Varjan slowed to a stop once you disappeared into the shadows and emerged back on top of a pillar right behind him.

The boy lazily crossed his arms as he stared at you from down below. He made no other move. No move to force you to come down nor a move to bring himself to your level. There was not even a move to attack you. Varjan simply stood there as he looked back at you. Whatever his previous plan was, he was not following it up or making another plan.

The audience began booing as the stare-off continued. They then began yelling that you should come down and fight. They were calling you a coward and a pushover. They suggested that you forfeit the match if you were not going to fight Varjan. Basically, they were making fun of you and simultaneously praising Varjan for seemingly scaring you.

Varjan was silent as he patiently waited for you to make your next move.



Seleth attempted to mislead Lisianthus with her Mock Souls. However, the Princess shot orbs of light at all of them. Fortunately for Seleth, she had cast Aylama's Mirror on herself so the orb of light bounced harmlessly off the barrier and into the ground, creating a small explosion and throwing up some dust.

Meanwhile, the Mock Souls of the Dark Elf all cast Shadow Weight aimed at Lisianthus but the Princess was nothing if quick. She was able to cast Reflect and protect herself from the dark spells. The shadowy orbs bounced into the ground and threw up a lot of dust, enough to obscure the vision of both fighters of each other.

Despite the difference in position, Seleth and Lisianthus were apparently evenly matched. This development gave the audience much excitement, praise given to both sides of the fight.

---

Before a decision could be made, a scene occurred near Juan de la Cruz's carriage.

A lady in a pink, frilly, fancy dress with an equally fancy umbrella bumped into a person in a black cloak. The lady tore the black-cloaked person a new one although the tone called to question the lady's true gender. Regardless, the lady lifted her skirt only to reveal she had armor beneath and had weapons attached under the skirt itself. The lady chose a sword and began attacking.

All this caught the crowds' attention. Even Juan's carriage stopped. It would be a prime opportunity to seize Juan but then, a probably innocent person was being accosted.

Why are...you wearing that silly outfit? If people see you in that, they might start to get the wrong idea."💧

"Oh don't worry, hon. They're not getting the wrong ide--"

Keith's reply was stopped short when he bumped into a person wearing strange clothes.



You find yourself wandering Zauberheim, the capital city of Razelia and enjoying the sights and sounds and services that the current festivities offered. Said festival was about an annual tournament in Seraph Academy where students and outsiders compete against one another in order to test the students' abilities and show them new ways and approaches regarding magic.

The tournament was currently ongoing and from what you heard, it was the semifinals. Perhaps you could catch a seat for the grand finals in the near future?

But for now, you were at Zauberheim's southern gate town. Then you bumped into a... lady?



Having bumped into Rimlian, Keith-in-a-frilly-dress was quickly offended. "Ugh! How dare you, sir?! To bump into a respectable lady like myself and not apologize immediately?" Keith assumed his most 'pompous lady' tone in addressing Rimlian. "I daresay you should be--"

The mercenary dropped his tone once he examined Rimlian more closely. "Say Hisana, doesn't this guy look like that Enishi guy you were talking about?" Keith asked his literal partner-in-crime. "Well whatever, he looks like he's one of the bobbies and is probably going to arrest Juan. Let's frag 'im."

Keith then lifted his skirt to reveal several weapons attached to it. The weirdly-dressed mercenary then grabbed a sword and attacked Rimlian with it, starting with a quick thrust aimed to the chest.

~

The crowd and the carriage reacted to something. A man and a... woman?... were in the middle of an armed fight, wonderful.

"Oh, that's just top. You guys go straight for our mark, I'll break up the fight." Lumina grabbed the crystal buckler from her back as she dove through the crowd. She also grabbed the small crystal bar from her waist, holding it like the hilt of a sword. She was ready to power up both her shield and half of her quarterstaff (for a club). As she got closer, she thought she recognized the armor, but the dress was really throwing her off.

--- Meeting Room ---

After bidding a quick farewell to the Princess, Kazudain and Maldur followed the Feathered One to meet with the Kingdom's Court Mage. After quick pleasantries the pair had retired for the night to continue the next day.

Having returned refreshed Kazudain could focus on the reasons he was summoned. Of course better introductions came before anything else. Taking a seat the man folded his hands before him while Maldur sat to his side.

"I see and greet you, Court Mage Athos of Zauberheim. I am Kazudain, The Lightning Arch-mage. If that name is not known to you I am known as the Blitz Warrior in many Elf circles." It had been nearly 70 years since he last uttered that title, last spoken during and after the battle of Amalrala. In lands to the west lied the Elven Kingdom of Amalrala, so named after their patron Goddess. Their lands bordered on the Eastern fringe of the Bast lands where many a barbarous tribe resided.

Tensions had always been moderate between the two lands but peace had been kept for hundreds of years. But in recent years at the time, tensions had been building at a rapid pace; yearly raid counts rising, each moving further beyond the border. Even though talks were successful, it only delayed the inevitable.

What became known as the Battle of Amalrala was a six month siege of the kingdom by the united barbarian hordes of the Bast lands. He and Maldur had come to the kingdom two weeks after the battles began, aiding the kingdom by the front lines. They had saved many a soldier during those long months using their abilities to blitz across the battlefields at a rapid pace, hence why many called him such.

After six months the Barbarian Kings finally entered the fray and fought against the pair along with King Quintos and Queen Dalva of Amalrala. The battle was long, fierce and still sung to this day in many Elf battalions.

"And I managed nothing good sir. The receptionist allowed us both to enter, placing my partner as a simple animal companion. Which as you deduced is far from the truth." He inclined his head towards Maldur, chuckling. "Maldur is one of the rare Great Tigris Glacius of the frozen wastes far to the North. Capable of great Ice Magics and instincts, many who mistake him for something simple soon learn that is not the case." He reached over to give Maldur a quick pet before gaining a more serious expression.

"Now then with introductions concluded, what would you need of me? A person of your status doesn't ask to meet anyone out of mere curiosity." His words were calm, if a little blunt.

--- Southern Gate Town ---

The could feel the tension in the air as everything got into position. Within the pack he carried lied the tablet they would use to not only summon their aid but also their means to whisk Juan away. The carriage passed by with no sight of his pursuers. It seemed the time was soon upon them. But before Tibrus could utter a word, the situation descended into... less than ideal conditions.

"Blast it, I don't like this but we have have to move. Fly, the both of you! I'll set the portal." With that, he gingerly dropped his pack and took out the keystone. Thankfully it wasn't very large nor heavy but was still vitally important. Taking out a vile of amber liquid Tibrus quickly drank it, sparks jutting from his hands. Feeling the mana course through him, Tibrus focused it into the keystone causing both it and it's twin to briefly glow. That was the signal Athos needed to send reinforcements. He sent a few more pulses before any guards could be sent. A trio of pulses, a pause before 5 more. It was an old code he and Athos had agreed on to help describe what the situation was. Street moderately crowded with slight panic followed by close to target, need to extract now.

~~Seleth~~

@PaulHaynek@AzureKnight

---

Well, she hadn't expected this to be easy but to have both her offense so soundly crushed? She hadn't been expecting that. A brief moment of doubt, but Seleth didn't linger on it. She couldn't let herself be defeated so easily. Lisia was quick, and she likely couldn't match her speed so she'd need to use her own speed and attacks against her.

As the dust began clearing, Seleth used the cover to make a single more clone, causing it to quickly send its way towards Lisia and close the distance in an attempt to distract her, followed up by launching several Javelin's in her opponents direction.

The dust cleared, Lisia saw Seleth's Mock Soul coming at her. She moved in to attack the illusion, having no time to ponder whether it was the real thing or not and had to make a split-second decision. She chose poorly as she had attacked a clone and was thus open to the Dark Elf's Dark Javelins.

The magical javelins knocked Lisia off her feet and sent her slamming to a nearby boulder. The princess was stunned from the impact and allowed Seleth to follow up with another attack. The Dark Elf could very well end this match right then and there and grab a very unexpected victory.

The audience were at the edge of their seats. Could the match end this quickly and decisively with the Princess Of Zauberheim at the receiving end?

---

After his sword thrust was parried, Keith attempted to grab Rimlian but the wanderer managed to get away. Suddenly, Rimlian was joined by Lumina, the Beastkin that Keith knew all too well.

"Hey, you were that beastie from the warehouse." The mercenary said. "I knew tall, dark and masky was with you. Looks like I made the right call." Keith ripped off his frilly dress to show his signature black armor and threw away his hat. He then equipped a buckler to go along with his sword. "Hisana, you keep an eye on our objective. I'll deal with these two." He ordered the cloaked woman.

Keith cracked his neck. "Well then, it's fighty time."

---

"Now then with introductions concluded, what would you need of me? A person of your status doesn't ask to meet anyone out of mere curiosity."

"...Well..." Athos tried to find his words. "I did not know you were going to be that famous." The court mage admitted.

"Despite your stature, I hope you don't mind helping out in a... drug-busting operation." Athos said. "You see, Mister Kazudain, we have recently discovered a criminal ring here in Zauberheim that deals in illegal drugs and substances." He explained. "We have also discovered that they have several or more talented and skilled individuals within their operation, making apprehending them... difficult."

"And while it behooves us to ask for external help, much of the Crown's efforts right now are focused on the current festivities." Athos continued. "And so, we come to this. May I request your aid in bringing this drug ring to justice?"

~

Thessir

It had been like, what? half a minute?

Thessir furrowed his liquid brows slightly with irritation at the crowd's jeering, keeping his ink black grin however false it might have been.

"Patience, patience. Don't you worry." He dusted his coat in a wide sweeping motion, standing back up straight as he addressed the restless audience.

"You'll all git your blood soon enough." He suddenly dropped his voice into a low growl of a tone, his words far harsher in sound. He brought his arms back with his palms by his shoulders facing out. He lowered his stance as if to brace against a powerful force. In a superfluous show he prepared himself for what looked to be a massive spell, his coat trembling from what appeared to be the unseen force of his magical energy gathering. It was an act of course, all showmanship while he readied the real attack. He drew in a deep breath and... Let it escape his lips in a rather slight sigh.

"No hard feelings thin."

And back to his chipper old self. His coat's shoulders relaxed and he adopted a far more casual stance, something like how somebody might stand when just casually making conversation or something to that effect. The true movements were far more subtle, his very hands not even missing from his sleeves as they hung idly by his sides. Within his coat however he had formed a number of tentacles wrought from his dark mass using them to grip several knives simultaneously. Through the darkness beneath his coat he stabbed through the darkness, the edges of the knives emerging through the shadows cast by his own clothes.

Two knives erupted from his collar and stabbed for both jugular veins. One knife emerged from within his shirt and was aimed to stab beneath the sternum where the solar plexus lie. Another knife was set to stab him in the bladder and another two were driven at his kidney regions. Beneath each armpit he aimed to slip two knives between the ribs where the lungs rested. The biggest knife, his dagger, he kept in reserve.

He was watching very keenly for someone with an eyeless face. The first thing he was watching for was a motion of Varjan's hands. The moment his famed opponent would attempt to close his hand in any sort of motion he'd use the shadow created by that to cut his fingers. Anything to keep his foe from casting.

He could only be so prepared though. With nothing to go on he expected nearly anything from this.

@PaulHaynek @Rune_Alchemist

Falling for Seleth's clone tactics, the princess couldn't see the next attack. Lisia found herself being bombarded by dark energy spears, causing her to be sent flying into a nearby boulder. "Gaaaah!" was all she managed to yelp out after her back hit the solid rock.

The princess was taken aback by her predicament, she didn't think that she'd have THAT much trouble at the start of the match. Clearly this dark elf didn't make it this far on a fluke. While she certainly wasn't ecstatic at the thought of defeat, Lisia had to admit the match held more promise than she initially thought.

So she can make clones and fire projectiles? And she can reflect projectiles, interesting. Lisia began thinking of a method of counterattack. It seemed her opponent would prefer to keep thinks far and from a safe distance. Then, it'd be best to make a cautious advance in order to gain the advantage. Hoping to quickly recover, Lisia would begin charging her blade and use Flash Step in order to confound Seleth with her speed.

Of course, the speed was just a distraction, she had planned to use Raging Thunder in order to strike down lightning bolts in all directions around the dark elf to prevent her from maneuvering. She would then deliver a powerful slash with her blade.

---

@CitrusArms @ZAVAZggg

"Keith, darling, that man looks nothing like my Enishi. You can't even see his face with that silly mask~ Said the dame before Keith blew his cover and attacked the masked man, who seemed to be a sorcerer of some kind.

Honestly, he has no way of knowing if that man is with the investigation or not. Even so, he would at the very least have enough sense not to approach us without planing. Mused Hisana to herself. Though she was somewhat interested in seeing this newcomer in action, her attention was soon drawn by the blue-furred beastkin who made her way to the fray. Is this is one of the beastkin Keith saw last night? She's cute, and the crystals are pretty~ She thought.

However, Keith ordered her to keep an eye on the noble they had to "protect" from the squadron of investigators. "Aww, no fair. Hogging all the fun for yourself...💧 But, if the situation called for it, Hisana would have no choice but to defend herself. With that in mind, she placed a razor-sharp poker card in her hand just in case. She also made it visible enough for anyone drawing closer to see.

---

@Frozen0Titan @Polaris North

It would seem that another bystander got caught up in what was supposed to be a secret investigation, perfect... All Enishi could do was sigh at the situation. He saw that the armored warrior in the silly dress resembled the same man who they tangled with last night, which was confirmed when said warrior ripped the dress off. He began fighting the masked sorcerer. Well, at least the man could defend himself.

Tibrus began preparing the teleportation spell to call for backup, so as not to twiddle his thumbs, Enishi decided to assisted Lumina in helping the masked man and subduing the thug. However, something was off about the cloaked person who had been standing next to the armored one.

He had noticed that one had been strangely calm despite being more or less in the middle of a street brawl, more over to two seemed to have been conversing with one another. But the poker card poking out from the cowl gave it away.

"It is her!!" Proclaimed the bounty hunter. Deciding to run past the masked magician, and figuring Lumina would be enough to assist him, Enishi quickly drew his sword make a swift slashing motion toward the cloaked figure.

It seemed after a few days, the two fighters would finally meet again face to face.

Ahg! It was that guy from yesterday! And he meant business today. He wore the same armor, but was ready with a sword and shield to strike down whoever got in his way. They were matched for equipment, disregarding his armor. A metal buckler, sword and armor, against her crystal buckler and tool, one end of it extended as a thin club. She left her flight pack at home today... Not that she needed it for a one-on-one.

"It's you. Did you mean anything when you said 'mortal eyes' yesterday, or where you just being-" She approached fast him with a forward leap, gathering power in her shield and shield arm. The crystal buckler expanded its field, forming a kite shield that also wrapped around her fist.

She needed to knock him off balance before she knocked him flat. To do that, she had to use his armor against him. She needed to turn that advantage he had. She would open with a slightly telegraphed slash with her right hand, from her right side. She wanted him to block that, so she could then use her protected left fist to strike his helmet, "frivolous? And what, no staff today? I suppose that was just for your purpose yesterday, then."

The hairs on her neck stood on end. Energy gathered. Something was coming!

@ZAVAZggg@AzureKnight

~~Seleth~~

@PaulHaynek@AzureKnight

---

Had she given the princess too much credit even still? Such a simple tactic she fell for. Seleth narrowed her eyes. Or was this a trick by the princess? Well, she wasn't the type to let her guard down around anyone in the middle of a match like this. Lisia began her advance, Seleth returned with one nasty trick of her own. Waving her spear, the Dark elf pointed it at the princess. A bright sparkling flash of white accompanied with a low bang, as her 'Misleading Dazzle' hopefully caused Lisia to veer completely off course.

Next, she followed it up with a shadow weight in an attempt to subdue her opponent, unaware that Lisia was trying to use this as a diversion.

Despite your multi-pronged attack, Varjan had a trick up his sleeve for this. The boy suddenly glowed with Sun-like light, dispelling any darkness he had in him and any attack that you attempted.

Then, the light grew brighter and brighter until you, as well as the audience, were blinded by it. When it faded, Varjan was gone. The audience gasped and you realize that Varjan was now right behind you. Before you could do anything, the boy seized you by the throat. "It's always darkness with you, isn't it? You have to branch out, my friend."

With one punch that had the might of the earth behind it, Varjan got his fist inside your being. "I know who you are, Thessir. We're alike, you and I. Black sheep among the flock." He said, not at all bothered that his hand was inside you. "You in a more literal sense and I, in a metaphorical way." You then feel his fist glowing with a faint light, threatening to light up and do some real damage.

"But I know more than that, Thessir. I know who your people are." Varjan revealed. "I can help them. Free them."



Lisianthus went for the offense, moving with lightning speed. Too fast for eyes to follow. But that was only for a distraction, the Princess also summoned lightning bolts to strike around Seleth and follow it up with a clean slash from her blade Mjolnir. Meanwhile, Seleth was not idle. The Dark Elf cast her Misleading Dazzle and attempted to lock down Lisianthus with a Shadow Weight.

But Lisianthus moved too quick and the Misleading Dazzle spell missed. The lightning bolts that hit the ground around the Dark Elf made her flinch, allowing the Princess to strike true with her sword. It was only fortunate that some of the impact was absorbed by Seleth's staff. Even so, Seleth was knocked aside by the blow and she crashed to the ground a few feet from the Princess.

The audience cheered, roared. The tides have shifted. Their beloved Princess has bounced back from an almost disappointing defeat. The battle was not over.

---

Before Enishi could deal the first strike against Hisana, a knight-like figure blocked his way without meaning to. "Greetings." The knight said to Hisana. His armor was a shining silver and his colors were that of Zauberheim's city guard. "The person in the carriage, Juan de la Cruz, is a wanted person. And you appear to be associated with him along with that fellow over there." He motioned to Keith who was battling the Beastkin and the hooded one.

"I must ask that you stand down. No need for this to get complicated." The knight, despite his words, was ready for a fight though. He saw Hisana's card and clearly doubted any form of surrender.



Rimlian fired his lightning but Keith managed to gracefully evade it by quickly spinning to the side. He charged forward for a counterattack but Lumina blocked his way.

"It's you. Did you mean anything when you said 'mortal eyes' yesterday, or where you just being- frivolous? And what, no staff today? I suppose that was just for your purpose yesterday, then."

Keith had indeed blocked Lumina's slash but he was surprisingly quick, able to tilt his head to avoid the punch that was the true attack.

He then backed away instead of retaliating. "Wait, wait, wait!" He unexpectedly brought the fight to a pause. "Hold on. You- You took that seriously? Really? Ahahahahahaha!" The mercenary laughed at Lumina. "I- Hahahaha! W-Wai- Ahahahahaha!" He continued laughing, unable to stop. "HAHAHAHAHA! My- My sides! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He even slapped his knee. "HAHAHAHAHA! That's, that's so golden! Ahahahahaha!"

"You-you realize those were just drugs right?! Ahahahahaha!" Keith was hysterical in his laughter. And also vulnerable.

~

"Well excuse me for being earnest! Besides, we don't have... Vials of weird liquid back home. Just plants." Lumina huffed at the armored thug that paused their fight to make fun of her. It was a little embarrassing, and perhaps a lesson. She needed to relax a little, like this guy. A little too relaxed, maybe, she should punish-

A fireball?! That's not neighborly! Her senses spiked and she rushed forward, toward Keith. A fireball wasn't exactly a non-lethal kind of attack, unlike her own approach. Sending power throughout her body, she took hold of whatever kind of handhold she could find in Keith. Depending on the handholds, she would then execute some kind of suplex or slam.

"There are people here, you fool. You're endangering lives." She glared a dagger or two at this other person, before looking back at the man in armor. Had to keep her eyes on this one. Wiley. "And you. What's even your name? If you're gonna be so rude to stop and make fun of me, you might as well give me that much before I kick your ass." Despite her words, it would be a real fight. He acted like an oaf, but this man was capable.

@ZAVAZggg

--- Southern Gate Town ---

Sweat began to perspire on the architect's forehead as he fed mana into the keystone. It may not guzzle down mana from his end like that in the castle, but already he was feeling the effects. Thankfully a guardsman was already on the scene with more soon to arrive. Tibrus hoped the situation finished quickly so they could move forward with the investigation.

--- Meeting Room ---

"Despite your stature, I hope you don't mind helping out in a... drug-busting operation." Athos said.

At the words of investigation, both man and beast shared a glance before turning back to the Court Mage.

"You see, Mister Kazudain, we have recently discovered a criminal ring here in Zauberheim that deals in illegal drugs and substances." He explained. "We have also discovered that they have several or more talented and skilled individuals within their operation, making apprehending them... difficult."

"And while it behooves us to ask for external help, much of the Crown's efforts right now are focused on the current festivities." Athos continued. "And so, we come to this. May I request your aid in bringing this drug ring to justice?"

Now this was interesting. The man knew things would be interesting from what his contacts spoke to him of, but this was a little different. He lowered one hand to the table while stroking his chin with the other.

"While we haven't dealt with drug rings specifically, we have encountered and helped with underground elements before. As I'm now out of the tournament I have much more time to spare, I don't see why I couldn't help with this. But we need to know as much of the situation as possible before we fully commit. We be transparent with each other and I don't see any troubles on our part of the investigation. So-" Hands were folded as Maldur looked directly at the elderly mage.

"-what is the situation thus far? Who shall I be working with?"

~~Seleth~~

@PaulHaynek@AzureKnight

---

"Ugh!" Seleth grunted as her spell failed, Lisia meeting her spear in equal measure with her blade. The Dark Elf was sent flying to the side, landing on the ground some distance away from Lisia. She really was fast! too fast for her spells to be very effective as long as she had that absurd speed. Perhaps her name had some merit after all. Ugh, damn it! Quickly, Seleth returned to her feet. What could she do? She had to be able to do something, but she had played a bit of her hand far too early, hadn't she? She should have saved the mirror for a key moment so Lisia didn't know about it.

Well, there was still one thing she could potentially do, but it'd be difficult to pull off successfully.

"Hup!" Not letting Lisia have the time to make another move, Seleth quickly copied herself, her clones quickly moving about the field in different directions.

Her gambit here was simple. Get Lisia to attack her true self, but swap places with one of her clones using 'False Person' before she could be injured or harmed. The clone in question she swapped with would have the 'shadow weight' curse built into it and hopefully slow down her opponent.

Thessir

A shame his attack was cut off like so. Luckily only the edges of the blades had entered the shadows so when he cut off their port of entry they simply bounced back into the soft mush of his own body. As the light he generated grew brighter he was forced to tip his hat forward to keep it from affecting his face, the back of his neck sizzling with smoke as this motion left him exposed for the moment. When the light vanished he looked up to see his opponent had disappeared. It wasn't hard to guess what he'd done. A little adage ran through his head at that point.

If somebody teleports as part of an attack then they're probably...

As if right on cue he spun right around to see Varjan directly behind him, just as expected.

"It's always darkness with you, isn't it? You have to branch out, my friend."

Thessir chuckled, even as Varjan's fingers sank into his throat only for it to flow between them like he was grasping at water.

"That is funny. I had not pigged, er, pegged you to be a comedian." It seemed as if in response the young man's fist drove straight into the center of his mass with great force, his soft form folding over his arm from the force. If his flesh were any less spongy he might of tore a hole in his shirt. Luckily for Thessir not being tough often paid off.

"I know who you are, Thessir. We're alike, you and I. Black sheep among the flock. You in a more literal sense and I, in a metaphorical way." Right as his fist began to glow Thessir's upper body seemed to leap right off his lower body at the division between his shirt and pants. With the cloth serving to protect against the light given off by his fist Thessir had used his torso to flip off his legs in an acrobatic attack on him. As he flipped multiple times forward above his head he produced his main daggers from his sleeves and used the speed born from the rotations to slash at Varjan with great force. His daggers were aimed to slice the muscles just above his clavicles, each blade positioned to cut between his shoulders and his neck.

Unable to confirm the damage he landed on his torso's base, the thick tendrils comprising it balancing him as he landed. Landing slightly hunched forward on the stump that was now his body he reached up and tipped his hat back to keep the sunlight off the back of his neck as it stung ever so much. Even though his teeth had the same color and consistency as the rest of his body he still wore a grin which reached from ear to pointy ear.

_
"But I know more than that, Thessir. I know who your people are. I can help them. Free them."

Thessir spun around towards Varjan quite suddenly, his smile now gone. Given their height disparity, especially now that Thessir was only half there, The brim of his hat cut off his entire view of Varjan from the knees up. consequentially his own face was obscured by the hat as well. He made no effort to change this.

"Free them from what, my oddly prescient foe?" Using his shadow travel his base tendrils reached through his own shadow to grasp his legs which laid before Varjan. As the rule demands anything that travels through a disappearing shadow ejects through the remaining side at a very high rate of speed. Since the shadow cast by the legs were to disappear as soon as he pulled them through the moment he did they rocketed up into him, launching him high above Varjan. To the crowd this height would be exaggerated by the fact that they were still standing atop the stone pillar.

Near the apex of this launch Thessir angled himself to dive for Varjan. He had dramatically swept his coat across, concealing his body from him as well as hiding the angle of his incoming strikes. Between the rim of his hat and his coat's tall hiked up collar only a sliver of his face could be seen through the sweeping flutter of dark garments. It was just enough to see through yet at a moments notice he could close his face off with a decisive tilt of his head. He had four arms formed within the sleeve for his left arm, one of them wielding one of his daggers and three others wielding other assorted knives. The sun burned at the gaps left open by him from above but it was an acceptable price to pay in his eyes. He still had a couple minutes worth of exposure to the sun left in him before he ran the risk of losing something necessary to the process of living.

"They are already free!" His voice rang with a tinge of... Something, as he beckoned his excited battle cry.

Maybe anger? Sadness?... Regret?

@PaulHaynek @Rune_Alchemist

While her slash did connect, most of the force was absorbed by Seleth's spear. The princess was hoping to cause more damage, but at least she was able to counter her foe this time. Lisia really didn't want this battle to drag on for too much longer, however. The dark elf seemed to have a lot of strange trick up her sleeve.

It appears she can't match my speed. I have that in my favor, at least. Even so, Lisia would have to find a way to score a decisive hit in order to secure victory. While Lisia was faster, Seleth's abilities allowed her to keep the princess at bay and plan counter-strategies. Playing defense seemed to be her opponent's main goal for the time being.

Lisia witnessed Seleth make more clones of herself and sent them moving in different directions. But to what end? Perhaps she wanted to use them as a distraction for another one of her projectile attacks? Well, Lisia decided not to give her the chance.

Since she can reflect ranged attacks, Lisia tried to swiftly take out the two copies and the original by putting Flash Step to use once more. This time her blade had lightning coursing it for added damage.

---

@PaulHaynek @Frozen0Titan @CitrusArms @ZAVAZggg

Enishi halted his blade at the knight's appearance. The knight had asked Hisana and her associate to peacefully surrender, wishing to avoid conflict altogether. His sword still brandished, Enishi motioned to the knight.

"Knight of this realm, do not waste your words on this woman. She doesn't understand nor cares for reason, she seeks only self-gratification! She must be removed immediately!"

Hisana began to chuckle at the sudden change of events. "Enishi, love, you should've told me you were bringing friends❤️~" She mused. In one swift motion, Hisana threw her card at the knight to initiate combat.

Of course the card was a distraction. She hoped to use Elastic Love in order to take the knight's sword away. After the knight had bee dealt with, Hisana would then turn her sights on the bounty hunter and the other investigators.

Varjan moved slightly so your knife slashes just narrowly missed. He did not do much else as you did your next attack.

"They are already free!"

Varjan evaded your attack at the very last second by shifting his body to the side. He also extended a hand so that he caught your covered face as you dived. "I see. Thanks for telling." His palm then shone suddenly, engulfing your eyes with light that somehow knocked you unconscious.

------

You wake up with your eyes seeing a ceiling. You realize that you were in a bed of sorts and looking around, white curtains surrounded you. It appeared you were in the Academy Infirmary as one of the patients. Since you were there and the last you saw of Varjan was him with the upper hand, it was safe to assume that you had lost the fight against him.

The curtain in front of you was pulled aside and in came a Light Elf who appeared to be a doctor. "Ah, Mister Thessir, you are awake." She greeted you. "We were worried for a second. Varjan left you as a pile of burning ooze and we had to cast some heavy healing on you to get you back into shape." You feel that that was an exaggeration.

"So, how are you? Are you feeling alright?"



With a plan in mind, Seleth set forth with clones diverging from her in an attempt to get her opponent to attack her. Lisia, meanwhile, decided to keep using her 'Flash Step' to swiftly eliminate the Dark Elf and her clones.

But regardless of who Lisia attacked first, all of the clones were set with the 'Shadow Weight' spell. The trap was sprung and globes of dark magic attached themselves to the Princess before she could do something to counter it. The dark orbs were heavy. Real heavy, furiously pulling Lisia to the ground and requiring all of her strength to keep herself standing.

It would be hard for Lisia to do anything while there are literal burdens on her body. She could take the time to dispel them but that would give her Dark Elf opponent an opportunity to follow up with an attack of some sort. Meanwhile, with her plan successful, Seleth now had the advantage over the Princess once more. What shall be her plan now?

---

"-what is the situation thus far? Who shall I be working with?"

"

As for that, I shall leave it to a talented individual whom I also recruited for the operation.

" Athos' gaze then shifted to the door where there was a boy of black hair and eyes and wearing a distinct blue scarf.

"Hey there, I'm Ecthel Rivera." The boy introduced himself.

---

Ecthel explained to you that the investigation recently discovered hard evidence of a drug operation in a warehouse raid. He also explained that there were already several investigators working on the job consisting of a warrior from the East, a foreign Beastkin and another Beastkin who was once a resident in Zauberheim.

The boy then told you that the investigation would be arresting a man named Juan de la Cruz who was suspected of being involved in the crime ring but he might have guards around him. He said where the investigation would assemble to plan the arrest. But getting there, you noticed that the streets below already have a scene unfolding.

Ecthel himself arrived just as you did. "Ahh, looks like we're late to the party." He remarked. "There!" He pointed to a rather rich and fancy carriage. "That's where Juan de la Cruz. That Eastern-looking guy is one of us." Ecthel continued. Fighting the Eastern-looking guy was the girl you recognized as Hisana.

"And looks like there's other trouble." Ecthel then pointed to another fight between a Beastkin girl, a man in a hooded cloak and an armored warrior you recognized as Keith North. "The Beastkin girl is one of ours too so I'm guessing the armored guy is one of Juan's bodyguards."

"Looks like we gotta help, do you wanna go after Juan himself or the armored guy?"



The knight unsheathed his blade just in time to block the card hurled at him by Hisana. However, he was disarmed when Hisana used Elastic Love to pull his sword away from him.

That did not mean he was out of the fight though. The knight quickly charged at Hisana and attempted to seize her hands and hopefully allow someone else to render her ineffective or at least knock her out so she would not be a problem.



"Whoa!" Keith cartwheeled to the side to avoid Rimlian's fireball which, fortunately, flew to the air and harmed nothing of import. Keith, meanwhile, opened himself up to Lumina's grapple and was put in a lock.

"And you. What's even your name? If you're gonna be so rude to stop and make fun of me, you might as well give me that much before I kick your ass."

"The name's Keith North, girl. Not that that's going to matter much since I'm leaving Zauberheim a.s.a.p. 'cause this place's going belly up in a matter of time." Keith revealed his name as well as some ominous remarks about the capital city. "Now then, enough chit-chat!" The mercenary, in surprising flexibility, slithered out of the hold and kicked Lumina away.

He then used a foot to launch his shield to the air before kicking it towards Rimlian. Keith did not relent as he charged Rimlian, intent on doing harm with his sword.

~