He was recovering... slowly, he felt life being breathed into organs. How long had he been out? It had all happened so fast. He awoke, clutching his stomach. He felt like vommiting; doubtless he had been hit hard. There were people standing by his side... six of them... They were familiar... He was quick to realize who the blurred men and woman were... his employers? No... Not typical employers... leaders.

They congratulated him, shook his hand, and praised him for being so valiant. And yet, he could not recall what had happened, or why he was here, on this bed. The dark-skinned man laughed deeply and indulged him. He did not, however, do a very good job, and the Goron was left to explain. All the names came back to him... but one question came to mind above all else: had the others escaped?

Pleased, the man took on a demeanor of cheer, feeling much better, despite the blood loss, headache, and gut rot. He hopped out of his bed, and disappeared to meet with his friends, as well as to consume a good, hot meal. And so, he was shocked to see one of the leaders, Serin, standing outside of the Gathering Hall just after eating.

They wanted him to return to the surface. The man had only just recovered, and yet already he was being sent on a mission far above. He sighed, nodded, and slinked off to his personal chamber, shaking his head as he went. Helena asked him what was bringing his spirits down. She was always like that - she seemed to care more for others than herself. He simply smiled wearily and continued to his own room. After washing up quickly, he suddenly disappeared.

<center>~~~~~~~~~~~~</center>

Jett Ericson was still feeling groggy. It had been almost five months since he had last stood above Hyrule's crust. It was a depressing fact, but he didn't mind. His home, as he had dubbed it since retiring to the hidden realm, was comforting enough. Apart from having been killed. It had taken a solid two and a half months to recover from the incident. Where had the time gone? Where were Alpha and Victor now?

Now, at the turn of the third month since the newest members of the underground organization had returned to Hyrule, the mage found himself thrown into the vast land, to do nothing but stand around outside of the Deku Woods. The dusty road stretched out into the brush, through which several adventurers emerged from the depths of the woods. None seemed to question just what a cloaked, mysterious man would be up to at such an odd location.

The truth, of course, was that Jett was waiting. Serin, in the mission statement, had mentioned very little, The key word that Jett recalled was "Wind." But why would the wind be so important? When the right person appeared, Jett knew what had to be done.

OOC: This topic involves Tayro alone. However, others can feel free to post about watching what goes on. Just please, for the love of god[desses], place a good amount of effort into your posts if you do respond. It would be shame for only Tayro to get to interact in some way

Okay, I got your PM. It looks great! I always have trouble comming up with good names. You just seem to shoot em out! And also, I like how you put the reader in a scence of mystery, and wonder, it keeps me reading. I'll be watching this topic for now, and reading along as you go. Make it entertaining for me!

Tayro was sitting atop one of the tallest Deku Trees in the area. He had taken off his mantle - a rare case - and was observing North Castle at the distance. There was no day that passed without the boy coming atop that location and gazing far, far off, into the distance, enjoying the sight. The sunset, specifically, was simply magnificent from there, it painting the land in various tones of orange, North Castle shing brightly and beaurifully. At night, the stars seemed so close when there... it was the Hylian's secret haven. He wished he could take Emily to see this one of these days. He also came here to think about the different things about his life, and wonder who were his parents, what was his stone's power, all those questions that invaded his life. True, his life, like most adventurers', was filled with questions that needed answering. The teenager stayed atop his perch for quite a while, until he climbed down to the floor.

As his feet came in contact with the floor, the teenager let go of the tree, and proceeded in grabbing his cloak and putting it on. That done, he looked around him, trying to find out if someone had seen him. It was his secret place, and he didn't want it to be discovered. Only one person came into view, and it was one that the boy hadn't seen earlier. A man wearing a black cloak was standing idly by the road, and, the boy's curiosity beating him, proceeded to hide behind a tree to see if the man had some kind of reaction, as it didn't seem like he had seen him. Maybe is one of the Exiles... - he thought, but quickly shaking his head to the right and to the left, signaling a 'no'. Come on Tayro, you know perfectly that wearing black clothing doesn't mean one's evil! Take Alpha for example! He also uses dark garbs and is quite nice!

Intrigued at the man's intentions and why everyone seemed to avoid him, the boy decided that it would be him to make the first contact. He started walking slowly towards the man, prepared to grab his staff if he tried something hostile. "Good morning, mister. I haven't seen you around these parts before... are you new to Hyrule?" - Tayro cordially said, a smile in his face. Man! Isn't he burning with all that dark clothing protecting him? He then noticed that he had forgotten about an important thing, something the Orphanage maids had taught him - always introduce yourself. "Sorry for my rudeness. My name is Tayro. Tayro Wind. And you are?"

Throughout Tayro's approach, Jett stood still as stone. Who is this? Why, he's younger than me! And that was a stretch. The mage was only twenty years of age, shocking for one so learned in the ways of magic. Tayro, on the other hand, was much younger. Jett's surprise, fortunately, did not show on his face. Not that it mattered either way; he ignored the boy outright.

That is, until the formal introduction. "My name is Tayro. Tayro Wind." A mechanism in Jett's mind clicked, and he regained interest in the scholar apprentice, and suddenly with a more intrigued view. The boy reminded him of himself, not long ago. Of course, it seemed like ages since Jett had been trained as a mage. In a sense, Tayro and Jett were very much alike.

A sudden realization dawned on him. It was no wonder now that the leaders had sent Jett of all people to this objective. Tayro and Jett had quite a bit in common; it was fitting that only Jett could sway the boy towards adhering to the cause of the Apostles. Victor and Alpha lacked the experience necessary, despite having already been allied with the apprentice beforehand. So why, then, were they makinghim do this?

Keeping his hood raised but making an almost fatal mistake, however fully aware of any consequences, Jett spoke. "... Hello, Tayro Wind. My name is Jett... Jett Ericson." He cringed; he was not allowed to give his name on the field, and yet he felt sure that this young man was the only person in the area. It seemed reasonable to tell the truth. Extending a gloved hand, his gesture showed his friendliness far better than his face ever could. Unlike Selerovisk, Jett was content in showng kindness to possible allies.

Three months . . . had it really been that long?

The Deku Woods had always held secrets, few of which people understood fully. Not only did it seem a natural place for many strange and mystical items to be hidden, it was a source of darkness in a pure form. Forests by nature exist because of a need to hoard the light . . . tall trees block the sunlight . . . large vines cross throughout the canopy and cover the holes . . . the smallest of plants must fight for the light, just so that they can have a chance at survival. Plants take in all the light that they can reach with their leaves. And the outcome of this process is that shadows overwhelm the area.

It's a very interesting principle to think about, and one that he considers from time to time. Several elements exist in the world: Fire, Water, Earth, Nature, Shadow, Light, and even more. And yet at first glance, all take a side of either brightness or darkness. The raging flames, the shimmering lakes, and the brilliant lights reside in brightness, while the solid earth and the deep dimness move towards creating darkness. Nature, however, stands amidst both sides. It needs Light to live, and yet as a side effect produces Shadow. Nature is the epitomy of Neutrality, as Alpha has come to realize over time. And the Deku Woods have always been the perfect place to study Nature, as far as he is concerned.

So much is remembered by the forest as well. His first stop the previous day had been the cave where Master Zaris had resided for so long . . . positive memories came from the days he had trained Alpha there, and negative recollections arose from the day the Golden Sheikah had returned to hiding. It was also nearby where Alpha had first learned that Master had indeed returned to Hyrule, over a year ago.

Here, Malciore of Noe had battled alongside his friends against the dark spirit of Umbra, all the while fighting the other side of himself, Orochi - dark memories, to be sure. Alpha had seen the Great Deku Tree and the children of the forest, the Kokiri, in this region, a thing of good. Before any of these aforementioned events had taken place, he had held a sparring match with Denning . . . back before the cleric had been overcome by Deoxolips, and then later made into an outlaw. Good and bad.

These memories could be seen in both positive and negative lights . . . and had they all turned out in different ways, the path of destiny could have easily been altered in ways that the Sheikah dreads even thinking about. Watching from the shadows of a group of bushes, Alpha wonders how this meeting shall effect the memories and fate of another mage, one whom Alpha has much in common with: Tayro.

'Three months . . . has it really been that long?'

The same thought echoes in the Sheikah's head. He had been traveling through the woods when his ears had picked up the cheery voice of the young mage. The Sheikah had nearly walked into the conversation before two things had tipped him off as to the identity of Tayro's new aquaintance. The clothing had been a dead giveaway, to be sure. But even so, the Sheikah had only stopped when the second thing came to his attention: the man's name, Jett Ericson.

Alpha had not been around for Jett's injury, but the name had been imprinted in his memories as a very dark one. A member of Carock's Apostles, Jett had been killed and rushed back to the castle for a hoped revival; later, he himself had met up with Victor and his teammates, and joined up to serve as a sort of 'replacement' for Jett. It warms Alpha's heart to hear that Jett appears to have made a full recovery, enough so that he was ready for a mission. And thus forms another good memory.

Alpha nods - the mission was certainly one that he thought should have been undertaken much sooner. It takes no time at all for him to conclude that Carock's Apostles are looking to add Tayro to their ranks, and for that he is glad. The Hylian may be nine years his junior, but the boy has proven himself on countless occassions. Alpha grins at the thought of the Apostles moving in to try and make him one of their own as well - 'he shall certainly become a worthy member of such an organization.'

He had made his way silently over to the bushes he was currently hiding behind, recalling Maverick's last request that he leave other Apostles alone in their missions. Alpha fully intends to honor the leader's request, and so he goes for the observatory role . . . with his ears pricked and listening for any stray sounds that might come along. This is an important occurance in Tayro's life - and if Alpha has anything to say about it, no one is going to interrupt them.

OOC: Wow, that was a lot longer than anticipated . . . Basically, Alpha's watching them from a distance, and fully intends to confront anyone who comes within range of the meeting.

Tayro matches the mysterious Human's friendliness with a smile, as he too extends his hand for a change of greetings. Grabbing the man's hand, he shakes it gently and vigorously at the same time, demonstrating quite some empathy to the stranger. The boy had hardly know the man, but already he treated him nicely, like they had been friends for a long time. "Nice to meet you Jett!" - he told him, a large smile still on the mage apprentice' face. "So," - he asked, raising his hands and resting them behind his head and his lips slightly curving upwards - a grin - "you still haven't answered me. Are you new to Hyrule?"

A sound. The Hylian's ears, who were just a moment ago relaxed and soft, quickly strech themselves up, becoming hard and picking up sound easily. He can hear people talking in the distance, the birds chirping quietly on their nests... and a small sound coming from behind them. His face turns into a more serious look, his hand hovers around his staff. The boy turns his face to the Human he had just met, and moves his lips up and down, and although no sound comes from it, the way they move form a word. In fact, various words to warn Jett about a possible danger. "We. Are. Being. Watched." His eyes nudge slowly to the side, as to warn Jett of the location of the perpetrator who was definitly spying on them. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyelids. Slowly but at a constant rythm, Tayro begins a countdown to himself. Three. His hand stops its gliding and finally settles down on the staff. Two. The hand fully grabs the Deku weapon, and he begins to focus his power. Possibly and probably the spy was violent. One. The boy sighs and his legs bend just slightly, ready to move into action. Now!! He opens his eyes fastly and turns to where he heard the sound, his staff now extended towards that same location. There, quite to the mage apprentice's surprise he found... no-one.

Tayro's eyes examine his surroundings trying to spot any creature, or just something out of the ordinary, and are unable to do that task. All seems calm and natural - the little squirrels strolling around in the branches carrying nuts in front of them, the baby birds atop their nests waiting for their mother to come carrying fruit, some Dekus just walking around casually through the woods... Just plain old Deku Woods. The boy was a tad surprised that his hearing had detected a false sound, when he was almost sure of what he had heard. Guess it was just imagination. Disappointed, the Hylian turns back at his new acquaintance, and, putting his hands behind his head, slightly grins at the man. "Sorry about that... I was almost sure I'd heard someone watching." That matter settled, and him just forgetting about his previous question due to the bit of action that had just occured, the boy simply ends up with another one to replace the other. "So... what are you doing here dressed up like that?"

Jett's eyes widened as Tayro performed his paranoid spin. "We. Are. Being. Watched." Well of course we are, thought the mage. The very thought that there was no one listening in was seemingly absurd; normally the sight of a strange man in black would irk the suspicions of anyone. Jett understand entirely; Tayro was correct. But just who was watching was as shrouded in mystery as himself.

The cloaked man follows Tayro's countdown, despite the timed motion being kept concealed in the scholar's own mind. Three. Watching the young man's hand slide to his weapon, Jett immediately followed suit. Two. He grasped his own staff, a finely crafted piece of weaponry, above and beyond the plain craftsmanship of the Deku Staff. One. As Tayro whirled around to attack the eavesdropper whom he had thought was approaching, Jett extracted his weapon and propped it up against his right shoulder, his left hand at a ready position to aid in one activity: battle.

Then followed the question, which Jett knew perfectly well the answer to. At the moment, however, he could not say. The younger scholar would have to fight for his life. "Well, I'm afraid I have to admit that I'm actually, in fact, here to settle things with you." What things could possibly need settlement? Jett and Tayro had never met before, and so what could the elder of the two mages have against the younger? Whatever the reason, Tayro would have precious little time to ponder. His main focus, if he were clever enough, would be to dodge the stone staff that was accelerating towards his chest.

Huh?

Tayro pondered on the cloaked individual's phrase,the gears in his mind rotating at quite a fast processing speed, all a good working mechanism. What was there to settle between them? Tayro believed he had never met the person - in fact, certain that he didn't; all which made the case even more bizarre. In a blink of an eye, the brain examined all possible situations - a student or master of someone the boy faced was unprobable, unless he was one of the Hakiems, yet the robes indicated otherwise; Nightmares were also a possibility, yet they would probably go for flashier methods - their usual 'charm'; an anagram of someone's name also seemed unlikely, as the voice would have blown his cover... so, the boy did the only thing possible to unravel this situation. "Settle things? What do you mean by-"

The boy didn't even have time to finish his sentence as a weapon was fast forwarded at him. Stopping the thinking and start acting unconsciously, the boy jumped backwards, completely twirling in the air, doing a well executed backflip - a neat trick he had mastered in the Orphanage and was quite proud off - yet when he's going to land, his feet get entagled in the robe, and he tripping and making a fool out of himself. He doesn't seem to mind, though, perhaps due to the intense heat of the moment. He just seems to feel confusion, for not understanding exactly what was going on, and anger at the Human who had attacked him without a purpose and when he least expected. The boy lets out a deep sigh, as he gets up and prepares a battle stance. Guess the only way to get an answer to this dilemma is to defeat this guy!

He leans down in a mere second, grabbing his trusty Deku Staff, companion of many battles... well, not that many, but the meaning was the same, and lifts is in a protective stance jus in front of his chest. The mage apprentice's eyes scan his opponent, and wary of attacks, picks up a pace and dashes through the wet dirt and lush grass of the beautiful forest, now home to a duel to life... or oblivion. The teenager puts his Deku weaponry face-forward, using it like a pike or a lance the Royal Knights use. He isn't exactly phazed by the senior mage's staff - as what was more decisive in a battle was not the weapon, but mostly one's skill. In fact, the mysterious man's weapon had only aid him, as it had let him understand that his adversary was a scholar just as him. As he approaches Jett, Tayro only mutters five words silently. "May the best one win."

Alpha's eyes widen as Tayro spins around to face the bushes behind which the Sheikah has concealed himself, staff in hand to attack whoever he finds there. Reflexively, his scar glows violet as Alpha lowers himself into the Void, a bewildered look on his face. He had taken great care to remain as silent as he possibly could - and he had a lot of experience hiding, courtesy of the Hakiems tribe. For Tayro to have heard him at all . . .

He's even more impressed with the young mage than before.

Arising from a new portal at a ninety degree angle from his previous position, he realizes that he no longer needs to worry about being silent. Jett's staff lances outward, Tayro dodges, and the mage transforms into a man ready to battle in an instant. The Sheikah nods in remembrance. Victor had told him about how he'd needed to battle one of the current members before he was admitted, as Alpha had done - though his had been a two-on-one, something he'd not been expected to win. Then again, Tayro probably isn't expected to win this fight either, it's merely a test of his abilities.

The Sheikah settles in to watch what he is sure will be an excellent match, though his senses remain keen, in case anyone else approaches.

Jett smiled then, having heard his opponent just fine. There was not particularly enough noise in the area to cover of his muttering. His mouth was unseen by the boy approaching him; had he been a Goron, Tayro would have noticed, but a human such as Jett would always seem devoid of emotion behind the dark uniform. The mage was delighted by the young scholar's words. He was so much the same as the others; in many ways, he was just like Alpha, but in other views he was Victor himself. Tayro's "may the best win" phrase reminded Jett of the bard.

"There is no best one here, Tayro." said Jett softly.

As Tayro approached, Jett wasted no time. In a battle, it was the first to strike who would be victorious. Of course, Jett had not been sent to demolish the youth. Excess violence was not to be permitted, and the mage had taken such a liking to the boy that he felt ashamed to have to inflict harm to the possible future ally. Nonetheless, he had a job to do. He raised his arm nonchalantly, seemingly doing nothing, but as Tayro came too close, Jett kicked off from the ground and swung at him smoothly.

Tayro realized his mistake too late. Not giving much importance to the Human's raised arm, he notices too late that he was in fact preparing a strike. The boy looks up as the Human hops, and prepares to hit him full force. It is too late to brake now, as with the speed he had now, the Hylian probably wouldn't have the ability to do that. As fast as possible, the mage apprentice examines his mind for any way to thwart the cloaked man's attack. In his mind, a sole word echoes, one that devises the strategy to avoid the strike.

Rock.

For most people, that word wouldn't have a great significate, but for the Hylian, it means much. That sole word contains the neat strategy to avoid the incoming strike. In mere milliseconds, Tayro associates the word 'Rock' with Goron, and Goron with... Here goes nothing! - he thinks, as he gains yet more speed. Getting near the opponent, and the sure blow, the boy throws his staff above his foe, and assumes a curved position, resembling a ball. Then, with all that speed he had gained, he rolls exactly under Jett, managing to barely escape the blow. He gets his fair share of distance from the Human, and, still a bit dizzy, gets up, and grabs the incoming staff. He valued the days in the Orphanage a lot - besides the great time there, he had also learned a few tricks with his friends. The Goron roll was one, for instance... according to them, they had seen it performed by a man named Arco... or some other name similar, and had adapted it.

Although with a few bruises and various bits of his mantle filled with dirt, Tayro grinned at his adversary. Wanting to benefit from the new-gained time, the boy decides not to use his brute force - which isn't much - but the area both he and his opponent specialize in: Magic. Focusing, he hovers his staff in the air, and, using it as a pencil, draws in mid-air a circle, a base of a rune. Then, he inscripts inside a 5-pointed star as he channels more power into the staff. Concluding his meditation, he hits the center of the star with his Deku Weapon, unleashing his magical energy through the staff to the rune. Knowing that Humans did not posess any elemental weakness, the boy tries to use the terrain in his own profit. "Elemental Burst! Nature!!" - he yells, as the runes curves and turns into a perfect sphere that quickly gains a green tone. Having concluded its morph, it automatically shoots itself against the cloaked Human.

OOC: ... My last post sucked. Seriously. I'm going to try far harder than I have been lately. Updates may become a bit more sporadic (although, maybe not), but I really need to to stop slacking XD

IC:

That's interesting. Jett's two-word thought. An observation that he seldom used in this period of his life. After a year of serving under the confidential alliance, Carock's Apostles, Jett had run short on excitement many times. Death was not a fresh pump of adrenaline, as many had hypothesized. It was a tense moment of pain. Exciting? Pain was not exciting. Pain was tragic; for Jett to die was a travesty beyond comparison. He did not find his organs' slight decomposition interesting. Gruesome would be far better a term.

And although nothing excited him anymore - his life had become a false cloak of darkness as he lived his days out underground - Tayro's spellcasting forced a grin to his face. His heart felt lifted, his throat felt plugged, and a tingling sensation coursed through his head. Excitement? Perhaps, but Jett was doubtful. It seemed more like a sense of appreciation. There were few mages capable of such unique techniques. His mentor from his days as an apprentice, Solstrem Maverick, was a very unique magic user. Orias Terrian, the resident scheming geezer of the organization, was not. There was more to spellcasting than conjuring a fireball or a bolt of lightning and feeling confident in its destructive ability.

Now, Jett was no accomplished magician. If he felt the need to "magic-up" the area, as he would constantly refer to spellcasting (he had never really grown away from his childish days as an apprentice), his Elemental Explosion (or Burst, his mood constantly varied his choice in magical efficiency), the attack would be far from special. Comparable to one of Orias' low-quality spells. Of course, the damage inflicted would be the same, but what of the superior impression? Jett had yet to accomplish this.

And that was exactly why he had finally been interested in a fellow scholar's abilities. Particularly in the unique staff movements that Tayro performed when casting, and the fruit of his efforts - literally. As the Nature-based orb shot towards him, Jett could only speculate as to the possibilities of Tayro's Burst. Would it be a toxin-based attack? Would razor sharp leaves burst forth from on impact and work their intentions? There were many variations to the Nature technique, for both righteous and evil purposes. Was Jett going to stand around and wait to find out how this particular spell was going to play out? The answer, of course, was no.

As the young hooded mage rolled out of the way and stood to his feet, he shook his head, still content in Tayro's spellcasting. In his head, he pictured a messy checklist with several points of observation. Tayro was the unknowing student in this test. The uninformed applicant in this interview. And he had just aced the Style and Technique exam with gold.

But Jett didn't stop. He dashed forward and came close enough to Tayro to get a close sweep in with his staff. Always a clever scholar, Jett prepared a surprising Lightning based attack. A quick jolt to the ribs would keep the youth's guard up. And Jett Ericson's aim was precise. A frazzled sound, followed by sparks, erupted from his staff as it cracked into Tayro's gut, lighting up the already bright, autumn day, and also eliminating any shadows between the young mages.

OoC: Well, it can't be more sporadic than THIS...

*Gasp*

What was it? The shock? The impact? The electricity that burst through his body? Tayro wasn't quite sure which of these hurt more. As the other scholar - who the boy now was more confident that his sub-class was 'mage', like himself - came closer, the Hylian couldn't move or make preparations. He was dazzled that his attack had failed. Even more surprised with his opponent's quite unexpected counter-strike. That's when he lost focus. His vision seemed to blur, his mind slightly fade, his heart pumping wildly... for only a second, though that time period seemed much longer, the pain and electricity expanding through all of his body, every part of it aching wildly. He's really not toying around with this... - he thought, this idea flashing on for just a small instant, yet the necessary for the young mage's body to prepare accordingly.

Still lacking his usual strength, after that hard dealt blow, the boy collapsed against the ground, landing with a notorious *thump*. His eyes closed, it seemed like he was unconscious. Everything hurt, probably due to the injection of adrenaline in his body, but it wasn't the enough charge to put the mage apprentice out of commition. In a sudden moment, as soon as he landed, his eyes opened, and got up as fast as he could. Sure, the pain didn't stop at all, but what was pain to a young teenager, huh? "Good blow there..." - he told Jett, a slight grin on his face. "...but you won't be so lucky again!"

Still holding his staff, he quickly turned his back on the cloaked Human, and dashed towards a tree. He wasn't completely ignoring his foe though: his ears were quite up and slightly twitched to the side, and capturing the sound quite easily. He could hear some birds chirping in their nest, the sound of Dekus conversing in the middle of the woods... and the Scholar's every move in case he attempted one. As he got near the tree, he attempted a trick he had devised alongside Mike and Emily in the Orphanage: the Sakura Wave, name courtesy of Mike. It was called that way since it was used in the Orphanage's beautiful cherry tree, also called a Sakura Tree.

Getting near one of the immensely tall Deku Trees, Tayro, still running, placed his right foot on the tree trunk, then the left foot a little above, then the right foot again, this time with a lot of impulse. With that strength, he was projected away from the tree, making what seemed to be a backflip. His head in the direction of the floor, time seemed to slow down a lot as he began drawing the usual symbol with his staff, and concentrating his energy to the archaic rune. The charging readied, he once again yelled out as his attack was focused: "Elemental Burst! Nature!"

At those words, from th circlic rune, a very recognizable sphere emmerged, and started flying towards... the floor? Indeed it seemed like so, the energy ball bursting on contact with the groud. In the meanwhile, Tayro, with his magical incantations, lost his balance and fell with his back flat against the grassy ground of the Woods. He got up quickly, and looked to his opponent, a slight mischievous grin on his face. However, he wasn't smiling about having fallen, or failed in hitting him with the spell. No, not at all. He was grinning, watching the thorny vines emerge from the ground beneath his foe, with intentions to hug him dearly.

OOC: Here goes nothing...

IC:

The ground rumbled beneath the grass, as the thorns crept ever upwards to Tayro's adversary. Jett felt the earth breaking away below his feet as the young mage's creation emerged, but no one, not even his higher classed colleagues, could have been prepared for a clever trap such as this. The scholar's eyes hardened as he felt the first of the spikes dig into his foot, and a tight grin formed on his lips. Despite being angry for being deceived, Jett felt better about the unique occurrence, as it confirmed yet another valuable quality that Tayro Wind held. How Jett's superiors had found out about this boy was beyond his belief.

His hidden glee quickly gave way to agony, however, as the remainder of the thorny vines made their way around his body and tightened, constricting him inside their sharp cage of peril. Jett's eyes closed and the muscles in his face grew tense as each individual thistle dug deeper. The dark cloak that he had grown accustomed to over time began to tear as it was penetrated mercilessly. As his legs were wrapped in the thorny vine, he struggled to escape but only managed to fall flat on his back, staring helplessly upwards at the treetops, their leaves shaking in the wind.

It was an unbearable torture that he could hardly stand to endure any longer. Jett's next move was a risky one, but necessary to continue the "testing" before Tayro - certainly qualified enough to defeat his opponent at this point - ended the duel. Jett remained silent as he waited for the energy to come to him. Finally, the thorns burst into flames and rocketed from the confined human's body, some digging into the nearby foliage. This was not particularly interesting for the battle at hand, but it was unfortunate for Alpha, as his previously effective hiding place began to rage and smoulder.

Unintended by Jett, several of the fiery thorns were aimed directly at Tayro. Nearly two-score blazing projectiles were sent zipping towards the youth, each far more dangerous than they had been when they were originally conceived. Jett sprang to his feet, a newer, more satisfied smile planted on his expressions. Of course, Tayro was unable to see such a smile, for two obvious reasons. One, there were about forty glowing darts coming straight at him, and two, Jett's hood hadn't been lowered. Nonetheless, if Tayro was as mart as his fighting instinct had made him out to seem, Jett's amusement should have been obvious.

OOC: Hehe, had to throw Alpha something to do XD Sorry I neglected this for so long, guys.

Alpha continues watching on in awe, slowly becoming more and more interested in the fight. He silently nods his approval as he mentally applauds Tayro's many original and unanticipated maneuvers against the other mage. Three mages, all in the same area and - should Tayro succeed in this little test, as the Sheikah is sure he will - all in the same secret society, and yet each one can do radically different things.

A flame whizzes past Alpha's head as he calmly reaches up and grabs the thorn in midair. His magic quickly puts the fire under his own control so his skin does nothing more than feel the pleasant warmth it gives off. But he cringes at the realization that this little dart of flame was not the only one that came his way, especially when the smell of burning infiltrates his nostrils. 'Oh great . . . I'd better move again before . . . oh joy.' He looks around him, finding most of the bushes already aflame, and with the fire comes . . . a lack of shadows. With a lack of shadows comes a lack of the ability to use the Void to move himself around.

Even these two, though incredibly focused in their fight, would probably notice any hint of movement from whatever direction it originates. And though he is an enemy to neither one, Alpha can't help but retain that little desire he always has to go unnoticed, lest the split-second distraction tip the battle's direction in any way. Analyzing all possible routes that he may choose in this sort of situation, the Sheikah swiftly nods to himself and makes his decision. Yes, that will be the best course of action to take.

Of course, there's also the issue of the spreading flames to deal with. Pointing out with two fingers on both hands, he creates a concentrated Elemental Burst - Water, and douses a small ring around his position, roughly five feet in diameter, and puts out any fires that have already entered that area. Then he puts his legs out in front of him, props himself up with his arms, and takes a pose befitting of the spectator that he is. If he doesn't move much then who knows? Maybe they won't see him. And if they do, so what? He'll just fix them with a quick grin, one that says quite clearly 'Quit looking at me and focus on the fight before he kills you!'

OOC: About time this started up again. ^_^ I've been getting a little anxious myself to see Tayro creaming Jett!