Sorano's C-B Exam

Apollo sat on a rock on Tenru Island the air was clean and he looked over the ocean.  It was a sunny day and he looked into the bag he had brought with to make sure he had what he needed.  He was at Tenru today for a specific purpose and that being to conduct his friend Sorano's exam today.  He felt it was only fitting for her exam to be here as they had fought before near this spot in fact and Apollo was eager to to see how much she has grown since there last fight.  He then smiled as he clicked his pocket watch open to check the time.  He had said for them to meet at high noon and be prepared.  Then after a while he heard footstep she had arrived and not a moment to soon.

"Hello there thank you for joining me I'll be conducting your exam today" he waved.  After a moment to gave her a chance to respond He smiled. "Sorano today your exam will be a test of your Wits and quick thinking."  He said reaching into his pocket grabbing his pocket watch which was silver with doves on it. "Your objective is very simple today get this pocket watch from me through any means...well almost any means you are not allowed any outside help you must do this on your own and to add even more rules you have a time limit."  He says grabbing a hour glass out containg some red sand inside it, then setting it down on a rock nearby.  "when I flip this the test will start Good luck oh and if you don't get the watch you fail your exam so don't be afraid to get creative now lets get this going"  he smiled tipping over the hour glass to begin the exam pulling checkmate out promoting himself to a knight.

RULES!

You have eight post to get the watch from my character through any means.
No help from pets
each post must be 300 words or more

If you have any questions feel free to pm me

Sorano glanced at the note she had received, carefully looking it over. As usual, she barely needed to glance at it before she had read the entire thing, but after reading it, she had reread it slowly, and carefully. Her exam? She hadn't even noticed that she had advanced enough to become a B rank mage! Excitement briefly coursed through her, before it was quashed by a heap of mental concentration. This was big. This was really big. Written in Apollo's familiar handwriting, she could guess that the shield mage she had once dueled would be her proctor. As it read that she had to take it herself, she quickly told Hoshi that the exceed couldn't come with her this time, and hurried through the Tenroujima portal just in time.

She greeted Apollo formally, as she always is, then carefully listened to the instruction of exam. Her gaze alighted on the silver watch, and she carefully watched Apollo holding it. Get the pocket watch... Ugh, quick thinking. Sorano could strategize, but thinking on her feet was something else entirely. Her mind worked frantically, trying to figure out something. She closed her briefly as the hourglass was flipped, thinking back to her days of training with Anna. Anna was a master at quick thinking, always doing something no one could think of and startling them. Creative, innovative...

Step one. Analyze the environment. Plenty of trees, possible airborne attack? Diverse terrain, sand and rock mostly. Then, she glanced at her opponent. He held Checkmate, which Sorano had experienced in their last duel, and she knew he had a shield spell for nearly everything could throw at him. What was she good at? She was small, she was fast. On land, she always preferred lower attacks. Diversions would work well in such a position, so should get down low and out of Apollo's line of vision. The If she slammed mirror over the watch... Thank should put it in her possession. So, somehow sneak towards him, and get a mirror on the watch. Cool.

Her hands flashed through the air, spelling too quickly for any opponent to read the spell. She released it, causing a lightning bolt to slam down at a carefully calculated location, enough for him to be singed, and likely cause him to have to raise a shield or move, but not right on top. From that angle, she decided that Apollo would likely turn away from that nearby tree because of the lightning, and she took the chance, keeping low, to slip behind it and scale her way up. There, she would scribble through the air again, causing a barrage of water bullets to rain down on Apollo.

Stats and Stuff:

The sun beat down on the both of them then Apollo watched his opponent carefully waiting for her to make the first move He knew Ivy was strong and she was not to be trifled with even with her solid script magic but he could tell she was nervous about something and he was going to use this to her advantage but in an instant he scribbled words into the air quick making it hard to make it out but once it was cast he remembered as it flew into the air above him. His eyes widened briefly and held his hand up to block the spell. "Guild Shield!" he called out as lighting crackled striking the shield hard he could feel it strike against it hard. then when it ended she was gone he looked around and immediately looked to the forest. It was the only logically place she could hide but where was she going to strike. Then water bullets rained down from the sky catching him off guard. He jump away towards the ocean getting grazed by all the bullets. He gripped the watch tightly then looked towards the treeline. "very nice Sorano" he said quietly then as he regain himself looking down feeling pain in his leg then he castes transit armor on himself so he could be ready for any more sneak attacks. As his body glowed a orange and golden hue as he looks around he started to focus trying to find Sorano in the tree line. She was quick on her feet and has gotten a lot better though. He was Excited to see what more he had in store for him as they went on though this could end just as easily soon enough.

info:

Sorano carefully watched Apollo's reactions, trying to gauge the way he worked. After he blocked the lightning, as she had expected, he was hit in the leg by a few of the watery bullets. Now, a gold aura surrounded him, one which she guessed was a shield of some sort. With all these shielding spells her guildmate knew, she knew it would be difficult to retrieve the watch. First, though, she quickly prepared her mirror for capturing the watch, creating a string with solid script, and attaching it to the mirror. She then proceeded to tie it to her wrist for quick access.

She then thought about her next move. She knew she had to draw Apollo's attention away, then jump in to grab it. Anna had always told her that people with eyesight relied on the sight the most, so if she could draw his eyes away... Immediately, the perfect spell popped into her mind. The mirror spell that induced fear, something that she was reluctant to use against Apollo. She remembered the last time she had induced fear on him with Luna, and his reaction. Would it be too cruel to make him witness his greatest fears on mirror? Especially when it had an effect that drew the opponent's eyes directly to the images with magic?

Honestly, Sorano didn't want to, but it was the best idea she could come up with. With a deep breath, she resolved to crack the mirror if Apollo's emotional response was too much, she would keep an eye on his aura. She carefully formed the silvery surface, and then released it, letting it fly over to the front of Apollo. The mirror would then begin to display the shield mage's greatest fears, with magic to draw Apollo's eyes to it that the stronger mage might be able to shake off.

She then dropped from the tree, moving towards Apollo's back, rushing with the mirror in her hand. Moving behind him, she would undo the string, gripping the mirror tightly in one hand. Sorano rushed up towards his arm with the watch, flinging the disc as like a dart with accurate aim from her usage of darts and arrows. If succeeded, it would envelope the watch, and clatter to the ground.

Stats and Stuff:

Apollo looked around quietly waiting for her to strike at him glancing at the hour glass.  She was clearly planing something which he could only assume was  a counter attack of some sort.  He then castes his  bonding armor on himself while he had a moment.  His bonding armor looked like a lightweight set of knights armor that is more flexible on the user.   After that he continued to scan around until he heard something fly out of the trees again.  Figuring his armor would protect him but then it stopped and the world changed around him then his worst nightmare happened again for the moment he was trapped in Sorano's attack.  It all happened so fast except this time the image was more then his guild mates dying it was more then that this time Akia.  Apollo then got mad outta fear  "Let the truth shine and protect me!"  he said using his nullification shield.  As the shield was cast and a bubble was formed the illusion faded and He saw Sorano behind him.  Compelled to tell the truth he looked at her "Very nice ivy using this to get close"  then he felt the mirror  she had hit the watch though nothing happened due to the nullification field.  As he reached for it the watch he simply tossed it into the air then as she ran past himhe hit her with the butt of his pistol making her hit the ground hard.  As she hit the ground he caught the pocket watch in his hand he jumped away from Sorano looking at her sighing.  now that it was no magic he knew he was still just fast enough to beat her if she charged.  "You doing very good Sorano but what will you do without your magic and weaponry you need to try other tactics if you want to win."  he said smiling at her  as he took a few more steps back.  He wondered what other tricks he had in store for him when she recovered.  "Ivy why is it you became a wizard of Fairy Tail what did you want to gain, to achieve in your life?"  he would say getting in a stance in case she charged or threw a dart at him.

Info and Spells:

Sorano hissed as Apollo's gun hit her, causing her to fall to the sand. Interesting... Some type of ability to repel illusions? A truth spell of sorts, it seemed to be. However, the pocket watch was out of her reach now,  and tucked safely in Apollo's hand. He then turned, complimenting her, and proceeded taunt her in a way that Sorano shook off easily without emotions.

What to do now... Sorano kept her eyes carefully on Apollo's stance and where his weapon was, realizing that though she was smaller, he could still beat her easily if she charged recklessly. No, she would have to do something else.

She focused, trying to form a mirror, then frowned as nothing happened. Letter magic didn't work either. Her auric form wouldn't manifest, and Luna's abilities seemed to have disappeared. Even a flip of the hourglass inside did nothing. Apparently, magic could not exist here, evident as her guild mate's spells faded away as well. They were both at a disadvantage in a way, as Sorano knew much of Apollo's gun was based on magic. She palmed a dart, as an emergency resort. She would rather not attack first, and come up with a strategy of sorts instead.

She scanned the environment swiftly, looking for things to help. A memory opened up as her gaze slid across the sand, something Anna had said once. "There's no such thing as honorable, or fair battle, Sorano. I mean, you're hurting someone else, and they're hurting you! So why not fight dirty?" The blonde mage had then flung a fistful of leaf mulch at Sorano, blinding the girl. A good technique to impair vision and often slow people down. She knelt forward, already moving, and used the inside of her shield to scoop up a good amount of white Tenroujima sand, before flinging it towards Apollo.

As she did it, she calmly answered Apollo's question, an answer that wouldn't have to changed regardless of the truth spell or not. "I joined to turn a new leaf, to redeem myself. To...make up for past sins," she said smoothly, while throwing herself downwards, towards Apollo's legs. Pulling back a leg, she smashed it into his knee, right where she knew a certain sensitive point was. Not an excellent pressure point, but it would probably push his legs out from under him. Even if she was smaller, Apollo didn't look like the big sturdy type. She then sent a fistful of sand towards his face while once more grabbing at the pocket watch. She wasn't about to fail this exam, magic or no magic.

HP: 177
MP: 75%
Dart Count: 30
Arrow Count: 20

Apollo looked at her as she started to charge him he looked at her wondering what her tactic was as he prepared for an assault she then swept under him hitting him in a pressure point causing him to take a knee then the next thing he knew she shoved a load of sand in his eyes as he answered his question. " Gah son of a..." he yelped as he then knew what she was doing and the watch was in danger. he then just hurled it into the air then he turned around knowing she would be where the watch was. He then slammed down into her thudding to the ground putting all his weigh into the slam. As they hit the ground he grabbed Soranos wrists pushing them up applying pressure them he pressed his body against her hands figuring she had a dart. then using his good leg he locked hers into a position pinning her he knew his size would be his advantage in this one. then he heard the thud seeing the watch in front of her. Then he groaned a little annoyed but only out of pain. He then looked at her his eye's red from sand. "First Dirty but good your opponent will show you no mercy so nor should you, Second your time's about up and like this you can't get the watch I want you do me a favor Sorano and think about this brute force failed so how else do you get something you want if you wanted a item what would you do normally" he said threw his teeth in pain from his leg but gave a smile looking over at the almost empty hour glass. "It's very simple whats the one thing you disregarded since you figured it wouldn't work.." he said waiting for her to answer his question or for her to respond. He knew there was no way she was going to get out of this without magic and Apollo braced himself for any pain she might cause him if she didn't get the riddle. he took a deep breath as she struggled to free herself from his hold.

OOC: God I feel so stupid >.> Here's to hoping I guessed the right answer <.<))

Sorano twisted directions as Apollo hurled the watch into the air, ready to catch it when Apollo slammed into her. Knocking the wind out of her and slamming her into the ground. Her hands were quickly pinned down, and she barely twitched her fingers out of the way in time to avoid the sharp tip of the dart she had concealed inside. She sucked in air, getting used to the pain and pressure, and calming her systems down again. Her body would relax, and the pain eased a bit as she did so. Pinned on the ground, she took a few moments to relax and clear her head. For her, this was essential to making a choice she wouldn't regret too much.

She being much smaller in size than the shield mage, his weight won against her this time. She doubted there was much she could do right now. She carefully listened to what he said, staring just as coldly as always up at him, showing him that he had her attention. As he spoke on, her eyes widened, and something clicked in her mind. A small smirk spread across her face for a brief second, and she said, "Oh, my, Apollo-san, that was a rather clever way to conduct this exam," she said, voice calm despite the pain. She inwardly slapped herself for not realizing it sooner. The Fairy Tail ace was definitely a smart opponent.

She quashed her pride easily, and spoke in her most formal tone of voice. "Apollo-san, could you please allow me your pocket watch?" she asked calmly, hoping it was the correct solution. From what Apollo had said it definitely seemed to be the right one. She didn't have much time left either, the sand dropped through the hourglass constantly, and she didn't have many choices short of trying to somehow impact him by talking or holding a staring contest. Not like those would ever work anytime soon enough.

As she commented on how clever he was he knew she got the right answer in her head. He then lowered the shield that suppressed magic. Then He smiled as she did the one thing he wanted since he started the exam. She simply asked Apollo if she could have the watch from him. Without a word He released her and raised his gun pointed to the hour glass and smiled. "Sure go ahead and take it." As he said that he shot the hour glass shattering it into piece's. He then held out his hand waiting for her to get the watch and return it to him. Now allow me to explain the test as i'm sure your curious if not well your gonna listen renegades." He laughs a little then looks at her. "Sorano your indeed a powerful mage and a strong wizard but having strong magic isn't the end all thing in the world. you need to know how to use it. you are smart but don't let that miss lead you sometimes overthinking is just as dangerous as going in blind. now that you know this I am pleased to welcome you to B rank and I can not wait till you grow stronger though next time the exam may not be so simple so prepare yourself and never stop growing." He said with a very carefree smile and a very friendly one which was odd for him but he was genuinely proud of Sorano He knew she would be a strong mage one day. Once he got his watch back he smiled at her again. "what do you say we go home now and celebrate your rank up" He said happily as they walked back preparing for there journey back to Fairy Tail.

(good job you may post a final time if you wish but great job!)