The Chromium lance thrust into the tree with a solid thunk. Altzer leant on it like a crutch, bent over, breathing hard. "Alright," he said, colour returning to his cheeks, "Maybe that'll do for today." He pulled the lance out of the tree, its exit marked by one of many similar holes in the trunk. He let the weapon fall from his hands, as he too fell exhausted to the ground. "I hope mother isn't up yet." If his mother found out he was doing this, he was definitely grounded. His breathing started to slow down, his lungs having had their fill of air. He looked around tiredly, at the tree stumps around him. Each of them looked as if they had been cut down by some kind of piercing weapon, the product of several days of Altzer's work. He stood up, and stretched his aching muscles. Stifling a yawn, he looked towards the sun. I have to get back now, or else she'll definitely notice. He thought with a sigh. She's been a lot stricter ever since rumours about the Black Mage started flying around. He cricked his neck a little, and his eyes fell on his manifestation. Though if anything does happen, I can always use this. It was a sleek, Chromium lance which was more than double his height. At the base of the handle, there was a fairly large, bulbous extension, a rocket booster. He could activate the booster at will, providing extra acceleration to his thrusts, and extra acceleration to himself. There was also a shield like protrusion starting from the base of the triangular bit on the lance that extended a few feet over the handle. It also had a rocket booster on the outside, but that was mainly for guidance along with the third booster some ways up the lance. The lance was incredibly lightweight, mainly due to the amazing properties of Chromium, so Altzer had no trouble lifting the lance normally. The problem was when he used the jet boosters for any extended period of time. If he left the boosters on for long distances, he wouldn't be able to keep up with its acceleration, mainly due to his tiny legs. Theoretically, he should be able to fly with it, but that wasn't something he wanted to try. When he had awakened his magic power, he couldn't have been anything but ecstatic. He'd suffered from a short stature all his life, and with the magic that had awakened inside of him, he had finally had something to compensate for it. Well, truthfully, he knew it did over-compensate to the point that Altzer shouldn't really be using it, but he wanted to use it and nothing was going to stop him. "Mother will if she catches me..." He said to himself. "Ah, what am I talking about? All I have to do is make sure she doesn't!" De-summoning his rocket lance, he took off at a sprint back towards the city.

Eilis stared at her reflection in the mirror, checking her attire for any possible imperfections. Her black-trimmed yellow jacket was free of any dirt or wrinkles. Her hair was styled just how she liked it, not a single strand of hair out of place. She smiled to herself, happy that her appearance was fine. She felt that today would be a good day, and the thought got her incredibly hyped. With one final check, she walked out into the city with her head held high. She loved the place. It wasn't anything like her old home, which wasn't really a bad thing. Sure, she missed it, but Andria was her new home now. And she loved it just as much as she loved her hometown. The people in Andria were a lot more varied from the friendly sort she'd been used to, and the experience was exhilarating. "Miss Eilis!" she soon heard a familiar voice calling after her. It was one of Andria's many fine citizens, a shopkeeper of a small bookstore that Eilis frequented during her days off. The man was elderly, but had a smile as bright as the sun itself. "Good morning, Mr. Ika," she greeted with a small and respectful bow. "Do you have a new book for me?" Ika shook his head slowly. "The new addition to the series on the evolution of beasts in the centuries past will hopefully come in tomorrow. I just called you to ask if you don't have a job for the next week." The man smiled softly, looking a bit shy. "I was hoping you would be able to accompany me on an excursion." Eilis beamed, ecstatic that people asked for her specifically during jobs. "I would love to, but I have to ask Ms. Emprilan if she doesn't have any other jobs for me next week." Ika nodded understandingly and waved his goodbye to Eilis, who gave another bow. Still in a relatively happy mood, Eilis went out searching for Akauta. If it turned out that she had a job for her, then Eilis would recommend Xander. He was the only person other than Akauta that Eilis would trust Ika with. Eilis turned a corner and saw Akauta nearby. With a huge smile, Eilis called out her faction leader's name and waved. "Akauta! Hey!" She jogged towards the red-head and asked the question she'd been meaning to, "Do you have any jobs for me for the next week?"

Xander awoke hanging halfway off the sill of a towering window overlooking the sea. It was still too dark to make out anything beyond the whites of the waves crashing against the jutting rocks at the base of the cliff. Xander angled his temple against the decorative window, and he watched the collage of colors slowly take form upon the horizon. First came the blue, a reflection of the sun off the vast sky, and the first telltale sign of day. Second came the yellow incandescence of the initial rays of light that crawled their way across the sky, shining off the sparse clouds. Third, and Xander's personal favorite, the red hues that formed on the fringes of the yellow light as the atmosphere subtly stole a small amount of yellow and green from the rays of light. The colors combined to form the perfect combination of colors. A composition of beauty with no room for the darkness the night harbors, thought Xander. Satisfied with the painting that splashed across the sky, Xander planted his dangling arm on the sill, swinging his other leg off the sill so that both legs hung off the side with his back to the wall. Jumping down a distance close to a story, Xander landed with a blunt but quiet thump as his boots touched the worn brick floor. The barracks was silent and had yet to begin the bustle of preparing for the day, the usual humidity and comfortable heat made for the perfect conditions of sleeping in. Xander nimbly stretched with the surprising feline flexibility, a yawn escaping him without a noise. He strode to the doorway of his sleeping quarters, hefting a knapsack he had prepared prior to his brief nap. Xander worked his way out of the barracks and to the public kitchens. Methodically, he opened his knapsack and began to take simple utensils and carefully assorted boxes of ingredients out, splaying them out across the kitchen's vast counter-top. With the meticulous method of a chemist but with the pace of a combatant in the Coliseum, Xander filled the kitchen with the familiar smells of his cooking. 4 breakfasts and 4 lunches, filling the 8 ingredient boxes he had used up were cooked, prepared for elongated missions, sharing, or simply because Xander was carried away with his cooking (most likely the latter). He cleaned up after himself and promptly left the kitchen after packing his meals. With measured strides but apparent haste, Xander made his way to the main hall of the military base. He had stayed to view the sunrise slightly too long; accordingly, he was running slightly behind schedule. His serious expression quickly melted away into a measured, polite smile as he spotted both Eilis and Akauta talking. Unfortunately for Xander, his unpracticed smile appeared more as an awkward expression of surprise, adding a sort of humor to his sharp features. "Morning Princess and Commanding Officer Akauta," Xander smartly bows in a half servile, half respectful manner, shifting his look to Eilis as he raises his head,"Eilis, hopefully your morning has been pleasant." He offers forward kindly before suddenly coming to a realization, "By any chance, have either of you had breakfast yet? I happen to have a few extra meals." In all honesty, Xander was readily looking for praise for his cooking, though he never showed it in his expression. Eilis was not unfamiliar with Xander offering meals as he often would after sparring matches between the two of them as a "payment from the loser".

Now, our hero gets quite a few breaks. Being the one in charge of operations, Darrius could get many others to do the more menial and arduous tasks his job required. For the most part, he had made it so he was jobless! Aside from the two days a week he needed to spend at the desk, filling out paperwork and managing some of the bigger risks his group was involved with. Other then that, he could do as he pleased. Today was such a day that he would visit the coliseum. Supposedly the match-ups were going to be better then average. So Darrius wanted to watch it go down! The daylight was bright, and the crowd was roaring. Darrius would have worried about the money he had bet on the fighter in the pit, but was too busy thinking about some of his newer tenants to be worried. He hadn't bet much anyway, only enough to motivate the underdog. He didn't even look at the fighters before placing his cash, that was just how he usually did it. More often then not it came back to bite him, but his wallet wouldn't bleed from the meager wounds the coliseum gave him. Once the match started to really kick in, however, would Darrius begin to pay more attention. As the crowd started to grow in noise, he couldn't help but wonder if something had happened. Not much had changed, but now one of the fighters was de-masked. Instantly Darrius would recognize the fighter. It was one of his older tenants, who had recently been fired from another, less chaotic job. " So this is how you plan on making money now" he whispered while gazing at the fight. He laughed at the man as if he could hear him. This was a nice development, it got Darrius involved in the fight, at least he believed it so. He was glad he bid for the underdog, because now that is who he hoped would win. It was not everyday he could bid for one of his patrons. The fight drew on and slowly more blood was being drawn. Not much, but enough to startle some of the more innocent members of the crowd. The blood, however, fueled Darrius. It made him excited, he couldn't wait to see the results. He had even started to add to the noise of the crowd! "Kick his fucking teeth in! Tear him apart! " he screamed while waving his fists about. As he finished shouting, the crowd died down. For a few seconds it was completely quiet, and then they went batshit. Rarely did Darrius get to be part of such a loud commotion. The patron of Darrius had won. He was a red user, and had used an explosion to propel himself off the ground and kicked the loser so hard he crashed into the wall, he even left a few cracks where he had landed. The fight was over, and already Darrius couldn't help but think the other matches wouldn't quite be up to par with this one. He let himself out, and decided he would send a letter to the victor about his accomplishment, as well as notify him about his house's expenses. From now on they would be cut by ten percent, in honor of his first victory.

Long lashes sleepily fluttered ajar as Violet adjusted to waking up from a peaceful nap. Fingers lazily parted embellished curtains veiling the fancy onyx covered carriage’s window. Satisfied with the progress she straightened her posture, glancing to the glistening rapiers placed delicately on the seat across. She had been traveling for some time and restlessness began to slowly consume her. Traveling was not a particular pastime she enjoyed though she did roam quite often. Perhaps if she could share the time among company, the trips would be bearable. The coliseum was her destination for she longed to watch or participate in the tournaments since picking up a weapon. Her deceased husband had never allowed Violet to attend, calling the games something along the lines of barbaric though he had enjoyed watching. Since his passing she had made this want a top priority, and finally found some time to do so. Frightened neighing along with a sudden stop forced the heir’s body forward a couple of inches unexpectedly. An arched brow hidden beneath silky bangs quirked as she sat forward, placing both hands on the velveteen seat. They could not have arrived as she had just peeked outside, and they were still following the path before the gates. “Why have we stopped Aldric?" Ire could be heard as she raised her voice just enough for him to hear. Silence followed though some movement could be felt. Just about the time Violet placed her hand upon the latch to see what was happening it swung away from her, and she nearly went with it. “Oh, Sorry Miss! Seems there has been a bit of a delay, if you will.” A roguish fellow in worn attire bowed his head briefly before offering a hand. Upon observation Violet could instantly tell that this was no normal helpful citizen, a marauder in retrospect yet he had come alone. A mistake he would later regret. A subtly vicious smile crossed glossy lips as her hand was placed atop his, gracefully treading down from the doorsteps to the ground. Before exiting the carriage she had taken it upon herself to tuck a rapier into her belt holder. “I have to check your carriage Ma’am, weapons are no longer permitted upon entry. It’s been decreed." This stranger said with a smug smirk while leaning into the open carriage door, and retrieved the second of Violet’s set rightly named so. Première was the larger of the two held in her right hand while Deuxième was the smallest held in her offhand. Really, the order did not matter as Violet was versed equally in both hands. Relentless practice went into ambidexterity, and she prided herself in learning it. Amethyst orbs eyed the sword snug in the stranger’s hilt before quickly taking hold of her rapier. Her assailant chuckled when catching sight of the provoked naively stepping forward till his vest button rested against the weapons point. “You wouldn’t in fear of staining your lovely dress, isn’t that right dear? But, I’ll indulge you. Here.” His free hand unsheathed the silver longsword while tossing Deuxième to the ground. His edge tapped the rapier away but she countered instantly, returning the point directly in the center of his chest. He scoffed before tapping the weapon away once more in order to lunge at her but she evaded, side stepping and slashing a piece of his dress sleeve. She continued on like this, toying with him. Pretty soon a once intact vest had been serrated to thin strips. This opponent was too focused on trying to detect her next move that she began to feel a bit too confident, and underestimated his next move. Eyes widened as one of her pendants that had been placed on Violet’s lavender dress popped off by the flat of his steel. This piece fell to the ground, a pearl disconnecting from it as well and rolled beside a blade of grass. Narrowing intense hues she followed with a flurry of slashes in rapid succession, feet inching forward while he crept back. She was able to get him on bended knee after he lost balance, and pressed the sharp end to his trachea, drawing a single drop of blood. “You’ll be covering that.” Violet demanded sternly. After dropping his sword a hand reached into what was left of his vest to retrieve a billfold. Shakily he handed it to her but there wasn’t enough to cover a glass of wine at a tavern. “Nevermind.” Giving a sigh she carelessly tossed the leather wallet by his side. She did not even need his money as she could purchase another pin just the same. It was the fact that he had tried to take from her that caused her actions. All the while, her driver had been laid on the ground still as a mouse with a bloody lip. “I can take it from here. Aldric, send my things to the closest inn...and you, leave at once.” Words were flung like jagged throwing knives while eyes launched their own daggers at the man before he stood and ran off toward the opposite direction of town. She picked up Deuxième and placed both weapons in their decorative belt holsters. Walking the rest of the way by foot she refused to carry anything further, her servant would drop her belongings off but for now some fresh air was needed. Platinum blond hair swung behind her, decorated with an ivory bloomed rose near fringe bangs, which hung above stunning violet hues. The petite woman thought about shopping for a broach but the Coliseum drew her attention more so than jewelry.

White hair glittered against the seeping sunlight, slender fingers winding through them as they were slowly bundled up in a loose ponytail that rested on the nape of his neck. Prox had spent much of the night before unable to sleep, having gone to the Colosseum earlier to request a replacement given that he was still rather sleepy and wouldn't be able to give a good show. While he was granted such a break, Prox now didn't know what to do with himself, walking through the streets as a means of tiring himself out, only now more awake than ever. "Hm," he pouted as he blew his bangs aside, an apple from the market in hand. "Right, I came for a haircut didn't I?" Glancing from his bangs to the apple- correction, now apples- in his hand, he paid with exact change for the fruits, continuing his way as he started to nibble on them. A few more minutes passed in this way, Prox remembering for a beat to head somewhere to trim his bangs, but then getting distracted with "wow that looks so plump, can I have one?" of literally everything he passed. Eventually, his feet lead him to the Colosseum, and while one part of him argued against it given that he had called out and man it would look bad if he watched rather than fight, he decided to head in anyways, the fight having already begun. It was wild, the crowd, and Prox was filled with a bad habit of adrenaline, telling himself to calm down, that the cheering wasn't for him. His eyes trained instead on the battle, hearing the man beside him scream about kicking teeth in and tearing shit apart. The silence got to Prox, and he found himself cheering as well, the noise overwhelming- when was the last time he'd watched a fight in these seats? It was a rush, and didn't serve to tire him out at all, which had been the day's plan. Rather, his adrenaline spiked right up and he was now off the wall. His eyes glanced to the side as the man beside him, who had been so hyped earlier, regally walked out without so much as a hesitation. "Hey, hey," called out Prox, trailing after the fair haired man, reaching an arm out towards him, "You're just gonna leave like that, man? Hehe, you were intense back there you know, it's rare to see hardcore fans just bail on us like that--"

Ryan slowly opened his eyes as he rolled around trying to wake himself up from his solid sleep. He was not known for his early morning skills and it always ended up being a struggle for him but he eventually ended up on the ground which was good for him since that gave him a reason to finally get up for the day. Lucky for him, he never undressed last night when he got home and all he had to do was through his long black coat (which held the red Andrian Military Chrest on it) on before leaving his room in the officers section of the Military complex and making his way toward the main area. He had been itching for a fight lately and hoped that he could find a good sparring partner soon or else he would have to ask Akauta for permission to go and fight in the Coliseum. As he entered the main area he looked around and saw that Akauta was there as well as Xander and Eilis. He was hesitant to approach the small group as he did sort of have a crush on Akauta but he was proud that he could be professional when he did have to be around her. After a few seconds of thinking he decided to approach the group as he thought that Xander would make a good sparring partner since they were both red magic users except for the part where the other user towered over him in height. Maybe if he sparred against a man clearly bigger than himself and won than possible he could impress Akauta and hopefully she would finally fall for him. Ryan let a small smile crawl onto his face as his deluded dreams swam in his head as he finally reached the group and saluted Akauta. "Good to see you this morning, Commander. And good to see you guys too." He told the group as he lowered his hand before turning toward Xander. "Xander by any chance are you busy later today? I was wondering if you would like to have a sparring match later if your up for it."

Darrius would not take his leave, he already felt a little hyped out. That, and somewhat emotionally drained. Rarely did he get involved with his patrons in any way. This wasn't necessarily something big he had taken part it. It was, after all, a public event. Not only a public event, but the public event. However knowing that he himself might be part of the reason he had to resort to this, instead of doing something else to pay the bills, weighed on him slightly. Now Darrius is a man of loose morals, but whenever something like this happened the ethical business practices his parents tried to teach him always came back to haunt him. He would always go back to being scummy in his practices, but sometimes he would feel less detached while doing so. Who's this asshole? Darrius tilted his head as he turned around. He certainly wasn't expecting conversation, especially at a place like this. Oh, so he thinks I'm some super-fan. Although that wasn't too far off, it wasn't too accurate either. If he had to weigh the truth and the falsity it'd probably be forty-sixty for the truth-false ratio. He was a fan of the coliseum, but he generally wasn't too loud. He was just caught up in the moment, and saw someone he had known. But that guy wouldn't know that, but maybe he could guess it? That didn't matter, what did matter was that he needed to respond. Now, with true or with fiction? Either would suffice considering that he was probably never going to talk to the white-haired man again. "I'm almost certain that is going to be the best match of the day, and I have to leave because of some business I need to attend to." There, a half-truth! Although some would consider a half-truth worse then then a full-lie, Darrius was a part of the group that believed it to be up to the situation. Now, Darrius meant no harm to this fine, fine young man. However to stop a man from doing something without even introducing yourself, or giving good reason, now that is just rude. Rude, is something that Darrius doesn't deal with. Hell, the first thing he teaches any new employee is if that your going to do bad, do bad with taste. However these thoughts were becoming of ill-taste. The young white-haired man was probably just a kind stranger who was curious, is all. So he decided to throw another partial-truth into the fray and end on the note that "The winner is a client of mine, I came to cheer on the underdog."

A boy wandered through the morning streets, wearing clothes worn from travelling and toting a large backpack. He got odd looks as he passed by, but most people payed him no mind. He walked at a slow pace, taking in his surroundings slowly. A traveller, coming into a new city. Jinn stared at the stone buildings, the sound walls, the metal clad guards. All things that were new to him. He tilted his head quizzically, wondering what he thought about it. Well, it’s alright, I guess. He thought. His stomach rumbled and it reminded him that he hadn’t eaten for a while. But where could he find food? He looked around, but all he saw was confusing stone and wood buildings. He sniffed experimentally, and his nose was bombarded by new smells. He sifted quickly through them, supressing his curiosity, and smelled the smell he was looking for. Food. He arrived soon at a relatively small wooden building, partially constructed of stone. It was painted cream, and the old signboard indicated its name, which Jinn swiftly ignored. He opened the door to the slightly seedy tavern and walked inside. The tavern was dim, considering it was still morning. The interior walls were stone and the floor creaked under Jinn’s step. There were several tables scattered around and an unlit fireplace by the wall. There were some people who were eating at the tables, and the tavern was filled with conversation. He strode past a few tables of people, either eating or just talking, and ended up at the counter. Behind it, there was a burly man who was apparently the owner of the tavern. He was polishing a beer glass with a slightly dirty washcloth and had a fabulous moustache. “Food, please.” Jinn said to the moustached man behind the bench, sitting on the stool. “What would you like?” He asked in a deep voice. “Anything.” Jinn said, setting his bag down beside him. He thought for a minute and yelled something out to the area behind the bar. A woman appeared from the doorway, where delicious smells were coming from, shortly afterwards with a steaming bowl of stew, which she set down in front of Jinn. He began quickly wolfing it down, practically inhaling the chunks of meat and broth. Within a minute, he was done with the bowl. “Thanks.” Jinn said, and then he held up the bowl. “Seconds, please.” The woman disappeared and reappeared again, with another bowl. Jinn ate this bowl with less gusto, getting fuller. That said, he still finished it in 5 minutes and held it out again. “Sorry, one more please.” He said. The woman once again disappeared through the doorway and reappearing with the last bowl of stew. This last bowl he started eating slowly, content to savour it. He finally calmed down and the conversations of the tavern filtered into his consciousness. As he chewed the meat, he listened and filtered out a few common words. Most people were talking about some kind of ‘Black mage’ figure. Some black figure who’d been killing people for a little while. It didn’t interest Jinn that much, but he tuned into a loud conversation between a musclebound bald guy man in the corner and 3 of his rowdy friends. “I’m gonna go kill that black mage guy.” He said. “I bet you’re not strong enough for that.” One of his friends said. “I’m the strongest guy this side of town!” The man bragged. “That guy’s a piece of cake.” While the conversation was going on, Jinn finished his stew and put the bowl down. “How much?” He said, wiping his mouth. “20.” The man manning the bar said. Jinn grimaced. That sounded like a lot. He took out his pouch of gold and counted it out one by one. “One, two, three, four… Twenty. Here you go.” Jinn said, handing out what should be 20 coins. Unfortunately, Jinn didn’t have that much money left, but it should be fine for him. He didn’t need to spend it that much. The bar keep grunted and took the money, and Jinn slung his bag onto his back, jumping off the stool and approaching the musclebound man. Approaching slowly as to not alarm him, he asked a question. “Is the black mage strong?” He asked. The muscleman noticed him and tried to exert his presence. “Whatcha doing here, kid? This is a man’s place.” He said, trying to appear intimidating. “Is the black mage really that strong?” Jinn repeated. “He isn’t nearly stronger than me, kid!” The muscleman bragged. It was clear the Jinn wasn’t getting anywhere like this, but he had another question in mind. “Are you strong?” He asked. “Kid, do you know who you’re talking to?” The musclebound man asked, tone low. “Nope.” Jinn replied. “I’m the strongest guy in the district. I’m-” “Then fight me.” Jinn said. “Ha!” The musclebound man and his friends let out mocking laughs, which drew the attention of a few people from other tables. Jinn paid them no mind and stood patiently, waiting for them to finish. “Kid, there’s no fun in crushing a midget like you.” He said flatly. “What, afraid you’d lose?” Jinn said. The best way to get someone to fight was to piss them off, and Jinn was pretty good at annoying people, intentionally or not. The muscle man’s face turned dark. “Kid, you’d best-” “You look weak.” Jinn said abruptly. The muscleman slowly and deliberately stood to full height, towering over the somewhat average sized Jinn. “You best watch your mouth.” He said threateningly. “Eh, why?” Jinn said, picking his nose nonchalantly. “You don’t look like you could lift a banana.” The man went red in anger, and balled his fists. It looked like he was on the verge of exploding. “Let’s take this outside!” He said finally, walking out of the door. Jinn followed suit and some people drifted behind him, wanting to watch the fight. A space was cleared outside, and the muscleman and Jinn faced each other, ready to fight. Jinn took his bag off his back and put it down, and then stretched his hands in a relaxed manner. “I’m going to enjoy this.” The man said, still cheesed. “You enjoy being beaten into the ground?” Jinn asked. The man roared and charged, swinging his fist for a left hook. Slow. He thought. Jinn dodged backwards as the man’s fist swung forward, missing Jinn by a mile and carrying the muscleman’s body with it. Jinn took a step back and the man’s bulky body crashed into the ground, kicking up a dust cloud. He picked himself up awkwardly and swung again, this time going for a straight. Weak. Jinn thought. He caught the fist with one hand. The crowd looked on in amazement as the large man struggled against Jinn’s seemingly small hand. “Is that it?” Jinn asked nonchalantly. “You really are weak.” The muscleman, running out of strength, withdrew his fist and stumbled back. Jinn took this opportunity to dash in, at lightning speed, lashing out at the muscleman’s face with an uppercut. The punch landed with a satisfying thump and through the man off balance. Jinn used his momentum to glide over the bald man’s head and land behind him. As Jinn’s opponent reeled, he ran forward and grabbed his waist, surprising the musclebound man. Jinn pooled his strength, hefting the large man and heaved. Jinn slammed the man’s bald head into the paved ground, knocking him out. He let go, and the body fell down, limp and unconscious. Jinn dusted himself off and walked over to his bag. He took it with his right hand and slung it over his shoulder, putting his left hand through the other loop. “Well, that was disappointing.” Jinn said, cricking his neck. He noticed that a crowd had gathered to watch the fight, so he quickly wove through them and disappeared. As he walked down the streets of the city, he started looking for something to do. Where are all the strong people? Jinn thought. Gramps said that there were a ton of strong people around here somewhere… As Jinn walked and thought, his nostrils caught the scent of blood. He stopped in the middle of the street, sniffing for it. It was faint, but if he got to high place, he might be able to find the source. Looking around, he found a building that looked scalable. Ignoring the weird looks he got from the other people, he carefully picked his way up from the multiple handholds and arrived at the roof of the building. He stood up to his full height and sniffed the wind. Strange smells flew around which he’d have to investigate later, but he couldn’t find that smell again. He sniffed around a little more, looking for a trace of it again. There! Jinn thought suddenly. There it was, floating down from an east wind. He sniffed some more to confirm the direction and looked to see what he could find over there. He saw a large, circular stone structure, where the source of the smell seemed to be coming from. He decided that he would explore the building. Blood meant fighting, and fighting might end up being interesting.

It was a fine morning. Busy, too, given the hectic state of thae inn’s kitchen. Jagred paused at the doorway for a few moments, confusion scrunched up his face. As far as he was concerned, today wasn’t all that special. Just another day on the calendar, there was no reason to justify this sudden increase in patrons. Regardless, he moved fast, grabbing random food stuffs while heading for the backdoor, hoping to make a quick exit before his mother knew he had awaken. Unfortunately, she was already there when he pushed open the door, diligently sweeping the back alley. “Zugos! You’re up.”-She eyed him suspiciously, taking note of the half-chewed slice of ham hanging from his mouth and the slightly burnt toast in his hand.-“Be a dear and help me take out the trash. Go on, some time spent away from that stink hole might even do you good.” She never really approved of his fighting, then again, no sensible mother would. However, she respected his choice, even though he knew she would have preferred it much better if he had some cushy job in the police or military. Too restricting, he had reasoned, and he didn’t think being a police man is very ‘cushy’. In the end, he got his way, but his mother still used the occasions to order him around at the inn. Since he had no upcoming fight today, Zugos had no excuse to run off. Sighing softly, he rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt and began to head toward the trash barrels. Once he was done with the task, Zugos returned to the inn, this time through the front door, looking for a quick drink. Some patrons turned to look his way, a few even waved at him as he made his way toward the bar. He gave each one of them a slight nod, while quickly making his way behind the counter. Tait, the bartender, gave him an odd look, before pressing a cup of steaming liquid into his hand. Zugos took a sip, then looked at the older man incredulously. “Tea? Seriously Tait, I’m 19. Not a kid anymore.” “No alcohol for you in this establishment. Sorry kid, but your mother doesn’t want to see you drink.” He narrowed his eyes, a retort already on his tongue, but he decided against it. Mother could win any argument when she wanted to. Silence passed between them, but after a while, Tait spoke up “What are you still doing here? The first fight already started.” “I’m not fighting today.”- He shrugged, not bothering to ask how Tait knew that. Bartenders. They made it their business to know things. “A’right, you would know.”- The older man replied, another odd look on his face –“ Anyone over there told you ‘bout the Black Mage?” “The what?”-He raised an eyebrow, placing the now empty cup down on the table. “No? Then ask ‘round. Someone bound to know something” Zugos just stared at the older man for a few moments, then decided he couldn’t get anything more out of the man. Tait had already turned away to attend to another customer. Since his mother was nowhere to be found, Zugos also decided to leave as well, before she returned. Minutes later and he was at the Coliseum. Man-handling his way through the crowd, the young man took a glance at the ring only to find that the first fight was over. He sighed heavily, running deft fingers through jet black hair slick with sweat. And he ran like hell to get here. Disappointed, he made his way toward the exit again, since there was nothing else to watch for the next hour. However, just as he was walking, Zugos accidently bumped into someone. He quickly turned to apology, only to find that it was Prox, one of his fellow fighters at the Coliseum. The man’s white hair was quite distinctive, not to mention his height. It was a wonder Zugos didn’t notice him sooner. “Prox!! You’ve seen the fight right? Did the red guy win?”-He grabbed Prox’s shoulder, trying to talk over the crowd-“ Please tell me the red guy didn’t win. Add that one and I will have to fight 3 red guys this month.”

"Why... Did... I..." Altzer gasped, "Go so... damn far?!" He was slowing down, he'd been exhausted already and he'd pushed himself even further... I'm not going to get home in time at this rate... He'd been fine so far, mainly because he would've still been sleeping this time in the morning. But he was supposed to be waking up soon, and then his mother would find out... Suddenly, his foot slipped out from other him as he stepped onto something smooth and round. He landed flat on his face, his knees stinging from the impact. He rolled over where he was groaned. "What was that?" He picked up the object, it was a smooth and polished pearl. This looks expensive... he thought. He wondered where it had come from, surely the person who had it would've been somewhat attached to it. And he was pretty sure they would've been rich. "I don't have time for this!" He shouted suddenly, "I have to get home!" Well, he wasn't going to be able to run home in time if he kept going like this. That was for sure. [i]Well, I don't really want to do this... But I have no other choice.[i] He focused for a second, and his manifestation slowly appeared beside him. He took hold of the handle with both hands as it appeared, and he positioned himself so that he was on it like it was a witch's broomstick. I'll have to fly! Truthfully, he had more than a few options. Truthfully, the one he was taking was probably the riskiest. Truthfully, this option was the one that was most likely to end in tears... But, still... "Alright! Let's go!" He focused on himself and his manifestation, willing it to start taking off. Immediately, he heard the roar of the booster's coming to life. He felt the lance tugging forward as the thrusters gained power, but he resisted until he could feel the pressure starting to build up. "Aaaannnd, GO!" There was a mighty Voosh! as he rocketed into the air, boosters leaving a trail behind him. Altzer had only tried flying once. And that time he had resolved to abstain from the flying for a little while. He'd read and studied some books that had seemed relevant, and learnt a few things about flying a lance. Lean to change direction, balance weight to stay level etc. As he flew over the massive city of Andria, he seemd to be doing alright. The buildings below weren't getting any closer or farther away which was a good indication. He rocketed over the city, spotting a few landmarks here and there. That's the market, there's the docks... Ah! There's my house! It was a little difficult to see, but he knew his house, even from above. He'd studied maps of the city and he'd learnt that his family's house was an equal distance from each of three major structures in Andria, the Andrian Military base, the Royal City Police's headquarters and the Battle Coliseum. Now I just have to angle it downwards and- Waaah! Altzer had leaned forward on his Rocket Lance only for it to tip completely downwards. The houses below rushed towards him at an extreme speed! "Go up!" He quickly leaned backwards quickly only for it to flick upwards and start rapidly ascending. He rocketed through the air on a steep incline, and he felt himself start to slip. He dipped his lance down and up again as he tried to readjust his balance, only for it to suddenly lurch sideways. He slipped off of his seat, and desperately grabbed the handle of the lance. He tried to swing back upwards but that only made him swing wildly in all directions. With stopping not being an option and regaining his position being an impossibility, he did the only thing that someone in his position would be able to do. "Someone help meeeee!"

Eilis listened with rapt attention as Akauta spoke, as she always did. She looked up to the princess - looked to her for wisdom and guidance - and the princess, despite her aloofness and seemingly indifferent attitude, she always gave Eilis the answers she needed. As soon as Akauta finished speaking, Eilis gave her a small bow and a bright smile. "I understand, Akauta," she answered. "I'll be glad to accompany you anywhere." Eilis then turned to Xander with a small grin. "If you don't have anything to do for now, wanna spar? If I'm going to act as Akauta's bodyguard later, I'll need to brush up on my skills." She tossed a cheeky wink towards Akauta before returning her attention to Xander and lowering her voice. "And do you think you can help Mr. Ika out? I don't think it'll take too long, but I want to be free for whenever I'm needed." She pressed her palms together and smiled at Xander. "Please? I'll treat you to somewhere nice later." Eilis then made a swift turn to salute Ryan. "You too, Mr. Commander Pro Tempore. It'll be like killing three birds with one stone."

Xander let the topic of breakfast drop, a more calm and perceptive emotion waltzed across his face before settling to his usual piercing demeanor. He watched Akauta carefully, bowing his head respectively when she let him off the hook for any missions. He was much more careful around Akauta. Contrary to the other two magicians, Xander was a fresh recruit magician despite his feudal upbringing. This meant he meticulously controlled his countenance around the princess, lest he lose the small amount of trust he had gained, for he knew very little of Akauta and could rely only on himself to uphold his family name. "Thank-you for the recreational time, Commanding Officer Akauta." He thanked her, his subtly mechanical pattern of speech showing through slightly. After lifting his head from his submissive posture, Xander turned to Ryan, readying a carefully constructed response in the positive. Eilis beat him to the punch, following her request to look after an acquaintance of hers, the bookstore manager, if Xander's memory held true. Xander turned to Eilis, gauging her expression as she requested him, deciding the urgency of the matter. He assumed it was not only a matter of protection but the trust between the two; thus, Xander placed the task as one of his highest priorities. He acknowledged both the question to spar and the request to protect Mr.Ika in one curt nod, though his features were slightly softer than usual, molded slightly in subtle mirth. "I would be ecstatic to spar with the two of you, by Commander's good grace I am free until she requests me. As for Mr.Ika, I will do my very best; though, please do not feel the need to treat me, I understand you are busy; guarding Princess Akauta is no small matter." Xander assured Eilis, before turning to nod to Ryan as if to sayby my pleasure.

Prox smiled in disappointment at the man's reply, opening his mouth only to be cut off by a continuation of the explanation. As it turns out, the man was cheering on a client- or wait, did he mean to cheer on the loser? The statement confused the white haired man a bit, and he reckoned that had be been there just a bit earlier or had paid attention to the list of matches the day before, he would be in the loop. Ah, well, he knew the winner was a red magician and if he was an underdog, then no doubt Prox would hear it through the grapevine tomorrow at the lockers. “Well-” started the young man, only once more to be cut off, being knocked into, his own grace enough to prevent him from pushing against the man he was talking to- first bothering him when he was busy and then knocking him to the ground? That'd be a terrible first impression, talk about losing a fan in an instant! He turned to glance behind him to make sure he could stand once more in comfortable flat ground, finding instead his shoulders being shook and a man shouting before- oh, it was Zugos. Prox opened his mouth to reply, commenting, “Sorry friend, he was-” And the final interruption came. Prox straightened himself, taking Zugos' grip off of his shoulders, offering a respectful nod towards Amarillo.“Yessir- actually, I should be free now, actually,” he commented, nodding at the Colosseum owner. His gaze wandered over to Zugos, reaching a hand to ruffle his large hand over his hair, chirping a cheery, “And as for you, sorry to say but you'll be fighting three red guys this month- but hey, at least it's not me, hahah!” He ruffled Zugos' hair once more before turning to the earlier civilian-- “Ah, and sorry for taking so much of your time,” he apologized firstly, before adding, “I know this is an awkward parting, but my name is Prox and I hope you'll cheer for me as greatly as you did today!” He threw a few lame finger guns along with a wink before starting towards Amarillo, shouting back a, “I have a match two days from now, please watch and bet well on it!” His eyes turned once more to Amarillo, Prox's smile widened, and he commented with a playful salute, “I know I'm thirty minutes early sir, but I hope you don't mind, heheh.”

Violet reached the center of Andria without another delay but on her way had noticed an odd sound flying overhead but thought little of it until later. A panicked voice in a gradual crescendo drew Violet’s piercing eyes toward the heavens in doubt. What on earth was happening and why was she hearing voices? Soon her questions were answered as she double blinked in disbelief. A young sunshine blond boy’s body was falling toward her at breakneck speeds, pleading to be aided as he could not regain balance. Unfortunately by the time the woman came to terms with what her eyes saw she had no time to move, and was the recipient of an unpleasant landing. As Altzer sailed through the air, he reflected on all of the choices he had made that day. Perhaps not the best thing to do, when one was saling through the air, but what else could he do? This was like the first time he had flown. He had discovered again, that gravity was one of the fundamental forces of the world that he could not overcome. He looked ahead of him, as he sailed towards a rather unfortunate person. His grip on his lance had long since slipped, and his momentum was far too much to be considered safe. Still, at least he would probably survive. He hit the person in front of him, the majority of his body still above her head. Momentum continued to carry his upper body forward, and he continued to sail forward as the woman fell. He saw the end of his journey ahead of him now, a solid red brick wall. Maybe I will see mother in heaven. His head hit the wall with a crunch, his vision instantly fading to black as he succumbed to the darkness. Bracing for impact though the time to prepare had been limited, arms were immediately placed in a cross protecting her head and face as the boy’s legs nearly slammed her toward the ground. Luckily she was able to nimbly flip backward and onto her feet, as the unfortunate creature continued on until he smacked into a rust tinted brick wall. In hindsight there was probably something she could have done to protect the boy from an untimely death but Violet was quite selfish at this stage, and wanted no harm to befall her in the process. This regal woman could not leave the clumsy boy, however. No matter how much her mind wanted to continue on her way her heart would not allow it. Feet encased in rose adorned heels sprinted forward with ease, halting at the pile that used to be a young man who had so much potential. Violet bent down resting on knees to inspect him closer. She did not want to move him in fear of causing further damage but if he did not respond to her touch, a medic would be her second task. Hands were gingerly placed on his head, glancing over the wound while citizens began to draw near in curiosity and worry. “Stand back, let him breath.” Violet demanded anxiously to the unhelpful onlookers while waiting for a response. Altzer could vaguely feel someone shaking him. He heard them say something he couldn't quite hear... "Mother, it's not time to get up yet..." He was tired, he wanted to go back to sleep... She was saying something again, but he still couldn't hear her clearly. "I need some more sleep..." With that, he curled up where he lay, sliding deeper into the comforting darkness growing behind his eyes. A brow arched at the vague words from the boy with the bizarre propelling lance. Unsure of what to do she looked around at the crowd whom had begun to wander away since he spoke. He was clearly alright, with a slight bump on his head and maybe a bit of a concussion. Otherwise Violet was pretty sure she needn’t babysit but she couldn’t just leave him here. She decided to poke him in the shoulder hopefully stirring him from a pain induced slumber. “Um, you…awaken.” Arms tightly folded as she felt a bit awkward not knowing how to deal with those much younger than herself. “You cannot sleep in public and I cannot be your guardian. I am in search of the coliseum.” Eyes scanned the area carefully but eventually returned to the boy who was in no shape to walk, and she could not--would not carry him. “Damn.” She cursed under her breath in frustration, this had been quite the day so far and the troubles kept piling on.

Ryan stood up straight when Akauta told him that he would become the Commander Pro Tempore while she was gone and this made him snap a salute to her while he internally smiled. He knew this meant that she trusted him enough to leave him with responsibility and to him that meant he was one step closer to reaching his goals of becoming a General, but this also started to give him a false sense of bravado when it came toward his view of his female Commander which always lead him to get in trouble. "Have no fear Commander Akauta. I will not let you down in my tasks of Commander Pro Tempore." He said in a serious tone before lowering his salute and turning his attention to the other two that stood there. He gave a slight smile as he looked at the other two as he had just come up with a great idea that might actually get the attention of some girls. "I just had a wonderful idea you two. How about for our sparring match you two take on me, if you think your magic can get through these unbreakable fists of mine." He told the two soldiers as he cracked his knuckles and flexed his fingers. Most people might think that he was being overly cocky with the challenge but he was confident in his abilities to take on two at one after all he hadn't made officer by just trying to hit on Akauta multiple times. "Your always welcome to come and watch too Commander." Ryan told Akauta with a full smile now and gestured over to the sparring grounds on the far side of the main military area.

The redhead princess lethargically greeted all of the people who had gathered around her: first Eilis, then Xander, and lastly Ryan. Thoughts ran through her head as she received each persons statements. Firstly she answered Eilis, "I have a job for you... but it mostly consists of staying within city walls and doing some very specific work. If you have other things planned, it won't get in the way, you just need to be prepared for when I call upon your services," she explained, "This brings me to my next point. Currently a meeting between myself and two other prominent mages has been called. I require a bodyguard/attendant to assist me. I've decided it should be you Eilis. Though I don't expect too much trouble. It's still entirely possible that I will require assistance. If you wouldn't mind giving me some hours out of your day, we'll be leaving in half an hour and arriving en location in a full hour. Until then you are free to do what you want. While I am out, Ryan, you will be the Commander Pro Tempore. Thank you for your services. Xander, I also will need your help with something later, but for now, you have no direct orders from me. I hope that covers everything," she said, hoping that would end that discussion. _______________________________________________ As she heard the hustle and bustle of the police headquarters start up, Cae realized that she had been sleeping for roughly an hour. That left her with only about one more hour until that thing happened. So worrisome... she needed to find her advisor quickly. Of course! Who else could she choose but her own brother, one of the strongest members of the police and certainly the one she could trust the most to not only be in charge of protecting her during the event but also helping her make decisions while discussing the matters with the other two. Cae, in a brisk pace, walked up to one of the police members. As he turned around to great her, she made great haste in asking the question she had came with, "Where is Zensuke?" she asked. The man shrugged, "I think he just left," he said, although he didn't seem too sure. Of course, he wasn't required to be on patrol today, so that made sense. The police leader ran through the large doorway, in search of her brother. Catching sight of his black hair, she picked up the pace, soon coming upon her fellow royalty. _______________________________________________ After a while, Amarillo had decided to choose his advisor for the upcoming meeting. Of course it would be a coliseum fighter, but it would have to be one who was not busy with fighting that day, as well as one willing and able to protect him if needed. Not only that but he needs to bring an interesting opinion into the discussion, so politically it would be wise to choose someone from a diverse background. As he happened upon a group of three people he spotted two of his own fighters, Prox and Zugos, talking with a civilian. Both of those men fit the bill, but the choice was pretty clear. Prox was older. Even older than him by a few years, and thus he had an aura of wisdom around him. He stepped in on the three men, "I apologize if I'm intruding, gentlemen, but I have an urgent problem. Prox, I want you to come with me to a meeting. I require an assistant in both defense and decision, and you are my first choice. So long as you're not too busy, I'll find you in thirty minutes. Zugos, Lily is in the medical room if anyone requires her while I'm gone."

Zensuke heard the quiet echoes of hurried, running footsteps catching up to him, and mostly out of subconscious reflex, he sharply twisted around, both hands reaching over his shoulders and gripping the ebony, beautifully carved hilts of his blades, as they manifested in beautiful sheathes in a swirl of crystal blue energy. However, his tense form relaxed at the appearance of his sister, and a minor blush formed when he realized how close he had come to simply decapitating her right there. 'I need a break.' He thought with a mental sigh, a confused furrow entering his brow as he gazed face-to-face with Cae. "Is there a problem, Your Highness?" He asked formally, keeping his apathetic voice quiet, just in case people were listening in. His hands dropped, and his manifestation disappeared, as his heart-rate returned to normal. While most people would be surprised at the distant, formal-way Zensuke addressed his sister, it was because they were in public; didn't want his sister's powerful reputation to be tarnished, after all.