[img]http://i.imgur.com/KfQDBLF.png[/img]

[img]http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/h461/kathichan1/ariacastshot.png[/img]

[b][u]Aliquam: Academy of the Arts – Performance Hall [/u][/b]

The Masked Phantom strode forwards through the Theatre Hall, ascending each step of the aisle away from the stage one by one as those eyes, hidden behind his ornate mask studied her. And in return, Aria studied him, as she shifted her body into a defensive stance. He was powerful, exceedingly so to have managed to do to Trixie, Xan and Lucien what he had in a matter of moments, which explained the confident posture and swagger he assumed whilst walking… but it was too confident. Annoyingly so, as if he hadn’t noticed or already forgotten that they [i]had[/i] managed to hit him. Unless he considered the wound that minor and beneath him as if to be utterly neglible whatsoever. 

She couldn’t move. Lucien’s body – his real body - was only a short distance away from where she stood, and like his bear summon, he seemed paralysed with blindness. An easy target for the Masked Phantom. She gritted his teeth. Against someone like this thief, the best chance she had was to be tricky, just like him. 

A small knife escaped his hands, thrown directly at the man’s shoulder, hurtling the gap inbetween at frightening speed. Aria had waited for him to get close enough in range that it should have been impossible for him to use his wind magic on the knife back at her. But his reflexes were sharp – heightened by his magic. He even had the time to chuckle. 

One of his pristinely white gloves shot up, and a controlled burst of wind shot out of it towards the knife, enough to keenly alter the weapon’s trajectory and send it flying dangerously back at Aria. But for some reason, it didn’t work. The knife was immune to the wind, and kept flying towards him. 

The Masked Phantom gasped, and threw himself to the side again to avoid the blade, narrowly missing it in time. But then he cried out in pain, as something sharp and painful stabbed him in his right shoulder. His smooth face creased in pain, he glanced down at the knife embedded there, and the small trickle of blood running in a small river down his arm. Where had that come from?

The truth of the matter was that Aria’s first knife was nothing more then an illusion, to mask the second knife, which had also been concealed as an illusion of nothing. The shoulder was the best place she could really hope to aim for at her angle, but her jubilation was short lived. 

The Masked Phantom threw both of his hands forwards, a powerful blast of energy unleashed from his palms. The buffeting gale of wind was so powerful that it even tore the bolted down seats close to him off from their bearings, and flying backwards. Aria was powerless to prevent herself from also being picked up from the wind, and sent flying straight backwards, at a speed so frightening that were she to collide with the back wall, she would-

But almost as soon as was sent flying she was stopped in mid air, her body hitting something… soft, and comfortable. Gingerly opening one eye she saw nothing behind her, but recognised it to feel like a wall of wind much like the Masked Phantom’s. This time one created by Marcus, saving her and helping her land on her feet. The initial blast still felt like a punch to the gut, but at least it wasn’t the alternative. 

[img]http://i.imgur.com/8mPMSWF.png[/img]

“Thanks,” Aria huffed, and Marcus nodded back. 

The Masked Phantom’s head cocked to the side as he looked at Marcus, continuing his walk. His suspicions were indeed correct. The man was a wind mage, like him, and one with just as fine a control as he. That made things… interesting and complicated. What would it be like to challenge someone with the same powers as he? If the rest of the room wasn’t filled with other Guilders and their own unique powersets, he might have considered the whole fight much more enjoyable, but as it was…

[img]http://i.imgur.com/J8VStXo.png[/img]

He stopped beside Lucien’s prone form, and looked down at him. His body subconsciously rubbing his eyes, even though his flesh and blood body was perfectly fine, it was only the bear he had summoned whom was afflicted. Not that it mattered. It gave the Masked Phantom ample opportunity to do to him what he had done to Angel before… except this time, to make the point of a hostage stick to the Pride even more then it had done before. A broken arm or leg should suffice in proving how serious he was. The detonating option, with him and the rest of the thieves still inside the building was a last resort, even for himself. He raised a hand above him, glancing quickly towards Marcus and Aria, silently informing them exactly what he meant, and how powerless they were to stop it.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/AIt9B3l.png[/img]

“Leave Lucy alone!!” Dylan screamed, crouched low to the ground in-between the pair and the Masked Phantom and his prey. His hands sketched quickly over his now cleaned slate, his mind automatically working to instil life into his creation. He would not let this man hurt his friend! 

A rectangular glow surrounded the Masked Phantom’s feet. 

“What… the…?”

Before he could utter another line, he was suddenly flipped through the air as Dylan’s creation – a spring trap, sent him flying far away from Lucien’s real body in the aisle, and to crash into the curtains by the stage, close to where his summon still was. He became embroiled in the ripped up curtains, wrapped within them and falling onto the wooden platform with a thud. 

Aria and Marcus blinked at Dylan with surprise. The Matter Artist turned and scratched the back of his neck. “Well it, er, worked, no…?”

The curtains were obliterated into a stream of fine strips as a vortex of wind sharply sliced through it all, freeing the thief inside. 

Now, he was getting angry.