His attention returned just in time to witness Ciato’s savage rampage, and he grimly noted the ease with which the shards of magic – innate, perhaps? – sliced through human flesh. Though he could not utilise his sense of smell whilst incorporeal, he could well imagine the heady musk of fear that doubtless now accompanied the pervasive metallic odour of blood. Natives recoiled in disgust in all directions, and from one of the houses a young girl screamed.

A hurried but thorough search had revealed no trace of Dan Lagh’ratham, almost as if the Slayer had never been called to the island in the first place. Only the well-defined indentation upon the sand where his body had lain remained of his presence; not a single footprint led away, not a single sign of departure imprinted upon ground left pristine in all directions. Perhaps the faceless organiser of the tournament had tired of his fearless slumber through adverse circumstances, and simply sent him home.

Touma didn’t care. No matter what the reason why, the departure of the infamous warrior meant one less wildcard to worry about. Not that either of the Orlouge brothers seemed to entertain thoughts of making it any easier for him, although...

His disembodied head watched with renewed interest as they began tearing into one another with flying fists and vicious insults, now completely ignoring the patrolmen fleeing into the alleyways to regroup. Apparently the two of them were not on the best of terms. Another tasty morsel of information to file away, another small smile playing about Touma’s lips.

Then Sei chose that particular moment to look to the skies, and Touma froze, certain that their eyes had met as the mute’s gaze slid over the street mirror. He might have dismissed it as a fleeting scare, except that in a way that he could not quite explain, he felt that he had seen deeply into Sei’s current state of mind, and had – however involuntarily – gained some small measure of the man.

Sei wore the look of one with little to lose, one who would give everything he had left to achieve but a single goal. Touma had seen it once before.

The look Xuan wore on the fields of Nenaebreth, when he realised Kayu was on the other side.

That day the psy-mage had stood witness in quiet awe as a twenty-something scholar more renowned for naïve innocence than battle prowess had single-handedly turned the tide against one of the greatest undead hordes gathered during the Corpse Wars. If Ciato and Sei could pull off anything resembling that magnitude here, then he had to admit to himself that he might have misjudged the depths of their resolve in entering the tourney. They might not be here to save the world, but they had certainly come prepared to risk their lives for something.

Touma’s lips pursed as again he filed away the precious nugget of information. For the first time that day his pinched features wore something that might just be interpreted as concern. The smile disappeared, replaced by a cautious frown that neatly furrowed his aquiline forehead.

He didn’t have much time to dwell on it, though. A nagging prompt in the back of his mind reminded him that he had to return his consciousness to the skyship before it docked with the central tower. A heartbeat later, he returned to the safety of his body above the clouds, flicking his fingers one by one as always to get rid of the tingling pins and needles. From his porthole he could see the tethers in place as the craft gently floated into its mooring, more than forty floors above ground level.

He had at least two hours head start on the Orlouges, and had been flying towards his goal all the while they fought through the guards on foot. Despite the not-inconsiderable advantage, however, he knew that he did not have much time.

Twenty minutes… thirty, at best, he told himself as he unlocked the cabin door and took a deep breath. Use them well.

“Help! I think he’s had a heart attack!” he called out a moment later, repeating the cry when a stunned steward in crisp navy uniform and golden epaulettes responded to his entreaties. “Get a doctor, I think he’s unconscious!”

To their credit, they responded promptly and efficiently, calling for first aid and rushing to administer the appropriate treatment to the unsuspecting patrolman. Touma found the resulting organised chaos the perfect cover to disembark undetected, disappearing without a trace into the looming tower.