"Well then," Darren coughed, as the smoke and dust around him settled. He took off his hat to brush it down, and once again placed it atop his head, covering his short, fuzzy brown hair. "I hope the others were as successful."

A sudden change in the winds knocked his hat off, and carried it off in the current. He scowled, but immediately turned to the loud, overhead roaring, and something carved through the oppressive clouds that covered the sky. An enormous ship, kept aloft by huge magitech engines, positioned itself above the manor, and dozens of armed cannons along the underbelly of the beast twisted and charged with magical energy, primed and ready to fire upon the manor at a moment's notice. A smaller vessel discharged from the larger ship, and Darren watched as it swept in, hovering close above the ground before coming at a stop not ten feet away from Darren, and settling on the ground upon its landing gear.

A familiar figure, Reeves, stepped out from the vessel, brandishing his sword in one hand which trailed behind him, although he was careful not to sully it by letting it graze against the muddy earth underfoot. He saw Darren a cursory nod as he approached with authority.

"I regret not acting sooner, but hopefully I can offer support from both myself and the Enforcers of the Council," Reeves explained to Darren, his demeanor stern and determined, but analytical in its approach.

"It's all appreciated the same. I stayed behind to take out the grunts. Unfortunately I have no clue how the others are doing, but judging by the rather strange formation of thunder clouds, I feel that one of allies has gotten the upper hand," Darren replied, a small grin on his face.

A howl of thunder, followed by the brief image of two figures flickering out and into the clouds only settled his nerves, as Reynir held Gilgan tightly by the neck, and unleashed lightning charged punch after punch against his opponent. The sky ship took no party in the battle, its weapons too large and cumbersome to distinguish one target from the other; they would never fire without Reeves' direct order regardless.

Two particular enforcers stepped out alongside Reeves, and the transport ship took back into the air to reconnect with the main vessel. One was tall, and built heavily, wearing simple garbs iconic to the Enforcers that were remiscent of the oft-forgotten Edonian Clergy. He held a book within his hand titled simple "Enforcer Code". He scanned the area intently and silently, with particular interest in the battle overhead. The other enforcer was much younger, wearing a embezzled cloak decorated with trim of red and gold, given to researchers within the enforcers.

"Dante, scout ahead, I'll gather information," barked the taller enforcer. His tone was authoritave and commanding, much like Reeves' was, although it was clear who was truly in control here.

"Yes Aegor," he smaller enforcer replied, moving quickly forward.

Aegor stood tall as he watched the lesser ranked enforcer scurry off. Aegor was leader of the most prestigious team of Enforcers; Team S, famous (or perhaps infamous) enough for even Darren to know who he was. Reeves must have pulled some rather hefty strings to get them to join him on this mission.

"Reeves has given me little information about the situation, but I feel that you can fill in the blanks on why this should be an urgent council matter?" Aegor bluntly asked Darren.

"You're familiar with the Oroborus Society, right? You enforcers have been looking for them for years. Well, they kidnapped Reeves' daughter and brought her here. We have no idea why, but it seems a couple of them have a personal vendetta against two of our Ozalian comrades, and along with our other companions have headed in to take them head on. As I said, I've been making sure nobody catches us from behind."

Aegor listened intently to Darren's story, his eyes widening almost immediately at the sound of the Oroborus Society. He pondered Dartren's story for a moment. "Taking their leader and their top commanders would be significant enough to warrant us being here. Very well, we will issue support as best as we can."


Meanwhile, Dante quickly made it to the courtyard on arcane steps, and took a quite scan of the area. Dante could feel traces of both spiritual energy and a dark, void like essence in the air. Powerful magic indeed.

"Someone here can manipulate dark energy," he said out loud, not knowing that a battle nearby was being fought. He followed the trail, his sense for the arcane eventually spotting tiny, thin, shadowy like tendrils that whisped about in the air. They sought the nearest source of life, Dante, but they wriggled harmlessly against him, until he back them away with a wave of his hand and they dispersed into nothing. Foul things, they were, and the product of exceptionally dark magic that might make anyone else sick... Dante approached the entrance of the ruined guild, quickly spying the sight of a red headed, heavily augmented mage hurling orbs of raw magic at the ground, exploding into caustic pools of magic. He only caught a glimpse of a dark pool that soon dispersed, and when it did she finally laxened her combat stance, thrusting her staff firmly into the ground and leaning against it, gasping for breath. Dante moved in closer, and immediately recognised as she spoke to herself.

"F-Flo? is that you?" Dante asked, eyes wide as he almost leapt at the woman. "I didn't expect to see you here of all places! Are you here with Master Sazer?"

"Dante?" she replied, equally surprised at his arrival. At first she tried to shake him off, adrenaline still keeping her primed and ready to fight, but as she calmed and her grip steadied she brought her in for a hug with her one remaining human arm, and held him close to her for a moment. "Dante, why're you here?"

Dante wasn't going to lie, he had missed his big sister quite abit since he left to study in Edonia. "I joined the Enforcers of Edonia to study magic and develop my own style" he replied with a sincere smile. 

Her eyes slowly wandered upwards to the sky ship, only now hearing their roaring engines as the heavy beating of blood pumping through her veins just past her ears, and the pieces slowly began to put themselves together. She smiled, knowing Reeves had changed his mind, and knowing that they would have the might of the enforcers behind them for now. Monarch paused to take another breath, and warded off those strange, ethereal strings with her magic.

The name Sazer took a moment to click in her head. "I... Yes, I'm here with Darren. Jax is here too. You remember Jax, right?"

"Jax? ofcourse I do, the big lummox kept calling me half pint" he remembered, gritting his teeth

She brought her clawed hand across her side, scythes pressing uncomfortably against her exposed skin, before the cuts and scratches began to unceremoniously stich themselves together, a simple healing spell that paled in comparison to the skills of a true healer, but would keep herself from bleeding out, and seemed to stop the strange, darkening wounds caused by Zinko's strange dark magic that had once spread upwards, but now seemed to have settled and the pain subsided.

"Listen, Dante, I'm glad you're here, because I know you're capable enough to help. I'm heading further into the manor. I need to make sure my companions are safe, but I'm still not-" She grit her teeth, holding back a groan as she moved, forcing back the pain. "-Ideally I'd get some time to recover, but if I don't help them now I won't ever get the chance. Will you help me?"

Dante smiled, and Mona could not help but smile back. "Big sis? Did you even have to ask? You know I will." He turned to face the guild manor and took a few steps forward. "Just stand back."

The young mage clasped both hands together, and even before he spoke his form started to shift and change. He grew larger, briefly engulfed in blackened flames as claws emerged from his fingertips, and his hair grew longer and shaggy, eventually covering his body in course, black fur. He snarled, his teeth turning into blades and his mouth forming into a snout, before a pair of heads manifested from his neck, until what remained was a trio of feral, snapping wolf heads, atop a humanoid, wolf-like body. "Mythos Shift: Cerberus," he growled as his transformation completed its final steps, bones snapping finally into place.

He fell to the ground for a moment, digging into the dirt with his newly formed claws, before he finally rose up to his feet, and shook off the bestial force of his transformation and reigned control back in. 

"Here, let me carry you," one of the heads offered, its voice deeper mixed with soft snarls as he held out an enormous hand, large enough to hold a human in it. She was hestiant but took it, and was lifted up to his shoulder that she perched upon. "I've perfected my magic into Shapemancy; I'm able to take the form of mythical beasts."

"I forgot how long it has been since was last met," she said. "I'm glad the Enforcers are teaching you well, Dante."

She pointed him forwards into the building. Dante was not subtle, his huge, immensely powerful form tearing through the small doorways and furniture as they made their way through the building. First they were set upon by the burned, ruined stadium that had been the scene of Crossbones and Kazan. Monarch realised its source immediately, and thought back to the original fight. She knew Crossbones had taken him on, buy the littered residue of magitech powers, grenades blasts and heft, fist-shaped dents left in the walls. She worried for a moment, if he had been strong enough to stand up against the fire mage, but Mona could not help but smile when she saw the lanky, unconcious form of Kazan on the ground, energy completely spent.

"Jax must have gone on ahead," Monarch said to her brother. She hit his leg with the side of her staff. He was alive, but he did not response, completely out cold. "He's no harm like this. Make sure one of your companions take him. He's a criminal and a kidnapper, he deserves to be behind bars."

She was picked up again by Dante and the two silently continued down the hallway. Dante's long, bestial strides were immensely fast, and it was not long before they caught up to the heavy, beating footsteps that continued on just ahead of them.

"Hey, I wondered when you'd show up!" Crossbones called back, raising a hand to wave as his old friend. He looked beat up, burns and cuts across his body, his armour chipped and scorched from the fight. He looked in worse condition than Monarch did, but he was standing and ready to fight, a grin on his face, a testament to the man's sheer resilience to punishment. "Who's the big guy? Should I be jealous?"

Mona gave a half-amused smike as she was lowered back into the ground, and Dante's form twisted and morphed back into its original. "Hey Jax!" Dante called, and Crossbones smiled in response. "On behalf of the Enforcers of Edonia, I'm here to offer support wherever I can," He stated formally, brushing off his robes. "Reeves got in touch with my captain about his daughter's kidnappings. I recognised that body we passed, though. I hate to say it, but I don't know if we can't arrest Kazan. His father is..." Dante groaned. "The head of the Enforcers." 

"He what?" snapped Mona. "That doesn't give him free reign to-"

"We don't get to choose, Mona, I'm sorry," Dante replied, lowering his head. "It's wrong, but you know that he's not going to face any real punishment with the law. Not while Kazan is the heir to the household. I mean, we could always-"

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't just kill him, then," Crossbones barked, cracking both of his knuckles, the hefty metal gauntlets still covering them and his forearms. The scorch marks and hefty burns told Dante that Jax had been locked in a battle with Kazan not moments before they had met again. "He's a kidnapper, an attempted murderer, and a terrorist. I'd rather break his neck myself than let him walk free."

Dante raised his hand and stood in front of Crossbones, blocking his path back towards the battleground where Kazan had been fought. "No, you can't! The Pyros family'll have the enforces after you for murder! I can't promise that Kazan'll be behind bars, but I can promise you, I know his father personally. He won't get off of this lightly."

Crossbones grit his teeth and then opened his mouth to speak, only for the door ahead of them to swing wide open, a figure emerging from the thin smoke. It was Henry, an adult figure slung across his right shoulder, that Henry carried with little care for the unconscious figure's wellbeing. He looked back between Crossbones and Monarch, and then to the enforcer between them, and nodded. "You got Zinko?" Henry asked, directly to Mona.

"He ran, but I don't think he's coming back."

Henry scowled.He looked at both Crossbones and Monarch, with the Enforcer along with them. "She managed to beat Zinko? hmmm." Henry thought.

He almost threw the figure to the floor, and as he rolled over, the other three could see it was Raldo, blood smeared across his face and unresponsive. Alive, but unconscious. "An Enforcer?" Henry questioned. ". "Dante! nice to meet you,I take it my father's here?"

"Mr Laana? Yes, he thought you could use the aide. It seems like we arrived a little late to help with the fighting, but at least we can hope to clean up." The ground shook, as energy erupted from the floors above them. "Well, perhaps not all of the fighting. We need to move quickly. Who from your group is unaccounted for?"

"Anna and Alfen headed up on further," Mona replied.

"And I think the storm's stopped. Think Reynir got out okay?" Crossbones replied.

"No idea, but I think we should go find out, before Orus manages to escape-"

A cough and splutter from the two figures on the floor snapped them from their conversation for a moment. Raldo sturred again, coughing up blood and gasped for breath, all through a sinister laugh that he managed despite his state. His hands were bound, and he simply pushed himself over onto his back and pulled himself up to rest against the wall, a grin across his face.

"What're you laughing at?" Henry snapped.

Raldo laughed a little louder. "You think this will end happily ever after, don't you? You're more delusional than I am if you think that's true. You're all so worried about Orus, you didn't stop to think he isn't the big threat? he's just a more powerful puppet under the control of the Mad Jester!" Raldo rambled like a mad man. Dante was suspicious as he listened carefully. "that...that can't be right. If he's talking about who I think he's talking about...that's impossible" Dante grabbed a book and skimmed through it. "The Mad Jester died centuries ago, he fell into a pit created with fire magic within. if it's anything, its a copy cat." Dante explained as best as he could. Henry shrugged. "Maybe he's just mad." 

ALFEN VS ZYLE

Orus kept Rita to the side of him, watching closely as both Alfen and Zyle stood off against each other. The four manifested not inside the manor, but on top of it. The huge sky ship crashed overhead, its weapons primed and buzzing with energy, as the storm overhead only grew fiercer, and bolts of lightning and crashes of thunder framed the scene. The two battling figures overhead appeared briefly, but in their battle of titans, Alfen was not sure they could even see the four of them standing there beneath them. Black stormclouds began to swirl, and the winds became fierce and biting.

"I hope you have enough spirit to last, Van Dragoon. You're gonna need it," Orus smiled as he spoke, yanking on the chain that held Rita the moment that she shifted to get a little more comfortable.

Alfen cracked his knuckles and readied himself, but it did little to bring out a reaction on his opponent. "I ain't goin' to go easy on you," said Alfen, and in a moment of his bravado and confidence, smirked. 

His body cackled with lightning. "Lightning Art: Thunder Flash!" he shouted, his body cloaked in lightning. In a blink he was closing the gap between himself and Zyle, readying a huge forceful kick, the lightning from his whole body moving through to his leg and focusing on a single point.

His entire body passed through the form of Zyle, who shattered like glass. Alfen crashed to the floor, landing with little grace, and dug his fingers into the tiled roof of the manor to balance himself and bring himself back up to his feet. He saw those shards of glass linger in the air for a moment, before they quickly brought themselves back together, and reformed into the familiar shape of Zyle. He returned the look, unenthused, almost bored to be there, and began a slow pace along the top of the roof, before pausing to look at the ship overhead.

"You know, Master Orus, it might be wise to take this opportunity to find refuge. To nobody's surprise, the girl's father came in force, and despite its protection the manor would never survive a full barrage from such a titan. Live to fi-"

Another electrically charged kick surged through Zyle's form, scattering his body in all directions, but as Alfen fell through it and lay a mangled mess on the floor, Zyle resumed his form and continued. "As I was saying, live to fight another day."

Orus sat to the side as he watched the fight. He won't lie, while the sudden appearance of the Enforcers would be troubling, it was Reeves who would the one he'd look out for. nonetheless he shrugged, confident in his machinations. "It's fine, Zyle, kill this worm and then we can head out," he ordered.

Alfen grunted and thus time decided to forgo a physical strike entirely. Lightning cascaded down his arms, collected between his hands, and burst out in an uncontrolled bolt that danced and bit at the air around it. It crashed against Zyle but he raised an arm and cast it aside, the lightning dancing up the outside of his own arm and coiling off into the sky, harmlessly. Zyle hardly seemed to have put effort into the deflection, and instead stood, disinterested in the fighting as he watched the mesmerising display take place in the sky.

"You know, that Reynir figure is not as impressive as I had expected. More than enough to handle Gilgan, of course, but a blind fool could handle such an arrogant dullard with ease. Still, with the tales I had been told I expected him to rend the heavens and smite Gilgan where he stood, and yet he insists on bloodying his fists. It's quite disappointing, don't you think, Alfen?"

Alfen was both stunned and angry at the words spouted by Zyle. He so easily insulted an old friend, a mentor, and a hero all the same to Alfen. Reynir had been an idol, someone he looked up to, along side his grandfather and to a lesser extent, Darren. How dare Zyle speak ill of him? Alfen clenched his fist tight, slamming it down onto the broken tiled roof, and there was an eruption of lightning and thunder from where he stood. His face twisted with both frustration, anger, and every other foul emotion that could possibly surface.

"You take that back! Reynir is one of the best mages in all of Edonia! He was the number one mage in the Hawks Guild before he left. I'm sure Gilgan is tough, but for you to think of your comrade as an arrogant dullard? don't you have respect?" Alfen spat.

Zyle made no physical reaction. He did not even look at Alfen as the younger boy spoke.

"Why should I respect them? Neither of them have earned it, and here they are putting their futures in the hands of..." Zyle paused, and as he did so off in the distance Reynir manifested his atronach form, and his fist collided with Gilgan's, coated in the ethereal armour of his arcane gauntlets. The collision was enough to be felt from here, and the eruption came with such force that it made the sky ship above rock back slightly before it corrected itself. "In the hands of such party tricks."

"Lightning Creation: Bishamonten's Blade!" Alfen yelled, as his anger at the blatant disrespect of his closest friend overcame him, and an enormous jagged edged blade of volatile lightning sprung forth from his left hand.

Alfen vanished in the blink of an eye, lightning coursing through his veins and enhancing every part of his physical form, and he moved so impossibly fast he could only be seen through the faint afterimage of his form. He closed the gap between himself and Zyle in under a second and brought his arm across in an enormous diagonal sweep that cleaved through the roof of the building, sending its tiled floor scattering, and a huge piece of the ceiling fell through to the floor, and again to the floor below as the broken building succumbed to its weight. Alfen grinned as he felt his blade cleave through something, and the way Zyle's form scattered and exploded gave Alfen a sense of hope.

Unfortunately a false hope, as Alfen passed through him Zyle's being reformed, and without a movement, channeled a small blast of arcane energy that knocked Alfen even further forwards. With the momentum of his charge that tiny pulse was enough to set his balance completely off, and Alfen fell to hte floor.

"And it seems like you are putting on an equally disappointing performance. I suppose I should not have expected more. If the master is quite underwhelming, why should the student show any more promise?"

"Thunder Art:Punishing Wave" Alfen called, generating a powerful shockwave from his right hand as he pulled himself up, and unleashed the point-blank blast at his opponent.

Zyle's response was unusual as rather than dispersing or being knocked aside, his entire form shook and vibrated, and Alfen could see exactly how he could disassemble himself so easy. His body, rather than being fully formed and solid, instead seemed to be made from tiny, glass like shards that held themselves together tightly, forming a humanoid shape. Within he was hollow, empty, only a faint, bluish whisp of energy within to hold the construct together. For a moment Alfen could not believe it, and wondered if Zyle was in fact not human but a construct. Zyle stepped forwards, rather than turning properly his entire body seemed to shift, disassemble, and reassemble itself to face Alfen, finally taking interest in the younger mage, and brought a hand out to reach towards him.

"So, you see what I am?" his hand seemed to only approach tentatively at first, but it quickly latched onto Alfen's collar, grabbing him tightly and lifting him upwards. The man's strength was incredible, and despite Alfen's struggle the white-haired mage lifted him up so high he could no longer touch the ground. "Be thankful. I am giving you a chance to realise your hopelessness and run while you can."

Zyle helfed the young mage over his shoulder, tossing him like a rag doll and hurling him across the roof. Alfen's body scattered wildly, skirting the edge of the hole he had made moments ago and nearly falling in before he caught himself, fingers digging into wooden framing of the building with enough force he splintered it when the rest of his body tumbled down. He clung to it with one arm, and later too as he reached up to grab the tileworking, a few falling loose at his grasp and only loosening his grasp. Zyle approached and stood above him. "Leave, devil siphoner. Your efforts here today mean nothing."

Alfen's rage quickly took hold, and as he yelled lighting burst from his eyes and crackled along his arms. Magic erupted from him, his entire form volting forward like pure lightning, passing through Zyle's entire form and rematerialising across from him, so fast Alfen tripped again and fell to the floor. Zyle was stunned, electricity dancing across the individual parts of his form, and it took him longer than before for him to repair himself. Electricity still crackled across him, before he snapped his arm back and shot what had been charged through him into the ground. His blank, stoic expression changed as he turned his head over his shoulder, a thin wisp of smoke trailing upwards from his slightly singed hair. For a brief moment, Alfen thought he could see a wince of pain. The singed, broken look quickly faded, as Zyle coughed and tried to regain his composure. He walked forwards, hands behind his back, before grabbing Alfen by the collar again and dragging him across the ground.

"So you are more talented than I thought, but my surprise is hardly a commendation on your skill. I'm tired of these games, begone with you."

With one singular heft he brought Alfen up into the air again, dangling him over the edge of the manor, and dropped him. He turned and walked a few steps towards Orus. "There, he is dealt with. Now might we-"

That same, violently strong jolt of electricity rushed through him, as a humanoid storm of lightning and thunder passed by him, rematerialising on the other side of the rooftop. Alfen stood, more of a grin on his face now, as he found something that harmed Zyle. The young mage pooled more lightning in his hands, reading a second strike. "What's wrong, Zyle? Disappointed an upstart like me can land a hit? Well, handle this. Thunder Art: Fero-"

Alfen hardly had time to react as the shards that formed Zyle's face shifted and changed, parting, exposing the hollow interior, and radiating such an intense blue light that Alfen was almost blinded. His spell, Thunder Art: Ferocious Force, was thrust forward with an enormous blast of raw sonic energy, but it careened far off to the side, over Zyle's shoulder. The energy that pooled in front of Zyle was impossibly bright, before erupting in a large beam of energy that cleaved through the entire manor, upwards and off into the sky. The manor shifted and fell, the half of the building falling slack as the building was cut through entirely and the supports fell apart. The sound of stone and wood breaking filled the air, as the building shook with every step. The beam itself carried on, carving through the sky, and striking both Reynir and Gilgan off in the distance. Their fighting went silent.

Rita watched the fight play out. It was just as she feared; Zyle was just toying with him, like a doll, giving him as much respect as one too. Rita's eyes were wide and almost brimming with tears. "Alfen no! please! don't give up!" She rooted for him as best as she could still chained up in Orus' grasp, but he silenced for briefly with another firm tug on the chain around her neck.

"I want you to know, demon siphoner, that I am playing no game. I am giving you a chance to leave, but this will be the [i]last[/i] chance. I usually choose not to demonstrate my power so frivolously, but it seems you are a persistent one. See how easily your friend was shot out of the sky?" He brought his arm up to point where Reynir and Gilgan had once fought in the sky, where now nothing stood by a huge, circular gap in the clouds where Zyle's spell had cut right through them. "If you don't leave now, I will kill you where you stand."

"N-no! I won't leave without Rita. She's a comrade, and a fellow Hawk Guild Mage!" He replied, his face still showing unwavering spirit and determination.

Zyle's arm outstretched towards Rita, as if preparing a spell.

"Calm yourself, Zyle," Orus said, and Zyle slowly lowered his arm. "And please, stop toying with him and put him out of his misery."

Zyle grit his teeth. "...Of course, Master Orus," he said, as the same blue energy that erupted from his form moments ago pooled in his hand, and he raised it just so as he aimed towards his opponent, Alfen.

Rita's fears were overcoming her as she watched a fast friend, someone who had only met her about a day before, was willing to do anything to save her. Tears streamed down her face as she watched Zyle toy with Alfen as if he was nothing.

The mage pulled his arm back, channeling the energy for a moment, as he spoke the words to evoke his own, powerful spell "Ethereal Art, Luster Purge," he said quietly, as he thrust his arm forwards and an enormous, volatile beam of royal blue energy erupted from his palm, the same as the fierce ray that he had fired moments ago, that swept across and upwards, aiming to cut Alfen entirely in two with a single swipe.

Alfen tried to roll out of the way of the beam, the strange arc of the beam that seemed to twist and contort in the air, was a precise, accurate shot. The beam stung, tearing at his clothing and striking his chest with the force of a storm, and it threw him back for what felt like the thousandth time today, until his back crashed into something rock solid. The manor chimney, which had remained standing for a while, until Alfen's form crashing into it was fierce enough to send bricks scattering, and the wounded boy lay there, and felt like every bone in his body had broken. His fingers twitched when he tried to move them, and eventually he summoned the strength to move again. Not broken, and he was not out yet, but he struggled to remember a time he felt worse pain.

"Is-" Alfen coughed. "Is that all you've got?"

Zyle's eyes narrowed, as he began the slow progression towards Alfen. "Even on your knees, you still try to bite back." As he stood before Alfen he knelt down on one knee so that they were at eye level, and they started each other down. Alfen noted a distinctly cold look from his opponent, as if he were looking through him, rather than at him. "You had your chance. Now, please be still-"

A hand grapsed onto the side of Zyle's head. It was Alfen's, outstretched, a thumb over Zyle's eye and his fingers clasped tightly in his silver hair to hold it right, and he screamed, letting out all the rage and energy as he could. Electricty poured out from his body, crackling outwards like a thunder crash, perhaps even louder than the storm that roared overhead, and Alfen squeezed, digging his thumb into Zyle's eye socket. The tiny crystals that formed Zyle started to seperate, but even that was not enough, as the bolts of lightning danced across them, crashing and searing every part of him, turning his skin charcoal black as more and more of the intense lightning was forced into his body. Zyle's cold expression changed, and he could not hold back his own intense howl of pain.

Then Zyle's hand latched onto Alfen's arm. His nails dug in, hard, and Alfen felt them break skin even through the material of his clothing. Zyle's hand, no, his entire arm... he had stopped even attempting to make it look human anymore, and was instead a shifting mass of blue, arcane energy, his fingertips sharpened into lethally sharp claws that dug deeper, and Zyle pulled hard to wrench Alfen's hand away. The boy's grip only grew tighter, and even Zyle's arcane form struggled to pull him off, and the way electricity overwhelmed his form, he could not split himself apart either.

So he grit his teeth, raised his other arm, and slowly forced his hand to twist and transform, until it became a single serrated form, a grizzly looking blade that took up his entire forearm. He levelled it with Alfen's shoulder, and for a moment the boy could have sworn he saw the faint flash of a smirk on the strange arcanist's lips, before he thrust that blade forward and sunk it deep into Alfen's shoulder.

The boy's arm was cleaved off immediately.

Alfen's eyes shot open wide, as the electricty he forced from him flickered and died. He made no sound, other than a sharp gasp of air as the blade sunk into his shoulder. Zyle pried away Alfen's arm when it fell slack, and felt the limb wither away into dust, the very electricty it had channeled consuming it in seconds. That same power had cauterised the wound completely, and not a drop of blood fell from it, but Alfen still remained silent, shaking gently, as his body tried to cope with the shock. Zyle himself did his best to shake off the pain, and slowly a natural colour came back to his skin, the crystals radiating blue for a moment before his body began its slow repair. His form still occasionally flickered, like some kind of computer glitch, before stablising again.

"I told you to run," Zyle said, as he stood up, raised his arm, and rested his open palm against Alfen's forehead. "Ethereal Art, Luster Pur-"

Another crack of lightning, as the very ground beneath Zyle's feet vanished. The tile roof almost exploded as an enormous ball of stone and earth, crackling with lightning, surrounded by biting winds, and spitting amber flames grabbed him, a single, huge hand grasping around his chest and wrenching him off of his feet. "You'll regret hurting him," the elemental said, a voice like stone grinding against stone. Reynir's grip tightened, and Zyle's ribcage shattered as his torso was crushed in an instant.

His form faded, shattering into a thousand tiny pieces, before the whirlwind of shards picked up again and manifested besides Orus, where it reassembled into the wounded form of Zyle, hurt but stable. He grit his teeth, and for the first time he showed an emotion more akin to anger... or was it perhaps, fear?

Reynir gave him no time to recover, and charged immediately. His form was wild and inconsistent, wrapped in earth and stone, but it resembled none of his traditional forms. No, they were refined and practiced. This was a resort born of rage at the harm that had come to his friend, and his movements were feral and violent, like a natural disaster in itself. An enormous stone fist came sweeping around in a huge arc, intending to hit both Orus and Zyle.

Orus tilted his head back hardly an inch, enough that the fist swung clean out of the way in front of him, and Zyle was swift enough to disperse his form, a crackling storm of needle-like blades that engulfed Reynir, and with lethal precision attacked the cracks in his form, his entire body briefly forming into single, straight blades that cut against the stone armour, reforming into a human behind the elemental beast, and then charging again. Reynir hardly noticed, flailing wildly as he tried to grasp onto both Orus and Zyle.

Orus was far too swift, and made no attempt to fight back. Zyle was the first to be grabbed by Reynir again, who took ahold of him in both hands, one around his legs and the other his torso, and pulled firmly until his body was torn in half. It gave Reynir no joy, who knew that Zyle would reform in mere moments, and hurled both of the shattered pieces into the air and watched as they did indeed begin to take shape.

A hulking black shape leapt up from the base of the building, demonic features flashing into Zyle's view as he finally reformed, only for a mighty fist to smash into his back, and he went crashing back into the tile floor of the roof.

"Thought you might want a little help," Darren said, as he unleashed a flurry of punches on Zyle, who dodged them nimbly, but was focused entirely on doing so. One final punch brought some distance between the two, briefly. "Go check on Alfen. I've got this one," he growled, as the demonic form bounded forwards towards Zyle.

Reynir nodded, a brief moment of calm washing over him. The hefty stone armour that covered his form fell apart, and he moved to kneel before Alfen, and brought a hand up to cup his cheek, holding up his face so that Alfen's eyes finally met with Reynir. "Alfen, are you okay?"

"Y- yeah, I-"

"Don't talk, just keep your eyes on me. You're going to be fine, I promise."

Reynir kept a brave face, but he needed to for his friend. The sight of him so badly wounded scarred him, and the rage that boiled inside of him began to bubble up again. He took a deep breath and calmed himself, then brought a hand upwards to hover just over Alfen's shoulder, where the charred flesh was. His fingertips traced a few sigils in the air, and Alfen hissed in pain, but quickly calmed down, his breathing becoming regular, and his senses returning to him properly.

"This should numb some of the pain," Reynir said, as he held out an arm to wrap around Alfen's waist, and slowly helped him up to his feet. "Just try and stay calm, we're going to get you out of here. I- I'm sorry, Alfen, I-"

"Reynir, stop it," Alfen replied. A little of that familiar determination had returned to his face, and while he was still clearly in great discomfort, his eyes quickly shot towards Rita. He was still driven entirely to helping her. "I- I'm fine, really. I- I can still cast, I can still-"

"I'm not letting you stay here any longer, Alfen. You've-"

There was another crash, and radiant burst of arcane energy, but it did not come from Zyle or from Darren. There was a flash of bright colour, shifting and changing, and a red blur flickered in and out of view. [i]Minerle[/i]. With a flick of her arm a thin tendril of red shot out from her like a blade, but it was cast aside by a new form that manifested from the light, who retaliated by raising her hand and having thin, weaving roots burst from beneath the roof, coiling around the red-garbed woman and grasping her tight.

The figure that stepped out was not recognised by any of them. Ethereal, a feminine form, but her figure seemed impermeable, and flickered with the wind, likely made of raw magic in a deep blue, that shifted to blacks and faded purples, with small specs of bright lights glistening in her form like a midnight skyscape. Her eyes glistened bright green, and wispy butterfly wings emerged from her back like smoke.

She raised her hand again, lifting Minerle into the air, before tossing her aside like a ragdoll.

Darren took an opportunity to follow up, and brought his arm around in a mighty left hook, colliding with her and sending Minerle flying. The ethereal figure gave him a determined nod, and Darren returned it with a tilt of his head and a strange look. "...Anna, is that you?"

The figure smiled and nodded. Her fae features were obvious; the slight points to her ears, the large, almond shaped eyes, silvery hair, not to mention the wings that protruded from her back. "You look... different."

She chuckled, and gave a playful wink. Even in the midst of battle she retained a sly smile, perhaps uncharacteristic of the usually worrisome Anna, but her voice was certainly familiar, even if it carried a smoke-like wisp that ended every sound, and her tone was more playful and confident than usual. "Suits me, doesn't it? Sorry, I suppose I should have told you about this sooner, but I rarely get a chance to truly utilise the power of my siphoned spirit~ But oh, it feels so delightful."

"Zyle! Minerle!" Orus barked as the wounded two helped each other off the ground. "Stop acting like fools and deal with them. Once again, it seems like if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

He released the chain that bound Rita and let it clatter to the floor. For a moment she thought she was free, and tried to scurry away, but was wrenched backwards when she felt the chain hook firmly into the floor and seal itself with magic, holding her there tight to watch as the battle continued to unfold. Darren and Anna stood off, both in their strange, transfigured forms, with Zyle and Minerle readying themselves opposite them, and Rita could feel the arcane energy dance between the two groups. Meanwhile Orus strode confidently towards Reynir and Alfen, and Rita called out to warn them "Look out!"

"Alfen, stay back. I can handle thi-"

"No!" the younger mage called out, grabbing Reynir by the shoulder by his one free hand.

"You're too wounded. Trust me, I can-"

"I'm not staying out of this!" Alfen yelled back. "I can still cast. I can still fight. I am [b]not[/b] going to sit back and let everyone else do the work for me. I'm here, and I'm going to stand alongside you, whether you like it or not."

Alfen did not expect Reynir to playfully ruffle his hair in response. The taller man smiled. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?" Reynir laughed despite everything, and teased the smaller mage. "Just don't hold me back, okay?"

Alfen stuck out his tongue. "Hold you back? Just try and keep up," he teased, as the two turned to take a fighting stance against their new foe.