Mythical Creatures, Elves, and Danger, Oh My!

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Zoe had watched as the two plummeted quickly though managed to land fine. Zoe had been tempted to have Storm, land the same, but had figured a quick descent would be more noticeable to others below and didn't want to alarm anyone. At first Zoe had even noticed a few people milling about that watches fearfully as the griffin had dropped, wondering if they were out of control or not. It was an enjoyable stunt, but tended to startle others a bit.

Storm looked to Zoe regretfully, thinking she wish she had been allowed to land like that too. Zoe didn't regret her easing Storm down, figuring she didn't want others to watch a dragon plummet towards them. Most wouldn't appreciate large repltiles dropping from the sky. Storm began to sniff around, smelling all sorts of food. Her mouth watered a bit, but she made sure to avoid drooling like some sort of brainless animal. Her stomach growled softly and her nostrils filled with the scent of lamb mingling with other farther off meats and spices. Zoe also smelled these things, just not as strongly. She also seemed to remember her appetite, having ignored it for quite some time. She could use some food right about now.

"I'm totally down for lamb and I'm pretty sure Storm could eat anything at this point. "Zoe replied as she began to follow the scent.

Storm trailed closely after her rider. The two made it to the hard packed dirt walkway between the buildings and stands set up. It acted like a path of sorts and a few other ridera and theri mounts walked along it, stopping to purchase wares or chat with others. The mood seemed rather lively, though thankfully this area wasn't as crowded as the castle courtyard had been.

Zoe recieved a disdainful look from a High Elf dressed in a pristine white tunic and light mail armor. A sword was sheathed upon his well muscled back and he held the hand of a Light Elf female. She had fair skin with rosy cheeks and blinde hair cascades down to her shoulders. She looked lean and had a rapier at her hip. Trailing them were their mounts, a beautiful white pegasi and a creme colored griffin that was small in comparison to Vale. The High Elf turned his nose up at the Dark Elf. Zoe just offered a loose and casual wave and a smirk, making him look away. The girl looked fearfully. "What? Did I grow an extra head or something?"she asked teasingly, though knowing they were probably not fond of her due to rumors and racism.

They ignored her and moved on, setting Storm on edge. The two gave Asher the same treatment, apparentally not too happy that all elf species could attend. They believed the Dark Elves to be evil and the Wood Elves to be too mysterious and standoffish due to their tendencies to stay within forests.

Zoe decided to forget about that confrontation for now and moved on. She peeked into some ofthe buildings. One area was a small blacksmith shop where a few sweaty wworkers were pounding at metal. She also peered into a craftsmen's shop and saw a worker with a tool belt sanding a table. Zoe moved past these areas until she reached a strech with a few merchant stands lined up where wares were sold and food was cooked. A few students were helping with working the stands too, hoping to earn a coin or two in their free time.

Zoe was still drawn to the lamb roasting on a grill and approached witn Storm close by. Storm made sure to be extra careful with where she placed her taio and how she moved to avoid tripping any passerbys. The two stood before the stand with the meat and Zoe looked over the price. It seemed decent. She fished her coin purse from her satchel. She had acquired some cash by selling pelts or meat from hunts to merchants when she passed through towns during her travels. Now she had a decent sum, enough to get her some supplies and food for a few months or so.

She greeted thw worker before handing over some coins and orderinb. He thanked her and handed over two cuts of meat wrapped up in some sort of paper. She accepted them and Storm looked hopefully at her cut, the much larger one. It is polite to wait to eat until the others are.
But I'm starving.
I know, I know, but you can wait for another minute or two.
Storm held a sigh and Zoe guided her to a relatively clear area where she leaned against a building that was currently closed for the day. Storm sat down and curled her tail around to her front feet. Her wings were folded upon her back and she held her neck in a relaxed way with a slight curve to it.
 
{{Two pages! Yay. c:}}

Seeing a few of the wandering villagers look concerned after Vale's seeming crash landing, Asher sighed. He had assumed that since these people lived close to the school they would be used to spectacular entrances by flying mounts. Apparently not though. Maybe he and Vale were strange. Shaking it off, the wood elf signaled for his griffon to follow him as he followed Zoe as she entered the village. "Lamb it is then." He confirmed as the other elf said that she and Storm would eat the same, following his nose to the grill. There was a whole array of things about the village, though it seemed a little more 'clean' compared to the last one he and Vale had visited.

Picking his way along the path though the village, Asher noted the sounds of a lot of activity going on. There seemed to be every type of store he could imagine off the top of his head, he heard the familiar sound of cobblers and blacksmiths as well as a few more rare sounds like that of what seemed to be a pigeon courier station.

The wood elf supposed that was how both the students and teachers at the academy kept up to date with what was happening with the rebellion and the king. There was also an abundance of stalls all around, selling both more practical supplies and a few souvenirs. There was also quite a few weapon shops; the ring of steel was very familiar to Asher. Vale, could you tell me if you see a stall selling flint? I think I might have forgotten to pack mine. The elf said to his companion, and the griffon grunted his consent. It was only a few seconds later that the griffon spotted what his rider was looking for. Nodding his thanks, Asher made a quick detour - hearing that the woman selling the product wasn't busy and deciding not to give Storm and Zoe a heads up. It would only put him a few seconds behind them.

Picking up a moderately sized stone, Asher paid and thanked the lady before hitting the path again - depositing his new possession in his satchel as he moved. He lengthened his strides a little bit in order to catch up with the other pair, having memorized the sound of their footsteps - especially Storm's, as the dragon's stride was rather distinct - at this point and was able to locate them rather easily despite the general ruckus going on around him. Vale followed behind, adjusting his own movements to echo that of his rider's. The pair managed to catch up to the other two just in time for Zoe's encounter with the High and Light elves. Hearing a somewhat edgy exchange, Asher tilted his head towards Vale - silently asking the griffon what was happening. Just a high elf. And a light one. Vale responded, seemingly dismissing the issue.

However, when the two other elves passed him, Vale made sure to snarl at the smaller griffon; drawing himself up so that he reached his full height. The scene obviously intimidated both the griffon and his rider, and cancelled out any negative displays directed towards Asher. That, of course, had been Vale's goal. The two other elves and their mounts passed by quickly. Vale allowed himself a feeling of triumph, holding his head a bit higher than normal. Asher had heard the exchange and debated whether or not to scold his griffon. He didn't need to be making enemies on their first day, but then decided against it. The other elves had been asking for it.

Reaching the stall where the man was selling the lamb, Asher picked out a smaller piece for himself and a notably larger one for Vale. Paying the man, he held both slices of meat under his arm as he dealt with the money before holding them in two hands once they were both free. Hearing Zoe and Storm wander of a little ways to a more quiet area, Asher and Vale followed - sitting down near the other two once the wood elf heard them stop. Handing Vale's piece to him, the elf began to unwrap his own piece; looking up to make sure that Zoe and Storm had their meal as well before tucking in. "Not bad." He commented after a few bites, though Vale had devoured his own piece and was already finished. The griffon eyed the remainder of Asher's bit hopefully, though didn't voice a request for it. The elf noticed the behavior in any case, taking a few more bites before tossing the rest of the meat up to his companion who caught it out of the air and finished it with a single bite.

"You could be more polite." Asher protested to his griffon calmly, voicing the thought aloud to make sure that Zoe and Storm knew that they did have a sense of manners. Well, Asher did at least - Vale was a bit different, but he knew how to handle himself well enough.
 
Zoe allowed Storm to begin to eat. The dragon crouched down and ripped chunks of the meat off carefully with her teeth. Storm couldn't help it when the gland in her mouth was triggered by the meal and the glowing blue liquid began to accumulate in her mouth again. It dripped onto the meat and parts of it in an icy effect. Zoe paid no attention to that as she ate pieces of her own cut of lamb. Storm's bio-luminescent venom wasn't new to Zoe. The dragon soon finished her meal and seemed satisfied for now, though of course she would love to eat more if possible. Zoe finished soon after, a bit peckish from her morning hunt and flight.

Storm watched as Vale seemed to be begging like a dog of sorts. Storm found this rather peculiar behavior to be carried out in public. Sure sometimes Storm begged when they were alone in the forest, but not in pubic. She would raise an eyebrow if she had one, but she didn't, so instead her ears just twitched slightly. Zoe seemed okay with it, passing it off as occasional mischief, which she liked. Storm looked away back to the village area where others were approaching with their mounts.

Storm certainly perked her head up when she spotted another dragon. It was smaller than she was, about six feet tall and probably 15 feet long with a twenty foot wingspan of course. It had thick, red scales and a boxy like body structure with a bulky head. It had meaty paw like feet and a clubbed tail. Storm looked over at it, cautious, though she always felt a twinge of excitement when happening across another dragon since they weren't all that common. The heavy set dragon looked a bit annoyed that he wasn't the bigger dragon in this scenario, so he puffed his chest out. Storm was amused by this display, as was Zoe.

Zoe chuckled quietly as both dwarf hybrid rider and passing dragon seemed to be strutting their stuff. Show offs. Zoe commented mentally to Storm, who agreed.

The stocky red dragon offered a rumbling growl to try to show he was the alpha male or something dumb. Storm even gave Vale a look and said, Can you believe this guy? To respond to the growl, Storm merely stood to her full height and silently bared her now glowing blue canines. That didn't actually make the red dragon back away as anticipated and instead stopped and faced Storm. His rider urged the dragon on, but he didn't budge, seeming threatened by the opposing dragon.

Storm drew her wings up to make herself looking bigger, a growl escaping her throat. Zoe stood in front of the dragon and patted her chest. "Hey, hey. Storm, easy."she said sternly.

The red dragon held prolonged eye contact before backing down and walking away. Then Storm relaxed, sitting back down and settling herself. Zoe sighed and commented aloud, "What's with all this tension between all of these freaking creatures? I suppose we are just all so used to not being surrounded by others."

Storm seemed fine, almost triumphant. After all, she made the other dragon move on so she had technically won. Zoe didn't count that as a victory and wasn't very pleased with the reaction, though being so much like her dragon, she'd have retaliated as well. Done with all of this conflict, as well as the food, she decided they should move on and do some exploring. "Shall we check this place out a bit more or try to get some training in?"She asked Asher.
 
Sensing a strange presence once again as Storm opened her mouth, Asher turned to Vale slightly. I'm pretty sure Storm has some sort of fire, I heard it in the corridor a little while back when the pegasi came through. I think she's using it again. The rider said to the griffon, obviously asking his companion to give him a bit more information. Vale had been focused on his food, but it only took a quick glance up for him to see what was causing Asher some wonder. The griffon didn't stare, only briefly lifting his head, but still got quite the wealth of information despite it. Examining the sight in his mind, Vale took a few seconds to get his thoughts together before responding to Asher. He liked to give his rider a full picture, and didn't want to miss any information out.

I think it is some sort of liquid fire. Not the heat type, mind, the ice kind. I guess it would appear whenever she's feeling a particular emotion very strongly. I'm pretty sure she'd be able to spit it as well. The griffon responded, turning his head towards his rider. When Asher nodded slightly, informing Vale that he had done well, the golden-brown beast turned back to his meal. He was finished a second after his commented. He considered Asher for a second, surprised that the elf hadn't questioned Zoe or Storm about the dragon's power. Aren't you going to ask them? I'm not sure how accurate my observations are. The griffon said, studying the wood elf for a few seconds.

Nah, it's alright. I don't need a full rundown, and what I'm hearing and have sensed so far is confirming what you've said. I'll find out more later if the need arises. Asher said dismissively, and Vale accordingly dropped the subject. Turning his attention instead to a read dragon that seemed to have caught Storm's attention passed by, stopping and trying to display his dominance, the griffon snorted. Even though he was a giant compared to most other griffons, the fact that he was larger than a dragon that obviously thought very highly of himself amused him. Despite it, he stayed out of the encounter, just watching as Storm rebuffed the red dragon's attempt at intimidation easily.

When the brute seemed to resist moving on for a few seconds longer, Vale responded to the comment that Storm had sent him a few seconds earlier. You would think that he'd have gotten the message already. The griffon agreed, snorting again in amusement. As the other dragon finally moved away, its rider seemingly quite embarrassed, making a quick apology to Zoe before moving on as well. Vale took his yellow gaze off of the retreating pair and onto Zoe as the elf said something before deciding the comment wasn't addressed to him. Making a gesture that looked like a griffon's version of a shrug, the beast turned away and set his gaze on their surroundings as Asher responded to the other elf.

"I'm not sure. Maybe everybody is just tired, if the training here is half of what it's said to be I wouldn't blame them. Besides, the king is advancing - the stress is also probably playing a factor." He said, listening to the sound of a few more creatures around them. Detecting that he had damped the light mood a bit, he then grinned and lifted his head. "That and we're all probably a bunch of social recluses, yes." He added lightheartedly. He had been wondering what the other riders would be like, he was starting to get a bit of an idea now. Besides, but he and Zoe and reportedly camped out alone in the wilderness for some extent of time fighting the king's men - perhaps most of the riders were really just unused to being around this many people and other creatures.

Behind the wood elf, Vale started to shift slightly on his haunches as he began to get a bit bored with the conversation. The griffon was under the opinion that if the two elves wanted to sit and talk they might as well do so in a more secluded location with less danger and potential for conflict around. All of the people milling about with their mounts was starting to get on his nerves. Vale was a fine example of one who wasn't used to being around that many people and was therefore on edge. He was slightly better at restraining himself, however, and griffons by trade were less aggressive than dragons and most other creatures.

They could certainly end fights, but weren't often the ones to start them. This might be due to the fact that griffons were creatures that mostly traveled either alone or in pairs and didn't have to fight for pack dominance - and they didn't establish territories either, roaming about the world on a whim and not having any boundary disputes either. All in all, griffons on a whole didn't have a reason to fight unless attacked. At the moment, Vale wasn't being attacked, but he was still more than ready to get out of the crowded vicinity. Turning to Asher as he heard Zoe ask whether they should explore more or try to get some training in, the griffon hoped that his rider would pick the latter option. I say we train. Vale said, trying to sound like he wanted to work while in reality he just wanted to get out of the village.

Asher chuckled slightly, seeing through his griffon's weak facade. Turning his head towards Zoe, the elf shrugged. "I think Vale wants to get out of here, so training is appealing to him, but I don't mind." He said, smirking as Vale head-butted him in annoyance. Casually elbowing his companion in the chest in response, Asher leaned back on his griffon like some sort of back and head rest as he waited for Zoe's preference. Vale responded to his rider's action by poking the elf in the stomach with his beak, making the elf bolt back up into a normal sitting position. "That hurts." He voiced to his griffon resentfully, rubbing his stomach. In reality, it just tickled, but Asher wasn't particularly fond of getting tickled.

Getting to his feet, as no matter what Zoe chose to do they would have to move to do it, the elf wondered where they might be able to go for training if she should feel so inclined. There were plenty of open expanses of land between the village and the school, they would easily be able to just land in one and claim it for a short while, but there were probably also more professional training areas within the school that they could use. Asher was looking forward to seeing more of the school, especially after hearing all the hype that surrounded it, but figured that could wait for tomorrow. They were going to have to get up pretty early to attend class after all.
 
Storm wasn't too keen on staying in the village as well. She was naturally peotective of her friend and also had some issues with other creatures. Dragons tended to be a bit territorial and agressive towards others. Storm didn't leap into any fight, but she'd send an aggressor off ina flash if they got too close. She liked her space, save for Zoe who she liked to keep close.Zoe was like a best friend to Storm, but almost like a child in the sense of Storm's overprotective nature and tendency to scold Zoe if needed.

Storm wasn't very happy to have to live in such a populated area, especially since there were so many different creatures besides elves and such. They were usually easier to dispatch if needed, but not another dragon. Thay was a different and more dangerous scenario. Even a griffin could lead ro a bad encounter since they had quick talons and a giant beak. Storm never had a quarrel with their kind so long as they stayed at a respective distance.

When Zoe and Storm were traveling, they had encountered a few griffins along the way. Storm had been a bit uneasy, but the beasts had just passed along with cautious, yet respectful regards. They had also come across a few dragons, though not as often. When they spotted a smaller dragon, Storm would just snael until they left. But a larger dragon was different. One time they crossed paths with a twenty foot tall dragon that sent them tearing across the sky desperately. They made it away of course, but it had been pretty frightening at the time.

Storm hoped she would have less hostile encounters from now on. She also hoped there wasn't a bigger dragon, and if there was she hoped it was not an Avian type so she could flee or be quicker in conflict. She supposed that the school officials could also interfere to protect their students, right? But rhen again, this was battle school.

Zoe nodded in agreement. Stress tended to mess with people's heads. Zoe knew this well, since she was rather rash and troublesome under pressure. She decided that she'd try harder to cope at this school where chances are there would be some tension and stressful situations.

Zoe also figured what Asher had, since it was likely that many of the students weren't used to being social. Zoe was selectively social, talking to those who intrigued her. She wasn't really known to be too standoffish. If anything, she'd just joke around with others.

Judging by Storm's constant fidgety movements and quick gazes, Zoe guesses that thw dragon wanted to leave the place as much as Vale seemed to want to. It wasn't a bad idea. Training would be more useful and there would be plenty of time to get to know the place. Zoe got to her feet as well, as did Storm. The dragon stretched her wings a bit as well as her neck before relaxing again. She took her place near her rider, ready to move on to somewhere with less potential danger.
 
"Right, training. I was thinking that we might be able to use the school's training grounds, but all of that can be saved for tomorrow I guess. I wonder what they'll have us do on our first day." The elf said, stretching slightly. He began to listen carefully for a space big enough for Vale and Storm to be able to take-off without walking all the way back to where they had landed. However, a student passing by with a small three-headed hydra seemingly heard the elf's last words. The student hesitated for a second before turning towards the two elves, griffon and dragon briefly.

"So you're some of the newest recruits." The boy commented, seeming friendly enough as he smiled. His hydra was draped on his figure, with one head on each shoulder than one resting on the guy's head. From what Asher could hear, he was just a human. "People around here call me River, I'm a third year here." He introduced himself, looking around at the two elves and their mounts before continuing. "My apologies for this interruption, but I couldn't help but hear that you haven't seem to have heard of the school's induction program." He continued, and Vale noted that he seemed to be both amused and slightly traumatized by the thought. "It's rather... difficult, to say the least. You get put in an arena, and have to travel through the territory to claim a certain artifact. In my year we had chess pieces, but I'm not sure what they'll have this year. After you claim the artifact, you have to return to the starting base."

"Throughout the induction, you get graded for your skills and fighting style. That determines which ability group you get put into - within each year, we have three ability groups. One with those of the highest skill, the middle skill than the lower ones. Anyway, I think I forgot to mention that within the arena some of the instructor's beast partners act as your enemies. You have to fight them off while you're at it. You don't have to worry about killing those guys, I'm pretty sure they're as close to invincible as anything will ever get." The boy, River, winced slightly and looked at his hydra. The reptile's leftmost head spit a bit of fire unhappily, obviously not very keen on the memories of the induction. "And you can't take it easy either, they will kill you if you let your guard down." River added, wincing again. His previous jovial manner had mostly evaporated.

"Anyway, I'm probably just going to scare you guys off. I wouldn't worry, you four seem pretty capable. It was just that this little guy was a baby during our induction and I had to do all the work." He said, his lighthearted manner returning as he patted his hydra. "Oh, and I shouldn't forget to mention. During your induction you get paired up; you will work with your partner throughout your time here though occasionally for the harder missions you'll get put with another pair. Your pair will be the first person you make eye-contact with in the arena once the induction starts." River finished, having not given Asher or Zoe a chance to respond even once throughout his long spiel. "Anyhow, I have to get going. I'll see you guys later!" He said, jogging off to catch up to what seemed to be another boy that had been waiting patiently a little ways away.

Throughout that entire time, Asher hadn't gotten a word in edgewise and be twitched his ears once. He would have to remember the sound of that guy's footsteps, he seemed to be rather helpful. "Thank you." He called after the retreating human before turning back to Zoe. "Well then, I guess it is just as well we're going to go train." Asher commented to her. "So, shall we go then?" He asked, swinging himself onto Vale - who had gotten up from his sitting position. "There's a good space to take-off over there." He added, pointing to a larger expanse of clear space. Vale had already started to move for the spot, waiting for Storm for a few seconds before taking-off first. "Perhaps we can pick a training spot outside the castle walls, there'll probably be more space there. And besides, if we go to the school's training grounds we might have more clashes with passing creatures." The wood elf commented, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the wind.
 
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When the hydra had approached, Storm had given it a look of warning. It wasn't a dragon, so Storm was alright. Hydra's seemed to keep to themselves. Also, the young man seemed amiable enough for Storm to avoid showing much hostility. Instead she just lowered her head towards Zoe, almost resting it on the girl's shoulder as if mimicking the hydra. Though Storm only had one head to show her protective nature with. Storm wondered if three heads were better than one, but supposed it would be hard for them to cooperate. Storm couldn't imagine two other minds working to control her body. The thought made her glad to be a dragon.

Zoe listened attentively to the older student who identified himself as River. He seemed nice and didn't give the elves any dirty looks, so Zoe decided to heed his words. She couldn't help it anyways since they guy wouldn't stop talking. Well, at least they were getting some key information. Zoe analyzed what the other student said. He explained some sort of process, almost like an initiation or a rite of passage it seemed. He also presented information about the challenge, which seemed to be based on fighting skills and finding skills. She also discovered that cooperation would be needed. Since Zoe and Storm were already acquainted with Asher and Vale, Zoe wondered if they could all work together. After all, River seemed to believe they were together because he commented that all four of them should do well. Also, Asher was already offering to train with her and the two were roommates. From these details she supposed the four would be working together to complete the trials, so long as Asher and Vale were okay with it. Well, it all actually depended on who they met in the area. Zoe wondered if it would count as eye contact to see the blindfolded Asher, but for all she knew she could get stuck with someone who was even more so of a stranger and maybe even less capable to fight.

Zoe seemed more intrigued when River solemnly informed them that they could die in the trials. Now possible death was a key detail. It made sense, since they were to be shipped off to fight the king's men anyways. Death made Zoe a bit nervous, but she supposed it didn't quite matter whether it happened in training or on the battle field, though she assumed it was more honorable to die on the battle field. She decided to keep death in mind, this would provide a good incentive to focus. Zoe waved goodbye to River, having liked the guy even though he hadn't really let them speak up. A warning was good though, and she appreciated the heads up since the other students didn't seem to want to associate with the new elves.

"I'm ready to go when you are."Zoe replied, climbing up into the saddle atop Storm's back. the dragon stood up again after the rider was on and followed Vale to the spot where they had room to take off.

"The less pointless clashes with students, the better. Storm and I are down for staying out of the fray for now."Zoe replied to Asher after Storm had taken off. Storm rose gracefully in the sky, taking a position parallel to the griffin. She maneuvered her tail and wings to allow herself to manipulate the drafts so she didn't have to flap her wings as much, which would further disrupt the airspace near Vale.
 
Nodding to Zoe as they seemed to decide on training outside the castle, Asher began to contemplate River's words. The induction certainly did seem like it would be intense, and he had the slight suspicion that Vale and Storm would probably attract a good deal of attention in the arena due to their size and supposed abilities. For the first time Asher found himself wishing that Vale was just a little bit smaller. He had yet to see any of the instructor's companions, but he had no doubt that they would certainly be sights to behold.

The wood elf started to get a small adrenaline rush at the thought of possibly dying before he and Vale even made a substantial change in the king's reign, but he sighed to release some of his nervous energy and calm himself. He had no doubt in Vale's abilities to keep him safe, and he wasn't about to let the griffon get a scratch either. He released his left hand's rein briefly to touch the hilt of one of his swords. As always, the steel managed to console him and set his priorities straight. It isn't going to be about making it through alive, it is going to be about making it into the top ability group. The elf determined, speaking to Vale as he sensed that the griffon was also a bit edgy after River's words. The griffon snorted imperially.

Starting to doubt yourself, elfie? He responded mockingly, but Asher felt him relax a bit nevertheless. Having achieved his goal, the elf chuckled softly and patted the griffon's head. While he didn't have as clear of a picture of Vale's body as he did while they were on the ground, Asher knew his griffon by heart and was easily able to locate the beast's head. He was pretty sure that he could even poke the griffon in the eye while airborne if he wanted to. Sensing Storm take off and level herself out beside Vale, Asher nudged Vale slightly to urge the griffon to move slightly faster now that the other two had become airborne. The beast was more than happy to oblige, speeding up slightly more than his rider had intended him to - though Vale had known that Asher hadn't meant as much but being slightly tired of going at a slower, more even pace all day to conserve his energy.

The griffon's reasoning was that since they were now at the academy, and the castle was only a few minutes away from where they were, he would be able to spend as much energy as he wanted. Especially now that he had eaten. However, Asher was still keeping him in check and the griffon grunted at his rider in dissatisfaction. Calm down, will you? You can do all the fancy tricks and exhaust yourself tomorrow at induction. The elf said as if he were speaking to a small child. That just made Vale grunt again.

I would headbutt you if we were on the ground right now. The griffon protested, trying to act annoyed but in reality not minding much. The elf on his back just laughed softly to himself before reminding Vale that they were on the hunt for a good training spot. Turning his attention to the search, the golden-brown beast soon spotted what looked to be a pretty decent clearing below. The river that they had seen just outside the castle apparently carried out throughout a large space of land, cutting a few clearings in between the otherwise dense-looking forest that surrounded the academy. The spot that the griffon had spotted was one such clearing, but this one was one of the larger ones - big enough for Vale and Storm to be able to land without having to be concerned about hitting any trees with their wings. Hey, does that spot there look alright to you and Zoe? Vale called out to Storm, the spot he was talking about made quite obvious by its size and the fact that the griffon had started to circle around the area.

Flying in a small loop around the clearing, Vale began to make preparations to land without waiting for Storm and Zoe's response - pretty sure that there wouldn't be any bigger clearings around. Asher noticed this and was tempted to ask Vale to chirp and allow him to get a visual of the place but refrained from doing so. He trusted his griffon's sense of judgement. This time the two weren't going to try to do any sort of extravagant landing - Asher could sense this from Vale's movements, and Vale didn't want to risk any run-ins with trees even though he was pretty sure the clearing was big enough to land properly.
 
Zoe kept thinking about what River had warned them about. This school may present more of a challenge than she had originally intended. But, no matter. Challanges were good for skill development, so long as she managed to make it out alive with Storm. She felt a pang of regret, wishing that she and Storm had done a bit more training before arriving at the school. She would have felt more comfortable if she had learned for melee skills, now that she was to be placed to fight in an area like an area that could be too confining for flight.

Zoe would rely mostly on her trusty bow. Sure she would have to act and load fast, but she had accuracy enough to inflict some damage on a foe before she would be forced into closer conbat. So long as she had enough arrows amd Storm at her side, she believed she had a pretty good chance at surviving the induction.

Zoe would focus hard on her training today and maybe use most if her money to buy a sword or at least a nice dirk. She'd have to hunt and sell more animals to get more money, but she'd do it some other time.

Storm was a bit anxious as well, having heard of the challenges they were to face. Fighting other beasts in an arena was a chance of her friend dying wasn't a good thought. She would never let Zoe die, not on her watch. She'd fight tooth and nail to protect the dark elf. Though she was pretty confident in her abilities, this upcoming event had set her nerves on edge.

Are you prepared to reach the highest class?Zoe spoke up mentally to Storm to try to ease the tension she sensed in her dragon. She grew to know even the slightest move of muscles or way Storm carried herself meant a certain emotion, and Storm seemed anxious to her.

Of course I am. We will succeed, though I predict thar it will be quite difficult.

That's the spirit. We'll be fine so long as we stay coordianted and get a bit of practice.

I'll be your coach here. Everytime you mess up I'll hiss at you.Storm suggested in a joking way, though she would instruct Zoe to focus hard and not be so stubborn.

Coach me all you want, but you should be learning too. You have to learn the motions so you know them when you see them. And touching up on some of your skills wouldn't hurt either.

Storm agreed with a brief snort. She looked down at the clearing Vale and Asher picked out, deeming it big enough to accomadate them. She began a slow descent at first until she lurched downwards nose first with a toothy dragon grin.

Zoe suppressed a shout and held onto Storm tightly, bracing her legs quickly. "Damn your oversized lizard antics!"she yelled as Storm spiraled downwards, avoiding Vale.

Storm neared the trees and leveled out as if nothing had happened, wings catching the wind so they glided down smoothly. Storm landed and tucked her wings, leaving room for Vale. Zoe's heart was pounding from the unexpected drop. She cleared her black hair from her face before sitting up in the saddle and smacking Storm's neck. Storm wasn't bothered by the blow, as the elf hadn't hit her too hard and the move had been so worth it. Zoe angrily hopped off, giving the dragon a playful shove. Storm barely budged and made a throaty sound almost like laughter.(like toothless' "laugh" if you've seen the How To Train Your Dragon series)
 
Riding comfortably as Vale made loose loops around the clearing, making a slow but steady descent, Asher grinned slightly when he heard what sounded like Storm putting on a burst of speed and spiraling quickly to land. Zoe's reaction also served to amuse him. Vale seemed to have gotten over his initial rush for speed, however, and kept his steady - and admittedly somewhat lazy - descent speed. Though he did seem to still have an energetic mind frame. They probably shouldn't let their guard down, even when making a fun landing... The griffon mused mischievously, and Asher immediately sat up in the saddle.

What are you planning? He questioned his companion warily but with a degree of anticipation.

I don't know, what are you planning? Vale threw the question back at the elf. Asher grinned.

We only just met them and Storm is still a bit tense. The wood elf said, seeming to back out of the idea. Vale just snorted. Fine, fine, let's see what we can do. Asher conceded, not taking much convincing. Vale continued his slow decent as he and Asher formulated a basic attack plan - though it wasn't much of an attack, or a plan. Just a bit of poking fun to get into a training-type mood. Once Vale was positioned a few feet above where Storm had landed, he grunted at Asher once. The elf rolled out of his saddle and spread himself into a star-type shape. Even as he moved, Vale let out one of his high-pitched chirps and the rider got a pretty good visual about where Zoe was standing and where the dragon's back was.

As he chirped, Vale had made a quick barrel dive onto the ground and landed on his hind legs, rearing up and screeching to draw attention. Meanwhile, Asher tucked up and made a quick tumble in the air before landing squarely on Storm's saddle. His swords seemingly jumped out of their scabbards in the same movement, the elf brandishing them in the air. "Dragon boarding complete." He declared triumphantly, though his muscles were still tense as he prepared for Storm to either spit her frozen fire at him or try to throw him off. Vale, on the other hand, had sat down and yawned. Asher twitched his ears in annoyance at the griffon. "So much for my hardworking partner." He said resentfully, but his companion just grunted at him again.

Sighing, the wood elf hopped off Storm's back and shrugged apologetically at the dragon and Zoe. "Sorry, the temptation was too strong." He said with a small grin. "Also, if you want to get mad at anybody, get mad at Vale. It was his idea." The elf added, brandishing one of his swords at the offending griffon who managed to dawn an innocent face as he stared back at his rider. Asher couldn't see the face, but he recognized the griffon's position. He ignored it anyway. "Anyhow, I guess it's time to get down to business. Would you prefer learning how to use a sword or how to use knives?" Asher changed subjects and moods, sheathing one of his swords and instead drawing a knife off of his figure as he presented the two options he possessed to Zoe. "Or both, I guess, I think we might have enough time. But it might be better to specialize in just one for now." He added, considering the options.

Personally, Asher preferred using his swords and was more advanced with them - though he could use knives both for close combat and also for throwing nearly as well. Throwing was a bit more difficult, seeing that distance threw off his sense of perception in most cases - especially if it was windy or humid at all - but he was generally still pretty accurate when aiming. Asher did figure that throwing knives wouldn't apply to Zoe anyway, however, as she specialized with her bow from what he had heard.

Vale seemed to feel left out. The griffon got back up and prodded his rider in the back, making Asher elbow him lightly in the chest. "You can just go hunt or something. You just ate but I'd imagine that you're still hungry." The elf told his griffon, but Vale only grunted. The beast didn't seem to favor the idea of leaving his rider alone with strangers, or just alone in general. Hearing this Asher smiled fondly, though he ensured that his companion couldn't see it. It wouldn't do any good for Vale to start thinking that Asher had gone soft, especially right before induction. "Or you can try to get some training in yourself. I think you could try to practice a little bit more airborne combat." The elf added, turning his head towards the griffon. Vale seemed to consider it for a few seconds.

You could always ask Storm to train with you. Asher added nonchalantly, but the griffon didn't respond. Instead, Vale launched himself up into the air - making a few loops around the clearing before flying upwards to gain a little bit more elevation. Despite it, the griffon made sure that he could see Asher at all times - and kept at a distance where he could hear his rider of the elf yelled for him.
 
Zoe looked up at Vale as he descended. He watched them get really close to Storm and wondered if Vale had gone a bit off course. She got a little bit tense, fearing that the griffin would accidentally collide with her dragon. Then she heard the chirp and watched Asher jump. Zoe's heart picked up its pace and she hastily pulled her bow off of her back and grabbed an arrow while she was at it. When Asher had unsheathed his swords atop Storm's back, Zoe had already had her arrow pointed right at him and had steadied her breathing in case she had to loose it. Though unless he planned to hurt Storm, she wouldn't.

Storm felt Asher atop her back and growled, the blue liquid actually dripping from her mouth where it pooled on the ground and froze, causing the grass to frost around it. She took a step forwards towards Vale since he had shrieked and she thought he was ready to help his rider attack. Storm turned and faced Asher when the wood elf had landed. She stalked around him until she reached Zoe, who she stayed near. Zoe lowered her bow when Asher apologized. She seemed a bit embarrassed and a little bit flustered for having drawn her bow at the last second and fearing Asher had decided to pick them off before training started. Turns out it was just part of training and Zoe may have overreacted. Though she believed the action may show how fast her reaction time was. "Sorry for the bow thing....I'm just a bit jumpy."She said with a slight laugh, trying to play it off casually.

Zoe placed her bow down carefully along with her satchel, the cape she was wearing, and her quiver of arrows. She wanted to have more mobility and didn't want to accidentally fall and crush her bow or something, or rather hurt her spine on hit. She kept her small dagger sheathed on her belt though, not able to part with the small last resort weapon. She seemed to relax a bit and took a step towards Asher, looking to the two weapons he had presented.

Well, she already knew the basics of using a dagger, so that was a choice. But, she did want to give a sword a try and had planned on it earlier to purchase one for herself. Since she preferred bows, she liked weapons that had longer ranges, and swords had a longer reach than daggers.She made her decision and reached out, grabbing the sword very carefully. She placed it in her right hand, squeezing the handle a bit and trying to get a good idea of its weight. It was well made, and balanced, a good sign. The blade was nice and sharp too, a good sign, but also a dangerous one. She didn't want anyone to get hurt when sparring with non blunted weapons, so she imagined that Asher would plan on starting her out pretty slow.

Storm hadn't been too happy with the surprise attack. She walked a few feet away from Zoe and crouched down behind her, looking from Vale to Asher and back again. Her claws dug into the ground anxiously and her tail tip with twitching a bit like a cat's would. The dragon had closed her mouth though, icy liquid safe inside her mouth. Storm looked up after Vale had taken off. The freedom of the sky.....No, she had to watch Zoe. But the space, the feeling of the wind, the...No. Zoe. Storm snorted and laid her head down, wings folding but itching to unfurl. Zoe looked back at her dragon and could notice immediately that she wanted to fly. "Go on then. Go practice your flying maneuvers or get some air time. I'm safe here."Zoe said to the dragon.

At first, Storm didn't budge. Mentally she said, Your bow is on the ground out of reach and you are facing off with a stranger who happens to be a skilled swordsman, yet you want me to leave?

I don't fear him. I don't think he has bad intentions. And maybe if worse comes to worse, I could out run him or something. It would be hard to be blind in a dense forest.

I suppose you're correct. But it only takes one lunge and one sword thrust to do you in when I'm high above you.

I'll be fine. Besides, all I have to do is call mentally out to you and you'll be back in the blink of an eye. No go, fly.
Storm was convinced enough. She stood up quickly and flapped her now outstretched wings, shooting upwards. The gust of wind made Zoe almost stumble and she glared playfully up at her ascending dragon. Then Zoe faced Asher again, sword in had as she awaited instruction.

Storm climbed up into the air, feeling pretty free right now. She flew vertically before letting herself tilt backwards so the ground faced her back. Using her tail to steady herself, she flipped back over so she was level again. She flew a loop or two, avoiding Vale, so she could get an idea of what the wind currents and upwards of downwards drafts were like in this area. She tucked up her legs and dove quickly, wings retreating towards her body as well as she raced downwards. She was about to hit the water when the unfurled her wings again and began to glide. She poked a claw in the water and it cut through the cold liquid. Storm had enough time near the water, so she flapped and rose again, disrupting the water beneath her wings. She reached a high vantage point and made sure Zoe was safe. She also gave Vale a cautious glance.
 
{Disclaimer: Asher is not a licensed swords teacher, and neither am I.}

When he recognized how seriously Zoe and Storm had taken his impromptu ambush, Asher winced slightly. He supposed it was too soon, they didn't know each other well enough. Shrugging it off and making a mental note not to do that again, the wood elf waved off Zoe's apology about her bow. "Don't worry about it, that was my fault." He said dismissively, more than ready to change topics. Nodding as she chose the sword, Asher deposited his knife back onto the sheath in his belt and instead drew out his other sword - facing Zoe with it. He waited for her discussion with Storm to end; quickly glancing up as the dragon flew up after Vale. He could hear her experimenting with his weapon and allowed her a few more seconds to do so before beginning to speak.

"The key thing you have to understand about a sword, and many weapons in general, is that you have to respect them. I know this is said a lot, but it is many people's downfall nevertheless. This is because many don't understand what respect means." Asher was reaching back to the memories of when he was first instructed with the weapon back when he was pretty much a baby - the wood elves had to know how to defend themselves - they lived in dangerous forest territory and the classes began at once, even for the blind children. "You have to treat the sword as your equal: nothing more, nothing less. If you treat it less than an equal it becomes your tool, and while you can achieve great things with a tool you will never unlock its full potential. If you treat it as anything more you begin to fear it. And if you fear it, there is no way you can understand it - and if you don't understand a sword, you can't use it." Asher paused briefly to gather his thoughts.

"Personally, I believe there are four main elements to swordplay. These four things correspond to the elements quite well. First is earth. You have to be steady and unmovable, if you are ever off balance your opponent will use that moment to strike." The elf turned sideways and thrust his sword forward, trying to demonstrate being steady and firm. "Second is water. You must be fluid with your motions, and you must never hesitate. If you are jerky you leave yourself exposed." He began to move as he spoke, executing a complicated drill he had learned as a child and trying to demonstrate being fluid. "You must channel the energy in your body, if you are at peace with yourself you can be at peace with your weapon."

"Third is air. You must be flexible and have to be able to change your directions and tactics at a whim." Asher made a few quick slashes to his left before suddenly spinning around on his heel and making a long thrust to his right and freezing in that position. "And the final element is fire. You must be unpredictable and fierce. If you hesitate your opponent will have an opening, if you are repetitive they will learn your ways and will be able to turn them against you." The elf sheathed his sword. "But the most logical place to start is with earth. You must be sturdy and firm." Instead of showing Zoe what he meant, he decided to test how good her instincts were. "Now show me how you would take a hit. Pretend Vale is behind you and is going to butt you with that giant bony head of his: how will you withstand the blow and keep your center of balance?" Asher demanded, wanting to see what the other elf would come up with.

Vale was happy making a few loose loops around the clearing, expanding his flight course when he saw Storm take off. While she was preoccupied with the water, he began rapidly making his rounds smaller and smaller until he was flying in the smallest circle he could achieve with his wingspan, ending up twirling just above the clearing. He persisted for a few seconds before making a giant gust of wind backwards and reversing his spin to anticlockwise, again making longer loops before making them tighter and tighter. Once he had finished his second loop he made a bit of a running start before barrel rolling through the clouds - tucking his wings tight to his sides and letting his tail trail behind him like he was some kind of kite.

At all times the griffon had at least one eye on the clearing, even though he was confident in Asher's skills to handle himself. He had seen that elf slice fairyflies into four pieces with barely a single movement. Vale's biggest concern had been about Storm, but at this point the dragon was up in the air with him and no longer a threat to Asher. By the reaction Zoe had displayed earlier, her main weapon was that bow of hers - Vale was pretty sure his own rider could chop up an arrow before it got too close to him. While many would say that the wood elf was disadvantaged without his sight, Vale thought otherwise - knowing his rider to sense changes in the situation before anybody else, even Vale himself. That came as an advantage - too many people relied on their eyes too much, in reality Vale had found that the other senses maximized to their potential was quite the force to be reckoned with.

Seeing Storm glance at him quickly out of the corner of her eye, Vale chirped at her. With Asher somewhere safe and being free in the air, he had been put in high spirits. I bet I could beat you to that tree there. The griffon challenged, the tree that he spoke of obvious - being considerably taller than the rest of the forest. For the record, I can swear by it that Asher won't hurt Zoe. Nothing will happen to her in the few seconds that you're gone. He added, knowing that the few hundred meters that he was proposing wouldn't take very long to fly at all.
 
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Zoe listened intently and watched, prepared to mimic motions if needed. She stayed light on her feet in preparation for anything else Asher may spring on her. Since she was lean and a bit short compared to most, she was a runner more than anything. For swordplay she'd have to rely on her speed and acute reaction time to attack, instead of powerful blows. In hand to hand fighting, she also focused her attacks with sharp jabs placed carefully in nerve endings instead of swinging out and trying to use strength to pummel an attacker. So as for moving quick enough, she was quite confident in her abilities. She had spent a lot of time running in the forest quietly and weaving through obstacles on a hunt or just to keep herself fit. One time she had jokingly challenged Storm to a race and sprinted through a village. Unfortunately, a townsman only saw a flash of pale skin and dark hair and thought she was a vampire. When Zoe had stopped running at the end of the road, she had been laughing and catching her her breath when she saw a group of townsfolk shakily holding small, makeshift silver stakes. Zoe had just laughed and flashed her teeth,making them run off since they still believed her to be an undead predator. She made sure to get out of there before things may have escalated.

Zoe would usually be zoning out right now, but she was so determined to do well and learn swordplay so she could hold her own in the arena, even if she'd rely on her bow. Zoe often did rely on her bow. It was well made and passed down through her family, leaving her to fulfill its legacy. She had deadly accuracy with the weapon, having spent years of her life mastering the skill, even though she had more tricks to learn. her staining as a child was rather rigorous. The instructor in her village made the young dark elves go through various ordeals. They had to learn to shoot while running, jumping, after rolling, and so on. They even had to practice control by shooting while they were positioned upside down from tree branches. Zoe had remembered hating the teacher for pushing them so hard and lashing out if they missed, though he only did this when they had been old enough to make less mistakes. Looking back, she was glad she had been worked so hard because now she had finely tuned her abilities.

But, though she was skilled with archery, swordplay was not her forte. Zoe would have to learn quickly if she wanted to be able to complete some sword maneuvers, since she hadn't really used one before. Her father had tried to teach her to use a rapier, but she had been more interested in archery and was a bit busy with training and playing with Storm as well. Zoe's eyes were trained on Asher's movements. She wondered how he could move so well and have such a great understanding of his surroundings. She figured that it was true that when someone lost one of their senses, their other senses became sharper to compensate. Zoe loved her eyesight too much to think she would ever be able to cope with being blind. She needed them too much for archery and for being another pair of eyes for Storm when they were in the air.

Zoe liked the analogy Asher had made with the four elements. It made things easier to grasp, and to remember. Earth. Alright, she could probably brace herself after spending years staying balanced atop Storm. Water. Zoe wondered if she could battle without any hesitation, and figured her sometimes rash behavior may help her out. However, not hesitating and being rash were very different, so she would remind herself to work on that. Air. Done, Zoe could move pretty quickly and think at the same pace, though things may prove to be more difficult with a sword to deal with. Fire. Well, some would describe her passion as fiery, but she wasn't sure how unpredictable she could be with her movements. This was going to be a bit challenging.

Zoe had to think quickly about bracing herself, quite amused by the idea of the goofy seemed griffin trying to headbutt her. She bent her knees and held her arms out in a crossed position level to her chest for balance and support. She also tensed her muscles and made sure her weight was balanced well as opposed to being on her toes. She believed she could take an impact, though her smaller size may place her at a disadvantage against a large opponent. She guessed that she could at least avoid falling completely.

Storm was slightly worried about Zoe. She knew the dark elf could run away easy enough since the girl seemed to fly over the air. But strength wise she could be overpowered if she didn't use quick jabs to the throat or eyes. It was a different story when the elf was armed. Storm supposed that Zoe could make it to her bow fast enough to send a few arrows at any attacker. The girl was known to loose more than one after the time they had come across someone who actually managed to cut in arrow in half. Zoe was almost too in awe to make another shot. It was just so fascinating.

Storm decided to worry a bit less. She sped up suddenly and did a loop in the air followed by a tight spin where she had to tuck her wings. She lazily let herself fall, not too worried about nearing the ground. Then she rolled over, spread her large bat like wings, and rose again. She couldn't imagine life without flight. It was just so breathtaking and enjoyable. Everything unfolded below her and she felt like she was on top of the world.

She perked up when she heard Vale communicate to her mentally. A race? Seemed like a diversion for his rider to strike, but she was so keen to race that she decided to let Zoe unguarded just for a second. The tall tree wasn't too far, though it was far enough to allow Storm to pick up good speed. She had never really raced a griffin and didn't know whether they were faster or not, but she decided to take the chance of accepting. After all, she was an Avian type dragon so flying was sort of her thing. Oh really? I bet you're wrong. Storm responded, giving Vale a brief half smile.

(Since they are both pretty fast, so they can tie if you want.)
 
Asher gave Zoe a few seconds to get in whatever position she deemed stable before starting a high-pitched hum to himself. It was irritating, sounding almost like a fly buzzing in your hear - even to Asher who was emitting the noise - but it was one of the only ways for him to get a clear picture of what was around him without the chirp Vale could achieve. Stepping closer to Zoe so that he could get a clearer picture about her specifically, he nodded once. He made one circle around her, quitting his humming after a few steps, but prodded her back once with the hilt of the sword that had suddenly appeared in his hand. He nodded again. There was no real correct answer to his request, each person preferring their own styles, however there were a few things to look for. Zoe had most of them with her position, relatively low center of gravity and balanced weight.

"Good. A few things though. Don't tense up like that. Keep yourself relaxed, you have to flow. While I know you're fast regardless, it costs you extra time to tense different muscles depending on the ones you've found you need. Also, you can't hold that position forever if you're tight - it also costs you extra energy to maintain such a form. Looking at water briefly, you have to be fluid. You can't let earth overwhelm you." The elf demonstrated his own position, planting his feet firmly in the ground and bending his knees but keeping his torso loose. He displayed that by wiggling a bit - waving his arms and quickly ducking down and around. "Keep in mind that everybody has their own preferred form, you don't have to use mine." He added, realizing that if he started demonstrating an action Zoe would most likely think he was presenting the answer and mimic him.

"You can find a balance between the two if you plant your feet firmly in the ground. You also have to even your weight, but you are doing that already. Swordplay can be a lot about dodging and darting around, however you must also know how to stand your ground. To do that you have to be confident in your position and be able to hold it. Especially in more difficult terrains you will want to keep hold of a specific piece of ground if you want to avoid slipping and sliding on rocks or mud or what have you." He continued, wondering if he should add that she did still have to be ready to move and keep on the balls of her feet - but Zoe seemed to do that much with little thought so he refrained from doing so. "I would suggest that you practice a few times jumping in and out of your firm position. It should come naturally to you, and be easy to get in and out of. You will also be able to get a better feel for how to wedge your feet into the ground."

"Also, get over the fact that you are small. That doesn't matter. Your weight of whatever matters very little in any of these basics, if you've got the right technique you can withstand heavier blows. It does come into play a bit with more advanced techniques or more extreme situations, but for now ignore it. Put it out of your mind." Asher said, recognizing the way that she tensed - smaller people tended to think that a lack of weight would be made up for the strength they could summon, which was true in many cases but not true for swordplay. Asher had been a small child, and had been under that impression for quite a few years before realizing one day that it didn't matter much. He learned this when wrestling with Vale, at around the time that the griffon had begun to outsize him but a little bit before the beast was big enough to ride. Asher was still able to wrestle with his large griffon and was able to hold his own quite well, though the griffon usually ended up winning. That, however, was an example of extreme circumstances - which wasn't applicable to what he was teaching Zoe at the moment.

"Anyhow, I think that is enough instruction for the moment. Now, try to hit me." Asher said, nodding at the sword that the other elf was still holding to clarify that he meant for her to swipe at him. He realized that Zoe would think that it was a pretty obnoxious and dangerous thing to do, especially considering how sharp Asher always kept his blades, but the wood elf was more than confident with his ability to avoid any attacks Zoe might pose. She might be fast when running straight out, but Asher was fast when dodging attacks. He had also gotten a pretty good grasp of the other elf's personality at this point, and he already was thinking of some maneuvers she might try to pull on him. Asher had also been trained this way, though he had been given the task slightly further along his training than Zoe was now receiving it. He had been a lot younger than this anyway, and Zoe didn't exactly have all the time in the world to get the hang of swordfighting. Asher was one who possessed the opinion that the best way to gain experience was to do something, and this was essentially that.

The wood elf remembered some of the grief he had gotten from this drill when he was a kid. Asher had first started learning how to fight when he was two - but that was martial arts and what resulted from having a large extended family with a whole butt load of seven-year-old boys trying to display their skills by beating up their younger relatives. Thus, the elf was given a pretty abrupt introduction to the world of pain and dodging attacks. Asher, despite his pre-mature size and blindness, had possessed a big enough brain to start figuring out how the minds of his older cousins worked. He was predicting their attacks and being able to out-maneuver those said cousins by the time he was five, relying on his already accurate hearing, however he had gained a lot of grief and pain unfit for a toddler during the three years between those points. It was around the time when he started winning the little squabbles that he started showing an interest in higher forms of combat. Asher was given a martial arts teacher on his request, and trained with that master all the way to his exile.

He had also gained a swords instructor a few months later and deemed responsible enough to handle sharp objects. At this point the younger Asher had begun to hone his senses to the point where he could sense mostly everything that was going on around him in a five meter radius - which was more than accurate enough to begin learning swordsplay. The young elf proved himself to be somewhat of a prodigy and because of this, was worked even harder by his instructors and family. Asher's schedule pretty much included getting up at the break of dawn, doing chores, a two-hour martial arts lesson, breakfast with his instructor, one more hour of martial arts, two hours of lessons, lunch and the rest of the day was spent with his swordsplay instructor. Vale usually accompanied his rider, though at time they had only been companions as the griffon had been too small to ride, and was often given the chance to fight alongside the young elf to increase his sense of teamwork. That and Asher's marshal arts instructor seemed to like pitting his pupil against the much larger griffon.

Once his exile had taken place, Asher had relied on the skills he had learned to survive in the wilderness. It was pretty often that the two were attacked by some animal that they had spooked, and the wood elf had gotten plenty of combat practice in during those times. Besides, Asher also got a lot of swords experience while he was chopping up the mosquitoes and other small insects that tended to try to bite him at all times of the day. Hunting for his own food also proved to be a bit of a challenge, because no matter how quietly he could move he didn't seem to be able to creep up on any animals due to his scent. He was forced to go vegetarian for awhile, as Vale usually wasn't able to catch enough food to sustain both himself and his rider; not having sharp enough senses to fling his swords at anything with that much accuracy. A few years later he adopted his knives and began honing his senses further so that he could sense and kill prey at a distance.

Along his journeys Asher had also encountered a group of bandits that hid out in the forest and ended up with a slightly love-hate relationship with them. The group would attack him and he and Vale would fight them off, then they would sit around a bonfire and chat for awhile before ending up arguing about something or another. Usually the topic wasn't even that serious, or relevant, but then the two parties would part ways in a huff only to do it all again the next day. It was certainly a strange occurrence to outsiders, however after awhile it became almost as natural to Asher as walking. Eventually, however, the bandits were raided by a larger bandit party and were mostly wiped out. Asher and Vale had arrived too late to do anything, and ended up having to move on. The experience had helped Asher sharpen his skills however, as the bandits were surprisingly good at combat - especially for outlaws - and always had new tricks up their sleeves. It was thanks to these men that Asher can spot the difference between water balloons and tear-gas bombs at a thirty meter distance.

Vale picked up his head slightly as Storm replied to his challenge, seemingly in better spirits than she had been earlier in the day. Perhaps she was starting to relax around him and Asher - while they hadn't known each other for long, the griffon still was of the opinion that it was high time that she did so. The beast flattened his ears and snorted in mock offense and arrogance, having come to a standstill in the air as he batted the air down with his wings and held a steady position. Alright, it's on. I guess there and back would probably be fair. Who's going to say start? Vale knew that he wasn't in the best position to win this race. He was built for both land and air, yes, but his land elements tended to be pretty heavy and would disadvantage him in a race against the aviary-based Storm. He did know that turning was one of his strong points, however, and added in the bit about coming back as well in hopes of being able to gain a few seconds of leeway.
 
Zoe held her position as she was assessed, hoping it was correct. She watched Asher move around her and heard the hum, assuming that's how he was able to get a decent idea of his surroundings. The noise was rather irritating and she resisted twitching. She imagined that if Storm were here, the dragon would be practically quaking with annoyance. Storm didn't really appreciate high pitched noises. The only ones she could appreciate were bird calls.

Zoe listened to Asher's advice carefully, wanting to know what she had did wrong. She corrected herself by loosening up her muscles a bit. It made her feel a bit more vulnerable, but could help with being able to dodge if she didn't think she could block. She decided to practice like he had said. She lept away quickly and landed, before leaping back. After leaping back, she balanced her weight, bent her knees, and kept her arms loosely raised so she could get into a blocking position or even strike if needed. It was a bit of an improvement compared to her last position. She repeated this a few times until she returned to listening to Asher's instruction.

She nodded at his words. She had always thought that smaller people had am easier chance of toppling over, but maybe she was wrong. If she used the right technique she may be able to hold her ground, and she could certainly dodge if needed.

Zoe didn't want to swing at him. She knew he must be very talented, but all if would take would be one lucky hit to hurt him. "Are you sure about this?"she asked him. She still readied herself, standing with her knees bent, sword held out with a strong grip on the handle. She kept her weight relatively balanced, but was prepared to move if needed. Her eyes looked questioning, but also determined. She watched his body for any movement, ready to react on the drop of a dime.

Zoe had no choice but to have developed a quick reflex. In her village, she had been taught many skills. The martial skill class she had been placed in, was the one based on speed instead of the opposing class learning to wrestle and box. Zoe had suffered many bruises from all of the jabs she hadn't managed to block. It hurt, but they all reminded her that she had to think faster. She practiced with Storm when not with any of her actual instructors.

Soon she got better at it, moving swiftly and ducking away constantly. She wasn't ashamed of ducking. It was a good tactic, even if others found you cowardly, which she didn't care about so long as she won. She would wear them out by dodging and even dashing around them and jabbing randomly to annoy them. Then when they were flustered and trying to recover, she'd lash out at their vital points. A quick smack to the main nerve group in the neck would send even a large foe down temporarily. Plently of time to push them down with her knee and subdue them with a grab to the throat or a poke into the fleshy and sensitive area near the clavicle.

One day when she was about 15 years old, they started putting her up against the boys her age from the opposing class who were way taller and thicker than she was. Luckily, a few were a bit thick mentally too. They could laugh at her for being smaller and leaner, threatening to crush her or telling her she was allowed to cry now. While the opponent was too busy taunting her with his friends on the sidelines, she'd kick out and plant her heel right in between their legs. Then she'd grab the back of their neck when they were bent over and her thumb would find their pressure point. Then in no time theywere sprawled in the dirt with hee boot pressed against their spines. They soon learned to respect her a bit more.

Zoe hoped her dodging would help her here with the very skilled Asher fighting her.

Storm came to a standstill as well a few meters away from Vale. She looked over to him and listened to him, then to the tree. There and back.That would work. She could just turn upwards and flip before leveling out and getting a speed boost from not stopping or slowing to turn. She nodded Iin agreement to his terms, pretty confident in her skills for now. She knew griffins were faster than her on land, but wasn't sure about when it came to the sky.

Storm focused on the tree, judging its distance. Far enough for her to gain some good speed.Hm, who was going to initiate the race. She spotted an eagle flying a good deal of way. It seemes to be hunting or patrolling. Start as aoon as you hear that eagle screech. It will decide.
 
-Vale-​

Sounds good. Vale sent back to Storm, eyeing the eagle carefully. Technically, the griffin was part eagle himself - possessing the beak and general wing layout of one. He thought that he might be able to get a bit of an advantage since he knew how the bird's anatomy worked and might be able to tell when it was about to screech, but after a few moments he decided that going down that path was useless. The bird was much smaller than he probably ever was, and the griffin was pretty sure that over-thinking it would only cost him reaction time instead of give him a heads up. Maintaining a steady position in the air, more or less vertical other than the horizontal reach of his wings, Vale kept a keen eye on the eagle but made sure that he was facing the correct direction towards the tree at the same time as the wind feebly tried to bat him around a little bit.

A few seconds later, the eagle seemed to spot a piece of potential prey and screeched - and, in accordance, Vale shot forward with a few mighty flaps of his wings. He looked at Storm from the corner of his eye, making sure that she hadn't missed the eagle's call before focusing on the tree completely. The griffin had gained a bit of a lead with the start, able to summon a lot of energy at once, but that small amount of distance was soon lost as he couldn't exactly glide due to his heavy frame. Instead he had to keep pulling his wings forwards through the air. While it was necessary to keep airborne for any creature, it did increase a bit of air resistance, making it a bit harder for him to plough forward.

Despite the fact, Vale managed to keep more or less neck-to-neck with Storm, however was falling a little bit behind until they reached the tree. As the griffin had speculated, the turn gained him a bit of ground, and he came up beside the dragon once more. However, towards the end of the race, Vale had fallen behind a few centimeters again. Coasting past the finish line and drifting for a few meters afterwards, the griffin nodded towards Storm. Good race. You got that one. He commented, making a smooth turn around to the clearing where Asher and Zoe were sparring. He did toss his head back towards the dragon with a playful glint in his eye, however, a second later. Until next time, yes? Vale challenged lightly.

-Asher-​

Hearing the beat of hesitation after his order, Asher lowered his eyebrows behind his mask. He had thought that this would happen, but that didn't make it any less frustrating when it did. In his mind, it was offensive to doubt his skill: especially after he had ordered her to act, obviously knowing the possible consequences and the abilities he'd need beforehand. He didn't say anything, all of this passing through his mind a split second. Instead, he moved; darting forward towards Zoe's swordhand, knowing that she wouldn't be comfortable enough with the weapon to react to his presence and therefore stop him, and grabbed the joint of her arm. Twisting the said joint, he forced the other elf to bend over slightly and release her grip on the sword or else risk breaking her arm. Reaching out his foot and kicking the hilt of the falling sword, Asher then scooped the weapon out of the air and released his hold on Zoe's arm simultaneously.

From there, the wood elf then spun around on what must have been his heel but looked more like the air and ended up with the edge of his sword touching the skin on Zoe's neck lightly. "Dead." He said harshly, his second blade appearing in his hand as he withdrew his first before thrusting both arms forward at once and making a 'X' shape around her neck. "Dead again." He snapped before quickly changing positions once more: making a rush forward and ramming into the female's ribcage and sending her stumble backwards, appearing at her back with the edge of his weapon pressing lightly on her nape. "Dead. "He barked before sticking out his foot and tripping her, ending up with the point of his sword situated right atop her heart. "And dead once more." Asher declared, calming down a bit from his initial short burst of anger.

Offering a hand for Zoe to pull herself back up, he sighed slightly and released the rest of his negative energy. "My apologies, I shouldn't have snapped at you. I just get touchy when somebody doubts me." He said calmly, though with a slight edge towards the end of the sentence. Passing one of his swords back to her after she had gotten up, Asher took a step back and fell into his braced position. "Now, hit me." He commanded, hoping that he had erased any doubts she had about his abilities. At around the same time he heard and felt the sudden downbeat of air as he sensed Vale start a sprint forwards, but by the feel of it, it wasn't only his wings. Had Storm joined him as well? Perhaps they were racing. Asher decided to ask his companion about it later, instead focusing his mind and ears on Zoe as he prepared for a sword swing. It wouldn't be all that great if he had made such a big show about being capable then die on her.

-Timeskip-​

After awhile of drilling Zoe through the same practice of swinging at him over and over, Asher held up a hand to signal for her to stop. Wiping some sweat of his forehead, he held out his hand so that she could give him his sword back. "Not bad. I think you might be better off with a slightly lighter weapon then these ones, at least until you build up some of the muscles that you'll need to use swords." The wood elf commented, moving towards the river so that he could rinse off a bit. Zoe had done well, and he was worn out, but she still would have to come a good way before she'd actually be able to start getting close enough swings to hit him. As it was, he could easily read from the sound of her body position and be able to predict which move she was about to make. Then the sound of his blades moving through the air were easily distinguishable to him, he knew the weapons by heart. He could even feel most of her swings coming from the vibrations in the ground - that was one other thing that Asher had learned to read, though with shoes on his ability to do that was severely limited. Her changes in balance and weight were easy enough to read, at the least.

"You should be alright for brief encounters, quick in and out things, but try not to engage an opponent for too long. If you have to, I would say that your best bet would to stay on the defense whenever possible. We've only done attacking drills today, so I can't gauge your dodging abilities or otherwise, but from what I can tell you're good at them. Assume that every movement of your opponent is going to be offensive, then get out of the way accordingly." The wood elf recommended, unhooking his mask from his ears in order to dunk his head into the river. He kept his eyes closed, painfully aware of how people tended to receive the sight of his unfocused, pale red eyes. He didn't understand why they were so bothered about it, especially when human blind people tended to be accepted rather easily, but supposed that in contrast to his otherwise sharp features it was a bit startling. Not to mention the fact that his eyes were red, a trait that was uncommon even among elves. Washing his face in the refreshingly cool water, Asher turned his head toward Vale. What time is it? He questioned his griffin, unable to get an accurate gauge on the sun's height now that it was beginning to set, not to mention the fact that some light clouds had begun to gather. Perhaps there would be some rain tonight.

Around six thirty I believe. Not too late yet, but probably around time for dinner. Vale responded, obviously hinting at the fact that he was getting hungry again. The griffin had joined the two elves in the clearing after the race and a few more flight maneuvers. He was a bit sore about loosing to Storm in their race, but didn't mind it particularly - he had only lost by a little bit, and the dragon had had a bit of an advantage seeing as he was a bit more heavily built.

"Do you want to head back into the village? I think Vale's hungry again, and if I'm not mistaken you want to get a blade for tomorrow?" Asher asked Zoe, running his hands through his hair and wringing it a bit to get the majority of the water out of it. Not for the first time, he wondered if he should cut it a bit shorter - his hair was long for a male, and it got a bit unmanageable at times. At least he didn't have the problem where he'd have to see through his bangs, since he couldn't see, but it still annoyed him at times. Listening for Zoe's reply, he wondered if she'd still want to stick around him. He thought he had done a decent enough job of coaching, but she might think otherwise and want to get rid of him at this point. Asher did think that the logical decision would be to go pick out a weapon with him, however, seeing as he knew a lot more about blades than the other elf probably did.
 
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Zoe was left panting after the ending of their training session. She felt sweat run down her face and wiped it off with the back of her free hand. The dark elf smoothed out her hair since it had been quite a bit ruffled with all of this movement. She felt a bit sore too from being pushed around when she had hesitated in attacking. She hadn't been able to escape the assault because she was so stunned and knew she would know to back off another time. It was just that she hadn't expected such a reaction. She would have felt poorly for having doubted Asher's abilities in that split moment, but she knew he had gotten his point across and much more. Zoe also made a mental note to stay away from Asher when he was angry. She was sure Storm would have been furious and would tell Zoe to stay away from someone who had outbursts like that, but Zoe was alright for the most part. She wouldn't doubt him now, that was for sure. She was glad to have such an adept swordsman as a potential partner in the difficult trials and missions to come. Though he was sort of distant and a bit odd with his incredibility acute hearing, he seemed like a polite man and a capable ally to boot.

Zoe had learned quite a bit too. Of course she wasn't as skilled as Asher, and even with a few years more of practice she still didn't think you would be. Though she had decided that she had learned enough to be able to execute a brief attack or at least defend herself until she was in the position to use her bow and arrows. The sword in her hand felt just a touch more natural, though she wasn't connected to it like she was connected to her precious bow. She loved the smooth wood and familiar string too much to be able to fully devout herself to being a swordsman. No matter, the skill was still a useful one and she was glad to have had a brief learning experience before being thrown into danger.

Storm was glad to have won the race, but she knew it was only by a slight amount. Still, she was quite proud of her abilities and would be happy to race the griffin another time. She had spend a little while flying before she had landed to watch Zoe train. Thankfully, she had missed the part where Asher had dominated Zoe and demonstrated how many times she could have been killed. So the dragon still believed the training had been innocent and would have no hard feelings. Now she was sitting a little ways away from Zoe, watching to see what her rider would do now. She was sort of relieved that the training was over because now they might get to eat. But Storm still believed the training had been worth it in the end.

Zoe walked over to the water and crouched down. She scooped up some water and splashed it on her face once before standing. She set Asher's sword down next to where he had been sitting near the edge of the water. Then she walked over to her belongings. She put on her cape again and slung her bow and quiver of arrows over her shoulder. Upon hearing the wood elf speak she responded with, "I was thinking it would be wise to head back. Storm is probably hungry and to be honest, I'm pretty hungry too. Oh, and you're right. I do want to purchase a sword and i was hoping you could help me find a decent one since you know a lot about swords."

With that said, she walked over to Storm and pet the dragon's head. Storm crouched down and the dark elf swung herself up onto Storm's back. Then the dragon stood up and was told telepathically by Zoe to wait for the others before taking off.
 
Asher was listened to the river for awhile, absorbing the sound of the water as it ran through the clearing. He was hot and he harbored the temptation to dunk his entire head in, or even jump in and soak himself completely, however his instincts were screaming against it. If there was one thing that rose above all of Asher's other weaknesses, it would be water. The liquid filled in his ears and clogged his nose, even taking the sensors on his feet away from him as the water flowed without a clear bottom. While he could hear the water rushing around him, and sometimes limited noises coming from above the surface, Asher didn't know how to read the strange sound waves. In the water, the wood elf was completely and utterly blind. And he didn't like that. At least in the air he had Vale and the griffin's keen senses to help him, and he could hear vaguely what was going on around him: just with little to no accuracy at all. Additionally, in the air Vale could help him out with a few well-timed screeches. In the water all that was a no.

While the wood elf was a quick learner and fast to place anything in his surroundings, in the woods during his childhood he had seldom had the opportunity to swim anyway. At times during his and Vale's ventures around the world they had encountered lakes and the such, and Asher had taught himself to swim to a limited extent, but he was far from graceful in the water and preferred to keep out of it if at all possible. There were just some times, times like these, when he recognized the cooling nature of the resource and wished to jump in. He refrained from doing so, knowing that he would have to fly soon and the water would probably give him a chill. Besides, while he liked being in the water, he didn't like the sticky feeling he got once he had gotten out. Not to mention the fact that he wasn't entirely sure whether he, Vale, Zoe and Storm were even safe in the area. They hadn't heard anything suspicious so far, but you never knew. As evening was approaching some of the more dangerous nighttime animals might be starting to appear as well.

Turning his head towards Zoe as she spoke, Asher nodded once and fastened his mask back over his eyes. "Sounds good." He commented, glad that she didn't seem to be too put off by him. She seemed to be nice enough, very friendly and easy going. And, perhaps above all, she seemed to be rather accepting of his more than marginally strange behavior and circumstances. "As I said, it'd probably be best for you to go something lighter but also with some length. You're more used to long distance fighting anyhow, with your bow. I think I heard a few good metal smiths about the village, but I wasn't exactly paying much attention. I guess we'll have a good look this time around. Would you rather eat or shop first?" Asher asked, shaking out his hair once more before swinging himself onto Vale who had moved up beside him as he sensed his rider preparing for takeoff. Zoe was already mounted at that point, and the wood elf had no qualms about urging Vale to take off before the other pair since they were obviously being waited on.

The griffin had a clear idea about what he wanted to do. He wanted to eat and skip on the weapons shopping altogether, but Asher didn't pay the beast any sort of attention. He knew his companion didn't particularly mind either way, and was only being disagreeable and antisocial because there was quite frankly nothing else for him to do. The flight back to the village was short, the griffin making a touchdown just outside of the community just a few minutes later. Asher wondered idly what he would have to start doing later in the year to start earning money so that he could pay for his food. He had a good bit stocked up, but he was pretty sure that at this rate he was going to run out. Perhaps he and Vale could start hunting instead of buying all their meals, like they had in previous years, however the wood elf had heard something about having to have a hunting permit before taking any prey from the area. He supposed it made sense, especially with so many creatures and their riders about.

Vale was quick to identify the smell of roast boar, and equally as fast to make the scent known to Asher. The elf laughed and rolled his eyes, elbowing his companion. "What a carnivore." He said, turning towards Zoe and Storm. "Vale's picked up the scent of some pig. Personally I think I'm going to go with something more vegetable based and less expensive" Asher elbowed the griffin again pointedly, but Vale simply snorted at his rider, "but I'm fine with whatever you two want." He finished, draping one arm around Vale's neck so that the griffin could act like his guide even though the amount of noise around the area was going to be more than enough for the elf to get a feel for what was around him.
 
Zoe watched idly as Asher placed his mask back over his face and she wondered what he was hiding. She also wondered if he was actually blind or just trying to remove his sense of sight with the mask to hone his other skills. She then concluded that no one would want to be blind and found the prospect of not being able to see, quite miserable. Zoe's sight was vital with her weapon since she couldn't hear distance targets and their movements like Asher could hear the closer sounds of opposing swordsmen and such. Also, she quite loved being able to see the world around her. She loved the dark hue of the sky at night and watching the trees sway in the wind. The changing of colors in the leaves of trees served as a warning that winter was approaching, but the change of hue was still beautiful. Her sight made her feel more connected to her environment, though she still used her hearing and other senses too.

Zoe wasn't a Wood Elf and didn't have a huge tie to nature, but since her kind preferred darkness, thick forests and caves was where Dark Elves lived most often. Shadows comforted her, even though others were put off by them. She loved their depths and how she could manipulate them enough to seem to cloak her. That was part of the reason she wore a black cape. When hiding at night, it could easily conceal her body long enough to make a kill. Darkness was also easier on her skin and her eyes. Due to her species, she was more comfortable in the darkness and could even see in the darkness. After all, Dark Elves in the more wild territories were known to sleep in the day and be active by night. Zoe had slowly broken free of her nocturnal nature for the most part since the rest of the species affiliated with the rebellion were more used to day light hours. Though she transitioned, she still much preferred the cover of night and had often used that time in her travels for hunting.

Zoe wondered how the other Dark Elves she had spotted on the school grounds managed to transition. She also wondered if it would be worth befriending any of them. They would accept her more than some pretentious High elf or Light Elf. Light Elves disliked Zoe's species and her species wasn't too fond of the Light elves either. This was predictable since one species loved the light and spent all of their time in it. Light Elves made their homes in open fields or other places with full light exposure. They feared the coming of shadows, but cherished the light. Of course Dark Elves were opposite in their beliefs which led to unrest between the two different species. Meanwhile High Elves disliked Wood Elves more than they disliked Dark Elves because those two species were different. High Elves thought Wood Elves were dirty creatures who hid in the forest and ate frogs among other gross animals. Of course many of their prejudiced ideas were false, but that didn't stop them for believing Wood Elves to be beneath them.

"I was thinking of something like a rapier or another long, thin sword would do fine. I would like to eat first and I'm sure Storm here would agree."Zoe replied. She gave Storm's neck a light pat and the dragon ascended into the sky. Storm followed after Vale at a casual pace, staying parallel to the griffin but far away enough that the wind from her wings wouldn't deter the flight of the other beast. Storm took a moment to admire the setting sun, glad night would fall soon enough. Storm soon landed at the edge of the village near Vale. Zoe was quick to vault off of the dragon as usual. She took note of how it was more crowded than before since it was around dinner time. Zoe also had the worry of how she'd keep getting money but figured she could get a job or something. Or maybe they paid soldiers. She knew they fed the soldiers, but she wasn't a soldier yet. Her money would last a while depending on how expensive her sword would turn out to be. She hoped that by the time she ran out that she would be important enough to be taken care of by the school.

Storm was also quick to scent meat. Her nostrils twitched and Zoe heard the dragon's stomach rumble quietly. Zoe chuckled and patted the dragon's flank before she started to walk. She was mindful enough to keep Storm away from the other mounts and the walkway between the stalls and shops was made large enough to accommodate passing creatures. Zoe did keep a look out for other dragons though and was satisfied to see none at the moment since as displayed earlier, dragons didn't get along very well. Zoe heard Asher's comment to his griffin and smiled slightly, finding their interactions to be amusing. She also scented boar, but was down for buying something less expensive and more varied than just meat. "I agree with not just eating meat. I was thinking we can find some stew so Storm could have some meat and there would still be vegetables for us to eat. Also, stew tends to be cheaper than a cut of meat."Zoe replied.

The Dark Elf approached one of the stalls that was selling rabbit stew. Rabbit was cheaper than venison, was still tasty, and this stew had carrots and potatoes and such. She decided this was a good choice and purchased two bowls, getting a larger one for Storm. She hoped they could hunt at some point and wondered if it was allowed or not. She carried two wooden bowls of stew with carefully and was told politely to return the bowls and spoon once she was finished. "I'll meet you over where it's less crowded."she told Asher as she passed them. Zoe walked over towards a less crowded area between two shops. Storm sat down and eagerly awaited her food. Zoe took a seat as well, crossing her legs as she set a bowl in front of herself and Storm. The dragon waited patiently until Zoe gave the word and the large reptile leaned down and began to lap up the broth of the stew and chew up the bits of meat. Zoe politely began to eat her own stew with her spoon as she quietly observed the students and mounts passing by.
 
Dismounting and beginning to walk forward, Asher was about to walk into the village when something grabbed at his leg. Whipping around and throwing the thing off, hearing the small body fly through the air, the wood elf realized that it hadn't been trying to harm him and managed to catch it before it flew too far off. From the feel of it, he was holding a tail? The creature started to make chirping noises that were oddly musical, filling the air. Immediately recognizing it, Asher held out his hand and set the creature down on it. "Sorry, buddy. I thought you were trying to attack me." The elf apologized, patting the beast's head. It appeared to be a Cantoris {image}, an animal native to the woodlands and very rare. The wood elves kept them as companions at times, as the creatures were very intelligent and loyal. They had very limited combat abilities, being insect eaters and equipped to do little else, however they made up for that with the fact that they were cute and moved much like a sloth, making them only more endearing.

Unlike Vale, a Cantoris wasn't part of the mythics class and didn't possess any type of telepathy, but they seemed content with just hanging around and doing what they were told. "But what are one of you doing in these parts? You're pretty far from home." Asher commented, unsure what to do with the creature. Vale was sniffing at it, wondering the same thing, but started to nudge Asher on to start moving as Zoe and Storm started to move away into the village. Sighing, the wood elf looked at the Cantoris. "Fine, I guess you can come with me until we find your owner alright?" He said to the creature, placing it on his shoulder where he hoped it would stay. However, the beast didn't seem to like the elf's shoulder: instead clambering up to settle on his head. "I guess that's one thing my mop of hair is good for." Asher muttered, bursting into a slow jog to catch up to Zoe and Storm.

Catching up to the other pair in time to hear Zoe's comment about stew, Asher nodded. "That sounds good." He agreed, though Vale grunted in disagreement. Fine, I'll get you something else. The wood elf gave in, making the griffin nod once in satisfaction. Hearing Zoe turn away from the main path to what was presumably a stew stall, Asher was about to do the same when he heard the sound of heavy footsteps behind him.

"Thief, thief! That elf stole my Cantoris!" Came a cry, sounding mostly human and very male. Asher put the pieces of the puzzle together and retrieved the Cantoris from atop his head quickly and held it out - trying to avoid a scene.

"No, please. I didn't steal him, I just found him on the path." The wood elf excused himself, having identified the creature's gender by its sound and the way it chirped. However, as the man approached, the Cantoris started to squeal and tried to clamber back up Asher's arm and away from the human. Recognizing the fact that the man was trying to sell the animal, and probably mistreating it, Asher clenched his teeth together. The salesman was a few feet away and gaining: already trying to reach out and grab for the Cantoris. "But may I ask if you are selling this little guy? I can say that he's wormed his way into my heart already." Asher said, sighing internally and knowing that this would probably put him out of the rest of his money and deprive him and Vale of a meal. Cantori were rare and were only found within the depths of the forest, they would probably be pretty expensive in retail.

The salesman slowed his pace, crossing his arms. The human was pretty sure that the elf was well off enough to pay well for the Cantoris, judging by the looks of his clothes and swords. "I'd say so. Though I don't take particularly kindly to dealing with people who ran off with my goods." He said, already trying to raise the price. Asher remained impassive.

"I shall say this again, I found the little guy on the path. If it wasn't for me you wouldn't have any goods to sell, he would have been trampled." The wood elf said flatly, one hand brushing against the hilt of one of his swords in a mild warning to the salesman. The human seemed to get the message and backed off a little bit, though he still demanded a sum just above that of which Asher had on him. He still had a little bit more money back in the academy room, though that had been mostly just change that he couldn't be bothered to carry around. Managing to haggle down the price down to suit what he had, Asher handed over the money and the salesman moved away - seemingly content with the exchange. At this point Zoe and Storm had already gotten their meals and had sat down, and Asher led Vale over to them: passing by the stew stall as he didn't have enough money left to get anything.

Once he and Vale had reached the space where the other pair were sitting, Asher settled into a cross-legged position with Vale laying down beside him. The griffin was visibly disgruntled at having lost a meal, however he didn't protest - obviously feeling as protective over the Cantoris as Asher was. "Well, we had a slight change of plans. It looks like I've got myself a new pet, though this one did cost a pretty penny." Asher said to Zoe, retrieving the Cantoris from where it had resettled itself on his head.

"What am I supposed to do with you now?" The wood elf asked the creature with a sigh, though as the beast started to nibble on his thumb he didn't have much of a choice but to smile at the tickling sensation. "I suppose I'm going to have to think of a name as well." He added, regarding the creature. Turning to Zoe, Asher held out the animal. "Do you have any name ideas? I hope you don't mind that I got him by the way, I couldn't help myself. These guys are native to the woodlands, I haven't seen one of them since..." Asher hesitated. "Since I left." He amended after a second, Vale shifting his weight uncomfortably. "They're called Cantoris. They eat insects. Perhaps we can keep him in the room so that he can keep out any spiders and such." Asher added quickly, explaining what the Cantori were since he was pretty sure that Zoe wouldn't have seen one before and trying to draw attention away from his stumble.
 
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