A wet, lukewarm sensation on his face greeted Rafe as his eyes struggled to open. Though, instead of the sizzling agony he’d expected to wake up to, it was cool and admittedly pleasant.It didn’t mean he was any less freaked out because when his vision unblurred, the sight of a large, furry, whiskered face with small, beady, and unblinking eyes amid a black mask welcomed him. Its arm, long, mechanical, and definitely looking like it shouldn’t be attached to it moved up and down as it wiped his face down with a wet cloth.Whatever the substance was, it wasn’t water, but it was soothing.“I’ve had strange nightmares before, but this certainly is new,” he muttered to himself, laying still on what he realized was a maroon bean bag. “This place is fucking with my head.”“You don’t say?”That made him wince. Suppressing a gasp, he turned his head to the left to find Bones sitting some feet away, tinkering with a couple of metal parts and tools at his desk near the window.“Y-You? But what h
“Pardon the interruption, students. Froddgenskaenn, please report to the administration’s office immediately. Froddgenskaenn, please report to the administration’s office immediately. Thank you.”The announcements went off the second Rafe, Andre, Joe, and Daeran walked into the Crystal Grotto for homeroom. As the four made their way toward the front, Frodd trudged nervously in the opposite direction. In those few seconds, a myriad of emotions passed through each of their faces. Rafe glared, Andre gazed back sorrowfully, Joe looked knowing, and Daeran stared blankly. Frodd’s face cringed, glints of shame in his eyes before he sped-walked out of the cave.All the while, the rest of the first-years were oblivious to the brief spike in tension, merrily chatting the minutes down until the start of their first class.As they went to sit down in the first row, Rafe pivoted toward Daeran. “Hey, man. You have a handle over that invisibility move, right?”The brunette blinked in surprise. “Y-Ye
“So, is this a sleepover party, or…?” Blond Fohawk, who Andre learned was named ‘Niall’ while being dragged to a whole other island, drawled, slouched against the red velvet couch across from the young wolf.Yeah. Fortunately for Andre, he knew he was still in the Ash Lands, but unfortunately, they were far from the Ironward campus. Its familiar scent of sand and rosé forestry gradually lessened in potency as he was smuggled blindfolded across a quarter of the archipelago.Now, he found himself tied up with anti-magical binds, as Caid called it, in an admittedly comfortable wing chair, eyes anxiously flitting between the three vampires and the fancy living room he was in. Honestly, he wasn’t expecting anything less. It was impressive how vain vampires could be.“What do you mean ‘sleepover’?” Caid balked. “This is the bait-and-kill method I told you about. The puppy’s friends will eventually notice he’s gone and’ll come running. Then, the moment they find him, we’ll leap from the sh
“Seriously, guys,” Andre spoke as they walked back on familiar campus grounds after being teleported near the Diner by Rexel’s WardNav. “I can’t thank you enough for the save.”His eyes rested on Bones the longest, which the brooding boy noticed.He scoffed quietly. “Once is enough.”Andre’s smile didn’t waver a single inch. “I don’t know much about you, but I know you wouldn’t go out of your way for no reason. So, thanks again.”It made the dark-haired first-year stop short for a millisecond, his expression shifting with surprise before he hid it with another huff. “Again, I was there at the Diner when I saw you get kidnapped and figured I’d… ‘pay off a debt’?”“Oh, yeah!” Joe perked up. “Rafe told me about how Andre saved you from getting crushed during their orientation.”Bones’ lips pursed in growing indignance, although, a slight blush tinted his cheeks. “And now we’re even. I’m minding my own business from now on.”Rudy chuckled as he saddled up to the young engineer, giving him
Tiny, black ants crept ever so slowly across her arms and back. That was the best way to describe the current state of Lindsay Warlane’s nerves as she anxiously maneuvered through the large space of Ironward Academy’s main building. Seriously, who could find anything in this place? Not only was she a dainty, little thirteen-year-old freshman, but she was surrounded by older, mean-looking upperclassmen who paraded around in massive groups, obviously knowing the ins and outs of the place and were probably internally laughing that the first-years getting lost like lambs.Lindsay sighed and brushed her blue hair back, trying to calm herself in some way. It had been cool in elementary school, using magic to dye it indigo because she loved the beach as a kid, hoping to reflect its waves in her style, but now there were girls with snakes for hair – the gorgons – and others that could literally shift into gorgeous-looking animals. She wondered if there were any liger-“You lost?”Despite the
News truly did become old quite fast in Ironward.The next afternoon, the main building cafeteria was bustling with activity, but, according to Andre’s ears, hearsay of the burning of the first-year dormitories was apparently a thing of the past. More interesting rumors have made their way to the forefront.Now, Rafe, Andre, Joe, Daeran, and Frodd were seated around each other, attempting to shape the coming days of the fight up ahead.“No.”The redheaded barbarian pouted at the blond superhuman. “Come on, lad!”“I dunno,” Joe chuckled as he chewed on his meal – something called moonberry waffles. “Sounds pretty cool. Strength in numbers and all that, right?”Rafe rolled his eyes as he responded to Frodd’s whining. “Dude, I barely know anyone not sitting at this table right now. I don’t think making a big speech about ‘tearing down the status quo’ just a month into starting our first year here is gonna pan out.”“Plus, those guys showed that they were willing to stoop to…” Andre swall
I just wanted to look at the plants.Andre repeated this to himself even as his pursuers howled and growled behind him, taunting as five rowdy teenagers looking for a victim to beat on chased their prey through the soggy vegetation of the forest. Coming out here all alone was already a bad idea, already knowing in the back of his dark brown-haired head that they would follow him, but he couldn’t be afraid forever.Plus, as long as he was compliant, they never went too far with extracting their jollies from the eventual thrashing.“Ye aren't aff tae git far, bleeder!”That heavy Scottish inflection belonged to Jarekid Fenrisulfur. Son of the alpha of the Graybite Tribe and Andre’s longtime tormentor. It was almost like an obsession the way the burly eleven-year-old went after his nine-year-old tribemate. Of course, he sounded way closer than the others.Still, the younger boy galloped on all fours, hurriedly weaving through the famous twisting trees and curling shrubs. The edges of Gra
4 Years Later Dock town afternoons were chockfull of noises that got every busybody rolling. The purposeful and purposeless chatter of workers and neighbors. The drumming of wood as the residents moved down the waterfront boardwalk. The rushing waters as boats sailed to and from the harbor. But what really livened up the day was the sounds of brawling. Thwack! Fwoosh! Zoom! The spectacle that accompanied these noises was a sight to behold. It was not often the populace of Outville Piers got to watch a thirteen-year-old kid duke it out with three robots. However, over the year, since there wasn’t much for the youth to do in the harbor, it became one of the few entertaining things others tuned into to alleviate the boredom. “Let’s go, Rafe!” “Rip them apart!” That’s exactly what happened as Rafe sprinted upon the water like a stone skipping across the lake to lodge a foot into an automaton in the guise of a middle-aged veteran male with a missile launcher for a right arm. The bo