Re: Survival Team Blue Pegasus

by **Elrowan Sabeur** Tue Aug 12, 2014 3:47 pm

Elrowan rubbed his eyes and grumbled blearily when Hector first woke him up. Eventually Elrowan was up though, keeping watch while his other companions slept. The night was quiet except the crackling of fire, even Alastor remaining completely silent. Soon it was Kayoko's turn, and after gently shaking her awake, Elrowan returned to his own shelter. He fell asleep almost instantly after... only to be awakened by Kayoko's scream.

Immediately Elrowan's sleepiness disappeared. He ran outside... only to see Kayoko with lovely angel wings on her back. Momentarily Elrowan was frozen in shock. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining things. But no... Kayoko had literally turned into an angel. It was like something from one of his dreams. The lizard-like thing she was fighting thrashed so hard it knocked down an entire tree, before turning its attention back to Kayoko.

"Lady Kayoko! Please be careful!" Elrowan snapped out of his reverie. In his hands, an orb of water appeared, stretching out until it formed a lance. The water was clear yet the form was solid, the pressure great enough to make it as sharp and durable as any normal weapon. With a great cry, Elrowan dashed against the wyvern. His water lance cut the side of it, where the scales shifted to yellow and became weaker.

The monster let out a great cry, flipping around immediately at the pain. Its spread its wings, towering above its human prey. Hissing ferociously, it lunged instead at Elrowan. He dodged the first claw swipe, only to be slammed to the side by its great tail. He gasped quietly, rammed against the tree. But this pain was nothing; he could continue fighting... In the back of his mind he could feel Alastor. Of course, now the other was awake - Elrowan couldn't remember the last time Alastor failed to show up for a fight. You stay out of this! He thought frantically, trying not to lose focus of the fight either. The wyvern snarled, dashing again towards Elrowan...

MP 80/100:

by **PatriotArrow** Tue Aug 12, 2014 10:21 pm

Hector has let me know that his internet was taken away despite paying the bill, so there won't be a post tonight.

by **Hector Warfield** Wed Aug 13, 2014 10:01 pm

Hector jumped awake at Kayoko's scream and tore out of the shelter after Elrowan. He couldn't believe what he saw, it's a freaking mini dragon...after I Elrowan we wouldn't find any. Oh well, now is not the time to worry about that. There isn't much I can do here without setting our camp ablaze, course it seems to be happy to destroy it for us. I need to get it out of our camp...if I can lure it to the beach it will be much easier to defeat. "Hey, bird brain!" Hector yelled as he charged into the fray. He concentrated his power and summoned his lava axe as he closed the distance. "Sirocco, keep the others safe in case it comes back."

The wyvern stopped in its dash at Elrowan long enough for Hector to get a good hit on it's hind leg. With a roar it turned around and snapped at Hector. "Gotta be faster than that!" He taunted while backing up toward the beach. He made it to the beach only getting scratched once on his forearm by its tail. "Ha", he said glancing around, "you're in trouble now. There's no reason for me to hold back now." The lizard charged at him and Hector raised his right hand. A dome of lava sprang up around the Hector, the wyvern let out a cry of surprise and pain as it couldn't stop in time and slammed into the dome. Once it stumbled through the dome dazed and confused Hector ran up, axe at the ready. With a mighty swing he cut the head off the wyvern, or at least he thought he did. Once the axe cut the wyvern the entire thing dissolved into black smoke. What?! "It...it just vanished...it was real though, I have the cut on my arm to prove it. How weird..."

Hector released the magic keeping the dome of lava and the axe in place and once he was sure there was no chance of a forest fire he returned to camp. "Well...its gone, I guess. When I killed it the whole thing turned into black smoke and disappeared. Something weird is going on here." He surveyed the damage, nothing too bad, just some trees on the boarder got knocked down. "Anyone hurt?", he asked looking from Elrowan to Kayoko.

Spell name: Lava Dome
Element: Lava
Rank: 1
MP cost: 10
Effect: Hector slams his fist into the ground and causes a dome of lava to spring forth between him and his enemies.
Power: (****)
Speed:
Area: *
Extra: Defending x2, Lingering, Burning

Spell name: Lava Axe
Element: Lava
Rank: 1
MP cost: 10
Effect: Hector summons a giant battle axe made of molten lava
Power: **
Speed:
Area:
Extra: Lingering x2, Burning

(I am still having internet issues, AT&T says it will be fixed by the 19th but I'm strongly looking into other providers >_< ...regardless I should be able to borrow a friends internet until then so I plan on being able to post at least once a day, sorry...please bear with me.)

by **Kayoko Sasaki** Wed Aug 13, 2014 11:11 pm

Kayoko hesitated for a moment when the dragon-like creature focused its attention on Elrowan, but quickly moved to try to help using her enhanced speed. Somehow, Hector made it there first though, and managed to lure the creature away, though it managed to crash though the campsite and take down another tree or two as it followed the brave man. Kayoko moved to help him, though Sirocco stopped her . “Hector can handle it!” she informed the concerned Kayoko. Kayoko stopped obediently, instead going to make sure Elrowan was okay. “Are you alright, Mr. Elrowan?” she asked, as she approached him and fell to the ground on her knees as the adrenaline left her body.

Soon, Hector reappeared at the campsite, and a concerned Kayoko hopped up and moved back to Hector has he came back. “D-did you get it?” Kayoko asked, glad to see Hector unharmed. She moved up close to Hector, arms drawn in close again. Her sword was laying where she’d dropped it when she sat next to Elrowan. “I don’t think I like standing watch anymore…” she whimpered, her natural cowardice kicking in again. She was only really brave when she had to be, unless she put great effort into it.

MP 185/190 End sustain

by **Elrowan Sabeur** Thu Aug 14, 2014 1:32 am

(NP, idm waiting either way)

Elrowan took off running as soon as the monster started chasing Hector. Elrowan had to be there for support; there was no way he was letting Hector fight off this dragon alone. A dragon... a real dragon! Even Elrowan hadn't expected the adventure to be so colorful. But that also meant they were in for a fierce fight. Elrowan arrived near the beach just in time to see Hector cleave the beast in two. Elrowan's jaw practically dropped in awe. This man... he'd just taken out a dragon! The beast dissipated in a strange cloud of smoke. Was it truly dead, or just magicked away? The water spear Elrowan had been holding released, falling to the ground in formless a splatter.

In truth, Elrowan had been hoping that he had the chance to slay it. Fighting a dragon was already boast worthy; killing it made that person a legend. When they returned back to camp, Elrowan stopped next to Kayoko. He cast a look at her, ensuring that she hadn't been wounded... he did possess healing magic. While his shoulder was a little bruised, he didn't think it warranted a spell right now. "I am fine," he assured her. He wasn't the one bleeding. Lifting his hand, water formed around it. Without giving Hector much room to protest, Elrowan lightly touched his bleeding arm. The water around Elrowan's hand transferred to Hector's wound; it was a soothing balm to stem the bleeding and make it heal faster.

"Truly, I am envious of such glory. It is not every where one gains the opportunity to slay a dragon," he told Hector while the magic worked. "It is dead," he said to Kayoko. "Do not fret, Lady Kayoko. You did a fine job. Without your warning, we might have perished beneath a surprise attack. Are you uninjured?" He hadn't seen a scratch on her, but that could be easy to miss in this darkness.

MP 80/100:

by **Hector Warfield** Thu Aug 14, 2014 2:54 pm

"I don't think that was a real dragon." Hector said to Elrowan, "it was pretty small for a dragon...then there's the whole turning into smoke business." Hector looked at Kayoko and in the firelight she seemed unscathed but the constant flickering shadows made it hard to judge. Lucky Elrowan has the ability to heal with his water magic. This cut isn't too bad but it is nice to know we have it if we need it. "Yes, great job spotting the beast in time Kayoko. And thank you Elrowan for suggesting we keep watch. I'd hate to think what might have happened otherwise."

Dawn was still about a hour off. No use trying to go back to sleep, everyone to shook up over that wyvern I'm sure...and even if we could get some more sleep, we'd have to be up shortly anyway. "Well it's a little too late to go back to sleep, not that I think I could anyway. I did some thinking while I was on watch about what else we should build around here. And after this attack I think I might be right." Hector told them about his idea to make a fence around the campsite. "I think if we have a fence and torches we'll stand a better chance to scare off any hostile animals. We could attach sea shells or something to it in parts, something that would make noise if something bumped into the fence. Might make it easier to spot a possible attack." Hector talked with the group about what to do to improve the safety of the camp until the sun came up. "Well, we have quite a bit to do." He said surveying the damaged and fallen trees around the camp. "Where should we start?"

by **Kayoko Sasaki** Thu Aug 14, 2014 11:10 pm

Hector went straight to suggesting more work as soon as everyone had taken a breather for a moment. Kayoko had told them she was fine. Her clothes weren’t torn or anything, and she was pretty sure her magic had kept her from taking any hits from the dragon-like creature. That put her in slightly better shape than the others, but it didn’t make her feel any better. How could the by so casual? Kayoko was shaking slightly. Not from cold, obviously, but from nerves as she gripped both of her arms, which were crossed as she sat, legs splayed on the ground.

“I-I’d like to start looking for a stream… if you want I can look while you work. I'll even bring some water back. I just feel dirty and gross and things…” she admitted to them, hoping they would take the queue and not try to follow so that she could get cleaned up properly. She was a reasonably pampered girl, even after months traveling before finding her new home in Blue Pegasus. Kayoko took her hair band which she’d left around her wrist and tied her hair back into a ponytail as she slowly stood up and went to retrieve Miracle, sliding it easily into her custom-made holder on her back. “I… I promise I’ll try not to take too long,” she told the others as she trotted into the forest, her sword now glowing to light her way.

by **Elrowan Sabeur** Fri Aug 15, 2014 12:33 am

Not a real dragon?! "Did you not see what manner of beast assaulted us? Scales! Wings! Fangs! There can be no doubt - it was a dragon. Perhaps not the same dragon who taught the dragon slayers of legend, but certainly a dragon." That plume of smoke was odd though. Instead of dying with a great cry and leaving behind its mortal vessel, the dragon had simply disappeared. Perhaps there was some kind of magic at play here. But what? And why? "Perhaps there is some trick or legend to this island, one with tales of magical beasts. That would certainly constitute a worthy challenge, especially one which combines the strength of each time," he guessed. There was no way of knowing for sure - at least not yet. Maybe they would find some clue in the future.

He sighed as he turned to survey the camp. Their little scuffle had left quite the mess. And there was no way he could fall asleep after such an exciting encounter. "Um, Lady Kayoko-" He began, but the girl was already trotting off. He hoped she knew where she was going. Water was his speciality, and he could tell a spring was nearby... but did she know that? Hopefully this wouldn't turn into one of those 'wandering lost' things. Maybe he would have followed and offered some advice, if she didn't seem so jumpy already. He had a feeling following after her now would only make him look like some kind of pervert... and he was a knight, so he had appearances to uphold!

"We cannot stay on the defense forever. If there really will be a repeat attack, we need to find out what why these beings are attacking us. Hm... perhaps there is some mystic ruin around these parts, or an altar of bygone rituals, or the other guilds may have information..." He thought. "I wonder if they have faced the same trial as us?"

by **Hector Warfield** Fri Aug 15, 2014 9:16 pm

"Sirocco, could you follow Kayoko. I don't like her going off alone." If she's going off to get cleaned up I suppose she would feel better without some guys around. But there may be more of those things out there, not that Kayoko can't handle herself...but there is safety in numbers. Hector focused his attention back to the task at hand, "I agree, we can't just sit here and wait to get attacked again. I think we should go investigate the island, but we should probably go as a group", Hector suggested. "We can get these tree branches cleared out while we wait for Kayoko, it shouldn't take her too long.

By the time Kayoko and Sirocco returned Elrowan and Hector had cleared all the debris from the camp. Kayoko looked refreshed and even Sirocco seemed more chipper than usual. Well I'm glad they are feeling better Kayoko even brought water back for the group. "Thanks Kayoko!" he said with a smile. "Maybe you can show us where the spring is so we can shower later. We were going to go explore the island a bit, see if we can figure out what is behind that weird attack last night." Hector went into their shelter and got his backpack with rope, a compass and other basic survival gear. He also grabbed a bag of trail mix. It wasn't a impressive meal, just peanuts, raisins and some chocolate mixed together. Should keep us going till we get back Hector came back out and ate a handful before offering the bag to the others, "Want some?"

by **Kayoko Sasaki** Fri Aug 15, 2014 10:04 pm

Nearly two hours after she’d left, Kayoko wandered into the camp with two full canteens of water, Siracco sitting on her shoulder. Both of them felt far more chipper after the walk and the bath. Even after meeting the mysterious Zahn guy. At least she knew he wasn’t going to try to hurt her or her friends know, and that he wasn’t the one behind the dragon attack. “I-I’m back!” she yelled, panting slightly as she approached Hector and Elrowan. “I got… I got the water like I promised I would,” she told them, handing them each a canteen with a smile on her face.

Kayoko’s hair was down now like it often was, though it missed its usual headband or its more recent ponytail in the interest of her hair drying properly. “And I met a man named Zhan. He was from the… the Lamia Scale team,” she nodded. “I… I don’t think they’re mean enough to throw dragons at us...and.. and besides.... he asked about strange creatures too...” she told them with an insistent inflection to her tone. That didn’t change the feeling she was being watched by a stranger she hadn’t met though… but then again they were technically being watched by the guilds. “But…” Kayoko frowned as the others drank their water, looking thoughtful. She was too distracted by this puzzle to seem like her usual slightly pitiful self she defaulted to. Finally, she drew her hair back into its ponytail. “I feel like something else is watching our camp. I didn’t feel it after I left…”

Before she knew it, a handful of chocolate was shoved into her face. The girl practically squealed with happiness as she took the chocolate and shoveled it into her mouth cutely, like a kitten taking a treat. "Oh, thank you Mr. Hector!" she told him, swaying happily. Her very disposition changed with the comforting chocolate's introduction. It made her think of safe, civilized areas like the guild hall, where she wasn't in danger of being attacked by dragons and had a warm, soft bed and a proper shower and cute changes of clothes, even if she did almost always wear the same pink hoodie over other things these days.

by **Elrowan Sabeur** Sat Aug 16, 2014 12:28 am

Cleaning up wasn't the most glorious fun, but the promise of a new adventure had Elrowan in high spirits. But then, it was a little hard for him to not look on the brightside of mostly everything. At least Hector agreed that they needed to go on the offensive. Soon enough Kayoko had returned, looking as radiant as ever. Maybe even moreso, now that she was clean... although really, it was more that she held herself with greater confidence, in Elrowan's eyes. "Excellent work, Lady Kayoko!" He took the water happily. Non-magicked water had a different taste, seriously; he was going to look forward to it.

He was taking a swig from the canteen in question when Kayoko mentioned finding someone named 'Zahn'. "Troubling news - another from Lamia Scale? You are fortunate that he was harmless, but we should take care in the future not to venture off alone." A talking parrot was hardly a defense against bandits and who knew what else lurked in this jungle. But at least they knew one thing... the other groups had also been attacked by a monster. That could only mean... "Those monsters must be part of the island's trial," he nodded resolutely. He was willing to bet that Fairy Tail had also met the same fate. "Still, there is likely more to the puzzle that we need to figure out, in order to win this competition. Any of the teams would be able to take on a simple monster."

He didn't know what could be watching their camp. Elrowan certainly didn't feel like they were being watched... or maybe he did... it was really hard to tell with Alastor's presence on the edge of his mind. Ah well, if someone else was watching them, they'd find out soon enough. "To adventure!" Elrowan roared, charging off into the jungle a bit ahead of the others, missing Hector's offer of snacks.

by **PatriotArrow** Sat Aug 16, 2014 12:53 am

(Note: An encounter may be put off a post or three if it will make more sense for the story unfolding for your characters. Just make a note of it when you post.)

-ENCOUNTER-
Name: Mysterious Sighting
Type: Neutral
Info: From the corner of his eye, Hector spots a shadowy figure in a pointed hat moving across a path between the trees. Before he can see it properly, however, the figure is gone, though a few wisps of an all-too-familiar smoke rise into the air where the figure was. Was this figure an illusion... or something more?

by **Hector Warfield** Sun Aug 17, 2014 4:02 pm

So Kayoko found a member from one of the other groups. They must not be too far off then. I'm glad to hear its at least not Lamia, although I would hope its none of the different groups. Hector frowned when Kayoko mentioned feeling watched, he felt it too but assumed it was just nerves. I don't see anything, Hector thought scanning the trees. Could these attacks really be part of the test? Nothing had been said about them, but I guess they wouldn't want us knowing about them ahead of time. Still, someone could get hurt here. Hector decided he would talk to Jora about it when they got off the island.

Hector was slightly surprised at how much Kayoko's mood improved at the offer of the trail mix. He noticed she was mainly picking out the chocolate bits and was about to say something when he thought better of it. This is the first time she's smiled this whole time, let her enjoy the moment. Elrowan ran off without realizing Hector's offer, he looked at Kayoko "Someone is eager to explore." He laughed, "After you Lady Kayoko."

They hadn't gone too far from the camp when Hector thought he saw someone else walking through the trees. But once he focused on the spot all he could see was faint wisps of black smoke. That looks a little too familiar to the smoke I saw last night "Hey!" he said to no one in particular as he made his way to the spot where he saw the figure. He wasn't sure what he saw, if it was even an actual figure or just a trick of the light through he trees. He didn't want to be left behind from the group regardless. But once he got to the spot he couldn't see any sign someone was there, no footprints or anything. Maybe I just imagined it... "Sorry everyone, thought I saw someone but it looks like it was just the light coming through the tree branches."

by **Kayoko Sasaki** Mon Aug 18, 2014 12:54 am

“Someone’s eager to explore,” Hector laughed as he told Kayoko he would go after her, being a lady and all. She was busy nibbling the chocolate out of his trail mix, but stopped, blinking a couple of times as she realized Elrowan was the eager one. She turned her head, looking at him run off. “… but I just got back…” she mumbled, quiet enough that perhaps only Siracco coud hear her if she had stuck around. She nodded though, tightening her ponytail that she kept messing with entirely because she wasn’t used to ponytails and trotting off ahead of Hector, munching on the rest of the trail mix in her hand now that the chocolate was gone.

They followed the eager water mage through the brush. The air was heating up a bit as the morning went on, but at least they were heading back in the direction of the stream. Kayoko probably should have said something, but she wasn’t one to speak up unless she had to or unless asked, so she simply remained quiet, figuring at least this way they’d know where to go when they wanted water. Besides, Siracco knew the way too, so she was welcome to say something.

Suddenly, Hector called out to someone, which caused poor Kayoko to become startled, gasping and jumping a bit in surprise right before he apologized, saying it was just the sunlight. Kayoko shook her head with a whimper. She doubted it was just the sunlight. She’d felt like they were being watched since they got to this accursed island. She wanted to go home…

by **Elrowan Sabeur** Mon Aug 18, 2014 10:52 pm

Elrowan fearlessly charged through the jungle, not much concerned on hiding their trail. Trails were fun! They invited people to find them. It was faster to defeat enemies or find allies. After a few seconds ticked by, however, Elrowan realized that the others hadn't kept pace with him. Okay... he knew he was going fast, but was he really jumping ahead that much? Maybe he shouldn't get too far away from the others. That was the advice he'd given Kayoko, after all.

So even though he could hear the water ahead, see its beautiful spring between the trees, Elrowan stopped. And sighed. At first he planned to wait for the others to catch up, especially since he had an excellent view at his current location. Then he heard Hector practically shout 'Hey!'. Instantly Elrowan turned around, crashing through the brush. Had they been attacked? What was going on?!

He burst through the foliage, only to see Hector and Kayoko unscathed. And nothing dangerous in sight. Frantically he looked all around them, confirming that there was indeed nothing there. Then he frowned and turned to Hector. "Is aught amiss?" He wondered. Kayoko looked troubled, but then she always looked troubled. “After last night's events, I believe we are all a bit troubled. Perhaps, though I hate to say it, we should save our exploration for tomorrow.”

by **Hector Warfield** Tue Aug 19, 2014 2:25 pm

"I just thought I saw someone", Hector told Elrowan when he came back to the group. "But it must have been the sun through the branches." He was thinking the same thing as Elrowan, glancing at the frightened look on Kayoko's face only confirmed it. "That might be best. We're all still a little on edge." After a pause Hector asked, "Kayoko, is the spring you found nearby? A nice soak should help calm our nerves."

Hector let the others go before him if they wanted to use the spring. In the meantime he decided to go fishing. True, Elrowan seemed more efficient at catching fish with his water magic, but having his feet in the sand and listening to the rhythmic sound of the waves crashing helped but his mind at ease.

He had only caught one small fish when his turn came up to use the spring. He made his way through the brush without seeing any other figures, yet there were times he felt like he was being watched. He forgot all about his suspicions once he saw the spring. It was a beautiful little meadow with the water coming out from between two willow trees. The water formed a small pool at the base of the trees before running off, forming a little creek. The water was cool, but not too cold. "Ahh, this is just what the doctor ordered." Hector said as he sat in the water and watched the dragonflies idly fly about.

by **Kayoko Sasaki** Tue Aug 19, 2014 7:36 pm

“B-but it’s just morning…” Kayoko mumbled. Taking a whole day off just because she was a little bit afraid of something seemed like a bad idea. If they did that… well… Kayoko would probably never get out of bed again. Sometimes she was afraid of just leaving her room, if she was stressed enough about something.

The other two seemed to agree they at least needed a bit to calm down, and she supposed that was fine. Them being so nervous was making the poor girl jumpier than usual. She even looked around a few extra times to make sure she wasn’t about to be eaten by another dragon.

Hector decided maybe they should take a dip in the spring and relax. She wasn’t sure how cold spring water was relaxing… but she supposed maybe the boys enjoyed cold more than she did. She didn’t know much about boys, and had no idea if they were just that much tougher than her, or if they were just odd. “I um… I already took a bath earlier…” she reminded them, scrunching her arms up to her torso again just thinking of the cold water. She shut her eyes tight when she accidentally imagined them getting ready for a bath. She felt naughty, and whimpered slightly, despite not actually being familiar with men, as previously stated.

“I can just… I can just wait here,” she offered, “Or… a hundred feet that way…” She pointed in the opposite direction of the water that was still mostly in view from here. She really didn’t care to be any closer if they were going to go get in the water.

by **Elrowan Sabeur** Tue Aug 19, 2014 11:34 pm

Kayoko did have a point - there was a whole day ahead of them, and it was only morning. "We do have two weeks, but your dedication stirs me, Lady Kayoko. Let us continue on with the exploration after a brief respite!" As soon as they were back at the spring, Elrowan began stripping off his normal attire, little concern to the nearby Kayoko. Beneath those clothes were his swimming trunks, and yes he had gone to sleep with them on the last night. "BANZAI!" He roared, finding the nearest and tallest rock, before dashing to the top and jumping cannon-ball style into the spring. There was a subsequent splash and fierce ripples, before all went completely silent.

Nearly a minute passed when Elrowan resurfaced, popping his head up with a great gasp. He had swum all the way to where Hector sat with his fishing pole. Which probably meant there weren't any fish that were going to bite soon, at least not with his flailing limbs around. But Hector wasn't the reason Elrowan had come to this particular spot. "Lady Kayoko!" He called out to her, waving to attract her attention. She was much further than he would have liked. "Do not fret and try to enjoy yourself! And please come a bit closer! I found a treasure you might enjoy."

During his near minute of swimming underwater, he had found a mussel with a certain gem inside. Namely, a pearl. It was small, almost like a bead, perfectly round and an off colored white. He held it in his palm, opening it for Kayoko to take... assuming she ever got the courage to come closer to the water.

by **Hector Warfield** Wed Aug 20, 2014 3:03 pm

Elrowan seemed to be enjoying himself, he even found a small pearl in his initial dive. He was trying to show it to Kayoko who was standing a good ways off from the spring with her arms crossed and looking at the ground. Even though we're in our swim suits she must be embarrassed., Hector thought, it was the only reason he could think of why she wouldn't be enjoying this awesome spring. He decided he would give it a try and see if he could find one. The water was surprising deep in spots and Hector found a few mussels but when he surfaced and checked them there were no pearls inside.

Oh well... he thought as he got out of the spring and shook the water out of his long hair. He then focused on his power to heat up the air around him to evaporate the rest of the water. "Well, how does everyone feel now?" Hector said as he took the small brush out of his bag. He proceeded to brush his hair back and put it in its usual ponytail. "Ready to resume our exploration of the island?" He put away his brush and got out his compass to check which direction was camp. "Let's see, camp is back that way," he said pointing towards a group of trees, "so...which way should we go now?" He said to the others after slowly spinning in a circle looking at his surroundings. No direction looked particularly more promising than the next. Course, are we looking for anything in particular at this point?, he wondered.

by **Kayoko Sasaki** Wed Aug 20, 2014 4:46 pm

(We should probably slow down the progression a bit. We're pretty far ahead of the other two teams, time-wise. No need to hurry.)

Kayoko had her bathing suit on and everything after the trip to the water, since she'd been too nervous not to, but that didn't provide her with enough comfort to be around the boys in their swim trunks. The amount she wasn't used to such simple things was... actually quite astounding. She waved at Elrowan with a blush on her cheeks, calling out a nervous "T-thank you! I.... I'll get it when you're all out and... dressed..." she stammered as she crouched down and put her arms around her knees as she stared determinedly down at a caterpillar that was crawling across a stick on the ground. She felt bad, because she knew it wasn't a big deal to them, so it shouldn't be to her. The fact remained that it was, though.

Finally, Kayoko noticed the boys getting out of the water. Hector dried himself off with his magic, which caused Kayoko to stare a bit much in wonder. Her own magic wasn't very good for drying off. She quickly looked away when he glanced her direction though. She didn't answer when he asked how she felt. The answer was awkward. Too awkward. She woud have said childishly awkward if she elaborated. She was almost an adult... She did stand up and nod when Hector asked about exploring more of the island though. As hector spun, Kayoko watched him, content to follow rather than lead.

by **Elrowan Sabeur** Thu Aug 21, 2014 12:07 am

Elrowan was a little disappointed when Kayoko refused to come closer, but he supposed it couldn't be helped. Wordlessly he sank back into the spring, blowing a few bubbles. Still, he kept a close grasp on the pearl, making sure not to lose it. Without Kayoko their break wasn't quite as fun as Elrowan had been hoping, and he ended up getting out of the water and dressed a lot sooner than he originally planned. Elrowan blinked as Hector practically microwaved the water off himself. Hmm.... that technique... it seemed familiar. But he was having a hard time placing it for some reason.

But then they were back on the task of exploring. Adventure! There was much to be seen and be explored. This time, Elrowan stayed in step with his fellow teammates. He needed to keep focus after all, there was no telling when some dangerous monster could attack. They had only been traveling a short time when Elrowan stumbled over something hard. He yelped at his stubbed toe, jumping a bit to keep his balance, ended up failing and tripped on the ground. The offending object was hard to make out, although it was definitely stone, and man-made. Perhaps at one time it had belonged to structure of some sort.

"What is this? Remnants of an ancient civilization?" Elrowan wondered in awe. Standing up, he took a look around. Something had indeed once been here, but the ages had taken their toll. Although not an entire ruin, perhaps it had once been a shrine or something like it. Then again, that heightened the possibility of something else being nearby.

by **PatriotArrow** Thu Aug 21, 2014 10:26 am

(Alright, I've talked to the other groups, we can move ahead now. One team seems to have moved ahead a couple of days, which works for me rather well. This can be put off a post or three as needed, remember. Assume nothing major happens during those days.)

-ENCOUNTER-
Name: Murder of Crows
Type: Hostile
Info: From the ground in front of the group, a large amount of crows burst from a smokey cloud that appears on the ground in front of them. These crows swoop down and claw at the characters, causing nasty, painful wounds.

Once the crows are dealt with, these wounds disappear, along with any other injuries sustained in the previous encounters, and the shadowy figure from before is noticeable in the distance for only a moment before disappearing in smoke.

by **Hector Warfield** Thu Aug 21, 2014 1:56 pm

Elrowan seemed excited about the idea of a lost civilization and while Hector agreed there was once something here, Its definitively not an entire lost civilization. Hector could only see a few stones scattered here and there. After a while the group continued to explore the jungle, looping around so they returned to camp a few hours before sunset. The rest of the exploration was very uneventful, the highlight was Kayoko finding another massive berry patch.

The next two days were also uneventful, which Hector was grateful for. The others seemed more at ease and it gave him time to finish the other projects around camp that he wanted to do. Both the shelters were now larger, Hector even used bundles of leaves to act as a cushion of sorts against the hard branches that served as the beds. Its not perfect, but hopefully its better than it was. There was now a fence of branches around the camp, hopefully that will help deter another attack, or at least slow whatever it is down. Hector and Elrowan had even made a table for them to eat at and Kayoko supplied the stumps to serve at chairs. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, as well as can be expected anyway the thought regarding Kayoko. Hopefully its like this for the rest of the tournament, Hector thought while trying to be optimistic but doubted it would be that easy.

by **Kayoko Sasaki** Thu Aug 21, 2014 2:21 pm

Kayoko looked around, but all she could see was some engraved rocks. They just didn't have the detail to evoke the same imagination that Elrowan had, even when she bent down and poked one. "Y-you don't think there's ghosts around... if these are ruins, do you?"she asked, holding on tightly to the tiny pearl that Elrowan had given her. She looked around the area for a little while, finally coming across a berry bush, from which she and Siracco ate happily. It was a nice little late breakfast for the two females in the group.... especially since at least one of them didn't particularly like fish.

The next two days were a nice change of pace to Kayoko. She relaxed a bit, though she got rather nervous any time something brought her out of her comfort zone... though by the end of the second day Elrowan and Hector had managed to get an intensely red Kayoko to get into the water with them. Once they did though, she had fun, though she stayed mostly submerged in the water for good measure, and did her best to hide the large scar running down her stomach from Elrowan; Hector already knew.

The next day, the three Blue Flash team members were walking down a path, much more relaxed now that the smoke creatures hadn't bothered them in a couple of days. Unfortunately, that put the three of them entirely too at-ease, and when crows erupted in a cloud from the ground like, well, magic, Kayoko screamed, covering her face with her arms rather than responding with any sort of offensive response. She was cut good on her cheek and arms several times before she thought to use her shielding spell to protect her. Blood ran down her cheeks and arms, and she felt an intense sting from nearly every cut. Tears were streaming down her face as she whimpered, willing the crows to disappear while she stood behind her bubble.

MP 135/150:

by **Elrowan Sabeur** Fri Aug 22, 2014 9:59 pm

"Ghosts?! Where?" Elrowan demanded. The very suggestion that one might be nearby was enough to make him look. However, despite his best efforts, he could not find a ghost. That was perhaps for the better of the party. If he had actually found a ghost, Elrowan was not sure he possessed the necessary tools to perform an incantation - he hadn't brought his exorcising kit to the island. After a long day they decided to head back to camp.

The next few days were too quiet for Elrowan. He got his wish for adventure unexpectedly, when they were taking a walk. The puff of smoke covered Elrowan's vision, before black feathers and claws assaulted him. It happened so fast, he wasn't even sure what was going on. "What the-" His first instinct was to block his face, which only caused the claws to rend his arms. He needed some way to go on the offense.

Water formed in his hands, taking shape in the form of a sword and shield. He bashed away the crows with the shield first, before swatting haphazardly at the flying creatures with his sword. "Lady Kayoko!" He cried out in alarm when she screamed. Somehow he managed to cut through a path of the crows, enough to see Kayoko bleeding, but more crows took the fallen's place just as quickly. This had to be some foul magic - he couldn't think of any other reason why these creatures would attack them. But more importantly, they needed to figure out how to fend these things off. Their attacks were relentless, and even with the aqua sword and shield, Elrowan was having a hard time fending them off... let alone being able to protect his allies. If this continued..... He could feel his heart pounding harder. Alastor lurked there, but Elrowan refused to give up. They could do this...

MP 70/100:

by **Hector Warfield** Sat Aug 23, 2014 12:41 am

This is bad, Hector thought looking at Elrowan and Kayoko. Both were already cut up pretty bad by the swarm of crows that seemed to have just exploded out of the ground in a cloud of that same looking black smoke. “Elrowan, get Kayoko to safety!” Hector shouted as he focused his power, both donning his lava armor and evoking a partial takeover. With his hands now seeming made of liquid lava and a hard, hot layer of molten lava covering his body he braced himself against the next wave of crows.

The first wave to attack Hector was burnt by his armor. They crowed in pain and dissolved into the same black smoke that they emerged from. There were still five left, after seeing how their brethren were defeated they changed targets and dove after Kayoko and Elrowan. They had managed to get a good distance away, but the crows were gaining fast. “Sirocco, try to get them back in range.”

Hector could easily shoot a fireball at the crows, but he could easily hit Kayoko or Elrowan as well. Then there was the whole issue with starting a forest fire. Sure Elrowan could help put it out with his water magic, but Hector didn’t want to push his luck. No, the best thing is to get them in range of my fists…that has the smallest chance of having any…unwanted side effects.

Sirocco made a gust of wind that knocked the crows back toward Hector. If they were any larger it might not have done the trick, but luckily she was able to get them in range. With a few quick jabs the crows were no more. Hector dismissed his magic and looked up to see the same shadowy figure from before in the trees, but it was gone in the blink of an eye. “Everyone ok?” Hector asked after he let out a long sigh. “I think our mystery friend is watching us again,” he said pointing to where he saw the figure a moment ago.

Name: Lava Elemental Form
Rank: 2
MP Cost: 15(8 sustain)
Power: ***
Speed:
Toughness: *
Magic: Lava magic is a combination of Fire and Earth magic
Description: Hector takes on the form of a lava elemental. He still looks humanoid but appears to be made of molten rock that cracks as he moves to show the lava flowing underneath.

Spell name: Lava Armor
Element: Lava
Rank: 1
MP cost: 10
Effect: Hector cloaks himself lava and the air around him seems to get even hotter. He is able to shrug off blows easier as long as his armor is in effect. Lava Armor adds half the spells power to Hector's other spells, this buff ends once the Lava Armor ends.
Power: (****)
Speed:
Area:
Extra: Buff, Sustain, Defending x2, Burning

by **Kayoko Sasaki** Sat Aug 23, 2014 1:34 am

Kayoko saw the shadowy figure as well, in the corner of her vision as she and Elrowan got a safe distance away from Hector's fiery magic. As the last of the crows disappeared, Kayoko's pain did as well. She was confused at this, moreso than she was by the shadow figure. She reached up, touching a spot she knew had been cut badly. There was nothing there. "A-a trick?" she asked with a curious look on her face. She wasn't going to have any scars, at least, if that was true. Thank goodness for that.

"Was the person real?" Kayoko was pretty sure the person was a girl, if she'd seen correctly. They'd had long hair under the pointed witch hat. She looked around for signs of some other danger, trick or not. It had been so realistic... Kayoko crouched down, burying her face in her knees quietly once she was sure the danger was passed. The poor girl was overwhelmed, the percieved pain from before still fresh in her mind. Even if she and Elrowan didn't have a scratch on them, she remembered quite well the pain of the fake wounds. She wanted to go home so badly. Kayoko let out a whimper, hoping Elrowan and Hector wouldn't think badly of her.

by **Elrowan Sabeur** Sun Aug 24, 2014 1:01 am

Somehow Elrowan managed to cut through a swathe of crows, joining Kayoko. The two had only taken a few steps when the crows vanished... along with their wounds and pain. He checked his hands to make sure, but there was no trace of blood. Looking to Kayoko, he saw that her wounds had vanished - and that Hector was no longer beset by crows, either. Elrowan's gaze flitted to the distance, seeing a strange figure. It was there only a moment before it vanished.

This was a strange sensation. The wounds he thought were serious turned out to be nothing, but his mind was having trouble wrapping around that fact. Alastor's first instinct was to run after the figure and search for clues. But Kayoko was practically crying, and Elrowan couldn't leave her alone like that. When he was certain the figure had vanished, almost reluctantly, Elrowan crouched next to Kayoko, lightly touching her shoulder. "Do not worry, the danger is over now. I will protect you," he promised. He rose to his feet, nodding at Hector's question. "It seems to have been an illusion of some sort. I cannot help but think it would be unusually cruel for a guild-sanctioned conflict. I believe we might be dealing with something altogether different on this island." He took another look around, and sighed. And everything had been going so well these last few days.

"Let us return to camp. That was powerful magic indeed, to make all three of us experience the same illusion. I do not think it wise to chase after such a powerful wizard, at least not without a proper plan and preparation," Elrowan gave his opinion. If there really was something dangerous on this island, they needed to plan. Only a few days had passed, and much of the test remained for them... hiding for that long would be difficult.

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