Elemental RPG

[dinoman666]

Randy sat down on the arm of the chair, arching a brow. "So, who was that guy?"

Nabonidus lightly drifted up to the door, trying to remain unseen, and knocked several times...

[Hopeflower]

"Well, his name certainly wasn't "Adam Mato"," Stryker said as she stood again to answer the door. Seeing Nabonidus and a barely conscious Ivy, she let out a gasp and quickly undid the bolt, standing back to let he Elemental in. "what happened?" she asked, worry making her chest feel as though it were constricting.

[dinoman666]

Nabonidus floated inside and placed Ivy gently on the floor. "I don't know. I simply found her outside, unconscious on the ground. I think I saw a distant fire too. She was mumbling something about a girl named Rachel and death. It sounded bad..." Randy stood up in shock and looked down at Ivy, but said nothing for the moment...

[Hopeflower]

"Slade," Stryker all but hissed, narrowing her eyes as she knelt beside her student, resting her hand on Ivy's forehead. "It has to be him. He's the only one with reason to do this." The blonde's eyelids fluttered. "Stryker...they're dead," she murmured. "Mom and all of Rachael's family...dead. Murdered..." her voice was broken and confused. "shh, little one...I know," Stryker said gently, brushing Ivy's hair out of her face.

[dinoman666]

"I find it hard to believe anyone would have a reason to murder entire families," Nabonidus replied. "Who the hell is Slade?" Randy cut in.

[Hopeflower]

"Slade was the one who came asking all those questions about Sarah. Ivy's mother," Stryker said. She rocked back onto her heels with a heavy sigh. "Years ago, before Ivy started showing signs of being ready to train, Slade forced Sarah into a deal. He would take Ivy and train her to the fullest of his ability. But...Slade despises humans. Whenever he finds one, or a group of them, he..." A shiver ran down her spine. "He tortures and kills them. Sarah didn't want Ivy to become a killer. So she came to me, begged me to train her instead." her golden eyes darkened. "Slade would want revenge for being "wronged" like that. That's why he killed Sarah - but I don't know why he'd kill Rachael's family as well." Stryker looked from Randy to Nabonidus. "I assume," she added slowly, "he'll be after me now."

[dinoman666]

"If it's a fight that a**hole wants, it's a fight he'll get!" Randy growled, the markings around his eye glowing. Nabonidus sighed. "Randy, we have no idea what this Slade character is capable of. For all we know, he could kill all three of us by himself." Randy opened his mouth to reply, but said nothing, simply dropping down and sitting next to Ivy and Stryker in a huff.

[Hopeflower]

Stryker rested a hand on Randy's shoulder. "I know how you feel," she murmured. Taking a deep breath, she went on, "But I can't let you put yourselves in danger. If Slade comes back, I ask only that you take Ivy and a few days' worth of food and money, and run - don't stop to wait for me. If...if I end up fighting him, it would be best if you kept going, to the next village. If I can, I will follow."

[dinoman666]

"What?" Randy replied. "You're kidding, right? If we tick together, we could kick his a**! Either that, or we all run. I've been on the run all my life, and I left everything in my life behind. I'll be d*mned if I leave anyone behind this time."

[Hopeflower]

Stryker's free hand was shaking - briefly, she clenched it into a fist, hoping neither man had noticed. "Stryker," Ivy murmured, "I can't lose you too..." the older woman looked from Randy to her student. Tenderly, she tucked the teen's hair behind her ears. "and you won't, little one," she replied. It was an empty promise - how could she keep her word when Slade was around? "I'll catch up to you in a few days if worse comes to worse," she added to Randy. "He wants a fight and he'll get one. I know my limits - and I don't intend to die just yet."

[dinoman666]

Randy narrowed his eyes, far from assured. Finally he nodded and sighed in exasperation. "Fine. You had better know what you're doing though..."

[Hopeflower]

"Believe me," Stryker said with a brief, humorless smile. "I know exactly what I'm getting myself into."

[UndeadRaptor]

Jared picked up some berries from a nearby bush as he silently walked through his own home, feeling somewhat hungry. This hadn't been his first time leaving the village, but as he did, he slowly thought about what he was doing. "I don't know why I'm leaving my father all alone, especially when dangers could be lurking anywhere. I'll have to make this trip quick if I want to assure his saftey. The Fire Elemental village may be a good place for trade, but I might aswell check some of the other villages real quickly," he quietly stated to himself, sighing as to what he was doing. The young man lowered one of the delicious fruits onto his tongue, before pulling it in and chewing on it as he just wandered away from his home with some valuable items of his own in a small, leathery bag...

[dinoman666]

Randy frowned and looked towards the door. "If we're going to run, we might as well do it now."

[Hopeflower]

Stryker nodded shortly. "Not just yet though. Knowing Slade, he' may still be around, waiting for me to make the first move. Give me a moment." She closed her eyes, concentrating, the Elemental marking around the left one glowing briefly as she cast her focus outside her home. She could sense the fire that burned at Randy and Ira's cores, and the darkness that pulsed in Nabonidus'. Even her own fire, a heat located in the middle of her chest, reassuring in its warmth and strength. But beyond them, dulled slightly with the distance he'd put between himself and her house, but still stronger than her own power, she could sense Slade. Dimly she was aware of sweat trickling down the back of her neck, and a tense, aching pain in her shoulder and neck muscles. She felt drained from the effort of sustaining the search for even this short amount of time and couple hear her breath beginning to come in short bursts. With a sigh that was more like a tense hiss, she opened her eyes and craned her neck from side to side. "He's still in the village," she said. "But not close enough to catch you if you run now." She stood, staggered once, and righted herself with grim determination. Ivy blinked up at her, green eyes wide and somber, almost childlike. "What do you mean, "if we run"?" she asked in a quiet, shaky voice. "Aren't you coming with us?" Stryker blinked slowly, once. "I need to stay here, for a little while longer," the older woman replied. "I will hold Slade off, buy you as much time as I can, and follow you as soon as possible." "But - but he might kill you!" the teen protested, sitting up too quickly and wincing as the headrush that followed ignited the mother of all headaches. Stryker reached out and hugged her student tightly, murmuring, "That's a risk...I am willing to take. You're safe with Randy and Nabonidus. Stay with them if...if the worst happens."

[dinoman666]

Randy watched the exchange silently. He didn't want to interrupt, but he knew this was their best chance. "Come on," he whispered. "If we're gonna do this, we've got to do it now!"

[Hopeflower]

Reluctantly, Ivy stood up, wobbling slightly and having to grab onto Stryker's shoulder for support. "Promise me you won't die," the blonde teen whispered, an almost desperate, pleading tone seeping into her words. The raven-haired woman couldn't meet her student's gaze; she looked at the door to hide her expression, her fear, from the others. "go. Quickly." "Stryker - " "I said run!" the woman snapped. Ivy, with a last scared look at her beloved teacher, finally turned and fled for the back door.

[dinoman666]

Randy and Nabonidus sped after Ivy immediately, Randy casting one last look over his shoulder at Stryjer before racing off into the night...

[UndeadRaptor]

Jared continued forward, exiting his village with whatever he brought with him, before dropping another berry into his mouth. The young man wandered off into the night, taking one last glance at his home before breaking into a fast walk. He looked around to see if there were any useful items nearby that he could also trade for some goods in the next village, moving at a fast rate so he could make the trip as quick as he could while he was out to trade for more goods. The young man glanced up at the night sky shortly after sighing, looking at the vast amounts of stars above him and the moon that slowly orbited the earth...

[Hopeflower]

Ivy, already weakened from her collapse and the horrors she'd seen, soon stumbled and went down hard on one knee. Muttering curses she staggered upward and limped on, unable to deny the cold hand that squeezed her heart when she thought of what that man - Slade - might do to Stryker. She looked back more than once, at one point swearing she heard Stryker shout after them to keep running.

Don't look back, Ivy, Stryker thought grimly, cracking her knuckles. It'll only make it harder... She left her home with an expression of cold purpose, her eyes glittering like golden ice. She needed to track Slade down and attack him, before he found her student and launched his own attack.

Slade almost wanted to chuckle, feeling as if things couldn't have been more perfect. Instead his lips curved upward in a thin, almost predatory smile. it was too easy. Get her agitated and Stryker was so predictable...now all he had to do was follow Ivy and her companions, and snatch the blonde Elemental from under their noses. Too easy. He hadn't thought Stryker would dare to challenge him, but she was coming. His lips pulled back from his teth as his smile widened. This...was going to be fun.