Step From the Shadows

**Users Involved:** User:EmperorSigma,
**Date Started:** November 27, X943
**Setting:** Unknown Location
**Characters Involved**:
* **Midnight Avatar**: Lerone, Tenda Hottons, Pantha Pod, Shaka, Maxton Draconus
* **Laughing Pumpkin**: Dr Blythe
* **Phoenix Rising**: Gyles
* **Magic Council**: Donnell Draconus, Xander, Yazmine Amazonite
* **Mentioned**: Desmond Draconus

## Indirection

A foot a dark room with a single long table at its very center, a handful of beings sat. There was no light and the only thing that shined were the people's eyes glowing through the darkness. There were six pairs meaning there were three people present. Even then, the magic power being emitted by the people present was enough to compensate for an entire army of mages.

"Aye," One said, breaking the long silence in the room. His eyes looked left and right to the two sitting at his sides, but for some reason, we were unable to see them. "Sorry to have called you, demon division. But we have a bit of a problem that needs taking care of." The man nodded his head, before knocking his knuckles on top of the table. "Lord Lucifer has ordered recover a scroll currently being sought out by the magic council."

One of the other two grumbled, "And what makes you entitled to choose us, Lerone." He took knocked on the table, "This is not something you should have decided. Either Lucifer chooses himself or you wait for someone to volunteer. We don't have to time to chase around a fuckin' scroll."

Lerone sighed, "You love to make stuff a bigger deal than it is intended to be." Knocking on the table, Lerone continued on. "Lord Lucifer stated there is a form of lost magic within this scroll. He also states that this type of magic is essential to our ranks. Did you somehow forget our goal, Tenda Hottons?"

"Of course I did not. But did you stop to think whether we'd be causing a ruckus, you selfish individual? Do you really want to attract the attention of the Ten Wizard Saints?" Tenda replied with a raised eyebrow. "The moment they sense one of *us*, they'll be on our every move. We need to execute this in a more discrete but efficient manner. If not, these past decades will have all been for nothing."

Heading nodding, Lerone stroked his chin. "Hm, excuse my ignorance. You are correct, Tenda." He sighed heavily, "Then who shall we send out? That Dragon Slayer gets the job done quite well, but as you mentioned, it'd draw the attention of the Ten Wizard Saints and **he** is not someone we would like to deal with right now."

"Oho!" Tenda laughed back, "Is that Saint still sending chills down your body, Lerone?"

"Tch," he big his own lip, "He's the reason we are in the situation we are in now. He and that damned "**Ethereal**" cost us everything. Why would I not be cautious."

Shoulder shrugging, Tenda could counter that argument. Those two were the spearheads who halted their plans sixteen years ago. It did them best if they kept their profile away from them. "Any suggestions then, Shaka?" Tenda asked, turning his head to the last being who remained rather quiet during their back and forth.

Shaka. A demon of a man who towered over the average human. The power pulsing from his exposed body as forceful as the whispering of his name. Shaka. A dark, sinister energy radiated from his being. One that cursed everything around him. Shaka saw everything before him from behind the veil hanging from his head. Not just as it was then, but also how it would be. As if watching several copies of those before him attempt to keep up with the time which he existed in. He hadn't gained total control of this power. A curse placed by the god of time for making a joke of his absolute domain.

He wanted to tell them so much...but each word felt like pulling a ball of knives from his throat. A truly cruel spell. Forced to live in Tomorrow's-Yesterday. Still, he could act in the day. For it is the present that controls the future.

"As our forces are now," Shaka began. "attracting the eyes of the saints would lead to our immediate demise. The Ten Wizard Saints are an unnecessary risk. Especially if we count that old crone, Baba Yaga." He spat venomously. The metallic cup in Shaka's hand started to bend around his tightening grasp. Just the thought of those bastards...what they did to him and his-

"Wars are never won in a day." Shaka continued. He let the cup go. "This is nothing but the information stage. Gather as much information as possible and formulate plans accordingly. Figure out their strengths and weaknesses. There are some Dark Guilds running about right?"

Head shaking, Lerone released a deep sigh. "No, no." He started, sighing once again though rather than relax his muscles, this action seemingly tightened them up further. "We don't care about the other dark guilds. We of the Midnight Avatar must get that scroll by any means. Is there anyone within your unit, a weaker underling, capable of carrying out this mission while ensuring the success?"

Knocking onto the table then pointing to Lerone, Tenda agreed. "Yes, is that what you have might you have anyone up for suggestion." Eyes shifting between Lerone and Shaka, Tenda just couldn't wrap his mind around Shaka's previous chain of statements. *"The hell is he talking about?"* he thought.

"Silence!" Shaka demanded. His voice booming into a thundering shout which echoed throughout the grand hall. "Those other Dark Guilds are tools to be used." The veil hanging loosely from his head protected them from the massive veins bulging from the warriors forehead. But that was important. But that was one of the most troublesome aspects of the curse. They can't see the consequences of their ignorance. Sending an envoy of their guild meant risking them failing and Midnight Avatar losing the greatest element in war. The element of surprise. There will be thousands upon thousands of scrolls of magnificent power that can be claimed. Spoken as a true child of a treasure hunter.

"Understand," Shaka started after a second of silence. A calm but stern voice signifying the massive storm within him. As if the world around them jumped in fear of what would happen in disobedience. "placing all your hopes in this one scroll is a foolish mistake. What happens when its destroyed? Or if it is captured?" Shaka continued. "Failure is a part of war. We need to procure the scroll but *also* gather information. So that even in failure, we can succeed and build the foundation for our next victory."

The massive man stood up. His towering demeanor large enough to cast a shadow across the table.

"Why waste our forces and risk losing the element of surprise?" Shaka approached Tenda and stood next to his chair. "Even in success, those bastards will come chasing any trail. They'll start investigations and eventually come to our budding headquarters. The key is diversion and deflection."

"Don't make the mistake of comparing your vision to mine. I can see far beyond the veil which blinds you all."

Knocking on the table, Lerone let out a chain of laughs. "What are you even talking about. Lower your voice and buck your fangs in the opposite direction, Shaka." He said, shaking his said. "Heed and assess the situation. By reaching out other guilds, we open our doors to more infiltration and thus another situation where we must start from the bottom. Midnight Avatar is an empire, we've spent more than a decade building this and have over a million men under our employ."

"Its not about whether or not we are placing all of our hopes into a scroll. That is not the importance of retrieving it." Lerone went on to explain, "It's simply to gain magic that further increases our military might. Our one goal is to ensure Lucifer remains happy and we do that by carrying out his orders. The Wizard Saints are just our own personal track we would like to avoid. We lost the element of surprise eighteen years ago, they know we exist. They just don't know how or where, yet."

Tenda stepped into their conversation, "Quiet the both of you idiots. Lerone, no one cares about your super spiritual enlightenment, shit. Shaka, I'm still confused on what the hell you're even talkin' about." Tenda knocked on the table, "How about we just end this all with this. Shaka, send that kid in for the mission."

Snapping his fingers, he twirled his temples trying to figure out the kid's name. "Oh yeah, the cat. Uh, Pantha Pod. He's a rather promising one. And he likes to keep a low profile. The perfect person to keep both of you out of your panties."

Lerone growled, "Your foolish comments aside, Lerone. I agree, Shaka. Pantha Pod is the ideal candidate for this."

Shaka snarled. Who decided to let these imbeciles run this guild was beyond him. But one thing the God of Time allowed him to understand was that there existed those who needed to *feel* instead of be told. He could warn them till blue in the face. They'd just need to see for themselves that his wisdom had meaning behind it. And so Shaka, his veined face hidden behind a veil, growled.

"I'm not your messenger. You place your faith in that child, then you send one of your grunts to fetch him." His only warning as he started towards the entrance. He had bigger things to attend to than this meeting.

## Off the Leash

A day following the meeting between Midnight Avatar higher-ups in a rocky terrain where the mission was set to take place...
The dungeon was dark and cold. Though it was primarily composed of rock, rubble, and dirt, one could have easily mistaken it for an ice cavern. Everything that transpired within this haven had an echoed from footsteps to things as small as water droplets falling to the ground. With that was a constant sound of rumbling—no it was the cave literally shaking as it prepared to cave in.

*"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Lord Lucifer."* A walking being whispered to himself, holding his hands together before slowly lifting his head to reveal his emerald green eyes and pitch-black skin. He said nothing following his whisper but continued along a linear path to reach whatever it was he sought. Though he said nothing more, he could sense the presence of others within the cave already. And that knowledge alone brought a grin on his face.

Not too far away from where this black-skinned being had been headed, a group of Mages from Legal Guilds gathered. It seemed these two groups worked together in the effort of the Magic Council to retrieve the scroll said to lie within this cavern. But that begs the question: Just what kind of magic, item, or secret lied within this scroll? For the Magic Council to send a group of Mages from different guilds would only mean that this was something they did not want to fall into the wrong hands... But just what was it.

This was the question the group tried answering as they traversed the cave together. The black-haired mage being the marking of the Phoenix Rising guild had guessed that it was some sort of Lost or Ancient Magic detrimental to the world itself and if used correctly could destroy the world. But what? Some sort of Slayer Magic? Or perhaps it was something much more sinister.

Regardless, the Phoenix Rising member had pledged he would not fail this mission. As they sat and rested on a gathering of rocks, Gyles stroked his hairless chin while looking at the surrounding cave. "Well, Doctor, what do you think?" Gyles asked one of his accompanying mages.

"Oh-ho!" The "doctor" said, popping himself on the top of his head. "Some sort of weapon, yo-ho! Maybe something that could destroy the world if the Magic Council is seeking its retrieval! But, then you have to wonder, why didn't they send stronger mages to retrieve it." In a way, he had sent shots at Gyles just being a mere member of his guild. "More S-Classes or hell, even one of the Wizard Saints? I'd personally have just sent the entirety of the Monstrous Four instead."

That's when it snapped in Gyles's head. This man was a member of the Monsterous Four from Laughing Pumpkin, the infamous Dr Blythe. "To think I'd be able to meet one of the Monstrous Four. It's an honor." Gyles complimented. "But I guess a weapon could be right."

"Well of course!" The doctor exclaimed, smacking the top of his head once again. "It doesn't surprise me that you know about me! We are," Throwing both of his hands into the air, the self-proclaimed doctor gave a big smile. "The greatest group of any guild, yo-ho!"

Eyes rolling, Gyles simply stood back to his feet and continued his travels signaling the doctor to follow along. "It's best we find this scroll as soon as possible. Shouldn't make this journey any longer than it's gotta be. Quicker we find it, quicker we gather our Jewels and Mage Points."

"Ahhh, I've finally found you." A voice called out behind the duo, a high-pitched one but it was surely one that belonged to a male.

With a lifted hand, Gyles snapped and a bright white light appeared in the palm of his hand illuminated the cave before levitating in the air and attaching itself to the ceiling. "**Light Guide**." He commanded, calling out the spell's name.

"Yo-Ho!" Blythe began, tapping his hat once again. "Are you perhaps the third adversary that we were supposed to meet with?" He asked, tapping his cane onto the base of the cave. "I must say, it is rather rude to have one waiting for such a long time. We thought it'd be best for us to carry along and you'd hopefully cat-"

Gyles swung his arm out in front of the Laughing Pumpkin guildmember, stopping him mid-sentence. "That isn't the guy, Doctor. Take a moment and look at him. Can you feel it? His magic power is beyond both of ours... combined."

"Pantha Pod's tha' name, uglies!" The black-skinned being said, confirming that he was not the person they were looking for. "The boss sent me here to acquire the scroll before you got it. Though, it would have been nice to have tricked both of you into leading me to it. Good thing they sent me on this, I can get this over with quick. Guess I can just kill you both now and get it out the way!" He shouted, extending his left leg preparing to lung forward but his movements were halted by something.

In attempts to lift his leg, Pantha grunted. "Tha hell is this? Why can't I move?!"

Hums and whispers could be heard. Shortly followed by an array of foot tappings and soft giggles. "Yo-Ho!" Blythe spoke out first. "Calm down, so at ease, Gyles. The magnificent Dr. Blythe is with you! There is no foe that I can not immobilize." Spinning his cane over his index finger, Blythe flicked his wrist at Pantha. "It's okay Sir Pantha! This is the work of my Stitch Magic." Blythe lifted his hat from his head, "Gyles, if you'd do the honors of finishing him off."

Nodding, Gyles began to chew. Opening his mouth, he released a giant bubble of gum that detached from his mouth and floated towards the immobilized Pantha Pod. Despite the bright light that illuminated the cave, the oversized bubble of gum created a shadow the covered Pantha Pod and that entire portion of the cave, blocking Gyles and Dr. Blythe from his view. "**Bubble Bubble Bomb**."

With the snap of his fingers, the bubble gum ball popped swallowing one side of the gave up in a giant explosion. The cave shook as if the world had been tossed left and right by the Gods. "NOOO!" Pantha Pod's shout could be heard just before the explosion went off, only to be overshadowed by the loud boom. Debris, rocks, and wind whipped up in their vicinity in a raging roar.

"Yo-Ho!" Blythe shouted, "That was a fantastic display of magic, Sir Gyles!" He exclaimed, head-turning to compliment Gyles's magic. A truly unique form of magic exclusive to Gyles known as Bubblegum Magic.

"We should not celebrate this early. I can still sens-" Gyles's own sentence was cut short after he sensed a sudden burst of magic power compress itself into a single point. Before he could notify Blythe properly, a dark figure lunged from out of the debris past himself driving itself into the gut of Blythe only to create another tremor within the cave and a crash. Despite the swiftness at which this happened, Gyles was still able to follow this all and waited until the debris cleared itself.

There stood Pantha Pod. His arm had been partially transformed into that of a claw, while his feet had been missing his shoes. That hand that had been transformed into a claw had ripped through Blythe's stomach, blood dripped from his claw onto the dirt and if he looked past them, he would see the blood that was splattered across the wall. "H-Help, guh." Were the only words that feel from Dr. Blythe's mouth.

"I told ya, I ain't come here to play around. I'm here on orders." Pantha Pod claimed, removing his arm from Blythe's gut and swinging it to clear off the blood. "It's okay, he ain't dead yet. He's a fat one, so he'll live... For just a little while longer."

The hell'd you do?!" Gyles asked in a demanding manner. All forms of common sense had been thrown out of the window. Gyles had been so angry and confused by the current situation, that he missed the fact that Pantha Pod had explained exactly what had happened just seconds ago. Had he even took a moment to survey the situation, he would notice the subliminal changes Pantha Pod had undergone in certain changes.

*"I've got to at least save Blythe and get the hell out of here and retreat for now. It'll result in the failing of the mission, but his life is much more important!"* Emotion was all he had at the moment and the only thing he remembered was that Pantha Pod claimed Blythe could still be saved. Chewing once again, Gyles blew a small bubble and allowed it to float towards Pantha Pod once again.

Though, before it could make contact, Pantha Pod vanished and the speed at which he moved left behind nothing but a blur as he maneuvered around the bubble gumball, dodging what he assumed to be another explosion. Before Gyles could even blink, or hell, form another thought, Pantha Pod appeared in front of him with a giant grin showing his sharp teeth, extending his hand out and gripping hold of Gyles's arm.

Pantha Pod held his arm tight, his emerald eyes locked with Gyles's own as the Mage attempted to pull away. "What the hell?" Gyles asked, continuing to tug but he proved to be powerless within his opponent's grasp. Gyles looked down and finally noticed that Pantha Pod's hand was not really a hand, but instead like the limb of a creature. "What the hell happened to your arm?! Let go!"

"Now that's rude. You should point out appearance deficiencies, mage." Pantha Pod said, gripping his arm tighter before it would snap like a toothpick, sending a cracking sound throughout the cave. "See, you're like a little tree branch. I can break you at any moment." He went on to boast before releasing a chain of uncanny laughs.

While Pantha Pod had been laughing, Gyles had spent his time crying out in agony. His wails and hollering shook the cave as if he had set off one of his bubblegum explosions. After being release, Gyles fell to the ground, gripping his arm and rolling left to right. "Damn you!" Gyles cursed, *"Is he really even human?! His strength and his magic power.. I've never seen anything like it!"* The Phoenix Rising member thought.

As Gyles rolled left and right, Pantha Pod noticed a marking on his back. With his left leg, Pantha slammed it onto the mage's back to hold him in place. "Ah, a guild marking. I was just gonna ask why in the hell did I get sent here for some weaklings. Guess it all makes sense now. But a demon shouldn't be cleaning up so little human trash." Pantha sighed, smashing his transformed foot onto Gyles's back releasing another crack that snapped his spine.

"To be honest, I don't even think I needed my Animal Transformation for this." Holding his up claws, he knelt down to an agonizing Gyles and placed them in his face. "See, I'm like a panther."

## Third Party

"If you are a panther, there's more than one way to skin you alive," with an echo reverberating along the cave, an obscure projectile flew through the air, embedding itself along the lining of the cave wall, revealing a playing card with a cloud symbol etched along the surface. In a sudden burst, a cloud of black smog filled the small space in its entirety, with the mage Ulrich throwing a second card at Gyles, using his magic to draw him into the blank canvas and trapping him in a small card with his right hand, all the while rushing under the cover of smoke to make his way to Dr. Blythe, still alive, but from a simple glance, his breathing was erratic and in poor condition. "Yeesh, you're a special kind of nasty, I'll give you that," Ulrich mumbled, his hand rubbing the sides of his cheeks as he subtly erected an illusion around cave, so as to buy some time for them to create a little distance between them and Pantha Pod.

Turning his head up at the newcomer, Pantha Pod sniffed the air. “Oh, the third one they were talking about,” Pantha Pod began, lifting his claw and swinging it releasing a gust of wind that resonated as a shockwave that pushed the black cloud away in one motion. He decided not to act against the card thrown at Gyles. That man was not Pantha’s objective. Still, he grinned at Ulrich and just as he did, it was met with the sudden formation of an illusion.

This time his nose wiggled. “You can’t fool me, Wizard. Am I some sort of idiot to you?” Before he could give Ulrich the proper time to react, Pantha Pod flowed his eyes and kicked against the ground, darting himself across the gap the mage intended to create. His speed was astonishing, he wasn’t anything that could be tracked by the human and his figure was but a motion blur as he reached Ulrich in the blink of an eye.

Hand pulled back, spreading his claws apart, Pantha Pod thrust forward to grip Ulrich’s face bringing a wave of wind as he moved his single limb sending Blythe’s body flying down the cave even further. “Illusions are a battle of magic power.. just who do you think you’re dealing with?” He asked, waiting to hopefully clench onto Ulrich’s face.

Without bothering to move from his spot, Ulrich sighed, realizing it was both useless to out-maneuver someone as fast Pantha and a waste of energy to do so. Still gripping the Gyles card with his right hand, Ulrich clenched his teeth, jumping backward and letting Pantha grab unto his face, the sheer pressure and running speed nearly breaking his jaw at the point of contact if he hadn't taken a step back to reduce the impact, drawing blood out of his mouth and the sides of his cheeks. Just as soon he had gripped him, before he could fully clench down, Ulrich's hat began to shift uncontrollably, the black texture and ruby sash reconfiguring itself into a long-stocked barrel of riffle, with Urlich sending his magic into his hat and letting loose a point-blank ranged ray of Darkness Magic as soon as he got close, jettisoning himself backward like a rocket while blasting the demon forward, with Ulrich coating the walls of the cave with numerous cards as he flew through the air. Gasping for air, he spat blood across the ground, wiping what remained with his forearm, throwing the Gyles card up his sleeve, while simultaneously drawing out a deck of cards with his other hand.

"Aaack, agh." Coughing a little, Ulrich grimaced at the tight spot he was placed, "Midnight Avatar huh? Rough crowd to perform to, and here I am giving a show to the errand boy, Ulrich, what are you doing?" shuffling the cards in the air, the stack began to fly from one hand to another, drawing his other hand along the deck and vanishing from sight, simultaneously bringing up four cards between his fingers, exerting his Illusion Magic even further to a higher level, he's going to be a tough customer, he thought, shrouding the area around him in preparation. Taking a quick look behind, Ulrich made an attempt to look for Dr. Blythe, going so far as to shout out for a response, no matter how minuscule it could be.

Point blank, a pressurized blast of dark magic energy swallowed Pantha Pod whole. Upon contact, it exploded and expanded within the cave causing it to shake once again but this time it began to break apart. Chunks of the ceiling fell down over the group and luckily for Pantha Pod he had been thrown in the opposite direction. Flipping through the air, Pantha Pod forced all his weight down so that he could fall to the ground and land to it with his hand out, scraping the dirt as he slid backwards.

It didn't take long before the quaking began to calm down and by this point, Pantha Pod had become quite triggered. Dropping down to his hands, he took up an animalistic position before his body lit up in a dark aura and he began to slowly transform into a full-fledged panther. Fangs barred, he roared down the cave sending not only a wave of wind but a wave of black energy as well destroying everything in its wake. The ground cracked and the walls crumbled from his shouts. This was beyond just a normal roar. It back more than just a shockwave and sent an immense vibration powerful enough to cause damage to the skeletal system of whoever was in its wake--Dr. Blythe and Ulrich. "Another illusion!" Pantha Pod screamed out, his teeth transitioning to a complete set of fangs.

*"Visual illusions it what it seems. Other senses are still in tact.."* Pantha thought to himself, closing his eyes once again. *"I can still sniff him out!"* Sniffing out Pantha Pod's location, he dashed through the cave faster than he had moved before. This was most likely due to his new form. It increased all of his innate abilities to superhuman levels and that on top of being a demon mixed for an overwhelming combination. Though it wasn't emphasized earlier, his magic power had increased drastically as well.

Clawing his paw, Pantha Pod lifted it as he inched closer to Ulrich and swiped in front of himself releasing three compressed blades of wind that sought to shred through Ulrich's skin only.

Snapping his fingers, Ulrich's body took on the tangibility of a shadow, using his magic to gather his shadow along his body, his shape shaking and malforming at the roar, being just as quickly misshapen as the three air currents dashed him into three different separate pieces. With the roar rocking the cave, the large array of cards Urlich had lined the walls had detonated, triggering a chain-reaction of spells all activating at the same time, that created an exponentially massive blast from all directions, producing disastrous aftermath that tore through the cave's very foundation. Bringing the full weight of the dungeon down on their heads, a mountain's slide of stone and earth rained down, crushing the black contorted mesh that was Ulrich under the cavern's stone structure.

With the collapse taking place, Ulrich's previously set-up illusion activated; sophisticated in its design, Ulrich's illusion didn't function in the traditional sense. Rather than affect his 5 senses and create a simple image, it affected his sense of time—the falling rocks began to move slower and slower, to the point of falling behind one another, time dilating to such an extent that his perception of time began to fluctuate drastically, rocks stopping, and disappearing in one instance, and appearing unto their next position a second later, all the while his frantic motions appearing to slow down, unable to keep up with his thoughts as gaps of time took place inside his mind, effectively producing a lag in-between consciousnesses.

It seemed that Pantha Pod's previous claim was correct. This illusion while not basic, was indeed one that focused strongly his sense of sight, yet it was so strong that it breached to his other senses. The perception at which Ulrich attempted to bring Pantha Pod down to had been decreased at least by one third. As mentioned earlier, the demon had closed his eyes long ago and had instead been relying on his other senses to allow him to keep a keen eye and good tracking of Ulrich. He didn't need sight. He was an animal. Breed and inscribed with the sole purpose of tearing those deemed his "enemy" from limb to limb if ordered to. Those concepts that humans lived by such as basically needing their five basic senses to survive was not a necessity for him. Well, not all at once at least.

Pantha Pod said nothing as he felt a sudden slowness of everything around, but, he had already been hip to the fact that Ulrich had placed an illusion on the area. He just didn't expect it to unfold in such a manner. His sense of smell had been so heightened in his current state, that through magical and other enhancements he could literally "smell magic" which is what allowed him to decrypt Ulrich's plan. It was mentioned once that since illusions were created by magic power, Ulrich's at least, in order for one to break it would be simply by overwhelming it with a strong source of magic.

With another one of Pantha Pod's roars, another shockwave of black energy filled the cave pushing all incoming rubble and rocks at him in the opposite direction--back towards Ulrich. Simultaneously, the sound of a large piece of glass shattering could be heard throughout the cave. With just an exertion of his magic power, the demon was able to shatter the illusion returning his perception to normal as though he were the caster of the illusion himself.

Instantly all of his senses returned to normal to which he grinned. "I know you're still in here! I can smell ya!" He called out to the hiding Ulrich. "Fine, then I'll force you out with my Acidic Mist!" Pantha Pod exclaimed, opening his mouth releasing a purple mist that spread across the cave melting everything it came into contact with.

"You can hide all you want, but this mist will bring you out. It's a corrosive acid that melts anything it comes into contact with." He explained, trying to bait Ulrich out from his hiding spot so that he could get this all over with quickly. Even though it was bait, what he said was true. The acid mist at away at the area as though it were a swarm of vicious termites, had Ulrich even the slightest ability to see what had been happening to the world around him... he'd too soon meet that melting fate.

Pantha Pod laughed, "Hahahaha! This is much more fun than I thought it'd be!" The demon claimed, lifting himself up to his hind legs as he tried waiting for Ulrich to reveal himself. But he knew that was a gamble, had the mage chosen to do that, he'd risk giving up the location of Blythe and Gyles. There was a race against time for both of them and at this point, Pantha Pod saw this as nothing more than a game to fuel his wicked fantasies.

## Call from Cold

Silence fell upon the cave after the demon stopped his laughter. From what it seemed, only Pantha Pod stood and simply waited for his acidic mist to take effect to weed Ulrich out from whatever corner or crack he'd been hiding within. He gritted his teeth but kept his grin as he waited. The dark mage was oblivious to what Ulrich had been trying to do, but the fact that time was against them gave Pantha Pod the hope he sought of dragging his foes out into the open.

Reopening his eyes, Pantha Pod looked forward only to discover the sudden coldness of the cave. The temperatures had dropped significantly to the point his normal breaths create small clouds of white air. As if his own nostrils created it, a giant cold front pushed into the cave from behind Pantha Pod, overwhelming the acidic mist he created, and pushed it back down the cave clearing it from within. "What the hell is this?" He asked, looking for a way to justify what just happened.

He looked left and right, lifting his nose up to pinpoint just where this had been coming from. Pantha Pod sensed no magic power from within the cave aside from his and the three that had already been there. What is another one of Ulrich's illusions? Did he make the mistake of opening his eyes and allowing himself to fall under one of the mage's spells? He had plenty of questions that needed answering, but he moreso prepared himself for what was to come next. "This game of cat and mouse is gettin' old, wizard."

"Fine!" Pantha Pod shouted, lifting his index finger into the air. "I tried doing this with no fatalities and gettin' a good fight! But since you wanna keep playin' possum. I ain't got too much of a choice!" A dark aura began to emit from his body, seeping into the ground causing it to shake. "I'll bury all of you. Its time you dumbasses meet your makers!"

With his next claim, he released one more wave of dark energy though before it could travel down the cave's path, the wave including the collapsed chunks of earth were coated in a bright blue tint followed by a sudden chill and further drop in temperature. "Just what the hell is going on?!" Pantha Pod asked, pulling his scarf above his mouth to protect him from what seemed like a constant cold. "This isn't a damn illusion. Not even a full on spell, this is just some magic power."

*THUD...*

*THUD...*

*THUD...*

The sound of heavy boots clashed against the ground could be heard in the distance. The more the sound went on, the closer it had gotten to Pantha Pod's location--from behind. "I smelled blood in the distance," a voice said to which Pantha Pod turned around to face. As he would he'd be met with the appearance of a dark-skinned black spiky-haired man. He was dressed in a blue coat, white compression top, and a pair of black pants.

"Don't really like blood getting in the air when I'm traveling.. if you get my drift." The unknown man ended, snapping his fingers shattering all of the fallen rubble revealing the body Blythe to be frozen in the place where Pantha Pod gave him the wound.

Pantha Pod hissed, fangs barring as he held himself back from attacking the man head-on. While he had no idea of who he was, what he did know, was this man was no joke. He couldn't be taken lightly like the three he'd just fought. *"This sensation. His magic power.. it's off the charts... it's similar to that of Commander Maxton. No, it's way stronger than that." Shaking his head, Pantha Pod spat out to his side.*

Taking a soft breath, Pantha Pod recollected himself and sighed. "The hell are you here to interfere with? Don't go around stickin' your nose in business that ain't got nothing to do with you."

"I can't stop sticking my nose in stuff. It's kinda part of me at this point, but it's much more than just that." Pausing, he came into full view and the dropping temperature began to cause snowflakes to fall within the cave. "You're right, this isn't really my business. I'm just tryna get to the Fiore Branch of the Magic Council. But since I'm lost, I guess I can spare some time."

And with that, another breeze of cold wind blew into the cave, freezing everything around but this time, his sights had been set onto Pantha Pod who had been transformed into an ice sculpture in just the blink of his eye. Turning back around, the man began to exit the cave. "I know someone's here. You'd better hurry and get your friend, he won't stay frozen for long. I didn't even use a spell to put him in that state. The rest of this is all in your hands." He ended, making his exit.

With his exit, Ulrich emerged from his shadowy hiding place. While he was grateful for the saving, he was confused about just who the man was. He'd spend his free time figuring that out as he remembered time wasn't on his side in quite a few ways now. He had an opening and if he wasted it, then all of the mage's efforts would have been for nothing. With just the flicking of his wrist, Ulrich threw one of his signature playing cards from underneath his sleeve at Dr. Blythe.

Retrieving the card, Ulrich walked over to Pantha Pod's frozen body. It was just as the man had said, the ice would crack soon evident by the cracks already beginning to form. Without hesitation, Ulrich fled with his injured allies leaving Pantha Pod on his own.

## Trusted Councilmen

A few hours following Gyles and Dr. Blythe's defeat, the information from the respective guilds had been passed to the Magic Council and thus... a small meeting was called.
In the front courtyard of the Magic Council's Fiore Branch, Donnell Draconus stood with his back turned to members dressed in the garbs similar to that of the Rune Knights. He said nothing initially and simply allowed the breeze to lift his white custom Wizard Saint coat in the air.

Donnell simply looked over the horizon in the distance. In his sights, he could see the Kingdom of Fiore in most of its glory. This place, this Kingdom, was his home and he wanted nothing more than to protect it by all means. Though he said nothing at the moment, that expression that rested on his face had all the words needed to confirm this claim. The events that transpired in that cave, while to some may not seem to be a big deal, were much larger than they thought... and Donnell knew that.

"I have chosen this specific group of Councilmen because this will not be something that goes to be public with the rest of the members. That mission containing the retrieval of that scroll had also been sought out by a new enemy." He began, still looking to the horizon not giving his men a glimpse of his face yet. "That battle was lost and not only took out two of our mages but they claimed the scroll as their own."

Pausing, Donnell turned around to face the two council members. One was a female, long pink hair dressed in a tight-fitted bathing suit-like outfit. It was mixed with a number of different blues and the crest of the Magic Council along the front. The man next to her was the one dressed in the traditional Rune Knights garbs; a thigh-length trench coat, white trousers, and a cape stamped by a jewel over his chest. He had long spiky green and unlike the woman who'd been in a squatting position, was knelt on a single knee bowing his head down.

"Yazmine," he said first, clearly speaking to the woman. "Xander," he said again, this time clearly speaking to the man. "The magic council has lost a very vital scroll. A scroll that possesses ancient magic that is used in the wrong hands, could very well plunge this world into a fear that no one of this generation is prepared for." Donnell dropped his head and squeezed his fists. "That magic is the Arc of Formation."

First, Xander lifted his head to look at Donnell. Then, Yazmine stood to her feet properly. They were both quiet for a moment as they took a moment to process exactly what it was Donnell had said. Was this some kind of joke? There was absolutely no way Donnell could have been serious right now.

Yazmine broke the silence. She couldn't help but get an honest answer. "Are you sure, Donnell? Right now isn't the time for one of your sarcastic jokes. Arc of Formation..." She paused for a breather, "That's the Magic you use alongside your Alchemy. You mean to tell me, THAT was written in a scroll? How, Donnell? Explain this to me."

Smiling, Donnell scratched the back of his head. "Weeeelllll," he dragged, "I kind of wrote the scroll myself. But not in the traditional understandable language. I wrote it in Alchish, a language revolving around the symbols I utilize in my Alchemy Magic. As a celebration for finishing it, I may have went out with this lady AND FOR FOREPLAY.. we may have done a dungeon run or something like that. Look that's not the point, Yazmine. We have to get that scroll back."

Thinking, the pink-haired mage couldn't help but roll her eyes at that last part. "Wait, then, if it is in a language no one understands but you, why is it such a problem."

"See that's the thing, the right person and the wrong thing can happen. It's not the easiest thing to understand, but it most definitely isn't the hardest thing either. If the enemy has one among their ranks that can utilize common sense, symbol understanding, and luck they'll be able to decipher it easily. But that's not honestly the biggest thing. The true problem lies in two other things: One," he started, lifting one of his fingers. "I have begun to write other scrolls with magic in, those that I have been able to understand through symbols in efforts to pass on to the next generations. And second," he paused yet again lifting another finger.

"Two; it comes with a basic understanding of Alchemy Magic. Once they figure out how to decipher the code for the Arc of Formation, they'll be able to apply that and potentially gain access to Alchemy."

Yazmine stomped her foot on the ground, "Damn you, Donnell. Just how bored are you here? I thought the women and high-position would keep you busy and away from doing ridiculous stuff like this. One day this'll be beyond our fixing, yet your selfish mind will continue to expand won't it?"

"Come on Yazmine, cut me some slack! After all, I've actually created a language that's capable of being used in scrolls as relics to leave for the future. If this isn't something to be happy about I don't know what is."

"Oh my god!" She shouted, "Do you not underst-" before she should even finish, Xander had placed his hand onto her shoulder to cut her off from his nagging words.

"I apologize Yazmine, but if I truly did not care, I wouldn't even stress this and allow the events to unfold on their own. But I want you to know this. Despite my faults, it has never been my intention to harm anyone in the Kingdom of Fiore, I want to protect it just as I would protect those that bear the same blood in their veins. But, now, we have to take care of this and we have to do it as swiftly as possible."

Xander nodded his head, "Understood. Then she will use her crystals and I, the seven stars, to ensure we complete this mission. For our job is not to scold you as a child, but simply to utilize our skills for you. We are your sword to attack your enemy and you are our shield to defend us when the problem explodes." Xander then turned around, signally Yazmine to come along.

"Let's go, Yazmine." He said, walking away. "We have to begin as soon as possible if we want to complete this mission and come back home."

"Don't you boss me around!" She shouted, following behind Xander. "And don't think this is done Donnell, we'll talk about your carelessness when we get back. Where the hell are we even going, Xander."

"Is it no obvious? To see the ones who were attacked during the mission of course."

## Midnight Meeting

Within the meeting hall of Midnight Avatar's base, four of its members gathered: three different commanders of different divisions of the guild and finally, Pantha Pod. It seemed his mission had come to an end and somehow he managed to break out of the frozen state that man put him in. Even now he could still feel the chills. Periodically he'd have moments where he'd just break out shaking.

He looked to each of the commanders before him and released a soft sigh, "You guys didn't tell me it would come with that much crap." Pantha Pod responded, reaching to his side and rolling a scroll across the table to the commanders. "I'm guessing I'm here to give some sort of report? Surprised Lerone ain't here... Pity, I always envisioned the next time we meet I'd be able to rip his head off of his shoulders."

One of the commanders resting on the opposing side of Pantha Pod across the table reached for the scroll and twirled it between his fingers. His hoodie kept his appearance hidden for the most part, but it minimal features like his gold eyes and brown skin tone could be seen. "You're kinda' becomin' a problem, Pantha Pod. But you didn't die, so I can't be too mad."

Knocking on the table, he pointed to the man sitting next to him. "Shaka, he's from your division. You wanna hear a report or no?" He then leaned back in his chair, "I could honestly care less. Only here cause it's my job now."

Shaka rolled his eyes. Not due to the brats success. He was actually happy that the little hatchling managed to retrieve the scroll. No. He was aggravated over the recklessness of his fellow commanders. From the previous ignorance displayed by those two bumbling idiots to this instance of overly-nonchalantness. Information was power. Prepare in peace, bleed less in war. That's what his father would say. The man who...

Regardless, that's why the gods gave him the opportunity to cross that bridge. He possessed that foresight needed by every army. Where the ignorance of the other commanders fell, he would pick up their slack.

"Of course. The more we can learn, the better prepared we are." Shaka said in a calm yet commanding tone. "Glad you made it out alive. Please, tell us everything we need to know."

On the farthest side of the table, across from the cloaked commander sat one of a similar ebony skin, his gunmetal blue eyes glaring from Pantha then back to his fellow commanders. He leaned forward on the table, pulling back his long and gorgeous white hair and leaned on his hand, looking out to his fellow commanders as if to address them directly.

He stared at Pantha Pod for a moment. Yes, he was slightly annoyed by the demon before him and his actions, but in the end, he accomplished the task at hand, so any annoyance should be left to the boy's immediate predecessor.

"They've covered it, you simply need to tell us what we need to know and be on your way." The man said nonchalantly, looking to Pantha Pod for his report on the matter.

Pantha Pod lifted his brow, "Huuuuuh?" Before turning his gaze and finger to Shaka. "Commander Shaka, I've never understood the reasoning of having people here, that ain't got nothing to do with the division. That'll always be weird to me!" Sighing, he slid his nail across the table while whistling. "One day, I'll get the cue to kill them all."

Laughing, Pantha Pod leaned back in his chair. "To literally make this story as short as possible; I defeated the two mages that were there first. One from the Phoenix Rising and the other from Laughing Pumpkin. Phoenix Rising's guy, i can't remember his name. But Laughing Pumpkin was the Dr. Blythe dude, the leader of the Monstrous Four. I was on the verge of killing them both, but some poker playing asshole appeared and scooped them up. I was nearing his defeat as well, but then some dude-"

Pantha Pod stopped right in the middle of his sentence. "Yeah, this dude he used some kinda ice magic he kinda looked and smelled like you too, Commander Maxton."

Maxton, leaned up on the table and he looked to Pantha Pod who said directly across from him. "Ice? Tch," he bit his bottom lip, "Desmond Draconus... the Frost Dragon Slayer." He went on, explaining just who the man was. "I'm surprised he didn't take the scroll for himself if he was there. Did he say anything?"

"Nah, he froze me with a weak spell full aware that I would break out of it. Hell, he just left the cave and said he only came cause it was loud." Pantha Pod then remembered, "Oh right, he did mention needing to get to the magic council!"

"There's no reason why Desmond should be here. He traveled from the North just to come here. This is bad in a sense, but it's no threat to us." Maxton claimed.

Shaka's brows lowered. Frost Dragon Slayer? He already knew of the Lava brat...He knew him all too well. But to think that there'd be another to interfere with his plans. But this could possibly play in his favor. Dragon slayers are notoriously hard to kill...except when pitted against one another. With the old crone trapped in that castle...

"Dragon slayers tend to be annoyingly adventurous." Shaka added. "But we shouldn't take this lightly." Shaka looked to Maxton. "You seem familiar with him. I'd recommend keeping tabs on him, just to be on the safe side. That makes two Dragon Slayers on our radar."

The man's interest was piqued, his brow lifting as he listened to the conversation. "Seems like I'm missing out on a bit of the fun." He crossed his hands and leaned on them as he stared off for a moment.

"Should these dragon slayers become a problem, we should prepare a course of action, god forbid they were to get in the way of our goals." The ebony man remarked, his eyes growing more cunning as Maxton's expression changed a bit at the mention of the Frost Dragon Slayer.

The other commander who sat among the trio, cupped is left hand. "As long as I am within this guild, they won't be problem for the rest of you. Only me." He went said, "But, if you think those are the only two that'll serve as a threat, then you will come to love the hate you'll have for the name of Draconus."

With his final tapping on the table, Maxton stood to his feet. "For your success, Pantha Pod, the Lucifer has stated that you have been promoted to Captain which means you can control your own squad of demons blah blah blah." He waved as he walked off, "Take what you will with that and Shaka, they'll be in touch with you soon."

Pantha Pod smiled before cursing softly, "Damn, he's young, but you gotta admire that personality." Grinning, Pantha Pod flicked his tongue and extended his claws, "I can't wait to rip his face off of body!"

## Seven Flames

"Hm," Xander began under his breath with a long pause. Though he had more to say, he simply let the moment marinate as he found himself stopped in the midst of his adventure by a new adversary. The three scars on the left side of his face ached and cause his eyebrows to slant at the man before him. He couldn't be read at the current point, but Xander had one thing and one thing flowing through his mind as his red gaze pierced into the soul of the man before him. "So it seems I had been getting closer to your base."

Still looking to the man before him, Xander's next words were all directed towards Yazmine who'd been standing right at his side. "I'm unsure if this'll be easy, Yazmine. No, correction, it won't. His magic power is off the chart, it tells us all we need to know." Nodding his head slightly, Xander tried to get her to look into the distance. "Off ahead, I can sense Magic Power much like his and even greater in the distance. He must've been sent here because we set off some sort of alarm. That's interesting considering how far away we are from them." Puffing, his eyes remained locked onto the man. "This'll be much more of an hassle than I'd like it to be. So please try not to be a barricade in the way."

Yazmine remained calm and even though she hated Xander's guts, she knew that he was an adept Mage and he knew his stuff. "You know, you're a reaaal charmer, Xander." Then she loosened up a bit, "I didn't think we'd manage to get this far in a week and a half. It's rather far away too. What's the plan?"

"First, I want you to document our location. But, not exactly to be written out by anyone. X and Y.. our old code. Then I want you to set up your crystal shut down around the perimeter." Xander said, holding his gaze before him.

Tantrum like, Yazmine turned to Xander. "What do you mean, 'set up perimeters'. Are we really going to be doing this again? God! What is it with you and Donnell, I mean even now. You do realize I'm strong enough to fight alongside the both of you correct? Or did you forget that I am one of his most trusted."

"I am well aware of that," Xander responded, his focus as strong as a metal beam. "That is why you will need to deal with his friend. You may have been able to hide with Invisible Magic, but you'll never be able to erase your scent with that. Stealth Magic would have been much better to pick up in your arsenal. You understand now, right, Yazmine?" Instead of a verbal response, she nodded her head. "Good, don't kill him. Alive is best as it would be beneficial."

Kneeling, Yazmine looked to her left and right. Slamming her hands into the ground, it quaked briefly before splitting apart and a wall of crystal surrounded the group like an arena. "**Crystal Wall**!" She called out, softly stating the technique's name. "Be careful and be responsible enough to not go overboard. It's too early to risk life and death right now. Our mission is the securing of the scroll, but getting either of these bowl heads would be good for the both of us." With that, she vanished into thin air as though she were a ninja in pursuit of the man's subordinate.

"That should clear the air for the both of us," Xander began, "Now, would you like for us to handle this in a civilized manner where I ask you to come with us quietly. Or would you be in the mood for testing out some new ability you've store up your sleeve?"

Ares was having a good day before the call to duty came to him. Having been in his room reading, the signal came through the communication lacrima in his room. His natrul angry disposition only got worse when he saw the video of the two Intruders. Letting out an angered sigh he out in the pieces of armor he did carry and left to meet the Intruders.

This was why, when he saw the group, he was irritated that the obvious leader didn't say anything other than have an angry starring competition with him. Relieved a bit when. Heis opponent finally spoke.

"As much as I would love to crush you and leave a crater where you stand. Since I was having a good day before you appeared I'll give you one chance. Leave now with your lives, and I won't make you watch as I kill your friend first." He said with dangerous venom as a black and red magical aura surrounded his body.

Still, even past the man's treat, Xander kept his eyes locked onto Ares's own. He was unphased by such remarks, he knew she was more than capable of handling situations on his own and the only person he honestly needed to even worry about was the one standing before him. That nasty look of hate did nothing to him. He had seen it many times. It dwelled within every evil doer and Xander had no remorse for those of that path.

"Then I'll return your one chance with one of my own. Tell me this," Burying his eyebrows further, Xander kept his eyes on Ares but he met him this time, with a glare. Holding his palm out in front of him and his two other fingers smashed on top, he went on, his body lit up before a single yellow light of magic power shot into the air and bounced off it seven times before resting directly above Ares.

The beam awaited Xander's command and it was sure to come following Ares's next response. "In which direction do I go to find the scroll you lot managed to secure when venturing in that cave a week ago?"

Ares was old enough, and experienced enough to recognize the rare Heavenly Body Magic being shown before him. It still impressed him, though he wouldn't express it to the man in front of him. He wondered if he would be able to sway him to join the guild, then he would make a good dark mage, maybe even another commander.

Despite this, the threat was clear, not that he couldn't counter it. Clasping his hands together a silver magic circle appeared under him and pillars made of iron grew from it, shaking the earth as they did.

"I think you know the answer to that." He said, his own spell or spell combination that would come, waiting for his command. The utter tension of the moment arousing the man a bit as he watched his opponent.

"Good," Xander said, dropping his two fingers so that the single beam above him would drop down to slam onto Ares. Though he may have seen this form of magic before, Xander was one of the few unique users of it and as such he would display ways to use it that others had never thought of in the past.

At a certain range, Xander spread his fingers apart and the yellow beam of destructive magic split into seven different beams raining down over Ares like a showering barrage. As the would make contact with him or the ground a chain of explosions would occur across the land whipping up a sandstorm that would create a screen to cover both Xander and Ares.

Still stationed in his position, the Rune Knight dropped both of his hands and began to make motions in the air. These motions were hidden by the screen of smoke, but thanks to Xander's own "Eye Magic" he was able to see through it and pinpoint Area accurately.

Ares kept his hands together as the dark aura got stronger. Anticipating the raining barrage he utilized the iron pillars he created, forming a triangular barracade around him. Then clasping his hands together and utilizing his Darkness Make Magic to surround the already hard iron in shadows to strengthen it further.

The absolute defense colliding with the raining beams of heavenly energy and although the beams were strong, he was able to survive while he barracade didn't. He shot out of the shell of iron, covering himself in flames as he prepared himself for the next attack. "Gonna have to try harder than that!"

Still, Xander's battle face was strong. He had no words for those he deemed his enemies and for a mission like this, if the information wasn't vital to its success, then it didn't need to be spoken on. His technique collided with the barricade, failing to make contact with his target. But see, that was never Xander's intention. Yeah, his spell may have wanted to hunt down Ares, but there was no way something so linear was going to hit him... Well, at least he hoped not.

The Midnight Avatar mage dart towards him and that was all according to his plan. Fingers swiping at the side, he altered the trajectory of the beams of light so that they bounced off of the ground and rushed Ares from behind.

His goal and unawareness gave Xander the edge and advantage of having the element of surprise. There speed increased and so did the amount of magic power that composed them. Each shot was laced and as it would hopefully make contact with Ares.

His sudden change of direction was nothing. In fact, while he may have thought it were a method to dodge Xander's attack, the beams of magic power continued their pursuit ricocheting off the air as though it were a solid object all with the sole purpose of ensuring they'd make direct contact with Ares. At this point, the beams were acting as homing devices. They wouldn't stop until they either made contact with Ares, or he cast a spell strong enough to counter act them.

As they hit against the air, they left behind magic circles and the more magic power Xander exerted, the faster they traveled. Through his mental command, one simply bounced off the air to redirect itself in front of Xander breaking off into two more beams, totaling three just like before, only now they sat to attack Ares from the front. The two outside ones branched off and bounced off the air at different angles, one going for Ares's left and the other for his right, while the last clashed with Zeus strike kicking up a dust storm once again, all three strikes bouncing seven times before directing themselves at Ares.

As it appeared now, Ares was trapped from all angles and his next move would truly make a difference. Still, Xander hadn't stopped there. Purple runes appeared in front of him in midair, inscribed through not even a gesture but only a mental command to appear. Though Xander may not have notified Ares, the rule of not being able to jump within a 200 meter radius was created through his already active Eye Magic, revealing this particular form to be Dark Écriture.

Ares's ways of dodging were cut off, had he chosen to go to the right, he'd be hit. The left, he'd be it. Continue moving forward, he'd be hit. Or lastly, if he wanted to cower and retreat he'd still be hit. His only true way of escape was going up, but thanks to Dark Écriture that also had no longer been an option.

Even with those odds against him, Xander revealed that he still had more under his sleeve. In the air above, seven magic circles appeared. Each created when Xander had first opted to utilize his magic; *Holding his palm out in front of him and his two other fingers smashed on top, he went on, his body lit up before a single yellow light of magic power shot into the air and bounced off it seven times before resting directly above Ares.* An exert to flashback to when this was all put into place.

On both of his sides, seven more magic circles appeared illuminating in midair. Still in his initial position, Xander glared deeper at Ares. "May the seven stars bring judgement upon you." Following the knight's statement, in all three of the locations where the magic circles formed, they connected by a light to form their overall constellation. "**Triple Grand Chariot**!" he exclaimed, as from each of the seals that created Grand Chariots, power blasts of lights released and compressed at Ares forming the same pattern on the ground and then exploding.

A perfect plan and set up, the true skill and nature of Xander unveiling itself in that single attack. There was no hope for evasion and he'd certainly not walk away from this unscathed. He couldn't jump and even if he could, he'd just have himself be closer to the attack above. One Grand Chariot was enough to cover a large area but three? He would surely get caught in that hell fire and without a doubt, ensure Xander's victory. Powerful and full proof indeed, it came with its own debt.. the use of a tremendous amount of Magic Power.

The resulting explosion spanded far out, obliterating even the crystal wall Yazmine had put up to keep Xander's fight contained. The entire area became a zone of dust and though he couldn't see within, he knew Ares was defeated.

"Hmph," he ended, heart racing from the large amount of magic he used, but he was able to keep himself composed. Turning around, he tucked his arms underneath his cape and continued on to the path towards Midnight Avatar's base.