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"What are you drawing Will?"

Dustin asked as he leaned over the boy's shoulder.

"Another character for DnD."

Will replied as he put down his green crayon and picked up his yellow one, giving the character curly yellow hair.

"Cool! What's their name?"

Dustin added curiously.

"Asling. He's this sick apprentice to a crazy powerful wizard."

"Why does he have a sword if he's an apprentice?"

Lucas asked as he too now looked over Will's shoulder at the drawing.

"Because he has to defend himself from the demogorgon."

"No way!"

"Except it's a magic sword that can kill anything that's evil."

"Nice!"

"Maybe we can start a campaign with him after school today."

Mike offered as he began to pull a coat on over his sweatshirt. Will nodded excitedly and rested his crayon with the others and joined the other boys in getting ready for school. It was their first day back at Hawkins middle after christmas break and even though no one was terribly excited to head back to school there was still some felicity to the air. The boys were excited to see their favorite teacher again, participate in AV club again, and hopefully learn something new and exciting. They decided to celebrate the end of break, they would have a sleepover at Mike's house and that day after school they would all play Dungeons and Dragons together.

"Boys time for school!"

Karen Wheeler shouted down the stairs of the basement.

"Ok! We're coming!"

Mike replied. He slipped on his right shoe and led the team of boys up the stairs.

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"There you guys are! I was wondering when you'd show up!"

A familiar face framed with red hair greeted the boys at the doors to the school.

"Max!"

Lucas cheered happily as he raced to greet her. Max's cherry red coat almost matched the shade of her hair. A snow white toboggan with a matching white pompom covered most of her ginger hair.

"Well we're here now."

Dustin replied as he walked past Lucas and Max.

"What's his problem?"

Lucas asked.

"He's cold."

Mike replied as if it were obvious.

"We all are. Let's get inside."

He added as he walked inside the school, following Dustin. Max and Lucas trailed along behind but Will stopped for a moment. He wasn't sure if it was a chill from the cold or if it was a chill from something else but a shiver ran down his spine. He placed a hand on the back of his neck and turned to look behind him. Nothing unusual was in his sights. Just more kids climbing off the bus arriving to school and the tall evergreen trees that stood as the gateway to the woods of hawkins.

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"Where do you think you're going?"

a stout man with a bushy mustache asked as a girl scampered along past him, noticeably in a hurry.

"I'm going to be late, dad."

the girl said with a sigh as she turned to face him. A woman came to stand next to the man, wiping her hands with a dish cloth.

"You're always late."

She said with a smile.

"Gee thanks mom, real encouraging words from you."

"I mean, you're always late so you can spare a moment to say goodbye to us."

A smile crossed the girl's lips. She trotted back over to her parents and threw her arms around them in a warm embrace.

"Be safe."

Her father told her.

"And Asling,"

Her mother said,

"Don't think you're off of sweeping duty of the bakery just because you're going to training today."

the girl, Asling, sighed again.

"Yes I know, mom."

"And don't forget these for your lunch."

Her mom added as she slipped her a few freshly baked buns wrapped in a dish cloth for Asling to slip into her satchel that was slung over her shoulder.

"Thank you."

Asling said with a smile.

"Now I really am going to be late."

She said before snatching up her cloak by the door and running off to the castel to meet with her master.

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"You're late."

Asling rushed into the cobblestone room lined with many artifacts unique to the guardians and the land of Scanthia. She threw her satchel onto a near by desk littered with parchments and a quill or two.

"Again."

Her master added and Asling sighed.

"Yeah well, what else is new Kierran?"

She replied as she unfastened her cloak and tossed it to rest next to her satchel. Kierran, her master, sighed as he stood. Though Kierran was the most powerful of the Guardians, being the patron of Jupiter, no one would be able to tell it from his charming demeanor or kind nature. He was a tall man with short scruffy brown hair and a beard to match that was always neatly maintained and trimmed. His face reminded Asling of an old sea captain, it had a few wrinkles but most of them were from the light of the sun on Kierran's face. His eyes were possibly the most distinct thing about him, the were vibrantly blue and were cold like ice. If it wasn't for his warm smile, Kierran would have the coldest stare Asling could have ever known.

"Why did you remove your cloak?"

He asked his student who looked at him with confusion.

"Because I am inside."

She said with a matter-of-fact tone.

"Where the hearth warms the room and I am in no need of a cloak."

"Not today."

Kierran replied and Asling could notice that he was still wearing his woolen cloak.

"We're going for a bit of a walk."

He said as he led the way out of the room. Asling groaned, it was cold outside and the last thing she wanted to do after the freezing walk from her home to the castle was return back outside into the cold.

"Today is a special day for you."