I had nothing to do but wait... wait for that final test. How long until the test now? Hm... I thought before checking the sun, confirming that it was still going to be in about an hour. I simply paced, and tried to figure out why the guardian would side with a shadow user... maybe it was just because both of them are gryphons? Maybe he doesn't think the shadow user will steal the piece and run away, using the piece for his own needs? Either way, the guardian already knew that the other gryphon could use shadow magic, and yet, he picked him to train to be a guardian... and yet he also never told the shadow user that he knew he could use shadow magic, which seemed a little weird to me. I continued to pace impatiently, and knowing that I might as well not even take place in whatever training they were doing out in the training yard... but, then again, that would give me something to do other than think, pace, and occasionally plot some sort of revenge. The thoughts of revenge passed through my mind during the first few minutes, but I quickly realized that it wouldn't solve anything, and that I was more to blame for what just happened. I did, however, watch as he continued to train with the other possible guardians, and didn't notice anything too odd about his behavior, other than, of course, hiding his shadow magic, probably to make sure nobody else knows. I checked again, and noticed that it was just about time, and, just as well the guardian interrupted the training session to announce what the final test was going to be. I flew out of the small cabin that they provided for me during my stay here, and rushed to make sure I didn't miss anything about the announcement.

"...and that brings us to our final test! Ah, there you are, David, anyways... the final test will take place in the deep forest, you are to find the rarest seed there, and bring it back to me," one of the trainees interrupted the guardian after that, asking "What? That's it? Just a seed? Come on, there's got to be something else to this," the guardian, a little ticked off, answers "Didn't you hear me? I said it will take place in the deep forest..." the same dragon who interrupted him the last time added "Right, so, what's so scary about a forest, huh? I mean, that's literally our element, isn't it?" the guardian simply continued with "The deep forest is wrought with danger... venomous vinesnakes, a tribe of gargoyles bent on killing anyone who trespasses in 'their' territory, spiders about two feet in diameter, and, of course, recently, the place has been a victim of these recent forest fires, as well. So, yeah, good luck," the trainees, myself included were then visibly less enthusiastic about heading into the deep forest for our final test, though, we followed the guardian towards what we now thought could be our doom. He eventually landed in a clearing that had just one path forwards, a darkened path that some of us knew headed right into the deep forest. Nobody else seemed to want to head down the path, leaving me to go down it first. Only the most cowardly of the guardian trainees didn't follow me soon after.

The path itself was almost impossible to see sometimes, and the only reliable light in this place was a nearby clearing, with what appeared to be a golden apple-like fruit in the center. I could hear some chanting as I got closer to the apple, but, just before I decided to simply ignore it and look for another clearing, a slime, and one of the other trainees, literally came up from the ground, took the apple, and took off... just as a trio of gargoyles jumped out of the bushes to ambush, well, I guess just me now, since the other trainee already left. They started speaking in some language that I didn't understand, and one of the two with spears tried attacking me with some sort of lightning spell, which was difficult to dodge, just due to the nature of lightning, itself. The thing laughed at my pain from the attack, which gave me enough time to counter by conjuring one of those needles that has the prickly screamer venom in it, just like I had practiced in my magical training. The needle found a soft spot between the gargoyle's rock-like scales, but even then it didn't seem to do much, at least, not initially. The first gargoyle started screaming in pain from the poison, and I turned around to see the others starting to back up... apparently, they thought I'd be an easy target, as the one holding a shield seemed to mutter something along the lines of 'chicken... fights us?' of course, it only SEEMED like he said that, but, either way, he seemed scared, as did the other two over the fate of their friend. Unfortunately, they didn't stop their assault, and I had to dodge a thrown spear, as well as someone rushing at me in an attempt to knock me down. I... simply flew up to dodge the shield charge, but didn't try that against the thrown spear, as I would probably just end up flying right into it, which would be pretty bad.

Erion had been traveling for a good while now. He was a far way from home to say the least. Town after town, he passed by, actually preparing and selling some food as well as discovering new ingredients from other regions. Now he was heading towards another Natura town. This nation was rather interesting to say the least, with multiple types of food that vary from taste to taste. It was rather exciting to be there.

Currently he was in a large forest, on his guards, but looking around for any wild fruits that he could collect. He had collected multiple seeds during this time also, having seen some of the town folks over in this place actually use magic to grow seeds at a insane rate. By keeping the seeds, Erion though that maybe he could get some help out of a local town folk. His though process was then cut short as he heard some commotion at a distance in the forest, more to his left. He looked towards there, and frowned. What the heck was happening over there.

He started to sneak and move towards the source of the sound, going deeper in the dark forest. Something was definately wrong, the sound of the forest different then the one he was in before. He concentrate and form a weak version of a null shield, moving forwards. Just then, he saw what the problem was. some gargoyle were attacking a phoenix, who seemed to be having some trouble with them. This might end up badly for the phoenix, and he didn't know what those gargoyles were capable off... but he could not just stand there and not do anything.

He concentrated, aiming at the water deep bellow. Lucky there were some, or else he would have needed to go more direct with the attacks. He then forced that water upwards, before making it burst right under some of the gargoyles, making a large quantity of fly upwards, with some rocks also moving upwards cause of the force of the water, smashing them right into the gargoyles. Well, with that, the gargoyles might end up confused on what the heck just happen and run. That what he was hoping for at least.

"Gentlemen...behold!" Singed called out to his audience of exploding lava turtles, amidst the forest trees. "They said it couldn't be done, they called me insane...yet here I stand today. I have successfully crafted a home made megaphone out of only a beaver, some string, and a megaphone!" He cried out as he held aloft a megaphone with a beaver tied to it.

"Hello!" One of the countless Turtles greeted

"Well yes, I suppose it is time for the Q&A session. Alright then, ask away"

"Hello!"

"To be completely honest, it had more to do with budget issues then anything else"

"Hello!"

"Well of course it does! Why else would the beaver be such a vital component!? Quite an obvious answer, but still, it's good that we got it out of the way"

"Hello!"

"Ha! They wish. After how they slandered me, no amount of begging could convince me!"

"Hello!"

"Ah, now there's an excellent question! I was wondering if anyone would ask. Well you see, the reason is-" However he was cut off by the sounds of fighting. "Who dares interrupt my press confreres!? Clearly, this is a problem that only extreme violence can solve!" Turning back the the assembled Turtles, he spoke to them "my sincerest apologies, but it seems that I will have to cut this short." Grabbing his megaphone and a nearby box, he made his way to the sounds of combat. When he arrived, he saw gargoyles attacking some other creature. "I should have known! Those gargoyles are still after me. Well I'm prepared for them this time!" Pulling the lid off the box, Singed shouted "go my children, attack the winged vermin!" Rabid Squirrels rushed out of the box and to the phoenix "no you fools! The other winged vermin!" Pausing, the Squirrels, looked over at the gargoyles, and after a beat they pounce on them. Biting into their bodies.

"Whew... I got this." Being a slime isn't easy. For one, air magic only goes so far before you realise you need a solid form. I struggled to lift even a few books out of my worn brown bag, only getting a flap floating before it slapped against the side of my bag. This was a bag that was hanging in my closet by the way, but I hadn't emptied it since I finished school and found a job, and I'm pretty sure this was one of the only times I'd find a use for my bag for a while. My room was seemingly tidy but still messy in some places, piles of books arranged like compressed cubes and old Zephyre artefacts floating meaninglessly around my room. Eventually, I grew tired of trying out my air powers, shifting to dark and yanking my bag out of the closet. I felt accomplished and yet awkward from forming a tentacle or whatever object out of the shadows, but I couldn't resist a grin.

Anyway, I decided to take on a more solid form so that I'd be able to hold my bag. I was normally a bubble, but before I knew it I had already melted myself into a pile of goo. I gathered some strength from the shadows in my room to transform into my new form, forming limbs and a tail. I carved out a face from the ball sitting on top of my chest, gaining fake eyes and a mouth. I had only used this form when working with real equipment rather than writing theory and having small debates. I certainly liked my form, with my parents also using drake forms considering they'd get around easily if needed.

I took my bag and emptied all the old books and Hungry Jack's wrappers out of its cavity, instead stuffing it with some... possibly illegal books and a bunch of medicines in case I got hurt. Slimes can get hurt from magic, and considering even the sun could burn me I had to bring along some things I could use in case I forgot to cast a cloud over myself. Oh, and clouds are essentially of hats, so don't feel as if I'm being a weird individual.

"So, how about that business trip, 'eh?" While looking under my bed, I heard my dad's voice and immediately shot up. He was standing in the doorway, not inclined to come into my as if he was at the edge of a dark cave. Strangely enough, he took on a drake form like myself, though he always seemed thinner and taller than me. "You reckon you'll get a promotion from this? How about extra pay?" He asked, curious about what I'd get from whatever I was doing outside of Zephyre. See, I convinced my family that I was... not looking for my uncle's residence but rather on a trip with a bunch of colleagues. Too bad he'll receive a letter within a week or so explaining I'd been made redundant from my job, something which made me hold my hands together. He seemed rather concerned for me, but he was always like that whenever I went outside. Just not all the way... down under.

"Just trying to set up some collaboration between Zephyre and Natura. Not all energy is polluting, after all." I said back to him, looking away so that I'd quickly hide some of my books in the depths of my bag. He scoffed at my lie, but only because he thought relations between Zephyre and Natura would NEVER be peaceful. I just shrugged my shoulders and lifted my bag onto my arm, preparing to leave.

"I'm quite worried about where you're going, Vermont. I didn't even know you were leaving today." My dad started to sound more anxious, as if he really didn't want me to leave. He really me to be safe, as I'll explain later.

"Business isn't predictable, sorry. I either leave now or never."

"Well, I'll tell you this, Vermont. Gaia is not a nice place. Just promise me you'll run from fights and return home safely, yes?" I nodded, but I felt as if he wanted to keep talking to me. Sure enough, he was still standing in the same spot in the doorway, wanting to raise or hand or something but instead just watching me.

"I guess...?" I couldn't help but feel awkward, shuffling my foot along the floor and leaving a trail of slime. "Dad, I'm only going to be away for a week." My dad sighed, almost moaning through his membrane. As I started walking towards the doorway to the living room, my dad moved out of the way and tried to grin at me. You see, my family before giving birth to me went on holiday in Natura. They were treated like lower-class citizens down there, and they kept telling me stories about how they were nearly mugged or poisoned down there. I didn't believe them of course, 'cause otherwise my uncle wouldn't live down there. They're just naturally scared of the open world below Zephyre and rather conservative.

"Well, as long as it's just a week then... goodbye, Vermont." I heard, stopping once in my tracks before walking again. I was heading towards downstairs where I'd get some food before leaving this house, then... well, somehow I'd get down to Gaia.

Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Vermont Orwell. Not exactly a show-stopping name, but nonetheless something slime ladies would smile at.

Palythius

---

I woke up on a bench in Zephyre, thankfully with my twenty silver coins still in the pockets of my jumpsuit, and I had my hamm--... Wait a tic; where's my mallet?! To my relief, I found that it had simply fallen, and I picked it up and latched it back onto me. I got up, stretched, and looked for a place to eat. I remembered being directed to a small breakfast joint, so I walked there, but about halfway I wanted to test and see if what happened yesterday was just my mind playing with me or not. I stopped on the sidewalk, put on my goggles, got down close to the ground in a running stance, and bolted down the path, soon arriving at the restaurant, out of breath and almost fainting. I entered, gasping for air as the phoenix at the desk greeted me and I sat down to wait for a seat. Boy, did I need that rest. 5 minutes passed, and I was escorted to a table and given a menu. I ordered some waffles with whip cream and strawberry and sat, looking out the window for a bit.

After I was snapped out of my daze by the waitress, I looked back and said, "Oh, uh... the special, please. And I'd just like some coffee, thanks." After she left I reminisced on the days mining. I used to run fast, but that... what I did outside in about a minute or so... that was fast! I thought before my meal arrived. I ate it and enjoyed it, not wanting to run afterwards. After I had finished my meal and drank the coffee, I left and headed down the street, seeing the Champion Stadium in all its glory... other than no one was there because there was no game today. I walked past it and headed through the residential area on my way out of town, looking around to see if there was a place to lie down because that breakfast just made my exhaustion worse. I found yet another bench in the small park with a bunch of places to play sports and such, and I laid down, looking at the sky and dazing off once again.

Ganymede

---

I looked out on the sea as I drifted upon the waves. I glanced down at all the different non-magical creatures, and before I knew it I was at the mouth of a river in what was obviously Natura. I swam to the coast, standing up and roosting for a second, not having done so before I had left on my journey. After that was done, I walked down a dirt-and-stone path, looking around at all the trees and some of the wild flowers. "Natura sure is beautiful..." I said to myself before seeing a drake pass across the path. He glanced at me, looked forward, did a double-take, and stopped, looking directly at me. "Uh... can I help you?" I asked the drake. He didn't say anything for a moment, approaching me menacingly. "I bet you ate the seed I'm looking for, didn't you?" he asked me in a low, rumbling voice. "I just got here a few minutes ago, and I didn't see any particularly tasty-looking seeds. Just because I'm a phoenix doesn't mean I only eat bread and seeds," I said. "I'm sorry if you can't find this seed that you appear to be searching for, but I must be on my way." I pushed past him, and he only blew a puff of poison before continuing on his way. Phew... that was way too close for comfort...

I had walked for a few miles before hearing some commotion further downstream, and I flew down in the direction that I heard it in, seeing a gargoyle get blasted from behind with a heavy torrent of water. I gasped a bit before flying to a safe position, not in the middle of the commotion. "Everyone, stop! Just calm down!" I said before a gargoyle that hadn't been hit with water throw a spear at me and miss me by a landslide. I gasped and dodged anyway out of instinct, and I glared at the gargoyle. He looked big, mean, and very, very ugly. I looked at the gryphon and then at the other phoenix, but this one was from Natura. He looked a bit... shocked, probably got ambushed by the gargoyles. I saw one begin to charge at me, but I spat out water with the force of a geyser, knocking him back and feeling bad because I did so out of instinct.

All at once, as if by some contrived coincidence, three strangers joined in on the fray. All of them seemed foreign, with one of them obviously being from Magma, and the other two being from Aqua. I didn't really get much time to actually look at them, but their attacks made it clear where they were from. I keep trying to ask who one stranger is after another, with the next one attacking immediately as I did so, making it difficult for me to actually speak... this went on, with two of the gargoyles getting knocked out as a result of getting hit by a geyser, getting blasted more directly with water, or getting attacked by rabid lava squirrels. This left just the gargoyle with the shield... and left me with a few questions. "Could everyone just INTRODUCE THEMSELVES!?" I end up shouting loud enough for the shield-bearing gargoyle to actually attempt to block the noise with his shield. Everything grew quiet after my outburst, and I finally get a good look at my allies. One of them was a very white and grey-colored gryphon who may or may not be from Aqua, another was a swan-like phoenix, quite clearly from Aqua, and the final one (unless you could rabid squirrels) was a rather large, and imposing dragon... who was most likely from Magma. "Uh... sorry about that... everything just sort of got confusing, and cluttered... I didn't expect an ambush, let alone allies... especially allies from other nations," I then notice a moment when the gargoyle lowers his shield, and take advantage of it with another needle... unfortunately for me, however, this one didn't seem to deliver the poison, and only left the gargoyle itching at his arm for a brief moment.

Erion saw suddenly that multiple people started to help the group out, actually making it that the gargoyles were beaten down quickly, with only one gargoyle with a shield being left. He then used his magic, creating what seemed to be a large water hammer out of thin air and then striking the gargoyle from upwards, hoping to break his gaurd and possibly his shield.
"Kinda hard to introduce myself when we are suddenly in combat like that. Lucky there were a lot of noise over here, or else I and probably the others would not have heard you." he says quickly, still looking towards the gargoyle, although having a null shield up.
"Name is Erion by the way, Erion Silverwind." he then says. The others would probably introduce themselves also. And he just hoped those were the only gargoyles here, cause if there were more and this was a ambush, then this could end up rather badly for the group.

"Well, if we're all going to introduce ourselves, then I might as well. I am Singed "The Great And Powerful" Strange! You may have heard of my many exploits of sciencing! However I must ask you all to hold your applause and shrieks of girlish delight." Singed told them. Then, turning his attention to one of the gargoyles, he marched up to it "and you! What did I tell you last time Steve!? Do not interrupt me with sounds of combat!" Using his tail, he sketched out a shape in air with lava. A few seconds later, it sprang to life in the form of a Turtle

"Hello!"

"Assistant Steve, take a note; this one goes on the list" he said the last word while giving said gargoyle a nasty point blank stink eye.

"Hello!"

"No you fool! Not that list, the other list!"

"Hello!"

"Of course not! You know how I feel about the color periwinkle! Maybe next year" Singed then noticed his hoard of Squirrels staring at him with their soulless eyes "well!? What are all of you waiting for!? Back in the box!" he commanded them, and just like that, the rabid beasts scampered back into the box. "Honestly, I shouldn't have to micromanage them like that. And don't think I didn't hear that Steve!" Singed bellowed, staring at a tree

The tree being a tree, said nothing.

So, I'm just an average guy who's looking for answers. Not exactly average at that point, but at least I'm not some freak of nature. From all I know it's just being able to use darkness, not being the devil. Though, some people have mistaken me for the devil. I won't name people, but most reactions I get (which are like 3 so far) include swearing and pleas to switch back to normal elements... how that even works I don't know.

My plan: get some PROPER gear at the local stores (the stuff my mum gave me would break as soon as I hooked it to something), get down to Gaia's surface, go to Natura and find my uncle's former residence. Hopefully I get some answers and more books to keep me entertained. It's not much of a plan, but at least I'm not at war am I right?

Here we are, the living room. It's a bit cramped, with none of the furniture fitting with any theme in my house. Everything we own seems to be on display thanks to the way we arranged our stuff, and the room was considerably brighter than my room. It was as if I went outside already... of course, that would be a different story. I could see my mum working in the kitchen, also a solid form so that she can grab frying pans and other kitchen utensils. She looked almost the same as me, but with shorter horns and a rounded face. She also seemed stern for a majority of the time, but that was just because she got her solid form later than most slimes. Unlike me, she had a tint of green from her time in Natura, and was fully white. I thought it was unusual for her to cook food since slimes could eat just about anything (as long as it was deceased, or we'd be branded ferals and burnt). I guess it was because we also had taste buds like the rest of population on Gaia. I couldn't help but come closer to the kitchen, while my mum looked up at me and smiled.

"Today's the big day, isn't it?" I grinned and nodded my head. "I got something for you, don't leave yet!" I said cheerily, reaching down and pulling a small brown sack out of the cupboard, then leaving it on the bench and taking off her oddly clean apron. Apparently she wasn't making food, and in fact was arranging some leftover cutlery. Curious, I slid the sack over to myself, opening it up to find all sorts of fruits and vegetables.

"Woah, thanks." I was pleased and delighted to have some food for the journey, rather than relying on possibly shady vendors who were rumoured to recycle oil from the drains... anyway, I returned the smile as I took the sack and put it in my bag, still a huge amount of space waiting to be filled. "Vermont, be safe and return home soon, yes?"

I... didn't really smile. It was a false grin and nod. For all I knew, I'd be branded as the devil again and possibly burnt alive. This world didn't tolerate what I knew, let alone anyone out in the unclaimed territories. But, as long as I kept to the road and didn't talk to anyone... I'd be fine?

I waved goodbye to my mum as I walked to the door, opening it to- OH GOD, MY EYES. "I love you sweetie!" My mum said, sitting on a dinner chair and drinking a mug of water. I still smiled, albeit in pain as I kept walking outside. Oh, I'm so stupid. I knew if I continued walking out in the open like this, I'd probably become less of a slime and more of an omelette - so, I cast a cloud over myself, possibly strange down under but around here it was like wearing a hat. Thankfully it blotted out most of the light and kept me cool, though I was still inspecting my arms and legs for any burns.

The sun was up and bright, hitting noon as I approached the retail district of Zephyre. It took a while to walk there, about 20 minutes at least on stable pathways. I sprinkled myself with a bit of rain from my cloud since it was so hot, and I didn't like having myself boiled. The district was busy as always with dragons and all sorts of other flying creatures, though admittedly there were less customers since most of the stores were closed - it just so happened that electricity costs spiked, and that without any anti-turbulence measures (remember: I got laid off) the city could wobble like a tree in gust. As a result, the more fragile stores dealing with expensive things have had to close, but at least the rest of the district was still open and running.

While getting there, I noticed a few curious things. Namely... oh no. Oh no, no, no. Like I was saying, as I approached the plaza of the retail district, I noticed some buff guy with heavy armour. Now, normally you aren't exactly allowed to show off your badass armour and weapons, but this dude... he was Knights of Balance material. Our monarchy doesn't exactly approve of those people, but at the same time they allow them to roam the streets and harass people... or in the case of me, kill. 'In self defence.' I've avoided those people before many times, but this guy was determined to follow me. You could argue they were gangsters with a bible or something, an agenda to pursue... how about killing off people they determine to be evil? Like me of course.

Either way, I knew it was time to leave, even without proper gear. My cloud continued to follow me, but it couldn't keep up with my running. That made the knight SPRINT towards me, right into a secluded area. Where we were was near the edge of the retail district, with ceramic tiles forming my path and surrounding the park. There were a few phoenixes and a dragon around, but the phoenixes quickly left upon seeing the Knight's emblem on his back: two angelic wings under a scale. I was gonna be in a lot of difficulty, especially as I couldn't even run without burning myself.

"So, who are you? You don't look fully white to me... a bit of black, aren't you?" I gulped, standing my ground against a knight who was a header higher than I was. I kept calm, but... well, like I said, this world was dangerous. This knight was a gryphon with all sorts of muscle, grabbing a long sword out from his back and letting his chain-mail dangle. He looked like he wouldn't fit in with the more modern fashion we had, but that wasn't important right now. "Hey, come on. It's just the way I look like, you racist prick." I responded, trying to brush myself as a normal slime... though, I knew what he was going to do to me.

First thing he did was puff at my cloud, leaving me scalding in the sunlight. I immediately cast another one and set down some rain on myself, cooling down but feeling a bunch of light burns. I breathed slowly and shallowly, but I regained my composure so that I could see what he was going to do next. "Oh... you're the work of the devil! Prepare to be smited!" And so, he lunged towards me, swinging down his sword and cutting a bench behind me in half. Amusingly it got stuck in the bench, but I still wasn't sure whether to fight or run...

Palythius

---

As I was resting these two hooligans began to fight a few yards away. I didn't pay attention to them at first because I didn't want to fight this ultra-badass in shining armor, but when the victim dodged a bulky sword and cut through the bench, I began to wonder. What if that was the bench I chose to sleep on? What if he just sliced through me like butter? And why the hell is this armored guy... in armor, and more importantly, terrorizing a random citizen? I pondered. I walked a few feet towards them, then I took a deep breath and sprinted, jumping and hitting this knight in the side of the head with my knee, and I fell down and cracked my shoulder after the stunt, watching as the knight slowly broke his sword from the bench... after he got up from getting hit so hard out of nowhere. He looked a little dazed, but I knew that I was on the top of his list of priorities now. He stared at me with cold, unmerciful eyes as I stood up, grasping my shoulder. I took a few deep breaths before deciding it was toasty time. I could tell that he wasn't very happy about it as his armor only made the heat from the flames burn his gryphon skin and feathers worse. He swung his sword, cutting my snout about a quarter-inch deep. I stopped breathing fire on him, stepping back and out of his sword's range. He groaned loudly as I watched his mail armor grow a dull red from the intense heat.

Ganymede

---

I stared for a minute at the gargoyle I had knocked down. "... Huh? Oh, sorry. I just heard... this, I guess, and came to try to resolve it... I was hoping for a peaceful resolution, but I guess they just can't comprehend pacifism. Uh... my name is Ganymede. It sounds weird, but I'm from Aqua. You know... the nation with a town name that means 'The spit of a dove flying over a dark cloud'? A lot of weird names originate from there. Sometimes. What's your name?" I asked, looking back at the one who got himself in the thick of the situation in the first place. I looked closely, checking to see if there were any injuries. I didn't see any obvious ones, so we must have saved him before he got his head bashed in, or got kidnapped and eaten in a stew by one of the gargoyles.

After taking everyone's attacks, including another of my own, specifically, a sharp stone that I created and launched at him, the shield-bearing gargoyle ran off, dropping his shield in the process. Not really wanting to follow him, I instead stayed with the group, and finally introduced myself. "I'm David. I'm supposed to be on a test that's supposed to determine who the next guardian of the earth piece will be... um... thanks for your help, everyone... oh, I guess I can tell you what the test is about... I'm supposed to go into the deep forest, and bring back the rarest fruit or seed that I can find... it... sounds a lot easier than it is," I explain to everyone as I look over to the fiery dragon named Singed, who was talking to some sort of creation made of lava, as well as a tree. Said creation resembled a turtle, and only ever said 'hello', while the tree, obviously, said nothing. Somehow, he got the idea that he was famous, as he thought that we would all know who he was, already... but, then again, it didn't seem like any of us actually came from, or might have had contact with anyone else from Magma, so, while we don't know him, he very well could be famous... or, more likely, infamous. I looked around for any other clearings, as the forest was dark enough to literally be jet black, save for the clearings, such as this one, which provided the much-needed golden rays of the sun, as well as a limited range of visibility. "So... can anyone here see another clearing? We're just going to be running around in circles in the dark without them," I point out to the rest of my team, hoping that someone among them might have some sort of idea... of course... fire provided light, and one of us was from Magma... then again, there was also a rare type of magic that is solely based around light...

"Steve has a point!" Singed declared. Shaking the box a little, he said "alright, that was a long enough break. Back to work! We need you Steves to light this place up, and not by setting everything on fire." After he spoke, the Squirrels rushed out of the box. Once they were all assembled, lava began to fill up in their eyes, and a red glow came out of them. Just one would barely make a difference, but there was a box of Squirrels letting out light. "There...much better. Now then Steve, take me to this rare fruit, for I am intrigued"

"Hello!"

"No Steve, I said 'intrigued' not 'constipated'! Honestly, how could you have gotten those words mixed up!?" Before anyone could say anything else, Singed headbutted a the tree from before "you want to say that again Steve!? Huh, want to see what happens when you say that one...more...TIME!!??" A few seconds later Singed backed away "yeah, that's what I thought. Anyway, where were we?"

"Stand still, foul demon!" While I was still trying to comprehend who'd want to kill me like this, the knight started yelling at me before focusing his efforts on his sword, pulling it out the bench and letting splinters of wood fly everywhere. Before he could take another swipe at me, some foolish figure had landed a high kick on the knight's head, before writhing briefly on the ground. A clatter of armour followed, with the knight regaining his senses and deciding to confront my vigilante instead. "You son of a bitch!" Sure enough, his oddly loud priest voice was now replaced by pure hatred and anger, lashing at someone else instead. Jesus, how does the KOB even function like this?!

I stopped thinking about deities quickly since there was someone clearly trying to survive, blasting the gryphon with a fountain of fire and forcing him backwards. He screamed and started to pat out a bunch of flames on his arms, but I didn't give in to his cries. He tried to kill me thinking I was some 'demon', and the least I could do was ensure he could hurt another innocent life. I shook myself and dropped my bag right off my shoulder, running towards the gryphon as he began to fan the flames out with small gusts of wind. I felt myself burning in the air since my cloud didn't catch up to me, but now wasn't the time to start crying over it. The other guy had trouble trying to defend himself, experiencing a swipe I should've gotten.

In my rush, I cast a sword of air - something that was oddly dark compared to other air swords of Zephyre. I stretched out my arm to receive the hilt as it formed under the shadows of my cloud, before charging with the sword pointing directly at the knight. When he realised I was about to attack, he tried to push me back using his sword, waving it crazily like a frustrated magician. I didn't give in, ducking under one failed swipe and driving it in to the knight's horror. It went cleanly through his chest, mainly because his armour was now suddenly malleable from all the heat. We were both paralysed for seconds until the knight started coughing blood, with me jumping back as my sword broke within and... and... his body slamming the blood-drenched floor of the park.

"I... I think I killed him." Well. That was a little extreme. "I... goodness..." I never imagined I'd kill someone. I ended up falling to the ground on my buttocks, nearly losing form but trying to maintain composure. "Jesus." I whispered, my hand over my mouth as I tried to comprehend what I had just done.

Palythius

---

I saw the slime summon a sword from thin air, ducking a swing and stabbing the knight right through the chest. I jumped back a little when I saw that, and I looked at the slime. "Damn, dude! I just thought that we would... I dunno, knock him out or something! Not kill him!" I said in a hushed voice, filled with shock. I looked back and forth. "That guy looked like he was... part of some type of guard duty. We've gotta get out of here. ... You look like you were already headed somewhere, so we'd better get going," I whispered, looking around a bit wildly.

Ganymede

---

"Well... it's nice to meet you, David. Guardian, you say? That sounds like a pretty stressful job, but I can see why it'd be important," I nodded, looking at Singed, a bit worried. "I think you may have a case of dementia, here... let me help," I said, softly touching his head and trying to use healing magic, but it failed. I looked, and blamed it on my magic not being strong enough, still convinced that this dragon with squirrels is absolutely mentally ill. When David asked about another clearing, I looked around in a 360° circle, and when I was finished I shook my head. "Maybe I could try to fly and return if I see another one anywhere?" I offered, taking many steps back, ready to fly.

Erion listened to what the others said. Guardian he said? Well, that was something really different to say the least. And to see all those gargoyles defeated now. He breath deeply and look up.
"By air we might have a bit more luck... let me try..." he says, before starting to fly up. He then start looking around, seeing a small spot that seemed to be a clearing, but rather far. He then flew down and shake his head.
"No clearing until a good while this direction." he says, pointing towards where he saw the clearing. He sighed.
"And lets... not get the magma crazy person mad can we..." he says in a rather low voice to the others. He stared at the lava and sighed a bit. If something were to go wrong, a good rain storm or something similar might work on countering that crazy guy. But at least he did not seem hostile. HE looked at the swan phoenix and smile a bit. Well, seem someone else from aqua was here at least. And she seemed good with healing. Well that was interesting

I watched in complete confusion as Singed orders around his squirrels and turtles... and then headbutts a tree for no known reason. Erion seemed to just fly up above the canopy for a moment to check if there were any clearings nearby, and apparently, there wasn't, or, at least, it seemed like he didn't get a good view of it if there was one. Ganymede then tried to heal Singed's messed up mind with her healing magic, but failed completely, indicated by the fact that the magic never actually left her hand. I then remembered that she said something to me, and I decided to respond with "Well, it probably is, but I'm not a guardian yet... in fact, I'm not the only one who was chosen to BE the next guardian of the plate piece, and everyone else is taking the same test as me, so, keep an eye out for other Naturians who might try to take our fruit or seed," I then look into the forest ahead. As crazy as Singed was, his squirrels actually helped quite a bit, and lit up a lot of the dark forest ahead, or, at least enough for me to continue on without stumbling around in the dark. I made sure everyone else was following me, and at first, I thought I'd actually make it to the next clearing by the red glow of fire, but, I tried to move a vine out of the way, only for said vine to attack me, and reveal that it was a vinesnake... and... it wasn't the only one, either, as several others started to appear, blocking my way to the next clearing... just as well, though, as I saw a gryphon fly in and steal a small, clear seed, and then fly back to the training grounds. Annoyed, I threw a screaming needle at one of the vinesnakes... however, it seemed like the thing resisted poison, as it wasn't effected in the slightest by the needle's poison, let alone the needle, itself.

"Well..." I didn't too much, in all honesty. Killing didn't seem so bad as originally though, but only because I had actually done it. I figured it was like flying for the first time: it's scary at first, but then it becomes rather trivial. Despite this, I could definitely tell the stranger beside me had similar feelings. "..." I continued staring at the corpse, glad no one else came to this park while we remained still. We were clearly overlooking a corpse and the land below, covered with a thin strip of white clouds.

I honestly still couldn't believe I killed someone. My skin was either a palish black from being burnt or really my emotions coming through. "Just help me carry this man's corpse over the edge." I said, with haste as I started I pick at the grpyhon's arm before fully grabbing it. I overestimated my physical strength and ended up stretching my arm and leaving a trail of wet goo around me, splattering almost. "Bugger."

I started rubbing my head as I got my arm back into place, but I could tell by the dragon's reactions that he wasn't impressed. "Look, mate." I began to reason with myself and the stranger, clearing my throat and still shivering from the experience. "Chances are, he would've reported back to the Knights of Balance if he was knocked out, then we'd be swarmed by all sorts of mercenaries, wizards and knights." I explained, trying to make light of an incredibly bad situation. "I didn't want to do it, but... well, mind goes blank, stress invokes fight or flight, and in all honesty it means the next Knight of Balance marauder won't even recognise us." Some logic calmed me down, but I wasn't so sure about the stranger. "At least two people didn't die today. What's your name, first of all?"

Palythius

---

"... I guess you're right, we'd be in a worse situation if he survived." I stared at the body. After a minute or two, I grabbed the carcass with the stranger, ignoring the pain in my shoulder, and, after a moment of hesitation, chucked him off the edge. "Jeez. I wonder if he had a family. ... I guess it's best not to think about stuff like that after... murder. Hm? Oh, my name's Palythius. Sorta exotic, but it's based off of er... well, some old history books I found back in Verbrenn that had stories of pink, fleshy, powerless dragons who held up the skies and similar pink fleshy beings that could use thunder and stuff. Cool stories."

I looked over the edge out of morbid curiosity, shuddering and cringing a little bit was I thought about anyone that knew the guy in a non negative fashion. I also thought over the guy's excuse for stabbing him, and just settled on how he was desperate enough to do something like that. After all, he was practically bursting into flames when his little cloud was gone. I looked around, and saw that while the body was nowhere to be seen, the red trail of wet blood had followed us over here. I suddenly realized that my nose was still dripping a good amount of blood, and I held it tightly, wincing at the pain, looking back and seeing some drips a bit farther from the pool. I turned a bit paler as I thought of them checking the blood and finding out it was me, but it was already starting to dry into the pavement. "We need to go."

Ganymede

---

As I ran to take off, the gryphon seemingly disappeared and came back to the ground not too long after, reporting how there weren't any clearings. I saw Singed's... Singe's? ... I saw his squirrels run into the darkness, lighting up the area like a nice Christmas tree. I looked, seeing David get caught by some vines, and I walked over to help, seeing they were actually snakes. I also saw a gryphon take a seed from the clearing we were heading to, and I turned around, running and taking off through the clearing, wrapping around and landing back near where the gryphon was, but he had escaped quickly. I looked and walked back along the lit path, and I used a lesser calming spell on the snakes, making them not berserk and violent. I watched as the ones I touched slithered away, and I was able to get all but 2 of them before my energy ran out.

Erion, seeing how that swan phoenix was able to go and calm down those vine snakes like that, was rather impressed. To be able to calm those creatures like that. He then moved to another snake, and used his own magic, water forming all around the snake as it seemed to be stuck in a orb of water, only its tail being left out. Then, with a big pull, Erion pulled the snake off from the tree and threw it away, leaving it dazzled from the fall and confused. It then quickly shook its head and slithered away, not wanting to deal with more water magic. Erion then looked at the other snake and then blasted it with a jet of water, making it be knocked a bit, but not out for the count. He hoped that the other could just get rid of it quickly and that we could just continue moving on. Last thing he needed would be the creatures here to all attack them while they travel. He did notice the gryphon going and getting a seed, but he was so fast that he did not notice what type of gryphon it was. Well, at least this was kinda interesting. And maybe going in this forest he would find some ingredients like wild berries and such that he could use to cook.

"My... my name's Vermont. Let's just pretend that never happened." I was still shaking, almost jiggling for a slime. I picked up my bag off the tiles of the plaza, inspecting it to ensure it wasn't even more worn than it already was. "So... Palythus, if I can say it correctly. You know where you're heading next after this? I mean, thanks for saving me, no doubt." I shifted uncomfortably, my bag on my back while I started to slide my hand back and forth on my neck. I was pretty worried about hanging out where someone had just died, so I began to make moves away from the park. "It's just, well, I believe fate binds things together. We've just killed someone... so, I was wondering whether or not you'd be following me from here-on-out." I said, further away than usual while also keeping an eye out for anything. So far so good, being the time of day where people are working. I really hopped that guy wouldn't end up haunting me later. I was still pretty bewildered and almost angry for allowing myself to kill without impunity. Regardless, I still had one thing in mind, which was to find my uncle's old home. Maybe this could stop the KOB from trying to hunt me, I don't know. I started to walk off in the general directions of the stores, eventually waiting for the other guy to follow since I assume he wouldn't want to stick by some homicide scene.