[@Bushman501], [@Guess Who], [@Enkryption], [@Suku]
	[color=DDA0DD][b]"You've far more spirit than brain."[/b][/color] Xerxes said, glowering down at Maggie as his prized elephant's foot was cleaved and its jaw grabbed, Pērōz Pīru rearing back in an attempt to get away from her, only to have its jaw seized, the berserk girl beneath attempting to completely rip it off. The war elephant's pained toot echoed through the gymnasium, a hollow, angered sound before its black beady eyes seemed to glow an unnatural red. [color=DDA0DD][b]"Crush her, Pērōz Pīru."[/b][/color] Xerxes demanded, before the elephant jerked its head to the side forcefully, flinging Maggie off, but not without giving her a massive chunk of its lower jaw muscles and a few teeth. 

Just as he finally took note that the sword wielding girl was suddenly moved somewhere else, Xerxes heard the faintest whizz of arrows flying, only to be harmlessly knocked aside by the air around him. Crossing his arms, the Rider looked unimpressed, looking up at the source. [color=DDA0DD][b]"Skulk all you like, I can smell your inferiority."[/b][/color] he said, before with one single graceful motion he kicked up off of his elephant and landed on a rafter opposite of Hal, smugly smiling at him. [color=DDA0DD][b]"Too bad. If you'd been up against anyone else, your haphazard assassination may have succeeded. Feel honored that your head will be taken by Persia's greatest King, Lasher of the Hellespont, and Breaker of Leonidas."[/b][/color] As he spoke, his gilded axe shimmered in his hands, before he began charging at Hal, seemingly thinking that as an archer he had no way out. 

With his master not present to control his reigns, the Elephant charged ferociously at Maggie, attempting to gore her with one of its twin tusks, covered in glittering bands of jewels and obsidian, the pure white ivory prepping to become stained in her blood. In its mind, it had recieved a single order from Xerxes, repeating over, and over, and over...[color=ed1c24][b][i]"KILL! CRUSH! SUBJUGATE!"[/i][/b][/color] Like an alarm, it blared over and over, the traditionally peaceful species' being overwritten with Xerxes' mania, madness, and thirst to destroy those before it. This wasn't an elephant anymore...it had become a physical incarnation of a crazed king's power hunger. 
[hr]
	Now, having recovered enough to stand, Makoto dropped the used up bottle, the few remaining droplets of green liquid dribbling from the discarded container. Still clutching where his arm had impacted on the bleachers, he realized that he had a chance to escape, and, turned his back in order to take it. 

[color=FFC300][i]"Hmm...this is no good Makoto. I don't know if I could teach a man that would leave a girl all alone to face a dangerous beast..."[/i][/color] Zosimos mused in his mind, feigning as if he wasn't basically telling Makoto to go fight.

[color=1ABFD6][i]"B-But..."[/i][/color] Makoto started, before his card's spirit interjected. [color=FFC300][i]"No, no, it is quite alright...after all, you are weak enough to be beaten before the fight even begins. Hoping that someone else would solve the problem before you would have to deal with it. Running is, after all, the safest option..."[/i][/color]

Makoto bit his lip beneath the headdress, clenching his fists. [color=1ABFD6][i]"...Fine. If it gets you to let it go, I'll do the stupid thing."[/i][/color] Makoto said, before an almost elated clap echoed in his mind. [color=FFC300][i]"Very well my brave pupil! Now, turn to page 13, on the essence of rock based transmutation..."[/i][/color]

[color=1ABFD6][b]"SHUT UP!"[/b][/color] Makoto suddenly shouted, making it seem to the unaware observer that he was yelling at Xerxes up on the rafters. However, instead of targetting who one would suspect, he instead ran over to the piles of rubble converted into pumice, immediately tossing a piece of it up into the air. His right eye shimmered for a brief moment, a brilliant, burning, orange iris taking over his ordinary hazel as his hand made contact with the rock. In an instant, the material underwent an intense physical change, the air pockets that were placed into the pumice expanding, and seemingly turning inside out as the surrounding rock was pushed into, and then out of the hole, resulting in long, thin spears made of a rock definitely stronger and heavier than the component he'd used. A dozen javelins of rock hurtled towards the elephant at high speeds, several simply bouncing off of its hide, but one managing to strike true into its trunk, splitting straight through it. However, he had failed to stop its charge. 

[color=1ABFD6][b]"Move!"[/b][/color] Makoto yelled, trying to run as fast as he could over to Maggie, unable to match the charging beast's speed and momentum.