The squeak of shoes gives way to a cacophony of voices as Michael and company walk into the cafeteria. The smell of cooked food stimulates their appetites as they get in line. The vendor selling Yggdrasil Kebabs draws Michael's attention, and his mouth is watering when it's his turn to order.

"I'd like the Yggdrasil Kebab and... a Lava Pop to drink." Michael orders anxiously.

"You sure about that, kid? Lava Pop is pretty hot..." The one eyed vendor warns.

Michael purses his lips slightly as the vendor hands him a plateful of enticing smelling kebabs. The sight of a black metallic can adorned with glistening orange art gives Michael pause. The can feels hot in his hands, yet it doesn't burn.

"Uh... I-I can handle it." Michael says hesitantly.

Michael carries his food into the cafeteria with sweat beading on his forehead. Jamie laughs a bit at the sight of a sweating Michael sliding his Lava Pop across the table. Michael ignores Jamie's usual antics and picks up one of the sturdy wooden sticks, his magic power spiking a bit as he makes contact with what is undoubtedly very magical wood. The meat on the kebab is a rich assortment of Demon Bird, Hell Cow, and Angelic Mutton.

"Damn... I kind of wish I'd gotten that now." Scy comments.

Scy has a plate of Gilded Grilled Cheese which looks appetizing, but pales in comparison to Michael's magical kebab. Jamie is enjoying some sort of pasta which Michael doesn't know the name of.

"I know, right? Michael makes it look like the best tasting food in the word..." Jamie agrees.

Of course Michael is the one enjoying the flavorful food firsthand. Sweltering heat of Hell Cow contrasts with the saltier taste of Demon Bird. The oddly light and sweet Angelic Mutton is a new taste for Michael, but a welcome one.

"This is... my favorite so far for sure!" Michael exclaims.

The table shakes suddenly, and Michael's two uneaten kebabs roll onto the cafeteria floor. Michael's heartbroken expression shifts to one of shock when the whole cafeteria starts to rumble as if being engulfed in an earthquake. Professor King suddenly appears, floating mid air in a shower of golden sparks. He's floating atop a pair of miniature winged lions, their small bodies quite adorable to behold.

"Attention students! This is not a drill!" Professor King booms out.

Michael nearly falls out of his chair, but both Scy and Jamie grab ahold of the back of his chair just in time. The sound of windows shattering is deafening as a swarm of Demon Birds flies through the cafeteria.

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Professor King tries to say something, but his words are drowned out by the cawing of the flock. Sharp toothed beaks descend to snip and bite at both the students and the food. Michael's kebab is forgotten as he and his classmates use whatever they have on hand to cast shields, ducking under the tables for additional cover.

"H-Holy shit!" Scy curses.

The three of them are huddled in the center of the table's underside, their backs to one another as their magic shields block the flock of feral Demon Birds. Jamie glances over, letting out a nervous laugh in an attempt to put his two friends at ease.

"Just like big chickens, huh?" Michael says sarcastically.

Scy doesn't have the mental bandwidth to respond to Michael's comment, and instead focuses on maintaining his shield spell while trying not to think about what might happen if their shields fail.

~

David's stomach grumbles softly as he sits up in the infirmary bed. Students stream into the cafeteria below whilst chatting about this and that. If it wasn't for a far off black cloud it would be a beautiful day.

"Where's Kenny at..?"

The smells of delicious meals wafting over from the cafeteria get David's belly roiling again. He lets out a dramatic groan, flopping onto the bed with the patience of a child ten years younger.

Distant clamoring pulls David up from the bed. The faint sound piques his interest, and he can't help but stick his head out the window to look for the source.

Thousands of Demon Birds. Their breaks are dripping with some kind of frothing drool while their eyes are wild and unseeing. The sight is nothing compared to the rapidly growing sound of their cawing and flapping.

"Oh shit!" David curses.

The birds descend upon students in the courtyard, and several struggle to shield the avian assailants. David isn't worrying about any of this as he leaps through his window, using his fiery shield like a sled as he skids down the side if the building. His descent roasts a dozen Demon Birds alive, yet more come for him in droves.

"Kenny!" David shouts.

The flock's clamoring completely drowns out his cries for Kenneth, but he persists. The flaming heat of his unique shield spell burns away the birds. They're like a tidal wave, flooding and swirling around him as he charges toward the cafeteria.

Students inside are using tables as shields while several professors battle the birds head on. He catches glimpses of imposing lions biting down on swaths of birds, while huge black bubbles engulf the birds. Those acidic bubbles leave only bones in their wake.

"Kenny! Where are you?!" David shouts worriedly.

Fear is making itself obvious in his normally aggressive features as David throws his fiery magic around like a weapon. The birds nip and bite at his unprotected sides. He ignores the pain in favor of looking for Kenny.

David's eyes gush tears when he spots his friend being defended by some other students he doesn't recognize. Kenny's been pecked badly, but he's mostly unharmed.

"D-David?!" Kenneth exclaims.

Kenneth's eyes are wide as David sobs openly whilst massacring the birds around him. Blood oozes down David's legs from bite wounds. David doesn't seem to notice the pain.

"Thank god-!" David chokes out.

To the surprise of everyone David embraces Kenny and cries into his shoulder. The flock is dispersing as the professors handle the remaining Demon Birds. Ironically both Kenneth and David will be taking a trip to the infirmary after everything is settled.