[h3][b]Frenzy Plant s Phoenix Wing A[/b][/h3]

[center]-=Meanwhile=-[/center]

Joshua stopped in his tracks as the knight's blade contacted the side of his head but he stood his ground and managed to stop from getting tossed to the side. He felt his blade contact his opponent's armor but did little.
"[color=red]... You know something. You are very annoying. First off, you have no honor and attack a single person two on one when you have a second opponent. Secondly, you're showy as hell and your armor should go to better purposes the trying to make you look like a king, functional though it might be. Thirdly, I just find the air of superiority around you flat out annoying. Show some humility asshole.[/color]" He said, looking up at his opponent. "[color=red]Now as for the flashy armor... guess I'll have to try harder to cut it. Should be a good test.[/color]"

Zander blinked.  In retrospect, a concussion might have been too much to hope for.  The decision of Joshua to speak rather than counterattack afforded the Ruby Knight a gratifying opportunity to get his wind back.   Nevertheless, he also took the chance to whip his  left arm around Joshua's in a hold called the Snake.  [color=E0115F]"Honor?  Humility?  Like those of Damian, who crushed our friend's dreams as he crushed her bones, and Jamie, who denigrated my General to his face?  Don't whine at me about principles, boy.  Your guild shed them first, making clear that coming out on top is all that matters.  I'm following your example."[/color]  At that moment, the reason why he'd whistled became clear.  Buttons the horse arrived on the scene, thundering across the sand toward her master, and the young man he'd ensnared.  With all his strength, Zander attempted to shove Joshua into the path of the oncoming, armored horse to be trampled.

"[color=red]Then it seems I did join the wrong guild. But tell me, does it really put you in the right to discard that which you believe in to get back at others? Doesn't that just mean your beliefs are little more then a front for your own personal agenda?[color]" Joshua said, calmly watching as his arm was caught in a lock. When he was shoved away, Joshua knew his opponent's goal as he heard the horse coming well before he was shoved. He was quick to regain his balance and roll out of the way of the beast, getting back onto his feet quickly. Joshua sheathed his blade and looked at Zander. "[color=red]So, Black Knight, what next? Going to summon your guild to fight your battle for you? Or are you going to make expendable soldiers to attack me, because you're unwilling to do so yourself? Either way, all I know is that you're going to fight dirty and cheap.[/color]"

[center]-=And Then=-[/center]

As Buttons approached, Zander vaulted up into the saddle, destroying the jagged coating on his messer and replacing it in his scabbard.  He took note of which way Joshua rolled as he responded flatly, [color=E0115F]"Talk is cheap.  This is a team event and we're using teamwork.  You can cry to me after you lose to it."[/color]  He spurred his horse forward, barreling straight for Joshua.  [color=E0115F]"Xyster!  Ratchet Poppy!"[/color]

Joshua shrugged at Zander's last statement. He wouldn't complain if he and Nolan lost the match. It just meant they would need to improve their skills to get the better of the cheats next time. Still, the fact that it was a team competition and that he and Nolan weren't working together was a fact. They would need to fix that, but their abilities and styles seemed a bit too different to work together effectively.

The call-out drew a growl of acknowledgement from the Dullahan, who having rose from the ground after her tumble immediately cut a swath across the sand in front of her, causing it to billow into the air and separate her from Nolan.  Still moving at a greater pace, though not as much as previously, she broke off and sprinted for Joshua, dragging the Harvester behind her.  She ran alongside Zander for a moment before leaping up as well, standing with uncanny balance on Button's backside.  When the Ruby Knight bore down on Joshua, he swung his calvary sword to the right and Xyster slashed at the left.  If Zander guess correctly, Joshua would try to dodge by jumping straight up, and in doing so underestimate the Dullahan's speed and accuracy.

For the first time during this battle, surprise had overcome Nolan. Not by the actions of his opponents, but of one man's words. To Nolan, Zander represented the ideals of Frenzy Plant, a guild that he respected and admired enough that he almost decided to join when he was still looking for a guild to join. The Ruby Knight was strong, fearless, and above all else, honorable. When Nolan heard that Frenzy Plant was taking part in the games, one of the few people he wanted to test his strength against, he was secretly elated. But now? Now here was Nolan fighting with the very same man he admired, slandering Phoenix Wing's name. 

The God Slayer thought back to the time when he trained with Karn in the yokai village. The feminine boy went through a hellish training with Nolan and bore the unfathomable pain of awakening his Second Origin through force. How he first met Fleo and how they formed team Powder Keg with Amaya and Lucas. How their first mission together was to defeat an S-Class sand mage and that they only succeeded due to a suicidal combo between Lucas' Crash Magic and Nolan's ashes. Hell, he even thought of that stupid delinquent of an Exceed Dalton. Never did he think he would ever need friends. Relationships were too damn tedious and were too fragile to hold any true weight, but before he could realize it he formed bonds with an unlikely group of people. The same group that Zander insulted. 

An explosion of a dark green magical energy erupted from his body, roaring like an endless storm ravaging the world into a wasteland. Nolan darted straight towards Zander and Xyster, kicking up a cloud of sand and ash into the air. The God Slayer appeared before the Frenzy Plant mages and their strikes collided with...six swords?! Nolan stood in front of them with four white arms made of spirits holding four extra swords. Ares once again was held with his right hand, allowing him enhanced strength once more while in his left was Hermes, the god slaying sword that increased Nolan's speed. The four spirit arms held four more god slaying blades. Balmung, a sword that amplifies his God Slaying and Shaman Magic, Incendio the fire sword that glistened like it was still in the process of being forged, the massive gun-sword Ragnell, and the black sword of darkness, Black Nebula. 

The feeling of Nolan's magic alone was enough to sense the quiet wrath seeping from the man. His eyes, normally cold and apathetic, were filled with an anger that would never be satiated.  [color=00746b]"Bastard...I promised your guild master that I would have no aminosity for your guild, but this is an offense that I cannot turn a blind eye to. [/color] With inhuman strength, he began to push Zander and Xyster back.  [color=00746b]"You can insult those fools Jamie and Damian, and you can even insult me, but don't you dare speak ill of those other idiots![/color] With a great push forward, he swung his blades with enough force to hopefully push them back, releasing a burst of flame, ash, and darkness to increase any possible damage. 

When Zander and Xyster began charging him, Joshua took up a combat stance, ready to stand his ground. Luckily though, Nolan came alone and not only blocked the attacks but pushed both mages away as well. However, Joshua saw that he was losing himself to anger and knew that while that had helped now, it wouldn't in the long run. Walking forward, he placed a hand on his teammate's shoulder.
"[color=red]Calm yourself Nolan. No point turning into Asura now. That spell looks like it consumes a lot of magical energy. Conserve that. Save it for when you need it and use it wisely.[/color]" He said before looking at Zander and Xyster. "[color=red]Though, you must admit the faux knight has a point. Karn humiliated that girl from Rider's Blade and Angelo damn near killed that mist girl from Dragon Fang. Our guild has only shown how out of control some of our members are. So don't prove him right. Stay angry if you want but don't lose yourself to it. Keep a calm head but a burning heart. You hear me?[/color]"

Nolan's attack, when it came, was completely unexpected and unprepared for.  No human should have been able to move that fast, or attack with such power.  Zander and Xyster, though rallied to strike as one, found their momentum completely halted by the Ash God Slayer's barrier of swords.  Unfortunately, Buttons met no such impediment, and she continued to gallop forward, leaving both her passengers suspended in the air.  The next instant came Nolan's own push, drawn from some incredible power within him, and it blasted both soldiers backward in a whirlwind of burning darkness.  Even Zander's horse couldn't escape the destructive swath, and her ruby armor shattered apart to the tune of a horrific shriek from the blackness.  After a few moments the cloud cleared, leaving man, monster, and mare buried beneath the ashes with only stray limbs sticking out.

Quiet permeated the battlefield.  Then, with a moan, the head of the Ruby Knight surfaced from the ashes.  The remainder of his headgear had been blown off, and his skin equal parts scorched and lacerated, but even so he tried to rise at the sight of his horse laying on her side amidst the ashes.  Only a moment passed before he nearly collapsed, his strength wasted.  [color=E0115F]"Buttons,"[/color] he wheezed.  [color=E0115F]"Will...suffocate..."[/color]  His energy returned to him slowly, too slowly to make it to Buttons or defend anyone.

Another mound amid the ashes burst, and a tall, scrawny form got shakily to its feet.  Xyster's clothes had been damaged by the explosion, and her marble skin sported severe gashes.  The Harvester appeared, head among the ashes where her head was still buried, and she leaned upon it.  When she spoke, her voice came from her throat, where her head should have been.  [color=9ACD32]"Lunatic.  Lose yourself to anger if you want.  It's the only way to beat me now."[/color]  She held up a hand as if examining her fingernails, though of course she lacked a head.  As the people watched, an inky blackness suffused her skin.  The rate of spread quickened, and in another moment every inch of her gleamed black as pitch in the sunlight.  Imhullu, Jack Be Nimble, and the others were gone, melted away like graveyard mist come daytime, but they left behind a sinister sight.  Pushing off her weapon, Xyster kneeled down beside Zander and laid a hand on his heaving shoulder, just as Joshua did for Nolan.  Her voice had grown distorted, reverberating ethereally.  [color=9ACD32][i][b]"Here, sir.  Let me give you the stamina I stole from the boys.  Use it to save our friend, then sit back."[/b][/i][/color]  She slid her fingers across the shaft of the Harvester, and the blackness consumed it, too.  When the last bit of color faded, there came a deafening noise: the sound of a church bell.  Behind it came a crushing silence, as if the universe itself were dead.  No living thing uttered a peep, from human to bird, and even the wind whispered not.  

Xyster's body perked up in curiosity.  [color=9ACD32][i][b]"Nolan Waltz.  Joshua Tamashii.  The bell tolls for you, Ereshkigal."[/b][/i][/color]

From the ashes burst four long, serpentine strands of cloth--the ribbons in Xyster's hair.  They wrapped around the Harvester and pulled, yanking the Dullahan's head from its dry tomb to adorn the weapon, and the next second she shot forward.  Her movements had lost their fluidity, but nevertheless she covered great lengths in a single bound.  Heedless of any counterattack, she darted into range and swung at Nolan's torso in a crescent arc.

Maybe he took that attack a little too far. His opponents were buried in ashes, until Zander's head popped up gasping for air and with little strength. Nolan had realized that the Ruby Knight was trying to save his equestrian friend from suffocation from inhaling ashes and with a swift motion of the hand, he blew the ashes covering the horse off too the side so it would breathe. Even if Nolan was serious about beating them, he still didn't have the desire to kill them nor did he desire to kill an innocent animal. 

He glanced back to Joshua and tisked in annoyance, shrugging his hand off his shoulder. The spirit arms and swords were deactivated, drawing out Kaso to prepare for the next strike. Even though Nolan tried to not show it, exhaustion was ever so slowly beginning to creep up on him. The wounds he had suffered from Riot Lily, the stamina absorbed from him, and the magic blast stacked upon each other, causing him to pant slightly though his iron pride refused to show it.  [color=00746b]"I'm fine now, I'm fine. I've got enough fight left in me...more importantly..."[/color] The world seemed to lose all sense of joy. The monster, Xyster, had transformed into nightmare incarnate. Her body was an abyss of darkness that extended to Harvester, followed by a din of a church bell that silenced the world.  

 [color=00746b]"The real battle has begun."[/color] The God Slayer told Joshua, stepping foreward with his eyes fixated on the Dullahan.  [color=00746b]"Bring it."[/color] What Xyster now lacked in grace she made up for pure power now. She had already appeared in front of the God Slayer, swinging her scythe straight towards his chest. On reflex Nolan swung Kaso down to Harvester and...his blade went through her weapon. His eyes widened and at the last second he was able to jump past her though not unscathed. His shoulder bled with large amounts of blood running down his arm despite no visible wound. 
 
Quickly he turned around thrusted Kaso through her back, phasing through her as if her body was air.  Nolan leaped back to try and gain distance. [i][color=00746b]Invincibility? No...that's not it.[/color][/i] He thought to himself. Precious little time was afforded to him to think, however, and Xyster's onslaught only intensified.  She burst forward and threaded the weapon around her back before executing a horizontal slash. Nolan had leaped back in reaction to Xyster's next attack, but it wasn't enough to avoid the blade. Along his chest the blade phased through him and his blood splattered against his hoodie and ran down his stomach. 

[h3][b]Master Jamie[/b][/h3]

[color=f26522]"All the more reason to set things right. I think the games were conducted too soon as it appears the guilds are taking loses too seriously. It doesn't matter, truly, who wins. No, this is to show that we as guilds can act responsibly and that we are there to defend them from bad mages. And when have I ever backed down from a challenge, Jack?" [/color] Jamie said, smiling at Elyse before giving a soft sigh. 

[h3][b]Sasha[/b][/h3]

[color=6ecff6]"Lazarus, the guild has had members kidnapped and attacked in broad daylight here, don't underestimate them!"[/color] Sasha said, "[color=6ecff6]Of course they would know who I am, everyone knows we are together. Why couldn't you just tell me what's going on?" [/color] She gave a sigh, and looked to trinity, [color=6ecff6]"That would be good, thank you"[/color] There was so much she wanted to be able to do, but Sasha felt useless. 

[color=6ecff6]"Just sit, okay, while Trinity gets a lift to the hotel, please?"[/color]

[h3][b]Gabriel[/b][/h3]

As the first battles began, Gabriel was already heading back to camp. He was uneasy about doing so, as that hadn't worked the other day, but when else would he get a chance to try and earn how to fight? Most of the guild was out, and this would enable him a chance to try, even if he did land on his arse more then his feet. Or hit himself with the stick he was using as a sword. 

[@YipeeXD][@Silver Fox][@Joshua Tamashii][@Roseletta][@Zarkun][@Cirus Arvennicus]