Lazarus
@caits
He sighed. "Even if you are right. We know nothing in the grand scheme. Where would we look? And even if we found him, we couldn't risk a full on confrontation in the city. People could get hurt." He thought. "It isn't like we would be fighting me either. He is a lot stronger than this body. He can use magic that I have since lost the hate and will to use." He faced away from Sasha walking towards the door. "So that being said... we'll need at least one other wizard to help us take him down." He furrowed his brow. "Let's get this bastard."

Kaia Iona

The group had started moving, that much she could infer on her own without magical intervention, latching onto one of Angel's arms out pure of force of habit. And to avoid suddenly running into anyone else in their greatly expanded group. Crowds were, for obvious reasons, not the best environment for her stumble around in.

"And don't worry about it Cyare," Kaia piped up, "I help Angel with cooking. I'm kinda... in training, sorta."

Lucas shook his head, "Sorry, I'm needed elsewhere, but give our leader my apologies, I will meet up with him soon, really soon." Lucas walked off from Amaya and Josh, while they continued on their way. Lucas's walk was quiet and he had a lot to think about. He was among the houses before he even realized where he was, looking around he had walked for almost two hours. He decided to sit down, looking for a bench of some kind. He found the perfect spot, right under a tree, with the soft breeze of the dancing wind and the still warm weather, he sat. His eyes were glued to the sky, "Lucas Ryder?" His eyes came down now, and standing no more then a few feet away was a young girl with blue eyes, her soft white hair barely touched by the sun was slightly swaying as the wind trickled past her body, her uniform almost as if royalty. "Yeah. Who's asking?" He asked almost rude like, his gut was telling him to be careful, especially since she asked by name. "My name is Charlie Portwing. You know you have quite a high bounty on your head." She said smiling, Lucas didn't react, choosing his words carefully, "How much?" She gave off a soft giggle, "Enough to make the underworld organize and rally together. But don't worry Lucas, I don't want you." Lucas had enough, he wanted to ask, "Then what exactly do you want?" The question lingered in the head, her eyes were glued to his and her smile went into hiding, "The Golden Laws have the final key." Lucas shot up, his eyes wide and his face of pure worry, his mind raced to who had the key, Lucas shot across to Charlie, both hands around her collar and raising her off the ground. "I've come to warn you, Zayn, a powerf-" She was cut off when she was flying through the air, it was slow until the hard ground came into contact with her back, Lucas on top of her, pinning her down. ""I dont care about any Zayn. They key, where is it? Charlie could see his was conflicted about hurting her, "As I was saying, Zayn has it, he's giving it to Draco tonight, in the town somewhere. And once that's done, he'll be coming for you, full strength. He's a monster Lucas." His grip started to loosen around Charlie's collar, before tightening once again, "And how do you know about all of this?" A sigh escaped her body, "I helped Zayn get it, before I knew what was going on. I'm sorry." Lucas's hand raised, his fist clenched, his breathing was slightly shaky, before releasing his grip on her collar, his fist calmed and he stood up. "Why are you here?" Charlie stood up, slightly dusting herself off, before turning to walk away, "Like I said before, Zayn's coming for you, this is a warning." Lucas watched as she walked into a big purple ball, teleporting away in an instant, leaving Lucas to think, before the past several moments hit him, he jumped into the air, blasting his feet to fly.

Joshua moved out of the way as the fan girls passed, getting a few blows from some that he had upset with his comments. Once they were gone, he went into Nolan's room, leaning against the wall. He figured it was best he remain silent for now and let Amaya and Nolan chat, since they were teammates and he was probably the most unwanted person in the room right now.



Lucus had arrived in the Phoenix Wing stands during Rose's match. After it was over, he gently picked up his daughter and went to find Rose, deciding the check the infirmary first incase she had gone there to get looked over. Then the father/daughter duo finally found Rose, wherever she might be, Lucus set Elyse down to the child could run over to her favorite person in the whole world.



"The newcomer... but I guess you're right." JAckie said before turning back to the ice cream flavors, still wondering what she should get. After a few seconds, she turned towards her guild master. "You decide for me."

"I didn't realize you were here. The fault is mine." Amelia said while waiting for her ice cream as well. She was as excited as Sam but doing a better job of containing it.

@Lugubrious


Zephyr pouted as all the contestants that were in the event were leaving before he was. How did he end up becoming the most injured? Well... Loki didn't really care to dodge what he considered pathetic mortal attacks, which explained why his left arm was bandaged up and in a sling while also having multiple scars on his shoulder from when Karn ripped through his skin. Yet his attention was drawn to Nero when he heard Nero talking about him causing him to frown. "Hey that's not very nice. I just wanna fight her without Loki taking over ma bod! Love has no play in this besides my love for fighting and getting stronger!" Zephyr said pouting at the genie before it turned into a grin followed by him giving the man a thumbs up with his good arm.

Malice just sighed at the interaction as a doctor would tell her she was good to go, just be careful about taking any hits to the head. Standing up she listened to Nero's suggestion and tilted her head. "That few? You, a woman called Eve and little sis?" Although him saying she would fit right in wasn't entirely true. She has done plenty of bad things in her life, just none she got caught with. In the end though she would give him a shrug. "Well if you can wait until the games conclude, then sure I will join the small group. I'm sure Captain Salem will survive without my presence there. So what exactly is it that you three even do? And whats the Eve girl like?"

@Joshua Tamashii

Raiden watched the match between Phoenix wing and pirate Lord.he turned pale with a shocked looked on his face as he watched the match from his lacerima not paying attention till ryu clapped his hands right next to Raiden's ears snapping him back to reality.

"Dad...you are starting to scare me. You look like you seen a literal ghost from the past." said Ryu
" It's her Ryu....I can't believe it...It's really her, She is actually alive...Rose, your older sister from my first wife...She passed away a week after her mother's death...or so I thought she was dead...We need to go see her no matter what...close the shop Ryu." he said

"dad...that can't be her if you buried her. We been following all sorts of false leads following your insane hunt "
" Don't argue with me...this is it this time. Now close shop follow me"

Ryu sighed knowing it was no use arguing with his stone headed father as he closed their shop before following him to the infirmary.

Raiden saw the customer from before carrying a little girl as he followed them standing at the door.

Rose allowed a medic to look her over as she smiled picking elyse up " did you like momm-" rose trailed off seeing the two figures at the door as she Sat elyse on the bed.

"Roseletta."Said Raiden
"Hi...father..I didn't think you would ever leave the village."said rose
"How are you alive....I buried you and your mom the same week..." he said
"A shadow clone took my place...I wish not to talk about this in front of my daughter and her father..."said rose

@Joshua tamashii

Amaya watched pushing the last of the stragulars out of the room before shutting the door once Joshua was inside.

" I am happy you are alright and sorry for Dalton droppin you...you both need to work on your partnership."she said before adding " The match was amazing watching you and Joshua fight. Oh, Lucas is back as well but...he is very different from who he use to be both personality and looks. He calls you the leader of team powderkeg and seems to idolize you in a way."

After the fight Thor had with the other guilds she was sent into a deep sleep. She wasn't able to wake herself on her own but was keeping herself alive instead. The doctors had put her right arm in a cast and put a large amount of bandages all over her body. The only ones visible were on her forehead wrapped around her head and around her left lower leg. They had hooked her up to an electric lacrima which filled up her magic slowly and were slowly raising her conscious alive again. She was giving small twitches and muttered small words but she was still asleep for now.

Thor shocked awake. She gazed around and noted everything was hazy. How long had she slept? Thor tried sitting upright but she fell back down again from the pain put on her broken arm. Only then did she notice someone was trying to get her attention. Dumbfounded Thor saw one of the Frenzy plant members freaking out on her to wake up. Nandy asked her to come with him as fast as possible. Thor gave a timid nod and changed into casual clothes in a nearby dressing room. She was quick to follow Nandy. Thor had pulled on a leather jacket had a scarf wrapped around her neck and was wearing a skirt with black thigh socks.

Thor was filled in on the situation by Nandy and gave simple short nods at him to confirm what he said. She was still a little drowsy from the long sleep she just had. They might have even drugged her to heal her faster but she couldn't tell. They entered the camp and teared it apart so that they could move the whole platoon back to the guild hall later on. They now had to wait for them all to be ready and to leave. Luckily Thor didn't have much stuff apart from her tent. Yet they already packed it for her because of her broken arm.



Commotion was rising in the Frenzy plant camp. The amount of people in the camp increased which made Isla raise an eyebrow. What was happening? What was going on? She tried looking in between the people to perhaps get a clue on what was going on with all the Frenzy plant members. The games hadn't ended yet so it was weird for so many people to be at the camp at this time. They might already have given up on the games since Phoenix Wing wasn't playing fair according to a few of them she heard before. Isla remained confused in her cage for now.

The announcement sounded through the whole camp. Isla was completely filled in on the situation at hand and was not even sad or anything about it. Isla smirked a little, this was her time to shine. If they had to move the camp she could try to escape from them when they were busy with other stuff since it was so busy at the moment. It was perfect, finally free from all these torturers that put her in a cage like some wild animal!

Sanders came up to her and straight out commanded her to act nice so that she could leave after they have dealt with the matter. Isla dumbfoundedly stared at Sanders. Was he having a stroke or something?! How could he let her go off the hook so easily?! They were quite busy and stuff but that wasn't a reason to suddenly let prisoners go of the hook. Isla happily nodded her head at Sanders.



Isla stood around without having to do much in fact. She was quite happy for a girl who just go locked up in a small metal cage for about 3 days straight. The Frenzy plant members however did not seem pleased with it at all. They glanced sharp gazed at Isla and didn't look happy in the least. Isla did not mind however. Soon she was gone from all her troubles.

Her happy time seemed to have an ending however. The worst possible person she could meet right now was right next to her. Her body freezed into a stone state as her facial expression tensed up. Her skin became bright pale and you could clearly see the girl smelting away. Or at least, wanted to smelt away at the moment. Ike basically threatened her. Would they let Ike do something like that? Kill her like that. Well she was sure now to keep close to other Frenzy plant members that didn't seem as hostile as him.

Argus Leandros

Argus nodded along with Sayatachi's explanations, though since he knew nothing about the people she was mentioning, it didn't really tell him anything. He was hoping for more information on what each guild was like rather than some basic facts. Only thing interesting was hearing about one dude being raised by a dragon, but other than that, nothing really stuck, it just seemed to go in one ear and out the other, though he tried his best to look like he understood. However, he didn't get anytime to respond or ask follow up questions, cause soon after, a development was announced over the vision lacrima. What seemed like the entirety of Frenzy Plant, minus those competing, had left the Arena and where heading back to the camp. And interesting development and one that demanded his immediate attention. After a few moments of thought, he gave a sigh before standing up, stretching his arms a bit as he turned around to walk out of the bar.

"Well, seems like that's my que to leave, got to try and get back before they beat me to camp. It was nice talking with you, and again, sorry for any trouble I might've caused. Hope to see you again if I'm ever in the city. Oh, and take one of these as some modest compensation for listening to me bitch like that." With that, Argus gave a wave and a slight smile, before summoning a small bag and tossing it towards Sayatachi. Inside of it were some of the trick Lacrimas he uses(Flash, Smoke, Stick and complete with an appropriate label), some pieces of sweets(rock candy and a small bag of chocolate), and a card which had the words "Sorry" written on it in messy, black script.

After that, he was quick to leave the bar, and after some issues with directions, he found himself at the Camp soon enough, though everyone else had already arrived. Walking in as casually as possible, he happen to hear what was going on from the new girl yesterday, his brow furrowing a bit as he decided to walk up to the group, which consisted of Riona and Ash since Ike had walked off.

"Wait, so we're just going to slaughter a bunch of people cause they're sick? Isn't that a bit . . . wrong, not too mention over-kill. How bad is this plague that it needs the kind of power this Guild seems to be packing?"

@Oblivion666@Lunarlors34 @everyone else

Iron Inigma vs tough love

Sanguin growled with as much viciousness as a cornered wolf when Luna's blade came down against her neck. Both attempt at submission and attempt and intimidation proved useless, however, when a wave of ice swept across the Tough Love swordswoman the next moment. The frost washed across Sanguin's body, turning a writhing ball of anger into a frozen image of rage. Though trapped beneath the ice, Sanguin's bestial fury only continued to mount. Meanwhile, Evangeline gave a tsk and, with a resigned boredom, raised her mace overhead before smashing it into the icy ground. Instantly the ice in an area around her fractures, shattered, and blew apart like pile of snow shot by a cannonball. The completed aero crystal vein, excited by the impact began to shudder and channel a greater wind throughout. However thick the ice, the pressure from below would eventually become too much, and burst through.

On the topic of bursting, however, the frozen Sanguin statue in the epicenter of the crystal circle suddenly exploded apart. When the flurries cleared, a figure stood where Sanguin had before that was neither wolf nor woman, but an amalgamation of both. Nearly twice her old size even hunched over, this bloody beast dripped with vital fluid, mixing with her slavering drool around her fanged teeth. Only now, the full meaning of Sanguin's earlier words could be grasped. She snarled and swung with a clawed hand and unnatural strength at Luna.

Luna gasped as she saw the giant wolf stand up from beneath the rapidly vanishing magic Ice. Sanguin’s sudden transformation had both surprised her and thrown her off balance. The armored sorceress fell backwards as the wolf stood to its full height, and there was nothing she could do to get out of the way of the clawed slice, and it threw her off towards one side of the circle of aero crystals. She was lucky in that her armor weighed her down enough that she didn’t get thrown back by the winds, and despite Sanguin’s hyper-powerful state the beast’s claws left nary a scratch on her armor. The blunt force, however, hadn’t been mitigated nearly as much. The Iron Enigma girl groaned as she began climbing to her feet, temporarily weaponless.

Mark blinked as his ice was shattered, and he stood up, the rest of it dispersing. This wasn’t going at all as he had hoped, but the only thing he could think was that he should’ve said that they should’ve gone with just hitting them as hard as they could over and over again. The winds forced him to step towards the center of the crystals, and towards Sanguin. He managed to regain his wits before too long, however, and he started making his way towards Luna to make sure she was okay. He kept an eye on Sanguin, or whatever that was, as he did. He wasn’t very far when he called out, ”Ice Make: Shield. Fire Make: Shortsword.” The objects he called for formed in the proper hands, though the fire make fizzled quickly in the high force winds. Cursing, he dispelled the ice shield and slid to a stop, facing Sanguin. ”Ice Light Make: Chained Shield and Sword!” The two weapons he had initially wanted formed in his hands, this time made of a shell of ice with light in the center, and connected by a chain. The chain was short enough not to touch the ground, but long enough that he had most of the range of movement one would need with the shield and sword. He breathed deeply once the weapons formed, and he did the most foolish thing he could think of: Charging Sanguin head-on, hoping to buy Luna enough time to get up and back into the fight.

Still addled by rage, the beast that Sanguine had become greeting the new challenge with a blood-curdling howl. She sprung, throwing caution and self-preservation to the wind in her blind charge at Mark. As they cut through the air, her claws whistled like knives, the arms swinging wildly even before she got within range. Aiming to shatter Mark's defenses and take him down in a single, terrifying attack, Sanguin slammed both razor-tipped mits down
on top of her Iron Enigma opponent. A massively distorted cry ripped free from her twisted throat: "SMASH you FLAT!" Looking on from the edge of the wind-battered circle, Evangeline whistled in apprehensive admiration, until she felt a slight retch. Doubling over, she released a new salvo of wind wyrms to slither through the air and bury their fangs into Luna, probing for openings in her armor.

Mark let out a loud grunt as the wolf-beast slammed both of its hands down towards him. He had managed to get his shield up in the way of the attack, but when it landed the ice part shattered like penut brittle, and he felt the light part crack, as well as his arm. He had to fall to one knee to withstand the might of the blow, and once it was over he quickly got up and backpedaled, tears of pain in the corner of his eyes. His arm was broken, he was sure of that, so that meant none of his magic was going to be as powerful. Luna wasn't going to be much help either, as she refused to go full-out on anything she thought was living, unless it threatened her friends. He snapped with his one good hand, and looked back at Sanguin. There was no way he could beat her now, espescially with a broken arm, and the shield and sword idea had been a stupid one only concocted to keep Luna safe for a bit longer. He grunted in pain as he held his now-broken and mutilated arm against his stomach, and moved his other hand how he needed for his maker magic. "Light Make: Piercing Spears!" A few shafts of light shot their way from Mark's hand towards Sanguin. The attack likely would be batted away, dodged, or even taken head on; regardless, the maker wizard knew what the end result would be. The spell wasn't nearly as strong a it needed to be to do any real damage to Sanguin, as the spears weren't travelling fast enough or in enough number. The beast woman would also easily be able to close the distance and land a hit on him, too, if his appraisal of her power so far was any indication. At this point, attack like that last one was sure to end the fight early for him. He just hoped it was enough to stir Luna to action.

Sanguin was nothing if not predictable. The spears, slow enough to be dealt with by an addled mind, received a hefty slap that sent the ones that didn't shatter spinning to the side. Smelling victory in the brine of Mark's tears and the pain and exhaustion eking from his body, the beast reached down to grab and throw him.

Mark grunted as the lupine beast picked him up, and threw him across the arena. He made several loud shouts as he hit the round and rolled. One he had stopped moving, he rolled onto his back, and assessed himself. Nothing new broken. Good. He smiled a bit to himself. He had been a fool for being overconfident at the beginning of the fight, but Luna was on a whole different level from him when she had the will to be. He had seen it two days ago when she took out the two stone golems while fighting that Phoenix Wing girl. He just hoped his getting his ass kicked was enough to get her to act.

Luna watched as her guild mate was thrown across the arena. She felt sluggish, and was dumbfounded that he was discarded without having so much as scratched the wolf. His cries of pains, along with the jolt of feeling things starting to bite at her, was enough to raise her from her funk, and she stood the rest of the way up. "Corona!" A magic circle appeared below her, an the hemisphere of fire the spell entailed formed around the mage. The spell would practically evaporate the wind wyrms biting on her armor, trying to find its weaknesses. The flames stayed up for a long moment, unaffected by the winds, before the'd suddenly break. The arena would warm up from this, beyond a doubt, and Luna would now be in her solar armor. Her lunar halberd in her right hand, and a fiery one in the other.

The sorceress took a deep breath. She couldn't let her guild down now. They had been doing surprisingly well in the games so far, and she figured failing this fight would put a serious dent in that. Not to mention Mark, who had taken on Sanguin, and got his arm broken, so that Luna wouldn't be pummeled into the grond. The eccliptic mage began slowly walking towards the Wolf-Woman. She had to stop holding back. She had to be careful, but not maiming her opponent too badly was now a secondary concern. She waited for Sanguin to make the first move.

Once again obliging, the ferocious Sanguin rushed forward on all fours. Her sizable bulk lost no velocity as it approached the star-armed Luna, instead making her intention of bulling into her and trampling her beneath her clawed paws quite clear. This ruthless assault did not fully encapsulate the problems posed to Iron Enigma's premier sorceress, however. On the edge of the ring, Evangeline watched as witness to Mark's fall, but her trumph was dulled by what appeared to be her remaining opponent powering up. Knowing that Sanguin would never cease her frenzied assault in this state, it fell to Evangeline to act as the brains of the operation. Sighing at the effort required, she took a few steps forward before leaping limply forward. When she cleared the edge of the crystal ring, the exceedingly strong air current flung her into the air. Now on a direct collision course with Luna's back, Evangeline raised her mace above her head and prepared to cave in her foe's helmet.

As Sanguin sprinted towards Luna, she sighed, still walking towards her opponent, and spoke. Her voice was now a cold monotone, and dropped down into a somewhat odd stance. "Lunar Armor" The change in armors was rapid. This new one was a pure whitish color, and was somewhat bulkier than the previous armor. As Sanguin approached now, she hoped the armor gave her enough strength that she could take on the beast before her. Bowing her head, Luna let out a deep breath. All at once, Sanguin came into range, Evangeline's mace began coming down, and Luna shifted to attack. She pivoted forward and with her Solar halberd she swung down to up. The blade was turned so that the flat part would slam into the beasts underside, going at Luna's full strength. Her change in position caused Evangeline's attack to the solar mage's head and hit her shoulder instead. The blow caused her to gasp and panick slightly; thinking quickly, she changed from what she had planned. "Solar Flare!" A blast launched from the tip of her weapon, likely point blank to Sanguin by now.

Luna's blow from below, though well timed, did not take into account the forward momentum of the beast she aimed it at. All of her strength going upward combined with the vector of Sanguin's forward charge to divert her motion upward. As a result, rather than careening straight into Luna, Sanguin flipped overhead, and while Evangeline's mace more or less met its mark, the Wind Wyrm Slayer herself was met with her ally a second later. Both woman and werewolf tumbled over, quickly righting themselves and preparing to attack, but in her enraged state Sanguin could not tell friend from foe. Snarling, she lashed out at Evangeline's back, and her claws raked across her skin. The noise Evangeline made was, however, drowned out by the Solar Flare that smashed into both her and her assailant. Together the two Tough Love members flew, scorched and smoking by the white light, and crashed into the sand a way off.

When she rose, Evangeline sported a look of utter displeasure. No ordinary laziness or boredom, it heralded a person so thoroughly done with the situation that nothing would stop her from finishing this fight right now. Even before Sanguin began to charge at her, the air pressure dropped rapidly, and wind began to move toward the spot where Evangeline spun in place, gleaming mace extended. Around her, gale-force wind swirled, sucking so powerfully that its conjuror's beastly ally was swept up, helpless and howling, to circle around. For the briefest of moments, there even appeared to be a frightening, serpentine shape coiled within the twister, the image of Arcwind Boreas itself. Evangeline gave a furious cry and swung her mace into the ground. The tornado blasted toward Luna, its resident still baying like a lost hound.

Luna rolled her injured shoulder as Evangeline began her next attack, trying to think of how to deal with it. As the Tornado finally detached from the maelstrom and approached Luna, she knew that charging it head-on wouldn't be a good idea, seeing as it was already carrying the wolf. Maybe she could influence the air currents herself? Or even better, use them against her opponent. "Solar Wind!" A warm breeze would sweep across the Arena, and though it would likely be swept up in Evangeline's storm, its effect was based on how much contact the magic wind made with the targets. Now that proaction was taken, it was time to deal with the whirlwind that was still approaching her rapidly. It was too close now to try getting out of the way, so Luna decided to bargain on her opponent not wanting to hurt her guildmate hurt too much. "Corona!" The solar hemisphere formed around her again, but the 'attack' was a bluff as she hoped it would be a deterrent. If Sanguin got too close she planned on making the attack not hit her, but she hoped that either the change in heat or the threat to the wolf would be enough to prevent her from having to.

Only after the whirlwind crashed into Luna would she realize that her assessment of its purpose had been massively wrong; Evangeline did not use the cyclone to give Sanguin a tactical advantage, but rather to deal with her out-of-control partner while facing her foe with a dangerous attack. Sure that the werewolf could take the extra punishment, and confident in her decision to remove from the battlefield what had becoem a dangerous obstacle, Evangeline let the Solar Wind batter Sanguin to ensure that her tornado hit its mark.

The huge, raging, beast-laden tumult of force and noise careened into Luna unabated.

Luna was surprised when the cyclone continued towards her, and as Sanguin came within danger range of her Corona, she forced the spell back into the bladed part of her halberd, as she had the other day, and threw it with all her might at Evangeline as the Cyclone hit her. The halberd was thrown so that the now superheated blade would slice through the side of her stomach, cauterizing the wound it would create should the attack land.

Never one for instantaneous reactions, Evangeline had been watching to see her attack land when Luna's halberd, thrown like a javelin and kept flying in a straight path by magic, caught her. Its steely blade tore through her side, though only an initial spurt of vital fluid flew out onto the sand since the weapon's convection fried her veins closed the next instant. Evangeline gasped, falling to her knees and then immediately onto her side.

Luna herself was thrown wide, and she shouted as she flew into the air, and inevitably crashed down hard against the dirt, rolling a fair distance, only to get thrown back by the winds from the crystals around where they had been fighting. She grunted as she landed, and her armor would seem to melt off of her and onto the ground, before soaking into and disappearing. The now unarmored mage would slowly stand up, her robe slightly disheveled, but she seemed very much still ready to fight. She would be holding her arm against her stomach however, as if it was hurt. She grit her teeth and held one hand towards the sky, casting two final spells. "Summer's Dream!" The sun suddenly seemed to be high in the sky, and she seemed to swell with power in its light. She then flicked her hand towards Evangeline. "Solar Flare!" This time the blast was more powerful than the one that she had used before, and once she had unleashed it the sun returned to its normal position in the sky, and she dropped to a knee, exhausted and injured.

In her wounded and barely-conscious state, Evangeline could not hope to withstand Luna's attack. When the blazing sphere of sunlight screamed down at her, however, a dark shape dashed in from the side. A mere second before the Solar Flare would have torched Tough Love's strongest but laziest sorceress, Sanguin, now in human form, jumped in the way. Coaxing from her muscles all the strength they had left post-transformation, she reinforced her guard, and the Solar Flare detonated against her shield. Fire blew in every direction, and the bladeless warrior went flying, smacking into the sand a few meters behind her teammate. Ultimately though, Evangeline suffered no further burns.

A horn went off, signalling the match's end. Sheldon's shout rang across the arena. "Wow, even in a two-on-one miss Cathris was able to blow her opponents away! A stunning use of technique and magic by Luna, folks! Looks like Iron Enigma takes this round, but anyone who says Tough Love didn't give a hundred and ten percent would be a total fool! Give it up, folks!" On cue, the medics rushed in to grab Sanguin, Evangeline, and Mark, their eyes scornful for the Iron Enigma mage who used unsportsmanlike sharp weapons in a duel.

Master Jamie

Sam eagerly reached for her ice cream when it was offered to her, smiling at the ice cream man, saying happily "Thank you, mister!" Before taking a huge, messy bite out of it, getting chocolate and ice cream all over her mouth, not seeming to care, frowning as Jamie took the ice cream from her, wrapping it in a napkin before being given it back. The ice cream man handed Amelia her ice cream as well. Jamie handing her some napkins as well. "You didn't ask, I offered" Jamie said to Jane, frowning slightly "What dark guild would this be, and when did this happen?"

Sasha
"And if we do nothing, people in the city could get her. At least trying we can prevent that" Sasha said, frustrated. "There's so many powerful wizards here, so many guilds, and yet we are standing around doing nothing, because of these stupid games." She said, sighing. "And you know as well as I, that strength isn't just a measure of power." She followed Lazarus, frowning at his contradiction. "You just said we can't go after him, and yet you are now saying we are?"

@YipeeXD@zarkun@joshua tamashii

Luna breathed heavily, grunting as she pushed against the ground with her feet and her hands. After almost a minute of struggling with her weakened and bruised body she finally managed to rise to two feet. However, she barely made it a step before collapsing back onto her knee, gasping as pain shot through her. Taking deep breaths and hugging herself lightly, Luna just focused on controlling the pain for now. There wasn’t any chance she would be able to get up on her own at this point. At least, not anytime soon.

The young mage remained there, sunk down on one knee. Breathing heavily and staring at the ground as her body ached and throbbed from her injuries. But no one came to help her up and to the infirmary. The field remained empty save for its sole occupant, whose consciousness was fading. It was several long minutes before the adrenaline fully drained from Luna’s system, and she collapsed sideways onto the ground, panting and coughing occasionally.

If one looked up at Iron Enigma's seating at this time, one would only be able to spot one sole figure, who remained sitting. It was Grant, and it was clear he had no intention of going down there to help her.

[@Anyone Still in the Arena building]@Caits@Hatakekuro (Since ya'll have the announcers (Accidentally mentioned you Expolar, sorry))

Jane frowns, realizing that her memory might be a little bit off and fighting back tears at the memory regardless. "It would have been at the same time Phoenix Wing was attacked by a bunch of Dark Mages. Now you know who they were, the Promised Butchers, a dark guild that enjoyed death. I guess Angelica was feeding them information on who was reporting their activities across Fiore. That someone was my parents, who, well," Jane sniffles a little bit, but pushes through it, refusing to break down, "aren't with us anymore. Zentir managed to track them down and killed them before coming after me and your guild. Sorry, didn't mean to bring anyone down." Jack shook his head, his eyes burning with contained anger.

"It's mages like them that make the rest of us look like psychopaths. And killing two good mages...may he burn in hell indeed, Miss Jane."




Hunter had stopped on his way out of the Infirmary to watch the last match and couldn't help but grin like a mad man at what he saw. All the mages involved were incredibly strong, but after the medics cleared out and left Luna, he frowned. Why's no one helping her? She's obviously hurt. Dumb medics... He watched Luna try and stand and growled, seeing one of her guildmates still in the stands and just sitting there, watching. When she collapsed, Hunter was already on his way out of the tunnels and on the field, quickly approaching the unconscious form of Luna. Upon reaching her, he looked at the one guild mate still in the stands. "You're a piece of scum, you know that?!" Kneeling down and wincing as his knee throbbed with a phantom pain that would fade in a couple hours according to the healers, he picked the girl up in a cradle hold and headed towards the infirmary, with a very list of not-nice words to say to the medics when he got there.

@Roseletta@Joshua Tamashii
NOLAN and DALTON

"Tch, your concern is unneeded Amaya. As you can see, I'm perfectly fine save for my wounded pride." Nolan shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out his pipe and a metal casing of hash. At least the nurses didn't take them away from him. He pulled out a magic lighter and lit the contents of the pipe after stuffing a wad of tobacco in it. Nolan let out an agitated sigh of smoke, running his hands through his hair. It was obvious that he was upset with the results of the match though he didn't want to say anything about it. Certainly, he was livid for how useless Joshua was and with his needless insults to Frenzy plant, but he was more upset with himself. He himself should've been enough to destroy his opponents, no, he was more than enough. He could've brought them to the edge of death, but why didn't he do it? Was he growing soft? No, he couldn't be.

The horn that signified the last match had ended rung out through the stadium. It looked like everyone was starting to leave the facility. "Huh, guess it's time to go." He puffed out a trail of smoke and he sauntered over to the nightstand next to his bed and pulled the drawer open. It seemed like the nurses left him a white collard shirt in his size there for when he was ready to go. He buttoned the shirt up except the top three buttons and dragged his katana leaning on the side of the bed. "Come on, I don't intend on staying here. I need a drink.. a strong one."

"Should ya really be drinking right after getting ya wounds treated?" Dalton asked skeptically in concern for his partner's condition.

"I told you, I'm fine! It'll take more than nigh-evisceration to put me down." Nolan said in a strange, matter of fact tone, as if it was commonplace to have a scythe tear through the body. Hell, most people would be dead after the beating he took.

Is this guy even human? The exceed thought to himself.

@Zarkun@Burthstone
ZEV

Finally some screen time for Dragon Fang's top espionage committing mage, Zev Buchanan! Zev had been watching the games on the sidelines while not doing anything notable except for doting his four year old daughter. Today had been no exception, but when he saw Hunter go off to carry Luna off to the infirmary he thought his friend could use some help. Also, serve as backup just in case that Grant guy decided to not take kindly to Hunter's insults. That Grant guy really did give him the creeps. There was something not right about that guy...

Anyway, Zev had left his daughter with Ammy for the moment and headed straight towards Hunter. "Yo, Hunter! You really should be taking care of yourself a bit better. We can't lose one of our aces just because he has a bad knee. Hand her off to me and also..." Zev lowered his voice so that Grant wouldn't be able to hear him, as a precaution of course. This guy could have stupidly good hearing and butcher them. "You should be more careful with who you insult. Iron Enigma isn't exactly a guild of the most savory character if you catch my drift."

@Caits
FERRIS

Leaning back in his seat, he stretched his arms into the air and let out a loud yawn. One would not think that commentating would be exhausting, but it actually was. He would always have to have something to say or else he wouldn't have this job! Well, at least the Games are starting to get near the end. "Oh man, I just feel like kicking back and relax after today! Seriously, I think we've nearly witnessed a few murders today." He leaned forward and rested his head on the desk. "I think I'll just head back to the hotel and veg out. Probably order out food that doesn't stare back at me."

"She's trying to be nice and cheer you up. No need to make an ass out of yourself. That's my job. If you're going to direct your anger at anyone, it better be me, since I'm the one that botched things up." Joshua said to Nolan, slightly ticked at the man's behavior. Sure they had lost the match and he could understand if Nolan was upset over that, especially if he was upset at him. But that didn't give the man an excuse to be rude to someone who wasn't involved in the matter. Amaya was simply there to make sure he was okay. He should be thanking her for that.



Lucus smiled as Elyse laughed and hugged her mother. However, when her expression changed from one of happiness to one of shock as she looked behind him, Lucus turned around to spot the merchant and his son from earlier. While the small conversation between the two left him with a few questions, he put them aside for now.
"I'm not leaving you Rose. You just got done with a match and you're likely tired and almost out of magical energy. I'm staying right here." He said.

Elyse, meanwhile, looked at the scene, confused and slightly scared by the tension in the air.



"Thank you sir. Thank you Mama." Amelia said to the ice cream man and Jamie respectively as they handed her the ice cream and napkins. She led Sam over to a nearby table and sat down so they could enjoy their treat while also keeping the possible mess to a small area.

Jackie looked over at Jane.
"It's never a good idea to defy a Dark Guild until you are ready. They rule through fear and force and if they have a reputation, they likely earned it. If your parents defied them without being prepared, it's still their fault that they're dead." She said. How one felt at the loss of a loved on flew over her head completely, so she didn't feel the pity that Jack and Jamie felt for the girl.

@Crimson Raven
”Arc of Time, it was a magic that a Council Member used over a hundred years ago. The Council kept records of the wizard that possessed it preserved in the archive of the Council’s Head Quarters. I learned bits of it before Phoenix Wing fought the Council. But during the guild’s battle against the Council, the record was destroyed along with the most of Council’s Head Quarters. What you saw me do earlier today was all I could do with the magic. Perhaps in time and training, I could do more, but there are other priorities that I must attend to first.” Grane stood there for a few seconds as he waited for the stranger’s to say anything else. From what he could remember, he saw him fight along with the other wizards and rune knights during the dome battle.

@Jangel13
Eh, hopefully this girl doesn’t hold a grudge. But I do hope that you two will be okay after that battle. And restraint is good, it’s something that I wish Jamie taught more. Perhaps Wes said more than he needed. While he saw Angelo successfully toss his drink away, he hoped that Angelo wouldn’t ask about what he just said earlier. Once he asked Wes about what he did since he left, Wes thought for a few seconds. The past several weeks felt like they went by in a blur, with not much happening, but there were still quite notable events.

When I left the guild, I helped Gentsai’s small group, the ones from Edolas, find a suitable place to stay. Since I traveled a lot and seen various places, I knew a few good places for them. Once they settled down, was when Shutler decided to still some of Taris’s research and equipment. Since then I’ve been trying to track Shutler down with a device that Taris built that could help track him. Actually, I suppose you could say that she created a device that could detect him since, other members of Gentsai’s group have a particular thing that sets us apart from anyone from Edolas or here on Earthland. Did I ever get the detector confused with myself, yes, a few times. It took awhile to get used to. Then I already told you earlier today that I found and captured him, but only half of him. The other half is still out there somewhere.

”This other half of Shutler might be a bit strange. But to put it simply, there was a Shutler from Edolas the Gentsai thought it would be a good idea to send to Earthland to do some explore the world to see if it was safe enough to enter. Shutler, with his dark shadow Meta ability, was able to separate himself in two, and sent that part of him to Earthland. Part now that both halves are now on Earthland, I thought they would have become one again. But apparently the other half that’s free is still out roaming around somewhere here on Earthland.”

@Lunarlors34
With Maxie’s departure, Ashlyn’s locket, and Manami already wanting to leave with Shiro, Monsoon could soon finally resume his other plans now that the meeting was over.

They left the abandoned warehouse and made their way into the safe house. Inside was a quite big gelatin like character hopping in place as it tried to contain its excitement as it watched the Magic Games on a small lacrima screen. On the opposite side of the room, it was quite dark, but the shadowy figure could barely be seen as he sat on a chair and leaned back as the chair balanced on its two legs. I didn’t think I would see someone like you surrounded by fan girls. the shadowy figure snickered at his own joke but soon stopped seeing as that didn’t seem to get a reaction from Monsoon or even the happy anthropomorphic hyper gelatin. Fine, bring down the house. But at least I’m not the one that’s behind with finishing the mission that you created for today.

”That is only because I knew it would be successful. All I needed to do before was to erase his ethernano trial once he left the caverns underneath the city and when he left the city so no one could track him. More to the point, I wouldn’t call payment for a successful mission as part of the plan.”

Pfft.

Monsoon went to the tub where Shiro’s scythe still remained frozen in a block of ice, as if it never melted or changed a bit. Before he handed the frozen weapon to Manami, the ice quickly melted into water and the flowed into his garbs. Completely dry, he gave the scythe to Manami and was going to leave the safe house with the two girls as he was going meet someone else once the girls left. However, before they even left the safe house, there was one more thing that they didn’t talk about yet. ”Now that everything has been settled, how do expect me to contact you or the guild once I find Ashlyn?”

Penny and Ariel Collab

Penny didn't want to go alone, but it seemed she would have to now, as it didn't seem like she would find Damian anytime soon. "Karn has plenty of people looking out for him, Ariel. And I'm sure Master Jamie will not let anything more serious occur to him. I do not wish to both Sasha, and I cannot find Damian. I need to go, and I can't be looking for someone to go with me"

Pondering her options Ariel nodded slightly. Karn did have others to help him, and she couldn't entirely do much to help him at this very moment. Her Spirit magic needed to replenish before she could even consider trying to see how Edo-Karn was. This whole thing was absolutely crazy. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get some distance from Crocus either. At least until she can stabilize more. So far it'd been nothing but being pulled one direction after another from all the magic around.

"You're right. It sounds like time is of the essence. Where is it that we're going?" How did she get herself in these situations? Somehow she was always putting herself out there for others and obligating herself. This sounded like it wouldn't be a particularly long venture though. Mostly because Penny was clearly already short on time.

Penny tilted her head slightly, not expecting Ariel to simply offer herself. Penny was silent for a moment, before she said softly, "Not far. How good are your climbing skills? I could probably carry you for a few moments if it will be too difficult" Penny wasn't use to thinking about other people's lack of flight abilities, "Unless one of your abilities is flying, then we can just fly" Penny said, already relieved she wouldn't be going alone as she wrote a note to Damian to say she would be back soon, that she had to do something important and that she hadn't been able to find him and there was a time requirement, leaving it with the concierge to take to his room.

Breaking away from her inner thoughts, Ariel answered the question. "I don't have any magic to fly. But I should be able to climb with one or two that I have." This conversation was no fun for this personality. Sadly she couldn't change just yet.

Ariel followed Penny as she wrote and placed the note for Damian. Wasn't long after that that they headed out to their destination.

Penny was silent as she led the way. A hours walk, which would have taken Penny five minutes by herself, out of Crocus there were some mountains.

The cave come up more suddenly then Penny thought it would, lost in her own thoughts, her own past. And she began to explain, on the trip there why she was going this. She swallowed before she started, and the story came out slowly to start, but as she got going, it came out faster. "When my biological mother left me with my adoptive parents, she thought she was doing the right thing. And for a while, it was great. I guess I was about four when it started to change...My adoptive father began to beat my mother. I would hide, in a cupboard, but I could still hear everything, could still hear the pounding, and my mothers cries...One day, he went to far, and killed her, but made it seem like an accident...I hated him, but I was terrified.

Then I found my magic. I began learning it in secret, and then...when I was 16...I...he started to come at me...and I lost control. The fire escaped me, and I let him burn, fleeing. I don't remember that run, nor the travels that brought me to Solias..but I woke up in his cave and...well, he taught me my magic more then anything else, told me of my phoenix slayer magic, and...and...when I went searching for Sasha, he made me promise not to use my slayer magic, and I agreed, only...well, I started to use it. I knew the risks...I still do...and my fire magic is extremely powerful by itself.

But I got off track. He knew he was dying, even then, and asked me one thing. When his time was coming...that I would be the one to do it, to end his suffering. I agreed, because he had saved my life."

She fell silent, looking up at the cave she knew she would have to enter. Looked up at the cave that had been a home to her when she needed it. "I can carry you up, if you like. My flames won't harm you" she said with certainty

Listening intently, Ariel stayed silent while Penny told her story. The two had never really talked much. While she knew Penny had had a hard life she really had no idea just how much. It seemed like every time she got to know one of her guild members they had had a harder life than she did. "Wow. I had no idea. Makes me glad my family has been... Nevermind." Maybe not the best moment to go into how stable her family was. So far she seemed to be the odd one of the family.

Brushing off her own thoughts Ariel looked up to where the cave was. She probably could climb it, but it might take a while. Her magic wasn't cooperation at the moment, the Crystal magic having surfaced too recently. "I think you'll have to fly me up. I can't change magics right now."

"you shouldn't feel bad that you might be upsetting me or anyone else when you talk about your family, it's nice to know there are good ones out there" Penny said softly, "alright then. The flames might tickle but they won't burn"

It merely took seconds to change to to her flame form, and she held out her hands to Ariel.

Once She held Ariel, it was a little bit harder to take off but in seconds they were in the air. Penny wavered a moment, before taking off. It was barely a minute before she reached the cave opening.

Setting down, Penny stood there, battling back fear.

It was good to hear that Penny didn't mind hearing about her family. Ariel hadn't really talked about her family much beyond where they were from. Not really worried about the flames she welcomed the ride. It definitely was much easier than climbing. "Thank you for the lift."

Before they continued into the cave Penny had stopped. This was not going to be easy for her. Reaching out Ariel took Penny's hand. "Come on. I'll take the lead." Holding her hand tightly she gently lead them forward. She couldn't imagine having to do this kind of thing. Solias was one of the few that cared for her after all the abuse. While Ariel didn't know the way, she figured it couldn't be that complicated.

Penny shook her head, "I've never used the death song before. Like...like all the songs, I can choose who it effects, but...if at anytime you feel weak, I want you to run."

She turned, staring into the mouth of the cave that she knew so well. She took a deep breath, and stepped forward, stepped into the cave. She didn’t look back. She knew that if she did, she wouldn’t be able to do this.

She found him, gray and lifeless, the slight rise and fall of his chest the only indication that he still lived. His once fiery hair was dull and lifeless now, his eyes faded. And the first sob escaped Penny. She froze, unsure whether she could continue or not. And then she took another step. “Dad” She said softly, approaching, and crouching

“I’m sorry.” She whispered, sorry for everything, sorry that she had treated him so bad, sorry, sorry, sorry that she hadn’t been a good daughter, sorry that this had to happen, sorry it had to be her. Sorry. “I know you knew, the minute you found me, that I was yours. I don’t need to know how it happened, how my biological mother came across you. I don’t. I was angry, so angry, that you didn’t want to help me. I thought…I thought that you were ashamed of me…I’m sorry” Another sob escaped her. She knew she needed to do this now, or she wouldn’t be able to.

She hugged Solias one last time, and then she rose, her eyes blurring with tears. “Phoenix Song: Death note” The music was beautiful, sorrowful, a marching tune to death, an echo of grief, of pain, of farewell. It was death. Flame, bright red, yellow flickering within, engulfed the old Phoenix, the old slayer-turned Phoenix. It was beautiful. It was terrible. Penny had no words to describe it.

It was death.

It was over in moments. All that remained was ashes, and Penny fell to the ground, her knees slamming down, scrapping against the rock.

Ariel followed Penny into the cave and before long she saw Solias. He was withered and clearly lost the luster that he surely once had. It was surprising to even see such a creature. Not long ago she didn't even know that phoenix even existed, much less that she would have the opportunity to see one. But the excitement was undercut by the sorrow of what was about to happen. Nodding in reply to Penny's warning she stood off to the side.

Even though she was a little ways off Ariel could hear her guildmates words. They confused her quite a bit. Solias was Penny's dad! Now it hit her why this was so hard. Penny had to put down her father. Feeling numb she approached the two but stopped short not really knowing what to say or do.

And then the Phoenix Song: Death Note floated through the air. It was beautiful but crushing. Feeling weak Ariel made an effort to leave but her legs folded under her and she fell to the ground. Though she couldn't get away she managed to stay conscious. The brilliant flame drew her attention and she watched as the phoenix burned into ashes. Lifting herself up Ariel dragged herself over to Penny and put an arm around her. Even though she felt light headed she tried to stay stable as best she could.

Besides the dizziness though she felt odd, like she was drifting. A quick glance at the ground confirmed that she wasn't though. Was it the effects of the song? To Ariel the ashes seemed to be shimmering. Staring blankly she clearly wasn't all there. "It'll be okay Penny... Her vision was blurring and she reached for the light that she was seeing in the ashes. "So bright. She changed back to Ash magic and ran a hand through the ashes.

Penny fought to keep herself under control, knowing that if she let herself break down here, she wouldn't be able to leave. And she didn't want to completely lose it in front of Ariel. It was a horrible battle, but only the thought of Ariel, the thought that she might have been affected by the song, pulled her back from the black abyss she was tittering on.

Ariel seemed a little...unstable. Penny had to assure herself that the girl was functioning correctly, that she hadn't just half killed a guild mate. she pushed herself onto her feet, rocking back onto her heels, as she pushed back her own emotions. Ariel was running her hands through the ashes, concerning Penny.

"Ariel?" her voice was raw

Even though Solias had been reduced to ashes there was a lot of lingering magic from the phoenix. Penny could probably feel it but Ariel could see it plain as day. What exactly was running through the girl's mind though was a little hard to say. The song had done a number on her and while she seemed to be active she wasn't all there at the moment. Her ability to absorb magic wasn't about to let her die though. The magic left over from the phoenix death was sucked out of the cave and into Ariel.

That seemed to be the jump Ariel needed because she sat up and rubbed her head lightly. [color-gray]"Ugh, what happened?"[/color] She glanced at the pile of ash and then her hard that she'd run through it. "O-oh. Penny I'm sorry. I didn't mean to touch the ashes." Rising to her feet she glanced at Penny. While outwardly she seemed to have Ash magic, her eyes were a deep orange, like burning coals. Something was going on internally as some of the phoenix magic was leaking out as heat. Ariel took a few deep breaths and managed to cool down a bit. "Why is it so hot all of the sudden?"

"Phoenix Magic is very...drawing. Every part of a Phoenix is pure magic, including the Ashes. If this was not his true death, he would simply be reborn, using the magic from the ashes" she spoke in a voice devoid of emotions, yet somehow full of them. "Phoenix Magic is warm. It is...life. Strangely addictive, it's meant to be rejuvenating. Sometimes the overwhelming magic of Phoenix magic can be so hot, that I have to release the magic within myself to allow room for its magic. There's a reason why there are very few, if only me and the one other in crocus, that can use Phoenix magic. It's almost a third origin, a third well of magic within you."

Penny let out a slow breath, "I know you can copy others magika, but perhaps you should limit the contact you have with Phoenix Magic."

Penny tenderly scooped up as much as the ashes as she could, and going to the mouth of the cave, she flung all but a small handful out, watching the wind catch it at once, and it spread far and wide in seconds.

"I want to get back. I need to. Let's see if we can burn some of that excess heat you have. Let's see if you can fly now" it was easier to focus on Ariel, the. On her own twisting and turning emotions.

As Ariel listened she could feel what Penny was describing. A moment ago it felt like she was dying. Now she could feel the Phoenix magic churning inside her. Being warned to avoid Phoenix magic now was probably a moot point. It was building and threatening to consume her. "I think it's too late to avoid. I still hear the song ringing in my ears. His magic, Solias', I took it all in to live. There's a voice calling to me... 'Be reborn.'" She didn't quite exit the cave yet, hanging back.

Penny wanted to get back and asked Ariel to try and fly. Flying sounded nice, like freedom, and Ariel wanted it. Flames formed around her body as the Phoenix magic was released. Unable to control it the flames grew in intensity and consumed Ariel in a matter of seconds. Becoming ashes herself, her and Solias' very essence intertwined to become a new Phoenix. Barely visible in the firestorm the girl rose from the ashes. Flesh and bone wings sprouted and grew from her back as the Phoenix side manifested. The rebirth process complete the flames dispersed and Ariel stumbled a bit before getting her footing.


Despite what happened Ariel seemed to be quite confused by her form. She had a human body and she examined it a bit before wrapping herself up in her wings, finding that more comforting. Finally noticing Penny it took a couple moments to remember who it was. "...Penny. What's going on? I look like a human."

Penny just watched, knowing there was nothing that she could do. The flames didn't bother her, nor did the intensity in which they burned. It was mildly interesting, and Penny knew that only having Ariel there prevented the same fate occurring for her.

She should be relieved. Instead she just felt hollow.

At Ariel's question, Penny managed a small smile. "So did Solias, when he wanted to. Phoenix's have two forms, but I imagine you won't as you are a true Phoenix. I don't know, I'm just guessing here. You seem okay, so that's good"

Shifting her weight slightly Ariel glanced back into the cave for a moment, and then back out to the open sky. She was ready to go but there was something that she felt needed to be done. Walking over to Penny she wrapped her up in a hug, whether she wanted one or not. "You're hurting. Don't bottle it up. I won't judge you if you need cry. I may not know everything Solias did but I know he would want you to feel, to heal. He's a part of both of us now."

Ariel could be an emotional person to be sure. But this was a little different. She wasn't being this way because the magic dictated so. Solias being part of her gave an emotional attachment to Penny, even if it was one sided. Not in the father and daughter sense. Penny was closer to a sister at this moment, something she'd never had and wasn't entirely sure how to respond. But she knew she had to be there for Penny right now.

Penny shook her head, not at the offer of comfort but rather at the offer to breakdown. "No. If I start I won't stop and then we will never get back. I need to be away from here. I want to go home" home didn't mean the guild to her, it didn't even mean her dorm. Right then, Home was the place where those she cared about were.

"thank you for coming with me, I'd probably be curled up drowning the rocks in tears if I came alone" she said softly, "I'm grateful"

Though she seemed sceptical, Ariel didn't press the issue. Maybe Penny dealt with things differently. She let go and managed a small smile. "You're welcome. Let's head back." Stepping out she spread her wings and took off like she'd done it a hundred times before. Surely her guildmate would follow. Flying was going to make this a quick trip.

After a little while of flying in silence Ariel drifted back a bit to fly side by side. "I'm having a little trouble remembering things at the moment. I think it will come back to me in time." Getting back to Crocus she turned and asked an interesting question. "Penny, does this make us sisters?"

Penny was relieved that Ariel let it go for now. Watching Ariel take flight, Penny watched to make sure the girl wasn't going to plummet to the hard earth below, but Ariel's movements seemed confident. Flames engulfed Penny, and her Phoenix shape formed, the bright red and orange flames seemed to flicker with a deep purple color ever so often, and there seemed to be more solidness to the shape.

"Solias always said it was hard to remember things, until his mind adjusted to his new form, each time he was reborn. You will adjust, in time." Penny replied, loud enough to be heard over the wind.

She pondered Ariel's question, knowing it was hard to answer. She was silent, until the city came into view mere moments later. "I've learned that you can choose your family. I've learned that some things just happen, that people are thrown together for a reason. I've learned that it's okay to let people in, even if it is scary to wonder if you will lose them, or if they will hurt you.

I don't know what we are, Ariel. But I think it's safe to say that neither of us will ever truly be alone again. So, yes. But I think it's so much more then that"

She angled just slightly to the hotel, automatically adjusting for the change in direction and the height of the roof

The answer seemed to be satisfactory and Ariel dropped the subject. Thoughts were still a tad slippery in her mind so she decided it might be best to try and not ramble.

Directing her flight to the Phoenix Wing Hotel Ariel wasn't sure what she would do on arrival. For that matter there was no telling how people would react to her transformation. She was pretty sure the wings were a new feature. Given the strength of the magic she probably wouldn't be changing out of it for several hours.

Penny landed smoothly, her flames dying away in seconds. She looked to Ariel, wanting to check that she was alright, still seeming a little strange. Perhaps it wasn't the best to bring her here, but Penny was teetering dangerously on the edge of an emotional turmoil. "I forgot. Do you have a room yet?" It wouldn't do to just leave Ariel wondering at the moment.

She walked over to the stair way giving access to the hotel as she spoke, checking that the door was unlocked.

"If not, you could probably crash in my room" Her voice was thick with the unshed tears threatening to spill now.

Ariel stared blankly as she tried to remember if she had a room. Coming up with nothing she shook her head. "I don't think so. Uh... No, I'm pretty sure I don't." She followed like she was a lost puppy, or bird.

She also noticed the shaking in Penny's voice but didn't press about it. She just knew that whenever Penny was ready that she wanted to be available to comfort her.

No, it wouldn't do to let Ariel wander around by herself. She'd probably get lost and in trouble, and Penny didn't want to deal with anymore trouble right then. "You can come to my room then, and once you're more settled, we can see about getting you a room" Penny led the way down the stairs to her floor, managing barely to open the door to the hotel room.

She left the door open for Ariel, stumbling into the room. She didn't make it to the bed. She fell to the ground, scrapping her palms. Great, racking sobs tore from her throat, her chest heaving, her lungs sucking in air and exploding it into sobs, tears pouring down her cheeks

Stepping in Ariel closed the door. She was fairly sure that Panny wouldn't want everyone in the building to hear. She wasn't entirely sure what to do at the moment. The thought crossed her mind that, given where her Phoenix magic came from, she could be a reminder of Solias. There wasn't much she could do about that though. Kneeling down next to her, Ariel placed a hand on her back and rubbed lightly.

Penny turned into Ariel, accepting the comfort that she offered, unable to stop the tears tearing out her throat.

jessie

Jessie, who even know seemed full of energy smiled, "not murders, just maiming and comatosing. They are powerful wizards, after all" she said brightly, as she packed away the mics and systems, charming them to keep them safe.

"Pizza is always a good choice" she said happily, rising and stretching, "come on"

master Jamie

"you speak wrongly, Jackie. Sometimes to act is the only course of action. Sometimes rising, even if you aren't ready, is all you can do. Sometimes being the first to step up, brings an army to your back. Was it not so for Fraquar? In his case, it didn't result in his, nor the guilds death.

Yet it still does not change the fact that sometimes fighting is all you have left" Jamie said patiently "do you think my guild was prepared to fight the magic council? Yet we did it anyway, because sometimes you have to do what needs to be done, even if you don't know if you can do it" she turned to Jane, giving a soft sigh "I'm sorry. I can wish my sources had told me sooner of the dark guilds actions, that I may have prevented the deaths of your parents. Yet we can't change the past, and for that I am truly sorry. The loss of those you care about is no easy thing. You will find in my guild that many have suffered such a loss, yet together we find the strength to go on. I hope you will too"

@joshua tamashii@zarkun@hatakekuro@t2wave

Upon arrival Damian received a pointed glance from Kilo, but the muscled warrior wasn’t one to waste time being unpleasant. Enma’s disgruntled outburst would have earned a response from Kilo had he been given a few more seconds to think, but while the Blade of Phoenix Wing responded something clicked in his own mind as to what exactly might be going on in Belka. ”What if the Rune Knights was doing the quarantine for the plague city? If they had to stay there to keep others from gettin’ out, they might need people like us to sort out these strays.” He zipped up the last pocket on an enormous knapsack, having filled it with bread, carrots, celery, beets, jerky, and hard cheese wrapped in spongy cloths. Though not the tastiest of provisions, this food would last and last, and the soldiers would certainly be able to survive. Slinging it over his back easily, Kilo hefted his large steel poleaxe, ready to use it as a walking stick. In the camp, the general movement neared a fever pitch, indicating that the guild would soon be on the march.

A comment from Ike, who stood nearby, received from the axeling a mighty shrug. ”Dunno. We might have to, maybe not. Eliza likes to embellish her stories—make ‘em scarier. Maybe all we need to do is make a quarantine of our own. I bet when she said magic ain’t a cure for this plague, she meant conventional treatments. If we stay put ‘til specialists arrive, we might not have to hurt anyone.” By that time, Ike was already walking away, but fortunately a new figure that Kilo recognized as the demon Argus arrived just in time to hear and field a question of his own. ”Jus’ said, maybe we don’t gotta kill anyone. I hope we don’t. If we do, it’s only ‘cuz the plague’s really, really bad.”

Through the camp a piercing whistle echoed, and in a loosely organized mass the fully-equipped warrior guild began to move. Four wagons drawn by horses came up at the rear, while Chester Graham on his Roleto Beast wheeled overhead in preparation for a scouting mission. Behind them they left a park with barely any trace that an army once called it home. Finding Gabriel to be wounded, the swamp witch Morimato Tsubano gave him a antimaggot poultice for his splinter and told him that he could ride one of the horses if he so desired. Thor, still muddled with sleep, received the same advice. Kumbha Yatta and Virgil Marowit walked on either side of Ike, bearing the Frenzy Plant standard and the feather fan respectively. Riona and Ashlyn remained close by, though they found themselves joined by Ange Bolganone to the right, Kilo and Ni Rensa behind, and Nandy Rewman in front. Bytan Brass and Joakim Fortinbras stood by Argus, near whom Enma also tread, and to whose left Arivaderci Salvay slithered. Before ten minutes passed, the army stood at the edge of Crocus, on the brink of the grasslands and an ominous adventure.

Luna would stir a little as Hunter picked her up, as she wasn't entirely unconscious, but she was definitely not going to be getting up on her own for a while. She would feel warm and light in his arms, being as small as she is, and her robe would be a dull, neutral, grey, as if the sun was covered in clouds. As Zev joined them, any glances at Grant would reveal him finally getting up, though his demeanor clearly indicates he doesn't have a care in the world as to the situation of Luna.

"Look, I can walk on my own without you practically doting over me to make sure I don't fall over," a female voice drifted from down the exit the two helping Luna were heading towards.

"B-but if you've got that sharp weapon, if you fall you might hurt yourself!" Another voice drifted down the passageway, also female. In short order they'd come into sight, one with their leg in a cast and using a glaive as an assist to walking, and the other walking right next to her. They'd stop as they spotted Luna being carried.

"Well, then."

"I d-didn't think she was h-hurt so bad she'd pass out," the uninjured woman said, coming over quickly to check on Luna. The top half of her guild mark would be visible on her left shoulder, cut off by the neck of her sweater that sat eschew on her shoulders. She was Iron Enigma.

"Arie, go with them to the infirmary to make sure Luna turns out alright. I'll catch up," Laynett's voice became significantly more commanding than what it was before. She looked at Zev and Hunter. "And make sure her arms aren't pressed against anything, she complained about how much they hurt earlier and I doubt that fight made them any better," when she tilted her head slightly to get a better look, the dark blue Iron Enigma mark would be clear as day on the side of her neck, it normally covered by the bits of armor she always wore. At least Luna hadn't been completely abandoned by her guild, even if they had previously been oblivious to just how bad her condition was after the fight.

@Zarkun@hatakekuro

Lazarus
@Caits
He shook a little and he clasped the door handle. Memories still flooding back to him. "We can't go on a full frontal offensive. It would cause panic among the crowds, and everyone else." He paused. "But we simply can't let him use the information that he has." He thought back to what his former self could do with magic. "A new age of despair will fall upon the land, magic will become great once again, under thy guidance lord zeref." He recited a line from the book. "Everyone who doesn't use magic will die. Everyone who fights for this age will die. It will be a new world for all that dance with magic, those who do not fear its dark properties. He stopped himself. "We have to get him. I have no idea where to look. Surely we will have to wait for him to come to us."

Grane Falo | Crocus, Underground

@Crimson Raven
”Arc of Time, it was a magic that a Council Member used over a hundred years ago. The Council kept records of the wizard that possessed it preserved in the archive of the Council’s Head Quarters. I learned bits of it before Phoenix Wing fought the Council. But during the guild’s battle against the Council, the record was destroyed along with the most of Council’s Head Quarters. What you saw me do earlier today was all I could do with the magic. Perhaps in time and training, I could do more, but there are other priorities that I must attend to first.” Grane stood there for a few seconds as he waited for the stranger’s to say anything else. From what he could remember, he saw him fight along with the other wizards and rune knights during the dome battle.

Well, that confirms my suspitions Ferrin thought. When the lizard-man mentioned the council, Ferrin was caught off guard. "Wait, the council headquarters was destroyed in a battle with Pheonix Wing?" He asked, surprised. "Why? And what became of the council?"

@Zarkun
Cody grimaced from the effort of trying to stop the blade, falling to his knees a lot quicker then he wanted to admit. As he felt James' blade tap his forehead he closed his eyes and sighed heavily. He had hoped to at least put up a better effort than that...
However he now took in what James said. So blocking an attack like that was no good?
Cody now realised just how much he relied on his magic in fights....A lot more than he would care to admit.
Nodding in response, Cody imitated the attack to the best of his abilities. However of course his was a lot more sloppy than James simply due to the deference in technique and experience, yet alone strength.



@Zarkun@hatakekuro@oblivion666@liferusher@Caits@Raijinslayer@Lugubrious

Indigo had led the two girls to a small clearing, perhaps a picnic area?, outside of the arena to face off. It was far enough for, most, attacks, to not damage the arena but still a large battlefield.
Ash had just began warming up however when suddenly a large group of people suddenly left the arena, shortly after a loud voice was heard. However Ash, much like Riona, had ignored it due to the fact they were about to face off. However upon realising it was pretty much the entirety of Frenzy Plant, the guild she was trying to get into, she now frowned slightly. Indigo had told her that they were a militaristic guild, so if they were mobilizing like this....it couldn't be good.
Luckily for Riona when she wrapped her arm around of Ash her body had cooled to a suitable temperature to be touched, due to her not actually being able to warm up or use magic just yet, and she decided to listen to what should have been her opponent had to say.
She could use this as her test? Just pretend to be a member of this guild? Ash didn't seem too impressed by these suggestions as her frown now deepened.
"I suppose I will have to tag along anyway. I'll just prove myself to the entire guild." Ash responded, in a rather reluctant tone, before taking in the mission explanation.
Outbreak? Belka? People becoming violent? It didn't take a rocket scientist to work out this was bad news, if it continued to spread....
Ash broke off from the group when Riona disappeared to go get her stuff, a simple duffle bag filled with clothes, toiletry and other essentials, before returning and soon meeting up with Riona once more at the camp site.
Upon arriving she heard Damien speaking up and narrowed her eyes towards the Phoenix Wing S-Class, not with malice however. She was confused, what was the Blade of Phoenix Wing doing here? She also listened to what the others had to say as she mulled over their thoughts. It was however at this point when something struck her. It was a combination of what they had all said....They were going to go kill these people? Ash went pale at the thought.
Sure when she was part of Shadow Heart, she had killed dozens of times....however a single image still haunted her. Ash wasn't sure how she would've reacted to this all if Kilo hadn't expressed his own thoughts on the matter.
Yes...of course. They would simply take them down without killing them.
"I hope so too...." Ash mumbled under her breath before getting somewhat into the formation the rest of the guild now formed. It was probably pretty obvious that she didn't belong, or maybe she was just new, but she honestly had no clue what she was doing.



@Expolar
As they re-entered the safe-house, Manami cast a glance at the new occupants. Were they Monsoon's comrades?
"Well I don't mind the mysterious type." Manami chuckled softly into her sleeve as she went along with the shadowy figure's (Shutler?) joke. She didn't seem the harm in adding to after all it was just a rather obvious attempt at trying to get a reaction from Monsoon.
"Manami Fuyu. A pleasure to meet both of you." Manami added politely now as she smiled towards the other two and did a small curtsy. However upon noticing that Monsoon had disappeared to go get the scythe Manami quickly left the room to go wake Shiro.
Something interesting was going on it would seem, but not like it was any of her business. Whatever Mr Monsoon and his comrades were planning wouldn't hurt Shadow Heart directly, they wouldn't have seeked their assistance otherwise. Plus Manami doubted Georgie would've complied if she knew it would....right?
Dismissing those thoughts quickly she shook Shiro awake. She and Shiro had an agenda to fufill after all...

She soon meet up with Monsoon back in the main room, a still half-asleep Shiro leaning on her shoulder, and gratefully took Shiro's scythe back from the man.
"I thank you for your hospitality Mr Monsoon." Manami said with a soft smile before frowning at what he said next. Contact them? Didn't Georgie give him a card?
Wait....of course she didn't, why would she do something so logical?
Sighing now Manami reached into her cloak pocket and whipped out a card similar to what she used to contact Georgie. This one however was different in that it had a chibi version of Manami herself on it.
"I apologise for not giving you one sooner. I would've thought Georgie gave you one, I only have one for contacting me as I still need my one for Georgie." Manami handed the card to him as she bowed apologetically. At this stage as well, Shiro was fully awake and seemed to be giving Monsoon the stink eye once more. She also seemed less than impressed by the others in the room but stayed silent by Manami's side, however she seemed on edge.
Almost as if she was paranoid they would attack her or Manami. Which of course was crazy, if they had wanted to they would've simply done so when she was sleeping.
"If you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to contact me Mr Monsoon. With that done, I'll see you gentlemen later." Manami gave a small wave goodbye to the other two before leaving the safehouse with Monsoon. She made sure to hang onto Shiro's scythe however, she didn't trust her comrade with it at the moment.

Once out she would get a couple of blocks away before finally handing Shiro's scythe back to the frosty mage.
"C'mon Shiro.... We have some slayers to kill." Manami spoke softly as Shiro clipped her scythe back on, simply nodding in understanding.
"Understood Manami-sama."