"H-hey, don't beat yourself up! None of us knew THIS was going to happen... Just think about what would happen when we beat the Vygorns." Phil said, mentioning a world filled with nature and life in the absence of aliens. Beautiful, lush, with running water and wildlife once more. Cora bent her head down slowly, mentally visualizing what they could have had. Her eyes blinked fresh tears.

"Beat the Vygorns? We can't even feed ourselves now." She turned to the Light Hygron, defeat echoing behind her tired eyes. "They're too powerful, Phil. Two Elementals with the most righteous intentions would barely make a dent in their empire. The Vygorns have been here for many a-millennia, they know Kyra better than we do. Her weak points, the hairline cracks in humanity. At every turn they've used our desires against us, and now we've devoured almost everything."

Cora stood, running a hand through her gritty chocolate hair. Sand came away in her palm. Her feet almost moved on their own, walking across matted grass that crunched under her tattered shoes. She picked up a piece of mushroom, examining its shriveled tears. Tossing the mushroom into the brook, she watched it bounce along the dry bed, coming to a rest just outside the last trickle of water. It was only a matter of time before the brook dried up as well.

She picked up a twig, knocking another chunk of old mushroom into the brook. Her eyes locked with Phil's, snapping the stick in half before throwing that in too. "Their hand hovers over our last chess piece, the King. And like the Haven, death will be swift."

Unable to stomach all the death in the Haven, Cora moved closer to Phil and the entrance. Breathing in the refreshing fumes of the trash and dirt outside, Cora examined the remains of the metal cuffs around her wrists. A few links still clung to each, but the metal cuff itself was loose. It was her souvenir of the aliens, and a reminder of those dead. "Shackles are fitting. I think I'll keep these." Because it's my fault they're dead. All my fault.

A howl broke the silence. Cora saw a figure riding toward Haven, waving his arms. "Heeey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Cora blinked, rubbed her eyes, blinked again. "It can't be... Is that Will?!" She felt weak in the knees. Oh my god. Cora almost couldn't believe her eyes. Convinced none of the others had made it, she abandoned hope. The chill in her chest, all the guilt and pain she icily held onto, it warmed at the sight of another Hygron. Will, no less. 

A smile of relief broke across her face as she sprinted down the mountain path, meeting them halfway. She didn't bother waiting for him to dismount, jumping up to tackle him in a bear hug, knocking them both off Tsunami. "Will, oh my god! I thought you died! We lost you in the sand and I felt awful not going back for you. I'm so, so glad you're here. Everyone else is... Is..."

She blinked, realizing she was still hugging him in the dirt. Tears in her eyes, she rolled off and stood. Her voice lowered to a somber note. "Besides you, me, and Phil... We're all that's left. It was my foolishness that caused this. The Elementals' deaths are on my head. The Haven is lost."

Holy shit! Phil... and Cora! Will felt rejuvinated with new energy and he wolf went faster towards the pair. Cora ran to him too and midway she speared him off Tsunami, sending his fedora flying back, revealkng his messy hair. Tsunami caught it like a dog catching a frisbee. Cora's words tumbled out of her lips "Will, oh my god! I thought you died! We lost you in the sand and I felt awful not going back for you. I'm so, so glad you're here. Everyone else is... Is..."

She blinked, she was still hugging Will in the dirt. Tears in her eyes, she rolled off and stood. Her voice lowered to a somber note. "Besides you, me, and Phil... We're all that's left. It was my foolishness that caused this. The Elementals' deaths are on my head. The Haven is lost."

Will's head dropped. They were the only three left? But Gilfred and Thema and the others... he looked at Cora as the tears welled up, the first tear fell, and he wiped them away. He slowly wrapped his arms around Cora to calm her. "Shhh, it's okay Cora, this is no fault made by you, okay?" He said. He looked to Phil and the cremated Haven behind him. "You made it too huh?" Will said. "You done good Phil, done good."

Phil watched as Cora greeted Will with a powerful hug, Then slowly dragged his feet as he pondered on what Cora said to him before. They couldn't feed themselves, they couldn't defeat the Vygorns nor could we do much to save this world... Phil's mind tried to reject those facts but he knew Cora was just being realistic. Phil was bought back to reality by Will who said "You made it too huh? You done good Phil, done good." Phil, feeling useless, simply said "Yeah" as he avoided eye contact and just retreated back to his thought. How many died, was lost, maybe even captured because of that shitty plan. Why didn't he call out Shida, Phil knew him only for a few hours and already knew he wasn't bright. Phil sighed as he returned to reality. He then looked at Will, Braced himself for bad news and asked "Do you know anything else about the others?".

Phil finally asked the question Will was dreading. "Do you know anything else about the others?" He asked. Will replied with a sigh. "No..." he began. "I was sorta hoping we wouldn't be the only ones left but... I don't know or have an idea where everyone else may be. But I'm glad you two are safe and well. The Haven... I... that's gone too?" He said in utter disbelief. Letting go of Cora slowly, he dragged his way to the charred remains of the Haven and crouched down. He picked up some dry, dead grass and let them float away in the wind, contemplatin the situation

With kindness behind his eyes, Will wipe a tear away and held Cora in another hug. He spoke comfort, but Cora only half-listened as she considered how he wasn't recoiling from her touch. She was freezing. At least, from what others told her. Unnaturally cold, terribly warmth sapping, that's what they said. Plus, he was Water. Did he feel the effects even more since his element's inclination would be to freeze? 

But the embrace was somehow soothing, to her surprise. She hid her face in his chest, taking a shaky breath as she tried to get it together. Thank goodness he was here. God, everything was just utter shit now. Everything. They had no food, no place to call home. And most of their friends were dead. Death was in every aspect of their deplorable situation, and she was sure the aliens were laughing about their victory. If they laughed. That seemed too human for them. 

Will wore a solemn expression as he entered the Haven. Cora followed, taking in the heartbreaking scene again. Hadn't they been here only a day or so ago with Wolgran? It felt like a non-existent dream, the lush grasses and cool springs, eternally burning fires and beautiful gardens. Only material useful for kindling remained, dead dry and colourless. Speaking of kindling, a fire was likely in their best interest. The day was almost over, and the sunlight would soon disappear behind the mountains of trash. 

Cora glanced at Phil, "I have a feeling we'll be staying here tonight. Maybe more people will show up throughout the night, morning, whatever..."

She started picking up handfuls of grass and twigs. Not quite in the mood to saw off branches of the dead trees, she turned to the boys. "Would you guys mind gathering us some firewood? We'll need enough to last all night, and the fire pit is empty. We can figure our next step... After that, I guess." She sighed, looked at the weak amount of tinder in her hand, and tossed it aside. The wind gusted, scattering the handful on the ground. Wind...

Cora left the cave for a moment, going down the path a ways to watch the sun go down. Her distance was far enough that Will and Phil probably wouldn't hear her freak out too much. She paced from side to side, looking up at the sky hatefully. Her voice, only a continuous stream of profanities, increased in volume until she was screaming. 

Aerilyn... She had grown to admire Aerilyn in the short time they were together. She was such a precious thing, modest and everything. If they had continued, Cora knew she would have found a close friend in Aerilyn. She remembered when her and Will were gagged and tied in the dirt, how it was Aerilyn who first crossed over the ridge and started the sandstorm. If was her storm that gave them enough cover to leave safely. But... God... Aerilyn was gone. Cora would never be able to thank her for saving them, sacrificing herself. And that was a cruel twist of fate she would be burdened with for the rest of her life.

Having only exhausted herself from the outburst, Cora watched the sun slowly sink, turning the sky into smoggy colours of gold, red and orange. It was beautiful, but not to Cora. Tonight, nothing was beautiful. And she almost punched the mountain when she realized that was the aliens' slogan.  

Cora rejoined the two Hygrons in the cave, putting on a face that seemed far more placid than she felt. Gathering kindling again, she offered it to the fire pit. "Um... Does anyone here know how to start a fire?"

Cora suggested building a fire, which Will agreed with. After aski g for Firewood which Sill kindly obliged she wondered of down the path and let off some steam. Will would have tried to calm her down but he knew full well that suppressing one's feelings is a really bad mistake anyone could make. Will used the dagger of his spear to chop up the nearby wood and placed it on the pile. Before everyone settled by the fire Will dragged logs towards it for seats. Cora asked "Um... Does anyone know how to start a fire?" Will turned to Phil. "Light is a form of heat right?" He asked. "Could it ignite the dry wood?"

Cora suggested building a fire, which Will agreed with. After aski g for Firewood which Sill kindly obliged she wondered of down the path and let off some steam. Will would have tried to calm her down but he knew full well that suppressing one's feelings is a really bad mistake anyone could make. Will used the dagger of his spear to chop up the nearby wood and placed it on the pile. Before everyone settled by the fire Will dragged logs towards it for seats. Cora asked "Um... Does anyone know how to start a fire?" Will turned to Phil. "Light is a form of heat right?" He asked. "Could it ignite the dry wood?"

Cora suggested building a fire, which Will agreed with. After aski g for Firewood which Sill kindly obliged she wondered of down the path and let off some steam. Will would have tried to calm her down but he knew full well that suppressing one's feelings is a really bad mistake anyone could make. Will used the dagger of his spear to chop up the nearby wood and placed it on the pile. Before everyone settled by the fire Will dragged logs towards it for seats. Cora asked "Um... Does anyone know how to start a fire?" Will turned to Phil. "Light is a form of heat right?" He asked. "Could it ignite the dry wood?"

Cora suggested building a fire, which Will agreed with. After aski g for Firewood which Sill kindly obliged she wondered of down the path and let off some steam. Will would have tried to calm her down but he knew full well that suppressing one's feelings is a really bad mistake anyone could make. Will used the dagger of his spear to chop up the nearby wood and placed it on the pile. Before everyone settled by the fire Will dragged logs towards it for seats. Cora asked "Um... Does anyone know how to start a fire?" Will turned to Phil. "Light is a form of heat right?" He asked. "Could it ignite the dry wood?"

Cora suggested building a fire, which Will agreed with. After aski g for Firewood which Sill kindly obliged she wondered of down the path and let off some steam. Will would have tried to calm her down but he knew full well that suppressing one's feelings is a really bad mistake anyone could make. Will used the dagger of his spear to chop up the nearby wood and placed it on the pile. Before everyone settled by the fire Will dragged logs towards it for seats. Cora asked "Um... Does anyone know how to start a fire?" Will turned to Phil. "Light is a form of heat right?" He asked. "Could it ignite the dry wood?"

Cora suggested building a fire, which Will agreed with. After aski g for Firewood which Sill kindly obliged she wondered of down the path and let off some steam. Will would have tried to calm her down but he knew full well that suppressing one's feelings is a really bad mistake anyone could make. Will used the dagger of his spear to chop up the nearby wood and placed it on the pile. Before everyone settled by the fire Will dragged logs towards it for seats. Cora asked "Um... Does anyone know how to start a fire?" Will turned to Phil. "Light is a form of heat right?" He asked. "Could it ignite the dry wood?"

Cora suggested building a fire, which Will agreed with. After aski g for Firewood which Sill kindly obliged she wondered of down the path and let off some steam. Will would have tried to calm her down but he knew full well that suppressing one's feelings is a really bad mistake anyone could make. Will used the dagger of his spear to chop up the nearby wood and placed it on the pile. Before everyone settled by the fire Will dragged logs towards it for seats. Cora asked "Um... Does anyone know how to start a fire?" Will turned to Phil. "Light is a form of heat right?" He asked. "Could it ignite the dry wood?"

Everyone decided that it would be best to stay for the night. To do this, they would require firewood. Phil went towards a dead, dry tree which was about the size of him. he summoned an axe of pure light in his hands and, after a few critical swings, the tree fell. He then cut it into segments and then into viable and vulnerable pieces of fire wood. He carried what he could into the cave and on the fire pit. Cora then asked "Um... Does anyone here know how to start a fire?" which Will responded with "Light is a form of heat right?" as he turned to Phil "Could it ignite the dry wood?". Phil said hesitantly "I never really looked into the science of my powers... Maybe" and crouched in front of the fire place. Phil focused all the light he could in his hand and touched the piece of wood. He intensified the light from his hand into the wood, hoping the heat alone would light it. "Ah... Fuck!" Phil shouted as the piece of wood light up and burnt Phil's palm. He focused on his hand as he clenched it while sending a smoother light to heal the skin. Phil was just thinking how shit their situation was. Today, about two thirds of their group where missing, their haven was destroyed and the overall moral of the remaining was down, especially Cora. Phil lived in the main city, he was used to death and poverty. But was Cora? How about Will for that matter? what was he thinking? He collapsed onto the log seats Will set up next to the fire. It wasn't until now he realised how hungry he was, but he thought it would be best to talk about what to do next than ask for food. Phil left thought and asked the two Hygrons "So what do we do now? any ideas?"

Yahtzee woke with a start. The previous night he had planned to head towards his old home city however darkness had fallen to quickly and he had had to make camp in an unknown location. Now that it was light he finally realized where he was and the reason he had been so abruptly woken up. He had fallen asleep in the middle of a miner camp somehow bypassing the security without even realizing it and it too was starting to wake up and get to work. Hopefully I can get out of here sharpish like. He thought to himself with a small smile at the strangeness of it all. As he got to his feet he moved over to Salamander and gently woke his friend who climbed up his body and clung to his back like an over heavy backpack before falling asleep again. "Lazy lizard." Yahtzee muttered playfully as he started trying to backtrack his steps and get out somehow. Last night's luck though had faded and he had barely taken a step before a loud voice behind sounded.
"Intruder! There's an Intruder in the camp!" A loud voice yelled.
"Oh crap." Yahtzee said as he spun around. "no no no no no no! sshhh! Quiet! I'm leaving! see?" Yahtzee said quickly as he started backing off however the man, Yahtzee assumed he was a guard, charged him and swung at him with his arm knocking Yahtzee over.

The motion had finally woken Salamander who alighted from his pack and circled the two quickly examining the grounds. The guard's attention snapped to the dragon and Yahtzee took this oppertunity to get into a crouching position and launch his fist at the guard followed by his entire body. His attack connected at the guards chin and with the amount of force behind it it was enough to knock over and daze him. "Come on Salamander!" Yahtzee yelled as he turned and sprinted towards the nearest gate. As he got there he saw two more guards and laughed. "You take the one on right!" He yelled up at Slamander before picking on an extra burst of speed and leaping at his target. In midair flames raced over Yahtzee almost like a complete suite of armor and his punch hit the guard with the force of a small explosion sending him crashing into a nearby pillar. Yahtzee tried not to think too hard about the man as he ran out of the mine, his fire dying down. In the meantime Salamander swooped down on the other man and unleashed a powerful jet of fire at him however the man escaped relatively unharmed and ran back to inside camp.

A minute or two of running had past before a growling wine sounded behind them. Yahtzee shot a look over his shoulder and groaned as he tried to push his tired muscles harder. Behind him was an all terrain buggy that was fast catching up to him. "What have you guys got against me?!" He yelled back to them. Suddenly he felt his body leave the ground and the wind rushing over his body as he soared through the air. Holy crap I'm flying! This is awesome! was his first thought followed closely by I may have just tripped. "Oh bugger." Was all he actually said before the ground rushed back up to him and he slammed into it once more. There was a rattling noise from the buggy and the ground around seemed to pop up puffs of dirt. Yahtzee rolled onto his back and looked at the machine. "They're shooting at me!" He said in disbelief as the opened fire once more. "Salamander!" He yelled to his companion who understood and swooped down to his aid. The dragon was small but big enough that it could, with some difficulty, carry Yahtzee on short flights if necessary. Salamander resumed his normal position as overweight backpack but this time with his wings flapping madly. It took a moment to get a rhythm going but soon Yahtzee saw the ground drop away once again. "Holy crap I'm flying! This is awesome!" He yelled out loud as they opened fire again. The bullets missed widely as his guardian easily dodged to the side of the attack as the soared towards a nearby mountain range.

It several hours later and Yahtzee felt completely lost. On the upside they had escaped the car but on the downside the little bit of food and water they had had reached it's end. Still something felt as though it was pulling at him and without fully understanding why Yahtzee continued walking with a healthy amount of stubborn determination. By now they were standing at the lower edge of the mountains they had just climbed over and it was fast becoming dark once more but the incessant pulling made stopping for a rest seem trivial. As Alex blindly walked forward he saw little of the small amount of ruined nature that by now surrounded him. Instead he focused on just moving forward.
"...form of heat right?..." Yahtzee heard the sound of voices somewhere fairly close by and he narrowed his eyes and dropped low as he tried to get closer.
As he managed to get close enough to see what was going on he saw flash of light followed by cursing. and he tried to piece together what had happened. In a small clearing stood several people around a pile of dried wood and from the pieces of conversation he had heard he guessed they wanted to have it a fire. He grinned to himself. Maybe he could do some actual good here and not get attacked. Starting fires had always been his area of expertise and he couldn't help but grin as he closed his eyes and focused his power before getting to his feet and releasing it from an outstretched hand. Fire exploded from his palm and landed on the ground in the form of one of the huge circus tigers he used to see often. The tiger made a silent roar before abruptly leaping at the pile of wood causing it to ignite in a cheery flame.
"So can I just start with 'Please don't attack me!' and we can take it from there?" Yahtzee asked as he somewhat nervously left his hiding spot. "I'm Yahtzee by the way and if by chance you do decide to attack me..." Yahtzee paused for a moment thinking. "I will run away. But if you catch me..." Yahtzee paused again. "I can cover myself in fire and I have a dragon protecting me." Right on cue Salamander climbed off of his back and crawled over to the fire before curling up and sleeping again. "Honestly how do you sleep that much!" He snapped him. "Alright but under that facade he is a true terror so... please don't attack me?"

"So what do we do now? Any ideas?" Phil asked. Pfft, the fuck would Will know? Go back in an attempt of revenge with a quarter of what they once were? Lay low and let the Vygorns spread their influence more? No matter what the options were there were always negatives that were major. Will's headed rested upon his fist. "Uhh, I guess we could-" he was cut short when a flaming tiger came from nowhere. "WHAT THE FUCK!?" he yelled, almost falling back of a log. It lept into the fire turning it from small embers into a raging fire. A young man approached them and explained himself while his 'threatening' lizard made itself quite comfy by the fire. "Holy shit..." Will said. "You're another Hygorn...?" He asked standing up. Will fell into a rant which he had never done before but words came flowing out of his mouth rather quickly and he barely took a breath. "Oh my god! It makes sense you're the new fire Hygorn like Phil was the new light Hygorn there's no sign of Shida and here you are with fire powers and maybe we're not hopeless." He stopped and realised what he just done. "Uhmm... Hey... haha, Yahtzee right? I'm Will and this is Phil and Cora. We have powers too just like you. You're what's known as a Hygorn, a guardian of nature. Unfortunately there are the bad guys, called Vygorns, which can use powers too." He began to explain to Yahtzee.

Cora sat on one of the logs facing the cave entrance where dying rays of light outside slowly withdrew. She brushed kindling from her black hoodie as Phil attempted lighting the fire pit, using his hand as a conduit for light. It was not to her amusement that Phil burned himself, however she never considered the healing properties of light to flesh, and quickly dismissed her concern. Phil would be fine. Which meant in the future they had a doctor of sorts on their team, if Phil's element did minor healing like that. 

Phil worded his question poorly, and Cora wrinkled her nose. Asking it so outright meant one was also addressing the fact none of them had any idea what to do, and all three of them had it in their thoughts for the majority of the day. So asking such a blatant question was pointless. But Cora merely grinded her teeth, glancing at Will as he struggled with an answer. His voice was soft, fluid like his element. It touched the sore parts of Cora, loosening her up. But it was short-lived when she saw a silhouette enter the cave. He seemed almost in a trance-like state in the way he moved forward; she recognized that pull. It was Kyra's summons. 

As the figure ducked down, a flame tiger pounded into the cave, running at full tilt. Only to her great disdain of fire did Cora act out of self-defense, encasing her skin in a thin sheet of reflective, fractal-patterned frost. Besides that, she didn't flinch or move a muscle as the flame ignited their fire pit, creating a near-bonfire instantaneously. When Will toppled off his log Cora had to laugh. 

"So can I just start with 'Please don't attack me!' and we can take it from there?" Said the stranger as he approached, introducing himself as Yahtzee. She watched his creature with interest, especially when it moved to curl up by the fire. 

Cora leaned over to Phil, pointing at the dragon. "Kinda looks like Toran, doesn't it?" Toran was a dragon-type, from the few times she saw the spirit. 

A new elemental? But, then... If this was Kyra's doing, Shida... Shida really was dead. Kyra wouldn't send two of the same element. And it was this thought that stopped Cora from being as enthusiastic as Will, even if she echoed his sentiments of having a new element among them. 

"I'm Will and this is Phil and Cora. We have powers too just like you. You're what's known as a Hygron, a guardian of nature." Will said, taking the initiative to explain the basics to Yahtzee. Cora frowned. That can't be his actual name, can it? As Will spoke, she slowly felt a sense of pride well up in her chest. He reminded her of Wolgran, speaking with the same love for the elements. 

Cora patted the empty log beside her, dispelling her frost skin in a puff of mist. "Come sit with us, Yahtzee. We'll tell you all about the history we've witness in the short time we've come to understand things. To be honest I didn't think Kyra would be sending another Hygron, but I suppose she easily forgives when it means the survival of the earth."

She tilted her head, a half-smirk playing at her lips. "Yahtzee isn't your real name, is it? Where are you from?"

She glanced back at the Water Hygron. "And Will, I like your explanation. Did you want to continue filling this man in?"

Phil just looked at the new elemental with complete confusion as he and his elemental emerged from the entrance, proclaiming peace. So soon, Phil thought as he leered at the new Hygron of the fire element. I hope he hasn't got as a hot head as Shida had, Phil thought. "Kinda looks like Toran, Doesn't it?" Cora said pointing to the new dragon. "yeah... Wait, where is he?" Phil said in a concerned tone. Phil span his head around looking around for Toran, While Cora introduced Yahtzee. He then looked back towards the dragon and saw Toran sneaking up on him, Hissing. "Oi!" Phil yelled "Don't even think about attacking him". Toran gazed at Phil and said "Look at him, He is more like a dog than a Dragon!" Phil Said "Don't be so mean, your not exactly a fighter either, your more like a... librarian". Toran simply hissed and flew out the cave, Which Phil replied with mumbling "Anti-Social Asshole". Phil just looked at the now sunless horizon and said "What should we tell him first, Burning out, the Vygorns or about this place and what it is-... Was"

Yahtzee stood motionless as things seemed to come to life from the small group of people and information flooded into his brain faster than he could comprehend it. It made his head spin."H-Hygorn?" He responded to one of the first thing's he had heard. "Wha-?" He didn't even get to finish the question before it was practically answered. "Gaurdian?" Everything just seemed to make him more confused and he swayed slightly. "I'm not a-" Once again he was cut off this time by the girl that had been introduced to him as Cora.
"Come sit with us..." The words sent and inexplicable feeling of dread and he glanced at the person, Will, that had originally spoken to him and he realized why. This was the first time he had heard the name Yahtzee being used since he had left the circus and the name was his whole sense of identity and felt like he had just given part of himself to strangers however, even though he wasn't sure why, he knew he could trust them. Yahtzee looked at Cora and noticed the mist that seemed to be coming off of her and he shivered for a moment before his face split into a large grin. "You guys are freaks." He said cheerfully before sitting down on the log where Cora had gestured.

"Yahtzee isn't your real name, is it? Where are you from?" She asked him and he was on the verge of answering when movement caught his eye and he saw something that made his mouth actually drop open.
"Is that... another dragon?" He said in excitement casting about. "I've never seen one other than Salamander." He jerked his thumb in the direction of the sleeping dragon by the fire. "That is when he decides to show up." He said loudly to Salamander who just gave an exaggerated huff of smoke and continued ignoring him as he watched the scene unfold with the other dragon. "Wow this is place is awesome..." He said grinning still. Suddenly he realized just how little he actually knew about what was going on and how little everyone knew of him and despite his so far warm welcome he wasn't going to push it by denying them answers. Above all he was an entertainer not a fighter and he set about entertaining.

"My real name is not Yahtzee however it is the one that is the most..." He searched for the right word. "Me." He finished lamely. "The name my parents gave me was Alex. Alex Stone but that was the only thing I ever got from them that I actually held onto. The name I treasure is Yahtzee and that was given to me by the circus." He smiled as he spoke remembering the happiest time of his life when he was performing. "I don't know if any of you ever went to see a circus in the last four years or so but if you have you may have heard of me. Not to brag or anything but," He puffed out his chest and flashed a cocky grin and looked for all the world like he was bragging. "I was sort of a big deal. A Fire Tamer if that helps." He sighed as he realized he might not have been as well known as he thought he was. "Salamander there is my travelling companion." He said suddenly switching tracks. "Lazy lizard that he is." He said. "Don't worry about him though. He will put up with anything as long as you don't wake him up and that in itself is nigh impossible. Check it." Yahtzee got to his feet and moved over to his pet and put his hands on his side and grunted in effort as he pushed and rolled the dragon onto his back. An eye blearly opened and examined the room before closing again as Salamander decided that this position was about as comfortable as any and just not worth waking up for. "See?" Yahtzee said as he sat back down. "That's all I have to say for myself. Now I have questions and I would be somewhat grateful to get answers here. First up, what the hell is a Guardian Of Nature? Also Hygorn? Also pretty much everything else you people mentioned? Where am I and who are you and can you all use fire or whatever it is you people do?" Even though he was being relatively serious, Yahtzee never lost his cheerful demeanor. "I mean I am no guardian or anything. Although I did was punch one of them... Maybe that was just a guard." He said frowning. "I think what I want to know the most though is..." His smile faded slightly from his mouth but never left his eyes. "What is this place? I could swear I have never been here before but it feels so... familiar." He said frowning. "Does that make sense? Am I just crazy or are we all on the same page here?"

It couldn’t be helped when Thema felt a twinge of embarrassment when Gilfred approached her. Though they were now able to make their escape, the fact that she had to use such a grotesque ability was humiliating and almost laughable. The worst part was she didn’t even mean to do it. it just kinda happened. Like her power evolved or adapted to the situation that was at hand.

"We should probably head out now, you go ahead and take lead," said the metal bender. "Also, thanks."

His breathing was heavy and he had a few scratch marks on his body, but didn’t seem to be in too terrible of a shape. While her healing skills werent fully developed, Thema had no doubts that she couldn’t heal him up. But Gilfred was a tough man. If anything, he took pride in showing off his battle wounds. Men. Since they both seemed in decent shape, the question Thema wanted an answer to was “What now?” She had no clue how to continue on or where they were supposed to go. But after a few moments of silent deliberation, she decided the best bet was to retrace their steps and head back towards the Haven. Or was it?

If she wanted, now would be the perfect chance to rewind. Thema didn’t care for half the elementals and the ones she did like were either dead or by her side. Her quaint past beckoned to her, like a siren to a sailor. It was hypnotizing. But she couldn’t allow herself to run away. After all that had happened the past couple days, to run away would be the worst path to choose. Thema shook her head and evacuated that thought from her mind and pressed forward with Gilfred through the desert wasteland. She couldn’t think such selfish thoughts anymore. Others depended on her. Gilfred depended on her. As they trudged through the shifting sands, she turned to him asked, “What should we do now?”

"He's a cute anti-social asshole, though." Cora lifted her head, watching as Toran flew out the cave in a huff. The dragon on the floor, Salamander, barely reacted to the whole situation. Yahtzee further demonstrated this lack of damns given when he rolled the beast over. Cora tried too, curiously poking the dragon's side. He squirmed, but was quickly still again. 

Cora ruffled her messy chocolate hair, seeing the distress in their newcomer's eyes. Behind her placid face she winced. He looked as though someone slapped him in the face with a bag of bricks. Which he might as well have been. She remembered the night Wolgran explained it to them for the first time, and her whole world had been ripped to pieces. But she had come to terms with it; adaptability was survival in this age. She had come to accept the fact that Kyra had given her an icy gift, and a guaranteed power-struggle against 'nothing' in an effort to save their solar system from goddamn aliens. 

So why can't I accept they're dead? Why does it hurt so? Cora glanced down, already answering her own question. The other elementals, her friends. Dead. She felt responsible. Her actions were directly tied to their disappearance. That's why the cuffs had remained around her wrists after all. But, looking at them now, maybe two was over-doing it. One cuff would do fine. Plenty reminder there. 

Cora flash froze the right cuff, breaking pieces off and tossing them into the fire pit. It was the poor timing of Yahtzee that he sat down, saying with a grin: "You guys are freaks."

Instantly she saw a vivid image of her lover in her head, the horrified look etched in his face, the curl of his lip as he withdrew in disgust. His eyes couldn't even look at her, he stared off to the side. The rejection hurt beyond words. It did then, it did now. 

"...You don't know what you say." Cora said, crestfallen. Her voice wavered, speaking with raw emotion. "There is more pain here than you can begin to fathom, my friend.

"Let me tell you first about this place. You have the right to be fascinated so. It was once a garden of life, housing a spirit that watched o'er its eternal fires. We knew him as Wolgran, an enigmatic old soul who fed us, sat us around this very fire pit, and told us the truth. 

"Now, the truth I'll get into. First you should know about where your powers come from. The pull you feel toward this place, this sense of oneness felt here, that is from Kyra. She goes by many names, Earth, Gaia, Mother Nature. She created these safe havens as the last reserves of nature, hidden away so that only the worthy may tread in its lush embrace. The worthy would be those not only gifted, but also listened to the summonings of Kyra -- that's us. The Guardians of Nature. It's not something you choose, it's who you are. It's why you're here, Yahtzee. 

"Does that mean there are rouge Elementals? Perhaps, but not likely. They are not the enemy Kyra needs saving from. Look at the world around you, the trash that piles the wasteland like skyscrapers. She's dying. Our world is under attack, it's losing, and the enemy has been here, slowly killing us since the beginning of humanity. 

"They are from another world where nothing is beautiful. The aliens -- also known as Vygorn -- are ruthless on their assault of life. They leave black holes in their wake, and they devour planets as they go. They've been working with us for a very long time, and are about to pull the plug. Vrail, their leader, plans to turn our sun into a black hole so powerful it would consume our entire solar system. 

"The Elementals, due to desperate measures, went toe-to-toe with those alien bastards earlier today. We entered the fight with almost a complete set of elements. And out of the group of Shida, Thema, Gilfred, Aerilyn, Beau, Phil, Will, and myself... What you see is all that remains. It pains me greatly... Wearing this cuff on my left wrist reminds me of their... Goddamn sacrifice. 

"Yahtzee, I won't lie to you. Facing us is a shit storm. I thought we were in the storm but I realize this is only the beginning. It's gonna be intense, it's going to be hard, but," Cora sat up straight, gazing dead straight into Yahtzee's soul. She was incredibly serious in the severity of their situation. "We need your help, unlike anyone has ever needed someone in the history of the planet. We need it."

She narrowed her eyes, taking on a very no-bullshit demeanor. "But I need to know you're not sitting on the fence with this. I need to know we can count on you, I need to know we have your commitment. If you're not interested, all you have to do is get up and leave. No pressure. 

"If it takes you longer than five minutes to make up your mind, this isn't for you. But I have a feeling you've already made up your mind, somewhere in the back of your head you know this is the right path. We..." Cora glanced at Phil and Will, feeling very unified with them in their little group. A glowing smile crossed her face. "Would be grateful to have you with us."