The Quest, Part 4: Oh, the pain! DX

Cai was leading the group of adventurers down what could have been a path through the forest, when suddenly he stopped. They had reached a clearing, and standing in the middle of it was a giant turtle-like creature with huge fangs and large claws. The creature roared, loud and high-pitched, causing Cai to cover his ears. Then he felt the impact of something in his shoulder, like a bullet. He looked down, and cold see a clear liquid leaking off his arm. "What the-AGH!" he said,being cut off by an impact to his head. He could just see the image of a book drifting away before another impact hit his shoulder, and he looked to see an arrow protruding from the wound. He tried to pull it away, but the arrow was just an image. Then came the real pain, a pain in his chest from a knife. But there was still more to come. He then felt multiple cuts along his arms and torso, and he recognized each one from his fight with Osi. He was on the brink of passing out from the pain when the last and most painful attack of all came; a sword through his chest, his own attempt to kill himself. He only lived through this pain for a moment though, because he had finally lost consciousness.

ooc: okay, there you have it ^^ part 4! I've PMed both Aie and Kora, and I told Hika what's going on, so I hope you guys don't mess it up!

OOC: Eh, I'm pretty sure that no one escaped the war unscathed so John will just take an Arrow to the Hand or sholder.

John was walking along behind Cai looking at the surrounding's when he heard Cai yell. He started to run towards Cai when it felt like something hit him in the arm, he flinched and gritted his teeth but kept running towards Cai ignoreing the pain, it was like De-Ja-Vu all over again and John couldn't help but think about the war, but he pushed the thought aside when he saw his friend Cai colapse in a heap.

OOC: Last time it was emotional pain but this time it's physical pain, can everyone see the injuries and the images that relate to them this time? You never really clarified that.

ooc: Yeah, I forgot to mention that... Everyone can see the woulds and ghost-weapons and phantom blood. Have fun ^^

ic: Cai was covered in a clearish red liquid that resembled blood. He was rolled on his back, so everyone could see the wounds in his shoulder and chest. If they looked close enough, they could see the phantom images of each weapon still embedded in the fallen caster.

The turtle-like beast had pulled itself into its shell. Without warning, it roared again, causing the whole forest to shake.

Hikari stopped. "C-Cai? Are you--" She stopped, and stumbled backwards a bit. A picture of Shade came into her vision and cut her across the stomach with a knife. A blood-like liquid blead from her stomach. "Agh! What the he-- AHH!" A couple of what felt like punches hit her in the face, the arm, and the stomach. The picture of Alice Wayward disappeared shortly after. Hikari tried to fight the pain, but more punches and kicks impacted on her. It was from when Shade and her had their rematch. But once Hikari thought it was over, it got worse. All of the powerful hits that came next make her scream in agonizing pain. All of the pain she felt was when she had her fight with Korari, but they all came at once. Hikari colapsed and tried to overcome the pain. She was covered in the clearish red liquid.

OOC: Srry if it sucks. Wii is hard to write with.

ooc: It's okay Hika ^^ thanks for posting :)

ic: The turtle beast roared again. Then, it stuck its head out from the shell and snapped its jaws ominously, as if saying "You will all make a good snack."

Cai was still unconscious, just so you know.

John turned arond and saw Hikari colapse and had started to run towards her when the turtle creature came out of is shell and said what it did, "Kid! You take care of Cai and Hikari! I've got to deal with this thing!" John said as he Morphed into a Kitsune and ran off towards the turtle thing. Being more acustomed to this form then any other and the natural speed of the form he was in he was sure that he would be able to dodge around the turtle either long enough for Casey to hopefully get everyone away or find an opening. "Over my dead body turtle!" John barked back at the turtle, he stood snareling at it with all nine tails lashing to appear more threatening, John was standing just out of it's range, enough to paw it on the face if it snapped just to piss it off and get it's attention.

OOC: How big is the turtle thing and what does it look like?

"So, the send a fox after me, eh? Is that the best you can do?" the creature hissed. It pulled its legs out from the shell, rising to full height, which was about 13 feet tall (about the size of a T-Rex). It roared again, swiping its claw at John.

"You would be Suppried at what this fox could do. You big Cumbersome Oaf!" John Snarled as he ran under the turtle and got behind it. "Your Mother was a Trilobite!" John Taunted.

OCC: *Scientific comunitys reaction to John's Joke: Ohhhhhh That's gotta sting.* "Your mother was a Trilobite": Directied toward animals with hard protective shell, meaning "Yo mama iz old az dirt b*tch." in Ebonics. (My friends name for the dialect not mine)

ooc: XD wow Aie, just wow...

ic:

The turtle quickly turned around, swiping at John with his claws as he did so. "[i]You have no knowledge of ancestry, silly fox!" it hissed, clearly not understanding the insult.

OOC: it's not too late to post, right? D: I'm so sorry for not posting sooner.. bad time to take a week long break from the computer, huh? ;n;

Casey looked around as everyone but John had fallen over screaming, some of them unconscious. His eyes widened as he took a step backward only to hear John say something to this guy named 'Kid' about protecting Cai and Hikari. Wait, was this 'Kid' guy him? Snapping out of his shocked state, he took a few steps towards the others before a giant burst of flame shot out of the ground around him. He stumbled backwards with a loud cry out of fear before landing on his rear end almost into another column of flame behind him. Blinking away involuntary tears, he looked all around him. Surrounding the ground he was sitting on was a giant inferno engulfing everything but himself. "Oh no," He breathed as he felt smoke fill his lungs. Casey coughed, but it didn't feel suffocating, just annoying. The smoke was an illusion, but he didn't want to find out if the fire was. Either way, he was too shocked to move, for all he could think about was the illusion with his brother almost killing him. He still couldn't help but think that Nathan actually felt that way.

John Laughed like a Hyena at the creatures response, "No, you just don't get the Joke." John snickered knowing that to keep Cai and Hikari safe he needed to distract the turtle long enough for Casey to get them away. He then made a dash and stopped under the creature waiting for it to try to crush him before dashing out and jumping on its back without it noticeing. John had to admit, even though he was in danger and his friends lives were at stake he was having fun taunting this thing.

The turtle roared in rage as John escaped from beneath it just as it tried to crush him. It whipped its head around, but couldn't see him. It DID see Casey, and chuckled in amusement. "Looks like you're on your own, little fox," it hissed.

"Yeah, I know. Hey! By the way tall guy, I seem to be lost, could you lift me up so I can find my way around?" John said with a straight face as he pawed at the turtle's shell.

(OOC: Just go with it, I have something really funny lined up.)

The turtle was confused and stood up, not realizing that it was doing what John wanted it to do."You're an odd one, little fox," it hissed.

John turned back into a human and stood proudly on the Turtles back, "I claim this Mountian in the name of SkyShatter!" John said then looked around, "Hey wow! I can see my house from here." John said waiting for a response from the turtle that seemd to have no sense of humor.

"What are you talking about, fox? I am not a mountain" the turtle said.

ooc: XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
anyway, you're going to have to kill it, preferably soon...

"Ok dude, you really have no sense of Humor. Oh and if your looking for a snack, might I remind you that I'm a much bigger meal." John said as he jumped then turned into full grown blue whale with a heavily plated underside for protection and crushed the turtle. he then quickly turned back into a Kitsune, "Well it look like we're having turtle for dinner tonight." John said.

The turtle didn't have time to react as the blue whale crashed down on him. It died as soon as its shell was cracked. Unfortunately for John's dinner plans, the turtle exploded into ashes when it died. The fire around Casey also fell away, letting him go free.

Cai coughed as he regained consciousness. The pain had gone away, but he didn't move. He didn't know what state he was in, and he didn't want to loose awareness again.

John noticed the turtle explode behind him. "Well there goes our dinner plans." John said as he walked up to them. "Everyone ok?" He asked, he had noticed that he no longer felt that arrow in his arm as soon as the turtle died, "I guess that things roar caused a phychosomatic reaction in our minds bringing on pain felt from the past, and seeing as me Cai and Hikari are all good friends it caused us to be able to recognise each others pain that would explain why we didn't see the kid get hurt, and the phantom images were just a trick of the mind to compensate for the pain, as was the clearish red liquid which was probably excreted plasma with small amounts of red blood cells inside. What a strange creature... What a strange place..." John mumbled to himself loud enough for everyone around him to hear.

Cai decided it would be safe to sit up. He looked at John with a confused expression. "Dude, you lost me at 'phychosomatic reaction,'" he said.

As soon as the turtle disappeared, so did the fire imprisoning Casey. With a big sigh of relief, he stood op and brushed off his pants before rushing to Hikari's side. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

"It hurts..." Hikari managed to say.

"Are you sure Hikari? I don't see any phantom wounds on you anymore." John said as he walked over to her.

Before Hikari could reply, a loud hoot announced the arrival of the owl. It circled just above the adventurers' heads as it delivered its latest announcement. "Passed the second task, you have," it stated, "but, survive the next and the last, can you? In time we shall see!" With that, it flew off again.

Cai watched the bird as it flew off. "I'm starting to think that this was all planned out for us," he said.

"You're starting to think?" Casey asked as anger started to grow inside of him at the sight of that stupid bird. "I'm thinking this whole thing is just a stupid trap. It's trying to get us all killed!" He shouted at Cai. In the back of Casey's brain, he knew that the sudden outburst wasn't like him, yet he couldn't help but feel infuriated at the situation. He was almost killed by his brother who was connected to the fire that he nearly burned him alive... twice. He didn't think he could take it anymore, especially if these trials were only to get harder the farther they went on. All in all, Casey had just suddenly snapped from the vigorous trials that were making his nerves hang by a thread. "I don't think I can do this anymore..."