The Search For Mana

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Chrono did a few swings to keep his swinging arm from going lax, then started to swing at the bandits that Ember couldn't torch fast enough. "Nice time for you to lose control, Vosur is carrying our tag-along while I am lugging your chubby butt. I wanna say it could be worse, but I really don't want to add to our troubles until we're out of the current situation..."

[Vosur Aekira]

They continued to trudge on in their escape, now seeing less and less of the Guild members that they had to fight-off. Even those that were bold enough to follow them this far decided to pull away from the fight to regroup with the rest of the Guild. "I'm not liking the way this is looking." he spoke to the rest, his eyes darting about everywhere in front of them and even to their sides to be sure there weren't going to be any ambushes. "They may not have a lot of experienced fighters, but the Guild in general is not stupid when it comes to survival and they are even harder to track if you lose them. And there are worse things than Guild Members to be worried about... so if you want to get a bearing on the situation, now may actually be a good chance to stop and bind up whatever damage has been done."

[Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy]

Lazaryos groaned as they continued on. "Hmm... I'm really not feeling it. I'm getting a really bad feeling." His eyes darted up, down, left and right. Searching for the invisible enemy that was more in his head than around them. The forest had grown completely silent except for them walking through the brush. From time to time, there would be shuffling around their feet with little critters running around. "Let's just make sure we make it the rest of the way without any more major scuffles."

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Ember continued to walk on, still a few steps ahead of the others. Her eyes darted to look in all direction as she walked. Her right hand held on to her staff with the left was clenched into a fist at her side. When she turned her head, her eyes could be seen glowing in the darkness. It may have been because she was on high alert or maybe she was in a bad mood, but probably the first. She was in a state of intense focus.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Chrono's markings, like Ember's eyes, were still glowing as Chrono couldn't keep his mind out of the mindset of 'being in danger'. The majicka stored in the faux eye was now coursing through his body like the rapids of a ravine, following the flow of the vine-like markings on his body and keeping him from ever calming down. Figures, I get all fired up for fighting, and it ends just like that!!

[Srgntcuddles]

Dante tripped over his own feet falling out of Vosur's grip and onto his hands and knees. In his weak state his cross was weighing him down more and flattened him to the ground until he managed to shove it off. He managed to use his cross to get back up to his knees, only to lift the cross up and drive it into the ground. He fell back onto his hands again after exerting the effort to put his cross into the ground but soon turned and sat against it, accidentally driving the dagger in the back of his shoulder deeper into him. He caught his breath and looked upwards. "I apologize, but I wish to give you medical treatment...Before I am unable. If you would...Be so kind as to sit with me around my cross here...I won't be able to heal you if I wait any longer, I'm afraid I will be too weak to pull it off." With that he looked down, not on his own will but he was tired so it just dropped, making him slump forward a bit.

[Vosur Aekira]

He picked Dante back up to at least an upright position, stopping with him. "That's it... I don't know about the rest of you, but we're enough away from the Guild and if we go any further we will head into more dangerous grounds. In the state everyone is in, I'd rather the Padre do his job so we're all ready to go. We've taken a beating, we've survived the tale of escaping the Guild... let's not try to make things worse." he spoke out to the others, his red eyes glaring at the wounds everyone else caught along the way as he was talking. Vosur looked to Dante as he pushed his shades back up on his nose. "You relocated my ankle, and that was the worst of it. I can move at full-speed when needed now." he said with a slight smile, streamlets of blood had clotted on the side of his face from the cuts.

[Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy]

Lazaryos sighed as he broke free of Chrono's grip and staggered as he walked by himself. "I think I'd rather take my chances in the wild, rather than within the guild's territory. I'm as tired as the rest of you, but we have to keep going. Ember, think you got enough majicka to just clear a straight path? It'll give away our position, but we'll get out of here faster." Lazaryos placed the scythe onto his back and staggered ahead behind Ember.

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Ember never paused or looked behind her. "Got enough to burn this whole place to the ground..." She muttered as she continued to walk. She held her hands out in front of her and closed her eyes for a moment. When her eyes snapped open, she sent a huge thrust of fire ahead of the group to clear a path. It continued on ahead of them on its own, burning through trees and brush to open up a path for them. It would die down to nothing by the time it exited the forest because she put just enough power into it for it to last that long. She wavered for a moment as she walked but shook it off.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Chrono started to lag behind, and then he did a complete 180 and went to lift up Dante and hold him over his shoulder. He made sure Dante's back was facing up since thats where he saw the most blood-flow. Oddly, this random act forced the mana in his body to flow back into the eye while the markings vanished yet again. "Sorry, but it looks like I either force those two to stop, or just carry you with us. Right now, I'd like to keep myself from getting more than just a few scratches..."

[Srgntcuddles]

Dante was still catching his breath when Chrono had scooped him up, not expecting it really. "One person after another carrying me...I've been more of a burden on you guys so far, I do apologize...Heh..." After that he passed out. He had to leave his cross to Vosur, but from what he had said it might not be a problem. He'd likely wake up later with much regret about not healing the others quick enough.

[Vosur Aekira]

He gave a slight growl in Lazaryos's direction for convincing the others to continue on, sheathing his own sword and picking up the cross to put it on his shoulders like a laundry-rod. The weight of it seemed off-balance, more like a war-maul to him than a religious item due to the handle and the weight of it. His movement with the others was a bit slower than it would've been since he just had his ankle relocated into place, but he was by-no-means lagging behind in the group. "Not to be brutally honest, but those guild members that last left us were probably the most brazen among the group. In the time I spent trying to plan a form of revenge, which I got one part of it today, I did learn a few things. One: Tend to your injuries when you can. Two: Cover your scents, especially the scent of blood. We have a healer and thanks our bold-leader, he's currently out of commission and we still have injuries that will probably attract predators while we sleep." he said with almost a snarl in the tone, pulling out some of what remained of the smoked-owl he had from before they were caught and eating on it a bit as his stomach was growling at himself as much as he growling at Lazaryos.

[Shinzuu Katame: Her Tolfy]

Lazaryos sighed and just laid in exhaustion and rolled in the sand a bit, to cover the blood blotches on it, "Younglings these days." He closed his eyes as the moon continued its journey across the sky. "The northern borders are the only borders the Guild never travels. They are too scared of this area. And trust me, they're a bigger threat than what's out here. Out here, desert critters and lizards are abundant, so the bugs get their fill from them at night. During the day, it's a different story, but all critters are out at night. You probably don't know this, but before the discovery of the Mana, Mages and Normals used to live among each other in peace. Hierarchy separated Mages into 3 classes: Clerical, Sorceror/ess, and High Mages. Normals were separated into Peasants, Nobles, Knights and Royalty. Royalty was a birthright, but in order to rise over being a peasant, one had to have education. It was the same for magic-users to become High Mages. One's education was believed to be the necessary component that made one high in society. It was also necessary to that soldiers were educated so more would survive in long campaigns."

[Vee Katame: His Wolfy]

Ember finally felt the pain in her left shoulder once they exited the forest. Switching her staff to her left hand, she felt at her left shoulder with her right hand and grabbed a hold of the arrow that was still lodged in her shoulder. She let go of the arrow for a minute as she reached into her bag and found a piece of cloth. Hanging the cloth on her right shoulder, she grabbed the arrow again then closed her eyes and pulled the arrow out in one quick motion. She tossed the arrow onto the ground at her feet then quickly grabbed the cloth and wrapped her shoulder with it. Then she sat down on the sand and relaxed for the first time in a while.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Chrono inwardly groaned at the lecture on the Pre-Mana history. "I say we add to the truce: whoever wants the Mana will have to duel with any other 'contender' until one is either unconsious or in critical condition. Once a winner has been decided, they take the Mana, then we destroy the Mana plant so the Blue Crimson will not be repeated again."