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Charging With the Best of Them [Complete]; [TM][P] Vyse
Topic Started: Wed Jan 23, 2013 2:29 pm (676 Views)
Vivianne
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When the door to Vyserial Noclan's training school was opened that morning, it was doubtful that anyone would expect who was on the other side. Instead of an adventurer or knight that sought instruction in the ways of the charger, it was a sleek cheetah who worked the latch with its front paws and pushed the doors open. The feline slinked inside, eyes flickering back and forth as in search for someone. Before anyone could wonder what the cat was doing here it took off, running deeper into the school in search of its target, stopping from time to time to sniff the air and orient itself. It only took it a short while to find Vyse himself, at which point it offered its neck to the man. Wrapped around its spotted fur was a knotted vine with a small piece of parchment tied to it. When unfolded, the letter was short and succinct, written in a flowing cursive script.

I'm ready for training. I'll be waiting in the Plains two miles east of your school. ~Vivianne



The author of the note was currently seated on a patch of glass in the plains, preparing a meal for the animals gathered around her. She had no idea how long training with Vyse would take, so she had packed enough food for her entire coterie for a day, raw meat and fruit and vegetables. They gathered around expectantly, but none of them pushed or shoved at each other to get at the food. Vivianne was a skinsharer, a mortal capable of bonding her consciousness to that of an animal. Her skills had begun as the ability to control the bodies of her pack-mates, but since then they had developed significantly. Now she could converse with any nature of animal and even transform into their shape, with all of the abilities that conveyed.

The crowd around her was an unusual mix of beasts that would normally never be seen together in nature. A peregrine falcon was perched on her right shoulder, talons loosely gripping her shirt so as not to dig into her skin. A heavily-muscled boar with smoke trailing out of its nostrils was seated next to a grotesque lupine with pitch-black fur and a crooked snout. Behind them loomed a bear that was sitting on its back haunches, watching her unpack a slab of meat with obvious hunger. A lion and hyena were growling back and forth in a nonsensical conversation as they waited, the exchange watched by a sleek jackal whose outline seemed to shift back and forth by a few inches every heartbeat. The newest addition to her pack stood a little further away from the main cluster, a massive, shaggy beast with wide shoulders and wickedly serrated tusks. Also nearby stood a posse of young turkeys, gobbling and warbling at each other as a creature that seemed to be formed out of vines and flowers kept a watchful eye on them. In the wild, these animals would surely be instant enemies; Vivianne was responsible for teaching them to accept and trust one another.

"Okay, dig in." The lithe girl backed away from the pile of food, allowing her pack to descend on the morsels with a vengeance. She watched the chaotic scene for a few seconds before giggling and shaking her head. In the light of day and plain sight, it was hard to believe she was the terrorist known as the Witch of Norwood throughout the woodlands of Imythess. She had plain features and tanned skin from a life of living outdoors, with vibrant green eyes and spiky brown hair that she clearly cut herself. Her clothes were homemade and dyed in various shades of brown and green to better help her move through the forests unseen. A bow was slung across her back, as well as a fat quiver of arrows.

Vivi withdrew a strip of meat from a pouch on her hip and tossed it into the air so that her falcon could snatch it, turning to face the direction of Vyse's school. The four-armed berserker and merchant had asked her months ago if she was interested in learning more about fighting from a mounted position. She had refused at the time, but given recent events she had decided it would be invaluable. She only hoped that the last of her companions, the cheetah, had managed to find the man and deliver her message.
Edited by Vivianne, Wed Jan 23, 2013 2:29 pm.
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Vyse
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Vyse sighed as he filled out order forms for new equipment... the few students that were learning at the the new Charger Academy were overzealous and weren't as careful as he would prefer, but the amount of time they put into practicing riding alone gave him a small bit of pride in his students. He sighed as he completed the last form, ordering a new batch of training swords, spears, and axes... teaching these students cost him a small fortune, sometimes he even had to dip into his own personal funds to repair things that he broke when teaching the students. With the paperwork done Vyse started to the door, opening it up to find a cheetah darting across the grounds, he was glad the students were eating or else they might have tried to chase the cheetah... which immediately made a beeline to him.

He stared at the cheetah as it slowed to a stop, offering the note tied around it's neck to Vyse. He gave the cheetah a light pat on the head and took the note, it was only moments before the cheetah ran out the open gate, and only a moment longer to read the note from a girl he knew fairly well. He grinned at the note from his friend, Vivi, a young woman that was often called a Witch and labeled as a terrorist... with the new Knights that he trained he had made a small force that was being paid to keep the pathways safe from dangers... cracking down as hard as he could on poachers, but leaving those that hunted for food alone. He couldn't stop a man from killing wild boar to eat it, even humans needed to eat something.

Vyse gave a sharp whistle and started to run towards the gate, leaping up as an armor free Umbriel charged behind him. He spread his legs and landed on Umbriel's back as she ran, Vyse chuckled as he guided her with his legs, light pressure on her left side to guide her to the east. Umbriel could sense Vyse's excitement and roared, her legs hammering against the ground as she increased her speed. Vyse felt the air against his face as Umbriel ran, Vyse arrived just moments after the cheetah stopped, he hopped off Umbriel as she slowed down, landing on his feet in a run, slowing to a halt in front of Vivi.

He laughed as Umbriel went around, walking up closer to Vivi to nuzzle the side of her head. He stroked Umbriel's fur as he spoke, "It's good you decided to learn the ways of the Charger, I know I can't keep on funding the three full platoons of knights I have patrolling the roads of Norwood. As a new member of the Oligarchy of Cascadia, I find myself assaulted on all sides with odd charges, paying for people's health with accidents, and generally fixing sabotaged items."

With that said he immediately started to lay out the plans for their training, "Alright, we're going riding today, we will ride at varying speeds as we move until you get the hang of the animal's movements. Now this isn't just training for you, your partner must also know when to adjust it's movements so you don't fall off. You will both be tested and we will keep on going until you both have memorized the others movements. So lets mount up and get going." With that he climbed back onto Umbriel's back, he had done this exercise with Umbriel dozens of times, she knew what to do, start out slow and gradually increase the speed, now she just had to wait for Vivi to get on her mount and start the training.
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Vivianne
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Vivianne smelled Vyse before she saw him, his scent carried to her on the wind. A normal human probably wouldn't have noticed, but her senses had been heightened by her bond with her animals, allowing her to see and smell on a level that most humans didn't know was possible. Mixed in with the merchant's scent was that of his mount, the tire tigress Umbriel. The girl smiled and turned to face the direction he was approaching from, somewhat nervously linking her hands behind her back. Due to the nature of her childhood, the skinsharer was extremely uncomfortable around other people. She could function almost normally in one-on-one interactions, especially if it was with someone she already knew like Vyse, but other social situations threatened to cripple her with nauseating anxiety.

As soon as the four-armed man got close enough to hear he called out a greeting. Umbril sauntered over and nuzzled the girl's cheek, and she took the opportunity to wrap her arms around the feline's neck and squeeze tightly. Part of the reason she had initially trusted Vyse was due to his relationship with the tigress. Animals were an excellent judge of character, and if such a majestic creature thought well of the berserker she was willing to give him a chance. Since then they had crossed paths several times. "It's g-good to see you too, Vyse. I'm g-glad that H-Hermes found you alright."

She actually had no idea what Vyse had to teach her, but he clearly didn't believe in wasting any time. He quickly gave her some instructions regarding how to ride to most effectively utilize charger techniques. She nodded and turned to her pack, whistling shrilly. The bear carefully extricated himself from the horde, making sure to not accidentally knock aside any of the smaller animals with his frying-pan sized paws. Kratos might not be her oldest animal companion, but he was definitely the strongest. Most people thought that bears were slow due to their bulk, but those individuals had clearly never seen the thousand pound ursine in motion. Except for Hermes, he could probably outrun any of her other pack-mates.

Vivi quickly took her spot on the bear's back, straddling his spine just behind his shoulder blades. She used no saddle, instead weaving her fingers into his thick pelt so that she could keep a firm grip on his back. They took off after Vyse and Umbriel, moving slightly slower than the pair due to their unfamiliarity. She had ridden Kratos before, but never at high speeds for fear of being flung off and breaking her neck. She was still nervous, but by staying close to the experienced rider and matching his changes in speed she slowly grew more confident. Before too long she was laughing from the sheer thrill of moving so quickly, her hair blowing wildly around her face.
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Vyse
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Umbriel made sure she wasn't going to fast, she didn't want the bear to stumble and fall, the changing speeds would be difficult, but if she could move like Vyse, she could keep on her mount without a saddle. Vyse didn't need to watch where Umbriel went, her every movement was ingrained into his being, just from small changes in her muscles, he could tell whether or not she was getting ready to jump, swerve, hop, or any number of movements. With this knowledge in hand he watched Vivi, she seemed clumsy at first, but soon she was moving well enough that there seemed to be little pressure on her, he even saw her laugh as she rode the bear.

Umbriel felt a slight squeeze on her sides and began to slow down until she came to a complete halt. Umbriel gave a low growl as she lowered herself into a combat stance, Vyse nodded to Vivi, "Running away isn't an option when fighting a superior combatant, you should use your own wits combined with your partner's speed and instincts to get out of combat. Trust your mount completely and you will be rewarded with movements that will keep you and your partner safe. Now Umbriel shall initiate several attacks on your mount... it's your job to stay mounted and to move with your partner. Stay mounted and keep on moving, Umbriel will hold back her strength and speed... but if you get hit, it will hurt." With that Umbriel lashed out with a claw, purposely bringing it short to just taunt the bear, with that she would make several quick swipes, trying to smack the bear's head and legs, the bear would need to move swiftly but without any jerking motions, unless he wished to throw his rider off. He would need to move with the fluid grace of a war beast, but both Umbriel and Vyse knew that Vivi knew her animals far better than most knew their own mounts... he had a feeling the bear could easily defend itself and it's precious rider.
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Vivianne
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It seemed like far too soon when Vyse slowed down Umbriel to a trot before coming to a complete halt. She reticently followed suit, whispering under her breath to instruct Kratos to do the same. The bear stood roughly a dozen feet away from the tigress and didn't seem winded in the least from all the exertion. He spoke of how sometimes flight wasn't an option, and how to try and sync her movements with her mounts when a dangerous situation made it necessary. She was slightly nervous about having to face Umbriel, who she knew was a highly-trained combat mount. However, she trusted that Vyse would keep the big cat under control and from accidentally harming Kratos. "O-Okay... I c-can try..."

The tigress surged forward suddenly, swiping at Kratos' snout with one wide paw. The bear's reaction was completely instinctual, pulling back so quickly that Vivianne would have been tossed off if not for her tight grip in the bear's pelt. She hissed in discomfort as she jerked back and forth, struggling to keep her seat. Her ursine companion seemed to sense her discomfort and growled softly in the back of his throat apologetically. Before she could reassure the animal that she wasn't hurt Umbriel was coming at them once more. This time when the bear moved out of the way she shifted her weight to keep herself firmly positioned between his shoulder blades, and although it was still difficult this time she didn't suffer any repercussions from the sudden movement.

Vivianne collected more tips simply by watching Vyse astride Umbriel. The berserker was constantly moving so that his weight would have no impact on his mount's movements while simultaneously keeping him firmly seated. She tried to mimic him, whispering instructions to Kratos underneath her breath all the while. Before too long the bear was moving with something closer to grace that pure reflexes, still avoiding the tigress's paws but no longer allowing his instincts to dictate his movements. Similarly, Vivianne kept her full attention on the mock combat, predicting where Kratos would move without actually asking the beast. She shared a bond with the bear, like all of her pack-mates, but she had never took advantage of their closeness in such a fashion. It was a new experience, but she felt like she had the hang of it soon. With enough practice, she was sure she would be able to achieve the same effortless teamwork that Vyse and Umbriel shared.
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Vyse
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Vyse shifted with Umbriel, moving with her, keeping himself in place while encouraging her current pace. He needed to keep on moving, needed to stay in front of Vivi and her bear ally, he could see her making adjustments to her movements until it was almost a perfect copy of his own. Umbriel stopped attacking, but kept her crouched pose, Vyse sat atop her and and gave Vivi a broad grin as he spoke, "Your connection with your friends certainly has made it easier for you to learn the movements. Usually it takes a few weeks just for the animals to defeat their fear of Umbriel, now we'll go straight to the final phase of our training... attacking. This is just as crucial as defense, as a single attack could upset the rider's position. The attacks need to be fluid and quick and you either need to get used to any jerking movements... or find a way to refine the attacks until they're what you need."

With that Umbriel yawned, as if taunting the bear, her pink tongue licking her chops as she relaxed. Vyse sighed, "Umbriel... that's rude, he's still a bear, just because they're our students doesn't mean we should underestimate them." With that Umbriel lowered herself a bit, not into a full combat stance, but one meant for springing jumps, Vyse knew that Umbriel's sharp jumps could knock most riders off their saddles... but Vyse was much stronger than most men, he tightened the hold he had on her sides and nodded to Vivi, "Attack us at will, we'll be dodging most of the time but Umbriel will throw a few attacks in. This practice will not end until one of our mounts is tired." Umbriel had years of fighting experience, but large cats like herself used up a lot of energy with their quick movements, while the bear had a lot more stamina and used up less of it... they would need to dodge most of the time to help tire the bear out.
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Vivianne
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Vivianne was so focused on helping Kratos avoid the attacks from the big cat that she barely noticed when Vyse spoke again. She wasn't surprised to hear that most of his students had more difficulty learning these tricks, as they lacked her innate advantages. She had literally shared the bear's body in the past, moved with its muscles and breathed with its lungs. It didn't take very much effort for her to predict how the beast would react in almost any situation. Kratos was breathing slightly louder by now, clearly worn out from the effort of not only dodging Umbriel's attacks but also from carrying her weight the entire time. "Thanks! T-this is actually p-pretty similar to skinsharing... m-moving with my animals is s-second nature." It was different to do it from atop their back, but she was nothing if not adaptable.

When the big cat yawned in mock-boredom, she couldn't help grinning slightly. She knew a challenge when she saw one. "Okay... h-here we go..." Kratos tilted his head slightly to stare over his shoulder at her, asking permission to follow Vyse's instructions. She nodded shortly and the bear flowed forward, moving surprisingly gracefully given its bulk. It swiped one paw horizontally in a cautious test of the tigress's defenses, but Umbrial dodged the attack with contemptuous ease. The bear growled deep in its throat, but there was a slightly playful undertone to the noise. It was different balancing on his back when he was attacking rather than avoiding attacks, but since she knew what the bear planned on doing she got acclimated to it much faster. They continued in this fashion, the girl perched on the bears back as he continued to swing his paws at the dire tigress and lunge forward to snap at her.


OOC
 
I didn't really want to control you or Umbriel too much so I didn't really have much to say here, but you can assume Kratos and Vivi just keep on swiping and... chomping... and such.
Edited by Vivianne, Sat Jan 26, 2013 4:01 am.
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Vyse
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The training quickly evolved into sparring as Umbriel and Kratos kept their strikes going, Umbriel was mostly dodging, conserving her energy to make quick swipes at her new bear playmate. He brought up his hand to signal a stop to the sparring match, Umbriel complied with a huff, her breathing was heavier after a good workout. Vyse hopped off Umbriel's back and nodded to Vivi, "Alright, it seems you both have a good grasp of the basics of being a Charger. It won't be long until you two can give some of our senior students a good run for their money... which reminds me... money."

He stopped for a few minutes and tapped his foot, there was a race to take place among his students, the teachers would place bets and so far the favorite to win was Belim, a young lad that rode a white horse. Vyse chuckled as he walked over to Vivi, "If you're willing, we can start the second step in becoming a Charger. Of course that would be more extreme riding, a race is held by my students and we, the teachers, place bets on them as just a funny side wager. If you're willing to enter I can bet on you, we would make quite a bit of money, and I could use that money to get you some armor for your friend here. Of course this is only if you're willing, the race will be hard to win, my..." He stopped there as he tried to think of a good way to describe Belim... he wasn't the strongest, not the fastest, but he probably had the best control but only average skill. He continued, "Well he's the most well balanced, Belim rides a white horse named Franz. If you can beat him in the race we can get the armor and start practice on adjusting to the weight." He honestly thought Vivi was ready for it, the next step showed a dedication to the art and the will to protect your partner, he already knew Vivi loved her animal companions, now she just needed to show the dedication to learn how to fight with them.
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Vivianne
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Vivi dug her fingers into Kratos's fur when she saw Vyse raise his hand, recognizing the universal gesture for stop. The four-armed merchant hopped off of Umbriel's back, assuring her that she had the basic techniques down. She smiled in acknowledgment and slid off of the bear, stumbling a little as she got used to walking on her own two legs again. The ursine settled down into a crouch, head resting on his paws and watching Umbriel lazily. Vivi leaned against her mount, patting him a few times on the flank before pulling a small treat out of a pouch on one hip. It was a herbal pellet that she made herself out of natural ingredients that she knew would return the bear's energy. She offered it to Kratos in the palm of her hand and he quickly gobbled up the morsel, his rough tongue tickling her fingers as he made sure to mop up every last crumb.

"A r-race?" She pursed her lips slightly, not sure if she wanted to participate in such an event. It wasn't that she doubted her ability to win, but rather that she would prefer avoiding other people if at all possible. The entire reason she had asked Vyse to meet her out in the plains was so that she wouldn't have to interact with any of the other students or staff members at his school. However, at the mention of being able to afford armor for Kratos she perked up. It was one of her biggest fears that a hunter's lucky arrow would hit one of her pack-mates while they were out on their own and end their life. Additionally, she often brought her animal companions with her into dangerous situations in order to protect the order of the woodlands. If she was going to spend more time mounted on Kratos, it would be incredibly reassuring to know he had armor that could protect him.

O-o-okay! I can d-do that!" She grinned shyly before turning to the bear, scratching behind his ears as he swallowed the treat she had fed them. "Can't w-we, boy?" The ursine's only response was a low-pitched rumble of assent. Vivianne giggled and gave the bear a quick hyug before turning back to Vyse. "When is t-the race?"
Edited by Vivianne, Sun Jan 27, 2013 4:35 pm.
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Vyse
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Vyse was glad to hear that Vivi would accept the challenge of the race, if she won that would mean she would be one step closer to becoming one with Kratos. When she asked when the race would take place, Vyse smiled, "Tomorrow afternoon. I'll enter you at the school and get you signed up as a student with special privileges. Don't worry about the cost to get into the school, pupils I choose to train personally get in free, one of the benefits to being the Dean of this academy. Now you and your friends rest up for today, you'll need to conserve your strength for the race tomorrow." Of course there was a race every day... but Vyse needed to order Vivianne's armor, it would take more than modified horse armor to fit a bear, it would have to be custom made, of course, Vyse had a blacksmith living in the back of his school.

Vyse waved goodbye to his student and hopped onto Umbriel's back, the Dire Tigress sprinted off as if she had never been tired... of course she was a bit tired, but she couldn't show any weakness in front of her own students, just like Vyse couldn't show any weakness to his students. It wasn't a long ride before Umbriel lumbered in through the gate, turning towards her personal stables as Vyse hopped off, it had been a long time since they had a spar against someone who could actually keep up, both he and Umbriel were looking forward to their growth.

Through out the day Vyse went around his usual business, signing paperwork, grading students on their skills, and finally... putting in several orders for new armor... for bears. He had requested several different armors be made so that his pupil could choose which one she preferred, this way her mount could have the armor of her choice. With this all said and done, Vyse entered Vivianne in the Junior Charger Race. With that all said and done, now he just needed to rest up... and prepare for the race in the morning.
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Vivianne
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Vivianne was glad to hear that the race wasn't until the following day. That would give her plenty of time to rest and take care of the rest of her pack. Kratos was clearly thankful for the opportunity to recuperate before exerting himself further. The skinsharer slipped off of the bear's back and waved goodbye to Vyse and Umbriel as the pair took off across the plains, heading towards the merchant's school. Instead of riding the bear she walked alongside him back to the rest of her animals, half of which were napping. The others were romping around in the knee-high grass, chasing each other and acting like family despite their wildly different species and demeanors. Vivi giggled and focused on the animals, reaching out to them mentally. They stopped playing almost immediately, going to wake up those who had fallen asleep so that they could travel back to Norwood.



The girl left her hut early the next day, this time with only Kratos at her side. Although she had a magical tattoo that would allow her to carry Hades on her person in a dormant state, she only used the markings when it was completely necessary. Her home was incredibly difficult to find if you didn't know where to look, sequestered away in a heavily forested glade with no obvious trails leading in or out. No poachers or hunters had ever stumbled upon its location, and even if they did her pack was more than capable of protecting itself. Vivi walked with Kratos at first, one hand resting on the bear's thick shoulder as they worked their way out of the dell. Only when they had reached a region of the forest that had less underbrush did she jump onto the bear's back and pick up the pace.

They reached Vyse's academy for chargers shortly after midday, having stopped for a meal of vegetables and fruit for the girl and dried strips of meat for the bear. When they reached the gates leading into the structure she dismounted, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. Even though they had not yet seen a single soul, she was still nervous about entering an environment with so many strangers. Kratos rumbled reassuringly and pressed his snout against the small of her back, pushing her towards the gate. Vivi chuckled haltingly and stepped forward, pushing the doors open and entering tghe academy with the ursine in tow.
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Vyse grumbled as he woke up, Umbriel's roar was always so loud, he needed to finish his bet, check on the armor, help mark the course. Of course these chores were normal for him and they were done shortly before midday. He sat down on a blanket with a few of his students, one of them being Belim, a young blonde hair, blue eyed, lad that preferred the use of a lance over a sword. The students sitting with Vyse were the so-called 'favorites' to win the race, Belim riding Franz the white stallion, Chelsea riding Tulip the riding bird, and Tilman riding a worg named Snowball of all things.

Vyse was slowly enjoying a small meal of bread and jerky when he saw the door open, and his newest student walked in. He politely pardoned himself from his students company and jogged over to Vivi, with a broad smile on his face, "Hey Vivi, I'm glad you made it. I'll show you where we'll be racing and you can run the course once before we start." He was about to lead her outside when his students called out to him.

He turned his head as the three ran over, Belim speaking to Vyse, "Master Vyse, why are you letting this... waif join our race? I thought you wouldn't let new students join us."

It seemed only Belim felt threatened, Chelsea, a red haired human, smiled at Vivi, "Oh, don't listen to Belim, he's been trying to get the title of Master's apprentice for a long time. Then again so have all of us, I hope we can be good friends. My name is Chelsea." She extended a hand to shake.

Tilman was... well, he was a goblin, an albino goblin to be exact. He looked up at Vivianne and sniffed the air, nodding a few times as Chelsea spoke. He only spoke his name before walking off, "... Tilman."

Vyse sighed as his students spoke, he knew Vivi wasn't good with crowds... but Chelsea was a nice girl, Belim was a bit to... spoiled, and Tilman... he was silent with new people and was similar to Vivi in that regard. Vyse raised his hands to stop his students from speaking further, "As I said before, I usually don't take apprentices, but Vivianne is my friend. So please treat her well, now we should be off, she needs to learn what the course is so she can run it with you guys." Vyse waved goodbye as his students rushed off to prepare, he chuckled a bit as he started to lead Vivianne out of the gates, "Sorry about that... my students want to be called 'Vyse's Apprentice' so they get really interested whenever I bring someone in personally. Now as for the course, it just follows the Academy Walls all the way around, the main gate is the start and finish. You should use this time to run the course and get used to cornering. I'll wait here for you, so just follow the walls around, just don't use up to much energy, you'll need it in the final rush for the finish line." With his advice given, now it was up to Vivi to work on her riding skills and try to memorize the course in a short time.
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The skinsharer was glad to see that Vyse was there to meet her in person. She wasn't entirely sure what she would have done if there had been no one but strangers near the gates. The merchant led her over to a small collection of students, making introductions all around. Vivi's grin felt frozen and forced on her face, but it was better than showing how uncomfortable she was meeting her fellow pupils and future competition. "I'm V-Vivianne." There woman there who introduced herself as Chelsea and was the only one who seemed to approve of her sudden inclusion in the race. Belim was clearly upset about the fact that she was competing, and the albino goblin named Tilman barely managed to say his own name before wandering away.

Although she tried to hide it, Vivi couldn't help sighing with relief when the rest of Vyse's students left to get themselves and their mounts ready for the race. The instructor turned to her and shared more details about the event: all four of them would complete a single lap of the walled academy. Whoever reached the front gates first would be crowned the winner. With that he gave her permission to go off and study the course before the actual competition began. Vivi nodded and hopped back on Kratos's back, leading the bear out through the gate and around the perimeter. The terrain seemed simple enough, mainly packed dirt with some short-cut grass. On the south side there was a shallow creek that ran over some round stones, and the banks of the brook were covered in thick, sticky mud. She took mental note of the obstacle as she continued around the walls, frowning slightly. This seemed like it would be a footrace more than anything else, forcing the riders to push their mounts as fast as possible to stay ahead.

Her lips were pursed thoughtfully as she approached the gate from the opposite direction, thinking about the best strategy. She had no idea what kind of animals her competition would be riding, but she suspected that they would be just as swift as Kratos, if not faster. The only reason the bear would stand a chance in this contest because it was less of a race of endurance and more of a mad sprint for the finish line; his physiology simply didn't lend itself to running for long periods of time. "Don't worry boy... We've got this."
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Belim was the first to arrive, riding up on his large white stallion, Franz. Shortly after him both Tilman and Chelsea arrived, Chelsea riding her yellow riding bird, and Tilman riding his matching white worg. It wasn't long after that when Vivi arrived, she looked confident, and Vyse had a feeling she knew exactly what she needed to do. With that done Vyse had them line up, Belim taking the outside path, Chelsea standing next to Belim, and Tilman squeezing himself to the wall, leaving Vivianne the third position while Tilman had the fourth.

Vyse looked to them and nodded, "Alright, one lap around. Rules are simple, first one across the finish line wins, no dirty tactics. I want a clean race and you don't need to stay where you are, positioning as you run is part of how you race. Now everyone get into position." He took a few steps away from the course as he raised his hand, "Get ready." He waited a few moments to raise the tension before finally shouting, "Go!" With that the race was on.
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Vivianne
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By the time she reached the gate, the rest of Vyse's students were there and ready for the race to start. She silently took stock of her opponents and their mounts, instinctively reaching out to the beasts with her extra senses. As a skinsharer, Vivianne shared an extraordinary bond with all animals, and she could glean information from the smallest hints in body language and even discern an animal's mood simply by being in close proximity. Immediately she could tell how close each of these riders were to their mounts. Even if they hadn't all greeted her warmly, they treated their animals well, and Vivi could grow to respect them for that. She nodded in silent acceptance to the other riders as she joined them on the starting line, weaving her fingers into Kratos' pelt.

Vyse quickly shared the simple rules for the contest and warned them against foul play before stepping back, clearly preparing to start the race. The girl nodded to herself and changed her stance slightly, placing her feet against the bear's hips and supporting her weight mainly on her legs so she wasn't actually sitting astride the animal. Kratos prepared himself as well, claws sinking into the soft dirt as he crouched forward, a basso growl rolling in his throat.

"Go!"

All four of the chargers-in-training took off in a spray of dirt, their mounts moving as fast as possible. Belim let out a whoop of excitement as they left the starting line, while the other three stayed silent and focused on the terrain. The first leg of the race was a straight section of the wall that required no deft maneuvering, only raw speed. The horse and riding bird almost immediately took the lead, outracing the predatory creatures. Vivi wasn't too surprised; these animals had evolved to survive in such a manner, leaving any predators in their dust. She grinned and shifted her weight on Kratos slightly, directing the bear to align himself directly behind Chelsea and her mount and using them as a wind shield. The other woman glanced over her shoulder and grimaced, clearly aware of the drafting technique that Vivi was using, but without dropping back there was no way for her to stop them from taking advantage of the situation. She urged her avian mount forward, but the bear easily kept up due to the lack of wind resistance, pacing the bird and conserving his strength.

They continued in this fashion around the first bend in the course, staying close to the wall. Belim was slightly ahead of the rest of them, his horse galloping at full speed with seemingly limitless energy. Chelsea was close behind, and from time to time Vivi would spot a flash of white out of the corner of her eye that could only be Tilman and his pale worg. She ground her teeth together and bent lower towards the ursine's back, presenting a smaller profile for the wind. With a murmur she instructed the bear to make its move, shifting to one side and increasing his page by a fraction. When they reached the next corner of the Academy the bear clipped the turn, passing by Chelsea and her bird in a blur and bounding ahead of them, leaving only Belim to worry about.

Kratos' paws thundered against the ground as the bear struggled to catch up to the horse, gradually closing the gap between them... but not nearly quickly enough. At this pace, the young man would beat them. Belim seemed to realize it, turned to look over his shoulder and flashing a mocking smile at the rest of them. Because of this, he was unprepared for the change in terrain when they reached the creek. Without being directed to vault over the treacherous mud his horse barreled straight into it, neighing as its hooves were caught in the viscous ooze. Vivianne allowed herself a thin, tight smile as the young man's head swiveled back to the front, pulling on the reins to direct his mount out of the creek. Kratos vaulted over the brook entirely, barely even slowing his stride as he soared over the obstacle. Belim managed to get back in the race, but there wasn't enough time left for him to maneuver back to the front of the pack.

Vivianne reached the gates of the building first, sitting up straight on Kratos' shoulders and scratching the bear behind the ears. He grumbled happily before laying down on the grass, breathing heavily. Chelsea finished only a few feet behind her, followed by Belim and Tilman who were neck-and-neck. Vivi smiled at Vyse as she slid off of the bear's back, her face glowing from adrenaline and pride.
Edited by Vivianne, Wed Feb 6, 2013 8:52 pm.
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