State of Mind

[Leiton]

-Cifero-


The vehicle was large, and appeared designed to carry over a dozen people at once. There were two seats in the front, with 16 seats behind it, facing from the sides inward. The Guard left behind quietly played with the rock, though from Cifero's angle it was hard to tell what he was doing. There was only the one Guard left.
Though, the car seemed especially awkward in design. In the front, there seemed to be no way of operating the machine. At each of the four corners were small, empty alcoves. It seemed more like a containment box than a car.


--- --- ---


-Suzumi-


The Guard let out a strangled gurgle as the life was quickly being crushed from him. He arms waved weakly as Suzumi grabbed them and stabbed them. Finally with the pressure off of his throat, he tried to breathe again. It came in short, ragged gasps, accompanied by searing pain through his neck. He tried to move his arms, and though his energy was all but gone, he still managed to barely brush his paw over Suzumi's tail. Tears ran from his eyes as he finally convulsed one last time, then became still.
Around her, the people that had rushed in were slowly make their way to the denser part of trees, with the rabbit, two foxes, and german shepherd. Suddenly, Clarissa ran up to her and hugged her, exclaiming, "Oh my goodness! Are you alright? What happened?" She brushed at Suzumi's clothing to get the dust off of it.


--- --- ---


-Sigcutio and Jojo-


The panda rose up out of the ground in front of them.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Without warning, she laid a her paws on both of them, and all three of them suddenly sunk into the ground, the earth seeming to thin and become extremely fine below them both. It felt like sinking into sand. After a few seconds, the earth receded around them.
Grant and Jojo find themselves looking in a large, dome-like room, along with the rabbit, fox, and a few new faces. The rabbit and fox were handing off some of the items from their packs to the new people, who immediately left through the door, walked down a hall, and went through another door.
The room itself seemed rather unstable, as if it should not be able to stand there naturally. It was made entirely of dirt.
The panda headed over to one of the unknown faces and began whispering. The person left through the door, and the panda headed back to the pair.
"C'mon, the others will be here shortly."

[Suzumibachii]

Tears still rolling down her face, she looked down at the gaurd the fleeting feeling of his touch replaced by the feeling of somebody hugginh her. Hearing Clarissa's voice "Oh my goodness! Are you alright? What happened?"

Looking back at Clarissa, but with her voice still raspy " I I I'm fine... I think.... The Gaurds just attacked us." still weak from using magic way beyond her untrained level. "Where are the others going?" she asked as she heard the group scatter into teh trees.

[Cifero Windtail]

Jayce got into the vehicle and sat down in one of the two front seats. Well... this is certainly a puzzle, he thought, realizing there were no visible controls. I doubt that I'd be able to figure out the operation of it myse... He smiled as he remembered the guard. Hmm... there's an idea...


The guard was waiting for Jasper to come back when he heard a noise inside the transport. Putting the rock in one of his pockets, the man went into the transport, his weapon at hand. Moving carefully, he started to move towards the driver's compartment. "Hello?" he yelled. "Jasper?" Reaching the driver's compartment, he found that there was no one there. Confused, he turned around to leave...

And passed out as a booted foot whacked him in the face.

Jayce looked down at the unconscious guard. "There," he said, pulling some rope out of his satchel and tying the man up. The cat placed the guard in one of the two seats and waited for him to wake up.

(If this isn't okay, I'll change it.)

[Sigcutio]

Grant failed to realize exactly what had occurred in the last minute until he was suddenly pulled into the floor by some sort of panda. This panda took him, Jojo, and the other pack carriers with her deep into the crust of the Earth. Beneath the surface, an entire hideout was revealed. All of them were standing in a domed room with halls that led to doors, which could have stretched on into more hallways almost endlessly. In his surprise, Grant forgot his thoughts and stood in awe at the dim, but magnificent structure.


"C'mon, the others will be here shortly."

Obviously the panda was the leader of their operation so it would serve them well to follow her.

[JoJoJoshua]

As the Earth moved like sand around their forms, the stunned fox had the urge to close his eyes and hold his breath as if going underwater. Luckily, he didn't have to as the group lands softly on the solid ground of a domed room, quick movement happening around them as random packs were taken. His remained safely attached to him though...


"Whoa...uh...Okay then." He followed after the panda, watching her curiously as he walked behind here. He whispered to Grant, "That was friggin cool."

[Leiton]

-Cifero-


The Guard didn't know what hit him. He collapsed to the floor like a rag-doll, the metal pins on his uniform striking against the vehicle.


He woke up a few minutes later, his vision hazy and a throbbing headache. He looked around the cart, obviously confused, until he saw the Jayce. He growled and struggled at his bindings. He lifted a few fingers, and the vehicle lifted a little bit, accompanied with a loud humming sound. His concentration slipped, however, and the vehicle fell the few inches back to the ground, jarring them. He spat at Jayce, his growl only getting louder.


--- --- ---


-Suzumi-


Clarissa looked past Suzumi at the dead Guard behind her, then quickly looked away. "Here, come with us... It looks like everyone else is headed to the village. One of the people should be back up soon, and able to take us down."
Spurney walked past the trees, his fur sticking out at odd ends and his movements a bit shaky. He didn't say anything, but merely nodded to them as he put his paw on Clarissa's shoulder and led them towards where the others were headed. "Let's go, away from this damned place..."


--- --- ---


-Jojo and Sigcutio-


The panda motioned for Jojo to remove his pack as another couple of people emerged through the ceiling. Chris, Henry, Jasmine, Jenny, and Cail landed nimbly on the hard floor and immediately headed for the main door. Chris broke from the group and went over to the panda. "Everyone's clean, except for the lizard and the two raccoons. We haven't checked them."
The panda nodded, and seemed to relax a bit as she relieved Jojo of the pack. "I guess you two are a bit new to the elemental villages, huh?"

[Cifero Windtail]

"Oh, I see," Jayce said. "It's run by powers? Can all do it, or just some?"

[Sigcutio]

"That was friggin cool."

Grant could only nod his head, which was still fuzzy with awe from what had just occurred. As he looked around he noticed more and more people entering and taking packs. Where were they exactly? As if on cue, the panda explained where they were.

"I guess you two are a bit new to the elemental villages, huh?"

Speechless he continued nodding his head. An elemental village? He had never heard of these. It was easy to guess this was an earth elemental village. Curious, he wondered how long a place like this could exist undetected and what other elemental villages could exist. What was his elemental village like?

[Suzumibachii]

Suzumi saw Clarissa look past her at the guard but she couldn't turn around herself, she followed Spurney and Clarissa away waiting for somebody from the village to come up to them. "Spurney are you ok? Your not hurt are you?"

[JoJoJoshua]

JoJo handed over the pack and smiled up at the panda before looking around, his eyes adjusting quickly to the light. He was a nocturnal creature, after all.


"I've known about their existence but this is the first time I've ever actually seen one, let alone be allowed inside. Makes me wonder what the others look like...what -mine- looks like..."


The fox's tail flicked curiously as visions were created in his head of what his elemental village could look like. It'd always intrigued him, but he never fathomed the opportunity to see one could come around.


"So, what did we get ourselves into, if you don't mind me asking? I'm looking for my mother, though I doubt she's here."

[Leiton]

-Cifero-


The Guard continued growling. "It takes a full team of people to run one of these things, you stupid cat!" He spat again and struggled again in his bindings, obviously irritated. The vehicle hummed again and started to rise a little higher as the man's face contorted into a grimace.


--- --- ---


-Suzumi-


Spurney merely shook his head and led them back into the woods. The last of the stragglers from the other group were waiting around the trees. A large bear, a lithe cubi fox, a young fox with purple eyes, a very young mouse, and a smiling, black wolf. The cubi didn't seem quite so happy as she stood with her back to a tree, fiddling with a knife. Finally, a figure, more specifically a male black lab. He nodded to all of them and spoke, "If you'll let me, I'd like to take you down to the entrance of the village now."
Most nodded, including Spurney and Clarissa. The fox and the cubi seemed a little perplexed.
"Can't we just walk there ourselves?" The cubi put her knife away and glared at the canine.
He chuckled and answered, "Because, the village is beneath us. Otherwise, it would be too hard to find."
The cubi stood there for a moment before harrumphing and leaning back against the tree.
"Now, if you could all stand as close together as possible, we can head down quick and easy."
The others circled around the lab, and Spurney and Clarissa led Suzumi over to the group. She could feel the ground beneath her feet loosening and becoming thinner, finer, almost to the composition of sand. They all sunk into the sand quickly, though they seemed encased in a bubble as the earth reformed over their heads. It took only a few seconds of their rapid descent to finally slow down and hit solid ground. The fine earth around them lifted back up, revealing themselves to be in a large, dome-like room, with plenty of other people in it. Some were recognizable, and others were not. The five skilled fighters were heading through a hall-way on their own as the panda woman from before was talking with the orange fox and the german shepherd. She noticed them drop in and nodded to the pair, then handed her pack off to a colleague before approaching them.
"Let's see..." She pointed to Suzumi and her two raccoon companions. "You three need to stay with me for a moment, but the rest of you are free to go. If you wish, you could take a tour of the village, or just go find some rest at the inn. It's free of charge, anyway."
The other group left as the panda pulled out a small, electronic pad from her pack. "Just to make sure you aren't spies or anything..."
She held the device to each of their faces for a brief moment, then stepped back and waited. She looked up at them. "You. You aren't in the system yet." She stared right at Suzumi.


--- --- ---


-Jojo and Sigcutio-


The panda chuckled. "You've managed to find one of the few safe havens for elementalists on this continent. There are others, all as well-hidden as this one." She looked past them at the new arrivals coming through the ceiling. She nodded to the labrador that was with them, then to Jojo and Grant. She walked past them and began speaking to the group. The labrador came up to them and nodded, smiling. "Would you two like to see it?"

[Sigcutio]

"Would you two like to see it?"

Grant quickly replied, "Of course!" before sheepishly withdrawing and murmuring a whispered apology. His awe had turned to excitement, which had gotten the better of him. He felt like a small child. Regardless, the elemental village was far too interesting to pass up seeing. So it was one of the safest places for elementalists on the continent? Grant didn't doubt that, however, it seemed awfully dangerous to let their enemies get so close to the city. Even if it was well hidden, there was always a chance of discovery.

[Suzumibachii]

Suzumi followed Spurney and Classisa and joined with the group, not saying a word as she glanced at all the different species, she nodded at the black lab's voice, feeling the ground shifting with magic as it turned to sand allowing them to sink into it, she couldn't resist and placed her hand against the side of the "bubble" feeling the sand flow against her finger tips. Arriving in the domed structure she looked all around her as the village was abuzz with activity, it reminded her of the city.
 
 

You three need to stay with me for a moment, but the rest of you are free to go. If you wish, you could take a tour of the village, or just go find some rest at the inn. It's free of charge, anyway

"Hey why cant....." but the panda answered her question before she could even finish. Seeing the panda pull out a small electronic pad Suzumi looked at what she was doing.The pad being held in front of her face for a few seconds.

You. You aren't in the system yet.

Suzumi stepped back and firmly replied. " What system? What are you talking about?"

[JoJoJoshua]

The fox regarded the lack of reply to his inquiry about his mother as confirmation that his journey for her wouldn't end here. He didn't have much time to reflect on this before Grant practically barked his anxious reply to the panda.


Jo smirked and his spirits were lifted again as he batted his tail at the G-Shep's, chuckling, "What he said." After the vicious and swift fight they had just encountered, he figured they were all ready for a more pleasant surprise.


Upon hearing a commotion behind him, JoJo's gaze followed his ears as he looked over his shoulder, finding relief as the last part of their group seemed to arrive safely beneath solid ground. His attention returned to the female as he followed...

[Cifero Windtail]

Jayce grinned. "Seems like your annoyance is running it just fine..." Calling upon his emotions, he directed them into the vehicle...

and was glad he had put a seatbelt on first.