[center][indent][indent][img]https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/256x256q70/r/922/TRzrP3.png[/img][/indent][/indent][/center]
[center][color=1cb2fc][h1][b]❆ SIR ARCTICUS ❆[/b][/h1][/color][/center]
[center][sup]Street Near the Bloodsoaked Alleyway, Nova City[/sup][/center]
[center][sup][@Estylwen][/sup][/center]
[hr]

For the police to have driven off in such a rush that they even failed to hear the booming voice of Sir Arcticus, something truly serious must have been calling their attention. The knight glanced back towards the alleyway. Was there any trace of which direction the man-eater had fled? Given his dark magic, it was quite possible that he had disappeared without leaving tracks in any particular direction. In that case, what were the chances that the officers were heading to the scene of Glutton's latest crime? They hadn't even found the remains of the gunmen in the alleyway yet, so it seemed unlikely, but perhaps he was doing something more publicly violent this time.

But even if Glutton wasn't there, it was the responsibility of a knight to respond to any incident in the city. Resolved to follow the police, Sir Arcticus, prepared to move. Frost gathered in the air around him as his armour creaked, only to settle down once more as a young woman approached him.

Although she spoke quite sedately, her words were deadly serious. As she told it, there was a bank robbery ongoing, in the direction exactly opposite to where the officers had been heading.

[color=1cb2fc][b]"Hm..!"[/b][/color]

The knight gazed down at the girl, his frozen helm giving no hint as to what he was thinking. Brilliant blue light shimmered within the helm's eyeholes. For a moment, it seemed as though those cold flames were going to burn straight through her and expose the lie within.

[color=1cb2fc][b]"You have my thanks, young maiden. Thou'rt wise to bring this devilry to mine attentions. I shall pursue the pilferers forthwith!"[/b][/color]

Luckily, it seemed that the icy hero had no idea he was being tricked.

The girl looked and spoke in a strange way, to be sure, but for Sir Arcticus to judge her for that would have been terribly ironic, given his own style of speech. As for the matter of the police cruiser heading in the other direction, it only meant the knight's presence at the bank was even more desperately needed! If those officers had another crime to fight, he would have to stand in for them.

Regarding Glutton, Sir Arcticus figured it was unlikely to find him at a bank. Even so, if he was needed, he would go. He would most likely have to wait for the monster to rear his head again before he could have a decent chance of finding him, anyhow.

Giving Syla an appreciative nod, the knight gazed down the road that led to Dewdeny bank.

[color=1cb2fc][b]"However, good maiden..."[/b][/color] Frost began gathering in the air once more as he spoke, and a sharp chill filled the air. [color=1cb2fc][b]"...Did you say 'ten minutes'?"[/b][/color]

Pale light wreathed the knight's jagged form, concentrating around his gauntlets and the space in front of him. Bystanders on the street, who up to that point had only been shooting the hero excited glances or snapping pictures on their phones, now stepped back in awe and confusion. Was he forging a weapon? Something else? Amidst the swirling light and frozen air, it was impossible to get a clear glimpse.

[color=1cb2fc][b]"I know not if you meant ten minutes on foot or in one of those horseless chariots that have become so popular in the city. But worry not!"[/b][/color]

As the light reached its apex, even Sir Arcticus' form was completely obscured. As cold air decompressed and billowed out, it was impossible to stand near him. And yet, his voice was still quite audible, carrying over the blast.

[color=1cb2fc][b]"Sir Arcticus shall not take even [i]one[/i] minute to come to the rescue of those people!"[/b][/color]

In the next moment, he was gone, leaving the white-haired girl alone on the street, with tiny flakes of snow drifting around her.

As for the knight, he was already a block away. His movement was accompanied by the high ringing sound of crystallized ice striking against the road, but he was not on foot.

[center][color=1cb2fc][sub][b][i]❆ Faerie War Steed of the Winter Court ❆[/i][/b][/sub][/color][/center]
[center][color=1cb2fc][h2][b][i]BOREALIS[/i][/b][/h2][/color][/center]

The knight sat astride a great mass of ice formed into the shape of a large, monstrous horse. The beast's body was almost crystal clear, but its form was covered in the same jagged plumes of ice that adorned its rider's armour. Frozen mist huffed from its nostrils and around its hooves as it carried the knight down the street at an ever-rising pace, leaving icy hoof-prints in its wake. With each movement, tiny cracks opened at the joints of its legs, neck, and tail, and in the next moment the cracks refroze, only to open again in the blink of an eye.

Syla had fooled Arcticus, no doubt, and she had sent him off on a wild goose chase, but this display was beyond what she would've been able to research about the capabilities of a hero from a different city. More than that, it was impossible based on what was publicly known about Sir Arcticus' powers. Videos and reports could be found online of him accomplishing many strange and impressive feats in Skyline City, but there was no way he was capable of creating a sentient being like this.

Of course, Borealis was not a sentient being. Each movement it made, from the twitch of its tail to the beating of its hooves, was managed by Sir Arcticus' control over ice. In essence, it was a puppet that merely appeared to be imbued with some supernatural essence of life. It doubtless would've been more efficient and simple for the hero to just ride around on a big levitating chunk of ice, but that sort of thing simply wouldn't do for a knight!

And now that he had taken the time to learn to create and manipulate the Faerie War Steed of the Winter Court, it was as easy as riding a bicycle.

Thanks to the passage of the police with their sirens on, the road immediately before the Hoarfrost Horseman was relatively clear of cars, with many still pulled over. As his noble steed picked up the pace further, it far surpassed the speed limit, and in a breath the girl who had kindly warned him of the bank robbery was many blocks behind him, out of sight.

As Sir Arcticus rode down the street, blitzing past cars and leaping clear over busy intersections, he couldn't help but notice the occasional police car passing him by, all heading in the opposite direction from him. Was there some other situation ongoing in the city that required their complete focus? Did none of them know about the robbery? If that was the case, why had that young lady walked for ten minutes to find him and tell only him about it?

Trying to push doubts from his mind, Arcticus tugged on the ice-chain reins that he held in one gauntlet, urging his steed forward as he focused on navigating Nova City's unfamiliar streets. A bank ought to stand out, he reasoned.

Borealis' speed had now risen far beyond the capabilities of any vehicle on the road. Weaving seamlessly between cars, its trail left a surge of cold wind behind.

Mere moments later, the knight found his objective. A squat, stone building that had clearly been designed to radiate a sense of reliability and security.

Coming to a stop near-instantly, Borealis and its rider were immediately shrouded in a cascade of mist and light snow. True to his word, not even a minute had passed since he had first learned of the threat to the people at the bank. In a brilliant flash, a twelve foot long polearm of jagged ice appeared in the knight's free hand, pointed skyward. It was a mighty entrance, aimed to strike fear into the hearts of any evil-doer who caught a glimpse. As Sir Arcticus looked around, though...

A warm breeze blew across the flowers planted in front of Dewdeny Bank. Two squirrels nuzzled one another in a nearby tree. A robin landed on a lamppost overhead. The front door opened, and an elderly woman took shaky steps out of the bank, guided arm-in-arm by her grandson. They stopped when they saw the lance-wielding warrior, looking a bit startled, as if he was the most exciting thing they'd seen so far in their day.

The hero breathed a sign of relief at the serene state of the bank. He let the polearm disintegrate in his hand. Then, he thought for a moment, and his heart sank. Was he at the right place? Had his sense of direction failed him in this new city? But this really was Dewdeny Bank! Had he misheard the young woman? Or had she misremembered which bank to send him to? Tugging at the reins, Sir Arcticus turned his horse around and tried to judge which direction all the police vehicles had been heading in. Just as quickly as he had appeared at Dewdeny Bank, he was off again, aiming to get it right this time. At that moment, all Sir Arcticus could say for certain was that [i]something[/i] was happening today.