~A Haunting Fortress on the Horizon~

"A dragon huh? Wow. I guess I'll have a story to tell my kids in the future. That is, if I live long enough to have any." Raphael chuckled to himself and sat up. Slowly but surely he began to get up. He staggered a little but managed to gain his balance. He wiped the sweat of his forehead and outstretched his long wings. He yawned in the sunlight and went over to the tree to Julie. "Hey, do you want to practice with that thing?" He pointed to Tempest. "I may not be able to give you demonstrations but I can at least tell you how its done. Hey, we could even do it while walking to other places with Varitas Magus in them."

 

OOC: Sorry guys >> I'm skipping over everyone's post except heartless_angel's to post xD hopefully you guys haven't done anything that affects our characters
BIC:
"Ebony!" Alec yelled when he saw the worm rearing back to attack his horse. Ebony himself didn't seem scared and was standing on its hindlegs, as if daring the worm to try to eat him. That crazy horse, it'll be gone in two bites! Alec thought as he held Unda up. "Only one...shot," he whispered as he threw the spear. It hits mark: the horse's rope. It cut the rope and Ebony moved just as the worm dove at it. The worm missed, thanks to Alec, but quickly turned its sights on Elaina, who was just waking up and seemed disoriented. "Elaina! Move!" Alec yelled as he ran after her just as the worm dove at her at well.

 

OOC: OMG YOU TOOK SOO LONG DX *Smacks Lilbueno with a ballon sword*

BIC: Mya shot an arrow at the worm. Right now, she needed to distract the worm so Alec can get the others away from the worm. Hey stupid worm! I'm here! She fired another arrow at it, hoping for the worm to turn its attention on her instead of the horses or Alec.

 

Julie rose to her feet and nodded her head at Raphael in response to what he had just asked. "Do you have the energy though?" she asked, a bit concerned for the boy's well-being. The amount of strength he had lost when encountering Varil was surprising to her. She didn't want to push Raphael any further unless his strength had fully returned. "We have to keep moving, Raphael," she said.

 

"Sometimes I think my flowery language offends people," Kirie said with a chuckle. "Although it's been worse since I received Luna from the elder." The faerie looked down at it again and poked it. Luna was so strange to her; she felt as though her mind was heavier than usual after she got this little trinket and that she had to constantly say things that didn't make sense to her half the time. Sometimes she would even feel tired after giving little speeches, like she did today. 'I have to learn how to control myself... And this new power.'

The faerie girl brought her hands towards her and folded them in her lap when Serin asked the question. "For one thing... Luna told me you were going to come." Kirie stared at the fire as her mind started to wander down memory lane. "As for my family... I don't have anyone. I never knew my mother, because she died giving me life. When I got older, my father couldn't stand the grief and the memories of my mother anymore... I just woke up one morning, and I was alone. Just like that." Kirie closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, fighting down the sorrow that was starting to revive again within in. "All I had to leave behind were unhappy memories and my flower shop... That is all."

 

"No!" Alec yelled it as his shoulder collided with the massive worm as the worm reached their target first. The worm shifted slightly in the direction it was pushed, but barely noticed the faerie. Mya's arrows buried into its skin, but the worm didn't react to them. It reared its head back, revealing a dying scream as Alec could see a girl's boot being dragged down. An ornamental staff was protruding from between its teeth, like an oversized toothpick. In mere seconds, both the staff and Elaina would be gone. "Let her go!" Alec yelled as he jumped up, attempting to grab Elaina's leg and pulled her out. He struggled until the worm clamped its jaws shut and Alec fell on his rear...with only Lucus in his hand. "ELAINA!!!" He yelled as he stood up, but the worm dove back into the ground.

 

Mya stared in horror as Elaina was taken with the worm underground. NO! YOU STUPID OVERSIZED WORM! She ran over where the worm was and started pounding the ground. Why? WHY??? She didn't deserve this! She started to cry. Why couldn't it have taken me at least? She was important.

 

The faerie raised an eyebrow at Serin, and just looked at his hand. She wasn't going to take it just yet. She was an independent woman, not some sniviling weak damsel; she was going to make sure of that anyways. "Why do you want me to ask questions about those things?" Kirie said as she looked up at Serin from his hand. "Are you-?" She cut herself off, realizing that Luna was pushing her to say words she didn't want to say. She quickly changed her words with ease. "Are you getting tired at all? If you want, I can watch the camp for a while. I may be a girl, but I'm tough." Kirie stood up on her own, wrapping the cloak around her as she looked steadily at Serin. Something seemed a bit off about him... she couldn't put her finger on it exactly, but something was there that bothered her.

 

Alec stared in shock at the staff in front of him. "...E-Elaina?" He asked the staff, hoping it'd show an illusion and Elaina would be alright after all. But Lucus was the weapon of nature, not illusion. A horse's neigh alerted him and he looked up, just in time to see Titaina running off, possibly to follow the worm's trail. Mya's crying alerted him even more and he realized what he had to do. Trembling at his experience, he stood up and walked over to her. "Mya..." He said as he grabbed her shoulder. "Mya! Stop it!" He yelled as he shook her slightly. "We can't...stay here. We might get attacked again," he said, but his voice was shaking. "Mya...I can't take care of two of these by myself. Unda's a handful by herself...you...you need to take Lucus," He said as he held out the staff to her. "Now...you're important."

 

Mya stared at Alec with her tear-stained eyes then down at the staff. She then gingerly took it. I-I don't know what to do. How can I take care of a Veridas Magus if I don't know how to operate one? Putting a responsibility like this on me isn't good. She then realized the situation. I-I'll try my best. For Elaina. She examined the staff, wondering what benefit it could do for her.

 

Alec shrugged as he gave Mya the weapon. "I wish I could help...Elaina knew more about it than me," he shook his head as he looked down. "All I know is that it's the Veritas Magus of nature...and it has something to do with animals," he recalled the earlier incident with Titania. With the horse on his mind, he looked up for Ebony. The dark horse had escaped the worm when he freed it with Unda, but instead of running off, he simply moved out of the way. Ebony huffed at Alec, almost as if it was ashamed that he failed to save the girl. "...we'll figure it out. But we need to go," he told her as he walked over and picked his own Veritas Magus up. "Come on...we need to find a safer place to stay for the night," he walked over to Ebony as he talked and hopped on, but the horse huffed again disapprovingly. I'm sorry...he thought as he looked at Lucus in Mya's hand. I guess I'm not ready. He snapped the reins and Ebony started walking forward.

 

Mya nodded reluctantly and looked around. Her horse apparantly ran off during the attack and sighed. I'm not cut out for this. She started to follow Alec, full of dissapointment and shame. I tried my hardest. If this is the result, nothing will come out no matter how hard I try.

 

'So it's come to this,' Kirie thought as she turned her head to the side to contemplate on how to word what was going on in her mind. So many visions and odd day dreams crept in her mind since even before Serin came to the village a few hours before. Some of them disturbed her greatly, others didn't make much sense to her at all. They all pointed to Serin though, one way or another. She looked up at him, watching him as his back was turned to her. What was she going to say to him exactly? Was he going to harm her if she told him what Luna revealed to her? If she walked away now, she knew that he was going to pester her until he got the information he wanted out of her. Kirie let out a puff of air and watched as her breath appeared in the cold air and disappeared into the shadows. It was now or never... and she feared the latter.

Finally mustering enough courage, Kirie stood firm and readied herself if things turned for the worse. "I've been getting visions," she said quietly to him so that if listening, she would vaguely hear them speak to each other. "They're not happy ones either... I keep seeing a dark castle, a man dressed in dark robes, and I believe I saw all of us standing there with our Veritas Maguses... But something happens to us, and we're left alone and frightened." She paused a moment to calm her beating heart, swallowing as she tried to keep her composure. "Every time I see these visions, it always points back to you, Serin. I believe Luna is trying to tell me you're connected to all of the things I've been seeing..." Kirie's eyes shifted to Serin's arm that she healed hours ago when it was burned. Most of the visions sparked when she brought her hand near something that he had covered. Could it be? Or was it just another theory?

 

Something instantly flared inside Kirie as Serin stepped closer to her. All thoughts of reasoning with this boy suddenly dwindled away and she stepped back in an instant, flaring her cloak behind her. She was standing to the side of the fire now, but she wasn't close enough to it. The heat of the fire matched what she was feeling inside of her soul and heart. "Don't you dare take one step closer to me," she seethed as anger flashed over her eyes. Now the Faerie saw Serin in a new light, but it wasn't something to rejoice over. It was like she was seeing her past flash in front of her again, back when she was alone and all by herself... Back when she was so naiive to the ways of man. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she glared at Serin; her guard was up now and Luna glowed faintly around her neck without Faerie realizing it. "Something is wrong with you," Kirie said in a dark tone. "You're not normal, your good intentions are shadowed with doubts and fears. You're standing there trying to convince me otherwise of my theories when all I was trying to say is that something isn't right about this whole mission to redeem this foresaken world." Luna started to glow brighter as anger and bitter thoughts were clashing in Kirie's mind. "I may look young to you, boy, but I'm much older and wiser than you think I am. If you believe I'll ever have feelings for you as you put it, you still have so much to learn!" Luna was almost blinding now as Kirie's anger ignited to its peek, and Kirie immediantly saw the danger. She clasped her hand over Luna, feeling the light burn her hand just a little, but she concealed it from Serin. Having enough of this, she turned away from Serin and stormed off into the darkness of the forest. The faerie needed to be left to herself... She didn't know what exactly came over her. 'Or you just don't want to admit it to yourself...'

 

Alec looked back and noticed Mya was on foot. He looked around for a second before realizing her horse must have run off. It couldn't have gotten that far... He thought before realizing something. "Oh! Mya! Elaina," His voice shook when he said her name, "she said that Lucus had a connection with animals or something. See if you can call your horse back with it!"

 

Mya started at the staff. Ok I'll try. She tapped it on the ground and thought of her horse. Sure enough, her horse galloped towards her. It was a little startled, but fine. Mya sighed in relief and jumped onto her horse. If we're to survive this trip, I need to learn the techniques of this staff quickly. This whole journey is in jeporady because of our fatal mistake. She tapped her horse and it trudged along, following Alec.