[h3]Henry[/h3]

Where the foul rays of Nosferatu seared the earth, they left it defiled.  The grasses blanketing that soil, and the many insects nestled within that miniature forest, all withered and died instantly.  Not even their husks remained behind; beneath the malevolent arclight that called forth images of horrific moonlight in the pitch-black hours of a haunted night, they disintegrated into dust.  Nothing would grow in this spot for years, if not forever.  The charred circle on the ground existed as a testament to this tiny annihilation, snuffing out life in the blink of an eye.  For his part, Henry regretted that the life of Five hadn't been extinguished the same way.

Her act of what seemed to be teleportation bid the dark mage pause.  Only Witches could warp like that.  [color=d8bfd8]“A witch isn't good for business,”[/color] he admitted without breaking his eager grin.  He knew precious little of these ultra-rare sorceresses, but their ability with magic outclassed even the dark mage's, and every witch could warp around the battlefield in the blink of an eye.  Fighting one, so Henry heard, was like taking on a phantom.  The witch was everywhere and nowhere at once, reinforcing allies, escaping even the cleverest traps, and obliterating any enemy that dared to stop for half a moment to catch his breath.  And if the others shared this power, he and Denys were up against five.

A quick look around confirmed that his enemy had moved to the girl called Candy Cane, and while she didn't seem intent on attacking her at the moment, that could change at any second.  Was this witch's choice of location, so close and exposed, an attempt to mock Henry?  He gave a short chuckle.  Why bother?  He could take a joke—and he could deliver them.  Whether or not this thing felt like teaching, class was in session, and Henry wanted to learn about her powers as he destroyed her.  But why settle for just one?

The Nosferatu tome levitated out of his palm and floated into his robe, brushing against the Arcfire tome on the way.  Very neatly the new book landed in the dark mage's hand, and before it had fallen fully open the pages inside were glowing and whipping frenetically.  As his magic surged within him, he felt a sudden power far greater than before.  For a moment, he felt that his veins were charged with energy, his fatigue fell away, his mind was honed razor-sharp, and that his heart was lighter than a feather.  It beat quickly, brimming with excitement, and the fireball that sprang to life in his cupped hand both shone like the sun and swirled like a storm.  [color=d8bfd8]”Ahahahaha...!  Special delivery!”[/color]  With that, his golden magic circles chimed in the air around him, and the critical fireball leaped forward.  It screamed through the air toward the group of four Big Sisters, its condensed power seemingly kept from exploding only by the promise of detonating, noisily and messily, in their midst.

[h3]Birdie[/h3]

To his chagrin, Birdie could not find any sort of establishment at which he could stuff his face, neither inn nor pub.  After a few minutes of walking around in a vain search, he elected to slip off into a sidestreet and find a place to sit and rest.  He did not imagine that no sooner had he closed his eyes than the cheery and most unwelcome light of morning rouse him from his near-slumber, accompanied by the crow of some cock to boot.  [color=yellow]”W..!  Wot!?  Day already?  Jus' as I was 'bouta get some kip, of course!”[/color]  Heaving himself to his feet, he leaned out of the alley and looked both ways down the street.  Nothing stood out to him.  In the light of day, the place somehow seemed to be in a better shape than it had been in the night.  [color=yellow]”Spooky...loik a proper ghost town.”[/color]  If nothing lived in this place, that could mean only one thing: no breakfast.  Birdie groaned, and the sound of soulfelt sorrow echoed down the desolate street.