Seth grinned and let his firecrackers hit the ground. The sudden burst of heat had no effect on him- he was already running towards the dragon in complete amazement. He quickly tiptoed across the dragon and then glanced at it's wing. "Michael, well done!--" His glance suddenly flickered to the already injured wing of the dragon. "..What about the explosives?" he asked somewhat filled with guilt. He really didn't want to be in the middle of running away if the dragon decided to move sharply and trigger a compression force strong enough to set off the gunpowder.

Michael looked over at the box tucked into its wing and very carefully removed the box, throwing it towards the wall just as they were sent back to the village.

When everything went back to being the scenery of the village, Marcia was waiting by her hut. Seeing the large dragon made her eyes go wide. "You did it!" She called from the ground with a smirk and slowly walked towards it. The dragon lowered its head and hissed at her, causing her to stop in her tracks. Michael slid down from its back and pat its head. "Easy, she's harmless." The dragon snorted and rested its head on the ground. "Broken wing?" Marcia asked as she pointed to the disoriented wing. Michael nods.

Seth eagerly hopped off the dragon with bright gray eyes when Marcia stepped over- if such a thing were possible. He quickly greeted her with a childish "Hello!" and ran inside to fetch Ariel, wherever she was. "Ariel! We're back!" he said, almost tripping over his feet. Seth ran around in too many circles- he was back in crystal-like surroundings where he could see his footing. He clung to one of the furnishings close to the door and regained his balance. He sighed and rolled his sleeve up to reveal his mildly scorched arm, twisting it in the light to see what he'd gotten himself burned with. 'He couldn't handled that thing himself,' Seth thought as he smiled a little. He pulled his sleeve back over his wrist and got back out into the open where Michael and Marcia were with the dragon. He stopped in the middle of the doorway and leaned against it. 'Marcia and Michael,' he thought curiously.

Ariel came flying when she heard Seth's voice. 'Welcome back!' She giggled with excitement. 'I knew you guys could do it!' She paused. 'How'd you do it?' She asked with a tilted head before shaking it. 'Doesn't matter! You guys are alive and have a pet dragon~'

Marcia knelt at the top of the dragon- who threatened to bite her head if she had one wrong move- closely examining the damaged bones and other structures of the wing. Michael had gone over to Seth and hugged him tightly, but not tight enough to hurt him. "I couldn't have done it without you Seth, thank you so much." He said quietly as he released the boy.

Seth laughed when he felt Michael's hug. "All I did was tell you what we were doing today," he said slightly as he hugged Michael back. "-You're the one who tamed it, Eragon." He looked up at the dragon and then back to Ariel. "You should have seen it," he suggested, smiling wickedly. Seth thought about the firecrackers he had used. Ironically, they weren't even his at first. They were the result of a failed lab experiment somewhere at the Thorn's house. Alexander had been trying to get a type of light that was sensitive to touch rather than sound, but ended up blowing one up in his face. Luckily, they were merely prototypes that blasted smoke, so it wasn't until later that the two former-friends had tweaked them enough to call them 'flashworks.' Seth sighed at the idea of Alexander being a problem in his life. Why couldn't the kid just step out of his cave and take a look at the world around him? "Michael~!" he blurted out of nowhere. Truly, the epiphany in his mind had come from absolutely no place at all. "What about the 'tattoo'?"

Michael shrugged lightly. "Still there, I guess it serves as a tracker now or something." Marcia screamed and fell off the side of the dragon, hitting the ground with a thud. "Michael!! Tell your beast to behave otherwise it's not getting a new wing!" She yelled in a highly annoyed voice. "Her name is Krystal." Michael retorted before walking over to her and pulling her to her feet. "It's a her?!" Marcia question with a hint of disbelief in her voice. Michael nods.

Ariel watched from inside and giggled.

[ comments on the chapter? O~o ]

[[ ^^ I luff'd it. Keep writing ;~: /wanttoreadmode/ -- I Lol'd when Kate kicked Ratchet. >o< I've done that before once at my old house when my dad used to walk around in his combat boots- he stopped walking and I crashed right into him and screwed up my foot xwx I was like 'Jeez Kate. Dx Watch who you kick' ]]

Seth tilted his head to the fact that the tattoo was still on Michael. He shrugged and thought that it was pretty logical for the dragon to be able to get home to it's Eragon. Then, after hearing Marcia fall, he realized that the image of the dragon looked similar to that of the rest of the world. Its name, Krystal, even matched. Seth looked down at Michael and then back to Marcia, who was fuming over her inability to work with dragons. "Say, why did you get that tattoo anyway?" he asked, looking at the dragon with an honestly curious face. He felt like he was missing a few things to try and solve a bigger picture.

[ lol xD working on Ch 5 now~ kinda hit a bump in the road but i'm over it now and have more ideas :D -- i just realized how much Kate pretty much hates Qwark to the core o.o (ch 2) i guess i would too... *shrug* ]

Krystal hissed at Marcia who hid behind Michael like a little girl. Michael glanced at Seth and shook his head. "I was born with it, don't know why or how." He answered truthfully as he gently placed a hand on Krystal's injured wing. Marcia slowly came out from behind the boy and went inside to grab a rock similar to what Lazarus had on his staff before coming back out and taking her place at the top of the wing. She held the rock over the wound and watched as the wing slowly repaired itself.

[[ >w< Butbutbut she's got hearts for Ratchet. <3 ]]

Seth sat back on his heels and watched the day slowly unfold. He almost felt like he'd come back from a war and was slowly getting used to the nothingness around him. It was peaceful, but somehow Seth just wasn't right. Right as he began to wonder why he was even put on the planet in the first place, he regained sight of what he'd always aspired to do from the start. He sighed a little and looked back to Michael with a slightly tiresome gaze. "What are you going to do now?" he wondered aloud. That entire morning had revolved around dragon-human combat.. which didn't last long at all.

[[ Ohemgee. ;~: ]]

[ it's that noticeable huh? *giggle* ]

Michael glanced back at Seth, but didn't move away from the dragon since Marcia made her extremely uncomfortable. He could tell because her muscles her tight and she practically watched her like a hawk. "We're going to put an end the Onyx and find a way to get it out your system without killing you."

[ nani, nani? O.o ]

[[ Hm~ I'm not sure- I think that by reading the story it goes unnoticed, but I've seen so many love stories (and have such strong emotions to them .x.) that I just get those kinds of vibes, if 'yu know what I mean. ^^;; ]]

Seth's heart cracked a little when he heard his go back to the Onyx topic. Especially considering the fact that Michael showed signs like didn't want to believe that Seth most likely needed to stop existing for that to happen. Seth bit his lip a little and looked off for a moment. He crossed his arms, discretely putting a hand over his injured side. "How do we do that?"

[[ I dunno, I kind of ran into a writer's block.. So I found pictures of Marshall Lee on the intranet (jk, im not in china >o<) for Alex <3 ]]

[ ah, hehe (chapter 5 is up and running! ^0^) -- cool~ :3 ]

Michael paused then leaned against Krystal. "I don't know..." He replied quietly in a soft voice.

Krystal hissed in pain and glared at Marcia. "Sorry, sorry!" She apologized quickly. Krystal growled at her lowly as the woman healed her wing. "Just a little longer, alright?" Marcia cooed gently.

Seth looked up at the dragon and then over to where Marcia was with her healing stone. He let out a two-tone laugh that could barely be heard above Krystal's growl. He began to fully grasp that he knew so little about the Onyx other than what Alex had told him and the side-effects.. 'I haven't seen those angels..' he thought. Thinking over how the village had been unaffected so far, Seth remembered that there was yet another spirit stone that somehow kept everyone inside the boundaries safe. 'What if he's gone through other towns that are defenseless...' A sick feeling gripped Seth's courage and nearly poisoned his mood.

"I'm going to go find him," Seth announced to Michael after a few moments of thinking in silence. He knew that he had lost a battle somewhere in his mind, though. Ever since he had gotten a blade-full of his ex-friend's rage, Seth had always been thinking of going back. When his house was taken over, Seth had ultimately planned on giving up if it hadn't been for Michael. He concluded that his dream was of his own perception of going back to a lab.. Seth shuddered a little- it struck him that the Onyx was practically dormant in the village safety. If he stepped out of the boundaries then he'd have to face them again- 'At least the entire world will have at least had a chance.' "We're out of things we can do without direct confrontation."

[[ *reads fan-fic and multitasks with homework* Hm~ ^^' Creativity comes when I multitask! ]]

[ hehe ^^ ]

Michael smirks as he listens to his friend. "And we have Krystal on our side." He states, since she would probably be a big help. 'I wanna come too!' Ariel says as she comes outside with the rest of the group.

Marcia- yet again- falls off the side of the dragon when the wing is completely healed. "There! One dragon spear-wing fixed!" She announces with a sense of pride. Krystal snorts.

Seth was a little unsettled about having to worry over an Onyx infection if that ever broke out. He turned to Marcia with a look of concern across his face. "Do you know anything about the stone that protects this village- or where we could get three of them?" he asked, trying to hint that he would not be running for his life with twice the number of people to look after. Seth would probably kill himself if anything happened like that.

He enjoyed the peacefulness he had left to spare before the pace picked up yet again- maybe even a pace that would never yield. Seth let go of his side for the time being. It wasn't bothering him, and he needed that break between chaos and hell.

Marcia slowly stood and looked at Seth with soft eyes. "I'm not supposed to give a stone to outsiders but-" She glanced at Michael for a second before looking back at Seth. "-I'll get three stones. One for you, Michael, and little Ariel." She smiles kindly. "Wait here." She says before leaving the village and heading towards the cemetery, her stone tightly gripped in her hand.

[ any questions/comments~? (sorry i keep asking .~. i'm just curious and everything since no one ever comments on my DA profile) ]

[[ Hm~.. I can't think of anything. >o< I just like reading it~ (It's been so long since I actually picked up a book at my own will) ]]

Seth was about to protest on who the third stone was for, but he didn't bother. He had a strange feeling about actually holding one for himself.. 'We'll see,' he thought. Seth took the belt-like sash that he usually tied his jacket together with out of the loops and held it out in his hand. He glanced at the dragon for a moment and then back at the sash. He quickly tied a loose knot in the center of the cloth and smiled at his work. "Michael, would you keep this for Krystal?" he asked. Seth wasn't sure how the entire dragon-taming situation went, but as far as he was concerned it didn't matter. If Krystal could see daylight, then she would have a necklace with a protective spiritual stone in the center of it.

[ hehe, that's cool ^-^ ]

Krystal heard her name and lower her head, stretching her long neck to sniff the necklace and then nuzzled Seth's unwounded side gently, making a soft kind of 'cooing' noise within her throat. Michael chuckled. "Dude, I think she wants to wear it." He smiles. Ariel hovers over to the dragon and gasps with delight. 'She's so pretty~ -and yet very deadly... Crystal dragons are so rare! You're so lucky!' She hovered around Krystal, examining every detail of every piece of art on her from her head to her tail like.

Seth was surprised with the way Krystal was so quick to move towards the makeshift necklace he had in his hands. "I will never understand girls." He laughed softly and held it up for Krystal to see. The loose knot in the center still had no stone, and Seth didn't exactly want to have to pry his nails through to undo it if the dragon pulled even the slightest bit.. Nor did he want to face a pouting dragon. "Alright," he said, caving in. Seth loosened the center knot one last time to make sure it wasn't going to get pulled too badly. "Will you let me put this on?" he asked cautiously, holding the 'necklace' up once more.

[[ I'm going to check the ancient roleplay this was based off of, but I have this faint feeling of remembering that somewhere along the lines, the characters were left off in the middle of a huge event and it had to do with a crystal dragon. A wild one, too. I think they were after some tiara, though- for whatever reason.. It was out in a field where it looked like no one would be disturbed, and then some chick (Iris) tried to tiptoe across its sleeping back without being noticed... Yeah. Endofstory. <3.. ]]

Michael held in his laughter at Seth's comment. Krystal moved her head back a little, keeping it low so Seth could do so.

Marcia came back with four small spirit rocks. "I brought and extra for Krystal." She says as she rejoins with the group, handing one to each of them and Michael two since one was for Krystal and there was no way she climbing up the scaly she-beast again just to fall off and be watched like a hawk's prey.

[ yikes... it's a good thing Krystal's tamed .~. and my dad thought of her being a crystal dragon when i described her to him o.o' awesome! -- last post nini yumi-chan <3 ]

[[ Zomg ikr. Dx; That would be so troublesome.. -- Ooh, minds think alike then. >w< ]]

Seth had just about finished tying the band around Krystal's neck when Marcia had come back with the spirit stones. When he received his, his gaze lowered to the ground in disappointment. The small stone was repellent to the Onyx that was already a part of him, so it was like he was the one taking the harm as well. The stone messed with his senses on that side of his body and nearly burned an invisible hole in his hand due to the pain, but Seth put his best efforts forwards and pretended not to notice. He gently turned his palm sideways against the partial-necklace Krystal had on and let the small rock fall within the knot he made. Seth pulled the knot tight and backed away, happy to be relieved of the burdening ache from the little rock. He smiled and looked around for the reassuring safety of his friends. "Okay," Seth said once he was confident in his attempt to keep everyone safe.

He turned to Marcia and blinked once. He couldn't explain how he'd felt a warm vibe from her yet hated her hut to no end. That would always be a perplexing concept that Seth was pretty sure he would never understand. 'Maybe it was just because now we're all outside..' he thought.

[[ Also last-post, Nighty-night Nova-chan~ ^^ ]]

Krystal licked the side of Seth's cheek with her snake-like tongue. Ariel sat on her the scales of her tail, examining the spirit rock in her hands. 'Spirit rocks are also a way to communicate with spirits. If a spirit holds one then the rest of the world can see it, or a person holding another rock- the outcome differs.' She thought to herself and puts it in her pocket. Michael put his rock. "Seth, you ready?" He asked his friend as he got ready to climb up to Krystal's back.

Marcia gently stroked Krystal's head with a delicate touch when the crystal dragon blew air in her face to get her attention. "You take care of them alright?" She asked in a voice so soft only Krystal could hear her. Krystal made a soft whining kind of noise and nuzzled the strange woman's side.

Seth was distracted by other questions, but he didn't realize it until Michael snapped him out of it. "Yeah," he said bluntly. He found himself troubled by the idea of leaving the village's protection. What would happen to his friends? Would he be able to hold up his resistances once more? Seth shook his head nervously. The angels he had seen were more than just a horror movie. However, what really bothered Seth was how the world was going to deal with Onyx. As far as he was concerned, the toxins were invincible, highly contagious, and deadly.

He tossed those thoughts aside soon after. Seth didn't have time to worry- it served no purpose regardless of the situation. 'Surely, there must be another way..' he felt a part of his mind say. It pleaded for another way around the problem, but Seth could think of none. "Do you remember where my house was?" he asked. Seth wanted to start where the oldest and least-advanced Onyx might still be living and sustaining itself.

[ neh, i'll be on/off as of today 'cause i have a friend of mine living at my house. so if i poof, it's because of that .~. ]

Michael thought back before nodding. "Yep. That where we're headed?" He answered then asked, taking his place on the middle of Krystal's back. Krystal moved her head over to Seth so he climb up it and take his place in front of Michael and Ariel would sit behind the tamer.

Marcia moved closer to her door to avoid being hit when they took off.

[[ *hums* Okee~ ^^ ]]

Seth quickly scurried up the side of the dragon to sit next to Michael. He nodded and looked back at Marcia. "If anything come up, turn back," he stated. His head was cloudier than ever as he sat atop the dragon. There were at least five forces acting against his entire being- Kyrstal's necklace as well as the three stones that Michael and Ariel possessed. On top of those repulsive stones, there was another that protected the entire village and Seth got the feeling that maybe a villager or two also had one. He felt like he was functioning on low sleep without being tired. He couldn't think quite right and numerous times his vision rippled at the edges, but he held it all in knowing it was for the better and he'd be out of the worst part sooner or later.

Seth honestly didn't remember getting into the air- there was just an extra push from gravity and suddenly the ground wasn't connected to the dragon any longer. He held onto Krystal tightly by nature and turned around to see what other reactions arose.