"Today is the day!" I exclaimed as I walked into the kitchen. Jane and Iris were still eating their breakfast while Barton was at the sink washing plates.
"How many times are you going to say that mate?" Barton asked in English.
"As many times as I bloody well want to mate!" I replied switching to English as well and adopting a terrible English accent. Barton rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Today is going to suck!" Iris groaned then finished the last of her breakfast.
"Why would it suck? You both learned your spells didn't you?" I asked.
"Yes but ever since the campus found out that our class is back they've been hounding Lady Jane and I anytime we leave the dorm, wanting to know the result of yours and Astrid's duel." Iris explained.
"Oh yeah…that…" I said, seething silently. "Still never go that duel…"
"While you three were gone staff members had a bet going as to who would win. Odds were heavily in Lasy Astrid's favor." Barton said with a chuckle. I chuckled back mockingly then looked at the girls.
"Do we need to fly to school? I can ask Alpa'nagia if he can give us a ride?" I asked. Jane and Iris shook their heads.
"We'll be fine. Jingles made sure to scare off anyone that got too…adamant about knowing the results." Jane said with a amused smirk.
"Okay. Well I'll be waiting by the door when you girls are ready." I said as I turned and left the kitchen. Walking into the foyer grabbed my backpack which I had left by the staircase. I walked over to the front door and leaned against the wall as I looked through it to make sure I had everything.
Satisfied I did I closed it and slung it over my back. The girls came out of the kit hen a few moments later and rushed upstairs to grab their things. When they came back they hurried over to the door.
"Let's go!" Iris exclaimed and opened the door. "I don't want to be late."
I agreed with her. The moment I stepped outside we two people hanging around the building across the street. I forced but ignored them as the girls and I headed towards Baset's lecture hall. The streets were just as busy as the day we left only now people were stopping and staring at us as we passed.
"How's your research been going?" Jane asked as we reached the halfway point between class and the dorms.
"It could be better. I learned a lot more runes in the last week, I actually made a enchanted item…but I can't make head's or tails of my great-great grandfather's journal." I explained.
"What is it about?" Jane asked.
"Splicing, the old fashioned way." I said with a groan. "None of that shit makes sense! It has no rules! None whatsoever! It's pure chaos!"
"Splicing has rules!" Iris exclaimed indignantly like I'd just insulted her personally.
"Yeah but it's mostly just blind experimentation! Throw a bit of this and that together and see what happens. Doing splicing that way you have to go through a thousand failures before you find a recipe that works!" I ranted. "With techno-splicing there's nowhere near as much waste…"
"But techno-splicing is not true splicing Chase! It's a cheap cop out used to mass produce inferior evos." Jane said.
"They're not all so inferior Jane. Bone-lasher was made using techno-splicing and I'd put him against any evo on campus." I replied.
[I'M THE STRONGEST!] Bone-lasher roared in my head.
[You wisssssssh!] Alpa'nagia chuffed.
"I will admit Bone-lasher is strong but if he'd been made by a splicer he'd be so much stronger." Jane said.
[LIES!] Bone-lasher growled. Alpa'nagia chuckled softly in my head. The sound was soon drowned out-by the loud chattering of people in front of us. Up ahead a Baset's lecture hall was yet another large mob of students.
"Oh come on!" the girls and I all groaned. Once again Baset, Astrid, Alberto, and Damon were all waiting beside Baset's shuttle in front of the lecture hall while the mob surrounded them but kept a nice distance thanks to the guardsmen.
"Baset!" I yelled as we got closer. Everyone in the mob turned to look at The girls and I. Before anyone started getting ideas about charging us for whatever reason they were here for I started channeling volt attribute mana into my hands and let the electricity arc into the ground. This seemed to dishearten some people.
"Ah, Chase, Jane, and Iris!" Bazet said with a broad smile. "We were just waiting for you all to get here so we can leave."
"Wait leave?!" Jane and Iris exclaimed.
"Yes, for the coliseum. I recieced special permission to use it for today's assignment. That way I can grade you all on your spells without worry." Baset explained. Jane and Iris both calmed down when they realized that weren't going to have to leave the campus again.
"That's good, as long as I don't have to go on another field trip. I think I'm good on those for the rest of the year." I said as we approached Baset and the others. The mob couldn't jump away quick enough to get away from my lightning.
"You're so funny" Baset said dryly then looked to the rest of class and snapped her fingers. The shuttle doors opened and the guardsmen started working to clear a path. "Alright everyone, on the shuttle!"
Begrudgingly all six of us lumbered onto the shuttle and found a seat. Baset joined us a few moments later and the bus took off, heading down the street towards the coliseum.
"What was all that about?" I asked Astrid and pointed at the mob fading rapidly from our rear view.
"Annoyances wanting to know about the outcome of our duel." Astrid replied with a sign.
"You mean the one we never had…" I said snidely.
"I already admit defeat for now Chase. When I am ready I will challenge you again." Astrid said.
"Suuuuuure…" I said jokingly then turned to look put the window at the coliseum. It was much closer now and I could see a lot of steed carriages and guardsmen near the entrance. There was even a second perimeter of guardsmen and evos around the whole of the coliseum.
"That security is a little excessive…" Jane said.
"There's no such thing as excessive security." Iris said in a know it all kind of tone then looked out the window and added. "However for a simple assignment this is a little unorthodox."
"Dean Baxter wanted extra security for our guests." Baset said nonchalantly.
"WAIT WHAT!?!" Everyone shouted. Baset smirked as she looked at all of our surprised faces.
"What fucking guests!" I demanded.
"After I informed Dean Baxter last week of our…adventures in Niger he informed me that he invited several important figures in splicing to witness your first assignment." Baset explained.
"Oh no! Oh no!" Astrid exclaimed. "Is this our splicing debut?!"
Everyone in the shuttle paled and looked at each other with varying expressions of panic, terror, and nausea. I looked at all of them then arched a eyebrow at Jane and Iris.
"What's so important about this splicing debut thingy?" I asked.
"A splicer's debut is the most important thing in the world! It is the basis for a splicer's reputation which for us is more important than gold. You could be one of the richest splicers in the world but if you have a bad reputation no amount of money in the world will make any reputable splicer work with you." Jane explained. I nodded silently then looked to Baset.
"Who are these guests or do you not know?" I asked. Baset's smirk widened as the carriage stopped at the outer defense perimeter.
"I don't know all the names but I know a few. Erik Swan, Akira Momotake, Francis Lebau, The Morgan Paragon, and Loki Paragon. There are more however I do not know their names."
"Wait two paragons are going to be there!" Astrid exclaimed.
"My dad's going to be there!" Alberto exclaimed. All eyes turned to him in a moment of silence that was only broken by a rapping sound on the shuttle door. It was a guardsman that wanted to know who we were. Baset turned and deal with then and the guard promptly let us through when he saw Baset.
"Alberto who is your dad?" Astrid asked once we were moving again.
"Loki Paragon…" Alberto said softly. Everyone's eyes got wide at his revelation.
"Your father is a Paragon!" Damon exclaimed.
"Not just any Paragon, Spain's first ever Paragon!" Astrid exclaimed.
"Wait didn't they mention he was the son of a Paragon during our battle to get into the advance class?" I asked. Everyone stared blankly for several seconds then Damon shrugged his shoulders.
"That was so long ago though..." He said.
'Can't argue with that. it does feel like so long ago....' I thought with a nod then another thought popped into my head. 'Wait if his dad is a Paragon why is he so shitty…'
I glanced over at Jane and Iris and the looks on their faces told me they were thinking the same thing I was.
"Yeah…figures he'd stop in to check on me…" Alberto grumbled.
"Regardless of who is there all of you should remember that this is your splicing debut. What happens in that coliseum and how those guests view you will follow you for the rest of your lives." Baset said sternly, grabbing everyone's attention as the shuttle passed through the coliseum gates. "While I'm sure that Chase will be the focus of all our guests here today, Jane, Iris, Astrid, Damon, and Alberto. Each and every one of you have the chance to make a name for yourself today. Size that chance!"
"Yes Lady Baset!" The others all exclaimed.
'A chance huh…wonder what I can seize…' I thought as I smiled deviously.