ℳγsτιc Яιsιηg

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The bunny eared teen stayed completely silent as the group ran. Her lips were dry, her throat felt scratchy and she was incredibly thirsty and tired. It was getting increasingly difficult to hold onto the thick fur of Mor, but that was the only thing she focused on. She was very thankful Mya was so sweet to help her out and make sure she was alright. She was also thankful that Grace came to the group because Kendric seemed to be their leader earlier and now he was gone... he was gone. He really was.

She bit hard onto her lower lip and shut her eyes tightly, burying her face into the thick coat of the moving Mor. He wished she could just shut off her mind and not think. Not think about the horrible things that could happen. Not think about those pictures that entered her head... the sounds... the screams... the bloo-

Blood. It tasted rusty. She separated her lips. Oh god. She let her emotions get the better of her. Fangs had pierced through her lips and her nails began to extend. Oh dear, this wouldn't help. She looked up at the others. Oh! They've stopped. With the help of Grace's navigation and Mor's transportation (for her at least), they were getting closer and closer to the dessert. She hopped off from the wolf and stroked his fur, whispering a small "Thank you"

She clasped her hands together tightly, hoping to make her shapeshifting stop. She could feel her eyes changing to a golden hue again, and fur began to sprout out of the tips of her fingers and toes. Were they far enough away to not detect her magic? Oh god, she couldn't stop. The transformation kept crawling up slowly. She looked worriedly at her other team mates, as her emotions began to rise. She was growing more and more worried. Tears began to well up in her eyes and her body began to shake. Kendric was probably going to die, or already dead, and she didn't want the same for the rest of her friends because of stupid powers she couldn't control!

"I-I think we should l-look from people f-from the other group...."

 

“Funny that you would demand that I surrender, when your chances of living lowers with every second that you keep that stone from me, you have nothing to negotiate with except that stone, you can’t even sell out your friends since someone already beat you to it” Sarah said calmly as she drew her sword, around Kendric and Sarah a wall of rock formed from magic surrounding them leaving the only way out behind Sarah “You must see, you can’t win Kendric Stark, your lives are meaningless, worthless. Not even my own child’s life means anything, now give me the stone or I will make you give it to me, painfully”

Alastair stopped to listen to Xane “I am glad you have such faith in my leadership abilities and think the others see me as a leader, but if you are going to reach the ruins then you can’t be weighed down by me. If you need someone to take charge you can take charge, I have given you information, supplies and even a plan Xane, it’s up to you guys to use them or not. Besides there might be a chance the one who is releasing all that energy is my mother, if so I am going to kill her, after some answers” Alastair finished speaking and stepped around Xane and continued walking towards the source of the energy.

 

Xane stood with his arms still spread, not wanting Alastair to leave. He wasn't sure he wanted to take charge just yet, and Alastair had taken the lead by himself anyways. If he left, Xane felt like the whole group might try to leave after him, and Xane couldn't allow that to happen. He understood Alastair's will to want to go help them, but he also understood that if Alastair left there might be a chance they might not see each other. He had gotten upset at Alastair earlier but he didn't want that to be the last thing they did. He wasn't going to admit it, but he felt like they had become good friends, or at the very least comrades.

When Alastair finished talking, Xane just stood in his spot. He looked at the ground and he back at Alastair. The only thing Xane needed to see was his eyes, which were full of determination. Xane understood that this was something Alastair needed to do, and Xane decided to back down. Alastair walked past him and Xane stood there, trying to decide if he could let himself live with this decision. He turned quickly to Alastair and spoke what he needed to.

"Just promise me one thing." He kept his face straight with all the seriousness he could come up with. He wasn't one for sappy talks or serious moments, but he knew this had to be said."Make sure that when you get over there you kick whoever's butt is messing with us. Otherwise I'm going to find you myself and drag you back half to death. You got that?"

Xane turned around and gave a thumbs up to his side, accepting that they were parting ways, even for just a little while. This was a dangerous situation, and even a minute apart could be fatal. He wanted all of them to get out of this; not just their group, but the whole class.

 

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"We don't really have the time to locate others at this time. Our main priority is getting out of here now." Grace focused on the road ahead, knowing people may pick up on their presence if they wasted too much time in one place. It shouldn't be long until they made it to the desert, knowing the area well from all the time she spent here in location with Artan. She made sure to keep to the back streets, not wanting any of the few roaming cops to spot them. That would be bad but much less worse than any teachers picking up on their trail, however. If that were to happen, she couldn't say how things would end up going. Mya seemed to be smart and strong but Celeste would be much to panicked about it, she was sure. But if things go bad, she could always send them off with Mor while she held whoever was after them.

"We shouldn't be too long. I'm sure Kendric will be fine so you need to keep the paranoia to a minimum. But he won't last long." The thoughts of what could happen to him also ran through her mind despite how much she tried to keep from thinking about it. Although she had convinced herself that she hated him, she couldn't help but worry for his safety. He never should of gone out on his own, not matter what the reason. But once people had their minds set on something, it wasn't right in her eyes to convince them otherwise.

Reaching the end of the town, she let out a small sigh of relief that they had made it to where the desert was. This part wasn't going to be any easy, seeing as they were going to end up in plain sight. But as soon as they far enough into it, they could easily disappear without a trace. "Okay now, we really need to make a run for it this time. We made it this far. Once we get deep enough into the there, they won't be able to track us any longer."

Walking back to more, she petted him for a moment before giving him a quick treat. "Celeste and Mya, you can climb onto Mor if you'd like. He's able to carry some weight and still move quickly. Whichever you guys feel more comfortable with is fine. I'm not sure what we'll find once we get in there so it's best you save as much energy as you can until we find a good resting spot. Or if we actually encounter ruins" She tightened her bag on her body, not wanting it to bother her as she ran. She hoped that there would be places wit water there, knowing just how how it could get. And now with the wolf, she wasn't sure she had packed enough.

Being all set, she turned back before suddenly jolting off ahead into the desert. Now was no time to turn back anymore, only leading to what was to meet them when they got away. She only hoped that their leader would make it out alive, feeling that he was into some deep trouble. 'Keep safe and meet us soon... We're all counting on you...'

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Ayer nodded happily, trying his best to forget all the tragedies they have endured the day before. "I agree. It's been tough for all of us so it's good to know that we ran into people we trust. Anyone else would of had our heads by now." He moved his hand in his pocket, feeling on the gem he had given Luna before as a promise that he would meet them again. He was definitely planning on keeping to that, even in death. One way or another, he was sure that he would see his friends again and be happy just as he was.

Walking a bit longer, he stopped for a moment as he watched a few cops rush by in a hurry. "I wonder what has them in all running like that. I hope no one else got caught..." Shaking his head, he took the thought of such a thing out of his mind, trying his best to keep his focus on the group he was in right now. "Whatever it is, it's giving us a small window here. We better used it as best as we can." He began walking a bit quicker, making sure that he looked back every now and then to be sure that the others were keeping up. If he could, he'd have them in front of him so he could keep a better eye on them. But he wasn't so sure how many of them knew their way through the city on their own. This was the best way in his mind.

"We have to make it out of here before it starts getting dark again. I know we have loads of time before then but since I'm not too good with what's in the desert, it's best that we cover as much land as we can before nightfall. But if anyone else has any ideas, please feel free to share them. I don't want to sound like a boss or anything." He laughed just a bit, trying to lighten the mood so that there would be no panic. After all, it was dangerous for all of them.

 

He sighed to prep himself. "Right, go time...We can do this." He left the door and looked around. "So far, so good..." He smiled. Maybe they could get out of this sticky situation without running in to trouble. He hasn't seen that much luck yet, though, besides getting their weapons. He would of gone on, expecting the others to follow, but then he heard something crazy that made him stop immediately in his tracks.

“You guys go on, you know what to do”

"Wha--" He turned around to see that it was Alastair that said those words. Alastair, the one that gave them their supplies. The one that helped come up with the plan. The one that he sort of looked up to as a leader. "What are you talking about?" He was confused, then he felt it. That burst of energy. "...No, you're not--" He turned towards the direction it was coming from. Who the hell would even... He turned back to Alastair, and was about to explain to him that he shouldn't go had it not been for Xane. What ever poured out of his mouth had the point that Poke would of tried to get across to Alastair. "He's right. Going out is suicide, we can't waste any more time nor any more people."

“I am glad you have such faith in my leadership abilities and think the others see me as a leader, but if you are going to reach the ruins then you can’t be weighed down by me. "

He gritted his teeth. "So that's it? You're just weight? C'mon, you've done so much for us, and now..." He stopped. Maybe he was right. Who knows? Things could work for them. He might even get to kill his own mother...not exactly a good thought, though.

"...Well then. You must be really confident in yourself, huh...?" He shook his head, but he turned around without saying another word. He waited for Xane to finish his piece, then quickly said to the others, "C'mon already, let's hurry up! The sooner we get there, the better. I'm sure we all rather not get our hands messy." And without another word, he walked away, the first to leave the house. He didn't even look back. He didn't have to, though, because he trusted Alastair to come back to them. Alive. And not half-dead dragged by Xane.

 

Xane walked back to the group, not knowing how to tell them that Alastair had left them. He didn't want to say that he left because he didn't believe in them, because that wasn't true at all, but he also couldn't say that he told Xane that he was weighing them down. While Xane would admit that less people the easier it is to move, he wasn't sure he was ready to lead the rest of the group. He wanted to just stay in the back and protect everyone without having to think about anything else. If he was going to lead them, he needed to do everything in his power to keep them from dying.

As he got to the house he noticed Poke was leaving, trying to get everyone to go. He had to tell them now while they were just ready to leave. If he told them any later it might not end well. He walked towards the group and prepared to say what need to be said.

He jumped in front of Poke and stopped him from going on. They needed to make sure where they were going, and they couldn't leave whenever they wanted. If they did, it would just have them going wherever they wanted, and even Xane didn't know where they were going exactly. He had to make sure they were all together.

"Guys, I need to you hold up for a second. I've got something important to tell you." Xane took a deep breath, figuring he'll just say it straight. "Alastair left to go towards a huge energy that appeared a little while ago. I don't know when he's going to come back, but no one is to go after him." He stopped talking, making sure the rest of them were listening and making sure they understood what was going on.

 

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The small group began making their way through the city as quickly as they could. They stopped for a while as several cops ran by, so intent on their purpose that they completely didn't notice the students.
"I wonder what has them in all running like that. I hope no one else got caught..." Ayer said. He shook his head slightly before speaking again. "Whatever it is, it's giving us a small window here. We better used it as best as we can."
Rogan frowned in thought as the policemen ran by, whatever had them riled up had to be something big. Had someone been caught, as Ayer suspected? There was no way to be sure. At least, no way that didn't involve using too much magic, which was a risk they couldn't take.
"We have to make it out of here before it starts getting dark again," Ayer continued. "I know we have loads of time before then but since I'm not too good with what's in the desert, it's best that we cover as much land as we can before nightfall. But if anyone else has any ideas, please feel free to share them. I don't want to sound like a boss or anything."
Rogan nodded. "It sounds good to me," he said. "I'm not sure how far away the ruins are, and the more time we spend in the open desert, the more likely we are to get caught."
He turned to Alayah and nodded once, silently asking if she was doing alright. With her lack of discipline, it wouldn't do for her to get stressed and channel her magic. He had always been somewhat exasperated with her careless attitude towards learning control, but he had never in his wildest imaginings thought that it would ever be imperative to their survival that she refrain from using magic. The sooner they left the city, the better. But until then, he would just have to try and keep her calm.

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Alayah gave Rogan a small smile and nodded once herself. She was doing alright for now, she hadn't been shooting random bits of electricity or expelling energy. But she couldn't stop it from building up, and she was beginning to feel all stopped up, and it was getting worse. She also wondered about the police, and what might have happened to cause them to run like that. She could tell that whatever it was, it was strong magic, but that was all she could tell. Maybe one of the teachers had killed someone again.
But she didn't want to think about that right now. Instead, she followed as they made their way to the edge of town, and looked around at the empty streets.
"I don't know what happened in town," she said. "But whatever it was, it sure made getting to the desert easier. I haven't seen one policeman since that group that ran by."

 

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Celeste frowned. Grace was right, they had to make it to the desert but ultimately, she was still too worried about Kendric. She gripped her wrist tightly, they were already covered with a very thing layer of fur. Her bare feet began to feel the ground less - padding probably toughened the bottom of her feet with claws already retracted.

Her eyebrows furrowed together furiously. She had to learn how to control her powers soon! She knew she was giving the villains a big advantage by being unable to do so. She took a sharp intake of breath and turned to Mya, "You should go up on Mor. I'll run." she was just about ready to run anyway. She could feel her form begin to transform as well. She felt stronger. She knew she was ready to make it towards the desert.

She quickly glanced behind them, her now golden eyes trying to spot any thing out of the norm. Her ears folded back, trying to pick up any sign of hidden enemies but nothing seemed to pop up just yet. She tightened the straps that embraced her upper torso and kept her large hand cannon on her back.

When Grace turned back to them with a nod, she nodded back with a determined expression. She was right, they had to get out immediately and worrying about Kendric wasn't going to do anything for them. She wanted to run back and possibly create a diversion or distraction that can call the bad guys on her and instead of on her friend or her group - but if she wanted to see her tall, courageous friend again she knew she had to make sure she wouldn't wind up dead.

The group took off. Celeste's speed improved greatly, and she zoomed alongside everyone - easily dodging obstacles and people with the combination of the anatomy of some of the toughest animals but also keeping to her small, petite form with the incomplete transformation. It particularly helped with the stealth.

The streets were ruthless, so they made sure to avoid that. They passed countless backyards and alleyways. Not much attention was brought to them and they quickly made it to the desert. It was hot. Her padded feet could feel the heat from the sand. The sun was blazing down - she had quickly forgotten that it was still the morning.

She panted as they came to a stop. Was this really a good idea? To stop at a desert? Sure it was away from the city, but they were pretty much lying in plan sight, unless they hid in the sand or something but that was a little ridiculous. She turned back to face the city, the wind causing her white locks to dance. Her transformation didn't stray. Her fangs were still as sharp as ever, her claws were kept and so was the fur that crawled up her limbs slowly. Her eyes were sharp and golden as she looked out into the distance. Her hands gripped on the leather strap of her hand cannon. She really wished Kendric was alright....

With a quick lick of her drying lips, she turned back to the group. She knew she couldn't be too worrying anymore - it was bothersome for everyone. She had to man up and be strong. She had to shut off her emotions and bring out her inner soldier. She had to be brave.

She unstrapped her hand cannon and carried it effortlessly, "Alright, we need to find the others but we have to be prepared for anything. This desert is deadly on it's own and we don't exactly blend into the sand."

 

As Drei silently followed behind the others through the desert, he was slowly starting to feel the effect of the heat. He was tempted to pull up his hood to give him some sort of shade, but figured that that would lead to more harm than good in the long run. So for now he would have to deal with the heat as best he could. Though that was easier said then done.

"Alright, we need to find the others but we have to be prepared for anything. This desert is deadly on it's own and we don't exactly blend into the sand."

That was true and the dunes would only give them so much cover. In the end they needed to find somewhere that would provide better cover for them. Too bad the desert wouldn't make that an easy job for them, especially with all the dangers that a desert had. So long as nothing too bad happened, this won't be any more tedious than it already.

When they had met up with another group, Zelos was feeling pretty relieved. At least now they knew that some of the other students were still alright. Now the only thing was, where were they going to go now. He heard Ayer mention something about a desert. That wasn't a bad idea and it had plenty of space for them to move around. "That might be the best idea we have right now." He chimed in. Beside, he wasn't all that good with coming up with idea on the fly.

 

As the rocks quickly approached Sarah they changed direction slightly so they would miss her, it was a combination of her magic and the cold air (Which was also her magic) changing their trajectory a little. “You cannot beat me, not yet Kendric Stark” Sarah said calmly as she took a few steps back and forming the last section of the wall behind her. For a few seconds nothing happened until a small air current started pulling all the breathable air up but not letting any come down, Kendric only had a few minutes until he was trapped in a vacuum, her plan wasn’t to kill him, just leave him near death for the time being.

Alastair did a half-hearted wave good bye to his companions without turning to face them and turned a corner, once he turned that corner he looked back slightly just to make sure the others weren’t following. “Good” he said to himself as he started to run, he kept to back-alleyways to avoid police and in almost now time he reached a police checkpoint, except both of the police were dead, Alastair took the chance to scavenge for extra ammo for his gun and then continued.

 

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Grace sighed, fanning herself from the heat of the unforgiving desert. They had only been walking for a few hour before they had all become exhausted as if they had been doing do for days. But she was grateful that they had gone far enough to get away from Tasnica, feeling a bit more safer now that she knew not many would dare step foot in the desert without proper preparation. And they had been fortunate enough to find some shady trees so they would not have to suffer under the sun's harsh heat rays. Yet as much as she wanted to feel happy about their success, she couldn't be just yet until all their problems were resolved and the chaos would be put to an end.

Getting up, she looked through her bag, pulling out a bottle of water and Mor's dog bowl. She knew he must have been dying of thirst by now as she wasn't about to have him passed out when they could need him at any moment. Placing he bowl in front of him, she filled most of it with as much water as she could but not so much that it would spill of go to waste. After all, ever single bit of supplies they had was precious to them now, knowing that they wouldn't find a place out here to gather more. And by the looks of it, there had been no water about. "Drink up, boy. We still have a ways to go. I'm sure we'll find some place soon in order to hide out here. It's only a matter of time now. And before you know it, we'll be joined by others whom we lost."

She looked over to the others as she scratched the wolf's ear before going over to sit back down where she was. She knew they were all still very tired but they just couldn't stay here for long. And as much as she wanted to, she knew that they just couldn't sit there and wait for Kendric to appear. 'He'll... join us soon.... It's best we just find a place for him to come to.... It's all we can do...' She thought to herself, staring down at her shoes as they dug into the cool sand. She realized how much of a struggle it must have been to be a leader. And she surely didn't make it any easier. But she hoped that at the least, she could guide her group to safety so that no one else would get hurt. It was all she could think of now.

She cleared her thoughts after a moment, getting up and wiping the dirt off her clothes. "Alright guys. I think that's enough rest. I know the heat is unbearable right now but we have to keep moving. It'll be night soon and we can perhaps sleep. But I'm afraid not for long since it would be easier and cooler for us to travel at night. Plus, there's lots of shade in this area so we must be close to something soon." She grabbed Mor's bowl and packed it away as she place her bag across her shoulder. "It's going to be tough but I'm sure we can do it. We need to do this for everyone." She tried her best to encourage the group, waiting as they got up to head out again.

 

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Mya trudged along the others through the desert as it was their miscounted day here. She stopped bothering to count the days they were along this unforgiving slice of hell after 2 days. Hot weather was not her friend. It made her irritable and weary. Something a person shouldn't be when wanted No. 1. Nevertheless, she wasn't in a good mood. She doesn't snap easily, but it was getting there.​

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On that note, she looked horrible. She ditched her footwear because they hindered her walking making her walk barefoot across the scalding sand. She did politely(?) refuse a ride from Mor because the poor animal was suffering as much as they were. Wolves are not desert animals. Her shoulders and arms were horribly sunburned followed by her parched throat and growling stomach on such measly supplies they had on them.​

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To add insult, why didn't they go grab supplies before coming out here? I was a GODDAMN DESERT. Why did they not think this through? Sure their lives were at stake, but at least a shot to the head was a lot less painful than starving and burning to death out in a barren hellhole. The last few days she was itching to just shoot herself in the head. After all, they were running from an inevitable end weren't they?​

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Eventually, she sat down and sighed heavily as they had their break. She-they weren't gonna last long if they continue on like this. If only Grace's little motivation speech actually work..."Man...we've been trekking out here for days. I'm doubting we can actually get to our destination ALIVE. If only we actually prepared for something like this..." She looked around. No one was in the right state to bear this, but they had no choice. She got to her feet, wincing as her burnt feet touched the sand. "You're right though...we need to keep moving. Kendric stayed back for a reason. Dying out here would be pathetic and an insult to Kendric."​