234 Entering the Academy 1/4

Those few, slow individuals who had not yet descended the stairs were assaulted by a collection of projectiles ranging anywhere from arrows to javelins, all with blunt tips, all launched with enough force to crack bone. All victims were flung down the stairs. Jackal grabbed everyone he could and dragged them down the stairs, taking a few heavy blows to his arms in the process.

Thomas was the second to react by yanking Elero and Frey away from the hail of metal. The projectiles didn't stop even after every single student was down the stairs, a demonstration of their enemy's strength and numerous resources. The class crouched low. Most of the commoners leaned against the stairs and coughed, holding their bruised chests, while the nobles rushed to the sides of the building and talked among themselves, some already circling the building with their weapons drawn.

"Are you ok?" Thomas asked his two companions.

Elero yanked her braces off, tearing small sections of skin away in the process: "Nope," she snarled. "I've had it. I am not ok. Meet me inside when you're ready." And just like that she followed the nobles and stormed her way inside, cursing under her breath. "I need to see what I can do on my own, how far I've come. Just this once. I'm sorry."

"What's her problem?" Frey asked as he helped Thomas up. "I mean I'm pissed too, but not like that. We can't be divided like this."

"Nope," Thomas coughed. "We probably shouldn't do that, not yet. She's really been on edge ever since she found out Jackal was Trak. I can smell something eating away at her. I'm not good with people but maybe if she takes it out on those guys, she'll calm down."

"You sound like Doevm," Frey chuckled. "Always with these weird analogies, almost like you guys can literally smell the rage in a person."

"I've never heard him say something that but let's take this chance and get some weapons." Thomas gestured to the numerous projectiles on the ground.

Frey raised an eyebrow. "You know, what were you doing while me and Doevm were fighting."

"I was told I ran away for a long time."

A bright burst of blue life essence drew their attention to Jackal's left arm, bruised from the blunt arrows. The arm healed within moments. Although Thomas could have sworn both Jackal's arms get hit, the other arm didn't have a mark on it. Jackal turned to Eugene: "Did you catch how many there were?"

Dag drew a dagger and twirled it around his lacerated finger: "But that's just the first floor. If I were to set up an ambush, I would spread the troops all around the Knight's Academy in order to cover every entrance. Although, if it were me, I would have poisoned the arrows and kept them sharp."

Dag got closer to Jackal and Eugene and drew his other dagger. "Then, knowing where people would enter from, I would dig holes to jump out of out." He stabbed both daggers into the ground directly below Eugene and Jackal and when he pulled them out only dirt clung to his blade. He scowled and licked the blades clean.

Everyone who witnessed this bizarre display tilted their heads to the side. He only shrugged: "Force of habit. Assassins must keep their blades clean…or he'll strap me in the chair again." He shivered. His eyes widened before returning to their perpetually narrowed state. "No more." He took out a small briefcase and pulled out a cotton and a vial of green liquid. As he applied a coating of venom to his daggers, he said, "Where's Molly?"

"Alexander took her before he left," Jackal replied.

"I…" Eugene adjusted his glasses. "Didn't see that."

Jackal smiled and pat him on the back: "Well I only noticed because of my good eye…sight. Molly is probably needed because of her status. General Von…My father will keep me informed."

Eugene pushed up his glasses but they slid right back down the bridge of his nose. He clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath, "I thought I fixed this model," before looking back at Jackal and Dag. "Now they might be a little more numerous if I am to estimate what they have upstairs, but we are stronger. If we rush them, we can win."

"That's all I needed to hear," Dag said as he rushed over to the steps but Jackal caught him by the back of his collar.

Jackal smiled: "Not yet. We first need to make a plan with everyone. We should conserve our strength and then take them down. To start that, we all need to be on the same page." He looked over to Thomas who, along with Frey, was picking up the various projectiles strewn about the ground.

"Where is the freak?" Dag stepped forward and jabbed a finger towards them.

"Oh she went inside…" Thomas said as he shoved a bundle of throwables into his spatial ring. "Like the other nobles." He pointed to where the nobles previously were, drawing the gazes of the commoners, who had all been waiting patiently for Jackal's orders. "You see she isn't really in a good mood."