VG Rumble

The beast screeched and cried out as it shook off the pain from Ilum's attack. Its eyes began to glow bright red with rage. Its sights were now set on Ilum and Karana.

"That thing is still not dead!?" Karana asked. She looked back at Ilum. If the Leviathan attacked while he was like this he would not be able to defend himself. "Ilum! You have to get up! The creature is coming!"

"I can't, I'm too weak," Ilum said. He looked up into Karana's eyes, sorrow filling his own. "Karana... I'm sorry."

Warren let out a loud battle cry as he charged the beast in an attempt to slow it down. He pounded multiple wind spells at the Leviathan's body. The creature slapped Warren away with its tail and continued its approach toward the wounded Ilum.

Raven and Luke got in front of Karana and Ilum in an attempt to protect them. Raven looked over her shoulder and said, "Don't worry, we'll stop that thing. Just make sure you keep Ilum safe!"

Karana nodded. "I will."

Raven and Luke nodded to each other before rushing after the creature. Luke used his magic to engulf Raven's mace and his own sword with electricity. They split up to go around the serpent and strike it from either side. At the same time, Raven smashed her mace into one side of the Leviathan's body and Luke plunged his sword into the other.

The serpent let out an annoyed screech and used its tail to whip Luke into a tree. Before Raven had a chance to get out of the way the creature swung its massive tail around its body and did the same to her.

Now there was no one to stop the Leviathan's advance. No one to help Karana and Ilum. It seemed as all hope was lost...



--Karana and Ilum may use Unity! Fuse together and strike down your foes!--

Raven

I slammed my mace into the creature's side, satisfied as the Leviathan let out an irritated, agonised cry but then horrified to see it whip its tail around and throw Luke into the nearest tree. I tried to duck but suddenly I felt the breath knocked out of my lungs as the tail impacted with my chest and I was flung through the air. My head rang as I hit the tree and landed in a crumpled heap at its base.

I dragged my eyes open, staring through bleary lenses at the monster slithering towards my friends. I couldn't move. I lacked the energy to do anything but watch as Karana stood over Ilum, her expression determined. Almost as determined as Ilum.

*All right, since we're both about wiped out, I'm just gonna set things up for pie to add onto...yeah, he's doing the battle scene.

Karana

"Ilum," I began, going down to one knee beside him, holding my hand out to him. "Let's fuse powers."

He scoffed, putting his hand against mine. "Forget powers! Let's fuse ourselves!"

Before I could say anything else, there was nothing. It was like I had been pulled into a void: there was no sound, no sensation, no light, only power...

When I opened my eyes, things were different. I could tell instantly.

I was a different person. Long red hair hung down my back, pulled back in my usual ponytail, but I felt different. There was something seriously wrong with me...

I was in a man's body.

Ilum's body.

*Sorry, this is all I've got. Hope this helps you, Tony!

(Good, I'll post tomarrow morning.)

(You know, we've got 17 of 15 posts. We could go ahead and kill this thing!)

(Got you)

Ilum looked up at the creature. He felt different, more feminine like. he had flowing red hair in a pony tail and a black robe. (http://wslasher.deviantart.com/art/Kens ... i-57031305 This is the picture we chose) Ilum could feel Karana's presence inside of him. He focused and thought, Karana?

Ilum, what happened?

We have fused. Lets make use of this power.

I have an idea.

Ilum listened and smiled. Ice began to form on the sword once again. In a flash he was above the beast, it struck in aw. He stabbed the sword into its head and pushed off. He then gathered lightning in his right hand, fire in his left. Once on the ground he shot the lightning at the sword using it as a conductor. The creature wailed in pain and Ilum focused on the fire more. Bring his hands forward he fired the fire into the beast's mouth. There was so much power its head was engulfed in flame. It then fell into the water, dead.

After a moment Karana seemed to walk right out of Ilum. She stood there starring at her self while Ilum fell to the ground. She turned and held his head up, "What happened?"

"It was my body we used after all."

*Nice job.

Karana

I knelt down beside him, letting him lean against me. He looked terrible; the blood from his many cuts and abrasions had dried, his face was drained of color, and his breath was ragged.

I didn't feel that well, myself, but I knew I wasn't as bad off as him. All I felt was fatigue and exhaustion. The fusion had drained us both.

"You look awful," I tried to make a joke out of it, to lighten the mood.

He scoffed at me, smirking weakly. "I feel like it."

I smiled and kissed him on the cheek before turning to Raven. "Raven? You okay? Where are Luke and Warren?"

Ilum gained Level 1 Fire!
Karana gained Level 1 Ice!
Raven gained Level 1 Water!
Warren gained Level 3 Wind!
Luke gained Level 1 Void!


Current Abilities:

Ilum:
Level 3 Ice
Level 1 Fire
Level 1 Gravity (Adv.)

Karana:
Level 2 Fire
Level 3 Lightning
Level 1 Ice
Level 1 Meteor (Adv.)

Raven:
Level 3 Healing
Level 1 Water
Level 1 Holy (Adv.)

Warren:
Level 3 Wind
Level 1 Lightning
Level 1 Time (Adv.)

Luke:
Level 3 Lightning
Level 1 Void
Level 1 Earth (Adv.)

Raven

"Luke got thrown against the other tree and..." I paused, taking a deep breath, "...I don't know where Warren is. Give me a few minutes." I closed my eyes and delved inside my flesh, mending torn muscles and damaged skin. I pulled myself to my knees, wincing as, with a loud snap, I unfolded my leg. I concentrated harder and was relieved to feel the pain ebb away and then I could push myself to my feet.

"Ilum first," I mumbled to myself, staggering in that direction. I laid an arm on his wrist and dispersed the cuts, bruises and pain, leaving only the exhaustion. That same, deep vacuum that I couldn't fill. Karana was easier to heal and then I made my way over to Luke.

Luke groaned as he tried to lift himself up to his feet. Raven was at his side before he could. "Hold still, Luke," she said. "You'll only make it worse."

Luke nodded and sat still while Raven mended his wounds. He stood up once he was healed and asked, "Have you found Warren yet?"

Raven shook her head. "No, we haven't."

"I'm up here!" They all looked to see Warren hanging upside down in a nearby tree.

"Warren? How'd you get up there?" Raven asked.

"Look, can you just get me down? I'm starting to get nauseous."

Once they helped Warren out of the tree and his wounds were healed they made their way back to Ilum and Karana. "What happened to you two back there?" Raven asked.

"We're... not exactly sure," Karana said. "It was like our bodies fused together somehow."

"It's just as I told you earlier, Raven," Luke said.

"What did you tell her?" Ilum asked suspiciously.

Luke shook his head. "We must rebuild our camp, it will do us little good to stay up all night." He looked at the lake edge to where the dead Leviathan lay. "Although it would be wise to make camp somewhere else. In a few hours the serpent will start to stink up to high Heaven."

Luke noticed something, a tiny glimmer of light within the creature's mouth. From this distance he couldn't tell what it was. As Luke made his way over to the body Raven said, "Luke, where are you going?"

"I think I see something in the serpent's mouth." He kneeled beside the creature's head and lifted the jaw with one hand to get a better look. Just under its tongue was a bright blue orb that glowed with a mysterious light. He reached into the Leviathan's mouth and pulled out the orb.

Luke took a step back from the dead carcass and examined the orb. Energy swirled within the glass sphere like a raging ocean, crashing against the surface like waves. The orb let out a sudden flash of light. Everything went black before Luke could figure out what happened.

In his sleep he heard a voice say, "Well done, hero. You have bested me in battle. If you should ever find yourself in a difficult situation, call upon me and I will lend you my strength..."

Luke opened his eyes to see everyone huddled around him. His head lay in Raven's lap as she tried to use her magic to heal him. She stopped when he woke up. "He's awake!"

"Luke, what happened?" Warren asked.

"Are you OK?" Ilum asked. "When that orb thingy went into your chest we thought you were hurt."

Luke closed his eyes for a moment. "A voice spoke to me in my sleep."

"What did it say?" Karana asked.

"It said to called upon it in times of battle."


---Luke can now summon Leviathan!---
(Refer to the storybook's first post for more information.)

Raven

"Hopefully we'll not need to. Do you think you can ride? We really should leave here." Luke nodded and I helped him to stand, wrapping an arm around his waist as I led the way back to the horses. Karana followed with Ilum and Warren brought up the rear, casting a wary eye left and right, both swords drawn.

"Thanks," Luke said as I helped him to climb into the saddle. Then I jumped into my own and waited until the others were settled before heading away from the lake.

"How far do we need to go?" Karana asked, looking worriedly at Ilum who was slumped against his mount's neck, the reigns held loosely in one hand.

"Half an hour's ride should be far enough," Luke replied. "There's a clearing not far from here. I'll take the lead." I reigned my horse in to allow him to pass and then we rode on through the trees, eyes straining to penetrate through the darkness. The sound of leaves was comforting but it was also soothing and exhaustion was starting to set in. More than once, I felt my heavy lids close only to jerk myself awake and glance across at the others to find them in a similar state.

Karana

I rode next to Ilum. He may have been healed physically, but there was no energy, no strength, nothing to keep him from passing out against his horse. All I could do was watch him, half-asleep myself, as he slowly recovered from the battle.

Finally, after waking myself up for the fifth time since our ride began, everyone stopped in a sheltered depression. It resembled a cave, just without the ceiling, and a small stream poured over one of the cliffs just to the side, out of the way, and flowed down through the forest to join the lake far behind us.

"Warren, help me," I called to him as I moved to help the weary Ilum from his horse. Ilum was moving too slowly, too stiffly...it was as if he couldn't move at all, barely.

Once we had him off his horse, I guided him to a corner at the back of our shelter as Raven, Luke, and Warren began setting up camp.

"You okay?" I asked, letting him lay down with his head on my lap.

All I got was a mumbled reply as he drifted off to sleep again.

I'll let him sleep. He needs it.

"So, you're telling me you can summon that thing whenever you want now?" Warren asked for the third time now.

Luke sighed, "Yes."

"That is just too cool! How come you get to summon something that powerful and we've got nothing?" Warren asked.

Luke turned away from the campfire to face Warren. "If there is one creature like that in the world there will certainly be others. We'll undoubtedly come across more of the like, and if you're quick enough to take the orb when it's dead you'll have a creature to summon, too."

"I think I've heard of these creatures before," Raven said. Luke and Warren looked at her. "I've read in old texts about monster that, once defeated, grant people the power to summon them to battle. I believe they were called Espers."

"Hey," Warren announced, "now that I think about it I remember hearing something about a monster attack within the mines of Rabanastre a few years ago. They said it was a fiery creature that looked like a centaur. Some even went as far to say it came from Hell itself. Do you think it's an Esper?" he asked.

"I do not know," Luke said. "But if what you say is true, we may run into it during our search for the Husk manufacturing machine. Just like with Leviathan, such a creature will not be easy to defeat. It may be life affirming to just avoid it. Then again, we could always use more strength on our side."

Karana

I was only half listening, but I still heard every word they said.

Summoning a great creature, huh? That might use a lot of magic, though...yet, it would still be amazing.

I looked down at Ilum, still asleep. Good. If only I could've helped you before you were hurt...you wouldn't be so helpless now.

I let my head rest against the cliff face beside me.

I may have thought it a mistake to come at first, but that would've kept me from this life now. I never would have met you guys: Raven, Warren, Luke, and you, Ilum. I wouldn't be having the time of my life, either, fighting great demons and creations of science, learing magic, exploring.

I'm glad I chose to come and go all the way.

I fell asleep.

Raven

It wasn't long before Ilum, Karana and Warren were all sleeping but, in the pale moonlight, I could just about make out the form of Luke sat at the entrance of he cave. I crawled towards him and settled myself near his side.

"You should be sleeping," I said, causing him to turn his face towards me. He looked worn and dreadfully tired.

"It's dangerous out there. We can't afford to be kept off-guard," he replied.

"Then I'll watch. You need to recover your strength."