The Search For Mana

[Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy]

Lazaryos shook his head at the sad sight of the dragon curling up close to the bat/gargoyle. Avoiding seeing Ember sleeping (to avoid any unnecessary feelings to arise) he walked up to Chrono and took off his robe and tossed it onto Chrono, covering the shivering dragon. "For such a cold-blooded creature, you sure can't take the air. That robe was made from the polar island, Serasiu. It can keep anyone warm through even the arctic. Just make sure to not soil it." Lazaryos went back over to his little imprinted spot in the sand and went back into meditation, wearing just his trousers and a tank-top. He shuddered a little, but it passed, since his fur was nice and thick, and his body produced more than enough heat to suffice the night.

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Ember noticed Chrono move close to her but said nothing on the subject. Her eyes were closed when Lazaryos came over and covered Chrono with his robe as she listened to what he said. A smirk came up on her face at his last comment since she found it kind of funny. It wasn't long after Lazaryos had walked away that she drifted off to sleep with her sleeping mat still wrapped around her.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Good thing Chrono never talks in his sleep, or Ember would have heard quite a 'bit about "Big Sister" as Chrono smiled under the face-guard when the warmth came back to him. This was probably the first time he had a pleasant dream during his journey, and the odd part is that his siblings were the reason it was a dream and not a nightmare.

 It was set in a time that was only a year before Chrono was supposed to have showed a talent for majicka; like his siblings. Luckily for Ember, who would have been attacked otherwise, it never progressed past that year...

[Srgntcuddles]

Alistair watched as Lazaryos gave Chrono his robe, rather than curse him and call them both weak like would be expected he had a flashback. It was a cold night in the woods while Alistair and Vivian were training late. Vivian was sitting by on a stump watching him cast a few spells when a gust of wind blew hard. He looked at her and saw her shivering so he walked over. "Are you cold, Vivian?" "A little..." Alistair took off his black fur robe and put it on Vivian with a warm smile on his face. "I'm almost finished, we can go home in a minute." She just smiled and nodded as he went back to casting spells. A tiny smirk crept on his face as he sat in the sand looking up into the sky.

[Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy]

Lazaryos slept unsoundly that night. Dreams of Ember filled his mind throughout the night, he stirred continuously as he slept. In the morning, it was the oncoming heat that woke him up. Lazaryos got up and grabbed his robe from the sleeping dragon, putting it back on. He already began to sweat, but it was fine. "Let's get moving. We're already losing time on arriving to the Grand River before our rations run out. There's still 5 days of hiking left."

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Ember awoke as Lazaryos pulled his robe off of Chrono. As Lazaryos started speaking, she sat up and rolled up her sleeping mat, reattaching it to her bag and putting the bag on her shoulders. Standing up, she stretched her arms up over her head as she stood on her tip-toes to stretch her legs as well. She untied her ponytail and ran her fingers through her hair in silence to get out the sand and knots as they waited for Chrono to get up, retying her ponytail when she was done.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Chrono woke up with a snort, clearing out any sand that got in his nose before getting up and let the heat stretch out his limbs as he took out two of the kunai, and did a few warm-up swings with the dagger-like blades. He put them back in his primary sheathe and then smiled at the other two with his eyes since his face was always covered. "Lazaryos, is there anything like giant scorpions or worms in these lands?" he only heard rumors of what lived on the second continent's desert since the farthest he ever went onto the continent, was the Arena which the dragon destroyed.

[Srgntcuddles]

Alistair stood up from his meditation and eyed the others as he usually did. This routine was becoming more and more natural, and he hated it. Waking up to these three every morning, listening to them speak, watching them help eachother...It reminded him of Vivian, again he flashed back looking off into the distance. It was a cool start to the night, the sun was setting on the horizon and Alistair and Vivian were laying on a blanket in a grassy field. She sat up putting her arms behind her to prop her up, Alistair shortly doing the same. They both looked at the sun setting, lighting the sky up in an unusual color. A bright orange, light pink; it was beautiful. "I wish this moment would never end..." Alistair smiled and leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek.

[Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy]

Lazaryos snorted as he continued to walk on. "The scorpions only existed in the Arena. The only kind of scorpions that exist out here are either the size of your foot or a band of thieves 3 days past the mouth of the Grand River. As for the worms, the mouth of the Grand River is pretty much a nest of them. Not even your family's been able to tame them. They are the most detestable of creatures. But I'd rather take the whole Bandit Guild then have to fight even 1 of those worms."

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Ember watched Chrono do his warm-up swings after he got up then turned and followed Lazaryos. She listened to Chrono ask Lazaryos about giant scorpions and worms, which was something that she hadn't even thought about. She wasn't worried about them though as she listened to Lazaryos' answer since she could protect herself. She really hoped that they wouldn't have to fight any giant worms or the Bandit Guild though because she didn't want to waste energy on them this far along in the journey.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Chrono didn't stop smiling as Lazaryos answered his question. Something his family couldn't tame, would indeed be worth his interest... but so would taking a good sword away from the Bandit Guild he spoke of. "Both sound rather fun... but what if theres a chance that we encounter my family in the mountains that contain 'The Mana'?" He could only continue to watch some other groups barely survive, but considering that he accounted for more than half the group that was resistant to heat; he only thought that they took this trip too lightly. Everyone wants the power, but few actually meet the standards needed just to get to the site.

[Srgntcuddles]

Alistair walked behind the others like usual, hood up, cloak closed. No skin was showing as he walked. The day was hot and being in all black didn't help either. While walking he meditated and thought back on cooler things to keep his mind off of the heat. It helped for the most part when he thought of his cold dips into the lake with Vivian. He thought of the time when they stayed out all day just having fun, it was soothing.

[Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy]

Lazaryos sighed, "As much as it sounds 'fun' to you, it's not something to take so lightly. The worms' skins are almost as hard as a dragon's and they tower up higher than any palace. The Bandit Guild is almost as dangerous. Only the truly rich can purchase their way through to get to Crimson Blue without having to fight them. They are the only ones who have ever fell a worm, but that was 20 years ago. They've probably grown sodden, but I won't count them out just yet. As for your family, I doubt we'll see more than 2 of them in the Cave of Mana. Crimson Blue has never yielded more than 9 survivors ever. If any in your family survives Crimson Blue, they still have to face the Guardian Dragons, as do we. It's not something we can just brush off."

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Ember listened to Lazaryos with very little interest. She had heard most of what he said before. At that point she was more focused on getting through the desert. She wouldn't worry about the Bandits (or the Dragons) until she actually had to when she came face-to-face with them. She knew that the fights would be difficult, it wasn't like she was in denial of that fact, but she didn't see a point in fretting about what wouldn't be happening for days.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

"Lazaryos, its not like they don't have an army of guild members and their tamed war-monsters to hold back the Crimson Blue attacks while comfortably traveling to the mountain... They might actually be waiting for- 'aw whatever, they'll be dead after we get there" Chrono kept a cold gaze while casually looking around for any blade to use with his second sword.