Elsinor Tarqqantes

"There is something so very dull about certain death nowadays. Don't you think, Evora?"

Upon evaluation of the other mages conscripted into the Trials, I have decided that Evora, daughter of Antimony, a phytomancer and dull as day, is my greatest threat. Which, of course, means that I must keep her by my side at all times. The moment I laid eyes on her, I realized that if she were to grow her own train of thought, she could became a danger; the best way to stop this is to stay by her and make her I stifle all individuality. She must believe she should always be told what to think, no matter her self-righteousness.

"I still think we should collect supplies," says Evora. "How are we supposed to survive without food or water?"

"We are on an island, aren't we?"

"Yes, but what about food?

"You can make plants grow, can't you?"

"Yes, but -"

"Sleeping arrangements? I'm sure that between moss and shadows, we can find plenty of comfort. We're witches, and remembering that is what's going to push us through this. There is no need to resort to physical alterations, dearie."

She frowns. "I'm not sure how comfortable I am with -"

"The nickname?" I laugh. "I know."

Evora rolls her eyes and sits down, and it isn't difficult for me to know that she's frustrated with me; that she thinks of me as little more than a petulant narcissist, and that this is the way in which she plans on taken me out. She wants to feed my ego and do as I say, and she expects me to fall into a routine and underestimate her. Ultimately, Evora, daughter of Antimony, believes that she can get into my head and exploit what she believes to be a weakness I have in order to, soon enough, kill me.

The problem with any half-decent strategy is that the odds are that there is someone else around who has a strategy of their own. That it's almost certain that, while you're planning on a way to get past them, they're planning a way to let you pass them and trip you on the way as to surpass you once more when you're down. Success requires more than thinking a move or two ahead; winners are those who think ten steps ahead, ready for a multitude of upcoming scenarios.

There is a girl in the distance, running towards the supplies - she is not the first to run, but she was clever enough to make a snap decision and run for supplies. I know her name, of course, but it doesn't matter; she doesn't matter. She is just another of many faces still running to grab supplies which will make their time in the Trials easier. They don't realize, of course, that this is all going to blow up on their face. The time we spent in the Trials is not meant to be comfortable, and they would not give us a means of making it so if any good were to come out of it.

Safe in the shadows, I do not have to worry about the world around me as it becomes filled with fighting and violence. I sit on a throne made of darkness, tangible only due to my will, my eyes focused on the girl whose name does not matter. It should not matter, either, how she looks. Only the way in which she acts - with a nervous, yet sure, disposition - should be described, and, as she picks up a pack of some sorts and heads back up the mountain, there is very little of that to be said.

As she turns around, however, there is something that seems to grab her foot and pull the girl back down, further towards the bottom of the crater: a shadow. Evora raises an eyebrow and I smile at her, watching as the girl lands on the ground, unsure as to what has happened to her. She looks around, but does not see me; I am too far away for her to see where it is that I am seated.

"What was the point of that?"

I grin. "There is no way that these supplies are safe to try and obtain; I expect that, soon enough, all of this will blow up in the poor thing's face."

She begins to run up the mountain again, now far behind all of those who seem to be leaving it now, running in every which direction to keep themselves protected. There is a faint light in the distance, and a warmth coming towards me, and soon enough there is a flow of lava bursting from the mountain, engulfing the girl. A scream echoes within the night as I can only imagine the lava sears off her skin.

"I must admit, Evora: when I said that this would blow up in her face, I wasn't expecting my words to be quite so literal."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gajeel Ressaog

Gajeel woke with a newfound strength that he hadn't possessed before. Energy surged through him—more than just his magical energy. Smoothly standing to his feet, his eyes glazed around the entire beach. Despite the bodies that were littered there, all seemed peaceful.

Where's the magic energy coming from? Gajeel wondered. Ah, he thought when he found it.

There, towering high in what appeared to be the center of the jungle, was a volcano. Gajeel couldn't tell if it was dormant or not, but smoke barreled from the top in great waves. Joining the smoke was a flare of magic energy. It pulsed and danced in the air, invisible, yet Gajeel could see it perfectly.

Or rather, he could sense it. Time to go check it out, he thought. The jog up toward the volcano was strangely peaceful. Animals and creatures scurried through the trees as the sun beat down on the land furiously. Sweat beaded on Gajeel's brow, and he wiped it away with a quick flourish of his hand.

To his display, he didn't encounter any other mages along his trek. His blood boiled and thundered inside of him, aching for another fight. Seriously, is no one heading toward the giant volcano spouting magic energy? he thought to himself.

He almost laughed at himself. No, Gajeel. You're the only one brave or idiotic enough to dare attempt such a task, especially in the middle of the Mage Trials.

As he neared the base of the volcano, the green leafy ground of the jungle floor disappeared, replaced by dark, hardened rock and gravel. Pebbled stuck to the bottom of his boots, and the air slowly began to feel heavy and thick.

But there was nothing. No animals or creatures, certainly no tributes, no barriers or other forms of magical energy whatsoever.

Frowning, he searched the bottom for a good path up to the top. I'll just have to get closer then, won't I? Distantly, he knew hiking to the volcano's cone edge was probably stupid, but excitement and thrill compelled him forward.

The closer he climbed to the top, the stronger the magical energy got. He stopped a few times for a rest—he hadn't drank any water in almost a day, and it was starting to catch up with him. His tongue felt thick and his throat was raw and felt like sandpaper had scraped it. When his stomach growled, he tried pushing back feelings of fatigue and nausea that threatened to surface.

Looking down below, he could finally see a few straggling mages climbing their way up the volcano. Whatever is here, I have to reach it first, Gajeel thought.

Once he reached the top, Gajeel coughed. Ash rained down around him, adding layer upon layer of thick, blackness that swirled around him. Smoke consumed the world, making it hard to breathe. When he glanced at his hands, they were so covered in ash that he looked black. He was winded, and it was difficult to stand.

Cautiously, he eased to the edge of the cone. Inside at the bottom, floating on the hot, boiling magma below, were stone boats. Orange and red blurred together, and heat surged Gajeel's clothes. He was covered in a thick layer of sweat by then, making breathing even harder than it already was. Bubbles jumped up and danced out from the pit of lava below him. From what he could see, the boats contained weapons. Scattered throughout crevices and ledges on the way down into the pit, were various supplies.

How in the world am I supposed to get down there to get the supplies, while staying alive? Gajeel wondered. With an ironic laughed, he realized that was probably the test that the Guardians were putting them through; getting much-needed supplies while staying alive.

Nice.

An idea formed in his mind, as he put pieces of it together like a puzzle. It wasn't much of one, but then again, he had never been one to think anything through.

Well, screw it. With those three thoughts, Gajeel took a breath and jumped into the heart of the volcano.

Wind surged at him, but it was hot. So hot it seemed to singe his close and seep into his very bones and pores. More than anything he just wanted a nice cool bath, but considering that he was jumping into a volcano, he knew that wasn't happening anytime soon.

Closing his eyes as his heart raced and adrenaline pumped through his racing blood, he felt the familiar pool of energy in his chest. He brought it to the surface, and pushed it outward and into his hands.

"Light boosters!" He clenched his hands into fists and kept them straight at his sides. White light exploded from his fists, shooting downward three feet. The spell created enough force to allow him to semi-sort of aim the direction of his landing.

He was falling to fast to fully see anything at all except a blur of orange, red, brown and grey, but he took his best guessed and could only hope that it was a boat.

His feet slammed into it so hard, he groaned and gritted his teeth. The air around him was even thicker than before, and it burned every single thing that it touched. Magma jumped around him and the boat, as if desperately trying to touch him. Heat licked at his skin, clawing and tearing.

Probably should have done something about that, Gajeel thought to himself as he groaned out loud. It was times like these that made him hate his recklessness and thoughtlessness.

"Light shield!" He drew up his hands around him in a circle, and in the same moment energy burst from them, creating a bubble of light to protect him from the heat.

As soon as it enclosed around him, he sighed in relief. The heat was somewhat gone, and it was much easier to breathe than before. His skin still burned, and the sweat that poured all over him only added to the pain.

Inside the boat, was a sword. Grinning, he picked up the sword and sheath, along with the belt that accompanied it, and slipped the belt around his waist. Once he made sure the sword was secure in its' sheath, he glanced around him. Just above his head, resting on a ledge on the wall on his right, was a backpack.

He couldn't keep the shield up for long, so he had no choice but to grab the bag and hope it was filled with water and food. Carefully using his left hand to keep up the shield, he formed his right hand into a fist and called forth his light boosters. Or one of them, anyway.

He shot up into the air, and managed to snag the bag with his left leg. The shield dropped, but he slipped the bag over his left shoulder and joined with his right hand with the other booster.

"Plasma burst!" Gajeel jerked his head to the left just in time to see another mage, Dhruva al Thea, casting a ball of burning energy his way. Dhruva was on another boat in front of the one Gajeel had been on, and because he had to direct and cast the spell upward, Gajeel had time to fly above it with his light boosters.

"Tendrils of light!" Gajeel shouted, throwing his hands forward to form a slight curve. White light danced and slithered out like a snake and smacked Dhruva several times in the chest and face. As light wrapped around his ankle, he grunted and changed his stance.

Just then realizing the hand-movement and attack he had cast meant his boosters had stopped, Gajeel twisted to the left and managed to land on the ledge on his left side.

"Burning vapor!" With those words, the air around Gajeel heated and the temperature grew. His skin ached and burned; he felt as if he was on fire.

Screaming, he rolled toward the wall, desperately trying to escape the invisible inferno that engulfed him. Pain soon became torturous agony, such that Gajeel couldn't escape.

"Spectrum!" Gajeel shouted. He shifted his wrists, directing the spell downward. He didn't know for sure, but he hoped the spell would have enough force to throw him up and out of the volcano.

Light exploded from his body, temporarily blinding any who was within view of it. It surged from him, pulsing and dancing inside him. His blood raced and surged, and the energy inside strengthened him.

He almost made it to the top. At the last second, his right hand came up and found a handhold along the wall he was closest to. Fortunately, he had long enough arms to reach it. With an agonized groan, he reached up with his left hand and pulled himself up and over the cone.

The earth rumbled and shook underneath him. Small rocks jumped and danced, sliding down the hill below him. Gajeel frowned, watching them as he rested against it on his stomach.

An explosion louder than thunder erupted behind him. Heat and fire radiated in every direction, jumping, pulsating, throbbing.

He turned his head to see the volcano erupting from behind him.

Oh, crap.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aria Gracen

Red.

Before Aria was chosen for the Trials, she never liked red. The color was too bright, too vibrant. It was one of the reasons she despised the Craoragian tradition of dyeing hair red by the age of eighteen. She preferred a color that gave off a homey feel – light brown, perhaps, the same color as Antonia. Or maybe an indigo blue, the same color as the night sky back in Craorag.

But now, wherever Aria looked, she saw red. The sandy beach, stunningly white a few hours before, were soaked with crimson blood of the fallen. The forest was full of brilliant, exotic – and most likely, poisonous – flowers, some scarlet petals catching the morning light. The lava gently spewing out of the volcano's sides was red. Actually, to be more accurate, the magma was orange-red, with crusts of black like a piece of burned bread. It was gruesome, to say the least, and Aria struggled not to turn tail and flee back to the forests. Everything that had happened so far had made her head pound. The Uyrel curse. The white dove swooping in to save her out of nowhere, then disappearing once again. She battled with her thoughts, questioning her sanity.

Aria smiled slightly as she continued her trek up the rocky mountainside. I nearly got killed, got saved by a magical white dove, and now I'm climbing a volcano? She almost wanted to laugh, though she knew this was neither the place nor time to be giggling. Good god, what is wrong with me? Atlanta's the sane one. Didn't want to come.

The beautiful, dangerous red lava winded it's way down the slopes of the mountain like a river, and Aria was smart enough to stay on the side of the volcano were the lava streams didn't flow. The mountain's crater was growing larger with every step Aria took, and with it, so did the heat. Beads of sweat ran down her forehead as Aria labored up the steep mountainside, breath ragged and expression one of determination and weariness. She had sensed the magical pulse from the stratovolcano in the morning, and despite Atlanta's pleas that it was a trap, had decided to come. And judging by the fact that she had already caught sight of a group of tributes during her hike, she knew others were here too.

Puff, pant, puff, pant – as she neared the rim of the shuddering mountain, each breath was harder to take and even harder to get out. The air thinned, making Aria gasp, but when she did hot dust and ash flowed into her open mouth. She stopped behind a gigantic boulder, leaning on the rock to get her strength back, her keen pigeon-blue eyes catching sight of several ordinary weapons scattered every which way on the uneven, stony ground. A clamor of voices reached her ears a second later, and suddenly afraid, Aria ducked behind her boulder.

A small group of tributes passed her hiding spot, too concentrated on getting to the top of the volcano to notice her. Aria only recognized one of them – Garnet al Thea, of Aavayoh. The beauty with a bone craving in her raven hair seemed lost in thought, until one of her comrades stood on the rim of the volcano and yelled so loud that even Aria could hear it. "Magical weapons! On stone boats! Come on, I think we're the first ones here. Let's get them."

Garnet perked up immediately, hurrying after her friend. Aria stood rigid and still as a statue, trying her hardest to blend into the background. As Garnet passed the boulder where she was hiding behind, Aria once again felt the magical pulse radiate off the mountain, the same one she had sensed when she awoke. Frowning, Aria stepped out into the light of the sun once she assumed that Garnet and her allies were too absorbed in the 'magical weapons' to notice her, and bit her lip. On one hand, there were no more magi as far as she could see, and curiosity was driving her to at least take a peek at what was inside the crater. On the other hand, however, Aria had a strange, nagging feeling in her heart that something bad was about to happen. After all, was Atlanta right? Was this really a trap? So the girl bided her time, nervously watching as Garnet started her descent into the volcano's hollow, lava-filled bowl.

A few minutes ticked by, with Aria observing from her boulder in anticipation, waiting for the time that Garnet would resurface out of the volcano's red pocket. If Garnet did, then Aria would wait until they had left and go and get some supplies herself – giving that no one would discover her, anyways. More minutes ticked by, and Garnet was still not reappearing. Her allies were standing around the rim, looking over the ridge, when one of the screamed and scrambled backwards.

The volcano pulsed once more, and Aria's stomach dropped.

An explosion. An explosion of red and orange and yellow burst into the chilly morning air, a plume of ash pouring out of the gaping hole. Lava – hot, molten lava – exploded into the air and burning everything that it touched. Garnet was not coming back now. She, the beautiful red rock, had been consumed by the beautiful red liquefied rock, and Aria knew that she would be next if she didn't get a move on. Her desperate blue irises connected to the lush greenery of the forest below, and she felt a fiery hotness prickle the hairs on the back of her neck.

She ran.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elysia Brisa

"The first brave soul had entered the Volcano, good luck and remember! You only have 10 minutes!" I jolt out of my bed made of leaves and to the sound of Tigaern's voice signalling the start of something.

Oh shit, I have to get to the volcano. I scramble up from the ground, fumbling with my puzzle piece as I bolt across the jungle floor. I feel the wind picking up beneath me, carrying me towards to pulsing, angry volcano in the distance.

I let go and collapse at the top of the volcano, tumbling to stop. I lay on my back panting from the flight. Fuck almighty. I feel so tired and drained. Shit, I haven't done that since my vigilante days.

"Kid, hurry up, there's guards outside!" I run out of the bedroom, carrying as much gold as I could; I should have brought a bigger bag. Down the stairs I see three guards busting down the door, their red hair lighting a spark of anger in me. I sense the lack of magic flowing from them. Humans, really? What do they think we are, a couple of amateurs?

I turn from the stairway and run into the family's study, "Great job Amity!".

She turns and gives me a toothy smile, this kid is too cute. She's telekinetic, which comes in handy picking locks and opening safes. I took her in a couple of years ago after her family died in a fire, I mean shit, what was I supposed to do? Here's this girl who's five years younger than me with no family and no one to look after her. I couldn't just leave her, she'd die out here.

It's a shame she found out how awful the world really is at such a young age.

"Grab the more valuable gems and let's get out of here before the guards figure out we're up here, okay?."

Amity gives me a thumbs up and gives me an enthusiastic "Okay!" while she fits as much as she can in the bag.

She attempts to tidy up the room, but I will the wind to push her towards me,"We don't have time, let's go." I hear the guards shout from the floor below us, oh shit they're coming up.

I push them back down the stairs and grab Amity's hand, heading towards the back room and hoping that our ladder is still there. I burst through the door to see guards standing three stories below us with their guns pointed at upwards and my rope ladder laying in a heap beneath the window.

I slam the door shut and hold it there, keeping the guards out. I hear them pounding and I feel my energy draining from this. It's too high to jump. Oh fuck oh fuck.

I feel Amity crushing my hand, looking up at me with tears streaming from her big doll eyes. I squeeze her hand back. Oh man I gotta think of something fast, I can't hold this door much longer. I look back down at her again and this time she's not the only one crying.

"I'm so sorry." I whisper to her as I release the door and launch myself off the window sill.

"Elysia!" She screams.

I can hear how hurt she is, but I can't look back. Lesson number one; the world doesn't owe you shit, no one's gonna save you in the real world. She's gotta learn to look after herself just like I did.

The guards are still chasing after me and they won't let up. I start a slow dive when I duck into the forest, but I get knocked out of the air before I reach the cover of the trees. I didn't see the branch because of the tears clouding my vision.

"This way!" I hear a guard shout, I scramble to my feet only to realize that I broke my ankle. I'm too weak to use the wind again, before I can get anywhere I feel a calloused hand squeeze my forearm.

"Looks like we found the second half of our little vigilante group. Your ex partner in crime isn't too pleased with you." The guard says with a wicked smile. I stop trying to stay conscious and I let myself fall into the tiresome abyss.

I hear them announcing the 5 minute mark and I wearily start making my way down the slope, most of the stuff up here is already gone. Although, I do manage to find a bag and a quiver full of arrows. There's no bow, but I can make it work.

I jump to the level directly below me and surprise, there's nothing useful. I barely have the energy to go any further. This is gonna cost me dearly, but I decide to make my way back to the top. I grab a small box with gauze and some sort of medicinal herb and start climbing up.

As soon as I reach the top, I feel myself being dragged back by my bag, I turn and see a bloodied Gajeel trying to pull me back into the volcano. I jab him in the face with my elbow until he backs off and he slips over edge, landing on the platform below us.

The volcano starts trembling violently. "That's the sign that you better hurry out of the volcano, kiddos!" I look down as a swarm of my rivals begin climbing back up.

Gajeel's struggling to climb up, but I think he broke his arm down there. "Come help my Elysia! It's your fault that I'm down here, I just need help getting to the surface!".

I highly doubt that, but he did save me. So I guess I do owe him.

No Elysia; look after yourself first. If you go down there then you're guaranteed to die with him.

"You can't keep running away from your problems, Elysia!". Amity...

I turn around and use what little strength I have to push him up to the surface with the wind. I start struggling more when I see Vistorice grabbing onto Gajeel's leg, but before I can do anything, Gajeel kicks him off and he falls into the lava pit with a sickening sizzle.

Gajeel lands somewhat gracefully at the top of the volcano. My back slams against the barrier, looking out across the forest. This is getting to be too much for me. Gajeel slumps down next to me.

"Thanks for that." He smiles at me. I can't believe it. He actually looks like he's having fun. "No problem" I say, my voice barely above a whisper. Other tributes begin leaving the area, but I just sit here. I feel completely numb.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, there's always another chance to not be such a failure next time." I look up and they're already walking away. They look like they're from Craorag, especially with their shoulder length red hair. I don't even attempt to come up with a sarcastic response. I can't keep doing this.

Gajeel gives me a hand to help me up, but I just ignore it. I slowly stand up and start making my way down the slope. Once at the bottom, I look up and see the lava erupting from the volcano.

I go back to my hideout to sleep this all off. Who am I kidding, I could sleep for a lifetime and it still wouldn't make anything better. I lay down on my bed of leaves and try to sleep. This place is actually really pretty when we're not all trying to kill each other.

Amity would have loved this place.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vistorice Morale

The sky of the island was dim at dawn, darker than what I used to know as my home. It was early, and my body definitely felt the fatigue of it. The night had dragged on without remorse for the events in the preceding day, unconcerned for the stains of mind. I myself felt fogged like the air, prepared to clear, but unwilling to learn how. I didn't want to open my eyes and subject myself to whatever the Guardians wanted me to do next. I didn't want be where I was, simple as that.

I didn't even know where I was. Simply, that the sun didn't affect the back of my eyelids, because the shadow of trees blocked the rays of light. The dirt of earth's litter rubbed off on my exposed skin, but I was content to let it smudge. The oxygen felt foreign as I breathed heavily, in and out, slowly. If one were to pass by me, they'd say I was asleep. My breaths came short and far in between. I was unconscious; yet I was conscious of my own, mistaken identity.

Was I Vistorice, and as a result, was I supposed to feel like this? So dark and tainted... Or was I Vistor, following Callus' recommendation, and taking the trials seriously?

I hadn't known then, but I was both. Morphing into one, combining chaos and control, darkness and light, morbidity and innocence.

A single beam of light passed by my closed eyes, alerting me until I was fully awake. A stream of reality made the wake feel hushed, like I truly was somewhere else. I sat up, brushing off the dirt, looking around like an exhaustive owl. No noise was being made, but a pulse resonated from within me; I wasn't its origin. I couldn't tell what it was- not yet- but it pulled me forward with an attractive magnetism. I was being lured somewhere.

Vistorice wouldn't have gone, yet I stood and walked towards the origin. Vistor wouldn't have hesitated, yet my body stilled, waiting for any resonance of danger. It didn't come, so I stepped over a few stray bushes, finding my way out of the jungle. How did I get there, really? I can't remember.

"Who are you?" a woman asked him, feeling confused at his sudden presence. Her eyes were nearly steel, brandished, polished, unfeeling. She stood tall, resembling the monstrosity of a towering landmark, hands at her sides, feet stiffly flat against the ground. She wasn't even that tall, but she towered above the small boy because he himself was small. His eyes softer steel, a souvenir to his mother's ferocity.

"I'm your son, mother. Your son. Vistorice, it's me," he spoke grimly, aware of her amnesia settling in. Her bed sheets were soiled and her expression stared at a wall, not the boy by her side.

"Vistorice, yes," she murmured, head drifting over to him. "Who are you?" His eyes watered and his head tipped over to the ground. He had known this would happen, following his brother's death. He was gone, and where was his father?

"Mother. Me, Serice."

"I thought you said Vistorice. Doctor! Who is this boy?" she raised her voice to alert attention. He stood, hands wailing for her to stop. She'd never believe him, because she wasn't able to comprehend who he was. His brother- her son- was dead. Why couldn't they both let him go?

He, Serice, and the brother, Vistor. Both dead, yet alive together.

"It's Vistor. It's me," he cried out, head falling onto her shoulder as a realization swept over her.

"Oh."

I left the jungle with a certain level of distaste. The leaves brushed against my shoulders and face roughly, leaving a few droplets of water on my cheeks. I wiped them with my hand, rubbing them around and letting the water seep into my skin. Some others drops fell onto my clothing from the leaves as it swept back, my entire body flinching at the sound and motion.

My eyes followed a dirt trail as I walked along it, knowing where to go without a sense of direction. Something about the pulse signaled me as I stepped, my feet diving into the mud heavily. I sighed just as heavy; I realized where I was going.

The summit of a volcano entered my view, the heat immediately swarming my arms and face and legs. Internally, I felt my blood boil with a temperature that was abnormal. It wasn't burning, but warming to an uncomfortable measure. I stared at the rocks and the blackness of their hardness, watching as a herd of magi herded up the slope.

A tremor solidified itself in my hands, shaking with a silent quake. I didn't like the way it embedded itself and ceased my ability to move. Of course, my legs were working, but the shakiness managed to flow through my veins and cease all motion. I gaped at how the mountain became steeper with length, almost sticking straight up as it ended. I knew there was a hole at the top, and inside, lave. I shivered at the thought, and my thoughts diminished to a whisper.

"I can't do this," I muttered to myself, "I don't know what's there..."

I placed one foot up, almost continuing and climbing up. I needed whatever is up there, needed.

If I were Vistorice, I'd be able to go.

But Serice...

No.

I didn't care to, really, unafraid of the repercussions. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Garnet al Thea

Garnet could appreciate a good volcano. After all, there were a few similarities between the two of them. Like Garnet, a volcano was dark in appearance on the surface, but on the inside they had immense power of light and heat. Volcanos happened to spew red lava. Garnet was named for a red gemstone.

The latter similarities were subtle, so Garnet wouldn't have uttered them aloud even had she anyone to utter to. Nevertheless, she pressed onward toward the volcano. Progress was slow, mostly due to the requirement that Garnet not so much as stumble over a stick. Perfection necessitated grace. Stumbling remained the enemy of grace.

The barren land surrounding the volcano was relievable flat. Garnet's pace quickened at once. She could see the other tributes all around the volcano. She wasn't quite the farthest from the base, but she was far from being the closest.

The bone in her hair was tight against her skull, the hair it rested on the only strands not bouncing around her head. The imperfection it left in her appearance made her scalp itch with the yearning to correct it, but she couldn't stop. If she stopped now, all the useful supplies would be vanished by the time she reached the inside of the volcano. Perfection necessitated sacrifice.

One of the tributes reached the top of the volcano. The boy took a quick glance around him. He made a decision and shoved at a nearby boulder. The rock came loose.

Garnet swerved. The smoldering stone rolled on past her. She cast a peek over her shoulder and automatically winced. One of the girls from her nation, named Atlas or Atala or something of the sort, had not been so quick to avoid the revolving rock. Poor girl probably hadn't grown up very far from Garnet.

"The middle of a fight is no time to think about loss." Diamond's voice scolded in her head.

Garnet turned back to the volcano. She reached the edge and stared down into the volcano's crater. Her face formed at once into a scowl. Rivers of lava streamed upward, stubbornly defying gravity. She narrowed her eyes and scanned the scattered supplies.

What did she need? She'd learned once that a human being had certain basic needs, something like shelter, food, water, and social contact. Social activity wasn't something she had any desire or need for, especially not when she had Diamond's lessons drilled into her head. That left a source of food, water, and some form of a shelter.

Garnet's gaze was drawn to a particularly large bundle positioned next to a stream of lava. A tent. There must be other supplies in other places that would serve her usefully, but a tent could change everything.

She burst into a run but the ground was less stable than she anticipated. She skidded to a stop. Small pebbles spilled past her feet and dropped into lava with a sharp sizzle.

Slow was the key, she thought. Slow and steady.

Garnet eased her way down the steep slope. With every cautious step she took, the volcano seemed to grow hotter. Sweat beaded up behind her neck and on her forehead. If she didn't finish her business in the volcano soon, she'd smell disgusting.

She snatched the bundled tent out of its slot and tucked it under her arm. That was her need for shelter taken care of.

What other needs had the lesson mentioned? Garnet's hair flew out around her as she whipped her head back and forth, her gaze sweeping across the remainder of the volcano.

A rumbling shook the ground beneath her feet. Garnet stumbled, barely managing to keep her foot from tripping into one of the lava streams. Stupid earthquake.

She froze. Earthquake? No, that wasn't right. There couldn't be a quake now. It had to be... realization dawned on her as slowly as she'd made her way down the crater. It had to be an eruption.

Garnet clutched her tent tighter to her side and burst into a run. The dangers of ascending the volcano too fast weighed against the dangers of being caught and burned by explosions of lava. Burns and explosions, she decided then and there, were a far less perfect death than that of gracefully falling into the abyss. Perfection necessitated difficult decisions.

She grabbed up every supply she passed, but when a part of her load spilled out of her arms, she didn't try to recapture it. As long as she held her tent, she knew she could face whatever came next in the trials.

The sweat actively dripped down her back like a miniature waterfall of gross. Her shirt, she knew, must be soaked. As soon as she made her way to safety, she knew she'd take a nice long bath in a river or a lake of some kind.

Garnet jumped over the last hurdle. Her feet made contact with the rim of the volcano. She scrambled away from the edge.

As she watched, the volcano partially caved in on itself. The slope she had run up crumbled apart, leaving only a vertical wall for any tributes left inside to try to climb out of. It was impossible.

Just as Garnet was turning away to run before the lava came out, something soft but firm wrapped around her ankle. Her head snapped around and her gaze instinctively transformed into a glare at whatever had dared touch her. The guilty party was the hand of a boy hanging over the edge of the crater.

"Please," he said, his voice hoarse from the smoke beginning to rise from the volcano. He coughed. Miraculously, the sound of his cough allowed Garnet to place him from her memories. He was from Craorag.

Garnet stared into the terrified eyes of the boy from Craorag. His irises contained a pleading too strong for words.

The look nearly dragged her back to the memory of another pleading gaze, another time. Her resolve hardened. She kicked her foot out of the boy's grasp. With one terrified shriek, he fell.

Garnet tightened her lips, and tossed her hair over her shoulder. She inhaled and exhaled through her nose, the motion somehow harder when done through her pressed lips. One last lesson from Diamond echoed in her head.

Perfection necessitated death.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mei al Thea

Mei wakes from her brief respite in the shadow of the mountain with a feeling of unease. There is a great tension in the air, as if... Yes, there it it. A magical pulse radiates out all across the island. Looking up at the smoking peak of the volcano, the pulse's origin, Mei throws some dirt over the remnants of her fire and straps on her sword.

She begins her ascent, easily finding hand and foot holds in the craggy mountainside. Reaching the top, Mei comes to a short barrier of stone. She approaches it, wondering what purpose it serves, as it is not high enough to be much of an obstacle.

As an Abjurer, Mei is sensitive to the spells of others. She feels a power around the barrier, and an unshakable suspicion that it's a trap. Something moves on the edge of her vision, and Mei looks up to see someone else approaching the barrier from the other side. It's a beautiful blonde girl, the Healer from Lirima.

She hasn't yet noticed Mei. She is instead focusing on the depths of the volcano, and doesn't hesitate to climb over the barrier.

"Wait!" Mei tries to shout out a warning, actually being quite fond of the bubbly girl, but it's too late.

Althia looks up at Mei from inside the barrier, startled by her cry. She then looks down into the volcano, and her eyes light up with discovery. She begins to pick her way down to the lava without sparing Mei another glance.

Mei stands confused, and slightly disappointed, truth be told. She likes the girl, but it is a kill or be killed situation they're in. Mei had expected a little more from the trap, she had felt so much power in it. Instead of the earth opening to swallow Althia whole, or something similarly spectacular, the power had simply sunk into the ground, into the volcano itself.

Still believing that it was a trap of some kind, Mei tentatively crosses the barrier to peer into the depths of the volcano. Her eyes light up much as the Healer's had, now seeing what she saw. There are supplies and weapons and magical items of all sorts littered around the inside of the mountain, with stone boats on the lava itself holding objects of so much power that Mei can feel it from here.

Other tributes start to appear on all sides, making their way from wherever they took shelter during the night to the source of the pulse. After glancing around warily at each other, most notice the items in the volcano and start to make their way down. Still thinking about the power she felt in the barrier, Mei looks for Althia.

She spots the girl trying to climb back up, awkwardly carrying a staff as she struggles, but she seems to have experienced no ill effects. No one else seems to notice, luckily for her. Something in the volcano catches Mei's eye. It's a box, radiating power. She begins the treacherous descent, aiming for the box.

She takes one step, and suddenly her world turns upside down. For a brief moment Mei thinks she misplaced her foot, and is about to hurtle to a fiery death purely because of her own stupidity. She soon realizes she's not falling though, but hanging upside down over the pool of lava. Mei looks and sees that a vine is wrapped around her foot. She curses her inattentiveness in allowing someone to creep up on her.

Realizing that a fiery death may still be in her very near future, Mei frantically voices the words to a spell, etching the arcane symbols in the air with glowing fingertips. The vine releases her, and the final word to the spell comes out in a rush of breath that Mei believes to be her last.

Her fall is arrested as her levitation spell activates. Mei exhales in relief as she floats over to the wall of the volcano, the spell only being strong enough to hold her for a few seconds. She clings precariously to the jagged rocks, trying to figure out how she's going to get out.

The mountain rumbles ominously. Most of the tributes grab whatever is closest to them and scramble out, not wanting to wait around and see what happens next. Mei feels the power growing, and finally connects the dots. The spell that Althia triggered, it's going to cause the volcano to erupt.

She looks around desperately, knowing in her heart that she won't be able to climb out in time. She doesn't see anything near her, and looks up at the sky in despair. Something sparkles on a ledge above her. As she struggles to reach it, the lava below her bubbles and rises. The whole mountain starts to shake. Mei almost falls, but grabs ahold of the ledge with the sparkly object just in time.

She pulls herself up and grabs it as the mountain shakes and rumbles even more violently, ready to blow at any moment. It's a black ring with a strange symbol. Mei puts it on, hoping for a miracle.

A spasm of excruciating pain rips through her whole body. She screams, but it can't be heard over the sounds of falling rocks and boiling lava. Mei's body changes and shrinks. She feels as if all of her bones are being broken, and her skin itches fiercely.

Then Mei the girl is no longer there. In her place sits a very confused looking raven. The volcano erupts in a huge explosion of lava and gasses from the depths of the earth. Mei the raven takes off, clearing the mountain just in time, but still singing some tail feathers in the process.

She flies past a girl, the Pyromancer, who isn't running away but instead staring in awe at the fiery display. She reaches out to the lava, and in a rush it consumes her. Mei keeps flying, too worried about getting clear of any debris to ponder the girl's actions.

Up in the air, she's wracked by another burst of pain. She's changing back, but she's too high up. All at once her wings and feathers are gone, and she's falling. She barely has time to scream before landing in a small pool in the jungle.

The pool is deeper than it would seem, and Mei sinks a long way before coming to her senses enough to make for the surface. She bursts out of the water, gasping for air and reaching for a tree branch hanging out over the pool. Once she manages to pull herself completely out of the water, she collapses.

Looking at her hand, Mei sees that the ring is now pure white. She takes it off and puts it in her pocket. Then she lays back to stare at the darkening sky. As the cloud of ash blocks out the sun, Mei wonders at her luck, and hopes it will hold out long enough to get her off this damned island.

Something moves in the underbrush. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Atlanta al Thea

USED 13

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dhruva al Thea

"Lucia, right?" I ask, staring at the girl in front of me, her hair burned six inches shorter and her clothes singed. Still, the two of us had escaped the volcano with two bags full of food, two knives, and a bow and arrow, so we hadn't done badly.

She nods.

"From Vasileio," I speak again, and Lucia nods again. "So you don't talk."

Another nod.

"Huh."

I iey back and watch the girl bite off a piece of fruit leather, chewing softly. Although she looks soft, I had seen her push another tribute into the lava when we were at the volcano - then almost fall, the panic on her face clear to me from where I was reaching for a weapon below.

I'd grabbed her hand, letting the sword that lay on the ledge be taken by another tribute, pulled her up with the two bags that hung off her arms, and grinned at her. "You all right?"

She'd nodded again, and I smiled. "That was a daring thing to do."

A shrug.

"And dangerous."

Another.

I'd grinned again, grabbing one of the bags off her arm. "How about we team up? You kill, I save your life, then you fall for me."

She'd have left right then, if I hadn't dangled a bow-and-arrow before her. "And you get these. I was, uh, kidding about the falling for me thing."

The volcano had blown up two minutes after we reached grass below.

And so here we were, gnawing on salvaged food a safe distance from the lava that threatened to overtake the island. I was content, though, with a supply of food and a silent girl, immune to my charms.

"The stars are pretty tonight," I offer.

She nods.