Trial of the Snow [Private; Exam; Aayla, Eli, Emi]

Today was a special day. A day that didn't come around very often for Zenshin. It was a day in which three of his guild members would be receiving a C ranked examination at the same time. Already as eager as he was, Zen couldn't stand to wait for them any longer. He sat in his stone throne as he did when it was time for Ryo's B ranked examination, except he was not atop the largest pillar on the island. No. He was at the base of that structure. It hasn't even been that long since I recruited that con man and his friend, as well as that girl who I kinda forced into the guild. I'd say it's going pretty well all things considering he thought with a smile as he sat back with his cloak on and his bare feet touching the freezing snow. Thanks to his previous magic, he wasn't particularly affected by the cold. His near immunity came in handy when he wanted to seem tough, such as in a time like this. Those unfamiliar with his old magic would think he's some sort of mad man for not wearing any protection against the cold, but then quickly realize that he didn't need it. Any second now...

Spoiler:

Aayla tiptoed about, unsure of where she was going. She knew it was time for a ranking exam but didn't really know what to expect. Why was it all of a sudden snowing?! She exhaled as a light vapor came from her mouth as the heat of her boy interacted with the cold of the environment.

'Maybe I don't want to do this anymore...'
She thought to herself anxiously, although Zinnath  nudged her head under Aayla's chin, ushering her forward. Soon she came across a large stone throne, and a top of it sat Zenshin. A small smile crept up on her face as she spotted the man.

"Mr Zenshin! I hope I'm... doing ok as part of... of the guild..."
She said as she came to stand at a distance in front of the throne. This was going to be an exam after-all, wasnt it? With Mr Zenshin here, that earlier fear was soon replaced with a small sense of excitement at being near a friend.

Emilia walked toward the largest pillar on the island, her armor clanking loudly as she walked. She wasn't entirely sure if it would be necessary, but she figured it couldn't hurt, and it could keep her fairly warm in the cold environment. If she did find it weighing her down, she could detach some pieces rather quickly to shed weight. Currently, though, she was quite comfortable in it. Trauma rested on her belt and her shield was carried on a strap over her shoulder. She held her helmet under her arm. Whatever this exam might be, she felt ready for it. It was probably going to focus more on magic, but if she could use her weapons, she would be happy to do so.

She caught sight of Zenshin sitting on the stone throne, barefoot. She didn't know what magic he used, so she just assumed it was something that gave him resistance to the cold. She didn't particularly care either. What he did was his his own choice, if he ended up getting frostbite, that was his problem. She spoke as she walked up to him. "So, what are we doing for this exam? Something challenging I hope. She grinned.

Following behind Emilia, Eli couldn't believe he actually came out here. He barely understood what the exam was even for, and worse yet it was with Zenshin. He more or less came because Emilia was coming, and he wanted to make sure he kept an eye on her and Zenshin. He shoved his face into his scarf, a white vapor emerging from it with every breath. Eli was not a fan of the cold, but wore no extra protection outside his usual outfit. He didn't want to break his usual awesome appearance after all.

Looking up at the top of the tower, he noticed Zenshin and shook his head. He had no idea why the man wore so little, but it didn't surprise Eli. He actually found himself hoping Zenshin would regret it. He knew this was some kind of magic exam, so he carried his satchel and cards with him, ready for anything exactly. He couldn't help but wonder what they would be doing out here that would require all the snow, but assumed he dragged them all out here for some reason. He didn't seem to share Emilia's enthusiasm, giving Zenshin an annoyed look through his scarf. "Can we get this show on the road? I'd rather go home with all my toes in place."

Circle Count:

"Now that you're all here, we can begin. I have three challenges, one for all of you. What this means is that I will give you all the first task, and the one who succeeds gets promoted and the other two move onto a harder challenge, the one who succeeds from there is promoted and the one who remains gets the hardest challenge. Simple. Now the first challenge is one that I think Eli will dislike and Emi will enjoy particularly, since I don't really like being rushed. Your first challenge is to fight each other in a three way battle! Refuse to fight and you will stay at your current rank. Good luck to the three of you" he said with a smile before clapping twice. Then, a massive arena made from cut stone appeared in the snow in which they were to fight in, giving Zen a bit of a headache. He never tried to recreate something so large such as that, but he figured there was a first time for everything. Emi should get a kick out of getting a justification to beat up Eli, but I wonder how Aayla will fare he thought as he motioned over to the arena. Once they were all at the center he would only need to call out one word, "Begin!"

Aayla fidgeted lightly in the snow, trying not to let the cold set into her bones. She could easily use her water control, but had wanted to save her magic energy for whatever task Mr Zenshin was gong to give to them. Whenever he announced that they were to fight though she paused, no longer fidgeting as she looked up to the mans face. How was she expected to fight Eli? He was her friend after all... and Emilia was a fellow guild mate... how could she...

However, as soon as he said they would fail on the spot she bi he lower lip nervously, taking a deep breath as she just silently led the way towards the newly build arena, which, she thought was amazing in and of itself! She wondered just how he had been able to do this...

She didn't get to ponder it's creation very long as Zenshin called out to begin and she instantly took a large leap away from the other combatants. The most she had fought while in Sabertooth was by drowning flies and closing doors on a vicious dog... And the last time she had fought well... she was up against a dark guild.

"Do your best, okay?"
She asked of both of them, taking in another deep breath to concentrate on what she would do if any of them came after her. For the moment however, a thick mist started to form from her body, moving outwards to create a 3mx3m mist field, hiding her body from site from the two she was meant to fight.

Emilia grinned when told that the first challenge would be a fight. Though when she heard the prospect of harder challenges, she became conflicted. She was tempted to lose this because she knew she could beat Eli, and Aayla would probably be quite easy as well. The girl looked so... fragile, even moreso than Eli. Perhaps she would let her win, if only to get to compete in the harder challenge. Still, there wasn't any reason she couldn't beat the tar out of Eli. She put a hand on the back of his neck before he had the chance to walk away from her, and would refuse to move it, holding it there tightly. There wouldn't be much chance of him escaping her grip without using a spell. She kept an eye on his hands, and would be able to tell fairly easily if he tried do place anything on her. The second Zen called out to begin, she would be ready to detonate a Force Pulse right under Eli's head. Easily enough to knock him out. With her other hand, she took Trauma off of her belt and held it ready. Zen said they couldn't prepare beforehand, now did he? It's not like she was starting the fight already. It was just keeping a hand on her friend. She was a very physical person, after all, and was just being 'friendly'.

A fight, how original. It was fairly obvious Zenshin wanted Eli to lose this, which made him wonder what he exactly had in mind for the secondary challenge. Still, he had no intention to lose this, at least without giving his all. He knew so long as it was a magical duel he could take Emilia. He'd done it before and could do it again. The problem lied in Aayla. He didn't want to hurt the girl, it felt wrong to him. Hopefully he could convince her to back down. Another problem lied in the numbers; Eli was fairly adapt at dealing with a 1 on 1 fight, it was one of his strengths. When it was more than that however, he struggled. If they both teamed up on him he would definitely be in trouble.

Knowing he was next to Emilia, as soon as Zenshin announced the fight Eli reached into his pocket and grabbed a motus stone, throwing it a few inches before him. As if on queue, he felt Emilia's grip on his neck. He knew she was gonna do something, though he hadn't expected such a hostile first blow. He knew she'd pull something like this; she always did. He was about to do the same to her before the grip, after his safety net was up. "I know it's scary to be away from me Emi, but you're a big girl, you can stand a few minutes seperate, right?" Activating the motus seal with a card in his case, Eli was replaced with a small stone in Emilia's grip, standing a few inches away from her and walking forward. Standing a decent ways away from the pair, he made a triangle with them, giving them both a cocky smile. Holding several cards in his right hand, he was prepared for the coming fight. "So, let's have a nice clean fight, shall we?" He had no intention to do that at all.

Magic Power: 100%

Circle Count:

Through the mist, Aayla kept her attention on her two guild mates. There was a huge conflict going on within the girl... she wanted to prove that she had learned something while being in Sabertooth... that she wasn't just a little water tossing push over. At the same time, she didn't want to hurt her friends and new found family. The guild was her new family... and this was going to be very hard on her.

She whispered a quick sorry as she brought both her hands forward, two small magic circles forming as water bubbles formed, hidden away behind the mist she muttered the spell under her breath before launching them at her two guildmates. Her water bubbles normally weren't an offensive spell, when cast on someone, it would only cover their head and aid the person breath underwater. This was still the very spell she cast. If the bubbles hit their target, both Eli and Emi wouldn't feel a thing (escept maybe slightly wet around the neck), they would be able to breath, and talk and continue on with no issue.

Spoiler:

Emilia noticed something flying toward her at the corner of her eye. She quickly stepped back to dodge it and saw... a water bubble? What good would that do in a fight? Well, she now knew two of Aayla's spells; bubbles and a mist. So far not very threatening. She turned her focus to Eli, but didn't charge at him yet. She knew his game, and knew that if he couldn't burst her down, she would win. He could deal a lot of damage, yeah, but he also ran out of steam quickly. She quickly unslung her shield, now holding it ready. She backed away from the others though. In fact, she moved to put Aayla between her and Eli, but made sure Aayla was closer to Eli than her. Let those two fight each other, first. She would take out the winner.

Following the movements of Emilia carefully, Eli didn't currently consider Aayla a threat. No offense meant to her, but knowing her stature and physique he couldn't see much coming from her. As well, since she was currently hiding herself in mist, it  seemed she wasn't ready for the brawl either. He started to walk around, pacing back and forth in a semi circle shape, waiting for someone to take the first strike. Seeing something come fly at him from Aayla's mist, he took a small jump back, dodging the water that flew at him. It didn't look particularly offensive, but it probably had the power to stop his breathing or the like. As he anaylzed the scene, he reached into his satchel and pulled out a red lacrima, placing it into the circular slot in his shoulder.

As Emilia placed herself between him and Aayla, he knew what her game was. She knew he'd try to avoid hitting the child, and as such was using her a shield. Not surprising to him at all really. However, what the force mage underestimated was his desire to win. Taking a stand in a direct line from Emilia, he suddenly threw a pair of cards towards Aayla's mist, one flying slightly before and above the other. Eli had mastered how to throw and control his cards over the years, with the precision of a knife thrower. As the cards entered the mist, a small glow appeared before a sudden burst of powerful wind broke out in the mist, the first of his cards used. He honestly doubted the frail girl would be able to withstand the force, and he felt bad doing it to her, but it wouldn't be too much damage, if any. Using the wind to it's advantage, the second card fly high upright, arc up before descending towards Emilia's general area. He then activated the seal on it, causing the card to turn into a large pointed stone, which fell down towards Emilia. It wasn't a guaranteed hit, but it'd keep her distracted.

As this all happened, Eli took a second to stand against the force of Ventus. He and Emilia were bother far enough away to avoid the brunt of the blast, but it still took some effort to stand against it. There was another reason Eli had used Ventus on the mist, allowing him a brief moment of stealth. Dropping a stone where he stood, he threw one more to the far right of the stadium, opposite Emilia and Aayla, before running at Emilia. She wouldn't expect him to willingly engage in physical combat, so he'd take this to his advantage. It felt like time to bust out of the secret he'd hidden from her; Gloria's lacrima ability. He had never had a chance to use it with her, and he doubted she'd be prepared to face it.

Magic Power: 85%

Circle Count:

A loud EEP escaped the water wizards lips as the powerful wind swept away the mist, airing it out until it was nothing at all. As if that wasn't enough, Aayla attempted to run left to get out of the way of the gale but ended up tripping and getting pushed by the wind. She fell flat on her face, her hands outstretched before her as she utterly failed to break her fall.

"ow ow owwww..."
The young girl whined as she pushed herself up to her knees, tears welling up in the young girls eyes. She sniffled as she stayed in her position, bringing her glove up to wipe at her eyes as the tears started to stream down her cheeks.

"That hurt..."
She whined softly  as she gently pushed herself up to her feet, moving her hands from her face only long enough to brush the snow off of her dress before they moved back up to wipe at her eyes again.

If all went well, one of them would feel bad for her, and possibly come and check up on her. If and when they did, she would surprise them with her water lock, and trap them. If they couldn't breath in the water lock, it was their own fault for dodging the water bubbles before...

magic info:

Emilia watched as the mist cleared from the ventus card. She felt the wind from it, but the distance from the burst, the weight of her in her armor, and her relative inability to be staggered made it practically unnoticeable to her. She did notice a glow above her shortly afterwards and looked up to see the stone falling toward her. She raised her shield to block it, activating Redirection to absorb the force from the blow. She could use it later, or if she didn't get the chance, release it into the ground. Her block, combined with the use of redirection practically eliminated any damage the stone would deal to her.

She looked down again to see Eli running at her. This was... unexpected. Surely a trick. He was getting closer though. She grinned, waiting until the last second to attack. At this range, there was practically no way he would be able to dodge it, and it would hurt a LOT. Just before he made contact, Eli would hear a massive bang as Emi activated Bullheaded to slam into him straight on. If he managed to touch her with Gloria first, she would be unable to unleash the stored force against him as well, but it would do nothing to stop the dodge, since all of the magical energy of the spell was spent the instant of activation, the rest was just her riding on momentum. Even if he did manage to move Gloria to block it, he would probably slam his own metal fist into his chest. Eli's tactic was bold, but charging Emilia was never a good idea.

Magic Power: 85%
Cooldowns: Redirection, 4 posts; Bullheaded, 6 posts

Eli watched Aayla's actions in the corner of his eye as he ran, trying to get a handle of what she was planning. This behavior from her seemed rather out of place when considered with what she had done before; she clearly had offensive intentions, judging from the water attack before, and he doubted she'd give in to such little pain, judging from what he had seen she had endured before. It was clearly a trap. He couldn't help but be slightly happy at the girls efforts; it reminded him of himself. However, unfortunately, that also allowed him to see right through her efforts. Besides, he was more focused on dealing with the more immediate threat of Emilia.

Focusing his efforts on Emilia, he knew what was about to happen. There was no way she was gonna miss the chance to pound him into the ground, and that was exactly what he anticipated. His attack with Terra wasn't meant to deal damage; it was meant to buy him enough time to prepare. He'd have a matter of seconds to be ready for Emilia when she rushed at him, and everyone he bought was worth it. There were very few way's Eli's physique was better than Emilia's, and the most notable one was height. Eli stood a few inches taller than Emilia, and while that usually wasn't an issue at all, right here it stood to his advantage. He held his one hand defensively near his head, as if to block some of the predicted damage, and Gloria at the ready to intercept the incoming magic.

As if on queue, Emilia almost appeared in front of Eli. He knew this was gonna hurt, a lot, but it was the only way he could accomplish his goal. Eli knew there was no way he could get around Emilia's defenses. In such an open arena he had no way to get behind or around her without her immediately changing to prevent that. With that not as an option, he had only one way to get around her defenses; have her bring herself to him. As Emilia got close to him. Eli gave her a cocky smile. She had played right into his hands, literally. Pressing Gloria against her, he used Desicco to interrupt the force he knew Emilia was going to release on him, as well as pushing off her form on impact. Using this, he skewered the angle she threw him at, flying to the far left, away from the stones he secretly placed earlier. This landing was going to be rough, he could feel it. But the main package was delivered. Ending Desicco as he flew, Emilia would now see something descending next to her head as Eli flew; three coins. Hidden in Eli's grip, they were jarred lose from his hand protecting his head on impact, dropping down from Eli's height where he once stood, right next to Emilia's head where she replaced his form. With a quick glow, the three coins erupted into three glowing balls of flame, all surround Emilia's head, before suddenly exploding outwards. He had used Emilia's charge to deliver the Ignis right to her. With a loud thud, Eli collided with the ground, skidding for a few seconds before stopping. Yeah, that hurt a lot. But he reckoned his counter attack would do much more to Emilia. Eli had faith in his plans; as impromptu as they were, he knew his timing and calculations enough to properly achieve them; where Emilia would stop after the charge, where to let go of the coins, and how long to wait before activating them were all figured out and acted upon mere moments before they happened.

Magic Power: 65%
Cooldowns: Desicco - 4, Ignis Overload - 3

Circle Count:

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Aayla huffed as both wizards completely ignored her. She brought her glove up to her eyes to wipe away at the tears she had so easily formed. She watched the two fight as she sat in her spot, giving them both a pouty glare as she ran the situation through in her mind. Was there really any reason for her to continue wasting magic power, if they were both going to just dodge her and her attacks while not even retaliating at her at all? if she just waited for them to beat the snot out of each other, what then? Would they try to come after her, or would they give up so that she wouldn't have to face a harder trial? her tiny hands balled into fists as she tried to think of something to do.

She glanced over at Zenshin, then back to the two fighting in the snow. Their feet were partingthe dusted snow as if it was barely there, and the snow that fell clung in wet chunks to their hair and closed. Her pout slowly began to disappear as she took everything in. the snow... maybe...

She knelt forward so that her hands were covered in the cold white snow and she closed her eyes. Snow was just water, snow this fragile wasn't quite frozen through... she could either turn herself to water and move through the snow to surprise them... or she could reduce the temperature of the water in the snow further. She giggled softly from her position, as the idea of her next move made her laugh. It might not do a whole lot of damage, but it would sting like crazy.

She took a deep breath as she started to concentrate on reducing the temperature of the snow in the immediate area, then expanding until she could reach the snow that was falling over Emilia and Eli. She quickly dropped the temperature, turning the light tufts of snow into hail. With the weight of the hail, they started crashing down into the two fighting mages, hitting them again and again and again as Aayla continued to freeze more and more water.

Spoiler:

Damn! Emilia thought to herself as Eli managed to push himself off to the side more, avoiding some of the force of the blow, something he probably didn't realize would allow her to charge farther. She didn't notice that her stored force did nothing to him, since it felt as though it had been spent, but had only been absorbed by Desicco. She noticed the flash of the coins as they reflected sunlight, and was more than able to guess what they were. Using some of the momentum left over from Bullheaded, she transitioned into a roll, rapidly moving away from the bursts of fire. Even still, they managed to catch her somewhat, heating her in her armor to be quite uncomfortable, and burning what little skin she had exposed. Nothing too serious though. Armor did a lot to protect one from damage, though she would likely have to do some maintenance on it after that blast.

As she got up, she heard a few dinging noises against her helmet as the first of the hail began to fall. That was definitely Aayla's work, but provided it didn't get too large, her armor would easily protect her, and she doubted the girl could make it that big. One thing it did for sure was give Emi another weapon to use, since she could use her force pulses to launch hail at her opponents, though it could end up being a bit of a double-edged sword as she would likely hit herself with some when she made a pulse spherical.

Thanks to her roll being much more controlled than Eli's flight, she would be up faster than him and bearing down quickly with the knowledge that he wouldn't be able to use any ignis circles for a time. She bet he had already placed some motus circles around here, and as such doubted she would be able to hit him yet. Her goal right now was to make him expend his magic power and circles on avoiding her. While he did still have the ability to use terra circles, she found those much less threatening than ignis, since she was confident she could deflect the stones.

Magic Power: 90%
Cooldowns: Redirection, 3 posts; Bullheaded, 5 posts

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