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 Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:09 pm
A forest of living crystal that covers nearly 80% of the Island of Illuminati, it is dotted with several magical pools that provides the Elves with their source of magic. What is interesting about these pools and their connection with the elves is that the Elves do not have to be close to the pools to benefit. Elves who have left the island have reported that they still feel a connection to the island.
As for what lives in the crystal forest? Magical beings of all shapes and sizes live here. Some are harmless but some can be tricksters and sometimes their tricks can go a little too far....
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 9:12 pm
 ● ● ● ● гคเภє ● ● ● ●   "There, all done..." With a sigh, Raine looked down into the deep pool before her. She wasn't nervous at all, only hesitant. There was only a slight chance that she'd even be able to get this to work, but, it was necessary. She wanted to prove herself to be strong enough, but, even she realized that it couldn't be done by herself. She'd never even been this far away from home before. There was no way she'd make it out in the rest of the world alone. Hopefully, being right next to one of the magical pools would give her some more.... well, any ability. She and magic
 weren't on the best of terms.
Her hands dropped from her hips and into the pouch on her side. She withdrew a crumpled piece of parchment, and turned to face her work. Everything seemed to compare right; the circle, the inscriptions- she'd followed everything to the letter, including the marks that would relieve her of long, hard-to-remember incantations. God knows she'd screw those up given the chance.
After judging it to be set, she stuffed the page back into the pouch, only briefly wondering if anyone had found the mess she'd left in the old library before she left. That would be a funny sight to see. A quick smirk crept across her face as she positioned herself within her circle, careful not to smudge anything.
'Alright, now... I should just have to concentrate on what I want...' Raine closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, and thought: water. Considering that this world was composed of islands, it would probably be most convenient to her travels if she secured herself a demon of the water element. It made total sense to her. So, she concentrated, and muttered a short summons under her breath. Sure enough, a faint glow enveloped the area, and a breeze picked up around her. Raine's heart seized with excitement, she was actually doing it! In just another moment, she'd have her own demon partner to protect her on her travels,
 and she'd finally be able to leave this dump behind. It almost seemed too good to be true.
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01-Sane Asylum-10 Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:07 pm
"So you say lighting never strikes twice huh......."
Suddenly the gentle breeze becomes a fast moving, cold, wind. The sky is filled with dark clouds, seemingly out of nowhere, and thunder rolls across the landscape. A few seconds later lighting begins to strike at random places in the forest, a particularly large bolt of lighting strikes a small grove of crystal trees near the sight of the summoning.
For a moment everything is quiet again, then movement can be seen behind one of the shattered crystals. There is the sound of an annoyed sigh from behind the crystal and then small cracks begin to form on its surface which then explodes in a burst of electricity.
A young man steps over the destroyed crystal and his cold-gray eyes survey the area beyond, before finally resting on the figure of Raine. His eyes narrow as he approaches, lighting running up and down his body with each step. When he gets close to Raine the young man then raises his hand towards her face, his fingers bent as if to grasp at something. Lighting jumps down his arms and over his fingers before forming a small ball of electricity in the palm.
The young man finally speaks, "Tell me, and answer carefully for this could be the last words you speak, are you the one who pulled me here? If so, then how? I have yet to even sign the contract of the Elves." There is no visible emotion on his face as he waits for his answer, no emotion as the ball of electricity sparks dangerously close to Raine's face.
"You would be dead wrong......"
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:28 pm
● ● ● ● гคเภє ● ● ● ●  It took a moment for Raine to realize something wasn't right. A water demon certainly wouldn't cause this kind of lightning phenomenon, right? Her eyes opened, wide at the sudden sound of the thunderous lightning crashing around. When the demon finally appeared, she looked completely dumbfounded. Especially when he approached her hostilely! The whole sudden sequence of events was rather... er, shocking.
Of course, after a moment of surprised staring, she reacted in a way that the demon probably didn't expect. Her features shifted into an annoyed pout, and she let out a huff. Her hands found her hips again. "You've gotta be kidding me... I hope I didn't summon you, and that this is just coincidence, but I can't see how that'd be possible. I was a little worried I'd screw up, but this is ridiculous! The wrong element and everything, ugh. And could you lower that hand of yours, Sparky? You're not doing yourself any favors right now, if you really are stuck with me." Her arms moved again, to cross in front of her as she waited. She wasn't going to hold a conversation with this guy threatening to zap her like that. It was rude.
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01-Sane Asylum-10 Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 10:50 pm
"So you say lighting never strikes twice huh......."
Tsuna's eye twitches for a brief second, a moment of emotion that is there and gone like a flash of lightning, then finally after a few more seconds the lightning ball dissipates and Tsuna lowers his hand; "A mistake?" Tsuna closes his eyes and seems to focus on something before opening them again, "Indeed...the bond between us is..weak...fragile. If I were a lesser demon, you would be dead by now. A lesser demon wouldn't honer such a weak connection."
Tsuna looks over Raine's shoulder at the mana pool behind her and raises an eyebrow, "You used the mana pool to enhance your magic? A chaotic source of magic would be hard to control even for a master." Tsuna's eyes return to Raine, "Why?" The dark clouds above begin to slowly dissipate and the sunlight begins to shine through once again over the crystal forest now that the magics gathered for the summoning had served it's purpose.
"You would be dead wrong......"
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 11:11 pm
● ● ● ● гคเภє ● ● ● ● Seeming to lose some of her annoyance, Raine took on a more pensive look as the demon spoke again. 'Would have been dead, huh? Well, I guess I'm lucky then.' Her lips pursed slightly when he said that even a master would have had trouble with what she attempted. Maybe she hadn't put enough thought into this. But then... she never really put much thought into anything she did. Thinking on it, it was probably the instructions she'd followed that had allowed her to summon a more powerful demon. She'd used a very reliable source after all; surely the library of the Elvin castle would have nothing but the best in literature. She mused this for a moment, stalling on answering his last question.
But, stalling can only go on for so long. She let out a small sigh, and her gaze drifted off to the side and slightly downwards. "A safety precaution, I guess. I'm leaving the island, and I don't know what to expect. So, I figured it'd be a good idea to take someone along with me." There was no need to mention why she didn't just bring another elf unless he asked. Because, really, it wasn't his business that she was runaway royalty! She didn't see the necessity in spilling that there wasn't a single person on the island who even liked her. In fact, her mind even drifted over the possibility that her routine reception of criticism was starting to rub off on her, and maybe that was why she'd felt the need to get a helping hand. Who knew. "What are you going to do about it?" She looked at him with an odd curiosity. Would
 he break the bond? Kill her? Whatever happened next was entirely up to him, and despite part of her wanting to freak out, for some reason she didn't.
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01-Sane Asylum-10 Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 11:43 pm
"So you say lighting never strikes twice huh......."
Tsuna listens carefully and patiently to Raine's explanation, his eyes study Raine for a few seconds before speaking, "I am honor bound by the bond, no matter how weak it may be, to serve and protect you." Tsuna reaches into the long coat he is wearing and pulls out a small glittering object, "As such, you should keep this with you at all times. Should something happen and we are separated, I can use this to reach you." Tsuna opens his hand and reveals a small gold ring with a padparadscha sapphire. Very similar to the one on his other hand.
Indeed this is what he would have had to have done if he had signed the contract with the Elves. There was nothing really preventing him from breaking the bond and returning home, but this is what he had trained for. And it would dishonor him to turn down an Elf and return home, no matter how much this goes against demon law of accepting a bond without a contract. If the other demons had a problem with his situation...well...he just hoped it wouldn't come to that.
While waiting for Raine to accept the ring Tsuna wonders when exactly when they would be leaving, if he had time he would like to send word out about his situation. Just in case they thought he had abandoned his duty, "When do we leave?"
"You would be dead wrong......"
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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 12:12 am
● ● ● ● гคเภє ● ● ● ● Well, that had to be the best answer she could have hoped for. Raine was almost surprised, with her usual pessimism she'd half expected the guy to just fry her right then and there. She really was lucky right now. She stared at the ring for a moment, and then back up at the demon, and then at the ring again before carefully taking it from his hand. It was a very pretty ring, she had to admit it even though she wasn't really a fan of jewelery. She lightly rubbed her thumb against the stone in it before sliding it onto her right ring finger. Of course, it fit perfectly. The ends of her lips curled upwards slightly in a partial smile.
But then, the issue that had completely slipped her mind was asked of her. When would they leave? Raine almost gasped as the realization hit her. How long had she been here?! She glanced around nervously, as if to make sure they were alone. She wondered how far the search for her had gotten at this point. Were they close, or not? There wasn't any time to waste. "Umm, I'd have to say... right now." She turned quickly, and started at a brisk pace into the forest, assuming he'd follow. She had no clue if she was even going in the right direction, but somewhere was better than nowhere! She was starting to realize how unrealistic she was in her planning. Then, suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, and turned to face the demon again as a thought hit her. "Oh, we should probably know each other's names, huh? I'm Raine."
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01-Sane Asylum-10 Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 12:55 am
"So you say lighting never strikes twice huh......."
Tsuna raises an eyebrow at Raine's reaction to his question but merely follows her, that is until she stops suddenly. Names, of course, it would make this easier he supposed, "Tsuna." He was a bit disappointed that they would have to leave in such a hurry. Which means he would have to wait for an opportunity to send word out to his superiors.
Of course if they were in such a hurry, why did she stop to ask such a thing? Did it matter? There would be plenty of time later for such things. Tsuna shakes his head and puts the thought aside as just another odd thing people did. "If we are in a hurry might I suggest we save the introductions for later?" Something about the way she had reacted told him they didn't have much time.
"You would be dead wrong......"
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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 1:11 am
The fleeting flower girl made her move just in time as she quickly ran away.
Behind her fell a pamphlet explaining a charity cruise ship to other islands that was free of charge to any that simply wanted to show up and get on. It would leave shortly though it was made a few days back. It lay out in the open just a few paces in front of where Raine was heading and it was brightly colored so that it would stick out.
"Head to the docks and find a large blue ship adorned with sapphires and other blue-tinted gems! Experience the ride of your life time on the SS. Tsunami with the wonderful captain Ptalmer. Make haste one and all as it is a free cruise and most of the rooms will be taken lickity split!"
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01-Sane Asylum-10 Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 1:21 am
● ● ● ● гคเภє ● ● ● ● Raine blinked at Tsuna, and then nodded her head, blushing a bit at her thoughtless stop. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea." She looked around one more time, before deciding on a direction again, this time actually considering where they were going. It was at a small angle from where she'd been walking before, but she was just a little bit more certain that this direction would lead them the right way. Not enough to be of much significance though. She may have walked confidently, but her mind was not quite at the same place of comfort.
Before she'd taken three steps, something caught her eye. "What the...?" Raine walked over to the oddly colored pamphlet, and picked it up. Crouching where she'd found it, she read about the cruise. Her face lit up instantly, and she turned to Tsuna with an excited look on her face. "Tsuna! Lookit this, it's perfect! We can get a couple rooms on this, and have free passage out of here... For good..." Her eyes practically sparkled at the idea. Gone for good. Nothing could sound better to her.
She looked back in the direction she had been heading, and then at Tsuna again. "Do you have any idea if we're going in the right direction?" Raine didn't know if the Island's layout was part of Tsuna's mystical demon-knowledge or not. It was worth a shot. If not, then they'd just continue as they were.
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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 1:42 am
"So you say lighting never strikes twice huh......."
Tsuna takes the piece of paper from Raine's hands and examines it with a critical eye. This seemed too good to be true, and why would it be laying out in the open like that? As far as he knew if you wanted to attract people, it would be smarter to put fliers like this up in a populated area. "I don't think we should trust this, it seems too perfect." Tsuna hands the paper back to Raine, if she still wanted to go to this ship, Tsuna was confident he could get them out if the situation turned bad.
Tsuna raises an eyebrow at her question, "You are lost?" Tsuna closes his eyes and feels for the magnetic poles of the island. He opens them again and points to the east, "Small Bright should be to the east of the Crystal Forest. If anything we'll run into the shoreline and can follow it to Small Bright as well." Tsuna lowers his hand and waits for Raine to make her decision, honestly he just wanted to leave and find a way to contact his superiors. He had to wonder though how an Elf could get lost on their own island, maybe things were different with other races. Maybe because they didn't have to compete for land with others that they didn't have to know exactly were borders lay.
.
"You would be dead wrong......"
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01-Sane Asylum-10 Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 1:59 am
● ● ● ● гคเภє ● ● ● ● Raine pouted when Tsuna shot the idea down. He was right, it was too convenient. But... who would know besides the Guard? And they certainly weren't smart enough to trick her into getting caught. No, she had a good feeling about this. "I think we should try anyways. ..It's not like we've got anything better to go on..." She only muttered the last part, but Tsuna could have probably heard her anyways. She felt as if she might as well paint the word "fail" on her forehead in big capital letters at this point. She really needed to work on this, no wonder she'd always gotten caught before.
She gave Tsuna an annoyed look when he asked if she was lost. If she knew where they were, she wouldn't have asked! But then she shook it off, there was no need to start anything over such a silly matter... yet. She stared in the direction that Tsuna had pointed as he spoke, and frowned. "I want to avoid Small Bright as much as we can. We'll probably have to cut through a little bit to get to the docks, but for the most part it'll be easier to go around it." She knew that the town was probably crawling with search parties by now, if they sauntered through like it was no big deal, they were sure to get caught. She thought it over for a moment until she was sure about the decision, and then started leading in the direction that had been indicated. Unlike Tsuna's theories, Raine's inability to find her way around had nothing to do with politics or land issues. She was just awful at navigation.
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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 8:30 pm
"So you say lighting never strikes twice huh......."Tsuna merely nods at her decision and follows closely behind, if she wouldn't heed his advice then he had no place to say otherwise as was stated by the contract. Tsuna scans the surrounding forest with watchful eyes, he had heard that there were cunning creatures in the Crystal Forests of Illuminati, but maybe the summoning had scared the more timid ones away.
Tsuna follows in silence for a few moments before he begins wondering, where exactly they were going. It would be good to know what to expect, or if she was being foolish, warn of the dangers ahead. "Raine, where exactly are you running away to?" And he couldn't get rid of the feeling that that pamphlet was too good to be true. And to think this morning he was on his way to sign up for something like this, it wasn't at all like he had thought it would be, first of all to be summoned so soon and into a patch of crystal, most of all to be a mistake.
"You would be dead wrong......"
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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:24 pm
 "In slendid grandour do beings seek.."
Xavier moved through the forest carefully analyzing the letter he had been given carefully. With his right hand he held the parchment and while lifting up his left hand every few seconds, giving off a small bright flash of light each time to help him locate the exact pool that had been corrupted. Within a minute or so he put the note into his pant pocket and moved his eyes over the trees, admiring their brilliance. Xavier thought for a moment and made a strong assumption about this quest. Whatever is corrupting the mana pool is obviously a powerful source of arcane strength, it wouldn't be a bad idea to cast a series of spells now to be ready for the very worst just in case. With that thought, Xavier gave a short sigh and held out his hand; light enveloped his hand and stretched out on either side. After a moments time the light blinked as feathers made of mana fell to the ground revealing a long slender staff with an orb floating near the end of the pole like handle. "Lets get started shall we?" Xavier said to himself as he readied himself to begin a quick summoning spell.
Raising the staff high into the air, Xavier gave a pulsating burst of energy out of the large blue orb that was a perfect catalyst of magic. The blue orb began to oscillate violently before radiating a powerful blueish silver light. A large circular glyph appeared on the ground just in front of Xavier. In less than four seconds a small silhouette appeared of an imp-like creature that danced on the circle's surface while making a series of grunts. Shortly after the blinding light dissipated, Berritola the imp made his funny little entrance. The small creature danced for a moment before quickly scurrying around on the ground and disappearing into the underbrush of the crystalline forest floor. Xavier smiled knowing he would be shielded from harm so long as the small imp was safe from harm. This was not his only precaution however as Xavier then clicked the heel of Zenith onto the ground four times. A thick purple light spilled fourth from Zenith's bulb and seemed to rush over the area as if it was water flooding a valley. Time around Xavier moved much more quickly while the world around him was left as so.
He could easily dodge most attacks or incoming traps now, seeing as they would move very slowly to Xavier. He held up his left hand once more and it flashed twice with the bright light from before. "Right over there it seems... Stay back, Berritola." Xavier said as he moved incredibly quickly over to the mana pool. It seemed so different from the others he had seen before; sinister. The air seemed almost pungent now as Xavier was so close to the once pure waters. Many different thoughts raced through his mind about the situation such as weather or not it would be appropriate or not to take a small sample back to his laboratory on Altamoria island and perhaps see some experiments of the tainted mana water and Water Crystals; no it surely wouldn't be. Xavier dabbled in dark magic before and had found out great amounts of knowledge but they all led back to the point that one should not try to control such forces unless they were ready to give up their sanity. Its not like he hadn't been insane before, but Xavier was much more prone to death while he was under the different enchantments of the dark arts. Whispers of death now echoed from the water that had begun to show signs of a black liquid moving freely within the mana pool. Very interesting.
"..the fantasies that will make them immortal."
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