476 CHPT 476: HEADLINING; The Next Generation

Wednesday March 4th, 2241. Ra Stadium Complex, The Sunlandian Province of Cairo....

The first day of The Slayers World Tournament had been survived. And enough information to fill a forest with Wild Magic was gathered. And still.... so much more slithered beneath the soil. All in a days work, nonetheless.

Two Lupines of Remus operated out in the open. Samuel-- who didn't show officially, and Bengal-- a nickname. Claude saw the stripes appearing like the spread of ink beneath his skin in the midst of his transformation. There were more-- but not that he could see. And for Claude, there were times he could see everything. Hell, he could see people's life energy.

Speaking of the..... things that looked like cats weren't native to FeliAlu City....

That or they followed. Wouldn't be the first time a magical feline decided to travel hundreds of miles to wade into his mess of a life.

Only, there was something off about them and their energy.

Very much unlike, The Dominator. She was on. She was exactly how he'd fantasized-- imagined. If he met her first he'd never understand the saying "never meet your heroes." She stood on her own teachings and understandings. Ronin and The Red Knight told her of Claude. She went and found him herself.... told him what she saw. It wasn't what everyone else was told to see.

Even if she wasn't a friend, she wasn't a foe either. She was unapologetically herself. Gritty, hard, experienced, playful in her dangerous aura. Their conversation was one of many layers. She put him down, she told him he didn't live up to his hype. She was calm and explosive. Imposing and easily missed. She was prophetic in a pizza shop.

There were so many layers to the singular encounter. And few of them good omens. Even so, as he wrote a letter while hanging upside down from a branch beside Loba, he felt invigorated. Just like the painting back at the C.S Academy. She was inspiring.

Then again, maybe that was the current state of his life. Drawing the good from being hawked down by world level powers.

Oh well. Another day another battle. All he could do was ready his weapons.

Claude ended the letter and folded it up. The paper was rough on his fingers, causing the tips to go ashy from it's tough surface. He slid his pen beneath the metal bracer on his forearm and bucked his legs, flipping off the tree to land on the ground below soundlessly.

The animals within the forest with him moved. There weren't many. A phenomenon he was reminded of as he listened. It didn't have an exact name or explanation but it could easily be called Tamer's Plight.

The stronger one became-- the higher one climbed, the more difficult it became. A snowball effect that Beast Tamers have the most to lose in.

For some, hiding behind your legendary tame won't work in a Silver Ranked Tangent of Kobolds. They'll draw you out with traps or shoot you down as they fly overhead. And if it does and your companion dies, your mind is never the same.

The Silver Reapings draw out Beast Tamers like moths to a flame. Prof. Raizen told him so.

Only the survivers remained in the forest with Claude.

"Let's keep surviving..." Claude said as his eyes glowed like the trees. His voice spoke human words, but an entirely different language ran along the undertones.

The forest writhed with his communicative magics, soaking into the many furs and fangs residing.

Wings flapped and cut through the foliage until a NightHawk landed on Claude's shoulder. Its feathers were a silver ended shade of black. Light armor lined the bone of its wings, covering its length and ending in feather shaped blades.

Its jittery sudden movements reminded him of Blackbeak.

Claude held up the folded paper and the avian war creature bit down on the paper before flying off on it's bladed wings mumbling out screeches of the word survival. It seems it heard both languages....

Once Cassidy received the letter, he could take it to Rollan in good time. And then maybe his question about the name Fiara could be answered.

"[Damn hybridization. If we were mixed with less beings born of the wild, maybe we'd have a memory more akin to the Wolves we liken ourselves to. We'll just have to settle with our sense of direction for now, I guess.]"

"Does that mean Lupines of Remus...."

"[Yes. Their memory is incredible. But it too has it's drawbacks much like ours. Or so I've heard.]"

The winds suddenly blew through the forest, pulling him out of his mind at the scents of enemy Lupines.

"Claude." Ursula's voice entered his mind.

"Talk to me." She was gone for quite a while, something was up.

"Come to the stadium."

And so the day began.

Claude shook up with Frosty, hugged Loba and bumped heads with Diamondback before heading out into the brightest stretch of dawn he'd ever seen.

Sleeping in a forest full of those like himself just did something to him. On the inside. His joints felt loose. His muscles springy and explosive. If tensions weren't so high he'd be happy.

But, the stadium grounds were already filling with reporters, and the New Glorian students huddled off to the side around Prof. Raizen and Prof. Alvis. He was new.

Claude joined up with Ursula and the others at the back of the line.

All he needed to do was look at her and scent the air to know what was coming.

"So.... thankfully, another one of our lost students has been found. Unfortunately, only one. I'd like you all to give Samuel Leon the respect and space he deserves in these times. Not only will reporters be all over him, but so will other student teams. Have his back and he'll have yours."

Prof. Raizen and Prof. Alvis looked over to the sound of growing footsteps.

Samuel walked in the shadows cast by the walls surrounding the stadium floors. Reporters followed distantly like a horde of zombies on leashes.

Just like the last time Claude saw him, he looked like a complete reversal of his old self. Dirty, dark, rotten. Well actually, he looked like himself truly for the first time. His University uniform fit him snugly-- he didn't gain much weight at all.

He came to a stop beside Prof. Raizen. Claude immediately noticed some of the student's nostrils scrunch up at the smell. Whatever Samuel was getting himself into couldn't be washed away with a shower. Or hidden with his usual smug charm.

"Long time no see everyone. Despite my absence, I've kept up with my trainings. Much like the others who've disappeared. I'll pull my weight.... and whichever group of students I find myself leading in combat, stay out of the way." The grass around Samuel's feet turned to black ash in a flashfire gust of purple light.

Prof. Alvis jumped with a frightened giggle.

Prof. Raizen nodded, "Now that we're clear, you may begin media day. Be intelligent out there, the things you say here can follow you for the rest of your career. Make it count and enjoy this time between combat. But don't relax."

All of the students passively agreed before slowly dispersing. Claude could hear their whispers as they left.

Questions of Claude's involvement.... exoneration. He wasn't the psycho angry werewolf myth he used to be and all it took was Samuel looking dirty.

"Figures." Claude thought as the crowd disappeared.

Samuel remained. Ursula too. The rest of the group hovered but only one person spoke.

"Incredible." Prof. Alvis said once Prof. Raizen ran off to stop Chase from antagonizing a group of reporters that didn't want to talk to him, Conroy, Stella and Goren.

Claude, Ursula and Samuel didn't respond to him.

Hesitantly he moved, studying Samuel and the others.

"Nature is u-nkind....." He started, "A-and the.... uhhh-- unkind can be transformative..... hehe.... that's the rest of the saying. That was the whole point of my thesis when I st-started t-this line of....w-work." Prof. Alvis said.

Still nothing. Even as the stadium grounds grew louder with early morning activity.

"You...yo-u've all b-been.... ac-climated t-to the wild..... you may n-not even be..... hhehe.. considered r-regular Reborn anymore...."

"Alvis, shut up." Samuel managed.

Before he could say anything more in his defense, a swarm of reporters and journalists consumed him to get to them.

"Well, Samuel Leon, son of Ronin, you're already getting reconnected with old teammates, huh?" They all looked from Samuel to Claude and Ursula.

Claude could've barfed. Or mauled the journalist.

Samuel smiled, "Something like that."

"Well. Why don't you all introduce yourselves. I hear New Gloria looks better this year than the last few!"

And with that, Interviews started.

***

Claude went through the rest of the day sticking to the walls, weaving in and out of the massive crowds to avoid Journalists and Interviewers where he could. It was pretty easy anyway since most of the students and Interviewers had a symbiotic relationship of sorts. They wanted to be questioned-- they wanted to build their image. Such a task was directly tied to guild sponsorships and fame.

He was suddenly reminded of what the Enforcers called Heroes.

Glory Hounds.

He could see the sentiment as he leaned against the walls of the west side of the Stadium grounds. Hundreds of ego's swelled at the center. Students looking to perform and inform. Interviewers looking for their next cash cow. Their next big break.

One of them split from the crowd.

She made a b-line straight for him. He didn't need Lupine vision to see how much younger and inexperienced she was from the other Journalists.

As she left the horde, she struggled to gather her jumbled papers and rolling pens on her pad. She looked exhausted but the excitement on her face fought its way to the surface. Her brown hair was tied into it's usual high and tight bun. She wasn't wearing her usual work clothes though. Instead she opted for a simple pair of black pants and a long sleeve blue sweater. It matched her eyes.

She came to a stop in front of him.

"Ilka?"

She made a confused face and pointed at him, "Y-you're Claude, right?"