The Numbered IC

[Argonaut]

You awake with a start, the sound of a raven outside your window jolting you into the land of the conscious. The songbirds sing in their trees, and a warm breeze blows into your room carrying the smell of burning wood. Blinking as your eyes adjust to the bright morning light of Videns, you recall the journey that had brought you here.

As part of tradition since The Endless Night, The Numbered have taught the practice of pyromancy to any human with the capacity to produce a spark and the willingness to learn. Since then, humanity has been blessed with a century of peace and prosperity. And since that terrible night a century ago, The Numbered have sent their single best and brightest students of the year to Videns, to be inspected by The Seer himself. You've spent the past few days traveling, and had just arrived in Videns the night before. You had barely anytime to think before you crashed onto your guest bed, as exhausted as you were. You are to stay in Videns for one week, participating in various challenges and tests to show your prowess for The Seer. There's even to be a festival at the end of it all.

For now, though, you are alone in your room. It's still early in the morning, but the castle is already alive with various sounds and smells. You remember being told to report to the main hall when you awoke, along with the eight others you are to compete with for the next week. Finally deciding you've spent enough time lying in bed, another raven cry goes off as you get up, leaving you feeling slightly uneasy.

[Nobudi]

Hina had awakened groggily, despite the excitement she had felt the evening prior. Curse the distance the Academy had been relative to her. She was a traveler by nature, growing up along the various roads, but the trip to learn pyromancy formally had drained her of all energy. She took a deep breath to sharpen her mind as she examined her surroundings. The room was quite Spartan in nature, since guests came and went rather frequently. A small table next to the bed had her weapons laid neatly out, as she had been keeping her weapons clean ever since she obtained them. She was wearing only her white shirt and undergarment to bed, her over clothing was laid at the foot of the bed, as the evening had been uncomfortably warm for her. Ever since puberty, and her privilege of privacy from her father, sleeping in such a state was the norm, considering all she had to her name now were literally the clothes on her back, the weapons she took, and the small sample of books she carried in her bag.

As the raven stopped its chilling calls and flew away, she wondered if she truly had what it took to study in the illustrious Academy. Washing her face with the clean water of the washbowl, she got dressed and armed. Stepping out of the room with her bag in tow, she made her first imperative to seek out some food, as she was well aware while growing up on the roads: hunger was as dangerous an enemy as bandits, or even Shadowmen. As soon as she got a small loaf of bread or a piece of jerky, she would make her way to the castle posthaste.

[Mark3000]

"AWWWW!" Emilia yelled as the raven startled her awake from her slumber. As she gets up, a book falls off her face and onto her lap. Emilia must of fallen asleep reading again. It was an old Uralt fairy tale about a boy who misuses fire and is punished by it. The young Valkyrie had brought plenty of books along with her to read on her journey her. Most of them being stories of fantasy and the unimaginable. Of course, she had brought the most important one, the Luma Eterna. The book was filled with knowledge and spells. Most of which she couldn't even use. Grabbing the tome from her supplies she gives it a quick hug. She still couldn't believe her family had finally entrusted her with it.

It had been a long journey to Viden and her first time outside the mountain range. Emilia couldn't help but shake with nervousness as she thought about the prospect of showing he abilities to the Seer. She wasn't that good. If asked, she could name two or three disciples that were better then her. However...

"Lady Arith put her faith in me so I can't let her down" she says a loud without realizing it. With a second cry from the raven, Emilia finally gets out of bed. Only to realize she had fallen asleep in her traveler's clothing. Taking a few moments to wash her face and put on her proper white robe, she takes her family tome and runs immediately to the castle main hall.

[Steven kono]

Oliver would swing his hand out to hit the window and scare off the raven as he sits up, rubbing his eyes as he was able to barely get a decent sleep, the thoughts in his mind having plagued him through the night so a good bit of the night ending up having been spent contemplating how to prepare for what was to come.

He had made a bit of a mess of the room despite only having arrived only the night before, him having thrown his cloth shirt so it is draped across a table, the white fabric stained with a few shades of different colors from the days he was spent traveling, his simple leather pants tossed not too far from it on the floor having fared a bit better in that at least it did not have a stain or two on it with the handle of sorts, his dagger, poking out of the pocket as he yawns before swinging his legs out of the bed and stands up, at least a bit grateful his underwear had managed to survive the trip unscathed.

Oliver would briefly turn his thoughts to the eight other candidates that showed up here, wondering what exactly these challenges will consist of before he shakes his head to banish said thoughts from his head, there was no use to think on this as he picks up his shirt and slips it on, pulling the pants on shortly afterwards before he trips and falls to the floor, looking behind himself as he sees the leather boots he brought with him, they have completely slipped his mind as he then pulls on his shoes before standing back up as he walks to the door and then open it as he sighs "ok, calm down... can't be that bad" as he then walks out of his room, closing the door behind himself as he makes his way toward the main hall.

[Reaver]

Rylia
Sleeping in was a rare luxury for Rylia and anyone daring to interrupt it, did so at their own peril. That sentiment extended to animals as well, as a boot went flying from the floor to the window, bouncing off with a loud crack followed by an equally load groan from its owner. In Cicero, daylight meant training time and never ending before the moon was high, but here, in Viden it meant get going whenever you wake up. By that logic Rylia wasn't awake yet and had merely thrown the shoe on reflex to the noise. Yes, she was still asleep and could continue to enjoy the warm and soft bedding and the weather just a little longer.... Why were there more than one birds near this place? Rylia tossed her other boot, this time hearing the shattering of glass and the tumbling of her boot going outside. "Fine! Fuck it! I'm up." Sighing with finality as she began to work her way out of the blanket cocoon she had formed the night before to really enjoy her sleep. The birds near the Northern Front knew better than to crow around their training grounds in the morning. It was when everyone was the hungriest and most irritated, and it only took one person with a bow to get themselves a meal-to-go. "So damn lucky I don't use a bow.... I'd shoot you for each boot tossed." Muttering, more to make herself feel better about now having to go outside to get one of her boots once she eventually unraveled herself out of her blanket.

She had been trained and used to waking up early but that never meant she had grown to like it. Only one of her arms was free by the time she decided to just roll her way out of blanket and bedding and onto the floor, as a way of getting her blood flowing and forcing herself to abandon the warmth of the bed. Another loud thud followed as her body hit the floor, her hands breaking her fall as she managed to unravel herself through the tumble, leaving her naked on the ground. That was only the start of her morning as she went right into doing push-ups, like she had been taught to. "Ten... Twenty.... Thirty..... Forty...." She continued on even as sweat began dripping onto the floor from her nude body. It was certainly easier to do it here than in the snow with the other men leering at her body, but she couldn't deny how much stronger it had made her physically and mentally. She had stopped counting once she got into the two-hundreds as her mind drifted to other things as her body went on auto-pilot. She had been avoiding thinking about it, to her own shame but Rylia knew that her sister, Vanir was here, among the eight others. She almost stumbled out of her flawless pacing but Rylia forced herself to keep going and continue the workout and her dwelling on the matter. Vanir was here but she hadn't tried to see her yet. Did it mean that Vanir didn't want to see her or just that she expected Rylia to make the first contact? Was she angry that they had fallen out of contact halfway through their training? Rylia had wanted to keep sending letter from Cicero but she hadn't been able to continue to be able to afford the steep price of sending letters all the way to Ferus. Maybe Vanir was just occupied and or tired from traveling? After all she didn't possess the same endurance that herself or really a normal person had. That thought was more comforting to her than considering her only sibling was activiely avoiding her or spurning her for an unknown reason.

By the time she was in the six-hundreds the floor was slick with her sweat and her braid had become undone, allowing her sable hair pool around her head on the floor. Rylia was panting from the effort and feeling the strain of doing so many in such a short time. Normally the drill instructors would let everyone have a break once everyone in the group reached five-hundred push-ups but Rylia kept going, pushing on with her teeth gritted now. She didn't have a real reason for continuing except for the fact she wasn't done thinking about her sister. Her eyes drifted onto her sheathed sword leaned against a wall in the corner of her room and it made Rylia wonder if she would be killing anyone or anything in these trials. She had been told to bring her weapons and armor before leaving so she had assumed she would be but then how many would she have slay? Throughout her years she actually hadn't killed many people. A few bandits and dissidents on the occasion but most of her prey had been of the larger breed like bears and giant snow-cats. The act of killing did come easy to her but would Vanir be capable of taking lives just as easily? From the correspondence they had shared it seemed that she had been spending more time slowly strengthening her body for the rigors of battle than on the techniques she would need to be successful on the battlefield. She would definitely have to see Vanir today offer her help so she could complete all of the trials. She'd prove her worth to her and show her that she could protect her now.

"Ah~! Eight-hundred! Ahhhhhh...." She finally gasped out before collapsing on the drenched floor. "I. Bet. This. Place. Has hot showers..." She said between gulps of air as she pulled the rest of her blanket off of her bed to wipe her body and face of most of the sweat. Normally Rylia wouldn't have even bothered to consider taking a shower, hell she had been living in the icy cold fringe of civilization among men that only wanted to knock her up while training to be a supernatural killing machine so spending time to look wasn't only a waste time but could have proven to be detrimental towards her goals. Plus what would have been the point if you were just going to get wet from snow and blizzards anyways? However now, she was representing herself to Seer and impressions mattered, she needed to succeed so she could learn more from him and Sion. "Not to mention a hot shower would be so fucking nice right about now." She said to herself with a grin as she stood up, stretching her sore muscles. Then she remembered that she was supposed to be reporting to the main hall first and frowned. If they were supposed to report there once someone woke up then Rylia didn't want to be the last person to get there, for impressions' sake.

"The shower will have to wait then." Her disappointment clear as she walked around her room picking up and putting on her scattered pieces of armor that consisted of: regular clothes underneath; high-end scale-mail over that, which covered her most of her body and ended just past her neck, shoulders and thighs; and then leather and animal skins over that, her hands and legs. It wasn't the heaviest set of armor which suited Rylia's style of fighting since she liked to be able to easily dodge if she needed to. It only took her a few more seconds to wring her hair mostly dry of sweat before harnessing her sword to her back. Glancing in the mirror as she picked up her heirloom necklace, it was hard for her to believe that she was still technically the head of a noble family that had once been respected. She ran her fingers across the sapphire, tracing the outline of the horse's head, the symbol of the Dortels before looking herself in the eyes through the mirror and smiling. "I'll make her proud yet, I'll protect her forever." Reciting it several times before finally looking away to put one of her boots on before leaving through the window to find the other one before going to the main hall.

Vanir
"Caaa-" The raven never finished its second crow, silenced forever as her greatsword punched a hole through the roof and cut the bird in half before it could even take off. The scabbard hadn't even finished falling to the ground before Vanir could feel its heartbeat stop through her sword. Then it was back in its sheathe and leaning against the wall before it could even clatter on the floor. Why did you have me kill such a thing? It was living its life simply and without causing harm.Schattenmörder's deep voice echoing through Vanir's mind as she sat up in her bed, slowly removing a strand of hair away from her eyes before preparing herself to get out of bed. "I simply desired to test and practice our reflexive capabilities. I believed that this could result in a small increase in our abilities and was worth the life. Do you concur with my decision or dispute it?" Speaking out-loud since she didn't believe she had to worry about eavesdroppers at the moment. I concur with your judgement. Our effectiveness is worth more than its life. The lives we will save and end will outweigh that raven's life. You will need to tell someone about the roof too. Someone could spy on us through the hole we left.The enchanted greatsword observed, causing Vanir to glance up at the new slit in the roof in the roof. It was just big enough for maybe someone to fit a hand through or to be more apt, a crossbow bolt. "I'll let someone know on our way to the main-hall." She responded softly as she sat on the edge of her bed, slowly putting pressure on her feet until she was certain she could stand without falling over.

You should be doing the regiment suggested to you by Bridonna. It would strengthen your body, thus lowering the limitations on us. Vanir sighed at the suggestion as she slowly walked across the wooden floors towards the closet where she had put all of her clothes. Her feet almost silently pattered on the wood while her nude waifish body swayed to the sides, as if she was still struggling to stay up-right. You haven't responded to the suggestion. Schattenmörder added a minute later as Vanir continued to pull clothes out of the closet to wear. "It's not out of annoyance or irreverence, I'm just considering other things in an attempt to divert the path of the conversation." Honestly answering the sword before closing her closet and beginning to put her clothes on. Very well. Relevant subjects include the current state of our training, hypothesize about the other competitors, Rylia Dortel who is your sister, the trials themselves, or the nightmare you slept through. Discussing one of these will be satisfactory and beneficial to us. Do you concur or dispute?

"I concur but will refuse to delve into the details of my dream, I find it the least relevant to us." Vanir said, her voice soft yet monotone as she slipped on a pair of silk panties and a matching bra. The undergarments were the only exception she made for overly comfortable items, rationalizing chaffing could slow down her reaction times or decrease her concentration at important times. "The others will be students of the other disciples, that is a fact. It is unlikely any of them possess the skill to surpass us but we do have to be aware of our own weakness up close. Based on letters shared with Rylia, I suspect she could be the biggest contender based on the style of training she was doing in the winter wilderness but it is impossible to say at this point when we know nothing of the others. I will wait before judging them to avoid under and over estimating." Putting on her leather pants then her shirt and jacket. The jacket was a bit ornate for her tastes but she found it helped give off a good impression which usually helped her out in the long run. Rylia had told her that it had used to belong to father, who had once been an officer in a cavalry for a few years before meeting mother. She was just glad it fit her. Satisfactory points. I concur that holding judgement is the proper course to take. We will need to come out on top to ensure we are selected for the front-lines if that is the purpose of these tests. Elimination of the other competitors should be a last resort to ensure this but a method nevertheless. Do you concur or dispute this alternative path?

Vanir took a few more seconds to respond, busy pushing one side of her hair back behind her ear before holding it there with a sapphire hairpin. Then walking across the wood in flats, Vanir stopped in front of her sword, Schattenmörder. She gazed upon the intricate weaving that decorated the scabbard before running one of her hands up its length before finally stopping at the hilt. With no effort, she picked the sheathed sword up and strapped it to her back. "I concur. Our goals come before everyone else's." She spoke just before opening the door and exiting towards the main-hall. On the way there she did stop a maid to tell her that her roof had a hole in it and needed to be fixed as soon as possible. That is satisfactory but you are ignoring a problem. You must maintain your sisterly bond with Rylia out of usefulness if not for her own well-being. From what you say, I believe she could attempt to take her own life or relapse back into her detrimental habits if you continue to ignore her attempts at affection and repentance. Either would be a waste of a fine soldier and a blood relative. She is also the most willing to physically protect you. At this time we are incapable of killing everything and protect your body at the same time. Schattenmörder was right and Vanir knew it deep down. Originally she had stopped responding to the letters in an attempt to begin distancing herself from Rylia so if or rather when she died, it wouldn't be as bad for her sister to take when she did eventually die like she wanted to. But however the more she thought about her reasoning, the more unwanted emotions and memories bubbled up. Was it resentment for what had happened long ago? Anger that she hadn't been allowed to die that night with her parents? The thoughts caused Vanir to stumble as she walked and she found herself having to lean against a wall to make sure she didn't fall over.

You still have never told me what happened that night but I know that it is what has left you with a shell of a body. It's what used to cause you to scream in your sleep and is your motivation. You continue to dispute my decision that it would be effective to share the details of the trauma and that limits options. For now we will stop pondering these events for now, they leave you in an unefficient state every time we try to discuss them. We need to be at maximum efficiency for these trials. Take at most thirty seconds to recover then continue to move, we mustn't be the last to arrive. Vanir softly panted, her legs shaking with the effort to continue to stand as her sight began to blur. You must respond. We need to keep moving. Schattenmörder advised, the voice sounding more firm in her mind as her head pulsed in pain. I will require more than the time allotted. This will slightly set us back. barely being able to concentrate enough to reply as she fell to her knees, dry-heaving. It was just like the nightmare, she could hear the screaming, the laughing and they all melded together into some animalistic screech of pure primal instinct. "Ride the tide, embrace the break, take the stab." She recited over and over to help calm herself down as minutes ticked by.

Your pulse has steadied. No one saw or passed by. Let us continue. The sword's voice breaking through the pain. Vanir coughed and slowly unfurled herself from the ball she had curled into. This one had been the worse one in a while but it made sense when she thought of all the variables that had combined to make it. Yes. I have wasted enough time this morning. Standing up while supporting her shoulder against the wall then straightening out her clothes. The rest of her walk went without anymore incidents and neither of them spoke as there was nothing to say at this point. A few others were already there, one of which being Rylia, who waved at her in an overly excited way and pointed to an empty seat next to her. She seems to have grown to be quite hardy. The berserker way must suit her. It observed as Vanir made her way to the chair next to her sister, putting on a small smile for her benefit before sitting down. "It is good to see you again, Ri." Softly calling her by her old nickname and giving her a small bow of the head. "We should speak more once this meeting is over." It was easy for Vanir to see that Rylia was clearly extremely happy to see her again, but she didn't want to draw too much attention to them by having her get all worked up over their reunion. For now she just wanted to listen and minimize the things her body did.

[Icaelus]

"Ah. Good morning to you, too."
Audric slowly opened his eyes, revealing irises of a deep, dark blue. He had already awoken an hour earlier for his daily morning meditation, seated cross-legged on the stone floor. A smile crossed his face, a sight not often seen by many of his peers. The young noble loved nature and animals and this raven who had roused him from his meditative trance was no exception. He unfolded his legs and stood up, crossing the room to the window where the raven waited, perched on the sill. He had crumbled a piece of bread on the sill before he had went to sleep and sure enough, it was gone. Well, almost. The raven was still picking away at the last remnants of the crumbs. Grinning now, he bent to dip into his travelling pack, retrieving the last piece of bread he had packed for the travel from Gloria.
"Still hungry, I hope."
He gave the bird a look as it polished off the last of the crumbs, the raven meeting his gaze with it's beady eyes. With a soft cough, he broke the bread into half, setting one piece on the sill. It almost looked like the raven gave him a little nod before it sank it's clawed feet into the hunk of bread, flying off into the distance.
"Huh. A family to feed, bird?"
Audric wondered thoughtfully, chucking the rest of the bread into his mouth as he stepped over to the chair which he had draped his clothing the night before. The road to Videns from Gloria had been fraught with danger..not from the Shadowmen that they trained so hard to be ready for, but rather from their own kind. Bandits, thieves, robbers and highwaymen. All took the form of man, and it saddened him with each one he had to put down. He felt no remorse; they surely deserved to die for taking the belongings and lives of the innocent away. The road to Videns had been long and indeed, soaked in the lifeblood of numerous criminals.
The Knight apprentice dressed quickly, pulling on a long-sleeved black shirt that he usually wore for training. Seating himself on a chair, he tugged on a matching pair of black slacks, along with a well-worn pair of leather boots. Retrieving his sword belt and cloak and donning both, he would then pick up Solais, clipping it's scabbard onto his belt. More or less, he was ready for the day..whatever it held ahead for him. A rare look of excitement crossed his face, his lips widening into a grin. He was really here, at Videns. The annual tradition of the Numbered sending their best and brightest students here..and he had been handpicked by The Knight, Graham himself. He wouldn't blow his own trumpet, but his skill with the sword and buckler did stand head and shoulder above the rest, as displayed in a small tournament consisting of the Knight apprentices. It was a moment to be proud of..and he would uphold that pride, along with the reputation of the Knights here in Videns as well.
Looping the steel chain of a cross necklace around his neck for the finishing touch, Audric gave the mirror in his room a cursory glance. A lean young man gazed steadily back at him, cutting a surprisingly imposing figure for one his age. A slight smile played upon his lips as he turned, exiting his quarters. A variety of sounds and smells immediately assailed the young man. The muted rushing of servants, scurrying back and forth in order to get breakfast served up in full at the main hall. More guests meant more mouths to feed, and among the guests' number may be some not worth your life offending..such was the life of a simple servant. Still, the first proper breakfast in a week sounded excellent. While he didn't mind the dry brown bread and the tough-as-nails meat jerky that made up his field rations, something hot and freshly cooked would be nice.
He made a quick stop by the breakfast hall, where many of the castle's personnel were still in the midst of their breakfast. His status as a Knight apprentice was nothing to scoff at, especially if you considered the lineage of the blood that ran within his veins. He drew many inquisitive glances from the men and women of the castle as he strode towards a long table where the day's breakfast was set out neatly on platters. Snatching up a roll of bread and slice of meat, he improvised himself a sandwich as he then made his way out the door, leaving as quickly as he had come. Audric was no stranger to curious gazes such as those, but that didn't meant he had to like it. It constantly reminded him of House Renward, that he was sole heir. That he would have to take charge and lead one day, after his father Duke Remnus was no more.
It was a burden upon his shoulders, but one he would have to bear, in time to come. His leather boots made a rhythmic thud against the stone floor as he sped up down the corridor he assumed would take him to the castle's main hall. He had stopped a maid earlier for directions and had been pointed this way. Hopefully the girl knew the castle well..punctuality would probably be a thing with whoever wanted to meet the apprentices..
Making short work of both the sandwich and the brief walk to the main hall's entrance, he arrived in short order. A quick look at the surroundings told him that he was probably the last to arrive. Apprentices of the various Numbered filled the hallway, some keeping to themselves, some engaged in conversation already. Perhaps they would get along. They were fighting for a common cause, after all.
Audric folded his arms, leaning back heavily against a stone support pillar.
Now then. To wait.

[Argonaut]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

You all file into the hall, one by one. Brightly lit by the morning sun through the stain glass windows, you're all left to stare at each other's faces for a while. Quite a long while, in fact. After what seemed like an eternity (or one month and eleven days), through the doorway walks a small troop of castle guards. Three of Graham's Brigade, the best knights of Gloria sent to man every stronghold in Uralt, from the woods of Ferus to the deserts of Herena in The Divide. Though skilled troops in close quaters with a sword, unfortunately none of them can bend fire like you all can. Perhaps some of them can light a candle, if that.

"You lot. Come frum the Academy's? Roight. State ya names, an' where ya frum." The front most soldier asks, letting you all know that he is the one in charge of this group. One of his lackeys opens up a scroll, ready to check off your names as you introduce yourselves.

[Mark3000]

Emilia entered the hall quietly behind everyone else. As they waited, she was struck with a sense of both awe and dread. The halls were beautiful, like something out of a novel. But then she looked over the students from the other academies and a knot formed in her stomach. The other students all looked so strong and mature. The knot only became tighter when she realized that she might actually be the youngest one here. They were in the hall for so long without talking that Emilia's worries just continued to grow. Why did that one girl look so sickly? How did she know that other, rougher looking woman? Was the girl with glasses carrying pistols? Where did these two men come from? They seem to hail from completely different parts of society. Emilia clutched her tome tightly as she continues to think.

She was wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the Graham's Brigade knights enter until they called for names. In an instant, Emilia snapped out of her own head and stood at attention as she raised her hand " Y-yes! M-my name is Emilia Lumière. I hail from Sana and trained with Arith the Light Goddess to be a Valkyrie" She said with as much confidence as she could muster.