[color=darkorange][center][h1]Mason Drake[/h1][/center]
[/color][hr][@Jollan][@geurls][@Rai]
After being brought back into the Taxis HQ by Mirror, Mason was presented with the the first armaments he would ever own; a set of armor made from wood, and a long, two-handed blade made of wood and stone.  

Before handing the blade to Mason, Mirror demonstrated how to use this new sword for channeling magic, [color=#C6DEFF]"First you focus on yourself. Then in your core you release your power but with no fear, no panic in mind. It will flow out naturally."[/color]

Deeply focusing on his power, Mason did exactly as Mirror had instructed, letting his energy flow into the blade.  As his darkfire claws were the least volatile of his attack spells, Mason attempted to channel it through the blade.  Starting at the crossguard, a dark flame slowly began creeping up the blade.  It didn’t hurt… Mason was in awestruck, he finally had a way to control his magic!  Looking at how weak the flame around the blade was, Mason knew he was holding back, he needed to let his power flow, and taking a deep breath, he did.

Without warning, the dark flame about his blade roared;  what once barely enveloped his sword now blazed mightily around it.  Eerily, this flame made no sound, seemingly devouring  the light surrounding it like a black hole. After a few moments of silently marveling this newfound control over his power, Mason dissipated the flame, at a loss for words, only managing a stuttered thanks for his new armaments.

As Mirror led the trio to their horses, something caught Mason's eye. The stables looked as if they had been broken into, and ransacked, a coincidence? Perhaps, but a bad omen nonetheless, a small knot forming in Mason's stomach.  Before the group stood three beautiful horses, one a tranlucient white, one covered in bright, cyan, markings, and finally; a young, beautiful, brown horse adorned with many decorations was given to Mason.

As Mason mounted the horse, Mirror produced an icy blue potion as well as a map for the journey ahead, [color=#C6DEFF]"This is my own potion. I don't hand these out regularly."[/color] He said as he handed both items to Mason, [color=#C6DEFF]"Keep the map safe and yourself safe."[/color] 

With that, the party's quest began!

As they rode over hills and past groups of nomads, the joyful children following the trio, was enough to keep Mason's mind off of the horrors that had marred these lands. 

Entering the forest, the children no longer following behind, a sinking feeling hit Mason, like he was being watched. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake it; the feeling that they weren't alone. 

As the group exited the forest, they entered a large, open field, the mountain was visible from here, but to get to it, they would have to cross a stream. A bad feeling still plaguing Mason, he eased Lulu to a stop, and told her to stay put, he hoped that first surveying the land would help shake his horrid feeling. Turning to the rest of his group, [color=darkorange]"I'll be right back..."[/color] he said before taking off high into the sky, the glare of the midday sun surrounding his flying form as he scanned the land below.