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Sai allowed Vilyas blade to lift his up, and up and up, as he rolled back. He rotated his weight, bringing it down on his outstretched left hand, then pushing himself up as he continued to rotate, coming down on his feet on the edge of the table. He danced back, trying not to knock anything over, or step on anything. He brought his blade back down before him, so that he could protect himself.
"Woah, Vilya, wait. Maybe we should go outside with this." Sai said as he continued trying not to step in anything. He already felt a bit self conscious standing on the Sage's table.

Stratus, like his partner, felt that they should take their fight outside. Particularly since even in this, one of the larger rooms inside the building, he still could not move about easily. He, too, darted back, not wanting to begin before they were in an appropriate setting.

C'mon, buddy, let's go!" Sai encouraged his partner.
The young Combatant leapt from the table and landed nimbly in a roll that had him back up on hi feet and running in only a moment. He slowed as he neared the door out of the room and looked back to where he had been sitting.
"Ventas." He said, directing the spell at his staff, which was still leaning against the wall behind his vacated seat. The spell directed a burst of air which caught his staff and sent it flying across the room to slap into the palm of his outstretched hand.
Sai resumed his escape from the dining room and down the hall, Stratus hot on his heels. The two quickly navigated the corridors and emerged into the daylight to find Vilya and Tura ready and waiting for them.
Sai darted towards Vilya, leading with his staff whirling in his left hand and his sword held in his right, down and to the side, ready to dart in at the first available opening.
Stratus leaped at the black feathered griffin, claws extended and ready. He flared his wings to their fullest extension and thrust them back, propelling himself with greater speed and force.

Vilya jumped forward, pivoting on her left foot and bringing one of her blade up to catch Sai's spinning staff, with any luck its momentum might help in removing it from his grasp. As she spun to Sai's right her other scimitar came down defensively to protect her side from the sword.

Tura did not jump away, instead she launched herself at the feathered dragon, angling her body to sail past his right shoulder. She folded her wings tightly agaist her body and twisted to keep her talons bwteen her and the dragon's fangs.

Vilya spun around to face Sai, deflecting his sword and staff with her blades before jumping away.
"Neat trick! You gotta teach me that one." With that she shifted her grip on the scimitars and ran at him again. Again she moved to strike the staff but this time she aimed for the tip, giving its spin more force. She ducked, following the staff's tip down and up to get behind Sai, keeping her blades close to her body she turned the flats to her oponent and pushed out in an attempt to unbalance him.

As Stratus beat his wings Tura twisted in mid-air to put her talons back on the ground. She ducked low under the dragon's body and jumped behind him, leaping again to bring herself level with his back.

"I thought we agreed no magic." she said casually as she ran as well, She met his sword and staff with both her scimitars, jumping as they clashed and using the momentum to vault over Sai's head. She twisted in the jump, landing to face Sai's back once more and struck out with the butt of one blade.

Tura did not change course, instead she tucked her head and shoulders into a forward roll, stopping herself when one clawed hindfoot was in the lead and heading for the dragon's chest. She had worked hard mimicing Vilya's moves and this was one of the easiest to copy. The move was unpredictable and even is Stratus caught it the force would most likely take him out of the sky.

((I suppose I'm just hanging around for Damiano, but to tell you the truth, I'm getting a little fed up with his absence.))

((Perhaps it might be better then if he were to come and reclaim her. Then we could always skip ahead to the point where the Sages are ready for you.))

Sai ducked forward, under her strike. While his upper body was nearly parallel to the ground he lashed out with his left leg, aiming to strike her in the abdomen. While his leg was extended he twisted his body around and pivoted on his right foot. He used another small wind spell to retain his balance through the precarious movement. When he finished the move he was turned about, facing his opponent again.
"I don't remember agreeing to any such thing." Sai said with a grin.

Stratus had no intentions of engaging in a test of physical strength in midair. Instead he gave a slight thrust of his wings to move himself out of line with the griffins strike, placing himself just to the side of where she would pass. He held himself aloft and began to swing his taloned forelimb as the griffin neared.

((I only meant as his partner for the match.))

Sai paused when he saw that he had dislodged one of Vilyas weapons from her grasp. Almost immediately afterward he heard the Sage's serving man, Winstrom, speaking to them. It took a moment for the words to sink in, though, as he was quite intent on Vilya. When the words sank in he returned to a more normal standing position and sheathed his blade.
"I don't doubt it." Sai said with a grin. "You were giving me a pretty good run for my money as it was."

"If you'll please follow me." Winstrom said politely and then began to lead the way to the arena.

At about the same time Winstrom's partner, the large humanoid creature known as Amnwell, approached Damiano. He walked heavily as he approached, to make his presence known. Being unable to speak in human tongues he simply gestured towards the arena and hoped that a bright young mage would understand his meaning.

Damiano's meditation came to an end as he heard to heavy footfalls of some enormous creature. His eyes flared open and he was immediately in a fighting stance, as was his usual reaction having been on his own for so long. When he saw the creature gesturing toward the castle interior, Damiano figured it was a serving spirit of sorts trying to ask something of him. Damiano nodded and began to walk in the instructed direction. "I guess the sages are ready for us now. I wonder what Vilya has been doing since I left the breakfast table?" the young mage inquired aloud to no one in particular. He made his way to the arena, all the while keeping an eye out for his partner in the match.

Ark asked him quite alarmed. It wasn't like a human to simply lose their fears over one meditation session. Damiano pointed simply. He had resolve now, which masked his nervousness if only enough.

It wasn't long before he entered the arena and saw Vilya waiting there for him. Damiano noted how she seemed a little more dishevelled than she had earlier. "I take it your preparations were fruitful then?" he said calmly.

((A quick note: Ark is still in the spirit stone. Damiano doesn't plan to release him right away in hopes of getting some sort of edge in the match.))