Shannon's POV

I…ended up being swallowed into the ground? This was not my intended effect at all! I was envisioning a bubble of light surrounding me, and that would act as my shield from their attacks. I heard one loud blast rumble from above me?

I looked around and saw the shadows enveloping me, clutching my staff as a lifeline. I glanced at my staff and realized that don't have the power to disappear at all…was this how my spell manifested itself? No…I saw a set of bright red eyes peering at me. Rogue had saved me!

We appeared above ground once more, and I was in his arms. For a person that shunned the light…he was quite warm, and made me feel safe. Rogue looked ahead and spoke, "Be more vigilant next time. I won't always be there to save you."
He gently helped me stand on the ground, and this blew my mind. Sabertooth members…did have a heart and were kind! I just wonder why they felt the need to hide it. Solely relying on strength won't go far in the future, as that can change, but can the guild change too? I…really hadn't watched that far ahead nor read the manga to that point. LeeAnna would probably know though!

Except…she's not with me at all. Rogue was-and he was facing off against the enemies. I looked at him and heard him say, "Stay behind and destroy the staffs. I'll handle the mages."

I nodded and dashed off behind him, where I saw Frosch holding on as many staffs as possible! Frosch placed them on the ground and spoke, "Here you go, m'lady!"
"Thanks!" I quickly threw the staff that I had into the pile, not wanting to associate with it anymore. I was working on summoning a ball of light to destroy the staffs…when I felt a slight pull on my pants.

Frosch held the staff I had, smiling, "Don't destroy your own weapon!" I laughed, and gently laid my staff to the side. At least I could research this type of magic later!

I picked up Frosch with my left arm to ensure that it wouldn't get hurt. If I wanted a chance at going to Belmont or Martin again…my number one goal would be to not hurt Frosch. If I did, I would probably be dead!

I blasted the staffs to pieces with my magic. Once they shattered…it seemed like the storm dissipated more now. It was partly cloudy-no rain or lightning to be seen. The trees were upright, and only swayed in the calm winds. They looked like a painting because of the sun's setting rays. I looked at Frosch and smiled, "The sun feels nice right now, especially after that rainstorm!"
"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch hopped out of my arms, and pointed behind me, "Rogue is done too!"

I looked at Rogue and saw a dark aura around him. His hair was standing on end, as if a bolt from the blue was about to strike! I dashed towards Frosch and yelled out, "Frosch, don't go near him! It's dangerous!"
Rogue turned around, shaking his head. He took a deep breath, and the aura suddenly disappeared around him. He returned to…well, normal-ish looking…and spoke, "That was Shadow Drive. Do you not have a Drive yourself?"

"No, I don't think so! In fact, I really didn't know about me being a Dragon Slayer until recently! I just focused on my studies." I nodded quickly, "I just wanted to become a weather forecaster one day, not a mage. Maybe a writer or a healer too-perhaps a teacher as well."

"But you're a Sabertooth mage now. Don't forget it." He looked at me, then examined Frosch, "Are you two hurt?"
"Not at all, thanks to you. Are all of the mages taken care of?"

"Think so." He glanced behind us…and that was when I saw a pile of 15 mages, groaning and in pain. Seeing that…made me feel sad a bit, after all, they probably had families to go home to as well. Rogue saw this and spoke, "Let's go, m'lady."
I looked away as I hid my blush, "Don't call me that-I hate the idea of feeling proper. Just call me by my name. Shannon. We're clear?" I looked back at Rogue, smiling.

Before he could respond, one of the mages charged at Rogue, a sword in his hand. I dashed ahead, my staff in hand, and blocked the sword from hurting Rogue by wielding my staff as a blade. However, in doing so…the sword struck a glancing blow on my side. I gritted my teeth, as a way to stop screaming out in pain. I envisioned my light going into the staff, my anger powering it, and saw the staff light up quickly. It blasted the mage high up into the sky!

Before the mage could realize what was happening to him, I saw a a funnel of dark magic launch into the sky, which launched the mage farther away than I had. I heard a voice say, "Fro thinks you're a good team!"

I looked behind me and saw the Exceed smiling, but it gasped as it saw my shirt ripped on the side, "Did Fro hurt you?"

I sighed softly, "No, it was that mage. I think it's just a skin wound. I'll clean it when we get back to the guild. I really liked this shirt too!"

Rogue approached me and sighed, "Coming back injured to Sabertooth is a disgrace, so we'll get you treated at the train station. The quicker we get going, the better chances of us getting back home quickly." He then started to walk ahead-and he didn't even look like the battle phased him!

Meanwhile, there's me-a torn shirt that is stained crimson with blood-wait, I'm bleeding that badly?! I looked at the wound, and it wasn't deep…just long. I shook my head and started to walk towards Rogue and Frosch….but it was hard walking with a gash on your side! However, I kept marching forward, being motivated by the thought of getting my wound treated.

Rogue glanced back at me and saw my left hand wrapped around the wound, while my right hand held my staff. I smiled softly at him as I spoke, "I'll be fine! Don't worry about me."
I regretted blinking my eyes because the moment I did that was when Rogue disappeared. I gasped as I shook my head. I couldn't have gotten a concussion from that blow! But why am I seeing things?

Rogue appeared next to me a moment later to pick me up in his arms. He looked down at me and sighed, "We'll travel faster this way." He then started to walk back to where Frosch was. Frosch didn't even seem to notice Rogue until Rogue spoke out, "Frosch, let's get going."

"You've got it! Wait, did Fro hurt Shannon that badly?"

Rogue smiled softly at his Exceed partner-and quite honestly, I wish I had a camera to capture that sight because it was sooo cute! Rogue shook his head, "No, Frosch, you didn't. We'll have to take Shannon to the healer, okay?"

"Will Fro get a treat from the healer?"

"Only if Shannon behaves. Let's go quickly though, okay?" Rogue started to walk side-by-side with Frosch, and I couldn't help but sense the bond between these two.

They truly reminded me of my sister, LeeAnna- I just hope that she makes it out alive for her mission!