[b]Gabriel[/b] Alone again, Gabriel sat there for some time, before rising, not really into the festivity of the games anymore. Despite the fact his guild was fighting, right then he was unsure if he was even still welcome. While he wished Demitri best, he didn't want to sit and watch the fight. His head hurting, Gabriel wondered the streets of Crocus, fully expecting to get lost, and not particularly caring. He thought about going to a bar, but in his present state of mind he would probably get drunk, and make a full of himself. Which would just further embarrass the guild. So he continued to walk, until he reached a park. Sitting down, he took out te key to his dragon spirit, before summoning it. [color=8dc73f]"Why did you come to me?"[/color] The dragon merely twisted in the air, and Gabriel decided it wasn't so bad to merely sit there, with his spirit. [b]Penny[/b] Penny gave a sigh to herself, and wondered what she could do right then. It seemed no point in going to the Arena when the battles were almost over. And she wanted to have fun, push everything out of her mind for a few hours. So she started back to the hotel for now, but still troubled, she ended back in her hotel room. Everything seemed to indicted for Karn that Soul magic had been used, perhaps even before this incident. And that made her feel sick to her stomach. There was a reason Soul Magic had been banned so long ago, one of the nastier aspects of forbidden magic. And yet, it was the only way a Phoenix managed to survive their constant rebirths, until that final one. It wasn't something she liked to think on, and she supposed it was a reason why Solias didn't want her using her Phoenix Slayer magic. Pressing her fingers to her eyes as she sat at the desk in the room, she let out a slow breath. And then she rose, wanting information. And the Crocus Library was rumored to have not only books on magic but books that focused on forbidden magics. She expected some trouble at the library, but if she had to, she'd bully her way through. Then she cursed, went back to her room, and left a note on the door saying she was at the library, in case anyone was searching for her, before continuing. [b]Demitri vs Laynette part two[/b] When Demitri began talking, Deyja had managed to force himself back to looking at his opponent, instead of the crowd. This guy was talking a lot too, and it seemed his guild had decided on people for the games differently then Iron Enigma had. That was no matter, what mattered was all the people watching him, and how if he beat this guy they'd all stop staring at him. Suddenly someone shouted from the stands, one of his guild members, after seeing what he was doing, had run down to remind him that he wasn't allowed to kill. The dark-mage sighed, looking back at his opponent. [i]Figures there's some catch that makes this harder than it aught to be.[/i] He thought, before feeling himself suddenly being launched into the air for the second time. This time however, Deyja managed to keep his wits about him while he was in the air, and he watched his opponent. As Demitri reached where he meant to do what clearly was a final attack, Deyja's shadow orb launched itself at high speed towards him. It would pass through Deyja harmlessly, heading right for Demitri's stomach, trying to knock him up into the air. It was his hope that this would at least distract his opponent long enough for him to make a landing and regain his footing for another attack from solid ground. [i]You have to focus on this fight Deyja, if you don't, you'll be letting your guild down.[/i] He admonished himself. An instant before his fists connected, Demitri was stifled by a shadow ball to the gut. It did not cause him great injury, but it did knock him back more than far enough for all of his arms to miss. The brawler grinned. [color=E32636]"You finally heating up? Good! For a minute there I thought you were just going to hand it to me."[/color] With both competitors still aloft, Demetri punched downward, emitting a flurry of firebolts to keep himself in the air for another attack. This time, five magic circles appeared in the air around him, and from each another hand emerged, these with palms extended. Dancing flames fused into burning, red-hot orbs between their fingers, as well as those of the brawler's six arms, and as Demetri prepared to unleash his Helios Arc, he called. [color=E32636]"But I'm not letting my friends down either! Haaaaah!"[/color] From each of his hands, a series of concussive fireballs issued forth, raining down on Deyja like hail from a variety of angles. Deyja reached the ground as Demitri was just starting raining fireballs down on the shadow mage. Looking up, he watched, seemingly idly, as they came ever closer. His normal reaction would be to attempt to impale his oppnent with his shadow, but since that was a no-no, he decided on playing defensively. He began launching his shadow, as an orb, into each fireball, detonating them harmlessly. Each time that one managed to dispel his orb, his shadow would simply reappear below him and he'd reform the orb. He was doing well enough to keep them at bay, espescially whenever they drew close, but he had no intention of doing it forever. The mage sent his ball of shadow into the hail of fire, before expanding it to a much larger size. This would set off a number of them simultaniously, creating a sort of smoke screen that Deyja used to be able to move backwards out of direct fire without being seen. Once not every single fireball was heading for where he was standing, the fist-sized orb of shadow would zip through the smoke and fire directly towards Demitri's nose, aiming to slam into it repeatedly. It wasn't a very elegant strategy, but Deyja wasn't used to employing non-lethal attacks. [Color=Black]"I-I have no plans to l-let down my companions e-either."[/color] He'd murmur under his breath as he split his attention between controlling the orb and avoiding any fireballs that found him. [i]Foresight,[/i] Demetri thought as he fell to earth, [i]Must not be this guy's strong suit.[/i] Making a smokescreen to block vision was a smart move, but putting it up in the air, where the fireballs had originated, and where Demetri wouldn't be in less than a few seconds, was not as much. [i]It's time this scarecrow knew what he's dealing with.[/i] With a clear vision of Deyja across the sandy arena floor, he had plenty of time to spot and defend against the incoming orb. He did not. Demetri crossed his four lower arms, put the other two behind his head in a position of relaxtion, and stood there. The orb of shadow collided with his nose, knocking his head back, but he made no move except to lean it forward again. Several times the orb struck him, and still he made no attempt to defend himself. He grunted when one particularly hard hit caused a cracking noise to issue forth, and a few drops of blood fell from his nostrils to trickle down his chest. Then Demetri bared his teeth. [color=E32636]"You, sir, are no warrior. Helping people, tackling challenges, and being a man take more than power alone: they take a good attitude. Yours is pathetic. I mean, you're a dark mage, aren't you? Thief, murderer, and all that. Doesn't that life take steel? If you're so scared of people, why have you convinced yourself that you're fighting for them? You should be more worried about therapy than victory."[/color] Demetri roared, and the brimstone in his arms -the forearms of his real ones and the whole of the Asura ones- began to overflow. In seconds, they had become a substance akin to lava, and the ambient temperature in the arena began to rise. [color=E32636]"I know it sounds mean, but I'm trying to help you. If you won't listen to reason, like most criminals, then I hope you'll listen to my fists."[/color] Demetri clapped all six of his hands, and from the magic circles around Deyja's feet burst a great many burning arms that grabbed at his ankles, legs, and arms, attempting to grapple him and hold him tight. The brawler took off sprinting, closing the distance fast. Deyja gave his opponent an odd look as his opponent seemed to have started lecturing him. It seemed he was trying to make some point, but it was lost on the dark Mage. [color=Black]"I-I don't understand what y-you're saying. I th-think you're assuming things th-that aren't right."[/color] He shook his head a bit. The man must've just been trying to distract him, he decided, but he couldn't get his mind off the crowd. They were still watching him, so was his guild. He was supposed to look strong for them, so he decided that he wouldn't lose to this guy, but the no-killing rule was one the Dark Mage wasn't used to. Normally the rule was 'don't be seen doing it'. He continued to think, ignoring the hands grabbing him. He was allowed to maim, right? That Phoenix Wing wizard certainly hurt his opponent pretty badly, and Jacob and Merlina fought pretty hard too. That gave him an idea, though he had to act fast, as Demitri was almost on top of him. Taking a breath, Deyja activated his magic again. [i][color=Black]"Shadow Control."[/color][/i] His shadow, having reformed where it should be after Deyja had given up on the nose attack, lurched into action. It moved in front of Deyja quickly, going for Demitri's stomach again, but instead of as a sphere, it formed a sharp lance. Angled in such a way so that it would miss his spine and other major organs, but on course to shish-ka-bab Demitri regardless. Assuming he didn't move out of the way or something else. Demetri didn't. He ran straight into the lance, blindly focused on his target. He bellowed in pain as the point pierced his guts. The knowledge that his guild had some of the best healers in the business didn't assuage that terrible sensation. [color=E32636]"Augh!"[/color] He glared at Deyja, teeth gritted as he bled inside. There wasn't much time. He reached down with one hand and grabbed the shadow lance, holding it in place. [color=E32636]"You'll pay for that!"[/color] In a few strides, he closed the remaining distance, relying on his adrenaline to last him even as his wound drained his strength. The arms around Deyja clamped down, their grip secure. Demetri appeared, standing above the grappled man. Without skipping a beat, the brawler grabbed Deyja's lower leg, burning through the cloth and frying the skin. [i]I'll be out of the competition for days![/i] He thought wrathfully as he pulled, beginning to spin. [i]The least I can do is return the favor![/i] The Iron Enigma wizard was whirled around, held aloft by centripetal force, and finally thrown in an overhead slam to the ground. Immediately, the magic circles beneath him threw punches upward, tossing him into the air, and straight into the path of Demetri's Asura Triple Haymaker. There was a meaty thwack before Deyja sailed through the air to land on the sand a couple dozen feet away. The red magic circles carpeting the arena vanished as cheers went up. Demetri spared his foe one last look, half anger and half pity; while an experienced fighter such as he knew how to apply pain without causing permanent damage, Deyja would feel those impacts for days. Then Demetri sagged to his knees, blood running down his belly, and gasped at the fresh wave of pain surging in now that the adrenaline had gone. After Demitri's hit, Deyja would've landed face up, staring up at the sky, coughing. Everything looked funny after that last hit. He couldn't feel his body properly, but he focused on what was above him. [i]The sky is so beautiful this time of year. Maybe I should take Luna out to watch the sky some time.[/i] Was one of the last thoughts before he blacked out, closing his eyes. His breath would become slow and gentle, and he'd look almost serene, lying there. As if he was just taking a nap in the middle of a summer field, save the bit of blood on his clothing, and the occational cough of his otherwise limp body. [color=ec008c]"Looks like Demetri from Frenzy Plant is the winner![/color] Sheldon sang. [color=ec008c]"A fast and furious fight! Both could deal incredible blows, but only one could take them. Congratulations, fighters! Don't be afraid to spend time in the infirmary! Now, on to the next battle!"[/color] A few Iron Enigma members would come down, grabbing their fallen comrade and carrying him back to the infirmary. Luna Cathris would be there, but her face would be covered as she walked with the people carrying him off to the infirmary. None of the other major members would be there however.