Mythical Creatures, Elves, and Danger, Oh My!

[The Rainbow Cat Bandit]

Storm flew in place beside Vale. Zoe was atop her back. The Dark Elf was catching her breath, seeming a bit stunned. A breeze made her hair fly into her face, but she didn't so much as blow it away. She just sat there, hearing the crackling of flames from below. She finally moved a hand up and moved the hair from her eyes after she had returned her bow and arrows to her back. Zoe looked and saw the temple below was ablaze now. What had they done? There had been other cards in there, so had they accidentally condemned the other students to failure? Or maybe the instructors would make exceptions or something? But now the temple could never be used for future inductions so the school would have to figure something else out. That complicated things quite a bit.

Zoe heard what Asher had said and looked over to see the card in his hand. It was a jack of diamonds. The suit never had meaning to her, and neither had cards. But now that card would be engraved into her mind. One associated with this memory. A trial of fire and death, riveting flight tricks, and quick planning. It was the beginning of her career, and the end of her life as a mere civilian. She was more now. A student, a soldier in training. No longer was she a silly little girl with a pet dragon and a knack for archery. No. This card, these trials had changed everything. A leisurely life of wandering through forest and dreaming of glory was over. It was over as soon as she shot the first Tibicena, when she escaped the forest fire, when she knocked the rider from their seat, and when she escaped the hydra. Now the dream wasn't so out of reach, wasn't so sweet. The dream brought death and destruction, but her determination had still grown stronger. She had a taste of the truth of these situations, and would soon be more familiar with them.

Storm began to fly back towards the entrance as well, following Vale. Storm was a bit shocked as well. This day had been crazy. It had felt like it was longer than a day, when it had been just a few hours or less. The dragon found it hard to believe how much conflict had happened in one day, so much destruction. Well, she'd have to get used to it soon since Zoe wouldn't give up her dream to fight and try to end the king. And that path would leave more chaos in its wake. Storm wasn't opposed to it though. She shared Zoe's dream of ending the tyrant and restoring peace to the land, but too bad there had to war for there to ever be peace.

Zoe soon broke away from her thought as they began to draw closer to the arena's entrance. To think she had entered so innocently, not suspecting what would happen to her throughout the induction. Had it been exciting? Yes. Thrilling? Of course. Terrifying? If she disagreed then she'd be lying.She decided to respond to Asher. All of the cards not retrieved earlier are sure to be ashes now. I don't know how the trails can go on now and hope we didn't just make others fail. Hopefully we don't get in trouble...Zoe replied.

Zoe's back went rigid when she heard the telepathic announcement forced into her mind as well as many others. She suddenly felt guilty as the person speaking explained twice that the forest temple had been burnt down, having to clarify since the idea was so outrageous. She could almost feel the shock and disappointment that the remaining students who were looking for the temple might feel. She would feel the same in that situation and hoped that others had returned cards before this had happened. Zoe was relieved to hear that the induction was over now and that everyone could recover, but she tensed up again when she heard her last name and first with Asher's followed by a summon to the main entrance.

Zoe's breath caught in her throat before it was released in a sigh, something she hadn't meant to release. "I feel like they might be mad that we destroyed an important part of this arena, but I hope I'm incorrect."she replied, out loud this time. Telepathy wasn't as crucial anymore. Storm also picked up the pace so she could stay level with Vale. If they were showing up to possibly be scolded for their actions, Storm would make sure the group at least looked more organized and not like the blundering idiots that burning the temple suggested them to be. Zoe caught onto this and sat up, but this time without the stiff posture she had taken on when she had heard the announcement.

Storm soon reached the main entrance and began to descend. The dragon landed gracefully and tucked her wings as soon as Zoe had hopped off. Zoe also landed lightly, being extra careful with avoiding looking like a fool in front of whoever would be here to meat them. She looked around and waited for Asher and Vale to land.

 

[Amber Sky]

Asher began to nod to Zoe's comment about the other students retrieving cards, feeling slightly guilty about the incident - he had been too caught up in getting a card and trying to spot danger on the outside of the temple to have spotted the hydra's presence beforehand. Besides, the reptile had been so still in its slumber that the wood elf hadn't been able to detect it from vibrations coming off of the temple. No matter what happened, the rider decided that such a thing would never happen again - he would wait until somebody with a visual was able to confirm that there wasn't any danger about before going forth to examine an area. It couldn't be said that Asher knew exactly how they would have retrieved a card even if he had known there was a hydra about though. Perhaps they would have tried to lure it out of the temple before darting in then back out?

Pushing the thoughts from his mind, the wood elf turned his attention to what was upcoming. Now that somebody seemed to want to speak to him and Zoe at the main entrance, he figured that he should at least appear presentable. Sitting back up in his saddle from where he had slumped over to relax a bit and making sure all his blades were secure in their sheaths, Asher felt Vale start to balance out his flight a little bit. Apparently the griffin also intended to make a good impression. The wood elf assumed that Zoe and Storm were going to try and straighten up as well. They might as well make a uniform landing; it might get them a few points in their favor if they were about to get in trouble for burning the temple down.

They can't yell at us too much though, can they? Asher mused to Vale, not having voiced what he was thinking about but the griffin understood what his rider was talking about anyway.

I don't think so. It is their fault for having a hydra in the arena in the first place. Vale responded, distaste in his words as he was still rather shaken from having his rider have to fight that certain beast alone.

Yeah. It's insane for them to expect us to fight those things, even for experienced warriors it is only recommended they go after hydra if they have very powerful magic on their side. That was something we certainly didn't have. Asher agreed to his griffin's unspoken criticism of the instructors' motives. The two lapsed into silence after that, Vale focusing on his flight and Asher mulling over the events of the day so far. When he thought about it, not much time had actually passed since they entered the arena, but it felt like they had been on the move for hours at least. Asher supposed that was the effect of intense activity over a short space of time. He couldn't recall a moment's worth of peace since the first attack by the Tibicena.

Turning his head toward Zoe as he heard the other elf speak, Asher nodded. "Vale and I were discussing the same thing. They can't get too upset over it though, can they? It wasn't our fault that they had a giant hydra in the place." The wood elf agreed with a small grin. "I'd ask if it is still rampaging, but honestly I don't want to know. It seems like I'm at fault for burning down multiple sections of the forest at this point." He said, going from mildly cheerful to lapsing back into his guilty mode. "I'll do better next time though, I just kept getting my ego get in the way today. I certainly trust you a whole lot more now, we shouldn't have the problem of me wandering ahead anymore." Asher promised, his fingers clenching slightly in determination.

Hearing the wind start to rebound off of the arena wall, Asher took a few deep breaths to compose himself. "Here goes nothing." He said to nobody in particular as Vale landed basically at the same time as Storm. Swinging himself off of the griffin's back, Asher took a few seconds to orient himself on the wall. From what he could tell, there was a team of five people - presumably instructors - standing nearby, with the obvious one in charge situated a few steps in front of the others. The wood elf immediately recognized the stance of the leftmost instructor as the one he had sparred with in the small clearing earlier. Vale spotted what looked to be the rider Zoe knocked out of their saddle as well, though since the griffin hadn't been in the greatest viewing point ever he wasn't exactly sure.

"Good morning." Addressed the instructor that seemed to be in charge, appearing to be at least half dwarvish with perhaps some human or elf mixed in. "My name is Gorithrude, and I am a member of the senior staff here at the academy. My specialty is the arena induction." He introduced himself, pausing for a few moments to let the information sink in. He seemed to have a bit of a sense for theatrics, which may explain the hydra at least a little bit.

"To get right to the point, let me just say that I've never quite seen the likes of this. It's the first time anybody has even remotely damaged the temple, which as been used for the Academy's induction for nearly a century. I understand that this is not entirely your two's fault, as I probably should have had that hydra removed since it's gotten a bit too big to handle, but nevertheless I must penalize you two at least a little bit. I won't do so in the terms of scores - though I doubt that even if I did, it wouldn't make much difference as you four are obviously a good deal ahead of man of the other students - however I will ask that you help me out in a bit of forest cleanup now that the induction is over. Besides, you were the cause of most of the damage done to it." Gorithrude said in a rather deep voice, making it appear that he was male but with dwarves or those of their bloodline it was rather hard to tell. He seemed to address his last sentence at Asher, and while the wood elf couldn't see the gaze that the instructor pinned on him he nodded his head once in guilt.

"I'll allow you to freshen up a bit first, but after that I'd like you four to report back here immediately. You'll clean up while I announce the scores and ranks of the other students. We've already tallied up the scores of you four, and you are our top team this year. You'll train with two other teams in the top tier - your training will start tomorrow at 6am; you will be expected to report to the main hall once again to meet up with your instructor. Your first class will be on a little bit more combat so that the instructors can refine their knowledge of your more general skill sets, not just the specialized ones you've demonstrated today, so make sure to bring your weapons." Gorithrude then waved his (though Asher still hadn't determined whether it was a he or a she) hand in dismissal. "I'll see you two back here soon." He said, walking off. The other four instructors lingered around. Asher took the opportunity to speak with the one he had battled against.

"Sir" He began, slightly hesitant as he was given more time to analyze his previous opponent. "You're actually a 'mam, aren't you?" Asher corrected himself a moment after.

"That's right kiddo. You're actually blind, aren't you?" The instructor, whom Asher had presumed to be a he, replied with obvious bemusement. While the woman was obviously feminine-looking, she carried herself almost identically to a male which had thrown Asher off. He had been concentrating more on her movements than her actual body. The wood elf nodded once in answer to the question.

"Yeah. Born into it, but my eyes seem to freak people out nevertheless so I keep them covered." Asher responded, letting his manners slip slightly after the instructor's friendly response.

"What happened to the sir and mam stuff?" The woman asked sharply, making Asher jump a bit.

"Sorry mam." He apologized promptly, but she only laughed.

"I love new students, they're always so uptight." She said cheerily, before waving a farewell and starting to walk after Gorithrude. "I'll see you later, I look forward to working with ya!" She said in dismissal, seeming to have picked up a lot of human culture for an elf.

 

[The Rainbow Cat Bandit]

Zoe felt her nerves threatening to make her muscles tense again. She forced herself to take a few breaths. Defending herself from the Tibicena had probably been less nerve wracking than this. She didn't know if the instructors would be mad or not because they had caused quite some destruction. Maybe they'd lose points and drop down a tier or maybe they'd be suspended or something. After all, they had burned down the temple which resulted in the trails to be cut short. That hindered the evaluations for the remaining students since they couldn't get a card. And no card meant they may be marked down. Also, Zoe wondered if the temple had been historically important. the vines growing all over it and the vegetation engulfing it suggested that it had been there for quite some time.

Zoe didn't want to be known as one of the two responsible for destroying the fabled induction temple. That would be awful. The school now has to modify the induction or build a new temple or something to compensate. To look at the silver lining, maybe they were due for a new temple? That was probably untrue, but she had to find ways to assure herself that she didn't fail that hard.

Maybe their performance would at least keep them in the school, even if they were placed in a lower tier or something. After all, they had displayed great skill even though they had to attack innocent creatures. They took down a pack of angry Tibicena, which were not easy to kill. On top of that Asher had killed the giant woodland creature. They also managed to take down a fire dragon, two instructors, and also escaped a fully grown hydra with their lives. That was sort of impressive in her opinion. Okay, maybe she thought it was really impressive. Zoe didn't know that she had that kind of skill in her. Their mounts had also done very well. They took down a manticore and probably a few other foes and they also aided Asher and her very much throughout the second half of the induction. If the two hadn't arrived in time then Zoe and Asher may have been injured or even killed in the forest fire. That wouldn't really be a comfortable or noble way to go.

Zoe hoped the instructors wouldn't punish them too much. She listened to the dwarvish instructor speak. Zoe was unsure of why the instructor had paused, but hoped he hadn't done it because he was hesitating to tell them bad news. Or it could quite possibly be dramatic effect for good results. Zoe wished for the latter theory to be true. Zoe was disappointed to discover that the temple had been around for that long since that meant her suspicion of it being historic was true. She swallowed her excess saliva and managed to keep her cool still. It was a relief to hear the instructor admit that the hydra wasn't fit to be there. Zoe felt a rush of joy when the instructor added that the two were more advanced than the other students, since that was a good sign. From the sound of it, it seemed the two wouldn't be kicked out of the school.

Zoe then heard that they'd have to help with the clean up. That was a fair punishment. Then maybe she could pay a bit more respect to the fallen Tibicena. She lowered her eyes a bit to show her guilt, but figured it wasn't wise to hang her head since that may either be perceived as childish. She raised her eyes again when she heard that she and Asher and their mounts were the top of the class. Now that was great news. She couldn't help but telepathically tell Asher in an excited tone, We made it to the top of the top tier!

Storm seemed pleased too, eyes seeming to glow a bit as she looked proudly down at her rider. Zoe was also excited for training tomorrow. Sure she had destroyed a temple, but had also received great news so now she wouldn't sulk. She watched the instructor dismiss them self and walk off and also noticed Asher begin to talk to the instructor that he had fought. Zoe decided to talk to the instructor she had accidentally knocked out of the saddle. He looked to be fully human and had short, messy brown hair and eyes to match. He wore an amiable expression and was quite tall, either that or he just had a really confident posture. His bow was resting on his back, but his griffin wasn't in sight.

Zoe made it over to him and found her courage. "Hey, I'm sorry about knocking you out of your saddle. I didn't mean to do that...er, sir."she said after hearing Asher use courtesies.

The instructor chuckled a bit and scratched at the short stubble on his chin. Zoe observed that he was rather lean. The man responded, "I have to admit, it was a little bit frightening, but I'm impressed that you helped my griffin catch me."

Zoe looked a bit sheepish. "Yeah, about that. I also apologize for having Storm, my dragon, blind your griffin which would half helped further prevent your death...Is your griffin okay?"she responded.

"No need to apologize. It was a rather wise move. And yes, he's recovering and can see now. My Striker is a tough lad."he reassured her, amusement showing in his eyes.

"That's good. Also, you are a very talented archer. I look forwards to possibly learning from you...sir."she replied, perking up a bit as she gradually got comfortable again.

"Thank you. And you'll regret saying that. I'm a bit of a grumpy teacher. Also, drop the sir. It sounds nice and proper, but I'm not proper."he replied with another brief chuckle.

"Well, it was nice to meet you...er. What is your name?"Zoe asked, putting out her hand for a friendly shake.

"Ooh, what a formal little lassy. My name is Sam Blackwood, but you can call me Mr. Blackwood."Sam replied, taking her hand and shaking once before releasing.

"Nice meeting you, Zoe."Sam added, having known her name since it was his job. He turned and left. Storm took her place by Zoe and once the other instructors had left, proceeded to knock Zoe over. The dragon nuzzled Zoe's face with what sounded like a purr. We did it!Storm said as Zoe laughed and pushed Storm's face away gently. She grabbed onto Storm's leg and used it as leverage to pull herself back to her feet. Zoe walked over to Vale and patted the griffin's shoulder once before pulling away, clearly unsure if the griffin liked to be touch. Good job on your part too.she told him.

Then Zoe looked to Asher. "Hey, we weren't suspended for burning that temple. We will live another day!"she cheered, clearly debating on whether she should try to hug him or not.

 

[Amber Sky]

It was only after the woman instructor had walked away that Asher realized that he hadn't gotten her name. Zoe seemed to be talking to another of the instructors and the wood elf turned his head slightly towards Vale in curiosity. The one she knocked off his griffin. The mount replied, and Asher nodded once. That would make sense - he was glad to hear that the man was alright. From the human's tone of voice it sounded like his griffin was going to be alright as well. The elf wished that he had been able to see the spectacle, or at least hear it a little bit better, but unfortunately that opportunity was lost at that point. Exhausted, the elf leaned back against Vale for a few seconds. From the sound of it, Storm had just knocked Zoe over - while Vale was one to randomly try to hit his rider, they took their celebration in silence.

In general, they weren't a pair to party unless they reached over the bar Asher had set for their performance. In this instance, they hadn't - the wood elf had been aiming for the top - so they were rather mellow. Besides, Vale was still far from forgiving his rider for encountering so many dangerous enemies without him.

As the adrenaline rush started to wear off, Asher began to feel pangs of pain shooting through his legs from his feet. Apparently he had stepped on a few too many rocks and sharp twigs while running. Grimacing slightly, the wood elf crouched down to slip his shoes back on to offer his feet some protection at least until he got some bandages. He was pretty sure that he had multiple bleeding cuts at this point as well, though as his feet were also covered in dirt he couldn't tell. Yeah, you've been leaving bloody footprints everywhere. Vale confirmed, reading his rider's mind as the elf picked his heels up to examine the soles of his feet.

Thanks for that beautiful mental image. Asher replied sarcastically and at that point Vale butted the rider with his head.

Hey, it was better me than somebody else. The griffin defended, to which the wood elf nodded in consent.

True. How long as it been though? If the injury took place awhile ago I would think that I'd have attracted more attacks. The rider mused, but Vale shrugged it off. One might think that even though Asher had been distracted by everything else that had been happening in the arena, he still would have felt significantly sharp objects tearing through the soles of his feet, however as the wood elf was used to this - while he had been in the forests with Vale, it was necessary to stay on high alert at all times and utilize all of his senses constantly - he had developed a kind of immunity to the pain. It wasn't complete, but it worked until he was out of danger.

I only noticed when you took a few steps up here. You probably got the worst of it while running from the hydra. The griffin responded.

True again. Did you get any injuries? Asher asked his partner, to which the griffin grunted once.

I got kicked on the head by that damned pegasus, but that was about it. It'll heal up in a few days, there isn't anything you can do to treat it. Vale answered, anticipating the rider's concern and dismissing his injury.

If you say so. Do you think we can head towards the main hall? Apparently they have first aid there so I should be able to pick something up to bind my feet up. Asher asked, but Vale didn't give him a straight answer.

I would recommend asking your new partner. Also, I think Zoe's about to speak to you - get your attention off your feet already. The griffin scolded, making Asher elbow the creature in slight annoyance. It appeared that Vale was in a bit of a mood now that the danger was over and he was thinking over all the times his rider had done something stupid that could have gotten him killed during the induction; agitating himself as he did so. Asher turned towards Zoe who had finished her conversation with the male instructor when he wasn't paying attention, grinning slightly at her words.

"Oh please, we weren't just not suspended; we got put at the top of the class. I'm choosing to disregard the fact that we'll probably be forever known as those two jerks who burned down the arena temple for now though." The wood elf said cheerily, generally just happy that they had made it out alive. Asher took a step toward Zoe, though he was unsure of what he was doing. In the rebel army they had celebrated by chest bumping, but he had the vague notion that might not work with Zoe. Should he try to shake her hand? A fist bump maybe? He really had no idea.

 

[The Rainbow Cat Bandit]

"We're successful jerks though. And though I'm really guilty, maybe they needed a new temple. And could probbaly do with removing the hydra. I wonder if they could tame that thing."Zoe replied, cheerful as well. She didn't know how to go about congratulating Asher some more since she wasn't sure if he'd be okay with a hug. She was still wary his reflexes would trigger from the sudden movement and he'd accidentally take her down or something. She put her arms out as if she was going to hug him and then looked over to Storm with a skeptical expression. The dragon shook her head now and Zoe quietly dropped her arms back to her sides. Hugs could come later when they were a bit more familiar with one another. After all, now they were officially training together as a partner group and would probably end up on missions together. This meant they'd have plenty of time to grow more comfortable with each other.

Zoe walked back over to Storm, remembering to check the dragon's arrow wound. Zoe looked at Storm's left shoulder, where a bleeding gash was located now. It slid down over her smooth scales. Storm just now seemed to remember it as the pain began to become a bit more evident. Zoe placed her hadn't lightly on the scales next to the wound as she examined it. You took a good hit there. It was direct enough to pierce scales...

I'll heal up soon enough. I should get it wrapped and cleaned to prevent infection. The last thing we need is this little gash to put me out of training during a crucial time because of a silly infection. Storm replied.

Zoe gave it a worried look, but knew Storm was right in that it would be fine when cleaned up. Zoe herself was fine, save for a few scratches she received from running through the forest. The most prominent one was a thin red mark across her cheek that had been caused by a slap to the face from a small tree branch she had neglected to pay attention to when avoiding being burnt to a crisp. She had to admit, she'd take a few lashes any day if it meant not burning alive or being crushed by a falling tree. She touched the lash gently and winced slightly. She'd get over it fast, but she was sure she'd feel some more pain tomorrow morning.

Zoe's eyes widened when she noticed bloody foot prints that led to Asher. She remembered that he had chosen to go bare foot in the beginning of the trials, probably to enhance his sense of movements. "Are you okay? Yikes, that looks painful. Well, we should probably be heading back to the main hall to get cleaned up before we have to return for clean up."Zoe said.

Zoe knew she'd have to return to this place, but she was anticipating leaving it for now. Some recovery time would be nice since she still half expected the forest to light afire again. Zoe teasingly poked Storm in the snout before climbing atop the dragon's back. Storm gave her wings a nice stretch before she tipped her head up in Vale's direction as if to gesture that she was about to take off. Then the dragon flapped her wings down with a great "whoosh" and lifted into the sky yet again. Storm was also eager to leave this dangerous area since after all, the beast lurking with in probably had no sense as to whether the trials were over and would attack if they pleased.

Storm began to fly towards the main hall, anticipating that Vale and Asher would soon follow.

 

[Amber Sky]

In the end deciding not to do anything physical to celebrate with Zoe, Asher reversed the step that he had begun to move toward her. He could hear the other elf walk around, presumably to examine Storm and any injuries that the dragon might have sustained. Overall it seemed that the four of them had gotten out pretty lightly, though with the slight exception of Asher's feet. Looking up as Zoe started to speak, seemingly concerned about the wood elf's injuries, Asher nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great. I'm not sure how long I've been bleeding for, it might be best to stop the flow." He agreed, trying to assure his partner that he didn't worry as much about the pain but rather the consequence of it without saying so - as the statement that his feet didn't hurt would be a bit of a lie. Especially considering that as Asher's adrenaline persisted in wearing off they had begun to hurt a whole lot more.

Turning away from Zoe and towards Vale, Asher swung himself onto the griffin's back. He could sense Storm prepare to take off ahead of them, and was quick to urge Vale into flight after the dragon. As the wood elf knew that it would be a rather short flight back to the main hall, he didn't get comfortable in his seat, instead sitting up and preparing to dismount. Really, the four probably could have walked back to the hall, however flying was faster and it spared Asher's feet from more grief. Noting as Vale's muscles started to contract and the griffin prepared to land, Asher focused his weight a little bit backwards in the saddle to both help the griffin land but also to give Vale a heads-up to the fact that the elf intended to stay on even after landing.

Touching down lightly, Vale didn't pause to let Asher get off - having received the elf's silent message. Most of the other students had already received any aid they needed, and the griffin made a beeline towards a nurse that seemed to not be particularly occupied. Vale did note on the way that the inductee's numbers had decreased a good bit, and not many of the riders or mounts had escaped as lightly scathed as Asher and Zoe. Not for the first time, the griffin allowed himself to be grateful for the fact that his rider was capable of taking care of himself - however Vale did figure that if Asher hadn't been so skilled at fighting that they wouldn't be in this perilous situation in the first place. I've got us a first aid person. Mind doing the talking? Vale notified Asher after he had reached the nurse, who was now looking at the pair expectantly.

"Sorry to interrupt, but could I get my hands on some bandages and perhaps water please?" Asher immediately commented, having located the nurse after the sounds from around them had notified him of her - as from what the elf could tell it was a she - presence.

"Of course. May I ask what for?" The lady replied, trying to judge if the elf was seriously injured or not. She had already picked up a roll of bandages from her bag, and Asher had slid himself off of Vale's back to receive them.

"Just my feet. They took a bit of a hit when I was running." Asher said lightly, gratefully taking the roll of material. The nurse then handed him a bottle of water, which he also took. "Thanks." He said briefly before sitting down to rinse and wrap his feet up.

"You might want some of this as well, it'll help with cleaning up the wound and the pain." The nurse said after seeing what the elf's problem was, handing him some cream. Asher thanked her again and applied the cream after he had washed the dirt off his feet, starting to bandage himself up. "May I ask how that happened? You weren't running barefoot, were you?" The nurse inquired, not interfering with the wood elf's self-rendered application of the bandages as it was clear that he had done this before. Asher grinned guiltily at the question.

"Actually I was. I'm blind so I use the vibrations from the earth to help me figure out what's around me." He answered, tugging the bandage tight around his left foot before moving onto his right. The nurse seemed to nod in understanding, hovering around to make sure that the elf had his treatment under control. Vale had already located where they were giving out food, which was no surprise, but was waiting to sate his appetite until Asher had his feet sorted. The rider sensed this and made a shooing gesture to his mount. "It's fine, go eat." He said, forgetting to use telepathy as he tied up his second bandage.

The griffin snorted. I'll wait. He responded without hesitation, and Asher turned slightly to grin at his partner.

Where did Zoe and Storm go off to? The wood elf questioned suddenly, realizing that he might have run out on the other pair. At that point he was done with his feet, slipping his shoes back on. The pain hadn't quite subsided, but at least he had washed and tied them up. "Thank you." He said to the nurse again, who nodded and smiled, before he swung himself back onto Vale. The griffin could do the walking for him for now.

 

[The Rainbow Cat Bandit]

Storm quickly reached the main hall and descended carefully, landing softly. Zoe slid off of her back, allowing the dragon to fold her wings. Zoe looked around the main hall. It was a large space with a tall ceiling and ornate designs along the trimming. The floors were wooden and well polished and a few fireplaces were situated on each side of the room, though none were currently lit. It was nice and spacious, but a good portion was filled with the bustling of nurses, surviving students, and their mounts. Zoe noticed a few tables that had been set up. One table had a large pot on it and a man in an apron was standing by, ready to spoon what smelled like stew or soup into the bowls of anyone that needed food. On another table was a burly looking woman in an apron that had a few trays in front of her with large cuts of cooked meat for the mounts to eat. Beside the trays was a veggie soup option, probably for the pegasi and other more herbivore like creatures.

Storm eyed the meat hopefully, but Zoe was planning on waiting for Asher and Vale before eating. Besides, she wasn't really hungry yet considering she had just underwent a trial that almost killed her on a few occasions. Her adrenaline was just starting to die down. She looked over the other students and their mounts and discovered that many of them were injured. Zoe and Storm had been relatively fine and in comparison to the others, they were almost unscathed. She watched a griffin with a huge gash on its flank limp by with its rider, who had a bloodied bandage on his eye. Other riders and mounts had varying degrees of injuries from the trial, but a few had way less so she guessed those were the students that would also be in the top tier, considering they fought instead of hiding. Zoe wasn't really in the mood to talk to new people at this moment, but she'd be willing another time.

Zoe found Asher asking a nurse to treat his foot wound and knew he could handle himself, so she decided to get some help for Storm's small wound. Zoe led the dragon over to a nurse and asked, "Hey, are there any bandages and other supplies I can use? My dragon has a small wound, but I don't want it to get infected."

The nurse nodded and fished a few supplies out from a bag that she held. She handed Zoe a small roll of bandages, a small cloth, and some cleaning liquid that smelled of alcohol and probably hurt when applied, but Zoe knew it would do its job. With a gentle touch, she had Storm sit back onto her haunches. The dragon had to curl her tail around towards the front of her to avoid tripping anyone. Zoe applied the cleaning liquid to the cloth and mentally told Storm, Careful, this is probably going to sting.

Bring it on. I love pain.Storm replied in a joking manner.

Zoe pressed the cloth against the wound carefully and began to dab at it gently. Storm drew in a sharp breath and her eyes watered slightly, but otherwise she didn't move or make a sound. Zoe ran her free hand down Storm's other scales in an attempt to compensate for hurting the dragon. Once she thought it was cleaned out enough, she removed the cloth and replaced it with a bandage. She wrapped it around as best as she could so it was situated over the shoulder wound and under her arm to secure it. Zoe patted the bandage gently and set the excess materials back into the nurse's bag. There, all better.Zoe said, easing Storm's head closer to hers and planting a quick kiss on the end of the dragon's snout.

Storm snorted and drew her head back, but her eyes showed her amusement and clarified that her rejection wasn't to be taken very seriously. Zoe smiled at that, knowing her dragon well enough to understand that Storm wasn't trying to be a jerk now, and Zoe certainly knew when she was actually being rude. Storm stood up again and stretched a bit before standing casually. Zoe led Storm towards where Asher and Vale had been, passing a few riders and mounts. They looked at the two with disgust, whispering to each other. Zoe noticed and shook it off for now. If they were bitter that she was above them, so be it. Zoe would be bitter too if she were them, but she wasn't so she didn't care. Storm didn't like the looks and offered them an icy stare, lips twitching as if warning that she could snarl any moment and show off her canines. They stopped whispering when Storm had done than, but continued as soon as the dragon passed.

Soon enough Zoe and Storm reached Asher and Vale and the dark elf noticed that Asher had been taken care of for now and now sat atop his griffin. "Hey, all better now?"Zoe asked up at him. She knew he wouldn't be recovered already, but it was good to ask if he was all set with the treatment he was able to do. The rest of the treatment would take place with time.

 

[Amber Sky]

Zoe's just bandaging up a scratch that Storm got. Nothing serious, they'll probably be back over soon. Vale reassured his rider, eyeing the elf as Asher finished his feet bandages. It would probably decrease his mobility, and deny him the opportunity to use the ground as a source of information for at least a week now, but the griffin supposed that the elf's life was a good enough exchange for the trouble. Asher with his shoes off and Asher with his shoes on were surprisingly different, Vale actually felt a lot better that his rider had gone through the induction with his ability to sense the earth's vibrations intact. Otherwise, his senses would have been dulled from their maximum potential and seeing as his rider and Zoe had run into a lot of resistance and all kinds of crazy creatures who knew what might have become of the wood elf.

Snorting slightly as Asher climbed back onto him, Vale turned his head towards where Zoe and Storm were approaching. It seemed like the dark elf had bandaged up the dragon's shoulder. It couldn't have been that big of a hit, otherwise Vale would have noticed it sooner, but he supposed that it was best to treat the injury before the possibility of the wound becoming infected opened up. The bump on his head that Vale had received from the pegasus was still aching a bit, the griffin suspected that it would continue to do so for at least a few days yet, but he was already growing used to ignoring it. The pain wasn't that much anyway, it was just a small dent that had only gone through Vale's first layer of bone protection anyway.

Ears twitching slightly as he registered Zoe's voice, Asher nodded once to his newly established partner with a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'll probably have to sort something a bit different out for training tomorrow if I want to be performing at my best, but I'll figure that out when we get there." The wood elf reassured the dark elf, hoping that their cleaning job in the arena wouldn't involve too much danger because with all the bandages wrapped around his feet Asher wasn't sure how well he'd be able to move. Hopefully his shoes would provide enough traction to keep him in contact with the ground if he had to move around too much. "I trust that Storm's alright?" The elf added, recalling what Vale had told him that the other two were up to earlier.

I'm sure she's fine, but would be better if she had some food. Vale commented, making Asher frown slightly and kick his griffin with his heel - one of the only parts of his feet that weren't wrapped up - in mild annoyance but also some amusement.

Try to think of something else beside your stomach for once, would you? The wood elf scolded his partner, but the griffin snorted in response.

It isn't my fault that you denied me a dinner last night in order to adopt Dui. Vale refuted without missing a beat, thinking back to the Cantaris Asher had bought the previous evening. The reference made the wood elf grit his teeth, both at the fact that he had made the purchase rashly without thinking it through - something which he regretted - but also of the thoughts that he had gone through about his homeland being under attack.

Fine. He conceded, turning his head toward Zoe and Storm. "My apologies, but Vale's currently making quite the fuss about his poor empty stomach. Mind if we talk more over a meal?" The wood elf said to the other pair, and Vale didn't wait for an answer before moving towards the food tables. The burly woman residing over the large meat cups seemed to read the griffin's mind and held out a piece of meat for him before he even reached the table, a piece that Vale very happily - and quickly - gobbled up. Asher dismounted for a moment to stop by the stew table and take a larger portion of the food before settling back on Vale's back. He would be able to eat from his perch, but he didn't want to until Zoe and Storm had either gotten something or denied the meal.

 

[The Rainbow Cat Bandit]

Zoe listened to Asher's reply and nodded with a "hmm" of acknowledgment. She shifted her weight to her other hip, resting a hand on her side lightly in a more casual position.She then perked up a bit when he had asked about Storm's well being. "Oh she's fine. it's a really small wound, but I figured it would be best if it didn't get infected since even a small infected wound could do some damage."Zoe waved off the concern.

Storm stood at Zoe's side as usual, not paying too much attention at the moment. The dragon noticed a small dent and the griffin's head and figured since he wasn't reeling in pain that he was fine and had a head as hard as it looked. Besides, she still didn't fully care about these two. She trusted them a bit more since they had both helped Zoe complete the trials, but they were still new to her and therefore not friends that easily. She would keep an eye on them though, but a few foot cuts and a dented head didn't make her as concerned as her rider was. Zoe had taken a liking to the two easily, believing that they had proved themselves to be worthy of her trust and friendliness. After all, Asher was her partner now so the group would have to work together for a while.

Zoe was more laid back and accepting than her dragon companion. Sometimes she was a bit too open, but Storm made sure that her bold personality was in check and that she didn't throw her trust out to anyone and everyone. Zoe was generally forgiving to those that interested her, and it was good that Zoe seemed to like Asher since she wouldn't have tolerated those outbursts of his. Zoe was sort of docile now, but that would change when she'd become more comfortable at the school and with the others within it. Zoe was actually quite willful and outgoing with her passion showing very often. Already she was beginning to warm up, but at the moment the trials had shaken her up a bit. After all, they had almost died on numerous occasions in the last hour or so. She would certainly sleep well that night, but she'd make sure she was up early enough to get to her first class at the school. She anticipated meeting the others in the top tier and that she would learn new skills finally. Zoe hadn't been in an organized class since her time back at her home where she learned archery and martial arts.

Zoe wondered what they would learn tomorrow. She hoped she'd get to see the archery instructor she had encountered in the arena since he was talented and seemed kind enough. She figured they'd spend some time getting to know the other partner groups or something, maybe with a few activities meant to spur them into learning to use teamwork or something. Or maybe the instructors would make the partner groups compete against each other again to push them to cooperate with their partners against enemies as skilled as they were. Zoe guessed that it would probably be a mix of the two methods or something. She hoped they'd learn archery at one point since she'd excel in that, as well as in flight maneuvers. She also yearned to learn more of how to use her new sword. She looked down at the silvery rapier, resting a hand on it's hilt briefly before looking up when Asher spoke again.

"No problem. I'm sure Storm here is hungry and she certainly deserves a nice meal now."Zoe replied nonchalantly as she herself made her way to the tables laden with food. Storm also followed eagerly behind Vale. Like Vale, Storm had been hungry as well and had stifled her complaints. Now the lady distributing food offered a decently sized slab of meat and Storm willingly took it gently into her jaws. The meat smelled amazing and made Storm salivate a bit, the top of the meat freezing in result. Storm knew to wait for Zoe's okay to eat. Zoe was looking at the stew when she felt Storm's snout poke her shoulder. The dark elf looked back to see the eager dragon with meat in her jaws. It was almost comical, a fierce dragon clutching a half frozen slab of meat while offering a puppy like gaze. Zoe chuckled and waved her hand towards the side of the hall. "You can go over there and have a seat. I'll be there in a second and you can eat whenever you see fit."she said, knowing that Storm would find as soon as possible to be "fit."

Zoe took a warm bowl of stew and decided with a sniff that it was beef. "Thanks."she told the man dishing out the stew and he returned it with a nod and a quiet grunt. Zoe turned on her heel and walked towards the wall of the hall where less students were crowded in. Storm was already sitting and using her claws to hold the meat as she tore chunks off with her teeth. Zoe approached and pressed her back up against the wall, sliding down until she was in a sitting position. She took her bow and quiver off of her back and rested it on the ground beside her so she could more comfortably lean up against the wall. Zoe anticipated that Asher and Vale would join them and proceeded to spoon some stew into her mouth before it would grow cold. She wasn't like her dragon when it came to liking cold food.