Julius watched in serenity as the wind array covering the entire Grand Hall activated, sending all the platters and plates empty or full flying into the air where they were appreciated somewhere unknown.
Slyly, Yevian snatched 1 last cookie from his plate before it was stolen by the wind array.
He bit down joyfully.
A bell rang. The first of two that would signify the start of the 3rd lesson of the day.
All the students began brainlessly flooding out of the hall.
"Let's go."
Yevian smirked as he swallowed the last of his cookie swiftly.
Julius stuck close to Yevian.
"Right behind you."
The two slid their way through the bustling crowd until they broke into the scene that was the corridor.
After pushing and squeezing through hordes of students they finally managed to reach an exit point.
Julius and Yevian met with light wind and a lively azure sky.
It seemed that the Magic Beast Practical Class was to be held outside.
Julius felt suspicion bridging the tip of his tongue but decided to trust Yevian despite his previous mistakes.
Yevian trailed to the back of the school, the figures of both Julius and Yevian were cast over by dark shadows.
Julius rose an eyebrow.
"Are you... Sure that you know the way?"
Yevian breathed out calmly.
"Of course. You wouldn't find a quicker route than the one we're using."
The two stuck close to the walls of Ruloy until they had trailed all the way around it.
Yevian turned right abruptly.
Julius halted suddenly.
"Why are we turning right?"
Yevian looked back innocently.
"Well, the class is just next to the Elder Tree."
Julius ignored the squirming feeling in his gut.
The two traveled for another 3 minutes before they found themselves by the outskirts of a forest-like environment.
The two pushed through branches and bushes quietly.
Julius cursed.
"Why the hell is this class so hard to get to? And why isn't the teacher guiding us?"
Yevian shrugged.
"It's probably a test. I'm just using the school-given item to sense the Elder tree so that's all I can go off."
The two persevered through the forest and its thick verdant maze for another 2 minutes before they broke through into a barren enclosing.
Julius' eyes lit up as they grasped a tree.
Vibrant magical veins of green infested its deathly black branches. Its roots had dug far into the ground and it stood more than thrice as tall as its brethren trees.
Leaning upon the Elder Tree's reinforced ashy trunk was a fine lady.
Her skin was as white as paper and held a fragrant elegance to itself. She had matching silky white hair and her ears pointed out like those of elves.
She was wearing leather garments that Julius could picture being the attire of an experienced adventurer.
Strapped to her leather belt was a sheat scaled and shaped to fit a curved dagger. Her wild yellow eyes screamed danger but her face portrayed a look of calming numbness.
Julius gulped briefly.
Despite how much she was to take in, she was really quite the beauty. Her figure perfectly fit the almost mystical scene.
Due to how many odd features the lady, most presumably the teacher possessed Julius accredited her to the attributes of a hybrid of some sort.
Julius and Yevian awkwardly stood before the teacher who acted as if they weren't even in her presence.
Eventually, more and more students entered the small enclosing until it was packed to the brim.
It was only then that the teacher opened her mouth and became somewhat animated.
She closed her mouth slowly on second thought.
From her right hand, she produced a white fairy-like wisp. It floated above the students and began pulsing white waves which released an elegant and refined voice.
"Hello students, I have already met most of you before but for those who have only just now arrived I will greet you. My name is Professor Zendow. I am using this method of speech because I currently have a terribly sore throat and due to that I have avoided an active lesson."
She closed her eyes in tire continuing to push her voice through the wisp.
"For this lesson, It will be a task requiring 1 partner. Form a 3 if need be but 2 is optimal. Your task is to find a Glutos, they look like small round balls of varying colors and have 2 commonly gold eyes. Look for their white wings which are always on their backs."
The students were on edge, waiting to find a partner.
"I've left bait to lure the Glutos into your arms. Bring them back here. Each Glutos is worth an Orth but beware, they are harder to lure than you think. And far more dangerous than you may fathom."
An eerie silence ensued as the students looked at each other, fidgeting and twitching.
"You may now begin."
Julius stuck to Yevian and the two charged for the bait. The entire closing had been set loose like a pack of ravenous hounds.
It seemed that Orths were in quite high demand.
Julius and Yevian managed to take advantage of their early partnership and got ahold of a decent amount of bait.
The bait consisted of strange red sticks that felt fleshy to the touch.
The two ran out, deep into the seemingly endless reverie forest.
The two stopped after a few hundred meters. Julius panted hard, whilst trying to speak.
"What now?"
Yevian sighed.
"We need to use the bait so just wave the sticks around."
Julius lazily flopped the sticks around.
"Like this?"
Yevian shrugged.
"I don't know. I'm just glad Zenow's got a sore throat. My ears are still traumatized."
As the two strangely flapped the fleshy red sticks around no results came.
Eventually, danger settled.
Tens of students found their spot and began simultaneously attempting to lure out the Glutos.
Yevian grunted in frustration.
He walked over to Julius and whispered in his ears carefully.
"If you find one, run."
Julius muttered back in disparity.
"Why?"
Yevian pointed to the right swiftly, drawing his finger back fast.
Julius' head swerved to where Yevian had pointed.
There he saw Vibra's gang. Looking quite forceful and moody.
Julius nodded.
"Gotcha."
Over time, the fleshy red sticks that the two waved around began to glow a fiery orange.
Vibra and his mates noticed the occurrence and instantly smirked deviously.
Yevian's eyes widened as he saw a group of 5 from the House of Dragon slowly making their way toward himself and Julius.
Yevian muttered slowly.
"Keep your distance. They're coming to steal."
Julius nodded once more, keeping his right eye wary.
The group made their way over, arrogant and cackling.
Vibra at the front was no longer nervous but vengeful. He faced off with Yevian, flexing his height that far over-shadowed Yevian.
"We'll be using this area. If you don't mind."
Yevian raised his eyebrows in dead-panned disappointment.
"You still butt-plugged over the turkey?"
Vibra chuckled insanely.
"Funny guy. Funny funny funny guy."
He pulled his right arm back for a clean right hook.
"Hey what's that?"
One of his goons spoke goofily from behind him.
He looked to his right.
A pure black sphere creature with angelic wings was munching on a dropped flesh stick.
Everyone froze for a moment.
Chaos.
The goon who had called out the creature attempted to pick it up with two arms but Julius dived down and caught it in his arms.
He felt sticks scratch his skin and he barely rushed forwards, escaping a few grappling hands.
Yevian ran by his side and the goons ruthlessly chased the two.
Julius sweated hard as he regretted his choices.
"What do we do?"
He spoke rushed to Yevian.
Yevian looked back swiftly whilst his mind whirred mechanically.
"Head to Zendow. These guys would suck toes for an Orth. There's no way there'd risking losing even half of 1 by attacking us in plain sight."
The two continued sprinting forwards.
Julius felt his breaths get shorter and thinner with every step.
Yevian too wasn't the most athletic.
Eventually, the Dragon goons along with Vibra caught up, one of them placed a firm hand on Yevian's shoulder almost bringing him to the ground in one go.
Yevian cursed as his figure shook.
He screamed in terror. His expression distorted.
"YOU MADE ME DO THIS."
He pulled out a wand so deluxe and expensive that not even Dragon would account as worthy material.
The entire group was in his range.
His voice became bewitched as he released the most effective spell in his arsenal for the current situation.
"Wrath of Blindness."
A disruptful white light emerged from his wand, in a matter of seconds it burned so brightly that each and every one of the goons stopped and clutched their eyelids.
They kneeled down and wailed. Unable to see even a speck of light. Only Vibra had got out unharmed due to his lightning instincts.
Regrettably, Vibra watched as Yevian and Julius sprinted off. He still had men to look after.
Julius ran with a look of concern overriding his adrenaline.
"You didn't permanently blind them right?"
The Glutos in his hand was squealing, its wings were flapping wildly. Julius almost let it go.
Yevian shrugged.
"They'll be fine in a minute. More importantly, I think we're here."
The two crashed and skidded into the enclosing where Professor Zenow was calmly waiting.
She smiled. Her wisp orb above spoke with pleasure.
"Oh my? The two of you must be the fastest students I've ever had the pleasure of teaching."
Julius handed over the Glutos with pride. It still seemed rather antsy.
Yevian smirked.
"It was all due to the power of team-."
"Wait."
The white wisp shivered.
"The Glutos is telling me something."
Professor Zendow had a look of distaste and fear on her beautiful face.
And then like a nightmare out of a witch's grimoire, a ravine-splitting shriek rang out, crashing throughout the entire mystical forest.
No letter could describe it. It was a sound that wasn't meant to be heard by human ears.
Yevian and Julius clutched their ears in blatant pain.
Professor Zendow shut her mouth with both her hands. It seemed that her natural voice was so loud and high-pitched that her sore throat could make her even talking dangerous for those with frail ears.
Her wisp form was crumbling.
It spoke enraged. The wisp form became a dangerous red. Zendow's form twitched like she was about to pull out a knife.
"You...You blinded my Glutos?"
Julius looked at Yevian in disaster.
Yevian whistled astutely.
"She should be fine in a minute."
Zendow almost shrieked again but kept her hands tied to her mouth.
Her wisp form shrieked for her.
"Y-you idiot. Glutos' have far weaker eyesight than us. Even normal light spells can cause serious harm to them. And you used a Third Order Light Spell on mine."
The glutos in her arms trembled, sending her messages.
Her wisp form somehow grew and got even angrier.
"AT POINT-BLANK RANGE?"
She sighed, falling to her knees.
Her wisp form spoke hopelessly.
"Detention for both of you. This Glutos will not survive in this ransacked forest without two beady eyes."
Yevian stuttered.
"We'll take it in."
The wisp spoke plainly.
"You'll still get detention."
Yevian hid the guilt on his face.
"No matter, we'll still take it in."
Professor Zendow sighed through the wisp.
"Do what you want. But come here after dinner in the Grand Hall. You are to be punished."
The two boys nodded meekly before settling down and kneeling by the tree.
Julius sighed, muttering weakly.
"Well isn't this a great first day?"
Yevian shrugged.
"Free pet."
Julius facepalmed.
He had truly partnered with the most excessive person in Ruloy.
AT: Big boy chapter today.
Did you know that no sloth has 123 toes? Incredible. Yeah I just said that to boost this chapter to 2k words.
(It's still true though.)