Merriminto

[Ritios]

Lillyann wandered through the forest, not really having any distinct tracking abilities. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure that Rei was behind her still... She was starting to doubt her own intelligence. After seeing the swordswoman's figure, she continued to slowly maneuver around the branches and roots.

As the two continued through the countless branches, a storm started to pick up, the wind was blowing violently and Lillyann could hear thunder rumbling in the distance. "Rei, I think it'd time we regrouped..." Lillyann said, with a very worried tone. She hadn't seen any sign of Lique or Kenty, so she hoped that they were safe, she was also wondering how Tawnie was doing with the strange alchemist girl.

"Allrighty, I'm just going to focus the mana on this one, so that it's a signla..." she said, thinking aloud." She started to concentrate, and green sparkles filled the space around her. They were emitting a faint green aura, not being able to shine as brightly as when Lillyann had full concentration. After a time, she raised her hand, and the sparkles gathered at her fingertips. She moved her hand in an X shape swiftly, sending two blades of air force straight into the sky. Afterwards, she immidiately took her hand and formed a gun with it. She pulled the trigger, like children do when they play imaginary games, and said "Impulse."

The blades disappeared and a bright green light shined in their place, she hoped that it would be bright enough for Tawnie and the alchemist to see... Maybe even Keny and Lique.

Spoiler: show

Crosswind - Two blades of air slash the foe, forming an X.
Impulse- Causes a spell to burst back into the mana that was used to cast it. Usually extremely bright, used to cancel spell casts.

[Rei]

Reihyan followed a space behind the the younger girl, stopping occasionally to kneel down and check something. It was no use - either the boys hadn't come this way, or she'd lost her touch.

They'd been searching for a while, with no luck, when Lillyann stopped. "Rei, I think it's time we regrouped..." she said, more worried than usual. The wind had been picking up for some time now, and glancing at the mass of black clouds gathering above them, Reihyan had to agree with her. Something about this storm made her uneasy.

"Allrighty, I'm just going to focus the mana on this one, so that it's a signal..." Green sparkles started to pop around the girl's body as she started to form the spell. Curious, Rei moved to stand in front and watch - she'd never had much training in magic, and it had ended... suddenly. Maybe I can learn something if I just pay attention, she mused. Lillyan raised her hand, and the mana sparkles merged at her fingertips. The mage slashed twice at the air, leaving a faint green trail, and Reihyan felt a gust shoot up into the sky. A wind spell.

Immediately the girl pointed upwards - thumb extended curiously, as if she were playing a child's game - and whispered, "Impulse." A bright green light burst overhead, throwing shadows back against the clouds. ...No way the others could miss that. Reihyan stared at it, impressed. Lillyann was so timid, but she was powerful enough to do a spell of that magnitude! ...And I can barely manage to make a breeze, the warrior thought, amused.

Without warning, a peal of thunder cracked the air, and a gale rose up all around them. The force of it knocked the girls back; Reihyan staggered, hair whipping madly, and only managed to keep her balance by the sheer weight of Vaillant on her back. "Lillyann!" She tried to shout over the wind roaring in her ears, but her voice sounded tinny in comparison. "Lilly! What's going on?!"

The black clouds started to swirl ominously with the tempest, and even as the green glow dissipated, the sky lightened above them. White, crackling veins of electricity manifested at its edges, tracing the form of Lillyann's spell - feeding the white-hot orb of light at its center. Sparks jumped down from it, several feet from the sphere, and greedily snapped up what was left of the faint green glimmers. The air popped with atmospheric charge as the electric arms clawed their way down, getting closer.

This couldn't be part of the spell, could it? ...But it's not natural, either! A furious hissing filled the air, and suddenly the sparks were on top of them. "Lillyann!" she shouted again, whirling to catch sight of the girl. "We need to move, now!" Her arm shot out, grasping fingers closing the distance between them - and the wicked light surged downwards in a blinding, devastating beam.

---------------------------------------------------------

Electricity crackled over Nicolette's skin, reacting violently with her aura. The shocks were painful, but bearable - for the moment. She tried to draw her own energy in, making herself as neutral and inert as possible. It was hard - her muscles spasmed with the repeated jolts, making her tremble uncontrollably - but she did it, methodically forcing her mana to withdraw an inch, then another.

Another ring of thunder broke the sky, but she concentrated all of her physical and mental power on that - on surviving. Still, in the back of her head, the strangeness of it was starting to eat at the girl's over-analytical mind. The abrupt change in the weather, as well as its intensity, seemed unnatural - and besides that, the timing couldn't have been worse for the group. Nicolette didn't believe in coincidences; and the fact that they had made their escape from Olanoire only to be confronted with a freak storm wasn't lost on her. But, why?

A bright light flashed overhead - she could see it even through her sealed eyelids - but the alchemist didn't dare look up. The wave of nausea that followed, however, was overpowering - and she rocked forward despite herself, losing her grip on her aura.

...Her eyes popped open in surprise, and she sucked in an unsteady breath. I'm not dead?

It was a stupid thought, of course, but the girl was truly dumbfounded. The electrical pulses covering her body still jumped and quivered, but it was little more than a twinge now; and the lightning that should have dropped down on her seemed to have dispersed entirely - or at least moved somewhere else. She tested for it with the slightest tendril of mana - still curled into a ball, ready to pull back in on herself without a moment's hesitation - but felt nothing, no pressure, no tense charge. The wind gusted against her still, but it was merely a residual air current: the storm had suddenly, inexplicably moved somewhere else. Probably because of that light, she guessed.

Clear-headed once more, albeit a little bewildered, Nicolette could sense another aura approaching - no, multiple auras. First a tiny shape - a dog? - and then an older girl appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. "You okay?" she asked, and from her voice Nicolette realized it was Tawnie. The mage had pulled her hair up, so she looked different, but still - the alchemist's senses had to be a terrible mess if she couldn't even recognize her own partner's mana.

"Sort of." ...If almost being struck by lightning counts as "okay." "But what was that weird light? What happened?"

---------------------------------------------------

The boy had finally woken up.

The Chomp Bag ogled him first, and then the tiny blue owl - bizarre and artificial as it was, it still had the beginnings of a soul, and empathy. It knew, instinctively, that the little creature and the boy were connected; and that, if it could make the owl understand the jeopardy they were in, the boy would come to their rescue. It was mute, and had no formative thought, but it was alive and willful nonetheless - and on some level, it was animal enough that it could communicate its purpose.

The Bag gazed at the feathered being for a long moment, more than usually peculiar; and then it hopped a short distance away, turning and staring at them both. When the boy didn't follow, it returned and tugged insistently on his clothes with its zipper-ed teeth, as if to say, "Come on." It moved over to the edge of the trees and waited patiently for him to understand - but it was time to go.

Without another backward glance, and no thought to doubt that he would come, it took off once more into the trees. Whether she knew it or not, Nicolette was waiting.

Spoiler: show

Sorry it's long guys, over-zealous and all that.
@Bo: You get to decide if we're toast or not :'P

[Toranos]

"Oh!" The distressed boy cried. "I'm so sorry Miss, I'll watch where I'm going next time" He said, resuming his upward position. His large brown eyes gleamed in the onslaughting sun, and it melted her heart. But, the child had flung around the corner at such an intense speed, it nearly knocked Isabelle over. And there was another thing.
"You wont find anything in that purse." Isabelle scoffed, left hand posing on her hip, and right arm extending, beckoning for her purse to be returned. The boy looked at her quizzically, how could she have known without even checking?
"I- I'm sorry. Its how I make my living." He confessed, head drooping to a low height. Hand retreating from inside his cloak, opening the purse, he saw nothing. He passed over her belongings, and gave her a slight grimace of guiltiness. She retrieved her purse, full of coins. She loved pulling that trick on thieves.

"Run along now, Child." Isabelle said, softly. After a quick nod, trying to conceal his fear, He ran off. She wanted to hurt him for what he did, but she felt a weird feeling. That it would almost be, unjustful, to do so. Pushing the thoughts back, and watching the boy scamper further into the town, and out of distance, she pressed on.

She looked around, she needed to find an Inn, or somewhere she could stay. Tracing through the town, she got a few weird glances. Old and Young, stared at her with both utter amazement, and deep fear. They probably thought she was royalty, admiring the attire she was immitating. The town was strange, built on ruins, But, it was only a section of a few different towns, all close to this town. But this must be the plainest town. Surely.

A large man stepped out, and stood infront of Isabelle. Fierce eyes, showing no fear. Fear was what fuelled Isabelle, and there was enough emitting from the others setting themselves up metres away. The man was holding a large club, spiked, and very, very dirty.
"How original. The large brute is holding the club." Isabelle softly said. Admiring her fingernails, twisting her hand around.
"Ay, Nice joke missy. I'll give ye one chance. We dont allow yer kind in this town." He said, with a voice filled of mixed accents. He was a disgusting specimen. His mouth was covered in saliva, flying around with every word. His face was built of a few defining features, a large, fat nose, with hair growing off the tip. His mouth curved, with thin, wispy lips, which gave him a dark scowl. He barely had any hair on his head, as it was all over his arms and legs. Isabelle laughed at the thought of what his parents would look like.
"And what is, My kind?" Isabelle asked, already knowing the answer.
"Fools. Witches and Warlocks. You're all mad, and we don't greet you kindly in this part of Wevs." He said, with a short pause.
"So, I'll ask again. Are ye gonna leave quietly, or do we need to do something with you?" He growled.

Isabelle smiled. She stared through the man. Looking for any piece of fear, She finally found something.
"Come here, my Son.." A woman called. A large, but beautiful woman called the man. "Mother?.. What are you doing to me, mage!" He spluttered, face burning.
"Shh, I want to watch this."
"How can you love this child? He's a monster." Another voice said, coming from the dark. A man in a silver cloak stepped out, looking bewildered. Utter hate covered his face, while looking at the man.
Isabelle stirred. She heard the sound of running, Metallic boots hitting dirt. Then, it settled.
"Phillip, Please. He's my boy."
"You didn't give birth to him. Give him up. Send him to a church, let him redeem himself."
"I will not."
The man was shaking, club lying on the ground, and his body was turning to jelly. The man was obviously shaken. Isabelle felt success.
"What the hell is going on Juke, Get this freak out from our village!" A skinny runt-of-a-man behind her called, causing an uproar in agreement.
"Let him go!" The mother persisted, ensnaring Juke in the horror.
"Its for the best Mari. Forget him." The Silver man replied.
The metallic running sound returned, and was louder. It chimed in her ears, and if it weren't for the yelling of the townspeople, she wouldn't have lost her concentration.

"STOP!" Juke yelled. "Stop it, witch!"
The sound stopped once again, and she mentally regained control. Looking at the man, she glared.
"Let me resupply." Isabelle said, a snarly chill in her voice.
"No! We don't allow magic users here!"
"Then I will continue."

Isabelle swirled around, just fast enough to grab a stick about to be impaled into her head. Ripping it out of the skinny runt-of-a-man's hand, She smiled.
"Time for a trip down Memory Lane." She whispered.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The bundle of cotton beckoned Kenty to follow. He watched as it hopped off. Looking at Cyan, he felt confident in his animation abilities. The bag was well made, but it lacked intelligence.
Kenty followed the chubby bag, as it plomped through the path. It was gaining speed, but slowly. He guessed he was going to be lead to Nicolette, the bags owner.
"How can you love this child? He's a monster.."
Kenty swirled around. He recognised the voice. The Silver Cloaked Man. Was he here?
Kenty hurried, keeping up with the bag. He didn't want to be caught offguard, but he didn't want to be caught, more. Keeping his eyes locked on the chomp bag, and being reassured by the fluttering of Cyans wings, he ran along the dirt road.
A little further onwards, He heard him yet again, even closer.
"Its for the best Mari. Forget him."
Kenty began to sprint. His forehead shining with sweat, and his arms swinging in the damp, moist air. The tone in the mans voice was dire, as if he wished to harm Kenty, and the words weren't reassuring either.
And even worse, who was Mari?
Kenty saw two people up ahead, perhaps they could help him. Getting closer, he saw the two familiar faces. Tawnie.. and Nicolette!
Joy overwhelmed him, faces he recognised. Coming to a halt, he was in their presence. Smiling, but heavily weary.
Hiding his fear, he extended a hand, as if to introduce himself to Nicolette, once again.

[Kitkate]

The alchemist girl seemed alright. Getting hit by lightning was no small injury but she seemed fine. She must have been able to channel the lightning to avoid injury. Tawnie could learn a thing or two from her.

Green sparks went up in the air and Tawnie realized after a moment what that probably was. It was Lillyann. It either means Lillyanna and Rei were lost or they had found someone. Maybe they found Lique? Then they could get to a decent down. Tawnie was ready to go to town whether or not anyone else was going to. Maybe everyone would head to the same spot. "That was probably Lillyann. We need to go meet up with her," Tawnie answered.

Off in the distance, someone was running towards them. She then realized it was Kenty. With him was that creepy bag. That bag had found him and led him back to them. Tawnie waved and smiled. It was good to see a friendly face, especially the one they were looking for. "Well now that Kenty is here maybe Lillyann found Lique and we can leave. Let's start heading for that light," Tawnie said and pointed towards where the green light had come from.

Her legs were hurting a little but everyone was looking a bit worn out. No one had actually had any good sleep or been able to clean up. They were starting to just look like a rough bunch of dirty kids.

[Rei]

"...That was probably Lillyann. We need to go meet up with her," Tawnie answered.

That big light was her? Her? Nicolette had serious doubts about that. Probably it had something to do with the storm, seeing as the weird pressure she'd been feeling had stopped right after... or, maybe the Magic Academy had taught the girl something after all - meaning Lillyann's spell had actually saved her life. Seriously? Her?!

At any rate, it was starting to rain - for real this time. The bizzare electrical storm had finally moved on, thankfully - she shook her head skeptically at the impossible thought. Nicolette's own, personal charge, on the other hand, had yet to fully dissipate; and the raindrops fizzed erratically on her skin, making her cells buzz. Her normally acute senses could hardly register Tawnie's aura, though the girl was standing right next to her. It was irritating feeling so... blind.

A soft, metallic chink pervaded the Alchemist's thoughts, chiming softly from the trees. Tawnie, turning, waved and smiled in the direction of the sound; Nicolette looked up, perplexed. There was a figure weaving its way through the tree-trunks, but it was too shadowy for her to tell who it might be - she cursed her befuddled aura.

And then - no, it couldn't be...

The heavy boots sloshed through the mud and undergrowth, making dull tank-tank sounds as he moved. He was a real mess - weather-beaten, scratched and scraped, his clothes covered in a fine layer of dust and mud. He was breathing hard, panting roughly, and a weary smile stretched across his face when he saw them. He looked almost... rugged. He looked first at Tawnie, and then down at Nicolette; and, to her surprise, there was pure joy in his face. He stretched a hand out to her.
Is this really Kenty?

A soft fluttering drew her attention - an owl, brilliantly plumed in blue, lighted on his shoulder. It cooed softly at her, eyes bright and intelligent. She looked from the bird to Kenty, to the smile, and the outstretched hand. She could only stare in wonder.

A dark blob collided with her chest, knocking the girl flat on her back. "You stupid..." Nicolette gasped, clutching it fiercely. "You stupid thing!" she hissed under her breath, trying not to let the others hear. The Chomp Bag grinned mockingly at her, mission accomplished. Its aura was comfortingly familiar, though, even if it was hard for her to grasp at the moment. I guess I'll let you off this time, she thought at it, ...seeing as you brought him back with you. It softened in response, but its grotesque smile continued to beam at her, mildly irritating. She squeezed it, maybe harder than was necessary; and then realized that she was sitting in the muck, covered in mud - and Kenty and Tawnie were both looking at her. Nicolette stood up quickly to hide her embarassment, but she needn't have worried. They were all looking a bit scruffy at this point. Her face turned bright red in spite of that, and she avoided Kenty's eyes.

The mage spoke after a minute, still smiling. "Well now that Kenty is here, maybe Lillyann found Lique and we can leave." Tawnie pointed off into the woods. "Let's start heading for that light."

Nicolette nodded silently, following the older girl's lead. She kept her head down as she walked, but frequently looked back over her shoulder, glancing furtively at Kenty. How could I not have noticed..?

[Ritios]

Lillyann saw her green blast of mana go off into the sky, and felt a warm feeling, she wasn't sure if she was relieved, or if she was happy that she was going to be seeing her friends again. This emotion, however, was soon replaced by fear, as she watched tendrils of lightning stretch out and absorb the flash. COnfused, Lillyann stared up to the sky, dumbfounded at what was happening. When has lightning ever been attracted to... Mana? she thought to herself, watching every last spark of green light disappear from the stormy sky. Before she had time to process what had happened, a blinding ray of light flooded the area. A force, not destructive, but still pressured, fell from the sky with the light, pushing Lillyann down.

"Rei... I..." she tried to say, but with the force pushing down on her, it was hard to speak. "Sorr... y..." she mumbled, before losing consciousness. Lillyann appeared in front of a woman, holding a sword. She couldn't remember the name of the person, and the features of her face were blurred, and replaced by a haze of sorts. Scared, Lillyann ran through what now, she realized, was a strip of grass. She couldn't see very far ahead, the view was blocked by the same haze that prevented her from seeing the face of the woman. As she turned around, she realized that she was lost, in this haze. Fear started to fill her body, and she ran as fast as she could in one direction.

As she continued to run, she heard something... The sound of footsteps... Multiple people... Running. Lillyann stopped, and started to walk towards the noise. As she got closer, she saw a girl running from a mob of what looking liked bandits. As she moved closer, she could easily tell that the girl was preparing a spell. "Water Well!" the girl said, in a voice that shocked Lillyann and sent chills down her spine... It was her voice. She watched in awe, as the girl turned towards her, it really was herself... "You have to remember... Hi... and Le... Kenty and Or..." the other Lillyann said, before disappearing in the same haze that surrounded this place that Lillyann was in.

She thought for a moment... The only name that had been completed was Kenty's... she couldn't make out the others'. She was scared, but she thought that waiting around wouldn't do much good. She started moving in the same direction again, quickly noticing that she wasn't growing tired even after the extensive running she had been doing. Again, she heard some sounds, and continued to walk towards them, slowing as the haze lifted. Again she saw this mirror image of herself, this time fighting a man with a giant hammer. Beside her stood a cloaked figure, and a blue haired boy in white robes. "Wait... That couldn't be..." She walked closer, and tried to tap the priest boy on the shoulder, but when she did this, his body disappeared like smoke would if you tried to wave your hand through it. Looking over, she saw the mirror image cast a spell... A giant torrent of water formed around the man with the hammer, tossing and turning him around.

"I... Know that spell... It's... Mine...." Lillyann said, even though she wasn't quite sure what was going on. Her memories of everything that had happened up till now... She started to wonder if she'd really be traveling with Tawnie and Lique... Rei and Kenty... She wanted to get out of this place. She thought about what had happened last, and remembered that a flash of light had knocked her down. Then she remembered Rei was with her. "REI!" she screamed, suddenly sitting up. She guessed that everything she had just seen was a dream. She was laying on the ground, staring up at the sky... She felt a raindrop or two land on her face and then she got up.

She looked around for Rei afterwards, wanting to make sure that her companion was okay, but she had a really bad habit of not being able to find people, and Rei wasn't standing anywhere near her...

"Rei! Are you out there?!" She screamed, fearing that she had been left behind. "Rei!!!"

[Toranos]

Isabelle stood in the trickling rain, in the dim lit street. The drops splashed lightly across her face, making their way down to her chin. Her hair dangled faintly to the side of her face, The wind pushing it against her chilled cheeks. Admiring her dirty work, she smiled. Her soft breath stirred in the air, forming a cold cloud, twisting and then dispersing suddenly. She began to stroll down the eerie town, hearing the quiet moans of the tortured villagers. She ran her elegant fingers along an outlying cobblestone wall that stood to the right of her path. With a small swish of her hand, she collected the small beads of rain on the tip of her fingers, and halted to examine them.
"Mana infused.." She whispered, confused. Something big was happening, very close.
Looking back down the dark road, she looked for any movement. Small shadows filled the street, but nothing that wished her dead. Laughing, Isabelle rethought that over. This entire town wanted her dead.

Returning to the Inn to collect her small purse full of her odd necessities, Isabelle thought it would be better to get moving. Walking out of the Inn, she walked straight into somebody.
Looking down, she saw the rascal boy that she had run into earlier, twisted in a heap on the ground. Half of his face was in the lower shadows of the ground, but from what she could see, his face was filled with fear. Her head fell diagonally "What am I doing?.."
Looking at the intensity on the boys face, she felt the same feeling as before. She was ruining his life right now, and who was to say he could even get out of this? He may not be strong enough.
Isabelle had come to an unusual predicament. Should she save him, or leave him?

Returning to her senses, she stepped over the boy, leaving him to be a prisoner of his own body.
Without looking back, Isabelle trotted in the direction of the large forest.

___________________________________________________

Kenty, strangely, was very exhilarated now. Being back with two people he knew, but who were also new friends, Was such a relief! For a strange reason that he didn't know, He trusted these two, more than he felt he should, but he just couldn't help it. They had been there to save him from any lurking deities.

Kenty watched as Nicolette was lying on the ground, hugging the Chomp Bag. This struck Kenty as funny, but he decided to hold it in, for the safety of himself. He just continued to stare in amazement. Nicolette caught his and Tawnie's glances, and suddenly ceased. Collecting herself, she got back up, and Kenty caught a hint of red in her cheeks, before the shadows of the trees hid her beneath them.
"Well now that Kenty is here, maybe Lillyann found Lique and we can leave." Tawnie said out of the blue. Turning towards her, Kenty acknowledged, slying retreating his hand, noticing his arm was still in an outstretched pose.
"Let's start heading for that light."

Kenty slowly dawdled after the two girls. Cyan must have had Kenty's excitement burst too, because he had gotten wildy. He burst from the bushes, and retreated into the next lot on the other side of Kenty. He did this continuously, and each time, he would wear facial expressions Kenty didn't know owls could make. Grabbing Cyan by the fluff-ball body, He drew him into his chest, holding him tight.

Kenty didn't know where they were headed. Tawnie had earlier mentioned a light, but Kenty didn't understand. Probably a girl thing, he concluded. The rain had slowed its pace, but still steadily dropped, piercing their muddy and worn clothing. Kenty needed some new clothes. Maybe he could get some up at Wevs.

Walking a little further, He stopped. Something didn't feel right. Watching the girls walk off, he went to step forward, but his foot didn't lift. Looking around in a panic, He went to yell out to the girls, but no sound came out of his mouth. "Well well well. What a strange coincidence." He heard from behind him. The voice was beautiful, and it lulled him into a feeling of safety. "The Hunter is now the Hunted. Gotta love irony." the voice continued. His body stiffed, arms slamming to the side of his body. He watched Cyan, his face was covered in a horrified expression. Kenty watched as his friend suddenly burst into flames.
"No! This isn't real!" Kenty shouted, voice breaking in the fight to hold back the fear, that was currently trying to find a ledge to hold onto in Kenty. He knew this was an trick of illusion, he had studied it in- Kenty realized what he was thinking. He had never studied Illusion Magic, but he had the knowledge right in his brain. "Smart kid. I've heard of you. Before they kicked me out, they spoke of you, and your friends. Your all from some other place. You don't look like him at first glance, but I don't look at people through their outer appearance. You learn not to, as a Mesmer." She gabbled on. Kenty was listening, but his attention, sadly, was diverted to what had happened to Cyan. He knew Cyan was probably safe, but he was still worried. "-Are you?" He heard her say, snapping at him, returning him to the conversation. "Are you Kenty?" She said, wanting to hear an answer. "Y-.. Yes. Why? Kenty replied, sounding fearful. He would have shouted at her if he could, but he didn't have the strength. That two word sentence had caused him enough pain.

"So it is. The Hunter of the Network." She muttered, just loud enough for Kenty to hear.
*Peck*
"I should do away"-
*Peck Peck*
Kenty was plunged into darkness all of a sudden. As his eyelids opened, he saw Cyan, pecking at his forehead, and the two girls. Tawnie was kneeling over him, and Nicolette towering above. He felt stupid, but that was the second strange dream he had. Was it real?
"Cyan!" He gasped, eyes big and bright, grabbing the fluffball in both arms.
Getting off the ground, he scratched the back of his head, "Sorry.." he breathed out.

"Help me with these illusions.." He whispered to Cyan, suddenly realizing he had said it too loud.

Spoiler: show

OOC; Why is everyone on the ground lately? Haha.

[Kitkate]

Someone was very happy to have their creepy bag back. She had never seen the girl's face with any expression but anger or just blank. There was a lot to learn about everyone in this group. They were a large and odd bunch of people putting their trusts in one another, even though most of them barely knew each other.

Tawnie was just happy to get moving, especially now that it started raining. Everyone was acting so strange because of this storm. Tawnie didn't understand it, but she was too tired and didn't care enough to ask. Tawnie had taken lead of the little group. Mochi trotted beside Tawnie, glancing back every now at again to watch the little owl that Kenty was cuddling.

The dog stopped walking. Something was going on with Kenty. Mochi barked and Tawnie turned to see Kenty on the ground. "Kenty?" Tawnie said in wonder. She went over to him and leaned down. The little owl seemed a bit frantic and she wasn't sure what was going on with Kenty. Suddenly his eyes popped open and he called for his bird. When he got up Tawnie stood also.

"You sure you are ok?" she asked him. She raised an eyebrow and then glanced around the forest before starting to walk again. Mochi watched Kenty and the owl for a few minutes, but then turned to follow his owner.

[Rei]

The terrible light was all around them: there was no way to escape it.

Reihyan seized the younger girl, pushing her to the ground - trying to shield her from it with her body. At the same moment she tore Vaillaint from its harness and heaved it over them both, arm strained with the attempt. Her muscles locked down as the beam dropped from the sky; and Lillyann's voice reached her in one silent, frozen instant.

"Rei... I... Sorr... y..."

The impossible energy crashed down on them, mind-numbingly powerful, and the warrior strove to resist it. The shock alone tore through the muscles of her arm, wracking her shoulder so much that she thought it would be ripped off. Vaillant jumped in her palm, held there by rigid fingers; but the moment felt so long that the bones of her hand cracked in protest. Still the light flared, blinding, trying to crush the two bodies beneath it.

...And then it was over.

The light was gone as quickly as it had come, but it took a minute for Reihyan's eyes to adjust. Vaillant fell to the ground beside her; her limp wrist was no longer able to support its weight, and her spine popped painfully as she sat up. She didn't look at her arm right away - the entire left side of her body ached incredibly, and she could smell something burning. Probably her skin.

...Lillyann had fainted, and her face was pale and drawn. Tight, worried lines had formed around her eyes, and she seemed to be dreaming, or hallucinating; she mumbled something unintelligible. "Lillyann. ...Hey, Lilly." Reihyan patted her cheek gently, to see if she would wake up, but there was no change. There must be something else going on, she realized, reaching for the bag on her hip.

Her arm screamed in protest, and the girl clenched her jaw to keep from biting her tongue in half. She forced herself to look at it - "Crap!" - and cringed, seeing the scorch marks on what was left of her glove. Yes, that was definitely the smell of burning skin. Her glove had protected her left hand somewhat, but where her palm had gripped Vaillant's hilt, and on the undersides of her fingers, there was a shiny patch of red; thankfully she couldn't feel it yet, as the nerves below her wrist were practically buzzing with blissful numbness. She twisted it, agonizingly slow, feeling things grinding around in her arm that didn't before, and counted herself lucky that she could still move it at all. Her sword had absorbed most of the electricity, though the charm attatched to it had been severely burned; but it was better than the alternative.

Thunder growled overhead, making her head jerk up in momentary panic - but this time there were no killer lightning-bolts, for the moment anyway. Still, Reihyan hurried to get her good arm around Lillyann and drag the girl to the relative safety of the trees. She had to make two trips - she could no longer lift Vaillant, heavy as it was, on her own, not with one arm anyway - and she'd made it about halfway back when she heard the screaming.

"REI! Rei, are you out there?! ...Rei!" A tearful Lillyann had woken up, and was looking around in a panic. Once again the warrior girl was surprised by just how loud she could be, but was relieved to see that her companion wasn't seriously hurt. Guess it was worth it, she decided, grimacing. That didn't make it any less painful.

"Hey, take it easy," she laughed breathlessly, a bead of sweat rolling down her temple. "Just settle down so we can find someplace safe to hide out for a while, okay? We need to get out of this storm before anything else... weird happens."

She tried to heft the sword onto her shoulder - failing, it looked like she would have drag it from here on out - and stood up carefully. Her other arm dangled by her side; Reihyan gestured with her head instead. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

-------------------------------------------------

Nicolette bit her lip, watching the odd pair behind her as secretively as she could. The little owl popped in and out of the thickets around them, making faces at the boy with each pass; its bizarre antics reminded her of... well... Eventually Kenty caught the energetic bird, clutching the fluffy creature to his chest in much the same way she was holding her Bag now. The bird seemed quite happy there, cooing pleasantly - it was a soothing sound. Even the rain seemed friendlier to her, for some reason.

A sudden thump broke her reverie, and Nicolette whirled just in time to see Kenty fall to the ground. His eyes were blank and staring, and though his mouth moved, no sound came out. The owl, momentarily stunned by his sudden collapse, started pecking frantically at the boy's forehead; while Nicolette, and Tawnie, leaned over him worriedly. The whole episode lasted only a few moments - and then his eyes popped wide, and he gasped as though he'd been drowning. "Cyan!"

The blue owl fluttered into his arms again, and the boy hugged him tightly. "Sorry," he said after a moment, getting up. He looked shaken.

"...You sure you are okay?" Tawnie asked; and when he didn't object, she started to walk again, a little slower. Her dog paused a little longer, but eventually turned to follow his master. Nicolette waited, worried about him - and so she heard the not-quite-whisper that passed between the boy and the owl.

"Help me with these illusions," he said. And then he realized she was still there.

Illusions? As in, he's... hallucinating? Is that what just happened? ...It took a minute for her cheeks to color again, as she slowly realized that they were both staring. "Ah, I..." She looked down at her feet, but the Chomp Bag gazed up from her arms, grinning obscenely, and she was forced to turn elsewhere to avoid the unnerving look she was getting. Nicolette chewed her lip uncomfortably. "I can... maybe..."

The Bag twitched in silent laughter, mouth agape, teasing her. She gathered up her courage and straightened up; and, taking two steps forward, poked Kenty squarely in the forehead.

"Serenity," she said, and the ring on her hand glowed briefly. Two seconds later she was walking after Tawnie, trying not to hurry, but feeling a bit trapped. "...So you can think straight," she mumbled quickly, hoping he couldn't see her face.

Spoiler: show

Serenity Radiates a calming aura, allowing allies to think more clearly and boosting their tactical and magical skills.

[Ritios]

Watching as Rei limped, Lillyann became instantly worried. "Rei?! What happened? Was I out for that long?" worried, Lillyann's speech became hastened, and she started to talk fast again. "Lemme just..." Lillyann started concentrating, causing sparkles to fill the air. She thought it was time to try something, though... She couldn't keep relying on the academy's spells if she wanted to make it in this world. She needed to come up with her own style of manipulating mana. "Rei I'm sorry..." she said, calming herself. "I need to work on my sensibility." Lillyann stopped walking and pulled out her harp. "This might... Not work... But I've got to try..." Lillyann focused all the light mana she could on her harp. causing the strings to glow a golden color.

Trying to mute everything around her, she started to play the harp. The strings were dense with mana, and every time she went to pluck one, she saw that the sparkles fell onto the ground and dissolved, little by little, the color was leaving the strings. (No... I'm not going to let this fail... Just have to try a little harder...) she thought to herself, while she tried to focus more mana onto the harp as she was still playing. Again, as soon as the mana touched the strings, as she played, it fell to the ground and dissolved. "Damnit work..." she whispered, trying the same thing again. The same results occurred. Lillyann was hit with another wave of flashbacks at this time. She saw herself again, playing her harp, for a group of people... As she looked around, auras were surrounding the people. The flashback ended, and Lillyann found herself trying, still, to put light elemental mana on her harp strings.

"The song... Isn't light..." She said aloud. She didn't know if she said it, or if something had possessed her to do so, but she took it to heart. She tried again with Wind mana, but the green sparkles did the same. Earth, Lightning, Ice... They all failed as well. Lillyann stared at thr ground, waiting for some type of comment from her wounded friend.

"Here, I'll stop messing around Rei, let me heal you..." Lillyann gathered Light mana once more, this time on her hand, like normal. She waved her hand in the air saying, "First-Aid ". A glowing ring appeared around Rei, at the same time, however, a bright light appeared behind Lillyann.

Spoiler: show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-KZpSZVSJ4 - The song Lilly tries to play whilst failing her attempts to imbune her songs with magic.