darkSpyro

As they continued their leisurely stroll, Mikey suddenly stopped. Phoenix noticed and turned his head to look at Mikey, knowing what was happening. Mikey was standing still, completely tensed up with his eyes screwed shut as he began to tremble. Phoenix watched him closely and waited for whoever to take control. As suddenly as it began, the shaking stopped and he took a deep breathe. Eyelids opened to allow the now grey eyes take in it's surroundings. "OOOOOOOOOOOOOO where are we big brother?!" Elena squealed excitedly as she looked around at the unknown landscape. Phoenix let out a sigh of relief. Elena was a handful but Darius really didn't need to be coming out right now. He was about to answer her question when he noticed she was gone. His head jolted around as he looked around for her and finally seeing her run down the path with her hands out to the side like an airplane and making engine noises. "E-ELENA! WAIT!!" He screamed as he began to chase after her as it was dangerous out here.

"You ok there?" Varedis asked, he was imagine how it would feel if he could just turn into a dragon and soar over the plains in a minute. He knew he could do it, he' become a dragon before, back when he was little even, but he'd fallen into a coma for a week after he'd done it the first time and ech time after that he'd passed out. Sad, really. Maye these caves would unlock his powers so he wouldn't pass out every time.

Damian smiled back at her, thinking the smile was menat for him, then quickly took it back as he realized she was thinking about something else. "You missing home?" He whispered, memories of the dreadful day of his family's death coming back to him. Shaking his head as if doing so would remov the memories entirely from his brain, he began walking a little faster then Amelinda. "We can't waste any time here, we need to hurry." He said, all business again.

Amelinda found rude how Damian changed the subject without him waiting for an answer, but she didn't say anything. She then accelerated her steps to meet that of him, though she was hoping that didn't turned into a competition. She use to do that back in the mines.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Catherine sighed. "Might have a bruise, but that's it. Anyway, you must be lucky if you can control your power. I have psychic powers, but I can't really use them when I actually want to. And I can't tell if I'm reading someone's mind or if they told me, so if that came from your thoughts, then my powers went crazy again."

"Well, at least you don't pass out. I can turn into a dragon but whenever I do I pass out for half-the-time equal to how long I was in Dragon Form. So, I turn dragon for 10 minutes to get somewhere quicker, then fall unconscious for five and realize I've actually lost time in the long-run."

As the two walked along the path, Snow decided to start reading through the book he brought with him to help pass the time. Of course, Toko was determined to be the center of his attention. "Ooo, what'cha readin'?" She put an arm over his shoulder as she leaned close to see the book.

"It's a Lexicon, a kind of spellbook."

"Neat, care to show me a trick or two from it?"

"I guess...." Truthfully, Snow was still rather nervous with his magic. He held the book by its spine with one hand then let the other hover over the pages, closing his eyes to focus. The pages started to fly about like mad as whisps of cold air rose from the book. The chilly air formed into a small ice shard. Upon relaxing the hand over the pages, the hard broke apart into dust and faded away.

"Not bad." Toko said, even though she wasn't that impressed.

Damian rose an eyebrow as he saw Amelinda start to speed up to him. "Either she wants to make this a race, which would be foolish, or she doesn't want to get to far behind. Most likely the latter." He thought to himself, noticing for the first time just how thirsty he was. "You think we should stop for water soon?" He asked. "Or should we wait a bit longer."

Amelinda, who was getting tired with the rush, slowed down a bit and answered;
"I think it's best we stop here. It's going to be night soon and we need to prepare fire." she suggested, looking around to see if there was any source of water nearby. She could sense it very well, since at the mines, you need to be careful of hitting a vein of water that could drown the place.

OOC: Sorry I'm late!

Name: Rae, also called 'Red,' but only if you really want to annoy her!
Age: 23
Magical Power: Can create and control fire, though she's only just discovered her powers and can't control them yet. They also become impossible to control when she's upset.
Personality: Rae is a rebel, who hates being told what to do or how to do it. She's a bit fearful to get close to people, and is very opinionated. She isn't afraid to speak her mind, even if it means an argument will break out. In fact, she seems to thrive on arguing. She doesn't always think before she speaks and can come across as rude because of that. She never means offense, but usually just says the first thing that pops into her mind. She's bold and unafriad; adventurous, and always looking for the next new exciting thing.
Background: Rae's parents died when she was 13, having gone on a trip. She couldn't understand why her she couldn't go along and reluctantly stayed behind. She tried to sneak after them, but her brother stopped her. She never forgave him when they learned their parents had died on the journey, feeling like she should have been there to share their fate or help them in whatever way. She and her brother were taken in by close family friends and within a few months, tragedy struck again. A fire destroyed the entire house and farm, killing the family's young twin boys, as well as Rae's brother. Rae and the family's daughter survived the fire, but it left them unconscious. The girl awoke a week later, and Rae two weeks later. Since that day the family treated her like she could break at any moment. They rebuilt their home and raised her to be prim and proper, to never speak out of turn, to leave fighting to the boys, to never raise her voice, to keep her opinion to herself, and to always show respect and do what she's told. She hated every minute of it. She felt trapped and unable to do anything. Baring five years of it, she ran away when she was 18 and never looked back. She lived her own life, exactly the way she wanted to. She lived off the land in the forest and had no one to answer to. Remember what her father had taught her about archery, she trained herself more, even setting up her own obstacle course in the woods. She had never been so free and happy. Then one day she ventured beyond her normal sphere, ready for something new. She ran into a stranger, an older man who accused her of hunting on his property. She claimed the forest belonged to no one and refused to leave. He was ready to chase her off until something changed his mind. Till this day, Rae still doesn't know what it is, but she claims it's fate, as Devon became her best friend, almost like the brother she had lost. They taught each other what they knew about living off the land and traveled around as they got bored. When Rae's powers surfaced several years later, when she was 21, Devon stood by her and helped her train with them. At the same time, she began having nightmares about the fire, beginning to believe that she started it. She didn't tell Devon, but began to shut him out and leave their lessons early. One day, he refused to let her leave and she blew up at him. They got into an argument and she left, never looking back, irritated that he'd suddenly think he could start telling her what to do, never mind that he was trying to help her. She's been back on her own ever since then.
Appearance: Rae has wavy red hair reaching just below her shoulders, which she always wears down, lose and flowing. She's a bit short with green eyes full of life. She wears lightweight, short-sleeved clothes, and wears trousers only reaching to her knees, as she's always very warm. She wears light flat brown shoes and always carries her bow and arrows.

Name: Devon
Age: 25
Magical Power: Can manipulate earth and minerals to his design, but never uses his magic unless he has to, fearing he'll hurt someone.
Personality: Devon is a loner. He keeps to himself and doesn't trust anyone, except Rae. He feels he owes it to her to protect her, something she'd despise if she found out. He's very protective, even if the only one he has to protect right now is Rae. He keeps a lot to himself, never opening up to anyone, not even Rae. He's loyal and kind, compassionate, strong, and can't stand injustice. He's clever and calculated, giving himself a lot of time to plan things out before acting. He sees himself as a monster, so avoids conflict of any kind, interacting with others, and using his magic.
Background: Devon's story starts the same way as Rae's, as he is her brother. She was told he died in the fire, but the truth is, he did not. Instead, he was chased off, forbidden to set foot near the family again. He was 15 at the time. The family thought he was responsible for the fire, as he'd begun to show signs of magic, and it was assumed that it was fire like his father. It wasn't. It was earth, and it surfaced just at that moment when he needed it most, to protect his sister, himself, and the daughter of the family from the fire. He couldn't protect the sons. The experience left the girls unconsciousness, and him nearly so, but he was able to get them out. The family didn't welcome him with open arms, and wouldn't listen when he tried to explain that he didn't start the fire and in fact saved their daughter and his sister. They wouldn't even allow him to prove his magic, but he wouldn't have been able to anyway, so drained from the experience. He fled, fearing for his life and feeling overwhelmed by grief. He hated leaving his sister, but had little choice. He made a life for himself in the forest, having learned how to live off the land from his father. Alone and feeling unloved, he began to realize how cruel people could be, and stopped trusting them ever since then. He stayed alone and grew, and as he did, so did his magic. He began to experiment with it and soon trained himself in how to use it. Every time he used it, however, the family's words of his uncontrollable, raging, death-bringing magic came back to him, causing him to stop using it immediately, even if his magic was earth instead of fire. He didn't want to become the monster they claimed him to be, forcing the magic away to a back corner. Despite that, he became very talented at manipulating the earth around him, though he never ventured to train himself in using it for combat or for anything more than pretty decorations. Only on two occasions did he make anything more than that. Once when he made a dagger and the other when he made a sword, decorated with beautiful stones. On both occasions, he made the weapons more beautiful than needed, in order to convince himself they were merely decorations. He also vowed never to use them except in hunting. Even that was hard for him when he used those weapons, knowing they came from his magic, and were dangerous. When being alone with his thoughts was too much for him, he'd watch the nearby village and everyone in it, without ever venturing inside. He especially kept careful watch on his sister. Until the day she came into his life. He was ready to send her on her way, not wanting her close to him lest he hurt her, but then he saw the signs in her, signs that had been there since the fire. They were signs of magic trying to surface and he knew he had to be there for her. He couldn't send her back to the family, though they treated her well, despite those signs, even if she were like a caged bird. Plus, he knew she wouldn't go back, and he couldn't leave her on her own, not with the magic soon ready to surface. So he allowed her to stay and they were like a loving family again. He never regretted the choice and was glad that he'd had time to practice his magic before when hers finally did surface so that he could help her. Having her there, even though her magic was fire, made it easier for him, though he never told her of his magic, nor revealed himself to be her brother. He wanted to leave the past in the past.
Appearance: Devon is average height, a bit stocky, with thick, slightly wavy, black hair, reaching just to his shoulders. He has dark eyes to match, a scar over his left eye, and a burn mark on his right shoulder. He wears comfortable clothes, a hooded cloak, boots, and always carries his sword and dagger.


Name: Calvin, 'Cal'
Age: 21
Magical Power: Can control and manipulate water, in any form (Self taught, so he's not that skilled with it, yet, except in unorthodox, unhelpful ways)
Personality: Cal is fun and carefree, not caring about anything, or anyone but himself. He doesn't care about what's going on around him and never really pays attention, anyway. He goes with the flow and absolutely loves to play pranks and cause trouble. He especially loves when people acknowledge his pranks and get upset over them. He's used to being able to get away with anything and also getting whatever he wants. He's spoiled, but shows it more in wanting and expecting things to go his way. He thinks very outside the box and sees things most people ignore. He also sees things in very different ways. He'd probably never admit it, as he's not one to talk about emotions and feelings, but deep down he really just wants to be loved, to be paid attention to, and to be appreciated for who he is and what he has to offer.
Background: Cal's parents died when he was 11 as they went on a journey he was 'too young to be part of.' He didn't care, as he didn't want to go anyway, and knew they wouldn't have let him go, regardless. He was the middle child of the three youngest in a family of nine and was always ignored. It was good for him, as he loved to have a good time and could get away with doing whatever he wanted, however against the rules or dangerous. He was never invited to things, which again, worked to his advantage, as he found most things his parents went to boring. The only times he liked going were if there were other kids to play with. His magic surfaced the same year his parents died, and his oldest brother, who had become his legal guardian, couldn't deal with his pranks on top of everything else he had to do with their parents' passing. It was the first time he'd been remembered or noticed, and it came with being booted out of the house. He was sent to a family who was willing to take him in, but it wouldn't be the first time. Because of his mischievousness, he was never kept long, passed around like a sack of dirty socks. He knew no one wanted him and didn't care, so never stopped pulling his pranks. At least he'd enjoy himself in the never-ending process. Cal never made friends, either, as most thought him strange and bizarre because of his out of the box thinking, especially when it came to using his magic. He spent any free time he had out in the fields and forests, playing with his magic, trying unsuccessfully to master it, and enjoying the beauty around him, beginning to prefer the company of birds and beasts more than people. His life never changed, though it was always changing. He never made any friends, never kept a family for more than a few months, and never stopped pulling pranks. He was happy, despite never settling. In fact, he almost preferred it that way - never staying in one spot for too long.
Appearance: Cal has short, dirty-blonde hair and blue eyes. He is average height, slightly skinny, with light skin. He carries a dagger, but only ever uses it in games he invents for himself. He always carries with him a waterskin, so he never runs out of water. (Unless, of course, he forgets to fill it.)

This took me a lot longer than expected, so I'll edit it and write an opening post Sunday. Still haven't decided which path to take yet, anyway.

((Damn...and I thought my sheets were long....))

//Ayy, My main girl Rumple. I've been busy with acting but I'll try to post more tomorrow. Also I was hoping day would last much longer but if you say it's going to be night soon I suppose that's alright. Travelling to the Town will take a day so everyone should reach it by the next night. Also, tomorrow I'll be setting up obstacles for each group //

Gallan shook his head, he didn't say much and tended to keep to himself but he was always think rapidly about survival ideas and tactics. "I have water in my bag. If you need to drink then I can provide you with water. But stopping shouldn't really be an option for us, we haven't be travelling long at all and evil never rests, so neither should we." He paused for a moment and then dug into his bag and brought out water canteens. "Well, we can rest, but I think we should keep going a bit more, that way we can get there faster." He tossed the water canteens at his travelling companions and he began to trek forward through the sand. It was cold instead of hot, probably because the sun was nearly down. Ahead in the distance was a lone palm tree that was located next to a few rocks. "If we must then we can set up camp there."

Varedis looked at the darkening Sky, 'How long have we been walking, how is it almost dark already, it feels like only 2 or 3 hours since we left the dome, how long were we in there?

"I wish I knew, but I was a bit late," Catherine sighed. "We should probably make shelter."

"We should probably set up camp for the night." Snow said, looking up from his book to see the setting sun.

"Yeah, I guess." Toko walked over to the side so they weren't as out in the open of the field and waved her staff. The mist from the orb flowed out and took form as a tent big enough for two just ahead of her. "Good thing I packed a tent, just in case." She gave a wink.

"Do you happen to have another one in there?" Snow asked, a bit nervous about sharing a tent with a girl.

"Sorry, sugar. Looks like we're sharing." She smiled as she went inside. He blushed lightly then followed her in.

Varedis knew all about making shelter. He took out one ofn his blades and hacked at some low-hanging vines and branches. Once he had enough, he assembled the branches into a pyramid-shape, then lashed then together with vines. Luckily, there were some big leaves in the forest which he used to make a roof and attached it with vines. Then he said to Catherine, "Alright, I made a shelter, it' big enough to have room for two so we can either share or I can make another one for you."

"We should save our energy in case we run into something," Catherine explained. "We should share." She took out a knife, but then started to put it back. "Do you think it's safe to start a fire?"

Varedis considered it then said, "For a while, as long as we don't make it too smoky, so just dry stuff, but make it weak so it dies out after we fall asleep,"

Damian thoguht about what his two companions said about the idea of making a camp. He knew that it'd be risky, and if they were to set up camp, they'd have to take shifts sleeping. They wouldn't able to be make a fire, for fear of alerting others they were there. There would be almost no shelter for them whatsoever. The best options would be to continue walking through the night, or Damian could try shadow-teleporting them as far as he could. "I think I might be able to get us a good two or three miles by shadow-teleporting, once the sun goes down." He said. "If you're willing to risk it."

Varedis collected a lot of very dry twigs and branches and set them in a pile, "Do you have a way of making fire, I do, but I often fall unconscious afterwards, so I would prefer to leave it to the last option"

"If you can find any rocks, I could try using my knife," Catherine suggested, "or we could try reflecting the sun onto the tinder. I completely forgot to bring something to start a fire easier."

Quote: Rickorio

Damian thoguht about what his two companions said about the idea of making a camp. He knew that it'd be risky, and if they were to set up camp, they'd have to take shifts sleeping. They wouldn't able to be make a fire, for fear of alerting others they were there. There would be almost no shelter for them whatsoever. The best options would be to continue walking through the night, or Damian could try shadow-teleporting them as far as he could. "I think I might be able to get us a good two or three miles by shadow-teleporting, once the sun goes down." He said. "If you're willing to risk it."

"How can you teleport us if we don't even know where are we going?" Amelinda asked, kinda confessing she had no idea what their destiny was.

Varedis went off into the forest and came back with a sizeable rock in his hand, about the size of a flattened tennis ball. "This do?" he asked

Gallan looked to the others in his travelling party and stopped his movement for a moment so that he could converse. "I think we shouldn't strain your powers, we will travel the most minimalist distance possible so as not to harm you, we will need you if the Sand Sharks ever choose to attack." Gallan then opened his water bottle and took a small sip.

//Sorry I've been gone doing acting stuff for so long. tomorrow I will make roadblocks for all the parties so look forward to that

Ooc: someone tell me what's been going on plz? I have been of due to certain lacks and people not being here at times.

Damian nodded, knowing that the party would most definitely be weakened if he passed out after teleporting them. Not only would they be down a member, they'd have to carry him...or leave him behind. Worst case scenario, he would pass out for two or three days, depending on how far they teleport. "Yes, I think that would work out alright." He said looking at Gallan. "As for Amelinda's question; we have to get to that town, remember? Then we'll be told where to go from there."

"Yes, I know, but they never told us where exactly is. We are just waking randomly." Amelinda complained, showing her dislike for that journey.

OOC: Everyone seems to be getting ready for sleep and making camps. My characters are already asleep, so I'm just waiting to see when you guys get up.

After running around, Elena eventually lost energy and Mikey took control again. After Phoenix explained what happened while Mikey was gone, they continued their walk as it began to grow dark.
"It's strange we haven't seen anyone yet...didn't the wicked witch of the west and her prey come this way?"
"Who?"
"You know, those two people who were at the magical fun place. I don't know who they are so i just guessed on how they appeared."
"...have you not been taking your remedies that the herb lady gave you? and that's a bad habit"
"No! I've been taking them....just not lately"
"Master!"
"Don't call me Master"
"Fine. It's getting late, I say we should set camp around here. You did bring the supplies like you so stubbornly begged to want to pack?"
"Uh...sure, it's in this bag."
"....Sir there's only one sleeping bag."
"Is that a problem?"
"Not really I suppose. I hope you sleep well on the ground."
"Hey! I meant we could share it!"
Phoenix and Mikey continued their banter until finally Mikey gave in and decided to just sleep on the ground. When they had the tent set up, Mikey started to lay on the ground when Phoenix scooped him up and carried him into the sleeping bag, even though Mikey was flailing. Phoenix just held him in the air until he finally got tired and just gave in and let Phoenix wrap them both in the sleeping bag. Phoenix wrapped his arms around Mikey's waist and nuzzled his head onto Mikey's shoulder and fell asleep, all the while Mikey was blushing.

Ooc: okay!

He makes a little tent out of whatever he can find, he starts going to sleep, but then realized something bad could happen at any time, so he stays alert but also gets some rest. He has a little trouble sleeping, so forms a little glass using hod earth power, then uses a small amount of his fire power and puts it inside the glass and goes to sleep.

OOC: Creating characters and their backstories is one of my favorite parts of RPs, so they're usually a bit long. All the better to know how they'll act in any and all situations. Sorry for being late again. All character sheets are officially edited and finished. Long post incoming. I'm gonna do my best to catch up. Don't feel like you have to read this. It's just an intro post and got long because I got involved so late.

Rae stood staring at the large dome before her, not knowing what awaited her inside. She didn't even know why she was there. All the letter had said was that darkness was coming and if she wanted to avoid it, she should come. Why she came, she couldn't say. After all, who was she to stop darkness when she was a bit dark herself. Several years ago, she had learned of the magic within her, powerful and destructive, if uncontrolled. That was exactly her problem. She couldn't seem to control it, no matter how hard she tried, or how hard she worked at it. The fire would either go wherever it darn well pleased, or she'd explode with a great burst of flames. She sighed. Maybe that's why she'd convinced herself to come. Whatever darkness was coming, maybe stopping it would also stop the magic within her. Or at the very least, stop the destruction it caused. It was dangerous and she'd hate to hurt anyone simply because she couldn't control it, or because she unleashed it accidentally. Not again.

Pushing those thoughts away, she moved up to the dome, ready to enter, when a hand suddenly reached out of nowhere and pushed the door shut again. Growing upset, she glanced up and to her left and saw a face she hadn't expected. Stepping back, she frowned, her anger deepening. "What are you doing here?" She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Are you wearing the pendant?!" He demanded, equally authoritative and annoyed in his tone.

Rae's frown deepened. "Did you really come here to check up on me? How did you know about that, anyway?" She couldn't believe him. She'd thought she'd left him behind for good, and yet, here he was, trying to protect her like the fragile child she'd always been treated as.

"Put it on," he responded, nodding to her pocket.

She made no move to obey. "Who are you to tell me what to do? Where do you get the right to do that?! Argh! You're so infuriating!" She could feel her face and hands burning with rage.

"Rae," Devon warned. "Calm down..."

"No!" She spat. "I will not calm down! You followed me here without my consent, you're checking up on me, treating me like I'll break at any moment, and now, you're trying to tell me what to do!"

That was it. She's snapped. Fire suddenly sprang from her right fist as she pointed an angry and accusing finger at Devon. She heard an excited, fascinated shout and knew someone else had arrived, but she didn't care. Fear filled her as she watched. Fortunately, Devon was able to leap out of the way and the fire just missed him, hitting the ground and leaping toward the dome. It could do nothing against the dome, leaping up its sides and burning itself out as it couldn't catch on anything. Some of it, though, still made it's way along the ground. Rae felt awful.

"No..." She whispered, defeated, simply staring at it as if pleading would stop it from spreading and destroying the beautiful grass all around.

"Rae, grab it! Control it! Demand it to stop it's spread."

Devon was speaking, but she felt frozen, unable to move. Suddenly, a small stream of water snaked its way through the air and splashed down upon the fire, putting it all out. Rae was shocked. Had she really just seen that? A young man with dirty blonde hair and dancing blue eyes moved past her, toward the fire, putting a hand out, his other on a waterskin. Rae watched as the water that had sunk into the ground magically floated upward, forming itself into a stream and snaking its way into the water skin.

The young man turned to her, smiling pleasantly. "Hello! Name's Cal! That was certainly a display you put on. Impressive."

Rae blushed unintentionally as he moved closer to her, brushing her hair back from her face. "Uh, thanks. Good thing you were there to put it out."

Cal shrugged. "About the only thing water's 'useful' for, I guess." He grinned. "Say, we make a pretty good team. I don't think I caught your name."

He extended a hand to her and Rae felt suddenly shy.

"Back off, will you?" Devon said, clearly upset with Cal for some reason, stepping up beside him and putting an arm up in front of him. Cal stepped back, putting his hands up in surrender.

"I meant no harm."

Rae's anger was suddenly back, as she turned to Devon. "There you go, again! Always butting in. Especially where you're not wanted." She growled the last word, letting her anger out a bit before continuing. "I can take care of myself!"

"I didn't say you couldn't," Devon said, calmly. "But, as your brother, I can't help my desire to protect and defend you."

"You're not my brother," Rae responded, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away, not noticing the look of pain in Devon's eyes.

"I take it you two know each other?" Cal asked, watching them curiously.

"Yes."

"Unfortunately," Rae said with a huff.

"And I take it you don't like each other." Cal laughed. "Reminds me of home."

"What's your reason for being here," Devon asked him, growing a bit upset. Rae smiled. She kind of like Cal. Especially how he found a way to get under Devon's skin.

"I was told to come here. In a letter."

"Then you're right," Devon sighed. "We did all come for the same reason." Rae was shocked. Devon had been summoned, too? She hadn't expected that. Perhaps he hadn't been checking up on them. Perhaps fate had brought them together yet again. "We better go in."

Devon lead the way inside and Rae was instantly bombarded by a rush of words to her head. Distracted, she didn't hear it all as she tried to figure out where it was coming from. It could have been from any of those gathered in the room. When she heard mention of her parents, she focused on the words in her head, forgetting about where the words were coming from. Heroes? Her parents had died as heroes? Why had no one told her?! Anger flooded her and she clenched her fists. Now more than ever, she wished she'd gone with them. She might have been able to help! Now it was too late, but if nothing else, she could avenge them!

Listening to just as much as she needed to to be on her way, Rae turned on her heels and marched out of the room, ready to be off and on her way. The armor that had suddenly appeared on her didn't bother her, as she hardly noticed it, her mind far away on their destination and the enemy that awaited them there. An enemy who was responsible for her parents' deaths and one she was eager to kill!

OOC: Double posting because my post was too long. Sorry.

Rae had chosen the path of the field, wanting to be away from Devon. She knew he'd take the forest path. He had spent almost his entire life living off the land in a forest near her home, which was where she'd first met him, so naturally he'd take the most comfortable and easy path for him. She should have, too, she knew, but she really wanted to be by herself, alone with her thoughts. She'd paid no attention to where Cal had gone, and wasn't even sure he'd left the dome at all, but it didn't matter. She was on her own, just the way she preferred it.

She walked briskly through the field, trying to calm her churning thoughts, lest they cause her fire magic to burst out of her. She couldn't believe that her parents were heroes, nor that they'd died because of that. It was incredible! And now, she was following in their footsteps? She couldn't wrap her head around it. She had no idea whether she was actually a hero like them, but she knew one thing for sure. She wanted nothing more than to kill the one responsible for their deaths.

As she walked, she realized how hot she was getting. She was often hot, and guessed that it came from the magic within her. It was like her body was furnace. Now, with the armor she'd been given, she was hotter than normal. Stopping, she started striping it off. She simply had to be rid of it. She'd wear the lightweight clothes she was used to wearing.

"Stop!" The shout caught her off guard. She turned and instant anger took her.

"What are you doing here?! I thought you'd go to the forest!"

"We should stay together. It's safer."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she replied, turning away.

"I know..." Devon paused, causing Rae to turn back. She'd never seen him so... vulnerable. "Maybe it's I who needs your help."

"What?" Rae asked, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"You have magic. Fire magic. That's very useful when it comes to fighting and protection."

Rae hung her head, looking to her hands. "It's also destructive and dangerous."

"It's better than what I've got... And you'll get better. You'll see."

Rae sighed. She'd still rather be alone than traveling with Devon, but if he needed her help, she'd gladly aid him. She couldn't turn that opportunity down. Besides, this - his encouraging words - were something she sorely missed, though she'd never admit that to him.

"So what do you say?" Devon asked. "Can we travel together?"

Rae turned to him, trying to act like she didn't care as she studied him. "Fine, I suppose so."

Devon nodded to her. "Thank you. It'll be nice to spend some time together again."

Rae nodded in response. "Yeah, it was getting kind of lonely."

"Awwww... Well, isn't that sweet. Have you two finally made up?" The question was followed by uncontrollable laughter.

Rae turned to see Cal approaching them on what looked like a bed of water. He was lying on his back on the river of water that stopped just beyond his head and feet. It flowed just like a normal river as he waved his arms about in a backstroke gesture, as though he were swimming in it, though his arms were on either side of the water, never touching it. Rae was taken off guard by the sight, and she had to admit, she was impressed. Cal seemed to have some control over his magic. At least, more than she did.

Devon, meanwhile, frowned at Cal. "What are you doing here?"

"Going with the flow. Seeing where it takes me."

"You're obviously controlling it."

"No, I'm not." Cal responded, sitting up. He stopped moving his arms, the water stopping where it was. "I'm controlling the movement of the water, but not the direction." He laughed in a disgusted way. "Trust me, the last thing I want to do is spend all day around the two of you bickering."

Devon nodded, turning away, obviously not believing Cal. "Go where you will, then."

With that, he walked off. Rae followed, then remembered why she'd stopped in the first place. "Oh, this armor!" She started to strip it off again.

"Rae, wait..." Devon started. Rae shot him a look. He stopped himself, thinking carefully before continuing. "Why are you taking it off?"

"It's so hot!"

Devon nodded, walking on. "Alright."

Rae stood in stunned silence. He wasn't going to try to stop her?

Devon glanced back. "At least keep the breastplate on, will you? It'll serve you well."

Rae watched as he kept walking. For once, she couldn't be angry with him. He was right, as he usually was, but this time he wasn't demanding.

"And put your pendant on," he called back again. "If you lose your magic, then we're both toast out here!"

Rae had no idea what had changed with Devon, but she liked it. She quickly striped off all of her armor except her breastplate, then put on the pendant. The breastplate still made her hot, but without the other armor, her skin got enough air that it wasn't as bothersome. She smiled as she watched Devon walk on. She hadn't wanted to travel with him, but now she was glad she would be. It would be nice to have the company. Glancing back, she saw Cal still floating on his mini river, heading toward her. Whether he was controlling the direction he was going or not, he was obviously coming with them. It was certainly going to be a fun journey.

OOC: One final post to get caught up. This is the one to read, as it's the one that relates to others. Sorry for the overload of long posts. (I know this is an RP, not a novel. I just got a bit carried away while playing catch up.) But I shall keep up with this, now, and won't need to do this again.

Traveling with Cal had quickly proven to be annoying. He'd get bored and start harassing either she or Devon with his water. Neither of them appreciated it. As darkness began to come upon them, Cal sat up again, his mini river stopping.

"So, where are we gonna make camp?" He asked.

Rae and Devon glanced back at him. "We travel at night," Rae said.

"How do you see?" Cal asked.

Devon and Rae shared a look before Devon explained. "The moon'll be bright enough, especially with no trees around."

Cal nodded. "I see... But aren't you tired?"

Devon shrugged, shaking his head. "No. Rae?"

Rae shook her head as he turned to her. "Not in the slightest."

"Well, I am," Cal said, "And I think it would be wiser not to travel at night."

"How can you be tired?" Rae asked, completely dumbfounded. "You've been lying on your back all day, letting your water do all the work!"

Cal frowned. "Someone has to control that water, Red!"

Rae frowned. She hated that nickname the moment he'd given it to her. It wasn't like she'd never heard it before. It infuriated her. She clenched her fists. Devon put a hand on her shoulder, and she let out a breath, allowing her anger to slowly fade. She turned and walked on.

Suddenly she was slipping on a patch of ice that had appeared out of nowhere courtesy of Cal. She picked herself up off the ground with a grunt, glaring at Cal. "Good one, Slick! No wonder you're tired, you haven't stopped pulling stupid pranks with your stupid water magic!"

"He hasn't stopped running his mouth, either," Devon said, helping her to her feet.

"We're moving on," Rae said, still glaring at Cal. "If you're tired, then camp on your own!"

She turned and marched off, hearing Devon laugh behind her, then hurry to catch up. "Good one, Rae!"

"You just don't know how to have any fun, Red, that's your problem." Cal had caught up and was floating beside them again.

"Oh, don't I?" Rae asked, grinning as she glanced to Devon. She moved over to Cal, silently, and he didn't notice. Her grin widened as she lifted her hands. "Come on..." She whispered to her magic.

Slowly, she could feel her hands heating up. Doing a silent cheer, she held them up below Cal's water bed. Concentrating, she allowed her hands to get hotter and hotter, until finally they sparked, two small flames appearing over each palm. Smiling in joy at the success, she held the flames under Cal's bed, watching as the water heated up.

"Yaaaawwww!" Cal screamed, leaping from the bed. Rae laughed, the flames disappearing from her hands as she stopped concentrating on them. Her hands cooled as she moved back to Devon.

Cal turned to her and suddenly his heated water was before her in a giant wave. She glared at him. "Don't you dare!"

"Stop!" Devon suddenly shouted, crouching low. Rae caught his fear, and Cal must have, too, for the wave suddenly collapsed to the ground and then Cal was there beside her, kneeling.

She crouched, as well, speaking in a low voice. "What's wrong?"

"There," Devon said, pointing out what appeared to be a tent. "We're not alone."

"Do you think they're friend or foe?" Cal asked.

"I don't know," Devon replied.

Rae watched the tent, suddenly filled with worry.

((I am so glad I read all that. ))

Damian had been about to say that he could see the moon peeking up from the horizon-and could already feel himself growing stronger because of it-when he heard Amelinda's response to how he addressed her concern. "It shows it on the map they gave us, does it not?" He asked, worry settling into his voice. He quickly fixed that, setting about to look through his pack to find it.

After a good five minutes' search, he pulled out the map, quickly scanning for the town they were heading towards. "At least a good ten miles away," He said, "easy if we keep on walking for another hour or so. We could set up camp, and keep hour shifts so the others could get rest."

He turned towards Amelinda. "It's a small town we're headed for; almost missed it on the map."

He woke up again, he wanted to stay up with the others. Cody wondered what was still to come and when he would get to show off his powers. He heard someone mention something about a small town, he came over to the others and just walked waiting for something to happen. He had a idea, "hey guys! If we get the chance or whenever, let's show each other a powers" said Cody obviously getting excited by his face expression.

Quote: Rickorio

((I am so glad I read all that. ))

Damian had been about to say that he could see the moon peeking up from the horizon-and could already feel himself growing stronger because of it-when he heard Amelinda's response to how he addressed her concern. "It shows it on the map they gave us, does it not?" He asked, worry settling into his voice. He quickly fixed that, setting about to look through his pack to find it.

After a good five minutes' search, he pulled out the map, quickly scanning for the town they were heading towards. "At least a good ten miles away," He said, "easy if we keep on walking for another hour or so. We could set up camp, and keep hour shifts so the others could get rest."

He turned towards Amelinda. "It's a small town we're headed for; almost missed it on the map."

Amelinda took another look at her map, and indeed there was a small dot indicating the town.
"Whoever made these idiotic maps? My eyes aren't that good you know..." she complained. Working in mines partially damaged her eyes.

A naked Toko poked the front half of her body out of the tent. A drunken blush across her cheeks and a bottle of rum in one hand. "Will you people be quiet! Some of us are trying to sleep." She yelled out to Cal, Rae, & Devon, her words slightly slurring and her body swaying as she moved, unable to stay standing very well due to how empty the bottle was.

A male voice, Snow's, came from within the tent "OH MY GEEZ! WHY ARE YOU NAKED?!?!"

Toko turned back to the tent. "Oh hush sugar, go back to sleep."

"BUT WHY ARE YOU NAKED?!?! YOU KNOW I'M IN HERE TOO!"

"If it bothers you, then cover your eyes..." She shook her head at him, before stumbling backwards, back into the tent.

//Sorry I haven't been around much! I'm so busy lately!
It's cool rumple, i love reading your posts~//

Gallan smiled at Cody. "I'd love to see your powers buddy, but maybe we should wait til town, we don't want to strain ourselves. He then nodded to Damian and Amelinda. "It's not too long of a Journey, the problem is the deeper you go into the Desert the rougher the storms get and I have quite a bad feeling as we haven't hit any hardships as of yet. Its been smooth sailing and that isn't a usual occurrence in the Desert."

It was like the Universe itself had been listening in because just at that moment the clouds in the sky darkened and lightning blared through the sky, a large crackling noise was produced from the clouds above and just like that the once hot Desert was caught in a torrential downpour. It wasn't just the Desert either, The Fields were hit with the rain and so was the Forest, of course the Forest provided more shelter from the weather than the other routes but that didn't mean much considering trees began to sway and fall over. It was a terrible storm clearly mustered up by someone with great Dark Magic. And just like that, trees were falling like crazy in the forest, the field had been struck with lightning which caused a fire in the fields, large, and raging, it was odd because the rain wasn't putting out the fire, most likely because whomever caused the storm was protecting the fire from the rain. last but definitely not least the Desert began to rumple with an earthquake which awoke the ever-hungry Sand Sharks.

Gallan was sent flying from the earth-shattering quake that had hit, it was strong but he didn't falter. Gallan was able to grab onto Cody's hand and thrown him to a spot where the Earth had yet to begin quaking. Gallan however was sent through a crack in the ground, seemingly bottomless, he was nowhere to be seen, it was now just the three heroes in the Desert.


Back at the Dome, Andoron had taken his leave from all the meetings that were being held, he knew that no amount of Wizardry could help stop the storm. The old man stood outside of the Dome in the large field surrounding it, cane in hand. He slowly put his head down, looking to ground and speaking softly. "Please let these children succeed....They are our only hope." He looked forward and in the distance there it was; A tornado, large enough to engulf an entire village. He gave a sigh before dropping his cane to the ground. Quickly he sent one more telepathic message to any more late-comers and then he took a deep breath. The man dropped his cane to the ground and sucked in as much air as he could before blowing a large gale of wind at the tornado trying to divert it from the Dome.....But it wasn't enough. The Dome went up into the Tornado and so did Andoron.

He was gone.

((Oh my god...this would make an amazing book))

Damian cursed as he grabbed his bags and the map, and got up away from the crack Gallan fell into. "Amelinda!" He yelled, as the storm was so loud he had to shout to be heard. "Get Cody! Then get the hell out of here." Without waiting for a response from his friends, he started running.

A Sand Shark chose that moment to leap up into the air, right in front of Damian. He jumped out of the way, then sent a dagger made of the shadows at its eye.

((That wasn't as long as I was hoping, but oh well))

Varedis shouted in shock. In a fit of fear, his body swelled. He turned dark red as scales erupted over his skin. Massive wings sprouted from his back fiercely as his teeth and face lengthened. The transformation was complete, he was now a dragon. He breathed a great outburst of flame, it didn't burn the drenched trees or ground, but it knocked the trees away from his shelter. Luckily, his shelter would protect him and Catherine from the rain. He slowly turned human again, then passed out, just getting inside the shelter before passing out from the shock, without realizing, he'd fallen on top of Catherine.

Cody stared at the crack, gallan was down there he wouldn't give up on him. He used his powers to create a small flying element creature (And yeah, this thing can only use one at a time) that could find and help gallan. "Go get him bud!" Said Cody to the small creature as he flew down the crack to find gallan. He started to get dizzy and he thought he heard the others trying to get him, he thought he saw the crack closing up, but he could not tell. He got dizzier and dizzier, and his eyes dropped, he had fainted.

Ooc: wow! This got huge! Let's hope everybody (including gallan and me) make it out ok in the end!

Not having fallen back to sleep yet, Snow sat up at the crack of thunder. Heavy rain fall was soon to follow with fierce winds shaking the tent. Snow crawled over to the to opening and unzipped the tent to peek outside. Outside a heavy storm raged. A bolt of lightning struck the ground, setting the ground ablaze. His eyes widened as he saw the growing wildfire. He quickly turned back inside and tried to wake Toko; though it was no good, she was passed out hugging an empty bottle of rum.

He let out a sigh of annoyance before flipping through his spellbook. "There has to be something in here..." Settling on a useable option, he waved his hand over the pages to create a small black of ice hovering over Toko's head. The block then instantly melted, bursting into water that fell over Toko.

She shot up in her sleeping bag and looked around. "Huh? What?"

"Put some clothes on, we have to go now. There's a big storm and wildfire outside."

Still tired, he wanted to see for herself, checking outside. After seeing it for herself, she waved her staff sending out the dark mist to form into clothes over her body then engulfing the tent in shadows, returning it to the pocket in her staff. As soon as the tent had faded, the rain hit them. The two gathered their things together and ran.

The gesture that Cody has made would have been quite helpful, if it weren't for the fact that the ground kept shifting all over. The crack that Gallan had fallen into had closed completely, he was as good as dead. There was no saving him now.

Back on the surface things weren't looking good either, The Sand Sharks were incredibly territorial and would fight to the death if it meant saving their land from travelers, and what was even worse; they traveled in packs. Just like that another large sand shark popped out of the sand, there must have been thousands of razor sharp teeth in its mouth. One by one Sharks were popping up everywhere, trying to get a bit of the trespassers in their Desert.

The rain fell harder and faster to the point where it was near impossible to see in the darkness that covered the land. The fire still raged strong and was beginning to spread, the only way of putting it out being Light Magic of course, however it would take a powerful spell to do such.

The the Forest trees were still being uprooted and slamming down against others creating a sort of domino effect. Animals of all kind scurried about to find their homes and seek shelter from the storm, unfortunately some animals were more grumpy than anything, that being the Cougars and the Bears (Especially those with antlers) It was a menagerie of disaster and the shelter up above was deteriorating slowly so that more rain came down.

Damian had fallen to the ground as he had jumped away from the Samd Shark, only to see at least ten coming towards him. As far as he knew, Amelinda could be dead at this point. There wasn't much that could stop a Sand Shark, short of a lightning bolt, or a good shot to the-"Wait a minute..." He muttered to himself as he ran for his life. "Amerindians! Where ever you are, if you aren't dead, now would be a good to use those storm powers of yours!" And, just Damian's luck, he tripped on a rock. Of course, it saved his life, as he realized when a Sand Shark flew over his sprawled form.

'Don't die, don't die.' Were the only thoughts that flooded his mind as he ran towards the direction of the moon; that was the general direction of the town. Hoping this wouldn't cost him his life, he casually looked to his right and left...only to see nothing but storms for miles. "This can't be a normal storm..." Came his awed muttering. Then he blacked out from pain.

Ooc: who knows what happened to gallan and Cody and Damian blacked out! Amelinda is the only one left that can save us. Or hope something else happens...

((Well, Damian's barely gonna survive. <.>
I'm just waiting for someone else to post))

The two continued to run through the field, guided only by the flickering flames of the growing fire. It wasn't much, but it gave them a sense of direction. The heavy rainfall didn't help much either, clouding their vision to keep them from seeing much more than a few inches ahead of them.

"How much longer until we reach that town?" Toko said, shouting to be heard over the sounds of rain and thunder.

"Last time I checked the map, about 10 miles."

"We can't keep this up that long! We have to think of something. At least to help with the rain."

Mikey screamed awake when the lightning struck. Jolting awake, he frantically tried to get up but was wrapped tightly in Phoenix's arms as he snored softly. Mikey struggled and struggled until he got a response from Phoenix. "No baby...I want to cuddle some mooorre.....mommy said that we didn't want to wake uuuppp" he muttered, obviously still asleep. Unimpressed, Mikey struggled harder and began to hit Phoenix's chest until he finally woke up. "Urg...do you know what time it is? I was having the most wonderful dream about you..." Phoenix mumbled, some drool coming from the side of his mouth. "It's down pouring out there! And I just heard lightning strike and with all the vegetation, i'm pretty sure there's a fire! Get up!" Mikey yelled as he wiggled out of Phoenix's arms and got dressed. He stopped halfway, noticing he was only in his underwear. "Uh, I didn't go to bed with only underwear on..." he said cautiously. "I know" Phoenix replied, winking. Mikey groaned and slapped Phoenix to knock some sense into him as he put on his clothes and threw Phoenix's clothes at him. Suddenly, the side of the tent caught on fire. They had camped in the vegetation as they thought it was safer than out in the open. Mikey began to freak out as Phoenix put the rest of his clothes on and grabbed the supplies and Mikey and ran out of the tent. They then noticed the wildfire that had surrounded them and the heavy rain dropping on them. They began to run for it but were blocked by a wall of fire. Phoenix swore as he became drenched. Since he was wet, he was unable to create or control any fire. "How exactly is there a fire when it's raining?" Mikey asked quizzically. "Don't be smart right now, just try to get out of it" Phoenix yelled as he looked around for an exit. The water had soaked into their clothes and onto their skin. Mikey began shivering, even with the blaze ahead of them. Phoenix tried to contain the fire, but to no avail. More swear words came out of Phoenix as he grabbed Mikey's hand and began to run around for another exit.

Ooc: oh well. I'm gonna do this.

The elemental creature returns and flies Cody to safety, The elemental spirit flies back to get Damian. Cody wakes up things are still looking bad, he turns to Amelinda, then back to see no sight of Gallan and Damian blacked out. He then sees the elemental creature. "Go rescue Damian buddy!" Says Cody. It flies off. The Cody remembers Gallan and feels sad but then rises "Gallan would want us to make it! Let's make him proud!" Says Cody.