I'm gonna wait for at least 1 character app before going onto the next chapter. So please show your support for my first fan-fic people!

Live was good in the New Owlite Academy. Keine had access to many luxuries that other knights-in-training could only dream of having, all owing to the intellect he had showed in the presence of Professor Yeno. While other knights trained under the searing heat of the sun, Keine and other students of the academy lounged in the cool library flipping through pages of precious tomes, informative textbooks and the occasional ficton serial. Adding to that, training for actual battle was done in Combat Simulators, where students could test their skills against virtual enemies in varying generated terrain.

Keine sighed contentedly as he closed ‘The complete manual of Minerals and Gates’. After finishing his little read he decided that training would be the best thing to do for the rest of the morning. However, he didn’t feel like using a Combat Simulator that day. Instead, he went to the library elevator and headed down to one of the professor’s quarters.

Professor Arc was not the kind of person that talked too much. He was quiet and reclusive, never saying a word unless absolutely necessary. However, when he did speak, he spoke with such intelligence that one would often wonder why he didn’t share all that knowledge openly. There was also one thing about Arc that only a few knights knew about-he could fight.

That was exactly the reason why Keine wanted to meet him. Arc could probably teach him a few tricks about how to swing a sword, or maybe some tips on how to aim a gun. When Keine was finally at the professor’s door, he jovially knocked on it and patiently waited for a reply. It came when the door finally opened as Arc went to check who was at her door.

“Morning Professor!”

“Keine. Yes, good morning. Next time just call me Arc, okay?”

That was a part of Arc that Keine loved. Usually, professors would make a huge fuss whenever students didn’t acknowledge their rightful title. However, whenever Arc was addressed he insisted that everyone call him by his first name.

“Hey, could you teach me a bit about combat? I mean, you do have quite a bit of ability, and the simulators get kind of boring after a while.”

Arc hesitated, but quickly went back to his calmer state of mind as he replied.

“Teach you about combat? Oh, no. I’m afraid that I can’t do that. My style of combat is different from the usual.”

“But that’s why I want to learn it! Your style is unique! I don’t like the usual hack and slash routine. I want to learn something different!”

Arc sighed. Keine had spirit, and he liked that. However, he was still unsure on the subject of teaching Keine how he fought. After arguing with Keine for a good time, he finally agreed to teach him something.

“But only one lesson got it?”

“Yeah, okay.”

Keine was a little disappointed. He had wanted to learn everything about how Arc fought, or rather how he used to fight. Arc once said something about being some kind of ‘specialist’ before he came to the academy. What kind of specialist would be qualified to teach in the New Owlite Academy? Was he a geo-knight in the past? They had quite a bit of knowledge, so maybe that was why he was accepted.

“Statuses,” Arc began, “do you know what statuses are?”

Keine was intrigued. Every knight knew what statuses were, so why was Arc asking whether he knew what they were?

“Yeah, I know them.”

Arc took one step towards Keine before talking again.

“I am going to teach you about statuses.”

“What? But I already know-“

“No, you don’t. Statuses are very tricky things to master. Usually, knights are simply told to avoid getting hit by them, and to hit their opponents with them. However, very few knights are truly dedicated to using effects as their primary weapon in battle.”

“Wait, in what way has this got to do with-“

“Have you studied each of the statuses?”

“Yeah, but-“

“Name me what is generally known as the strongest status.”

Keine frowned. Usually Arc would never talk that much, and even stranger was that all of the talking was surrounding the topic of statuses. He had come only to learn a few tips on how to fight, hoping for even more lessons in the future. However, it seemed that Arc was determined to give an entire lecture right there and then, and so Keine decided to go along with it.

“It is widely acknowledged that the curse status has the most severe effects, and therefore the curse status is generally known as the strongest status.”

Arc closed his eyes, thinking. Keine wondered if he had said something wrong, and started to search his mind for any facts that he might have gotten wrong. However, his thoughts quickly dissipated when Arc finally said something.

“That is false.”

“Excuse me?”

“Curse is the strongest status? That’s a lie. Every single status is powerful in a unique own way, and so nobody can determine which status is the best.”

“Wait, then what about-“

Keine stopped as Arc raised his hand to silence him. The professor made his way towards the door before finally speaking.

“Come. I will show you what I mean.”

Confused, Keine followed Arc to the elevator and waited as they started to descend into the depths of the academy.

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Depth nine. The deepest depth of New Owlite Academy, and now Keine was there. He was still puzzled by Arc’s decision to go there. Depth nine was a restricted area, with a whole lot of confidential information kept in locked libraries and vaults, constantly guarded by knights.

Arc lead Keine through long corridors, going in zigzag patterns through rooms with steaming engines until they reached a dead end. Keine felt furious. Why did Arc lead him all that way just to stop in front of a wall with these weird controls?

“Wait here,” Arc commanded.

Arc walked up to the wall and started to move levers into different positions. This was then followed by punching in strange codes into the system, and then switching a few gears into reverse. When Arc was finished, the wall started to creak into life. Different sections went different ways, with steam spouting out from some areas and the wall slowly opened up to reveal a hidden passageway. So the rumours were true! There were secret rooms hidden around the academy!

“Arc, is this a secret room? How did you know about it?”

“I use this room to relax. Sometimes, the academy is too noisy, and so I come here. It’s quiet and here I can polish my fighting skills.”

“How big is it?”

“Spacious enough for a Lockdown game.”

“Do we really need that much space? I mean, all I wanted was a little practice.”

“I am considering,” Arc started. “Imparting all my skills and knowledge to you.”

Keine stepped back, shocked. Earlier Arc had said he was going to teach him just this once, and now he was saying that he wanted to teach him EVERYTHING he knew!

“Wait, what? But I thought you said-“

“On our way here, I started to think. One day, I won’t be able to undertake those elite missions anymore, and so a new generation of Status Specialists must be trained.”

“Status Specialists?”

“We specialise in using status effects as our main weapon. While other knights go in and dish out the brunt of the damage, a truly successful team utilises statuses. Statuses are the ones that soften up the enemy and open up a whole lot more of vulnerable spots. That’s why we specialise in using it, and soon you will as well.”

“Whoa, this is going a little too fast! I still have my normal classes and my combat training-“

“I’ve seen you in Combat Simulators. Your fighting style is very similar to ours. It will not succeed when you use it in the normal, damage dealing way, but it will if you use it our way.”

Keine wanted to rationalise that statement, but then he also wanted to quickly say yes. It was true, he had always found himself struggling in combat with the style he had. He had tried to change it, but it seemed to be ingrained into his very being. He started to think, and soon he came to a decision.

“Alright, but how will you get me to skip those classes I’m going to miss?”

“I have my ways,” Replied Arc. “Now, follow me.”

As they reached the end of the short passageway, the walls started to move again. Each chunk started moving into place and sealed off the entrance along with the rest of the tunnel. When Keine saw the room, he knew Arc wasn’t joking when he said that it was large enough for a Lockdown game. The place was huge! There was greenery in the room, with trees and bushes at the sides around the white metal floor, and in the middle was an area in the where huge stocks of vials were kept.

“Wow, this place looks great!”

“Yes, I know. Here, take this.”

Arc walked over to the station full of vials and tossed bright orange one over to Keine, who caught it with ease.

“Now,” Began Arc, “Let’s begin your training.”

I just needed him to talk more to fulfill a 'teacher' role.

Farwill sat peacefully under the tree, his Wolver Chapeau hiding his eyes from the sun. He never did like the design of the usual Wolver set, and so he had modified his into a chapeau and tabard, believing that it improved his efficiency in fencing. He kept his two Flourishes sharp and clean, prepared for any battle he might face at any time.

Farwill stood up and took a look around. He spotted the person he was waiting for strolling towards him, looking at a peaceful pack of wolvers running around in the distance. Farwill walked towards him and started to speak.

“Raluen! What took you so long?”

“Sorry, I was busy getting my new clothes made,” Raluen responded. “It’s like a two starred version of the Gunslinger set!”

“Why didn’t you just get the actual Gunslinger set? It would have been just a little more expensive, and would be so much more efficient!”

“Well, that’s because each piece of this set of armour has a unique variant,” Raluen smirked. “Handgun damage bonus medium!”

“Whoa, that’s really rare! How did you manage to get it?”

“Oh, some Gremlin knew how to craft that specific unique variant, and all he wanted were a few Drake Scales.”

Although he was slightly envious of Raluen’s ease in acquiring the unique variants, he forced himself not to show it. He had learnt in the past that showing any form of negative emotion would give his opponent the upper hand, especially if his opponent was somebody he used to train with every day. Being trained in the elite Precision Union had its drawbacks and benefits. In exchange for undergoing a harsh, strenuous training routine, squires graduated earlier than other knights-in-training with the uncanny ability of almost never missing a blow.

Now, the two of them were about to graduate. However, they still had to undertake their final examination. As they waited for their superiors to give them the test through a Command Reciever, they took the time to care for their weapons. While Farwill was busy smoothing out the rougher edges of his two swords, Raluen’s dark purple eyes stared intently at his Autogun, Prismatech Alchemer and Shadowtech Alchemer as he meticulously polished the already clean guns.

What would their mission be? That thought kept popping into their heads until they finally heard a voice coming from the device on the ground.

“Your mission has been decided. In order to graduate from the rank of squire, the two of you have been assigned to investigate a mysterious anomaly in Gloaming Wildwoods. A Snarbolax that had once been friendly towards knights has undergone a sudden change in attitude. Once peaceful, this Snarbolax is on a rampage, showing clear hostility towards passing knights. Your mission is to investigate the cause of this change and, if necessary, eliminate the Snarbolax.”

No sooner had the voice stopped speaking did the duo stand up and started making their way to the Haven Arcade. Their mission was clear, and there shouldn’t be any problem with it. However, the high possibility of a third party acting in the situation was taken into consideration by the two, and they were prepared to face whatever challenges they faced along the way.

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Gloaming Wildwoods was bright. That brightness made Raluen nervous. As much as sunshine was something that made people jovial and comforted, it didn’t suit the ecosystem of Gloaming Wildwoods. Bright rays of sunshine was something that would upset anybody sleeping, so how much more a Snarbolax that had spent most of its life in the shadows?

“Something’s definitely not right here”, Farwill started to share his suspicions. “Naturally, this amount of sunlight would have never been able to enter Gloaming Wildwoods. A sentient force is probably at work here.”

However, something else bothered the two squires even more. The woods were devoid of the familiar rambling of wolvers and chromalisks! Now THAT was a reasonable cause for worry. Something was tearing the ecosystem apart, for some unknown reason.

“Raluen, I have a very bad feeling about this”

“We need pick up our pace! We need to hurry over to the lair!”

As the the duo raced across Gloaming Wildwoods, their concern and fear started to grow as nothing tried to stop them. The trip to the lair was too smooth, too easy. Something horrible was at work there, and the two couldn’t help but consider calling for backup. However, they decided that it was best to push on, and get to the bottom of the situation first.

After a while, they started to slow down. Both Farwill and Raluen had their weapons at the ready by then, already suspicious of every detail surrounding them. However, what they soon found lying dead underneath a tree shocked them to such a degree that they stopped dead in their tracks.

“It’s a baby Snarbolax...” Raluen muttered. The limp, lifeless body stank of death, and Farwill started to throw up at the horrible fashion such an innocent creature was killed in.

“It’s horrible!” Farwill uttered the words weakly, feeling furious towards whatever had caused the death of the baby Snarbolax.

Gathering every ounce of willpower he had, Raluen crept closer towards the carcass and started to examine the body. Suddenly, he blurted out words that chilled both of them to the bone.

“This was done by a knight...”

“What? How is that possible?” Farwill now showed visible signs of outrage, his fist clenched tightly as he continued to utter. “No knight would ever harm a defenceless creature is such a brutal way!”

“These wounds were caused by gunfire and slashes from a blade, each blow dealt at torturous intervals. Only knights utilise such weapons, so the culprit has to be one!”

“But, who would do such a thing? This kind of behaviour is unacceptable; whoever did this must not go unpunished!”

“That may be easier than we thought. I have a feeling that the reason for the upsetting of our Snarbolax has some relation to the culprit.”

Their discussion was cut short as a shrill cry broke the relative silence in the air, followed by the great roar of a Snarbolax. Without speaking, the squires raced towards the source of the noise, determined to finally get to the bottom of the situation.

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A scene was unfolding in the Snarbolax’s lair. On one side the Snarbolax was in a defensive position, and behind it were three other baby Snarbolaxes, huddling together in fright. On the other side were three knights, each donning a strange, identical set of armour. Their helmets were coloured mainly scarlet, with black as its secondary colour. There was only one opening for the right eye, the other being covered by what was similar to half a helm mounted display. The body armour was of a similar colour as the helmet, with a modified crimson coloured striker pack at the back.

“Attack,” Commanded one of the knights. “Kill the young ones.”

As his two companions boosted towards the adult Snarbolax, it readied itself to chomp down on the aggresors. However, just before they got within the Snarbolax’s striking range, they quickly changed their course, flanking the beast and started to hack away at its offspring.

“NO!!!” Farwill jumped from his hiding spot, charging towards the two knights. It stopped the knights from slaughtering the last baby Snarbolax, and their apparent leader turned to the hostile newcomer.

“Damn, we have been discovered,” The leading knight turned to his subordinates. “Finish him and then finish the last one off. I’m going to report this to Qerois,” The knight turned to the snarling adult Snarbolax. “After I finish this off.”

The knight almost seemed to disappear as he boosted his way towards his target. He took his sword out in mid boost. It was a modified version of a Leviathan Blade, with a slightly thinner body and a red energy emanating from it instead of a blue one. Each stroke seemed like a flash, and after the knight finally stopped, the Snarbolax let out a final, defiant roar before crumpling to the ground, dead.

The knight then quickly boosted away, leaving the remaining two knights to finish the job. After seeing the skill of the other knight, Raluen knew that Farwill had probably no chance of winning the battle solo, and so he jumped out from where he was hiding and drew his Autogun.

One of the knights quickly separated from his partner and boosted towards Raluen. Raluen let loose a barrage of shots in hopes of it dealing enough damage to take it out in a single hit. It wasn’t that easy, and the knight dodged every shot that he took. Raluen was shocked. Every single round had just missed its target, and even worse yet the knight was now boosting towards him, his red Tempered Calibur lookalike ready to strike. Thinking quickly, Raluen whipped out his two Alchemers and started to take carefully aimed shots at him. This time, every shot hit its target, and the knight stumbled, crashing into the ground.

Meanwhile, Farwill was having a duel with the other knight. The knight’s blade clashed against his Flourish many times before Farwill started to back away from the aggressive blows. The knight was stronger than he was, so locking blades would be suicide. However, Farwill was quicker than his foe, and so all he had to do was bide his time until a vulnerable spot presented itself. That opportunity didn’t come for a long time, and each blow the knight dished out weakened him. However, those sessions of harsh training toughened Farwill to a point that he could retain his focus, never flinching even when he took the hardest of hits. After parrying several blows, and sometimes even taking a few direct hits, the opportunity that Farwill was waiting for finally presented itself. The knight grew cocky, and started to relax in his strikes, each becoming slower as he taunted Farwill. As the knight swung his blade overhead, Farwill jumped to the right, dodging the attack. He then quickly released furious swipes and lunges at his vulnerable opponent, knocking him back. Before he could recover, Farwill followed through with a fatal stab into the chest.

While Farwill emerged victorious over his battle, Raluen was finishing his own. As his foe struggled to his feet, he took out a handgun. It was a modified version of the Super Blaster, its blue colour replaced with red along with a slightly shorter and thicker barrel. The knight fired several rounds, which Raluen easily dodged. The knight acknowledged his adversary’s skill, and switched his tactics. He started to boost towards Raluen, stopping only a short distance away from him and fired his shots at near point blank range. However, Raluen was prepared for it, and quickly raised his Swiftstrike Bucker that blocked the rounds from reaching him. Raluen then used his Prismatech Alchemer to knock his opponent’s handgun away from his hand and pointed it straight at his head. Before he could take out his sword, Raluen took the shot, killing him.

The two squires took a long moment to catch their breaths, wondering if they had completed their mission. Well, they did find out the cause for the Snarbolax’s aggression, so technically they were no longer considered knights. As Farwill surveyed the battleground, he caught sight of the remaining Snarbolax baby whining pitifully beside its dead mother. He walked over to it, wondering how it was going to survive now. But even then, Farwill had already decided at the back of his mind what he was going to do. He was going to raise that baby Snarbolax.

The baby Snarbolax’s whines soon started to die down, having collapsed from exhaustion. Knowing that the baby would be much more secure with the being of its mother, Farwill started to collect the beast’s fangs, fur and spikes to make some equipment when they got back to Haven. He then picked up the sleeping bundle of fur and held it in his arms.

“I think I’ll name him Sunny.”

The two new knights sat there silently for a long time. It wasn’t until a figure in the distance started walking towards him did they finally get up. The knight looked at the bodies of the dead knights and Snarbolaxes before finally speaking.

“So, the two of you are the first ones to see his plan in action. I came here because it seemed like a place that he had started tampering with, but it’s too bad we still don’t know what his real plan is. However, this might shed some light on the matter. But still, you two seemed to have quite some skill! Follow me, I may have something planned for you...”

After Feron motioned for the two flabbergasted knights to follow him, the trio made their way to the elevator and ascended up back into Haven.

If you want your submission to be one of the main characters, have it use 2-3 star gear. You will have higher chance of getting the part as I intend to upgrade their gear over the course of the story.

School's just started so expect new chapters to come out more slowly. However, this is a perfect opportunity to let more people apply for a role. Right now it would be much appreciated if there were applications for a 2 star female knight specializing in elemental protection and damage, as well as a female analyst. Other than that, please keep those applications coming so I know that there are people interested in my story!

The details on character applications, giving you a list of potential characters you may want to onsider modelling on.

My friend. Yours is a complicated character, and so requires the introduction of a well educated individual to offer rebuttals to the idea of the scarf being magical.