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[i][b]Metropolis[/b][/i]
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When Yalen was thrown back by the kinetic shockwave he was instantly reminded of the time he blew those demons in Eskand sky-high. Thankfully someone was here to break his fall this time, as Lady Yang was able to rescue him before he crashed through a nearby building. Whatever he or his companions thought about the police in Rettan, it was a fact that they were well trained and quick to react, and for that he was grateful. His body floated gently downwards until his feet were touching the ground. Then, he was giving orders. 

[color=FD5E53]"One of you help Cai and Feng secure the old man! Everyone else with me! We're going in!"[/color] Yalen shouted while pointing at his teammates. He donned the Mask of the Tengu and readied his tools, the magical staff he borrowed from Ingrid and a brass censer used for religious ceremonies. He didn’t know what tools he would need for this engagement, so he prepared himself for anything.

Ingrid and Niallus were at his side in moments, the pair apparently being much faster on their feet than he was. They pulled ahead and blasted their way through the front door with a combined kinetic and arcane assault. That very same moment, sections of the building burst into flames and a dozen enemies scattered through the windows and balconies. A tongue of flame nearly set his robe on fire as Yalen skidded to a halt, unable to follow his allies into the collapsing structure. 

[color=FD5E53][i]Blasted fanatics.[/i][/color] The priest looked around with his eyes and his sixth sense to get a handle on the developing situation. Half of the criminals were making a run for it. The Rettanese policemen were either engaging the hostiles or pursuing those who fled. A few went in after Ingrid and Niallus, quenching the flames with practiced efficiency. A great power was surging nearby, but it faded too quickly to get a read on it. When it was gone, so was Lady Yang. 

[color=FD5E53][i]They were ready for us. Fine then, we’ll do this the hard way. Where are you…?[/i][/color] Yalen locked onto the six signatures belonging to the escaping fugitives. He wasn’t going to let them get away. Taking a prisoner was the only reliable way to secure key information about the Traveler’s dealings within the city. The success of this mission might depend on it. 

[color=FD5E53][i]They’re fast, but they’re not fast enough.[/i][/color] He grit his teeth and locked onto the two nearest runners. He raised his scepter in the air and shouted to the sky with holy authority.

[color=FD5E53]”SUBMIT!“[/color]

When he tried to command them, the Traveler’s agents actively resisted the attempt. Their effort was commendable, but after a few seconds of struggling the Dark Somnian managed to worm his way past their defenses and assume direct control. When the realization dawned that they were under the influence of a command mage, Yalen could feel their heartbeats quicken ever so slightly. They knew what was coming. They knew HE was coming. 

[color=FD5E53]KNEEL!"[/color] Yalen shouted. Four of the fleeing energies continued to move forward. Two were stopped dead in their tracks. The prey had been snared, and now it was time to inspect the trap. [color=FD5E53]"I've caught two of them! Those who have the strength to do so, come with me!"[/color] Yalen broke away from the chaos and sprinted after the fleeing agents, his feet carried by his pair of enchanted sandals. Those who knew him before wouldn't have guessed he was capable of running so fast. 

After crossing through alleyways and side streets, Yalen was eventually able to find the two men frozen like a pair of statues, their bodies and manas both paralyzed by the effect of his word. [color=FD5E53]"Let's make sure you bastards don't go anywhere."[/color] Yalen seethed between labored breaths. He bound their hands, feet, and mouths with cloth bandages he'd normally use to stop somebody bleeding, then produced a pair of silver needles. These needles dripped with the poison of the plushtail plant, an exceedingly rare substance known specifically for its ability to exterminate manas. He stabbed each of the Traveler's cronies in a major blood vessel and let the poison work, knowing that they wouldn't be able to dispel it as long as their manas belonged to him. By the time his command wore off, they would be powerless to escape by themselves. 

Yalen felt Rikard's presence approaching and turned to acknowledge him. [color=FD5E53]"I'm glad you came. Help me carry one of them."[/color] He requested while hoisting one of the prisoners over his shoulders.

Rikard glanced apprehensively at Yalen. [color=a187be]"What did you just...[i]use[/i] on them!?[/color] the boy asked, a slight crack in his voice. He lifted both, in fact - the one Yalen had slung over his shoulder and the other - with the help of Kinetic magic and a capacity that had grown substantially since the previous school year. 

[color=FD5E53]"I would tell you, but then I would have to kill you."[/color] Yalen said in a serious voice. It didn't take long for him to start laughing afterwards, though his smile was hidden behind his breathing mask. [color=FD5E53]"Let's just say I turned their own bodies against them. There's magic out there that the academy will never be able to teach you."[/color] The priest stretched his arms as he felt the weight literally lift off of his shoulders. 

[color=a187be]"What about the others? What about the one in the hood?"[/color]

[color=FD5E53]"I wanted to catch all six of these pests, but I lacked the skill. I'm sorry to say that the others are still at large."[/color] Yalen shook his head in disappointment. The conversation between the two Biros was interrupted by a flare-up of energy in the direction of the mansion where they just came from. The battle wasn't over yet. [color=FD5E53]"Come on, let's see if the others need our help!"[/color]

Rikard glanced apprehensively over his shoulder. [color=a187be]"It'll only take one of us to get these two back,"[/color] he decided. [color=a187be]"The other should join the guards and track down the last four, right!?"[/color] The boy was already preemptively drawing, the air around him light and crackling with electricity.

Yalen clasped Rikard's shoulder and nodded. [color=FD5E53]"Okay, let's split up. Be careful on your way back."[/color] Before he departed the area, Yalen cut his connection to the two prisoners so that he could keep command magic open as a defensive option. There would be a few minutes before their manas realized they were no longer being controlled, and by then the plushtail toxin would have already circulated through and killed most of them off. He trusted Rikard's ability to handle them in this state.

 [color=FD5E53][i]Now where are the guards headed...[/i][/color] Yalen closed his eyes and concentrated for a minute. When he found who he believed were the goldcloaks in pursuit of the other escapees, he took off running.

Yalen was able to catch up to the four goldcloaks and their quarry in almost no time. They were more focused on being evasive than covering ground, and it showed. It was now a five on four and the Retanese Guardians, recognizing him, made to cover and escort the Somnian in. Three of the masked figures whirled and targeted Yalen, and there was something about those masks that was strangely familiar. The fourth turned on the spot and pulled out a small device that seemed to be a pair of connected spheres, stalking up in front of her group and holding it above her head. [color=FFD700]"I do not want fight you,"[/color] she declared. [color=FFD700]"I want no more deass."[/color] She flipped the switch and Yalen felt his magic die.

[color=FD5E53]"That's not going to work this time!"[/color] Yalen challenged. He took a deep breath and focused inwards. He had encountered magic dampening devices many times before, and now he was finally ready to try and do something about it. [color=FD5E53]"RESIST!"[/color]

As strong as Yalen's command over his manas was, this was no ordinary dampener. He could feel a fuzziness to his magic: a severe almost... buzzing in his veins. His connection was tenuous, and his ability to exercise more than basic magics limited. [color=FFD700]"You surrender now, Somnian. We not want hurt you!"[/color] The leader remained at the front, the other three behind her, and she repeated her warning in Retanese for the others, though Yalen would've been hard pressed to recognize it as such beyond situational cues. [color=FFD700]"离开他，你们都可以毫发无损地走开。那个牧师就是我们想要的。"[/color] The two sides were almost upon each other. A decision would need to be made within the next couple of seconds.

[color=FD5E53][i]Damn. So this is all I can do?[/i][/color] Yalen clenched his jaw. He turned to look at the goldcloaks behind him. They were as stoic as they were trained to be, but they appeared uneasy. There was no way the Traveler's soldiers would act this cocky unless they were able to pacify his reinforcements as well. This was going to get ugly if he pressed too hard. He'd done his part and secured two prisoners, and so he would have to hope that was enough to help bring this case to a close. [color=FD5E53]"...Retreat!"[/color] He shouted while waving his hand, hoping they would understand his body language if not his words. After that, Yalen retreated a few steps while facing their leader, only fully turning his back when there was some distance between them. He didn't stop to check if the Rettanese officers were following him or not. He couldn't help them without magic.

[color=FFD700]"必要时杀死其他人，但对牧师要温柔。他是一个特别的人。"[/color] The gold-masked woman was issuing orders now. She reached out with kinetic magic and Yalen could feel himself slow, the efforts of his muscles counting for less and less as the momentum left him. One of his guards - Peng - turned and cursed back at the hooded woman with real venom. Then, as one, all four turned and charged. [b]"You go!"[/b] shouted Zhang. [b]"快! 我们会拖延他们。"[/b] (Quickly! We will delay them.) As one, they converged on the leader, trying to do anything that they could to dislodge that [i]damnable[/i] device.

[color=FD5E53]"..."[/color] Yalen felt something catch in his throat. He didn't know what the man just said, but he knew what he was doing. This was a rear guard action with no guarantee of survival. He felt like a piece of shit letting them do something like this for his sake, but Yalen knew that toothless heroics didn't count for anything. Yalen kept his feet moving away from the masked assailants and didn't look back no matter what. [color=FD5E53]"Resist damnit! Resist!"[/color] He continued to shout in the vain hope that he could still help them from far away. With the amount of magic he could access right now he couldn't even cook a pot of soup.

The four brave goldcloaks were thrown aside, either violently into buildings or knocked out with Chemical magics. They were no match for the masked men, who seemed... [i]unusually[/i] strong. Their leader drew aggressively from Yalen's momentum, slowing him and not allowing him to gain even more ground than he already had. To his surprise, his efforts to fight against their nullifying device were working to some extent, but the amount of magic he could muster was insufficient to face off against four battle hardened enemy mages. 

[color=FD5E53]"Guess I have no choice...!"[/color] Yalen scrambled his sixth sense around the immediate area seeking out Rikard, the only person he knew for sure would be close enough to help in time. He would be easy enough to spot with two deadweights tagging along with him. When he managed to find the signature, he gave his friend a pinch behind the ears, sending the universal signal that all tethered knew by heart. HELP. 

Yalen continued to run for his life, turning down side streets, skipping through alleyways, and jumping over obstacles. Suffering from an extreme case of tunnel vision, he didn’t notice the darkening of the sky or the unnatural clumping of storm clouds overhead. It wasn’t until he crossed a puddle of water and felt the air fill with static that he realized Rikard had come to his rescue. Yalen shielded his eyes from a blinding flash of light, and there was an ear splitting explosion behind him. He turned around to defend himself from what remained of the enemy after Rikard’s assault, but there was no-one left standing. There was only a blanket of ash and scorched earth, in the middle of which lay the unconscious leader of the terrorist cell. 

Rikard's feet touched down in front of Yalen and he tossed a glance over his shoulder. Looking back at his friend, he merely smirked. [color=a187be]"Holding up alright?"[/color]

[color=FD5E53]"That... was... huff..."[/color] Yalen bent over wheezing. His eyes were still swimming from being blinded by lightning, and he was exhausted from running at full sprint for so long. He spun around to look at the aftermath of Rikard's devastating attack. It didn't even smell like burnt meat. There was nothing but blackened ash left where the faceless revolutionaries once stood. How lucky that there was a big puddle right when he needed it. Wait, how old was Rikard again? That attack was- 

[color=FD5E53]"Amazing. You are truly amazing. Thank you."[/color] Yalen pushed off his knees and straightened his back. He would not soon forget the debt he owed Rikard. That could be repaid later, but for now it was time to complete their mission. If they failed now after so much heartache they would never live it down. Yalen got down on one knee and grabbed the woman's wrist to check her pulse. Somehow she had managed to survive a blast that utterly annihilated the other three.

 [color=FD5E53]"I'm out of that poison so I can't disable her magic in the long term..."[/color] Yalen rapped his knuckles against his forehead. After thinking about what he had seen up until now, he eventually realized something important. [color=FD5E53]"Hey, she has some kind of device in her possession that steals your magic. We need to find it!"[/color] He roughly turned her on her side and started rough handling her belongings, hunting desperately for the anti-magic sphere.

The moment that he seized upon it, however, her eyes flashed open. [color=FFD700]"I see you again soon, stupid boy,"[/color] she taunted, suddenly uninjured. She spared a sour look at Rikard and then, with a sudden surge of what Yalen would clearly recognize as Temporal magic, she was gone and he was left holding one half of the badly-damaged device.

[color=FD5E53]"Damn you! Come back here!"[/color] Yalen swiped at the empty air with his free hand. He knew why those masks were so familiar. His sworn enemy, the Volti, were here in Rettan. A stroke of fortune at last. He wasn’t able to take her head this time, but somehow he had managed to snatch that blasted device of hers. [color=FD5E53]"Huh?"[/color] After looking at it more closely, it was only one half. It was trashed too. From the looks of it, he'd need to take it to the likes of Kerremand or Hogh Munkhelad for repairs. Rikard's lightning was way too strong. [color=FD5E53]"It's broken. That lady is long gone so let's go back for the prisoners and scram."[/color] Yalen shoved the metal orb into his bag and the two boys set off in search of the captives.