trying to gauge one and other.

"I can see you've got issues with each other, but that doesn't mean you can't at least try to work together. Why, if you just look past your differences and embrace the joys of youth, I'm sure you'll become the best of friends!" Sara assured in a rather blithe manner.

"Like hell we will!" Machias spat. "The exploitation of the common people by the aristocracy is a blight on every facet of Erebonian life! Unless something is done about it, this country has no future!" He heatedly ranted.

"I appreciate your candor, but I don't think you're going to achieve much by lecturing me about it." The red-fuchsia haired woman told with him.

"Well, at least that makes this simple." Jusis said, as he stepped forward. "I, Jusis Albarea, claim my place as a member of Class VII." He calmly declared.

"Wh-What!? Why!?" The bespectacled youth did a double take, visibly caught off guard. "You're the son of a duke! Just the thought of being in the same class as commoners should make you sick!"

"I'll thank you not to tell me how I'm supposed to feel." The blond noble re-joined, returning his attention to his less than friendly acquaintance. "As far as the house of Albarea is concerned, there's little difference between other nobles and commoners. Besides, this should at least ensure I won't have fools flitting about every day trying to win my favor." He disclosed his secondary reason for joining. "That said, I have little interest in getting drawn into your petty arguments on a daily basis, either. I think it would be prudent for us to go our separate ways. I'm certain we can at least agree on this, no?"

"I don't need some pompous ass who coasts through life on his father's coattails telling me what to do!" Machias snapped back. "I'm in, come hell or high water!" He proclaimed; he was the last to step forward. "You might've had your success spoon-fed to you up to now, but no outmoded class system is going to hand you trophies anymore!"

"Hmph. We'll see about that." Jusis scoffed.

The two began openly glaring at one and other at that point.

"They're going to be like this pretty much all year, aren't they?" Rean wondered aloud with a sigh.

"Sure seems that way. I wouldn't bet on them ever seeing eye to eye." Alisa gave her own take on the matter.

"Yeah, probably not going to get better anytime soon." Elliot commented.

"You can say that again." Gaius added.

"Well, how about that? Nine out of nine!" Sara exclaimed with a cheer. "With that, I'd like to congratulate all of you on being the first-ever Class VII!" She wore her glee on her sleeve, grinning. "I hope you all keep those high spirits all year, 'cause with the workload we've got planned for you, you'll be needing them!"

...

Little did the students below know, two men stood at the top of the flights of stairs, next to the exit: they watched the exchange below with great interest.

One was Principal Vandyck.

The other was a regal looking young man with fine red clothes, light skin, blond hair tied back in a pony tail, and cordovan colored eyes.

"Well, well. I wasn't expecting Class VII to turn out quite as diverse as this." Vandyck admitted. "It certainly promises to be an interesting year."

"Haha. You took the words right out of my mouth." The finely dressed blond commented. "But perhaps this, too, is the divine providence of the Goddess, no?"

"How do you mean?" The principal queried, looking toward the other party.

"Seeing them there, I feel they have the potential to be the light we seek." The regal young man opined. "A light that can break through the storm clouds that continue to build over our nation day by day..."

---

Some time later...

The newly formed Class VII once more found themselves led across the campus by their instructor. Only, this time, they followed her off school grounds, back into Trista, and to the building sequestered in a corner to the right of the train station, across the way from a placed called Micht's Pawn Shop.

Unlocking the doors, she escorted them inside.

"This is where the lot of you will be living for the next two years: welcome to the third dormitory." Sara announced, closing the doors behind them.

The nine teenagers in question let their eyes roam the interior: there was a table with two couches on either side, a set of double doors to the left, a staircase leading up to the next floor, and three single doors to their right.

"This is the first floor common area. Next to you are your mailboxes, they're marked by room number, so keep that in mind." Their instructor advised.

The group of teens made a mental note of that, their gaze following where she directed.

"Through the doors on your left is the kitchen and dining room; as I'm sure you've guessed by now, no one's going to be cooking for you, you'll have to take care of that yourselves." The buxom twenty-something apprised them.

Several of them nodded their heads in understanding and acceptance.

"On your right, closest to the entrance, is an extra room. It's not for student use, and is only there because this was once upon a time going to be an extra dorm for the nobility or something. Basically it's a room for the dorm caretaker, which you don't have, sorry. Next to that is the pantry slash storage room with plenty of shelf space for you to store non-perishables and other sorts of dry foodstuffs. It also doubles as the laundry room with a basin, and an accompanying washboard." The red-fuchsia-haired woman described the contents. "The door on the opposite end of the wall is the washroom. Seeing as this is a military school, you'll have to make do with sharing it. That said, it's a decent size and even comes equipped with a shower; no tub though, so baths are out." She explained.

A few of those present seemed to fidget at that, either due to the thought of using the same bathroom as the opposite sex, or simply having to share a single washroom with eight other students.

"There are three floors in total: boys on the second floor, girls on the third." Sara made them aware.

"So we really get a whole dorm all to ourselves?" Elliot questioned.

"Pretty much. Well, at least for the most part. I'll be staying here too, after all. Someone has to keep an eye on you kids and make sure you don't get too crazy." She informed them with a pleased smile. "You guys are free to choose whichever rooms you want. The only one off the table is three-oh-one, 'cause that one's mine. And as for your belongings, you'll find all the boys' stuff in the hall of the second floor, and the same for the girls' on the third." She explained further.

"Awfully presumptuous of them to have our luggage delivered to the dorm before knowing if we'd agreed to be in the program or not." Alisa gave her two cents.

"Be that as it may, it is convenient in this circumstance." Emma contended.

"It is nice that we won't have to lug everything upstairs." Elliot concurred.

"It wouldn't be difficult to get our things and carry them to one of the other dorms if one of us had decided to opt out." Gaius pointed out.

"Couple more things." Sara spoke further, getting their attention once more. "First, I know how kids can be at your age. You're in the springtime of your youth, and let's be real, hormones can be a real bitch. So, while I'm supposed to put my foot down and tell you guys that there will be absolutely no tolerance for things like sneaking into each other's rooms late at night, instead, I'll simply say this. Regarding any illicit activities you might get up to... I won't breathe a word to anyone, so long as you're discreet." She teased them with a suggestive grin and a playful wink.

Alisa went beet red, looking almost offended at the woman's words as she did. "How could you say something like that!? You're supposed to be our instructor!" She vehemently objected to the older female's behavior.

Emma blushed and looked a tad uncomfortable, but had nothing to say.

Elliot blushed as well, deciding he'd rather stare at his shoes in that moment.

Jusis outright scoffed at this.

"You're supposed to guide us as our instructor, not encourage lascivious behavior!" Machias lambasted.

Laura quirked a brow at the implication, but said nothing on the subject.

Rean cleared his throat, feeling a touch awkward as red lightly dusted his face.

Fie and Gaius were the odd ones out, neither having any real reaction to the instructor's antics.

Outright ignoring their less than positive reactions, the red-fuchsia-haired woman spoke once more. "And second, the academy enforces a strict ten thirty curfew: they expect everyone in bed by then. But, as far as I'm concerned, so long as everyone's in their rooms by midnight, all transgressions will be forgiven." The instructor let them know quite frankly.

None of them had a response for that.

"All right then, head on up, grab your stuff, and pick out your rooms, boys and girls!" Sara instructed them in her merry demeanor.

...

'Well, one thing's for sure. I'm in for a very interesting two years.' Rean thought to himself.

---

END NOTE: As I'm sure you noticed, I skipped over all the little skirmishes with monsters. They're nothing special, and if I don't have anything interesting in mind, I have no intention of writing out the fights with the small fry. So expect most of those instances to be skipped over. As for the Iglute Garmr fight, it's rough, I know, but for the first fight of the fic, I feel it serves its purpose adequately. Trust me, the fights will get much, much better as the story progresses.