Cursed Explorer of the Arcana

“You know what you have to do.” I take off my mental gloves and throw all restraints to the wind.

Valka catches the bag along with the meaning of my words. “This wasn’t part of the plan. I can’t leav-”

“But you will!” I raise my arm and unleash a deafening explosion to scare back the dogs surrounding us. “You don’t need me there but these fools would definitely get in the way.” I’m feeling invincible today. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll meet you at the gates”

I’ve tried to conceal my Blessing, relying on less flashy elements like wind or earth to finish the jobs and remain as humane as possible… I guess it’s time to lift the veil and show Hector whose tail he had stepped on.

I lift my hands, drawing lines of fire into the air, making them meet at the top like an arch and turning blue as I curtsy before my audience. They’re in for a spectacle and I’ll make sure to keep everyone entertained until Valka gets rid of her binding.

“Now go!” My voice cuts above the silence surrounding us.

The flame arch overhead shivers, turning into a blue serpent that dives across the violence-filled streets, thrashing everyone in its way and opening up a path. Valka is still unwilling, I can see it in her eyes, so I award her with a windy kick in the butt to get her moving.

That dumbass thinks I’m about to do a heroic self-sacrifice in the name of friendship… If she’s not around I can freely level everything around me without being concerned, that’s all. The most I can give her is a headstart, after that, she’ll need to shake off her pursuers and get that cursed thing off her neck on her own. Well, with the help of that damn smith but without me around.

As she finally enters the alley I move the pieces of the deconstructed road and barricade the street, creating a sort of arena where I’m without a doubt the top prize. Sure the two sides hate each other but for the Bloodcrows I’m somewhat of an enemy number one, and the rest are in it for the money.

As the awe of my spectacular display abates the floodgates open and the killing continues.

I’m among the first to move as a knife slashes for my throat, dodging only by a hair’s berth thanks to my quick reaction and a wall of wind pushing against the attack. Before the weapon can follow me like a poisonous snake I dismantle the road again and use the bricks for an indiscriminate barrage.

Sadly my opponent, the Black Scarf, remains unharmed yet just as determined to take my head. And he’s not alone.

Valka excels in close quarters with limited space but arenas like this one without any obstacles and enemies all around… I couldn’t ask for a better playground.

And so I spread my arms, letting lightning strike, jump and scatter everywhere, striking anyone in its path and preparing the stage for destruction. Bricks float around me as I begin a chaotic dance in a circle of rocks touching them gently one after another. Each flick erupts in a small explosion sending the projectiles flying indiscriminately and with enough force to shatter bones.

In quick succession and without bothering to aim, I deplete my stockpile while dodging whatever they send my way to stop the onslaught. But I can’t stop moving just because ten of them can’t get up anymore.

Inspired by my fight against Albert years ago I call on all metal in my zone of control. The discarded weapons answer turning into a tide of sharp blades and mowing through the crowd before gathering around me in a cocoon as I bring the element of the storm to life once more.

Lighting plays down my arms, between my legs, and up my back for a second until it grows large enough and coils around its owner while I spin in its embrace.

Much like the bricks before everything metal around me is sent flying slamming into combatants no matter their affiliation or in the worst case digging deep into their flesh. For a moment yet again a moment of silence descends on the completely decimated streets.

Even now I can see more armed fighters arriving on both sides of the struggle along with the first detachment of guards advancing in formation. Knives tear flesh, clubs smash skulls, and people beg for help as Malor reaches out for their souls.

I stomp and the ground erupts with spikes impaling those approaching from my back. A sweep of my arm sends waves of fire washing over those aiming to encircle me. My nails tearing through the air send blades of wind leaving deep gashes in the walls of houses and severing arms raised to strike me down.

Even when one of the rare few mages wasting their lives in these gangs decides to drown me in flames his magic doesn’t even get near me. Ethereal Stage allows me to cut the fire to pieces using wind blades and smother the remains into a warm breeze.

My blood is boiling in the heat of combat as I calculate every step meticulously and without daring even to blink. My muscles scream as I push my body to keep on dancing, taking step after step, bringing destruction and evading death clawing at me from every side.

But this can’t go on. I’ve been wreaking havoc for about a minute now if not two and small injuries on my body are mounting up. Two cuts minimum on all my limbs, a deep gash on my side not to mention my lungs are about to explode. I can’t go all out much longer.

The scale of this battle is just too big, reaching across probably much of the nearby streets as both gangs numbering in the hundreds throw everything they have at each other. It was meant to be a quick in-and-out operation but the Bloodcrows stationed more guards around the store than expected and Hector had forces around to take the two of us out. This is just pure chaos at this point.

As the number of local forces armed and wearing Turan’s coat of arms swells something obvious I’ve overlooked during the planning phase comes to mind. There’s no way the gates will open to anyone trying to escape. At the same time, the guards will need to divert much of their forces to this area…

Hesitation never solved any of my problems yet there’s one thing holding me back from starting a wild goose chase across the city. We’re currently in the commercial districts meaning only a handful of people live around this area, but if the fighting were to spread… Those deaths would stain my hands, and no excuse could wash them clean.

But if I could shake them off somewhere inconsequential before disappearing in the maze of streets…

Any other Mage about my strength could’ve likely caused destruction on a much bigger scale, killing half the people here or at least making everyone think twice before raising their weapons. They’d also be dead by now, at least five times.

I leverage that advantage of mine once more and cut through the crowd, coating myself with fire as I rush towards not the gates, or the slums but the center square. I know the city well enough now and most streets converge there. The buildings are either inhabited by the super-wealthy or reserved for business purposes meaning minimal collateral casualties.

Even without taking a glance behind my back, I can tell a few dozen eyes are drawn to my retreating figure for one reason or another. I’ve made enough enemies to warrant the hate.

Premonition can’t warn me about things that I can’t see but moving erratically and causing enough damage in my wake turns out to be more than enough to make up for that. My steps burst with gusts of wind, pushing me onward, erupting with violent explosions to obscure my wake, hell Rhythmic Strides even allows me to run on walls for a few steps.

Soon we reach the grand square with its fountain and glorious statue of the governor, sword in hand and everything despite having never fought himself. My allure did manage to drag quite many pursuers along, their numbers in the high tens if not breaching one hundred, but more worryingly they don’t seem to hate one another as much as the frail young maiden they’re after.

United against a common enemy as they say…

Now that they’re obediently in my wake and I have so many avenues of escape in front of me a few seconds is all I need to gain an unrecoverable headstart. Just past the last row of houses to the square grind to a halt and point both my arms towards my disgruntled pursuers. Flames, first orange then slowly brightening as white as the fresh winter snow, flicker to life.

The reaction among humans mirrors that of beasts when faced with fire, stepping back as the primordial instinct warns them of a cruel end. The incandescent ball slowly swells along with the smile on my face now that I have them caught even if only for a few seconds.

“Spread out!”

The correct answer to their predicament yet before anyone can carry out the maneuver I part my arms, splitting the attack and aiming at not the living but the building to my sides. The impact of the charges carrying about four hundred mana’s worth of explosive goodness is deafening as the erupting flames reach above even the rooftops.

But those two are some solid fucking houses.

Walls crumble and windows shatter but both buildings remain standing defiantly, almost as if standing with natives of the city over me. The explosions, along with the ensuing shockwave, leave me with just enough time to unleash a second load of the three-story shop to my left but by that point, it turns out to be a futile effort.

Some have made their way to the roofs while others take the sidestreets as the building finally falls. My short window of escape is already gone.

Slightly panicking I begin to run once more while recharging on the stolen stone of mana, away from danger and right towards the heart of the city.

My escape plans didn’t include running in this direction, nor numbers on this scale, or becoming the main target despite having little to do with this gang war. My hopes were to slip away, using obstructions I prepared in thight alleys and guard checkpoints to discourage any pursuers. Yet somehow I turned into the main course.

I didn’t just run here aimlessly though as the main square is where the commotion first started and home to the governmental building. And as expected the men and women responsible for upholding the law are already present in force.

They’ve been advancing on us from the moment I appeared in the square and have only redoubled their efforts following my firework. Thus I now find myself sandwiched between a rock and a hard place.

Until I take a sharp turn right and scurry out of the way for the two sides to duke it out between themselves. The guards don’t know me as a criminal, after all, I always did my tasks as discreetly as possible.

“Don’t let the Night Fiend escape!” Is the last thing I hear as the two sides clash and I disappear down a sidestreet.

For the first time since I threw myself into action about five minutes ago, I can finally relax just a tiny bit, no longer on full alert with a blade constantly at my neck. Even though I’m not too familiar with these parts I’ve come to understand how the city was built and can navigate my way through-

I catch a flash from the corner of my eye and Premonition instantly paints a bleak picture. An ambush, right around the next corner.

I’ve had my fair share of tight situations to not freeze in the face of danger so I let my legs buckle and slide under the sword on my knees, leaving a flaming trail to thwart any follow-up attacks.

But the man clad in pristine armor, wearing the colors of Turan is a different beast than the thugs I’ve been combating until now.

“So this is a Fight Fiend?” He steps out of the shadows, twirling his blade and measuring me up and down. “A name all of Solermo knows and fears. The culprit behind dozens of attacks and with a list of charges long enough to sentence even your grandkids to a lifetime of repentance.” The brown eyes never leave me for a second as the pre-fight babbling goes on.

This old man is different, his gait, stance, gaze… I’ve been around enough powerful people to recognize the difference and I don’t like my odds against an opponent like him.

“Am I really the one you should be wasting your time on?” I try to talk my way out of trouble.

“How considerate.” He chuckles, finally taking up a high stance to answer anything I might throw at him. “But Hector asked me to apprehend the two of you specifically.”

Oh, fuck.

He lunges at me with breakneck speed, the steel of his blade vibrating in his hand while an aura of harsh red flames surrounds his entire being. I slap the wall to my sides, causing explosions to repel me backward and obstruct the view if only for a second. The air of fire around the guard captain paints a clear image even through the dust and falling debris so I see exactly as he swings his sword horizontally carrying an absurd amount of mana.

Up is the only path I can escape, gaining a foothold as I activate Rhythmic Strides only to watch the ground below me be consumed by fire and walls fall down crumbling as the arc of destruction travels down the alley. There’s no way I could’ve blocked that, not even in a year.

The next such strike aims squarely at me once again as the dust settles but I have no intention of staying on the defensive. Before the next swing, I tear the side of a house out with earth magic, taking shelter inside and preparing my counterattack while watching the curtain of fire glide past.

Once the coast is clear I emerge surrounded by lances of ice and my hair dancing and glimmering with electricity. The projectiles fire off with a flick of my arm but mostly melt before reaching their target, just as I intended. The man is a little more cautious about the follow-up, dodging right as I thrust my arm forth releasing a thundering bolt of lightning.

I miss. The man that is, not the small puddle at his feet. The shock travels through his body bringing him to his knees and giving me the opening I needed to get the hell away from him. I sprint with all the air magic I can govern, rounding corners with ease and speeding down alleys faster than a thought.

The loud blaring of a horn echoes in the distance, coming from the direction of the store we robbed along with the intensified sounds of constant destruction.

“It is just as he expected.” The yell of the very same guard captain follows me as I desperately flee. “You are Blessed, the Battle Queen will be pleased.”

“Fuck off already!”

His rude reply to my rude reply is another sea of flames, this time in the form of the ground bursting apart, erupting in a pillar of fire. This cuts off my option to the right, followed by another one preventing me from turning left. This only leaves me with… The square.

There the fighting is still going strong but many are either already detained or lying on the ground in their own pools of blood. I hesitate for a second, contemplating turning back and maybe forcing my way through one of the flame barricades or even demolishing a house to create a new path but the persistent old man hot on my trail doesn’t leave me much choice.

This moment of uncertainty however comes to bite me back right as I’m about to leave the narrow lanes behind. The old fucker caught up and his fist is already airborne coming at me from the corner of my vision promising enough pain to take me out in one hit.

Pain Tolerance has kept me going despite my minor injuries, the results of small mistakes against manageable opponents, but this particular foe is simply too powerful for me to recover once that punch lands. I try stopping that from happening with a small spark, the best I can slap together in such a short time but he powers through it effortlessly.

“Hraaagh!”

The fist that finally lands however isn’t one targeting me. The old man's reaction speed is commendable as he’s able to raise an arm just in time to protect his face from a strike I’m way too familiar with.

“What are you doing here?” I’m equally angry and relieved to have Valka by my side, but mostly angry because the collar is anything but gone.

“You’re welcome.” She huffs, catching a knife flying at us out of the air. “I thought you were in a pickle after seeing that explosion even across the city and I was right.”

She hands me our precious bag back, holding literally our everything, and throws something else at the man already up in flames. The captain has the armor dented on his right arm, and his fury palpable on the heat oozing off his body but the simple black crystal landing on his chest makes it all disappear in a blink.

We don’t stop running to celebrate our reunion. The thugs are fast to notice us and the guards, seeing their captain get slapped to the ground, are just as eager to join.

“This way.” Valka drags me toward the governmental building of all places where the fighting is the least intense.

“You could’ve removed your collar, regained your freedom, and left to free your people. Isn’t that what you wanted all along?” I’m still angry at her and my voice clearly reflects that.

I take my displeasure out on a poor mage, one of the rare few around, coming at us with a rain of stones likely inspired by my earlier performance. I don’t even spare him a glance as the ground by my side springs up in response to my stomp, blocking all incoming attacks but Valka simply hurls a piece of rock at him before I can strike back.

She grabs me by the arm, halts our escapade with her indomitable strength, and pulls me closer to look straight into my eyes.

“I do want to save my people and I will, but not by leaving one of them behind, you fool.” She growls with her grip strengthening almost to the point where it hurts. “I’d die to free them and I won’t leave your side until I know you’re safe, understood?”

This isn’t fair, now I can’t be angry with her. Not while staring into those eyes, being saved and scolded like a child…

“Looks like we have both of them.”

“Indeed, don’t let any of them escape this time.”

Looks like our duo has found a worthy pair to a battle for the ages. The Black Scarf and the corrupt lapdog of the law. What a persistent old man…

“We won’t be able to escape while these two are around.” I warn Val, preparing to fight not from behind her but side by side.

“I guessed as much.” She trains her eyes on them.

The guard captain bursts into flames once more, shadows creep up from the Black Scarf’s feet, Valka begins to emit steam again and I mirror the old man, coating my hands with ever-brightening fire.

This will be the last showdown.

I raise my hands to blast them away with an explosion and the two react with their own attacks surging to strike us down. In the last moment, however, a hand grabs my arms in a tyrannical grip that almost makes my legs buckle in fear, pulling them up and diverting my attack.

“That will be enough, Elyssia.” A calm and even voice I have not heard in more than three years rings clear over every other noise on the square.

The two men advancing on us fall to their knees, clearly involuntarily, almost as if an invisible force was pressing them into the ground. With my heart in my throat, I allow my eyes to run down the arm holding me gently, seeing familiar colors and finally meeting a friendly smile on a bald elderly face.

“Commander Ehrhardt.” I mutter, overwhelmed by a colorful mix of emotions.

What is the Fist doing here?