Graduation Match (Ciroton, Zanza-sensei)

OoC: Okay, I'm getting this thread up, so let us have some fun.

BiC: The fencer sat up slowly, looking about where he had fallen asleep. The last thing Zorlo recalled was his battle with Tuariv, and now he lay on bench in the Fountain Room in utter silence. The crisp sound of moving water in the fountain room made awakening interesting, but nonetheless, the Aura Master's goal remained the same: he would find his Master, Jacentar, to test his own skill. The fencer looked at the door and slowly stood up, moving towards exit; the fencer had one stop before he continued his search for his Master.

Zorlo began walking through the hall, not stopping to look at anything that might have been interesting, seeing as the last time he stopped, he found himself fighting a large lizard thing. The fencer slowly traversed the hallways, silently scanning the halls for his door, hoping to make a quick stop in his room, seeing as he had not done that in a good, long while. That is when the door caught the fencer's eye, and the green haired man slowly moved towards it, opening it slowly.

As the door opened, the fencer walked in, placing his hand on the wall, but a sudden bright flash made it impossible for the fencer to see his room. He blinked a few times before he noticed that all of the walls had vanished. The fencer stepped away from his door, taking note that it was the only thing that stood in the middle of the jungle like forest. The fencer looked around franticly, completely and utterly confused at what had happened.

Do you like it, Zorlo? the voice of Cenarius, the God of the Forests and Druids asked, keeping his watch over Zorlo.

I love it, Master. Thank you!

Do not thank me, I am only doing what I feel is needed. Now them, let me show you the other power. You can control the type of forest you live in, all you must do is simply think of a kind of forest, and your room shall become it.

Really? the fencer asked himself as he began to think of a coniferous forest; the room exploded in a white colored glow again and when it lifted, the fencer was in the middle of coniferous forest, but the pleasant thing was that the trees all had a small amount of snow on them, which gave the fencer a relaxed mind. The calm before the storm had set in, and the fencer sat down on his bed, which was just off to the left, and slightly ahead of the entrance. The fencer decided to take a nap, to help himself relax in his new, and changed, room.

***o=)---------- ----------(=o***

The fencer woke up and moved from his bed, grabbing his swords, jacket and shield and making his way out of his room, off in search of his Master again. The fencer had to do this, it was necessary in order to prove his new strength, and to see if he was truly anywhere near as strong as he thought himself. The time seemed to draw near slowly, ever so slowly, and yet the fencer couldn't have wanted to wait more, still not completely being able to understand his Master's power.

The fencer walked around the halls, hoping he would somehow find his Master, may it be by fate or luck, but Zorlo had to find him. The time to see his Master's full power had come, and the fencer had intentions of making sure he learned it first hand.

Time...the eternal paradox. Time that seems to stretch on without end, and yet creeps up so slowly that one does not see the end coming. Where hours and seem like days, yet moments seem like seconds. Time, that everyone seems to never have enough of, but still manages to waste quite frequently. That can somehow be measured, and yet at the same time is beyond measurement. Time which appears to be subject only to those who live in it, yet those who live in it cannot escape from its undying grasp. Time that is slave to the perceptions of conscious minds, yet master of them as well. Master, slave; slave, master. It is time that heals, and time that destroys. It is time that teaches, and time that learns. Time, where every beginning is also an ending...

*~*~*

Jacentar sat, meditating amidst the gloom of his chambers. Water dripped slowly, a perpetual, silent, noise. A solitary oil fish lamp burned in the corner, casting the azure walls a dusty navy-black, shrouding the white fish in shadow. Deeply immersed in the feel of the Dome's Prescence, he was searching, waiting....waiting for that moment.

He is awake...

Brilliant sapphire eyes snapped open, piercing the wall in their fierce gaze. It was time. Slowly the Zora unfolded himself from his meditative pose, stretching to his full height. Fins flared, casting flickering shadows onto the walls like nightmare butterflies. Strapping on his weapons, Jace strode the centre of the room, pausing slightly before a great pool. He took a deep breath, then dove gracefully into the exact centre, spiraling down to the bottom. Deep in under an alcove lay three portals. Without hesitating, he chose the right one.

Five minutes later, the immense Zora emerged in a pool in a cavernous room. The walls constructed of ancient smooth stone, and pillars supported its almost-invisible ceiling. Stairs and platforms littered its vast floor, leading to towers, which in turn were linked by precarious catwalks. Chains and ropes hung at random from the ceiling for an adventurous soul to try. Rough stone intermingled with cut, rocky terrain with watery pools. A single circular window at the head of the room lit it with one sharp shaft of sunlight. Illuminated by this single ray was an oak tree, situated atop a small rocky hillock in the exact centre of the room. Its sage emerald leaves and stately old bark seemed to glow in that radiance. A small drafty breeze shifted its limbs as it surveyed the majesty of the room.

The Arena.

Jacentar left the water, and slowly made his way through the random avenues of rock and sand towards the tree. It was here. A tremor again pulsated through his mind, a Dome summoning.

It was here.

It was time.

The young mage hurried down the hallowed halls of the Dome. He was eager to make a good impression on his teacher, having not had a proper lesson yet during his stay in this most enigmatic of structures. Arin’s feet hit the fire-red carpet in the middle of the hall softly despite the brisk pace he was traveling. His multicoloured robes waved in the air as he sped past the multitude of doors.

The mage exited the hall and was again in the main foyer of the Dome. The large marble staircase reached every floor in the building. However, something had changed. In the center of the first floor landing was a small stone block that people had gathered around. Many of the students had formed a line and, by the looks of it, were talking into the block. Curious by this recent development, Arin climbed down to the first floor.

“Excuse me,” he asked a young redheaded woman who surveying the object. “Just what exactly is that object?”

“I believe it is some sort of directory,” stated the woman.

“Okay, thanks,” replied the mage. Why is there always a line? He thought as he queued up to see where the Temple Room, the place his teacher said they were going to have his lesson, was located today. Despite its appearance, the line moved very rapidly. After only thirty seconds or so in line, Arin found himself at the directory.

Where do you need to go? asked the machine. “Um, do you know where the Temple Room is today?” said the mage sheepishly. Temple Room … Sixth floor, right hand side, fifty-first door down. Next please, responded the machine.

With directions to his class, and only three minutes until it started, Arin literally flew up the stairs to the sixth floor. When he finally made it to the landing on the sixth floor, he almost collapsed due to exhaustion. Panic was beginning to set in. There was no way he would make it to the lesson on time at this rate. However, luck would hold out for Arin yet again in the form of a small creature appearing right in front of him in a puff of gold and gray smoke.

“Oy! Are you, by any chance, Arin Bryant?” inquired the strange creature.

“Yes,” responded the Mage simply as he caught his breath.

“Good thing I caught you then. I have a message to give you from master Jacentar. Apparently, your lesson’s moved from the Temple Room, to a room on the fourth floor, thirty-second door on the left-hand side.”

“That’s nice,” said Arin now able to breathe. “But who, or what, are you?”

“I am a Domerii, a messenger of the Dome, and I best be goin’ back to my duty.” With that, the small Domerii vanished into the same puff of smoke it emerged from. Although still slightly taken back from the strange encounter, Arin wheeled around and promptly made his way back down the marble staircase to the fourth floor.

The mage pushed the large teak doors open and entered the hall. This hall was much the exact same as all the other halls in the Dome except that the carpet down this one was a stone gray colour. Arin’s brisk walk had turned into a fully-fledged sprint as he looked down at his watch and saw he literally had a minute until class began.

Suddenly, whilst still running as fast as he could, a door opened in front of the sprinting mage. Unfortunately, Arin could not avoid the man as he body slammed him knocking him over and tripping himself up in the process. The man felt the need to confront the mage about the accident by drawing his sword and charging after him. Nevertheless, Arin used a Wind Arrow to blow him away, knocking him to the other end of the hall.

Despite all of the interference, the mage made it to the classroom with only ten seconds before the bell would ring. Not as early as I would have hoped, but at least I made it on time, thought the mage as he stepped beyond the threshold and into the room.

The fencer's silent strode through the hollowed halls of the endless doors that people called the Dome. His eccentric green haired made him an odd sight, even to the most unusual of warrior, and yet the only eyes drawn to him were the warriors that had seen the fencer and the giant lizard fight. The green haired man brushed back his green locks of hair and removed his sheath from his belt, holding the weapon's scabbard in his hand as he slowly inched through the empty halls of the training arena.

The swordsman slowly walked up the stairs, keeping his eyes on the path before him, knowing well that it was all to easy to be sidetracked. Almost there, he told himself as he grasped the hilt of his sword tightly. He could still recall the first meeting he that had occurred between the green haired man and his Master, Jacentar. His power was unreal. He took down that baby hydra like it was nothing, and yet I could barely fight with it at all. I've grown stronger though. Much stronger. The fencer's mind, set on defeating his Master, was not going to change any time soon, and this could have been what drove him farther up the stairs in search of the room his Master now inhabited.

Suddenly, the staircase seemed to twist around the Aura Master, and slowly, he was consumed by the encircling staircase, but the swordsman didn't blink in the slightest, used to strange things like this from the Dome. What now? he asked himself as the staircase slowly faded away and the youth could see clearly where he had been sent to. The fencer again displaced a few of his green locks to the side and looked about, taking note that he had been moved to another part of the Dome, and this time, it was an unfamiliar part of the sentient school.

Although it took a few minutes, the fencer slowly figured out that he had been moved to another entire sector of the massive complex. He looked about at the nigh endless corridors that surrounded him; a single hall, filled with doors, stood before the green haired youth. A test, perhaps, but he couldn't tell as he maneuvered his way across the vast reaches of the land, attempting to guess at which door he would need to head through. Oh how easy it would be if the Aura Master could search for his Master based solely on the Zora's aura, but alas it would not be capable, because the amount of strength from all of the energies of the Dome disrupted the fencer's sight, even so far as to cause him pain.

As the doors seemed to float past, unending, ever changing, so it seemed, the fencer finally stopped before one and looked upon it. The door appeared as a brown stone with small rivers running down it, and a door handle that appeared to be a stalagmite, or a stalactite, the fencer couldn't tell which. Slowly, her turned the door and entered into the room.

Zorlo wasted no time examining the room, only looking upon his Master and clenching his right hand around the scabbard of his sword. "Master," the fencer stated with a bow as the door behind him vanished and another appeared on the other side of the room. Suddenly, that door bolted open and a mage dressed in brightly colored robes entered, drawing the green haired man's gaze from the ground to the new person. This will be most interesting, the fencer told himself, smiling as he did so.

OoC: Oh sure, leave it to me to start it up. Thanx a lot, you guys!

Jacentar looked up as both doors boomed shut and disappeared. Each new entrant stood opposite each other on a balcony that wrapped around the room half-way up the magnificent walls of the massive Arena. The half-buildings and stairs cloaked each in shadow. The one to his left, clothed in an flashy robe, appeared flustered as he whirled to face the empty wall behind him, the wall that had once been the portal of his freedom. The other, however strode confidently into the light streaming from the window.

"Master," he called, his green hair flashing in the sun as he bowed to the Master of Oceans.

"Zorlo," Jace intoned. He crossed his fins in an X in front of his face and bowed back. "You have changed much since we last saw each other, my student."

"Yes, Master. I have come to test my new skills against you. Perhaps it is me who will destroy the hydra this time."

Jace merely smirked up at his seemingly altered protégé. Instead he directed his attention to the somewhat shocked mage upwards to his left. "Arin, leave the door." The robed man also stepped forth into the light, looking slightly annoyed.

"I wish it would stop doing that!"

The Zora ignored the exasperated mage, and stepped out from under the protective circle of the oak tree. "Arin Bryant, Zorlo, Fencer of Tasogare," he said, indicating each warrior with a wave of his fin by way of introduction. The two fighters bowed slightly to each other then turned their attention back to their master in the centre of the Arena. "You are both here for one thing. You have both been called here for one purpose....to defeat me."

"No!" gasped Arin, but Zorlo merely nodded.

The Zora quirked his head fin, questioning the exclamation of the mage. "Arin, it is the will of the Dome. You see, I am leaving this place."

"What?!" came the exclamation from the right. Zorlo's shocked face betrayed his slight slip of composure. "To where?"

"Home." A serene looked passed briefly across the Zora's face before assuming its usual stony surface. "However, any warrior who is deemed fit enough to have passed his trials in the Dome is given one final test. And that test, gentlemen, is to fight me."

Both warriors looked at each other, doubt in their glance.

"It is a graduation match. You both have progressed as far as the Dome can take you. Your time here has also ended. This is your final lesson." The Zora looked meaningfully at both fighters. "Your task is to find your way, any way, through this labyrinth to me. There are monsters and traps hidden within the various obstacles of this room. Your goal is me." The Zora shifted his weight, putting himself into a ready stance. His look softened once more. "Gentlemen, it has been a privelege." The moment hung suspended in the streaming rays of the sun, the massive silhouette both peaceful and powerful. Time seemed to stop, hingeing on the drama that was about to unfold. Suddenly, the look was gone, the baby blue eyes transforming into hard azure gemstones. The great cavernous voice came booming forth, reverberating around the structure, smashing aside the brief lock in time.

"Warriors! Charge!"

The heavy wooden doors shut with great force behind the mage as he entered the room. Arin wheeled on the spot automatically, only to find the door had vanished into the dark stone walls. Ugh, why does this stupid place keep trying to scare the skin out of me? I must say, this is really getting tiresome. The young mage continued to stare at the wall, as though wishing it to return from whence it came. However, the voice of his teacher brought the youth back to the task at hand.

“Arin, leave the door.”

Setting the door aside in his mind, the mage walked forward a few steps into the light that radiated form the room’s sole window. "I wish it would stop doing that!" Arin exclaimed as he continued to the edge of the balcony. This is when he got his first good look at the room. It was a massive cathedral-like room; the chains hanging from the ceiling gave it a slight sense of foreboding to the mage. The single ray of light left many dark corners where a monster or two could easily hide.

As if that was not enough, there were platforms, stairs and walls littered throughout the room, making it into a labyrinth. In the center of the room, however, stood a solitary oak tree, a sharp contrast from the overwhelming stone walls and floors. Arin’s master then spoke again saying, “Arin Bryant, Zorlo, Fencer of Tasogare." He indicated each person as he spoke with a wave a fin that grew on his arm. The mage then gave a shallow bow to the man that stood on the opposite side of the room.

What is he doing here? Arin wondered as he bowed. The swordsman also bowed, giving the mage a slightly positive impression of the fencer.

“You are both here for one thing,” continued master Shintu. “You have both been called here for one purpose.... to defeat me.”

“No!” Arin gasped. Would he really have to fight his teacher so soon after his arrival? After all, he had barely spent only ten minutes with his sensei.

"Arin, it is the will of the Dome. You see, I am leaving this place."

“What?!” This time, it was the swordsman, Zorlo, who was shocked. "To where?"

“Home,” replied the Zora with a small sign of tranquillity in his voice. "However, any warrior who is deemed fit enough to have passed his trials in the Dome is given one final test. And that test, gentlemen, is to fight me."

What trials? Sure, there was that ice monster and those books, but since when did any of that have to do with learning? thought the young mage. Both he and the fencer looked to each other. There was no mistaking the doubt in either of their eyes as it dawned on Arin, and possibly Zorlo too, that they would have to fight their teacher at the same time.

"It is a graduation match,” continued Jacentar. “You both have progressed as far as the Dome can take you. Your time here has also ended. This is your final lesson. Your task is to find your way, any way, through this labyrinth to me. There are monsters and traps hidden within the various obstacles of this room. Your goal is me.” He then put himself into a ready stance as he said the next words, “Gentlemen, it has been a privilege."

The shock had still not subsided. How on earth could Arin go through with this? However, with all the exits sealed off, there was very little the startled mage could do. He tensed up, ready to attack at a moments notice. Although he never really had got to know him, Arin could tell that his teacher would not hold back. Then came the booming voice of the Zora Warrior, "Warriors! Charge!"

With little hesitation, the mage bounded forward, dropping into the maze, ready for any challenge he may encounter.

OoC: *Cough* Um, sorry, lethargy and swimming are not a good mix.

BiC: The Aura Master never ceased to be amazed at the powers of the Dome, and this test was just another of the challenges the fencer would have to complete. Closing his emerald eyes, the green haired man cleared his mind and focused himself on the task at hand, which required the fencer defeat his Master. Without a second thought, the swordsman leapt into the maze and burst forwards, running towards where his Master lay at the highest speed the fencer could manage.

The sudden slight movement of a chain made the fencer stop and look around silently, trying to find what it was that had created the noise. Nigh an instant later, the fencer could hear something traveling towards himself, and noticed that it was one of this Master's boomerangs that flew towards him at a very high speed. The fencer narrowly leapt over it, dodging what would have been a most damaging blow, but soon found a powerful blow as his Master drove his elbow into the fencer's gut and threw the green haired man to the ground. As the swordsman's body hit the ground, it bounced up slightly and fell back down, laying face first upon the ground.

The boomerang circled back and Jacentar caught it with great ease, a smile crossing the Zora's face as he looked upon his student with his great, blue eyes. "You have improved, Zorlo, but you still have much to learn. The question is not if you can defeat me, but if my students can surpass me," Jacentar stated, looking down at Zorlo before jumping back up into the maze, odds are to go track Arin for a little while.

The Aura Master slowly pushed himself to his feet, the wind powerfully forced from his lungs by the attack his Master had struck him with. His feet wavered, his body aching, but he forced himself to his feet; the fencer had little time to reflect on what had just happened. Recalling his training, the green haired man smiled, knowing his Master's power, even if it was only a very small amount, and would use what knowledge he had to battle the Zora, even if the battle could mean the end of the fencer, or the mage's, life.

Zorlo stood up and dusted himself off before beginning to move again. The fencer would find some way to defeat his Master, and odds are, it would take the assistance of Arin to do, but the two warriors would see if they were any match for the Lord of the Seas.

OoC: Better late and short then never, right?

BiC:
The mage softly landed on the cold stone floor of the maze after casting a well-timed Wind Arrow attack. Hmm, thought the young mage. This notion of using Wind Arrow in aid of jumping or falling may come in handy one day. Arin then ran deeper into the maze; every step leading him closer to the inevitable battle that awaited him in its center. After running in a straight line for about a minute, the mage ran into a fork in the road. He lay his staff on the ground and spun it, uttering a small incantation as it did so.

The staff slowed to a stop, pointing in the direction of the right fork. However, the mage promptly turned left instead. I’ve got to buy more time, he thought. Although he was willing to face his master despite being ill prepared; the mage needed time to come up with a strategy. Off in the distance, he could have sworn he had heard one a chain on the ceiling jingle briefly in a gentle gust of wind.

The mage began to run even harder, as though he was trying to outrun an invisible animal. To his great frustration, the fork he had taken lead to a dead end, literally. On the other side of one final turn lay a deep spike pit, which luckily the mage had stopped himself form running into. Arin grumbled darkly and made his way back to the fork in the maze where he had ignored his staff’s advice.

The mage backtracked his way to the last fork in the path. Unfortunately, when he turned onto the path he had rejected he came face to face with his teacher. The sudden appearance caught the mage off-guard, giving the Zora more then enough time to deliver a devastating blow to Arin’s right shoulder. The force of the attack was so great that it sent the young man flying, causing him to roll across the floor and lose his grip on his staff.

“Your reflexes leave something to be desired,” voiced Master Shintu. The mage used the time in which his master was speaking to launch an Eruption spell under his feet. However, the Zora caught sight of this and swiftly bounded forward and out of harms way. He then gave Arin a powerful kick to his ribcage, sending him flying once again.

This is nuts, thought the battered magic-user. My spells require time and concentration to cast, while he can attack as fast as he wants. Suddenly, a thought bubbled to the surface of Arin’s mind. Perhaps I should seek the fencer and ask to join forces? Master Shintu is a powerful opponent and I doubt that Zorlo guy is giving him a run for his money. The mage awaited the appearance of his teacher, but after a few minutes, it was obvious he had gone to rough the fencer up a little bit more. Arin popped his dislocated shoulder back into place, gathered his staff, and made his way back towards the right fork.

As Jace sprinted away from the recovering mage, he impulsively grinned. Something about the heat of battle stirred his cold blood. Was it purely the violence? Jacentar didn't think so. It was more than the exchanging of blows. It was the cold calculation, the execution of well-laid plans, the thrill of strategy. The exercise alone was definitely worth a brawl, but more than that, the athletic Zora lived for the thrill of a hunt. And a hunt was what this fight needed.

He rounded a corner, unlacing both his boomerangs as he moved along the dusty corridor. He slowed as he progressed, finally inching up to a four-way intersection about 3 meters ahead of him. Should be just around here...

And he heard it. A snuffling, rasping grunt accompanied by an occasional snap of powerful ligament on rough bone. A deep rumbling filled the hallway to his left. The Zora smiled sardonically, and crept up to the left side of the corridor. He quickly peeked around the corner. Good. I thought you might be here.

Suddenly, a powerful blast of wind echoed at his back. Jace glanced over his shoulder to see Zorlo quickly advancing, announcing his presence with a well-honed Air Slash spell as he ran. Jace quickly snapped his right boomerang in an arc, and it disappeared around the corner to his left. A few seconds later, a piercing bellow ripped through the silence of the maze. Jace glanced back over his shoulder. Zorlo was merely about 35 meters from him, and preparing another magical attack. He'd underestimated how fast his pupil could move. The rumbling from the left hallway increased, coming in the direction of the two combatants. Just a few more seconds...

"Aha!"

Startled, Jace looked back towards the intersection. Arin had somehow found his way here, and stood, preparing an incantation of his own in the right fork. Jace grinned. So much the better.

And at that precise moment, the approaching roar manifested itself as a humungous minotaur, weilding two wicked battle axes, erupted from the left corridor, eyes ablaze with pain and hatred. It stopped, confused at the sight of the three warriors. Jace wasted no time, but leapt away from his corner, throwing his left boomerang at the monster's head as he dove out into the intersection, rolling through to the other side, behind the beast. He nonchalantly reached up and snagged both of his weapons as he stood. The throw was accurate, and the monster roared and turned its attention towards the source of that pesky blow, except that now, the Zora had vacated his spot. There was, however a charging human assailant. Zorlo slowed as he approached the spot where Jacentar had been, but was suddenly thrust to the wall as Arin's air spell collided into him, intended, of course, for their Master. The minotaur looked from one warrior to the other, clearing trying to decide which to attack first. Jace took the opportunity to launch his right boomerang at Arin, which took the mage in the chest, knocking him against the far wall. Satisfied, the Zora took off down the hallway behind him, disappearing into the gloomy dust. It was a well-laid trap.

He hadn't so much fun in weeks.

OoC: *Cough* again, lethargy and swimming are murderous, but it shall end soon...

BiC: The fencer looked at the minotaur, and then at his forced ally, Arin, and smiled. Interesting, wonder why Arin will do to this minotaur? I think he can handle the creature whilst I go after Master, the fencer told himself as he pushed his feet forwards, trying to move towards where he was sure his Master had rushed off to.

The creature grunted as it swung down one of its axes, cutting off the green haired man's escape, and the swordsman was not happy as he held his sheathed sword in his right hand at the center of its sheath. The creature brought down his other blade towards the fencer, who quickly stepped back.

The green haired man smiled again though, pushing himself backwards, moving himself upon the wall and leaping up, landing upon the beast's head and smiling. The creature grunted again, releasing both of his axes and swinging his hands up, trying to crush the fencer, but something stopped the attack from coming towards the green haired man.

A powerful blast of air slammed into the Minotaur's chest, pushing it into the wall as the green haired man swiftly pushed himself back, the fencer keeping his emerald gaze upon the beast. The fencer landed on his feet, smiling at the mage who had brought he creature down, partially anyway. The boy looked at the fencer oddly, slightly confused by what the warrior had been trying to do.

"You know I didn't need your help, right?" the Aura Master asked the boy, wondering what it was that Arin had thought as he attacked. Even if the fencer didn't need Arin's help against this creature, he was almost certain that he would need the multicolored mage's help later. The fencer smiled and then turned back to face the Minotaur.

The warlock looked at Zorlo, pondering why he had asked such a strange question. Before long, the magic user watched as the fencer leapt towards the beast who smacked him down with its massive hand. The green haired fencer landed on his feet, forced to his knees. "Not very strong for a beast of that size," the fencer said, smiling. "I think it is time that you show me some of your power, my friend. I know that I can defeat this monster, but I want to see the difference in our powers. Please demonstrate for me," the fencer asked, holding the sheath of his sword tightly.

The mage nodded his head at the fencer’s request. In his mind he thought of several spells, but soon settled on one of his favorites. The Minotaur had recovered from the blast of air, a murderous look etched on his face as he stared the mage down. The creature then charged at Arin, despite being weaponless. However, after concentrating for a split second, the mage let loose a barrage of ice crystals that penetrated the monster’s body, causing it to shake as if it was having a seizure. After only a couple of seconds, the once fierce beast had become little more then a bloody mess, collapsing to the floor with a sloppy thud.

“I’m sorry,” said Arin to the one known as Zorlo. “Did you want to kill it?”

“Does it really matter?” The swordsman replied.

The mage did not respond for he knew that he did not need to. Instead, he turned his gaze to that of what was one the Minotaur. A rather large puddle of blood was seeping away from the carcass and spreading across the stone floor. Arin had never been comfortable at starting a conversation unless the circumstances called for it. However, after nearly two minutes, silence had fallen on the corridor, a nerve-racking, eerie silence that had to be broken.

“I suppose we should work together to defeat Master Shintu?” The mage asked sheepishly.

The fencer gave a small smile and replied, “It seems we both could use a little help.”

Shortly after, the two began to run in the direction the Zora had ran, trying to catch up to him before he could spring another trap. However, the master must have foreseen that one of them would try to follow him, because lying at the end of the path was a narrow pit full of water. Arin wasn’t willing to take the chance of going underwater, especially considering the weight of soaked robes.

“I have an idea,” stated the mage. “Maybe I could blast through these walls?” Before the fencer could retort, the multi-coloured mage had already made the incantation. A blast of wind erupted from the tip of the staff, creating a wall of sound in the confines of the maze. However, as it hit the cold stone walls, the blast of wind come careening back towards its caster, knocking him on his back quite a distance away.

Zorlo moved slowly towards the recovering mage. He extended his had towards him and lifted him up off the ground saying, “Next time you have an idea, give me a few seconds to respond so that you don’t do something stupid.” Arin did not reply to this, for he knew in hindsight what he did was foolish.

OoC: *Cough* sorry for the delay, but its time to finally get caught up.

BiC: The fencer looked at the mage and smiled, moving away from the water. "It appears Master has us trapped like two flies in a spiders web, the only difference is that this web is filled with not only the hunter, but other things to get in our way," the green haired man told the robed warrior. "Worry not though, because there are two of us, the hunter can become the hunted," the Aura Master told his comrade.

"What do you..." Arin started as the fencer began to walk off. "Hey, I was asking you something," the mage called over as he ran after the fencer, who turned and smiled.

"Sorry, I thought we should get back to trying to find where Master had gotten to without putting ourselves in real danger," the fencer told his compatriot.

"I was saying, what do you mean? How is it possible that if this is Master Shintu's training area, we can hunt him?"

"Simple logic, my young friend, we must merely split up and hope to draw him into a trap, as he has done to us every time we've attempted an attack."

"Okay... one problem though. We don't know the layout, and if we split up, we'll be easier to pick off," the magical warrior conveyed.

"True, but it is a risk we must take, for if we ever hope to defeat a foe with more power, as Master has, then we must take a risk."

"But..." Arin started, but Zorlo had already taken off, running down the hallway before him.

The green haired youth, although knowing his ally was correct, knew what he was doing was a risk, but it had to be taken. There was not escaping the fate that had come to him, and this had to be done, here and now. How could Zorlo show Jacentar his new power without first using his mind to work out how to weaken his Master in some way, shape or form.

As the Aura Master continued to run, he suddenly found a large ax slammed in his way. Another Minotaur with a cross shaped scar over his right eye looked down at the fencer. This beast was larger then the one that Arin had disposed of previously, but the green eyed youth knew he could be the downfall of this creature, all it would take was resolve. Resolve to defeat his Master. Resolve to prove his worth. Above all, resolve to conquer any challenged laid forth by the Dome.

The creature raised its weapon and swung down quickly again, but the green haired fighter stood ready, blocking the attack with his sword and standing unfazed by the attack. "Is that all you got?" the youth asked, his aura materializing in the form of green flames, ready to overpower his foe. "I'll show you real power!" the fencer stated, pushing his foe's blade back and launching forwards, passing the creature's head and landing behind him.

As the Aura Master landed, he removed his sheath from his right side and held it tightly in his right hand. The green haired warrior slowly moved his blade within its home, and with a quick flick, the blade clicked against the leather scabbard and the youth turned to face his foe.

The creature stood in awe at the high movement speed of the green haired fencer. As the creature turned, something very unexpected for it happened as part of its head began to slip off, having been cut in half on the fencer's swoop. Suddenly, the creature fell dead, bleeding at the green eyed man's feet.

My power is greater then this creatures, but I don't think it will be enough to defeat Master. I will see shortly, the green haired man thought to himself as he returned to searching for his Master.

OoC: It's a little short, but this thread desperatly needs a new post.

Alone once more, the mage walked down the dark corridors of the maze. How am I supposed to trap master Jacentar? I don’t even know his abilities, unlike the fencer, he thought. Many things happened to him in the walls of the dome, but nothing like this. He never even had a proper lesson with his master, how was he expected to fight him?

Just do your best, came a voice from the inside of his ear. “Who are you!?” Arin demanded. Jeez, your slow, continued the voice. Remember that room you found on your first day? The one with no sound? “Yeah,” responded the mage. Finally, you catch on! Anyway, I just wanted to tell you to do your best. “Um … okay,” responded the mage awkwardly.

Ignoring the sneaking suspicion that he was going crazy, the mage continued down the passage, ready to deal with anything that came his way. Sure enough, as he rounded the corner, he came across a giant spider. Normally, this would have freaked him out, however, he remained calm and collected long enough to cast an Eruption spell. The lava burned the arachnid and its web until not a trace of either remained.

Walking past as though nothing had happened, the sound of a boomerang in the air caught his attention. Turing in the direction the sound came from, he cast a Wind Arrow, but put up his shield spell, just in case. However, the Wind Arrow managed to throw the boomerang off course, even just a little. “It seems as though you are learning, young Arin,” addressed master Shintu. He stood perched on the wall behind him, as though standing on a pedestal to mock the mage. “But, you still have a lot to learn.”

In an instant, the Zora Warrior was able to deliver blow after blow to the mage. He tried to dodge them, but he found himself at a loss for speed and agility, unlike his sensei who seemed to overflow with it. After a particularly crippling blow to the stomach, his master vanished into the darkness of the maze, probably to harass the fencer a little more.

Winded, the mage struggled to get up off the cold, stone floor and onto his feet once more. He struggled to regain his breath, heaving and wheezing with everyone he took. After what seemed like hours, he managed to catch his breath again. Reaching down to pick up his staff, he could hear a strange sound emanate from a foreign point of the maze.

He was unable to discern from what point of the maze it was coming from, but wanted to find out. No, he thought suddenly. Although, this sound is quite relaxing, I have to defeat master Shintu first! I must remain focused! Pushing the sound out of his mind, Arin bolted down the passage once again determined to catch his sensei off guard and finally score a hit on him.

OoC: Your up, Zanza-sensei. ^_^