White Maiden 00
Honey Grass was the kind of café which held an odd popularity. A lot of people talked about it, yet normally the place was mostly empty save for the regulars of always. Maybe it was like that because the shop was located in an inconspicuous area at the quiet zone of the city, where even on the busiest days a person could walk on the pavement with room to spare. That didn't mean the café had it tough though; they had enough business attending private orders from those clients who never came.
That morning two regulars were sitting at the countertop. One was a smartly dressed husky with round spectacles; he was having a breakfast of pancakes and coffee. He had a serious expression that told others he was a sharp individual.
Two seats ahead was a brown labrador with some years on him and appearance as rough as his clothes. He was eating scrambled eggs, fried white sausages and some toasted slices of bread. His serious expression told the others it was better to leave him be.
"Isn't he ready yet? I wanted to see him before having to go to work," said the husky, putting his coffee cup down. He glanced towards the clock that hung on the wall across him.
"It's all fine. You can go at ease. I'll pass the message," threw in the labrador without looking away from his food.
"Don't get started, you two," spoke a third voice. "He should be down at any moment."
Behind the counter, a bear stared down at the dogs who quietly returned to their breakfast. He then returned to arranging the cakes inside the window counter which faced the street. The three of them continued with their owns until the loud noise of a door slamming shut came from the floor above.
"Sorry!" Was heard from upstairs; shortly afterwards someone came down.
From the doorframe at the right of the counter appeared a young panther dressed in purple sport garments; he held a green duffel bag with him. Everyone turned towards the feline, both dogs' tails moving slowly from side to side.
"Good morning, everyone!" Said the young. He received back a greeting from the husky, and a firm nod from the lab. He walked towards them and stood between the dogs, though not taking seat. "And father?" He asked the bear.
"Kitchen!" Someone shouted from a room behind the counter. "Sorry, I'm preparing some things up." A clattering noise came from the kitchen.
"Watch it back there. If you ruin something I'll clobber you!" Yelled the bear.
"Yes, boss!"
The bear only grumbled and turned again to the front of the counter. He glanced over the panther and the bag.
"So, everything ready?" He received a nod.
"Are you sure about this?" Interjected the husky.
"Yes. I think its program's the most suitable for what I'm aiming for," explained the young panther. He had been asked the same question many times, not that he could reproach since he knew the reason.
"I must say I differ on that. And I find ForBrates' environment to be... too unruly."
"It'll be all fine!" Interrupted the labrador. "I trained him well. If someone dares to mess with him he just need to show him what he's capable of. He knows how to handle an unruly guy," finished the lab with a content smirk, then he noticed the stare the husky directed towards him.
"Criminal," murmured the other dog while looking away.
"You said something?!" Barked the labrador.
Both canines stared at each other growling while the bear observed unconcernedly, truly used to those two bickering. The panther glanced at the clock and decided he ought to leave if he wanted to walk at leisure pace.
"I'd better get going. I'll be back tomorrow!" He spoke loudly so that he could be heard in the other room.
"Good luck!" Yelled back his father.
"Take care," added the bear crossing his arms with a teasing smirk, "and don't cause problems."
The panther nodded and leaned over the countertop, reaching towards the bear. He closed in and laid a quick kiss on the brownish fur. Then, he retreated and trotted towards the exit.
"See you later, dad!" he said over his shoulder, leaving behind a mildly blushing bear.
A low rumble sounded that startled the bear and made him turn. He found himself face to face with a black and hulky bull donning a menacing glare.
"So only you get a good-bye kiss from our cute son, the day he leaves to take the entry test?"
"No, wait..." tried to reason the bear, putting his paws up in defense.
The dogs at the counter observed unconcernedly and continued their breakfast as one dad tried to beat the kiss out of the other, truly used to their doting parents act.
Outside the café, a brown bull stood at the right side, just out of the window's view. His developing horns revealed the young age that his bulky physique didn't. He was observing the clear morning sky until the opening door called for his attention. He turned his head and, seeing who it was, he walked over.
"Morning, Aran!" Greeted the panther.
Aran bowed slightly, though it looked more like he was assenting, and joining the panther the both of them started to march down the street. As usual there was scarcely any person on the sidewalks, even less that early in the morning when most were just getting ready to start their day
Their destination was ForBrates Academy.
The reason Laurel was one of the most important cities was because of the four specialty high schools it hosted, four of the only fourteen in the dals that had an atma curriculum.
DeRouly Academy for Ladies. SerWeetrong Men Academy. ForWilent Middle Superior Academy. And ForBrates High Academy.
This last had been the two young's election because of two main reasons. First, its curriculum was most battle oriented that any of the others. Something they both had deemed vital for their goal. Second, it had a well know reputation for its contracted entes' prowess. They knew that which ente a person contracts with is completely unpredictable at the end, but they wanted to maximize their chances as best as they could afford.
After a five-minute walk, they reached the Ehrenfried Avenue, a walkway flanked on both sides by different kinds of stores, most of them selling merchandise that a student would need, and food. And at the end of it a stone arc stood, which was ForBrates' main access.
"Wow, there are a lot of people there," exclaimed the young panther. "Looks like we have some competition."
Aran kept looking ahead, though the access was that far that he couldn't verify his companion's words. The most he could make out were some food stands that had opened early, probably to feed the applicants that had not eaten at home. He didn't, however, even doubt the statement.
"I trust it won't be an actual problem," he said calmly.
"No, it won't," agreed the panther, a bright grin on his muzzle.
After some more time, they reached the entry and, going under the big arc, found themselves within the crowd of applicants, all of them gathered in front of the main bulletin board. The slim light screen displayed information on the entry test, some indications to follow, and scrolled the lists of applicants and which room they had been assigned for the written part. Both keep their distance, knowing beforehand what they needed to, so it wasn't necessary to fight the multitude for a look at the board.
Also, because the panther preferred to do so.
The main reason ForBrates curriculum was combat oriented was because it had been originally an academy to train troops, something it technically continued to do. As such, almost all of its applicants were youngs from the low areas looking for a better chance in the military. This was the unruly environment the husky from before had referred to.
Yet the panther had chosen ForBrates, thinking he could deal with it. That didn't mean he had to deal with it that soon though.
"Then, I'll see you after the exam," he said. There was still a good time before the start, but he preferred to wait inside the classroom. He received a nod from Aran and left; the bull had been assigned to another classroom, plus he seemed inclined towards waiting a little more there.
The panther walked without hesitation, having taken the bother of memorizing the way the day he had come to enroll. It wasn't that long when he found the place, which was empty save for a uniformed deer standing behind the front podium. The applicator seemed to be checking something on his light screen terminal, before noticing him.
"It's okay of I wait here?" He asked; it took the deer a few seconds to respond back.
"Yes, take any place you want."
He acknowledged the answer and proceeded to take a seat at the front. He also noticed that the uniformed man followed him with curious eyes, and lack of discretion. He was sure of the reason though, so he ignored him and sat.
Around twenty minutes had to pass before another applicant entered the room, and fifteen more before the deer announced the start of the exam. This touched a button on his terminal and more light screens appeared in front of the youngs.
ForBrates could have a reputation of being for the unruly and poor, but its installations were on par with any of the other academies.
The written exam began, the applicants putting their paws on the screen for identification to open it, with three hours for them to complete it. The panther worked with ease; if there was something he was really confident of himself was on written exams. However, he still wanted to make sure he responded well so after he finished he reviewed his answers one more time. And after that, he did it again. At the end he was one of the lasts to leave the room.
He closed his screen and rose, nodding his thanks to the applicator. He exited just behind a cheetah. The other feline raised his arms and stretched, before turning abruptly to him.
"Glad this is over! Now just the weed out left. How did you do?" The cheetah wanted to know.
"Well..." The panther was took by surprise by the sudden conversation and hesitated a little, but recovered. "Good." The results had been automatic, yet he didn't consider necessary to reveal his exact score. "And you?" He decided to retaliate.
"Pretty good, if I do say myself! The name's Boston by the way." The cheetah extended his paw and offered it to the panther.
"Forteres," he also introduced himself accepting the paw. "So, what do you mean with the weed out?"
"That's how the practical test is called. If you don't have aptitude to do atma then you'll be weeded out in the second round."
Forteres walked back to the main access, Boston tagging along on his own accord. There, in the same spot from earlier, Aran stood waiting, and noticing the approaching felines, the bull didn't miss the new company.
"Hey!" Saluted Boston familiarly when they reached. "A friend of yours?" He asked the panther, and he received an affirmative with a slightly baffled look. "Great. I'm Boston."
Aran gave a side-glance to Forteres, asking for an explanation as about the situation, but the panther himself didn't seemed to understand it well either. The guy looked friendly enough for now so he decided to play along.
"Aran." That was all what he said though.
Before any could speak again, a feminine voice coming from the bulletin board called for the approved applicants to move to the main field. A map from the campus was also displayed on screen, with a route which they could follow. All who had gathered there started to walk in the indicated direction without delay. Save for Forteres and his companions, who actually waited for most of the crowd to advance first before following.
They arrived to a really ample sand field. Even with that amount of applicants, they still not covered even the half of it. Near one of the borders was an elevated stand, where more uniformed people seemed to be busy, no doubt preparing the second part of the test.
"Let's go to the front," said Forteres, and the group made their way closer to the platform without problems. He wanted to have the closest view possible.
After a few minutes, a group of five uniformed persons went up the stand, drawing in the attention of the applicants. At the middle of them was a strong-looking rottweiler, who gave some steps forwards and took a look at the crowd.
"All right brats, put attention!" The dog's voice boomed over the place, amplified by the microphone on his headset. "We'll begin with the aptitude test and gauge your souls' tolerance to atma. You should already know how this'll go. It was on the letter of agreement you all signed. And for you who signed the paper without even reading, you'll know it shortly."
A severe-looking owl also stepped forwards, to the dog's left. The avian carried some sort of crystal, the size a ball, which he handed over to the canine before retuning to his previous position.
Playing a little with the crystal, tossing it up and down, the rottweiler's eyes roamed the area again. Then his eyes fell on Forteres.
"You," the dog said as he tossed the crystal in the panther's way, "twist it. It doesn't matter which way, just that the corners align." He ordered.
Catching the object, Forteres chagrined at his luck when all the attention shifted to him, as well as the reason why the applicator had most likely noticed him. It was a characteristic of him that he truly liked, but sometimes that patch of white fur around his left eye was too eye-catching for his own good. He tried to focus on the crystal on his paws instead of the stares.
But that on itself posed another big problem. Forteres did have read the letter and knew what it entailed.
However, before he could make a move another applicant appeared besides him. A blue-scaled reptile, a little bigger than Aran, with a confident smirk on his face.
"Allow me," the reptile said, taking the crystal from Forteres' paws.
The panther only observer bewildered, but Aran scowled at the act; the rottweiler applicator on the stand only raised an eyebrow; some applicants stared with interest, but most of them watched in amused expectance, some elbowing the one to the side.
The reptile turned towards the platform, taking the both sides of the crystal on his hands. A pause followed, which was likely a deliberate attempt from him to raise the tension. All eyes where on him as he twisted the crystal and as this one began to glow in a pale white light, and as he fell backwards stiff like a log.
The boom of laugh didn't make itself wait.
Forteres regarded the reptile with a curious look yet didn't laugh. He didn't see the situation humorous but rather interesting, as his tail flicked. The laughs began to die out only when the growling voice of the rottweiler sounded again.
"One down!" He called, before directing to the applicants once more. "These are soul weights," he received another crystal from a hawk. "They're used to train tolerance to atma. Being honest here, ForBrates isn't very demanding academically. I'm sure that's a reason why most of you came here. But in exchange, we have a reputation for bringing up outstanding atma-doers. We take great pains to train your souls, so you can contract with a high-ranking ente and we can rub it on the face of the other academies." The rottweiler grinned evilly, and next he glared at the applicants harshly. "Therefore, those with no talent to do atma have no place here."
A towering bison came and stood next to the unconscious reptile on the ground. He took an uninterested look down before asking the rottweiler.
"What do we do with this one?"
"The weight's still on. He lives. Take him to one of the designated classrooms."
The bison picked up the reptile and the crystal, heaving the young over his shoulder, and strolled off.
"And for those of you who won't pass," continued the dog, "ForBrates' written exam's the normative high level entry exam, and it's valid dalswide. So you can enter any standard high school without taking it again. Or try again the next year. That's all!"
The group of applicators leaved the stand, while some others came out from behind it with boxes filled with soul weights. They began to distribute them amongst the applicants with no specific order. Before long, Forteres, Aran, and Boston, each one had a weight. But nobody seemed inclined to make an attempt to activate it, nor them nor the other applicants.
Making use of the standstill, Forteres observed more closely the soul weight crystal. It was shaped like two pyramids placed together by the base, with the corners unaligned and forming an eight-pointed star silhouette. The material was almost colorless and clear transparent, but at the center was a white smoky sphere.
"What the hell!" Someone shouted, someone who had most likely grew tired of procrastinating it. That person also most likely twisted the crystal.
From that point onwards more applicants dared to activate the weights. Some of them fell unconscious just like the reptile earlier, some of them fell on their knees but still awake. Forteres saw one applicant twist the weight; it lighted on, but then that person passed out. The crystal fell to the ground, untwisting itself and turning off. That was undoubtedly a fail. It was a rather brutish selection method, the panther considered.
"Well," he finally decided, "why don't you go first, Mister Boston?" He asked the cheetah.
"You're actually a bully, isn't it?" Boston retorted dryly. He observed his own crystal and added. "Why don't we do it at the same time?"
Forteres glanced to Aran and, exchanging a mental agreement, both nodded. They didn't do something like counting, yet the three managed to twist the weight at the same time. The crystals lightened, the center becoming a glowing white orb that tinted the translucent material in the same color, and after some seconds with nothing happening, the three gave an alleviated sight.
"I was worried there for a moment," confessed Boston. Then his hold on the ground fumbled and his body swayed. He leaned frontwards and put his free paw on his knee to keep himself steady.
On the side, Aran fell on his rear.
"Are you okay?" Inquired Forteres, but he only received a nod from the bull.
"You aren't going to pass out on us, aren't you?" Joked Boston between breaths. He himself looked like about to do that though.
The panther walked over to his friend and examined his face. Aran was breathing deeply as if he had difficulty to do so and seemed really tired. Then the bull noticed something and turned in his direction.
"Your weight," huffed Aran.
The panther looked down to the object on his paw and noticed what the bull had meant. The white orb was changing color slowly, and this spread to the rest of the crystal. He raised it closer to his face, Aran and Boston's eyes following. The applicants that surrounded them and noticed it too. Soon, the soul weight was a purple hue.
Close to the stand, some applicators also had observed the event, and a few of them smiled contented. The rottweiler, though, just stared intently.
The rest of the day Forteres just strolled around the academy, getting to know the place better. However, though ForBrates' campus was definitely spacious, that only occupied him for a few hours before he had nothing to do. The academy's installations weren't open; the applicants weren't allowed to go outside, since they were to be under observation; and he was alone, because practically everyone was out of action.
Aran hadn't gotten up since they went to the classroom they were to stay the night and placed their sleeping gear. Boston neither and, though the cheetah had said he was fine, he actually looked worse than the bull. And the few applicants who had come outside, as far as he had seen, they all limited themselves to lay under a shadow and rest.
Not that Forteres could have approached any of them on his own.
As for him, he never felt any discomfort.
But as the day progressed, everyone began to improve. In the afternoon, when the medical examination was held, most of the youngs had been able to walk with little help. A much more evident and stunning change, however, had been the number of applicants. The weed out had diminished that number more than two thirds.
Dusk came, the group of three was dinning on their sleeping bags. Boston had, as it could have been predicted, placed his belongings next to the other two, in one of the classroom's corners. Forteres didn't really mind; he found the cheetah's personality amiable, but he was a bit unsure at how he should interact with the yellow cat. Truth be told, Aran was his only friend and the only one of his age he interacted with. And even so, their relationship was different from most yet one he could go along with well. And as for what the bull thought about Boston, he kept it to himself.
The rest of the room was occupied by the other applicants, also eating and conversing on their own groups. However, from time to time, Forteres would notice a few of them glancing his way. And whenever he caught them, they actually would stare openly, which made the panther be the one to divert his eyes and feel awkward.
"... Why did you decide to come to ForBrates?" Asked Boston, reaching the point where he thought it was fine to inquire that.
"I think its program's the most suitable for what I'm aiming for," responded Forteres automatically.
"Okay... and that would be?"
"..."
A little disconcerted by the panther's unnatural response, Boston tried again, but Forteres seemed unwilling to speak further. Sitting between the two, Aran faced the cheetah and spoke for his friend's sake.
"We'll be venturers."
"Oh, is that so? That's great! I must say, you look like could do well as venturers," said Boston in an appreciative tone.
On one side, Forteres' tail swayed once, a signal Aran knew well.
"So, a venturer?" Asked again the cheetah to the other feline, who nodded shyly.
"Hey!" Exclaimed an unknown voice.
The three of them shook slightly, surprised, and turned towards a black fox that somehow had appeared in front of them. This fourth person regarded them with a smile while waving a paw. Behind him, a few other applicants had approached as well, and from the rest of the room the remaining ones were on their way. Forteres was a little alarmed realizing this.
Aran, seeing the panther's reaction, changed his sitting position to a crouch and glared at the forming wall of youngs.
"Whoa, wait!" Hurried to say Boston, obviously to the bull. "You don't need to be so nervous. I know they all have scary faces, but they aren't really bad guys!"
"What's that?! It's at least better than a girly face like yours!" Someone shouted.
"Girly!? Mine is a refined face!" Retorted the cheetah with joking indignation.
Laughs sounded in the classroom. Forteres observed the interchange with curiosity, his tail curling into a question mark shape, and little more at ease. Noticing this, Aran, too, calmed down and sat back, though he didn't relax on the inside.
"Pardon the suddenness, we just thought that since we all are practically accepted we might try to get to know each other," a rottweiler applicant, next to the fox, spoke in a calm manner.
"Right, right!" Agreed the fox. "Like why're you here, or which guild do you want to enter, or what kind of ente would you like to contract with." This made the panther's ears twitch.
"What kind of ente would you like to contract with?" Forteres inquired.
"Me? Well, I definitely hope for a fire ente. Fire suits me better!"
"Fire? Then, what type of flame do you wish for?"
"Type of... flame?" Repeated the fox puzzled.
"Yes. I guess you most likely refer to the somatic burning type flame, but even these have different kinds," started to explain the black feline. "There're the orange and red kinds, which are the most common and the most well know. There's also the blue kind, which is basically the same, but it's much more powerful. You might also consider the ice flame. Even though it actually freezes it's also considered a burning class. But there're also healing flames, and molding flames..."
As he said this, Forteres spoke with held back excitement and, unconsciously, leaned in towards the fox. Behind him, his tail wagged energetically. The panther was slightly shorter for someone his age and with his still slightly round features he gave a younger impression, though not to the point of where it could be called childish.
That, added to the demeanor they were witnessing, made the other youngs label the black feline inevitably as cute.
"Well..." stuttered the black fox, dazed.
Then the door opened abruptly, and this drew everyone's attention. A tigress came in, followed by a group of female applicants. All of them were dressed in sport pants and blouse, which were their sleeping attire for the night at the academy. Anything else had most probably been refuted by her parents.
"Hi boys!" Exclaimed cheerfully the tigress. "Wanna play?!" She had a melodious voice, well fitting for someone as beautiful and feminine as her.
"What're you doing here!?" The rottweiler applicant barked as he stood up hurriedly. He was answered in a kind of poetical manner.
"Ain't that obvious? Boys and girls in a one-night stay at school, under the same roof, yet separated in different rooms! The most normal thing's for the girls to visit the boys' room!"
The boys, highly baffled, just stared as they all thought more or so the same thing. --Is it?!--
"That's absurd! Go back to your room!" The rottweiler glared at the tigress, receiving back a defying smile.
"And what're you doing anyways?" She asked, noticing that they had congregated around one of the corners of the classroom. She realized a group of three was at the center of all and, upon inspection, she suddenly leaped towards them, squealing excitedly. "My, what a cute thing we have here!" She said, as she trapped a panther in a hug and rubbed briskly her cheek against him.
To call it unexpected would have been an understatement for Forteres, who went stiff from the shock. The rest of the girls also approached, pushing the other guys aside, and seemed to agree with the tigress for they tried to pet the panther as well, much to his chagrin. The boys stared unsure as to what to do, save for the rottweiler, who looked really annoyed. And while Boston was trying to not be crunched against the wall by the girls, Aran had enough of it. He reached for Forteres and, holding protectively the panther against him, he stood up.
"If you could please, to not touch my master as you please!" He angrily reprimanded them.
Everyone present, boys and girls, regarded the two with astonishment. And for some reason, some of them, mostly girls, blushed slightly on the ears. At his point, someone else had enough of it too.
"Enough!" Roared the rottweiler. "Nobody's allowed to leave his room at night, and the females specially shouldn't be coming to the males' room. You better return before the nigh watch comes here!"
"Oh but we are already here." A sinister voice was heard.
The lights flickered, before they went off completely and the only light came from the moon' shine. Everyone's attention was drawn to the ceiling, just above the group they centered around, and from where the voice had come. Something wiry started to appear, as if emerging thought the material with a faint glow. A wiry bone hand. The rest followed, a skeleton, from unknown race, covered in random places by what seemed to be purple crystals, hanging upside-down. He regarded the youngs with void eyeholes.
"Bad kids shall be punished," it said eerily.
After a delayed reaction, it was a girl who gave the first scream, and then the others. Running to the door, it didn't take long for the classroom to become almost empty. The rottweiler, who had stayed back, looked around the place with frustrated expression, and then faced the skeleton.
"You did that on purpose."
"I swear entry test night is my most favorite of the year," it admitted. Its tone sounded a little amused, yet at the same time left a lingering feeling that one might be being deceived. This response made the dog growl.
"You two stay here!" The rottweiler turned to Forteres and said this, before also leaving the classroom.
Forteres, almost deaf to the dog's words, observed the skeleton withdraw in a manner much like how it had come with great concentration. When it was gone, and the lights returned, he left his eyes linger a bit more on that spot before he shifted his attention to the room, and sighed. Aran wasn't there, he knew it; the bull had most likely been the first one to leave, being bad with scary stuff. But he remembered the dog saying 'you two' so he surveyed, and found someone at the opposite corner, hunched with his back towards him.
It was the reptile from the aptitude test, Forteres recognized.
A scream was heard, echoing from somewhere in the campus where the runaway applicants were. This made Forteres jump slightly, but the reptile remained motionless, which made him wonder if that person was asleep or something. The panther actually began to worry. He walked over, another scream sounding. He was actually getting a tad nervous too.
"Excuse me, do you fell unwell?"
The reptile's back shook suddenly, and so did Forteres upon seeing this. The feline was really getting nervous. Another scream, and his tail constricted and his ears dropped.
"I'm fine," spoke the reptile, drawing the panther's attention from the atmosphere.
"... Good."
It took a moment to Forteres to respond, then, silence. The cat's attention returned to his surroundings, the uneasiness returning.
"I apologize for the current arrangement, but I find hard to show my face right now."
"Ah," Forteres was glad that the reptile had spoken again and, considering what the other had said, hurried to understand what this meant so he could continue the conversation. "About that, I'm sorry you had to pass through that."
"No, it was entirely my own fault. My guardian told me I was susceptible to sudden changes in the atma, yet still I..."
More silence. Another scream precipitated which really startled Forteres. The panther turned towards the door, where the sounds came from, and stared, wishing Aran were with him. A much quieter sound made him turn again. It had been the reptile moving, and who now faced him. Forteres hadn't seen many, but he found that this reptile had more ornaments on his face than most, just like a horned lizard would, he thought.
The reptile's scales were a pretty sea blue, along his temples and jaw ran some short spikes, and he had what seemed to be fin-like ears. With squared and sharp features, his face couldn't be called gentle, but he was definitely handsome. Nevertheless, the smile he gave Forteres was truly gentle.
"You all right yourself?" He asked and, after a moment, he received a nod and a grateful smile. Then he dropped his eyes, thoughtful. "You know, back there, I was just trying to show off... I guess I only made a fool out of myself," and before the panther could say anything, he raised again his head and looked at the cat cheerfully. "But if I got you to notice me, then everything's fine at the end."
Even though another scream sounded in the background, Forteres didn't notice it fully, as he was trying to comprehend what the reptile had said.
"I shall not deny the atmosphere is romantic but could you two help us with a little issue." An unexpected voice called from behind Forteres, scaring greatly the panther to the point where it sent the young tumbling forwards and almost over the reptile.
"Wha-What... Um, excuse me?" Realizing that it was the skeleton from before, Forteres said this asking for an encore, for he had not heard due the shock. He also bowed an apology to the young he had almost fallen over on.
"There is an extremely lively fellow directing toward a restricted area. If I am not wrong this fellow is a friend of yours. If you would not mind to go and fetch him we would be thankful since he shall not listen to us."
"Ah, okay..." Knowing that that fellow was undoubtedly Aran, he accepted.
Next to Forteres, the reptile stood up and stared at the skeleton a little intrigued. It had come out of the floor this time, only an upper body, so it was notably shorter than them.
"Well then I shall guide you." With this the skeleton submerged on the ground just before his eyeholes disappeared. "Please follow me," and exited the room as if it was a creature diving in liquid.
"Doesn't it scare you?"
"No," answered Forteres calmly, maybe even a little joyful. "I think he's cute." This made the retile smile contented.
"My name is Alamar Royin."
"I am Forteres Dusk."
"Then, may I call you Fort?" Said Alamar as the two walked towards the door
At an unknown corridor, Aran breathed heavily while walking aimlessly. He was lost, that much he was sure, but he was more worried that those creatures would come back. He was also reprimanding himself for having left Forteres' side.
--I have to go back!-- He was thinking.
He rounded another corner, and froze, before passing out and fell to the floor. Someone snorted indignantly.
"What an extremely rude fellow." A deep voice said.
"Boss." A skeleton surged from the wall and looed down at the unconscious bull. "Finally he stopped."
"Eins is coming with a friend of the fellow." Another one emerged from the ground besides the fellow.
"Intercept them." Ordered the voice. "And take this rude fellow with you."
"As you order."
While Aran was being dragged to meet with the others by the hoofs, back at his assigned classroom and next to his sleeping back, a soul weight was glowing in a deep green.