Disclaimer: Does not own WITCH, does own Skyshade.

AN: "SPOKEN" (TELEAPATHY)[Place Jumps]
I decided just to do a chapter for this while taking a break from writing. Love is a hearts child. I realized if I left it much longer I would never be able to pick up were I left off without ruining the story. My writing has improved since though which is annoying and I won't be going back to rewrite the chapters anytime soon, but hopefully this will still turn out alright.

Reaching Out.

[Skyshade's Vault]

All 10 of the girls as well as the Hidden Ops trio stood around as Skyshade looked through a couple of crate for a certain item which might just help them. "What are you looking for?" Sarah asked. "A metal box about so big" Skyshade said turning to face then and gesturing with his hand about a foot apart. "And you don't know where you left it, can't be that important." Irma said smile. Skyshade stared at her. "Irma cut it out and just look." Angelina said starting to look as well. "Good idea." Cornelia said joining her and soon everyone was look. Except for Tara and Taranee who both were studying the item in the room.

"Is this what you were looking for?" Eric asked holding out a metal box. "Perfect." Skyshade said catching the box when Eric tossed it to him. He quickly opened it and then his faced dropped. "What is it?" Pao Chai asked worried. "Nothing serious just I don't have as many of these as I hope." Skyshade replied. "What?" Hay Lin asked curiously. "These." He said pulling out a ring. "What is it you with rings." Kate couldn't help but ask. "He's trying to drop a hint, wink wink." Sarah said laughing. "This isn't the time." Cornelia reprimanded. "What are they and how many do you have?" Taranee asked.

"They were my original idea for magical ring, but instead of granting powers they amplified them, but I only have 4." Skyshade said in response. "But we don't have any powers. Hay Lin said. "She right so what could they do." Hawthorne said starting to see flaws in this plan. "Two words. Eternal. Gifts." Skyshade said knowingly. Taranee got it.

"Of course, do you remember when the oracle show us a possible future, even when we weren't connected to the heart or the auramere we had powers eternal gifts." Taranee said. "Exactly. They haven't had time to surface but these ring should amplify them giving you a small amount of you old power back. And when the guardians become magical." Skyshade started to explain. "WE DO." Pao Chai and Sarah shouted stealing his thunder. "And since the only requirement of you having your powers is that the guardian has their, you'll be at full strength." Skyshade said.

The mood of the room changed. Srislis was the only one who had a idea of what would happen here before everyone else and even he felt boosted. "So who doesn't get a ring?" Angelina asked seriously. "I will not make that choice, you are the guardians leader it is your choice. Will." He said turning the open box to show 4 even spaced ring in the velvet lined case. "Girls take one each." Will said almost a second after seeing them. "But Will your our leader you need your powers." Cornelia said, shocking the other guardians. "No, Kate already has the ring of silverglass and doesn't need more powers in truth well not yet, so giving each of you a ring we end up with one more person with powers." Will explained her intention her voice making it clear she wouldn't change her mind.

Each of the guardian excluding Will took a ring and once they had Skyshade tossed the box over his shoulder with out a care. "Was that needed?" Tara said. "I think it best if the guardian keep the rings in case they lose their power in the future, making the box useless." Skyshade with a smile. "Now what about you two." He said turning to Eric and Hawthorne. Once again Skyshade went of a item hunt, and with a cheer pull out a item from one of the crates. "Hawthorne this is for you, it's Lasen army standard issue. A magical cross bow, no ammo, it just has a delay between each shot. It magical creates a crossbow bolt in the form of crystals the shatter a few seconds after impact. You should be able to get of a shot every three to four seconds." Skyshade said ending the statement by tossing it to him.

The crossbow was sleek in design, made out of what felt like wood but looked like stone. It was more like a old fashion pistol that pirates would use with a bow end seemingly stuck on the front. "You can take my first sword to, just in case they get that close." Skyshade said. He was really racking his brain now, he had gone though a lot of the stuff but most of it was not combat orientated, as a lot was his starting work, practice pieces, that had failed even though the idea was sound. Srislis suddenly stepped forward. "If I might make a suggestion." Srislis started and pointed to a set a what looked like a leather armor on the wall. "but something more defensive such as armor would be a good idea for him."

Srislis was right armor was a great idea, but not the armor he was pointing to. "Here we go." Skyshade said pointing at random shield on the walls in turn. "Ip dip do the cats got the flew the dogs got the measles so out come you." Skyshade said grabbing the shield which he landed on and throwing it on the ground in front of Eric. "He's mad." Hawthorne said. "They all do the same thing. The shield is misleading, it doesn't prevent harm from a attack, but stops them attacking you as long as you don't attack them. If you lay low and keep hold of that you should be fine." Skyshade said as Eric picked the shield up.

"Srislis?" Skyshade asked. "No I am fine with what my god granted me at birth, my claws and my ability to jump like my race." Srislis said knowing that Skyshade was asking if he wanted anything. "Here Will, I don't have anything else so take a shield too. If you lay low to we lower the risk of losing the heart if some tries to harm you." Skyshade said grabbing another shield and handing it to her. "Alright everyone that is magical item Skyshade style. Hopefully no one else has made anything better then me since I left." Skyshade said heading over to the stand by the door. "Wait one thing how old are you." Eric asked. Mention about Skyshade age early and him acting as if he had been gone a long time made him wonder.

At this stage in time he saw no reason to lie. "I was taken to Kandrakar when I was 23 in earth years, I'm around that old physically, my mask makes me appear younger. I am actually around 43 in human years, but I didn't age a day I spent as part of Kandrakar that's how it works. Now let get going you can all act shocked later, we have a fire bending madman to defeat." Skyshade said getting worked up in the end, pumping himself for the fight. Everyone shook off the shock, all except Kate who took a little longer to get over the fact she was technically dating a guy over 40.

Skyshade grabbed both ring from the perch on the wall and tossed Kate her one, before putting his on, and letting Hawthorne grab the sword. "Everyone ready?" Srislis asked. A chorus of the word yes were heard and then Skyshade slammed a hand on a panel next to the door and the huge vault opened.

-

The sight the door opened was not a nice one. Many of the shadow were there waiting for them shields raised and swords at the ready, far behind them, Alex stood a huge smile on his face. "Attack." The flame wielder said. "Guardians stay with your astral ." Will called out. Being called astral made the other slightly annoyed but they knew Will had said it for ease. "Use you powers to improve theirs girls." Kate shouted moving in front of Will, just in case Skyshade's shields didn't work.

Lucky for them, they didn't have to deal with being charge by shadows and burnt to a crisp by Alex, it seemed like he had not thought thing through and was no standing quite happily behind the army like group of shadows. While this did me he was pretty safe from attack, it put him a position he could attack from without burning up half the shadows as well. Yet he didn't care, when a army charges a group of powerless people who needs to worry. Hawthorne made the first shot magic crystal crossbow bolt landing in to shadow causing it to shatter to dust, and then Alex saw his problem.

Everyone moved into the action. Kate send orbs of darkness forward, making sure no shade got to close to her and Will. Irma sent out a blast of water, it was weak for a few second and it suddenly seemed to pull toward the shadow by a unseen force, Sarah's gravity power. Taranee flung out flame mere sparks to what she normally would, suddenly she she them burst in the size footballs, thanks to Tara reality bending. Cornelia had the most trouble struggling to pull a portion of the floor, which Angelina suddenly grabbed when Cornelia couldn't lift in no more and tossed at the attacks. Hay Lin was last in the onslaught coming from the girls, a blast of air, it was weak and only struck one of the shadow, and then suddenly three flew backward, as Pao Chai made all the shadow perceive it as a much larger force.

The attack were hard and heavy, and it gave the shadows little chance to advance, Hawthorne keep up the high rate of fire he could. While Srislis guarded Eris and Skyshade sent the occasional blast, keeping a eye out on the entire battle as best he could. Alex was not one to panic he was ill tempered and hot headed, but not as much as Steven. It was simple burn it all. Calling up the greatest amount of magic he could, his hands caught fire and he raised ready to blast everything in front of him. "GUYS!" Hawthorne shouted seeing Alex ready the attack between the shadow. "ON IT." Tara shouted back.

Alex let his attack fly out forward, it was only inches away from him when something strange happed. The attack stopped, it seemed as if had hit a invisible wall. It was coming back at him, and with the amont of power he had used he didn't think even he would be safe. In a second the only thing the showed that Alex had been there, was large ball of fire being held in by some unseen force. Tara finally relax and the fire just out a foot in each direction when the barrier ceased to exist and Alex flew to the floor, not badly burnt by still hurt and unconscious.

It was much for them to deal with the remaining shadow and then, make sure that Alex wouldn't getting up any time soon. Hawthorne had wanted to put a magical crossbow bolt in his chest but no one would let him. Hawthorne just knew that was a bad idea, but he couldn't really kill the guy if no one else like the idea. He sighed and followed the other who were heading for the entrace to the bank and their next battle.