Academy of the Arts: Northern Section

After some jogging they finally reached the norther section. Lucien huffed and puffed but still managed to keep up with the grumpy man. "So down this hall, yeah?" Following after Tobias' wasn't exactly pleasant, the man was absolutely furious. It was definitely understandable, but the summoner wished Estelle and Amy had taken him along with them instead. It would have been a lot more pleasant.

He followed after the man and while a part of him wanted to diffuse the tension, he knew a joke wouldn't work.

"This door?" He arched an eyebrow at Tobias and when the man nodded he attempted to push it open. It turned out to be locked though. "Oi, oi, are you guys inside?" Lucien pressed his ear to the door but the room was rather spacious so he didn't hear anything aside from a couple of mumbling sounds. "Someone is inside." He knocked on the door and a few moments later it was pulled open. "Oh hey, Xan!"

The summoner made his way inside only to see some guy in a cage. "I see we're late to the party."



"Unfortunately, two groups ran into some trouble." Xan's irritated expression softened and turned into a look of concern.

Moments earlier they had gotten a call from both Lute and Estelle, things were going downhill rather fast and to top it all off someone was injured and they hadn't heard from Angel's group for some time now.

"Things aren't going very well," Lucien made his way into the room, expression actually glum. "But hey, our friends will be okay! Plus, the boss can handle anything." Whenever he talked about Moira his eyes would light up, she wondered if Lucien had actually made the woman his role model or something. "She can destroy things with a single jab!" He grinned from ear to ear then joined the others.

Lucien was about to ask about the next step in their plans when suddenly the communicator crackled to life.

This time, it was the masked phantom himself. Xan couldn't help but glare at the caged thief even more, they were so full of surprises.

---

The Academy of the Arts: Southwestern Section

"And Fabian – keep talking. Annoy and distract them as much as you can. It should make it easier for Mattis."

Annoy them? Got it, that shouldn't be too hard considering he wanted to insult them as much as possible.

He stared on with eyes the size of dinner plates as the girl began to empty his pouch. THAT PUNY RUNT! "Hell, I mind! Get your grubby fingers off my stuff, you'll infect it with your cooties!" This kid, she was so annoying. Fabian pulled a silly face and stuck his tongue out.

Gods, he felt like he wanted to explode. Stupid vines! "Put that down, that's a real zappy bomb, it's one of my favorites."

She didn't seem to be listening and continued taking away all his favorite gadgets. The masked phantom wouldn't be happy about this. He let out a sigh and then she broke the last straw by using him as a cussing footstool! If Fabian were a cartoon character, steam would have been pouring out of his ears. The boy was so red, it looked like he had been left out in the sun for hours. "Your pigtails look stupid! And you know what? You won't be able to use those gadgets half as well as I can because you're just an annoying kid! I'm a professional thief!" Those were apparently the best insult he could come up with at the moment.

In the end, Trixie probably annoyed him a lot more than he annoyed her.

Aliquam: Academy of the Arts: Northern Section

Looks like the guy wasn't planning on talking. Aria glowered at him, tempted on making another illusion to make her point clearer, but was interrupted by the door to the theatre .

Lucien was the one who walked in, closely followed by an angry looking Tobias. Of course the pissy rich guy had to come. She decided if the Phantom somehow captured the guy and decided to use him as hostage she probably wouldn't try to help him.

Their entrance was disturbed by a sudden burst of static over the communicator, followed by clapping and a foreign voice. She took the communicator, rather irked by the guy's confident tone.

"I believe a conversation is in order as well. Who did you get this from? What are you after?" She demanded, deciding to forego the "over" after a small pause.

---

The Academy of the Arts - Southwest section

Mattis leapt through the hallways, Phantom having given him a boost through his wind magic and allowing him to reach the southern section faster than he usually would've been able to. He skidded to a sudden stop and stared, not having expected the vines that crept along the walls and floor. Another magic user- great.

He could hear Fabi's angry screeching echoing down the halls and sighed, carefully stepping over the tangles of vegetation towards the source of the sound. He spotted the kid after rounding a corner, being antagonized by an even smaller brat.

"Fabi, I see you. Who do I take out first?" He was hesitant to charge into a hallway with little to no cover to break their line of sight if they happened to notice him.

Aliquam: Academy of the Arts – SW Section

‘Oh, you know what, kid? Shut up.’

Lute’s eyes widened in alarm as Delilah snapped her fingers and muted Fabian just as the boy was finishing his umpteenth scream about Trixie’s hairstyle. They were interrogating him!

Well, it wasn’t as if the scoundrel was actually giving them any useful information, but still…

“Your hair is very pretty. He’s just jealous,” The virtuoso huffed out at the girl. She didn’t seem to want to walk away empty-handed from this fight… But you know what? He supported that. Most of those gizmos must have been stolen anyway, and besides he was sure that Trixie would use them for good.

Ah, wait.

“I swear to all that is holy, if you criticize her again I’m going to permanently mute you,” Lute grumbled out as he released his hold over Fabian’s volume. Making the boy shut up using his skills were far too much of a waste of energy, to be honest. He turned to the girl instead and eyed the gadgets she had ‘confiscated’, also noting the new stance she took on.

“I’ll keep an eye out this way, then,” Lute smiled and turned towards the opposite direction Trixie was facing.

---

Aliquam: Academy of the Arts – N Section, Performance Hall

The metallurgist hurried back to their captive with the two newly-arrived reinforcements, and none of them noticed the heavy oaken door freeze in place before finally drifting shut. Francesca arrived nearly the same time as Lucien and Tobias did, and while she initially planned to pick the intricate brass lock, one of the Guilders pulled the door open for the duo and well… It was like hitting two birds with one stone.

The woman wasted no time in finding a secure vantage point. Once she was certain that nobody had noticed her entry, Francesca hurried up the nearby stairs and alighted upon the balcony. She could now see the expanse of the theater, from the stage and the slightly lowered area where the musicians played from up to…

“Oh, how uncouth!” The thief couldn’t help but murmur in shock and her hand flew to cover her mouth. These people… Why, they had Jay strung up and displayed in a cage of sorts as if he were vermin! “I…” Francesca inhaled gently and pressed her communicator. “I’ve arrived in the Performance Hall. Awaiting my next set of instructions,” She whispered as she sat down on one of the seats and crossed her legs, her narrowed eyes trained at the disturbing scenario over the edge of the railing.

… Nobody should ever be trapped like that.

Aliquam: The Academy of the Arts: ???

“Ah, and who might this charming voice be?” The Masked Phantom asked with a chuckle, as he continued to silently walk through the pitch dark hallways atop his wind magic enabled clouds, Angel still trussed over his shoulder. He stalked through the hallways with the utmost confidence, his mask enabling him to see his surroundings quite clearly, the darkness being no inhibition at all. “I believe it’s far easier to talk and deal with someone whom you can give a name.”

---

Northern Sector: Performance Hall
Marcus, Dylan, Dalia, Aria, Xandra, Lucien, Tobias, Simon, Jay, (Francesca)





“And far easier to talk face to face,” Dylan’s voice responded over the communicator. “Just answer our questions. We’re not in the mood for games. We have two of your men.”

“My, my, and isn’t this voice a tough one?” The handsome blonde grinned. “Yes, I know all about how you’ve managed to incapacitate two of my men. Quite rude, if I do say so myself… but I suppose that’s fair for us indisposing three of yours.”

Marcus frowned. They had heard it over the communicator from Angel earlier, but now hearing from the Masked Phantom… his suspicions were being confirmed. Moira, Syed and Angel had…

“I have with me one of your friends. If you care about them, I would suggest you all quietly vacate the premises of this Academy at once, and return to me my two men as well.” The Masked Phantom’s tone of voice turned deathly serious. Within the Academy’s Northern Sector, in the Theatre Hall, everyone turned silent, looking to each other and Jay as well, who stood there with a self satisfied grin. It was a voice screeching over the communicator that broke the silence- a voice not belonging to its previous speaker. It was-

---

Western Sector
Estelle, Amy, Moira, Syed



“HEY! YOU! JERK!” Estelle’s voice bellowed down the communicator. As Amy used her magical healing talents as well she could to support Moira and Syed’s unconscious bodies, hoping to stir them back to wakefulness as she had managed to do with Lucien (although the duo’s injuries were far more grievous then Lucien’s own, so it was a gamble to know how effective her healing might be), her fiery partner gripped their communicator tightly and showed as loudly as she could. “WHY DON’T YOU STOP HIDING AROUND LIKE A COWARD AND COME AND FIGHT ME PROPERLY?! GIVE ANGEL BACK AND BE A REAL MAN, YOU SCUMBAG!”

---

South-Western Sector
Trixie, Lute, Rose, Fabian, (Miffy)



“Yeah!” Trixie’s voice followed over the communicator. “You tell him Supersis! We’ve got one of your henchmen here right now, and we’re not afraid to stick one of these fireworks up his butthole and light it!”

“What the cuss?!”

“Masked Phantom.” A cooler, calmer voice interrupted the two arguing children. A feminine voice, laced with a twinge of pain, but resolute determination. Rose. “Release my brother now, or you will pay for this.”

“Pay? I think not.” The Masked Phantom laughed with a tut, tut, tut. As he walked with Angel, his head slowly shook from side to side. Not that any of the Guilders would be able to see it. “My dear Guilders… that is what you all are, is it not? I know how all of you operate. You may have two of my men, but you are all honorbound not to hurt them. And even those of you who are a part of Aliquam’s most lovely Academy… the teachers or students. I know that you too, won’t dare grievously hurt my companions. It’s not in your nature. Therefore, even with them in your custody, knowing this information… it leaves you not much to bargain or threaten with. Whereas I, on the other hand… I have your friend here, and I can assure you that I am fully capable of doing worse to him. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

---

A snotty voice squawked over the line- the familiar voice belonging to Tobias, who walked through the large Performance Hall, down the plush red carpeted aisle in-between the rows of chairs to where the rest of the Guilders were, surrounding the still caged Jay. They all looked to him warily, wondering how he might respond, when he pulled out a small, finely crafted knife from his belt. He was still filled with anger and rage from everything the Masked Phantom and his cronies had done to him – first with interrupting his gala and mocking him, second by attacking him and thieving his weapon.

He twirled the knife in his hands as he walked towards Jay, his eyes locked entirely on him.

“My name is Tobias Smith. I’m sure you know who I am, thief.” The blue haired patron spoke loudly enough to be picked up over the communicator held in Aria’s hand. “I am neither Guilder, nor student, nor Priest or Priestess of the Academy. And after everything you’ve done to insult me… hurting your man… isn’t so hard for me to do at all.”

“Tobias, no!” Dylan gritted his teeth and stepped in-between him and the cage, throwing his arms out. He locked his eyes with Tobias, as best they could considering the darkness, and winced. Memories began flooding back through his mind… of everything they once were and could have been. Of how happy Tobias had once made him, and how very angry and sad he had caused him to be as well. But of course it wasn’t just that. No matter what had happened, he couldn’t let Tobias hurt or kill anyone… and especially not for something as trivial as a party interruption or a stealing of a sword. Even if it was something more serious then that… he would still resist him. Because he was a Guilder.

“Step out of the way, Dylan.” Tobias growled. “Don’t you understand? Unless we have actual leverage to threaten or intimidate this annoying clod, we’re left with absolutely nothing, and we’ll have lost already!”

“And what about Angel?!” Dalia shouted as well.

“This is to help Angel, you twit.”

“Enough.” Marcus raised one hand. “This isn’t solving anything.”

“Ahhh, a man of reason. Someone who actually understands the position they’re in, I believe.” The Masked Phantom chuckled. “Finally.”

“As I was saying. Return my two men to me, vacate the premises, and your friend here won’t be hurt. He’ll be returned to you safe and sound, as will all of the other Priests and Priestesses we’ve encountered during our trip through the Academy, and-”

“WHY DON’T YOU JUST SHUT THE HELL UP AND COME AND FACE ME, YOU GODDAMN ROTTEN STINKING COWARD-”

“Estelle, that’s not helpi-”

“FACE ME YOU SMELLY BUTTBREATH!”

“…sigh... whoever that person is… control them?” The Masked Phantom pinched his brow in annoyance.

“Anyway… I’ve made my demands quite clear. I’ll give you ten minutes to decide your response. I shall meet you all in the North Sector of the Academy – within their illustrious Performance Hall. That is where you all are, correct? I shall be carrying your friend with me, ready to give back you when you make the right decision. Now… let me warn you.” The Masked Phantom stopped in his walk, to make his next point much more emphasised.

“I do not recommend any ‘funny business’. Any attempts or plans to encourage this avenue of business, will be known and unrewarded. If you simply do as I say, then everything else here can be handled with delicately. You do not have any form of advantage here, and you never did.

We have placed charges all throughout the Academy. When detonated, they will sever the Academy from its foundations, and the next phase of my plan will take off from there. To answer the lady’s question from earlier… what I am after… what we will be stealing… is the entire Academy itself.”

A loud shocked gasp gripped the Pride completely.

“What… the…”

“You cannot stop us, and again, I would advise you all to see common sense, and not even try. I shall meet you all in ten minutes. I hope by then you’ve all reached your senses and a common decision. This is the Masked Phantom.

"Over and out.”

A long silence reigned afterwards.

---

In the western part of the Academy, Estelle stood shaking as she stared blankly at the communicator in her hand. Behind her, Amy was crouched besides Moira and Syed, still feeding their bodies spell after healing spell. She too was trapped in disbelief at what they had heard from the Masked Phantom… and couldn’t bring herself to believe in the absurdity of it. Explosives, to rip the Academy apart from the ground? And then to steal the entire building? How on Ddaear was that even possible?!

“Estelle?” Amy asked, watching the shivering girl.

She exploded in a loud roar after her hand crushed her second communicator into pieces.

“THAT… THAT… THAT BIG FAT JERK!!!” Estelle yelled. “I’M GOING TO BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF HIM!!!”

“Estelle?!”

“Amy! Wake up Moira and Syed if you can… and get to Lute, Trixie and Rose’s group, to the south!” Estelle turned. Her eyes then flittered and changed, focusing on the direction to the north. It was the only direction the Masked Phantom could have possibly gone in. Without waiting for a reply from the cleric, she immediately began dashing off. “I’m going to make this guy pay!!”

Academy of the Arts – Western Sector
"...They're... they're going to take..." He pushed himself up into a sitting position gingerly once Estelle had left, a loose shards of glass falling from him as he did so, "...the academy?!"



Syed locked eyes with Amy, distress quite evident on his features. Estelle's shouting had actually woken him up earlier, although in his dazed state he was quite content to just continue lying there quietly at the time. Especially as he was a bit paranoid the pain in the back of his neck might be a spinal injury. But this... this was one hell of a wake up call.

A part of him blamed himself. He sure enough knew he couldn't remember anything at all - the last thing he remembered was feeling something strange, a presence. That was it. And yet here he was, next to an unconcious Moira sprawled across what looked like a warzone. There had been a fight, and some way or another they lost. And as they lost... Angel had been taken. They were directly responsible for him being taken hostage. A student.

"This is a school, a place of faith..." he murmured, picking himself up. "It's supposed to be a safe place! Who does he think he is?!" Electricity began to spark across his body, his fists clenched by his sides. This... everything about this offended him at the most fundamental level. The Phantom was willing to hurt all these people... to take something so important... to harm a student?! Like hell would he let him!

Electricity practically exploded from his body, striking the chandelier and causing all the bulbs in it to blow. It left Syed stood shaking beneath it, the glow of his eyes and tattoo fading as it's swinging began to slow. He shrank back a little with guilt for the temporary loss of control.

"...Sorry," he said finally, his voice still shaking. "Thanks, Amy. For helping us." His eyes lowered to Moira, who still lay beaten and bloody on the floor. At least the cuts mostly seemed shallow. The worrying thing was for something to knock her out of commission... what kind of blow must that have been?! "Don't worry about me, could you concentrate on her?"

He brushed some glass aside to allow himself to kneel down beside her, before taking her arm and trying to pull it over his shoulder. Trying being the operative word, as she was so heavy he nearly tumbled over trying to pull her up. She did groan, but she showed no sign of lucidity. Wake up Moira, please...

But maybe... he could do something about the weight. He was no wind mage, but... he closed his eyes for a moment, his slim brows knitting with concentration as his hands moved in those gestures of his. Then, in one fluid movement, he managed to actually haul her up, keeping one hand moving the entire time.

"I'm sorry... this is probably hurting her more," he said apologetically, looking down to his partner. The small sparks jumping from the metal plating of her armour betrayed how he did it - using his magic to share the weight. "It's the best I can do. I... urh... I can't keep it up long, though." He averted his eyes, before looking back to Amy with one of his trademark awkward dorky smiles. "So I hope you don't mind me saying, but I'm counting on you."

He then turned and began dragging Moira somewhat labourously towards the south. They needed to hurry!

Academy of the Arts: Performance Hall

What do you know, they were planning to steal the entire building after all. Lucien shook his head, "The kid had it right all along, amazing." A part of him knew things had taken a turn for the worst, yet the idea of stealing an entire building, it was so amazing that he kind of wanted to chuckle. His worried sigh won out though and soon he turned to look at the others. Throwing in the towel wasn't an option, right? "So, how are we going to save Angel?"

Xan on the other hand, looked pretty much dumbfounded. Apparently their friend had been taken as a hostage, and if they messed up then they'd be putting him in danger. She brought a hand to her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. This was just a marvelous evening...

To make matters worse, they had ten minutes.

Dylan managed to stop Tobias from doing whatever he was planning, but they were still on the losing end. "Ten minutes," Lucien tapped his foot on the ground. Their leader sounded as fired up as ever and that alone was reassuring. His eyes flitted towards the door and he waited for some sort of instruction.

---

Academy of the Arts: South-Western Sector

"Fabi, I see you. Who do I take out first?"

Fabian found himself mute...was it some sort of strange spell.

It didn't work, no matter what he tried to say, there just wasn't a sound. Then the white haired man began threatening him and Fabian scowled. Oh, so it was him! Ooooh, he make that guy pay. Soon enough his voice came back and he almost grinned. Just wait till that stick figure got a load of Miffy! He'd probably shake in his shoes. "That white haired weirdo," he muttered as if it were a taunt and not signal. "He smells just like moldy cheese and unwashed socks!"

Fabian would have said more, but he didn't want to go mute so he gave them a grin. Guilders were always too chicken to do anything mean.

The masked Phantom's voice came from one of the communicators and did that girl threaten to stuff him with fireworks?!?

"You're just all talk, but you guys are in for it now. The masked phantom, he's the coolest guy around. GAME OVER."

Aliquam: Academy of the Arts: Northern Section

Sweet Gods above this mission was proving to be a real headache. If the fact that there were still thieves running around wasn't enough, now the Phantom had a hostage of his own and was planning on blowing up and stealing the entire academy. Even better was the fact that Tobias was more than ready to use his bedazzled butter knife on the caged thief, and that they only had ten minutes to think of a plan.

At least their red-headed leader hadn't lost her enthusiasm yet.

"So, how are we going to save Angel?"

Aria shook her head, wringing her scarf in thought. "He's coming here, isn't he? Any way we could ambush him or..." She let out a sigh, knowing that it wouldn't work especially since he already knew that they were in the theater. She was rather sure that the other guilders would be quickly starting to head over now they knew that the Phantom was going to arrive, but would extra backup really help in this situation?

"Ten minutes," Lucien helpfully reminded, and Aria just gave a frustrated huff in response.

"Anyone come up with any plans that don't include stabbing Jay here?" she eyed Tobias in warning before looking to the others. "Marcus? Dylan? Xan? Simon?"

---

The Academy of the Arts - Southwest section

“You tell him Supersis! We’ve got one of your henchmen here right now, and we’re not afraid to stick one of these fireworks up his butthole and light it!”

Mattis paused. Did the girl just threaten to- He shook his head, slightly disturbed and rather glad that none of his siblings would think of saying such a thing. Still, he was rather glad that Fabian had motioned to the white-haired man and not the girl; he disliked the idea of having to knock out a child. They were still busy discussing Phantom's latest announcement which gave him the chance to dart closer unseen to the group.

He was close enough to see the vines that the kid was trussed up in and tutted quietly. He crouched close to the wall, waiting for the man to turn his back. Luckily he looked rather weak and would probably go down with a strong enough hit, after which he would free the boy to help deal with the other two before reconvening with Phantom in the theater.

The man finally turned to speak to one of the females and Mattis shot forward, aiming a hard jab at the pressure point on his neck. Hopefully his calculations would be right and he would be able to bring the guy down with one hit and free Fabian quickly to distract the other two so he had time to break their line of sight on him, or there would be quite a bit of trouble.

The Academy of the Arts - Northern Sector (Performance Hall)

"I vote against any plans which involve stabbing me too."

Jay remained leaning against the bars of the cage, that smirk on his face again. He wasn't overly concerned about Tobias - even if he had tried to stab him through the bars, it would have been fairly simple to just grab his arm and slam it into the bars before the knife met home. If he were lucky he might even break a bone. Really, to stab at someone through bars when the person inside had enough room to step to one side was a pretty idiotic move all round.

No, what worried him was the fact that if these Guilders changed their mind... if they decided that the crime they were committing and the wellbeing of the kid were more important than his own life... then he was completely at their mercy. Sure, they were Guilders. He knew Guilders didn't aim to maim or kill. But desperation makes people do things they wouldn't ordinarily do. And if he was ganged up on like this... that was it.

But then again he knew the Boss was looking out for him. And he had Frances-chan, hiding somewhere. He could always count on her. An enthusiastic, sophisticated, intelligent beauty. What more could you ask for?

His nose began to bleed again. He quickly got a handkerchief from his pocket to stem the flow.

"You know what's a better plan, though?" he continued, his voice nasal even as he removed the pop from his mouth. "Giving up. You can't win this one my dears, although I admire your stubbornness. I used to be the same way."

"This is what the real world is like - there's winners and there's losers. And I'm sorry, but... well..." he shrugged, still smirking. "I wouldn't want such a fine-looking group of kids like you to get hurt."

Aliquam: Academy of the Arts – SW Section

So the Masked Phantom wanted them to release his companions and then leave the premises? And then he was going to steal the Academy? What….? Lute frowned as he recalled the contents of the transmission. He left the communicator with Rose since she was in the middle of where he and Trixie were, and it would be easier for them to hear updates.

“It sounds like things aren’t going too well with the others,” The virtuoso finally said with a scowl as he eyed their captive. Of course, he was talking about the group where Tobias, from the sound of it, was planning on hurting the thief. All for his damn pride. These aristocrats think they’re so freaking important.

“Kid, zip it,” He glared at Fabian who actually had the nerve to call him stinky. Whose fault was that, you annoying brat?

‘What the fuck!?’

“Huh?” Lute had zero time to react because just as he spun to face the opposite direction a crippling force fell down on his neck. Everything briefly turned black. He limply dropped to his knees, a burning pain searing up from a point on his neck, and he covered the area with his hand as if that could numb the sensations. It didn't. The virtuoso glanced up only to see his assailant had gone, but with that strong a blow to the collar Lute knew he would have difficulty blocking a strong attack. Useless.

"Trixie, watch out! We've got company!" Lute staggered to his feet and switched his sword arm to the left. He blinked, fighting off the shadows approaching at the corners of his eyes. His neck hurt like crazy and falling unconscious was a tempting offer. Wait, what was he talking about!?

---

Aliquam: Academy of the Arts – N Section, Performance Hall

Francesca heard everything, and she was far more concerned with the nobleman rather than anything else. He was a loose cannon, an unpredictable element in an equation. It would have been dangerous if he had the barest modicum of skill, but the state of his rapier told enough of his capabilities. She had inspected it earlier and came to the conclusion that this must be its first real use asides from hanging around as décor or, perhaps, being used for halfhearted training sessions.

“What a waste,” She murmured to herself as she twirled the rapier around and then caught it by the handle. She stood up from her seat and stared down at the group of people around the cage, focusing on their different outfits to keep her mind off the suspense. One lady had a scarf made of feathers. Hmm.

Jay seemed to be trying to deal with the Guilders… but would that work? While it had always been a part of Francesca’s attitude to doubt, she sincerely hoped that they would just follow what the Phantom said to save all of them the trouble of fighting with one another. The thief approached the railing to get a better look at what was happening, half-expecting the Phantom himself to burst in through the doors in a wonderful and grand entrance.

Aliquam: The Academy of the Arts: North Sector: Performance Hall

“They plan to… steal the entire Academy itself?!” Tobias shouted, flabbergasted, as the transmission from the Masked Phantom ended. The idea itself was so ludicrous, so utterly preposterous. There was no way such a statement could be true. It was impossible. How would one go about stealing the entire Academy itself? Even if they had explosives primed to rip the Academy from its foundations… how would one then go to move it?

It was a lie. It was just a dramatic bold faced lie, one probably meant to distract and confuse them all, whilst he made away to steal whatever it was their real target was. Because stealing the entire Academy was simply… ridiculous.

“Do something?” Tobias looked to the others once they began questioning what to do. He shook his head with a scowl. “There’s nothing really to do, other then think about how to catch this criminal. Stealing the entire Academy is simply… ridiculous.”



“For once I… agree with Tobias,” Dylan replied, hesitating on his words and spitting them out as best he could. He looked at the indigo haired patron and frowned, before turning with a calmer smile to the rest of his friends. “There’s no way they can steal the Academy. How could they possibly go about that? Carrying it on their shoulders? And where would they hide it? Or possibly begin to sell it?”



“…No, they’re… they’re telling the truth.” Dalia’s comment from the side of both gentlemen startled everyone. As they turned, they saw the Priestess looking directly at Jay, and after a brief start, his noticing of her looking (which in turn led to more spontaneous nose bleeding). Other then that, he was generally calm and composed, and on top of that…

“His aura didn’t fluctuate. Not once when the Masked Phantom was speaking.” Dalia explained. “Normally, when a person is lying… or even when someone else is lying, and the other person knows that to be a lie… their aura fluctuates. A person can hide their feelings, but not their aura, and his aura, it… well… it didn’t change…”

“That doesn’t exactly mean anything,” Tobias folded his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes. “His aura wouldn’t change if he believed what the thief said, right? Well, just look at him. He’s an idiot. Not hard to imagine him believing that.”

“Hey!” Jay frowned.



“Whether or not it’s true, we still need to decide what to do.” Marcus stood up from his seat, and began looking around the room, inspecting it as best he could within the gloomy darkness. The Masked Phantom’s demands and assertions… to leave the Academy and give back to him their captured thieves, not only for their sake and that of the Priests and Priestesses that had been driven unconscious but the held hostage Angel too… the Pride couldn’t give up. They couldn’t give in to what felt naturally like the demands of a terrorist. They couldn’t allow a group of thieves to cause all this chaos and damage and spirit away with anything. But they had literally been forced with their backs against the wall, and put in a position where they had no choice whatsoever.

Regardless of if the threat of explosives was or wasn’t true, he still had Angel, and they couldn’t risk hurting him, could they?

They couldn’t actively plan anything either… not with Jay there to watch him. As much of a benefit as it had been to capture him, it also left him able to witness any decision they’d make. And Marcus… he suspected that the thieves probably had a way of communicating between themselves, which meant any plans for an ambush would be given to the Masked Phantom before they could happen. What could they do? What could they…?

“We’ll just have to do as he says.”

Marcus' brow raised in curiosity, turning to find Dylan standing with his shoulders haunched, looking down at his clenched fists, and the tension rife within his body. Out of all of the Guilders, this would hurt him the most. Even if Dylan had abandoned the Academy due to troubled memories between him and Tobias, this was his home. Dalia was his sister. Angel, Rose, Simon, Keeva, as well as all of the other students, priests and priestesses of the Academy… they were his friends.

They couldn’t begin to understand how he might feel.

“Give up?” Tobias scowled. “You can’t be serious…”

“Does it look like we have a choice?” Dylan raised his head. “He has Angel! And he’s threatening everyone inside of here! I… I love the Academy. Aislin knows, I do. But… but it’s still just an Academy. A building. It can always be rebuilt. Replaced. People… they can’t.”

“Dylan…” Dalia nodded with a smile. “It's hard, but... I agree.”

“No. No way.” The patron’s hands were thrown into the air. “No way in hell am I accepting this.”

“Then what’s your bright idea?” Aria asked, her own arms folded over her chest. “Knowing, of course, that killing this guy,” Her head nodded to Jay. “Isn’t really going to work.”

“Ngggraaph…”

A loud pop echoed throughout the Performance Hall, surprising each and every one of the occupants within. Several bright lights flashed throughout the large room, several red glowing flares dropping from the sky and wafting gently to the ground, illuminating some areas of it whilst throwing wild deep shadows amongst others. A loud chuckle drew the Pride’s attention away from the main entrance to the Hall, to stare down at the stage resting below them at the end of the rows upon rows of seats. There, hanging suspended in the air atop a swirling vortex of air used as a transparent platform, was the Masked Phantom himself, effortlessly holding the bound and gagged Angel over his shoulder, his blonde locks fluttering about him.

“Well, my friends,” The Masked Phantom grinned. “It’s an honor to make your acquaintance and meet you all at last.”

“Tell me,” He said. “I hope you've all come to a favourable decision?”

Aliquam: The Academy of the Arts - Southern Section

The second the Masked Phantom brought up his plans to basically rob the entire academy, Trixie's initial reactions were to scream into the communicator: "I told you! I told you I told you I told you, but nooooo, no one wanted to listen to me!" But then the little runt opened his mouth again and Trixie fumed. She forced more pressure on his shoulder via her foot, though before she could bark back, Lute was attacked. Luckily he managed to stagger back to his feet, but just barely; he couldn't even stand straight.

From the looks of it, Rose was beginning to worry too, but she was far too injured to strengthen her grip on Fabian. If she loosened her hold any further than she had... Well, Trixie had taken most of Fabian's gear. But he was a trickster just like her, and she didn't want to risk him having more up his sleeves. Despite the 'MP making some deal with Estelle and the others, it seemed some battles still had to go down.

Trixie called for Rose's communicator. Once it was tossed and in her nimble hands, Trixie whipped out one uzi while she held the communicator to her mouth with her other hand. She aimed the barrel down various directions, and sniffed madly at the air around her. "Help! Someone, please help! Mayday, mayday!" she cried out. She pressed down on the seated boy further, so that he ended up leaning forward over his legs instead of sitting upright. Seeing how lithe his body is, it wasn't so much painful as it was compromising and more difficult to get out.

Unless of course the shadowed thief got to Trixie next. With Rose already handicapped and Lute on his way to dreamland...

She suddenly unleashed a barrage of bullets in one direction. "Lute! Lute, he's over there! I can smell you!" With all the gunfire then, it would be difficult to track the thief down if he had moved from his previous spot, especially in all this darkness. Trixie could only hope she nailed him as she waited for help to arrive. If it ever did.

---

Aliquam: The Academy of the Arts - Central-Southern Section

While they weren't moving fast, they were still moving. Every step brought them further to the southern section, and Amy did what she could to continue feeding more spells to Moira's unconscious body. Hopefully her groaning from earlier was a sign that she would reawaken soon, but even then, the duo was still remarkably injured. Would they be able to fight under these conditions? If not, was it worth it to spend all her energy here when the others were struggling?

She hated to think like this, but time was working against her. Especially with the sudden sound of gunfire further down the halls (though out of sight), accompanied by Trixie's shrills. It was dangerous for a weaponless healer to rush into battle, but her help may be what they needed to keep on their feet. Despite whatever conversation the others were having with the Masked Phantom now, there was still chaos unfolding in the premisses. She looked to Syed with a pained expression as she imbued Moira with another, final golden hue. "I pray that's enough to get her back to her feet," she muttered distastefully, turning away from the two. With that she took off running towards the other group.

Her suspicions were correct; they were just right around the corner. Amy continued following the sound of gunfire, eventually coming across Rose and a fallen Sebastian. The aristocrat was seated, her ankle twisted awkwardly, as she strained to keep the vines in control of Fabian; Amy couldn't figure out what exactly Rose was doing from where she stood, but whatever it was, she needed some help. Amy stepped forward some more, her heels clicking on the marble floor, and thanks to the light from Trixie's gun she was also able to make out where she and Lute had been standing.

She sighed silently. Thank Dyn none of the fighters were knocked out. While Rose too needed the help, she decided against it for her first move, though she stood by her as she chanted. At once Lute's body glowed with a warm gold, and something transparent materialized behind Trixie's head and neck. Like the backside of a helmet too big, the manifested floating shield followed as she turned her head to see Amy there. "Ames! You came!"

Amy did not reply, instead focusing her chanting on Lute. Anything to keep this kid on his feet.

Aliquam: Academy of the Arts: Northern Section

Aria jumped at the sudden pop that echoed through the room, grimacing at the red flares that fell from the ceiling and threw dark shadows across the floor and walls.

“Well, my friends,” The Masked Phantom grinned. “It’s an honor to make your acquaintance and meet you all at last.”

Ah, there was that smooth, confident, tone that was starting to grate on her nerves. Had it really been ten minutes?

"I'd return the greeting in usual circumstances," she grumbled, "but I can't say I'm too pleased to see your pretty little face again." Aria eyed the figure slung over the man's shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief when she couldn't make out any injuries as far as she could see.

“I hope you've all come to a favourable decision?”

At this question, she gave a glance towards Dylan and Tobias. She hated the idea of giving just as The noble did, and yet she couldn't help but admit that the artist had a point. What were they to do in this situation?

---

The Academy of the Arts - Southwest section

Ah, damn. Looks like he didn't hit hard enough. Mattis ducked to the side, a barrage of bullets spraying where he had been moments before. The tiny girl had much sharper senses than he thought she would- bit more than that, they hardly had time to waste here as the Phantom had already arrived in the theater. He dove towards the girl on the ground, skidding to a stop next to her.

She had already suffered a painful sprain to the ankle, so Mattis merely nudged her over with a foot, and as she toppled over in surprise he felt the vines loosen. He took the chance to pluck Fabian from the grasps of the overgrown plant, slinging the boy around onto his back in a piggyback ride and making a break for it, sprinting down the hallway towards the theatre.

"You ok?" He glanced back at the boy, before shaking his in slight amusement. The girl might've just put a permanent scowl on poor Fabi's face.

Academy of the Arts: Performance Hall

"Anyone come up with any plans that don't include stabbing Jay here?"

Surprisingly, she couldn't come up with anything at all. The masked Phantom would appear very soon, and he had a hostage to boot. Sure, they had Jay in a cage, but it wasn't like they could do anything to hurt him. Xan let out a sigh and shook her head.

Then Jay suggested they give up and Lucien shot him a glare. No way, no how! They defeated a freaking demon and their leader, well she was still at it. They weren't just going to run away and give up. It wasn't their style at all. Surely, everyone would be against it! "Hey, hey, we're going to catch this guy, yeah? No matter what?" Dylan suddenly suggested they do what the masked phantom asked and the summoner swiveled around to stare at him.

She didn't want to admit it, but Xan thought Dylan's idea was pretty reasonable as well. They couldn't risk getting Angel and all the other priests and priestesses hurt. "Dylan has a point," she bit back a scowl, "we don't seem to have much of a choice, really."

As soon as it had started, their ten minutes came to an end and the masked phantom appeared with a flashy entrance and Angel held over his shoulder. Lucien thought it looked pretty cool but a part of him wanted to summon a Tuna and have it land smack dab on that guy's head. His eyebrows furrowed in irritation but he stopped himself from doing anything too stupid. He turned to look at Dylan and Marcus. Was there really no other way?

---

CUSS YEAH! Miffy to the rescue!

He could always count on his pal to get him out of sticky situations. The grownup, while not unconscious was knocked to the ground and the woman not too far from him was tipped over as well. "That'll teach ya, you stinker!" He stuck a tongue out at the fallen Lute then let out a yelp when he was pulled out of the vine's hold.

Miffy pulled the boy onto his back and Fabian clung on for dear life as they began to make a break for it.

The kid was shooting at them! And she had his stuff! He wanted to go back and grab those gadgets from her, but they didn't have the time so he did the most insulting thing he could think of. He stuck out his tongue and pulled down at his lower eyelids. "Smell ya later!"

Fabian placed both his hands on Miffy's shoulders then began to sulk. "No, she took all my stuff. MP isn't gonna be happy." The boy puffed up his cheeks and rested his chin on Miffy's head. "I thought I could do it my own," he complained. He wanted to leap onto that stupid white-haired stinker! CUSS THEM ALL. "Thanks for the save." Now that they were away, he could have chosen to walk, but heh, piggyback rides were a lot less tiresome.

"Hey, hey, Miffy, I think that's the door to the theater?"

The Academy of the Arts - Northern Sector (Performance Hall)

Ah. If there was one thing you could always count on the boss being able to do, it was make a grand entrance. He turned the practice into a fine art.

Heh. How ironic.

He chose to say nothing, instead simply glancing around at the others in the room. They all seemed to be giving up, which... well, he wasn't expecting. He always thought Guilders were stubborn and hard-headed and self-rightious... his ex-wife certainly was. Was the boss' plan just that good?

Whatever. "Hey, boss," he waved a little sheepishly from his cage. "Sorry I got caught out."

---

???

"Can you... huff... track him? With your radar thing?"

"...If he's close enough, yeah. Whatever his... his trick is, it doesn't affect my magic."

"...Good. I... hack... I need you to be my eyes and ears then."

Moira and Syed sprinted down right after the thief pair, huffing and puffing as the air tore at their lungs. Moira especially wasn't in a particularly good state, staggering on occassion as she ran after them. Amy's last spell had done the trick, just about. But the cuts from the glass stung, her ankle hurt like hell, and her skin under her armour burned a little. However.

She was not going to let them go again. Especially not the big man. He had pissed her off personally. A pathetic, snivelling coward. The worst kind of person. And since he had the brat on his back, it meant she could see where he was just fine. It would have been nice if Syed would just shoot them down, but thanks to the brat he was refusing. Fantastic.

She didn't care. She was going to stop them. Even if it meant destroying the building around them to do so. She was not going to allow them to get what they wanted.

Fuck them all.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going, you piece of shit?!"

Aliquam: Academy of the Arts

There was a lot of screaming and the pillars were twisting and melding to form gigantic slabs of white marble. Lute shook his head and his vision cleared for a few seconds; he saw Trixie yelling at the communicator and then directing him towards where the assailant should be. Before he could go there, the man himself, a giant with a mask that looked like a ‘…bunny?’ shoved Rose and then stole away with the noisy brat. He didn’t hurt Trixie though, which was a relief.

“He’s too fast for his size,” The virtuoso spat out venomously as the surroundings started to blur again. Soothing warmth suddenly blossomed through his neck and Lute felt better. The twinge he felt whenever he moved his affected arm had lessened too, so he switched back to holding the sword on his dominant hand before running after the scoundrels.

“Thanks! Hey, Trixie, you coming!?” Lute yelled out before rounding a corner in pursuit of Fabian and Mattis. Fresh footsteps, but rapidly fading. ‘Bunnyface better slow his ass down so I could track him!’ Delilah roared as the two of them expanded their range in hopes of pinning the thieves down. Once the prankster caught up- and Lute knew she would what with her speedy frame- her sharp sense of smell would definitely help them get a larger perimeter.

---

Aliquam: Academy of the Arts – N Section, Performance Hall

Oh, that pop was absolutely horrifying!

Francesca was startled from her musings when a sudden noise echoed within the large theater. When bursts of light suddenly rained down from above, the thief shielded her eyes and crouched behind the railing in case the red flares blew her cover. Without having to peek over to see their source, an amused smile crept up her lips as she shook her head.

As extravagant as always.

When the light from the flares died down, Francesca deemed it safe to stand up once again. From her perch on the first tier of seats on the balcony, she could plainly see their leader, the Masked Phantom, floating above the grand stage. He spoke with the Guilders, although the lads and lasses looked at each other and floundered about for what to reply. She sighed and twirled the rapier around again.

“Only a little bit longer now, Jay,” She couldn’t help but sound relieved as she sent a message through the communicator. “Mattis, have you got Fabbee? He’s not terribly hurt, is he?”

Well, what next…?

Aliquam: Academy of the Arts: Northern Sector: Theatre Hall

With the Masked Phantom’s entrance, it felt as if all time within the Theatre Hall slowed to a crawl. The Pride looked amongst themselves with uneasy trepidation, and down to the man at the far end of the room, hovering in the air above the stage with Angel slumped over his shoulder, all at a complete and utter loss to know what to do. Despite his confinement, Jay relaxed with a smile inside his cage, confident that he and his allies had already secured their victory, with Francesca waiting in one of the balconies overlooking the rest of the hall, biding her time.

The Pride were left at a hopeless disadvantage considering everything the thieves had managed to set out and accomplish – holding and threatening a hostage, along with the threat of activating the charges they had already placed around the Academy, and endangering not only the Pride but all of the faculty staff both conscious and unconscious upon the school grounds. The only option they were given was to accept the Masked Phantom’s demands… release Jay back into their custody, and agree to retreat, taking with them the rest of the Academy’s staff, so that the thieves could accomplish their goal of somehow stealing the Academy building itself.

There was no option.

Was there…?






All eyes turned to Dylan and Tobias. Just seconds ago they had been arguing on what to do, with Tobias demanding they press the advantage of threatening to fatally hurt Jay unless the thieves surrendered, whilst Dylan was willing to relinquish the Academy if but to prevent anybody from being hurt. Neither felt like favourable options to the rest of them. The thought of giving in to the Masked Phantom and his allies… and just allowing them all to get away free, destroying and stealing the Academy with them… it was wrong and incomprehensible. They couldn’t do that, could they? But what other options did they have?

Dylan starred at the Masked Phantom, his fists clenched by his side. The more the man spoke, and grinned in that arrogant manner, the more the Matter Artist grew angry. They had them beat, but there was no need to rub it in their faces. He was already doing enough – hurting his friends and holding them hostage. Threatening to destroy the school that was his home, and crushing the dreams and memories of all of his friends who came to live and study here. Granted, not all of the memories Dylan had of his time here were pleasant. Some, thanks to Tobias, were ones he’d rather forget. But that wasn’t up to the Masked Phantom to decide, or anyone. Nobody had the right to do this to another person. Not to him, not to Dalia, to Angel, Rose, Simon, Keeva, or even Tobias himself. Nobody had that right. And not to look so damn arrogant and smug at the same time.

“I hope you've all come to a favourable decision?”

Then his words flashed inside his mind.

“DYLAN!! You’re no longer Little Bro! From now on… now on you’re the Big Bro! And that means you have to look after Big Sis, and our other sises, and all of our other little bros!”

In the time that he had left Aliquam, he had grown up. He had become a Guilder, and most importantly, become a member of the Pride. In that short space of time he had seen and done many different things, and grown stronger from that. And on top of that… perhaps a little bit more crazy too. What Dylan did next wasn’t rational, but when was anything the Pride ever did?

Throw reason and sanity to the walls! This goddamn rotten stinking coward smelly buttbreath scumbag threatened his home, his family, his friends! And no way would Dylan let him!!

His hands gripped and snatched his slate from his belt, pulling it up in front of him as he scratched his chalk on top. His eyes, closed and fixed in complete concentration, began to work his magical efforts into imbuing his next construct. The Masked Phantom had made an enemy of the wrong people!!

The crude sketch was drawn in seconds. Dylan’s eyes snapped open, staring and willing for it to materialise where he stared. Just behind the Masked Phantom, it formed:-

A giant wooden log attached to the ceiling with rope. As soon as it was willed into existence, it swung on its pendulum. The blonde thief turned in abject surprise at the sudden creation, but was powerless to stop himself from being hit. A hastily thrown buffer of wind absorbed most of the impact, but he was still thrown off of his platform of wind, to land roughly onto the wooden stage beneath. Angel was launched from his arms, but safely caught in another vortex of wind, this one much friendlier. With Herculean effort and control, Marcus concentrated on bringing Angel closer to the Pride – and Aria and Xandra rushed out to meet him, helping catch the bound student.

Tobias watched with wide eyes and whistled. He cocked one eyebrow to Dylan.

“What was it you said just a second ago?”

“I changed my mind,” Dylan replied, facing the thief staggering back to his feet. “Threatening my home, my friends and family… no. He’s pissing me off, and the Pride don’t give in to anyone.”

Tobias laughed and grinned, cracking his knuckles. “I like it.”

“Any objections?” Dylan asked to the rest of his friends. They all shook their heads unanimously.

“None.” Marcus smiled. A bright green glow left his staff and wafted through each and every one of his allies, buffering and improving their agility. The Pride certainly would not give in.

The Masked Phantom rose to his feet, and turned his head to glare at them, narrowing his eyes. “Francesca. Jay. Miffy. Fabian. Take them all out.” As a counterpart to Marcus’ own magics, a bright green glow encircled and enveloped the thief’s own body.

Meanwhile, directly outside the doors to the Theatre Hall…

---

Two particular thiefs had made a spritely dash from the South-Western sector of the Academy where they had once been fighting Lute, Trixie and Rose, to flee upon Amy, Moira and Syed’s arrival and traverse all the way to the Theatre Hall with the hope of supporting their allies. Miffy said little, as Fabian did most of the talking for them, amidst his cussing atop Miffy’s shoulder. He was still angry that the pint sized brat had stolen his equipment, but he’d make it up to his idol, no matter what. By springing in alongside Miffy to help the rest of his team and take these cussing Guilders out for good!

At least… that was the plan.

A sharp and powerful blow slammed into Miffy’s face with a crack, sending the towering giant stumbling back. The attack hurt less then it was surprising, but it was another to topple his balance and make him fall over, with Fabian stumbling down to the ground and to the side, ironic payback for what he had done to Rose, Lute and Trixie when they were riding Sebastian.

The boy began to cuss loudly, and Miffy opened his eyes to blink in-between the eyeholes of his bunny mask in wonder at who his attacker was.

Fiery determined eyes stared back at him, a young woman’s face lit up by the flickering embers of her enflamed sword.



“I TOLD YOU GODDAMN COWARDS I WAS GONNA BEAT THE SNOT OUT OF YOU!” Estelle said angrily, shifting to a ready fighting stance that could turn into either a powerful offence, or steady defence – the door to the Theatre Hall directly behind her. "NO MORE RUNNING!"

And in the distance, the footsteps of her companions from the South-West were quickly approaching.

BOSS BATTLE:

Storytime

Aliquam: The Academy of the Arts - Southern Section

While Trixie and Lute dashed off after the thieves, Amy remained behind with Rose and Sebastian. She wanted to assume that the thieves taking off, plus the drama that poured over the communicators earlier, meant that the scattered battles were reaching their conclusion. Which also meant Amy's remaining group was safe for a spell. She focused her efforts on both of her injured allies.

When Amy noticed the sleeping dart on the floor lying in the silver moonlight, she chuckled softly. "He's just asleep. I'm sure with my help he'll be able to get up in no time, though running may be out of the question." She partially bluffed that final sentence, seeing as it had been some time since she had ever healed an animal before. Anything to keep spirits up at this rate, though. "What about yourself, Rose? Can you stand now? Are you feeling able to walk?

"The sooner we're back on their trail, the sooner we can help whip their asses. They don't know how they're fucking with."

---

Aliquam: Academy of the Arts - Northern Sector (Theatre Hall)

Angel was ready to accept his death when Moira and Syed were down. He was that much more ready the moment he went flying in the air. But then getting caught by two gorgeous ladies who knew how to fight? That, he could get used to.

At least until one of them ripped the tape off his mouth.

"Hijo de puta, that hurt." He rubbed the corner of his lips gently once his arms were freed as well. After twitching his lips a bit (getting a feel for the freedom again), he laughed sheepishly. "Guys, I... thank you for saving me. I'm a useless piece of shit, I know." His eyes trailed after the Masked Phantom's movements. "Especially since he's got my die now. But I'll still do what I can to help!"

---

Just outside the theater, Estelle assailed Miffy and Fabian the moment they came into view. Her shout was quickly followed up by someone else's: "Yeaaah! You tell 'em, Supersis!"



Lute's and Trixie's hastiness in chasing down Fabian and Miffy, along with their smell-sound tracking abilities and Moira's hollering after them, led them straight to the theater not long after their fleeing targets arrived. Just in time to catch Estelle launching her ultra badass move. Trixie cheered as she charged passed Estelle and into the theater by firing rounds to the ceiling; lights dangling nearby Francesca's balcony began to clank and sway wildly, though not enough to shatter, much less fall.

The moment she noticed the Masked Phantom inside the theater, she twirled her uzis and began firing in the thief-leader's direction as she charged towards him, intent on running circles around him. If she could help her teammates by getting in this butthole's way, she would be as bothersome as she could.

The Academy of the Arts - Northern Sector (Performance Hall)

Well well well. It seemed they had changed their minds. The blonde in the jacket pulled out what looked like a slate... oh what the hell?! It was him!

Jay was sure it was the dark haired and clothed girl who had created the cage. But it was definately him. Hell, as the giant battering ram was conjured into existance, his own cage began to flicker and fade. Well, with magics as powerful as that, he was not suprised in the slightest to see he had already hit his limit.

No time to think.

He grabbed hold of the top of the cage and began to swing, kicking at the sides. He could feel them giving away when they felt completely solid before. One, two, three... BAM!

The cage broke open, and Jay wasted no time in leaping out of the horrible thing. It felt like he had spent far too long in there! His eyes flicked this way and that, considering the next plan of action...

When he suddenly became aware of the blue haired slightly murderous man swinging at him. "Dang!" he hissed, dropping back into an unarmed fighting stance of his own. He was at a disadvantage, with everyone aware of where he was and no magic to fall back upon. Must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed. Still, he caught sight of something... something familiar. He smirked, putting his hands up. "What's two attractive guys like us gotta fight for, eh?" he stalled...

---

The Academy of the Arts - Northern Sector (Outside Hall)
Being quite slow, Moira and Syed were overtaken by Trixie and Lute. But it was no problem, as they turned the corner, huffing and puffing, to find Estelle standing angrily over the thief pair.

"IT'S ROUND TWO, MOTHERFUCKER!" Moira screamed, fists clenched at her sides. "Who you gonna save your pathetic shit this time, the little brat?!"

Syed simply glowered at them. "I can't believe you dragged a child into this!" he shouted abeit without the volume of his partner, turning on the spot as he began to gesture. Electricity began to spark across his body, a small measure of self-defence should he be suprised again. But mostly...

The lights outside the theatre lit up. He was powering them himself, his hands moving all the while. Let's see them hide when there's no darkness to hide in. He gave a quick look to Moira, a signal he was ready to move.

Moira glanced towards Lute. "Do what you do best, kid," she growled, before giving a brief nod to Estelle. And with that she leapt forward, aiming to grab the big man's arm and pull it back to restrain him quickly.

The Academy of the Arts - Outer Theatrical hall

Mattis picked himself up from the ground, rubbing at his stinging cheek. He stared down at the newly arrived redhead, trying to figure out when kids had started becoming so tough. He had planned on charging into the theater, but eyed the flaming sword in the girl's hands. He wondered if he and Fabi could possible take down the girl along with the tiny brat and white haired man before the rest arrived.

"IT'S ROUND TWO, MOTHERFUCKER!"

Ah dagnabit. He let out a sigh, turning rather unwillingly to face the large woman and the tall guy he had knocked out earlier in the hall with the statues. None of ten looked very happy as to be expected; the woman in particular looked quite pissed off. The man seemed upset that Fabian was there; he doubted the boy would be happy to be called 'a child'.

He slowly reached into his pocket, pulling out his bag-o-tricks that Phantom issues before every mission into Fabian's hands. He had less than the boy originally did, preferring not to deal with things that exploded, but it was better than nothing in this case. His other hand reached up to the communicator.

"We might be late. Five-" He blinked as the brat ran past the girl wth the flaming sword and into the theater, guns blazing. "Four angry guilders, possibly more at right outside where-" he was interrupted again, this time by the scary large woman with the sword as she dove for him, He quickly sidestepped, grabbing onto her outstretched arm and following in her momentum swung around, flinging her towards the white-haired man before sprinting to the side, ducking behind a statue momentarily. He doubted his ability would be much use with all these mages around especially since they all already knew of his prescence- his specialty was sneaking up on people who didn't know he was there.

It wasn't going to be an easy fight, but he was quite determined not to fail here. He needed to finish this job so he could go home. He darted out the other side, heading once again at the tall man who had lit the room brightly. If he could just take him out, the rest would be much easier to take care of.

The Academy of the Arts - Outer Theatrical hall

"What the--?!" Fabian scrambled to his feet only to come face to face with a flaming sword.

The boy's eyes went wide and for a moment he looked genuinely curious. IT WAS SO CUSSING COOL! Fabian shook his head, there was no time to fan over the enemies' gadgets, they had a job to do and he had to make it up to everyone for getting caught by a couple of oldies and some runt.

There was even more yelling, and soon enough, even more guilders made their way to the scene.

He looked left and right, that kid had taken all his stuff! Fabian's eyes fell onto the bag of tricks in Miffy's hands. The man didn't have any of those cool stink bombs but he was left with nothing so he gave his friend a grin and pulled out a small metallic rod.

"Listen here you walking light post!" Fabian turned red, something that happened whenever he got very upset. "I'm just as capable as them!" Miffy was dealing with Moira and the old stinker with sound powers. With a press of a button, the rod grew as tall as the boy himself. He ran forward, charging straight into Syed. "I. AM. NOT. A. CHILD."

---

Academy of the Arts: Performance Hall



Xan tore the piece of tape from Angel's mouth only to wince at his pained yell.

The guilder shook her head as she and Aria assisted the man to his feet. "He could have snuck up on anyone, this guy is good at what he does." She eyed the man up and down, eyebrows creased in concern. "Are you injured?" It didn't look like he was, but it'd be best if they played it safe.

The masked phantom was quick to recover and soon enough Jay broke out of the cage.

Tobias looked like he had it under control though.



There was a puff of smoke followed by an angry roar.

A bear ran down the center aisle, barreling towards the stage the masked phantom had fallen onto. The sudden appearance of the animal caused Xan to flinch, but a second later she noticed Lucien, facing their way with a goofy grin and two thumbs up. He looked a little spaced out, but still eager. "Heh, now's our chance to catch him, yeah?"

Xan nodded her head then turned to face the illusionist. "Maybe it we attack at once, we'll be able to catch him off guard."

Her arm slowly began taking the shape of a sword and she followed after the summoner's medium. It had already made its way to the stage, and it let out a nasty snarl and it tried to approach the masked phantom.