Chapter 1: The Shining Beacon

"Are you okay?"

People had been asking Lefko that question for the past few minutes, and his only answer to them had been a low grumble. They had left him quickly at that, leaving the closed bathroom door just the way it was. After quite some time, and some interesting sights and smells that Lefko hoped he could get rid of one day, he finally emerged from the door, glancing around. There was barely anyone around at this point, and his face turned as white as the Schnee family colors. 'Please, please tell me I didn't just miss the landing.'

He hurried away from the horrible room that he had spent the rest of the trip in, moving quickly back to where he had left his brother and gear. When he saw that Mavros was there at least, along with his gear, he let out a sigh of relief. "Glad you haven't left yet brother. I was afraid I had missed the landing." He joined Mavros by the window, scooping up his helmet and cape. "Are you ready to put our feet on a foreign soil for the first time?"

Lefko quickly pulled on his helmet, hoping to hide how green he was around the gills so to speak, and turned towards the exit.

As Oliviaer selected her drink and began to pay for it, she noticed a presence behind her. Likely another student in need of refreshment, she could almost feel the agitation radiating from the newcomer. Agitated or not, Oliviaer had reached the vending machine first and the presence would simply have to wait its turn. Her choice of beverage was a peculiar sort of cold tea in a purple bottle, a drink that Oliviaer had never seen before in Atlas. Intrigued, she had opted to try it. Upon twisting off the lid and taking a sip, Oliviaer noted the pleasantly sweet flavour, followed by a subtle bitter aftertaste. At this point she could hear the figure behind her tapping their feet against the ground, and she turned to face them.

To Oliviaer’s surprise, the agitated figure was one of the girls she had seen earlier, the armoured girl with the chain belt. Oliviaer had considered her as a possible ally for when teams were chosen, as she seemed to be a competent fighter. The girl was rather short up close, almost a whole foot shorter than Oliviaer herself, and she could barely see the girls deep crimson eyes beneath her head. Oliviaer watched the girl with her ever-present steely gaze, then suddenly dropped her attaché case to the floor with a heavy thud. With one of her hands now free, Oliviaer offered a hand towards the girl. Her father always said that it was polite to shake someone’s hand upon greeting. Regardless of whether or not the hooded girl took the hand, Oliviaer proceeded to pick up her attaché case wordlessly step out of the girl’s way. She no more than a couple of meters away before turning back to the girl, watching her in silence as she finished her peculiar drink. Upon completion of the cold beverage, Oliviaer crushed it in her clawed left hand, scrunching it up into a ball of aluminium. Her grip released and the ball fell the floor, however before it could reach its destination one of Oliviaer’s legs lifted. Her ankle suddenly thrust out, impacting the aluminium and sending it hurtling towards the hooded girl. There were no hostile intentions behind Oliviaer’s action, she simply saw it as a quick way to test the possible ally’s reaction time. Taking note of the result, she continued to wordlessly pick up and dispose of the ball where-ever it had ended up, then proceeded to head towards the airship’s exit as it began to land.

Once the landing had been completed, Oliviaer disembarked. She walked a short distance through the open area outside the school, taking in her surroundings and examining the entrance. The area was very open, with a main path leading forward to a fountain, accompanied by large grassy flats to either side. The scene painted a peaceful and surprisingly natural picture, as opposed to the images she had seen of Atlas’ imposing fortress-like academies. Oliviaer waited by the entrance for several minutes on her scroll, taking pictures and otherwise occupying herself as students proceeded to arrive and head towards the hall where new students were directed. In the case that her suspicions were correct she wanted to make sure her equipment was working and combat ready for any sort of challenge right away. She waited until she was sure most of the students had disembarked already so that nobody could watch her and see her weapon in use, which could potentially disadvantageous if she had to duel anyone once inside.

Taking one last glance around to satisfy herself, Oliviaer pressed a hidden button on the handle of her attaché case and pushed her hand down into it. The case expanded, twisted and writhed as its shape rapidly changed, first shifting up onto her forearm and locking itself in place, then expanding out the bottom as the blade began to take shape. A few seconds later Brünstad was complete, its revolving magazine completing a rotation before resonating a loud click. Oliviaer gave the weapon a few practice swings, adjusting to its familiar weight and size. She nodded satisfactorily and began effortlessly swinging the bulky weapon once more, much faster this time. Her body shifted and spun while her legs remained in motion to keep the momentum of the weapon going, redirecting the blade with careful twists and the guidance of her gauntleted arm. The girl continued to do so for a full minute before she finally began to slow, the heavy blade resting against the path once it had come to a stop. Oliviaer pressed a button inside the weapon and Brünstad began reverting to its inert form. Giving her shoulder a quick roll, the gainsboro grey girl continued towards the hall, a dark, bulky case in her hand.