[M] Tides of War ~Juni & Rising~

[Froggy]

The journey to the catacombs had been miserable. If there was one thing Brielle hated, it was being cold. The weather conditions had made sure that she was cold and miserable throughout the entire journey.

Finally, though, they reached the entrance to the cave and Brielle's heart sunk. "Shit," was all she could say. They were indeed there, and they would have to split up. Kyo and Oryan spoke of feeling something dark, something sinister.

Juliette was quiet, though it was clear that she felt it to. "This cave is entirely of Earth. Give me a half hour and I can search every inch," she said, reaching up to touch the wall of the entrance. "Ow!" She pulled back immediately and jumped back. There was some sort of electricity flowing through the Earth that was painful for her to touch. "Or not," she said in annoyance, rubbing her hand.

Brielle sighed. "Guess we'll have to split up then. Kyo, Oryan, Illian... take left and we'll take right," she said, not looking too pleased about splitting up. She looked at Oryan with worry, making her way to him amd wrapping her arms around him lovingly. "Be safe," she pleaded him, kissing his lips with as much passion as she could. "I love you. Come back to me," she said, clearly worried about her partner.

Gwri looked at Illian and sighed as he took hold of the male's hands and squeezed them gently. "You take care of yourself. Make sure all of you make it out," he said softly, looking at Illian with worry. Juliette simply embraced Kyo in a friendly way, also worried about him. She was worried for all of them, though it would do no good to worry. "Stay focused everyone. Try not to touch the walls if you can avoid it," Juliette warned. Brielle stepped back and nodded her head. "We meet back here in an hour, whether we've found it or not."

[RisingPhoenix]

The sharing of affection was needed to give them the confidence they needed to enter the caves. Oryan along with Kyo and Illian entered into the cave. Kyo was moving slowly not really able to see more than five feet ahead of him. It was dark and damp, the sound of various creepy crawlies echoed throughout the cave. Oryan turned to look at Kyo and sighed.

"We need some sort of light source," he said.

"Why are you looking at me?" Kyo asked causing Illian to giggle.

"Because you know your shit. We all know you spend countless hours in the library learning spells, so come on," Oryan said causing Kyo to shake his head.

"Maybe I shouldn't be the ONLY one studying then huh?" Kyo replied as he slapped his hands together in a praying manner. "lucidum!" (Luminous) His voice echoed as his hand filled with light. Illian raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"You always were more in tune with magic," Illian said as the light from Kyo's hand transformed into three orbs that revolved around each of them illuminating the area within a ten foot radius. "So how powerful is this stone?"

"The Infertum Nova is a powerful relic thought lost. It was able to turn the tides of wars in the old days, granting the possessor immense magic energy. At least according to legend," Kyo responses looking between Oryan and Illian.

"Bookworm," Oryan stated playfully nudging Kyo who shook his head as they continued further into the cave. Eventually they came to a fork and Oryan groaned. "Two paths, but there's not enough of us to safely split again," he said looking both ways and trying to figure out which way. Kyo had closed his eyes and allowed his senses to reach out.

"Go left," he said without hesitation. "I can feel something in that direction."

Illian turned and looking at Kyo while Oryan started walkin. Kyo really was more in tune with this than he was. It didn't surprise him, Kyo was amazing, but to know how vast his magical affinity was made him wonder how much knowledge Kyo hid from them all.

[Froggy]

Juliette, Gwri, and Brielle took their respective entrance to the catacombs. They were each nervous, though they stayed focused and alert. They had to be, for it was difficult to see. "Who here has been studying their magic?" Gwri asked with a chuckle, his voice a hushed whisper. He didn't want to alert anything that might have been lurking to their presence, though he was certain that anything with them would already know they were there.

Juliette smirked at Gwri's question. "Like you haven't?" Juliette asked, shaking her head. "Lucidium," (Luminous!) she whispered, causing an orb of light to appear in her hand. She smirked, pouring her strength into the orb and watching as it expanded to the area around them. "Brielle, if you please," Juliette asked her fire-making friend. Brielle nodded and lit her hand ablaze, allowing them to see deeper into the catacombs. They all stopped, for what they saw next stunned them. There were three separate paths to follow.

"Well this is interesting," Gwri said, walking up to the entrance of the paths. "Can you sense anything Juliette?" he asked, looking at her hopefully. Juliette sighed and closed her eyes, trying to feel the Earth beneath her. When she focused, she felt a sharp jolt burst through her body and she cried out in pain. "Damnit!" she said angrily, wanting to kick the walls but knowing better. "It's like there's some electrical current in the caves to ward off Earth-users. It just shocked the shit out of me," she complained, looking furious. Her eyes softened as she realized what they would have to do.

"We have two options," Juliette began, to which they both picked up on immediately.

"We can either all search them one at a time, or go separate ways and follow a path each."

Brielle was torn, it was dangerous to go alone but there was no clue how far the caves went, how long they would be searching. They only had an hour before it was time to regroup. "Depends on if we want to be reckless or if we want to be safe," she said, to which Gwri shook his head. "Let's not think of it like that please," he said, clearly uneasy with the thought of splitting up. It would be the quickest way to cover more ground, for time was of the essence.

"So our separate ways then?" Juliette asked, biting her bottom lip. Gwri and Brielle both nodded, and the three of them held hands for a moment to give each other strength. "Stay safe you two. Remember, we meet back with the others in less than an hour. Remember Gwri, Lucidium," Juliette said, looking at each of them with worry. They released each other and turned to face the cave entrances, each stepping into their respective tunnels.

[RisingPhoenix]

They moved cautiously through the tunnels, Kyo trying his hardest not to let his guard down. They were in an unfamiliar place and it bothered him because he didn't know what these catacombs hid. There was bound to be danger. The stone would be well protected against intruders, but Kyo wondered if there were spells placed to decipher friend from foe. They stepped in unison, the light provided by the spell their only source of illumination. It was the only way they could see in front of them, but that was the downfall to the spell. The lights could only spread light in one direction and all three were pointing forward. Step by step they made their way deeper into the cave until they came to an empty room with what looked to be a podium made of stone in the middle.

Illian stepped in first and examined the podium without much caution while Kyo eyed their surroundings.

"Something tells me we took the wrong entrance," Oryan said as he knelt down to try and feel any source of metal. When he touched the ground he felt the jolt of electricity that Juliette felt before they entered. "Shit!" he exclaimed as he stood erect and looked around. "Dead fucking END!" he added cursing once more under his breath as he looked around the room. Kyo was still trying to figure out why the room was empty. He had felt a strong pull from this room and he still felt it, but all of that became a blur when pain shot through his entire body. He looked down to see the barbed end of a tail sticking through his chest. He hadn't felt the presence of this creature, he hadn't even had a chance to move, but when it happened he could see the shocked and panicked looks on Oryan and Illian's faces as they quickly went into the offensive throwing magic at the creature without restraint. Kyo was tossed to the side like garbage, blood slowly pouring from the open wound as he began to lose consciousness. He couldn't move, no doubt it was the poison that coursed through his veins. All he could do was watch weakly as his friends fought against the cryptid scorpion like creature.

"Illian, get Kyo out of here," Oryan yelled causing Illian to nod before dashing towards Kyo. He slid to a halt in front of his ex as he examined the wound. It was bad. Kyo was losing too much blood and Illian, for the first time in a while, was scared. He clamped his hand over the wound and looked into Kyo's eyes.

"You're going to be alright," he said not sure if what he spoke would be truth as tears began to fall down his eyes. He heard a screech as the scorpion creature had been impaled by something large that jutted from the ground. Oryan had managed to break the spell. He rushed over to Kyo, cuts and bruises on his face and arms. Illian suffered the same, but they lifted Kyo and rushed towards the exit. They could only hope the girls had found the stone and would make it out unscathed.

[Froggy]

As soon as each of them had taken their respective paths, something was... different. The catacombs were just the same, but it seemed as though time itself had ceased to exist. Brielle couldn't tell how long she had been walking, whether it was a few minutes, a few hours, or a whole day. It was incredibly disorienting to her the moment she had rounded a corner, for she couldn't see anything without the light of magic.

Her light was strong and pulsating as she walked through the caves, her eyes peeled and her senses were on high alert. She was as quiet as the silence would allow, but... up ahead she began to see a glowing of sort. It was a firey, golden-orange hue that lit up the cave and she moved forward with a cautious pace. The light began pulsating, much like her own light and soon blended entirely with her light. She stopped, wondering what had happened. Squinting into the distance, she could see something up ahead. It was almost like a pedastool carved from the cave itself, with Earth wrapped around what appeared to be a firey colored stone. "Gotchya," she whislered to herself, unable to control her excitement.

She dashed forward in an instant, throwing caution aside and reaching the stone with ease. With a shaky hand she reached forth and touched the stone, merely with the tip of her finger to see what would happen. It was invitingly warm and seemed to welcome her magic, glowing even brighter at the touch.

"Good girl," a voice from behind said. The voice was deep, masculine and dangerous. Brielle took hold of the stone and turned around to face the figure before her. He was dressed in Abyssal clothing, accompanied by two others from the school. Brielle recognized one of them as the charge nurse whom had a hand in her initial capture. Her eyes narrowed, knowing that she would have to fight for her life. The stone's color had changed to that of a deep, reddish orange color in relation with her defensive stance.

"Give me a reason," Brielle warned, staring hard at her opponents.

"Relax child, we just want the stone. We'll leave you alone, for now in exchange," the male said, and the nurse smirked. Brielle glared and shook her head. "Not likely," she replied back, trying to calm the frantic beating her heart had taken to. She felt as though time were passing very quickly now, as though she had been in the cave with them for several hours. She knew it not true, and that it was merely a trick of the cave.

"Even with the stone's magic you stand no chance against us dear," the nurse intervened, reaching into a pocket and pulling out a shot with a clear substance in it. Brielle's eyes widened at the sight and she thought desperately for Oryan, wishing he were there with her. They were blocking her only exit and she focused on the power of the stone, allowing it to flow through her veins. Suddenly, a large plume of fire burst forth from her hand and she ran behind it. She was using the fire as a smoke screen, for her entire body was encased in fire the same color as the plumes. As predicted, the three from Abyssal took cover immediately. "As you wish," she heard the man say as she made her way down the cave, running as fast as she could. The Earth wrapped around her feet suddenly, causing her to fall over forward with the force of her own momentum. Luckily she was able to keep her hold on the stone and catch her fall with her forearms, but that didn't stop what came next.

She felt the same electrical current pulsating through her body that Juliette had felt at the entrance of the cave. She cried out in pain and turned her upper body towards her attackers, knowing that she was in a bad spot. "The pain can end. Just give me the stone," she man said, reaching his hand out for the stone. Brielle clenched her first around the stone even tighter and punched forth with her hand, a blast of fire racing towards the man. He cried out in pain as it struck his hand and burned him severely, glaring at her. "Release me, now," Brielle commanded, standing to her feet fully as fire began to ignite around her body. "Or I'll blow this cave, and us, into pieces."

~~~~~~~~

The moment Juliette entered her part of the cave, her light died in an instant. No matter how bright her magic was, it wasn't enough to see two feet in front of her. She sighed in fury and knew that she would have to go in blind and use the Earth as her guide. She despised this thought, for the moment that she focused on the energy within the Earth... she received an incredibly powerful electrical shock that originated in the soles of her feet and spread throughout her body. She screamed in pain, gasping for breath as she tried to find another way. She tried to manipulate the Earth, to allow it to act as an extension of her- but that only ended in the same result.

"Damnit," she cursed, shaking her head. She would truly have to go down the cave blind, unable to see a single step ahead of her. The thought terrified her, but at the same time... she wondered if she should go and wait on the others. If something happened, how would they know where she was? What if she fell into a thorny pit?

Juliette took a deep breath and lifted one foot ever so gently, barely shuffling it in front of her. The ground was solid, but suddenly seemed to sink when she stepped. At first she believed it to have been quicksand, but then she realized very quickly that she had triggered something when the walls around her began to shake. Her eyes widened as she took off in the direction that she had come, knowing that a cave-in was inevitable. She couldn't see a thing, but she could head rock falling all around her.

A sharp, jagged edge fell upon her leg and pierced through it entirely. She fell the ground, face first and barely able to stop the fall with her hands. Electrical current course through her body and she screamed in agony, trying desperately to remove the object from her leg. Rocks were falling around her and with a great deal of pain, she managed to pry the rock that had impaled her leg from her flesh and stand on her good foot.

She couldn't see a thing, but she took off limping as quickly as she could back towards the entrance of the cave. There, she saw two of the boys running, carrying the third with them. Her eyes widened in panic when she came near them, seeing that Kyo was gravely wounded. She managed to hobble out of the cave, blood seeping down her leg as she fell onto her hands and knees. "Kyo!" She said, looking at him with great worry. "We have to... get him... out of here," Juliette panted, suffering from her own injury. "We need... mother nature," she wished the veing was there with her, Kyo was in such very bad shape. She had faith that she would survive, but... Kyo's wounds were devastating. She tried to keep a strong face, to not break down and vry and lose hope right there. "Have the others not come yet?" She asked, looking around for Brielle and Gwri. They were nowhere to be found.

~~~~

At that moment, Gwri came bursting forth from the cave with an army of spells flying past him. He saw the others, two of them seemed injured and his face turned to that of pure horror when he saw Kyo's wounds. "I'll hold them off, you get them to safety!" Gwri shouted to Illian and Oryan. He didn't know where Brielle was,but suddenly a bright, orange light came from the caves and his eyes widened as his attackers burned to a crisp.

A fire seemed to be slowly coming from the cave itself, and Brielle appeared before they knew it. She was sporting an injured shoulder, or so Gwri could assume by the way she held it. In her limp arm was a stone and all eyes, both good and bad, turned to her. "Give us the stone!" The Abyssal recruiters shouted at her. Brielle raised her hand and shot a continuous blast of blue flames at them without restraint, and their skeletal remains dropped to the ground. Her eyes had changed color and the stone had caused her skin to glow a firey color around her.

"Brielle, it's okay. Take it easy," Gwri said calmly, raising his hands to show that he meant no harm. Brielle looked to the voice and raised her hand to attack again,but she saw that it was Gwri. Upon further inspection she could see the others, and some of them were injured.

"Oryan. I can seal his wound, burn it shut to prevent anymore blood loss... what do you think? Would it be too much for him?" She asked, ignoring her own plights for Kyo's were far more serious.

Without warning, she felt something painful strike her back and send her flying forward. A large boulder had been thrown at her and stricken her back, knocking out her breath.

"Get them all out!" Was all Gwri said as he turned to face a very testy team of seven Abyssal recruiters, not giving his own team another glance. He didn't want them to waste time arguing.

[RisingPhoenix]

Illian was pressing his hand hard against the wound. The fact that Kyo was unresponsive caused great worry to fill him. All he could remember seeing was Kyo's face when the stinger penetrated him. The look of sheer pain caused him to cringe, and when the creature tossed Kyo against the wall, his body hit it like a rag doll. He hated watching it, he was glad the creature was dead, but now he was worried he might lose Kyo forever. The blood wouldn't stop, it was as if the poison was preventing the blood to clot properly. There was so much happening around them, and Oryan could see the others exiting the other entrance, but they were dealing with their own issues.

Juliette was the first one out.

"There has to be SOMETHING we can do," Illian said frantically trying to remember a spell, any spell that would help them.

"We have to get him back to the cabin and bandage his wound," Oryan replied giving Illian a glare that meant for him to stay focused. Juliette spoke and Kyo remained unresponsive his eyes closed and his body limp. At that moment Gwri emerged. He was deflecting magical blasts and dodging them from an unknown source, that is until Illian and Oryan caught sight of the Abyssal Recruiters heading towards Gwri. Oryan was about to help when an explosion of fire flushed the area incinerating those Recruiters that were attacking. At that moment he noticed Brielle looking as if she'd been through hell and back. She held something in her hand and he could feel a strange power coming from it. He turned his head back to Kyo who was growing pale.

"He's losing too much blood," Oryan said as he stood to his feet. Just as he did so Brielle asked if she could cauterize the wound to keep the blood from seeping out. He was about to agree when she was struck. He cursed under his breath as he watched her fall. Hurrying over to her, he held her head and glanced up to see seven recruiters heading their way. Gwri stood tall, and was telling them to leave and get everyone to safety. Oryan objected but he could tell that Gwri wasn't going to back down from this.

"Thank you," Oryan said as he looked over at Illian who had tears in his eyes. He didn't want Gwri to stay behind, but he knew that it was the only way, and against his better judgement, he stood up and grabbed Kyo.

"Juliette, can you walk?" Illian asked as he held Kyo as if the male only weighed ten pounds. Oryan had scooped up Brielle and had pocketed the stone she was holding.

"Gwri, please come back to me," Illian said as he quickly snatched a kiss while holding Kyo and rushed off into the distance with Oryan in tow.

It took a while to get back to the cabin, but that was to make sure they weren't followed. Kyo managed to stay alive the entire time though he still wasn't moving. There was no signs of life from him, but his heartbeat was faint. As soon as they entered into the cabin, Oryan grabbed some alcohol, the highest proof he could find and poured it on Kyo's wound. Kyo groaned but couldn't move. He went to work bandaging Kyo up and applying antiseptic ointments and leaves to prevent infection. Kyo still had a way to go and Illian helped Oryan moved him to Kyo's room where Illian stayed while Oryan worked on everyone else.

"Don't you dare die on me," Illian said sternly as another tear fell down his face. "Gwri's sacrifice won't go unnoticed

[Froggy]

Gwri looked at Oryan one more time as he thanked Gwri. He nodded, looking at Illian with concern, his eyes flickering to Kyo. "I... I'll do everything I can," Gwri promised, ushering them along as more magic came barricading towards them. A sphere of electricity appeared in his hands and deflected the magic, causing it to richocet in random directions. Gwri used the opportunity to his advantage, lightning forming in his hands as he threw bolt after bolt to the recruiters. They had ducked behind trees, and Gwri had done the same.

The battle lasted like this for some time, Gwri had managed to take down three of the recruiters with various strikes of electricity. With much surprise, he felt something hard strike the back of his head and he fell limp to the ground, his eyes closing just as the recruiters came after him. He hadn't seen the new arrival on scene, for they had appeared just behind him and had stricken him with a bat made of hard rock. The recruiters snatched his body, leaving through a portal in an instant.

The moment Brielle landed, she crashed against a tree and a large gash appeared on her head. She was out within seconds, her body unresponsive to Oryan even as he scooped her up. Occasionally her eyes would flutter open and she could see the trees passing by them, though she didn't know where they were or how long they had traveled. Her body was limp, like jello, as the drug the nurse had injected her with began to take effect.

She couldn't move. Juliette was with her now, back at the cabin. She hadn't been able to walk as fast as the others but she had managed to walk out on her own, albeit at a slow pace. She was losing blood rapidly, but so were Kyo and Brielle. Brielle should have woken by now but she hadn't and that concerned her greatly.

It had taken her some time to merely bandage the wounds, for blood kept seeping through the bandages and she felt weak, her hands grew shaky and she was pale. She knew that Brielle needed help and pushed past it while Oryan and Illian worked on Kyo, it was all she could do to keep from breaking down and thinking of the worst. Finally, she managed to get her wound to a slow trickle. She used this opportunity to work on the cut on Brielle's head.

She cleaned it, wiped the dried blood off and bandaged it properly. She felt her forehead and she was cold as ice, which caused her great alarm. "Bri, Bri what happened to you?" She asked her friend, getting no answer. She remembered that Brielle had come out of the catacombs holding her arm and that it had been limp. She began to inspect it, starting with her shoulder and gasped in shock at what she saw.

There was a large, black circle on her shoulder that seemed to be spreading through her arm. It looked as if she had been poisined, though there was no blood coming from the site. Upon further inspection she could see a tiny needle mark and her eyes widened.

She didn't know what kind of poison they had used on her, nor how to stop it from spreading and how to heal her. "Oryan!" She called when she saw him and Illian moving Kyo into his room. "Oryan," she repeated, pointing at Brielle's arm when he arrived. "She's been poisined with a syringe. I don't know what it is, or how to stop it..." she pleaded, leaning against the wall weakly. She was exhausted and had lost far too much blood, though she pressed on. Gwri still hadn't returned and Brielle needed every bit of help she could get.

[RisingPhoenix]

He heard Juliette call for him, but he was not expecting what he saw when he came to her. Brielle had a mark, a puncture wound of a needle, but instead of blood oozing from the wound, her skin was black around the area of entry and the black was spreading. It was some sort of poison, at least that is what Oryan could guess. Illian heard the scream, but he didn't move. He tended to Kyo wiping the sweat from his ex lover's brow every time it accumulated. There was silence between them. So many unanswered questions that could go unanswered if Kyo succumbed to his wounds. Illian sighed and lowered his head expecting the worst.

Oryan reached out and touched the spot before retracting his hand immediately.

"Not good," he said as he looked at Juliette. "I can't pull it out of her unless it's metal based," he added but even that was dangerous, he could pull out the natural metal that was in her body if he wasn't careful, but he was almost certain the poison wasn't metal based. "Just make sure she's as comfortable as can be. Your wounds I can heal. Mother Nature taught me a few things before she left, now if I can just remember the damn chant."

Oryan reached down and grabbed Juliette's leg that was wrapped in bandages. He could still see the blood stain seeping through the bandage. He closed his eyes and exhaled before concentrating. His memory flashed back to his talk with Mother Nature.

"You want to be a healer?" She had asked surprised by his sudden desire.

"If my friends are hurt I want to know what to do," he had told her and he remembered the smile on her face.

"Very well, but it won't be easy, there is a lot you will have to memorize. Just remember it takes a lot to heal, and each time you give a part of yourself. Your training will begin tomorrow."

He flashed back to the present and opened his eyes as he placed his right hand over the wound on Juliette's leg. He chanted softly, his voice never increasing in volume, but it seemed to fill the room. He had one hand on Juliette while the other reached out and touched Brielle. At first it seemed that nothing was happening, but then his hands began to glow and his eyes began to shimmer slightly. He maintained it as long as he could before he collapsed to one knee. He groaned realizing he was sweating and felt like he couldn't catch his breath.

"She makes it look so easy," he said looking at the wound on Brielle's head. He had healed perfectly though there would be a scar. Still the poison was an issue he couldn't resolve on his own. He turned to Juliette. "Are you okay?"

[Froggy]

Juliette frowned when Oryan spoke of the poison. She didn't know what to do, she didn't know of any spells or magic that could heal it. Oryan said that he could heal her wounds and she looked down at her leg, realizing that blood was still seeping from it.

"Thank you," she said, taking a seat as he placed a hand on her leg and one on Brielle's wound. He began to chant, and soon his hands glowed and his eyes shimmered. She gasped as she felt the wound healing, closing back as though nothing had happened. The bleeding had stopped, but the pain was still there. Oryan fell to his knee and she reached down and supported him.

"Thank you. It's so much better now," she said, feeling almost new again. She remembered that Oryan had the stone in his pocket.

"I... I wonder if it can heal too?" She asked, looking to his pocket and to Brielle.

~~~~

When Gwri woke next, he let out a groan of pain. He was surprised, for when he opened his eyes he couldn't see or hear a thing. He was surrounded by darkness, a pain coursing through the back of his head.

He stood to his feet and made to walk, but his hands held him back as he realized he was chained to the floor by his wrists. The chains offered him just enough room to stand, but he couldn't walk or turn from the position he was in.

He sighed, knowing that the metal was only a conductor of electricity. He still didn't know what had happened, if the others had made it out or not, but he could presume that someone had managed to sneak behind him and strike his head during the battle.

Suddenly, he heard the loud clanking of doors being unlocked and a heavy metal door swinging open. He laid back down and pretended to still be sleeping, but he heard footsteps. No sunlight reached him and he was worried.

"Get up." He heard a voice say, and suddenly he felt a harsh kick to his abdomen that got him up within seconds.

[RisingPhoenix]

In the midst of everything Oryan had completely forgotten about the stone that he had in his pocket. Perhaps it could heal Brielle, but there was only one way to find out. Reaching into his pocket he grabbed the stone and held it up to his face. It was a odd stone, beautiful with hints of gold and a deep blood red and slight hints of orange thrown in. He didn't know much about the stone. Mother Nature had informed him of it's greatness, but she didn't tell him what it could do. Apparently it was worth a lot considering all they'd gone through to get it, not to mention the Abyssal scum trying to take it.

He looked at Juliette and sighed.

"Here goes," he said as he gripped the stone tightly and hovered it over the area on Brielle's back that the poison was prominent. He tried chanting again, but he could feel a wave of nausea, still he continued, trying to see if it would work. In his mind all he kept saying was "don't leave me, don't leave me, work work work!" but his face didn't show the concern, his face was stern and wanted to help Brielle beat this.