Trials and Travels (Semi-lit)

[LadyNatasha]

~Aketsu~

 

Aketsu had barely finished asking the question when the pickaxe suddenly slung at him and came close to hitting him. His smile widened and he stood, raising a brow curiously. Good, the new guy has reflexes.

 

"Didn't anyone tell you to never bother someone who is sleeping?" Actually, no one had ever told him that. Aketsu had been allowed to do whatever he had wanted as a child, and as he grew and his memories were suppressed, the instinct to not do anything stupid had been added to his mind. Aketsu had hated the device that had done such a thing as to change his entire being, but now that a week was passed he was actually curious as to how much influence it still had on his life. He wondered if he'd still be a wild-child now if not for it. He'd never be thankful for it, because what Aero had done was wrong and no one should ever live as he had, but he could now accept it was part of who he was.

 

Eirikr stood and picked up his pickaxe. "I could've hurt you." Aketsu nodded once. Yes, Eirikr could have hurt him. The man was strong and fairly fast and could wake up in an instant. The pickaxe was well made, very well made, and could probably be just as useful for battle as it was for its real purpose. As Eirikr assessed Aketsu, Aketsu matched and looked over Eirikr. The man was slightly taller than Aketsu with broader shoulders and a squarer look overall. More built for strength than speed. He had brown eyes and very dark hair, perhaps black though Aketsu couldn't tell with the dim light.

 

"I was a miner in Terra before I left. I am almost unmatched in stone working. I can analyze damage and tell you what caused it and how. I can tell where the best place to hit is to take down a wall. Why?" Aketsu was impressed; Eirikr stated them all like facts, as though that was what people had always told him and that was what he had experienced his whole life. Aketsu couldn't imagine being the 'best' at anything specific; he was good at a lot of stuff, and that was what kept him alive, but he wasn't the 'best' at anything and he knew that. This guy sounded experienced, although he looked young. Early twenties, Aketsu guessed.

 

Aketsu subconsciously wiped a bit of dirt off the wind symbol that was on his forehead as he glanced again at the pickaxe. "I saw the incident with Kai," he said evenly, still smiling slightly. Then his smile grew. "You'll have to forgive him; he's not the most social butterfly, and I couldn't expect someone with his background to be. We do appreciate his caution, though, and I'm sure you'd do the same if you were in his position; it's just part of protecting your allies. He is in duel leadership with me, and as a leader it's his job to be cautious." Then he blinked and his smile faded as though he had forgotten something quite important. "Oh, forgive me," he said as his years of training in mannerism caught up with him. "My name is Aketsu Momoa the sixth, youngest son of Aketsu Momoa the fifth of Aero... New Aero now. Speaking of which, where are you headed if you don't mind my asking? It seems you've been traveling a while."

[Rakashua]

Kai smiled at Noe, she was so concerned about him, about anyone when they got hurt, she should have been a plant elementarian with healing, that would suit her. But maybe not, somehow the stormy weather did suit her more than anything in his mind, good or ill. He watched her go, knowing why she was leaving, and decided to follow, quite a ways behind. He followed her to the meadow and silently ascended one of the stone pillars left over from his training earlier that day.

 

He wanted to see how she was doing on her controlling the storms, bringing herself inner peace... but he also just wanted to watch her. Her ability always amazed him, the raw power of a storm was far more than anything he could create out of the earth.

 

He suddenly stood up on the rock, this was something he had wanted to try for a while now but didn't think he could convince Noe to do for him. Fortunately she hadn't noticed him yet... though she was about to... one way or the other.

 

Kai gazed up at the storm from atop the fifty-foot pillar. He could feel the lightning, but it was far beyond his ability to control raw lightning, and Noe couldn't target very well with it, she could just make it happen. However he had an idea to solve that issue, and now was an excellent time to test it, his exhaustion would actually help things, help him concentrate, and maybe keep him alive... he grinned, he'd always wanted to try this.

 

 

Kai stretched one hand above his head, and began creating a strong positive charge around it and his body. His hair began to stand on end because of it and static electricity jumped occasionally to the pillar from his other hand that was straight out in front of him, not up in the air.

 

He closed his eyes, knowing that they weren't fast enough to detect the lightning bolt that would seek him out, only his subtle connection to the storm would let him feel it a split second before...

 

CRACK

 

And he felt it strike his hand like a sledgehammer, he was almost not well enough prepared for the force of the impact. A second before it happened he'd felt it coming and formed his sand staff in his other hand. Then, in a split second of concentration, he allowed the energy to flow from his hand as the bolt was striking him, through his chest, and out his other arm, into the staff, and...

 

BOOM

 

The thunder cracked at the moment the lightning left the staff, moving in the direction he'd been pointing it (towards a large group of his constructed pillars) and smashing into the rock, blowing it apart and demolishing several of the pillars.

 

Kai ignored the pain in his right hand, knowing that it had been injured, and by the way it felt, he decided that this was never going to work, any more times and he might permanently damage it. But there was one other thing he wanted to try before Noe realized exactly what had just happened and tried to stop the storm from striking him again.

 

 

The pillar beneath Kai's feet began to sprout short earth-spears, which Kai immediately grabbed, sunk a positive charge into, and let them fly... Each one was struck by lightning right as it hit the ground in a series of flashes that created a large smoking crater in the ground from the repeated striking.

 

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOOOOOM!

 

The thunder was nearly deafening and Kai suddenly laughed as the lightning struck. The feeling was AWESOME, and the rush of adrenaline made him nearly forget the pain in his hand.

 

"And that barely took any effort on my part..." he said allowed as he lowered the pillar to the ground and turned in Noe's direction to see what her reaction had been.

 

[Lore_Master]

Loren looked at the small ball of light that the woman made appear in her hands... She was a light elementian, which made Loren relax more. "Forgive me, I do appreciate the offer but the bruises are part of my training. If your still serious about healing me... wait until I'm done." Explained Loren, his voice more relaxed. He began to climb the hill for the tenth time, he was going to get this right even if he ended up with a broken arm. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. As he exhaled, he opened his eyes. He began to charge towards the end of the hill, jumping off at the highest point, thinking of what he wanted to do. He closed his eyes as he began to fall.

 

 

 

Five seconds passed.

 

 

 

 

Ten seconds passed.

 

 

 

 

Fifteen seconds passed... Loren slowly opened his eyes. To his amazement, he was hovering right off the ground! Two continuous gusts of wind were coming from his legs, pushing their hardest as they left his feet. He looked at his arms, the same thing was happen... but they were still on his arms, almost like they were waiting for their chance to push him forwards. The grass underneath him was nearly flatted, the wind underneath his feet must have been strong.

 

"Heh..." He laughed softly as he began to move around in the air. Moving his legs forwards made him fly backwards, and vice verse.

 

"Heh heh..." Loren laughed even more as he finally aimed his hands downwards, and took off into the sky. The combined propulsion made him fly upwards, out of the treeline and into the sky above. He had to be 200 feet off the ground, but it enough for him to begin his second part of the training... movement.

 

He spent the next fifteen minutes experiment with his arms and legs, testing to see how to perform the acrobatic moves that he wanted.

 

"Now lets see... how do I stop using this form..." Mentally thought Loren, apparently wishing to stop was enough, since he was now in a free fall. Loren, a bit surprised by this calmly focused one more, the transparent wings of wind appeared on his arms. When he was about fifty feet off the group, he began to use the wings to slow his fall. Finally, he was able to land on his feet, albeit with twenty feet of walking.

[Nasa13]

Eirikr

 

"Most likely the same direction you are headed," replied Eirikr, something about what Aketsu said struck a funny chord. "So you are the Sixth of your line, eh? Do you have a girl to get a Seventh with?" He chuckled a bit. "Sit, please. I meant no harm to Kaimaru, only to warn him against elemental mischief."

 

He decided to tell his story again. "I didn't stop at Sola because I feared that certain rumors may have spread and grown. You see certain events in my history prompted the Lord Gerald to ask m to leave Terra. I've been traveling for a number of months. I stay at a city till I can't find a job then leave. Unfortunately avoiding Sola meant no resupply."

 

Thunder boomed. Sounded like Kai was playing with his powers. That could be dangerous. Like a lava burst in a network of tunnels.

 

"So what can you tell me about your little mission? Kai was hesitant to tell me. I believe I may be able to help. Any threat to Terra is a threat to me."

Edited January 28, 2012 by Nasa13

[LoveLost]

Isa giggled with her friend and walked with her but was curious as to what she had to ask and why she seemed so uptight about it. When she sat down with her meal, the sounds in the distances were rather irritating. One was of something hitting a tree, the other of thunder, and more of a fire crackling in front of her. She ate slowly at first then smiled at Tractus and told him what a wonderful job he did on making their meals every now and then.

 

When Yuaki looked at Kai, Isa realized that there was an earthen ball in the camp and that her love had walked off to the side. She cast him a curious glance before watching Kai walk off on his own way after Noe who had gone to try and “find peace.” The servant girl had a wild temper and crazy emotions like any Weather Elementian so Isa tended to stay away from her as much as she could because of their hostilities towards one another.

 

Since most people were distracted with talking to one another, Isa turned to Yuaki and studied her friends face. She was such a pretty girl and she adored her heart and soul. Most would say that her unending trust in a servant was degrading to the family name, but she didn’t care. Besides, royalty, if established rather far back in the bloodlines, didn’t have a family name for the females. They were generally left without a last name because once they married they would then have a name to be their own for every male received a last name since it was inherited from his father.

 

“Yuaki, something is troubling you….speak it…you shouldn’t keep things so pent up…or you might become like Noe.” She smirked at the thought but it was easy to see that she really was serious.

 

Nerio was shocked when Cielo’s voice seemed to change from one of certainty, to one of complete and total darkness. She almost seemed afraid of what she could do as a water elementian. The problem was, was that Nerio didn’t know about her dual elementian abilities. As far as he knew, Kai was the only elementian in the world that could control two elements with such ease.

 

“Cielo…” he was quiet as he threw the ball back to his brother who started to toss the ball higher and higher into the air and built up the size time and time again until it was the size of a man. Nerio smiled at his brother’s strength and daring that he held with his element, but turned his attention back to the woman that deserved it. “Is there something that you are not telling us, or showing us?” he whispered quietly. They had all seen a large majority of one another’s abilities. Leith and Nerio really specialized in defensive techniques with water to protect their fellow man and could spread shields that were difficult to get through over a large space. With weapons, Nerio usually used a sharp, high speed sword and Leith used a deadly whip or two.

 

Noe could feel the sky building it’s glorious energy to release itself onto the earth below and scorch it if it so chose. It was a beautiful thing to know that a storm could never harm her and if she wanted to, she could send one towards their enemies just to see what they would do. Her hands raised as she held a mini tornado in her hands but then thought better of it and quenched the small babe to look back up at the sky. She could feel her frustrations easing and allowing the storm to be itself once more without the influence of an elementian, but something wasn’t right.

 

Somewhere there was an unnatural buildup of energy and in the wrong way. Her eyes ventured to the sky, searching for what would cause this but she couldn’t find anything until she heard the sizzling crackle of lightning striking not too far behind her. When she turned, she could see in the lightning, BOOM! She jumped slightly for the bolt destroyed an earthen pillar that was beside another with a man on top of it. “kai?” she questioned herself mainly before realizing that it was, indeed Kai.

 

Before she could say anything, she watched as another several conduits of electricity sprouted from the stone pillar and before she could withdraw the storm, she found another bolt of lightning traveling in the flash of an eye right towards Kai. She wanted to look away, but didn’t. Instead she watched as the lightning extended from the rods and exploded in several loud booms.

 

When her ears stopped ringing, she realized that the storm that was near her started to rain. They were far enough away from camp to keep the others from being rained on, but right now, it was raining on her and Kai. “You idiot!” she shouted at him as she walked brusquely his way fighting the urge to check and see if he was alright. “Why would you do something like that?” she stopped and couldn’t help but at least look impressed until she noticed the burn on his arm.

With an agitated sigh, she grabbed his arm without his consent and caused the rain to fall harder on his arm and tried to make it lighten up around them but she couldn’t. Too many mixed emotions I guess. She thought to herself and avoided looking at Kai directly. He was insanely cute even if he was a total idiot for hurting himself. She did have to give him credit though for thinking of the earth being a conductor of electricity and it was nice to be able to share the performance of her friends with him especially when they chose to meet with him and help him learn his abilities.

 

“When are you going to learn not to burn yourself?” she asked irritation still evident in her voice, but her hands were gentle as she used the hem of her shirt to gently scrub away the charred air. The rain was very chilled since she asked for the storm to raise higher in that one area so the burn was sure to be cooling off some.

 

Her gaze stayed trained on his charred arm as she cleaned it until she giggled, and then laughed lightly before shaking her head. “You may be an idiot, but at least your idea was heading in the right direction.” She said with her normal cheerful voice instead of the angry one that hinted that a storm was about to increase. However, the rain did not stop which made Noe confused until she realized that her heart was fluttering slightly at being so near Kai. Oh no! heart, stop it! He can feel that ya know! Uhm, deep breaths? No that would be too irregular….oh well….but that’s so embarrassing and I can’t just leave his arm here to scorch….

 

Battlemate, as most had come to know him since he had joined them, looked at Luna and smiled at he slight blunder. Her mind was still not used to carrying on a mental conversation or even trying to push someone into giving her information. It was a well known fact that most Space Elementians were wonderful interrogators when it came to law and justice...most of them were lawyers and researches actually if they had the telepathic ability. It gave them an excuse to practice what they had learned to do since childhood.

 

Battlemate smiled at how the conversation had gone and shut his mind off from the young man and joined fully with Luna's. You still have much to learn. But your thoughts are getting better. You will soon be able to force others to agree with you and do as you say. A very much needed battle tactic Madame Luna. With that, he walked away to allow her to handle the situation however she chose. If I am not alive when it comes time to teach you this, ask my battlemate, Z'fan. She has been taught how to teach these things so that others may know and understand to the utmost.

 

Now that he was finished, he walked over to the tent and stopped before entering. With a smile, he stepped inside. He would tell the two young lovers later, but Aketsu's family had just been accepted as the royal family of Aero. It had taken an entire week of night and day political debate, but King Aslano had finally succeeded.

 

 

Marcus looked at Skylar as she walked out of the tent only minutes after having laid down. "Skylar." he said in a slightly admonishing tone. She needed to rest of she were to do anything to help them out other than hope and pray from the sidelines. When she said that she hoped that he would be safe, he smiled and hugged her gently before kissing her firmly and releasing her. "You need your rest. you may still be able to come depending on if your rest or not."

 

[Silver_Voices]

Loren looked at the small ball of light that the woman made appear in her hands... She was a light elementian, which made Loren relax more. "Forgive me, I do appreciate the offer but the bruises are part of my training. If your still serious about healing me... wait until I'm done." Explained Loren, his voice more relaxed. He began to climb the hill for the tenth time, he was going to get this right even if he ended up with a broken arm. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. As he exhaled, he opened his eyes. He began to charge towards the end of the hill, jumping off at the highest point, thinking of what he wanted to do. He closed his eyes as he began to fall.

 

 

 

Five seconds passed.

 

 

 

 

Ten seconds passed.

 

 

 

 

Fifteen seconds passed... Loren slowly opened his eyes. To his amazement, he was hovering right off the ground! Two continuous gusts of wind were coming from his legs, pushing their hardest as they left his feet. He looked at his arms, the same thing was happen... but they were still on his arms, almost like they were waiting for their chance to push him forwards. The grass underneath him was nearly flatted, the wind underneath his feet must have been strong.

 

"Heh..." He laughed softly as he began to move around in the air. Moving his legs forwards made him fly backwards, and vice verse.

 

"Heh heh..." Loren laughed even more as he finally aimed his hands downwards, and took off into the sky. The combined propulsion made him fly upwards, out of the treeline and into the sky above. He had to be 200 feet off the ground, but it enough for him to begin his second part of the training... movement.

 

He spent the next fifteen minutes experiment with his arms and legs, testing to see how to perform the acrobatic moves that he wanted.

 

"Now lets see... how do I stop using this form..." Mentally thought Loren, apparently wishing to stop was enough, since he was now in a free fall. Loren, a bit surprised by this calmly focused one more, the transparent wings of wind appeared on his arms. When he was about fifty feet off the group, he began to use the wings to slow his fall. Finally, he was able to land on his feet, albeit with twenty feet of walking.

Zepheena nodded and stepped back, and watched him climb to the cliff again. A fierce wind shot from the end of his arms and legs, knocking Zepheena backward. When she looked up, the boy was shooting into the air. She watched in awe as he flew around, and after about fifteen minutes he started falling, then glided back down to the earth. She ran to where he landed. He looked fine except for the dirt smudges and the minor bruises.

 

"Wow..." she breathed. "So, you're a Wind Elementian." She looked back up at the sky as the clouds rolled in. "That was amazing. That's what you were trying to achieve?"

[Lore_Master]

"Wow... So, you're a Wind Elementian. That was amazing. That's what you were trying to achieve?"

 

Loren adjusted his clothing so that it wasn't all scrunched up as he heard the woman. He turned towards, only to give a slight nod. The ambiance of the clearing, the calls of the insects... they all seemed silent as though the wind cleared all that away. "Yes... and no. Its merely a step to what I'm truly working on." Explained Loren as he mentally laughed. Had it really been a week ago that he was an artist? Once more, his cynical thoughts surfaced. He was just a wandering artist a week ago, but after the betrayal of Aero... his hand was pretty much forced into joining the group. He was bitter about it, and had not told a soul about how he resented the whole thing. He shook those thoughts out of his head as he found out he remained silent for more then fifteen seconds. "In anycase..." Said Loren as he walked over to a nearby tree and leaned on it slightly, the fatigue was finally starting to set in.

 

"What's an Light Elementian doing all the way out here? I'm pretty sure I didn't see you at the academy, and your kind tend to stand out... Unless..." Gently mused Loren, until a potential realization went into his head. He walked up the to woman, his dull grey eyes looking deep into hers. "Who are you really? Does someone by the name of Eirikr sound familiar?" Asked Loren with a calm, firm voice. His eyes then began to look at her as a whole, watching for any signs that she may be lying. Shrinkage of the Iris, a subtle jerking in the shoulder. He mentally sighed, how much longer before he was truly emotionally dead? And how long would it before he breaks down completely...

[BlueApollo]

Luna

 

Luna nodded silently to the boy and took one last look at the firelight. They probably wouldn't notice that she had gone. The thoughts of Battlemate wafted into her head, nearly shocking her with the sound of his voice. It was a very different feeling from just listening to someone else's thoughts. She couldn't control his volume or strength, and his words seemed to echo with the authority of a well-practiced Elementian. She also couldn't force him out even if she wanted to. Her eyes closed as she submitted and listened to his words. A shiver ran down her spine at his words. Death and battle tactics...what more could this land possibly ask of her? She had graduated from the Academy over a year ago and yet she was still receiving tutelage. Her thoughts drifted back to her old, futile dream. If she had never been a Space Elementian she would never have had to deal with all of this. Her father wouldn't hate her, and she wouldn't be afraid to return home. She wouldn't have had to endure eleven years of Academy life. Her eyes opened again and she caught sight of the figures around the fire. They were the reason why she couldn't go back now, why she had to stop thinking these awful "what if" thoughts. It wasn't worth her time when so much was at stake. Her mind resumed its calm aura as she looked in the direction of Isis.

 

Luna couldn't help but feel that she owed the man some kind of apology. He probably heard everything her mind had rushed through in those moments, but they had to get moving, too. The longer she lingered, the farther away Zephain...Zephina....whatever her name was would get. She took a step forward before she looked over her shoulder at the other Space Elementian and said, "You can come if you like. I-I don't mind..." Her voice tapered off to a near whisper at the end and she quickly turned around to avoid any further embarrassment by her timid tongue, but by that time it was too late. Battlemate had already started off in his own direction. She sighed and hastened to the gap the boy had made between the brush and finally got a good look at him. There was no mistaking that he was a Plant Elementian. His green hair made it blatantly obvious.

 

"I'm Luna. Sorry I forgot to mention that earlier," she said quickly. "Your friend is this way." She immediately began to walk in the direction she had sensed the girl, her purple eyes scanning the environment just in case they were closer than she thought.

[jaina]

Cielo

 

Cielo was close to running away from the current conversation with how it made her comfortable. She was worried of how the others would view and treat her of they knew she was a dual, but also that she was holding back so much. With how she pestered other people to face their issues, running away was something she couldn't do, so with a deep breath she began to explain. "There certainly is Nerio, and while Noe hasn't told anyone, I suppose it would have come out eventually anyway. For starts, I'm a dual elementarian." she said calmly she then pulled the cloth of her dress aside to first show the water mark on her right shoulder. After replacing it though, she did the same to the left shoulder to reveal the weather mark. "My elements are water and weather, and while the latter is weaker, they work together frighteningly well. When I was working to find the upper limits of my abilities, I found I could bring down this freezing rain over a wide area, and the problem is anything caught in it is almost assured to die unless it is prepared and sheltered. I killed off a whole section of forest just trying to figure it out, I fear what it would do to people." she said softly. She hadn't perhaps explained it as well as she could have, but she was struggling just to do this willingly, so she was alright with that.

[Rakashua]

Kai couldn't help but smile as Noe came up to him, yelling. He smiled partly because it was true, he was being foolish again, calculatedly foolish but foolish none the less, and partly because she was trying so hard to act harsh and mean, two things that, while he knew she could be, he had a hard time picturing her in that light.

 

Normally he hated being wet, but somehow knowing it was helping his arm, and that Noe was the cause, made it more tolerable. She was worried about him, as usual. He'd never had anyone worry about him before, not except for his mother and father at least. No one worried about him at the monastery, worry was something they simply didn't do, it didn't promote balance, and worry didn't change anything.

 

She was also... panicking? No... that wasn't it, but he could feel her heart-rate increase even without really trying. Maybe adrenaline then, he knew his heart was certainly racing, being so close to that much elemental power was exhilarating to say the least.

 

"Yeah..." He replied with a wan smile, flexing his right hand and wincing at the pain. It wasn't too bad, not as bad as when he'd tried to keep the bolt of lightning from hitting Noe. It was much less painful to redirect it than to try and absorb and block it. He nodded to himself, yes, deflecting it was a far more balanced idea.

 

"Sorry, I don't mean to make you worry, I just didn't think you'd actually let me try that if I asked." He grinned, taking one of Noe's hands with his injured one, "see it's not that bad, I'll be alright in a day, and it won't slow me down." He grinned again suddenly.

 

"But wasn't that amazing? I think I finally got a taste of what it is that you feel every-time you're at the heart of one of your storms. I've never felt so in tune with anything than in that split second when I was hit by the lightning, it felt... amazing... oh, and a bit painful of course, I guess I won't make it a habit. The spears made good targets though, now we can aim all that pent up emotion of yours and hit people with it, mmm? I think you'll enjoy that yes?" He teased her.

[Silver_Voices]

"I'm Luna. Sorry I forgot to mention that earlier. Your friend is this way."

Isis

 

Isis smiled warmly at Luna. "My name's Isis, and thanks. I owe you a favor." He followed her into the woods, watching for any movements in the shadows. "She's hard to see if she's hiding, which she should be." He grinned slightly as he remembered how many times she had alluded him in their games of hide-and-go-seek. She had always chosen an area not close to foliage and dimly-lit. He looked at Luna, who was scanning the forest with her eyes. He felt like he should say something, but she looked troubled. He bit his tongue and continued on silently.

 

"What's an Light Elementian doing all the way out here?  I'm pretty sure I didn't see you at the academy, and your kind tend to stand out... Unless... Who are you really?  Does someone by the name of Eirikr sound familiar?"

 

Zepheena

 

Backing away slightly, Zepheena shook her head. "I don't know who you're talking about. I have no idea who Eirikr is. I came here with my friend Isis and... Oh. Oops." Zepheena glanced backwards. "I... I shouldn't have moved." She turned back towards the boy. "I was supposed to wait there for him." Spinning around, she pulled on her hair as she observed the unfamiliar landscape. "I don't know which way is back..."

 

She turned back to the Wind Elementian and held out a hand. "But... before I go..." The small orb reappeared, floating just above her palm.

[SkySong278]

Sky hugged Marc back before kissing him back just firmly as he did her. She then pulled back after he did and listened to all that he said before saying in reply, "I know but I was just worried about you. I'll go back to sleep now." Then she kissed him softly on the cheek before going back inside of their tent, laying back down, and then going back to sleep shortly afterward. She really did want to go with them tomorrow even if the only thing both she and Celeste would be doing would be running if there was any trouble. She wanted to also make sure that Marc didn't get hurt at all.

 

As she slept, she had a nightmare about Marc and the others getting caught by the good side and being tortured as prisoners before waking up and sitting straight up in her bed. Tears came to her eyes as she remembered how bruised and battered Marc had been in the dream along with the others with them and hoped that something like that didn't happen at the end of their mission tomorrow. After calming down again, she laid back down, and went back to sleep.

[BlueApollo]

Luna

 

Luna could almost feel the hesitation oozing from Isis. He seemed nervous and put off by her, prompting Luna to shut down her telepathy and isolate herself to her own mind. It was kind of a relief for her, anyway. Listening to the buzzing thoughts of everyone else was starting to get irritating. It wasn't like she enjoyed hearing their true feelings all the time. She already knew a little too much about some of the others, making it even more difficult for her to behave like a normal human being around them. Right now it was kind of nice to let her thoughts be her own.

 

She walked along, picking out a trail through the trees by the moonlight that had managed to leak through the foliage. It wasn't too long before the quiet mumbling of voices made its way to her ears. She paused for a second, opening her mind to the two that were ahead of her just to confirm that one of them was Zepheena. Then she reined herself back to her own thoughts and turned to Isis.

 

"She's just ahead, but she's talking to someone. You might want to be cautious since the other is a Wind Elementian," she said.

[Lore_Master]

"I don't know who you're talking about. I have no idea who Eirikr is. I came here with my friend Isis and... Oh. Oops."

 

Loren merely looked at the woman, from what he could tell she seemed to tell the truth when she mentioned she didn't know who Eirikr is. But then, when she mentioned someone named Isis, his pupils shrank, realization began to kick in. All this time, she wasn't alone. He had thought that she was just a lost woman, but with the mention of this "Isis" person, the possibility that she was a spy increased.

 

"I was supposed to wait there for him. I don't know which way is back..."

 

Loren took a deep breath and began to pace around slightly, this was the first time he had to deal with something like this. Just then, he saw the ball of light coming from the palm of the woman. He took one last look at her, and finally came to the conclusion she wouldn't be a threat. With a sigh, he rolled up the sleeves of his cotton shirt, the bruises were all over his arms.

 

"If you honestly wish to heal me... you may." Said Loren as he got down onto his knees, his eyes closed. He wondered if this was the right choice... But the woman had not once tried to make any sort of threat or sign of aggression. He heard two more footsteps coming from the woods, maybe it was someone he knew, and that person grabbed her 'friend.'

[Silver_Voices]

"If you honestly wish to heal me... you may."

Zepheena

 

She held out the orb. "You just need to touch it. It will take care of your injuries." She took a sharp breath as she saw the bruises on his arms. Hopefully, she would have enough energy to heal them all. She squeezed her eyes shut, focusing on the little ball of light. It pulsed and shone brighter.

 

"She's just ahead, but she's talking to someone. You might want to be cautious since the other is a Wind Elementian,"

 

Isis

 

Talking to someone? Why would she...

 

Isis turned to his companion. "Thank you, Luna. Maybe we'll talk again."

 

He influenced the bush ahead of him to part, creating a path for him, straight into the clearing. He saw Zepheena and a white haired boy standing in the middle, and Zepheena had her healing light shining brightly. He decided he shouldn't interrupt her while she was focusing, so he stayed by the edge, staying quiet, hoping not to be seen.

[LadyNatasha]

~Yuaki~

 

“Yuaki, something is troubling you…" Yuaki blinked and realized that Isa was looking at her. She frowned, not quite prepared to talk. "Speak it…you shouldn’t keep things so pent up…or you might become like Noe.” Yuaki smiled at the joke; although she had nothing against Noe, she found Isa's little rivalry with the girl amusing and it actually made her respect Isa more, although she wasn't sure why. She sighed and shrugged. "I guess... I don't know, Isa. It's dumb of me, but I guess I'm just a little jealous." She smiled at Isa, glancing at Isa's lovely rainbow hair and colorful rainbow eyes. For a moment she felt as plain as a raincloud. "I don't need any sort of reaffirmation in who I am--I'm perfectly happy with who I am--but it's just so curious to watch everyone and watch people change and..."

 

What am I saying? I totally forgot what I was getting at. Oh yeah, appearance or something... I've gotta stop being so distracted, thinking five things at once. Yuaki sighed. "I guess it's just weird. You and Aketsu are perfect for each other and Kai and Noe are really cute, but besides that everyone just seems rather... well, distant from each other. It's hard to explain, but something about the way we're functioning is bothering me. It seems to me everyone is hesitant or holding back some secret except for you, Aketsu and me. And those beast people we have with us... they haven't trained with us at all, haven't even shown us what they can do. I don't understand what they're supposed to be doing with us, just babysitting? Where'd teamwork go?"

 

And she could have rambled on, but she thought it would be best to give her friend a chance to answer.

 

~~~~~~

~Aketsu~

 

"Most likely the same direction you are headed." An interesting answer, in Aketsu's opinion. Currently his group was going to pass closely past Cumulus, although he didn't plan to enter unless they ran out of supplies. Right now they were doing well with supplies, so he planned to simply pass by the city and catch any rumors about the city's condition, maybe send in two people to check it out. Yuaki, since she wasn't an Elementian, and Noe because she would fit right in. Then Eirikr's look changed and Aketsu got a funny feeling inside.

 

"So you are the Sixth of your line, eh? Do you have a girl to get a Seventh with?" The question surprised Aketsu and he smiled politely, but he did not say anything about Isa or anything else; if this was a spy, which he doubted, he didn't want to reveal his weaknesses. Anyway, it wasn't like they were married although Aketsu hoped to pop the question after the mission. He had no idea how long the mission would last, but he hoped they could stop a war before it started. "Sit, please. I meant no harm to Kaimaru, only to warn him against elemental mischief." So Aketsu did sit, assuming Eirikr had more to say and glad the man had changed topics. "I didn't stop at Sola because I feared that certain rumors may have spread and grown." Aketsu listened with interest to Eirikr's story. So Lord Gerald asked him to leave... well, that's better than chasing him out with armed guards. His offense must not have been great, I've heard of people being asked to leave Sola before.

 

Thunder boomed in the sky and Aketsu automatically looked up, tensing. He had mentally been preparing himself for different elemental attacks, including Weather and Lightning, and he always had to remind himself that Kai used Lightning. He sighed and shook his head just a bit, then turned his attention back to Eirikr with a smile. "So what can you tell me about your little mission? Kai was hesitant to tell me. I believe I may be able to help. Any threat to Terra is a threat to me."

 

Aketsu was glad Eirikr was still loyal to the place that had made him leave. Perhaps Lord Gerald simply wanted Eirikr to form his abilities better and learn some things about the world before returning. Eirikr's story actually reminded Aketsu of Kai's story, as Kai had also been sent to learn about the world and grow in wisdom. "You have to understand," Aketsu said quietly, "that we cannot fully trust you. After all, we've only just met you and you weren't too keen on revealing your element to us. But I don't expect you to fully trust us either; even though we're all 'good' elementians who claim allegiance to the Light Alliance, I have seen devices that could twist our minds and change who we are. But," and his smile grew coy, "I think I can trust you with our mission. After all, it's not like what we're doing will have a big impact on anything in the near future." Aketsu cleared his throat.

 

"To put it simply, we're actually on a sort of on our way to see if the Shadow Alliance is planning to attack the Light Alliance. Contacts of ours have claimed the Shadow Alliance is rebonding and its members seek battle. The Shadow queen could possibly be sending spies towards our homeland, and we intent to intercept any we come across. Besides that we're just checking up on Cumulus and Terra, the two neutral cities. If you wished to help us, I would be glad to accept you... under a few conditions." Aketsu paused a moment, if only for an effect, before continuing. "I'd need to see everything you were carrying, down to the things in your pockets. That would mean you'd have to take your shirt off at the least so that I could check it for secret compartments. Then I'd like you to prove you can use your element or your weapon; although I'd accept any willing help and I do believe you capable of battle, I can't risk bringing an incapable person on the battle field and being responsible for their life. Then, so long as Kai finds no fault in you and I don't think he will, I'd be more than happy to have you join us. In fact I'd be honored--right now we have one person who specializes in sharpening weapons, and if you can shape stone just right you could help her out. She's not an Elementian, but she's very capable with her weapons."

 

He spoke of Yuaki in the last sentences; she had been trained by the weapon masters of the Academy and she definitely had some natural talent. Although she was a bit scrabble-headed at times, she knew what she was doing the moment she held a blade in her hand. Aketsu blinked and looked at Eirikr. "So, do you still wish to join us?" Aketsu hoped so, and he hoped Eirikr was trustworthy. Having someone with the man's confidence and talent (and moral) could be helpful.

[BlueApollo]

Luna

 

The glow that the Light Elementian held before her reflected in Luna's purple eyes. It was blatantly obvious that the girl was a healer, but Luna didn't find that comforting in the least. She gave the girl the benefit of the doubt before she began to search her mind one more time for a sign of trustworthiness and loyalty. It bothered her that Zepheena's thoughts had felt so conflicted earlier, like a lemon sprinkled with salt. Luna would give her one more try before she decided whether or not to allow the girl too close to her.

 

Something was really off. Once again Luna found herself at the locked door of Zepheena's thoughts, but she couldn't pry it open. She closed her eyes and forced herself to work a little harder, but the results were a dismal nil. Her own thoughts wandered to Isis. Luna wasn't a fortune teller, but even though she barely knew Isis she was already worried that Zepheena would cause unnecessary damage to him. She sighed and opened her eyes again, severing her tie to Zepheena's mind before she took a few steps forward and looked at Loren. She was still hidden in the shadows of the foliage, but no doubt Zepheena's light would reflect off her now.

 

I would be careful, L-loren. Something is- her thoughts she was sending him suddenly cut off, like she had been tugged away from someone mid-sentence. She had experienced that many times back at the Academy, but she had gotten over that stage when she was fourteen. Why would it decide to come back now? She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. Well, as long as it was only this once it wouldn't matter.

[Lore_Master]

"You just need to touch it. It will take care of your injuries."

 

Loren opened his eyes, and saw that the orb of light was brought a bit closer to him. He took a breath and lightly touched the orb. The orb began to un-weave as thin, thread-like strands of light began to creep along his arms. He was taken aback slightly, this feeling was so strange. It was like having a couple of snakes moving down his arm. As soon as the strands of light reached his bruises, he felt them tightening, causing him to grunt in pain slightly. The light had a heat sensation to it, but it didn't outright burn his skin. After fifteen seconds, the bruises and cuts on his left arm were almost gone, only a small part of the largest bruise remained. The strands of light crossed his chest, and made his way to his right arm. The process was the same, the threads tightened, then he felt heat from the light. After a minute, the process was over. The remaining light had disappeared as soon as it left his right hand.

 

As soon as it was over, someone's voice spoke to him. "I would be careful, L-loren. Something is-" But it was soon cut off, for what reason he could not answer. From what he knew about elementian powers, it wasn't Aki or Kai. Nor was it any of the others, so it must have been...

 

He got off from his knees and looked at the woman. "Thank you..." Said Loren softly as he looked around him. "And thank you for worrying about me... Luna" Said Loren, smiling as he turned towards the place were he last heard the footsteps.

Edited January 28, 2012 by Lore_Master

[Nasa13]

Eirikr

 

Cripes! This guy has quite a flare for the dramatic.

 

"I don't see why you would, but if you want you may see what I carry," he replied grudgingly. He proceeded to empty his pack with care. First came the few remains of his food supply, then some extra clothes and last came a few small necessities: a file for the pickaxe, a bowl and fork, some herbs, and some soap. His pockets, though, were filled with odder things. He pulled out handfuls of stones, bits of wood, and some rags, just about anything he had picked up on the road. He had to admit he was a bit of a pack rat. He kept his clothes on though, especially his gloves.

 

"What do you mean shape stone just right," he asked. "My father trained me in the use of a blade, how to sharpen, it such things. I remember it well, a falcata. It was better suited for the chop than the slash. I have found it easier to travel with just my pickaxe as I can better appear as a traveling worker. I don't use my pickaxe as a weapon though it can be a pretty brutal weapon. So, how shall I prove my capabilities?"

Edited January 29, 2012 by Nasa13

[Silver_Voices]

(( That was a super cool way to visualize it. I love it.))

 

Zepheena open her eyes as the last threads of light faded. She grinned, and turned towards Isis. She knew he was there, she heard him coming. He made a distinct noise when he walked on grass. She jumped towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He swung her around, hugging her closely.

 

Isis placed Zepheena back on the ground. He looked at her, half cross and half relieved. "Don't wander off again. It could be dangerous."

 

Nodding, Zepheena turned back to Loren. "You're welcome. I'm glad I could help." She glanced at Isis and stuck her tongue out at him. He did the same right back.

 

Zepheena only just noticed the girl at the edge of the clearing. Her violet eyes suggested she was a Space Elementian. Walking up to her, Zepheena smiled. "Hello. You must be Luna." She held her hand out to her.

Edited January 31, 2012 by Silver_Voices

[LadyNatasha]

~Aketsu~

 

Aketsu was almost surprised that Eirikr responded grudgingly. Aketsu's little 'speech' had been rehearsed in a way, though not even Aketsu had noticed. He had simply spent so many years training in the art of caution and protection. He had been sure he was going to be a Royal Guardian or at least a palace guard, and so he had learned much about what was required of such people. Being cautious and not letting secret weapons into the palace was a big part of that, and even here out in the woods it had had its influence on Aketsu's methods.

 

Nothing of Eirikr's looked unacceptable, so Aketsu nodded once and motioned for him to clean it all up, if he wanted to. Aketsu was quite pleased to be adding another person to their little group; so far he liked what he had seen in Eirikr. He didn't bother making Eirikr take off his shirt, for he had actually only suggested it to see what kind of personality Eirikr had. This was something he had sort of learned from watching how Kai interacted with people. Kai's social skills were pretty low-class, but his ability to read people was far above average even without his little earth-stomping. Aketsu could see now that Eirikr preferred some secrets be kept secret, and Aketsu could respect that. He had seen Eirikr's precise use of earth against Kai and wondered what else Eirikr could do with it.

 

"What do you mean shape stone just right?" Aketsu blinked at the question, then remembered what he had said about Yuaki and the weapons. "I... well, stone is pretty good for sharpening metal if crafted just right. I guess I just assumed you could craft the stone into the right shape to help Yuaki with her weapon upkeep, but doing it the old fashioned way works too." Aketsu suddenly wondered why he had assumed Eirikr had such abilities. After all, every Earth Elementian had different strengths and weaknesses and perhaps Eirikr couldn't specifically 'shape' stone.

 

"My father trained me in the use of a blade, how to sharpen, it such things. I remember it well, a falcata. It was better suited for the chop than the slash. I have found it easier to travel with just my pickaxe as I can better appear as a traveling worker. I don't use my pickaxe as a weapon though it can be a pretty brutal weapon. So, how shall I prove my capabilities?" Aketsu thought for a moment, curious that someone from Terra would know how to use a falcata. Then he smiled. "I saw your use of the earth element, and I'd like to see what else you can do with it. Then I'd like to spar just a bit with you, no elements involved, to see how you fancy a blade; we have swords, katanas and one axe. But first your earth element. No need to destroy the forest, just show me what you can do with it," though Aketsu had assessed that Eirikr wasn't the type to show off either and probably wouldn't have destroyed the forest purposely unless angered.

 

A week of traveling with the same exact people and training with them every night had made Aketsu realize just how important it was that they knew how to work together as a team. Isa and Yuaki especially learned this quickly; they had formed signals to each other so Yuaki knew when Isa was going to use her Light. Yuaki would then aim at her target, close her eyes at just the right time and then attack the 'blinded' target the moment the light disappeared. Aketsu had learned how to disperse some of Kai's sand and help him make small sandstorms that worked well to distract, blind and sting the enemy temporarily, as well as sometimes poison them. Aketsu had also made sure everyone in the group knew what his bottles of poison did to the body and how much needed to be inhaled to be deadly, if the specific poison was deadly. And the more the group trained, the more Aketsu realized it would have been a mess to go fight a group of enemies their first day out. They would have been blinding each other, running into each other and just plain messing things up. Because of this Aketsu did want to see that Eirikr was willing to use his element in front of them. He knew from experience that some Elementians were oddly private of their elements, though so far he hadn't met even one that had a good excuse for being so.

Edited January 28, 2012 by LadyNatasha

[LoveLost]

Noe scoffed when Kai stated that she wouldn’t have let him try what he wanted to if he had told her. He was darn right about that! “You got tha-“ the ending of ‘that’ became clogged in her throat as Kai took hold of her hand with his own: Her heart even skipped an entire beat! His hands were so strong and yet gentle as it calmly held her own. She could feel the heat from the burn slowly disappearing as the rain quickly undid the damage that he had done to himself but then another heat replaced the heat of the burn. His hands were warm as well as gentle towards her.

 

Noe pulled herself form her distraction as she listened to what Kai was saying about his hand not slowing him down. With a slightly sheepish grin, she snorted knowing that the burn would still be rather tender. But then he stated something about feeling as though you were at the heart of a storm which was the reason that he was so exhilarated. Her smile turned to one of a familiar love that she held for storms. It was a love that made most consider her insane when she was controlling a storm, or even near one. Hurricanes would cross near her and she would step out to meet them with her hand outstretched in greeting.

 

She blushed a deep red when he mentioned hitting people with the lightning now that they could target it, together. A dainty, and somewhat cutsie giggle followed the blush and then a frown.

 

The frown came from a sudden, and increased downpour that was a response to her emotions towards Kai at that moment. To be able to share lightning with him and to rejoice and be one with something as powerful as the storms that she loved to be within, was something very limited where she came from. Her mother, when she had met her, had told her that sharing your element with someone was the most exhilarating and intimate thing for it involved ones very core being in the process.

 

Her face was turned towards the ground as she felt the rain increase in intensity as she thought of what her mother said and her blush slowly turned towards a shiver that came from the chilled water. She couldn’t hold heat as a Fire, or Light, or even Lightning Elementian could. “That would be fun (a small, defiant smile crossed her lips)….if only there was a way to direct the weather so it wouldn’t be in tune to my emotions when I am flustered….” It was a high doubt that Kai would catch the inference to her emotions being caught up with being near him, but oh well. Heart! Could you please stop racing! She felt like a young girl when she had met one of the Princes, and actually the King of the Space Elementians. But she had never been in this close of a proximity to a man that she liked without finding herself stammering and backing away slightly. How could she when his hand was clasped around her own?

 

Yuaki….jealous? Isa was halted by that one thought as she stared at her friend. Something was bothering her more than just the team work and that was easy to see. Her friend had been tense over the past week especially with the two new comers. Once Yauki had finished, Isa took the last bite of her food and chewed it as she thought. Her friend had some valid points. They all acted as though they were strangers when they were supposed to be friends. The most that people knew of one another was their names, abilities and general background that was known just from hearsay.

 

Isa took a deep breath and let it out before turning to her friend and sitting cross legged on the log. “Aketsu and I have a different relationship because of what was done to him. But once what was done was removed, we were able to see each other as we were truly supposed to instead of as me being his master and he a servant. Kai and Noe are very simply constructed beings and that is that in that case. As for myself, everyone here knows my secrets and knows who I am because I am a princess. Everything you do or say right or wrong, past, present or future is looked upon and scrutinized. Everyone knew about me being the Rainbow Child and my problems with my father, the death of my mother. But for those of us here and now, we are still growing together. Yuaki, are you….are you lonesome?” she asked as gently as she could. She didn’t want to upset her friend…

Nerio stared at Cielo in shock and actually let one of the water balls from his brother hit him in his head. The impact was enough to make him fall off of the log onto his rear, but when he propped himself up on his elbows, he was smiling. “That wasn’t so hard now was it!” He said and then climbed back up onto the log and grinned at Cielo. “Something as unique and priceless as that is something that needs to be worked on. You haven’t had much of a way to practice it I bet and therefore haven’t found a way to control it. Cielo, you shouldn’t be afraid of what you can do, rather, instead experiment and be exhilarated by it!” nerio was almost too overjoyed for this, but in all honesty, he was happy that Cielo would now be able to work more with water and rain now that she had told him what she could do. “Since you have only told Noe and I, then I can work with you with her if you want. It would be easy to hide the rain that you make in a dark cloud with heavy rainfall all around you wouldn’t it?”

[Rakashua]

Kai smiled back, releasing Noe's hand as the rain picked up, she apparently wasn't comfortable with it, and he wasn't sure why he'd taken it in the first place... he'd just been excited in the moment of things, and wanted to assure her that his burn wasn't as bad as it had been that first time.

 

"Well..." He grinned, rain soaking his skin and quickly washing away the sand to reveal his scarred body, which... for some reason he wasn't afraid of letting her see up close. "I suppose as long as I get Isa to insult you a few times before each battle... to get you angry... we'll do just fine yeah?" He laughed quietly. It was true she lacked control, the weather literally reacted to her emotions... and as Kai was VERY quickly learning... girls were emotional hurricanes... in Noe's case... literally.

 

"I think... that you do have some control over it though, and that you also single me out to get me back for pushing you in training yes?" He smiled, showing that he was not mad about it, just curious, "you do tend to rain on me a lot... and I don't think it's because I make you depressed." Kai had no idea, however, that it was a completely different emotion Noe had for him that kept getting him wet.

 

He yawned suddenly, running his hands over his chest and face, wiping off the remaining sand. "You'll get it don't worry, I'll spend as much time training you one on one as I can, your abilities will be invaluable in battle, and you'll be much happier when you have control. Believe me... I used to shock people all the time by accident at the monastery, made it hard to make friends, that's for sure..." Kais facial expression suddenly changed and a look of... regret? Sadness" passed across it and disappeared before it returned to it's usual half-smiling look.

 

"I'm tired, and soaked, let's go dry off around the fire, I could use some food, and then get some sleep, long day tomorrow." Kai suggested, offering Noe his good hand, simply because he figured she would be tired after creating such a storm, he still couldn't comprehend that it really didn't take much effort at all on her part, and assumed she was as tired as he.

 

 

[LoveLost]

Poor Noe. Poor confused Noe. When she looked up at Kai as he spoke, she couldn’t help but look at his toned and muscular build covered with scars. A blush crept back into her face while she heard him speak of Isa. That girl was as irritating as they came and she couldn’t believe that they had to be in the same camp.

 

When he released her hand, she took a small step backwards and stammered as he said that she singled him out to rain on. He noticed but it didn’t seem that he understood the ways and emotions of weather elementian. “I….i didn’t mean too….it’s not on purpose, I promise.” She stated and folded her arms around herself to try and conserve her warmth. He spoke about how he used to shock people and the funny thing was, was that she was in most control of her element. It was just the dadgum emotions that drove her insane. She could pinpoint a tornado and cause a hurricane to tear through an entire village if she so chose. Storms could produce large amounts of hail and crush her enemies, but nothing was precise or accurate. It took her a large amount of concentration and practice not to get someone hurt within a storm.

 

“Kai…I uh….I well, I,” she tried to find what she wanted to say in his dual colored eyes and strong face, but instead found herself getting even more so soaked than what she had been a few seconds ago. "Never mind." He held his hand out to her and she didn’t want to seem rude, but the storm. Her light, stormy gray eyes turned to it’s kindred in the sky and willed it to dissipate to the clouds that had been there once before. Please, just let me rest in peace! The problem was, if she didn’t allow the storm within her to go away naturally, it would come out in her sleep….

 

The rain took a moment to slow down, and finally stopped but a wind kicked up to accommodate for the loss of rain to express herself. Noe shivered uncontrollably as she took Kai’s hand with a grateful smile. She had to admit that letting herself go without control was more tiring than it was controlling her storms and she chalked it up to the emotional release that took time for her.

 

“Thank you.” She said through chattering teeth. Kai had only his pants on and no shirt and she was still wondering how he stayed so warm. Here she was, in a skirt and shirt that were both soaked through and through that should have held some warmth and her teeth were chattering and she was shivering without control. She wished she had never learned how to raise the clouds higher in the sky to make the rain colder…ever.

[SkySong278]

After Sky had a few more of these dreams, she quietly got up and left a back way out of the tent to a nearby hill to look up at the night sky and the first stars coming out. She wanted to be in a quiet place to think about all of the stuff that she had, had nightmares about before going back to sleep. She was afraid that she would have more of the nightmares that she had already had if she closed her eyes and stayed in the tent much longer. She also thought that the cold night air would help her think and get the images that she had seen out of her head. She had thought about asking Marc if he could sleep beside her but was afraid that he would just tell her to go back to bed and not even listen to her question. With a sigh, she sat down on the hill and tried to spot some of the first constellations that would be out around this time.

 

After a few minutes of looking up at the sky, she was able to spot the big and small dippers and the beginning of Orion which was the three stars on his belt. Those were the only constellations that she knew because they were easy but the others, not so much. Maybe after the mission or if Marc came looking for her because he got worried about not seeing her in the tent, maybe he could stargaze with her before she had to go back. She hoped that he'd be able to help her spot the other constellations that she couldn't see.