Survival Team Blue Pegasus

This is bad, Hector thought looking at Elrowan and Kayoko.  Both were already cut up pretty bad by the swarm of crows that seemed to have just exploded out of the ground in a cloud of that same looking black smoke.  “Elrowan, get Kayoko to safety!”  Hector shouted as he focused his power, both donning his lava armor and evoking a partial takeover.  With his hands now seeming made of liquid lava and a hard, hot layer of molten lava covering his body he braced himself against the next wave of crows.  

The first wave to attack Hector was burnt by his armor.  They crowed in pain and dissolved into the same black smoke that they emerged from.  There were still five left, after seeing how their brethren were defeated they changed targets and dove after Kayoko and Elrowan.  They had managed to get a good distance away, but the crows were gaining fast.  “Sirocco, try to get them back in range.”  

Hector could easily shoot a fireball at the crows, but he could easily hit Kayoko or Elrowan as well.  Then there was the whole issue with starting a forest fire.  Sure Elrowan could help put it out with his water magic, but Hector didn’t want to push his luck.  No, the best thing is to get them in range of my fists…that has the smallest chance of having any…unwanted side effects.  

Sirocco made a gust of wind that knocked the crows back toward Hector.  If they were any larger it might not have done the trick, but luckily she was able to get them in range.  With a few quick jabs the crows were no more.  Hector dismissed his magic and looked up to see the same shadowy figure from before in the trees, but it was gone in the blink of an eye.  “Everyone ok?”  Hector asked after he let out a long sigh.  “I think our mystery friend is watching us again,” he said pointing to where he saw the figure a moment ago.

Name: Lava Elemental Form
Rank: 2
MP Cost: 15(8 sustain)
Power:  ***
Speed:
Toughness: *
Magic: Lava magic is a combination of Fire and Earth magic
Description:  Hector takes on the form of a lava elemental.  He still looks humanoid but appears to be made of molten rock that cracks as he moves to show the lava flowing underneath.  

Spell name: Lava Armor
Element:  Lava
Rank:  1
MP cost:  10
Effect: Hector cloaks himself lava and the air around him seems to get even hotter.  He is able to shrug off blows easier as long as his armor is in effect.   Lava Armor adds half the spells power to Hector's other spells, this buff ends once the Lava Armor ends.
Power: (****)
Speed:
Area:
Extra: Buff, Sustain, Defending x2, Burning

Kayoko saw the shadowy figure as well, in the corner of her vision as she and Elrowan got a safe distance away from Hector's fiery magic. As the last of the crows disappeared, Kayoko's pain did as well. She was confused at this, moreso than she was by the shadow figure. She reached up, touching a spot she knew had been cut badly. There was nothing there. "A-a trick?" she asked with a curious look on her face. She wasn't going to have any scars, at least, if that was true. Thank goodness for that.

"Was the person real?" Kayoko was pretty sure the person was a girl, if she'd seen correctly. They'd had long hair under the pointed witch hat. She looked around for signs of some other danger, trick or not. It had been so realistic... Kayoko crouched down, burying her face in her knees quietly once she was sure the danger was passed. The poor girl was overwhelmed, the percieved pain from before still fresh in her mind. Even if she and Elrowan didn't have a scratch on them, she remembered quite well the pain of the fake wounds. She wanted to go home so badly. Kayoko let out a whimper, hoping Elrowan and Hector wouldn't think badly of her.

Somehow Elrowan managed to cut through a swathe of crows, joining Kayoko. The two had only taken a few steps when the crows vanished... along with their wounds and pain. He checked his hands to make sure, but there was no trace of blood. Looking to Kayoko, he saw that her wounds had vanished - and that Hector was no longer beset by crows, either. Elrowan's gaze flitted to the distance, seeing a strange figure. It was there only a moment before it vanished.

This was a strange sensation. The wounds he thought were serious turned out to be nothing, but his mind was having trouble wrapping around that fact. Alastor's first instinct was to run after the figure and search for clues. But Kayoko was practically crying, and Elrowan couldn't leave her alone like that. When he was certain the figure had vanished, almost reluctantly, Elrowan crouched next to Kayoko, lightly touching her shoulder. "Do not worry, the danger is over now. I will protect you," he promised. He rose to his feet, nodding at Hector's question. "It seems to have been an illusion of some sort. I cannot help but think it would be unusually cruel for a guild-sanctioned conflict. I believe we might be dealing with something altogether different on this island." He took another look around, and sighed. And everything had been going so well these last few days.

"Let us return to camp. That was powerful magic indeed, to make all three of us experience the same illusion. I do not think it wise to chase after such a powerful wizard, at least not without a proper plan and preparation," Elrowan gave his opinion. If there really was something dangerous on this island, they needed to plan. Only a few days had passed, and much of the test remained for them... hiding for that long would be difficult.

“So you two saw it as well?  It looked like they were wearing a witch hat.”  Hector was glad to see that the others were not injured.  Although it did confused him, “So it was just an illusion?  Well, it felt real to me.  But why attack us if they don’t want to actually hurt us?”  Hector agreed to returning to camp and coming up with a plan.  I don’t know what this person is trying to accomplish by attacking us.  Is this part of the trial?  That’s the only thing I can think of, maybe if we find this mysterious person and confront them they will leave us alone.  

Once they returned to camp Hector asked the others what they thought they should do.  “Do you think this person is part of the trial?  Should we try talking to them?”  Hector couldn’t think of any other possible answer and something needed to be done or Kayoko wouldn’t be able to hold out for the full two weeks.  Not that I blame her, this is really unnerving.  “I feel like we should do something, instead of waiting for this person to make a move.  It doesn’t seem like they are going to just leave us alone without some action from us.”

Kayoko appreciated Elrowan’s effort to make her feel better, but it didn’t make her feel any less weak. She should have used her magic to do something. She had a giant sword, but her first response had been to cower, not to fight back. She wasn’t a warrior. She didn’t even know why anyone had wanted her to come to this dumb island in the first place. She hated camping. She hated fighting. She wasn’t even competitive in any way. Slowly, she got up, brushing off her knees and clothes after sitting on the ground. “C-can we go back to camp now?” she asked, wiping the tears from her eyes before they slid down her face.

Hector had apparently been more than willing to return to camp. Kayoko didn’t say anything about this witch, but she had certainly seen it… or… was it a her? Whomever it was, they were really powerful. She didn’t think the witch wanted to hurt them, however scared and upset the magic made Kayoko. She did finally talk about her when they got back to camp, though. “I- I don’t think she wants to cause us harm… S-she could have... with magic that strong...” Kayoko told the others. “M-maybe she’s so powerful… and she wants us to do something?” Kayoko’s thoughts returned to Zahn, who had been trying to work with her and Fairy tail to figure something out. “M-maybe it’s supposed to force us… to… to work together?”

Elrowan fell unusually silent on their return trip to the camp. There were a lot of thoughts preoccupying his mind. Most had to do with their strange attacker, but the other half was Alastor. That last assault had fully awakened Elrowan's counterpart, who was quite vocal on his theories about what their attacker wanted. Most had to do with less pleasant motives, some Elrowan wouldn't have thought up himself. Elrowan was at least willing to give their mystery attacker the benefit of the doubt. There was still the chance this could be their trial.

Back at camp, everything looked to be in order. Would their attacker try again in the future? "If this truly is a test to make us work together, no one is stronger than Blue Flash," Elrowan's fist tightened at the thought. Then he realized that there were more of them on this island than just Blue Pegasus. Of course... "You may be on to something. At the very least, we should inform the other participating guild teams of what has transpired. The monster, then this last attack - they cannot be coincidence." He frowned, not really liking where this was going.

If this was a test, it seemed rather mean-spirited. Getting them to work together was one thing. But that wizard had been purposely messing with them. Illusions that powerful meant that the owner was strong - strong enough to face them directly. So why had she chosen this method instead? "It is still too early to tell if this person is part of the trial or not. However, she did not seem very interested in talking - I suspect this is a ploy of some kind, to either warn us off or to make some kind of mistake."

"Warn us off?", Hector said puzzled.  Was there a section of the island they were suppose to stay away from?  "I agree it would be nice to check in with the other guilds, but I have no idea where they set up camp.  We haven't seen them in our hikes of the island.  I think we need to just take a breather for the time being and in the morning we'll go and try and talk to this mysterious figure.  Find out what they want."

Hector invited the others back to the spring, its the best way I know to relax, if this person attacking us is a powerful mage like Elrowan thinks we'll need to keep our wits about us.  Hector arrived at the spring and jumped straight in.  The water was fairly cold, but it felt good after the heat of the day.  He swam around a bit before settling in his usual spot and just listened to the sound of the water bubbling up and the rustling of the leaves in the gentle breeze.  Hector again tried to find a pearl just as Elrowan did, but again he came up with nothing.  

After a few hours Hector got out and dried himself off in his usual way and made his way back to camp.  It was getting close to sunset, so after a meal of fish and fruit Hector worked on setting up his pack for tomorrow.  "I'll take the third shift tonight if that's ok with everyone else."  All that swimming and diving kinda tired me out.

Kayoko had finally gotten over part of her shyness of being in swimwear. She was still rather careful to stay in the water where it was harder to see her midsection when the boys were looking, but she would forget while they were having fun. She didn’t even think to try to hide her scar as she tried to forget about the day’s events while they swam in the cold water.

By now, Kayoko was more than happy to take first shift. She hated having to get up early for the other shifts, and she was entirely too tired if she took a shift in the middle. She was easily the most delicate of the three of them, whether she liked it or not. “I-I’ll take the first shift again,” she told the others. She was tired too, but it would be worth it when she got to sleep until morning.

While they were playing, Kayoko thought to actually ask some questions for once. “So um… where are both of you from?” Kayoko asked curiously as she tried to tie her pink bikini a little tighter underwater. “I um… I’ve talked about me… but I’m bad at asking things… a-and I feel selfish not asking..."

This is the final encounter. It might last longer than the others, depending on how you role play it out.

-ENCOUNTER-
Name: Revelation
Type: Neutral
Description: The shadow'ed woman appears before you, her features still cloaked in the black smoke. It's obviously a female, wearing dark clothing and a witch's hat. She sounds young, and her eyes are brown, as noticeable through the smoke as the glare accompanying them.

Her attitude is direct and forceful. She isn't overly rude, but she doesn't waste time with niceties either.

At first, she insists the group are fools and that they should leave the island now. If attacked, she will defend herself with terrifying yet nonlethal force, using a combination of S-rank wind magic and powerful sorcery, themed with the black smoke.

If the group insists upon working together as a team to beat her, she eventually drops the facade, the smoke disappearing completely to reveal a beautiful young woman with long green hair. She expresses pride in her old friends the guild masters raising such talented and smart young wizards.

If the group fails to come together as a team, she expresses disappointment, claiming that she thought the guilds were closer than this.

The group cannot actually beat her; she is as powerful as the guild masters.

Either way, she eventually admits that she was there to test them with powerful illusions to see how the guilds came together. If one of the characters has met up with another guild in a thread on friendly terms, she tells the ones that have done so that their willingness to work together with the other groups is what the games were supposed to inspire. She also introduces herself as Sonata Elswere, Sister of the old codger, Ranor Taiga.

After a short conversation, she tells them that the tournament is over early, because she is bored of games and the guild masters didn't tell her she *had* to make the tournament last as long as was announced. With that, she disappears into smoke again, promising to see them soon on friendlier terms.

Swimming was certainly a good means of relaxing. Elrowan did a few laps back and forth from one side to the other, practicing a variety of strokes. If nothing else it was to burn off some restless energy. Eventually he just floated on his back, looking up at the blue sky. It seemed peaceful, for now, which was all he could ask for. He wasn't exactly the most detail-observant person, plus with his thoughts still on their last attack, he didn't really register Kayoko's scar. He was pleasantly surprised to have her join in the water, even if she looked uncomfortable from the cold. Their shifts were decided easily enough, and Elrowan had no complaints about taking the night watch.

Kayoko's voice pulled him from his thoughts. Where he was from? It was a pleasant change of mind. "I come from the humble town of Shirotsume," Elrowan answered, deciding that the question needed a full story instead of just a town name. "Perhaps you have visited - it is the closest civilized location to Blue Pegasus, after all. It is not a particularly charming place, but it has its merits. My sister joined the guild first, and I followed shortly after. My adventuring years have only started recently. Blue Pegasus has certainly given me the opportunity to explore Fiore."

He actually didn't know much about Kayoko. He seemed to always be off on one adventure or another, dragging her around when she was there. But outside of the fact that she had a sister, he didn't recall her talking about her family or hometown much. Right before he was going to ask, Elrowan noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Abruptly he splashed upright, coming out of his floating position. The same figure from earlier was watching them. She stood atop a tall rock, looking down at them, although she was too cloaked to make out clearly.

"Who goes there?!" Elrowan demanded. Now that he was in a giant pool of water, he was certain his abilities would be enhanced. He couldn't say the same about the others though...

Hector was about to answer Kayoko's questions when Elrowan shouted, "Who goes there?!"  He spun around to see the same shadowy figure from before.  While it was still cloaked in shadow Hector could make out that it was a woman who was indeed wearing a witches hat.  "You fools", she shouted from her rocky perch, "how dare you come to my island!"  Hector took a step forward, ready for another attack if need be.  Hopefully we can reason with her and come to a solution.  "We were brought here along with two other groups to have a survival competition.  We didn't know this island was inhabited by anyone.  Our time here is almost up, can we work out some agreement between you and the rest of us on this island until then?"  "No, I've tolerated you intruders long enough!"  She yelled and pointed accusingly at Hector.  Suddenly three wolves appeared out of the forest, seemingly made of smoke.  

Well looks like talking isn't going to work after all  Hector focused his magic and summoned his lava axe.  He glanced over his shoulder at the others, Elrowan and Kayoko were both still in the spring.  I'm sure that helps Elrowan out a lot, but Kayoko needs to get out of the water.  "Hey", he said standing squarely between the wolves and the others, "we don't want to fight you.  Please, just leave the guilds alone and we'll do the same."    Nothing Hector said seemed to make a difference, the wolves spread out around him, keeping just out of reach of his fiery axe.  I'm going to need help, I can't take all three at once.  "Alright fine, if its a fight you want its a fight you'll get.  Come on guys, stick together.  Elrowan, can you slow them down with your magic?  Kayoko, watch my back and I'll watch yours."

Spell name: Lava Axe
Element:  Lava
Rank:  1
MP cost:  10
Effect:  Hector summons a giant battle axe made of molten lava
Power: **
Speed:
Area:
Extra: Lingering x2, Burning

Kayoko quickly forgot that she was in her swimsuit and that she was nervous about being seen in it. She was far too distracted by the terrifying woman with the black smoke obscuring most of her features. She demanded the team to get out, but while Kayoko would have simply agreed to do so, Hector had refused, and in return, a pack of three wolves appeared to chase them off by force. Kayoko climbed out of the water, grabbing her sword and standing beside Hector with the massive weapon at the ready. “I-I’ll help,” she nodded to Hector, standing and facing another wolf. They were waiting on the woman’s orders, and Kayoko wanted to help Hector even the odds, even if she hated fighting. It was finally time that she use her head and the sword the others depended on her to use.

“If you won’t go away, I’ll make you go away,” the woman told Kayo and the others, her scowl increasing. At least Kayoko thought the scowl was increasing. She couldn’t actually tell. “Get them.” With that, the wolves tore after the Blue Flash members standing between them. With a squeal, Kayoko moved and slashed a wolf with her large sword with surprising speed. The wolf disappeared in smoke, but another quickly took its place. It jumped at Kayoko, once more, and she slashed at it as well. They weren’t so hard to take down… maybe they could do this after all!

Elrowan seriously doubted that anything Hector said to the witch would convince her to change her mind. She seemed intent on attacking them, unleashing more strange creatures. Elrowan summoned his magical energy through his body, the water responding in turn. He twisted the water around him so that he stood in dry land, the excess water that had been there before wrapped around him, ready to strike. "Fiend! You shall do no evil here today!" He roared. Are you guys seriously going to fight in your swimsuits? Alastor wondered, but Elrowan ignored him.

The first wave of wolves was upon them. Elrowan pushed the water around like a tidal wave, washing away the creatures in puffs of black smoke. The creatures were easy enough to dispense, but had great many numbers. They kept coming... and coming... and coming. There's no end to this! He realized, eyes darting up to the witch. She looked like she was enjoying herself, standing high and mighty on that rock. With a great cry, Elrowan rolled the water up, like a tidal wave gathering progressively more and more water. He sent the energy crashing against her. "Get the witch, or this will never end!" He demanded. At the time, it seemed like a good idea...

60/100:

Hector slashed at the wolf in front of him and again it faded to smoke.  But before the smoke could even dissipate another wolf appeared from the shadows of the forest.  Is it ever going to end?  Elrowan's shout cut through the melee, he turned his attention to the witch.  So she's trying to wear us down fighting these illusions.  About that time a giant wave of water crashed into the rock the witch was perched on.

Hector grabbed Kayoko and dived clear of the tidal wave, trying to take the blunt of the force as they hit the ground.  "You ok?", he asked Kayoko as he quickly got to his feet.  The witch was no longer on the rock and Hector couldn't see her anywhere in the trees.  "Up here you big dolt."  Hector looked up to see the witch flying above them.  He fired a lava ball at her, but with a flick of her wrist and a gust of wind she launched it into the water where it harmlessly bubbled.  "Hey, watch it!  Don't burn my island down or I'll make you pay."  Great, she can use wind magic too?!  "Can you guys distract her?  Elrowan, attack from the left, Kayoko, the right and I'll try and hit her from the center."

Spell name: Lava Ball
Element:  Lava
Rank:  2
MP cost:  15
Effect:   Throws a ball of molten lava at an enemy.  Slow but powerful and has a splash radius.  
Power: **
Speed: *
Area: *
Extra: Ranged, Burning

Kayoko nodded an affirmative that she was okay after Hector saved her from Elrowan’s tidal wave. It wasn’t any use, nor was Hector’s attack with his fiery lava ball. All it did was cause the witch to seem annoyed, yelling about her not wanting him to burn down her home, which Kayoko found herself sympathizing with even though they were fighting for their lives. Hector asked the pair of them to distract her, though Kayoko wondered how they were supposed to if he was saying it out loud. Even so, she activated her speed ability again, taking off and running after the witch.

She swung her sword, only to have the witch blow her back easily with a gale of strong wind. Kayo let out a squeal as she tumbled into a tree, slamming into it and sliding down into a sitting position, dazed. “Now now, a few dirty tricks aren’t enough to hit me. Not even at high speeds.” With that, she moved at speeds even higher than Kayoko’s, picking her up by her hoodie and lifting her up. She gave Kayoko a sly grin, winking before black, smokey chains enveloped the peach-haired girl. She was dropped somewhat gently to the ground. She was struggling, but it was no use. “Be careful you two!” Kayoko found herself yelling.

(We need to finish this by tomorrow evening since Hector's RP'er will be busy, so at this point whomever wants can declare the fight over and have her give her speech before letting them go and sending them on their way)

Elrowan tried to follow the plan. If all three of them attacked at once, it would be harder for the witch to fend them off. He moved to follow Hector's plan, but Kayoko was faster. The witch was even faster than that. In practically a few seconds, the witch had trapped Kayoko in chains. "Lady Kayoko!" Elrowan was clearly alarmed by the turn of events. Kayoko seemed mainly unharmed, but still... this person was strong. She'd just bound one of their members with little effort. Elrowan grit his teeth. Was this.... how it was going to end? No! Recklessly he charged in, the water twisting to form two blades. He raised them for an attack -

Only to be disarmed with a single gust of wind. The two blades easily were knocked out of his hands, Elrowan completely open, now facing the witch. He waited for the inevitable counter-attack... but it never happened. "Enough," she declared. Dark smoke fell off her, taking away her disguise. In her place was a beautiful young woman with long green hair. The smoke around Kayoko faded as well, releasing her. The wolves ceased, evaporating into nothing. Elrowan stared. What was going on? "You've all become fine wizards. Your guildmaster has trained you well," she said. Her voice had changed to match her appearance.

"Who... are you?" Elrowan didn't bother resummoning the swords. The fight was done.

"I am Sonata Elswere, sister of Ranor Taiga," she introduced herself. Elrowan thought the Taiga name sounded familiar... wait, wasn't that the guildmaster from Fairy Tail?!

Rainor Taiga had a sister? Kayoko was too nervous to ask for confirmation. She hadn't even known the legendary guild master had a sister, much less that she was apparently married. That or she had a different last name for some other reason. She knew very little about Ranor though, admittedly, so it really wasn't surprising she knew so little. She was silent, scooting back up to the tree again for safety.

"As I said, you worked together quite well. What the three of you lack is experience," she looked to Elrowan as she said it, next to hector, "Willingness to commit all your power to your attack," and finally... Kayoko. "And resolve." She lifted her hat, adjusting a stray green hair before setting it back down on top of her head.

"You performed admirably, whether the guild masters judge you worthy of being the winners or not. The three of you took shifts and fought side by side, working together as a team even if you were nervous or wanted very badly to explore my Island." Sonata cracked a grin. "You'll be happy to know, the tournament is now over early, thanks to me getting impatient. Your ride will be waiting where you got off. Good luck, young Blue Pegasus wizards. We'll meet again, that I promise you."

-End Tournament, since the others can't post anymore before it's over-