AN:Hope you liked the last chapter. Also, I completely made up the end of the Magi-Nation game, so here it is:Basically, Tony went home after defeating Agram, carrying all of his Rings and abilities with him(but they don't work as well in the real world.) The problem was solved in the Moonlands, and everything went back to normal except that the time difference was reduced to 1:2. That's another thing, there's a time difference(greater during Tony's original journey.) I know it sucks(and sort of rips off Digimon), but it was all I could think of offhand.
Disclaimer:I don't own Magi-Nation or anything associated with it. I do own the general plotline of this story, my original creatures and the Chosen and most things associated with them.
Chapter Two:Water
"Let's see..." Tony Jones said, browsing through the library's card catalog. "Ah, here it is. Greek History for People Who Have to do History Project and Will Forget it Within 24 Hours of the Due Date." After a minute of searching(the card catalog system did little more than tell you what bookcase it was in), Tony found the book and checked it out.
"Goodbye Me-aah, I'm turning to stone!" Tony said in a weak attempt at humor, trying to imitate turning to stone.
"Is that the only one you remember?" the librarian asked, wearing a face of scorn.
"Of course."Tony replied, dropping the cherade and starting to walk away from the school library. "It's the only one I can insult people with."
By the time the librarian was about to launch into a lecture, Tony had already left the building and was bicycling around the corner. He twirled the ring with engraved Furok Animite around a chain on his finger. His other rings were at home, sitting in a box. But Furok...was special. It was his first Dream Creature, and the bear-like creature had remained loyal to him since the start.
It had been five years, but still Tony couldn't get the adventure out of his mind. It had consumed his mind. It didn't matter how many video games he bought or how hard the work at school was, they were all destined to be next to ignored by the Magi Tony.
He let out a sharp cry, and crashed into a small tree. See, thinking is bad for you Tony thought to himself, dimly amusing himself for a minute. Then he got back onto his bike and pedled home safely.
"Tony, do you know anything about this?" his mother's voice said curtly, holding up an envolope. "It's a letter, but it's all marked in wierd runes. Your sister can't read them. They remind me of that lettering you made up years ago."
Tony grinned, remembering the "What I Did Over the Summer" journal he had written when he had gotten back to school after his adventure in the Moonlands(which had only lasted a real day even though in the Moonlands it had lasted for months.) He should have known that no one would believe him, but he wrote it anyways. Of course, his mom had gotten a call about his "overactive imagination."
The runes were actually the alphabet used in the Moonlands. Due to an enchantment or something Eidon had put on him, he could understand the language and alphabet of the Magi. Almost immediately, he knew that the letter was adressed to Magus Kyros, his Magi title.
"Uh...it's for me." Tony assured, trying not to attract any attention. He tore open the envelope and found a letter written in the Moonlands alphabet.
Dear Tony Jones(a. k. a. Magus Kyros.)
A great danger has come to the Moonlands. For more information, meet me in the Zybor Internet Café at 7:00 tonight.
-Wence
Tony's heart beat rapidly as he read the short letter over and over again. Wence was here in the real world. The Moonlands were in danger. Why, oh why, did this have to start on the weekend he had to do a project on?
It had taken Tony almost an hour to convince his mom to drop him off at a street corner near the Zybor Internet Café to "meet some freinds so that they could help him on a project." What he didn't say was that the freinds were a boy from another realm who lived in a house in the jungle and his cluster of leaves with claws, Arboll, from the same realm and that project happened to be using Dream Creatures to save that realm, most likely using them to fight against other Dream Creatures. He hadn't lied, just omitted some facts.
Alright, the one thing he had sort of lied about was calling Wence a freind. He was more of an acquaintance. He had met Wence when a Black Agovo had attacked him in the jungles of Naroom. Tony had defeated the Black Agovo and Wence had made it up to him by saving him when Morag was about to excecute him and providing a place to stay if he was ever lost in the jungle(which had occured a few times.) Maybe Wence had taken Tony for a freind-it must get lonely out there.
Surely enough, at 6:58 Tony was dropped off on a street corner. He walked down the street with fake casuality, until his eyes fell upon a sign.
ZYBOR INTERNET CAFE:CATCH THE NET'S WAVE!
BUISNESS HOURS
SUN:CLOSED
MON-FRI:8:00-6:00
SAT:10:00-8:00
This confused Tony totally. The café had closed an hour ago. Well, actually, fifty-nine minutes ago. Tony leaned against a telephone pole, trying to figure out what to do. His parents had gone out to do some shopping and would be back at 8:00. Tony didn't have a key with him. As he twirled the Furok ring on a chain around, his watch clicked over to 7:00.
A blur of green caught Tony's attention. As he focused, he realized it had came from inside the café. He looked down and saw Wence, dressed in a green cloak. After making sure that the coast was clear, Tony nodded. In another blur of green where Wence's left arm was, the door came unlocked and a key was in Wence's left hand. Tony pushed it open uncertainly.
"Ah, so glad you could make it." Wence said quietly. "Quick, duck down before people see you." Tony eyed Wence and obeyed. They crawled along the floor until they reached a secluded area of the restraunt. There was already a boy sitting there. Toyn leapt up. Wence followed and clamped his hand on Tony's shoulder. "Don't, he's one of us now. Well, sort of. I'll explain later."
"Hey you're that kid!" the boy, who had spiked reddish-brown hair, said. "The kid who survived the cave-in!"
"And you're one of those kids who started the whole thing." Tony said accusingly.
"Ah, it seems you know each other." Wence said in monotone. "I think it's time to let bygones be bygones and work together. Tony, you have had a role in saving Magi-Nation. Chuck, you will have the same role very soon." Both of them growled and sat down. Wence sat down next to Tony and first explained Tony's history to Benny, and then Benny's mission to Tony. "So, Tony, your job is to help me around this world."
"Can't he do that?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow at Chuck.
"He will help me too, but the elders said that you should help me. Besides, you have spells and rings to protect us."
"Fine." Tony said miserably. "I'll get my other rings from home."
"Meeting dismissed." Wence said. Chuck and Tony walked out the door to go to their homes. Wence flipped over the counter, put some money Chuck had given him into the cash register, and grabbed a Coke from the place where they kept the pop. It's only a matter of time now, he thought to himself. I wonder what's happening at home?
* * *
Tony stood there for a full five minutes before he could beleive it. He had taken the bus home, deciding to wait for his folks over there. However, as he had soon found out, he didn't have a home to wait at. By the time he had returned, all he had found of his home was a blackened wreck. He probably didn't even have a family to wait for, giving the three black skeletons that fit the sizes of his father, mother and little sister.
Nothing on Earth could have done this. This was from Magi-Nation, and something told him that it wasn't freindly. This was because of his aleigance with Wence, he realized. They were trying to scare him off. He wouldn't be scared off, or at least that's what he told himself.
Tony sat down on the sidewalk. Why did this have to happen in his world and not in the Moonlands? Why did he have to be a supporting character and not in the spotlight? He answered the last question:he had already had his turn in the spotlight. He was probably out of practice. And as Wence had said, six prophecied saviors were better then one. But why couldn't he come along? He could have been the Chooser. He could have known about this world and who to pick. But then his house would still be burnt to the ground.
He got up and headed back to the Zybor Internet Café. Wence held what was left of his destiny.
* * *
Wence didn't expect to see Tony back so soon. He was just polishing off his Coke when the teenager titled Magus Kyros knocked quietly on the door. He jumped up and spilt his remaining cola. After muttering some Magi curses, he let Tony in. "Back so soon?" he asked.
"My house." Tony said bitterly. "They burnt it and either destroyed or took everything in it. My family's dead to."
Wence didn't know what to say. He hadn't dealt with tragedy before. Adventurers didn't commonly think of these things. Did this mean Chuck no longer had a home either? Would he indirectly destroy the homes of the others he associated with. "Tony...I'm so sorry." It was all he could say. He noticed that there were no tears in Tony's eyes, only hatred.
"It was a Dream Creature's Work." Tony said harshly. "We should set up a travel agency for transportation between the Moonlands and this world."
"Sorry." Wence said quietly as if he was to blame. "This is bad."
"No duh." Tony said harshly, leaping to his feat. When it comes to losses, there were two kinds of people. The first kind would break down crying and hide under a rock for a few weeks. The second kind would put up a tough mask and blow up anything remotely responsible. Tony was definately responsible.
"I take it they're not encouraging others to join us?" Wence said solemnly. "More or less, that's why. They also probably wanted to get rid of your other rings. Thank god you still have Furok."
"Wence." Tony said. "I think we should take this seriously. These Dream Creatures are strong enough to level a house without leaving a trace of their identity. They didn't work alone. They have a master or a mistress. Thats the kind of power I wouldn't like to meet. I'm starting to think about my safety. I'm doubting whether it's safe to continue through with this mission."
"Please." Wence said harshly. "The gate is unstable, you know that. Thus, only a small group of enemies could come through. But still the small army enialated your home. I don't know what the villain's plot is, but once they enialate Magi-Nation, they'll come for this world. It has mana. It has as much power as any one reigon in Magi-Nation, maybe more. You help me, you lose your home. You don't help me, you lose your world."
Tony sighed. "Listen, Wence, it's just that...I don't think I can fight any more."
"Perhaps you cannot." Wence replied. "But you can assist. Remember, you are one of the only ones from this world who knows. A secret in numbers is a secret poorly kept. We need you, Tony. You need us."
Tony tried to ignore Wence, but his answers kept seeping into his mind. Truth was, he had liked the adventure. He had been bored before. Now the Moonlands were on his mind constantly. They had given meaning to his life. He couldn't just run away now. It was all he had left, adventure. And that, he ended, was simply pathetic.
"All right." Tony said disheavedly. "I'll help you, but only here in the real world. Once you're all in the Moonlands, I won't be able to help you. I'll probably be in some orphanage in who-knows-where."
Wence nodded and shook Tony's hand. "I assure you, you've made the right choice." he said in a voice salesmen would be envious of. The two stood up and walked out of the store.
"One down, five to go." Wence said meaninglessly, crushing his Coke bottle in his hand and tossing it into a nearby garbage pail.
"OW!" Tony cried, clutching his stomache. "Somebody just punched me." Wence looked around to see any pursuers, but there was nobody near. However, just as he opened his mouth to question Tony's sanity, the chain that held the Furok ring around Tony's neck floated up. The claps came undone and the necklace accelerated down the street, levitating four feet off the ground and moving independantly.
"It's invisible!" Wence warned. Tony gave him a glare as he sprinted down the street. Not looking where he was going, his head smashed into a pole.
"I always hear about people doing that." Tony moaned. "Worst of all, they're mostly dunces." Ignoring Tony's question, Wence sprinted ahead to and past a street corner. A car came at Wence, who was just barely able to flip back onto the corner. The driver yelled out profanity to Wence.
"What an idiot!" Wence said angrily. "He almost hit me with that metal-rolly thing!"
"Maybe because it was a red light?" Tony sighed, massaging the bruise on his head.
"These metal-rolly things obey the coloured lights!?" Wence said, shocked. "I wondered what those things were for! You must tell me more later."
Tony sighed in fusturation. "Do you see my ring?" Wence spun around in a full circle, pivoting on one foot.
"Nope, I don't see anything." Tony sighed again. "Wait a second! SUMMON! ARBOLL!"
The ring on Wence's right index finger flashed with green light, but it wasn't like a summon Tony had seen in Magi-Nation. The Arboll spirit appeared to struggle to "dream" and emerge from it's ring. Finally, the cluster of leaves with eyes and claws appeared. But it wasn't solid, more like a ghost that kept flickering in and out of reality.
"Arboll." Wence commanded with a firm voice. "I know you're not as strong here, but see if you can sense any Dream Creature around here." Arboll nodded weakly and started twitching the spot where a nose would be. Immediately, the Naroom Dream Creature shot off like a green rocket. Wence and Tony chased it, and thankfully traffic signals weren't a problem anymore.
FWAM! Arboll fell back as if it had been punched in the nose. Wence and Tony finally caught up with it just as it shot upwards and continued to glide about a foot from the roof. Wence turned to Tony, then without warning grabbed Tony's waist and, with a flick of his legs, propelled himself upwards and landed on the roof. The chase continued, this time on rooftops.
As an afterthought, Tony thought how weird this would look to a bystander. Two boys, one dressed in odd fashions, chasing a transparent, live bundle of leaves. He smiled, and almost fell right to the ground beneath a gap between rooftops. He cried out and caught onto the rung of a latter. Stay focused, he told himself.
Finally, the chase ended in a recently built parkette. A few children were playing on the climber when Wence and Arboll, followed from a distance by Tony, got there. Arboll looked around, trying to spot his invisible foe. He found him, and a punch in the stomache.
"That thing is so CHEAP." Wence commented uselessly as his Arboll was thrown around by the unseeable jabs. "Arboll!" he yelled. "Use your leaf."
Arboll appeared to finally get the hang of dodging invisible punches as he darted from left to right several times. Finally the Dream Creature zoomed away a few metres. A few dangerous leaves materialized in front of Arboll's claw and flew out.
"BEHOLD! LIGHTNING!" Tony cried with expert skill. Tony might not know as much about Naroom or be as agile as Wence, but he was a far better Magi(even without his Dream Creatures.) He opened his hand out and his palm shot out a bolt of lightning. The lightning cackled around the leaves and they both hit the invisible pursuer at the same time. Tony cought the shilouete of a eight-foot-diameter sphere with pipe-like arms and legs added in like an afterthought. Then, with a small poof of smoke the lightning stopped cackling. Tony looked at Arboll, who nodded. With a glow of green more solid then it's entire body, Arboll "undreamed."
"YOU!" a feminine voice said. Tony looked down and saw a girl with brown hair and what a summer skier's outfit would look like. She was sprawled on the ground and her right ankle had several scratches on it. "You, green acrobat and the living bundle of leaves who just disappeared. What were you doing!"
"You don't want to know." Wence sighed, jumping down from the monkey bars he had been perched on during the battle.
"No, I do want to know." The girl said.
"Knowing will force you into an important and life-threatening duty."
"Tell me."
Wence sighed again. "Well, you see..."
* * *
After Wence had finished explaining it(a. k. a., forty-five minutes later), the girl just stood in shock. Her mouth opened several times to speak, but in none of the cases did a sound come out. "Choose an element." Wence said slowly. "Water, Earth, Air, Thunder or Nature."
After a minute, the girl broke the silence. "My name is Tanya, and I choose the element that had conquered most of the world. I choose the element that blasts through solid rock without giving an afterthought. I choose Water."
Tanya reached out and touched the stone. Suddenly, a torrent of water-no, light-yes, light in such a way that it looked like water-surrounded her. A beam of light from each of the crystals Wence held and one that appeared out of nowhere(presumably from Benny's crystal.) The "water" slowly evaporated around a grinning Tanya. "Let's do it again!"
AN:Good chapter, no? In the next chapter, Wence attempts to hand-pick a Chosen, but he turns out to be putting up a false image when put under a frightening situation.
Disclaimer:I don't own Magi-Nation or anything associated with it. I do own the general plotline of this story, my original creatures and the Chosen and most things associated with them.
Chapter Two:Water
"Let's see..." Tony Jones said, browsing through the library's card catalog. "Ah, here it is. Greek History for People Who Have to do History Project and Will Forget it Within 24 Hours of the Due Date." After a minute of searching(the card catalog system did little more than tell you what bookcase it was in), Tony found the book and checked it out.
"Goodbye Me-aah, I'm turning to stone!" Tony said in a weak attempt at humor, trying to imitate turning to stone.
"Is that the only one you remember?" the librarian asked, wearing a face of scorn.
"Of course."Tony replied, dropping the cherade and starting to walk away from the school library. "It's the only one I can insult people with."
By the time the librarian was about to launch into a lecture, Tony had already left the building and was bicycling around the corner. He twirled the ring with engraved Furok Animite around a chain on his finger. His other rings were at home, sitting in a box. But Furok...was special. It was his first Dream Creature, and the bear-like creature had remained loyal to him since the start.
It had been five years, but still Tony couldn't get the adventure out of his mind. It had consumed his mind. It didn't matter how many video games he bought or how hard the work at school was, they were all destined to be next to ignored by the Magi Tony.
He let out a sharp cry, and crashed into a small tree. See, thinking is bad for you Tony thought to himself, dimly amusing himself for a minute. Then he got back onto his bike and pedled home safely.
"Tony, do you know anything about this?" his mother's voice said curtly, holding up an envolope. "It's a letter, but it's all marked in wierd runes. Your sister can't read them. They remind me of that lettering you made up years ago."
Tony grinned, remembering the "What I Did Over the Summer" journal he had written when he had gotten back to school after his adventure in the Moonlands(which had only lasted a real day even though in the Moonlands it had lasted for months.) He should have known that no one would believe him, but he wrote it anyways. Of course, his mom had gotten a call about his "overactive imagination."
The runes were actually the alphabet used in the Moonlands. Due to an enchantment or something Eidon had put on him, he could understand the language and alphabet of the Magi. Almost immediately, he knew that the letter was adressed to Magus Kyros, his Magi title.
"Uh...it's for me." Tony assured, trying not to attract any attention. He tore open the envelope and found a letter written in the Moonlands alphabet.
Dear Tony Jones(a. k. a. Magus Kyros.)
A great danger has come to the Moonlands. For more information, meet me in the Zybor Internet Café at 7:00 tonight.
-Wence
Tony's heart beat rapidly as he read the short letter over and over again. Wence was here in the real world. The Moonlands were in danger. Why, oh why, did this have to start on the weekend he had to do a project on?
It had taken Tony almost an hour to convince his mom to drop him off at a street corner near the Zybor Internet Café to "meet some freinds so that they could help him on a project." What he didn't say was that the freinds were a boy from another realm who lived in a house in the jungle and his cluster of leaves with claws, Arboll, from the same realm and that project happened to be using Dream Creatures to save that realm, most likely using them to fight against other Dream Creatures. He hadn't lied, just omitted some facts.
Alright, the one thing he had sort of lied about was calling Wence a freind. He was more of an acquaintance. He had met Wence when a Black Agovo had attacked him in the jungles of Naroom. Tony had defeated the Black Agovo and Wence had made it up to him by saving him when Morag was about to excecute him and providing a place to stay if he was ever lost in the jungle(which had occured a few times.) Maybe Wence had taken Tony for a freind-it must get lonely out there.
Surely enough, at 6:58 Tony was dropped off on a street corner. He walked down the street with fake casuality, until his eyes fell upon a sign.
ZYBOR INTERNET CAFE:CATCH THE NET'S WAVE!
BUISNESS HOURS
SUN:CLOSED
MON-FRI:8:00-6:00
SAT:10:00-8:00
This confused Tony totally. The café had closed an hour ago. Well, actually, fifty-nine minutes ago. Tony leaned against a telephone pole, trying to figure out what to do. His parents had gone out to do some shopping and would be back at 8:00. Tony didn't have a key with him. As he twirled the Furok ring on a chain around, his watch clicked over to 7:00.
A blur of green caught Tony's attention. As he focused, he realized it had came from inside the café. He looked down and saw Wence, dressed in a green cloak. After making sure that the coast was clear, Tony nodded. In another blur of green where Wence's left arm was, the door came unlocked and a key was in Wence's left hand. Tony pushed it open uncertainly.
"Ah, so glad you could make it." Wence said quietly. "Quick, duck down before people see you." Tony eyed Wence and obeyed. They crawled along the floor until they reached a secluded area of the restraunt. There was already a boy sitting there. Toyn leapt up. Wence followed and clamped his hand on Tony's shoulder. "Don't, he's one of us now. Well, sort of. I'll explain later."
"Hey you're that kid!" the boy, who had spiked reddish-brown hair, said. "The kid who survived the cave-in!"
"And you're one of those kids who started the whole thing." Tony said accusingly.
"Ah, it seems you know each other." Wence said in monotone. "I think it's time to let bygones be bygones and work together. Tony, you have had a role in saving Magi-Nation. Chuck, you will have the same role very soon." Both of them growled and sat down. Wence sat down next to Tony and first explained Tony's history to Benny, and then Benny's mission to Tony. "So, Tony, your job is to help me around this world."
"Can't he do that?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow at Chuck.
"He will help me too, but the elders said that you should help me. Besides, you have spells and rings to protect us."
"Fine." Tony said miserably. "I'll get my other rings from home."
"Meeting dismissed." Wence said. Chuck and Tony walked out the door to go to their homes. Wence flipped over the counter, put some money Chuck had given him into the cash register, and grabbed a Coke from the place where they kept the pop. It's only a matter of time now, he thought to himself. I wonder what's happening at home?
* * *
Tony stood there for a full five minutes before he could beleive it. He had taken the bus home, deciding to wait for his folks over there. However, as he had soon found out, he didn't have a home to wait at. By the time he had returned, all he had found of his home was a blackened wreck. He probably didn't even have a family to wait for, giving the three black skeletons that fit the sizes of his father, mother and little sister.
Nothing on Earth could have done this. This was from Magi-Nation, and something told him that it wasn't freindly. This was because of his aleigance with Wence, he realized. They were trying to scare him off. He wouldn't be scared off, or at least that's what he told himself.
Tony sat down on the sidewalk. Why did this have to happen in his world and not in the Moonlands? Why did he have to be a supporting character and not in the spotlight? He answered the last question:he had already had his turn in the spotlight. He was probably out of practice. And as Wence had said, six prophecied saviors were better then one. But why couldn't he come along? He could have been the Chooser. He could have known about this world and who to pick. But then his house would still be burnt to the ground.
He got up and headed back to the Zybor Internet Café. Wence held what was left of his destiny.
* * *
Wence didn't expect to see Tony back so soon. He was just polishing off his Coke when the teenager titled Magus Kyros knocked quietly on the door. He jumped up and spilt his remaining cola. After muttering some Magi curses, he let Tony in. "Back so soon?" he asked.
"My house." Tony said bitterly. "They burnt it and either destroyed or took everything in it. My family's dead to."
Wence didn't know what to say. He hadn't dealt with tragedy before. Adventurers didn't commonly think of these things. Did this mean Chuck no longer had a home either? Would he indirectly destroy the homes of the others he associated with. "Tony...I'm so sorry." It was all he could say. He noticed that there were no tears in Tony's eyes, only hatred.
"It was a Dream Creature's Work." Tony said harshly. "We should set up a travel agency for transportation between the Moonlands and this world."
"Sorry." Wence said quietly as if he was to blame. "This is bad."
"No duh." Tony said harshly, leaping to his feat. When it comes to losses, there were two kinds of people. The first kind would break down crying and hide under a rock for a few weeks. The second kind would put up a tough mask and blow up anything remotely responsible. Tony was definately responsible.
"I take it they're not encouraging others to join us?" Wence said solemnly. "More or less, that's why. They also probably wanted to get rid of your other rings. Thank god you still have Furok."
"Wence." Tony said. "I think we should take this seriously. These Dream Creatures are strong enough to level a house without leaving a trace of their identity. They didn't work alone. They have a master or a mistress. Thats the kind of power I wouldn't like to meet. I'm starting to think about my safety. I'm doubting whether it's safe to continue through with this mission."
"Please." Wence said harshly. "The gate is unstable, you know that. Thus, only a small group of enemies could come through. But still the small army enialated your home. I don't know what the villain's plot is, but once they enialate Magi-Nation, they'll come for this world. It has mana. It has as much power as any one reigon in Magi-Nation, maybe more. You help me, you lose your home. You don't help me, you lose your world."
Tony sighed. "Listen, Wence, it's just that...I don't think I can fight any more."
"Perhaps you cannot." Wence replied. "But you can assist. Remember, you are one of the only ones from this world who knows. A secret in numbers is a secret poorly kept. We need you, Tony. You need us."
Tony tried to ignore Wence, but his answers kept seeping into his mind. Truth was, he had liked the adventure. He had been bored before. Now the Moonlands were on his mind constantly. They had given meaning to his life. He couldn't just run away now. It was all he had left, adventure. And that, he ended, was simply pathetic.
"All right." Tony said disheavedly. "I'll help you, but only here in the real world. Once you're all in the Moonlands, I won't be able to help you. I'll probably be in some orphanage in who-knows-where."
Wence nodded and shook Tony's hand. "I assure you, you've made the right choice." he said in a voice salesmen would be envious of. The two stood up and walked out of the store.
"One down, five to go." Wence said meaninglessly, crushing his Coke bottle in his hand and tossing it into a nearby garbage pail.
"OW!" Tony cried, clutching his stomache. "Somebody just punched me." Wence looked around to see any pursuers, but there was nobody near. However, just as he opened his mouth to question Tony's sanity, the chain that held the Furok ring around Tony's neck floated up. The claps came undone and the necklace accelerated down the street, levitating four feet off the ground and moving independantly.
"It's invisible!" Wence warned. Tony gave him a glare as he sprinted down the street. Not looking where he was going, his head smashed into a pole.
"I always hear about people doing that." Tony moaned. "Worst of all, they're mostly dunces." Ignoring Tony's question, Wence sprinted ahead to and past a street corner. A car came at Wence, who was just barely able to flip back onto the corner. The driver yelled out profanity to Wence.
"What an idiot!" Wence said angrily. "He almost hit me with that metal-rolly thing!"
"Maybe because it was a red light?" Tony sighed, massaging the bruise on his head.
"These metal-rolly things obey the coloured lights!?" Wence said, shocked. "I wondered what those things were for! You must tell me more later."
Tony sighed in fusturation. "Do you see my ring?" Wence spun around in a full circle, pivoting on one foot.
"Nope, I don't see anything." Tony sighed again. "Wait a second! SUMMON! ARBOLL!"
The ring on Wence's right index finger flashed with green light, but it wasn't like a summon Tony had seen in Magi-Nation. The Arboll spirit appeared to struggle to "dream" and emerge from it's ring. Finally, the cluster of leaves with eyes and claws appeared. But it wasn't solid, more like a ghost that kept flickering in and out of reality.
"Arboll." Wence commanded with a firm voice. "I know you're not as strong here, but see if you can sense any Dream Creature around here." Arboll nodded weakly and started twitching the spot where a nose would be. Immediately, the Naroom Dream Creature shot off like a green rocket. Wence and Tony chased it, and thankfully traffic signals weren't a problem anymore.
FWAM! Arboll fell back as if it had been punched in the nose. Wence and Tony finally caught up with it just as it shot upwards and continued to glide about a foot from the roof. Wence turned to Tony, then without warning grabbed Tony's waist and, with a flick of his legs, propelled himself upwards and landed on the roof. The chase continued, this time on rooftops.
As an afterthought, Tony thought how weird this would look to a bystander. Two boys, one dressed in odd fashions, chasing a transparent, live bundle of leaves. He smiled, and almost fell right to the ground beneath a gap between rooftops. He cried out and caught onto the rung of a latter. Stay focused, he told himself.
Finally, the chase ended in a recently built parkette. A few children were playing on the climber when Wence and Arboll, followed from a distance by Tony, got there. Arboll looked around, trying to spot his invisible foe. He found him, and a punch in the stomache.
"That thing is so CHEAP." Wence commented uselessly as his Arboll was thrown around by the unseeable jabs. "Arboll!" he yelled. "Use your leaf."
Arboll appeared to finally get the hang of dodging invisible punches as he darted from left to right several times. Finally the Dream Creature zoomed away a few metres. A few dangerous leaves materialized in front of Arboll's claw and flew out.
"BEHOLD! LIGHTNING!" Tony cried with expert skill. Tony might not know as much about Naroom or be as agile as Wence, but he was a far better Magi(even without his Dream Creatures.) He opened his hand out and his palm shot out a bolt of lightning. The lightning cackled around the leaves and they both hit the invisible pursuer at the same time. Tony cought the shilouete of a eight-foot-diameter sphere with pipe-like arms and legs added in like an afterthought. Then, with a small poof of smoke the lightning stopped cackling. Tony looked at Arboll, who nodded. With a glow of green more solid then it's entire body, Arboll "undreamed."
"YOU!" a feminine voice said. Tony looked down and saw a girl with brown hair and what a summer skier's outfit would look like. She was sprawled on the ground and her right ankle had several scratches on it. "You, green acrobat and the living bundle of leaves who just disappeared. What were you doing!"
"You don't want to know." Wence sighed, jumping down from the monkey bars he had been perched on during the battle.
"No, I do want to know." The girl said.
"Knowing will force you into an important and life-threatening duty."
"Tell me."
Wence sighed again. "Well, you see..."
* * *
After Wence had finished explaining it(a. k. a., forty-five minutes later), the girl just stood in shock. Her mouth opened several times to speak, but in none of the cases did a sound come out. "Choose an element." Wence said slowly. "Water, Earth, Air, Thunder or Nature."
After a minute, the girl broke the silence. "My name is Tanya, and I choose the element that had conquered most of the world. I choose the element that blasts through solid rock without giving an afterthought. I choose Water."
Tanya reached out and touched the stone. Suddenly, a torrent of water-no, light-yes, light in such a way that it looked like water-surrounded her. A beam of light from each of the crystals Wence held and one that appeared out of nowhere(presumably from Benny's crystal.) The "water" slowly evaporated around a grinning Tanya. "Let's do it again!"
AN:Good chapter, no? In the next chapter, Wence attempts to hand-pick a Chosen, but he turns out to be putting up a false image when put under a frightening situation.