[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42QUAMNGPFg]Their Story Has Begun:[/URL]

[b]Day 8 - 1:00 PM:[/b]

On the bright side, the students were allowed to take a few bites out of the bountiful delicacies of respite. Even though it was only their first mission, caution was still advised. Though Mr. Fenris had faith in the upperclassmens’ abilities, and he believed that [i]all[/i] of his students would return home, alive and well. Of course, there would be those who were not left unscathed, probably a majority of the first years and maybe a second year would be bashed up a little. They were moving in to exterminate a whole entire rift’s worth of monsters. The task was more befitting of a full team of fourth or fifth years, but why were a collage of younglings and elders being sent to fight. It was beyond him to simplify the headmaster’s reasoning, and merely stood back idly. 

Varren arrived at the meeting grounds early, the same exact spot as where the griffons landed a week ago. But he couldn’t feel nostalgia for such a place, as his time at the academy was close to nil. It felt like it was only yesterday that he had been forcefully flung onto a back of a griffon, then nearly fell off of said beast. But aside from scarcely evading death, it had been a fulfilling and eventful week. Over his shoulders were slung his K30 and a bag, chock full of medical supplies and ammunition. The pack wasn’t overfilled by the slightest, but its internal were arranged neatly to maximize space utilization. The boy could’ve been on par with somebody with OCD, but chances are, in the heat of the battle, such finesse would be quickly jumbled up. [b][i]”Is our ride not here yet~?”[/i][/b] He crooned cheerfully. Though, such hums sounded like nails on a chalkboard in Mr. Fenris’ ears. The man slided over to Varren and shoved the list of the teams into his chest. [b]”Read it over carefully. You can reiterate it on the flight there.”[/b] The boy squinted his eyes at the text, skimming over the painstakingly small text.

[hider=The List]
[b]Team Juliet:[/b]
[list]Joseph Conrad
Varren Yinyues
Lilith Ephyrene
Huanglong Fai
Ier-Briar Thorn-of-Shield[/LIST]

[b]Team Sierra:[/b]
[LIST]
Raule Cardias
Dagny Ek
Arkiyel’ein
Jeremiah Ellison
Loreal[/LIST]

[b]Team Charlie:[/b]
[LIST]
Chris Graham
Ralthavar Marchosias
Ayaka Cho
Mariam Machina
Mortia Noria[/LIST]
[/HIDER]

There were a few names missing on the list, a confused expression was directed towards Fenris in response. [b]”Well, that second year snake girl called in sick. Caught something from another student. As for the Strike Witches, they believed their movements would be inhibited within the enclosed space.”[/b] Varren rubbed his chin and nodded, taking note of the physically altered humans’ inability to perform flight within the hive. Though they have firepower which would have proven to be extremely useful. But utilizing insecure fighters is blatantly useless. [b]”Your rides shall be here momentarily. It will be a thirty minute flight from here to the tear. The insertion point was pictured within the mission synopsis, the landing zone is right… here.”[/b] With a lone appendage he pointed at a circle portion of a sheet within his other hand. Though, there was something which kept the boy on edge. [i]”Why am I here? I thought I was just supposed to give that speech on that morning?”[/i] He shrugged off any lingering queries, his mind should be focused elsewhere. How well will the students within each team operate with eachother? Will they work in cohesive motions, or will fissures and fallouts take form instead? 

During the past week, Varren had observed all of the students, between studies and free time. He had seen friendships kindled, relationships burn with vibrant essence, and disputes force others apart. Many alterations were first time experiences for him, given his ambivalence to social conversation. The student glanced at his toshinmac, reading the digital letters displayed in the translucent hologram. [i]1:04 PM[/i] It was almost time for the birds to arrive. The selected students began to gather before them, arriving in small groups or alone. They were already notified of their teams, and split into three teams of capable fighters. Taking a moment of respite as a gust of cold air brushed against his ear, Varren adjusted the scarf, tugging at its nape to expose his face. The boy spun around on the ball of his foot, with his wonted grin of innocence. His ebullient expression shined on the formed groups of students, his mouth hung unhinged as words flew outwards.

[hider=-1:05 PM- ”Good afternoon, everybody~!”][img]http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2014/093/7/9/military_transport_drone_by_lmorse-d7cvp19.jpg[/img][/HIDER]

As greeting departed from his lips, and registered within his classmates’ brains, three elegant moldings of metal plummeted towards the location. Propelled by the quarter of mounted engines, streamline in appearance and seemed to surpass the limitations of air resistance, the birds of prey soared towards the students. At the ten meter mark, the trio came to an abrupt halt, counteracting their built up momentum by shifting their engines in the opposite direction. The wind projected from the turbines nearly blew the students away, excluding the ten foot tall robot and the unexplainably heavy gemstone. Varren felt the air blowing against his neckhair, forcing it against his skin. The expert pilots eased the transports and leveled out, then descended to the snow. The boy patted at the freezing substance which caked his clothing, he was the closest to them after all. Once the birds powered down, the side bay doors slammed open, giving leeway to a cabin full of seats. A pilot popped out of the middle transport and jogged over to Fenris, [b]”Three Eagles, as requested, sir!”[/b] American. Varren could easily recognize the accent. Their rides were definitely more glamorous and foolproof than the griffons the students rode on a few week ago. Mr. Fenris nodded, and ushered for the students to enter their respective Eagles. [b]”Good luck! Oh, first years! You all better come back alive, we have a quiz tomorrow~”[/b] The octopod chimed as the groups filled into the cabins. With this sudden development, Varren wasn’t so thrilled about surviving.

Once the students buckled in, the doors closed up, and the birds took to their biome once more. Varren stared out the window as the academy grew smaller in the cut of glass. Soon, it disappeared from view, and the transports flew in formation above a seemingly endless forest of barren trees, within a white canvas. He then turned his attention towards his bag and dug into its contents, pulling out a radio. Each transport was distributed one device upon lift-off, with the frequency already preset. He rose microphone to his mouth, and reiterated their mission, [b][i]”Testing, testing! 1, 2,3. I like coffee~ Alright, good, this is working. As you already know, we will be inserting at an access point on the hive’s surface. The distance from the entrance to the queen’s lair should be roughly a couple of miles, full of minions and varying classes of residents. Just keep this in mind; If the queen dies, all native hive beings die instantly. They literally can’t live without their dear queen. There will be three caverns, one for each team, which have been speculated to meet up at the same point. It will take all of us to bring that mean tyrant down, so let’s all get there in one piece, ok?”[/i][/b] 

He sounded way too cheerful for a first year who was about to embark on their first mission. But, he continued on with the synopsis, [b][i]”As for the majority of our enemies, which are the minions, they are basically cannon fodder. There are a few other types of adversaries, most notably the knights, the queen’s heralds and defenders. Proceed with caution, they have been perceived to give even fifth years some trouble. Senpais, please keep my fellow classmates alive. Good luck, and see you all in thirty minutes!”[/i][/b] And with that, the comms went silent. Varren glanced at his teammates with a stretched smile, [b][i]”That goes for you too, Jojo!”[/i][/b] He joked as he reclined in his seat, throwing his arms behind his head.

[b]1:45 PM - At the tear:[/b]

Thirty minutes had passed, and the students were notified that they were reaching their destination. Varren stuck to the window like glue, peering through the clear substance as his eyes took in the sight. The title was truly befitting such an occurrence, as it was most definitely a tear in space itself. The opening was levitating in thin air, through its crack a completely different world could be seen. Inside was a desolate view, void of color and bright sunlight. The ground consisted of a terrain similar to a dessert, except it was dyed in a greener hue. The Eagles collapsed into a single line, and passed through the seam without a moment’s hesitation. The transition between dimensions consisted of an emitted sharp light, which disappeared as soon as it appeared. The trio broke off from one another, putting some distance as they decreased in altitude. [b]”One minute out! Get ready to clear the landing zone!”[/b] And of course, the students were the ones who would be doing the clearing. Since the academy was still a scholastic institution by clarification, they weren’t allowed to mount any form of heavy armaments onto their property, even though it was responsible for training para-soldiers. 

Varren could already see their LZ, the three distinct gaping holes in the ground. Surrounding their rims were groups of outer guards, physically and aesthetically on par with the [url=http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs40/f/2009/046/7/8/786b4b3f47768c890f82eb8fc8e1536e.jpg]minions.[/URL] [b][i]”Ah, alright, I see… Mr. Jojo! Please help me out~”[/i][/b] The boy requested of his senior as he slipped on his combat glasses, flipping the heads-up display over the shades. He switched the safety off of his rifle and slumped onto the cabin’s, and took aim through the sights. [b][i]”Let’s get to work, shall we?”[/i][/b] Juliet’s Eagle came to a stop midair and spun itself ninety, facing its doors towards the openings. 

[b][i]”We’ll have to clear out our landing zone, and Charlie’s. Mr. Graham’s pistols would become ineffective at this range, and the rest of team Charlie are melee fighters. They would be overwhelmed if they were dropped right in. Switching to 20x30 rounds.”[/i][/b] He spoke in a more calm and technical tone, flipping through the firing modes of the K30. [b][i]”Range, seven-hundred meters. Wind resistance, none. Compensate for bullet round drop.”[/i][/b] With the assistance of Joseph’s precise rounds, which had barely any differentiation from their original target, and his own grenades, the two were able to effectively clear out both landing zones. [b][i]”Now… As for Sierra’s…”[/i][/b] As if on cue, the two other transports raced forward, with Sierra’s bay doors wide open. Gripped to the hull of the bird was the blonde woman, who Varren believed could snap a person in half without breaking a sweat. The Eagle turned on an angle, facing her closer to the ground. Once it was only a few meters from the zone, the woman took in a deep breath and unleashed fiery carnage upon the unknowing enemies. [b][i]”Nice job, Ms. Ek! Perhaps we can have fried hive mind tonight!”[/i][/b] The boy jested as all three birds swiftly landed, blowing away the sand beneath their engines. Once the students piled out of their transports, they began their journey into the unknown, [b][i]”Communications won’t be so clear beneath the surface, so I might as well say this now. Good hunting, and good luck! Perhaps Ralth can throw us a party after this~”[/i][/b]