Tharana carefully inspected her intricate handiwork to definitively secure the perimeter of the Idalia grocery store. In a circular area completely encompassing the store, a pattern of what appeared to be otherworldly spines were staked, oozing forth a sludge that emitted an unique magical energy that Tharana directed into an advanced boundary field around the store. Already ordinary people were streaming out of the store with a dazed look upon their faces, as if they were mindless puppets being led astray. They would not remember thus ordeal, and they would continue to travel for perhaps an hour to where they perceived their residences were before the extra dimensional toxin flowing through their bodies eroded. With a minor ritual, Tharana had also applied the basic concepts of the Buddhist bounded field and caused the shop to naturally repel ordinary people as if they did not recognize it's existence. All of this had been performed in the span of just five minutes, establishing Tharana's exceptional prowess in magecraft. In addition, by using a magical toxin drawn from another dimension, just a mere pittance of energy signatures would be released as if Tharana had simply performed a single action spell. Of course the Ashen Mandrake would notice the irregularity in the store's atmosphere, but Tharana would intercept him regardless. All conceivable exists had been secured by masses of writhing tentacles crowning disembodied lavender eyeballs that scrutinized these exists for any signs of an escaping being with potent magical energy. They were not incredible sentries, and would probably be easily dispatched by the Mandrake but regardless they would act to slow him down.
Tharana herself had prepared for combat with her standard preparations. Her two favored horrors were already summoned to aid her in battle. They were parasitic beings that rooted themselves to a shoulder each, and manifested as a serpentine mass of plum purple flesh that constantly writhed and twisted in a Flux of motion, as if it could not decide on its shape. These tendrils were around four meters long in length and half a meter wide in thickness, and would provide a peerless offense and defense through their malleable shape shifting bodies on par or even exceeding the capacities of the Volume Hydragryum of the El Melloi family.
With an eerie placidity, Therana walked into the main entrance of the store and prepared to engage the fabled Mandrake in combat, waiting for his first move as he had the advantage of surprise.
