[color=ed1c24][h3]Madock Holliday[/h3][/color]

Before Madock even had a chance to open his mouth again, he froze. He couldn't believe the magic that befell him and the students around him. In that singular moment, before the Professor began to speak, exhilaration and terror collided within him. Standing there unable to move, made him feel weak and vulnerable, something he never wanted to be again, but he also couldn't help but get excited. If this is the type of power he could attain by attending the Institute, the terror was worth it. Almost as quickly as the emotion had come, they escape Madock's body when the professor scolded him for talking to much. She even likened him to a comic book villain. Now the only emotion in Madock's chest was embarrassment. Did he really end up in a monologue? Was it really that bad? His mother always said he was a little long winded at times. She said that it's what made him such an amazing salesman for his father, but did he really talk that much? Didn't feel like it. Nevertheless, even if he did or didn't talk to much, he would work on it. 

Then, suddenly, he could move again. He had barely registered the fact that there was such little time left to eat. Luckily he had already eaten. In order to wash away the embarrassment, he let out a soft chuckle. He then regained his composure, and sauntered off in the direction of the testing area.

[hr]

The written test was going just as well as Madock expected, not well. Even though he was one of the first students who sat down and got ready for the exam, he was probably one of the very last to finish. He knew he wasn't the brightest tool in the shed and it showed. The only things he had a clue how to do were the math, chemistry, and physics questions. He found the Physics questions to be quite easy though. He even chuckled at the question involving the Law of Conservation of Energy. Physics was where Madock shined. It came easy to him, almost as easy as rifling the barrel of a gun. It wasn't until the essay portion of the exam that Madock had to pause. Why was he here? Why did he want to become a mage? The answer was simple enough, but putting it into words was hard to him. He then sat back and allowed his mind to drift. He let it drift back to the moment the professor froze him and the other student, drift back to when he watched the explosion that took his father's voice, and finally drift back to him holding Wyatt's lifeless body in his arm. After a few moments, Madock let his 5'8" frame hang back over the paper, and wrote one simple sentence.

[i][b]I need to become stronger, so I never have to lose someone dear to me ever again.[/b][/i]

[hr]

The bus ride was quite comfortable for Madock. He didn't know how, but he ended up getting a seat all to himself. He used the extended downtime and leg space wisely, and took a nice little nap. When he woke, they had arrived at their destination. Madock's eyes widened as he witnessed the ruins of an old town. Most would see nothing by old ruins, but to Madock, he saw a playground of discovery. He then began to chide himself for not staying awake and memorizing the directions they took. This would make an amazing spot to explore one of these days. He would have to pester one of the professors later about this location. It was around this time that the other professor began to herd the student into a line. Not wanting to cause another ruckus, Madock slid into the middle of the line with little to no issue. 

Madock listened intently to the professor, and smiled when he said it would be a combat test in teams of three. He had another chance to make a good impression on other people, and this portion of the exam was going to be held in format of a team based competition. He always loved competition, its one of the reason he got the idea to become a professional competitive shooter. When ever the chance to compete in something arose, even if he had absolutely no clue what he was doing, Madock would not shy away. Something about facing off against other people and yourself, in some sort of battle, made him giddy. Even now, his heart was racing, and his trigger figure was twitching in excitement. He didn't care how grueling and intense the practical exams were going to be. He was going to aim to be on top at the end of the day.

He then began to survey the students, trying to spot a few that may want to form a team with him. He saw a few students that looked like he would mesh well with, but almost as soon as he spotted them, they would walk away and join someone else team. His shoulders slumped slightly. This wasn't looking good. [i]If I can't find a good cohesive team soon, I will end up rolling the dice by getting slotted with a team by way of lottery. I can not let that hap--[/i] His train of thought completely halted. Not because he found somebody to team up with, but because he found a rifle.  Without any delay, Madock picked up his bag and rifle case and slowly made his way over to the girl loading the rifle. She didn't notice him right away. She was too busy talking to another student. The exact same student, who stopped the kid from early from shoving him. He would have to thank him for that again, but the rifle and it's owner were more important. He stopped when he was about five feet away. Without a doubt, he knew that rifle. He looked down at the unsuspecting girl and gave a big smile.

[color=ed1c24]"I can't believe my eyes! Without a doubt, that is our Custom Made Holliday Mk13 Bolt Action Sniper Rifle!"[/color] He slid his hand through his hair in disbelief, [color=ed1c24]"It looks different though. Did you not like the aesthetic of the gun we sold you?"[/color] The gun didn't look bad, but his father would have made any aesthetic modifications to the gun, free of charge. He then looked up at the student who 'saved' him a few hours earlier and gave a soft smile, [color=ed1c24]"Oh hey. Thanks for the assist a little while ago. That could've ended up pretty messy."
[/color]

[@FlitterFaux][@hagroden]