VG Rumble

Raven

"Now will you let me heal you?" I demanded sternly, not waiting for his answer as I snatched up his hand and threw my magic inside, delving deep, trying to locate the source of the problem.

"Ilum, look at me, stay with me, okay?" Karana begged.

"What's wrong with him?" the young girl asked, balancing in a headstand and then flipping onto his feet.

"Raven?" Luke asked, reaching out to touch my shoulder.

"Don't," I warned. "Need to concentrate." I closed my eyes and followed my stream of magic through Ilum's body, trying to ignore the part of me that was saying I was too tired to be doing this. At last I found the worst of the wounds and sealed it and then kept searching, probing for every small cut and bruise I could find, going into over-drive, trying to fix every little bit of him.

Karana

I looked at our new companion, trying to stay calm.

"We were in two fights yesterday, both of which wore us out," I explained. "Ilum here has a tendency to do bizarre - if not insane - things to keep me safe."

I hoped she could make sense of that.

"What's she doin to him?"

"She can heal with magic."

<Izuki>

I lift into another handstand and curve my spine enough to lift my head and look forward at the scene. They fought two monsters that big yesterday? Crickey.

In theatres and pantomimes, you always know the actors are going to take a bow at the end. Even if they die in the play, they'll always get up.

Here, now, a jolt runs through my body. This is just like theatre, except I've lost my lines, forgotten the script, and if things go wrong it's more than the curtain that will fall.

I remembered that just a few minuets ago my hand had been badly cut.

'Can she just keep healing people all the time?' I ask.

'Not if she's this tired.'

'Is that boy your boyfriend?' Her cheeks turn pink.

'What?'

'The boy who kissed you. Is he your boyfriend?'

By the silence that follows I realise now is probably not the best time. I let my legs drop and my feet thud to the floor. I want to ask how long it will take. I want to ask so many questions, but as the seconds pass by the words fade. The healer is concentrating harder and harder with no progress.

The words from an old play chant through my mind, escaping my lips in whispers.
'Noble prince wake up, take flight, never fall beneath this blight.' I don't think he's a prince, and I'm not entirely sure what 'blight' means, but it seems to fit.

Raven finished healing him a few minutes later. Ilum groaned as he got back to his feet. Karana pinched his arm as hard as she could. "Idiot! You see what happens when you don't get your wounds healed?"

"We should leave them alone for now," Luke told Raven and the new girl. Once they were back at the cave Luke turned to the young girl and asked, "What's your name, kid?"

The girl's face flushed red. "I'm not a kid! My name is Izuki and I'm a famous performer!"

"And what is a 'famous performer' like you doing in a forest filled with monsters?"

Raven

"I'm going to become a hero. Like you," the girl answered, cartwheeling around the cave and then rouding off and ending in a crouch in front of Luke.

"To be as great a hero as Luke, you'll have to face many challenges," I told her solemnly with a wry smile.

"Challenges? Oh I can do that."

"Where are you from, Izuki?" Luke asked, clearly hoping that he would be able to return her there.

"Nowhere," the girl replied. "I don't have a home. Do let me come with you, I could learn to fight so well!"

Karana

I waited until the others had disappeared from sight and my sense of presence to turn on Ilum. I whirled towards him, not even bothering to keep my face calm and patient anymore.

"Why do you do this, Ilum?" I asked, my voice slightly shrill from oncoming hysterics. "Why do you go off, get yourself hurt, and then refuse help? It's driving me insane! I'm constantly worrying about you, whether you're okay or not, and if you'll even survive tomorrow!"

I couldn't hold back the tears. I was so annoyed with him, I couldn't help it.

"Ilum, I love you, and I don't want anything to happen to you..."

"You are too young to know the horrors of battle, kid," Luke said. "This is not a game we play, people can die."

"I understand that, but-"

Luke cut her off in mid-sentence. "I don't think you do. What we're doing is for the sake of Arkadia, its very future depends on us."

"Please, let me come with you!" Izuki pleaded. "I won't be a burden."

Luke turned and began to walk away. "It's decided, we'll take you to the closest town or village."

"Please, let me come with you!" she repeated.

Raven touched Luke's arm. She whispered, "Luke, I know she's just a child, but she has a lot of courage. Give her a chance, we need all the help we can get with our quest."

Luke looked into those drowning blue eyes for what seemed like an eternity before finally caving in. He let out a ragged sigh, turned to Izuki and said, "We are on our way to the mines of Rabanastre. If you can prove yourself before our job there is finished you may stay. But if you don't, we will leave you in Rabanastre."

The girl's face beamed with happiness. "Thank you! I won't let you down!"

Raven gave Luke a soft smile and whispered, "Thank you."

Raven

"Thank you," I whispered, smiling gratefully at him. He nodded and stepped outside, towards the horses. He began to ready our mounts and I joined him, removing their feed bags and checking their hooves.

"Izuki can ride with me," I decided.

"Good idea. Where's Warren?"

"I think he's still sleeping." I turned and craned my neck around so that last night's camp was in view and sure enough he was wrapped around his rucksack, head resting on the top.

"Does he always sleep this long?" Izuki asked.

"When we let him," Luke replied.

"Gosh, being a hero must be so tiring!" Izuki exclaimed as she flipped into a headstand and then began to walk around on her hands.

"No. Being Warren is exhausting," I corrected with a wry smile.

Ilum sighed still holding onto his shoulder. He felt no more pain, but the exhaustion was nearly unbearable. "It's because i should be dead. Not my brother, me."

"But your brother gave his life for you, he wanted you to live."

Ilum looked into her eyes, "If you truly love me, let me endure my pain. It can only make me stronger in the end."

Karana slapped him across the face hard, tears running down her face, "You idiot, how can you be so rash?"

Ilum brought his hand up to his face and concentrated. Frost began to form along the ground taking a shape. Once finished it was in the shape of a rose. "I promise you that as long as there is still a breath in me, I will never fall."

Karana

I sighed, shaking my head. Why did it have to come to this? Why couldn't he just tell me everything?

"Ilum, why can't you just talk to me? Why can't you tell me what happened? Why do you always feel like you shouldn't even be alive, when it's wonderful to see you, to be with you?"

I regretted losing my temper. I had left a gleaming handprint on his face.

I was afraid I'd do it again.

"Karana," Ilum began.

"Just...let me calm down!" I half shrieked, turning and bolting into the trees, away from him.

"What - Karana, wait! Karana!"

I was already back at camp, skirting it, and continuing on my way. I didn't know how far I ran, or if the others saw me. I just ran. And I was calmer thanks to it. I stopped when I reached the stream we'd watered our horses at the night before, and fell to my knees, sobbing into my hands.

I don't understand! Why can't he just talk to me and tell me the truth?!

--Random Encounter! Prepare to fight!--

x4 Gils (Fish that can float in the air)
x1 Queen Gil

Aw, Dynamo! You're evil!

Karana

I looked up at the sound of...something. What was it? I saw five things moving towards me...fish? In the air? One of them was bigger than the rest, by far.

Perfect. I growled, filling my palms with balls of electricity. Just what I need to vent my anger!

I let the magic explode in rays, sending bolts dancing around me to protect me and attack the fish-like creatures at the same time.

<Izuki>

I'm glad Raven stood up for me. Now I'm joining them, soon we'd set off on a great adventure. I try my best to hide my excitement from Luke, who clearly doesn't approve.

I'm imagining what my first real fight would be like, when Karana shoots straight through the camp without acknowledging anything around her. Ilum jogs in a few seconds later, a new pink mark across his cheek. I notice the hand shape and turn away.

Maybe their relationship isn't as sweet as I first assumed.

Silence hangs between us as we rise and start to move.

That is until a strange crackle echoes in my ears and I turn to where the others are now running, bolts of electricity shooting from behind the trees.

When we arrive at the river Karana is outnumbered by fierce, ferocious, blood thirsty...

Fish?

My first fight is going to be... With fish?

I quickly scan my surroundings and look up at the floating... Fish! Of all things!

I skip away from the others and start making my way higher through the trees until I'm slightly above the group. There I throw a branch at one of them, making it head straight through the air. As soon as it's close enough I leap forward, daggers in hand, stabbing both through the fishes slimy head with a squelch that makes me shiver.

I continue over as the daggers drag along the scales until I can't hold any longer, and complete the stunt by falling the rest of the way and thudding to the ground.

That should do it. Then why is it still floating?

A few drops of fish blood dribble and drop onto the ground, but it hovers strong enough. So, maybe I underestimated the fish.

(I'll post tomorrow. Just a quick suggestion, your writing is good, but you should try writing everything in past tense instead of present. It's up to you, but I personally think it would sound better.)

(By the way, Ayumi, you should know by now that I'll send monsters after you guys whenever I get the chance. Leaving the group for a few minutes was just too good an opportunity to let up.)

Luke and the others arrived just in time to help Karana against the fish. Izuki had already attacked one of them but didn't kill it.

"What are these things?" Warren asked.

"They're called Gils," Luke told him. "By themselves they're not much of a threat, but they can be dangerous in a swarm this big." He pointed to the biggest Gil and said, "That one is the queen. If a Gil is near its queen it will gain strength."

One of the Gils let out a high pitched screech and lunged at Raven. Luke jumped in front of her and slashed it with his sword. One of the Gil's fins fell off as it struggled to stay in the air. Luke formed a ball of dark matter in his hand and threw it at the fish. The ball imploded on impact and threw the fish into the stream.