A dim flame still burns with intensity (Exam: Rita)

Shadow Island. The island in which the sun can only be seen so little, and a creature of the night or shadow would thrive. Here we find our normally shy and more quiet guild master from Fairy Tail sitting on a rock, meditating a bit. Chikane awaited the appearance of Rita Stebern, her little guildie she had finished a job with along with Lance a time back. She felt the girl needed an exam, so she decided that this one she had planned for a long time would work. Tricking Rita with the pretense of going on a small vacation, Chikane decided to drop the bombshell once the girl came to find her. This would be a bit of a difficult exam, but Rita could handle it. She was certain that she wouldn't manage to fail at this, and be able to get it done without many problems.

Of course Chikane forgot how scary she was in her demon form, but that was only because of how much she was thinking about donuts at the moment.

'Psht...vacation?' She thought to herself as she cut her way through wild vegetation that only seemed to get thicker and thicker. 'how did I get here...And where did she run off too...' Rita whined to herself. She was never a big fan of sunlight, At least the sun wasn't even close to bright here...wherever here was. 

As if on cue, her foot caught a rock that was conveniently siting on the path ahead of her, sending her flying forward off of a hillside. She tumbled through weeds, grass and bushes of all sorts. Rita only came to a stop when she crashed into a rock resting at the bottom of the slope.

Being a klutz since the day she was born, the mage had learned to recover from these types of things rather quickly. She sat up and her gaze scrolled up only to spot her guild master sitting upon the stone. Rita crawled to her feet, brushing grass off of her and blushing with embarrassment. She quickly noticed that Chikane looked more menacing than usual. Prehaps it was just because she was in her other form...Maybe she had been thinking about something important before Rita had came crashing in -But that wasn't the issue at the moment, Rita needed to know what was going on.

"What kind of vacation is this, Noriko?" Rita wondered confused and frustrated.

Chikane heard Rita, and turned and gave the girl a deep scowl. Her demonic form, with her pale skin and black flowing hair, gave off a more menacing presence than her adorable and innocent regular human form. That was because these two were different personalities in many ways. One was more ruthless, aggressive and did not care who or what she stepped on. The other was kind, gentle and wanted everything to be settled with words instead of actions. However Chikane was also no fool, and that is why she allowed her demonic blood to overtake her and perform these exams when she couldn’t. The pale girl reached into her robe and began to look around while speaking to Rita.

“First, I’m not my softer side. You will address me, with respect, as Master while we are here. Got it?” The half demon pushed out her magic energy, giving her aura off as a dark and menacing one. Her face was darkened by the sky and she radiated an aura of one to not be trifled with. “Second, if you haven’t already noticed this isn’t a vacation. I obviously lied.” Blunt and uncaring, Chikane pulled a lacrima from her robe and shoved it in Rita’s face. “Now take this, and put it inside your chest.” The demonic form of the guild master had a very serious look on her face as the girl would note, the lacrima swirling with a reddish glow that spelled only trouble. But it was either that or allow Chikane to do it.

And the demon would not be so gentle.

Chikane clearly meant business by bringing her all the way out here... Rita's expression and the way she was handling herself quickly changed. Nervous was one word that could describe her now. Rita had no idea what to expect from her master's bitchy less decent side. Hesitantly, she bowed, lowering her back and her head respectfully "I-It won't happen again, Ehm--Master." She stammered.

From her stance Rita glanced skyward and scanned the menacing intensity on her face, certainly intimidating. She stood back up slowly, her caramel locks falling back into place. The mage was speechless before she could think of anything else to say that might save her skin an object was put in her face. Rita listened to what Noriko had to say and blinked a couple times before taking it from her.

She stared down at the crystal now in her hands. 'Put it in my chest?' she echoed to herself, quietly trembling. Rita didn't understand. Her sapphire Irises shaking in confusion stress and even fear, She looked back at Chikane as if to find answers. Of course, she only met her cold and serious gaze. "I'm not sure I understand..." Rita murmured slowly, finding a grimace. She seemed to lack the ability to figure this task out. Although, The mage knew that her master could and probably would tear her head off if she couldn't...

Chikane scrunched her face up in frustration, before the halfling sighed and roughly took the lacrima from the shadow mage’s hands. Her hand became engulfed in the red flames, as the entire lacrima began to spin in her hands at such a pace it seemed impossible for anyone to carry it let alone do anything but marvel at it. Yet here the flame demon was, not even blinking as she sighed again. “I didn’t stutter so how did you possibly fool this up? You just take the lacrima.” With that, Chikane cocked her hand back and stared at Rita with her dead eyes, clutching the C-ranked mage’s shoulder tightly. She knew this might hurt a lot, so she wasn’t going to give Rita the chance to run before this happened.

“And then you shove it directly in your chest like so.” Chikane’s hand went straight into Rita’s chest, coldly staring on as she removed her hand without any resistance. Of course she didn’t actually personally hurt Rita, but the lacrima would begin to burn away at her magical energy pool, until there was nothing left to take. Rita would notice that her magic was now unusable to her, while purple flames began to dance around her skin. “Now that wasn’t so hard now was it? A bit painful maybe but not hard. Now we move onto business.” Chikane stated, picking Rita up and hefting her on her shoulders in a fireman’s carry. “It’s time for your exam, and we are going to be very busy for a while.” Chikane knew Rita wasn’t expecting any of this, but it was better that she didn’t.

The future pain wasn’t going to be something anyone would look forward to.

Chikane elected to do the job herself, shoving the crystal through her chest. It didn't tear trough her like a bullet to flesh instead it went through as if it were a stone in water. Rita clutched her hand over her chest in pain and discomfort. It was warm no that wasn't the word... Hot, very hot. A feeling similar to fatigue came over, her insides burned, As if her energy was being boiled out of her body. She wheezed quietly, Trying to catch her breath.

Supposedly, Chikane was getting to business. Rita found herself hefted up and slung across her master's shoulders without warning. Her eyes widened as soon as the word exam left Chikane's tongue. "E-Exam..." She echoed with concern in her voice.

 Her C-rank examination went... 'great'. Rita went home with more than a few bruises and cuts at the end of the day. She didnt expect this next test to be any easier and the last thing she wanted was to become Chikane's punching bag. Rita wasn't able to do much from her current position, maybe she could slide out of her hold and run for it?...No The half demon's grip on her arm and leg were to firm and even if she did make it out and book it she was certain that she wouldn't make it far. Rita gritted her teeth and quietly shook her head and abandoned the idea. It seemed that all she could do was wait and see where she was being taken and what would happen.

The odds were not in the mage's favor. She couldn't even rival her master with her magic intact, how could she hope to survive today without it?

The halfling placed Rita down next to a tree stump and pointed towards the east. “In that direction, lies a temple that you must enter. The true meat will of the exam will occur there, but be warned of any wild being that may live here. I will meet you at the temple but between then, you are on your own.” Chikane pulled out a few water bottles and strapped them to Rita’s person, making sure they were on tight before backing off and smiling at Rita, a rarity for the demon.

“My softer side is slightly coming out, but I do believe you can do this Rita. I want you to prove me right, make it to the temple.” The demon had some pride in her guildie, and wanted to make sure that she knew it. “I warn you, do NOT drink the water until it is necessary. I will see you when you arrive. Do not fail me.” And with that, Chikane vanished in a swirl of flames.

Leaving Rita alone to travel to the temple.

((OOC: 5 posts, 200 words minimum. Rita must drink at least one bottle of water. Good luck.))

Rita was taken to a clearing and sat down in the grass beside the stump of a tree. Her sapphire pools stared back nervously as the flame mage ordered her to travel east until she found a temple, strapping what appeared to be regular bottled water to the belt hanging against her waist. Rita needed a second to take all of this in, but Chikane wasn't going to wait around for her to figure it out. 

"...W-Wait!!!" Rita stammered but Noriko had already dissapeared is a swirl of flames. Her hand still reaching forward, She stared blankly to where her master was previously standing. The only reply was her own distant echo, scaring some nearby birds from their nests. An action which was followed by the quiet flailing of feathered wings and ruffle of leaves.

Rita rose her hand to her forehead, brushing her bangs up between her fingers. She let out a long tension filled sigh. What a mess. Rita hadn't come all the way out here for this. But she had no choice. Her master thought she was ready to jump to the next rank and that meant everything.

Turning back east, where her master had directed her, Her eyes skimmed the area. A dark and menacing forest barreled through the landscape around her. There was no easy way around so the Rita was left with no other option: she had to go through. She decided to stop wasting time, making her way into the mass of trees and growth. She had no idea how far this temple was or what to look for... Rita had no magic, no weapons, and nothing to defend herself with, but she could not let that or anything else stop her from going after her B-Rank position.

This well forested island was an abyss and limitlessness of one's fears, whatever they may be, as long as they were dark, morbid, and unsettling, they lived in these woods. The forest seemed to breathe as if it were alive, alive like the menacing creatures lurking within it, and with each exhale more vile haze was created and the harder it seemed to be to see. 

Rita crept through the layers smoggy haze and navigated through forest. There was little to no sunlight above what seemed like miles of knotted tree branches leaving the wilderness as dark as a starless night. She could hardly see what was in front of her due to both the growing haze and lack of light. Her magic had been torn away from her along with her ability to see clearly in even pitch black darkness.

As Rita progressed, She made sure to keep her guard up. anything could be in this forest. Awareness turned to paranoia as minutes turned to hours. The eerie of the scene had her on edge. The unsystematic rustling of the leaves always got a jump out of the girl. Some times they brushed against her heels. Occasionally she could feel tapping on her shoulder or silk webs left behind by spiders latch onto her face. 

She ran into another web as if on cue and threw herself into a spitting and coughing frenzy, lashing her hands as if drowning. She managed to brush the web off of her, taking a minute to sweep off anything else that had managed to get stuck to her. "..." Something wasn't right...She blinked. The mage felt an itch in the back of her throat. Just then something passed her mind...where did the spider residing in that web end up?  Her eyes widened and her face went red. The girl squeaked shortly and clasped her hand over her lips, realizing that she had swallowed the bug.

Rita wheezed and gagged, she couldn't believe she had swallowed a spider like that!  She had been walking for hours and this only made her more desperate for a drink. Chikane had advised Rita to not drink the water until it was needed, But...Maybe she wouldn't notice If she just had a sip? Rita sighed and decided on just one sip and unscrewed the cap. She pressed the bottle against her lips. A few drops of water was more refreshing than she ever imagined. She found herself going back for another drink, quickly emptying the bottle with a chug. Her thirst still un quenched, she tackled the other bottle and dried it.

"--Dammit." she cursed to herself in disappointment. She wished she had left at least more than empty bottles behind. Re hooking the containers to herself, Rita glanced back east to continue her journey, that temple was not going to find itself. She continued back into the forest. The path was just as creepy as it was minutes before, if not more menacing. 

Every so often Rita would see the silhouettes of avians follow after her from the trees, dark feathers occasionally drifted to the ground and landed on the path ahead of her. Their squawking filled the air like the taunting cackle of a predator before they took down their prey. She could feel the crows and vultures waiting for her to slip and fall. Whenever Rita would glance up at the flock she would catch them staring back with hungry red eyes, tensing up her whole body with nerves.  

Amid the cawing of birds she heard something up ahead. She could swear she was hearing the sound of running water. At first she thought it was just her mind fooling her but as she continued eastward the sound only got louder. Curious and anxious Rita ran towards the sound. Slowly the trees seemed to thin out, an odd pale blue light slipping between. She dug her heels into the dirt and stopped once she came upon a pond. The source of the noise was a small waterfall ran off into the pool from a rocky wall.

She saw that the source of light came from a type of plant growing at various spots near the water. Thanks to the light, Rita was actually able to see in front of her. Light was something this forest needed allot more off. Rita knelt down next to one of the ferns and gently dug out a few of the glowing leaves from the roots, tightly knotting them around her wrist. This way a light would follow her and she could see the path in front of her easier.

 Rita glanced back to the water. It came to her that she had done exactly what she was told not too when she drank all of that water. The girl wasn't to keen on drinking any the water here instead she thought she could at least she could refill the bottle she was given...that way she wouldn't have to come back to Chikane with out anything. Rita took a step into the water, wetting her boots and causing a quiet ripple in the pond. She knelt down and sunk the bottle into the somewhat murky water, filling it. She reached to refill the second one.

Something cold and scaley coiled itself around Rita's ankle, tightly locking itself onto her. Before the girl could react she was yanked underwater. She tried to shriek, but her lungs filled with water. She  struggled to free her leg. It was no use, the pale blue light at the surface only grew further and further away. She  attempted to swim against the force but to no avail.  Her stomach was tying itself in knots and her chest was getting heavier---Air. She really needed Air. Rita looked down at the monster holding her captive, she moved her wrist which the leaves had been bound, spilling pale light onto the creatures frame. It somewhat resembled that of a snake. It's most prominent feature had to be its wide mouth filled with rows of sharp teeth, stretching well past where its eyes should of been. Either that or the shape its body had taken. The Beasts' abdomen split into five different sections, each strung out into a  tail, one which was holding her firmly by the leg.

One of the serpents spare tails slithered around her throat and hugged it tightly in an attempt to suffocate her even quicker. Rita was dying, She could feel it. There was no oxygen left in her lungs... she was slowly losing the will to fight this thing back. The corners of her vision began to fade black.

 In a final effort to escape, she pressed her jaws into the creature at her neck, sinking her teeth through its rough scaled skin causing the water around her to gain a red tint. It let out painful noise similar to that of a hiss and released her, escaping deeper into the water.

Rita had yet to return to the surface, a place which seemed felt like it was miles away. She fought the fatigue and pumped what strength she had left into the final strides that broke her back through the surface. She crawled up onto the land by her hands and knees, coughing up what seemed like gallons of water. She had lost the bottles somewhere in the pond, Rita had drank the water like she was told not to and this incident was probably the words way of telling her that there was no way to cover it up in the end. But being chewed out by Chikane was not a problem at the moment...The current problem being that she still wasn't alone.

It wasn't over yet... The air was accompanied by a familiar squawking and crowing the source of the noise was about fifteen to twenty pair of keen bird like eyes in the trees, Eyes of a predator ready to strike down prey.

The girl cambered to her feet, cold and soaking wet. Rita knew how these vultures behaved. Not hunters but scavengers. They would wait for something else to kill their next meal, picking at what was left behind. However if starved enough they would gang up on prey that had been weakened to their own taste.

With an unearthly caw one of the black birds dove for her face, It's flock following behind, claws outstretched. Rita only had time to gasp in horror before her world turned to wiring feathers, pecking beaks, and scraping claws. Pained seared across her cheek. Rita shrieked and instinctively  threw her hands up to shield her face. Her legs went out from under her. She slipped and fell, painfully striking her knees against the corner of a stone. Claws raked her forehead and back, while beaks tore at her arms and legs.

She had to keep moving Rita made an effort to escape, crawling to a tree. She reached out and collected a branch laying on the ground, sharp pain shooting up her arm. The mage turned the sharp end of the branch on one of the birds and speared it through their feathery being. It crowed in pain, alarming the rest of the gathering and distracting them just long enough for Rita to climb to her feet and dart in the opposite direction, the pale light of her leaf bracelet lighting the way. She could hear them glide after her as she continued running, almost falling at every step. How did she end up here?... running about these damn woods like a madwoman. Bumping into trees, falling in leaves and rolling until she got back up, her sprint never stopped, no matter what obstacle she ran into. If she stooped, she couldn't guarantee that she would be able get back up again...

The orchard of trees thinned until she came upon a clearing. She was relieved to see a set of white marble steps ahead, delicately carved and leading up to a building held up by dozens of quartz pillars. Without hesitation Rita  sprinted up the steps, the avians still right behind her. She pushed off the top step and threw the doors open, slamming them shut behind her, separating herself from the vile creatures. Through the door she could hear their scratching and cawing. She sat against the surface and tried to catch her breath. Gagging, she blinked blood from her eyes. Rita whipped sweat, pond water and blood from her face and steadied her breath with a sigh. Rita was soaking wet, bruised, cut up, and bleeding but she made it and that's more than she thought she would be able to do without her magic. She glanced about the room, looking for her master whom had been waiting for her.

"Hello?" she murmured, tasting the blood in her mouth.

"You aren't dead. Good. That's at least a good start for you." Chikane appeared in another swirl of flames in a corner of the room, looking Rita up and down with her stoic face. It turned into a small frown when she noticed that Rita did not have the water bottles on her, meaning she either lost them or drank both and then left the bottles in the forest. While the guild master expected her to at least drink them, she hoped that she didn't leave them somewhere where an animal could get it and then drink the contents. Most likely Rita did, as Chikane could see the telltale signs of it having been consumed. She got up off the wall, and then walked over to Rita while snapping her fingers. This opened a wall to the left of the both of them, which would no doubt raise a few questions in Rita's mind but Chikane just pointed towards the opening.

"Go. Your first test is simple. Just walk through to the other room." Chikane's voice gave away nothing, but the demon was quite amused on the inside if Rita simply took her regular advice. Because if the shadow mage did indeed walk that way, she would fling a fireball right at her back. To give her incentive to go into the room filled with coffins.

Which was never a good sign to anyone, especially when a lot of them had the names of people you knew.

Her master suddenly appeared from a familiar swirl of flame and approached, opening a wall with a quick and effortless snap of her fingers. Rita rose an eyebrow with question as she directed her to the room. Sighing quietly, the girl cautiously approached and hesitated to enter.

Uncertain, She turned to take another look at Chikane before continuing, but a burning ball of fire was already on It's way towards her. Quickly reacting, She darted to the floor, throwing herself into the room whether she wanted to enter or not. As for the fireball it flew over her, dissipating somewhere in the air. Rita clambered back to her feet and noticed that she had been thrown into a room filled with caskets. To her absolute horror, She quickly recalled many of the names labeling the coffins. The mage felt sicker and sicker as she scanned name after name, what kind of twisted joke was this?... and  why did Chikane have her enter this and target her with that fireball in the first place? All she could do was wonder and worry as an expression of agonizing confusion came over her. She glanced back down the entry way in which she came, the place she she last saw Master Noriko. Rita longed for answers.

Chikane was already walking towards Rita when she turned around, and would continue walking without being impeded as she waited to reach her next goal. Of course Rita would think her master would stop, but as she continued to walk it was and didn’t even spare a glance at Rita while doing so. As soon as she reached the shadow mage, Chikane would walk right through her. Not next to or around, just right through her. As if one of them was a ghost. A shivering feeling would go through Rita as Chikane walked right through her, and went up to a coffin with a certain name etched on it. ‘Noriko C. Hitsugaya’. Chikane let her hand waft through the lid as she attempted to open it, but then pulled her hand back and sighed.

“This……...is a fear you have.” Chikane stated, not looking back at Rita while speaking. “You fear losing everyone you know. Its something you have to live with however, especially since we all already died.” The flame mage stated matter of factly. She did not show any remorse or even a hint of regret at what she just said.

Without a word, Chikane approached Rita. She did not stop once close enough, Instead, the guild master came closer. All until she literally walked through her, leaving a Icy sensation in her wake. The shadow mage blinked, wide eyed and trying to make sense of what just happened. She turned back around to see her master attempting to pry open a casket...one which had her name on it. Despite her effort, she was unable to touch the surface without reaching through it completely.


'D-Dead?...' Chikane's words echoed in Rita's head as her eyes widened with disbelief and fear that she was right. Although, The half demon was defiantly right about one thing... A fear that marveled over many of her others...was the fear of losing her family all over again. But in her mind Fairy Tail would never succumb to death like this. So why were her guild mates coffins put here where she would find them? Her heart only hammered faster in her chest as she thought about those questions. She cleared her throat in attempt to swallow her uncertainty. "B-Bullshit." She stammered with a painful expression etched into her features. "I saw some of these people just this morning and they were all fine, Including you!-"