Emma and "the girls"

[Frostbite]

Working to hack at some demons that came from one side while Hardlight worked on the bridge over the lava river, Frostbite found it harder to use the scythe - it was heavier than she thought and the burst of adrenaline she had when she was furious had faded enough to let her feel the weight in her arms. With the demons in hacked messes a few feet away, she let the scythe drop from her hands. I won't be able to use that, it's going to wear on me and I need my energy, she thought as the constant and strong rays of heat were at her back, and at stopping she felt it.

She hissed as she jumped a few feet away from it, and nearer to her teammate and his bridge of light. The bridge won't be that strong, so it'll have to be strengthened somehow...how though? Making layers would take time, and time is something we don't have much of. Her mind raced as she tried to think of something that would work that would get them across as well as their diamond of a headmistress. Miss Frost is way too heavy to cross in diamond form, and if she wasn't then how would that work? Damnit, the most I can think of is that she'll figure out something, and Hardlight and I will have to run across as fast as we can, and maybe he can fill in the cracks quickly enough, she thought as she looked to her fellow teammate again on the stairs.

"Ok, I'll go first, the quicker it happens the better, and you can fill in the cracks if it's needed. You can do it," she encouraged, "Miss Frost has your back while you go, and Ember'll have mine when I'm across," she said, glancing at the firebender in the air as she stepped up to the bridge itself. Feeling the heat, she grimaced a bit as she crouched slightly and took off, running across on the balls of her feet and taking long strides. IT'S HOT!!!!! Her mind screamed at her as she pushed herself across the bridge, moving quickly though she still heard little cracks here and there where it wasn't as strong.

The heat she felt radiated like pulses, coming over the sides of the bridge and at her while she ran, adrenaline pumping again for the rest of the run across. More cracks could be heard as she passed, and she finally made it to the other side, breathing hard as she reached solid ground again. The heat from the lava receded as she stepped away from the edge and provided the slightest relief as she worked to catch her breath, stopping for a second though she saw that demons were headed her way on her side and she wasn't able to do anything. "Ember!" she called out, breathing heavily still, hoping she would hear her while she tried to regain her energy, hoping she'd get enough back before they got to her.

[Ember]

Aideen whipped her head around and saw three demons on the other side of Lorelai. She didn’t feel too threatened for it was the skinny running demons that were fast, but brittle and easily burned. There were a fair few of them in the larger group. Aideen shot one powerful firebeam at the trio of demons, incinerating them into nothing but dust. She scanned the area, seeing nothing but cliffs and empty red landscape with no other demons in sight. This won’t be the last of them.

Turning back to the larger group where her Headmistress and Hardlight were, Aideen formed a larger version of a throwing star in her hand, concentrating to compact her heat and make it extra sharp. With a strong flick over her wrist, the large throwing star shot at the demons closest to the group, twirling and flying like a Frisbee right through several of their necks, literally making heads roll. The heat from the lava energized her body even more just as a second large throwing star flew out of her hand at the demons in the front line that she didn’t get. Aideen must have not monitored the amount of strength that she used to throw it, because it managed to cut right into a large demon with spikes all over its body and wearing an odd kind of battle armor. The large sword it held crashed on the floor right on top of the smaller demons, as well as its large heavy shield. Aideen’s mind was blank for all except thoughts that concentrated on one of the higher points of her training: battle strategies. Those countless hours of studying war and battle strategies from different cultures and great commanders in history where all permanently etched in her brain. Combined with Aideen’s own logical and analytical mind and almost her instinct, a long thin line of fire came out of Aideen’s hands. It flew over the horde of demons, capturing most of their attention as the fire lines were compacted into whips. For a moment they suspended in the air while Aideen watched carefully, concentrating on the plan at hand. I must aid my superior when needed. With that said in her mind, the whips flew into the crowd without warning, striking the largest demon who seemed to sort of lead the horde, right in the sides.

The large scaly demon with three different shaped yellow eyes and jagged large teeth roared in pain, casting his eyes on Aideen. Perfect. She flew down in front of a jagged large rock that was buried in the ground by the river of lava as the large demon gurgled in their odd language in a tone of apparent rage and charged through the horde toward her, swinging his large metal spiked club. She waited patiently as he came in front of her and brought the club down towards her. On instinct, Aideen dodged the club, flying on the side of the large rock.

Hardlight, you better get over that bridge soon. The demon did not like that she dodged apparently because now he swung even harder at her. Knowing the perfect timing on when to move after years of training was pure instinct for her now and she flew up quickly as a loud crack was rang among the group when the club made impact with the rock. The impact was so hard that it actually lifted the side of the rock right out of the ground. The rock was even larger than she anticipated. The large demon was getting more and more enraged at not hitting his target. Aideen could have smirked at how predictable this demon was. It was obvious he was not used to missing a target. Flying in front of the large tipped over rock, her now shortened fire whips lightly tapped the large demon that was leering at her in anger on the side of the head, burning him lightly. Just like she wanted, it enraged him even more to the point that it forgot the club and just plainly lunged at Aideen. She shot up into the sky, narrowly escaping the impact as the demon tackled the rock so hard that it flew out of the ground and into the lake of lava with the demon on top of it. With the unbalanced weight, since most of the demon’s body was on the right side of the rock, the rock tipped over, making the surprised demon fall right into the river of lava. His loud growl of agony was swallowed by the extremely hot liquid.

Aideen had to act quickly while she still had the element of surprise on her side. She had chosen that large rock for the fact that it was slight rounded in the center and looked like it would most likely float. With the lava spread out so much, it’s less dense. Though the material of the rock might not stand up to it for too long. Aideen flew down to the floating rock, only inches above the pleasantly hot lava and pushed the large rock through the lava toward the shore where her Headmistress stood. “We must hurry Headmistress. The rock material is strong, but not for too long,” she robotically with her firelit eyes on the demons behind Emma in case they tried to come forward as she climbed on. She was prepared upon the word of the Headmistress to push her across the wide river as fast as possible to get her across safely. Being this close to the lava was pleasant, almost tempting Aideen to dip her hand in it.

[Hardlight]

Kevin was all set to be a hero, and to try to go cross his bridge first. He knew that it would need to be crossed slowly and carefully to not ruin it for the others, and if it was gong to break and crumble apart it should be him that felt the fire beneath it.

He had climbed up onto the platform and was steadying his nerves when he felt Frostbite push past him running like a skared rabbitt. She ran fast and was lite enugh to make it across but at a heafty cost.

"Frostbite WAIT!" he screamed but it was too late. She ran fast but she had put some serious cracks into the structure of his sculpt. 'What'd she mean patch it up? Once it's made that's it, I can't put patches on it, that would make it heavier and weaken it more. OH NO!' he thought as he looked at his cracking and creeking brigde.

''Guess I'll have to try it. No other choice." He started out onto the brigde slowly and carefully, the sounds under his feet were not good. The light-sculpt was losing to the battle against gravity and Hardlight heard and felt the thing splintering and cracks shooting out from undr each step in several directions. Looking back he realized he was alredy too far out to head back and that Ms. Frost was being overcome by the demon horde. Thankfully he saw that Ember had provided a way for her to escape.

He sighed at the thought that his friends would be safe, Frostbite across to the other side of the lava flow, Ember flying high and now their Headmistress with a rock to jump the rive of lava. Just then the bridge shattered and Hardlight fell through it.

[Emma Frost]

'Numbers too great...Gotta hold them back until....' Emma was trying to hold back the surging horde of a thousand or more creatures all pushing in on her from a higher elevation. Before too long they just started climbing over one another and scrambling over top of her and pulling her down as they kept running at the two kids near her.

Looking back she saw that Frostbite had made it to the far shore and Hardlight was just starting across his bridge. 'Now it's my time to go.' she thought as she heard the rock crash into the lava and Ember's voice calling out, insisting on urgency. "Hands off the LADY you CREEPS!" Emma said and shoved her way out of the grasping claws. Thanking her luck for this mutation she had only recently discovered.

Running with a distinct purpose in mind she pushed herself and lept onto the rock, trusting that it would have just enough give and yet hoping for enough resistance to use as a springboard. The lava beneath it did just that and with a slight grunt she launched herself high into the air to cross the river of molten magma.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw something that shocked and horrified her. The light-sculpted bridge that Kevin had made suddenly gave way and shattered. The boy fell straight through it. "KEVIN- " she gasped ....

"NOOOoooooo!!!!!"

[Frostbite]

Frostbite looked up thankfully at Ember as she burned the three demons coming at her into a crisp, and then looked across from where she came as Hardlight yelled to her too late. She didn't hear him after he had called her name - she was too far away to hear what wasn't yelled. However, she did watch as he slowly tried to make his way across the now cracked bridge. It looked as if he wasn't going to win either way he tried, going slow would make it break more, and running like she had would do the same thing, only faster. Oh no, oh no, oh no, he's not gonna make it! What can I do? she thought frantically as she searched around for anything that might help her save him.

Her horror only grew as she saw it start to crumble from underneath him, and nothing could be done. Ember was too hot to touch, and Miss Frost was in midjump across the river of lava. What am I going to do? He's not going to make it! I can't do anything damnit, and neither can Ember or Miss Frost! Oh, my god! She gritted her teeth while she clenched her fist, pacing a few steps in the open space that remained open for the moment as she tried to wrack her brain for some idea, but the thought of her teammate, her friend dying was scaring her more than anything and stopped any train of thought.

When he fell through and Miss Frost yelled when she too saw him, she realized something as she too yelled, "KEVIN!!" Her eyes widened at her realization and her eyes watered slightly - it was her fault. No....this is my fault...because I didn't wait, he's going to die. I rushed, and I moved him aside and I messed up his bridge, and because of me he couldn't make it, and because of that, something I did, he's gonna die. She paced again, because she couldn't just stand there while he fell to his lava grave.

[Ember]

Just as Aideen planned, Emma sprung in the air easily. What she didn't plan was to see Hardlight break through his bridge. If I touch him, I'll kill him. I'm too hot and I can't force my heat in yet. Not enough time. Aideen didn't know how to do this quick enough, or what to do. She used her strength to push the slowly sinking rock through the thick molten lava under him, praying that he will at least bounce off. If not he would sink or miss it completely, which she hoped wasn't the case.

Though Aideen would not ever say it out loud, she gained respect for the little guy when she saw his quick thinking with the marbles back there. The kid has guts and a quick mind. I hope he uses it now. She looked up at him as she pushed the rock through the lava. "Hardlight, go for the rock, use your powers to make a- ahh." Anything she tried to call out to the boy was stopped as an knife from one of the demons flew past her shoulder, cutting her deep. I was not taking in my full surroundings. Again. The impact on her shoulder was unexpected, but not too painful. When she was fifteen, her training sessions were spent making her numb to most pain. Her Uncle felt it was necessary in case she was ever tortured for information on her craft, she would be almost immune to their tactics. Of course Aideen still felt bruises and impacts of hits, but weapon wounds caused her little if no pain from the training in that one horrible year in her life that left her body slashed and battered on almost a daily basis.

The knife slash caught Aideen by surprise, making her let go of the rock, not even knowing where it was placed and her flying went out of control. She gained control back in time to crash on the ground next to the shore of the lava river, instead of in the lava. She Sat up instantly and looked at Hardlight watching the events unfold with blank fire lit eyes.

[Hardlight]

As he fell through the bridge that he had sculpted out of light it was as if everything went into slow motion. He could see the ladies that he'd found himself her in this strange place with and he saw his dear friend Loralai looking a little sad, his wonderful motherly Headmistress as she was shocked and leaping away and the very impressive young woman Ember as she swooped down to try and aid him. 'Wow, she must love that flying stuff' he was thingking as she flew to try and push a huge rock up under him, but she wouldn't make it in time. He could tell because as he was falling it was almost like he was standing back and watching from the sidelines of his life.

He saw how when he was younger his father and him were friends and they would play catch and how him and his mom could sit for hours and color or play with clay. His mother was the creative one he thought even though she wasn't the best at art, she would always encourage him in his art and tell him how great it was. She saved every drawing he ever made and she would put the date on the back of it so that it would always be saved. He knew if he went to his parent's house right now even though his father had said to throw out everything when he left to go to the mUtant academy, he knew he would find a box full of his drawings from before he became the disgrace he now was, hidden but safe.

His father was not around much, but he was there for him before he had decided to be honest with himself and with his parents too. He was sure they would love him more when he came out to them, but they didn't. They must have lied when they said to tell the truth always, the truth had not set him free. Then his father knew and things were never the same ever again. It was no big deal after that when he found out he was a mutant, he told them that too and it only added to their missunderstandings. As he fell he reached out a hand to try and catch hold of the edge of the hole he fell trhough, but he cut himself on it.

He pulled his hand away because it hurt and watched the blood drops fall. Round drops spinning in the air slowly, like tears. His mind never stopped and he thougt how they looked like his favorite jelly beans or like the easter eggs his mother and him would paint, or like the marbels he made to slow the demons that had sent them running to the river of lava. He closed his eyes and tucked into a fetul position by instinct and just before he plopped into the lava his power wrapped around him. Sculpting a ball, or an egg of hardend light to keep him safe. A box without hinges key or a lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid.

Inside the safety of his light-sculpt Kevin opened his eyes. His eyes could see only light and he was not completely hot, but there was no way he could tell anything, he thought he was dead and he had entered "the light" of the afterlife. He didn't know it was not very large, and that he didn't have much air inside of it. "Grandma? Are you here?" he asked as he waited for family members who had died to come for him, like he had heard might happen.

[Emma Frost]

Sailing through the air in mid leap Emma thought of transforming back to her human form and grabbing him telekinetically, but before she could she watched as he curled himself into a ball and wrapped a cocoon of hardened light around himself. 'Not bad, Kevin, not bad at all. Actually real-real good.'

"Ember!" she called out as she landed on the far bank of the lava flow. "Scoop him out of there and bring him over! Quick before he roasts alive!" She didn't know about the lack of air, but she thought sitting in a river of molten rock would not be a good idea for the boy. "Hurry!!!"

"Are you alright Loralai?" Emma asked her seeing the look on her face. "He'll be fine, I think....I hope."she said of Kevin in his shell of light. She walked over to her and looked at all that was around them. The demons on the far side of the river, the dead cinders of stinking demons that were nearby, and the children that were her responsibility to keep far better care of than she'd done. "We need a plan of action. This time a real plan, not just a direction to rush off to in a panic. What have you got in mind?" she asked Frostbite.

[Frostbite]

Still pacing a bit, Frostbite watched with wide and still slightly watery eyes as Ember tried to help Hardlight the only way she could: from afar. Her falling hope for Hardlight fell more when she saw him try to catch himself, and it only relieved her a small bit when he encased himself in light, though through her slightly blurred vision, she somehow managed not to miss that there was no opening or closing to it, it was just there and whole with no way in or out.

After Miss Frost yelled an order to get the essentially trapped Hardlight to Ember, Frostbite watched worriedly for her friend to take action and get him out of there. If she can save him, then he won't die, and I wouldn't be the cause of his death. Wait! There aren't any openings so he has limited air - he still might not make it if he isn't moved quickly! Her anxiety escalated again even as the headmistress asked her if she was okay. "What?" she asked, trying to shake herself out of her thoughts, and then tried to speak with a voice that wouldn't crack or betray the fear for her friend. "I-I'm okay, b-but I don't think Hardlight will be if Ember doesn't hurry - t-there's no openings in his.." she got out, and used her hands to mean the light shell that her teammate closed himself in, unable to think of the word she was looking for.

She couldn't help but turn away because as much as she wanted to watch her friend get saved, she couldn't bear to watch if he wasn't saved in time, and then the fear that had been eating her guts since the bridge failed would take over. As Miss Frost spoke to her again and asked for a plan, Frostbite paced again, making sure not to look at the river of lava. "I-I know, I know, I'm sorry," she said, her shaking hands went to her temples and she tried to think. What to do now? God, I can't think, and I need to, and everything's so jumbled - what what what? Oh, oh - where's everyone else? They were there, and I was there, and I'm with people I wasn't near. There has to be more of us here, Ian, Sean, Heather, Haven, who else? And we still need to find Wolverine and Nightcrawler too..

"Uhm, w-we still need to find Wolverine and Nightcrawler, a-and the others. I know they're here, they have to be, because I wasn't near any of you in the lab," she said, speaking faster so that she wouldn't stutter. "But I don't know how," she said quickly, looking down at the ground and stopping her pacing.

[Ember]

Upon her Headmistress' order, Aideen ignored the deep cut in her bleeding shoulder and leaped up, her feet not even touching the ground but remaining in the air. She forced the flames in her hands back into her body, not wanting to add more heat than necessary. Moving quickly and gracefully through the air, Aideen went right over to the light egg like cocoon that Hardlight created. With the the grace and speed that warriors train their entire lives to master, she firmly gripped the sides of the shell and pushed her entire body weight into moving Hardlight through the thick lava and onto the shore. A defensive state of mind is always more powerful than one anticipates, was the lesson that flashed through her mind as she rolled Hardlight onto the shore, narrowly avoiding some of the arrows that were shot on her from the demons across the lava river. I thought I killed the skilled shooters.

Aideen stayed suspended in the air and looked over at her Headmistress Emma Frost. "Headmistress, I offer the suggestion of refuge from the arrows behind those cliffs," she said pointing to the cliffs by the lake. Without waiting and knowing that to prevent further injury to herself and the others, Aideen bent back down and pushed Hardlight's shell behind a nearby rock that served as a sufficient cover. Now to get him out... and not cook him. She turned her fire lit eyes towards Lorelai. "Get yourself ready. This thing needs to be cracked open carefully. When I cover it with fire, you freeze it. The opposing elements combined should work to our advantage," Aideen instructed in her robotic soft voice. Time to redeem yourself for your foolish battle move ice bender. Without hesitation, she covered Hardlight's shell of light in flames controlling them with almost disturbing ease. A technique not more than a moment ago she used to savagely destroy demons was now being used to help the little gutsy Acolyte.

[Hardlight]

From inside the shell of sculpted light Kevin felt movement and realized he was being shoved around like in a boat or something. It wasn't hard to realized that when he felt around that he was in some cramped space there. 'Oh, who? Me? I made this, wow. I didn't even recognize it as my power' he thought 'Must have just panicked and made some protection from the lava. It's kinda small though.'

He started to wonder how thick it was because he wasn't hot really at all. It was pleasent and he relaxed for a second and then he remembered the episode of Monk when he got stuck in the bank vaulnt and started to think about how much air there was. Panick hit him hard and he started to pound on the shell from inside and yell "HEEEELP! Get me OUTTA heeeere!! " he called out weekly as the air got used up and his eyes closed from him passing out.

[Emma Frost]

Emma watched Aideen as she heated the egg of sculpted light and she theorized that the boy inside would be nearly roasted or suffocated or both if they didn't move quickly. "Alright Frostbite CRACK that egg!" she said pointing and offering a suggestion "A thin line of ice wrapped around it, make it super cold straight down the centerline, that ought to work."

Emma waited saying nothing more of plans or of persons they had lost or come to find. She did not want to distract Lorelai from her task. She found herself holding her breath waiting for what she hoped would be a blessing, in the strangest of all places, this pocket dimension resembling hell.

[Frostbite]

Unable to keep herself turned away, Frostbite turned around to see Ember getting the egg of light swiftly out of the lava. A short wave of relief came over her, seeing that Hardlight wasn't going to get roasted alive and ultimately die, though she knew he still had limited air. I was so stupid for what I did, rushing off like that. I just wanted to get to this side to get away from that uber heat, and it almost cost Hardlight. I can't let myself slip like that again just because I feel uncomfortable in the heat, so I'll just have to suck it up like the other things that have gone wrong in my life and not do anything unless I'm told to, she thought as she worked to calm down, knowing it wasn't doing herself or anyone else any good.

Her face fell straight with little to no emotion on it, and she followed Ember and the others to cover from flying arrows, and at hearing how Hardlight was going to be take out of the shell he made, she merely nodded. The same time Ember controlled the flames she now sent around it, she raised her hands a safe distance away from the fire and exhaled a deep breath, sending a controlled but strong spray of snow so cold that it turned a bright, contrasting blue, which created the thin line Miss Frost suggested. Somehow, but unbeknownst to Frostbite as to how it still worked what with the flames, it did indeed create a long crack along the entire length of the light shell, creating an opening for Hardlight to come through once the two mixing elements were removed.

"Okay," she said, her tone flat but loud enough, letting Ember know she could stop flaming it now so that her teammate could be let out of it. I hope he's still breathing - I know he had to have had little air in there, she thought, now finding herself weakened some from the use of energy and snow in the immense heat. That took some energy, energy I probably won't get back, but if it means Hardlight stays alive, then I shouldn't complain.

[Ember]

The shell of light cracked open and a chunk fell to the ground to reveal Hardlight curled up in fetal position. The fire rushed back to Aideen's body, and she stepped away from Hardlight so he wouldn't be affected by the immense heat that emanated from her being. She felt something sticky in her hand and looked at the deep cut on her shoulder that was bleeding quite freely all over her hoodie. Well once again another ruined article of clothing. I don't have good luck with clothes in this school. She took off her hoodie and used the inner material to wipe the excess blood around the wound and from her skin.

Aideen closed her eyes and concentrated on moving the heat from her shoulder to her hands. It didn't take her too long, since she kept any emotions at bay. It was like her mind was still very much aware that she was still in battle mode. In about half a minute, her shoulder cooled down to what a person would feel like after tanning in the sun all day. In contrast, her hand was so hot that the massive heat waves that came out of it made anything around it blurry. Aideen opened her eyes and looked at the wound on her shoulder that was beginning to bleed again and brought her extremely hot hand up to the wound. The smell of burning skin filled the air around them as Aideen's skin sizzled and knitted itself closed with the touch of the extreme heat. She barely flinched at the pain that shot through her body, merely entertaining her mind in her own thoughts. Interesting how I absorb the heat of everything else, but when I use my own heat it does have an effect on me. She pulled her hand away and inspected the now dark pink skin of where her wound once was. She was not too worried about the scarring, since she had a salve in her room that worked miracles with making scars disappear. She got it from some witch doctor when her Uncle took her to the Amazon rain forests.

Now clad in blood splattered black jogging pants and a sports bra, Aideen flew back into the air. She didn't fly to high up, just maybe four or five feet from the ground so she will be ready for instruction. Her fire lit eyes never lost their harsh dangerous flame as she surveyed the landscape calmly and waited for the instruction of her Headmistress. Aideen refused to give herself a moment to recollect for the risk of her thoughts traveling back to the emotions she tried so hard to repress.

[Emma Frost]

She watched her students working together and a look of pride graced her diamond hard features. It was impressive to see the girls in action, both displaying a perfection of the Spirit of Warrior, each a different facet of that spirit. And their teamwork allowed them to become saviors as well.

"Great job Ladies!" Emma said as she transformed back into her human form and rushed to Kevin. Ignoring the heat was impossible. It was a new experience to her since she had been hardened to it until now. "Oh sweet Midas it's hot. She said as she got to his side to use her powers to see into his mind for any activity. For Emma it was second nature when someone was dying, or feared to be dead so she never regarded it as an invasion of privacy.

She looked into Hardlight's mind to see if there was any activity. There she saw something that she would never repeat to anyone, but it was simply wonderful.

"He's alive girls. You both saved him, and I guess he saved himself a little too." she said looking at the cracked open light sculpt. It was incredibly thick and far denser than what she'd seen of his work before. It appeared as if the light was less hazy and more pure, or crystalline almost. She slipped her arms underneath him and changed back into her diamond form to lift him. He wasn't the lightest looking boy, and although he was small, he was not that small.

"Lets get away from this Lava and see what we can see." Emma offered to the girls. "Ember what is out there? Do you see anything?" She called over to her new 'point-man'.