Arion Girsh's Story

Arion looked down from the tree he was perched in. It was his task and burden to find the Four. Fortunately for him, he was a fit and speedy elf on a mission. And furthermore, he knee the prophecy and had committed it to memory. He had also been following a few subjects who he knew had to be the Four. Either that or they were just unusual children with gold eyes.

At the moment, the elf sat in a tree in a dense forest. He was within hearing range of Cassandra, who was his first capture of the day. Travelling would be a challenge, but Arion was sure he would be able to succeed in his mission. That being said, he pinched the herbs carefully between his fingers before jumping down onto the ground in front of Cassandra.

Normally, he would have tried giving her a chance to fight back. But he was on a tight schedule at the moment and she was one of the less aggressive members of the Four.

He quickly darted to her, closing what little distance there was in less than the blink of an eye. He placed the herbs beneath her nose. The special concoction was enough to make anyone who inhaled or consumed it pass out for a good chunk of time. After making sure she was passed out, Arion pulled her up over his shoulders and started off to a small cave he had been residing in. His next target would likely be Connor, just to see the spark he had in him.

Arion set Cassandra down gently in a cave that was in close proximity to all four of the provinces. It was as if the gods had planned this out- Four saviors, four provinces. It made his work that much easier to save Calor. Hopefully these youths would listen to him.

It was then that he heard a commotion in the direction of Redlin. It looked like the boy in Wann would have to wait.

Running once again, Arion found himself in the province of Redlin. Seeing the tell tale sign of frost mages, he began to heat up a few of the buildings in hopes that the terrified people would be able to take it from there.

The transfer of energy drained him though. He walked up to a horse, breathing heavily. Arion hopped on to the chilled animal and used it to follow the trail of destruction. At one point the trail veered off into the woods. He followed.

He soon came to a pond. The wildlife fascinated him, what wasn't frozen or dying anyway. As much as it pained him to ignore the flowers, he needed to find Meredith. He knew that she frequented these woods and if the ice mages were here, it could mean trouble.

Diving into the water, he quickly surfaced in the cave. Looking around, Arion was surprised to find an unconscious Meredith and a few mages. Seeing as though his work was done, he heaved Meresith over his shoulder and leaped into the water. He dragged her onto the shore and whistled for the horse. He attempted to make her as comfortable and least likely to fall as possible before starting back to the cave at the center of their world.

In the few split seconds Cassie had seen the elf man, for her reflexes were rather good, her imagination had decided to run free, losing any chance how ever small of a sliver, she had at escape. Of course, her imagination didn't recognize escape was needed, happily going off any filling her head with creative stories.
Perhaps he's a prince from a lost kingdom, come to save his betrothed from the clutched of the evil Frost King! ooh, or better yet, a runaway criminal, desperate to make a new life in this land, not knowing the frost king has ravaged this land! Alas, he can never go home and see his beloved family again, or he faces... oh, what is this?
When she gasped in surprise at something being held under her nose, she immediately blacked out.
~~
The crystals hung low from the ceiling, glistening with her distorted reflection as she wondered slowly through the small cave. "Hello?" She cried, not knowing which way to go. She was cold. The cave's icy walls were seeping in towards her, sending their chilled aura's to surround her, trapping her, freezing her in a solid frost box. Her hands ignited into flame, clawing that the ice, but it wouldn't met, she was trapped, taken, never to be free. Around her, through the box she could see others, three other boxes, and a figure shackled to the wall. The ice dungeons. That was where she was. Punishment worse then death. The Frost King had won. She and the others had failed.
~~
Cassie shot to life in shock, immediately smelling burning. It was normal to wake up and sometimes find her bed sheets or nightgown on fire, or something else in her room, so the girl located the fire without hesitation- except it wasn't really I fire,simply smoking chunks of dirt falling from a large patch of soot on the wall next to her. Dirt...?
"Oh my, it seems I was kidnapped." Cassie said simply. She looked around. The cave was small and showed signs of a recent camp out. "Interesting. Who could possibly want to kidnap me." She thought aloud. However, amid the various fantasies of seeing the elf earlier and besting him in an over dramatic show of fighting skill she didn't even possess, the thought to walk out of the cave didn't occur to her. After all, after something had happened, it had happened, and in Cassie's mind yo could only look over your mistakes, see what you could do better, and not try to change the outcome.
Now that she thought of it, it was quite a bleak way of thinking.
Perhaps I should change my ways.... No, that would really make to sense. I've been kidnapped by a powerful warrior, and I can do nothing to change that fact. If I escape, I'll just get taken again. After all, if someone has gone to the trouble to nab me, they must want me for something.
Cassie yawned, forming little Solid Fire figures in her hand. She was still tired from training, not to mention whatever the elf had knocked her out with. A nap wouldn't hurt.
She trailed her fingers along a fore-arm length dagger, strapped to her thigh, easily able to feel it through her dress. Hm, she could still fight with that after all, even if her magic power was exhausted.
"I do wonder when my kidnapper will come back." Cassie said to herself, not knowing that somewhere not to far away, he was already on his way with yet another.
"Oh well, nothing to do then."
With that, Cassie began hummed a song to herself, and filling her mind with images of herself, fighting wildly again Frost Mages to help the Elf regain his betrothed, skirts and hair flying with fire along her sword....
zZzZzZzZ

Arion had successfully kidnapped the second girl. That left the boy from Wann and the boy from Ternola. It would be more convenient for him to capture Connor first. He had also been on the elf's schedule before Meredith. So he stood and left the two girls in the cave, restrained to keep them there. It wouldn't do any good to have the Four separated and vulnerable.

Sighing, he began making his way to Wann on his new horse.

***

By the time Arion reached Wann, it was past mid day. Cautiously, he rode in the direction of Connor's residence. He kept a weary eye on the poor people walking and sitting on the edge of the dirt paths. He was never good with unmotivated, filthy slime.

Approaching the golden-eyed boy's tree was relatively easy- considering he wasn't exactly awake. So far Arion had been having a fairly relaxing day. If the last boy was passed out or asleep, it would be easy to take him, as horrible as it sounded.

Climbing the tree was not difficult, but trying to tie Connor's hands and feet together without waking him or causing him to fall out of the tree was another story. Arion's brow was knit in frustration for the next few minutes as he restricted his third of the Four. Next came the arduous task of lowering Connor out of the tree. Though Arion was capable of small bits of each magic, he could not exactly cause a tree to grow in reverse or the ground to rise the whole way up to meet him. That left him with a short descent via jumping from the tree while carrying the boy.

He landed with a thud and did his best to absorb the impact. His right knee was a bit sore as he mounted his horse with Connor tied up on the back.

Connor woke startled as he found himself on the back of a horse. He kept his mouth shut noticing that he was captured by an elf. "Must be a bounty hunter. " he thought trying to come up with a plan as he felt his axe still on his back. He got a bit more calm happy he didn't lose it. Then he got an idea. He conjured a root up infront of the horse which when it hit caused it to lunge forward. Connor found himself that that was probably one of his most used spells. Connor then summoned some briars which cut the bindings as he hit the ground.

Connor whipped around and pulled his axe out ready for a fight. He was a bit baffled the elf didn't have white hair not even like his with the tips whitened. He ignored the thought then shouted at him. " No one disturbs my nap elf nor human and gets away with it. " he said as he held his stance monitering his oppenent's every move then he summoned three treetrunk sized vines with large grey barbs scattered over them. "If you wanna fight come at me then. " he said slyly.

The elf was presently surprised when Connor awoke and soiled his plans for a smooth escape. His horse reared up after it had tripped over the root, knocking both of them off of it. It soon galloped off, much to his dismay. There was no need to scare off an innocent animal.

Arion turned to look at the dark haired boy ad he spoke. The elf smiled a bit, amused. "If one does not wish to be disturbed from a nap, then he should not take one in the first place." He glanced at the growing vines, impressed by Connor's abilities. The elf could possibly create those as well, however his specialty lay more on the field of energy itself. The elements were mere side aspects of his magical abilities.

Still smiling, he positioned himself in a fighting stance, feet planted on the ground and spread apart. "If I come there, will you trip me with a root?" he asked, taunting his opponent. "You also have your axe where as I have a crossbow- bit no arrows."

He was eager to beat Connor in a fight, but was also aware of how quickly the Four needed to be assembled. This little stand off would have to end as quickly as it had been started.

Connor stood at the ready. "Well then I guess you had either run or grab some arrows. " he said then pushed his open palm forward as the vines lunged and slammed themselves into the elf's body. Then one grabbed his ankle in the blink of am eye and flung him into the air.Connor was getting tired as his breath got heavier. He wasn't used to using the magic out of his village and the ground was cold and harder than what he was used to. If he continued using this much magic he would faint in minutes. He had to switch to his axe but he wasn't sure how it would fair against a nimble elf like his opponent.

Arion soon found himself being flung into the air by one of the vines, after it had hit him directly in the stomach. He quickly dropped his crossbow and adjusted his position in the air, much like a cat righting itself during a fall. He turned in the air until he was on his back, then swiftly twisted again just in time to land on his feet. His knees bent to absorb the impact before he looked at Connor.

He noticed that the other boy was breathing heavily. It made his work that much easier. Arion rushed at his opponent before quickly darting to the side and sliding on the rough ground.

Connor felt the full impact of the elf as he was hit and grabbed his stomach. He gritted his teeth but kept the grin on his face. "That all ya got? " he said before swinging his axe as it released an oversized Venus fly trap which grabbed the elf in its jaws. Connor stood up taller and laughed before commanding the plant to lower its mouth then he prepared to swing his axe at the head and kill it and the elf in one blow and finish this fight.

(Sorry writers block)

Arion had barely slid to a stop when the Venus fly trap snatched him up. He was impressed by Connor's creativity and diversity of his given magic. But the elf still had a few tricks up his sleeve. He touched his fingertips to the roof of the plant's mouth and began to take the energy from it. The plant began to wither, loosening its grip on him within seconds. The elf took the opportunity to break himself free just as Connor's axe hit the plant.

"You aren't making this very easy Connor. I just want to talk to you and some friends of mine." Arion chuckled a bit, considering he didn't really have any friends. And he didn't just want to talk, but rather ensure that the Four would take down the insidious king.

Connor slammed his axe into the ground but was startled when the elf appeared outside. Connor growled and swung at the elf but the axe fell down onto the ground with a large thud. He collapsed but stood up with what little strength he had left. He staggered towards him but fell again. He heard the elf talk and was startled at the sound of his name proving the fact that it was an assassin. He grabbed his axe and propped himself up with it. "You've not come to talk more of which to give me to your king. Good luck with me dead." he said with a sly smile. He dropped the axe and saluted to the elf before conjuring a vine to hold the blade upwards. "See ya in hell." he said as he fainted and dropped to the ground his axe grazing his neck but he was still alive, a small trickle of blood running down onto the cold ground.

Arion watched silently as Connor sank to the ground before one last hurrah. Though he was still alive it would not do to have him bleeding like this. The elf approached the boy cautiously, before gently touching his fingertips to the other's neck. The blood dried quickly before starting to form a scab. Arion could not fully heal the wound, but he could at least close it and accelerate the healing process. But doing so took both his acquired energy from the plant and his own.

Looking around, he wondered how he would get Connor to the cave now. The horse was not coming back and Arion was in no mood to drag the boy with him. Grumbling to himself, he picked up Connor and began walking through the forest, being sure to stay in the shadows when he came near a busy road.

Eventually he arrived back at his little home. With the boy in tow, the elf opened the "door" to the cave. It was really just a weaker part of rock that could easily be moved from the rest of the cave. He dropped Connor in before jumping down himself.

It was another short walk until he reached the room where Cassandra and Meredith were. A light flow of energy was keeping them from escaping the room and he was a bit surprised to see that they were awake.

Arion created another "door" in the flow which was fueled by a mix of elements and his own will power. He tossed Connor in before sealing the flow again.

"I'm sorry for the informal meeting, but I have a tight schedule," he commented. He began walking off, intent on getting the last of the Four.

Cassandra

"Um, Cassie, did you know about this wall? It seems this elf isn't ordinary."

The brown haired teen nodded and tilted her head at the wall. "No, just noticed it now, though it's obviously some form of energy magic. Very unordinary indeed."

No more than a few seconds after her statement, the familiar if slightly foggy face of the kidnapper-elf appeared behind the energy wall. The wall disappeared and a boy about Cassie and Meredith's age was thrown onto the floor in front of it. The elf then resealed the wall before either girl could make a move.
"I'm sorry for the informal meeting, but I have a tight schedule," The elf than walked off quickly.

Cassie sprang to her feet and rushed over to the crumpled teenager. She turned him gently onto his back.
"Meredith, he's been cut!" She pointed out, gesturing to the other girl. Other than that the boy seemed fine. Just passed out.
Feeling brave, Cassie shook him gently. When that didn't work, her brow furrowed and she slapped his cheeks lightly.
"Hey! Wake up sleepy head." She prodded. Not having the desired effect of waking him up, Cassie lit a small spark her on finger and prodded on his exposed collar bone.
His eyes sprang open and the girl noticed his eyes were just as gold as her and Merediths'- before he freaked out.

Arion had reached Terola. His hopes of protecting the last of the Four from a frost mage attack had been destroyed as he came across the body of the first two magi, knocked back a few yards from the third. He inspected the bodies, seeing the tears in their clothing. Walking to the next body, he looked up to see Naveah turning and leaving.

This boy was his favourite by far- he was more reserved than the others and like Arion himself. If he had a purpose, he seemed to stick to it as the elf had observed in the past few days as he traversed Calor in search of the Four. He knew he had an interesting hero in his hands, but variety was good wasn't it?

"Naveah," the elf called gently while walking towards him. "You look as if you've lost something." The elf stopped and looked the boy directly in the eyes. "Of course, not all lost things are found. But which do we remember more- what is lost or what is found?"

Naveah turned slowly to meet the gaze of Arion and simply smiled.

"We remember those things which we find for they have the potential to become lost again," Naveah replied to the question Arion had asked. "I'm assuming you've been searching for me, how else would you know my name?"

Naveah grip tightened around his sword, but he did not feel any malice from this elf, merely a want to complete a mission. He couldn't help but feel as if this elf would lead him to something he may be looking for. His golden eyes shimmered as he examined the elf in front of him. He was at least four or five years his senior which only made Naveah eager to know who this elf was and how he knew who he was.

"So what brings you to Terola wandering warrior?" Naveah asked.

Arion merely smiled as the boy answered. He had an interesting perception on life. The elf then found himself nodding to Naveah's first question. He could tell that Naveah didn't feel nearly as threatened by him as Connor had. At least, he hadn't taken a swing at him yet. That was good news in two ways- he trusted him already to some extent albeit small and Arion would not have to be forced to fight with only his hands. He'd left his crossbow back in the cave and well out of reach of the captured three. He made a mental note to carve more arrows when he got the chance.

"You are correct in saying that I have been searching for you. Why though I cannot tell you until you meet a few friends of mine." Arion chuckled again at the mention of his so called 'friends'. "They are waiting for us at my home- in the center of Calor. If you do not come willingly, I will be forced to take extreme offensive measures to ensure that you come with me."

Naveah listened attentively to the elf. It was possible that this particular being could lead him to the others like him, but it was also possible that this man worked for the King and could very well lead him to an ambush, or worse. Though everything in him was telling him to create a diversion and flee, Naveah simply smiled and walked up to Arion. He exhaled when he was only a foot from the male and simply smiled.

"There is no need for hostility nor blind threats. I will go with you solely by choice, but I warn you if this is some sort of trick....." Naveah began as the wind suddenly picked up. Dust and debris lifted into the air around them, Naveah's eyes shimmering as he glared at the elf. In a blur of movement Naveah had unsheathed the sword and slashed the air, sending a current straight passed Arion, striking a boulder before dissipating.

At first it seemed as if nothing had happened, as if Naveah was simply playing with the wind, but when Naveah smirked, the boulder fell into two pieces and that was when Naveah sheathed his sword and nodded, "I trust I've made myself clear? Let us go as I'm sure the King will be searching for the one responsible for the untimely death of his magi."

Arion's gaze never moved from Naveah's eyes. He was intrigued by the maturity this character had, by what his potential was above the others. He was no doubt the elf's favourite, especially considering the other three seemed a bit less than happy to find themselves in a mysterious cave after passing out. Once the last of the Four was done with his little presentation, the elf nodded and turned without a word.

The sun was beginning to set and they needed to get back to the others soon. He simply did not trust those three alone in his home. For all he knew, it was completely destroyed (though it was beyond him how they would get past the energy wall) and he would return to find all of his work lost. All he wanted to was to help these Four and the rest of Calor.

After a few minutes of walking, he spoke without turning to face his companion. "Many of these frost magi have died, but an equal balance requires one to live and one to die... or vice versa. Choose the right one."

Naveah followed behind the elf, giving the elf a slight lead but for reasons that were his own. As they walked, he could only wonder about the "friends" the elf wanted him to meet. He hoped it was the others like him. He was eager to sit down and talk to a water mage, a fire mage and a earth mage. It was intriguing to know about their magic and how they utilized it. Being the spawn of a Air and Psychic Mage made things quite interesting, but Naveah had always managed to learn and excel in the arts his parents and the elders of Terola taught him. As he walked, he heard the elf speak and listened quietly.

After the elf finished, Naveah looked at him and simply sighed.

"I know not what it is you are asking of me elf. Explain!"

Arion looked at Naveah and couldn't help but smile. "One of our friends has more than just one elemental magic. Don't let him die, or the King may have an even greater advantage over us." He turned his eyes back to the narrow trail they were walking on and said no more. Right now he really just wanted to get hime before the other three did something stupid like light themselves on fire.