"Hey, Eli. Nice of you to join us." Victor cracks a sinister smile. "Care to entertain me a little longer?"

Him, August, Ava, and Bella bear down on me.

I've been too slow, this is already doomed. Even if Gordon does catch up, we'll be outnumbered two-to-one, and Kayla is still lurking around somewhere. I'm concerned about her the most.

"Be careful; if cornered, she'll drag you down without hesitation." Victor warns his teammates and slots an arrow. "As for you, Eli, do your worst!"

"You know me already." He only ran his mouth a little, to bask in the moment perhaps, but that's more than enough for me. Shadows move fast, the dust is still thick, and their eyes are locked on me and me alone.

Do they really think I can't hear the footsteps in the alley behind me…

The air around us is oozing with tension, but I don't mess around too much this time. As soon as I so much as twitch a little, everyone swings into action. Instead of running, I just bring my hands together in a thunderous clap, compressing and imploding the winds.

The subsequent pressure sends everyone flying while clouding the air with smoke and ash. Before even hitting the ground, my mana is already in motion to raise a shield of stone because poor vision does not equal inability to fire. Of course, I do send my own blades of air through the wall of the screen separating us.

The stone protecting me cracks and crumbles, but by then, I'm already back on my feet. Fighting here alone would be an uphill battle, so I bolt into the alley where I heard the lonesome prowler.

I pass the corner with the last of my traps and dive into the narrow path, coming face to face with a waterfall of green locks and a cute face looking quite furious. And Kayla is not alone. The third and weirdest of her friends, a large crab, is right by her side. This one has an additional pair of pincers and disturbingly long limbs.

"Catch her!" The elf yells and charges at me, along with the armored creature.

To my surprise, Kayla goes low while the crab scales the almost-smooth walls and throws its pincer at me from above. Well, it tries… I simply grasp the bricks on both sides and begin to maul both of them with the stone.

Kayla does her best to create space with her vines and roots emerging from under her clothes, but that just leaves us in a melee brawl, Tamer against Mage. Her plants swiftly latch onto me, forcing my hand quite literally.

This leaves me with two options. Either I bring the entire alley down on my head by panicking and lashing out, or… I activate the Repulsion Runes on my arms. The solution is beyond simple, and all it would take is a moment of panic to flush it all down the drain.

Thus, the inscriptions activate, and an arcane pulse frees me from my green bindings. It also delivers a solid punch to Kayla, but fails to thwart the crab's advance. This isn't going anywhere any time soon, so I punch a hole through the wall to my right and slip away.

At the same time. I hear the shadow trap I left at the corner activate. It tears through the building and unleashes a vile dome of lightning that floods the alley I just occupied and makes the building buckle.

"Terrible timing." I growl and keep running before the house comes down on my head.

The falling debris blocks an arrow buzzing with deadly energy as well as the path behind me, so I get a little creative. Instead of escaping the peril of being crushed alive, I keep running inside the house, moving through wall after walls and demolishing everything in my path.

Stone opens up to me and comes crashing down in my wake. By now, everyone should be aware of where the party is and take action accordingly. Out of nowhere, I change my mind and cut to the left. For good measure, I crush the support beams of the next few buildings, but upon emerging on the street, I find what I feared.

It's only Kayla riding her tall crab. That should leave Gordon, Val, and Sid… Against five of them.

"I'll be your opponent!" The girl with the fluffiest personality of all declares.

Something just isn't right… They're clearly trying to separate me from the team, do the good old divide and conquer strategy. But how in the Abyss do they know our every move so precisely?

Instead of an answer, I find heat rising behind my back rapidly. Raising my defense is the correct answer, yet my instincts tell me to dodge, and so I take to the sky with a devastating explosion.

Dark blue flames wash over the street, looking murky and almost liquid, announcing the arrival of the bear-wolf.

"There you are, Apocalise!" Kayla gives her pets so scritches, yet her eyes never leave me.

And that perhaps that's why I notice right away when the girl's eyes change both their shape and color. At the same time, her teeth grow into fangs, her hair spreads into a mane, and her body grows both in size and power.

"So you don't need them dead anymore?" I gulp, reminded of the time she executed a beast and borrowed its power.

"No." Kayla growls, her voice deep and threatening. "Now we share!"

She goes down to all fours and dashes right at me. Her moves as frighteningly swift and power, beastly in nature through and through. More concerning is, however, the same azure hellfire dripping from her mouth.

These fuckers prepared her just for me. Agility similar to that of August, coupled with the type of beast people just call the Mages' Bane. Mage Hunters are also an occupation, specialized to combat mana and subdue its wielders…

Kayla is just doing it all in one package.

I slam my palm on the ground, sending ripples across the road and gathering as much stone to protect me as I can. So, instead of running on the ground, Kayla leaps onto a wall and digs her claws into it.

"It's okay to run." She cackles before coming for me again.

A lightning welcomes her approach and does find its target. However, when the electricity connects, Kayla's mane simply lights on fire, and the sparks immediately fizzle out. She snarls like… just like Valka and hurls a piece of wall my way, followed by more fire in its wake.

She's not winning – or at least I'm not constantly fighting for survival – but there's no way I can just ignore her and look for another target. She's a roadblock… A fast, surprisingly cunning, and endlessly irritating roadblock.

To top it off, sharing means her puppy is also still in the fight.

Another wave of flames forces me to consider things on the move. Claws and fire follow in my wake relentlessly. I can't imagine either of them lasting too long like this, but they don't need to, especially while my mana is burned away the moment it leaves my body…

This cursed dance, where I'm merely a puppet getting dragged along, lasts until we arrive at an already demolished area of town. Molten stone, charred streets, and brutalized buildings tell tales of my handiwork.

Not that I could repeat this type of destruction with two mana bandits in my wake. How is this even fair? Like, how can she just take and borrow the damn beast's… almost everything really. No… no, not borrow, but share.

My eyes wander onto the hulky thing instead of its owner.

That one, I think I can kill. And I even know the perfect spot to bring it down for good… But for that work, I need to sweeten this chase with some outstanding acting.

Not that it requires much effort to seem like I'm struggling and find it difficult to strike back.

Solid stone seems to be my only tool. My fire gets devoured, my lightning and gales both disappear in the ominous flames…

"Where did you even find that puppy?" I yell and pull down yet another building to earn myself some space.

Kayla climbs over the rubble, snarling and embracing the role of frightening monstrosity to its fullest. "I didn't, it was a gift from Bennett."

That's so unfair.

To express my dissatisfaction… I run away. There's not much else I can do. Winds and explosions bolster my steps, but I'm not gaining any distance. Thankfully, I need to travel only a block before my eyes discover the shadow I left behind. It looks like a normal shadow, and if not for Mana Perception, I'd doubt it's even there.

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And that's what makes these traps of mine so beautiful.

From the distance, I hear an ungodly rumble, followed by a series of explosions and the singing of metal. It was only a matter of time before either another battle broke out or someone joined our little dance.

Kayla, a bear-wolf, and the crab should also be around somewhere… I have my own problems to deal with. To perfect my performance, I even dash towards the source of the confrontation, well aware that Kayla's talons are swinging for me, and the puppy is fast behind her.

Reaching for magic to save my skin might still be a valid option. Although I doubt the embers hugging her powerful body would allow for much application of mana. Nobody expects a mage such as myself to willingly engage in melee – not even those who know me well – so when I block the hit, Kayla's eyes widen in horror.

The Replusion Rune on my arm erupts on impact, doing its work before dying to the flames. With my other hand, I palm-strike my friend, pushing a terrific impulse through her body. The hit might still fall short compared to Valka's punches, but it does have a nasty kick.

The hulking beast is already upon me to deliver vengeance for its owner, so I have no choice but the back away, dodging the deadly claws by a hair's breadth. The monstrosity isn't the most agile, and neither is it smart enough to recognize the fiendish grin on my face.

I jump high to sail above the sensors of the dormant inscription laid a while back in the alley. A silly move that any human would recognize as an amateur flunk or a brazen provocation. The bear-wolf simply tramples after me, however, and suffers the consequences.

Tentacles of deep darkness burst forth from the simple shadow on the ground, latching onto the beast and fighting its flames. The hulking monster trashes and ignites the mana-loathing powers it commands, but this specific trap is a bit special.

It's a real mana sink, and it takes a lot more lines to prepare, but it does not relent in catching its prey. No matter how many limbs of darkness disintegrate, more emerge and grapple against the mass of muscles.

Persistent, resistant, and made exactly to slow down any pesky pursuers.

Meanwhile, I hastily construct my tower of doom, purely from stone, locking the pieces together and focusing on size above all else. If mana doesn't work, then I'll just let gravity do its thing.

Once I notice the runes begin to lose the battle of attrition – which took only about four seconds – I simply nudge the pillar and let it fall.

Watching the immense mass of stone topple over onto the beast isn't nearly as epic as I had hoped. But seeing recognition in the beast's eyes, the wait, it forgets to fight or struggle as its fate dawns on it… That almost makes up for the lack of theatrical flair.

"No!" Kayla's desperate yell reaches my ear.

It's too late, even I don't think I can stop something this heavy.

The beast's legs buckle without the ability to put up much resistance, and the ground trembles as the weight crushes its body. Smashing an enemy hard enough is almost always an answer in the end, although I think I'll stick with mana.

Kayla doesn't allow me the joy of basking in even a moment of glory. She crashes into me like a raging bull, lifting her arm to strike… But even from my position, I can see her power disappear just as I hoped.

So I unleash lighting. Even if my plan didn't work, I'd still try to zap. Losing without struggling until the end would leave a bad taste in my mouth.

The power throws Kayla off me like an intangible kick, causing only minor damage while all but sealing this fight. Her bracelets are flashing yellow, indicating her personal shield for the duration of this duel is down to about half.

The crab is still trying to close in on us, however, I'm already back on my feet, and Kayla's eyes are on her big teddy bear.

I quickly check something before saying anything. "Don't worry, it's alive." At my words, her eyes snap back at me, and I deliver the finishing strike of thunder.

Kayla's shield shatters, and she faceplants unconsciously. The shield only blocks lethal attacks, allowing us to imitate a real battle, and thus, she looks… rough. She fought well, gave it her all, and I definitely didn't go easy. Bruises, slight burns, and ruined hair make her look like she fought for her life.

"Might've overestimated her shield a little…" I scratch my head and pelt the raging crab with a few more bolts until it's down. Careful not to kill it. "This should even the odds a little." I whisper, only now noticing the sounds of battle rumbling from much closer.

Even from this distance, I see Val sail over the rooftops, not through her own effort but shackled by chains. The subsequent crash, waves of fire, and utter demolition urge action, and I'm all for pairing up with my bestie. The cleanup here is done, but the odds are still not in our favor.

"Tsk, I told her to take it easy."

My heart stops for a moment, and I instantly swivel around to deal with the threat. Victor is standing on a nearby roof, looking down on the street with a dark face. I didn't even hear him, much less feel his approach.

"I bet she went wild… She really wanted to beat you this time, you know?" He sighs and drops onto slots an arrow. "Did you at least let her pets live?"

"I'm not that evil." Cold sweat runs down my back, even though I'm supposed to be the stronger of us two. "But she was persistent, and I hate to lose."

Victor shoots his arrow, and I make no attempt to evade. Premonition tells me it'll miss anyway. "Well, it's only fair if you lose every now and then." He prepares another from his quiver, and I keep brewing my magic. "It's only you and Valka by now…"

Just wonderful.

Even Gordon is down... or he might've just faked his defeat, it's hard to tell. Or Victor is lying… Eh, that doesn't matter right now. Victor needs to go down, and the whole thing will come crumbling down.

The violent sparks snaking around my arms are difficult to mask, just like the arrow slotted and ready to pierce through me. Aether, on the other hand, does not require such flair to deploy. My magic reserves aren't doing outstandingly, but I know when to be stingy with firepower and when to 'blast till it breathes no more'.

Hunt!

The vicious bolts of energy shoot from my body in tandem, aiming for the archer fixated on taking me out of the equation. And I only smile because, to my opponent, this is not a simple test. My spell is not an act of defense or even a surprise attack. I'm offering Victor a choice…

He shoots me, and the lightning fries him… We both lose on my terms. All the smart he threw into play, and it'll still be my power that dictates the outcome.

Or…

Victor engulfs both his bow and arrow with electricity and strikes the two bolts, aiming for his head. I expected nothing less of him… But the ball is now in my court.

"You know…" With a swipe of my hand, claws of stone emerge from the ground and swing at my opponent. "If you and Kayla were as strong as Val and me…" I spread my hands, and tiny pellets of flames bounce forth from my palm, forcing Victor to flee with everything he's got. "You two would be a real nightmare to deal with."

I know they are both my friends. They fight for what is theirs and struggle with desire for the light. I want them to grow strong and not die. I care for them… But I will not slow down, not waste a single minute to retain my edge.

"Would?" An arrow flies through my flames, missing me just barely.

I know he can't see me, but when it comes to guessing, Victor has an edge.

I reclaim the remaining heat and shape it into a ring around myself, shaping it with my arms and seething it with my steps. Protect! One can never be careful enough around this fiend of fortune.

With defense ensured, I spread my fingers and raise my hands, lifting chunks of stone into the air. With a snap, they burst into smaller shards and fly into the obscuring wall to do my bidding. A few more arrows arrive as retaliation, some incinerating before they hit, others missing entirely.

I douse the entire road in fire, no longer looking for an epic fight. If I have to slowly drain his shield by cooking him alive, then so be it. Through the inferno, arrows keep raining, both real and made out of ice.

When they finally stop coming, I cease my shower of death and pull back to consolidate. A flimsy wall of melted ice stands defiant despite my heat treatment, and from behind it emerges and wobbly figure.

Victor's ragged shape, merely licked by the fire, appears through the dust. He shoots an arrow into the building to his right and slams another into the ground.

"She did enough." He pulls out his last arrow and holds it in front of him. "You're already down to yellow."

From the tip of his arrow, a spark shoots out with a whistle, faster than I can track. Before my mind can even comprehend the attack, my body is already hit from the back. The lethality is laughable, my shield still holds strong, and I've barely even felt it.

But it did hit, and I could do nothing.

Dozens of sparks fly off the arrow Victor holds while a mocking smile appears on his face. One of them hits by the time I comprehend what is happening, another bites into my thigh as I turn around, and my eyes widen at the sight of the street around us.

Between dozens of arrows that went stray, wedged into walls and doors all across the street, the sparks fly freely, yet with a unified goal… The flames guarding me are hopeless.

As a desperate last resort, a small shield of arcane appears to protect me. The few sparks it blocks make little difference, however. I can only stare and feel the number of tiny hits add up to a final verdict.

My bracelets flash red, the shield protecting me shatters, and only silence remains.

I've been played. If my damn shield was still at full, I would've struck Victor down before these mosquito bites could drain my bracelets. Better yet, I bet I could've endured like twenty of those and remain standing… But that's not how the rules of this game work.

"Finally!" Victor begins to chuckle, which soon turns into a full-on, hearty, and relieved laugh. "You can go and sit down, princess!" He's clearly drunk on his triumph. "Oh, and could you bring her with you, please?" She points at Kayla, still lying nearby, unconscious and defenseless. A little belated, another spark strikes my butt, stinging like a bitch and even bursn slightly. "Sorry." He mutters.

"I'll get you for this!" I threaten, but still do my part.

He won today, I'm not petty enough to try and take that from him. My greatest strength is my magic, and today, Victor brought his greatest weapon to bear against me. Even if he didn't accomplish this alone…

I catch a glimpse of the bracelets shielding my future squad leader. "Heh, orange."

"Yeah, my odds weren't great." Victor shrugs and departs to finish his job.

Walking off the field of battle, I receive no snarky remarks or unrequested pointers. The fight is not yet over, although the outcome is clear to everyone. I sit down on the stand, lay Kayla down beside me, and watch as Val struggles in a battle against three others.

"Is she fine?" I ask Melena about Kayla, even though I was the one who knocked her out.

She gives my friend a glance. "She's fine, just exhausted." The wolfish woman nods. "Say, Elyssia… Do you remember what I said about destruction?"

No. Who, me? I've never heard anything like that.

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