The Gnome "Gnomes come from my underwear." Kyre gave David a concerned look. "Are you really that simple? Poor, poor ch4ild", he said. "Gnomes live in yards and forests. I think." "That is very astute!", Kyre exclaimed. "Bravo! Yes, gnomes do venture out into yards and wild areas, but primarily they reside in the earth. They are nonphysical spirits that can appear solid if they wish. To catch one and control it we must find it in the under-earth and then learn it's true name. One we catch it, thats when the fun begins!" Kyre chuckled softly and his black eyes shined with mischief. Kyre was all business in the material world, but in the spirit realm he seemed more loose and fun. "C'mon!", Kyre urged, and he soared up to the ceiling and then down through the floor and into the earth. The students followed and they all flew through thick dirt and rocks. It should have been pitch black, but they could see five feet in any direction and whenever they crossed a tree root, it vibrated with concentrated magic like an exposed electrical wire. Thrummmmmmmmmmmmmm. It was almost unbearable to get too close to them for too long. But they always kept moving, following Kyre's bright crimson figure. He kept looking back to make sure they were close behind and whenever he smiled a wave of heat came from his body. Red-hot cinders trailed from his fingers and his feet. "There it is!", Kyre cried. He pointed at a small man wearing a tall hat and a grubby brown suit. He was helping a mama rabbit give birth to a litter of babies, and he was so preoccupied he didn't even notice them watching him at first. When he did he cussed like a sailor and cried, "Ye'll never catch me, you jerk-offs!", and sped off deeper into the earth. He moved incredibly fast. "Catch him, catch him!", Kyre cried gleefully.
I took off like a dog. Heck I even ran on all fours. I had know problem keeping up withe the gnome at all. I could see it I began to close in and started panting like a puppy.
Gnome Chase! The gnome scowled at David and made a rude hand gesture. "Buck off!", the gnome barked, and then he wiggled his fingers. Suddenly the tree roots moved and lashed out at the students! The roots glowed with concentrated earth energy and if they touched them they would be severely injured. Kyre was trapped in a cage of roots--he stopped and frowned and rapidly started casting fire spells on the roots. "You guys keep going, I'll catch up", Kyre said as he twisted his fingers in complicated magic signs. By now the gnome was getting ahead and he was still making the tree roots lash out at them. He was getting away.
I flew past the tree roots and then saw K get trapped and then trying to break himself out. I flew fast as I was going after the gnome. "Come here you fat stubby piece..." I kept flying after him, not knowing if I could use my powers in this form or even if I could do it with control. I wonder why we need to chase him.
Samantha I was overjoyed. Finally we were actually learning new things! I would finally be able to get better and practice further. Had I been in a human form, my hair would be golden right now. It had been a long time since joy had been the predominant feeling in me. Now, the gnome was rapidly gaining distance his tiny feet shuffled so quickly I could almost only see a blur. Well, I wonder if I am empowered... I thought as I focused on a spot about fifteen meters in front of the gnome Sure enough, my spectral body made it there, and I didn't even feel very tired. I was now looking at the gnome head on and a thought struck me: What now?
I wondered if we were able to use our powers in this form but since I saw K do it I guess I could too. Plus, I saw Samantha teleport in front of the gnome. I used my gravitational powers to pull the gnome back enough to make him run much slower. He slowed down and I watched Samantha and thought to myself. Is she ready for a war. And will any of us die? "Samantha, I don't know what you can do. But, capture him somehow. You can do it."
Samantha METAGAME: Just turned 18... yay! "Samantha, I don't know what you can do. But, capture him somehow. You can do it." "Um... okay" I say while my mind races trying to think of solutions. He was coming closer with every heartbeat. If spectral bodies could sweat, mine would be. A lot. So I did the one thing I remembered: I teleported the gnome to a nearby entanglement of roots, very similar to the Mr. Kyre had been trapped in. It probably woundn't hold him, but it would give everyone time to think out a strategy. "Okay... I think he will be there for a bit... I hope..."
Dean I watched as Samantha did what she did and I was glad we had the gnome under control for a bit. Even though we had no idea why we needed him. "Good job, Samantha!"
I finally caught up to the Gnome again. He seemed to be tangled up in some trees. Easy target. I bounded into the air as I could and dove straight into the tangled roots and attempted to give the Gnome a big bear hug to hold him down. I'm so smart!
Wyndii I narrowed my eyes at the gnome, then grinned. Darkness enshrouded my glowing blue form briefly, and then i neared the struggling gnome, tendrils of vapor reaching out as if to coil around his limbs. Muttering a complicated spell under my breath, i felt my body vibrate with condensed energy as i matched my though-waves to the gnome's, rushing into his mind and immediately grasping his thoughts as if i was a lion with a mouse caught between my paws. A grin came over my face as my energy -which was not of a naturally-born creature- swamped him, and i realized that if this gnome was used to only natural beings then i was going to have the upper hand. Gritting my teeth, i struggled against his will, trapping his mind and trying to make him submit. I was going to get this midget under my control even if it took me several hours to subdue him!
"Hey Wynddi!" I shouted as I saw Wyndii. I didn't know if she was in a mean mood or a nice mood. I should ask her "Hey Wyndii are you in a mean mood or a nice mood?" I asked smiling. As wrestled down the Gnome with the help of whatever Wyndii was doing.
Wydnii Darkness clouded my thoughts and i dimly heard David's voice. The question made me want to laugh strangely. I was a predator with my prey caught firmly in a corner -but i wasn't about to let him know that. Runes started to glow on my body as i arched over the Gnome, pushing down his mental defences like walls of unbaked clay between my fingers. Black waves began to entangle with my bright blue aura, swirling as the beast half of myself began to take over. G.A.I.A's are the strongest/ G.A.I.A's are the infinite/ G.A.I.A.'s are the beings who were made to destroy. The rhyme went off in my head like a little girl's chant, and my spirit became a cross between human and animal -mage and anti-mage. My eyes glowed with a deep red light now, and my hands became claws that could tear into flesh with ease. My head moved from side to side as the chant worked itself into my body, melding the beast's and my will together. I was dimly aware of a small voice deep within myself screaming for Kyre to knock me out before... before... before i was taken over...
Gnome Chase! The gnome was not hindered by the roots Samantha trapped him in. He could easily command them to releash him. Before he could take off again Wyndii tried to trap him with her shadowy power. The gnome reacted viciously and ripped away her ties and took off again like a rocket. This time he made giant boulders move in their way to block them. Some of the boulders tried to surround them and squish them flat! "Ye gotta try harder than that, lassy!", the gnome cried back.
Wydnii The beast took over and i roared, darkness completely wiping away the pale blue glow that had once been my body. I was shapeless and yet i had form, loping after the gnome and bounding over the boulders with ease. In all appearances I was now some kind of creature between a dog and a reptile, long claws scoring the earth and making it smolder and smoke as crystals materialized wherever i stepped, glowing. This gnome may know many earthly beings, but could he handle a creature that the magic council had kept imprisoned for years, unknown to the outside world? I roared again and pounced, slashing at him with smoking talons and fangs. My body was like mist, but it was not my aim to harm him. It was to drain and weaken him until he could no longer move.
Gnome Chase! "Holy cow!", the gnome cried when Wyndii tried to bite and claw him. She actually cut his shoulder and he felt his energy being drained. He panicked and took a sudden sharp turn and threw a glowing green ball behind him. The green ball splashed all over Wyndii and seeped into her spirit. It made her feel heavy and slow and she started to drag behind. The effects were slowly wearing off, but it would take a couple minutes. "And there's more where that came from!" The gnome conjured two more green balls and threw one at Dean and another at David!
I saw something nice and pretty green coming at my head. ("MOVE YOU FOOL"!) I ducked as soon as Junior yelled at me. The ball flew over my head.
Wydnii "Spirit-Sheild. Rise!" My voice growled, and i realized too late what i had just done. My aura suddenly vanished, as did any trace of magic that was an illusion of my own. I had been absorbing miniscule ammounts of everyone's magic to create a fake -a mimic- to make myself appear like the others when i truly wasn't. I was now a void, a beast with glowing eyes peering out of the darkness, I was what i had been born to be. I yowled and teleported after the gnome, appearing in front of him by using my learned skill from Samantha in copying or reflecting other's moves. When it appeared that i drained another's magic, i was actually taking the ability to use whatever abilites they knew. As soon as i saw a move once i learned it -and never forgot it. I grinned at the gnome with wolf-like fangs as my eyes glowed deep red and runes glowed on my warped body. Then i spat the same glowing green orb at him that he had fired at me.
I'm gonna catch that Gnome! I started running as fast I could. I leaped I can jump pretty. I landed face first in front of the Gnome. The ground hurt my face but my arm still shot out and reached for the Gnome's leg.
Gnome Chase! Wyndii shot a green orb at the gnome! It hit and the gnome yelped in surprise. David grabbed the gnome's leg and it struggled like crazy. The gnome cussed like a sailor, but they could tell he was getting tired. "You bully witch-kids! I'll show you!" The gnome put all his energy into one more spell. Suddenly all around them they could feel heat pressing against them. Six lavamen appeared from nowhere and anything close to them began to melt. They reached for Wyndii and David!
I screamed as those lava dudes reached for me I flipped up avoiding their touch and through the Gnome at the nearest one.
David I put up a black hole to devour the strange green ball coming at me. I saw Wyndii go out of control and knew she would be a problem in the war. Either for Jenny or us. As I saw the lava men coming at the two I ran at the one going for David, seeing as how Wyndii could handle herself. I opened another black hole in front of the beast as I grabbed David and carried him so he would be far away from the hole. That's my second black hole in the last five minutes I got three more till the next five minutes. "This doesn't seem very hard. Yet.."
Wydnii I snarled at the lava men, the sound coming out like a coughing laugh from my shadowy form. They melted anything near them, but as one neared me i grinned and giggled, my body wracked with tremors. "Better run fire-sprite -I eat magic!" i giggled, leaping out at the lava man. My aura absorbed all of the being's magic in a split second, and i sank my fangs into rubbery flesh, tearing the creature apart before turning back for the gnome, the lava man's glowing blood spattered over what was now seen as the emaciated torso of some kind of grey-hound. "Give up before i have half the mind to take it permanently." i growled, meaning his soul. I only needed one more before i was shadow G.A.I.A. And then nothing could stop me. I looked about me and grinned as i noticed six other shadows suddenly materialize around the gnome, penning him in. "We are the G.A.I.A. None escape our grasp." they chanted, eyes glowing pitch black -the color my eyes would turn if i finished gathering the hundred souls. I snarled and attacked his mind with a psychic wave that i had learned from my twin.
Samantha Woah! Wyndii is seriously overpowered... I thought to myself. No, it was I who was not powerful enough. Even in this spectral form, all I can do is teleport stuff around, even if it was huge distances. I watched as the lavamen succumbed to the G.A.I.A's powers. The chase would probably be over by now. At least this time, I had the courage to try something... right?
