Open CoDA - (A Superpower RP) Still Accepting New Arrivals

[Skyst]

Oh, great, Isa thought as she finally joined the group. A test, a quiz? Isa instantly was terrified. Were they supposed to be able to master their powers? She didn't even know what they were capable of. It didn't help that it took immense concentration to morph to animal form, except when she was angry.
Is that my only strategy? Get mad at people? That certaintly wouldn't be very hard for her, but it was also a very unreliable power. Well, she was going to fail. Great.

 

[kyuukestu]

Celia

WAKE UP, WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!!!

Standing outside Echo's dorm room, the humanoid dryad mentally screeched through the mental linked shared between the two. Being the manifestation of a tree, the girl had no need for mundane things such as sleep. Instead she merely settled into a state of low, or subdued, activity, to reduce her consumption of glucose and mineral salts. Needless to say, she was perfectly punctual, 'awakening' at exactly 6 am, deduced the via a combination of ambient levels of sunlight present, or in simpler terms, the position of the sun, and a strict unerring internal clock.

She was thus distinctly aware that her new friend was delayed by precisely 16 minutes, and 52 seconds and they only had 3 minutes and 8- make that 7 seconds left until their allotted 20 minutes came to an end.

Melusine

The sun spilled onto the earth, heating the land degree by degree, and also invigorating the reptilian from her rest. An early waker, for biological reasons rather than by choice, Melusine lay sprawled on her bed, un-moving. Time ticked by, minute by minute until eventually she was disturbed from her lazing by the resounding Sky-phone that relayed orders to gather at the eastern cliff within the next 20 minutes.

Not exactly pleased with the orders, but resigned to follow them anyways, the girl malingered into motion. It was a slow, dreary process as she waited for her body to warm, but, by 15 minutes in, she was already strutting out the door with a disgruntled expression plastered into her facial features.

Wystria

"Good Morning Students, and welcome to the starting grounds of your first Practical examination!"

Gradually emerging from the shadow of a student -her name was Isa if Wyst remembered correctly- the maid made her presence known. Once she'd fully emerged, she stepped to the side and positioned herself across from the students. She positioned herself so she would be facing the open stretch of Ocean,while the students would be sandwiched between herself and the cliff's edge. She didn't smile, in fact her facial muscles barely twitched as she maintained an expression of utter stoicism.

"Well, allow me to explain the rules of your exam." As she spoke she strut across the cliff casually, a shadow blade condensing within her hands as she thoughtlessly stabbed into the ground,

"First; this will be a practical examination to test your usage of power and adaptability." She paced a few steps and once again directed a thoughtless stab into the ground. However, her shadow also extended itself and ejected two large boxes, one filled with Iron bells, and the other filled with very small pamphlets.

"Each student will be given 1 Bronze bell, and 1 pamphlet. The pamphlets are optional, but they contain a brief description of edible herbs and vegetation. It's suggested that your read it before the examination begins. The bells on the other hand will be necessary for you to pass the examination. Each student will carry a single bell, so please step forward and collect your bells and pamphlets -if you so desire."

 

[Skyst]

Isa glanced around and copied everyone else's movements. She took a bell and pamphlet with a small snort and sat down. The pamphlet described a little hunt, for survival purposes. Isa instantly felt much better. Most animals were perfect for adaptability, and she knew the perfect animal that could work for this activity. She slightly hoped that they were fighting, now that she knew it wasn't a test. Nothing helped her concentration than fighting as a snow leopard, her favorite transformation.

 

[Sky_]

Echo

Echo suddenly awoke to a wave of sound pouring into her mind. Talking a few more seconds to identify the voice in question, she sleepily echoed "Waking up," then quickly remembered her newly-made mental link and said "Yeah, I'm coming. Give me a moment." Slipping out of bed and taking around a minute or so to get changed she walked out the door, flipping her hood over her head and giving a quick wave to Celia before starting towards the hill.

Glancing back to confirm her friend was following, Echo quickly broke into a sprint, her and Celia arriving just in time to catch the announcements made by Wyst. She quickly exhaled in relief, then stepped forward to retrieve a bell and pamphlet. However, as she stepped up onto the podium, she sensed a surprisingly strong aura amongst the various students and decided to look closer. Still unsure as to what this 'shadowy' strain of magic was, she chose to echo it.
Just in case it might help with the exam, she thought as she collected her bell

Sky

Giving a nod, Sky continued, although resigning to holding his position over the cliff as opposed to strutting along the edges. "As well as this, our staff and I shall be participating in this event. Each staff member has received a silver bell, and myself a gold bell. Each individual bell is worth a different number of points, depending on its colour."

A bronze bell pulled itself out from one of the boxes laid out and hung in front of him. "These things are worth a single point, and each student has one."
Sky gave his hand a wave and a silver bell slipped out of her pocket to hang upon nothingness next to the copper bell. "A silver bell is worth three points, and each staff member barring myself is in possession of one."
Finally, he slipped a gold bell from his pocket to complete the line in front of him. "And finally, this is the gold bell. If you manage to acquire this, your placing is immediately set to 1, and all other scores are disregarded. But, y'know," Sky slipped the shining gold object back into his pocket, "It's up to you whether you want to go for it."

The remaining bells used for the explanation were returned to their owners, and Sky continued yet again. "All staff members have been told only to act in self-defense, as they do not have a score to claim. However, they have been told not to hold back, and I shall hope they won't. The pass mark for this exam is 3. Three coppers or one silver. Odds are you probably won't be able to take down one of our teachers solo, so I'd advise going for other students if you want to win. I wouldn't like to see half our students incapacitated in the first hour because they went charging towards a teacher." Sky gave a faint grin.

"Oh, and this exam will last for five days. If you happen to starve or get critically injured, you'll be pulled out and your score'll be nullified. The bells you own are only truely yours when tallied up at the end of the exam. Before then, it's anyone's game. If you happen to come upon a sleeping participant with five coppers and a silver, more power to you."

His part finished, Sky turned back to Wyst. "Anything else you'd like to add?"

 

[Skyst]

Isa

Isa began to feel confused, and anxiety gripped at her chest. Five days? Alone? She would be able to survive alright, but what about the bell point system? She decided she wouldn't worry about it. Unclipping the delicate silver chain around her neck, she threaded the gleaming bronze bell onto the cord. As long as she had this, she would at least get some points. When were they starting the hunt?

Peering around, she noted a few people nodding impatiently and rolling their knuckles. Oh yes. Tugging on her jacket, Isa folded the pamphlet neatly and slipped it into her pocket. Again, looking at everyone tugged at her heart a bit. They were talking together, laughing. Isa had never experienced friendship, and even her own sister had avoided her. Lowering her head, Isa stared at the ground and tried to think of the test.

 

[jade421]

One by one Lily, Andrew, Diego, Serenity and Ash had all walked up to collect the bronze bells and pamphlets. Then they heard the added instructions from Sky, as well as the point system with the bells combined with the fact that the staff and even Sky himself would be participants for the exams. The fact that it was a survival based exam with a five day time limit, and most importantly that they needed just 3 points by the end of the 5 days to pass this test.

Naturally, each student had their own reactions.

So, it seems this exam tries to encourage students to band together if they are desperate and in need of points. But how can one trust anyone in these circumstances?

Seems we'll be living off the wild. Seems kinda bold they'd risk more student death given the attack on campus. But I suppose this is just tradition, either way finding a clean water source is key.

Clearly the top aim should be to go and find other students. Challenging a member of the staff is a fool's errand.

Whether it was tactical analysis from Lily, Andrew and Serenity....
​

So wait? Not only can I fight Serenity but I can also punch the teachers and not get in trouble? Awesome, if they think I'll back down because of that then they have another thing coming!

...bold, and possibly over confidence and excitement from Diego.
​

Oh man, this is crazy! This entire test seems to rely on one vs. one fights! My power is terrible for that, maybe I can get "lucky" and find a sleeping student with some bells but even with my power the odds of that before someone else does is ridiculous.

....or simply panic, in the form of Ash's thoughts.
​

Over by Sky and Wyst, or rather behind them stood Victoria. The instructor if the youngest students who had a silver bell on display just to highlight the fact she'd be a staff participant in the exams.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Toby listened carefully to the explanation of the exam and was happy that his uncle advised him to go to sleep early, he could not use sleep depriviation in this exam. He was rather confident in his skills but he knew better than to attack a teacher or that Wind Spirit, so students it was. He grabbed a bronze bell and pamphlet and read it. This can save my skin, are there medical herbs on this? If so, then that is incredible. He put both items away and prepared himself for a long and difficult exam. He had no idea what to expect other than Suzy's mind powers and her Vision, so he'd have to abandon any principles he had and not hold back against any student.

No need to get worked up this early. I only need three bells to pass, once I have those I can play defensively. First up, a clean fresh water source. Other students are going to try and find that as well, so that is a golden opportunity to score some bells. If it all goes to Hell and I am forced to fight up close, I can still use my hidden blades for a surprise attack. Toby took some deep breathes and felt confident enough in his skills to pass the exam. If I can score 5 points, then I won't be in last place so that is a goal to achieve after getting the required three points.

 

[Ariados twice]

Tia, Clay, Ryka, Tatsuya, Cody, Joey, Laila, and Kendra all grabbed bell's and pamphlets. Bast hung out with Laila. Everyone was waiting for the test to start. And all were thinking of strategies to survive.

 

[Skyst]

Isa

Isa began to feel impatient. She worried with the chain around her neck. The stress was starting to destroy her. Maybe she should hide? She could morph to an earthworm, dig down, and... no. She wasn't about to reveal her powers to others - not yet. She hoped no one possessed telepathy, or else she would be a goner.

Anxiously, Isa began to think about what she should do. Well, as much as I wish to change to my snow leopard form, that would raise attention. I would want to change into something less obvious, like a raven or a small hound. But I would also need an animal that is great at adaptability... The only animal Isa could think about at the moment was a camel. Like that would help her in the forest. I wonder if anyone else has my powers. Oh... Isa startled. I don't know what THEIR powers are. What Isa needed now was someone to talk to, but she would probably mess that up. Just calm down...

 

[kyuukestu]

Wystria

Killjoy... Personally, Wyst would've phrased it rather differently, in a way that was more...suspenseful, however since Sky had already snatched a tiny bit of fun from her, she would finish up the exam's explanation, "Apart from the Bronze, Silver, and Gold bells, Iron bells will also be present on the island." Snapping her fingers crisply, the maid called forth to the shadowy beyond, and within moments a shadow-formed wolf emerged. Its eyes were dull but feral, it snarled wildly at the students, foam dripping from its mouth. Upon a closer inspection, around its neck as a metallic sheen -and Iron bell.

"You'll be able to acquire Iron bells from 'mob opponents' such as these, however, you'll only be allowed to gather up to three Iron bells. Each Iron bell is worth 1/3rd of a point, which means you'll need three to get 1 point. Your own Bronze bells are also worth 1 point, and silver bells are worth 5 points. You only need three points to pass, but for the more competitive among you, you may gather as many as you wish. Each Teacher will carry multiple silver bells, so there's no need to worry about them running out."

With the overall rules to the exam having been explained, Wystria pointed towards the pamphlets. "On the back of these pamphlets, you'll find a map of the examination grounds, a short list of edible plants and a few other miscellaneous things. I'd suggest you keep your pamphlet safe."

Falling back into her rhythm of stabbing into the ground every few sentences, she continued to speak, "You'll notice that your examination grounds are an Island, and I'll clarify now that tomorrow morning, you'll be traveling a few miles north to one of the subsidiary islands where you'll stay for the duration of the exam. The map of the exam island is divided into different sections, the uncolored sections are free-grounds, but each colored section corresponds to a teacher who will await your challenge should you be so bold."

Briefly, Wystria paused, mentally going over everything that'd been said; passing mark (3 points), exam location(an island a few miles north), exam duration (5 days), Assigned points by Bell (Iron - 1/3rd, Bronze - 1, Silver - 5), Guide Pamphlets...

It seemed to be just about everythi-
"Oh! For those of you who are...ambitious enough, the Gold bell is worth 100 points."

She allowed her voice to fall upon the students softly but with a measured weight, the gold bell was worth 20 Silver bells and would garner enough points for the student to pass more than 30 times over.

"The examination will begin early tomorrow morning, and you'll camp here until the exam begins. Spend your last few hours wisely."

 

[Godjacob]

Kevin and Aura had overheard the instructions from Sky. Naturally, Oliver figured he'd provide an unfair advantage to Kevin so he flew away from Kevin's shoulder over towards Candice. Who herself resided by Victoria and had a silver bell in hand which showed Kevin's mother would be among the staff in this exam.

"I feel like you being here with Kevin taking the exam could be seen as a conflict of interest." Oliver whispered to Candice as she had a big grin on her face.

"Nonsense, if I went easy on him here he'd never learn anything from this experience. If he wants to grow and tries to take my bell he needs to be prepared for what is to come. Besides, this would be a splendid opportunity to try out some new babies I've been working on." Candice said with excitement. Which oddly "nerved" Oliver if the AI owl could properly feel such emotions in full.

Kevin and Aura each accepted a bell and pamphlet, with Rebecca having followed suit soon after. Such an exam naturally aimed to put students against each other, but Kevin & Aura figured working together was for the best even if taking on a teacher had not been the goal. Strength in numbers would help with trying to isolate and pick off lone students and given they had been freshmen and this exam had older, more experienced students within it any advantage was a necessity.

Rebecca herself considered her options. Naturally, people would go for clean water to start with. So that's where the bulk of the action was likely to be. Her plan was basic enough...to wait for the majority of students to enter first so that the initial river skirmishes could ignite which should open up a chance for her to take some water for herself. It was a 5 day even, so it was not a race by any means and it had been of greater priority to Rebecca to establish a camp and get vital nutrients. Besides, it would allow for students to weaken each other rather than try to blitz the exam in frantic fights versus fresh opponents.

"Hey! Don't start without us!"
"Ryker you moron! We're so late!"
​

Two new voices had caught Kevin & Aura's attention, as he saw Ryker and his sister June as they had made a late arrival. Thankfully, it appeared the sibling pair managed to make it before the exam began as they each got a bell and pamphlet. Though they lacked the context of the speech Sky & Wyst had just finished giving. Naturally, they flocked over to Aura & Kevin.

"Ryker? Are you sure you are good t-to compete?" Kevin asked, as his first concern had been whether Ryker was able to compete given what happened during that spar versus Erin. Ryker had given a big smirk.

"Oh yeah, got the medical clearing! Sorry we're late, had a lot to sort through as I transferred back to my dorm from the nurse's office and uh..."

"What he means is he woke up late and I had to rush him so we wouldn't miss the exam." June said with a scowl as Ryker gave his sister a sheepish grin.

"So...what is the exam about? The bells?" June asked, as Aura would clarify the information that the siblings had missed.

Wyst then clarified a few comments, and they had the night to make preparations. Something that they'd need to take advantage of if they were gonna progress.

 

[Sky_]

Sky shot Wyst a glance as the crowd started to disperse, then quickly reappeared beside her once most of the onlookers were gone. "Wyst, was there really need to reiterate everything I said?" He asked, giving her a playful slap on the arm with a burst of air. "Pretty sure what I said, apart from the stuff about the iron bell, would've been just fine, no?" Sky hadn't missed the attempt at stealing his thunder and didn't have an issue with making one or two jabs back. "Also, you gotta be more to the point. No reason to dramatize something more than you need to, especially considering it's a bloody gold bell," he smirked.

 

[Godjacob]

Well, they'd have the night to think it over. Given that, Kevin and Aura decided to study up on their pamphlets which would prove vital. However, as they prepared to group up with June & Ryker Ryker took the moment to pull Kevin aside as he wanted to speak with him in private.

"Something wrong?" Kevin asked, as Ryker glanced at Kevin with a small smile...though his expression was a bit more serious which had been enough for Kevin to raise an eyebrow.

"Nah, just that...these exams, we'll be likely going against each other. And...that's what I want. That fight with Erin....that loss of control, it was terrifying. I, I can only imagine what you going through that. What with that...thing inside you..." Ryker said with a low voice, as Kevin frowned at the mention of the beast, but gave a nod as Ryker continued on.

"We, we both seem to share a need for more control. I am not as aware of what happened back there, but I know it can never happen again. And I think us going against each other, competing and giving it our best effort can help push us forward." Ryker said as he looked Kevin in the eye and eyed him with a competitive grin.

"I don't know what this is, and I...I know of that thing inside you. We both have inner demons to overcome, which is why we need to grow. And I see this as a chance for us both to grow a bit. We'll always have each others back when it counts, same for Aura, but we need to be stronger on our own. So if we meet...just know I'll be coming for that bell and ask you give me everything you got. Can you dot that?" Ryker asked Kevin, as Kevin seemed suprised by this. The original idea he had was they'd all group together for this exam, but he could not dispute Ryker's claims and he decided to honor his request as he gave a nod.

"Y-yeah, I can do that." Kevin said with a small smile, as Aura had in turn listened into the conversation while she left June alone as she thought over what had been said, and a spark lit inside her as well.

 

[jade421]

Lily and Andrew had naturally decided to work together once the announcement it would begin tomorrow had been made, and already moved to their own corner to work out a strategy.

Lily herself wondered if Suzy desired to team with them, or her new boyfriend, and would keep an eye out for her friends just in case.

By contrast, Diego & Serenity each made a silent agreement they would compete as individuals as both were rather prideful and figured that this would be a good excuse to duel each other....if the opportunity arose of course.

"Best of luck, I do hope you manage to meet me on the finish line...even if I encounter you and when then I take that bell." Serenity said with a competitive grin.

"Dream on, I don't intend to let some bell test hold me back. If you need to find me, just keep an ear out for the guy punching the Headmaster in the face." Diego said, and while Serenity advised against challenging a staff member let alone Sky of all people she saw it as just banter as the two moved to opposite areas to catch up on preparations.

Ash herself had been in panic mode, and naturally knew she'd be better off budding with somebody if she wanted any chance. So she simply went to look for Kendra in the hopes that her friend would be willing to team with her.

 

[kyuukestu]

Wystria

"Of course, it was completely necessary," the maid quipped back, her face the picture definition of deadpan and her voice as flat as a tire that ran over several porcupines, "Repitition drives home a point, and I also changed the point system for the bells." Breaking slightly, her eyes cast towards the students and the buzz of energetic conversation, Wyst commented once more, muttering lowly "I think...a few more hours should be enough. They should never expect the situation to develop exactly as told. They'll probably reach the island by tomorrow morning at the earliest..."

Snapping back to attention, she stepped backward, dipping intoa curtsy towards Sky, "If you'll excuse me, I must complete my preparations."

Swiveling on her heels, she returned to her earlier, off-handed task, randomly stabbing into the ground with her shadowformed weapon at, what seemed to be, random spots. As she move away from Sky, the corners of her lips curved upwards into what would probably be described as a smilel if the rest of her face hadn't been frozen stiff, "Drama is one of life's spices, it's best they remember these events for years to come, it may save their lives. So we'll give them a very spicy first impression~"

 

[Sky_]

"Apparently standard exams, even physical ones, are never like the ones here. They never do expect it," he told her with a small smile, letting her continue. Whilst she spoke,
Sky tilted his head as she began to walk away, musing over her comments. It was a unique perspective for him, but she did have a point. "Well, I can't argue with that," he said, turning back towards the sky. He had some preparations of his own to do, and the usual weather planned for the island. Just to make it a little more memorable, in Wyst's words

 

[SS-I Never]

Suzy was quite nervous. She didn't know if she had what it took to be able to gather these balls, the points. Suzy assumed that since their bronze balls are worth a point, that some students would fight one another to take their balls which would give them more points, or that might not even be the case, but Suzy wasn't entirely sure. Either way, if she were to get stuck in a fight, it would end bad for her.

Suzy sighed to reassure herself, and threw those thoughts away. She couldn't have this mindset if she wants to pass. She'll just have to try her best with what she has.

 

[jade421]

Lily told Andrew to wait at a spot while advising he studied the pamphlet as she went to look for Suzy, and sure enough she spotted her friend alone as she seemed to be deep in thought. Understandable, as this exam had likely dominated the thoughts of everyone present and naturally she desired to be the supportive friend as she walked over and waved to Suzy.

"Hey there. Pretty big stuff for this first exam. So, were you planning to go it alone? If so, more power to you but me and Andrew planned the go together to help each other and naturally I want to extend the same offer to you." Lily said to Suzy as she made her request known and waited for a response.

 

[Godjacob]

"Okay, a survival exam. Well, given it is a forest I should be able to find some suitable nutrients and well I can provide myself fire. Water will be the tricky part, as no doubt there will be a dog fight there."

Rebecca had moved to her own secluded spot as she began to mill over possibly strategy about this exam. Naturally, her desire to find water took top priority but she had been far from the only one to have that thought she was sure. So it would be the bloodbath. Rebecca had to play it smart, and hope people are too busy with each other to focus on her as she can get some water. For that, she'd need to make a make-shift canteen.

----------
Candice herself had an of so pleased grin on her face, as she seemed to be tinkering with a couple of little gadgets in her high tech backpack. Oliver could see quite clearly that Candice had some excitement for the exam tomorrow, a bit too much excitement if one were to ask it as it observed from her shoulder.

"Okay Ms. McKnight, I should remind you that this is an exam meant to evaluate student skill & development progress. Not your excuse to use the youth as your guinea pigs for your newest inventions." Oliver explained, as Candice rolled her eyes even as she shifted gears to figuring with features on her risk watch display.

"Oh I am aware, but I can't make it too easy on them either. So these babies need to be ready and seeing their limits in action will help for future tech to help train these students after the exams. Think of this as killing two birds with one stone...apologies on that specific analogy." Candice said as Oliver figuratively let out a sigh. Regardless of her "insistence" Oliver had a proverbial bad feeling for whoever had been unfortunate enough to dare to try and take her silver bell....well, if it could emote bad feelings anyhow.

 

[Nukas]

Liam was scared out of his mind. He thought through all kinds of different strategies, but he didn't see a way he would be able to get out of this without failing. He thought he might be able to survive ok. Water is an easy resource to require. Even though it would be a mad dash to get to the source no one would be able to lay a finger on him.

No, the real problem would be to get the bells. He had already engulfed his own bell into his slime-like body, so the other students are only going to be able to get it unless they can pin him down which he had never let happen before. He just didn't see a way that he was going to be able to get other people's bells. His ability was completely defensive. He also wouldn't want to hurt anybody or their chances of passing.

Liam decided the only way he was getting through this was to convince someone to team with him. He didn't like the idea that he would actually have to talk to someone. God, I don't want to embarrass myself, what if they think I'm a girl again, I really don't want that. Ok if I just find someone who doesn't have a partner, and looks like they might have offensive capabilities, I might be able to convince them that I could help them in a fight. But could I? I think I would just be a burden. What if they betray me? Would it be easier to just hide and fail instead?

No, get out of your head Liam. People aren't out to get you just talk to someone, anyone.

Liam saw a girl standing by herself. She had just popped into some of his classes a few days ago, but he never really talked to her. She must be new. Maybe she is as flustered as me about this challenge. Maybe she'll be willing to be my partner.

"H-hi, y-your the n-new kid Isa r-right?"

 

[Ariados twice]

Kendra looked for Ash, eventually finding her. "Glad to see you made it here alright. Was a little worried about that." She stretched her wings a little bit, since there was limited space. "So, what's up?"

 

[Skyst]

Isa

"Hey," Isa replied to the stuttering boy. "What's up?" Though she was scared silly, she wasn't about to look weak to someone who was willing to talk to her. The survival test was stretching her nerves to the very limit, and her heart pounded. She wondered what this boy's powers were. She hoped he didn't have super - natural hearing. He would be able to hear her heart pounding in her throat. "It's nice to meet you," she added. "What's your name?"

 

[Nukas]

"I-I'm Liam."
Liam started regretting his decision to talk to this girl, she seemed really confident and wouldn't want to team up with someone like him. He could barely get out a sentence. But he was in too deep now, he had to keep going.
I-I was w-wondering if you m-maybe wanted t-t-to work together d-during this t-test. I kn-know y-you probably don't know a l-lot of p-people s-since your new, and it's always g-good to have a f-friend to help w-watch your b-back.
She's probably going to think I'm a loser, but I hope she wants help in this challenge as much as I do.

 

[Godjacob]

Kevin and Ryker would soon return to June and Aura, the latter of which had returned just before the two and pretended to not have overheard their conversation moments ago.

It was better that she kept that information to herself. Though she in no way had intended to let the boys macho promise exclude her from the common goal of proving themselves.

In any event, with Ryker being Ryker, he made the suggestion they camp out right next to the exam area for the night to come. Part of being fully amerced in the experience, and to practice for possibly camping out within. It took a minute of....convincing, but eventually the group agreed to just that. A quick supply run back to their dorms and before long they had sent up a little pair of tents. One for June and Ryker, and the other for Kevin and Aura.

Kevin had....never camped with anyone before. Much less a friend, so this had been a bit....awkward for him. However, Kevin was not prepared to allow something like that to get in the way of what could be a neat little experience.

"Y-you know....I haven't camped out in years." Aura said, a she appeared to be a bit nervous about this just as much as Kevin had been. Which only caused the fellow freshmen to rub the back of his neck.

"Y-yeah. I've never camped myself. This is new to me, t-thanks for showing me what to do so I didn't tie a knot between my fingers." Kevin said, sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you suggested just two tents so that you have Aura and Kevin be closer together." June said with a sly smirk to her brother as they finished up setting their tent. Ryker merely offered a shrug as he had an amused grin on his face.

"Whaaaat....me? Oh come on I am no romantic. Maybe I just wanted to bond with my sis? Did you ever think of that?" Ryker replied back as June merely rolled their eyes. Truthfully, the fun and games would end tomorrow but that had been no reason for them to kill the mood now was it?

 

[SS-I Never]

Suzy nearly cried tears of joy as she heard her Lily offer help for the final exam. "You would really do that for me!?" Suzy cried as she hugged her friend, "Thank you! Thank you!"

Suzy was just so nervous of even being able to compete in the exam, but with Lily and Andrew there to help her out she might have a winning shot at it. Though she can't soley rely on them on the day of the exam as she would justbe freeloader and may cause some problems, so Suzy still had to train so she could be of help to her friends as well.

 

[jade421]

Lily smiled, she had not expected the hug but she had been quick to return it when Suzy accepted her proposal. Alright, their trio had been set which should serve them favorable, though naturally she'd have to work her contribution as they all would have to. This was an exam on their skills after all.

"All right, and no worries. It's what friends are for. Let's just agree to all do our best, and I am sure then we will pass with flying colors~!" Lily replied to Suzy with a smile, before she glanced over and noticed the freshmen trio and another in their age group begin to set up tents just outside the forest. Which only caused her to shake her head with an amused grin.

Man, those guys couldn't do anything by convention could they?

~~~~~~~~~~
​

"H-hey Kendra! I was wondering if, for the exam....if you, w-wouldn't mind if we teamed up for it? It's okay if you want to go solo I just felt I should ask." Ash said with a sheepish grin as she rubbed the back of her head when she saw her friend while she made her request known to the winged student.

~~~~~~~~~~
​

Victoria herself had already moved by her section of the forest, as she took the liberty to pull from her bag what appeared to be a miniature cabin in her palm that she set on the ground. With a touch of her finger, she back up as the cabin expanded until it become a fully sized one that could comfortable house one.

"Ah, wonderful. Not then I can do a supply check for the exam tomorrow and maybe decide on what to have for dinner." Victoria said to herself with a smile as she entered her cabin to make her own preparations.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Toby looked around and saw multiple groups beginning to form, including one with Suzy in it. He didn't mind it, after all there is some strength in numbers but how trustworthy were your teammates when faced with two free bells in the night? He decided to stay alone, that way he could be more strict with resources and his position would be less easily revealed. He was pretty confident in his powers, but he knew that three against one was not a favorable matchup for him. He'd have to resort to scavenging, hit and run attacks or steal bells at night.

Toby sighed, this was not going to be easy. "Well, as long as I can stay alive and keep my bell, I suppose things could be worse." He looked at the group that consisted of Suzy and her friends and did something he would've never thought of doing before coming to the academy. He wished them luck. "Hey there, good luck out there during the exam. We all know we need it." Even with the mask covering his face, it was clear that he was smiling.

 

[Ariados twice]

"Sure." Kendra said. Bast batted at Laila' s bell. The robotic feline stopped after receiving a glare from Laila. Bast sat down, a pout clear on her face.

 

[kyuukestu]

Wystria

The maid stood valiantly, her hands clasped behind her back, and her chest slightly puffed out. A smug grin hung on the corner of her lips, but the usually stoic Wyst, that meant her lip had quirked up three whole twitches. Gazing through the crowd of students and into the ocean beyond, Wyst sighed with a hint of anticipation. While Sky might've ruined her fun during the speech, he'd be hard-pressed to ruin her fun here. She clapped her hands twice, two loud and resounding Pah!'s intending to capture the attention of the students.

"The first lesson you'll learn from this exam is -your enemies will never wait for you to get ready..."

As if cued it by the fading sound of her voice a series of deafening bangs drowned out the voices of the students, followed by the screams of the earth as a stressed, strained and fractured -a large crack appearing right between Wystria and the students. The real beauty of the situation was, because they were camped on a cliff-face, the cliff-edge, along with all the students on it, was now plummeting into the ocean below. Standing safely on remaining section of the cliff, the Maid waved cheerfully -in all but expression- as she watched the students fall to their watery trial grounds.

While quite literally blowing her students off the edge of a cliff wouldn't win her any Teacher-of-the-Year awards, the activity was -for the most part- safe. The shadows cast by the fragmented and falling debris of the falling cliff-face provided more than enough shadows on both the water's surface and other, larger pieces of debris. This meant that Wyst could quite easily save any student in danger of any real harm, and even shadow-travel to their side before they even hit the ocean. She herself would even be diving into the ocean after a short while in case any of the student -god forbid- couldn't swim and started drowning. The safety of her students was 99.99% guaranteed.

Wyst carefully watched the descending bundle of teenage hormones and adrenaline, her eye watching the scene play out in slow motion. So far so good.

"The exam time will officially begun once the first student arrives at the island. Try not to spent too long swimming~"

 

[Sky_]

Sky grinned, giving a wave from his perch next to Wyst. "This is your first time, isn't it? Trust me, it gets better every year." Thinking back, he added, "well, apart from if they can't swim. It gets kinda awkward then." Frowning at the sky, he realized the sun was out again. Not nearly the right sort of weather for a dreary swim to a different island.

Boom! Lightning struck the ground on a distant island as clouds closed in and rain began to pour down. The water below began to get more choppy (Sky would be sure to get a few complaints from the water spirits about that) and the temperature to around 5 degrees.
Smiling to himself, the conditions now set for the start of the exam, Sky sat back to watch.
"Oh yeah, Wyst? Make sure none of them die please."

 

[Nukas]

OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD.

Liam started freaking out as he hurtled towards the water. A fall from that height could kill someone, even if they were landing in water. Then he hit the water and he remembered that he shouldn't have worried at all.

When his body hit the water, he went into his slime like form and flattened out completely to mitigate any damage done. He realized he was alive and wasn't injured, so he made sure no one else was hurt around him before he started for what could be the worst challenge of his life.

 

[DarkHydraT]

"Woah, what the heck?!" Toby yelled out as the ground he was on began to be blown to bits, giving him barely enough time to achieve flight. "I thought that the main thing of being here was to teach kids how to be a hero, not to blow them to pieces!" He yelled before sighing and flying towards the island where the exam was being held. "At least the weather is good. Could be a storm or something too." As if on cue, a powerful gust hit him straight on and blew him out of his intended flight route, not to mention the sudden gust took away precious time from his maximum time of flight and he soon plummeted into the water.

After what seemed like hours, Toby finally managed to breach the surface of the freezing liquid. He was sure of it that the weather was not like this a few minutes before the exam so a teacher was messing with the weather. This was not the time to be questioning the manners of the school, this was the time to stay alive! He held the bell he was gifted in his hand and held onto it to dear life as he struggled against strong winds, merciless waves and the ever growing prominent chance of hypothermia due to the cold liquid soaking him to his very core. The island has never looked so far away yet so close and Toby would gladly fight other students, he just had to get out of this infernal water. "I swear, how is this academy still open? There is gonna be a death at this rate, but I won't be said death!" He thought as he forced every fiber of his body to make it to the island.

 

[Nukas]

Liam wished he had a useful power, it felt like he was swimming For like 14 hours. He was so tired his body wanted to turn to mush, quite literally. He kept having to rest and force his body to stay in its human shape. But he did finally make it. He wished he could have finished his conversation with Isa before the exam started, but no. The teachers at this school can be way too ruthless.

Anyway the exam has definitely already started, he saw a student flying to the island on his way over. First priority was water. He decided he would just find water and hopefully see someone there who doesn't want to kill him and is willing for a team up.

 

[Godjacob]

"AHHHH!"
​

The sounds of prepubescent screams had been heard the minute that Wyst had enacted her "surprise" start to the exam, as the Freshmen Quartet had been knocked out of their tents just as they had finished setting them off tumbling as they toppled over the cliff and began to free fall to the water below.

Screams matched by the older student Rebecca, who had similarly been knocked off the cliff and fell for the water below. As she along with the freshmen knew they had to break the fall, as Rebecca got over the shock and panic long enough to extend her hands out as she fired two flame streams which gradually slowed her descent before she splashed through the water.

Before June had a chance to act, Ryker grabbed his sister and used a power punch to create a shockwave to slow their descent through while he shielded her. The impact caused no visible pain, and the two quickly surfaced as they scanned for Kevin & Aura; the former managed to shift to his partial reptilian form and simply dived through the water, his aquatic adaptability shinned through while Aura managed to produce an ice gust which produced the same effect as Rebecca's fire and slowed her descent before she landed in a not frozen part of the water as the ice dissipated.

Okay, this school is trying to kill us. But, nothing I can do now but swim for shore, least the island isn't far...

Rebecca had that though as she took a deep breath and began to swim for the island ahead, as there had been no alternative for her while Aura quickly froze together a light raft that had been enough for June, Kevin & Ryker to climb on and a pair of paddles. Though Ryker opted to help push the raft to get it going before he climbed back on while Kevin & June steered it as they sailed towards the island.

 

[SS-I Never]

Suzy clenched her fist and threw them in the air, and responded to Lily, "Of course! Let's do our best! Ain't no one going to take us down!" But then Toby appeared before the group and wished everyone luck, but Suzy couldn't help but blush as she found Toby to be so adorable even though his face was hidden behind his mask. A faint smile could be seen on Suzy's face, but then her expression completely changed to being petrified as the ground before her started to disappear and she started falling into the sea.

Suzy shrieked as she was falling, but stopped immediately as soon as she landed into the water. She would then swim back up to get some air. She then heard the instructions of Miss Wysteria, but Suzy couldn't help but stay and think of a plan. Suzy knew that if she were to arrive on the island she would be exhausted from having to swim such a distance. There had to be way to get to the island sufficiently quick and not have to waste her energy in case of any future fights, but she didn't know what.

 

[DarkHydraT]

Toby was exhausted, the water coupled with the storm were draining his energy fast and prevented him from using his power. He thought many things, many of them were negative but he didn't say them to continue swimming and to keep water out of his mouth. After what felt like hours he finally arrived at the island with soaked clothes, tired muscles and his bell still in his hands. He removed his mask and took a few deep breaths before climbing into a tree, saving his powers for when it counted.

As he rested in the tree, he decided on a plan of action. He could wait for everyone to gain energy and steal the bell after they finished fighting or he could steal bells now and become a big target right at the start. Toby sighed and looked at the shoreline, by the looks of it he was the first or among them as he had yet to see footsteps. "Gotta hand it to them, they certainly know how to make us work. Should be neat training." He said with a grin as he put his mask back on and kept watching the shore. He decided on picking up points early as he could follow others for a water source and if all else failed he could drink the moisture from leaves and such. He tucked his bell away and grabbed his pamphlet, soaked yet readable with a little effort. "Come here, I'm certain that someone will throw you a welcoming party." He said as his grin faded and his expression became stern, ready to fight when someone washes ashore, ready to score quick and then scavenge from other groups.

 

[Ariados twice]

Everyone had dealt with the fall in a different way. Tatsuya, for example, shifted into his Kitsune form and used jets of flame to slow his descent. Bast had grabbed Laila, then used jets in her paws to slow their descent. Tia and Kendra opened their wings, catching air. Kendra caught Ash, while Tia caught Joey, who's powers were useless in situations like this. Clay changed into his ghost form, then caught Ryka, who had changed into her cat form out of fear. Cory was able to stop in midair, Erin doing the same after her hair and eyes went gray. Those that could fly flew over to the island. Tatsuya landed safely in the water and started to swim towards the island.

 

[Nukas]

Liam started to get the feeling he was being watched. He knew that he was probably among the first swimmers here, and he was alone so he was an easy target. He didn't want to fight, he saw water just over there, looked like a steady stream. He was exhausted and thirsty. The only problem was, as he bent over to get a drink from the stream, he saw someone with a mask in a tree in the reflection of the water.

"P-please, I r-really don't want to f-fight you. Y-you w-won't be able t-to get m-my bell, s-so please. W-we could team up if y-you like. I j-just really d-don't want to h-have to f-fight anyone. "

 

[jade421]

"AH!" Ash screamed out in horror as she had been blasted off, before she felt something grab her as she glanced back and saw Kendra who had grabbed her before she fell to the water below.

"T-thank you Kendra, you are a life saver." Ash said between pants as she had been obviously gracious over Kendra's act.

Diego and Serenity free fell into the water, as Serenity rose above water and glanced ahead to the island they were supposed to be going towards. While she had questioned the methods used, she saved her complaints as she took a deep breath and produced some crystals that rose above the surface. Serenity began to form a bridge, as she aimed to use it to cross the ocean over towards the island.

Diego, but contrast, decided this was a chance to get some exercise and began to swim over to the island. Right by Serenity's bridge.

"Suzy! Over here!"

​

Lily called out to her friend, as when she had surfaced from the sudden shove she had quickly worked to form a vine raft after she had been able to recover from the sheer shock of it all. Lily had been frantic in her search for Suzy as she saw her friend and tried to signal for her to join her on the raft.

Andrew had simply floated on the water next to it, his scowl gazed the sky above as he had only one thought on his mind.

I am convinced this school hires actual psychopaths to teach us.​

 

[DarkHydraT]

Toby glared at the stuttering student as he left his tree, slowly walking towards them as he kept eye contact, as if he was a predator approaching his prey. "That is a coincidence, I don't want to fight either. How about you give me your bell so we can avoid a fight?" He asked as a smirk crept upon his face, if they would comply this would be an easy point. His smirk soon dropped as he heard the student mention the possibility of them teaming up.

"Do you really want to pass this exam by using the successes of your teammate? It will only get harder from here so if you're not prepared to fight alone or to help your teammates if you have a team, you should think about how to change. Give me your bell. Now!" Toby paced towards the stuttering student and let his wrist blade show as he got within stabbing reach. "Either you give me that bell and I'll leave you alone or I'll cut you and take the bell from your body myself. Your choice." As he told what options the student had, a breeze began to blow. The breeze grew in strength and eventually made a wall around Toby and his opponent. "No one can interfere now, so just give me that bell and you can go."