The bolt of lightning shot out from Alfen’s hand when he raised it, the crackling energy cascading over their heads and striking the clocktower just behind Monarch with a mighty crash. There was a brilliantly bright flash of white light and a deafening howl as thunder and lightning tore the building asunder, dragging chunks of stone and debris to the ground. Alfen looked rather proud of the destruction he had caused, and while the crowd gasped and cowered in fear, Monarch grit her teeth and turned on the spot, raising her staff up high.

Blue light poured from the glass head of the staff, weaving through the air and coiling itself around the shards of debris that fell on the terrified crowds below. It appeared like smoke, slowly wafting over towards the scene of destruction, but moved with far more purpose and gradually began to pick up speed. The blue fog wove its way around the heavy stonework that was still falling to the ground, gripping it tightly and holding it in place with impressive strength. Monarch waved her staff slowly in circles above her head, making only slight adjustments in her pattern of movements to guide the fragments of the damage clocktower back into place.

Slowly but surely the building reformed itself, bricks slotting back into place and the main bulk of the clocktower, having nearly crushed a small group of people, was rested precariously on top of it all. The wounds where the lightning bolt struck were still visible though, until Monarch raised her clawed hand forwards and clenched in into a fist. The blue wisps of energy flooded the gaps in the walls and began to glow a searing white colour. Smoke rose from the gaps and the air began to haze as the magic ignited, sealing the fractures along the building with an incredible amount of heat. It looked almost completely new, although Monarch regrettably noticed that the angle of the tower was now slightly off.

The dark haired woman let out a slow breath of relief, happy that nobody had been hurt. The panicking crowds slowly began to disperse, returning to their festivities and their merriment, but many of them shot a cautious or angry look towards Alfen and the two people he stood with. The clocktower was an incredibly popular local landmark and Monarch doubted that the residents of Lenora would appreciate it being almost destroyed. Thankfully she had repaired most of the damages and saved the townspeople some trouble, but it would still need a skilled mason to clear away the last remnants of damage and return it to its former glory.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Monarch exclaimed, pointing a grizzly metal finger at Alfen. She pressed her finger against his chest, the razor-sharp point of the claw nearly breaking skin. “I knew you were rash but you nearly just destroyed an entire building because you were bored. I thought you had a little more self-control that but I guess I was wrong.”

Still, Monarch could not deny that the display of power was impressive. While unrefined, Alfen might just be the brute force that she needed on her team. She groaned at the thought and huffed, and after taking a few steps away from Alfen and paced back and forth furiously. Instead of backing off she clenched both of her fists tightly and turned back towards Alfen, striding back towards the man to confront him. “Why did I-“

“Calm down, Mona. He’s just having fun.”

The voice was stern and gruff, but ultimately familiar. If it had been anyone else than Mona might have screamed at him for interrupting her, but instead the tensing in her muscles relaxed and she let out a long, exhausted sigh . Crossbones pushed his way through the light crowds to stand beside the group, clearly drawn to the loud bang and the spectacle of the clocktower behind them collapsing. A tiny fleck of light seemed to follow him eagerly, circling him and buzzing gently around his large head. Crossbones walked forwards and stood between Mona and Alfen, hoping that his size and strength might discourage them from passing any blows between each other just in case they hit him instead.

Suffice it to say it worked.

“So these are your friends?” asked the tiny ball of light which hovered by Crossbones’ shoulder, the light slowly dying and the figure of a tiny humanoid appearing in its place. She sat rather casually on the man’s shoulder, swinging her legs back and forth over the edge of the humongous man. Crossbones was massive even for a human, but the tiny pixie was not even tall enough to touch the top of his head while standing on his shoulders.

“I guess so,” replied Crossbones. “They’re a bit of a rowdy bunch but you get used to it after a while.”

Anna smiled. “It’s easy to tell.”

“What in Edonia are you two arguing about?” Crossbones continued, looking back and forth between Alfen and Mona.

“Nothing,” Monarch replied through gritted teeth, regaining her composure and crossing both of her arms. “Alfen. We need to talk to you for a mission. I’ve got permission to pull you out of all Guild responsibilities if you choose to accept it. It’s important.”

Mona turned to Rita. “And the offer is open to you too, Rita. You seem quite skilled. We could always use those kinds of skills.”