[h2]Cockatrice Hunt Rian, Ryouta, Haruka, and Winnifred[/h2]As the telepad was activated, the sigils shifted into place and the magic rune began to spin. In a brief flash, they found themselves on a small island consisting of a statue of someone who looked like a businessman from the early 1900s, a single tall oak tree, and a couple of flowerbeds. The little isle was surrounded by curb, and smack dab in the middle of the streets that formed the town square. Old shops, many of them closed down and some obviously rennovated several times , their signs painted over and various parts of the buildings replaced, lined the small roads. It was like they had stepped back almost fifty years in time, in this quaint "small-America" town. A small blue orb with green runes floating around it was hovering between the group. A human voice tinged with a mechanical sound spoke from it. "Telepad activation successful. Location does not possess telepad; Sprite will remain for 48 hours if not activated. Students, when you have finished your assignment, activate the Sprite. If the time limit has elapsed, call the Academy via phone or use another contact method. Failure to report within twice the time limit will prompt a search-and-rescue team dispatchment. Good Luck." The Sprite dimmed its glow a bit, and remained floating at about head height. Suddenly, a car horn honked. Someone had stopped their car not too far away, and was trying to get the group's attention. "Hey! Y'all from that fancy magic school? If'n yer lookin' fer that thar bird, it was runnin' through the corn fields south'a town this mornin'!" [h2]Fire Rat Extermination Taeion[/h2]As Taeion's telepad activated, he too was gone in a flash, and appeared at a large dock area, where cranes were loading cargo onto ships or carrying it off, and a dockworker on a forklift carrying a large pile of boxes slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting the boy who'd appeared out of nowhere. "What the--where'd you come from!?" the man said. Just then, a Sprite floated out behind Taeion. "Telepad activation successful. Location does not possess telepad; Sprite will remain for 48 hours if not activated. Student "Taeion", when you have finished your assignment, activate the Sprite. If the time limit has elapsed, call the Academy via phone or use another contact method. Failure to report within twice the time limit will prompt a search-and-rescue team dispatchment. Good Luck." "The hell?" said the dockworker, jumping down from his machine. "Is that...some kinda magic thing? Are you from that academy we sent the message to, about the Exbeasts?" He pointed over to a warehouse that looked like it had just recently been burned, its roof collapsed in a heap of blackened plaster and concrete. "Those Fire Rats were in there yesterday, but the fire departmen's water hose must have scared them off. There's a good chance they've holed up somewhere else nearby, though--look for their footprints. The little bastards don't just leave a print, their claws actually burn into whatever they step on."