What was it that Telos Soltair had hammered into him from being a boy?

'God is in the detail.'

The moment that William Arcus had stepped from his podium, Shinsou had watched carefully. He could, after all, afford a few moments to watch thanks to his autonomous appendages protecting him. The stone had crumbled away into the void the instant that this fiery, scythe wielding beserker had entered the fray. Further casualties of masonry followed as Arcus danced over the stones, determined, but ultimately failing, to draw first blood and the pillars underfoot began to shudder and descend. Arcus had realised the folly of that particular assault and was now circling round again to find another angle, but the entire fifteen seconds worth of action had told Shinsou what he needed to do next.

The platforms disappear the moment you leave them, thought the Telgradian, So, why leave?

With his left hand, he called upon his icecraft. A shining silver glyph illuminated his palm as Shinsou welded the joint of the platform he was still stood on with Dehlar strength ice. That podium would be going nowhere. On this high ground, with his dark matter arms giving him ample reach within the field of the lessening number pillars, the Telgradian was still in control.

Eventually Arcus would run out of both footings and time. Shinsou was relying on that, for now.

It was then his thoughts returned to the Faun. As she did he, Shinsou knew well what to expect from his friend. Years of knowing and trusting Philomel had reaped knowledge about her that many would not ever be privy to. The Faun was a complex woman; part romanticist, part visionary and full of raw power that put her firmly in Shinsou's sights. Many men had fallen prey to her charms, her wit and, when those failed to get a result, her terrifying transformations - even John Cromwell had struggled against the monstrous goat form - so the Telgradian knew that when she used them, she meant business.

Today was no different.

Time after time, Stygian had met her beautiful blade and had been parried aside. She was truly a master of the art of swordsmanship, no doubt learned from years of training and teaching in the Gilded Lily, but finally her patience seemed to thin.

What followed was an unholy deluge that Shinsou was all too familiar with.

It felt as if the world was being torn asunder. As the entire arena began to shake, the faun Philomel and Veridian bellowed in that feral, ghastly tone that signalled a sudden shift in intensity in the early part of this battle. Glorious flames that Shinsou recognised - and feared - began to envelope the fox. Partway through the transformation she suddenly pounded the ground with her hoof, launching herself into sky whilst Stygian tumbled helplessly into the consuming darkness below.

When the faun landed, the twisted, almost grotesque form of a bipedal dark goat stood in her place. It was only half of her true power, but Shinsou knew that was coming soon enough.

Sorry. Can't let you do it. I've seen what that thing can do.

There was no more time to ponder. The hazard to Shinsou was obvious and, without quick intervention, inevitable. He had to act fast and furiously; the priority had to be that half power goat form.

Behind Shinsou, a few feet above the crest of his oaken hair, mysterious arcane energies began to meld together in the air. Forking, icy tendrils of white convulsed and converged around each other to form a fifteen foot wide frozen circular portal. The sheer arctic power of the magic chewed into the grimy stonework behind the Telgradian, coating a massive semi-circle around him in crystalline ice and leaving a whistling expanse of space where solid stone used to be.

Out of the snowy chasm that gaped behind him protruded fifteen thin, dangerous spears of dehlar strength ice. Some would attempt to extinguish the flames of Arcus's rage as he hopped from pillar to pillar by making his footing ever more treacherous, with each spear being able to freeze an area, on impact, up to five foot each. No flame stronger than dehlar would melt it. The rest would be enough to deal with Philomel and Veridian.

They were going to feel them, alright.

The spears hung there with an ethereal hum as they waited for an order.

Without even having to motion, Shinsou commanded the storm of projectiles to split and attack both targets at once. They shot out of the portal and wildly tore towards their intended recipients, their frigid power ripping at the bare stone around them. Seven scattered loosely in an attempt to cut Arcus's movement off whilst the remaining eight cannoned towards the much larger, much more pressing issue of the pairing of Philomel and Veridian.