78 INTO ANOTHER WORLD

Monday Afternoon August 10th, 2240. Combatives Class, The University of the Phoenix.

With the previous day ending on a….. weird note. Claude finished the evening with his friends. A day survived for what it was worth. He had a new weapon, the awkwardness was gone and he was focused.

Better yet, he didn't have any dark gods waiting for him in his dreams. Like they had been for the past week. Gone. Without a trace.

But of course, his life required balance. So, he was up before the sun. With the same haunting message.

"YOU'RE WEAK!"

"I know. I'm working on it." Claude said, hours later, as the message echoed while he stood in formation at his last class of the day.

"Psst!"

Claude turned around to find Naz standing behind him. She leaned forward and put a hand to his back.

"Today will be special. Today, we will become more strong. In mind…. In body….. in other areas." Naz whispered.

"You seem totally sure of this." Claude said.

"I am." Naz nodded. "Sometimes….. I dream."

Claude looked back at her, feeling her words were too on the nose.

"Before big moments, I see in my sleep. Back home— there were special mages called Visionaries. They could see before seeing. In the sand…. They could see what would be attacking from the sky. It's called…. Negi-ol. In my language, it means…. First-Sight."

"And you've had this First-Sight?"

Naz nodded and repeated, "Today will be special."

Claude hoped so. In the best way. For the next few minutes, he listened to the labored breaths of his classmates as they stood in formation. Muscles warmed. Armored tight tight— fitted over new muscle and unblemished skin. It wouldn't stay that way for long. They were in it now.

Frosty sneezed as he sat in front of him and began turning his head in confusion as he eyed the grass.

Claude leaned forward to see what was peaking the hounds curiosity.

He smiled.

Right below Frosty's sniffling snout, a dandelion stood alone in the grass.

"I wish you could join us." Claude thought. "The gods know a swarm of dryads would be a problem in any tangent….. or a lupine for that matter. I wonder how my dad is doing with Ms. Oracle. I hope they're ok."

His mental musings were cut short as the doors of the University leading onto the field swung open.

Everyone stiffened.

At the front of the formation, Claude was able to see the group first and without obscurity.

Prof. Brennan wore his usual cloak, only now, he had armored accents strapped over his university uniform. A silver gauntlet encased his forearm with a steaming red gem in its center. He wore a leather chestplate as well with a pauldron on his shoulder shaped like a dragon's wing. At his back, a great sword stood at an angle.

Beside him, Prof. Whitechapel moved in step. Naturally, he wasn't wearing his crappy old longcoat. Instead, he wore light leather armor. Standard. Nothing more than a reinforced chestplate, arm and shin guards. None of it was worn. Even the sword sheathed at his hip smelled like fresh metals.

Frosty snorted again and growled. This time it wasn't because of any flowers.

Behind them both, a student walked with heavy bones that made no sound. Even his alpha nightmare-beetle shell armoring in the form of Samurai garb shuffled without a sound. He was a giant. A stealthy giant with a bald tattooed head and a fuzed lower jaw that made him look entirely inhuman. And that was before adressing the question of how he wielded all four of his swords. Two great swords and two runewritten katanas.

The Champion of House Ronin. Salazar Grimm.

Claude could almost feel Samuel stiffen with a dark rage.

"Good afternoon, students." Prof. Brennan said as he stood before them.

Prof. Whitechapel nodded.

Salazar was a stone effigy. Formless, with a spiritual intensity.

"You all know what today entails. Your first official Tangent. But it won't be all bad. You're joined by a retired Gold-Ranked Hero, a Retired Freelance Mercenary with hundreds of completed quests and the current strongest student in the University, House Ronin's very own, Salazar Grimm. We have the tools you don't. Experience, foresight and the ability to wipe the whole tangent if such an action is called for." Prof. Brennan explained.

Claude calmed. "It's like the redwoods mission back at the academy. Only we're stronger."

"I take it you've all warmed up?"

"Yes, Professor!"

Prof. Brennan nodded, "Then form your teams, make a line, and get ready to move. For this tangent, I want basic team compositions since you all know the most formations with those positions."

Claude's mind went to work as the students broke formation.

"The standard team composition for Tangent runs is three offensive classes, one tank, one mage and one healer. Of the three offenses, we need one range, one speed and one burst. So, a good example would be a Knight, Swordsman, Archer, Tank and Healer." Claude thought as student bodies anxiously rushed around him.

"Well, you've got your tank spot filled." Ursula said from beside him.

"That's not the problem." Claude said, "I'm not really sure what class roll I fill anymore now that im not using swords." Claude looked down at his spear. "I guess I could be an archer."

"So, you will need another attacker then?" Naz cut through the clutter of students.

"Yea, actually."

She smiled, still radiating with the confidence of her First-Sight.

Trey ended up joining them as their healer. And Brink loudly injected his way into the group as Mage. For the next few minutes, they looked around for their Knight, watching as all the other teams centered themselves around the well rounded class.

Isaac— being the Sunlandian noble he was, was quickly surrounded by able bodied fighters with Darius, Stella, Enzo and one of the many large bodied tanks.

"We're cooked." Brink deflated as the students started lining up in mass.

"That was always obvious." Tai said as he passed them with his team of followers.

"Oh, you're talking again? That's unfortunate." Ursula said.

Tai held up the middle finger, "You should be grateful for who you'll have as Tank. He's good stock. I should know." Tai giggled as he joined the line.

"Wait what?" Claude looked to Ursula who was panicked as she stood on her tiptoes to look down the line facing the University open hallway heading outside.

"Dammit."

Samuel was back by the professors, speaking to Prof. Brennan the whole time. Fittingly that meant he was left out of everyone's choosing. Not that many would've willingly chosen him with his violent display the day before.

As a result, the Dark-Knight was on their team.

Ren and Frosty growled beside Claude.

"Relax." Claude said as he approached.

He didn't even adress them. He just walked past in his dark knights armor and joined the line.

Everyone looked from Samuel to eachother.

"Well, let's go." Claude said. "Somebody get in front of me before Frosty bites his ass off."

Naz and Brink laughed as Ursula stepped ahead.

Trey walked beside Claude, "Already off to a better start this time."

Claude smiled at the memory of Trey betraying Samuel to help him in the island gauntlet.

"Yea. Let's keep it that way." The two shook up.

And with that, the journey began.

It was simple as they walked across the islands mushed together in a wild collage of biomes.

They headed to the oceans. Where Tangent entrances glimmered in the setting sunlight.

Thankfully, it wasn't an arduous journey. That way they could save their stamina. And not be left thinking forever in suspense.

"So, which Tangent do you think we're going in, Samuel?" Prof. Whitechapel asked as he held up the rear of the formation and walked beside him.

"Address me by my title, Professor." Samuel replied.

"Oh—" Prof. Whitechapel cleared his throat, "Right. So, which Tangent do you think we're entering, Leon?"

Samuel continued his march, "It doesn't matter."

Prof. Whitechapel sighed— even though Claude was behind them both, he could feel the man's knowing smile. Like he expected and enjoyed Samuel's response.

"What?! Of course it matters. The choice is up to you, kiddo." His voice took a weird fanatical edge.

Samuel looked at him along with a few other students.

"Come on, Prince Leon. Pick your starry entrance. I'll relay it to Prof. Brennan."

Samuel looked out over the ocean. They were approaching.

"Choose wisely. Any one of them could be a Deviant Tangent— then we're all in trouble. It's all up to chance. Your chance."

"Hey, Whitecastle." Brink said from behind.

Prof. Whitechapel turned around.

"Why are you so close to him?" The quadramage asked in reference to how Prof. Whitechapel stood over Samuel. "Get your autograph like everyone else and be normal."

Prof. Whitechapel turned around and halted, causing Brink and the rest of them to almost walk into him.

Frosty and the other hounds whined and took a step back.

Claude almost did the same as the professors vibe shifted. He looked the same physically, but the air around him changed. The position of his brows. The slump of his shoulders. A savage edge crept through the seams of his polished veneer. Claude realized he was flinching as he listened to the Professor's leather guards strain.

He thought the man was growing. Shifting and pushing against the now constructing clothing but the reality was he simply lifted his arm as he faced Claude and Brink.

"That one." He yelled to the Professor and Champion at the front of the line.

"Copy." Prof. Brennan said.

Salazar nodded and crouched by the waters. He placed a hand there and forcibly freezed the ocean surface.

Immediately, students began walking across the ice.

Prof. Whitechapel looked at Claude and his team.

"It's Whitechapel."

"What?" Claude asked.

Prof. Whitechapel turned to Brink, smiling faintly, "You called me Whitecastle. It's Whitechapel, or should I start calling you Shrink?"

Suddenly he stomped, causing all of them to gasp and step back a portion.

The sound of a gurgling hiss came from below.

They all looked down and found a snake smashed under his boot.

"Huh….. I still got it." Prof. Whitechapel lifted his boot. Intestines and torn scales clung to it. "Anyways, let's go."

Claude and the others rushed past him, but as they closed in on the Tangent, he kept thinking back to the snake. And the sound of popping leather. And the coat in the ocean. And the eyes. And everything in between.

"Enough."

The students hopped into the chosen Tangent one by one.

VWOOMP!

VWOOMP!

The tear in reality fizzled and sparked with flowing mana after every student entered until finally, it was Claude's turn.

The blue fissure was warm. Like fire. Even still, he was covered in goosebumps.

He jumped in, if only to create space between himself and the mercenary turned Professor behind him.

Prof. Whitechapel turned and faced the University. He took a deep breath and smiled. Then, he jumped in as well.

From the outside, the Tangent blinked red and shifted in color and size before locking completely.