As perplexed as she was by the demon's turn of phrase, Cecilia accepted his gift with a grateful smile.
”Thank you very much. If this is how you normally treat people, you'll make a lot of friends in Frenzy Plant. Take...care?” Now a little less stressed, the young knight returned to her route to the repairs tent, mulling over the words of Argus.
Zander Louvier – Frenzy Camp
The fully-armored Ruby Knight approached. With his helmet off, it was easy to see that Zander was appraising Argus, trying to observe the exact weight of his worth at a glance. Magnis' comment, coming from a man experienced with evil, had not gone unacknowledged. While he did not seem overtly pleased by the new arrival, he at least did not attempt to skewer him with his
messer, which was doubtlessly a step up from some people.
”Argus Leandros, you said? Are you as all-seeing as the mythic Argus from lore, I wonder...? Regardless, how may I be of service? Frenzy Plant doesn't get many visitors; usually, whomever new people we encounter are clients, adversaries, or potential new members.”At that moment, the announcement from the arena resounded throughout the Crocus streets. Every guild wizard in the park perked up their ears to see how their champions had done. Zander was pleased to hear that not only had Xyster performed well, but actually outdone Nash, who she had been hoping to claim a part credit from. [color=E0115F]Hm, not bad at all. Though this does have echoes of yesterday, when we got third in the preliminary round but lost the official duel. And I must say, Sheldon does seem to favor Phoenix Wing. It was to be expected, really; they are the most popular.
So, that was it! A splendid display of effort by Amelia, though ultimately futile against Luna, had captured the win for Phoenix Wing! Fleo leaped around atop her great pillar of dust and cavorted. Her guild was doing so well! Now, however, it was time for the main event. As amazing as the view was up here above the Doma Flau and, indeed, the world, it was beginning to get a bit lonely. Fleo had been somewhat disappointed that Amaya hadn't accepted her invitation to join her. Ah, well. It was time to make a dynamic entrance!
A little bit afraid inside but eager for a heart-pounding thrill, Fleo approached the edge of her dust pillar and stood like a statue, arms raised. Closing her eyes, she allowed the fierce wind to topple her over the edge. Instantly she was plummeting downward, and -unable to suppress her excitement and terror- belted out a constant scream on the way. Down, down, down she fell, and when she could make out the individual people in the arena's vast crowd below, she cried out uselessly into a wind that tore the words out of her mouth,
”Dust Craft: Angel Lift!”The streaming dust behind her formed into a single massive glider wing, with protrusions that wrapped around her arms and waist. Her screams turned into exultant whoops as her momentum slowed, and she turned the lazy circles of a buzzard as she drifted sedately down. Spotting the familiar purple shape of Dalton the cat, and expecting her friend Nolan to be nearby, the dusty woman locked in on that position, and drifted like an enormous drab butterfly directly into Enma and Marlene. The glider wing erupted into a spray of dust that blanketed everything in a ten-foot radius.
”Hey there, folks!” she greeted as she literally dusted herself off. The sight of Enma made her wonder if she hadn't accidentally injected herself into a volatile situation.
”Uh...awkward silence!” she bubbled, trying to defuse the tension.
At Ayame's beckoning, Nero leaned down to listen to her, though not without a trace of nervousness about more potential clobbering. A twinge of relief arose when it appeared that she'd be communicating with him verbally instead. When her suggestion passed his ears, however, he crossed his arms as he smiled.
”Nah, you keep yours. It's true ya don't talk much, but it's better than not at all. Not having something kinda makes you aware of how much ya miss it. Plus, if I just took yours, we wouldn't get to go on an adventure today!” As she stepped back, he aimed a light punch at her shoulder, not even forceful enough to hurt a kitten.
”Experiments? A think of the past! The Law of Manifestation is tried-n'-true, ready to grant anyone's wishes. But I do appreciate your trust. Makes me feel all cuddly inside.”The next instant, however, he went sprawling. Nero had been leaning on Eve a little for support and not fully standing on his own weight, and after Gabriel's shove gravity took its full effect.
”Agh!” he uttered, caught completely off guard, as he tumbled. Since he'd been shoved from behind, he fell face-first, and was unable to withdraw his arms from his friends in time to keep him from crushing his glasses beneath the weight of his own head. He shrieked wordlessly and rolled over. The frames had been bent, but more dire were the freely bleeding gouges cut into his face by the pieces of glass, one of which remained stuck in his skin. Whimpering in pain, he reached up and gingerly pulled the glass shard out, prompting a fresh spray of blood. All the while, Gabriel was shouting at him his perceived faults.
”My...my face!” he cried, again ignoring the blue-haired man—which would doubtless spark even more punishment.
”It's ruined! They'll all hate me now!”His bloody face buried in his hands, Nero staggered to his feet. His thrashing made it clear that neither Ayame nor Eve should attempt to come near. When he spoke again, his voice was reverberating with something else, making a normally upbeat and nasally tone grinding and sinister. After a moment he removed one dripping hand and pointed a finger at Gabriel, trying to cover his face with the other hand. It did not cover his left eye, the pupil of which had seemingly vanished.
”All I wanted was to be left alone! You just couldn't take no for an answer, could you!? And now look what you've done!” He turned the hand upward, revealing the shard of glass, now held between his fingers, and started laughing.
”I'm gonna KILL you!”The dark mage hurled the shard of glass at the asshole's chest. Of course, with his lack of physical ability, the fragment itself wouldn't do more than bounce off his clothes. On contact, however, it would infuse him with a super-charged Law of Embodiment and turn the man who'd shown up out of nowhere and ruined him into a statue of glass. Nero rushed forward, raising a leg to kick the statue over and shatter upon the ground. There was only a fraction of an instant to stop him.
”Rest in PIECES!”
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