The Armonia Chamber

[Arden]

The Mastiff leapt. Its fangs, formed of nightmares, bore down. Instead of flesh, they tore only through air, and the creature came to a standstill feet away from the boy.

“I’m not sure on the footwork for that,” Arden said reservedly. He stepped back from Astarelle’s staff, knowing it skilled in her hands, but more a symbolic defence than one to incite a reprise.

“Let the woman lead,” Talen snipped.

Astarelle’s lips curled into a devilish smile. “I am glad there is reason left in that thick skull,” she retorted. She winked at Arden, signifying she was speaking to Talen, and not him.

Arden lowered Fang, called the Mastiff back to his side, and examined the curious woman’s form.

“What kind of animal are you, anyway?” he asked.

“Scorpion,” Astarelle replied, almost too quickly.

Arden had to laugh. She certainly did have a sting in her tail, and claws that cut could a man in two. He would have settled for tigress, but it was fitting enough. He pointed over her shoulder.

“You’d best lead then, Shadowalker,” he said, referring to the strange decision by the Ixian Knight to appear, at times, as a woman himself. He winked back at Astarelle, turned her gently to face Joshua Cronen, and leant in to whisper something kindly in her ear.

She smiled.

He walked around her, patted the Mastiff on its head, and drew a kanji in the air. The Mastiff charged directly at Joshua Cronen. Arden muttered a prayer for the creature and raised his sword into a defensive stance.

[Breaker]

The massive chunk of granite split into a dozen or more pieces amidst an erupting cloud of dust. Stone shrapnel flew at Breaker like a flock of homing pigeons.

Joshua's smile grew 'till Y-shaped scars shone from the dimples in his tan cheeks. He lifted his right hand and thrust the callused palm at Talen, sending a gust of wind to meet the stony shrapnel. The air that bent to his will could not halt the attack entirely, but it upset the Shadowkin's immaculate aim. Four head-sized shards redirected to the rooftop, scratching blemishes in the arena's floor as they bounced toward the open trapdoor. Four fist-sized stones deflected straight up. They bounced off the Mystic dome a mere ten feet above the tower and landed unceremoniously near the middle of the roof. The dust cloud and smaller pebbles reversed their path, failing to hit Talen as he sprawled to the side.

Four chunks of rubble kept their course, hurtling at the lone warrior.

Breaker gripped Rythadine's hilt with both hands and swung the flat of the broad blade to meet the projectiles. Clang-clang-clang! Three stones rang off the prevaldia greatsword in rapid succession, joining their brethren in the center of the arena. The fourth pinged off Cronen's dehlar-wrapped shoulder, bruising the muscle beneath and ricocheting over the parapet to tumble to grass far below. Josh glanced backwards as if distracted by its flight and used the action to re-affirm the height of the ramparts, and the length of wire he'd lashed tightly about them. He hopped backwards and sprang off the ropes, flipping and twisting with his dehlar tail wagging in his wake. The pile of cable unwound like a startled snake, leaving a lone coil in the corner and a slack line writhing in the owner's wake. Black metal boots thudded onto freshly cleaned granite just shy of the gaping trapdoor.

As his opponents deciphered their allegiances Josh knelt and scraped eleven odd-sized chunks of rampart down the stairs. They thundered toward the tinny echoes of combat at the base of the tower. Breaker knew by the time they reached the ground floor the granite rubble would possess skull-cracking momentum. He kicked the remaining door off it's hinges, making the hole in the floor yawn mightily. The wooden plank skidded a couple feet to his left as he faced the poorly planned team. A thin sheet of ice frosted the granite two square yards in front of his scuffed boots. Water swelled around the slippery surface, absorbing dust and pebbles left over from Talen's attack.

Roht - no, Astarelle - was still scheming like a Haidian Queen. In the first round she'd exploited Cronen's weakness for women, behaving as if she'd entered the tourny by mistake. She enlisted Breaker's help and turned on him after he'd floored the Ella Chamber's more powerful competitors. It seemed as if she'd met Arden and Talen in round two, and woven her web of deceit around the unwitting pair. Josh shook his head, admiring the dark skin that housed her devious mind. Despite all Arden's magic, Jensen's speed, Talen's shadowplay and the Abomination's might, the sand-speckled waif was his worthiest foe.

Janelle gestured sharply and the mastiff obeyed an unspoken command. The big dog charged at Breaker fangs first.

Josh waited until the beast's front paws struck his patch of ice and then side-stepped smartly, kicking his dehlar tail out of the way.

With a squeaky ruff of surprise the mastiff slid headlong into the stairwell, following the path of bouncing boulders. The ice sheet shifted to cover the opening, and water imbued with granite dust washed over top, freezing to form a second stronger layer. In short order six inches of solid steely ice covered the entrance, dappled grey by stone reinforcement.

Breaker tapped the new barrier with the tip of his sword, testing its solidity. No doubt Jensen or Draug could get through that, he figured, but it'd take several blows to shatter. Should provide a warning at least.

Josh squared off against the trio and reversed his double grip on Rythadine's hilt. He bent his knees and stabbed the prevaldia blade deep into the thick granite roof, driving downward until the sword lodged fast with half its length entombed. He stepped over the pommel, hands rising and wrists arching on the inhale. The arena still held a mote of disease and death, but the crisp Autumn air was alive with fresh scents. As he blew breath through pursed lips his hands flexed into Akashiman fighting forms. The fingers of the right curved like an eagle's talon, held aloft to shield hazel eyes from the sun. The left flattened like a board and pushed a gust of air toward Arden and Astarelle, aimed to knock them off balance. The callused palm remained extended and twisted to face clear blue sky. The arm swiveled 'till coarse fingers pointed at Talen.

Breaker beckoned like he was in a bar ordering a round of drinks.

"Come on," he taunted the raven-haired youth, "have a proper try."

Bunnying of the mastiff fully approved by the Hound. The gust of air aimed for Arden and Astarelle is aimed for Arden, If they aren't still standing close together.

[Roht Mirage]

Astarelle did indeed smile for the private comment that Arden had put directly into her ear. A genuine smile, though the corners twitched down with the weight of her conscience.

You honor me, but perhaps too much. She paired the thought with his secret words, and tucked them safely away for later.

Back to the bloody business.

“Breaker is... doing stuff,” she warned as she stayed close to Arden, ready to intercept if he tested the alliance. He seemed firmly in hand, but he was so blasted hard to read that she couldn't be sure. “And your dog's down,” she snapped, mostly to press the seriousness of the Breaker threat home. She -almost- touched him to ensure she had his attention, but stopped at the blood still lining his armor. Bury me. I make the strangest friends.

“You know how this trick works,” she piped up instead, giving her staff a twirl and readying it for a throw. Breaker gestured to her before she could release it, and with the gesture came a punch of wind. It hit her right in the gut, forcing her back on braced legs and tossing her staff end over end. She gripped the coil of rope around her torso, wary that if she went over -rather, when she inevitably went over the edge- it would be her only lifeline. The gust ended just as quickly as it had begun, leaving her only two short paces back and her nerves well-shaken.

Breathing hard, she huffed out a quiet, “Lead, I shall,” before stomping forward and recalling her staff from the floor behind her. It jumped to her hand, brushed her fingers enough to slow and orient itself horizontally, then fell in front of her. She shot up a foot, catching one end on her shin, and kicked it for Breaker's legs like a low-flying javelin, albeit a blunt one.

Immediately, her hands were busy with the rope. She ripped it over her head and, with the force of a quick spin, sent one hooked end sailing over the slack length of Breaker's “tail”, laying between him and the last parapet tooth he had secured it to. “For you!” she shouted to Talen as she yanked the dehlar cable closer to him.

With approved bunny permission, the length of cable, 25 feet, is being drawn toward Talen's grabby tentacles. Reel in that marlin. Staff is up to the usual fly/miss/recall schtick. Bunny it as needed.

Also, I checked with Abom. Between the sand-sacrificing scrub and the rinse of her hand, I'm going to say the blood is off... until Arden touches her again.

[Enigmatic Immortal]

Draug had became a spinning top of death as he approached the immortal, his mace already licking his cheek for a bit of blood. No doubt the bastard thing used it to his advantage, but Jensen cared little. It wouldn’t be enough for him to understand the full extent of Jensen’s abilities. He moved around Draug, keeping him moving towards him as he guided the beast along. He spun in cartwheels to breath distance between the two, laughing with every step he took.

Knowing advancing would be too difficult, Jensen opted to try a more proactive defensive posture. His body stooping low and picking up hand sized chunks of debris from the stone wall and tossing them into the tornado that was the Abomination. He poked each defense the creature had at his disposal ensuring that he moved him where he wanted him. Sometimes Draug would retaliate by hitting the stones back, and Jensen would feel the wind whip past his red tipped hair, colliding against the back wall and creating fractures in the stonework.

As Draug followed the immortal’s guidance the beast continued to keep his defenses up. Phase one was already completed. Now that Draug was where he wanted him the knight took his moment to corkscrew sideways, landing before a fallen beam. He kicked it so the far end slid to stop in front of Draug. He lifted himself upwards with a laugh, dropping all his weight onto the tip of the opposite end, creating a see-saw effect that snapped the shattered wooden beam upwards into Draug.

“Don’t lose your head!”

((Jensen snapped a fallen beam upwards into Draug’s spinning death. Enjoy!))

[Abomination]

Draug stopped his twirl, leaving his head the only thing still spinning. He quickly put all five of his arms in front of the beam, too dizzy to move out of the way, and let it crash into him, sending him hurdling into the wall. A section of it crumbled behind him, burying the Abomination in rubble. Roaring, he burst from the debris, covered in blood and rage. All but his original arms were damaged beyond repair, and he cut them off one by one, letting what remained of them slough off like a tipped over plate of butter. His internal organs struggled to reorganize to repair the internal damage, the bleeding quickly sealed before it started affecting him seriously. He grunted and stepped from the destroyed stone, dropping a sword and picking up his mace which had fallen to the ground. He grit his teeth and almost stumbled backwards, forcing himself to recover from the dizziness.

It was then that he realized that some of the shaking was not caused by his status, but rather the tumbling of rocks from the staircase above. Dust and loose stones fell from the ceiling as the rocks fell downwards, some of them rolling into the levels above, but most of them on a crash course to the bottom level. As they reached their destination, they ricocheted from the staircase and crashed into the ground, the ceiling, and the walls, causing cracks in everything. Draug and Jensen positioned themselves at opposite ends of the room at each end of the staircase to avoid the avalanche. The Immortal cackled maniacally as they waited for the stony storm to pass, while Draug merely glared at him. Despite his assimilation of the Ixian, he found his mind too clouded to join him in the sadistic mirth. Maybe Jensen knew something.

"Curious..." Draug said, looking up at the cracking ceiling while the stones tumbled by. "I can't help but wonder how we got here."

Jensen yelled out, "The only thing you need to wonder about is how many pieces you'll be in once I'm through with you!"

"Do you know... how I keep advancing?" In the letter, Draug discovered that it was Sei's original intention to keep Draug from getting here. "I didn't kill everyone last round. Not to mention all the Ixians that I ravaged in the first one that made it here."

"You should be happy for that, it means more times that I get to kick your ass!"

"All of the Ixians and myself in one spot... how distracting it must be for Sei to watch it all. I wonder if someone other than him is calling the shots. Maybe I'm here to keep you and the other Ixians busy."

"Considering what I'm about to do to you, I can't say you're doing a very good job. Now die!"

The rocks had stopped falling, but there was a groaning in the tower. They heard a creaking, the sound of floorboards coming loose, stones being dislocated, and seams being cracked. Jensen charged the Abomination once more, and Draug started dodging, using the cluttered ground to maneuver around the Immortal in ways that made it hard to follow. Glancing around the room, Draug knew that if Jensen's moves were restricted, he could catch him. He started cornering the Immortal and attacking him widely with both his hands on the mace, striking the walls whenever he missed, sending more stones collapsing onto the ground. While he took the occasional counter-attack that damaged more of his body, the crumbling walls continued to make Jensen's avenue of attacks narrower. He expected the Immortal to soon attempted to either leave the tower or go up a floor, which would gave the Abomination a chance to make an attack or recover.

All the while, the limit to how much damage the tower could take was approaching. Dust filled the room from each attack, and cracks spread throughout the walls at a faster pace.

[Hysteria]

Talen lifted one of his gauntlets to his face and gently massaged his temples as if suddenly overcome by a headache. It was only a slightly feigned action, the fact that his attack had meant to be a distraction for the other two to attack Joshua, and that both had decided to go on their own escapades caused more than a little stress to show on the face of the normally nonchalant kid.

“For fuc...” Talen silenced himself lifted his eyes back to his on again, off again ally Arden, and the suddenly frivolous Astarelle. Talen liked the last part slightly, but not enough to outweigh his desire to defeat Joshua. It wasn't the legend that drove him, nor some sort of rivalry. It was because Joshua was acting so arrogant that drove him.

Astarelle was the one that took the lead, sending a distracting attack towards the Breaker while grabbing the cable. Talen swallowed the bile that sat in his mouth as the woman mimicked what he considered to be a less effective version of his own attack. With a look of indignation three of the youth's dark limbs stretched out from behind him and brushed Astarelle as they latched onto the cable. The others flicked out in the other direction, latching onto the side of the tower to provide a counter weight.

A moment before he acted the tower below him shuddered. It was slight, but noticeable. A second went through, this time joined by a thick crash, partially muffled by the tower and distance.

“I ju.. too much to ask...” Talen stuttered, unable to find his usual eloquence with words as the ground below his feet prepared to literally fall away.

The youth's face hardened, his limbs tensing as they pulled the cables as tightly as the could. The youth lifted off the ground, his body suspended between the two forces as he fought to rip Breaker from his perch and send him flying towards the youth, and hopefully over the edge. He did his best to ignore the cold dread of knowing that the two idiotic fighters below were probably doing.

If this doesn't work, can we all just gang up and take out Jensen and that Draug guy- thing first?” Talen, his shadowy suddenly contracting, “please?”

[Arden]

By the time Arden steadied himself, the fight had moved on. He flicked his fringe from his forehead, surveyed the unfolding chaos, and analysed the ebb and flow of battle. Talen and Astarelle continued their attacks against ‘the Breaker’, and Draug and Jensen continued to decimate the tower’s foundations.

“We don’t have much time…,” he mumbled.

He had seen towers fall before, and the people below had little chance to avoid the falling debris. If they fell amidst it, then their fates were sealed, and there would be no victor here today. That meant the fight had to resolve swiftly, one way or another.

“Astarelle, keep him busy!” he roared. He looked at Talen, and admired the hideous beauty of his tentacles. “Talen, a lift if you’d please?” he asked. He pointed at the frozen barrier.

Mid-flight, a black tentacle whipped down at Arden and flicked him skyward. Using the cover provided by their acrobatics, the heavily armoured swordsman tumbled. He tucked his knees. He braced himself. He glared at Joshua as he descended. He would never beat him head on, but perhaps he could steal away some of the man's power.

A hum of power swarmed around him, an aura made of the Tap that stole voice and arrogance. Joshua would find it impossible to speak.

He vanished inches from the ice. It sparkled blue, reflecting the wisp-like ribbons of energy that formed in his absence. The sound of him crashing down the stairs echoed dully through the permafrost.

Silence applied to Joshua Cronen.

[Breaker]

The madness of the Cell threatened to overload Breaker's senses. Granite vibrated beneath his boots as if an earthquake and a tornado fought on the bottom floor. The clipped adrenaline laced voices of his rooftop opponents laid hints outlining their plans. Wind caressed the beads of sweat on his brow, a pleasant cooling against the furnace in his core. Behind the smells of forest decomposition wafting from Concordia's treeline, the stench of the Abomination still lurked.

Josh shifted his stance as Astarelle launched her staff at his legs. He kicked the lataro weapon, attempting to send it back at the Fallieni with more force than she could handle. While Talen hesitated Astarelle was in motion, snaring the dehlar cable and moving it with an elegant spin. Breaker caught a chuckle forming in his throat and swallowed it. He'd been waiting for them to take the bait, like a mongoose crouched outside a sand-snake's den. Thick arms crossed along his abdomen and callused hands grasped the lowest coils of the improvised harness. Josh exhaled, emptying his lungs to make his body as slim as possible. He pulled up on the dehlar cable, wriggling his shoulders and drawing the harness over his head like a too-tight T-shirt. The dark denim jacket rrripped and came off, tangled inside the ball of porous wire.

Sun lit Cronen's brutally bruised and ornately scarred torso. Red and purple spiraled around the skin of his chest and shoulders where the cable had tightened. He looked like he'd survived an assault from a family of constrictor serpents. Raised white designs etched his muscular frame from abdomen to broad back. The wounds from a thousand battles, healed into abstract artwork by unique regeneration. Some reminisced of duels in the Citadel and Dajas Pagoda while others recorded skirmishes through the streets of Knife's Edge and Radasanth. Josh had fought in the Salvic and Coronian civil wars, then an unknown force of one that flitted through shadows with deadly purpose. Every moment of agony, every life he'd taken, every friend and lover he'd lost had hardened him for the Cell's nerve-grinding nature. Hot rage burned within and amongst the other combatants, but frigid water filled the Breaker's veins. He was swifter than the wind, colder than the ocean depths where he'd met his Lady, harder than the ice barricading the rooftop's entrance.

As Talen's tentacles grasped the slack cable Josh tossed his bundle of ruined jacket and porous coils over the north wall. It slid back and wedged between the teeth of two parapets as the youngster pulled. The trio's teamwork was improving, one baby step at a time.

This is no training ground, Josh thought as Arden sailed through the air beneath the Mystic dome, crackling with mana. No place for hand-holding and gentle lessons. He judged the Hound's flight path and spun smoothly, dealing the hilt of his entombed sword a straight stomp. Spiderweb cracks spread around the weapon, loosening the tower's grip on the blade. Breaker drew Rythadine from the stone and chopped at Arden's descending form, cleaving only air as the knight vanished again. Josh followed the momentum of his swing and turned full circle, facing west once more.

Rather than steadying the tower shook harder. Like a slim Scaran southerner lost on the plains of Berevar, it quaked 'till toothy ramparts chattered.

Josh tried to curse aloud but the magic Arden had cast upon him caught his tongue. What the hell are those two doing? He wondered. Mere minutes had passed since Jensen and Draug plunged off the edge of the tower, and he'd heard no explosions. Nothing that should have compromised the mighty tower's integrity. I am the Chief Investigator in these parts... better take a look. He sheathed the greatsword with two short motions: A flick to find the scabbard's mouth followed by a push to slide it home.

Like an arrow from a bow Josh sprinted to the western wall. With each thunderous footfall, stone slaps fell in where Rythadine had pierced the rooftop. He leaped over the taut wire Talen had formed and sprang off the cable lashed about the ramparts. Wind whistled past his ears and lifted close-cropped hair on end as he plummeted downward at a sharp angle. His palms hit the Mystic shield followed by boots that swung down and adhered as enchantments activated. Abdominals burning with the effort of staying static against the dome, he assessed the damage with a swift glance over his shoulder.

It seemed as if the duel between Jensen and Draug had torn holes in the tower all the way to the ground. Ugly gashes gaped from crumbling granite, occasional stones shaking loose to shatter below.

Sooner or later the tower would fall. Sooner works for me.

One wide hand reached behind his back and into a bulging cargo pocket, drawing a solid delyn ball from the custom sheath. Power flowed from his palm and embodied the two-pound projectile, giving it explosive potential. The throw was awkward, the target too big to miss. The impact grenade struck the structure's western flank thirty feet above ground. Rapid combustion roared and tore chunks from the wall. Rubble showered inside and out as dust bloomed.

The tower trembled and reeled like a prizefighter taking a left hook to the liver. Wooden supports groaned and splintered as masonry ground and cracked. The tall construction bowed against the wind like a redwood responds to a saw's insistent bite.

Josh ran along the side of the dome, curving downward as he fled the tilting tower's path. Breath thundered in and out of his lungs, fueling muscles strained to the maximum. But running horizontally was easier than clinging to the translucent wall in one place, and without the bulky dehlar cable he felt light and invigorated. Cronen had reached the south-eastern limit of the dome when the leaning tower struck the Mystic shield to the west. Reverberations lanced through the dome, and somehow his magic boots lost their purchase.

With Arden's spell of silence binding his tongue, Josh emitted only a gasp of surprise. He plummeted the final fifteen yards to the grass below.

Had Roht's permission to bunny the staff, and Sei's permission to bring the tower down. Whoever goes next gets to finish the demolition I guess.

[Enigmatic Immortal]

“Dammit Draug!” Jensen shrieked over the sound of the wood snapping, stones tumbling, and dirt shifting. “When you throw a hissy fit you throw a gods be damned hissy fit!” With a giggle he turned towards one of the holes that were made, but was stopped as a tentacle like arm of gooey flesh wrapped around his ankle. A large amount of masonry blinded the immortal as it collapsed onto his head. He turned towards the door again, pulling all his weight as the Abomination pulled back, and Jensen realized he was fastened to him like superglue. This game him a devilish idea.

Two of Draug’s arms wrapped themselves past Jensen on support beams, giving him a tri pod of force to hold the immortal at bay. His fifth arm grabbed the mace and began to prepare it to smite Jensen. The tower took a mighty blow from above, shifting the world around them as the balance of stability shifted dramatically, casuing Jensen to gain a few tumbling feet before Draug righted the building with his arms, keeping his hold on Jensen.

“If this place falls, I’m taking you with me,” Draug said. “Another lesson on sacrifice you’ll never know.”

“Yeah, about that,” Jensen pried his fingers into the mess of flesh, trying to loosen the grip as they both grit their teeth, sweat bearing down the immortal’s neck. “Why is the Dark Family here?” Draug said nothing to the immortal, and the knight took a moment to wipe his eyes clear. He noticed that Draug wasn’t answering him because his own face seemed confused. “You going rouge?”

More of the tower shifted after an explosive went off, teetering closer to total collapse as Jensen continued to look for the sheen in Draug’s eye. He had made a life of looking into people’s souls and destroying them mentally after they fight the immortal. He hadn’t done this in years, but that wasn’t the point. The point was Jensen trying to find the reason within in Draug. All this time Jensen continued to tug away, and Draug continued to pull him closer.

When the man blinked Jensen at last let go, using all the wind he had for one final gust behind him. Like a sling shot being loosed the immortal whooped with glee, his feet lifting up in a dropkick towards Draug’s chest. He flew like an arrow, impacting the abomination’s chest and ripping him back. One of his arms exploded off his body, blood spraying everywhere as the other ripped the housing off the tower. The two tumbled on the ground and rolled towards an impromptu hole, Draug landing under the dirty, half broken bed of their first cave in and Jensen flying out the tower to the grass below. He laughed thinking it appropriate that monsters stay under the bed.

The tower imploded upon itself, the top half sliding like a fallen giant as the middle gave itself up to the abyss below. Jensen could barely make out the form of a tumblinf figure in the rising storm of debris. He didn’t know who it was, but the odds were good they weren’t a member of the Cult of Blessed Torture. That was all the incentive he needed. As beams shattered, stone ground to dust, and masonry poured out from the foundations like a river the immortal ran towards the falling Fallien woman.

A guilty feeling came over him, for falling to ones death was never a fun adventure to the afterlife. It was actually Jensen’s top ten least favorite ways to die. He had to dance around a falling tower piece, keeping his eye on the prize as he concluded where the fall would end. He opened his arms out and slid to stop just where the impact would take her.

The tower had finally collapsed, and with it the tattered remains of the castle lookout sent its dusty spirit into the world, cascading upon itself within the confines of the barrier making visibility near impossible. Chaos was taking over the Cell now, and its approvers clamored and clapped with gusto as the warriors within were lost in the haze.

((Well, Edit: Jensen is going to save a real lady in need. He's used his third and final Leaf on the Wind technique. And just for clarity, permission to Bunny Jensen is approved by all parties.))

[Arden]

Arden ran down the spiral staircase at the heart of the tower, eyes glazed over, heart racing. He could only hear the dull roar of the crowd over his heavy footsteps. The Mastiff had been pawing at the ice when he crashed through. After a bittersweet reunion, they descended side by side.

When the tower overhead began to crumble, instinct took over. The stairway cut short fifty feet ahead by a boulder, and the cloud of debris hit the far side with a rain of chaos. Arden did not slow in the least. He mightily leapt, and with his cloak fluttering behind him, he landed expertly on the far side.

He paused to analyse the collapse of the structure. Looking up to the now open sky, the walls fell outwards, inwards, and downwards in a predictable manner. Fortunately for the occupants of the Cell, physics were not warped in the arena, only pride, ignorance, and greed. He grit his teeth.

“Come, Bartok,” he said to the Mastiff. He pointed up into the dust cloud. He set his eyes on a falling figure through the storm.

The shadowy fur of the oni danced. The red lines that ran down its torso and hind legs glowed brightly. It slobbered, barked loudly, and pounced back and forth excitedly.

He had set out to find a hero to recruit into the ranks of the Ixian Knights, but as fate would have it, he had re-discovered the chivalry and purpose within. He waited. He narrowed his gaze, and wrapped a fold of his cloak around his forehead to veil his eyes against the falling debris. The black dot through the fallen wall and buttress was clearly Astarelle.

“So who’s that?” he mumbled, his plan unravelling. He looked down at the grass. The shadow on the ground was running back and forth, as though making to catch something.

Jensen Ambrose.

“Oh no you fucking don’t!” he screamed, bolting down the steps on an intercept course. The Mastiff followed. His cloak extended fully, splitting down the back so they mimicked archaic wings, tattered vestments of a hawk pursuing prey.

He had worked the others like marionettes, twisting words and meanings, plying emotions to fragmenting allegiances. That nauseating fuckwit would not deny him the pay off. He moved with the speed of a man born on the streets. He turned several rotations of the stairs and leap in between Astarelle and Jensen.

Bartok leapt after him, and with a final earth-shattering howl, it erupted into smoke and trailed after its master. It vanished into Arden's shadow.

“…A promise is a promise,” he whispered in her ear as he made to embrace her. He rolled over mid-air.

A spinning, swiftly hastily thrown dagger slipped beneath his weak point, making light work of his ornate armour. Arden’s eyes widened, his mouth opened to scream, but only a hiss emerged. It had perforated a lung.

Irony.

“I save the damsels around here!” Jensen screamed skyward.

Red wings formed from his injury, beat once, twice, and thrice, and carried the Fallieni and the Scara Braen away from danger. Sadly, it also carried them on a precariously uncontrolled course through the dust cloud.