Acheron Military Magic Academy: Hell week part 2: Full Metal Wands

[Squishy Cheeks]

(that is not a FMA reference, if you don't get the refrence you need to rent some movies about vietnam, there is one that might stand out.)

Hector chanted and he felt the vibration under the tower grow. He hoped the others were doing well. He sweated hard as he kept his concentration and energy on the chant. he visualized the earth beneath the tower becoming maleable and sucking the foundation in. He felt the foundation stone crack from the seismic pressure he was generating.

The air mage sent another gust. This one precisly aimed at the second platform. Hector wanted to call out a warning but he couldn't break his spell. He poured more energy into his geomancy.

[Wolf99x]

Edward felt a sudden shift in the wind and tried to throw himself down to a prone position on the tower

"Get down!" he shouted as the wind picked him up and dragged him across the platform to the point where he began to slip off. At the last second his fingertips grasped the edge of the platform.

Well...this isn't too good

[Armored Bishoujo]

"Wow!" Pauline exclaimed. "I feel just like new. Wait, even better than new!"
Pauline indicated Roan. "Adrina, please go ahead and help Roan as well if possible. I'll try to do something about that wind mage ahead."
Without offensive magic, Pauline would have to rely on something a little more mundane. Like stones. She wasn't good with aiming, but if she slung a bunch of stones at once, they'd surely accomplish something. Or maybe tossing them rapidly. "Gotta do something," she mumbled and scrounged up a bundle of rocks. Setting herself, the rich girl set her sights on the wind mage and began her pathetic assault of slinging stones as fast as she could.

[Squishy Cheeks]

A column of sand rose up as swirling winds surounded the tower. The stones pauline threw came whipping back at her just as hard if not harder.

The tower however began to tilt and sink into the vibrating earth as the tornado spell weakened the foundation further. Hector kept up his chant as the earth swallowed the base of the tower.

[Armored Bishoujo]

Pauline shielded her face as the first stone smacked into her stomach, a lesson well learned. "Gah, this is just plain ridiculous!"
She dropped the rest of the stones and went to help Edward.

[Mesden]

Adrina, ever the support role, took Pauline's words and went over to Roan, hoping that the ever persistent wind would strike again. Last time she meerly was crashed down to her stomach and barely pushed away, lucky or not she didn't care.

Once she half stumbled and half crawled up to Roan, her hand grasped his shoulder as well. The soft, whitish glow covered him just as quickly as it did Pauline. Chemicals and energy fired off in his body. Strength, stamina and drive all, in but a moment, to their max.

If anything, this was the best he had ever felt in his life.

"Hope that helped." the first smile of the day cracked on her lips.

[Squishy Cheeks]

The wooden support beams buckled and the tower fell. Hector panted he was exhausted he struggled to stand andslowly made his way to the rope ladder.

"Hold your position." He said. "I'm on my way." He struggled to climb the ladder and nearly collapsed on the first platform. He took several deep breaths.

[Wolf99x]

Edward could barely see that Pauline was headed towards him. Pulling himeslf up as much as he could, he extended a hand towards her.

[Armored Bishoujo]

Pauline took Edward's hand in both of hers, then gave him a good yank. It got Edward back on the platform up to his knees while Pauline fell on her ass.
"Oof!"
Then she used the friction of her feet and the platform to push herself up and pull Edward free of the edge. It wasn't easy, but it was the fastest way Pauline could think of to get him from the danger zone. They seemed to have some kind of thing going in Pauline's perspective. The guys were the ones that were dealing with the tower mages while the girls saw to it that the guys didn't make the ultimate sacrifice in challenging the strength of the enemy, a role Pauline was happy with since her magic couldn't possibly harm anyone directly or affect the environment.

[Squishy Cheeks]

Hector soon made it to the second platform. "Threat neutralized temporaily. Report? How many need to be carried?"

[Wolf99x]

"Just one," Edward said as he got himself up, he turned to Pauline. "Thanks."

[Mesden]

"That number'll go up if you people keep going lone hero here..." nagged Adrina before grasping Hector's shoulder the same way she did the others, causing the warm glow to spread over his body, relaxing and stimulating the stress throughout his body while setting free the chemical and magical release her magic brought, all with the chant of the same two words as before.

"Gah...I might pass out soon at this rate..." she grumbled before doing the same to herself. If any bothered to take note of her they would notice how each time it took longer to get the full effect.

[Squishy Cheeks]

"We need to get moving I don't know if I took out that mage or just slowed them down." Hector said.

The rest of the ropes course was easier without the occasional hurricane. Beyond the trees lay a series of stones and lattice like pathways through what appeared to be mud pits. Another tower loomed on the edge of the pits with clear view of the would be track.

Hector took point and leapt to a rock. He noticed the muddy water around the put become disturbed. He leapt to another stone as a spray of mud shot at where he was previously standing. Another shot caught him mid air. He landed with a splash in the mud which became like a whirlpool and slammed him chest first into a rock. He cried out in pain as the wind was knocked form him. "Water mage!"

[secretskull]

OOC: Sorry for the slight delay. I'll catch up with the things I missed.

Earlier

Roan felt rejuvenated. As far as his body was concerned, he had just had eight hours of sleep.
"It did help," said Roan, smiling back nervously at Adrina. "Thanks, thanks a lot."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Later

Roan looked at the mud pools for a moment, deep in though. "I think I might have an idea," he told Pauline, speaking slowly. He was worried that he might say something wrong. "Perhaps I could try and dry the mud?
As long as I had someone guarding me, it could work. Right?"
He looked to her for an answer.

[dementedmongoose]

OOC: Sorry, folks, but I'm back!

IC: Michael vomited. Looking at his seared flesh, Michael vomited again. Realizing he was being carried, Michael looked to see who was carrying him.

[Squishy Cheeks]

ooc:welcome back, your injuries are superficial

Hector slowly pulled himself on to the rock.

[Armored Bishoujo]

Pauline turned around quickly to check back and see if anyone else was lagging. She knew she would be the one holding everyone back if it wasn't for Adrina. Roan was talking to her about his plan to dry the mud the water mage was causing. "Yes, sir. I'll do my best."
She wanted to heal whatever wounds Hector might've taken at the mercy of the mud whirlpool, but she knew she'd only fall in and get herself hurt or killed, too.

[Squishy Cheeks]

"Can you do that fast?" Hector said as he dodged a spray of mud. He leapt to one of the narrow paths two sprays came his way from two shallow mud puddles. "Some of these aren't so deep. Try and Identify those and we may beable to have a safe bridge to cross."

[Jeneralissimo]

(ooc: back finally. sorry for the delay)

Justine sent a cold blast of water into the muddy sprays, watching out for those about to hit her teammates. They dissolved back into the water. "Anyone who can shoot at these things, do so! Those who can't, pair up with someone who can and keep your eyes open!"

[Wolf99x]

Edward realized he didn't have anyone to pair up with as of yet, and he wasn't sure his flare spell created any heat, or at least enough to cause the mud to dissapate or turn into sand. So he tryed to stay near anybody who had shown previous water spells. Right now it was Justine.

[dementedmongoose]

Michael got to his feet uncertainly. Drawing back his "bow," Michael began crossing. As one mudball flew at him, Michael fired. The "arrow" lodged in the mud spray, but didn't stick long enough to make a huge difference, except for turning a piece of mud at the front of the glob into an extremely hard dirt clod. Michael dove to the next rock, activating his time power, giving him just enough time to dodge the lump. Jumping from rock to rock, Michael made it back to the others. "Okay, thin lines of fire don't help, but I can definitely buy anyone who wants to get across some time."

[Squishy Cheeks]

Hector ducked and dodged mud sprays and mud balls as he ran to 10 foot by 15 foot dry patch dominated by a patch of wall. "Everyone try to reach this point!"

[Armored Bishoujo]

Pauline looked at Roan, waiting for him to move while she was still recovering. "Ready when you are."

[dementedmongoose]

Michael began jumping from rock to rock, carefully preserving his magic. When he reached Hector's location, Michael paused on a rock just past Hector.

[Wolf99x]

Edward cast another flare in the direction of the Water Mage to distract him for a bit, then he too made his way across to where Hector was. Edward then readied himself to cast another flare in case somebody needed help.

[Squishy Cheeks]

Hector drew a basic map in the sand with his finger of the narrow dry spots.
"Does this path look viable?" He asked Edward. He gestured to the map he made.

[secretskull]

"I'm ready," He told Pauline quietly, stepping forward.
He hadn't actually had time to practice this spell beforehand, and was only moderately sure he could do it. Had he been less preoccupied, Pauline's calling him "Sir" would have probably flustered him.
He knelt on the ground next to the water, and held out his hands. They burst into flame. A sheet of flame began spreading from his hands around the pool, stopping before it reached the rocks where the others stood.
He had read that this was one of the more versatile fire spells. It would create a flame, one that was relatively easy to shape and maintain. The main problem was that doing this at any decent speed was very difficult, and was likely beyond his abilities.
The trick to casting it, was not to think about how your hands were on fire. Roan realized too late that he’d just thought about it. He felt his hands burn. Quickly he tried to stop thinking about it. After a moment, the pain stopped, Roan didn’t dare to look down. He continued with his work.
Roan had to work slowly; if he moved too quickly he would startle the Water Mage into action. He had to make the mage believe he was trying to boil away the water, a long and ultimately useless action. If he believed that, then he might do anything to stop him.
The fire began to grow hotter, a bright blue tinge beginning to spread, starting from his arms and moving outward. Now he really had to concentrate. A mistake here wouldn’t burn his hands, it would liquefy them.
All he had to do now was plunge it into the water, and steam it away. As long as nothing distracted him, it could work. He hoped it would…

[Wolf99x]

Edward looked at Hector's map. It seemed like a sound idea.

"I'm not much of a tactician, but that seems viable to me."

[Squishy Cheeks]

"Alright we make a break for it. I'm taking point." He said as he stood up. "EITHER FOLLOW ME OR FIND YOUR OWN ROUTE." He yelled and took off at a dead sprint along the path he chose. The water mage distacted initially by Roan's steam cloud. Eventually Hector came under fire by mud balls and sprays, dodging as best he could as he ran along the winding path.

[dementedmongoose]

Michael began slipping across, slowing time only enough that he could keep up with Hector easily, feeling nauseous from using his power so much after such an injury. Jumping from stone to stone, Michael used Hector's presence as a distraction, slipping along behind him chuckling.

[Squishy Cheeks]

Hector finally reached the edge of the mud course. "COME ON WE'RE ALMOST THROUGH!" he shouted back to the others.

[Armored Bishoujo]

Pauline moved ahead towards Hector, but after reaching safety, she kept her eyes on Roan. She didn't get hit by any mud shots, but the mud slaps had gotten to her and she was relatively caked in the stuff. "They're not going to let me into the cafeteria like this, no sir."

[Wolf99x]

Edward made his way across, having to use another flare spell to keep the Water Mage distracted. His vision was beginning to swim but he shook the cobwebs out. I'm not going to pass out, i'll cross the finish if i have to drag myself there

[Squishy Cheeks]

The tall baricades of piled earth and stone stood in their way. Hector rested in the shadow of the first, trying to catch his breath.

"Odds are this is an earth mage in the tower on the other side."

[batgirl]

OOC: Whoops, sorry for missing all the fun.

BIC: Angelina had been hauling herself along with the others, helping out when she could, but she was tiring. She wouldn't give up though, she didn't come this far just to get herself killed or sent back to her island home. She kneeled behind a barricade with the others. "These can provide us with cover. We can try to move from one barricade to another to get to the end. It's probably better than an all out rush. However..." She performed the necessary hand seals and murmured the spell. A medium sized serpent with razor sharp spines and teeth appeared next to her hissing, "it never hurts to be prepared." She looked over the barricade and picked the snake onto her shoulders before running and diving behind the next barricade.

[Squishy Cheeks]

The Barricade grew spikes that thrust rapidly at Angelina as she dove over. Hector clamped his ears as the rocks screamed as the magic tore through them violently.

"Ow" His ears rang knocking out all other sound. He grabbed the top of the barricade and used his powers to supress the spell coming his way as he pulled himself up and over the barricade. He felt dizzy and fell on his back from the top.

[Armored Bishoujo]

Pauline stood before the barricade and started to catch her breath. Since the ropes, it had been a grueling experience and yet...she couldn't see the finish line yet. "I wonder how much mother would mourn if I died here?"

"There are far greater things at stake than the tears of some old woman."

Pauline frowned. That strange voice again.

"Persevere, Lady Valeria. Every great path starts with but a single step. Granted, the steps you're taking seem to be far more humbling, but still..."

"Shut up." Pauline grumbled, not even knowing whose voice it was. She turned up to stare at the barricades and plan her next movements.

[secretskull]

Roan was the last to leave the mud flats, leaving behind what was left of the fire he had created.
As he began running ahead, he twitched up his sleeves to see how badly he had been burnt. He drew breath sharply.
Each burn was exactly like the other, symmetrical to the very last patch of skin. Almost all the skin on his forearms had turned a smooth, shiny brown color. The edges looked as if they could peel off, giving the impression that he was wearing an odd pair of gloves.
He began to drawing close to the rest of the group, so he quickly let his sleeves back down, grimacing as he did it.
He stopped behind Pauline, he looked up at the barricade “What is…”? He began to ask her, when he heard her mutter, "Shu up".
No one else seemed close enough to be talking to her.
“Oh. Um… all right.” He mumbled abashed.
He began walking toward the barricade.

[Wolf99x]

Edward had made his way over the barricade while the mage was attacking Hector, as Edward hit the ground on the other side he heard the sound of the ground rumbling again. Looking towards the sound he saw a chasm opening up under Hector. Using most of his remaining strength, Edward grabbed Hector's arms and heaved him up and out of the opening chasm before it could swallow Hector up.

[Squishy Cheeks]

Hector looked at Edward. "Thanks he said in barely a whisper." His ears still ringing loudly. "Five more barricades." he said as he tried to stand.

[batgirl]

Angelina managed to barely miss the spikes, only resulting in a gash in her arm. She took her snake off of her and said to it, "go into the tower and find the mage doing this. Don't kill him just distract or incapacitate him." The snake nodded and slitered away into a crack in the wall of the tower. Angelina skidded over to where Hector and Edward were. "Here I got him," she said while slinging Hector's arm over her shoulder to support his weight. "Can you walk at all?"

[Squishy Cheeks]

He didn't hear her question, but guessed at what she said. "I'm just dizzy is all. I used to much power. I'll be fine." He started to climb the next barricade, but had trouble getting his footing. Eventualy he was able to climb over it.

"Anyone have any ideas how to distract him?"

[Armored Bishoujo]

Pauline finally caught up with them and was in time to hear Hector's question. "Show 'im a little leg?" Pauline said with a mock-serious expression. "Guys can't resist it when you show 'em a little leg."
She then looked forward. "I guess we need a decoy, huh? I'll do my best."

[Squishy Cheeks]

"Wait." He grabbed the earthen works wall and began chanting. He then turned to paunline and clapped his hands on her cheeks. "Ok go." Her skin and clothes took on the color, and visual texture of the stone work. He helped Archer Over the next baricade as the barricade itself rumbled and grew taller by the moment.

[Armored Bishoujo]

Pauline gave a thumbs up to Hector. "I was hoping to have buns of steel, but rock will do in a pinch."
In spite of feeling like she could take a warhammer to the gut and shrug it off, she still protected her head with her arms as she hollered and danced and generally made an ass of herself.

[Wolf99x]

Edward made his way over the next barricade during Pauline's distractionary measure. At the same time he kept his eye out for where the earth mage was on the off-chance that he could get a flare off and distract the mage even more.

[Squishy Cheeks]

(sorry I worked 40 hours this weekend alone) The Earth mage took a bead on pauline with a spell. He started the incantation when he felt a sharp pain in his ankle He looked down to see a serpent had latched onto him and had wrapped itself around his ankle. It yanked and he fell. The serpent quickly wrapped itself around the mage in capacitating him.

[Armored Bishoujo]

Pauline shielded herself as best as she could for the incoming attack, but it didn't come. She risked a look to find the mage preoccupied with something else. Taking the opportunity, Pauline started scrambling over the next barricades.

[Squishy Cheeks]

Hector and the others climbed over the barricades with some difficulty, but without the earth mages magic it was not nearly as grueling. One last set of obstacles stood between the squad and victory. It was a series of barbed vines extended over a shallow trench.

"We crawl." Hector said. He dove into the trench and did his best not to get caught on the thorns of the vine.

[Wolf99x]

Edward made it over the barricades in time, and carefully went into the trench behind Hector.

Guess there will probably be a mage who can manipulate these vines... he thought as he began crawling.

[batgirl]

Angelina smiled at the fact that her serpent had done his job. She then scrambled over the barricades and began to crawl after the others.

[Mesden]

"Oh Dear Lord vines? They can't be any less obvious about what they're going to try?"

With a heavy sigh and a halfhearted shrug, Adrina crawled in behind again, kicking herself in the back of her head for going into the blatant trap.

[Squishy Cheeks]

Hector continued on as the vines steadily became thicker and the thorns more pronounced. There also appeared to be flowers on the vines, tropical looking exotic flowers, almost inviting. Hector kept at his task though and tredged on.

[Armored Bishoujo]

Pauline kept herself as low to the ground as she could, pushing up a small hill of sand. She halted after her encounter with a jagged rock that left a small cut in her right arm.
"Lesser Healing," she said, and used her left hand to close up the wound. Because of how low the vines were, she didn't think she could raise her face enough to look ahead without getting her head cut up, and continued on.

[Squishy Cheeks]

ooc: what hair?

[secretskull]

"I think there might be a better way to go about this," said Roan anxiously from somewhere behind everyone.
"I could just burn the vi..." He trailed off. He didn't think that anyone was paying attention.
"I'll just wait for you to get through, shall I?" He asked after a few moments.

[Wolf99x]

"Burning these vines would be a good idea," Edward said back to Roan, wincing a bit as a thorn cut into the back of his palm, "But I don't think it would be a good idea when we ourselves are in said vines."

Wish he had thought of it before though...

[Mesden]

"Moving on hot ash and lighting up directly where we are, though? Let's just keep with the harder, more conspicuous trail...or trap, whatever this turns out to."

On her way, she picked out a few flowers for herself, having never seen them before, her curiousity was still healthy even through the hardship.

[Squishy Cheeks]

The pollen of the flowers smelled sweet, almost sickeningly so, exotic, images and phantasms appeared to Hector. He cursed as his lucidity slipped away like sand between his fingers. time seemed to slow and speed up randomly, his heart sounded like a bass drum in his ear. He felt as if insects were crawling all over his body. He tried to reason that he was hallucinating, and his sense were all decived but it felt so real. His hands left trails of light and his vision seemed to become 360 degrees then collapse to a dark tunnel and a spot. He saw angels and demons fly above the vines. The vines puled with the rhythm of his beating heart, the leaves of the vines weaving inviting patterns. The song of the earth became a lullaby and urged him to sleep.

__________

Archer kneeled next to Roan, "DON'T BREATHE IN THE POLLEN! IT'S POISON!"

[Wolf99x]

The smell of pollen hung thick in the air. Edward felt his vision beginning to blur, the vines being replaced by threads, which were then replaced by clouds. Suddenly Edward felt as if he was high in the air looking down upon the land. He could feel the wind whipping around him. Then slowly the wind, and the clouds, and everything else began to fade in as he fell into a cloudbank and began to drift away.

Or at least that's what his mind thought, in reality he had just introduced most of his body to a morass of thorns.

[secretskull]

OOC: I can't believe this spell is coming in useful. I didn't think I would get to use it for anything other then what I originally planned.

Roan's hand shot over his face so fast it was a blur.
"Shouldn't we do something? We can't leave them to get impaled on the thorns," He mumbled through his hand. Archer shrugged, either he didn't understand him, or he didn't know what to do.

Roan quickly ran over all the things he could do, and, after a few tense moments, he had an idea. He ducked down low on the ground, motioned for Archer to do the same, and cast a spell.
It looked like a large (slightly higher then knee height) dust devil. The book he had read in the Library had recommended using this spell in conjecture with a fire spell.

He could control where objects that were drawn into the dust devil were spit out. The book recommended channeling a fire spell into it, allowing the caster to launch fire in various directions rapidly. The winds weren't powerful enough to do more then bother most creatures, so the book had said that this spell had little other use. With luck, it would save them now.

The dust devil began to draw in the pollen from the area surrounding it. Roan directed it into the air, hopefully away from where it could harm them. He removed his hand, testing the air. It seemed to be working. He moved forward slightly, and cast another dust devil next to a few of the other squad members.
He struggled to maintain both dust devils; it was the magical equivalent of trying to play two different songs on the same piano.

[Squishy Cheeks]

Hector still had his senses enough to pull Edward, who looked like a giant cricket to him out of the thorns. Hector continued on by force of will nothing more. Finally reaching the end of the obstacle.

"FOLLOW MY VOICE!" He shouted as his head started to clear.

[Wolf99x]

Edward groggily looked up at Hector

"Thanks, talking cow," he said as he tried to shake off the effects of the pollen, as the sensation of pain began to come to him.

[Armored Bishoujo]

Pauline thought she had passed out, everything was black for a moment. Realizing that she was definitely going to die if she stayed any longer, she feverishly pulled herself under the vines, her tired arms screaming at her with pain. Somehow...somehow, she reached the end and managed to groggily pull herself to her feet, though she was quite unsteady. "How will this make me a better mage?"

[batgirl]

Angelina had dived into the thorny bush with the rest of them, and was fighting to stay conscious from the pollen. Her eyes were glazed over as she shook her head to try and clear it. She heard Hector's voice in the distance and she followed it. "I'm going to feel this in the morning."

[Squishy Cheeks]

Hector helped those he could out of the vine covered trench. He was exhausted though. His head finally clearing of the pollen's effects.

He saw near the finish 10 uniformed figures by Sergeant Dura, 6 men, 3 women and the other he wasn't sure about. 4 of them looked pretty beat up.

"COME ON WE'RE ALMOST THERE!"

[batgirl]

Angelina crawled out of the bushes and scrambled to her feet and ran towards the finish line.

[Jeneralissimo]

ooc: back!

The pollen was starting to clear a little. Justine reached out to Roan and pulled him out of the tunnel with her. She pulled his arm over her shoulders and started limping for the finish line. "Good work back there! We never would have made it out otherwise."

[Armored Bishoujo]

Pauline took a moment to catch her breath and let her vision stabilize, then ran to the goal.

"A victory, Miss Valeria. You've taken a large step into a much broader world."

Pauline ignored the voice in her head, and was more focused on her aching arms that she was at work healing. She managed to shut down the pain, but the exhaustion couldn't be removed.

[Wolf99x]

Gritting his teeth through the pain, Edward began to pick up the pace as he followed Hector towards the finish.

[secretskull]

Roan looked up at Justine groggily. "What? Oh that... It was nothing," he mumbled, blushing slightly.
Somewhere inside his head a small voice stirred, "It wasn't nothing! She is right! You saved them." It wasn't something he was used to thinking. He shrugged it off.
Roan ran, limping slightly, toward the end of the track. He suddenly aware of every ache in his body.

[Squishy Cheeks]

"Well done." Sergeant Dura said. "You're only ten minutes late. Form ranks and Stand at Attention for inspection. These are your proffessors and you will answer any question the ask you. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD!?!"