Darksteel

Chapter 12; Three tails is much too excessive.

The next moring, before any reasonable being bothered to wake up, the students were roused from their beds with the curtains being thrown open and bright cheerful sunlight pelting them in the face.

It was most dreadful.

"Come on, everyone up!" an unfamiliar voice shouted as Asta's blanket as yanked off him by unseen hands.

 Unfortunately, removing his primary source of warmth didn't do much good in the sense of waking him up so much as making him cold. Thus, he decided to simply curl up in the fetal position and remain where he was.

For, sometimes, one has to improvise to survive.

Unfortunately, this did not deter the stranger in their room from continuing to rally them from their beds.

"Oh do get up, you three." the man huffed, "It's a beautiful day and today you all get the chance to meet your Mystics! "

Sitting up, Asta was certain he looked akin to a goblin emerging from its cave after a  three hundred year long slumber, yet he found that he was too tired to care. Instead, he looked at the man before him-- who turned out to be Matthias Potter from Lore and Legends the day before-- and frowned.

 "What are you doing in our room?" he asked, feeling as though that was a very valid question, seeing as it is very odd to find a professor in one's room this early in the morning.

 Mr.Potter blinked slowly. "I'm the Iron Guild master; the overseer of your Guild. Think of me as a, ah, role model."

 "And we are the Iron Guild? "

 "Yes. There are many others as well, the Ruby Guild, Silver Guild, Stone Guild—"

 "I'm sorry to interrupt," butted in Adar, who did not look sorry in the slightest, "But are you going to tell us WHY you woke us up at the bloody crack of dawn or do I need to start throwing things?"

 Ignoring his tone, Mr.Potter calmly wiped his spectacles on the hem of his shirt before replying, "All students are required to be in the dining hall at six fifteen this morning to hear a special announcement from the Headmaster involving your Mystics."

 "What time is it now?" Nico asked, blinking the sleep from his eyes and making Asta feel that the boy looked even more fragile in the morning.

Still, all thoughts of Nico were banished from his head when Mr.Potter announced that it was, in fact, six fifteen and they were going to be late if they did not somehow figure out a way to practically teleport to the dining hall in the next two minutes.

 Springing from his bed at the Guild Master's words, Asta nearly tripped and fell flat on his face in his rush to get ready. Which, all things considered, was NOT a good way to start off one's morning.  

Thus next few minutes were a hurried blur as Asta and Adar rushed to get ready, with Nico only standing awkwardly to the side, clutching a tunic to his chest and looking as though he was waiting for the other two boys to leave.

"What do you think you're doing?" Adar demanded, pulling on his red blazer with much more force than was nesessary. "Get dressed."

"I..." Nico trailed off, his face flushing, and for a moment, Asta wondered if the rumor about him having a horrible scar was true. If so, it would be unfair to ask him to change when they were present, especially if the boy was uncomfortable with it.

Thus, giving Adar a look, Asta replied quietly, yet firmly with a, "Leave him alone." Yet it was only when Nico gave him a grateful look, sending a spark of warmth flaring in his chest, that Asta knew he had done the right thing. And though the prince himself had scowled at him, he mentioned nothing to Nico, leaving along with Mr.Potter and Asta once they were ready.