And so we truly enter the first major arc of this story! It won't exactly be the longest story arc but it'll help set up future arcs and introduce some more major characters, hopefully in a similar manner to the actual series. For now, enjoy the chapter!

The inside of Algonquin High almost seemed to juxtapose with the exterior, as it looked much more modern with neatly polished linoleum floors with various lockers lining the walls which diverged off into different directions. The immediate area that Brendan and Adrian entered into was a rather large foyer with two sets of stairs going up to the upper floor where Brendan could just make out what looked like an office. Behind the stairs appeared to be the cafeteria where some students were just finishing up breakfast.

"Hmm, fancy." Brendan commented flatly.

"This school used to be library centuries ago, hence the exterior architecture and general layout of the school itself. Upstairs is the main office, which is where you'll be heading first. Before you go though, I want to show you something."

The student began to lead Brendan down one of the hallways of the school, with the latter taking in all the sights of the school itself; banners plastered along the walls with the logo of the school, which was a bull on a shield, featured in the school's official colors of dark blue with gold. Posters hung below the banners with details on various school events like an upcoming play, an election for student president and others. The student eventually stopped in front of a door that was noticeably different than those of the classrooms, a Custodian's Closet sign neatly placed on the center of the door for all to see, though the sign itself was beginning to rust over as though it were just barely hanging on.

"Aside from the obvious, what's in here?" Brendan asked.

"This closet has an entryway into the school's basement, at the heart of it is an old sewer drain. This drain hasn't been used for its intended purpose since this building updated its plumbing system, now it's used as both a hangout spot for some of the ruffians of this school and..." Adrian began.

"And...?"

"And as a fight pit. There's an octagonal concrete pit where the old drain is located, about six feet deeper than the rest of the room it's in and a singular ladder being the only way in or out. The school faculty do not know about this location, but it's been used as a sort of 'fight club' for this school for at least five years, when it was first discovered. It's one of the two immediate locations within this school I can think of that may have other bookkeepers. If by chance we run into any unpleasant situations, I'd recommend heading to The Pit, as we call it, and dealing with the issue there."

"Right." Brendan nodded. "Best not to cause mayhem out in the hallways."

"Precisely. However I doubt that we'll run into too many issues during school hours, if Mamodo are anything like Windsor and Kolm they'd be too easy to spot and would disrupt the school and bring about another myriad of problems. With how varied Mamodo appear to be though, it would be dumb to assume that there isn't a Mamodo that's small enough to hide within the school itself. For now though, you should probably head to the main office, it's back the way we came up those stairs you saw in the front. I need to head to class as well, keep your communicator ready in case."

"Got it. I'm assuming we'll regroup during the school's lunch period?"

"Yup, we have lunch at exactly noon and we let out at three-fifteen. I'll see you then."

Adrian began to walk away as he methodically began taking out some books from his bag for his upcoming class. With one last glance at the closet, Brendan began to head in the opposite direction towards the main foyer. As the two walked, the same Asian girl who had been watching the two outside continued to observe the two, her eyes narrowing as she followed Adrian...

Windsor and Kolm sat in the old school shed completely bored out of their minds. Neither one wanted or tried to speak to the other but nothing seemed particularly interesting in or around the shed itself. It was decently sized and there seemed to be old school equipment strewn about rather casually but the building looked otherwise run down. Cracks were visible within the roof and some of the old soccer goals and other objects were beginning to show signs of rust and decay.

"So..." Windsor began, his face tried to fake any interest but it was clear by his vocal tone that he was unsure of how to truly feel. "How many Mamodo have you face so far? Aside from myself, I mean."

"Only one." Kolm replied, face and tone as stoic as ever. "His bookkeeper was very unkempt and he appeared to have malicious intentions, the Mamodo itself was a young boy that had the power of stone who appeared to enjoy inflicting pain on others. Brendan and I successfully burned his book fairly easily."

"I s-see..." Windsor replied, sweating ever so slightly.

"What about you?"

Windsor immediately began to sweat more as his eyes widened, he looked away from the humanoid Mamodo, who was clearly able to see the avianoid's nerves getting the better of him.

"None..." Windsor whispered.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that." Kolm replied, smirking at the bird as he was barely able to hold back a laugh.

"I haven't encountered any other Mamodo besides you, alright?!" Kolm laughed at the bird's hesitant response, as the flying Mamodo pouted to himself.

"Hahaha, ah well that explains it!"

"Explains what?" Windsor huffed, Kolm's expression softened into a more soft one, not unlike a father comforting his son.

"It explains your inexperience in combat." Kolm stated, Windsor looking at him with a raised eyebrow and an offended look in his eye. "You describe yourself as a regal Mamodo, and from that fire in your eye I can tell that you mean that sincerely, or that you wish to make that your goal. But you haven't actually had much combat experience. Is that right?"

Both were silent for a moment before Windsor let out a sorrow-filled sigh.

"It... It's true." He admitted. "I've... never been in a true fight until we had faced each other. I've certainly tried training my abilities and Adrian has certainly tested my spells when he has the time, but we've never used them against another Mamodo before."

"Perhaps your keeper will help you gain more confidence in your combat prowess?" Kolm asked, raising his own eyebrow now.

"It's possible. Though Adrian himself is not one to start or participate in many fights. Combat may be as foreign to him as it is to myself. What about your keeper though?"

"Brendan?" Kolm pondered for a moment, Brendan had taken all of the information about the battle and their first fight together fairly well, much better than one would expect at least. "Aside from our bout with you and the other pair, I'm honestly not sure about any combat experience he may have."

"Well you know this battle is just as mental and emotional as it is physical." Windsor noted, receiving a nod from Kolm.

"I'm well aware... and I'm sure Brendan is well aware, too."

"Well Mr. Walker, despite the rather sudden decision to reach out to us, your college record is above average and your advisors are eager to have you begin student teaching. We would gladly have you as a substitute teacher."

Brendan tried his best to contain his excitement but still had a very large grin on his face as he shook the hand of the school principal, a middle aged woman that was about a foot shorter than Brendan. She had short, wavy hair that went down to her shoulders that was dyed dark brown. She was dressed business casual with a black blouse under a navy blue shawl and tan slacks with jet black shoes.

"The Junior class should be a good place for you to start, I'll assign you to Ms. Jeane Steinberg's class over in room 317, it's the last room at the end of the hall to the right. I'll let her know you're on your way."

"Great!" Brendan announced as he began to head to the room, for the first time in quite a while he felt like things were finally going his way. He had almost forgotten about why he was in that school and what his other goal was. Still, this was an important step in his lifelong goal of teaching and he wasn't going to waste it.

He could feel his heart racing as he opened the door to the classroom and was greeted to the sight of a woman that appeared to be in her mid 30's writing something on the classroom's chalkboard. The class consisted of 20 students, 8 boys and 9 girls with the remaining 3 students absent. The classroom was fairly standard in it's layout, with students sitting at their desks in 4 rows of 5 students. A larger table was set in the corner of the room with various folders scattered around it. Various posters and papers were taped to the walls with positive messages for the students.

The teacher gave Brendan a polite smile as she greeted him and introduced herself. She wore a black blouse with a cheetah print jacket, black pants and brown shoes. As Brendan introduced himself to the class he tried quickly scanning the room itself, first by quickly glancing over Ms. Steinberg herself before observing her students. None of them really stood out in particular except for three students; one boy who had shaved blonde hair, he wore a white polo shirt with the school logo, tan slacks and brown loafers. The look on his face was one of complete boredom as he gazed at the board before quickly glancing at something in his desk.

The second student was a girl with dyed pink hair that was fiddling with a Rubik's Cube as she looked at the two teachers. She had a long sleeved blue sweatshirt and a checkered plaid skirt with black leggings and blue sneakers.

The last was the very same Asian girl that had been following Brendan and Adrian earlier, though Brendan himself remained unaware of this. She had glanced at the young man for a brief moment before averting her gaze and looking out the window to her left. The view of the school's football field sprawled outside before her, students may have been participating in their gym class outside, but her focus was on the old shed that the Mamodo were hiding in.

"Feel free to help out however you see fit!" Ms. Steinberg said cheerfully.

"I appreciate it!" Brendan replied, returning the smile he was receiving. "But if it's alright I think I'll just hang back for a bit and observe. I don't want to interrupt your class and it'll give me the chance to see how a proper teacher leads the class."

With an agreement from the teacher, Brendan made his way over to the table in the corner, taking out a notebook from his bag as he did. The blonde haired boy looked over and noticed Kolm's spellbook peeking out amongst Brendan's other books, the boy's eyes growing wide as he quickly looked away and began writing on a blank piece of paper. With a quick scribble of words, he carefully and quietly folded the paper and handed it over to pink-haired girl, who grimaced at the boy before looking at the note, appearing to have a hard time reading it.

'Hannah, this guy's got one of those books!'

The girl, Hannah, silently glared at the boy before writing.

'Josh, your handwriting sucks -n- don't worry though, if this teacher does have a Mamodo then i'll handle it'

As Hannah passed the note back to her classmate, Brendan eagerly took his notes on Ms. Steinberg's teaching method, unaware of the two students' plot...

"I'm curious." Kolm began. "Should you somehow win the battle and become king, what do you intend to do?"

"Me? Is that even a question?!" Windsor scoffed. "I intend to dazzle and show off my regality to the masses! Bright lights, the finest silk cloths, and a beautiful crown adorned with the shiniest gems!"

"Ah, so you wish to be a flamboyant king?" Kolm laughed, Windsor huffed as he turned his head away from his fellow Mamodo.

"So what if I do? Do I not have the right to become the king I wish to be?" Kolm's laughs died down a bit as Windsor began to blush ever so slightly in embarrassment.

"That's fair, if that is what you wish."

"Well what about yourself?" Windsor asked. "What sort of king will you become?"

Kolm's face immediately shifted from a more casual one to one of deep contemplation and what looked to be a mix of anxiety and sadness. He sat there in a silence that immediately caused the air to become tense as Windsor looked at him in a growing concern.

"I... will not become king..."

Before either Mamodo could press any further, the door to the shed opened as the two bookkeepers entered.

"Windsor, Kolm? Are you two still in here?"

"We're here." Kolm announced. "Are we moving out now?"

"Not yet." Brendan replied. "It's only noon and everyone's at lunch right now. We just came by to drop off something for you both to eat and to update you on the situation."

Kolm eagerly took the food that Adrian had handed them and immediately began to dig in, much to Windsor's disgust.

"So what's the news?" The bird asked.

"We plan on heading into The Pit first once school lets out." Adrian began as he took a bite of a sandwich. "We'll have the most luck running into another bookkeeper then. Knowing how the students here operate, they'll likely hang around there for a while after school. We should be able to at least learn something while we're there."

"I see. So we should remain here until-" Kolm was then interrupted by the sound of a girl shouting at the shed.

"Hey Walker!"

Brendan and Adrian exited the shed in a hurry, both bewildered and now on guard, and were greeted by the sight of Hannah glaring at the older man. She wasn't alone though, as a large, hulking creature was standing beside her. It was at least 7 feet tall and its skin resembled bricks though they varied in color; some were red, others blue and yellow with an occasional green one. It also wore a cape around its shoulders and the top of its head resembled a crown. In Hannah's hands was the same type of book that Brendan and Adrian had, though hers was brick red in color.

"Heh, you were right! These guys don't look so tough!" The giant spoke, it's voice deep and lumbering.

"Hannah?! What are you..." Adrian tried to say before the girl cut him off.

"What am I doing here? I should ask you the same thing." She hissed, Brendan took note of her Brooklyn accent, or rather her shabby attempt at one. "I saw that book that Mr. W's got, you've got one of those Mamodo things, don't you?!"

Kolm didn't hesitate to step out of the shed and glare daggers right at the opposing pair, Hannah unintentionally flinched at the sight of the Mamodo as his eyes went immediately to her book.

"I ask that you kindly do not refer to me as a 'thing'." Kolm hissed.

"She can say anything she wants to say, you punk!" The other Mamodo growled.

"Yeah, you tell 'em Rook!" Hannah smirked, patting the block creature on his back.

"Hannaaaaahhhhh!" Another girl called out. Everyone turned to see a girl with caramel colored skin and dark brown hair with the same school uniform as her running towards the group. Her eyes were a soft hazel and she appeared to have bandages along her arms, legs and face.

"Aliyah? What are you doing here?"

"I... wanted... to watch the fight..." The girl gasped, as she tried catching her breath she looked up, allowing everyone to see the excitement in her eyes.

"Is that all?" Hannah giggled as she opened her spellbook. "Well it won't be much of a fight. Burox!"

The hulk of a Mamodo inhaled deeply as several of the brick pieces began to come lose from his rather enlarged gut before they were launched right at Kolm and Brendan.

"Zeruk!"

The bronze armor once again enveloped Kolm's arms as he either blocked or destroyed nearly all of the bricks fired at the duo with swift chops and punches that shattered the projectiles into dust. As the last brick zipped towards Brendan, Kolm reached out towards it and grabbed the block with one hand turning to look at Hannah and her partner afterwards.

"EEEEEK, it's like an action movie!" Aliyah squealed.

"Erk, you think you're so cool, don't you!" Rook growled, brandishing his fist at the pair. With a sinister smirk, Rook lowered his fist and glowered at the two. "But you're outmatched! The battle ends for you two today!"

With a snarl, Kolm threw the remaining brick at Rook as though it were a baseball. As the stone sped through the air, it suddenly exploded into dust and bits of shrapnel.

"What the heck?!" Brendan gasped in shock, Adrian looked over at the debris, examining it and replaying the events of its destruction in his mind for a moment. From the shadows of the shed, Windsor watched the battle unfold as he addressed his bookkeeper.

"What just happened there?" Adrian held out his hands in front of him, calculating the angles and formulas of what he saw.

"Great, this is the second time I've had solid objects lobbed at my head, now I have to worry about them exploding..." Brendan sighed.

"They don't explode on their own!" Adrian suddenly shouted as all eyes went to him as he pointed at the school's clock tower. "There! There's someone at the clock tower firing down at us!"

Brendan turned to look at the tower and was barely able to see another shot heading right for him. The shot would have hit the book directly had it not been for Brendan diving out of the way.

"Back to this again..." Brendan moaned.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of this! Windsor, come on!" Adrian assured as the flying Mamodo came out of his hiding spot and grabbed Adrian in his talons as the two flew towards the tower.

"You have one, too?!" Hannah gasped. "We'll you won't get away, Burox!"

"Oh no you don't, Zeruk!"

In a move that none of the four heroes expected, Rook's body began to expand as more blocks appeared from seemingly nowhere on his abdomen as he stretched his own body out to reach for Adrian and Windsor. Just as he drew in close, Kolm battered him in the jaw with a wicked uppercut that rocked the blocky beast enough to allow the airborne duo to head to the tower.

"You really just don't know your place here, do you?" Hannah growled.

"What do you mean 'know my place'?" Brendan asked, taken aback with offense.

"You think that just because you're a teacher means you're the boss! Oh, wait, you're not even a teacher! You're basically an intern! An intern that's just gonna kiss the butts of the other teachers so you can treat us like crap!"

Brendan looked at the girl incredulously as he tried to absorb what she had just said. The most he could do is sigh and look right into her eye before he responded.

"Look." He began. "I don't know what you've been through or how the teachers here treat you and the other students. I won't beat around the bush and say not all teachers are like that, some are genuinely awful. But I'm not here to kiss anyone's butt or be awful to the students. You don't even have to believe me. But you and your friend in that clock tower made the decision to attack us first."

Kolm's book began to glow as Brendan's gaze hardened, Kolm raised his fists and smirked as he prepared to fight.

"So we're not going to hold back! If you want to take your own anger out on us, then that's fine, but we're going to burn that book!"

The top of the tower was empty save for a mechanical system set up to ring the clock tower's bell every hour. The boy and his bird looked around for the enemy sniper, but didn't have to look very hard as they saw Josh, holding a navy blue book with what appeared to be a giant rat with some sort of cannon on its back near him.

"Ugh, Adrian, what are you doing hanging out with that creep! Actually, it figures that a dork like you would do something like that." The boy spat. Adrian clenched his fist in frustration as he readied his book. What caught him off guard though was Windsor's reaction to Josh's words.

"Now see here you ruffian!" The bird began.

"Woah, that thing can talk?!" Josh screamed.

"I may not completely understand what a 'dork' is, but I will not tolerate anyone speaking poorly about my partner! Come, Adrian, let us show this ruffian what kind of force he is dealing with! Have at thee!"

"Ah man, you even talk like a dork! But if you want a fight, then we'll gladly give you one! Scopo!"

The rat aimed its cannon at the duo and fired a thin, navy blue beam of energy that sped through the air and would have certainly hit its mark had Windsor not moved out of the way. The blast instead hit the wall behind the bird and burst into a bright blue light that left the wall surprisingly undamaged. As the aftermath of the blast died down, Adrian ran towards his partner, making sure to keep his eyes locked on the enemy.

"You alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." Windsor assured. "But that attack is rather fast, how are we going to be able to counterattack?"

"Don't worry, that attack may be strong, but Josh himself isn't all that smart. As you've already heard, he doesn't have a high opinion of me, so he'll likely ignore me and go after you as he sees you as an actual threat. Stay in the air and I'll call out the spell so you can take shots back at him, keep moving so he doesn't hit you and leave his book to me."

"Grah, what are you two whispering for?! Fight me! Scopo!" Josh yelled. The rat once again aimed at the pair, who dodged the attack once again, though Adrian was caught in the blast radius and was knocked away a fair bit, clinging to his spellbook as closely as he could. As he opened his eyes the room seemed to spin for a moment before his vision came back to him. Just as he predicted, Josh had his Mamodo take aim at Windsor, who was flying around the space of the area on Josh's side of the tower floor.

"Right..." Adrian said to himself. "This is where the fun begins..."

And scene! A bit more action this time around as Adrian gets into his first real fight! Brendan and Kolm have unlocked their second spell at this point and they will use it in the next chapter, so look forward to that. Expect a continuation of the action in the next chapter (obviously) and for the plot of this arc to continue.

PLEASE let me know your thoughts on the story so far, be it by PM or reviews, I'd love to see where I can improve here!