As he passed through the doorway and back into the main entry hall, Harden found himself overwhelmed with knowledge. He hadn't expected to, in one night, learn more then he could in two seperate classes.
His head throbbed as he and Grum split at the end of the corridor and headed for their respective flocks. He felt an odd sense of being watched as a chill rushed up his spine. He peered behind him, but only saw the empty walkway behind him.
When he came to the staircase that led to the raven's flock, Rhys was standing, keeping weight off of his wrapped leg.
"And where have you been?" He asked, peering up past his head sheet.
"Hospital wing. Guess I must've missed ya," Harden quipped, pushing past him and continuing up the stairs. Jasper scribbled something out on his head sheet and he grimaced up at the stairs. When he entered the room he was met with something familiar that he hadn't been used to, all conversations halted, and all eyes were on him.
"E-evening," he said, his tone confused but chipper.
"Where were you?" Jasper asked, standing from his seat near the back.
"Out, what's it matter I was back in time?" He argued, avoiding Jasper's eyes.
"Where. Were. You?" Jasper asked slower, his tone angry as he stomped toward Harden.
"I accepted an invitation. Is that a crime?" He asked, peering directly in Jasper's furious eyes.
"In this flock it is. That loser T-that freak, hurt one of us!" Jasper shouted.
"He hurt Rhys in an act of defending himself. You both just continue to allow your egos to blind you to what really happened," Harden insisted, his face stone cold and unmoving.
"He's a loser and a traitor. Rhys suffered indescribable pain for what? Because a little freak can't take a joke?" Jasper asked, shaking his head frustratedly.
"He's a raven an-"
"No he isn't!" Jasper snapped. The room went stale as any wandering eyes had refocused on the scuffle.
"He's nothing, and so is anybody who socializes with him," he added coldly, inching his face a quarter's width from Harden's nose.
"Should I burn my sigil off too then?" He asked, gesturing to the small badge on his breast flap.
"I don't care if you burn it, rip it, or paint over it. If you insist on being in his circle, then you can sleep in the halls like him," Jasper scoffed.
"Jokes on you Jasper. He got banished and got his own room, maybe that's the secret to advancing. If we're lucky you'll stay a first division forever," Harden smirked, and turned his head away.
Then he felt a jerking yank on his collar and found himself on the floor.
"We aren't done yet!" Jasper shouted, throwing him to the floor. The ravens gawked in awe as Harden rested flat on his back in front of them. His face was red and hot and he felt a sudden surge. He'd remembered his lesson with Aldric and Grum, and reminded himself that he had restored his energy.
He felt his temperature rise as his vision tunneled focusing only on the underside of Jasper's nose. He grabbed the boys leg on his chest and threw it off and jumped to his feet. His breath was rapid and heavy as the ravens stared at him. Jasper's face was still as he watched rage fill within Harden.
Then with a quick whip of his wrist of trace of his finger, the rune he'd learned from Grum glowed in the air. In the center of his hand, a bundle of fabric he'd picked from his sleeve. The rune popped and puffed with smoke before warping into an extended rod.
When the glow fizzled out the fabric had turned into a long stick that was wider toward the tip. Harden quickly raised the baton and with a wicked thwack, he hit Jasper across the face. Jasper fell to the ground quickly, holding his bruised cheek in his palm.
"You're dead," he threatened as blood trickled from his nose. He shuffled to his feet and lunged at Harden's legs. He picked him up and swiftly slammed him to the floor knocking the baton from his hands. The wood rattled as it rolled across the floor before puffing with smoke again and turning back to string.
Jasper pummeled his fist into Harden's face once, twice, and a third time. He desperately weaved and tried to avoid the blows but his attempts were futile. He tried doing what Aldric did, but he couldn't seem to summon a hardening charm.
He felt a fist to the face, a few jabs to the ribs, an elbow in his chest, and a heavy hammer fist to the side of the head. Each blow was more debilitating than the last. He focused again, he internalized the hope that Jasper would stop hitting him. He felt the pressure build in his chest and the pulsing of his aura as he dabbed his blood with his finger.
Quickly, and blindly, he drew a crude version of the crafters rune. The rune glowed, popped, and puffed with smoke. The floor beside him rippled like water before shooting out into a long pillar. The stone slammed into Jasper, knocking him off of his chest and freeing him from the beating.
He quickly got to his feet and unsteadily ran for the door. He pushed through the fram and stumbled down the stairs, tripping slightly on his way down. Blood trickled down his swollen face as tears welled in his bruised eyes.
He didn't remember pushing past Rhys again, or stumbling through the corridor toward the entry hall, but he had somehow made it there. Then, like a sudden rush, he felt his body give out, and his vision faded. He closed his eyes and felt a sudden thrill as wind brushed against his neck.
He prepared for some kind of impact and tensed, but when he hit, he felt weightless. He felt himself suspended, almost floating. Then he heard a very soft voice whisper in his ear.
"You're going to be just fine now,"