[center][img]http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy334/defangbasilica/Trains/WitchyNympha.jpg[/img][/center]

Nympha felt herself dragged along by a cross-sounding female Nobody. The little apprentice followed along somewhat reluctantly. She couldn’t leave those flowers behind. They were so vulnerable. Another earsplitting shriek from the beast made her squeaked as she screwed her eyes shut. The little witch stared in awe as she saw the turtle dragon looming up ahead. Bursts of gun fire came from the soldiers attempting to hold the creature at bay. Yet the sounds rapidly disappear as though it was swallowed by the monster. She swallowed hard. [i]The animal was always drawn to magic.[/i] The beast was like a vortex; it drained everything around it till one day it turns to stone.

[quote=Ace]"Hey kid witch! If you're a witch can't you make it stop? Or tame it? What are you useful for if you're just going to run with us?"[/quote]

[quote=Breeze]"Hey, since you're so familiar with the place you don't suppose you know where 'the big tree' is, do you? And if you don't answer truthfully, we're leaving you behind to deal with the thing yourself!"[/quote]

“Uh… err…”

The pink haired girl’s eyes widened as she saw the creature hovering over the tree tops. She mentally shut out her two companions. The edges of the surrounding sky turned grey before fading into white. The skeletal trees crumbled away. Even the Nobodies closest to it were starting to pale. Nympha saw the little flowers turn into wisps of smoke. Tiny indistinct trails were left behind as they drifted towards the monster. Her ears heated up. [i]Why? Why do the flowers have to die?[/i] The angry thumping of her heart drowned out all other sound as she balled up her fists. 

“You… you… sandwich gingersnapping lemonade!” 

The enraged Nobody waved her right hand about in the air. A glint flashed here and there. Then a few shimmering threads appeared. One by one the threads connected till they formed a mesh. With the next wave of her hand, the spell weaver formed translucent panels, that appeared in-between the gaps. The pattern continued till a huge barricade was formed. The wall was barely noticeable save for the occasional sparkle coming from the many threads running through it. Right in the center was a padlock without a key. 

[center][img]http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy334/defangbasilica/Trains/SpellWeaverNympha.png[/img][/center]

“Now stay there! … And… err… we better RUN!”

Her bravado melted again the second the turtle dragon let out another howl. Fissures appeared at the sides of her protective shield. There was no telling how long the barrier will hold. This time she wrapped her hands round Ace’s and Breeze’s wrists and dragged them along. [i]Which way?[/i] Oh, of course! She needed to get to the big tree. The dragon was close to exhausting itself out. A little more and it will go to sleep, and it shall hibernate for another hundred years or so. 

[center][img]http://i57.tinypic.com/2116trp.png[/img][/center]

“Ace! Breeze! Miss Witch!” 

Ran yelled desperately as he tried to run after the group. They couldn’t hear him. He took a huge gulp of air, and charged forward. Two steps were all he managed to take before he smashed into the Nympha’s spell. He staggered backwards. Niran instinctively threw his legs back. He half ran, half staggered till he found his balance again. 

[quote=Fading Soldier]“Run! The tur….tle issssssss cooooom ing.”[/quote]

The crackling, distorted voice sounded like the soldier was talking to them through a broken down television set. Ran turned back. Many multi-colored dots appeared before his vision. A chill ran down his spine. What was this? Was he fading away? Somehow he refused to believe it. This had to be an illusion. People, Nobodies, anything breathing… nothing disappears like that. Nothing. They weren’t characters in cyberspace. They can’t be deleted. He felt an renewed sense of urgency coursing through him. 

“Harper! Lelia! We’ve gotta go.” He bellowed. 

He ran forward a little before turning to look behind. Somehow he wondered if the kids could keep up, especially the girl. Harper seemed to be doing fine. “Get on my back, Lelia! We need to hurry.”

He pulled her up into a piggyback. Then the stubborn adult roared as he barreled to the right. They needed to get away fast. Fear was his main source of motivation. Pain and exhaustion were nothing compared to it. He didn’t care about the branches whipping his face neither did he care about the thorny bushes snagging his clothes and tearing bits from it. They needed to run. They had to survive. He continued running till he tripped over a tree branch and skidded into a huge bush. Hundreds of tiny bats flew into the air. They rose in a thick cloud. 

Niran batted at the swarm as he tried to shield his eyes. The sound, smell and flurry were overwhelming. Finally when the last bat flew off, he found himself sitting in a naked bush. He pulled himself up till he was sitting on his haunches. The poor man panted. 

“Lelia? Harper? Are you here?”