Relin

World Beyond the Lexicon

@TheWendilHaha. She secretly watching from the bushes?

World Beyond the Lexicon

Ty Varen

Ty exchanged some pleasantries with Sophiel, though she seemed reluctant to speak out against the professor. That made sense. From what he could tell she was one of those straight-laced diligent students. The kind who stayed awake during history lessons. He didn't have anything against that, though. People could be interested in whatever they liked. Maybe if they had lectures on surviving in different climates he'd be more interested. He just couldn't get invested in a bunch of dead geezers. Ty shook his head when she mentioned trains. "No, never. We didn't even have train tracks anywhere near my hometown. I'd never even seen a train until I hiked over to Genelogia. I always thought they were just like really long caravans, but they're way cooler!" He gave a slight chuckle. He knew that talking about how amazing a train was probably made him seem ignorant, but he'd rather be honest and just enjoy the experience.

As they were chatting, another classmate, Kiara approached. "Hey there, Rep," he said, giving her a friendly wave. He knew Kiara basically had the position thrust on her a random, but despite that she was doing her best to fill the role. Ty tried not to give her too much of a hard time since she didn't really flaunt her position and was just doing her best like everyone else. The class rep from last year was way more stuck-up and let the position get to their head at times. Kiara thanked Ty for defending Eris during the first day of class. He just rubbed the back of his head. He didn't really think of that outburst as defending her. Alberta had just really gotten under his skin that day. "Oh, it was nothing, really. Miss Flower Princess just needed to get taken down a notch. Haha." He cocked his head a little when Kiara expressed her apprehension about her sister's demeanor. Perhaps it was because Ty hadn't spent much time with her, but he didn't really know what she was talking about. "Hmm, we chatted for a bit and 'Ris seemed nice enough to me..."

The conversation then shifted to the task at hand. A confident smirk crossed Ty's face. "Well, aside from the fact that thirteen against two are pretty slanted odds, those two thieves made a huge mistake. Trying to hide from me in the woods? Impossible! I've been tracking game since I was knee-high, so unless these guys are master woodsmen I'll have 'em pinned down in no time. Human tracks tend to stand out in the wilderness. The only problems I can see are if they're smart enough to cover their tracks, or if it starts to rain and washes it all away. But, yeah, they're pretty screwed." Ty had no doubt that this mission would go successfully. He saw this as an opportunity to impress both the professor and the rest of the school. Catching legitimate criminals in a real mission... nobody would be able to look down on class C after that.

The atmosphere suddenly seemed to become a bit more... pink... if that was possible. Mandi cheerfully approached the three of them with an aura of contagious merriment. Ty reflexively mirrored their gesture, pumping his fist in the are along with the mage's. Tiger chef? He could get used to being called that. It was like a combination of two of the coolest things in the world. However, the hydromancer was not all fun and games. Ty's expression immediately became more serious when Mandi issued a challenge of bravery. Before the mage even said what the task would be, Ty confidently proclaimed, I accept! What do I have to do?" His jaw dropped, though, once the nature of the challenge was revealed. "Alberta!? I'd kiss Lanza's boot before I kissed that weed gorgon. And not because I'm scared of her! Touching her would probably give you a rash, like poison ivy." His face scrunched up in disgust even thinking about it. That left the other half of the challenge...

"So, out of you three? Hmm..." He looked at his classmates and thought carefully. It certainly was a good test of bravery. Some guys were simply too shy to compliment girls. Ty, fortunately, was not one of those guys. However, he knew girls could be very temperamental over matters such as these. Declaring one cuter than the others would risk the ire of the spurned women. He didn't have a particularly strong friendship with any of them at the moment, though, so he wasn't exactly obligated to choose one over the other. And, based on their personalities, the threat of physical violence at answering the question seemed low. He decided to just give an honest answer. He wasn't sure if Mandi even was a girl, but their cuteness could not be denied. What they lacked in feminine stature, they made up for in demeanor. Then he looked at Sophiel and Kiara. From what he knew of them, they carried themselves similarly, but he saw more of Sophiel in their Might classes. He knew she was just as hardworking as anyone else he'd met. "I think I'll have to go with Soph," Ty said at last. "She's the cutest."

Before he could see the consequences of his decision, another of his classmates decided to join them. I the word "train" his attention was immediately pulled away from the three cuties. "I know, right!?" Ty said excitedly, turning towards Caelum. "I heard you put rocks in them to make them go. How crazy is that?"

@AThousandCurses@TheWendil@Dezuel@metanoia

World Beyond the Lexicon

So, Ty's got quite a bit to respond to. I'll have one more post up today.

World Beyond the Lexicon

<Snipped quote by Relin>

Yeah, I had a brain fart so I typed in city. Was I supposed to use country?

@AThousandCurses

He's from a tiny village on the outskirts of a farming community. The most excitement they get is the occasional merchant.

World Beyond the Lexicon

"Perhaps, Ty lived in the more rural parts of the city?"

Lol. The city. Good one. Now to think about how Ty will meet Mandi's challenge.

World Beyond the Lexicon

@AThousandCurses Meant to @ you in the post. The tags don't work when you edit them in.

World Beyond the Lexicon

Ty Varen

Over the next two weeks, Ty fell into a steady rhythm of training, cooking, training, yelling at his bitch roommate, and training. Even though professor Nyx was strict and distant, Ty was enjoying the physical training, doing particularly well in the obstacle courses. He was always pushing himself for more weight or better times. It hardly even felt like he was in school. Well... until he had to sit in his seat and listen to History lectures. That felt very much like school. It was debatable whether he got more notes or drool in his notebook during those lectures. At least professor Nyx wasn't a shock therapist like Mavis, so he was left to be as much of a historic failure as he pleased.

Then, there was the meditation. Ty didn't really know what he was supposed to be doing in those exercises. Reaching out and touching his mana was just something he did instinctively. He could draw and form his mana when he wasn't thinking about it, but when he tried to focus on it, it seemed like some wild, unruly force that refused to be touched. After two weeks with no progress in this regard, it was frustrating, but Ty didn't give up. He knew he needed to control his mana if he wanted to defeat the miracle seven. Unfortunately, this was the brick wall that had kept him stuck in class C. His physical fitness and craftiness had gotten him pretty far, all things considered, but he wouldn't be able to realize his potential until he figured this out... whatever he was supposed to do. After two weeks of routine practice, though, Professor Nyx gave them an exciting announcement. They were going hunting.

Ty was up at the crack of dawn, packing his idea of "essentials." His survival knife, a waterskin, some jerky for rations, and a bit of flint for starting fires all packed into a small bag slung over his shoulder. He didn't know how long they'd be in the woods for, so it was best to be prepared. He did a few morning stretches while his roommates slept, and left them a note saying, "Sorry, no time for breakfast," then bolted for the train station. He'd seen trains before, but he never rode on one. It was cool that they were going on a real mission, but right now he was psyched up about riding on a marvel of modern technology. His brothers would be jealous!

He sprinted all the way to the station, resting his hands on his knees and panting to catch his breath. He looked around to take in the sights, and surprisingly, he wasn't the first person there. "Heya, Soph!" he said, giving his classmate and fellow Might practitioner an emphatic wave. "You're here early, but I guess that's like you, huh." The two of them hadn't really spoken much. Only brief formal interactions in class. He wasn't really sure what to think of her. She acted like a proper noblewoman, but at the same time was polite to even those beneath her station. But that was really all he knew about her. Polite. He didn't really know her. Maybe this would be an opportunity to get her to open up a bit. "Pretty cool that the school's letting us go on an actual mission, isn't it? I'm pretty pumped! I'm also surprised the professor vouched for us. I thought he hated us." Ty chuckled. That last remark was only half-serious. He didn't sense any actual malice from the professor, but it was weird for a teacher to be this... distant.

Ty's thoughts were derailed, though, as a train came chugging into the station. It wasn't theirs, but it was still a fascinating sight. In less than an hour, he'd be speeding along those tracks. "Oh man, I can't believe we actually get to ride one!" He stared wide-eyed as people poured out of the train with a childish expression. "Forget what I said. Professor Nyx is awesome for getting us tickets!"

World Beyond the Lexicon

Books are weapons because big words make Ty's head hurt.

World Beyond the Lexicon

@ERode Sure. We can start a group message and go over it so we don't clutter up the thread.

@Blu What kind of lessons would Nyx have been giving the class? I want to base Ty's development off of the professor's lessons, particularly whether he will be receptive to the teaching or continue to struggle with it.

World Beyond the Lexicon

@BluGo for it