Connor Jankro's Story

Connor woke up in his usual tree. He jumped out and brushed himself off as he slowly woke up. He lived in one of the few spots warm enough for his magic to work with no effort. He pulled a pear off a nearby tree and took a large bite from it. He quickly devoured the fruit. He threw the core to the ground as it rotted away leaving nothing behind. He picked up his Ba-Axe and slung it over his back and went out of his clearing. He made it into the village and began to look around. He saw something that caught his eye. He saw three frost mages carrying a large case with a huge diamond inside. Connor hatched his plan and caused a root to pop from the ground and trip one of the mages. The case fell and the diamond fell onto the ground as the glass shattered. Connor grabbed the palm sized rock and smirked at the fallen mages. " Nice gem I think I'll take it. " he said as he ran off. They tried to follow but they quickly lost track as Connor made it back to his clearing with the gem as he walked to his mother's grave and placed it at the head of the grave with a few others. He stood up admiring it and smiled. " Love ya mom. " he said as he walked back to his tree and tried to grow one a bit away from it so he could make a hammock. It was one of the few spells he couldn't cast fully but he was getting there. He conjured a small sapling and grinned as he tried to make it grow larger.

Connor sighed as he managed to grow the sapling to about three years of regular growth. " It's a start. " he said as he stood up. He pulled his cloak to cover his face. His black hair was covered the silver tips left out giving him somewhat of the appearance of a frost mage. He walked out of the forest and into town. It was the poorest province and the crime hub of Calor. There were few good souls in here but Connor always liked to keep them out of trouble.

He walked through and saw the frost mages looking for him asking around some of the other villagers. Connor smirked and conjured a vine around one of the mages torso and constrict him causing the others to try and freeze the plant as their comrad was slowly suffocating as they froze the vine and shattered it with ones sword. Connor laughed hartdley along with other villagers as the mages screamed " Shut up all of you !!! " they screamed as the leader pointed to a girl who looked around five and prepared to freeze her. Connor sprung up as the blast was released as he grew a large rose about the size of a tree. The blast hit it casing it in a beautiful glass-like coating. Connor flipped his hood off and pulled out his ba-axe. " I'm the one you want don't hurt these people. " he shouted as he swung at one with the back his axe knocking them back. The others pulled out their swords and swung but Connor blocked with the handle of his axe. He grabbed one with a vine and flung him into the leader knocking m out as the leader threw his comrad off him. He charged at Connor head on and Connor swung at the same time the Mage did. The blade snapped on the sword as it klanked to the ground and Connor kicked him to the ground and held his axe to his neck. " Tell you king to get out of Wann" he said as he pulled the axe back and the Mage scrambled out of the town. Connor put the axe back and walked to the market for the supplies he had originally came for as if it had never happened.

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.

Connor jolted up as he felt the flame touch his skin. He got into stance and released two vines grabbing the girls. " So this is hell I thought it would be bigger. " he said then grabbed his head in pain. The energy he had used before was coming back but it was still extremely low. He kept a hold on the girls and constricted them with the vines. " Who the hell are you ? " he shouted as he stood back up.

He wasn't quite sure where he was but he was coincident he wasn't dead meaning he hadn't killed himself with his axe. Then it hit him his axe was gone and he panicked in his mind thinking of what would happen if had lost all his power and had to use a weapon then he would be screwed in a battle. He didn't like the thought of fighting without it but he might have to.

Cassandra

Cassie sprung back as the boy awoke, scrambling to his feet and using earth magic to conjure up some vines, that quickly wrapped around the two girls. He made a comment about hell that the curly haired girl scowled at, about to make a retort that the cave hadn't been hell before he got there, but he decided to scream inquires first.
"Who the hell are you ?" He yelled, rather loudly Cassie might add. Meredith jumped in on the shouting before spraying the boy with conjured water. Cassie was glad. Though her magic energy was nearly all back, she didn't want to deplete it so fast as to burn out of his vines. She was happy Meredith had taken care of it.
The vines quickly lowered as the boy was surprised and Meredith helped the chocolate teen out of her own bonds.
Glancing up, she saw the boy had gold eyes as well. What a coincidence. Though it couldn't be, she decided. That seemed to be the reason they were here, each of their unique element affinities and golden eyes.

"My name is Meredith Whitebough. Of Redlin. Who are you? The elf brought us all here, and I think for a reason."

"I'm Cassandra Metzipar Claren, from Sirdet, though everyone calls me Cassie. We're not your enemy's, like Meredith said, an elf with magic kidnapped us and brought us here. I didn't think when I sparked you, I just wanted you to wake up." The girl bowed slightly, head down in apology. Then she glanced up with a faraway look in her eyes, thinking for a moment, before moving back to the small area she had woken up laying on. She sat down giving the edgy boy and Meredith a small smile.

"As the bard Vigante sang, 'Those united by uncommon call, a unity formed, an alliance is drawn...' Anyway, we need to be friends to figure out whats going on, and the reason we're here. Sit down?"

Cassie spurred a small fire to life in front of her, creating images in the flame with a few finger twists. She thought about the other two in the cave with her, and why they all might be there... but was distracted by thoughts of how they had gotten kidnapped. Her head cocked sideways and she starred dreamily into the distance, in a rather awkward way.

Meredith had probably taken part in a raging battle in a lost undersea kingdom where she lived with merfolk, who taught her the art of water magic! When attacked by the elf, the ocean had come to life around her in an epic battle, but though she had been about to win, her powers gave out and the elf was able to grab her before any merfolk could rescue her... oh how devastated they must be!
And this boy! He was a rogue forest leader, starting a rebellion to take down the frost king! While battling a small army of frost mages with his rebel fighters, he was hit by a blade to the neck from behind! The ice mages than captured him and healed him, hoping to take the boy to the Frost King for a reward, when he suddenly broke free! While making a daring escape, the elf managed to knock him out easily, since the guy was still a bit injured.

The fire mage quickly snapped out of her thoughts as she realized her small fire had spread steadily outwards in a melted sort of circle in her lapse of concentration. She quickly pulled the rogue flames back to together and mentally hit herself.
Now's no time for dreaming Cassie! Shame on you.

Then she looked back to the others hoping they didn't think her too strange.

Connor nodded and retracted the vines. "Very well but let's get one thing straight, I won't let myself get taken alive again. " he pointed to his neck. " A failed suicide attempt before the elf captured me. " he sat down. "Name's Connor I'm from Wann. " he didn't like the fire girl when she flashed it uout in all directions forcing him back a bit. He sensed she was the nicer of the two but she was still a bit unstable and he was disturbed by her because of his nature. He was an Earth mage and fire was his biggest weakness. The other girl was a water mage and seemed a bit more hostile because of her blasting him. He didn't want to stay with either of them but they seemed to be stuck inside this hellhole. "So how'd he get you two? " he said his legs crossed and his head lowered.

Cassandra listened with rapt attention as Connor then Meredith explained how the elf had kidnapped them. Not as dramatic as she envisioned, but still a good battle tail. She flushed a little as she explained her own situation.
"Well, I was walking back from training, and um, he ambushed me and knocked me out with some herbs." Noticing how weak that sounded, she added, "He was really fast."

She accepted a piece of the dried meat from Meredith, sticking the hand that held it into the flame to soften it and give it some more flavor. When it was slightly sizzling, she bit into it, not capable of burning her mouth. In fact, Cassie couldn't get burned at all except from extremely hot fire, and deffinetly not by her own, which kind of explained her sticking her arm into the makeshift campfire.
She smiled at Meredith. "This is good! You should have some Connor, food helps get over suicidal tendencies." It was a bit playful, but her voice still sounded vaguely distracted. The fire mage was always like this, usually halfway lost in her thoughts. She glanced at Meredith's eyes, then Connors, then thought of her own. Then she figured that if Connor was an Earth mage, Meredith a water and she a fire, they were missing someone.

"Hey guys? I think it's a bit more then coincidental that we all have gold eyes, and not to mention we control three of the four elements." She chewed on her meat mulling a thought over. "Do you think the elf went to get a wind mage, with gold eyes?" She shrugged, just putting out the point. "Either way, whenthe elf comes back i say we gang up on him and demand answers. Other than just getting free, I want to know why he kidnapped us."

Connor nodded as Cassandra explained herself. "He is fast he got away from my Venus fly trap and my vines. " he nodded to the fire mage and took a piece of meat. " Thank you Meredith. " he said with a slight smile. He was feeling better and in so his mood. "Your right it is good better than the rat that I usually have to eat if I want meat. " he laughed "I'm mostly vegan for that reason but I eat meat when I want to. " he looked around the barren cave and tried to look for an exit. He found none and sighed. "Okay attacking him will be useful but I'm gonna be relatively useless in straight battle without my axe so one of you have to and me and the other girl can provide support, what do ya think it'll work we just have to do it right. "

Connor shrugged at the question of how to knock the elf down. " All I used was a simple root trick knocked him off his horse and swung my axe after grabbing him with my vines. " he growled slightly and though of his axe and got angry. He would travel to his death as long as he got his axe. He grew growled louder and gripped his fists tighter. The room got a page chI'll in the room and frost grew on his finger tips. He opened his eyes and realized the cold. " Uh I'm sorry I just had a bit of an anger surge. " he lowered his head ashamed them looked up and held his hands to the warm fire to defrost freeze burned fingers he had.

Connor sighed and looked up at the blue haired girl. "My true magic is Earth, but sadly I am cursed with the evil magic of frost. " he growled and stood up his hands defrosted and hit the rock wall as hard as he could to get his anger out which left a large hole in the wall. "My mother was young and foolish. Very kind to all feeding some by growing the few crops our soil could supply. She didn't have a glamerous life but it was a good one. Until the frost mages came. " he growled but slowed his breathing. " She was naive and tried to reason with them. They just abused her... " he bit his bottom lip as a few tears rolled out but they froze on his cheeks. " After a few years I was born, my father a frost mage. I was small and took after my mother's dainty body so they left me with her to die but I had survived somehow. She tried to teach me the ways of her magic and taught me minimal magic and the strength charm she herself used. " he looked down at his palm and gripped the green rune. "She was found teaching me by a mage who was stopping by for his turn with her and she was convicted and publicly executed. " the tears flowed a bit more and he sob slightly but tried to stop himself. "Then I was forced out of my home where I learned how to live from my magic. I use my mother's axe to this day as a tribute and when I grew large enough and got somewhat good at my magic I faced the remaining and killed them slowly. The only that dare to go through my town now go through quickly and silently. " he realized how much he had talked and stopped. " Sorry I always talk to much on this subject. " he sighed and shook his head.

Cassie listened to the other two mages stories, eyes wide and freely rimmed with tears. She had never been through anything as tragic as Connor, or Meredith for that matter. Though she wasn't exactly welcomed into the warmest of households at least her parents were alive.

"Have you ever lost anyone... That you love?" Meredith whispered to her, and Cassie just looked at the ground.
"I don't really know what love is I don't think. I've never left my village and there I'm not exactly welcome. Even my parents would rather do without me... Oh, but you both-" She broke off as she hiccuped, a result from trying to keep her sobs subdued. "I'm so sorry for what you've been through."

Cassie was a deep girl. Though she was very absent minded, she cared about other people, and right now, she was very upset for her two fellow captives.


(Sorry I've been and am pretty busy :/ )