Fantasy The Elementalists of Versaes

[Darekk]

Takio Arin

​

Takio stood while watching how everyone ran in a panic, his instincts told him to run but the whole situation mystified him, how panic could make people behave idiotically, sure, he was scared, yet he felt calm and it almost felt as if everything around him was happening in slow motion. Standing up from his desk he saw the guy who was sitting in front of him just a few minutes ago and quietly stood close to him I guess there's strength in numbers in this kind of situation, and at least this guy isn't running around screaming he thought amused. Seconds after he saw a big, nasty creature tear his eay through several people and from the entrance, feeling a new rush of fear he frantically started thinking ok, that thing is coming right at me and the exits are blocked by students, from what I see I only have seconds until the students between it and me die





Looking around he saw the stairs.that led towards the roof empty so he took impulse and ran towards it without much thinking, seconds later he entered the roof and ran to the farthest side from the entrance, ok why would I run towards a dead end? What am I, one of those dumb horror movies victims? He thought annoyed, sitting down to take a breath he sighed heavily and sat down to see how things unfolded.


(sorry if it's a bit short, I'm posting from a phone due to some pc issues)

 

[mechanimated]

Maržena Skalnikova

​

There was a second when Mara made eye contact with the dazed, disheveled book store clerk. No...no, he wasn't going to help. Mara didn't have to watch to know he had fled to the back of the store, didn't need to hear his terrified bumbling as he caught his feet on stacks of books in his panic. She was alone in this fight.


Mara hacked and hacked with the pick, feeling the jar in her hands as the serrated metal teeth scraped bone. The monstrosity shrieked and squirmed, clawing at the offending attacker. Mara didn't know how she managed to dodge each rabid swipe. It was a miracle her head stayed on her shoulders. Suddenly, an opening. The creature had put too much weight on its injured arm to attempt another assault, and been forced to drop its clawed hand to the floor with an awful scream of pain. Mara leapt forward, putting all her weight into a solid two-footed stomp right on the partially-sawn-off limb. It was all or nothing. With a sickening crack, the bone gave way. Mara fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of her in one painful rush. The abomination, fangs dripping with milky saliva, shrieked and fell sideways, it's now-detached limb still nailed to the floor with the other pick. Thrashing wildly and spewing thick, black blood, the beast was clearly most unhappy about this turn of events.





Mara rolled out of the way as a massive clawed hand slammed into the ground, grabbing her other axe and wrenching it out of the floor with a grunt. She stumbled back, deflecting swipes with a ting of steely claws on metal. Despite being grievously injured, the abomination was still not quite down for the count. It had reacquired its footing and was squirming further into the store. Suddenly, Mara found herself falling. Fucking books. She had tripped over a spilled pile of hardcovers, falling hard. Though the woman had managed to keep hold of her ice picks, she had provided an opening. The monster lurched forward and swung its clawed, all-too-human hand down.


There was a moment where it seemed nothing had happened, and the pain blossomed. Mara shrieked in agony, her shin pierced clean through with one long, curving claw. The beast swayed, struggling to balance on its two rear legs, and began to slowly pull Mara toward its eager, open mouth. What happened next was so natural, so instinctual, Mara didn't understand how she didn't do it before. Dropping her picks, Mara gathered...something...from the air. Some kind of energy, or aspect. Bringing her hands forward like she was throwing something at the monster, Mara felt bone-cracking cold flow from somewhere deep inside. The air splintered, and her next exhalation was a cloud of chill white.


The air in front of the monsters face exploded.


Shards of glassy ice flew in all directions like shrapnel, embedding themselves in shelves, the ceiling, and the face of the now-flailing monster. It emitted a high pitched whine - a sound not of just pain, but panic. Mara found herself free of its claws as the three-legged creature fell back. Was it...fleeing? It heaved its deformed mass back out the door and disappeared down the street, its lopsided gallop barely slowed by the loss of its arm.


Mara laid back, breathing heavily. Jesus...Jesus fucking christ. What the fuck. What the fuck?! She shook from head to toe, her limbs trembling uncontrollably as the adrenaline faded. Pains that had been masked in the heat of the fight made themselves known. Mara was covered in cuts, and the puncture in her leg was bleeding heavily. It took her several minutes to sit up, and then another ten to find the strength to rip a strip of cloth from the bottom of her shirt to bind her leg. Mara tied it as tightly as she could, but the cotton was soaked with blood in seconds. She had to...there was a needle and thread in her bag...She...


Gathering her picks, Mara shakily clipped them back onto her belt. She had to get out of here and find out what was going on. There was a school at the end of the street. There was always a cop car parked there. Limping outside, Mara squinted toward the building and began to cautiously make her way in that direction. Perhaps she'd meet someone on the way who could tell her what was happening.

 

[Hales]

Leia Volture

Leia may have been quiet. She may have been withdrawn socially; she may have been the weird kid who slept with anyone and everyone. None of that mattered once the classroom started shaking though. Despite all the things that others believed her to be, and despite how true their beliefs may have been, Leia Volture was not an idiot. The girl had enough brains in her to remember the earthquake drills from their younger school years and she knew that running amuck was a terrible idea.


When everyone else started to panic, Leia got onto the ground and crawled under the desk. This is supposed to be a good idea, right? she checked with her memory. The other option was to stand in the doorway, but with everyone running around in a panic like they were, that didn’t seem like it would be the best option available to her because the last thing she wanted was to get run into or worse - run over.


Sighing, Leia quickly realized that she was going to be down there for a while. The shaking didn’t stop. Still having her duffle bag with her, Leia grabbed it and pulled it under the desk along with her, using it as a pillow of sorts on which to rest her head. It was filled with clothes so it was definitely comfortable enough for her.


Strangely enough, the thought never occurred to her that the building should have collapsed by now. Maybe it was the fact that she wasn’t in the mood to think. Maybe she simply didn’t care. Life certainly hadn’t been Leia’s favorite thing as of late so the latter option was actually quite possible and almost made more sense than the former. Resting her head down, Leia seemed content to wait whatever the situation was out.


It was only after a moment that she noticed a flicker of movement and her eyes flickered to the source. It was taller than the desk so she couldn’t see its entire form although she did count four legs - it wasn’t human. From her view, her first thought was actually that it might have been a dog. It had fur and four legs and it was taller than a cat. Leia got a dog out of that picture. She had never been more wrong. The creature seemed to have caught on to her scent and when its head peeked down beneath the desk, Leia freaked.


Kicking at the legs of the desk, Leia knocked it over before rapidly sliding herself across the floor, dragging her duffle bag with her. Knocking the desk down hadn’t really done much aside from anger it further. With nothing left to do, Leia screamed.

 

[Phineas Forge]

Oz Morrison

Oz didn't notice when a young lady came and got near him. He did notice when she spoke to him, however. He wasn't all that interested in idle chatter and especially not before class started. He didn't want to be rude though, in case the two students had to work together later on some sort of project. They did share a class afterall. He quickly clicked on the email icon and waited for it to load.


"Nothing interesting... just checking email," he answered the girl with a slight smile. He thought it was sufficient to end the conversation, but he couldn't know for sure. He turned back to the monitor, using his peripherals to see if the girl left. It's not like he'd really planned to do anything inappropriate or anything, he just found it uncomfortable to have people watching him. It was at this point that the first earthquake rocked the school.


Oz looked around, a little startled. His hands instinctively grabbed the edges of his desk as he rode out the small rumbling. He could feel his heart beating harder in his chest as he, uncharacteristically, got worked up about what was going on around him. The quake ended pretty soon thereafter and he settled down a bit. "An earthquake? Weird," he said to the nearby girl.


Just as his heart began slowing, another quake began shaking the school. Ceiling tiles fell around them and Oz worried that the whole place would come raining down atop them. Even though he was frightened and worried for his safety, his mind kicked into overdrive. He realized that there was really nothing he could do to ensure his own safety, so he just held his hands above his head. This was mostly just a precaution in case one of those square tiles fell on him.


Being in an interior room, there were no windows to alert Oz to the craziness that was going on outside. The shaking ceased and then a stampede of people ran past the door. They were all screaming, but their voices merged and made it impossible for Oz to understand anything they were saying. Nearby, a couple of the people that were in his class got up and rushed into the hall as well, joining the stampede. He looked to the girl, his face had fear written all over it. "What the hell is going on?!"


@theunderwolf

 

[Prudentia]

Sona Govoni
​

I hear that…someone’s about to die.

​

Unless he was in time, and he barely entered the room before the horrid creature - the ones that strolled outside, the ones he feared to come in contact with, the ones that came out of nowhere – had a chance to take a first clean chomp out of the small girl that had run into him. It’s her…fate is telling me something…all Sona did though is run towards her, whatever he would do, it was out of the question, not even a question. He just moved, a feeling, a tingling feeling that sent jitters through his body and raised goosebumps along his skin as he ran closer towards the Beast.

Uh, it smells like rotten flesh and burnt fluid.

​

His eyebrows furrowed more than they already were as his body enclosed on the creature. His heart was beating; sweat beaded along his olive skin and ran down in slow streams from his forehead. What was he going to do?! His hands had nothing within them, he carried nothing upon his body either, and yet he came to defend this girl he didn’t know without actual defense. What the hell…But he felt something else, a feeling that couldn’t be described to another – at least not right now. I can do something…


Right as he skidded to a stop to stand between the girl and the Beast, he raised both arms up as if he knew exactly the purpose of the motion. His fingers tightened together, whitening the entirety of both hands, then the boulders came. Two large boulders cracked out and broke free from the tile and concrete floor then crushed the Beast’s left hind leg between them. That sound of metal between rock, how he enjoyed that – seeing it struggle and lose its balance, another victory.


Next came the high pitched, piercing wale. It mixed so well with all the students still running around that it was hard to tell if it was talking, too. Communicating with its fellow Beasts, perhaps. The creature lobbed off to the side, keeping it’s eyeless sight upon the two. Sona had took his position, firm and confident, glaring at the creature, “Wherever you came from, return to that darkness.” He said darkly. Yet the creature let out another desperate shout and soon took its leave, running off, ignoring the smashed in metal leg on its left – it adapted to the missing limb rather quickly.


It had run over several students, probably killing some by the sound of more crunching and crackling yet it ignored them otherwise. The boy had finally let out all the breath that caught up in his lungs, blowing it out slowly and soon wiping away the small puddles of sweat upon his brow. His body turned to face the girl with her duffle bag and he kneeled down once more to greet her, “Pardon me, but are you well?” and a hand went out, just as the last time; he wanted to help no matter who she was to this world.


@Hales

 

[Arael]

Levi McKnight


"The fuck?" Levi had began packing up but was rudely interrupted by the sudden violent shaking from the earth which caused several of the students and staff to run from the campus grounds..well those who made it out of the building in time anyway. The rest of the foundation seemed to crumble around the entrance, preventing anyone from coming or going, Levi started walking off after everyone but was knocked off his feet by another quake but this one more violent than the first which caused a large piece of debris from the school landing only inches from his body. "What the hell is going on?"


He ran out into the streets but was only greeted with more chaos. The streets were covered in water from broken hydrants, people shoving and trampling each other to get to safety and the sound of car alarms filled the entire block along with screams from fearful civilians. But what really caught Levis' attention was a massive creature with what looked like Metal hind legs.."That's one hell of a science project." He quickly ducked behind a car and began sneaking in the opposite direction but was stopped abruptly in his tracks by the sound of screaming ."Dammit just go..." He attempted to continue on but his curiosity got the best of him as he looked through one of the broken cars mirrors.


His eyes went wide at the sight, there were two small kids cornered by two of those beast and by the looks of things it was about to be snack time. Levi sighed heavily and threw his guitar and bag onto the bushes and gripped onto his staff tightly as he jumped on the hood of the car and began yelling at the beast. "Hey ugly!" At that moment both beast turned to face him they seemed to be watching for his next move. "Come on..let's see what ya got." And at that very moment they both charged at the car with full force. Dammit Levi tell me we have a plan.


He quickly jumped from the roofirst and onto the slightly flooded streets, looking for a way to get to the kids without getting killed first. He was quickly shaken from his thoughts by one of the beast charging him from the right "Shit" He jumped back just in time, narrowly avoiding sudden death but now they hand him in a cornered position and they both realized this and charged at the same time saliva dripping hungrily from their fangs. Just go! He turned and ran towards the kids with both of the hulking monsters following at his tail "here goes everything!" Levi turned and swung at one with his staff but instead of a normal blow the beast was struck full force with a wave of water which knocked it into one of the crumbling buildings. But the other continued on with its assault as it rushed past its dazed ally.


Levi on the other hand had no intention on trying that again and scooped the kids up in his arms and took off with the beast still hot on his trail, as he was running he realized there was a massive hole in the ground which had no intention of falling in but he also had no idea as to how he'd get around it. He looked down and realized there was a good amount of water flowing into it and he had to be crazy for considering this but at this point he'd try anything so he picked up speed and focused completely on getting across and once they came within a good range he jumped and by the sound of things the beast jumped with him. I'm an idiot! Everything seemed to slow down at that very moment, instead of being swallowed by complete darkness a sudden push of water seemed to weakly toss them over the hole..but sadly the same couldn't be said for the beast as it gripped on to the ledge for dear life but to no prevail it dropped into the consuming dark abyss. "Oh sweet land..oh how I love you" Levi planted himself face first into the streets, breathing heavily as he waved the kids off to what seemed like a part of town which was currently being evacuated. "Oh..oh god I almost died..I think I need a therapist." He sighed and looked up at the sky, the scenes playing over and over in his head. What the hell is going on.





(Sorry for the wait, all is well now so I'll be more active)

 

[Prudentia]

Welcome to Mapulo

Population: Three Million (Including Training Grounds)


City of Peace and Middling Folk

In a city, one day’s travel from Chronia – that is if you drive, however, it takes a few extra for walking – lies a forested area, quaint and tranquil. It appears to have been built hundreds of years ago, for moss and other lush greenery are infiltrating the buildings covering fine white marble. Clouds have been crafted to hide the large steeples. Does a King live here? Not quite but the secrecy of the Mentors hides behind all the green and grey.


The entrance area is filled with trickling water mixed with soft songs and twitters from sparrows and finches. They often nest right near the fish ponds, and having the trees surrounding the entire area, calls for protection from predators and pests. When one takes in a large inhale, there can be several scents: sweet morning dew, warm meals cooking, and/or fresh air crisp and invigorating. Ah, the smell is refreshing and makes you want to curl under one of the arches and read a book or catch up on your own thoughts. Oh, and then one can feel a soft chill every now and then but thankfully, Mapulo does not experience lots of rain, not like Aqua, nor violent gusts like Ventus.


The main path is concrete, a long road leading up to the castle like “city” of the training grounds. Here, the Mentors will reach their mentees, meeting them face-to-face, awaiting the adventures and fellowship. Now, mentees will have living quarters, comfortable dining halls, luxurious bathrooms individually placed in rooms, and a public study area. However, one of the best places to visit is the waterfalls which splash down into large warm pools where mentees can engage with each other and spend in languid time. Or there is the huge library before this peaceful area; hundreds upon hundreds of books, ancient and recent written for the use of training, learning history, and leisure. Enter whenever you please, and stay until the next training or meeting. Often enough, training will be every couple days at first, and soon increase or decrease depending on mutual agreement between mentors and mentees.


Let us again look back at this sight. As the students walk along, they will hear sweet calls of the birds from this paradise. They fly about freely while others, like the finches and sparrows, live amongst the humans here, in more solitude and freedom. They bring tranquility to a stressed mind. Even when the students are in the training areas outside, they can soothe the mind and support concentration. Trickling water from the fountains and waterfalls in the distance, soft rustling of leaves, and twittering of the birds brings peace which this world will yet cherish. Night time is the most luxurious moments one experiences in Mapulo – the beauty of the darkness how mysterious it is and revealing the glistening light from the deep sky overhead – the clouds lifting enough to still hide the castle.


Here is where their training begins, where they survive if anything was to happen to the surrounding cities, and where hardship will be overcome with triumph, endurance, and fellowship.

Spoiler

Spoiler

@Darekk @EclipseRising @mechanimated


@JohnNeko @Fallacy


@Imperator Penguin @Phineas Forge @ThePricklyPear @ShadyAce @Mine @CHIMNY


@A Guileless Fable


@Zylvia

 

[CHIMNY]

Andreas Noxis


Andreas followed the line of kids into the amazing city like area. He was all the way in the back tilting his head downward under his hood, his eyes darting back and forth from all the birds in the thick leaves. They were all avoiding him, flying backwards behind the trees but staring at him the whole way in a staggering fixed gaze. Yep thats death! Andre thought, he didnt really care - death comes to everything. Andreas noticed the scent in the air after a while of walking, it disgusted him - "Death does not smell life" The grim reaper whispered in his head, Andreas did not need a warning, he was resisting the urge to throw up.


His eyes widened, Andreas brought his hands to his mouth. His partially digested ham sandwich rocketed upwards, Andreas swallowed it back down. He was a few meters behind the other kids, he ran to them and looked over his shoulder to see if anyone had seen him.


Andreas was wrapped in his thoughts, ignoring the surrounding and noise while simultaneously walking with his classmates. Hey death, ugghhh....Just wanted to ask - why did you choose me? Its been a while since we talked and you pretty much left me out in the dirt. Andreas had imagined talking with the grim reaper, death randomly gets in Andreas head so why cant it be vice versa. There was no response. Andre was getting upset.

 

[Prudentia]

((I hate posting here with OOC but I'm going to because it's important. Wind element was changed, so I deleted my character post. PLEASE post still even if I said wait. I would rather it move along. =-) ))

 

[Imperator Penguin]

Blake Steffensen

Blake silently observed the others as he stood apart from them in what he assumed was the entrance to Mapulo. It was a quietly serene place, covered in greenery, chirping birds and babbling water the only sounds. It felt a little alien to him, having spent most of his time in one major city or another for most of his life. The last time he had spent much time in a forest had been . . . had been when his mother was still around. Clearing his head, Blake returned to the present. Some of the others were in conversation, having arrived before he did. In fact, he had been the last to arrive. He almost hadn’t come, the whole situation seemingly too ridiculous to believe.


After having fought off the beast, Blake had returned to his apartment, only to find a mysterious, cloaked man waiting for him outside. Not saying anything, the man had pressed a message into Blake’s hand and then disappeared into the chaos. Blake had called out after him but he was too beat up to give chase. He didn’t read the message until he had cleaned up and changed into something less . . . destroyed.


Utterly unbelievable had been his first reaction to the message. Elementalists? Mentors? This has got to be a joke, he had thought. The message had only included vague mentions of elementalist and mentors before instructing him to travel to Mapulo for training. Blake had heard of the elementalists before but they were only a fairy tale. Sure the quakes and beasts had been odd, and maybe it would explain the beam of light when he hit the beast, but it couldn’t possibly be real. He had to have been imagining things when he saw the light, a hallucination brought on by his injuries and stress. No, it had been logical to assume it was a prank and to throw the message into the trash.


It was a day later before Blake had finally decided to act on the message. It had taken the lights of his apartment blowing out twice to convince him something strange was happening. Maybe it was crazy, but maybe these mentors would have answers for him.


So Blake had left the chaos that was Chronia. The city was in ruins making it nearly impossible for anyone to get around. Luckily Blake had a four-wheel drive vehicle as well, that could traverse rugged terrain. Unfortunately he had been forced to abandon the vehicle about a half-a-days walk away from Mapulo when it had run out of gas.


So here he was, in a city he didn’t know, surrounded by people he didn’t know, hoping for answers from people he didn’t know. His confidence in his decision was waning by the minute. Hell, most of the others here had to still be teenagers, still kids. They couldn’t possibly be involved in whatever was happening. Any moment now someone would jump out of a bush and yell ‘surprise’ before breaking into laughter at their gullibility. Blake would wait for now, but he wasn’t counting on staying long.

 

[JohnNeko]

YEONHO LEE

Yeonho walked with his thumbs hooked into his pockets, glancing around them as he walked in the group. His expression was more relaxed than usual as he took in the natural sights around them. He felt far more at ease around the abundance of nature than in the city, though he felt that there was no time to truly relax after the horrors they had witnessed. Spending time running from disturbing creatures that didn't appear to be of this world was enough to make anyone uneasy.


He filled his lungs with fresh air, momentarily pausing his strides and closing his eyes to ground himself before continuing to keep pace with the group around him. The sound of birds twittering around them was beautifully eerie; a stark contrast to the sights he had experienced barely a day ago. Yeonho rubbed one of his arms, generating a bit of heat through friction in hopes of doing something to make the chills go away. Was he cold, or was it this situation in general which was causing this discomfort?


As they got a bit closer, buildings began to appear amongst the foliage, further cementing things into reality. This was the real deal, huh? They really were a group of random kids being dragged off for some training or whatever. A knot began to form in Yeonho's stomach. All he wanted to do was become an idol. To entertain people with song and dance. Yet now he was being whisked off to some unimaginable place to fight creatures that shouldn't even exist?!? If this was a dream, he wished he could wake up quickly.

 

[Prudentia]

Sona Govoni

I saw people being shredded, students that I have passed by and said hello to torn apart or crushed.

​

He had lost his breakfast, he had lost his color, and his eyebrows had scrunched together in the center and his breathing was heavy and hard. There were still students running over each other, toppling down, others being forced to hold off the Beasts by cowardly others, and some students that did their best to fight those abominations off with broken pieces of cement or makeshift weapons. All to no prevail. They all suffered the same. The best fighters were the ones that hid – he could see it. Sona had watched as the Beasts passed by those that remained in solitude, hiding in pure silence within disheveled rooms, under dead bodies, and fallen rock. Sona had run off to find anyone he could help and it took him some time to get that courage back up after wrenching up his guts.


There had been plenty of students waiting for a clearing to move slowly and swiftly towards safety, and they knew they had to run towards the border, like all emergency situations called for. The best security was there, but what would have come of the border? Sona did not intend to run all the way towards the wall, and he didn’t want to imagine any more than he already saw right before his feet. The halls were red but he had to remain in peaceful thought and pace his breathing. He had come upon a small group of younger students trapped in their classroom from a caved in ceiling, although he managed to slip through the opening after pushing aside small boulders. “Come on…I can help you out. Then we can find better shelter.” His slight Latino/Italian mixed accent slurred together some of the words. Was it better to remain amongst the sour saliva and warm blood? He didn’t know but he wanted to calm these hyperventilating students.

Then I remember, it all came so quickly. I watched as it closed in on us…

​

Sona fixed his torn up grey jacket back onto his shoulders and brushed whatever dust he could away from his now pale black t-shirt, reminiscing of the moments of the Beast yanking away the remaining boulders and swiping at them all. His mind was stuck on what had happened as he walked into the entrance of Mapulo with the other students. He was towards the middle of the group, and looked back, eyes heavy lidded and mouth slightly opened as he scanned the equally tired faces. He returned sight forward only to follow a small flock of swallows twittering around each other, probably chattering about the new arrivals. We invaded their home but they probably know exactly what we are…that’s probably what they are talking about right now.


He sighed heavily and ruffled his hair, shaking dust out of his now literally dirty blonde hair. The inhalation of it all made him cough hard a few times, but he swallowed harshly and cleared his throat to bring down some saliva, though there wasn’t much left. However, this air…something about it made him feel like all the days of travel had no hardship on his body. All the burdens from Chronia lifted and his health restored. But how? He could not understand but nothing in the air took away the fact of what he did back in that classroom. The Beast swiping at the group of students, going for Sona’s turned back – the girls and boys crying out and shouting nonsense. Sona’s reactions felt like they were a habit, for he swiftly turned to face the Beast and swung his arms up to guard against the fish hook claws. And out they came – out came the large pillars formed by the broken ceiling and boulders, piercing into the sides and back metal legs of the pink fleshy creature. It’s curdling howl echoing throughout the bloodied halls but it was not over. Sona backed up quickly as the pillars broke down and fell on his rear beside the other students; all in shock, for lack of better words. His hazel eyes wide as the Beast went to take steps, breaking free of the pillars even as they crumbled away but the floor beneath it caved in with a large shake of the entire school building and fell down on whatever was left beneath the classroom. Their section of the flooring was sturdy still but they had to exit out of the back door, which was blocked.

Now I’m here…with all of these people. I can’t remember seeing them all before. Maybe a few of them. None of them were in that classroom with me. None of these people saw what I did…or did I do that? These birds would know and whoever gave me that message. Although right now, we are in some dream world.

​

The air made his body ache less and mind clear a bit better, but the birds’ songs and water dancing eased his mental state, a state of confusion and pain.

 

[Fallacy]

Dallas Miniscul

He wasn't exactly friendly, but he wasn't unfriendly either, so fixing the smile even more resolutely to her lips, Dallas decided this boy could make a potential friend. She was just prepping herself to fire off another friendly comment when the shaking started. Clutching the chair beneath her tightly with both hands, Dallas wondered if she'd imagined the quakings. But the events that progressed next wiped away whatever hopes she'd had. The room begin shaking, leading Dallas to suspect this being the happenings of an earthquake. As she'd learned from the last earth-quake plagued place she'd had the unfortune of living at, Dallas clutched her bag tightly to her chest, ducking beneath the table, wincing as her knees smashed into the asphalt. Her classmates were bolting, screams echoing from each person in turn as they exited the classmates.


"No wait! You shouldn't - "


Dallas broke off mid-sentence as she realized they were to caught up in there panic to bother listening. It was every man for themselves in this circumstance, Dallas realized with a sharp-intake of breath. Thoughts turned frantically towards her parents - Were they okay? But survival, her survival depended on her remaining focused on herself, no matter how selfish it might seem. The classroom had finally emptied and the shaking has ceased, so with still shaking legs Dallas pulled herself to her feet. She barely noticed the dull pain in her legs as she dragged herself to the window, if only the examine the wreckage of the scene. That's when her eyes fell on the creatures. They were inhumane in appearance, creatures that might've sprouted from from one of the fantasy tales her mother insisted upon reading every night. For a moment she felt only awe as she peered at them. This couldn't be real - Was it real?


One of those monsters beady black eyes slid to the window where Dallas was peering through, wolfish fangs curling up into an expression the girl might've thought to be a smile. Only then she could force her feet to move. Bolting down the hall and hurrying down the remaining bits of steps Dallas exited the school. In her barely rational thoughts her first call to action was to get to her car and perhaps call the police. Or maybe even get to the gun stowed in the secret compartment stowed inside her car. Illegal or not Dallas knew she needed some kind of defense against these monsters, and she wasn't foolish enough to think herself capable of taking them on by herself. She'd just managed to push the half-demolished door to the school open when one of the creatures took a flying leap towards her. Instinct paired with the speed that came with such a small size more so then any real training propelled her to the left. Wincing as her skin contacted the sharp thorns of a rose bush, Dallas forced herself to remain still as the creature examined the area for any signs of her. Maybe it wouldn't see her. Maybe she'd be safe here.


The eyes flicked to her location and another raspy half-breath was uttered from the gaping jaws as the creature rushed at her again. Frantically Dallas attempted at pulling herself loose from the bush. But the very dress she'd insisted upon herself wearing to school had her stuck to the bush with no hopes of emerging. Pulling with no regard to the delicate material Dallas forced her now frantically spinning thoughts to a still as she pulled. Squeezing her eyes shut Dallas chanted the mantra of focus in her head over and over again.


Just focus. Focus Focus Focus..





Something like energy flicked from Dallas' fingers and in the shock the girl's eyes opened. Death hadn't come as she'd expected, as something, maybe her own foolish luck had seemed to propel the creature into the air above her. Mid-jump, it's claws were a hair length from her own face. Panic had contorted the things face as it attempted to free itself from the.. Whatever it was stuck in. Something told Dallas that she had caused this.


But how?





Shakingly extracting herself from the bush, an easy task now as her hands were no longer shaking with the burden of the monster's leap, Dallas took one last glance at the creature before she ran towards her car. Thankfully no more of the creatures plagued her the remaining bits of her day.


..


The messenger had come a time later, leaving her with a scroll and not a word of explanation. The journey to the place as detailed in the letter had been long and uneventful, as there were barely any cars on the road in the after-math of yesterday's... Incident. Before she knew it she'd arrived. Joining the group of others Dallas allowed herself to take in the melancholy of her surroundings. The beauty of it was as captivating as it was unsettling due to the stark difference of it from the events of yesterday.


In her thoughtfulness Dallas stumbled slightly, grabbing the shoulder of the person (@JohnNeko ) closest to her in a show of uncharacteristic clumsiness.


"Sorry, Sorry - "

 

[CHIMNY]

Andreas Noxis


Andreas gave up on trying to talk to the grim reaper, he switched his thoughts to the rumors he heard, something about a beast attack. He tried to not let it bother him. Andre had a pretty bad experience with out of world beasts, the worst one being when he accidentally summoned a demon which had destroyed a school bus during a field trip. Andreas wished he could have been there to atleast see it but didnt get the chance, he was a bit late on arriving.

 

[Prudentia]

Bardroy Bortz

Walking down from the white marble stairs of the castle home came a man dressed in a black button-up coat and blue jeans; his hair was freshly washed and gelled; his face shaven down to a neat stubble; and his skin clear of any training blemishes. Even despite knowing that their mentees would arrive soon, Bardroy had still wanted them to get in a morning session after their early council meeting. He told his fellow mentors that the kids wouldn’t show up until half the day had expired, so he reassured quite sternly that there was no need to take a morning off. As he thought, they all had enough time to get ready, for even he was ready before the birds had brought the news.


Bardroy had called for all the mentors to come down with him, having walked passed all their bedroom doors, knocking hard once on each of the hard wood to grab the attention of the friend inside. “It is well that time. They will be at the entrance as we are walking down.” He had hollered and with ease and a long sigh, fixed the last button on his coat before treading down the staircases towards ground level. As he walked, he could hear the little swallows and finches argue about the kids they had already seen. He never knew what they were saying, for only Nature Mentors could communicate in such a beautiful way but he could assume they were laughing and making fun. Whenever the birds made noise as they did, racket more like it, then there was either someone here or something happening in the city. They hadn’t felt the earthquakes, however, Bardroy heard the news after the return of Clorence, the Mentor of Light. He had shared of the border damage and even more troubling news about Chronia’s destruction by the Beasts. Bardroy immediately sent for an emergency council meeting.


The Head Mentors of each element live in their respective element’s city (excluding Anatomy and Creation) but because this was such an urgent manner, each one had traveled during this chaos to reach Mapulo in a day. Indeed, Bardroy trained earlier with the Mentors despite their travels - they had the time, as the travels from Chronia to Mapulo were long and tiresome for these kids but for the mentors, it was a breeze of sorts. Now, days after their first meeting, they would finally come face to face with their mentees. The worst part about all this was that these kids would be flustered with the lack of communication. At least the air was pure, always revitalizing, and always clean. It was long ago that a Creation Elementalist had placed great healing particles within the air; long to surpass her own life, surviving all the great wars and triumphs as well. They could feel the change of energy and health, and he could at least remind them of this blessing.

And now we meet. These are our futures, the prodigies of our homes.

​

@Mine @Imperator Penguin @Zylvia

 

[Imperator Penguin]

Leviathan Milton

Leviathan Milton shivered as he pulled on his black long-sleeve, the days were starting to get colder – or was it just him? Looking out the window into the bright, sunny day, he sighed. He had been on a mission when Bardroy had called him in. At the time he had wondered what could be so important that he had to drop his mission, but Bardroy wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t. Now he knew why. It seemed they were on the move again and these peaceful mornings wouldn’t last long.


Below he saw the trainees entering the grounds of Mapulo. Shaking his head, Levi sighed again – their lives would never be the same – and turned to leave his room. As much as he hated leaving business unfinished, they needed him now – the mission could wait ‘til later.


Exiting his quarters, Levi saw the back of a man that was obviously deep in some serious thought. Walking quickly but silently, he caught up to the man and threw his arm around the man’s shoulder.


“Why the long face Bard? It’s not like you’re going to your execution.”


@TheWretchedEgg

 

[Zylvia]

Florence Lore

​

Florence cursed under her breath. She was running late. Again. Ever since she'd dropped her phone -- and only source of alarm -- down the toilet, getting up in the morning had been nothing short of hell. She'd not only been forced to rely on her invariably unreliable mother, but she'd also had to endure lecture after lecture from her teachers on her 'irresponsible behavior'. Such bullshit. Shielding her eyes from the brilliant sunlight slanting in through her open windows, she bounced from her bed, ricocheting around the room like a bullet. Clothes from yesterday. Hair in a bun. Last minute homework. Mouthwash. Slinging her bag over one shoulder, the young woman practically fled the house in a flurry of limbs and pastel hair. She bolted down the street, darting between people and occasionally unceremoniously shoving people out of the way. She'd already been given plenty of warnings. The school's leniency would only extend so far -- especially to a student who didn't exactly have the smoothest track record. Last time she checked, juvie was a pretty big strike. "'Scuse me," she grunted, brushing past a stern-looking woman in a business suit.


Before her, the school loomed, regal and imposing. I can practically feel the academia molecules seeping into me. How pretentious. Without time to spare for another thought, the young woman ran across the empty courtyard. The usual chatter of the students was absent. No doubt they were all sitting prim and proper in their classrooms. Florence didn't envy them one bit. Her hand had just snapped out to wrench open the door when the ground shuddered beneath her. She frowned, trying to see if it struck again. Maybe I imagi---


There it was, stronger this time. The ground rumbled. The doors shook on their hinges. Already standing on weary legs, the young woman steadied herself against the the door-frame and waited. Perhaps it was nothing -- just another one of the many curious things that had been occurring in Chronia lately. Tentatively, Florence waited to see if the disturbance would die down.


It didn't. The trembles increased in their ferocity, shaking the ground with furious rage until tiles and glass began their dangerous cascade down the side of the school building. Already, she could hear chaos from the classrooms -- the unmistakable sound of chairs scraping, the terrified yells of students and teachers alike and something else. Something that sounded primal, like a cornered animal. The fuck? Deep within her, her own heart had begun to race. She didn't know what was happening, but whatever it was, Florence knew only one thing: she had to get away. She'd already overstayed; the risk of a falling tile knocking her unconscious was nothing compared to having the whole damn building collapse. Without another thought, she pushed herself away from the wall, lumbering towards to the open street on unsteady legs.


But something was wrong.


The strange growling she'd heard in the building was louder in the street. People were running, but they were terrified of more than just this earthquake. Fear was so thick in the air, Florence felt like she was choking on it. Not knowing what they were running from only accentuated her terror. And then she saw the thing.


It rounded the corner, sniffing the air like some sick, twisted hound from hell. Eyeless and salivating, it turned towards her with predatory menace. Florence froze. The next few events happened in such quick succession that she barely remembered any of it.


She was running, tearing through the school grounds like a crazed beast. Adrenaline surged through her, propelling her forward with vicious haste. Somewhere along the way, she'd dropped her bag. The fleshy beast lumbered behind her, growling consistently. She could feel its warm breaths on her ankles. She grit her teeth and pumped her legs faster. Faster. There was a corner right ahead. If she could just round it, maybe there would be somewhere to---


She'd reached a dead end. "FUCK!"


Florence whirled to face the beast, terror setting her chest aflame. The thing let out a triumphant bellow and snarled viciously, saliva pooling at its feet. This was it. She was going to die as meat for some hellish hound. Something in her ignited at the thought. Anger, burning hot and furious, set her blood alight. She was still piss scared, but she was also fueled by something else. Something she didn't understand. All Florence knew was that she wouldn't go down without a fight. "I hope I'm tasty, you ugly son of a bitch!" she said, raising her arms in a futile attempt to defend herself against the monstrosity. The beast responded in kind. It lurched.


It was then that something happened.


The sound of something snapping reached her ears seconds before a thin, long rod came hurtling from the sky. By sheer luck, it impaled itself in the beast's fleshy neck. With a surprised grunt, the monster crumpled to the ground, jaws still snapping weakly. It was only inches from her face. She didn't know how long she stood there for, staring in shock with blood splattered all over her. All she knew was that she'd either been extremely lucky or extraordinary. Metal spires didn't come hurtling from the sky everyday, and they sure as hell didn't kill murderous beasts. Despite all her attempts to convince herself it had been a hell of a coincidence, Florence knew. She could feel it. That metal spire had come at her call, and that frightened her more than the beast ever did.

I barely recall what happened after that. Somehow, I found my way home. I saw people -- if they could even be called people anymore -- smeared on the street. Some were still moaning. Oh God, I--- I made my way back home and found the letter a few days later. I didn't believe it at first. Elementalists and Mentors? They're the stories parents tell to entertain their kiddos. At least, that's what I always thought. I know what I did to that creature. I don't know what I am, but I know what I did. I didn't have a choice. I needed to know.

​

Florence stood in the beautiful courtyard with something akin to disbelief. The whole place felt surreal. After the ordeal at the school, it was hard to believe in anything normal, let alone some fancy place that looked like it had jumped straight out of a fairy tale. But the people gathered around her looked just like her. She even recognized some of them from the school. The young woman crossed her arms and breathed in a fresh gulp of clean air. Despite all the breaths she'd taken in her lifetime, none of them had felt like this. None of them had felt cleansing to her soul.


"So," she said, speaking up without fear. "Does anyone know what the hell is going on?" Assuming they'd all gotten the same message as her, they were just as likely to be as lost as she was. But maybe not. Either way, it was better than standing around in the awkward silence.


(( So sorry for such a long reply! I tried to make it as short as possible while also getting Florence up to speed on everything. ))

 

[Zylvia]

Korina Vale

​

Korina had long since showered and dressed by the time she heard the single knock on her door. She'd been reading about the Creation Elementalist of ancient times - the one who had created the healing particles that blessed every breath the people of Mapulo took. Creation was a powerful element, and she was undoubtedly highly skilled in the art, but there was no competition when it came down to it. The ancestor of Creation had been extraordinary even among the extraordinary. If she could glean even the slightest pearl of information from the yellowing pages, Korr knew the long hours would have been worth it.


Sighing, she closed the book with a snap and set it down on her pristine table. She stalked out of her room in her typical attire - tank top, jeans and combat boots. Despite no longer being in the military, she still carried herself like a soldier. Just ahead, Bardroy and Leviathan paced, silent and speedy. She jogged to catch up, only catching the end of Levi's sentence.


"... to your execution."


She fell into step with the two men, giving the duo her characteristic lopsided grin. "Looking dark and gloomy is part of his job description, Levi," she said, sparing a glance at Bard. His expression was particularly stormy today, for good reason. News from Chronia had been troubling and Korr knew that he bore the brunt of that more than any of them. It was what made him a good man and Head Mentor.


@TheWretchedEgg

 

[Vii]

Andric Bestet

​

Andric was well-known for his versatility among both his friends and co-workers. Adapting to new environments and endeavours with an easiness that would leave others around him even perplexed at times. One of his virtues, one might say, as the traveled and enlightened man that he had become over the years. As such, the return to Mapulo did not affect him in he leat. Well, rearding such matters, that is. While he found himself ready to answer to Bardroy's call right after its delivery, he could still no shake the lingering feeling of uneasiness that dwell within him. Could it be...homesickness? It had not been long since his last contact with his family, it made no sense. Or maybe...could it be the effects of the world changing around him. A rather unrealistic deduction, but given the circumstances, he would take it. It was best not to dwell on it so much. Plus, it was best not to keep the Mentees waiting....and Bardroy himself. As the oldest, you have the responsability to set an example... A tired smile would come forth as such a thought crossed his mind.


Brushing his dark locks, graying here and there, with his long, slender fingers, Andric left his room in a brisk pace as he hurried over to the location of the meeting. It would not take a while for him to catch up to his fellow co-workers of sorts, joining the trio consisting of the Mentor of Fire, Earth and Creation, respectively. He was not fortunate enough to capture the topic at hand, but it was easy to assume it was concerning Bardroy, given the atmosphere that he would too succumb to. But, then again, were there not more pressing matters at hand? He would too like to relax and a share casual chatter with the rest of the fellow Mentors. However, one could not ignore what this occasion would entail as of today.


Andric remained silent until solely greeting the three adults with a smile. "Good morning, everyone. Picking on poor Bard already, I see."





@TheWretchedEgg [COLOR=rgb(86,86,86)]@Imperator Penguin[/COLOR] @Zylvia

 

[Prudentia]

Sona Govoni

All around him, he heard chatter from human and bird alike – all of the other young adults around him seemed just as lost, looking around the entirety of this new home, if they could call it that. He happened to notice all the fresh and healthy foliage around the area, nothing seemed withered or dying. Everything appeared alive, as if it was breathing the air along with the kids. Every now and again, Sona felt a gentle breeze grazing his cheeks and swaying his short brown/blonde locks along. This was a perfect chilly breeze that comforted his overworked muscles and nerves. He took a moment to close his eyes and breathe in slowly – Ah! His mind cleared of all that happened back in Chronia, glorious. No need to trouble with gore and heart-pumping dodging in and out of debris and scrambling folk. Supposedly, this place was safe, and remembering the way back was not easy for Sona – he couldn’t fathom how he got here in the first place. His mind must have gone into autopilot, his feet just kept moving, and he now stood here, in Mapulo, or a part of Mapulo. He wanted to bathe in the peace, let him for just a few more minutes.

Some point here this will all be taken away, the peace. Taken by strangers that sent some weirdo to come find all of us then bring us some fancy message amongst all the blood and brokenness. Elementalists…how can such fairy tales be real? Everyone always reassured me that tales remained tales – embellishments of true stories maybe, at times, but never real.



​

A voice had snapped him out of his thoughts – actually, several voices did. One girl nearest him, with nearly white/grey hair had spoken up with her curiosity of the place that they all stood in waiting. He blew through his lips then shrugged and shook his head, “Your guess is as good as anyone’s here. We all came along for the mystery, right?” He asked, turning to glance at everyone briefly. What a difference in backgrounds. Some of them seemed very rough around the edges; others looked extremely clean cut that it would have seemed Chronia’s destruction nearly gave them a heart attack; and others looked so far off the radar that they might have enjoyed the adrenaline rush the Beast quakes created. Whatever, it mattered not. What were each of these people to him? He simply wanted to return to help with any reconstruction of the city and his home. Not to mention a yearning to find surviving family members.

Oh geez. Asher wouldn’t be able to survive without me. That little shit can’t hold his own anywhere. Not even school.

​

His little brother was probably cowering underneath some debris that toppled down over him from the house. Or he was dead. That was disheartening…even if Sona picked on his little brother constantly, didn’t mean he would rather the boy stop breathing. Then to think the possibilities of his family meeting one of those creatures. Now he wanted to return home more than ever and usually he evaded home by working all the time or going to school. The once very small soft spot in his heart had left a gaping hole, all because of those Beasts that decided to hit Chronia and rip families apart, and then of course alter their lives forever.

So we are Elementalists? Did all of these people have elemental abilities? Asher would have loved to see this…Asher always believed in fairy tales.

​

@Zylvia

 

[ShadyAce]

Amara Redwood

​

The thought taunted Amara all the way there. The journey from Chronia to Mapulo was long, but it just felt even longer and more annoying than it should've... only because of the reason she was going, and the thought that was slapping her around.

I am an Elementalist... all my life, I was told they were a myth and that researching their 'history' was a waste of time, since it was all fake. Just old folks' tales. But no. Here I am, entering a place for which I will learn to control

my Elemental powers. How fucking ironic.
​

The memory dug a hole in her brain and it just wouldn't leave - it was either right on the edge of her thoughts, or engulfing all her energy thinking about it. Her recollection of the event was impeccable - unfortunately - and she couldn't


get rid of it.

I killed yet another being. A living thing... I killed it... and I had no control over what I did. At least, I think I killed it? This battle inside... I regret hurting it, yet I had to... no control... why can't I control myself for once?!
​

The memory flashed in.


It was a normal day; she had arrived at school, and sat in her own area on the rigid chair, which was matched with an equally as rigid desk - almost like her own little rigid world - and began to sketch a design for a new tattoo she wanted. The little tremors that everyone in her class was raving about didn't bother her. But their raving did. It distorted her concentration. Only when the tremors were large enough to make her hand jolt to ruin her sketch did they piss her off, she stood, planting her hands on the table. "What in hell is going on?" she yelled, and everyone's attention turned to her. She got a couple murmured answers, rolled her eyes and continued working. But the next tremor, the ground seemed to weaken, and started to crack. The rumbling of the ground only got more violent each time, with less time to steady yourself in between. The sound of the tremors echoed through the halls, and every little part of the classroom shook slightly, the door jumping around as if trying to escape it's hinges, the windows, vibrating along with the land, the desks and chairs slightly moving along the ground as if they were on a giant air-hockey board. Everyone screamed, cowering in fear under their desks. Amara could here the chaos stirring in other classrooms nearby as well. What idiots - it's not like their lives were in danger.


Suddenly, the ground shattered like glass, and became like a really weak black hole - it sucked in the furniture and broken floor boards near it. Alright, now she was standing, but not cowering in fear... until she saw a huge, disgusting hand grip onto one of the cracks, and haul it's massive body above ground. The room froze. Tall, looming beast thing, her and her classmates. Then the screams and flood of people began. Amara felt obliged to run with the flow, but something inside was telling her 'This is your chance to be strong.'


That was a mistake. A big one. With her brand new calligraphgy pen (that she actually liked) in her hand, she ran up to the huge figure, and stabbed it. Blood came, retaliation or pain? Obviously not. What the eff... she thought, wide eyed, How is it... just fine?


But she couldn't think, only move as an incoming fist was roaring forward to smack her away like a puny bug. Amara dove to the side, and did a commando roll kind of dealio. The fist plummeted into the wall, smashing it into even more pieces. Amara came back in for a other stab. Nothing.


"Well, fuck" she muttered, as two fists came from either side, looking to crush her. She ducked. The beast's fists collided. Geez, they were dumb. But before she could move again, another fist came hitting her in the chest, pushing all her breath away. Amara sucked in air heavily, trying to gain back what she lost, whilst protecting herself. She covered her body the best she could with her arms. When she noticed she hadn't been taken to pieces gorily yet, she glanced up, noticing the beast staggering back, and a sword covered in crimson liquid clenched in her hands. It had two sides, and was immensely detailed - but that isn't what bothered her, it was the fact that she could tell it came from her.


But there was no time to despair on what people had seen her do, or think about what she did herself. She had to run. And so she did, until she got a strange message to go to this 'Mapulo' place. But, it told her something that was impossible, an Elementalist? She had never read of an Elementalist that just... created stuff out of thin air. And she studied a lot about them, as she was so fascinated...

I didn't have a choice but to come... I couldn't stay... and continuously hurt people. And be scared of myself. Again. This time, I had to be strong. Even though it can be so effing hard.

​

Her mind snapped back into reality when another girl asked if they knew what was going on. "Oh sure, of course I know whats happening, because I'm a mind-reader. Idiot..." Amara sneered sarcastically, and only muttered the insult. She stood in the courtyard, letting her eyes soak up the outstanding sight. There were tall looming buildings, and they had such an old-fashioned feel to them that Amara adored, and - of course- the beautiful nature that surrounded the courtyard of which they were standing in. The greenery was overgrown, yet it looked as if it was tended to and made perfect - which made no sense, she knew, but whatever. It was a nice change of pace from earlier, those attacks... they reminded her of her past, one of which she tried to forget many days.


((I'm sorry for the long and late post! I thought I already posted, but it didn't, so I had to rewrite it, and get Amara caught up on stuff.))

 

[Imperator Penguin]

Blake Steffensen

As he sat in the courtyard, Blake thought about his business and all the investments that would no doubt be suffering in the wake of the disaster. It would be in his best interest to act quick and come out of this with minimal damages to his assets. However, there wasn’t much he could do when he couldn’t connect to the stock market or his investment portfolio. Luckily if he couldn’t connect, no one else could either.


Once I’m done with this farce, I’ll have a lot of work ahead of me. Blake reflexively adjusted his shoulder holster that was fit snugly beneath his black, leather jacket as his thoughts strayed to the weapons it held. I’ll have to invest in a weapons seller to start. Nothing drove weapons sales like fear of an enemy – especially an unknown one – and there had been plenty of fear on the streets of Chronia. Every person who had seen what happened would be clambering to buy something to make them feel safe. And weapons R&D companies. There will be some government contracts to take advantage of. The government loves their shiny new weapons.





Blake’s attention snapped back to the courtyard as he heard raised voices talking about their current situation. He wasn’t sure but based on the tone of voice, the redhead seemed to be picking a fight with the silver haired girl. The tall, muscular boy whose eyes had wandered around seemed to have responded as well. Blake let out a loud sigh and shook his head, Teens. No doubt their raging hormones would be the source of more than one conflict if someone didn’t show up soon. He would leave the girls to the boy though – he seemed like the type conflict resolution type and Blake certainly wasn’t going to get in the middle of a cat fight. Patience waning, he adjusted his holster again.


@TheWretchedEgg @Zylvia @ShadyAce

 

[Karma200]

Charma Helena Knightley

​

Charma mumbled something incoherent as she walked down the path just a bit behind the other mentors. Charma braided her newly cut blonde hair as her icy blue eyes appreciated the beautiful scenery but her small but full lips pulled into a frown as her bottom grew sore. Earlier this morning Charma had been doing her daily exercises and her 15 minute handstand turned into 6 with the following on landing on her bum when Bardroy had knocked on her door. Since about 6am Charma had either been swinging on the bar she had installed in her room or just moving around nonstop. She'd been so lost in her own head and usual routine that Bardroy's knock reminded her where she was. The new bruise on her ass cheek was her wake up call on reality. Now that she was no longer in Aqua things were different and that meant her mornings weren't for herself anymore but instead for her as well as her mentees.


As they walked down the stairs Charma finished her braid that barely managed to stay over her shoulder, she took a few steps closer and managed to catch up with the others. Charma felt bad for her mentee, to find out you're pretty much a freak compared to your local neighbor. With a shake of her head Charma reached into the pocket of her black sport tights, taking and unwrapping a strawberry lollipop. It helped keep her thoughts reined in on her thoughts. The only thing Charma could really do to help was pray that she didn't have an extremely irritating mentee, there wasn't much mercy or patience in Charma's system for that.


The mentors spoke of teasing Bardroy and though Charma would've joined in on the fun, she kept her candy in her mouth and instead stuffed her hands into her pockets.


"Well, Bard does have the sort of charms that makes someone wanna poke at 'em," Charma grinned as she took the candy out of her mouth, finally joining in on the little banter between everyone. Rubbing the back of her neck with her unoccupied hand, Charma prepared herself to meet her new mentee.

 

[ThePricklyPear]

Minda Aldis

​

It had seemed, to Minda, that the first day back to school was the last day she was truly ever herself. When she woke up that fateful day, she knew that it would be long, but she had no idea that her day would contain such a level of violence. It all began when she got to her first class, when the earthquakes started. Never in her life was Minda so fearful for the future. All her life she was pressured to be perfect in every facet of her life, from the way she carried herself to how she spoke. So it was no surprise to her when she left that morning that her father did not say goodbye, though she did the same, and that that day could have been the last time she left her home. But miraculously... It wasn't in a way.


When the change of fate happened, she was in class, being one of the first despite her lateness and sitting awaiting those that decided to 'hang out' and chill around' school instead of getting to class. So she decided to go for a quick walk before the hordes of underachievers and others crashed into the school. It didn't last long, as Minda decided to get back to class before she was either smashed by a crowd, or smashed by the fact that she could be late. It could be seen as ironic that when the beasts came one would find her and be atop her like a lapdog, it's metal hind-legs laid across hers, it's powerful arms pinning her right arm and chest to the ground. Whatever possessed her to fight the beast was long gone as her peers, teachers and other assorted people left in a rush, leaving only Minda and the seemingly tame beast sat atop her, it's strangely beady eyes staring down at her as it's razor maw was seemingly pursed shut, almost against the instincts of the creature. She and the beast sat there for some time, with Minda crying for help as it continued to bear it's awkward gaze down upon her. She watched as her former peers were cut down by beasts of similar stature, all of which not having the traits of the one atop her. For a while, Minda just sat there at the brink of tears, a mixture of physical and emotional trauma causing her to go into shock about the whole ordeal, but then whatever inspired her to fight the beast swelled up once more to her disdain.


The fight began with something as simple as a jab to the beast's jaw. When this happened, it's formerly pursed lips parted into what appeared to be a sinister smile, as if it awaited this all along. It pulled it's arms off of the girl as well as it's legs before it reared up on them to stand at about 10 feet tall on it's hind-legs. It's belly had plates of metal on it, and even more discouraging it seemingly began to clench as a row of spikes began to protrude from it's back, cutting into the wall behind it. The beast stood looking at Minda, almost managing to release a crude "Fight me" in the form of a droning growl. Minda still simply laid there with her arm in the same position it was when the beast had ascended to it's new and terrifying form after her punch to it's jaw. The beast then lurched back down to it's four-legged state but in a curled manner akin to a cat rearing up for a leap at a mouse or toy, it's razor maw bared to the girl with saliva beading onto the porcelain tiles of the classroom. Before Minda hand a chance to react with her broken body, the beast began to circle around her before Minda yet again jabbed it, but this time in the leg, making it stop abruptly in surprise. It hung it's maw over the broken girl's face before opening it slightly only to quickly back off as if it was startled by something grandiose in stature. The skin from the beast began to become rubbery from the look, and a slight white mist began to pull itself from the beast as it tried to pull itself away. Minda began to feel stronger and stronger with every moment the fog was pulled from the beast and into herself. Eventually the beast ran into the corridor in a frantic rush before Minda began to pass out, only to hear a voice call out to the bast seemingly. "Naughty boy!" It started as Minda began to fade from consciousness. "You were supposed to simply find her and bring her to me, not break her!" There was a deep droning whine from the hall before the voice was heard again. "I can fix her. I'll just talk to her next time, but maybe with a more obedient member of our brood hmm? Nonetheless you did good. No bath tonight- despite how badly you need one." The last thing Minda was able to hear before she fell into the black void of unconsciousness was the clicking of shoes on the floor as the drew nearer and nearer until she could not hear or feel anything but a warm feeling of growth, coupled with the feeling of emptiness one feels when they long for food.


Am I dead? What's going on? Minda thought as she floated in the dark void of unconsciousness, able to see visions of her past; badminton, her favorite caretaker, her father; her mother. All of the visions dragged themselves across Minda's field of view until the began to whirl around her and form a picture of her past; her old room adorned with books, board-games and other miscellaneous items. Everything was as she remembered, save for the absence of herself. She took a step forward and in the weight of her step the wood flooring began to crack. Pulling her foot back, the ground began to shatter even more. Minda was falling, and eventually she found herself plummeting into the massive maw of the beast from the school, it swallowing her whole before she awoke in a cold sweat in the comfort of her very real bed, in her actual room, when she awoke she let out a slight groan as her stomach growled, the only sounds in her room before they were interrupted by the creaking of a door when her father stepped through and greeted her with a content sigh of relief. He rushed over and hugged his daughter tightly, Minda still dressed in the set of street clothes she was wearing when the city was attacked. "I'm so glad you're safe!" Minda's father started, Minda being able to hear something she hadn't heard for a while. Sadness. "I feared for your safety when the attacks started, but gladly none of the beasts decided to trash the house. And it is a miracle that you are safe." He started to his daughter as he pulled away. "But, there is one thing." He pulled out a piece of paper from his coat pocket and set it on his child's lap. "They've come for you. Just like your mother... Those damned Elementalists." Sebastian Aldis hung his head and clenched his fists before leaving with a few parting words with his normal demeanor across his face. "Stay safe and call if you can. You'll have to leave tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything. I'd be happy to oblige." He then closed the door and left his daughter to her thoughts as she sat and tried to piece together what happened actually happened at the school, and what to do next. Before she was lost in thought, she had notice that her father's hair was not the same shade of black that it was when he walked in, but a slightly duller shade closer to grey when he walked out. All that mattered was that she was home for the time being, and not as hungry anymore, though there was still a metaphorical hole in her stomach.


The next day, she was off to Mapulo without any words from her father, unable to get to him when he was locked away in his study.


Minda was astonished by the beauty of Mapulo's nature, architecture and landscape. She had decided to stay near the rear end of the group as she had noticed that the hunger from before had returned and that whenever she would walk next to someone or something, they would get tired if they were a person or animal, or wilt if it was a plant. Must be the power of my element... She thought to herself throughout the rest of the trip. In the meantime she mostly had her attentions turned to the future, and the words that her father had said. 'They've come for you. Just like your mother... Those damned Elementalists.' The phrases resounded in her head. Could this mean that mom is here? She shook the feeling as she waited for any event in particular to happen while sitting on one of the nearby benches. Let's hope this doesn't take too long.

 

[Prudentia]

Bardroy Bortz

Why do I even put up with this?

​

He never easily ignored their brash comments not without having to say something snide in return – he couldn’t help it, not when he was their leader and had to defend himself, especially when it came to his manner. They all seemed to team up on him for their own foolish games, and it made them all laugh but Bard would rather discuss in council than joke around. However, this time he let out a deep sigh, as if he waited to share it after all the Mentors had given their two cents, “Let’s focus on the kids. They are waiting for us and you all aren’t making our stroll go any faster with this fun of yours.” Even when he never returned the jokes and rather shut them all down, he did it in a passive tone, a thick line of monotony. Maybe he was the downer of the group but he also had the responsibility of taking care of their well-being, calling them to different locations, and protecting their home and the mentees. Pressure never bothered Bard, but lack of concentration in dire times did. “As much as I respect you all, let’s put the focus back on our mentees. You all have a child to take care of, whether you like kids or not.” His heavy steps finished down the last flight of stairs from the castle-utopia home.


There before the mentors stood all the next generation Elementalists and they were…they were…Bard had to look over them a few times…a mess. Indeed, their city was just attacked by those Beasts and they traveled for days to get here, but even if they just went a few miles, the group of kids seemed so diverse. Not necessarily a bad thing, maybe, but Bard feared many of them had the harder personalities, while some may not take it seriously what was going on. This isn’t a field trip for them, this isn’t some one time visit. All of them were about to be punched in the gut harshly by the news Bard and the other Mentors would bring. He took in one last deep breath and exhaled as he gave a nod, “Well, my friends…it is great to see all of you here safe and nearly unharmed. I take it all of you have questions that need answering but before we get to that, I would like to bring you to your dining hall. And before that, I am Bardroy…I am the Fire Elementalist Mentor. Now, if all my friends would be so kind as to introduce themselves.” His voice was ever so monotonous, at least heightening it a little upon ‘friends’ but still, he kept his demeanor tame and collected.


Clorence Drake had arrived in a flash of light that lasted only a second. Before his arrival, he had been venturing around to make sure that the Mentees’ quarters and dining hall was spiffy for their arrival. After it had been spruced up a bit more by the cooks, house workers, and gardeners, Clorence took his leave. He had reduced himself to particles and traveled literally in the speed of light to the meeting location. After his bright flash had receded, his naturally white/gray hair still glowed a bit from the sun hitting right down on him. He gave off a wide smile and held a hand up in salutation; his ‘French’ sounding tone clear for them to understand, “I’d be more than pleased to start the introduction train! My name is Clorence and I am the Light Elementalist Mentor.”

Well don’t they all seem so ready to tackle this day.

​

@CHIMNY @EclipseRising @Fallacy @Imperator Penguin @JohnNeko @Karma200 @MaxwellC @mechanimated @Mine @ShadyAce @ThePricklyPear @Windows98 @Zylvia