While this is the beginning of the first major arc, there won't be much action in this chapter, so sorry about that in advance. BUT, this chapter is still important in that it'll flesh out some characters a bit more and set up some future confrontations.

Asuka and Adrian gave Venam an unsure look while Windsor just looked relieved that the fight had ended.

"So, Venam, huh?" Asuka asked.

"That's me!" The purple haired girl winked, giving the two students a wide grin and finger-guns.

"Well, I guess you're in this whole mess now, too." Adrian sighed.

"Huh, mess?! What do you mean?" Venam pouted.

"Child, I think he's referring to the Battle as a whole." Windsor sighed. "I'm sure you know of how stressful it can be for both Mamodo and their bookkeeper."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, let's do it, Birdbrain! Those other guys might have gotten away but we've gotta fight until it's just one team left!"

"No." Asuka replied.

"Eh? No? What do you mean, no?!"

"If we run into guys like that weirdo and his plant Mamodo again, it would be safer to outnumber him and fight him as a group." Adrian explained.

"Ah, I can take him!" Venam huffed, her cheeks turning rosy just a bit. "But... maybe having some friends would be good."

"Look, as much as I'd love to talk about this, it's getting late and I think we'd all like to go to bed." Asuka groaned.

"I hear that." Adrian replied with a smirk.

As the four continued their short walk over to Asuka's home, Adrian looked rather surprised to see that the girl's home was rather plain looking. In fact, it was rather dingy as paint was chipping in some places.

"Well, this is it." The Asian girl sighed. "Home sweet home."

"It's very... homey." Adrian said, giving a respectful smile while Windsor looked aghast and Venam simply shrugged.

"You don't need to lie, it's a crappy house. I mean, it's still a roof over my head and it's more or less fine, but my parents aren't exactly around to keep it looking nice and we're... not exactly the richest family around, as you can tell."

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Adrian blushed in embarrassment.

"What for? It's not your fault. Look, the sun's practically down already. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright, I suppose I'll see you then." Adrian nodded. "Windsor, would you mind flying us home?"

"Of course!" The bird exclaimed as he flew up to Adrian's shoulders and began fluttering his wings. As the two lifted off into the evening sky, Asuka let out a sigh as she walked towards the front door of her home.

"Hey." Venam blurted out. "Won't your family be mad that you brought me home out of the blue?"

"Only if you stayed for too long. Meet me in the backyard though, I'll be there in a few minutes."

As Adrian hung onto Windsor's talons, he turned back to look in the direction of Asuka's house.

"You're worried about her, are you not?" Windsor asked.

"Yeah." Adrian sighed. "Asuka's always kept to herself in school, but she's smart and from what we've seen from her today, she has a sharp tongue when she needs it. But... I never really thought about what her life was like and why she's like that. Finding out that she's lower-middle class I... I feel like I ought to help her, or at least be there for her if she needs it."

"You have a valiant heart, young Adrian! Truly, you are worthy of being a King in your own way!"

"Heh, if you say so." Adrian laughed.

"Still..." Windsor continued, his voice becoming more serious. "I'm concerned about pair that attacked us."

"Yeah, we barely know anything about them and if it hadn't been for that girl, we might not have made it out of that fight."

"It's almost a certainty that we will see them again. We must prepare for that and grow stronger for when that time comes."

"I know what you mean. The weekend's coming up soon so we can practice our spells and maybe even unlock the third while we're at it."

"Then we shall train like never before! Huzzah!" Windsor exclaimed as the two dove for Adrian's house.

Venam looked around Asuka's backyard, it was tough to see in the dark, but it was rather barren, with only one large tree sitting in the center of the yard with what looked like a wooden ladder coming out of the leaves above. Suddenly, a wave of light illuminated the yard.

"Hey." Asuka greeted flatly.

"So, uh, where am I gonna stay?" Venam asked before looking at the large assortment of objects in her bookkeeper's arms.

"Up there." Asuka motioned her head to the tree.

"In the tree? That's not going to be the most comfortable sleep..."

Asuka set a few things she had down and flashed her light into the tree, revealing a tree house resting comfortable among the green leaves.

"Oh... I guess that works."

The two climbed up the ladder and into the wooden shelter, it was small, but there was a large dark-green bed sheet acting as a hammock.

"Woah..." Venam said in awe. "You're really letting me stay here?"

"Yeah, sorry it's not much."

"Not much? I've never had my own room before! The only room I've ever had is the one I share with my baby brother!"

"Well as long as it makes you happy." Asuka shrugged. "My parents thought I'd like this when we moved here, but this tree house is isn't exactly fit for a teenager. So I never really came up here. It's a bit dusty but with a bit of work it'll be fine." Asuka proceeded to brush down the hammock and walls with a feather duster before wiping the walls with some spray and cleaning them with a rag. "I'll wash the hammock next time I do laundry, but for tonight you'll have to sleep on this dusty old thing."

Venam jumped onto the hammock and proceeded to lay down with her arms behind her head.

"Ahh, this is awesome! Who cares about a little dust and dirt?"

"Glad to hear it." Asuka took out a battery-powered lantern and turned it on. "This'll give you enough light for the night. I brought you some water and snacks in case you're-"

The student didn't even finish before Venam rushed over and tore open the bag of pretzels she was brought.

"Hungry..." Asuka laughed to herself before putting a pillow and blanket onto the hammock.

"So..." Venam said in between chewing. "I guess I should tell you about the battle, huh?"

"No need. Adrian filled me in on that before we met."

"Really? Man this just gets better and better! I should thank him for making things easier!" The purple haired girl chuckled. "Anyway, what was up with that guy earlier?"

"Heck if I know." Asuka shrugged. "He just came out of nowhere."

"We never burned his book either." Venam pondered as she ate another pretzel. "Se he'll probably come back."

"And he'll probably plan ahead and have something that can beat us. We'll need to train to prepare for that."

"Ugh, that's so much work!" The purple girl groaned. "But I guess we gotta do it..."

"Good. So, starting tomorrow we can start figuring out your spells when I get back home from school."

"Aww, can't I go with you?"

"No. Having a kid follow me around all day is too suspicious, especially when that kid has purple hair."

"Hmph, meanie!"

Asuka simply rolled her eyes as she headed for the ladder. "Look, I'll see you tomorrow, alright. Don't stay up too long and don't leave the tree house, alright? Good night."

"Night!" Venam replied as her bookkeeper left. As the poison girl looked around the wooden shelter, her eyes wandered over the the books that Asuka brought with her. They all varied in terms of genre and style of book, but Venam's eyes lit up upon seeing that one of them was a comic book.

"Are you certain you don't need me to accompany you?" Kolm asked as he watched Brendan get dressed.

"Yeah, I'm going to my school today, not Adrian's, so the hours will be different. I won't be out as long and it still might be safer if you and the book stayed here. Besides, I hear that show you liked is going to be airing a new episode today. I'm sure you don't want to miss that."

"Is it now?" Kolm asked, his eyes gaining a sharp glimmer of excitement as he turned to the television. Brendan chuckled to himself as he saw his Mamodo partner eagerly turn the machine on.

"I'll see you in a few hours." Brendan shook his head as he left his apartment. The trip to the University was rather short, as it was only a ten minute bus ride from Brendan's apartment. As the man stepped onto the campus and looked around, he saw the faces of the other students walking around and doing their own thing. As he looked around though Brendan let out a gasp as he noticed something, or rather, someone.

There, sitting underneath one of the numerous trees around campus, was Savannah, reading a rather thick book.

'Oh man, there she is.' Brendan thought. 'I want to talk to her, but I screwed up pretty badly back at that restaurant. Zoey did say I should talk to her when she's less busy though, but what if I just mess up again?... No, no I shouldn't think like that! I can't get a date with her if I don't make the first move! Besides, I've dealt with super-powered Mamodo, gotten work doing student-teaching and even busted a creep taking kids money, talking to a girl should be easy, right?'

With a confident huff, Brendan approached the dark-clothed girl, who was looking at the pages of her book intently, but not turning any pages. As he looked down, Brendan thought he noticed something peculiar about the writing within the book, but his shadow inadvertently caught Savannah's attention, prompting her to quickly shut her book with a thud and look up at him, startling him with the sudden movement.

"Ah! Oh, um... Hey, Savannah." Brendan chuckled as he felt his face redden from embarrassment.

"Hey." The goth girl greeted. "Can I help you with something?"

"No, no! I, uh, just wanted to apologize if I gave you a hard time while you were working."

"Eh, it's fine." She shrugged before gathering her things and standing up, even though she was about a foot shorter than Brendan, the effect she had on him was staggering. One would think that a girl that was just over five feet tall and a bit on the chubby side wouldn't make many men turn their heads to her, but somehow she made Brendan's heart flutter. "I'll see you in class, I guess."

"Y-yeah." Brendan replied, his cheeks still rosy as Savannah began to walk past him. "A-Actually..." He called out, causing her to look back at him, her green eyes now locked on him with a gaze that sent a shockwave of anxiety through Brendan. For a second he forgot he had even said something. "I was, um, hoping we could head to class together."

"Sorry, I'm a bit busy." And just like that our hero could feel all the bravado he tried building up just flush right out of him.

"Oh... I guess I'll just see you there, then..." Brendan sighed as he sauntered off, his blush remaining as the shy smile he sported drooped into a frown. As he walked away, Savannah kept her eyes on him as she brought out a cell phone and began to dial...

"Hey... Yeah, he's here... No, looks like he came here by himself..." Savannah's eye twitched as her calm and collected expression shifted into one of disgust for a moment. "Why? He's so...bland... Alright, fine! What about the kid though, what's he doing in all of this?"

The person on the other end raised their voice loud enough for Savannah to flinch and pull her head back.

"Don't call him a 'kid'!" They shouted, the voice was that of a man with an audible sense of authority. "He has more power than you'll likely ever have and he is second to only me! Now, I gave you your mission, see to it that it is carried out!"

"Alright, alright, jeez!" Savannah groaned, looking back in the direction Brendan walked to. "Just know I won't like this."

"Whether or not you are happy about this is irrelevant, just get it done! As for Beau..."

A young boy with neatly combed honey-brown hair and a grey suit with a white dress shirt, blue tie and black dress shoes approached the old shed of Algonquin High School that Windsor usually hid in via an old fence that appeared to have a rather sizeable hole in it due to various damages. Behind him was what appeared to be a teenager with a yellow and black striped hoodie, black jeans with yellow accents and a red belt with wings resembling those of a bumblebee.

"He has his own mission." The man on the phone said. The pair overheard what appeared to be chatter coming from the shed and leaned in to listen in on the conversation.

"Fascinating!" Windsor exclaimed as he looked at a set of playing cards in his hand. Across of him sat Venam, holding a few cards herself. In between the two were a small pile of cards faced up. To the side were some snack foods and books. "So you say this 'Praying Mantis Joe' character has the ability to transform himself between the forms of a human man and the body of an insect?"

"Uh-huh!" Venam nodded. "He has all the powers of a praying mantis while also gaining super strength and agility. He uses his powers to save the people of Japan from giant monsters, natural disasters, petty criminals, and corporate greed!"

"I see." Windsor nodded. "But why does he only protect Japan? Adrian informed me that we live in New York which is far away from Japan, does Praying Mantis Joe not protect New York?"

"Hmm, not sure, I only read the first comic but I guess he'd come here too. I hope he does come here though!"

"It would be fascinating to meet such a hero, perhaps once I become king he I could appoint him as one of my knights!"

"Let's not get too hasty with you becoming king..." Venam remarked. "There is one thing I do want to ask you though. You're a bird, right? How are you holding these cards anyway?"

"Ah, it is quite simple, my dear! You see-"

The two were interrupted by the door suddenly bursting open. The young boy and his bumblebee partner stood in the open doorway, the light surrounding them ominously as they glowered at the two Mamodo.

Brendan took his seat in the college's classroom, he was a bit early for class but that's how he preferred it. Better to leave home and get to class early than risk being late because of traffic or some other reason, that was a lesson he had long since learned. A few more of his classmates slowly made their way into the room, one of which was Savannah, who frowned to herself upon seeing Brendan but tried being careful not to show her displeasure as she approached him.

"Hey." She greeted flatly.

"Oh, hi! What's up?" Brendan said, flustered at the sight of her initiating the conversation.

"So, a spot in my schedule just opened up in case you wanted to, y'know... do something."

'She's asking me out?! She's asking me out?!' Brendan thought to himself. "Y-yeah, that'd be cool! A friend of mine showed me this cafe that looks nice, maybe we can try it out."

"Sure, we can head there after class." Savannah smiled before heading over to her seat, trying his best to stay calm, Brendan pulled out a cell phone and began typing at the keyboard.

'hey, i know you're busy right now but Savannah just asked to hang out at the coffee spot you were telling me about.'

After about a minute after sending the text, Brendan received a message from Zoey.

'OMG thats great! but shes the one that asked? thats kinda weird'

'who cares? I got a date!'

Savannah sat down further towards the back of the room and took out her own cell phone with a sharp exhale.

'hey. the boss is making me talk to the guy you tried taking out last night'

'oh? and how is that working out?'

'ugh, can't wait till its over'

'you mentioned back in the meeting that hes in some of the same classes as you right? what's wrong with him? even if hes in the way hes not a bad looking man'

'hes not my type and hes just so boring'

'listen, men are easy. just keep telling him things he wants to hear. once he really trusts you then you can get in close and burn his book. after that you can do whatever you want.'

'if you say so...'

"So now you have one, too?" Hannah asked, suppressing a groan while Aliyah looked at Asuka in jealousy.

"Yeah, she showed up after this guy attacked Adrian and I with a Mamodo of his own. A Mamodo girl showed up and gave me the same type of book Adrian has, only purple instead of blue. We ended up fighting the guy off and haven't seen him since."

"Oh man you guys have such cool stories! I wonder if Mr. Walker has any stories about the Mamodo he's fought." Aliyah pondered, her eyes practically glimmering in excitement.

"So I'm guessing you've got this kid holed up in your house?" Josh asked.

"Actually, she's in the old shed with that bird. If we hurry we can probably see them for a bit before lunch is over."

"Ohhh, we have to go!" Aliyah squeaked, practically dragging the girls towards the field as Josh called out to them in protest as he tried catching up. The three girls had to practically skid to a halt as they almost ran right into Adrian, who was holding a brown paper bag in his hands. The bespectacled boy let out a quick yelp in fear as he feebly tried protecting himself with his hands. Thankfully, the girls all managed to stop before tumbling into him.

"Real macho, Specs." Hannah smirked, chuckling at the wimpy noise that had escaped Adrian's lips, causing the boy to pout in embarrassment.

"Hey, I didn't think I'd get three girls rushing at me like that!"

"You aren't the type girls would want to rush to anyway." Asuka added, getting Hannah to laugh even harder.

"Urgh, whatever!" Adrian huffed as Josh finally caught up to the group. "Where were you all going anyway?"

"To the field." Asuka answered. "These guys wanted to meet Venam."

"Wait, Venam?" Hannah began to laugh even harder. "Like 'Venom'? HAH! What is she, like, twelve years old?!"

"Actually, she looks around that age." Asuka shrugged.

"Oh man that's so bad!" Hannah laughed with Aliyah even giggling herself. "Come on, let's go meet this kid."

As the five teens made their way to the school's field, an odd sense of foreboding seemed to wash over them... As the continued towards the shed, they immediately noticed the door was wide open.

"Hey, you're the one that left them in there, you did close the door, right?" Asuka asked.

"Mhmm." Adrian nodded. "And I'm not reckless or stupid enough to leave the door wide open like that."

"So did one of them decide to get some air or something?" Josh asked.

"Unlikely. Windsor may be a bit... eccentric, but he's not so foolish as to risk getting spotted out in the open like that. Asuka and I also strictly told Venam to stay inside as well, providing them with enough entertainment and necessities to occupy themselves. No, someone must have discovered them."

"Get your hands off me, you creep!" The five heard Venam shout. Without wasting a moment, they sprinted towards the shed, very nearly pushing past each other to look through the open door first. Once they all stopped shoving each other, they saw the honey-haired boy watching his teenage companion grab Venam and try to hold her in place with one hand while aiming his other hand at Windsor, who looked to have already been hit.

"Stay still kid!" The teen hissed. "I could sting you so badly your butt will be aching long after the game is over! Or would you rather watch the bird get blasted again?"

"Hey!" Josh called out, catching everyone off guard as he tried rushing ad the bumblebee teen... only to get effortlessly pushed onto his rear.

"You're an idiot, Josh..." Hannah sighed as she and the rest of the students entered the shed. Adrian hurried over to Windsor's side, keeping his eyes on these new enemies as he and Asuka pulled out their spell books.

"You guys are here!" Venam gasped enthusiastically as she glared at the unnamed teen. "Now you creeps are gonna get it!"

"Who is this kid anyway?" Asuka asked, looking at the honey-haired boy, who scowled at her.

"Hmph! I am not just some 'kid', as you so eloquently put it!" The boy spat. "My name is Beau. My associate, Buck, and I have been notified of a pair of Mamodo and their bookkeepers that attend this school and have been tasked with eliminating them. As luck would have it, you two come right to me without me even having to lift a finger."

"Uh, news flash, kid!" Josh scoffed. "There's two Mamodo here and you've only got one! Plus, we're not just going to sit by and let you attack them! So you're really outnumbered two to..."

Josh tried counting everyone on his side until Aliyah called out.

"Seven against two!" She said.

"Yeah, what she said!"

"Gyahahah!" Beau chortled. "You think your numbers make a difference? I happen to be one of the now eight members of the Musical Assassins! An elite group far above what you lot could ever accomplish!"

"If they let a brat like you into that group, they can't be that tough." Asuka rolled her eyes. Beau's eye twitched as he pulled out a bright yellow book and opened it.

"You truly wish to get on my bad side? I'll show you how grave of a mistake that is! Buck, ready yourself!"

"You're really taking this to heart, aren't you..." Buck shook his head. For the first time, Beau looked rather flustered as he, Asuka and Adrian each readied their spell books...

And scene! It's a bit of a cliffhanger, and this chapter wound up being a bit shorter than the previous ones but this feels like a good spot to end the chapter. We've got a brawl coming up in the next chapter on one side and a rather... interesting date on the other. Things are going to get pretty spicy! As for the legnth of the chapters, I'll try to have them be longer for the more action-packed chapters, with some of the more laid back, story-driven ones being on the shorter end unless they are absolutely crucial. Until then, stay tuned for the next chapter to see how all of this plays out!