[h2][color=92278f]Beatrix[/color][/h2]

Several assassins lined up, aiming weapons that appeared like rifles at Penny and Angelo, being those two were attacking the Dragon Chain Cannon directly. Before a single shot could be fire, Beatrix's foot connected with the man on the farthest left, sending him crashing through the others and toppling them all with varying amounts of damage. [color=92278f]"Don't worry about your toy,"[/color] she claimed, a smirk already on her face. [color=92278f]"You've still got your [I]hostage[/I] to take care of!"[/color]

Before she could get back to attacking the scattered formation, Edo-Damien appeared at the scene and claimed he killed Edo-Maddox. This only made Beatrix frown. [color=92278f]"You bastard!"[/color] she shouted at him. [color=92278f]"I wanted to kill him!"[/color] Her momentary distraction was all that was necessary for a sword to slash across her side, though a last second reflex saved herself from being mortally wounded. While the pain was evident on her face, she still recoiled around and kicked the gutsy assassin in the back of his head, sending him crashing into the giant cannon, narrowly missing the recently arrived Jayce.

Though her hands were still cuffed behind her back, Beatrix moved her elbow in an attempt to put some pressure on her bleeding wound. [color=92278f]"Son of a bitch almost got me,"[/color] she mused to herself, wincing in pain from touching her own wound. Between her effort and the recently arriving Edo-Damien, almost all of the assassins were defeated. And those that were still conscious or able to fight were only a handful. The Dragon Chain Cannon, on the other hand, was still very threatening.

The giant mass of rock it was dragging was drawing near the capital city. While it moved relatively slowly, everything in its path was getting crushed and dragged asunder. Perhaps people in peak physical condition may outrun it, but the many civilians in the town were surely doomed. Beatrix grimaced and turned her attention to the cannon itself. The heat, electrical attacks, and the sabotage were taking its toll on it. As the tan woman began running toward it, she noticed that the joints along the cannon were beginning to spark on their own without Angelo's attacks.

[color=92278f]"That thing's about to blow,"[/color] she commented, landing next to Jayce. Rather than letting him escape on his own, she flexibly lifted her right leg up and hooked her heel onto his chest. Surprisingly gentle given her strength, but the resulting shove she gave would send Jayce flying backwards away from the cannon. For her own escape she jumped away from the reacting cannon, landing next to Jayce and skidding to a halt.

The timing was expert. After one final bolt from Angelo the cannon couldn't stand it any longer. The first reaction was the shattering of the magical chain across the sky. It ground itself into fine, white particles and the fallen island of Extalia stopped moving just before it could crush the nearest building. Then the cannon itself exploded in a massive fireball. The force of the detonation caused the weak cliff underneath it to collapse, sending the flaming pieces to the ground where they were covered underneath the rubble.

The remaining assassins looked stunned. On top of their guild being almost entirely defeated by only two people, one with their hands tied behind their back, the other had claimed to best Edo-Maddox and was backing up his words with his strength and skill. The plan had failed completely. As the noise from the collapsing cliff began to settle down, the last able assassins began throwing down their weapons and surrendering to Edo-Damien.

Beatrix began laughing at the sight. [color=92278f]"And you all thought you were so strong and powerful!"[/color] she remarked, before wincing at the pain laughing brought her. She was still bleeding somewhat severely from her wound. The tan woman approached Edo-Damien and turned her back to him. [color=92278f]"Can you do me a favor and break these cuffs with your sword? I can't use my magic so I can't break them myself,"[/color] she asked, using an unsurprisingly demanding voice.

[h2][color=ed1c24]Maddox[/color][/h2]

The red-haired mage raised an eyebrow at Melina's suggestions. It was clear she was trying to take up a honey act. [color=ed1c24]"I don't think the act of finding a book itself is what concerns anyone,"[/color] Maddox said, closing his eyes and shrugging his shoulders. [color=ed1c24]"But whatever. If Jamie trusts you then I'll trust you."[/color] When he opened his eyes again he looked towards James.

[color=ed1c24]"By the way,"[/color] he began, [color=ed1c24]"you and Damien were pretty brave to go after Grane. I forgot to give my thanks on that one."[/color] A smile formed on Maddox's face. [color=ed1c24]"Everyone did well today. You all deserve a celebration once it's done and everyone is back. Things could've gone a lot worse than they did."[/color]