Jessica looked at her tattoo as they all sat. It marked body two, mind eight which glowed and spirit zero. Soon she would be at mind nine and Sarah said it couldn't take much longer for the power to happen.

-'What if it doesn't though. Maybe I'm different and can't get a power.' Jess thought.

"So? What is this about?" Sarah frowned.

"Yeah there's some stuff we should to talk about." Alex licked his lips and looked at Eian, then Jess.

"I figured that. Well?" Sarah rolled her eyes.

"We were thinking and talking, while you two were.....busy." Eian looked at Alex, the looked at Sarah straight in the eye.

"Okay." Sarah tilted her head at Eian.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Jessica chuckled.

She couldn't help but poke at him, he had been a jerk last night.

"Hah-hah-hah, very funny." Eian.

"Jessssss." Alex chided.

".....right sorry." Jess sighed and looked away from everyone.

Eian grunted.

"Anyways, we should plan what we are going to do from now on." Alex nodded.

"Hmm. That acutally makes sense. We were in a hurry to get out of the city we didn't think about after." Rasing an eyebrow Sarah seemed a bit impressed.

"Yeah, also how are we planning to get home?" Eian nodded as well.

"Not this again. Eian we just have to listen to our guides." Sarah rolled her eyes again.

"I'm not saying that. I'm saying details!" Eian crossed his arms and frowned.

"I just want my power to be teleportation." Jess sighed.

"Yes me too! BUT! We have to be real guys, it's probably not going to be that." Eian.

"What are you saying Eian? We don't know much more about this." With narrow her eyes, Sarah looked at him intently.

"And that's the problem! We know nothing!" Eian waved his hands up exasperated.

"Eian calm down man. You might attract something." Alex took a quik peek around the forest.

"He's right, but anyway what exactly are you getting at?" Sarah stared at Eian intently, she wanted to know more.

"Look our guides keep saying 'Get stronger'. Well that's been naturally developing well so far. Horah! But we're just going about hoping that happens by itself." Eian's voice almost went up in pitch.

"You're saying, we should actively be trying to kill things to get stronger?" Sarah rubbed her chin, givng it thought.

"That... isn't that really dangerous?" Jessica frowned, before quickly scanned their surroundings.

"As much as I want yo....us to be safe, Eian does make a good point. We want to go home, well the guides all say we can, but we need more strenght." Alex.

-'Awww he's so sweet, unlike some...other people.' Jessica thought and smiled.

"Yes Eian, but we need food and water too. Also we need shelter." Sarah.

"Exactly and where were we going then?" Eian.

"To find civilization, obviously." While shrugging, Sarah realized he had a point.

"Yes and we just left a vampire-infested city. Who says this entire world isn't clock-full of them! What if there aren't regular people here?" Eian smirked.

"You've thought of this." Sarah frowned at the thought.

"Duh. I had nothing, but time last night." Eian gave a quick surg and looked away.

"There can't not be more people here!" Jessica's eyes widened at the implication.

".....I don't know. I think he's on to something." Sarah furrowed her brows, as she watched her.

"I don't think it matters if there are more people here, Jess. Eian and I agree, the priority is getting back home right?" Alex heldd his hands up at her placatingly.

"Yes!" Jessica shrilled.

"What are you both proposing?" Sarah was staring at Eian and then at Alex.

"CCAAAAAWWWH!" Screeching noises from above.

SWOOSH! Jessica's heart almost stopped. She looked up, something had passed overhead.

"What was that?" Jessica was hysteric.

"A huge bird, it definately flys, this stupid visor is in the way." Eian was looking up.

"Birds eat meat right?" Jessica was panicking.

"Yes! Lets move. NOW!" Sarah.

Everyone sprung to action.

"Where are we going?" Eian.

"Away from here. We can hear what you have to say later." Sarah was grabbing her stuff.

"Look! We can just fucking hunt during the day!" Eian said as they were quickly moving.

"Not now Eian!" Sarah.

SWOOSH! Jessica saw a huge feathered monster the size of an elephant land infront of them. It's wing-span was enormously large to be able to support all it's weight.

"CAWWWWW!" It bared its beak at them.

"FUCK!" Eian.

"GET BACK!" Sarah.

Jessica saw Sarah toss a fire-ball at the monster. Some of it's feathers quickly caught fire!

"CAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!" IT roared in pain.

The creature stood on the two-smaller back-legs, its front-legs were larger and swiped at Eian with one, but he threw himself out of the way. Sarah tossed another fire-ball at it.

"CAWWW!" It roared and charged Sarah, whom was readying another fire-ball.

"MOVE!" Alex tackled Sarah out of the way.

Jessica saw Alex swing at the monster wildly, his sword didn't bite deep on the beast. It's beak forcefully bit Alex by the leg and begun to wildly shake him.

"ALEX!" Jessica grabbed her spear, aimed and threw it at the monster.

It landed accurrately on it's shoulder, where wing met front-leg.

"CAAAAAWWW!!!" It roared and Alex went flying towards a tree as it let go.

"FUUCCKK! YOU!" Eian yelled and Jessica saw him chopping it's huge flank.

She quickly rushed over to Alex, as Eian was figthing the monster. On the way she saw Sarah toss another fire-ball at the burning beast and it caught its left wing. Alex was struggling to get up and Jess quickly helped him. His leg was bleeding badly.

-'IT BIT THROUGH ARMOR!" Jessica almost cried.

"Every.. Is...everything okay!?" Jess asked frantic.

".....what? OWWWW MY LEG!...." Alex sounded dazed and breathing heavily.

"SHIT! LET GO!" Eian.

"STAB IT!" Sarah.

Jessica turned to look. Sarah tossed another fire-ball at it, half it's body was mostly on fire now. It had grabbed Eian by the waist with a large clawed hand and was biting down with it's huge beak on his shield. Jessica leaned Alex against a tree and took her other-spear and tossed it. She saw Eian's shield bend and Eian was yelling swinging his axe at the monsters face. Jessica saw her spear stab it's wing, as it attempted to protect itself.

"CAWWWWWW!!!" IT roared and charged foward holding Eian it's front clawed-hand.

"AHH!" Eian was being bashed on the floor as it ran.

"SHIT!" Sarah.

"What's happening!" Alex.

Sarah tried to jump out of it's way but it's wing still hit sending her careening sideways hard! Jessica pulled her long-sword and fought the urge to piss her-self. She saw it heading towards her and froze. She saw Eian move from under it.

"CAWWWWWWW!!!!!" Monster.

"TAKE THAT ASSHOLE!" Eian.

It's advance halted and it spun. It's long lion-like tail crashed into her. Through the pain she got a glimpse of Alex leaning on the tree. She felt something hit her head.

Darkness.

******

Sarah was hurting everywhere. One tackle was all it took and she was this badly hurt. She had lost her staff on impact. Maybe she needed the armor more than Eian. She looked at the beast thrashing wildly.

"AH! LET GO!" Eian was screaming loudly even as he kept trying to chop the monster.

Suddenly it braced itself and Sarah felt fear. She scrambled up and attempted to form a fire-ball on her hand quickly. The monster griffin jumped, spread it's wings and took flight. Sarah aimed and tossed the fire-ball at its figure. It impacted on it's back but kept going.

"CAWWWWWHH" Griffin.

It took Eian with it.

She saw their figures disappear over the trees.

"DAMN IT! EIAN!" Sarah.

She felt like stomping the ground and yellling. She turn to look and saw Alex tending Jessica. He had removed her helmet. She ran over to them.

"What happened!?" Sarah.

"It hit her with it's tail! Jess hit a tree." Alex was breathing heavily.

"FUCK! IS SHE BREATHING!?" Sarah.

"Yeah. I've set up a life-link too." Alex.

"What? What?" Jessica woke.

"A LIFE LINK?" Sarah.

"Yeah it's my new power." Alex.

"ARE YOU HURT!" Sarah took note of his bleeding leg.

"Yeah my leg's fucked. Where's Eian?" Alex fianlly took note.

"IT TOOK HIM!" Sarah was freaking.

"WHAT?!" Alex.

"IT TOOK HIM AND FLEW OFF!" Sarah.

"WE GOTTA GO AFTER HIM!" Alex.

"HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THAT!" Sarah.

"IT TOOK EIAN?!" Jessica.

"HEAL YOUR LEG FIRST!" Sarah.

"HELP ME! GET THE FRAGMENTS OUT THEN. WE GOTTA GO FOR EIAN NOW!" Alex.

"OH MY GOD! YOUR LEG!" Jessica.

The injury was bad. The griffin had crushed the leg-plate protecting his calf and mangled the leg. It was difficult taking the parts out.

"It's completely numb. Just... just tear them out. I'll have to heal it after." Alex grit his teeth.

"Fine. Jess grab that part." Sarah was eyeing it carefully.

-'This will be tricky.' Sarah thought.

"...okay..." Jess.

"AHHH!!! AGHHH!!" Alex.

It took a total of ten minutes to tear the metal parts and shards out of the way. Some parts of the armor had deformed and bent inwards crushing some parts of the leg. Alex was breathing heavily and healed it.

"...*huff* ....*huff*... Where did it take him?" Alex.

"I saw it go that way." Sarah pointed in the general direction.

"Are you sure you can walk?" Jess.

"Yeah. It's healed properly. Let's go." Alex.

"Grab all the weapons you can get, we'll need them." Sarah had calmed down mostly, freaking out wouldn't help.

"Do you think...Do you think he's still alive?" Jess.

"It doesn't matter! We have to at least try." Alex chided her.

"He's right." Sarah.

"So...sorry! I, I just meant to say that thing was huge. It could have eaten him by now." Jess.

"Don't say that Jess. We gotta hope he's okay." Alex.

"....*sigh*.....You both have a point. Eian skin is hard, maybe he's still fighting it. It was half on fire too." Sarah didn't know though, things weren't looking good.

"He has to be alive." Alex was ever the optimist.

She had found her staff lying on the ground. Jessica had her long-sword and had been lucky she hadn't cut herself on the impact. The griffin had taken both of her new long-spears. Alex had his shield, swords and spear-ax. They set off in the direction the monster took Eian.