Welcome to Gaia! ::

((I remember. Azure I'd like you to take care of controlling Nathan and Sambra and I'll take care of Noah and Luz. If you wouldn't mind, that is.))

((I apologize for the lateness of this post. I've been rather busy lately, also I was expecting someone else to post between mine... But here I go.))

Noah stood on one end of the arena field. Luz was at his side, and his brother and his partner were there as well. He had spent some time during the morning studying and preparing new spells. He had been quite caught off guard by the young man with the feathered dragon. He would not make the same mistake again.
"Vilya and Damiano, right? You two ready? We should get this over with as quickly as possible." Noah said.

Sai walked behind Vilya until the reached the arena. When they made it there the butler, Wintrom gestured to the alcove where Vilya and Damiano had observed his and Kin's match the day before. Sai and Stratus made their way there and made themselves comfortable on the many cushions arrayed there.
"Good luck guys." Sai called to his friends. "Take 'em down."

Vilya smiled at Sai, letting her determination show. "Count on it," she said.
Damiano came into the room as well, his dragon still tucked away in his stone.
Tura stretched her wings, bowing her head in respet to the two sage creatures. They were very similar in build to herself, she had never seen winged lions before.
Vilya drew one of her blades and Tura put the protective barriers over both, they would hurt, but not cut. Vilya didn't want to think about accidentally maiming the sage she was fighting.
Damiano spoke to her and she smiled. "Yep." was her short reply and she turned back to the sages.
She did not really know why they were in such a rush, but if that was what they wanted...
"Ready when you are." she took up her beginning stance with the grace of one who had been fighting all thier lives.
"Come on!"

"Yeah, until yesterday." Sai smirked. "They probably don't get any visitors from the continent below. Maybe they underestimated the general power of a mainland mage."

Winstrom stood to one side of the field and held up a white cloth. He swung his arm down. "Begin."

Noah immediately went charging at Vilya, his partner, Luz, beside him and likewise charging for Tura.

((Gah... short post... Anything to keep things moving along though...))

((I'm afraid I'll be unavailable for the next two weeks as the coined "Hell Week" has finally come. I've got 2 weeks of school left before the break and all my projects are due. I've been busy with them before, but now is crunch time, even more so because I've got two major assignments due on Wednesday gonk .

So yes, I apologize for the delays, but I'm afraid I can't RP at this time. I'll be back on the forums in two weeks, hopefully.))

((Yay, glitch are fixed... kinda. I can't see the two most recent posts as I'm making this post, though...))

As the girl and her griffin began their attacks Noah released his illusion. The images of the Sage and his creature flickered and switched places.
Noah was on his back facing upwards from a position nearly underneath the griffin. He stretched his left arm out muttered his spell. "Flamma procella." A small bead of flame appeared in the palm of his extended hand and began to expand upwards, towards the griffins exposed belly.
Luz, who was suddenly in the place of Noah, reared back out of range of the girl's scimitars and then lunged forward, swiping at her with one huge clawed paw.

((Sorry, but it was done prior to the battle. And I don't recall reading any rule against it. Course I never read any rules, I just picked it all up as I went... And they did still slip, that's why Noah was on his back nearly underneath Tura. Luz slipped also, but recovered quickly. If it really bothers you, I could change the post.))

The battle had started, Damiano sensed more than saw. His heart beat heavily as nerves began to eat away at his resolve. He summoned up his magic, the fire of it banishing his doubts. Damiano didn't understand why, but the ecstasy of casting spells seemed to have a numbing effect on him. No longer would he worry about his capabilities; he would only see the end of this match, and himself as the victor.

Damiano calmly slid his right foot behind him and took up a stance. He began to murmur in the tongue of his magic. He gracefully flipped his staff upside-down and moved his right hand near the head, having his left grasp near the bottom. He could feel the magic begin to dance about him, the energies of countless energies behind the Partigiano line. His voice broke into three, then nine, then twenty-seven. A choir of tones, pitches and volumes whispered at varied speeds, the music of his magic expanding. The Amethyst eye of his mask glowed fiercely.

Ark felt it unnecessary to use all the excess magic for such a simple spell, especially since Damiano was drawing a lot of energy from him to create the flashy effects. Still, the dragon had to admit that it was magnificently presented and the occasion deserved some flare. He maintained silent vigil within his stone as Damiano's chanting began to conjure up a strong wind.

Damiano's eyes began to flare with a silvery flame as the wind ruffled his robes. He saw the sage keeping to the rear as the winged lion charged at him. These were sages, not fools. His spell would, at worst, be a minor nuisance to them. He was aiming for otherwise, however. His concentration could not be swerved now, his spell was at its peek. The climax of voices seemed to fill his head and the air around him. All at once the voices hushed as he finished the incantation with a mighty, booming voice, "Proteggia me!-"

As his voice peaked another sound started. The air around Damiano seemed to become visible, solid. It spun violently, around him as the flames in his eyes danced wildly. He opened his mouth again, the remainder of the spell on his tongue, and shifted his body in order to complete the magic. "-Venti di Fuoco!" he boomed as he swept his staff up, changing his stance in a graceful flourish. As he did, the air around him began to bend and wave, like a mirage. In a fraction of a moment, the air burst into silver flames to surround Damiano as four large rings. He flourished again, ending with his staff jutting toward the sage's companion that had started charging at him. One of the rings seemed to glow bright and fluidly fly at it with devastating intent.

suggested Ark now that it was safe to communicate with his master. Damiano replied calmly, already starting to calculate possible counter actions. He had, perhaps, made the spell a little more powerful than he had originally expected.