Splashdown (Argence)

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**Description:** With dawn breaking and the new arrivals rested, the students begin their initiation into Ardent Academy. The lush green of the forests and crashing waters of River Rise hide dangers and threats they've yet to face. Even so, bravery begins with a single step into the unknown. Today partners meet, teams converge, and destiny begins.

**Splashdown**

By the time morning had broken, a small fraction of the ballroom sleepers had already awoken. Among them was Celina, though not willingly.  Though still bloated from the banquet the night before, she could feel the urge get on with the day. She rubbed her eyes and struggled to fight off the grogginess tempting her back into bed. Sighing, she steeled herself and brought her hand down to her inner thigh, pinching the soft skin. She jolted from the pain and winced, but now fully awake.

Quietly, Celina rolled up her sleeping bag and began tucking away her belongings. Around the room, the soft breathing of countless lungs filled the air. They provided an almost rhythmic pattern that she couldn't help but catch. Within moments, her bags were stuffed full once again. She hoisted them over her shoulders and began her careful trek back across the hall.

The rising sunlight trickled in through the tall glass windows, setting the marble floors aglow in gold. She allowed herself to bask in the beauty, filtering out the mismatched arms and legs that contrasted with the checkerboard tiles. Closing her eyes, Celina took a deep breath and seemingly inhaled part of the luminescence as it vanished into her body. She looked forward to being able to relive the same morning glow later in the day if she needed it.

Finally approaching the exit, she spotted familiar stalks of green pigtails. Her eyes peeked over the sleeping bag's edge to find Rosie, eyes shut and mouth wide open. Surely enough, Aurelia and Ylisse were right next to her, still fast asleep. Rosie's loud snoring didn't seem to disturb them in the slightest as they lay quiet and dignified. Given how close she set up by the door, Celina figured that they must have arrived pretty late. Smiling to herself, Celina stepped by and prayed that she might run into them again soon.

*Sleep well guys.*

Gently, she pushed open the doors and left.

Returning to the dining hall was much easier than in the night before. The darkened walkways were now lit with daylight showing a completely different kind of beauty in the grass and stone-paved paths. Still digesting the various foods from dinner, Celina slowed her pace. The brisk morning air slowly began to warm under the light of the rising sun. She inhaled, smelling pine within the breeze and the moisture condensing into the early dew.

"You're up early."

Dally peered out under the shade of a nearby tree. Celina couldn't help but think of old Vacuan wild west movies.

"Same to you. If I knew you were waiting, I would've taken my time."

"Try not to flatter yourself too much," he chuckled. "I'm always up by sunrise."

He sauntered over to Celina and they began walking towards the dining hall.

"Sleep well?"

"Eh, it was alright. I'm not use to not having roosters. First time I used an alarm in years."

"I don't suppose you spend every sunrise waiting under trees?"

"It's a special occasion. First day and all."

As they reached the cafeteria doors, Dally reached out and pulled the door open. Celina stared at him awkwardly before passing through.

"You've got some nice manners."

"Force of habit, really." He rubbed his neck uncomfortably. "My ma hammered them in pretty well."

The hall seemed to have doubled in size compared to the previous night. Without crowds of people lining up and down the room, the tiles and tables seemed to stretch on forever. Barely a fraction of the seats were taken, filled with other early birds and those still half asleep. The scent of pancakes, bacon, and other breakfast foods replaced the various smells of the previous evening. Wordlessly, Celina and Dally stepped across the floor towards the carts. After filling their plates with food, they settled on a table near the west wall where the morning light streamed through the glass.

Celina's eyes stared hungrily at her plate. Steak and eggs. She inhaled deeply, letting the scents breathe life into her before tearing into the meat. Dally, much less enthusiastically, followed in suit.

"Something tells me you aren't always up as early as you say," she said between bites, motioning at shaded bags underneath Dally's eyes.

He paused for a moment, swallowing. "I was hoping to run into someone there."

Celina raised an eyebrow gesturing at him to continue. As Dally gathered his thoughts, she spent no time off from cutting into her eggs and sausages.

"I didn't really come to Ardent to shoot Grimm and get famous. There's someone else from my hometown here the same age as us. She may not look like much, but she was the best shot within miles." He reached down and pat his six-shooters sitting in his holsters. "Even compared to me."

His eyes squinted through the light, locking onto something that wasn't there. Dally took another two bites of grilled tomatoes before mumbling on.

"You must think I'm a maniac for chasing a girl across the continent."

"Mmm, maybe a little. It's still kind of cute, you know, assuming that you aren't a stalker or anything."

"I don't think I am, but I'll keep that in mind."

Celina sat there and pondered Dally's story. She hadn't taken him to be the romantic type. His wide-brimmed hat and dusty boots painted a portrait of the carefree gunslinger she'd always read about. A man who followed only the wind without a care in the world. Yet, the boy sitting across from her had his own dreams, and one of them brought him across the nation chasing after a small chance of a fleeting hope.

She reached over and patted his shoulder firmly.

"I hope you find her, Dally."

The dining hall began to fill up with yawning faces and somewhat empty stomachs moments after Celina left the table. A trailing march of students stretched from the great hall across the campus, all guided by the promise of food. Unable to spot any familiar faces in the crowd, Celina parted ways with Dally and headed towards the main office of the campus to check her bags back in. The office lady greeted her with a smile and wished her luck with the initiation.

She took her weapon and clipped it magnetically to the back of her belt. Patting it, Celina smiled. She'd be ready for anything now.

The Main Hall took on a different atmosphere in the growing daylight. From the east side, the golden rays of the sun trickled in washing the room aglow. Celina took a seat on the far left of the room glad that she wasn't relegated to the back like yesterday. She kept her eyes peered to the doors hoping to find anyone familiar. At first, the purple haired bottomless stomach sauntered in yawning. Shortly after, the red eyed girl did as well. As the seats filled up, Celina finally saw Aurelia and the others close in. Spotting her, Aury waved and smiled and Celina did the same.

With all the freshmen finally seated, the stone doors closed and the tan professor stepped forward.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Professor Wallace Gingerman. Today, you will begin your Initiation into Ardent Academy. You will all be divided into 15 groups and spread across the maw to River Rise."

At his cue, a hologram projected the great river and forests below the school. Two smaller projectors shone two coin-like objects breaking into halves and then reassembling.

"Fragments of these relics are scattered about various shrines hidden in the landscape. Some will be in open clearings, some suspended in air, others in caves, and even some within the waters themselves. As you land, you will take the first peer you come into contact with as your partner. Each duo will need to secure only one relic fragment before returning to the academy. All in all, you will have a total of 8 hours to find a partner, retrieve your relic, and bring it back which should be more than sufficient time. As you know, should you fail, you will lose your place in the academy."

This news sent a wave of concern across the audience as murmurs spread around the room.

"However, I'm sure you will all do just fine. You are free to cooperate with any other pairs you come across, or, if need be, clash with them. This Initiation simulates a true hunter mission, and you should expect as much." He snapped his fingers and the first row of students on the right side glowed in a soft blue from the floor lights. "Group One will follow Professor Grayback out the back exit.

Grinning aggressively, Grayback raised his arm and beckoned for them to follow him out the back exit. The row shuffled off while the rest of the students waited anxiously. As soon as the doors shut behind them, a green light rose up from the first row on the left just a little ahead of Celina.

"Group Two will follow Professor Stilts out the main exit."

Much less enthusiastically than his predecessor, the balding man raised his arm and led the row out the stone doors.

The next three groups were led out ensuite by varying professors. Celina watched as they exited from different points around the building. Perhaps it was to keep them from seeing where each other went, she thought. At long last, a purple light enveloped Celina in her row.

"Group Six will follow Professor Gosling out the main exit."

Celina turned her gaze to the blonde nurse who saw her yesterday morning. Upon seeing Celina, they exchanged a quiet smile. As her row exited, she saw Aury give her another wave while Price and Dally gave her a thumbs up.

Outside, Celina looked at the others in her group from the corner of her eye. She didn't recognize any of them, and they didn't seem interested in each other. Silently, she regretted not having waited for the others. Hopefully they might meet up later.

Professor Gosling led them on the long walk back to the main academy. As they moved, Celina noticed various airships lift up from around the Main Hall wondering if they were ferrying off the remaining students. Arriving back at the campus, the professor led them down each set of stairs to the bottom floor sending a brief memory of yesterday through Celina's head. Professor Gosling led them onto the edges of the five major landing platforms leaving three at each one before closing the platform gates. Expectantly, the students looked around for some kind of transportation. A few moments after she had left, a timer appeared on each landing platform's monitor counting down from 18:13.

Celina looked at her two companions. One was a red haired bespeckaled girl and the other was a blue haired tan boy. Neither seemed to be interested in speaking, so she instead turned to view the sights. The roaring waterfalls diffracted the morning light. It was only now that Celina saw how beautiful the surrounding landscape was. The mountains stretched on beyond the horizons and trees sprawled across the land. It was no wonder airships were the only feasible route to and from the academy.

Noticing that the red haired girl was inspecting what appeared to be a collapsed bow, Celina and the boy took out their weapons as well. She polished the shield-like crescent blade and looked at her reflection. This was it. The big moment. She grinned confidently at herself.

At long last, the monitor's timer reached zero and Professor Gosling's cheery face took its place.

"Students," she chimed. "Welcome to your Initation. From here, you will enter River Rise below us and venture forward. You may begin at any time."

Confused, Celina and the other students looked around hoping to find some explanation. Around them were only railings and then the great drop to the waters below.

"Excuse me, Professor Gosling," a red haired girl said. "What exactly do we do here?"

Puzzled, she frowned, "Why, enter the forest of course."

"From up here?" the blue haired boy asked revealing a set of pointed teeth.

"Of course! You can't become an excellent huntsman or huntress without a good landing strategy. Everybody knows that!"

Several concerned gasps arose from the other platforms. The news left them at a loss on how to descend safely into the roaring waters and stony cliffside.

Shrugging, the blue haired boy removed his scarf. He stretched his neck revealing blue hued gills. Without delay, he leapt over the railings in a majestic flip and plunged straight into a stream of water on its way down.

Watching silently, the red haired girl flipped a switch. With a click, her collapsed bow expanded its limbs into something easily twice her size. She affixed a headless arrow from the quiver on her back and notched it. With a whirr, a cartridge drilled a pod-like head on the tip. Taking aim, the girl launched it straight into the forest itself. A trail of silvery dust trailed behind and froze a bridge of ice straight into the woods. She leapt up and began sliding down as the bridge crumbled behind.

Noticing that the other students were now making their own preparations, Celina swallowed. She was losing precious time while everyone else began working their way into River Rise, including those from other locations. Maybe Aurelia and the others were already there looking for her. She didn't have the luxury of wasting time here.

Celina climbed up on the railings. Her gaze traveled across the landscape and began to think that if worst came to worst, it wasn't a bad place to die.

As if.

Without another thought, she leaped.