Mythical Creatures, Elves, and Danger, Oh My!

  • Thread starter The Rainbow Cat Bandit
  • Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Zoe was eating peacefully, spooning warm stew into her mouth. She relished the taste of fresh rabbit and reminded herself to pay compliments to the vendor when she would have to return her bowl to them. The food was refreshing after rather rigorous training and she savored the warmth of the meal, though she believed it could be improved if the meat was raw and a bit bloodied. No wonder others believed her to be a vampire. She didn't care much or blame the vampires for liking such a treat. She felt quite contents now. She was going to get a sword and improve her combat and other skills here with a new friend in a cool school. Zoe was quite pleased with her current arrangements, though the thought of the trials to come made her apprehensive. The other student, River, may have been trying to scare them by saying the trials could be lethal, but she doubted he had lied. Of course she wouldn't give in, but she preferred to be alive for the time being. She had so much to learn.

Zoe heard a man's angry voice approaching and turned to look where the trouble was. She was surprised to see Asher was where the man was heading. But what was that thing on top of his head? It looked like some sort of reptilian primate with an extra set of legs and nostrils that were situated above its beady little eyes. How the hell had he managed to get a creature like that?

What's going on?Zoe asked Storm telepathically.

The dragon was also watching the scene. Her ears were perked up and her head was tilted ever so slightly in confusion. No idea. I have never seen or scented a creature like that.

It seems the man is going on about a thief. Do you think Asher stole something? I know we only met today but he doesn't seem to be the thieving type.

No, I think there is some misunderstanding. I hear the man prattling on about how Asher stole his weird creature thing. Storm responded, ears twitching as she picked up their voices above the tumult of noise produced by students, mounts, and other vendors.

And now Asher is giving the man money...A lot of it. That mad man! Now isn't the time to be buying pets.

An odd choice....and it cost them a meal too. They'll have to figure it out because I'm not sharing.Storm replied, looking down at her half empty bowl.

Zoe watched Asher approach. "Why'd you get that thing?"Zoe asked first, watching Asher move the odd animal.

"Name ideas....I'll have to think. But I don't think getting a Cantoris thingy was a good idea. Though I have to admit the little guy does look cool."She replied. Then she added, "And I guess now we have to keep him..."

Keep a pet? They already had their mounts to take care of and training to do, but Asher still got the pet. Zoe didn't know what to do now since she may have to buy food for the other two now so they can be an effective team. She wasn't very pleased, though she had to admit the creature was intriguing. But now they had another creature to tend to. Storm wasn't too happy either. The dragon's ears were pressed back and it she were human her mouth would probably be forming a tight line. She grumbled and crouched down, finishing her stew in silence. She cut her communication with Zoe.
 
Asher could practically feel the disapproval radiating off of Zoe and Storm, and the wood elf sighed. Perhaps he had let sentiment get the better of him, but it was too late to go back and reverse the deed now. "As I said, these guys are native to the woodlands. He reminded me too much of home to resist him. Besides, I don't think that man was treating him very nicely." Asher defended weakly, answering Zoe's question about why he had bought the creature. As he spoke, he started to pet the Cantoris. "But it won't take much to take care of him. He just eats insects, and he should be able to find those around the room. Besides, he's tiny - he won't take up much space, and he can live in my room if you don't want him about." The elf added quickly, ensuring Zoe and Storm that they wouldn't have to do anything about the creature.

"See, this guy is as thin as a stick. They haven't been feeding him." Asher said after a moment, his fingers touching the creature's flanks while he examined it. "They're supposed to be small, but not this thin." He commented, rubbing the top of the Cantoris' head briefly. He didn't have any insects on him at the moment, but he was sure that the creature would be able to catch his fill now that he was out of his cage. "Besides, something is bothering me about him being here. Cantori can only be found deep in the forest, and they are very evasive. It is almost impossible to catch one if it doesn't want to be caught, they are capable of limited camouflage as well as moving very quickly despite the fact that their normal movements are very slow." Asher said, hesitating for a few seconds.

"That leads to what is bothering me. What is a Cantoris doing here? I get the fact that this is a place where there are tons of creatures about from all places, but you can't ride a Cantoris. They can't defend you either. There is a forest out there, but that is not a woodland." Asher was pointing at the area just outside the village where he and Zoe had gone to train. "It is not a place where a Cantoris should be. That would mean that he's been brought here by something, but why? No wood elf would bring one outside the woods, especially not to be sold." Asher gritted his teeth, putting the Cantoris back on top of his head. "And no human would survive inside one of our territories for very long anyway, so they couldn't have brought him out. Not unless they bring an army." The elf continued, getting onto his feet and beginning to pace a little bit in his agitation. The Cantoris swayed back and forth on his hair, clinging on with its long bony fingers.

"Which leads me to a question. What if they did bring an army?" Asher asked Zoe, stopping his pacing where she was sitting and turning to face her. Clenching his teeth again, the wood elf sighed in an attempt to release his negative energy and forced himself to sit back down. Most of the high and light elves were allied with the King and his army - the ones that were here at the academy were the ones who disapproved and had run away, which Asher could respect - and where therefore safe. Nobody wanted to mess with the dark elves with their shadows and caves. Besides, they had a reputation of staying out of conflict unless it specifically concerned them. That meant, out of the elf races, the wood elves were the most exposed. They didn't take sides, however they were ever remote out in the woods and much of the outside world didn't know what to think of them. As far as the king must have known, the wood elves were preparing to attack him at any moment.

Besides, the woods were full of riches and resources, as well as rare animal exports like the Cantaris, that the king would have wanted to claim. But claiming those lands would have brought them into wood elf land and that was the one thing that Asher's race wouldn't abide: unwelcome guests on their territory. The only way that a Cantoris could be here, being sold, was if the humans and some colony of wood elves had fought and the elves had lost. Asher clenched his fists. "Damn it Vale, what are we doing here? We could be out there actually fighting!" The elf finally exploded, springing back onto his feet and feebly resting one of his fists against the griffin's bony head.

Vale growled, getting back onto his feet and shoving Asher over to try and knock some sense into his rider. The elf had gone still and didn't resist, falling to the ground in defeat. Get yourself together, Asher. The griffin snapped at his rider. What did Blumethal always use to say? The beast continued, referring to Asher's ex-swords teacher. Patience. Wait until you get a full picture and know how to defeat it before attacking. You know why we're here, once we graduate we'll be able to kill those soldiers all the better. Besides, the academy is a center of rebel military movements. We'll be able to coordinate our attacks and make a bigger impact. The griffin reminded Asher harshly, and the wood elf sighed and placed his forehead on his partner's.

Yeah, I know. It's just so infuriating. The rider came around, teeth still clenched but his hands relaxing. The Cantaris sensed the mood change and began to pull on one of Asher's ears.

"If only you could talk. You could tell me what's happening, couldn't you?" Asher said with a sigh, picking the creature back up and holding it in his hands. "Speaking of which, I think I've got a name for you. Bronadui. Dui for short, maybe?" The elf said in suddenly high spirits, taking the name 'Bronadui' from the wood elves' word for patience.

"But I apologize. This is the second time I've lost my temper around you today. I promise I will be better tomorrow, I'm just adjusting." Asher said, speaking to Zoe though his head was still turned towards the Cantaris now dubbed 'Dui'.
 
Native to the woodlands...Hm, an odd thought. Zoe hadn't assumed he'd get a creature for sentimental reasons. She didn't think she could be swayed easily, but she didn't know. It would be cool to have a companion from her homeland. In her childhood she had briefly had a pet Bartokti. A Barokti is a housecat sized four legged creature with a feline anotomy. They have black scales and bat like wings with almost translucent grey tinged membrane. They had big feline ears and eyes but also had bat like snouts with sharp fangs. She had found and kept one as a little girl, but it was too hard to tame and had to be released.

This situation with he Cantaris was odd though. If they were from the woodlands, why would they be here? From what she knew about basic geography, the woodland territory was not near their current location. Unless someone brought them in. Zoe hoped it was just a pet lost by another Wood Elf or something...but there weren't a lot of Wood Elves here and they'd probably take good care on any animal do to their love of nature.

But how else could it be here for sale? Zoe chewed on her food thoughtfully. She listened to Asher, seeing that he was in disbelief as to how the creature was here as well. He seemed to be following a good thought process and also seemed rather agitated.It seemed like these creatures were too difficult to cath, which played another factor. Zoe looked up at Asher, pausing her eating. An army? Oh no....what if the king's aemy reached the poor Wood Elves. It was too likely for her comfort and the probability seemed high when facts and predictions were added up.

"I hope not. The Wood Elves have been allies to my kind, though distant their civilisations may be."Zoe said, getting a bit worked up as well. If the enemy army had destroyed the innocent Wood Elves, chances are the Dark Elves would be the next target. It seemed the enemy no longer cared if their targets were rebels or not anymore or if they even took sides. It didn't surprise her since the false king was merciless.

Zoe felt a pang of worry, appetite gone. Her people...they could be next on the list if the troops moved on. They'd check all of the caves and probably set the great shade bearing trees ablaze. The thought sickened her. She tried not to imagine her family and old friends trapped in the caves as the insides were set abalze. Afta pokate mafto ipto reygao. she mumbled to herself, which was Dark Elf for "May shadows save us all."

Storm seemed troubled as well. She was done eating too and now rested her head on Zoe's shoulder. Zoe flinched a bit when Asher had and outburst. She didn't know him well enough to console him and was glad when Vale seemed to help out. They were probably telepathically settling things. Zoe was tense now, but relaxed when Asher calmed a bit. She looked at the odd little creature again, noticing how much it already liked Asher.

"That's a cool name. Does it have any meaning?"Zoe asked, glad Asher seemed to be okay for now. "No problem. I would react the same way if my people wer in danger, which they very well might be."she sighed, petting Storm's head.
 
Asher rested his hands on his knees for a few moment, Dui situated on his head once more, and went silent. He blocked out all the sounds and smells from the outside for a few seconds, calming himself and putting his head back on straight. Vale sat to the side, glad that his rider had gained control of himself, though the griffin did wonder why the elf was so agitated. Usually Asher was a valley of calm, easy going and as flowing as the wind - hardly taking anything to heart. Today he seemed to be all over the place. In the end, the griffin just hoped that his rider would get himself sorted by tomorrow: it sounded like the induction would take everything they had and if Asher was on an emotional temper tantrum that wouldn't help them at all. The griffin wondered if that was it, was his rider nervous?

However, the elf did seem to have gotten himself under control. Awaking form his brief period of meditation, Asher was much more relaxed but a sense of purpose seemed to have filled him. Vale nodded in approval, that was the Asher he knew - the Asher that would get them through the induction and into the group in the class. Hopefully that would last until tomorrow, then preferably beyond if at all possible. The pair disregarded Zoe's soft spoken verse, sounding like it was in a dark elvish dialect and therefore probably something that she wanted to keep to herself. "I'm sure I'm just overreacting, don't worry yourself over my speculations." Asher told Zoe, sitting in silence for a few moments before he registered her question.

"Oh, Bronadui means Patience in common wood elf dialect. It was just because Vale reminded me why I was here, so I could wait and comprehend the situation and defeat it more effectively. A once and for all type scenario, right? But the key to it is patience. I have a feeling that everytime I look at him I'll get a bit impatient, so why not name in patience to help even that out? I can't have Vale giving me pep talks every two seconds, after all." Asher said with a slight smile.
 
"It would be sort of amusing for him to coach you like that, but admittedly not convenient. I do hope you can keep a clear head...Er, sorry if that seemed blunt, I just hope you're okay. This induction thing tomorrow is going to need to be handled with a more calm mind."Zoe replied, though she wasn't as calm as she'd like to be.

Zoe used Storm as leverage to lift herself to her feet. She returned the empty stew bowls to the vendor, thanking him for the meal. She returned to the others and felt bad since they hadn't eaten. She decided she'd offer tifeedthem tomorrow and for as long as she could since she figured Asher may be a bit too worked up to eat at the moment. "Let's go sword shopping, shall we?"Zoe said.

(Timeskip)

Zoe was sleeping peacefully with Storm in her new room. Storm was curled up loosely with her head resting on the ground. Zoe was sleeping up against the dragon, laying near the dragon's underbelly. One if Storm's wings was protectively draped over Zoe to safely conceal her. Both slumbered peaceully and quietly, not being the type to snore or thrash.

Zoe dreamed that she was back at home. She was in a familar cave system with Storm. They were walking along through the darkness, having opted out if a torch for now. They could both see basic shapes or any movement so they weren't worried about tripping or getting lost. It smelled nice and damp and the air was cool, just how the two liked it. An underground tream trickled quietly up ahead and both seemed eager to reach the cool water.

They were in mid telapathic communication when there was a shout, and then another. They froze and turned around, seeing nothing. Nore shouts made them run back towards the surface, hastily dodging rocky protrusions. The shouts turned into screams as they grew closer and it seemed to get brighter. Other elves ran towards them, panicked by something as they screamed in terror. Something horrible must have happened.

Soon enough Zoe spotted flames creeping into the cave like orange tongues. The fire wouldn't spread on the rock, but the smoke was accumulating fast. Some blew into her face and she coughed. She turned and ran after the others, smoke blurring her vision and making her trip. Storm cried out in pain as an arrow lodged into her flank and Zoe stood and saw more arrows. Enemies were shooting through the flames with some sort of arrows meant to resist such heat for brief periods of time.

Zoe wad about to turn and run when an arrow punctured her chest. She felt herself crumple to the ground and her ears were suddenly ringing. Storm was bellowing as arrows took her down too, but she was clawing herself desperately towards her rider. Zoe saw tears wel up in the reptile's icy blue eyes. Zoe felt warm blood seeping from a hole in the side of her chest and began to gasp. She was choking on blood and smoke, her eyes blinded by the foul grey mass.

Zoe woke up in a cold sweat, eyes wide and heart beating fast. She looked around her room, which was dimly lit thanks to the sliding glass door that led to the launch pad and the rising sun. Storm was roused by the quick movement and soon her head rose quickly. She looked around, seeing no danger. Then she looked to Zoe in a concerned way.Just a nightmare. she assured.

An awful nightmare ro be more precise. She didn't think she could fall asleep again and decided to get up. She made it to her feet and walked to the saddle bags she had discardwd ealier. She'd unpack later, but not now. She had slept in a simple undershirt and and casual trousers for the night. Her door was closed so she proceedes to undress and change. She decided to wear her bettee clothes for the induction. Zoe donned a nice scarlet shirt with her black vest over it and wore her pair of black pants with the least holes or other damge. She put some socks and her boots on as well. She ran a hand through her black hair and straightened in out a bit. Then finally she fastened her black, hooded cape to her shoulders.

Zoe didn't think money would be too useful for induction and put a few coins in her pocket instead of bringing her satchel, which would be aa burden in a fight. She slung her bow and quiver over her shoulder. She also grabbed her new sword, which was a rapier. It was made of good steel and had a long, well sharpened silver colored blade. It had a leather wrapped grip and a disk shaped handguard with curled metal pieces off of it to help protect her hand and catch other swords. It came with a sheath that she had attached to her belt. Zoe slid the sword into its sheath, which was positioned at a backwards angle for now since it was so long and couldn't go straight down.

Now that she was ready for the day, she opened the door of her room and exited into the common area. She grabbed one of the few books provided awkardly sat on one of the old wooden chairs, the bottom of the sheath resting on the ground. She opened the book to a random place and began to read in an attempt to quell her growing anxiety. Storm trodded out and laid down on the pelts in the main area.
 
Waking up for Asher was a very different experience from a 'normal' person's waking up. Usually, the symbol for being 'awake' was opening your eyes. Asher, on the other hand, had a very keen sense of his conscience awaking. One moment he was asleep, the next his mind was awake. There wasn't much go-between, unlike how some people managed to wake up their bodies using their eyes but have their minds still be asleep. Additionally, Asher didn't dream. Occasionally he heard things in his mind or was vaguely aware of being someplace else, however these instances were rare to say the least. The wood elf did speculate that he did dream in the sense of it, however: he just wasn't one to remember his dreams. Usually he was in a calm and meditative state and that didn't induce the more memorable nightmares many had, so he usually just woke up not having any memories of his sleep.

Asher was also an incredibly light sleeper. Camping out in the woods with nobody other than Vale was a dangerous experience, especially during the night. You never knew what creatures could be about. And as such, the elf usually awoke to the very slightest of sounds that was outside of what his sleeping mind deemed 'normal'. Vale's soft grunting snores were normal and didn't wake him, and so was the occasional chirp that Dui let out in his sleep. Luckily for Asher, there wasn't much nocturnal noise that went on near his room and he was able to get a full night's rest. There was the occasional sigh of the wind going through the leaves of the trees, but that was also normal and he didn't wake to it.

What wasn't normal, however, was the sound of a door opening. Immediately, Asher was awake and processing the sound - automatically trying to determine whether it was a threat or not. His swords were situated on each side of his bed within arm's reach if he should need them, but for the moment the wood elf didn't move. A lot of the time, he had found, it was best to stay still and not to make any jerky movements until he was sure of what was creeping around. For one, any sudden motion would wake Vale and put the griffin in a bad temper if it was a false alarm - though Vale was conditioned the same way and was usually awake at that point as well - however there was also the factor that if something was trying to creep up on you it might pounce if you moved suddenly and recognized you as a threat.

The wood elf's instinctive fears were put to rest when he remembered where he was. The door was probably the sound of Zoe waking. What time is it? He asked Vale, whom he could sense was also awake. Asher had drawn the blinds the previous day so he couldn't feel enough sunlight to figure out what the time was. The griffin got up from where he had been sleeping beside his rider's bed - Asher had taken the mattress off of the springs and settled it on the floor so that they would be closer to the position they had frequented sleeping in while in the forest - and lumbered up to the windowsill to check the amount of light himself.

Looks like it's around five. Vale observed, making Asher nod once and get up. He wasn't very much affected by the fact that he had missed dinner the previous evening, as he was used to not eating for days on end, and Vale's performance wouldn't be affected by skipping only one meal. Asher had the strong feeling that his performance would only be enhanced, since in the forest if you didn't have food it meant that you would have to work harder to get your next meal. That subconscious drive would hopefully prove to come in handy today. Asher had dressed in scrappy, worn clothes for the night - basically the remains of his usual battle clothes which he generally wore no matter the occasion - and he was quick to change into the exact same outfit but just a bit more put together and clean.

Before he put on his shirt he also fastened on a light leather plate on his chest that provided him with a bit of armor and protection without weighing him down or restricting his movement. His belt went on next; swords and one knife going into it within a few seconds before he retrieved his mask from where he had kept it overnight on the table beside his bed. Looping it around his ears and ensuring that it was snug, Asher then equipped himself with his remaining three knives. Vale sat back and watched. The wood elf usually also wore a thin fur overcoat, however today he was dispensing of it as it would only add extra weight and just tightened his belt a bit more. In the end he looked pretty much just like a peasant hunter, just with swords in the place of a hunter's preferred bow and a mask.

Most riders had to go through the rigmarole of saddling their mounts, however Asher had learned to ride Vale bareback out of necessity. By the time the griffin had become big enough to ride properly Asher had already been exiled and they hadn't had anybody make a saddle for him. While it had been painful at first - especially for Asher - the two had adapted to it and it now saved them a lot of time when getting ready. Besides, in a scrape it was a lot easier to get out of a situation. That and there was also the added bonus of Vale having to carry less weight - as the griffin was rather bulky the less weight he had to move around the faster and more agile he would be in the air.

The pair had used a saddle when coming in the previous day, but that had been only because they had also brought the saddle bags with them and they were impossible to use without a saddle. That was the only reason they had a saddle in the first place, after all. Asher had ordered it along with the saddle bags once the elf had gotten it into his head to get them for transporting meat and supplies while they were with the rebel group. Until the point that Asher had finished fiddling with his belt and ensuring that it or his weapons would stay stuck firmly with him, Dui had been quiet. Now, the Cantoris made his presence known by falling down onto Asher's head. The creature had found a place to sleep and had proven to be a good roommate: he had 'snored' quietly in a sense through his chirps, but they had been very quiet and Asher was used to the sound of Cantori from his time in the woodlands anyhow. He suspected that it had even helped him sleep.

"Hey there buddy." The elf commented, rubbing Dui's head. "I hope you found something to eat last night." He said, speaking to his new pet for no particular reason. He had heard the creature eat a few flies that had been buzzing around the previous night after he and Zoe had returned to the room after finding a good rapier for her. Asher had been happy with the purchase, despite the fact that he wasn't really one for rapiers himself. While you could use the sword for a variety of things as it had both its blade and blunt width, with a rapier you could basically just poke people. But that was just the elf's personal opinion, he knew that rapiers could get the job done as well. He just preferred an elvish longsword's versatility.

Asher did know that he couldn't bring Dui to the induction, however, and removed the creature from his head. "Unfortunately you're going to have to stay behind for this one. I'll come back and see you later though, alright? You've got free reign of the room, but try to keep out of Zoe and Storm's space." The wood elf instructed, placing the Cantoris on a wall. He knew that the beast probably didn't get half of what he had said, but nevertheless Dui seemed to get the point and stayed put. "Good boy." Asher praised before walking out of his room with Vale trailing behind him. He could sense Zoe and Storm already in the lounge, but that didn't come as a surprise to him. Their door had woken him up, after all.

"Good morning. Ready for induction?" Asher greeted, immediately getting to the point and major event of the day. He didn't seem particularly nervous, having released all of that energy the previous night, but he was still a bit more on the tense side of a scale from agitated to relaxed. The wood elf didn't usually engage in the custom of having breakfast unless there was an excess of food, and he assumed that Zoe didn't eat breakfast either as she would have started eating rather than reading if that were the case. Besides, Asher had been under the impression that there wasn't any food in their room anyhow. "Personally, I'm ready to go, but if there is anything you want to do first?..." Asher let the question hang, thinking back to the letter they had found the previous day.

"If I remember correctly, we're supposed to meet at the main hall at six. That gives us around half an hour I think, but it might be worth us getting there early." The elf added, recalling where the main hall had been from the previous day when he and Vale had walked through the main section of the castle. Asher presumed that all of the new students would meet then be shown to the arena River had spoken about. Not really giving Zoe much time to respond, the wood elf opened up his and Vale's launch pad and the griffin moved out onto the space. The pair seemed to be edging to get started out of both nerves and genuine curiosity and excitement. While it might be dangerous, they wanted to know what this school was really about and what the quality of the famous instructors and students were like. Asher swung onto Vale, his head turned back towards Zoe as he waited on her and Storm to get ready.

"Also, about the whole partner thing..." He said tentatively, unsure how to approach the subject. He had taken a liking to Zoe, she and Storm seemed very capable and the other elf was a very fast learner as proved by how she had picked up swordsplay. However he didn't want to come across as needy or anything, he was sure that blindness was probably something that would put her off anyhow. Asher was pretty sure that was how it would be for the rest of the new students though and he wondered if anybody would want to partner up with that one blind guy. He supposed not, but he and Vale would tackle that obstacle when it came. Asher was pretty sure they'd be able to accomplish things on their own anyhow, that was how it had always been and it had proved to be pretty effective.
 
Zoe was scanning the page she was reading of the book. She had chosen mostly at random, but it turned out that this was written in both Dark elf and common tongue language. Of course the Dark Elf language was more familiar to her, though she mostly used common tongue in public for simplicities sake. The common tongue was used by humans, High Elves, and Light Elves. Wood Elves, Dark Elves, and Dwarves had their own languages due to their tendency to be in more secluded areas. After all, Wood Elves lived in the woodlands, Dark Elves lived in caves within thick treed forests, and Dwarves preferred deep caves within mountains. All weren't very fond of being paid much attention to or being involved in conflict. High elves would practically trip over each other to get involved in conflict for the honor of battle, while humans followed close behind in eagerness level, and Light Elves were more docile but they were very social and open.

The book she was reading seemed to be about flora and fauna in the deep forests, which explained why it was originally written in Dark Elf. The page she was on was describing Glowshrooms, the casual name given to the mushrooms that grew in small clumps on damp, hard packed soil or stone sometimes. They were named after their bright and slightly luminescent qualities. Too bad they were quite dangerous. When consumed the creature or person that ate it would suffer paralysis for a night or so. Zoe had been smart enough to avoid eating them, but had watched her friend eat one before as a dare. She had been so frightened when her friend had ceased to laugh and suddenly went limp and crumpled. That had served as a good lesson.

Zoe turned the page carefully. The next page was explaining Silent Demise, a wild berry that had lethal consequences. These berries were blood red in color and had tiny black protrusions. Zoe remembered how she would lead Storm far around these bushes as a child, fearing the young dragon may actually taste one and die. Zoe hadn't witnessed someone die after eating one, but she had heard enough stories to know it had happened plenty of times. Now that she thought of it, her home had been rather dangerous. Well, to those who didn't know much about it. There were many dangerous plants and such, but the animals were dangerous as well. Like a Shadow Cat, a black pelted lion like feline with white tiger like stripes across its hide. Then there were NightWings, large birds of prey with white throats, glossy black feathers, and sharp talons made perfectly for ripping at flesh. She had encountered one before when it had tried to attack her. Luckily, Storm scented it when it was in range so Zoe was able to ready her bow. Needless to say, they ate well that night.

This book was making her homesick now and wasn't quelling her anxiety so she closed it. Then she put it back on the shelf where she had founded. Then she unsheathed her rapier, holding it in her right hand carefully. It was mostly a thrusting weapon, but the sides were sharpened a bit too. It couldn't slice through flesh, but it would certainty could leave a welt or at least a nasty sting as a last resort. That wasn't her plan though. She intended to use it as a thrusting weapon since it would match her more distanced and brief fighting style. In fighting she used jabs in pressure points, so she figured she could use the same tactics by using her blade to jab any vital or exposed areas. The long reach allowed her to be further from her opponent too. She hoped she wasn't put up against an enemy that could use a sword since any clash with a thicker sword may bend her blade.

Zoe gave the blade a forwards thrust and then a slash to get a feel for it. Then she slid it back into her sheath. Storm stretched out like a cat before standing up. The dragon was ready now and so was Zoe. Zoe was contemplating waking Asher soon when the Wood Elf emerged from his room. "G'Morning. I'm as ready as I'm going to get."Zoe replied casually.

Zoe felt another twinge of uneasiness as well as excitement. She was eager to try to impress the instructors so she could be in the upper training levels. She also couldn't wait to get a taste of what this school was like. But then on the other hadn't, she was still nervous about getting injured or even killed. If she was injured her fighting in training or a real battle would be hindered and if she was dead than she would have had the opportunity to aide the movement that would free the land of the false king. She wanted to ensure her people were safe as well as the other species. She would even go so far as to fight to save the High Elves. Sure many of them were a bit stuck up, but they were still elves and they didn't deserve the cruelty of the king.

When Asher went to the launch pad, Zoe approached her own launchpad with Storm walking in front of her. The dragon was fully awake now, not taking too much to rouse. Storm walked out onto the launchpad, just wearing her light saddle which she had been adjusted to using and didn't hinder her flight. Zoe mounted her dragon after she had closed the door to the launchpad. She took a deep breath and looked to the sun that was almost done rising. She looked down to the schoolyard and village to see that others were beginning to awaken and get on with their day as well.

Zoe heard Asher talk and turned her head to look at him. Zoe felt dread in her stomach. Did he not want to be her partner after all? That would be awkward after the training they had done. She also assumed they were in this together and was actually well acquainted with him. She didn't want to be thrown into the induction with a stranger who may not be as capable as Asher. But maybe he was only confirmed they were partners, she sure hoped so. "Yes, that. I guess would understand it if you don't want to be my partner, but I would be totally happy if we were partners since you are an excellent swordsman. It's up to you..."she said a bit sheepishly.
 
Asher hadn't meant to interrupt Zoe's reading, however he was pretty sure that she had only been doing so while waiting for him so he had no regrets. He could sense that the other elf was a bit tense, but then again, so was he. It would probably be quite mad not to be nervous - especially considering the words River had said to him. The wood elf supposed that the other student could have been just trying to scare a few of the new students, however he had felt a vibe of sincerity coming from the human. Asher's instincts were usually correct when it came to reading people's intentions, as while some people might be blinded by looks or other factors he was literally blind and didn't have to take those said factors into account. He just had to go off of a person's stance and the sound of their voice, and was very adept at picking apart their tone and calling out lies. River had felt like he genuinely wanted to be helpful.

Hearing Zoe and Storm approach the launch pad, Asher began to grit his teeth as the first words of her sentence made it sound like she was going to reject him, however he then raised his eyebrows in surprise when she sounded like it was him rejecting her. Had he really given off that impression? Asher supposed that he had been so positive that he had left a negative impression that he would have to do the battle uphill all the way and perhaps had sounded like he was already battling. Either way, the wood elf relaxed and smiled. "I thought the whole spiel about understanding if you didn't want to be my partner was going to be, well, mine. I was pretty sure you wouldn't want to get stuck with that one blind kid." Asher responded quickly, grinning lopsidedly. Vale also seemed to relax a little bit, for while the griffin had remained generally neutral to the matter he was content that Asher would be paired up with a capable pair that would help to keep him safe.

Vale wasn't one to judge until another had been around for a very long time, so it couldn't be said that Zoe and Storm had made as much an impression on him as they had on Asher, but he was still confident in their abilities and Storm had proven to him specifically that she was able. He didn't know as much about Zoe, however if Asher had been apprehensive about being rejected that meant that she was at least something. All told, Vale was content with their new arrangement. It would be a lot easier to have their partner as a roommate anyhow, they would be able to bond and adapt to each other better that way. Not to mention communicate plans and strategies.

"But anyhow, I'd be more than happy to be your partner. You two seem very capable." Asher added, seemingly finishing the deal. He just hoped that Zoe's attention wouldn't be caught by any of the other new students - though he supposed that was him beginning to get too tied up about the matter. He forced himself to relax, stating to himself again that he would approach that obstacle when it came. There was no point in worrying about something that might not even happen. Turning back to Vale, the wood elf nudged his companion with his heels and the griffin jumped off the platform and into the air. Vale remembered where the main hall had been from the previous day as well, and began to turn left in order to fly back to it. His pace was a bit slow, waiting for Storm and Zoe but also conserving his energy for the induction.

It seemed that a few others were also out and about - two pegasi, three hippogriff and a phoenix flying in sight. The phoenix seemed to be alone, but that was because the bird wasn't big enough to carry a rider. There were very few phoenixes that were able to, as they generally ran a good bit smaller. Most of the others seemed to be students from other years starting for class or even a mission - the two pegasi seemed to be stocked up for a long journey, and the riders were tense and lightly armored. One of the hippogriffs, however, was also flying towards the main hall. It was a while away though, so Asher didn't try to reach out to the rider and perhaps make a few more friends before induction started.

After a short ride, Vale spotted the main hall. Alerting his rider to the fact, the two began to land, seeing quite a few other new students already assembled there. The hippogriff had just landed, increasing the number to what Vale counted as twenty-two riders as well as their respective mounts and companions. The griffin relayed that message to Asher, who nodded and called out to Zoe. "It looks like we've got a pretty large year group. Vale's put the number at twenty-four riders, including us." He said, wondering if there was going to be anybody else coming or if they were the last. A year group of forty-eight students, including the mounts as they would be going through training as well as their riders, seemed to be pretty large. Especially since this wasn't your average school, it was elite and secluded.

Vale landed a few seconds after his call out to Zoe, and Asher's suspicions about them being the last people there were confirmed when what seemed to be an instructor mounted on a huge manticore called for attention. Asher was slightly surprised by the fact despite it, as it wasn't like he and Zoe were late. From the feel of it, there was still at least fifteen minutes until 6am. The wood elf supposed that all of the students were nervous and trigger-happy though, he shouldn't have been surprised that they were all early.

"Alright new students! It looks like you are all here now, well ahead of time. But no matter, we can begin the induction now. I assume that you would have all heard of the Academy's infamous induction, but if you haven't I'll explain it now. Here at the Academy we have the famous Arena, an enclosed forest area just north of here. You will all be placed inside the arena, and you will be expected to retrieve a relic from the forest temple. You will have to find the temple yourself, I will not give you any directions. The relic this year is a card from a card pack. You will have to retrieve one per team."

"What is a team, you ask? Well, the first person you make eye-contact with in the arena is your partner like it or not. Each team will be graded on both individual and group performances and placed into one of our three ability groups: the lower tier, the middle tier and the higher tier. Does anybody have any questions?" The instructor asked, to which Asher raised his hand.

"Sir, I'm blind. What would count as eye-contact for me?" He asked promptly, and the instructor raised an eyebrow.

"Ladies and gentlemen, behold our first casualty!" The instructor declared, seeming to use Asher's question as a springboard to continue his speech. "Casualty, you ask? That's right. Here at induction, you can die. You will be opposed by us instructors but also by wild creatures of the forest, and if you don't fight back you will die. We will have no regrets." The man said, and while Vale started to growl Asher sent a telepathic reprimand to his companion and stayed composed. He was confident in his own abilities, this instructor wasn't going to scare him.

"Sir, the answer to my question?" He asked evenly, face completely neutral. The instructor seemed to study him for a second before nodding.

"Perhaps I was mistaken about this one. Alright, for a blind person you will have to tap somebody on the shoulder or otherwise be tapped." The instructor said after a moment's worth of thought.

"Anyhow, shall we get to induction already? I think so. First of all, can I please have all mounts or animal companions to step to the right? All riders in a single file line to the left please." For a moment, none of the students responded and the instructor sighed. It seemed like he had had this problem before. "Hear that? I am separating you from your companions. That's right, you will not start your induction with them. We need to assess you individually as well as with your other half of your pair." The man barked, scaring everybody into motion. Vale was growling again, but Asher had already hardened his resolve.

Do it. He commanded the griffin, but Vale didn't move. Asher lowered his eyebrows behind his mask. Go, I'll be fine. If you don't leave they'll think I'm some sort of baby in need of a babysitter. Do you really want to prove that instructor right? That I'm some sort of baby unable to care for myself? Come on, you oversized bird. Get your act together. We'll still be able to communicate telepathically, it isn't like we're going to be separated forever. Asher tried to reason, and Vale finally started to move, despite the fact that he was growling unhappily.

If you die on me while I'm gone I will kill you. The griffin threatened nonsensically, and Asher laughed.

That's the spirit.
 
Zoe sighed with relief when Asher clarified that he wasn't ditching her and was actually just wondering if Zoe would ditch him. "So what if you're blind. You've proved to be skilled even with a slight disability."Zoe reassured. Sure it wasn't totally convenient to have a blind partner, but he did seem to be able to manage himself with the help of his trusty griffin. He was exquisite with a sword even with his lack of vision, though Zoe decided she'd help him out with knowing about things that were in the distance and therefore harder to sense. Vale would probably aid the Wood Elf enough, but Zoe would still lending a helping hand when needed. She predicted that many others would put Asher down for his disadvantage, but she believed he was able to prove himself. Zoe had a rather fiery personality, so there would be consequences for anyone who would make fun of her new partner. Sure he could fight his own battles, but Zoe was one to speak her mind when she felt it was needed or at least show some defiance.

"Then partners we shall be, Asher."she said with a nod of affirmation and a half smile. Storm had no opinion on the matter. The griffin and Wood elf duo seemed polite enough, but she hadn't known either of them long enough to trust them. Storm didn't trust too easily and needed to get to know the other better. Her first impression as that the two were a bit odd, but had proven to be polite and were therefore currently neutral threats in her mind. Storm also knew that Vale was a worthy partner due to his flight abilities. He had loss the race, but he had come very close to beating her and she knew it. And Storm knew that when another creature could almost match the flight of an Avian dragon, they were very worthy flyers.

With Zoe having confirmed their allegiance, Storm dropped off of the launching pad. She spread out her wings and drifted down, flapping only when needed. She also wanted to save her energy for the real event today since it would be rather energy consuming. Zoe bit her cheek lightly while in thought. She was aware that this day may be her last, though she would try her absolute best to come out of this experience alive and with a story to tell. She looked over to the riders laden with supplies heading out on a mission. She also spotted a hippogriff and its rider that were heading towards the Main Hall where the new students were to meet for the induction.

Storm arrived soon enough, landing lightly by Vale. Zoe dismounted and walked with Storm into the Main Hall. Inside she saw all of the other riders and mounts milling about or talking nervously amongst themselves. Zoe took a deep breath, petting Storm's flanks to try to soothe herself. She composed herself and now wore a brave expression, ready for what they threw at her.

Zoe heard someone begin to speak and greet the students. She stood next to Asher with Storm at her other side and looked over to the speaker. She listened to him carefully. Hm, a card in a temple within a forest. well, she and Asher had one advantage since they both knew forests and wooded areas well enough. Zoe silently hoped this discovery would make the High elves and Light Elves a bit nervous. So their partners were the first person they saw, which posed a problem. Zoe saw Asher raise his hand and ask what she had been wondering. The man had used that to transition into the notion of death. Does he believe Asher's lack of sight would be the death of him. Zoe stood taller, jaw set and arms crossed. She didn't find his jab rather funny and it seemed that neither did Vale. Zoe would be sure to be the first to spot and tap Asher so they could be partners. She planned to make it less humiliating than it sounded and just give him a light tap and a friendly greeting or something.

When the speaker explained that the mounts and riders would start separately, Zoe's heart dropped. Storm's eyes widened and she looked down at Zoe. The Dark Elf's fear made a reappearance and she stroked her dragon's face once. Storm made a worried growling sound. All Zoe could manage to say was, "Don't worry, we'll meet up soon. Stick with Vale if you can." Storm nuzzled Zoe's shoulder once and then put on a brave face. The dragon walked after Vale and joined the group of other mounts. Vale and Storm seemed to be two of the largest mounts and received side glances from the other creatures.

Zoe stayed near Asher where the other students were. "We're in this together now. I'll be your eyes, you be my ears."she said, trying not to betray the fear she felt and how fast her heart fluttered in her chest.
 
Once Vale had turned his back, Asher clenched his fingers slightly. He didn't like being separated from the griffin one bit, but he wasn't about to show his companion that. He forced himself to relax a few seconds after, having had his brief moment of nerves and being done with it. He was a lot more confident about his position anyhow, seeing as Zoe was now his partner and he was pretty sure that he'd be fine until Vale found him again. He was pretty sure that wouldn't take long: the griffin was as stubborn and hard-headed as a rock when he had the reason to be, but also was smart enough to locate Asher after no time at all. They would be able to communicate telepathically and coordinate themselves anyhow, this would be a walk in the park. Hopefully. The wood elf didn't want to get too cocky, it was always wise to be wary and on your feet at times like this.

On the right side with the other mounts, Vale was keeping a keen eye on Asher as the elf moved into line with the other riders. There was only one thing on the griffin's mind: getting back to his rider as soon as possible. It didn't matter what he had to go through to achieve that, but it was going to happen. He hoped that for the time being Zoe would prove to be a good enough set of eyes. Vale turned his head around slightly as the instructor from before got off of his manticore, the instructor himself going off to the left with the riders but the manticore staying with the mounts and other beasts. A second later, Vale could hear the manticore force a connection into his brain. The griffin flinched: it took a very powerful creature to force a connection with another, and the fact that this one was probably doing it with all of the mounts at once was even more impressive.

Listen up fellow creatures. I understand that you will want to get back to your riders as soon as possible, but don't try to pull anything on me. You will only get penalized if you try to make a break for it. Anyway, we are going to be going to start on the opposite side of the arena from your riders. It will be a bit of a flight since the arena is quite large. So let's get started. Follow me. The manticore commanded, jumping into the air and spreading out its wings. Luckily for him, there didn't seem to be any non-flying creatures in the year group. Vale wondered how River's hydra had made it into the arena. One of the instructors probably had to carry it in. Throwing one last look back at Asher to make sure he was sorted, Vale leaped into the air after the manticore. He did also look around for Storm, figuring that if their riders were going to be partners they might as well stick together as well.

Asher turned his head towards Zoe as she spoke, and nodded appreciatively. "Sounds good to me. Let's knock this one out of the park, shall we? I have no intention of settling for anything below the top tier." He said with a smile, resolve hardened as he moved into line with the rest of the riders. A moment later there was a huge gust of air as the mounts took off after what Asher identified as the instructor's manticore - the instructor standing at the head of the line of riders.

"Alright students. The entrance to the arena is a few minute's walk away. Your animal companions will be on the other side of the arena and are flying there now. Follow me." The instructor said, starting to walk off away from the main Academy grounds. The students stayed in single file for a little while before breaking up into smaller groups, chatter filling the nearby space as everybody tried to organize groups and pairings last minute. Nobody approached Asher, for obvious reasons after his question and the instructor's proclamation earlier, however a few students had seen Zoe with her huge dragon and were eyeing her curiously. Asher's eyebrows were set in a slightly nervous line, but nobody could see that particular fact form behind his mask. On the outside he appeared completely composed, and he took long strides to keep up with the instructor who was moving rather quickly.

The arena wall was quite large and came into view only a little while after the riders started walking. While Asher couldn't see it, he could feel the sound waves it was reflecting. It must have been at least twenty feet tall, and Asher couldn't help but wonder as to why. What was it that they were trying to keep locked inside? It wasn't necessary to have such a large and thick wall if they didn't have anything to restrain, as the riders were going to pass in and out of it through air regardless. A little bit apprehensive but keeping his act together, Asher felt the instructor stop walking and pause outside what the wood elf presumed was a gate.

"This is the arena wall. If anybody wants to back out, now is the time." The instructor said seriously. "You will not be thought any less of if you stop here, this is a very trying trail and death rates are usually above 20% for most year groups." He added, but nobody budged. After another moment the instructor nodded and called up to two men on the top of the wall that Asher had heard earlier. "Is the coast clear?" He yelled.

"Yes sir! The distraction will last for a few minutes still." The two men barked smartly, and the instructor nodded. Asher was forced to wonder again what they were trying to keep in, and what they might need a distraction for.

"Alright then, lift her up!" The instructor ordered, and the two other men started to crank the gate open. Turning back to the students, the human saluted them. "Here starts your induction. Once you step into the arena you may begin to sort out your teams. Good luck, soldiers!"
 
Storm looked over to Zoe longingly, wishing she could be with her rider. The dragon would make sure to get back to her rider as soon as possible. The whole warning about this trial being possibly lethal worried Storm. She couldn't bare losing her closest companion and would be rather lost without the young Dark Elf. Don't worry. We can communicate this way if needed.Zoe said telepathically, glad they at least had this form of communication to keep each other updated on their locations.

Storm was going to respond when a voice shoved its way into her mind. She identified at as the manticore's since the beast seemed to be affiliated with the instructors and would instruct the mounts. Storm had briefly thought about trying to fly off since she was fast enough, but didn't want to bring shame to Zoe and suffer the consequences. Both Storm and Zoe were a bit nervous, but they were also both quite ambitious and would strive to get into the top tier. Storm took the air with the other creatures, mindful that she didn't hit any with her large wingspan. Most gave the dragon a wide berth anyways. Storm made her way to Vale's side. She didn't trust the griffin yet, but he was familiar, her same size and basic skill level, and was heading towards his rider who would stick with Zoe. So they were both trying to get to the same location, just for different people.

Storm predicted that Asher would look out for Zoe and vice versa so she at least knew that someone else was looking out for her rider. Storm wondered if Zoe's basic sword skills would be decent enough to allow her to make it through the trail. If not, her archery skills would keep her alive for a while. But if the foes in the arena were truly as tough as they were made out to be, Zoe would need Asher's help and would need the dragon's support eventually. This would be a real test of skill and cooperation and the thought both seem to frighten and excite riders and mounts alike.

Zoe noticed others casting glances at her. Maybe others would side with her if she was lucky, but that wasn't happening. They were so quick to deem Asher as weaker because he was blind and she thought they were all missing out on a talented ally. They shouldn't have judged the Wood Elf so quickly, though if Zoe were in their shoes she's also have to think twice about taking the risk. Luckily she had seen Asher's abilities enough to know that he wasn't as handicapped as others would like to believe. Zoe walked with short, quick strides at Asher's side, following the instructor and other students. She looked around at them and wondered which of them would make it out alive, and what tier they'd be in if they were. These strangers could be her peers soon enough, if she herself survived of course.

As the wall appeared ahead, Zoe looked up at its towering stone structure. The reason they would need to enclose a forest was a about troubling, but it's not like she ever expected this to be easy and that they wouldn't face monsters, because of course they would. She came to a stop at the gates and listened to the instructor when he asked if anyone wanted to leave. Zoe didn't budge of course and instead looked up to two men on the top of the wall. They mentioned something about distracting which made Zoe believe that as soon as they entered they were to be ambushed by a beast that these two had been temporarily keeping at bay.

Zoe watched as the gates opened and shrugged her bow off of her back. She grabbed three arrows in her hand and held the string with the same hand as her other hand gripped the wooden part. This was so she was ready to fire a few arrows upon entrance since she wouldn't start off with her sword. She took one small step right past the gates before tapping Asher's solider as was instructed. "I will inform you as best I can. I will also use my ability to open a telepathic connection with you to make things easier and swifter."she told him.
 
Once he had determined that the gate was cranked up high enough for the students to get through, Asher began to move forward. A few of the braver other students had already barged through, waving their weapons around, however the wood elf went at a slower pace. The more nervous students were hanging around the back, and the elf had no intentions of being lumped together with them. Taking another longer stride forward, he heard Zoe moving beside him and made sure that he was sticking with her. After he had taken a step into the arena, he felt her hand on his shoulder and turned to smile at her slightly. He had felt some of the other students trying to catch her attention and he was glad that none of those ploys had worked. He nodded at her words, pausing for a second to slip his shoes off. "Feel free to connect whenever you want, I've not got much ability for it but I can at least open my mind." He said in approval about the telepathic connection idea.

Tucking the light leather skins into his belt - as Asher had specifically chosen them for their light weight and flexibility so that he could carry them - he continued to walk into the arena. The grass was slightly damp from the morning dew under his feet and the ground seemed to be quite fertile and lush. "I can sense a little bit from the vibrations in the ground." He added to Zoe, knowing that he probably looked really weird suddenly deciding to go barefoot. "It isn't much but every little bit helps. There seems to be a large disturbance coming from there" He commented, pointing east, "I think we should probably try to avoid it." He said, wishing that he had a bit more detail that he could add but unable to sense anything beyond a large, heavy presence there.

Hearing the gate clamp shut behind them, the last few students tentatively making their way into the arena, Asher nodded and set his resolve. "Most of the students seem to be going straight forward. I feel like that would be the obvious choice, and probably not the direction the temple will be in. Do you want to try to branch off to the right?" Asher asked, digging his feet into the ground and trying to get a few more vibrations. He couldn't sense much other than the students and that same large presence which seemed to be starting to move towards the largest body of people. "There is definitely something to the east that isn't friendly." He confirmed what he had said earlier, beginning to move right but not increasing his pace until he got Zoe's input.

They were still on the outskirts of the forest, and Asher was fairly sure that they wouldn't be encountering anything big until they went deeper into it, but he kept on his toes nevertheless. What he couldn't see, however, was the fact that his suspicions were well worth it as a large fire dragon began to appear on the horizon - spitting fire and making the fact that it was hostile quite evident. Its purpose was probably to drive the riders into the forest and make sure that they didn't just wait it out in safety until their mounts arrived.

Vale kept a keen eye on the ground, seeing a large wall breaking up the forest below him. The manticore instructor didn't seem to want to give the mounts a good view of the arena, however, and was making a loop around the wall. Soon enough they reached the far wall. The manticore landed on it, clearly expecting the other mounts to do the same. Vale cooperated and landed on the top, folding his wings up slightly to give more space to the other mounts as well as moving aside slightly to provide a space for Storm to land. What's up on your end? The griffin sent to Asher, edging to start flying but the manticore's keen eyes were on the group sending the clear message not to move.

Just got let into the arena. Sounds like there's something big and dangerous out to the east, I'd be careful but I think it is land-based. The elf replied promptly, and Vale nodded. We're officially paired up with Zoe and Storm by the way. Make sure to stay with Storm, we are being graded on teamwork after all. The rider added, and the griffin nodded again despite the fact that his rider wasn't there to sense it. He was slightly agitated about the fact that Asher had already started the induction but the mounts were still sitting there on the wall, but that was probably part of the plan. They wouldn't be able to get accurate individual grades if the mounts got to their riders too quickly.

Up ahead Vale could see a few other creatures launch off the sides of the arena walls. Presumably the instructors coming to barricade the mounts and get their readings. Spotting four dragons, five griffons a phoenix and two other manticores each equipped with riders Vale's eyes narrowed. One dragon seemed to be flying off to where the riders had presumably started. Watch out, I think you've got a dragon coming your way. He sent to Asher, squinting to try and get more details about the type but unable to see anything more. The arena was huge, and the instructors were still quite a ways away but they were starting to approach the line of sitting mounts. Vale turned towards Storm.

It looks like we're going to have quite the fight. He commented to her dryly, one eye on her but the other on the instructor's manticore to make sure that they hadn't been given the clear to take off yet. You have some sort of ice-fire ability right? Can you do long distance attacks? The griffin questioned, trying to start putting together a strategy.
 
Zoe had also separated herself from the nervous and brave group. She would be careful about this and wouldn't hang back to be forced out, nor would she run head first into battle. She took a look around the arena so far. By the gate was a grassy clearing they were currently standing in. Trees and bushes covered the rest of the territory and of course there was no set paths. It would be a bit difficult to help Sher naviagate through obstacles, but since he was a Wood Elf she assumed he haf the capacity to figured things out.

Once he had agreed to the telapathy idea, Zoe opened a mental connection with him. This clearing is about ten meters forwards until it gives way to forest. We should branch off to the right like you said and stay away from thr main group. Isolation means less protection, but it could mean less trouble. Since stealth isn't really vital, I'll walk normally so you can follow my footsteps.She explained. She was in no way trying to babysit him or humiliate him with her instruction and just wanted to express giod communication to make their ordeal easier. She set off walking to the right side.

Once Zoe entered the forest, she turned to look back towards the clearing where a fire dragon was chasing the straggling riders into the forest. Zoe didn't want to associate with the dragon, finding it to be dangerous and hoping Storm wouldn't encounter it. She turned and continued ito the forest, carefully pushing any rocks or small obstacles out if the way as she moved. There's a fire dragon back there that we should avoid. I'm not going to waste any arrows by engaing the creature.Zoe explained briefly.

The forest became a bit darker as they went on. She guessed this added abother challenge sice even if a student did manage to wait near the beginning, the mounts couldn't breech the tree line easily in this area or land so they'd have to press on to be able to reunite. Zoe remained alert with an arrow notched on her currently loose bowstring. Pulling back would better prepare her, but as time passed the string would wear out and could breakm rendering her as basically helpless. So she avoided the temptation to fully ready her bow.

Storm also tried to peak into the arena, but couldn't see much of it, save for the tops of trees. She flew along until the manticore perched on the wall with the other creatures. Storm followed suit and landed beside Vale, folding her wings loosely for the time being. The dragon awaited the order to be rreleased as she scanned the forest area below. Something in the sky caught her eye and she spotted instructors riding atop their mounts ito the arena. Storm took note of them, especially the dragons. Storm wasn't sure if the instructors were there to monitor the new students, fight tgem, or both. She guessed both, though she found it hard to believe instructors would kill off students and figured other beasts would.

Storm heard what Vale had said telepathically and answered, I do have an icy saliva that I can spit a few meters or so. It isn't flame, but it manages to do some damage.After responding, Storm decided to ready the icey saliva she had mentioned. It had already began to form when she had been separated from Zos, but now the bio-luminescent icy liquid had began to collect in her mouth.
 
Listening to the information that Zoe was providing it and applying it to what he was hearing himself, Asher nodded a few times to signal that he had heard what she had said. He could hear the slight quivering of the other elf's bowstring as she moved, and he followed her closely. Once they started to infiltrate the forest, a deeper silence fell. He could hear the sound of flames and wings back from the area they had just left and put together that with the warning that Vale had sent him a bit earlier. Zoe confirmed his suspicions a few seconds after by stating that it was a fire dragon, agreeing on the fact that they should try to avoid it. As they moved deeper into the forest Asher could feel it begin to get cooler, but also more quiet. On the outskirts there had been some noise from the wind and the chatter of the students, but in here the trees seemed to absorb all of the sound.

That was fine with Asher though. He was more than used to these conditions, and he could pick out the sounds that really mattered in situations like these. For example, he could hear the slight sounds of light creatures following them. They seemed to disappear and reappear at will, darting among the trees and staying with Asher and Zoe as they walked. Asher was about to alert the other elf to the fact when he realized that they must be how the instructors were keeping track of their movements and progress. From their size, Asher assumed that they were nymphs. That made sense, as the humanoids had an extremely strong telepathic ability that allowed them to project images of what they themselves were seeing to people a very large distance away. Asher assumed that they must be being watched by the instructors right then and now.

His feet touched the forest floor lightly as he walked, and he could feel a few large presences roaming around nearby. Focusing on them, and trying to pick out the sounds of their light footsteps on the ground, Asher recognized the pattern that the animals were moving in. We're being surrounded. He sent to Zoe, feeling her telepathic connection to him and adjusting to it. The only other he had really communicated telepathically with was Vale, so this was a new experience for him but nothing that he couldn't handle. There are five that I can sense. He added. It might be smart to find a place where we can dig in and fight, if we keep moving we might walk into a trap. He said, stopping and digging his feet into the earth so that he could sense the vibrations coming from it better.

Once he was more connected with the ground he could sense a little bit more. Scratch that, there are six. Try not to make any sudden movements, it would be best to make them reveal themselves first. I'll get your back. Asher sent to Zoe, moving sideways slightly so that he was covering her back. She already had arrows fastened on her bowstring and he was confident that she'd be able to shoot down anything that tried to pounce at her. If multiple came out at once Asher would do his best to cut them up before they got to her. Staying as still as possible and reading the vibrations off the ground; his ears not being very helpful with these animals as they seemed to be used to stalking their prey and being as quiet as shadows - and as far as Asher knew, blending in with their dark background as well.

The pack of mysterious creatures stopped as their prey did. They were spaced out in a circle around Zoe and Asher, and the wood elf cursed himself for not noticing them sooner. They might have been able to avoid this if he had, but he decided that they would have had to be combat tested at some point. They've stopped. They're moving forward... I think they're some sort of canine. Asher gave continuous updates, hands resting on the hilts of his swords - ready to whip the blades out once the attack began in earnest. Alright, I'm going to try to break them up. Get ready. Asher said, deciding to try and break up their opponent's formation. He suddenly yelled loudly, his words incomprehensive but with a harsh, aggressive edge. His plan worked, as three of their attackers jumped out while the others hesitated. Two leaped on him, as he had made the noise, but one also pounced on Zoe.

Asher's swords were instantly out and the elf braced himself before he took a quick step forward into the path of the first creature. They had revealed themselves to be Tibicena {image} - a type of wolf that resided in dark forests. Usually they lived further within them, however Asher assumed that they had been lured out to the outskirts for the induction. Thrusting his right sword into the heart of the Tibicena right in front of him, Asher heard the second land where he had been standing a few seconds ago. Kicking the first wolf off of his sword, Asher executed a back flip that saw him land on the Tibicena's shoulders. Pressing the canine onto the ground, the wood elf made quick work of killing it.

While that was half of the Tibicena taken care of, the other three that had hesitated initially were quick to pounce out after their packmates. Asher took a step back so that he was back-to-back with Zoe once more. It was easy enough to side-step his last Tibicena's pounce and behead it, but Zoe had to deal with two during the second wave of Tibicena attacks. You got them? Asher asked her, ready to intervene if she needed help.

Vale considered Storm's words. I can only really attack close-quarters, maybe you could try distracting an opponent from a bit of a distance while I charge in? That's the only way I'd be able to straight up attack, but I can also act as a distraction. Screeching a lot usually works wonders in that regard. He mused, however was jolted out of his thoughts when the manticore seemed to get the go ahead from his instructor to let the rider's companions into the fray.

Alright you lot. Your riders are already fighting in the arena, and the last team has just been formed. Remember that you are being graded on your individual performance as well as you're teamwork with both your rider and new designated pair. Your first obstacle are these fine ladies and gentlemen here. The manticore informed the group, obviously speaking about the line of instructors and mounts that were now only a few meters away from the edge of the wall. It would be impossible to try to evade and fly past them, they were spread across the entire length of the arena. Not that Vale had any intention of trying to avoid them, he didn't want his individual score weighing Asher and the others down. Bracing himself, the griffin looked towards Storm. You may begin. The manticore finally said, and Vale was the first one off the wall. The rest of the creatures seemed to be a bit wary of charging right into their opponents, but the griffin had no qualms about it.

Shall we try to go for this manticore? Vale sent back to Storm, intending to go at the creature right ahead of him. The rider seemed to realize that his mount was being targeted and loosed an arrow at Vale, which might as well have been a signed proclamation of war. The griffin sprung forward, avoiding the arrow that had just been shot at him as well as the other three that came afterwards with relative ease, screeching a battle cry while charging the manticore straight-on. He had intentionally chosen this target as the manticore was also a close-distance fighter, not having the ability to spit fire like some of the dragons and perhaps the phoenix and therefore being quite a suitable match for Vale's abilities. Vale even had one advantage over the other creature: he didn't have to ensure that his rider wasn't going to fall off his back or be injured while he was fighting, though the manticore's rider kept shooting arrows at him which was slightly annoying.

Catching one of the said arrows with his beak when he got closer to the pair, Vale snapped it in half before barreling head-first into his chosen opponent. He wasn't sure what the other creatures were doing behind him, but he assumed that now that he had begun the fight they would file in behind sooner or later. Vale expected to feel the manticore's claws latch onto him at any moment, but the griffin knew that he could sustain the damage as his features were more or less like armor. It weighed him down but it was convenient in times like these. Meanwhile, he clawed at the manticore with his own talons - the creature's body not having the benefit that Vale's did. What the griffon was looking out for, however, was the manticore's scorpion stinger. If Vale got stung now, he would be severely affected for the rest of the induction which he didn't intend to happen. Once he saw the stinger start to come down, the manticore tired of the damage she was taking, Vale pushed away and managed to evade it by just a few hairs.

After that it was back to evading the rider's arrows again until Storm arrived or something otherwise happened that would allow Vale to get past the manticore.
 
Zoe was glad of these conditions. It was darker and cooler, just like she was used to in her homelands. This may also prove as a slight disadvantage because there was no distracting or blinding sun. Also, if it got any darker Zoe would still be able to see and it's now like Asher needed to see anything. She walked along carefully, choosing her steps wisely to avoid obstacles and hoping that Asher would follow suit. Zoe absently wonderland if any creatures from the dark forests would be dwelling here. At least if they did she could identify them to figure out what would be a good way to take them down.

When Zoe was alerted by Asher of enemies, she slowed to a stop. She made sure she was close to Asher and looked around, trying to see anything. She anticipated seeing what creatures they were to face. The enemies hadn't revealed themselves yet and Zoe almost held her breath as she awaited them. She really wished she had Storm here right about now, but no. She would do this herself, well, with Asher of course. The Dark Elf pulled back the string of her bow, an arrow notched in it. She also took a knee to further stabilize herself. She could shoot standing, but if she could kneel to better her accuracy a little bit than she would surely take that opportunity. She was glad of Asher being at her back, feeling a better sense of protection than she would have felt completely on her own. Also, the instructors would be alerted of how they had been ready to work together unlike some of the partner groups that tried to split up and conquer. Those few would probably meet their demises today. Ready.Zoe replied.

Zoe heard the yell and searched the area for the attackers. They soon jumped out and she identified them as Tibicena, a species of wolf that was actually familiar to her. There had been a few domesticated ones in the community of Dark Elves she had been in. They were large shadowy canine and were very dangerous when wild. As one lunged towards her, her mind seemed to slow everything down. It was just her and that Tibicena barreling towards her. She wore an almost serene expression as she loosed her arrow. This one lodged itself into the creature's throat. The Tibicena growled, blood gurgling in its throat and choking it. The creature reluctantly collapsed, choking on its own life blood. Zoe was sort of sad to see such an admirable creature go, but this was necessity.

Zoe turned to see Asher slicing up more of the Tibicena and saw that she had the last three. I got this.Zoe replied as she took an arrow from her quiver slowly. The reluctant Tibicena began to stalk forwards, teeth bared, growls rumbling from their deep chests. One lunged at her and she rolled to the side and took a knee again, sending an arrow into the eye of the Tibicena. The creature yelped and fell over with a thump, trying to free the arrow from its eye. Not wanting to waste an arrow, she lunged and pulled the arrow out before shoving it manually into the beast's throat. As she did this another Tibicena had mustered up its courage and lunged. Zoe leaned back and kicked the creature square in the snout, taking the brief distraction to send an arrow at it. She had been a bit sloppy so it hit the creature square in the chest instead of the throat. Oh well, it still died like the others. The last Tibicena sprinted towards her with surprising speed. Zoe threw herself to the side, landing onto her back before quickly sitting up and firing an arrow at the Tibicena who had just landed from a jump that missed her. The last arrow met its target and the last Tibicena was taken down.

Zoe stared at the dead creatures, triumphant, yet a bit sad that these creatures had to be killed. They weren't the king's soldiers after all. She wished at least that the instructors or someone would take the bodies after they moved on and used them as food or something. That way it wouldn't be mindless slaughter. Zoe caught her breath, calming down a bit. Alert me of any danger. I'm going to collect my arrows.she said to Asher. Then she walked around carefully and plucked the arrows from the fallen, flicking off any of the blood and gore that she could. Then she put one away and kept three in her hand resting against the currently loose bowstring. Then Zoe returned to Asher's side, cautiously looking around. Think we should try to move on now?She asked.

Storm followed Vale off of the wall, being the second one off. She decided to get the manticore when Vale would need help. For now she sped towards a rider atop a griffin. She threw back her had and spit icy saliva at the creature. The griffin ducked its head and its rider took the icy liquid to the shoulder. The rider grabbed their shoulder, face contorted in pain. That was sure to leave quite the icy burn. A good distraction since the rider couldn't fire any arrows now. The dragon lunged at the griffin, which was smaller than Vale, and swiped a claw at it. The claw cut the griffin's chest, but soon enough the griffin sent its talons out and scratched the dragon's snout. That left red lines across her snout, but thankfully her thicker dragon scales prevented any deep and lasting damage. She swooped under the griffin quickly and let the air current from her wings throw the griffin off balance a bit. Then she lunged upwards and bit the griffin's tail, yanking hard. The griffin turned to bite her, but she had already dodged and hit the creature over the head with her tail. The griffin plummeted suddenly, the hit having been hard enough to disorient the creature. Its rider tried desperately to control the griffin and the two recovered below. Storm considered that defeat for them and looked back to see the other mounts just now attacking the wall of instructors. She was more focused on Vale fighting the manticore.

Storm turned back and flew for a short distance. She received a warning look from a rider and knew they were contemplating attacking a creature that might be try to escape to their rider. That was not the case though. She was getting some distance so she could pick up speed. She watched as the manticore's deadly stinger came swinging down, barely missing her new partner. This was not okay with her. She began to fly forwards quickly, gaining the same speed she had when racing Vale earlier. She tucked her wings in and stretched her arms out, claws ready. The manticore looked up and noticed a new attacker just before its rider could redirect any arrows from Vale. The dragon hit the manticore in the side with great force, claws digging into its flesh. The manticore growled in pain and snapped at the dragon. Storm withdrew her claws and backed away from the creature. There, that got his attention. Now she backed up and prepared to distract the manticore so vale could continue his assault. She spit icy saliva at them and hit the manticore's wound. That was sure to leave quite a mark and the manticore would be in great pain. Still, the strong beast didn't retreat and Vale would need to try to finish him off.
 
Nodding as Zoe confirmed that she had her Tibicena under control, Asher kept his blades out as she announced that she was going to collect her arrows. His body went completely still and his breaths became hardly audible as he concentrated on sensing any danger that might be about. The movements of the nymphs were ever present, however the wood elf skipped over the sounds of them as he had now put them down as non-threatening. He could still sense that looming presence on the other side of the arena, and it seemed to have started moving during his and Zoe's fight with the Tibicena. Asher knew that they were personally still in the clear, as he didn't think the creature had detected them - and if it had, it was concentrating its efforts on where there were most riders about - but he wasn't sure if he could say the same about some of the other riders that had chosen to go off into the center or left side of the arena.

Choosing to ignore the vibrations of that creature as well since it wasn't applicable to him and Zoe at the moment, Asher centered his attention closer around where they were standing. He could feel multiple presences as they moved around, however not many of them seemed to have noticed the pair of riders. There didn't seem to be anymore pack animals, mostly traveling in pairs or alone. That didn't mean that they were any less of a threat, however, as they were much bigger than the Tibicena had been and possibly a lot more deadly. One advantage that Asher had was that they were a lot easier to hear. He could hear the sound of Zoe pulling out her arrows. The smell of the Tibicena blood was starting to become evident, and the wood elf began to tense. That scent would draw the attention of other creatures.

Already, Asher felt a nearby animal turn. Assessing where Zoe was, he decided that it would be best to kill it quickly than flee rather than trying to avoid it altogether. Deciding that since it was a lone animal that he would be able to take it himself, Asher took a few steps toward the direction where the animal was approaching. We've got one more, but I can take it. He sent to Zoe, hearing the footsteps get closer. The creature seemed to have sensed other living presences and Asher could hear a low growl begin, and he recognized the shift of weight that would lead to a pounce. Bracing himself, the wood elf stayed stock still until the creature leaped. It turned out to be a creature more native to the woodlands, almost as the Tibicena had been to the realms of the dark elves. A Matsu {image}. The wood elves hadn't kept the Matsu as pets, seeing as they were almost untamable, however had a deep respect for the creature.

Ducking as the canine flew overhead, Asher didn't attempt to cut through its belly as he was well aware of the matted fur on the creature's belly was almost like armor. Instead using the opportunity to slash at the creature's two backlegs at the joints, taking off its lower legs, Asher spun about on his heel as the creature landed with an agonized roar. It hurt Asher to be killing an animal for no apparent reason, however at this point there was no point in letting it live. Without its legs it would only be eaten by other animals. In this arena competition, it seemed that there was no go between: it was either kill or be killed. Approaching the animal laying on the ground, trying to crawl forward on its two front legs, Asher grimaced before kneeling down before it. "Nai eru lye manata." He said softly before killing the Matsu by slicing off its head.

Yeah, we should move on before any other creatures are attracted by the smell of these guys. Asher agreed as Zoe finished her arrow collection, starting to move forward at a faster pace than the walk they had been moving at. He wanted to get away from this area. I think there is a bit of a clearing up ahead, but it'll be awhile before we reach it. There are all sorts of things crawling around this area, I wouldn't be surprised if we have to literally kill our way through these woods. Asher informed the other elf, eyebrows slightly bent at the inhumanity of all these unnecessary deaths. It's such a waste. These creatures don't have to be our enemies. He commented bitterly. It was to protect these kinds of innocent creatures that he and Vale fought, cutting them down was tugging uncomfortably on his mind. He consoled himself that once it was over they would be able to start training in earnest and be able to start protecting these creatures.

Asher stayed behind Zoe as a kind of rearguard as they moved, both to protect her back but also because the sound of her footsteps was helping him navigate the terrain. He tried to place his feet where hers had been, as without shoes his feet were largely unprotected. Asher's feet were calloused from walking around with his bare feet already, however that didn't mean that it didn't hurt when he stepped on a sharp stone. He was trying to do his best to sense all of the animals roaming around, but while he was walking it was difficult and some of the smaller, lighter beasts were prone to getting past him. He tried to scrape his feet across the floor while he walked, however that didn't assist very much. To be able to accurately read what was going on around him, Asher pretty much had to be standing still and he becoming increasingly paranoid that something was going to creep past him.

Vale spotted Storm start to dive down, but he didn't focus on the dragon as he knew that if he redirected his own attention the manticore and its rider would also think to look up and see the new threat looming. Instead screeching like he was going to charge again and drawing the attention of the pair, Vale waited until Storm had rammed into the manticore before charging in after her. He didn't have any space to dive, so he had to make do with gaining momentum as he moved forward, however that proved to be proficient enough. Tackling the creature from the opposite side that Storm had, Vale wound his tail around the manticore's to prevent it from trying to sting him again and clawed at the other beast. He could feel vaguely the slices of the manticore's claws, and knew that he would probably end up with a few cuts as his feathers began to give way, but he was dealing a lot more damage than he was getting. Tearing at the manticore's wing just enough for it not to be able to fly accurately but still be able to make a reasonably balanced landing, Vale moved away once he was confident that the pair was out of the game.

The rider kept shooting arrows as they went down, but Vale just flew a little ways upward and outdistanced them. Thanks. He sent to Storm, looking around. It seemed that the other creatures were all engaged, and he started to fly past the barricade. Shall we try to find Asher and Zoe now? He asked, wondering if the dragon wanted to assist any of their other year mates with their fight but pretty sure she'd be more interested in finding their riders.
 
Zoe had expected danger when Asher warned her, but still jumped back in shock when she heard the growl. She readied a bloodied arrow quickly as she got her feet. She watched as a large canine like creature sprung out of hiding. It had a very shaggy pelt and rocky protrusions growing from its shoulders and snout. It looked very fierce and threatening and Zoe didn't recognize the beast. She took a knee as a precaution and watched as Asher sliced off the creature's hind legs.

Zoe felt upset when she heard the cry of pain. She observed the unknown beast as it tried to drag itself forwards, its dark scarlet blood flowing out onto the ground where it clotted in the dirt. She wore an emotionless expression, but her eyes betrayed that she wasn't appreciating this situation very much. All Asher could do know was put an end to the beast since it could no longer care for itself and would be killed in a more agonizing way at the jaws of another predator. Better to give the beast a quicker and more humane end, though there was nothing honorable in killing such beasts. She flinched when the blade was sent through the creature's neck. The Dark Elf watched the beast's head land on the ground with a small thump. Blood oozed from the creature's fatal wound and made Zoe's stomach turn.

Zoe knew the school officials would need to see their fighting skill demonstrated in a way that didn't kill people, but she didn't like killing these creatures. These creatures had probably just been agitated to have people in their territory and had attacked upon instinct. This meant that they had to be killed just for doing what nature had made them to do. She didn't want to kill the innocent. She wanted to kill those affiliated with the king and his followers and assumed that was the goal of the school as well. In Zoe's opinion, only animals killed for food and criminals put to the blade should be murdered. Even when she had to kill animals she would always honor them and thank them. Now she had just killed animals just because they had been forced to attack her. Zoe guessed it was kill or be killed, though she wished the school could at least put a use to the dead animals.

Zoe sighed and looked to all of the fallen creatures. "Degoia. Qai froy cedfre."she said. This meant, "I am sorry. You will be remembered," in Dark Elf. With that said, she began to move on after Asher had suggested that they leave the area with the dead since other animals would be drawn to the flesh. I agree. Attacking us was their instinct and not their fault and we had to slaughter them. And not even for the sake of hunting. If we manage to survive and become important to a degree, I will surely take this matter up with them.she replied, planning to give the school board a piece of her mind.

Zoe began to move forwards again, weaving her way carefully through the trees and clearing the path for Asher as best as she could without making too much noise. He had good enough hearing that she didn't think he was a burden like the others believed him to be. He could follow her well and had even been able to sense creatures before she could. Also, he was excellent with his blades and Zoe could bet that he was probably one of the best swordsmen in the group even with his lack of vision. Zoe was looking around to use her own senses. She scanned the area carefully for any little sign of movement or danger. The coast was clear for now, save for a tiny movement she guessed was caused by a small animal of sorts. After all, though this forest was home to dangerous beasts, it was still a forest so it had to a have small animals near the bottom of the food chain as well. These creatures were not likely to be aggressive and didn't show themselves again, so she disregarded them.

Storm watched as Vale attacked from the other side and managed to hinder the manticore's flight. Storm dodged a few arrows as the beast went down with its rider. Storm also counted this as defeat for their opponents and didn't bother to dive after them. She looked around to see that the other mounts were fighting the instructors in various stages of battle. One of the mounts had even managed to slip off away from the fray in search of their partner, though the creature looked quite wounded. Storm also noticed sadly as she spotted a dead or dying pegasus laying bloody on the ground below. She hadn't known the beast of course, but she knew if its rider made it out, they would have lost their closest companion. Storm couldn't bear the thought of life without her own rider and paid brief silent respect to the creature.

Then she turned to Vale upon hearing his telepathic message. She didn't want to engage in another fight to waste time with those she wasn't teamed up with and also wanted to get to her rider. She was sure there would be plenty of opportunity to fight again to try to prove herself. She wasn't trying to prove much now, having attacked the griffin to clear a path to freedom and having helped Vale so she could leave with him as soon as possible. I'm ready. Let's head out towards the front of the arena. I'm going to contact Zoe to try to get her location and you can communicate with your own rider.she replied before flying forwards away from the commotion of the remaining battles.

Zoe, I am free of the main commotion here for now. Do you know any peculiar landmarks around you or what general location you may be in? Vale and I are coming to find you guys.she reached out to Zoe.

Zoe heard the telepathic message with relief. We just survived a little fight of our own. We've been heading away from the front gate and are sticking to the right side of the arena. I think we'll be reaching a clearing soon where maybe we can meet up.Zoe replied.
 
Sighing softly as they left the dead animals behind, Asher kept silent while Zoe spoke. He was multitasking, listening to her voice and listening to the sounds around him - he was glad that with the telepathic connection her voice didn't interfere with the sounds around them, however it was a bit difficult to listen to a voice in his head and the noise outside at the same time. He had practiced doing this with Vale, of course, but over the years the two had had to communicate less and less to get their thoughts across to the other as it seemed to come almost instinctively so Asher's skills were a bit rusty. Thinking about the griffin, Asher reached out to the beast - wondering how his partner was doing. What're you up to? The elf questioned, knowing that something must have started happening if Vale had gone silent on him. While Asher would have liked updates, he knew that it would be best if the griffin focused on what he was doing individually. It would be easier to stay alive that way.

Storm and I just took down a manticore. We're in the clear now, what about you two? Vale responded quickly, eager to hear some news about his rider as well.

We just took down a few Tibicena and a Matsu. It's a pity seeing all these creatures die for no apparent reason. Asher replied, though his attention was piqued at the mention of a manticore. Have you been fighting instructors then? The wood elf inquired, pretty sure that a wild manticore wouldn't just be flying about.

Yeah, a whole bunch of them. Powerful little bastards, but I suspect that they'd be stronger if they weren't trying to keep their riders in tact. Some might get an advantage by having their riders, since those guys are loosing arrows like there's no tomorrow, but personally they don't affect me much. Vale commented. Asher knew that he griffin had a lot of experience avoiding arrows, as they were the preferred weapon of most elves and he had been trained to dodge the projectiles when they were younger. But we can talk later, where are you two? Vale returned to the most pressing subject and Asher nodded in an apology despite the fact that the griffin couldn't see him.

We're heading away from the main entrance. We've taken our right side of the arena, but that's your left. I think I'm sensing a clearing not too far ahead, I think it's a few meters wide. Did you get a good reading on how long the arena is? Asher questioned, trying to place himself in the space so that he could figure out the logistics for Vale and Storm to meet up with him and Zoe.

I'd say four miles.

We've only covered half a mile maximum. Think you two can fly a bit further out from your end? As I said, be on the lookout for a clearing. Also, it'd be great if you could look for anything vaguely temple-like. Asher requested, moving forward after Zoe. He kept his guard up and senses alert throughout his conversation with Vale, though it didn't seem like anymore forest creatures were in their vicinity. Vale nodded out of the conversation after he was vaguely sure of where his rider was, and started to fly forward faster. Storm was also no doubt speaking to Zoe about the two rider's location.

From Asher told me, they're still quite far ahead. We're looking for a small clearing, probably not big enough to land in but reasonable nonetheless. Vale switched telepathic lines to the one he had with Storm, looking sideways at the dragon as he flied. He doubted that they would be encountering more trouble for a little while yet, as all of the instructors were still tied up with the barricade, however he suspected reinforcements would be coming in soon. In his opinion, it would be best to pick up their riders and survey the area from the air - it would be a lot easier to spot a temple from above. Vale was tempted to reason that this was especially the case since the forest looked to be quite a dark one, but he then realized that it made no difference to Asher since the wood elf was blind and Zoe would probably relish the situation seeing as she was a dark elf. Regardless, the griffin held to the opinion that a temple would be easier to find from above.
 
How are you and Vale?Zoe asked Storm curiously as she walked along. There wasn't any pressing dangers or signs of the templed they were to find, so Zoe decided to take a moment to check in with her dragon companion.

We're fine. We're currently flying and looking for you guys, but I'll keep an eye out for the temple you are supposed to find. Storm answered as she flew by Vale's side. She looked down at the forest below to see if she could see any evidence of danger or hopefully a temple.

Zoe was still curious as to what happened to the mounts down where they had started off. She hoped Storm hadn't been injured in what Storm had dubbed as, "the main commotion." She assumed the mounts had been assaulted upon entering as well but wasn't sure what had been sent aftee them. She asked, What was the commotion you mentioned? Were you all attacked?

We were brought to the end of the arena and a whole line of mounts and riders formed after our arrival. They were blocking the way to our riders so we all began to attack the line to get through.I took down a griffin with its rider and helped Vale defeat a manticore.Storm replied.

A manticore? There was the instructor's manticore, did you take down the main instructor? Zoe asked, a little bit surprised.

Yeah, it was Vale's idea nd I just backed him up on it. Now we are away from the remaining battle and are flying towards the front to meet up with you guys. What happened with the fight you mentioned?

We were attacked by Tibicena and had to kill them. Then Asher killed an unfamiliar canine beast that had lunged at him. I don't like having to kill these creatures much, but we both managed to escape the brief fight unharmed.

Killing them seems awful. They aren't the enemies.Storm said and Zoe agreed.

Anyways, I'll keep you updated as you get closer. Tell me if you see the temple.Zoe said.

Any word from Vale?Zoe asked Asher, wondering if the griffin had any different information, though she doubted it.

Storm nodded in response to what Vale had said, acknowledging the message. She would now look for the temple and a small clearing that would come into view eventually. She didn't sense any danger so she mostly focused on the area instead of the sky around her. She kept a steady flying pace, mindful of not hitting Vale even when she wasn't fully paying attention to him.
 
Turning his head slightly towards Zoe when she picked back up her telepathic line with him, Asher shrugged slightly. Yeah, but nothing new I don't think. Sounds like there was quite a spectacle going on up there though. He said, knowing that Storm probably had filled her rider in on the rest of what had happened. Taking down a manticore... Sounds like typical Vale for you. The moment I'm off his back he's off being reckless. Asher added with an affectionate smile, though it couldn't be said that he himself was much different. He just had less of an opportunity to be wild in this forest, you didn't get to pick your opponents in this place.

Sensing the clearing getting closer, Asher assumed that more light was infiltrating the forest. He could feel a slight change, however he didn't really sense much. Well, here's the clearing. Think we should wait here until Storm and Vale find us? Asher commented, stopping just outside the small clearing. He didn't move out into it directly as he didn't want to be spotted by anything hostile from above, however there was also the fact to consider that if enemies couldn't see him and Zoe neither would Storm and Vale. Hoping that since he was dressed in more neutral colors the visibility levels from the sky would be low unless one knew specifically what to look for, Asher took a small step into the clearing. That, however, was a very bad idea. What the wood elf couldn't see was the fire dragon from before circling back around and seeming to head for the fray with the mounts. Despite it, the dragon spotted the small movement from below and started to circle around the clearing loosely.

Asher heard the change in wind pattern and cursed softly before stepping quickly back into the cover of the trees. I think I just got us an aerial attacker. Sorry. The wood elf apologized quickly to Zoe, retreating a little bit further into the woods. Vale, I think something is circling above us. Can you see anything? Asher switched channels to speak to the griffin, since he doubted that Zoe could see much from above the tree cover without venturing out into the clearing which wouldn't be the best of ideas.

You idiot. It looks like you've got that dragon from before on your tail. Hold on, I'm coming. Vale snapped, knowing from Asher's tone of thought that the wood elf had brought it down upon himself. Storm, see that dragon? Our riders are there. The griffin told the dragon, putting on a sudden burst of speed. It would still be a minute or so until he and Storm got there however, and he hoped that the fire dragon would be worn out from its encounter with the other riders earlier.

Asher cursed again. According to Vale, this is the fire dragon from earlier. He sent to Zoe, staying on his toes. Be prepared to dodge some fire, I guess. He said, making sure his swords were firmly positioned in his belt so that they wouldn't fall out if he had to dive from the side. Above, the fire dragon tried to determine whether he had actually seen something or if it was just some forest creature. Deciding that he was better off safe than sorry, he started to torch the ring outside the clearing. The dragon couldn't land, however he could do a few things from the air. All of the forest creatures would have no doubt been scared off already by the sight of him circling above, but if there were any inductees below they'd still be there.

Hearing a slight growling sound from above, as well as feeling the temperature start to rise, Asher gritted his teeth and prepared to jump out of the way if any fire came down at him. Looks like this battle has started. Vale and Storm are on the way I think, we just have to hold out here for a few seconds. The wood elf said to Zoe.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back