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I like to RP!

You'll find that I tend to like running games, rather than playing in them.

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Glasses are refilled dutifully by Aiya, who plays hostess with a well-practiced smile. Nicole is not entirely imaging things—here the Duodecim girl is queen. If she doesn’t actively relish it, she is at least so accustomed to it that she doesn’t give her privilege any second thought.

“Rules?” Asks Aiya when Dana speaks up, as if the Norban was speaking a different language. “Ooooh, was there someone in particular you wanted to kiss, Noel?” Aiya asks mischievously. Her gaze, which flickers between Dana and the large cadet she’s planted next to, clearly implies what she means.

“We have a spare cabin for that, you know.” She suggests, though she can’t keep her face straight for long. “Just kidding. You don’t have to play, there should be some other games around here.” She says, absolving them of their party obligations.

Nicole and Penny, who volunteer, earn a somber salute. There’s one or two officers who excuse themselves from the proceedings to play cards—and offer Dana and Noah a new little circle to join—but Penny’s new friends and the rest soon begin the game.

It goes until the wee hours, until the boat finally makes its lazy return home.

So to do the officers and Ars Magi, one way or another. Everyone survives.








𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚊 𝙻𝚞𝚡 𝙰𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚢
𝙳𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚜

𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝟸𝟸𝚗𝚍, 𝟷𝟷𝟽 𝙰𝚅
𝚄𝚗𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎
Dana Noel, Penny Grenoble, Nicole Cognoscenti



Until the next morning, at which point it probably feels like it’d be better to be dead.

The hangover is predictably horrible for those that indulged. Not as bad as having an Armagus forcefully shoved in ones body, but maybe only just a little better.

Priya is the only partygoer that appears unaffected, dropping by Radiant Storm’s dorms with plates full of eggs, aspirin, and big glasses of water.

By the time the lucky(?) Ars Magi make it to the common room they’re in time to hear the afternoon news reports: A heavy front of Nox is sweeping down across the coast, a slowly-building vortex of toxic magic.

Thankfully, there are still a few vacation days left. They’re not all that cheery, though. Soon enough the Palmyran military is confirming that the storm will be hitting the city, and the preparations begin soon after. Barricades are re-enforced, shelters shuttered, Nox diffusers checked and re-checked. There’s a palpable air of unease that turns to sinking dread. This is not the first time such a thing has happened, but such storms have never boded well, and no sanctum city has ever weathered one without issue.

By the time the cadets are back on duty they have new briefings waiting for them. Nova Lux’s Ars Magi will be second in the line of defense should anything break through the walls and the full-fledged Magi defending them. Teams are to be deployed throughout the city at strategic points to repel any invaders, along with a small detail of officers to supervise and coordinate the defensive efforts.

And so begins the storm of the century.


𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚊 𝙻𝚞𝚡 𝙰𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚢
𝙶𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙷𝚊𝚕𝚕

𝙰𝚞𝚐𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝟾𝚝𝚑, 𝟷𝟷𝟽 𝙰𝚅
𝟺:𝟶𝟶 𝙿𝙼
Dana Noel, Penny Grenoble, Nicole Cognoscenti



The tempest hits at exactly 1600 hours.

Radiant Storm has not gone far from home. They’re posted up in Nova Lux’s Grand Hall, the same place where the fancy ball has been held prior. Now, however, it is not nearly as festive. Temporary workstations have been set up for the teams of officers gathered inside, each squad of cadets led by a senior overseeing their work. Large monitors display satellite images of the city, blurry infra-red diagrams that track the storm as it descends on Palmyra.

Rain is hammering down against the massive, curtained windows. Leaves and debris from the sprawling gardens outside gust by, and the massive trees outside jitter and sway dangerously in the howling wind.

Unlike usual, Radiant Storm doesn’t see many familiar faces among the hall. Penny spots cadet Grey busily at work on the radio, but she’s too busy to acknowledge the Ars Magi. Most of the officers are, which leave the magical girls to sit, wait, and catch what snippets of conversation they can.

What they can glean is that the senior Ars Magi are hard at work at the city walls, keeping out the worst of the Void that come with the storm. They, however, have the less exciting job of playing reserves. Which means a lot of waiting around, and not much way to kill the time between themselves.

The night drags on. Rain hammers down harder, and the cracks of thunder can be heard. Through the dark fog outside are the occasionally flashes of lightning. They do little to illuminate the world beyond the window.

Then something happens.

In the distance there is a worrying crash–something not quite the crack of thunder, but somehow similar. Suddenly the team of officers are moving and shouting, taking clipped directions from the woman in charge. Her hand is pressed against her ear, and she barks several quick orders to the cadets gathered nearby.

"Divert all the squads to the Vault." The woman barks. "Send everyone!"

When she turns to address Radiant Storm her tone is urgent: "Nova Lux is under attack." She informs them. "All of you, head toward the medical wing immediately."

The location is intimately familiar to each of the Ars Magi. In addition to the patch-up jobs after their training operations, the medical wing was one of the first places a Nova Lux student got acquainted with. The barrage of tests, physical exams, and eventual surgery all took place there. Of Nova Lux's organs, this is one of the most vital.

"The enemy...are Ars Magi."






𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚊 𝙻𝚞𝚡 𝙰𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚢
𝙿𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚢𝚛𝚊

𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝟸𝟷𝚜𝚝, 𝟷𝟷𝟽 𝙰𝚅
𝟸:𝟶𝟶 𝙿𝙼

Masuzu Chie, Crystal von Caelestis, Rivka Sokolov, Selma Rosmarie


IGNIS AURUM PROBAT.

Fire tests gold, and none of Kheper were found wanting.

It is not so for every cadet at Nova Lux. As the dormitories slowly fill once again there are tales of victories and losses, of sweat, blood, and magic. Very few tell the same story, and not every cadet has been cleared for field work. Failure, however, is merely a painful setback—each girl is too precious a resource to merely write off entirely.

Still, there is a clear divide between those who have and those who lack. It’s the latter who receive the greatest reward: Two weeks reprieve from drills, tests, or schoolwork. A proper, no-strings-attached break.

That brief vacation is marred only by the reports that begin to slowly filter through the city. They come from the local TV networks first; A heavy front of Nox is sweeping down across the coast, a slowly-building vortex of toxic magic. Soon enough the Palmyran military is confirming that the storm will be hitting the city, and the preparations begin soon after.

Barricades are re-enforced, shelters shuttered, Nox diffusers checked and re-checked. There’s a palpable air of unease that turns to sinking dread. This is not the first time such a thing has happened, but such storms have never boded well, and no sanctum city has ever weathered one without issue.

By the time the cadets are back on duty they have new briefings waiting for them. Nova Lux’s Ars Magi will be second in the line of defense should anything break through the walls and the full-fledged Magi defending them. Teams are to be deployed throughout the city at strategic points to repel any invaders, along with a small detail of officers to supervise and coordinate the defensive efforts.

And so begins the storm of the century.




𝚂𝚝. 𝙽𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚜 𝙲𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚕
𝙿𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚢𝚛𝚊
𝙰𝚞𝚐𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝟾𝚝𝚑, 𝟷𝟷𝟽 𝙰𝚅
𝟺:𝟶𝟶 𝙿𝙼

Masuzu Chie, Crystal von Caelestis, Rivka Sokolov, Selma Rosmarie


The tempest hits at exactly 1600 hours.

Kheper’s assignment is South-Central Palmyra, near the northern end of the massive Zolotoy Bridge that stretches across the bay cutting through the center of the city. Their base of operations is St. Nicholas Cathedral, a weathered two-story building on a tall hill overlooking the bay. From its single tower one can see the burning blue lights of the Nox diffusers lining the bay, and the gleaming lights of the Zolotoy.

A vanguard of heavy raindrops splatter against the arched windows of the church, the steady rattle soon replaced by a thundering roar as the sky outside turns a wicked black. Anyone at one of those windows can see the churning black fog creeping across the bay, poisonous clouds billowing up against the lines of the glowing blue pylons that serve as Palmyra’s defenses.

The satellite imagery provided by the array of monitors the officers have set up paints the full picture in blurry infra-red: A swirling tornado of Nox is slowly engulfing the city, eating away at the glowing median of Palmyra’s border.

Kheper are spared the details of the wider effort. What little they can glean from the screens and quiet chatter of their handlers is that their seniors are hard at work at the walls.

Time passes. The night deepens and the sky goes black.

One of the cadets from the Officer’s Academy—Crystal recognizes him as Liam Castra Neptune, her dance partner from the military ball—provides coffee to ward against the sleep and the steadily increasing chill, plus grainy protean bars on request.

The downpour grows stronger. The wind howls.

“Captain.” One of the young officers voices cuts through the makeshift outpost. “Power Station 5 is reporting an attack.”

The older woman in charge switches the satellite feed, scrolling a few buildings over. The glowing shape of the Station is pristine, bright yellow against the red cloud that surrounds the city. It’s not far—about five city blocks.
“We’ve lost comms.” Reports another cadet.

“Understood.” Replies the captain. She turns toward the Ars Magi next, her voice clipped and authoritative:

“Deploy and investigate. Protect the station at all costs.”
The vessel rocks gently in the water, occasionally shifting as bodies run, dance, or vault across the surface of the deck. The vibes, in general, are good. From the hastily erected dance floor on central deck to the cluster of cadets dangling off the rear, good times are in ample supply.

For the most part, anyway. Dana’s chocolate bar causes a minor emergency in the water at the vessel’s postside as nearby cadets scramble and claw their way out of the water and the inky brown stain that the confectionery creates. A brief investigative committee is formed to determine the origins of the brown cloud, but after several minutes of deliberation no culprit is definitively brought to justice. The water on that side of the boat is abandoned.

Aiya, though somewhat distracted, fields Dana’s request for water guns with a exasperated smile.

“You really have a one track mind, Noel.” The heiress teases the other girl, reaching her hand out to ruffle her hair as if she were a rambunctious younger sister. She manages to fulfill Dana's request after some digging around, providing her a hefty water rifle with which to assault the partygoers deck. She claps the Norban girl on the back, sending her on her way with a lopsided grin.

Her reign of terror doesn't last too long before she's forcibly disarmed, however. Priya and Noah team up to take her down–the former providing a distraction while the latter lifts the Norban bodily from the deck and dumps her into the water. They and a few other cadets join a second later, Dana soon lifted onto Noah's shoulders to engage in an impromptu game of chicken with Priya and her own partner. The other girl proves a tenacious opponent, and a small crowd forms near the railing to cheer on the aquatic gladiators.

Penny, in the meantime, has to deal with navigating the party without her sunny companion to keep her safe. Despite her efforts to retain modesty, she can't avoid the eyes of every cadet looking for a chance to chat up an Ars Magi. As Aiya has demonstrated, Nova Lux's cadets are a rare commodity in high demand among the upper class.

The Siscian girl has to navigate a web of potential suitors, offers to dance, or join in one of the games taking place across the boat. What little reprieve she can find is usually with the other Ars Magi, who occasionally cluster together to conspire before their attentions are inevitably dragged elsewhere.

But at least there's some higher profile partiers to take some of the attention off of Penny and those like her. Specifically, Nicole's and her reign as queen of the dance pad. Try as they might, no one can challenge the redheaded girl and come away victorious.
Aiya eventually, once she's finished making the rounds and seeing to her other guests, joins in to help. Help being extremely subjective, since from a technical standpoint having two bodies on the dance-pad doesn't go quite as well. It does work a lot better from a visual standpoint, though.

The sun continues to sink down the line of the horizon as the hours tick by, casting a long red line across the shimmering water. Aiya encourages the rest of the Ars Magi to take their turn on the dance floor in due time; Priya (who has an pop and lock) and Cara are an easy sell, but she tries to cajole Dana and Penny too if they can be lured away from their various activities.

Eventually the mood becomes slightly more sedated as cadets break into smaller clusters to watch the sunset. Aiya and her inner circle retreat to the more intimate crew quarters below deck, taking Nicole, Dana, and Penny along with them. The space below deck has just enough room for a small couch and a few cramped seats to lounge on, a comfortable enough space to relax and dry off from the days earlier activities. There's even a well-stocked drink cabinet, probably meant for the important associates of the De Mars family--which doesn't stop Aiya from breaking it open.

"They're going to start sending you out on assignments soon, dolcezza." Aiya laments as she sips from a drink. "You and all your friends. I'm not going to get to keep you all around to play anymore." A dramatic sigh parts from the dark-haired girl's lips. Nicole is already aware of Aiya's attempt to lay claim to her for the De Mars family–but there's still a long time before the Ars Magi's official graduation and assignments.

"You two." She raises a finger to gesture between Penny and Dana. "Have to make sure nothing happens to her." There's a thread of humor to her words, her usual good cheer doubled and then some by the afternoon of drinking. "I need her."

She pauses, a silvery laugh escaping from the heiress after a few seconds of consideration. "Isn't it strange?" She asks, clarifying, "We get to be in charge of you. You're the most powerful girls alive, and you have to do what we tell you to do." The girl shakes her head. "How funny." She raises her glass in a toast. "Here's to Nova Lux and our brave heroines."

The other officers raise their turn, a proud salute to their saviors and subordinates.

"Fuck." Says Aiya, turning her bottle over to lament its emptiness. It's unclear if her unhappiness comes from the system issues of the post-apocalyptic world or if she's just upset she'll have to get a new drink. Either way with a loud thud the dark haired Duodecim plants the container down firmly on the center of the varnished wood table.

"Who wants to play spin the bottle?"






𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
𝙿𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚢𝚛𝚊 𝙱𝚊𝚢
𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝟸𝟷𝚜𝚝, 𝟷𝟷𝟽 𝙰𝚅
𝟸:𝟶𝟶 𝙿𝙼

Dana Noel, Penny Grenoble, Nicole Cognoscenti


| Music: Sunday |

Palmyra’s bay is a crescent-shaped swath of shimmering blue water, a small zone at the edge of the city reserved for naval affairs. It is, in many ways, a relic of the past. No ships sail the great oceans these days, no frigates ply through the Earth’s polluted waterways to ferry goods back and forth between ruined cities. Watercraft are more symbols than anything; ceremonial and nostalgic vessels that belong to a bygone age.

They are still a great place for a party.

This particular vessel is a sleek motor yacht, a gleaming silver vehicle large enough to hold around twenty passengers. A central cabin holds the helm and a small lounge with couches, chairs, and table, plus small stairways that leads to miniature bathrooms and sleeping quarters. The deck outside is made of polished wood, the rear of the watercraft hosting another seating area. The deck folds outward, providing ample space for its passengers.

Said passengers come in two types: The first are the cadets from the Officers Academy, exemplified by one Aiya de Mars. They are made up of both men and women, but almost all of them have one thing in common: status. Nearly every one of them can claim some connection to the Duodecim families, and most bear the name of one of those twelve clans.

The second type of passenger are, of course, the Ars Magi. The future saviors of humanity, the Duodecim’s sword and shield. There are several familiar faces amongst them; Cara and Priya, a few others commonly spotted among the common room, and the members of team Radiant Storm themselves.

It’s not too much of an exaggeration to say that the future of humanity is contained within this single vessel. Yet here, drifting on the glittering water, there is a mutual and unspoken agreement to cast off the burdens of both leadership and responsibility and do what the young do best: party hard.

And it is, so far, going well. It’s been about two hours since the vessel cast off and the festivities are in full swing. Swimsuit clad cadets dot the decks, either moving to the thrumming music pumping from the cabin’s interior or lounging amidst the furnishings. Some bob in the water at the boat’s sides, while others are engaged in increasingly raucous drinking games near at the rear of the vessel.

Aiya is presiding over all of this, a consummate hostess. Dressed in a black two-piece and oversized sunglasses, Mars’ golden-skinned heir moves along the deck with a regal grace, ensuring everyone has a place and thing to do. This includes the members of Radiant Storm, whom she greeted personally upon boarding.

The scene is festive, and there’s not a care in the world.

It’s a beautiful Sunday.
The days that follow are busy.

With the exercise completed there’s naturally a mass of debriefs that follow. Each cadet is taken aside and given both a cross-examination and evaluation. Hours are spent pouring over footage captured by both the enemy drones and cameras set up around the military zone, analyzing each decision and combat maneuver in excruciating detail.

The members of Team Kheper are awarded high marks for their efforts. They were, they find out later, one of the three teams to take out a special combat unit—the huge flying mech that Crystal froze her way through.

With the exercise complete the next month passes uneventfully—the usual drills and classes, but no joint exercises or big excursions. The main focus instead is on preparing for the Field Readiness Examination--a group of written tests and smaller live exercises that will determine if a given Ars Magi is cleared to be sent on real (supervised) missions.

A grueling series of weeks pass by; long nights studying, endless magical exercises and a battery of preliminary tests fill each Ars Magi’s schedule. There’s barely any time left for their own devices, whatever they may be.

Time passes quickly--until, finally, it’s time.

The written portion of the exams have fill up about a half-days worth of work. The real test, however, comes after:

Each cadet is assigned a senior Ars Magi to supervise their test, and each has a challenge crafted for their specific skill set. The exercises are designed not just for the cadets to show off their strengths, but also to determine how well the Academy’s training has hammered out their weaknesses thus far.

And they begin—

Now.
“...Imperium is continuing to monitor the front of Nox approaching from the north. No warnings have been issued yet, but experts are watching closely. You can see the heavy gathering of Nox in these images from Juno’s new satellite, Eclipse One, as the storm moves down the coast. Eclipse One, since its launch two months ago, has continued to provide invaluable data on...”

The TV in Nova Lux’s common room is left on, but mostly ignored. There’s a general feeling of relief that permeates premises, here at the end of the exams. A sense of accomplishment too—while the girls here are still a ways from becoming full-fledged Ars Magi, they’ve all just taken one huge step forward on that journey.

For the past few days the common room has been a place to gather and swap stories of how each cadet fared in her examination. Most stories are those of success, and most are wildly different from one another despite some shared mentors.

Priya tells the story of how she was disarmed and forced to make her way through an obstacle course of traps and snipers. Her lesson seems to have been the inverse of Dana’s: Priya is a close-range fighter and learning to deal with foes at range seems to have been a large part of her test. She’s quite proud of her performance and happy to tell anyone about her mentor, the sharpshooter Amara Volkov (notable for a cameo in Gunslinger Alexis).

Nicole isn’t the only one who got a teamwork exercise either, though it’s unclear if Amanda’s indicates a future leadership role. The bow wielding cadet begrudgingly describes her test as something more of a logistics exercise, taking control of a team and putting them to their best uses.

Blair’s greatest trial, of course, was a test of adaptation. Not unlike Penny. The hot-headed cadet faced down Erika Yun, The Shield of Calcaria, a foe that could easily deflect any attack no matter how devastating. Blair describes, profanely, that the way she eventually won out was by putting a halt on her relentless offense and accepting a grievous blow in exchange for the opening she needed.

For the next few days common room is full of other Ars Magi looking to swap stories and gossip. It's crowded there lately, due to one very important factor: It’s break time.

After the grueling tests and exercises, Nova Lux’s cadets have been given a two week rest period. They’re still allowed to use the facility and there are remedial classes still being taught, but for the most part the future Ars Magi are taking a well-deserved break.

This means different things for different cadets, of course. Priya’s set up an exercise group for more self-directed Ars Magi, along with Vanna’s roommate Nora. Both Penny and Dana are invited. Amanda is spending most of her time in the academy library, while others are following in Nicole’s footsteps and taking the opportunity to enjoy Palmyra and what it has to offer.

Nicole herself, as the end the two-week break approaches, receives a very important series of text messages:

𝙳𝚘𝚕𝚌𝚎𝚣𝚣𝚊.

𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚋𝚘𝚊𝚝.
𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚢.
𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚜.


Aiya, it seems, is using her time off wisely.
The battle between metal and earth ends with a victory in Selma’s favor. The drone she’d throw off axis stumbles backward, it’s long legs all askew as it tilts over. Right into the impact zone.

There comes a great shuddering of concrete and fraying metal, an enormous rumble like some great beast awoken from slumber. The skeleton of the office building, the survivor of one apocalypse, will stand no longer. Gravity and magic bring its steel beams and crumbling columns tumbling down in a grand cacophony of dust and debris, a tidal wave of force that sweeps across the nearby street and swallows up anything unlucky enough to be nearby.

Including the approaching army of drones.

Those stalwart autonomous soldiers were neither prepared nor designed for was comes to meet them. Their metal frames groan and squeal as the weight of the building comes down on top of them, burying the opposition in one fell sweep.

The air is thick with dust now, the dark of night made even darker. Yet not even one light can be seen amidst the rubble, no blinking LEDs or any sign of survivors. The frozen metal husk of the flying drone lays ruined on the street as well, crystalline fragments of frost scattered around its final resting place. Save the residual creaks and groans of the settling office building, all is quiet.

Until, at last:

“Field is clear--no more targets.” Comes the message from the Officers team. “Remaining teams are completing their objectives. We’re holding for now.”

The rain slows as the next hour passes by and the group of officers move forward to establish a small base in the shell of a more intact building nearby. From there they monitor the rest of the battlefield, but no further drones approach Team Kheper’s outpost.

“Good work.” Liam, apparently the leader of the trio of officers, offers to the team of Ars Magi as they wait in their makeshift shelter. “With the building.” He nods toward Crystal after, adding, “And the flyer—we weren’t expecting that one.”

“I can’t believe you just threw that mech around,” Gushes cadet Green, a tall and dark-skinned girl manning the computers. She’s already replaying the footage of Selma’s battle with the drone, re-examining the verdant Ars Magi’s bench-press technique. “We thought you were out for sure.”

Time passes further, and eventually the officers receive word that the exercise has concluded.

Transports arrive to pick up the Ars Magi and their team of officers, ferrying them back out of the military zone. They part at the entrance to Nova Lux, the three officers saying their farewells before returning to their own academy.

When they make it back to the dorms the building is alive with activity, abuzz with the fervor of a successful mission. Most of the girls appear to have returned unscathed, though a few show bruises or other wounds from their encounters. Stories are being swapped, mostly of encounters with the same type of bipedal foe that Kheper faced in their own exercise. There are a few outliers though, and at least one tale of a building-sized version of the metallic walkers.

Eventually the gossip windows down as it nears time for sleep. The Ars Magi retreat to their respective dorms and the lights go out, signaling the end to another day. Tomorrow are debriefings and performance reviews, but tonight…

It’s time to rest.
The streets are quickly becoming more crowded as the autonomous enemy force begins to close in. The drones bob and strut with almost bird-like movements, their strangely jointed legs carrying them ever forward. Most of them are still in formation, a cluster of blinking lights and swiveling weapons seeking out their next target.

One of those targets is Selma Rosemarie, who finds that she has company once she’s finished launching her makeshift projectile into the skies above. Two of the more enthusiastic drones, the front-runners, are approaching with both speed and violent intent. The peppering of magitech gunfire around her position is a brief prelude to the real attack; the first drone to reach her reels back one hefty leg and aims a kick at the verdant-haired Ars Magi, the hunk of metal aiming to knock her from her feet so the second can follow up with a crushing stomp.

Thankfully, the rest of the vanguard doesn’t arrive to press Selma any further. Mostly due to the molten ball of magic from Rivka that rips through the frontrunners of the drone formation, blowing a hole through first one, then two more mechanical adversaries behind. The little nova lights up the street for just a moment, revealing broken windows and ruined asphalt. The after-image of a dozen marching drones are burned into each girls vision for just a moment before the street goes dark again.

Meanwhile, high above, Crystal finds that Selma’s opening gets her a hold on the flying drone that was assailing her. It’s bigger than she might have expected—nearly twice the size of the machines on the street below. There’s a lot of internal circuitry for her magic to freeze, and it takes some time for the frost to spread far enough that the machine begins to sag and struggle to stay airborne. Crystals of cold begin to form along the metal surface, then thorns of frost, and soon Crystal finds that she and her adversary are descending at an alarming rate.

And the flying drone isn’t the only thing threatening to come tumbling down. As Chie gathers and focuses her magic the office building behind Selma begins to creak and groan, the skeletal remains of the structure being pressed upon by a sudden extra weight.

The cluster of drones are still on approach, about to unleash a new volley of projectiles on the gathered members of Team Kheper.


The days that follow are busy.

With the exercise completed there’s naturally a mass of debriefs that follow. Each cadet is taken aside and given both a cross-examination and evaluation. Hours are spent pouring over footage captured by both the enemy drones and cameras set up around the military zone, analyzing each decision and combat maneuver in excruciating detail.

The members of Team 3 – Team Radiant Storm – are awarded top marks for their efforts. They were, they find out later, one of the three teams to take out a heavy combat unit—the building-sized mecha that Penny blew a hole through. Team 2—Amanda, Priya, and Blair—get partial credit, but most of the accolades go to Radiant Storm.

With the exercise complete the next month passes uneventfully—the usual drills and classes, but no joint exercises or big excursions. The main focus instead is on preparing for the Field Readiness Examination—a group of written tests and smaller live exercises that will determine if a given Ars Magi is cleared to be sent on real (supervised) missions.

A grueling series of weeks pass by; long nights studying, endless magical exercises and a battery of preliminary tests fill each Ars Magi’s schedule. There’s barely any time left for their own devices, whatever they may be.

Time passes quickly—until, finally, it’s time.

The written portion of the exams have fill up about a half-days worth of work. The real test, however, comes after:

Each cadet is assigned a senior Ars Magi to supervise their test, and each has a challenge crafted for their specific skill set. The exercises are designed not just for the cadets to show off their strengths, but also to determine how well the Academy’s training has hammered out their weaknesses thus far.

And they begin—

Now.
One after another the machines are dispatched. Aoife’s blade sinks deep into her target, needles of water spearing into the metallic shell along with the deep bite of her Gladius. The mass of metal topples, falls into a heap with a crash and her beside it.

The other’s volley of missiles, aimed for Selma, blossom into a harmless ball of blue-white fire when they’re detonated prematurely by Rivka’s blast. Her next shot blows a chunk out of its shell, a short prelude to its demise at the crushing weight of Crystal’s gravity well. The sound of crumpling steel is an unpleasant shriek that fills the empty street, echoing into the night.

Crystal can hear it from the perch she’s taken, high above the field of battle. Up there on top of the building she’s met by darkness, whipping wind and freezing rain unimpeded by the derelict structures that provide some protection to those below. Her field of vision is dim, a great expanse of darkness broken up only by the pin-point blue lights of the Nox diffusers that line the abandoned district. The barest glimpse of the moon can be seen through the carpet of clouds above, like a pale eye peeking through closed lashes.

When she turns her gaze down toward the street again she can see the lights, a tiny parade moving through the dark. A dozen maybe, red dots moving at a quick pace down the surrounding streets. More drones closing in on the team of Ars Magi down below.

There’s something else, too. The flash of something in front of the moon, a shift in the weight in the air. Her warning comes as red light begins to gather in the air above her, an ominous glow that illuminates the shape of something huge hovering in the air above her. Its outline is sleek, almost insect-like. Four wings, one central body, and a long stinger protruding from its bottom.

--but not a stinger, exactly. The tip of it is where the light gathers, and the point from which it lets loose the blast that carves through a chunk of the rooftop next to her. The beam slices neatly through the space just beside the girl, leaving a clean line of smoldering, red-hot concrete in its wake. A miss—but barely.

The four members of team Kheper can see the flash above them from the street below. Yet they have little time to ponder it before their earpieces crackle to life again:

“More coming down the intersection—prepare to engage.”

They round the corners of buildings, the heavy stop of feet signaling their arrival. More drones pouring in from intersection, from left and right. Cones of spotlights flash across the street, illuminating the four Ars Magi in their path as they march forward.
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