Night Raven College: Trial Start!

*Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho, It's - OH ARCEUS WHAT IS THAT?!

Dwarfs' Mine - Mine Entrance-

Kokia guessed that the large hillside where the entrance resided hadn't been touched in years, as mines looked like no one had been near for ages, thanks in part to the worn-down cart tracks and broken wooden debris around the area. Thankfully, the entrance still looked like it was in useable condition, or at least didn't look like it would collapse from the weight of the giant tree sitting on top of the hill.

"So, I guess this is the place?" Kokia asked the two boys, who had been snapping at each other for most of the trek since leaving the old, dusty cottage they found earlier.

Grim's ears flattened as he inspected the entrance. "You wanna go inside THERE? It's pitch black!"

Ace scoffed at this little furball's cowardice. "What, is the great powerful mage scared of the dark? Pfft, talk about pathetic." He started toward the entrance, only for Juice to try and walk ahead of him.

Grim shouted, "I'm not scared of anything, ya hear me? Come on Henchmen, we can't let them disrespect us like that!" He took off after Ace and Deuce as they neared the cave entrance. "I'm taking the lead. You all follow me!"

"Hah? Let the egotistical furball lead us." Ace couldn't believe the size of the ego this cat had on him. "What a joke; you would probably get us lost in there."

"Grrr, you're the one with the big ego bedhead!"

"Are you two kidding me right now? You two are still going at it?" Deuce felt his inner panic increase at their constant bickering. He had to find that stone or be expelled! Why didn't these two seem to understand the stakes at risk right now?

The bickering went on for another few minutes as the conversation went in circles, with the three of them all trying to get their points across.

Fur fluffing up at the standoff, Grim couldn't believe that his henchmen hadn't backed him up yet. "Hey! Henchmen, why are ya being quiet!? We have a majority vote to lead the group, so what are you doing just standing around?"

...

"Henchmen?" Grim wondered aloud as he turned to look behind him.

Deuce stopped glaring at Ace and glanced around for the other redhead and his cat familiar, only to not see them anywhere in the clearing. "They're gone?"

Ace felt his eye twitch when he spotted the two pairs of footprints that led directly to the mine entrance. "They ditched us!?"

-Dwarfs' Mine - Interior-

"I don't get it, Waiho; who would leave all these gems and minerals lying around?" Kokia asked her partner as they walked deeper into the dim interior of the mines. "Seems like a waste, even if those magestones are mostly gone."

Waiho nodded his head at her statement, mentally agreeing with his trainer as to why one would leave such shiny trinkets on the walls.

Kokia didn't get to continue the conversation as a gleeful voice from above them cut in, "Hehe! Of course, we leave the stones alone! It brings would-be adventurers in to visit!

"We haven't had visitors in over a decade!"

"Do make yourselves at home... You can even stay here forever!"

For the second time in a day and a half, Kokia and Waiho found themselves surrounded by a group of ghosts, although they had on old hooded cloaks rather than the stylish old Galar attire ghosts from Ramshackle.

Looking at the wild look in the ghosts' gazes, Kokia muttered to Waiho, "Have a feeling these guys aren't joking around like—" She didn't get to finish as two of the ghosts rushed in with a shoulder check that knocked her roughly to the cave floor.