One Last Chance [Mission]

[Aleia]

Aleia made a loud crunch as she bit off half of the greasy pork skin. After savoring the taste by slowly crunching down the rough texture, she finally swallowed it. Getting a decent taste of the things she progressed to take down every last bite of the snack. It was fresh and hot, the salesman was not wrong for once on the taste. The only shame was the amount of grease they used to fry it, perhaps some more seasoning will do it far more justice.

You know, you’re gonna get fat if you keep on eating like this. The hollow voice seems to ring in her ear above all other sounds, causing her to flinch as she adjusted. For the most part, her brother had remained silent and she had become used to it. What he said was true though but street food was amazing. It was good enough that she was actively licking at her fingers before finally rubbing the rest onto her sleeves. Hey! Who’s gonna wash that?

“I’ll do it later,” she reassured aloud, knowing full well that later meant close to never. Most people would probably think she was talking to herself but at the very least she didn't care if she seemed crazy. Her brother was speaking to her and she needed to keep up the conversation, which was the respectful thing to do after all. That is not how it works, besides aren't you on a mission here? I mean, I am still heavily against you being in this guild but if you’re in it, you need to do work!

“Yada yada yada, you need to learn to relax, that might be why you look so pale all the time,” Aleia replied, stretching up her right arm and balling her hand into a fist. That was her horrible attempt at a joke. Her brother should know her well enough that she will do the mission but for once she didn't feel that it was all that important. Perhaps it was because this was her first time visiting Waterfall city or maybe it was due to the snack but she just didn't feel as though she can put all her power into this particular one.

“What were we doing again?” she asked, giving out a long yawn after taking her left arm to help her loosen up her shoulders. It wasn't like her to be so absentminded but the city had taken up far more of her brain power for her to pay attention. We were going to meet our employer, a Mr. Jaio as I recall. He said he will meet us in a cafe around Nunem Street by noon. She responded by giving an understanding nod and took out her own map of the city.

“By the looks of it, we’re on the other side of the city and it is now eleven,” she nodded some more, trying to keep up a sagely appearance. There was a moment of silence as she continued to walk farther in the opposite direction. GET MOVING! Her brother’s voice made her ears ring and her body involuntarily turned around and made a run for it.

~~~

“Thank you for meeting me here, I am Phelas Jaio and I desperately need your help,” a portly short old man, with an all too sinister mustache for Aleia’s liking, stated. She nodded, taking her seat, still surprised that he was waiting after her untimely arrival. She quickly ordered a cup of coffee and put on her best respectful smile she can afford. The man didn't mind as he poked at his fresh piece of cake.

“Yes, I uh, I’m not familiar at all with you magic folks but I believe this job is for you,” he began after clearing his throat. It made her wonder what other health problems he could be having at this age.

“Well you see, a good friend of mine, Bianca, has been taken against her will. I shudder at the thought of what she might be experiencing right now,” he continued, nervously stirring his cup of tea. She nodded, paying more attention to coffee than the man once it had arrived. Taking a sip, she couldn't help but frown before putting a good bit of sugar into the drink. It tasted far more tolerable afterwards.

“I fear that some dangerous mages might be guarding her, so please find her before it is too late, I have done all I could but these are the only locations I believe she can be,” he said, taking out a map and slipping it over to her. She had her own and wondered if she should do an exchange but decided not to. He could probably afford losing a map or two as long as he got his friend back safely.

“One more thing, this is what she looks like and she might be going with the name Stacey,” he said, reaching into his coat once again. The picture she was handed was of quite a beautiful girl. She turned her head to the side as if fully registering the contents. Giving a nod of a confirmation that she got all the information she needed, she quickly gulped down the rest of her coffee. It is not right to waste any food and even worse when someone else is paying for it.

She waved a farewell before beginning to walk briskly away from the man. Throughout the whole conversation she had let him do all the talking. He was well prepared it seemed, this meant he had plenty of money to spare if he was able to narrow it down like this. She didn't need to know any more than this. Where to first?

“The park.”

Mission: 957/3500

[Erik Cecere]

Erik stood, facing the main gates of waterfall city. The sun had now risen high into the sky. It was around noon, perhaps a little later. It would be a lie to admit Erik wasn’t already a little late, even after getting up so early and walking all night! Still, at least he managed to arrive in Style. He took a deep sigh gazing into the majestic and beautiful city. The oh so familair sound of gushing waterfalls seemed less calming than ever. He gripped the strap f his leather black handbag slung over his right shoulder. He was home, for the first time in years too.

He walked into the city, the clacking of his heels drowned out by the chitter chatter and hussle bustle of Waterfall City streets. He looked casually around, not expecting anyone to even notice him. Both his connections to this place have passed, yet why did he feel such a strange connection? He felt nervous just stepping inside, that same feeling as from when he was young. Maybe there was no way to shake his connections to this city... Maybe he didn’t have to either. Another soft sigh escaped his delicate rosey lips as he stared at the Melodic Sirens building overlooking Waterfall City. Not another moment had passed before Erik snapped himself out of the trance.

“Come on girl, you have work to do! You’re already running late...”

He pulled his attention away before moving elsewhere in the city. Minutes passed as his usually erect dignified posture slouched ever slightly in an increased pace. His breathing rate had also increased, tardiness was such an undignified quality. Erik would just have to hope for his own sake that the client would be late too. Although, who shows up late to meet their bodyguard... A bodyguard huh? Erik allowed himself to regain a presentable stature as the job began to sink in. Him, a body guard? He had never guarded anyone’s life before, not successfully! Yet, he was a mage now! He could fight! He was stronger than last time! This time, he knew what he was doing! Yet, what exactly would this job entail... Who is he protecting, and from what?!

Eriks pace further slowed as he entered the park. He inevitabley came to a halt, looking all around him and examening this oh so familair park. He was to meet his client here, but where was she, what did she look like? His attention seemed more focused on the park right now. He had almost forgotten just how very big the park acctually was! It took up a fraction of the town! Lush green scenery with neat little cobblestone paths, beautiful shrubbery and flora too! Happy families and cute little critters, a usual innocent park scene was portrayed in this very city. He took a step forward, continuing slowly. There was only one solution, individually he asked women who were alone. One of them had to be his client! His trained eyes managed to look past any judgemental looks and gazes, especially by passerbys.

Erik then spotted a relatively tall woman, with gorgeous long cotton, almost cloud like hair! It draped down to her very feet. She was dressed in a delicate and cheap pink gown with cheap but simple jewlery. Erik could only assume she didn’t have much in the way of funds. Perhaps she had spent most of her money hiring a body guard... In which case, Erik could not fail!

“Excuse me honey, have you seen a Stacey Tepperin around anywhere?”

The woman turned, revealing her soft fragile face. Her wide emotion filled eyes were delicate, like flowers. She appeared somewhat sensitive but also cold.

“You must be Erik...”

What could she possibley need protecting from...?

626/3500

[Aleia]

In all honesty, she chose the park first because she happened to stroll past a food stand. All she had to eat was some pork skin and a cup of high sugar contented coffee. It was about time for a break anyways but to her dismay the food stand was on break. Aleia had to recoil back in horror, seeing how close the food was beyond it. Strangely the people on break didn't care to lock up and she couldn't help but stick her head in. After taking in the emptiness she had encountered her first dilemma. To work on an empty stomach was one thing but to have it so close in her reach was another. Of course she had her own food but they were emergency rations and wouldn't taste as good (most of the time) as street food.

“No, stealing is wrong,” she nodded more for herself than for her brother. Even though she was in Obscura Fabula that didn't mean she didn't have standards. Actually the guild was classier than she seemed to represent it. Perhaps that was another reason she didn't actively display her guild tattoo. That and the fact that she might actually be stopped and troubled by others they knew the truth.

Perhaps she should wait for their return… Better not waste any time we should finish up here. If you’re so hungry, finish the park and go to a restaurant. Her brother’s voice rudely cut into her thoughts and she had to freeze for a second. Unfortunately he had to say the truth and make a good point to it. With the money she gets from the job, she could get herself a decent meal. Actually, that was enough a reason for her to get pumped up about the mission.

“I got it but where are we to start?” she asked him, he always had an answer to her question and this shouldn't be any different. I don’t know maybe you should go ask someone. That reply was overall very unsatisfying but she nodded an approval. She had to move quickly from spot to spot and perhaps repeatedly. This seems like real busywork in her opinion.

The first area she visits just so happens to be the playground. There weren't all that many kids there, only about one small group. But she believed that kids were sharp for their age, more so than their parents might think. Throwing away the idea to keep going, she approached the closest child, a young girl that was helping with a game of jump rope. The steady hit of the rope had an almost hypnotic effect as she seemed to forget why she approached them.

“Do you want to play too?” the little girl asked. She didn't seem to register it until the rope stopped. She unconsciously nodded yes but shook her head when her conscious returned. The girl gave a quick sly look to her friends; at least that was what Aleia perceived.

“Umm have you seen this woman?” she asked, taking out her picture. The girls looked at it for a moment and nodded.

“We’ll tell you if beat out high score, 54 jumps, that is all you need!” she called out. It wouldn't be too difficult as the rope was plenty long enough for her. They had challenged and she will answer.

Mission: 1516/3500

[Erik Cecere]

Erik came to a halt. For a moment he was speachless, staring at the porcelain woman who stood before him. Her style was simple and clearly it had a low price tag. Yet, she maintained a sense of simple elegance to her, from her long fluffy cloud like hair to her soft and fragile skin. Erik Stared into her eyes for a minute. They were like glass; two pools of emotion and colours that seemed to reveal everything. What really caught Erik’s attention was not her ensemble, rather the saddened and deteriorated expression breaking through her withered eyes. She seemed tired... Exhuasted if anything! Erik inevitabley noticed the brewing silence and bowed his head gently.

“Erik Cecere, Fairy Tail mage at your service hun! You little doll, might you be Ms. Stacey Tepperin?”

Erik peered back at her with a new expression of curiosity to accompany her question. At the same time however, it was analatical. She didn’t seem in anyway phased by how he dressed, how he acted, or how he spoke! Maybe she was just too disheartened to even notice. Erik had to fight his frown back, a spawner for wrinkles. Stacey looked to the floor for a moment at the mention of her name. She nodded silently.

“Yes. My name is Stacey.”

Erik’s gaze remained focused on the girl. Though it was a light stare; he didn’t want to worry or frighten his client. Erik was perfectly capable of, if not talented at, minding his own business. With ease he shrugged off his supicions. He was hired to protect her, from whatever, and that is what he shall do!

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you hun. You need a bodyguard? Whatever the threat, I promise I shan’t fail. I will protect you!”

Stacey smiled meekly. It was weak, but a smile none the less. It seemed to spark a reaction in Erik too as a pleasent smile presented itself across his ruby lips.

“Thank you. I take solice in your protection.”

Erik let a semi-awkward but relieved smile escape his lips. He shifted his handbag back over his shoulder in an attempt to reposition it as it slid progressivley down his arm. He nouncholantely gazed from side to side, not entirely sure of what to do next. He couldn’t afford to stand here in silence, doing nothing! Erik’s left arm exrtended limply across his chest as he rested his right arm atop it, pressing his right index finger against his chin in contemplation.

“Is there anywhere you’d like to go, honey?”

Stacey nodded softly before gazing eastward. With a gentle sigh her head darted back to Erik and she gazed directly into his eyes, a piercing stare of desperation as she made her plea.

“Away! Please, I want to get away from here!”

Erik looked at her in shock. He had no idea what this girl was going through but, it was his job to protect her. Without any further questions he nodded.

“O-Of course! Come on... Stay close, I promise to keep you safe.”

Stacey’s frown lightened to a half-smile, causing Erik to smile sweetly. She approached Erik, standing closer to him as the two began to walk through the park. Where should he take her? Where was away? For now... For now away just meant anywhere but here. Erik decided to take her through the park in a roundabout path and to the exit of Waterfall City. As the two walked Erik peered down at the girl, standing awfully close and muttering to herself.

“He Knows... I know he knows... For sure... Someone’s coming for me...”

Erik pretended not to notice, only frowning in pity and discomfort. This girl was troubled. Erik just put his arm gently around her and smiled at her.

“Don’t worry. We’ll be fine!”.

Stacey clearly disagreed, darting her gaze away from Erik, watching the angles around them. She was full of paranoia, how long exactly was Erik to protect her? He was beginning to hope he hadn’t signed up for something too dangerous, a full time life risking job? At his rank, he wasn’t ready for that. It had nothing to do with his confidence in himself, not at all. He knew his limits and his strengths, he was a decent mage. Yet... someone’s lifei n your hands is a big issue. No, it was only marked C-rank. It couldn’t be that dangerous. Erik accepted this task with that knowledge in mind! He could do this!

Suddently Erik felt a soft pull on his arm. His thoughts came to a halt, as did Stacey! He curiously looked at the girl who now stood staring at the kids playpark. She was silent. Erik was unable to see the tears welling in her eyes from his angle. He looked to her, then the playground. He was almost disgusted as he saw a woman jumping rope with the children. Ignoring the fact she was far overage, what was she wearing?! Her atrocious outfit was just ,offensive!

Oh please, someone remove that insult

Erik thought to himself in a plea. Clearly though, that wasn’t what Stacey was staring at. Once again her mind was a mystery to him. Although, they had just met. He looked back to her. Softly he rested his right hand on her shoulder.

“Come on, let’s keep moving...”

It took a moment but eventually she turned her head away and wiped her eyes. With a soft nod the two stepped forward once again, continuing their journey through the park.

[Words: 1546/3500]

[Aleia]

“52…53…54…55! Hah I beat the record!” Aleia exclaimed in victory pumping her fist downwards, striking the air in front of her. She was now sweating from the sudden exercise. At least her body was ready for more exercise. While she was playing with the children, she had failed to notice the two passing people. If she paid any attention she would have noticed that one of them is the woman she was looking for.

“So where is the woman,” she asked, now taking in deep breathes of air when the excitement died down and all that was left was exhaustion. One of the girls began to speak but she lifted her hand to signal her to wait a second or two to catch her breath.

“Mister, the woman you are looking for went that away,” the girl stated, pointing to distant figures. Great going genius, hurry up and catch up.

“Okay I got it, I’m on the way, jeez,” she said out loud, startling the girls. Before she could charge off, the girls had made sure to force a promise to play with them in future. With that in mind, she charged forward towards the mysterious figures. The person next to the quickly approaching green haired woman was definitely one of those she was warned. Another mage was going to be a troublesome obstacle but her main goal was the girl. She thought it would be best to take the other person down first before retrieving the target.

Without so much of a word, she loosened the buckle of her sugar pouch. The tiny sweet crystals ran through the opening of her fingers. She grabbed a handful of the sugar in her hands and left it in her pouch. Her magic caused the crystals to roll itself into a ball that she brought above her head. A well placed shot to the head would be the safest bet but she didn’t trust her aim at this distance, so she aimed for the chest area of the…man? The truth is however that she was not prepared for what happened next. She should have moved more quietly but it was too late now. She should have also expected that the client wasn’t all that truthful in his description of the situation.

“Watch out!” Stacey warned, whirling to face the oncoming mage. She knew that Jaio would send someone after her, although she was expecting more goons than an actual mage to come. It was right for her to be paranoid it seemed. With all her experience she could tell that the man…or women… look almost as startled as she was. It didn’t keep the mage from attacking however as whatever that white ball in her hand flew towards their general direction.

Mission: 1975/3500 | Magic: 990/1000

Magic:

[Erik Cecere]

Erik walked pacefully alongside Stacey. He was blisfully unaware of the oncoming mage, as well as the sugar attack she had just launched. Suddenly he was alerted by the shout of stacey. The link was broken between Stacey and Erik as she turned to face the oncoming foe. Erik every slightly behind pivoted on place. It was... that thing! That insult! That disgusting, ugly, little! Erik had no time to complain, acting fast he knew he had to protect Stacey. Erik twirled behind Stacey to avoid the oncoming sugar ball. The ball crashed into the ground in a cloud of sugar dust.

“I’ll protect you! I promise!”

Erik’s right hand shot skyward immediately as he called out.

“IVY!”

Almost instantaneously four large petals emerged from underneath Stacey. The yellow tipped magenta petals gracefully closed, wrapping themselves around Stacey in a protective shield, an enclosed flour. Erik stood behind the flower for a moment. Stacey would be unable to move inside, but at least she would be safe inside. The seconds behind the flower caused many thoughts to rush through Erik’s head. A real fight, with a real mage?! This was a C-rank mission, exactly how strong was this mage? Could Erik fight her or... him? Well, he had to! But... what a strange magic... sugar? He spoke up from behind the flower.

“PEEEEYEEEEW! What’s with your get up man lady!”

Erik spoke in an obnoxious effeminite tone.

“Seriously, your outfit is so wrong, it’s offensive!”

As Erik stood behind the petal barrier his right arm slowly began to transform.

“PHLOX!”

His right arm was replaced with a large venus fly trap, connected to his elbow by a series of three extendablei intersecting vines. This girl... she was trying to hurt Stacey. She was the one who caused such fear and sorrow? Well, there was no way she was taking Stacey Away. She was going to have to get through Erik first! Erik pivotted out from behind the flower and shot his right arm forward. The large crunching fly trap on his arm extended towards the girl like a spring, attempting to crunch into her.

“If I have to, I’ll rip off that insult you call an ensemble!”

[Words: 1914/3500] [Magic: 980/1000]

Ivy:

Phlox:

[Aleia]

With all things considered, Aleia was probably now facing a real member of Fairy Tail. She knew little about what the members and at least this person was not one of the more famous one. Regardless she was facing a mage in combat, it was actually long overdue since the time she had killed that celestial mage. If Bianca was truly held prisoner, she would not have called out like that and that expression of horror was toward her approach. It was a shame he…she…it, forget it; this person is a man for easy categorization.

When he put up the shield around Bianca, it became clear that she was probably on the less than righteous side. Too late now though, she had accepted the job and if it meant bringing the girl back against her will, then so be it. The man had done her a favor though, protecting the girl so that she would not be fully involved. If she could take this guy down, it would hopefully release the girl and she can drag the woman back to that very suspicious man. She had a plan forming until…

“Your silly outfit isn’t any better!” she rebutled when the man had called out on her outfit. What was wrong with it? For the most part it was comfortable, colorful, and great for traveling out in the wild. While his outfit…it just looked weird! She began to yell a variety of curses, calling him a less than desirable human being. It would have continued further if the man had not called out his attack.

She barely saw the plant arm swing at her. It would have probably been a clean hit against her if she had not quickly dodged to left. It wasn’t too far from a clean hit; actually it might have been a perfect attack as the mouth crunched down on her right arm. She almost yelled out in pain but forced it back with only a grunt to describe her pain. A normal person might stop now but she was determined to face the man down.

“You think this can stop me!” she called out, pulling at her arm, the sharp teeth of the plant ripping clothes and skin alike. She could hear it and to an extent feel it. It almost seemed to not fully faze her as she dug out from her pouch another handful of sugar which she threw up in to the air in front of her. The sugar seemed to float instead of automatically fall down to the earth. She then took in a deep breath with her mouth, the sugar crystals whisked into her body. She then had a sudden burst of speed, her fist aimed at the man’s pretty little face…

Mission: 2436/3500 | Magic: 980/1000

Magic:

[Erik Cecere]

Erik’sexpression retracted to one of shock, and slight disgrace, as this disgusting man lady insulted HIS outfit?! Who was she to comment on Erik’s outfit! Had she even bothered to stop and look in the mirror today?!

“WHAT? I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS THE NEWEST OUTFIT FROM LAYLA DEMACIA’S, UNRELEASED MIGHT I ADD, CASHMERE COLLECTION!”

Erik called out in aggrovation as his attack hurdeled towards the girl. This woman, man, thing, had SOME nerve! Here she was, dressed like a circus reject and failing to kidnap a helpless girl and she dared to call him, LESS THAN DESIRABLE? A sly and manical grin spread across his face as mouth crunched down onto her right arm. It wasn’t his first target but it would have to suffice. He allowed a confident and untroubled expression to return to his face.

“I’m sure you’d appreciate my ensemble if you had any understanding of beauty. Next time I won’t hesitate to rip off your outfit in the process, you circus reject! Put that little mistake out of it’s misery, y’know?”

You think this can stop me?!

Erik turned to the girl in surprise as she pulled the plant out of her arm. Erik snarled as he immediately retracted his arm. He wondered just how strong this girl really was? He had never even heard of a magic htat utilizes sugar. It sounds silly but, it would be even stupider for him to underestimate it, or any magic at all for that matter. What was the limits of this magic, and just how strong was this woman? Erik tried not to think about it, even if he couldn’t win he had to keep trying for the sake of the client! Thoughts of discourgement were the last thing he needed right now. Surely someone wih such poor taste couldn’t be stronger than him. Erik watched as dug out a handful of sugar. She needed sugar to cast her spells so, maybe if Erik could disarm the bag? Erik refused all distractions as he focused attention on the girl. The sugar pretty much defied gravity before whisking itself into her mouth. What was she doing, having a snack? Suddenly there was a burst of speed and the girl ran directly towards Erikm her fist extended towards his face.

Erik’s brow furrowed, his expression tightening as the woman increasingly approached. His mind tried to analyse the moment and possibilites within the few seconds he had. He couldn’t really avoid the oncoming attack, so he naturally went to block. He positioned his hand in an ‘X’ formation blocking his face. However, rather than raising his arms high enough so that both his arms would block it, he had them raised so that instead his hands would block his face. The venus fly trap was positioned infront of his left hand, allowing for the propability that this woman would punch directly into the thick thorns of the fly trap’s exterior. After the punch made contact Erik tried a quick punch to the womans gut using her left hand.

[Words: 2406/3500] [Magic: 975/1000]

Ivy:

Phlox:

[Aleia]

The sugar was sweet, the sugar was good, and the sugar was energy at the purest. It had its advantages and quite frankly some very annoying disadvantages. The more she used it, the greater the toll it had on her body. Once she finished this stupid mission, she was bound to feel quite a bit of fatigue and her ripped arm. Thank goodness that the energy helped her ignore the gnawing pain.

“May-I, Dela, made up of pudgemere or whatever, it is freaking ugly, plain and simple,” she spat out her rebuttal. The person who made such tacky clothing should be thrown into a river and drowned! Maybe it was more of a feud thing rather than actual hate for the clothing style. Her wear wasn’t as bad as this man was making it out to be. It actually hurt her feelings a little, this happens whenever someone does mention her strange fashion sense. At least she was unique; people don’t naturally gravitate to this sort of outfit…

Thanks to her increased perception, it didn’t take long for her to realize that the man had brought up his arms in defense, hoping she will stake her fist into the spikes. That was one annoying magic he was using. All she wanted was to pretty much take this girl against her will back to that suspicious looking man. That unneeded spike against her outfit had made the situation a hundred times worse.

“You’re the one who made this personal,” she said, gritting her teeth as she decided on her next course of action. She brought up her next arm and released her rolled up fist. She was not going to run into those spikes if she could help it and instead jumped upwards. She pounced the man, like a cat trying to take down a bigger cat. This man was her prey and she wasn’t bound to give up as long as she was conscious.

Mission: 2760/3500 | Magic: 975/1000

Magic:

[Erik Cecere]

Erik resisted the urge to verbally lash out at this woman. He allowed her petty insults to bounce off him, because he knew who was the real clown here. He was a lady, and ladies such as himself, were too dignified to partake in such petty slandering. Instead he stood his ground, behind his guard. However, the fist he expected never came. He expected a swift punch to the thorns but, clearly this girl was smarted than she looked. The sugar she ate... it must have been her magic. That burst of speed couldn’t have come from anything else but magic. Erik was both shocked and impressed, this girl was smarrter than she looked. Everyone knows to expect the unexpected, even in the most certain of situations! However, this particular “unexpected” was particurarly confusing. Rather than a move, a shift or a turn, the girl pounced. Like a cat, the woman pounced into the air and onto Erik, forcing him backwards onto the floor. Erik fell backwards with an “oomph”, a coud of dust blowing from underneath!

“Are you crazy dear?”

Erik lay on the floor, wrestled down by this woman who now sat atop him. He pulled back his right arm and, without firing, aimed the venus fly trap at the girls face.

“Would you kindly get off?!”

The venus fly trap extended forwards in an effort to punch the girl off of him.

[Words: 2641/3500] [Magic: 970/1000]

Ivy:

Phlox:

[Aleia]

Aleia was glad she finally got something on this man. It was jump a small thump on the ground but it was her fault he was there. One day people will truly rue the sugar mage! It sounded more deadly in her head than it would have out loud. Not that this man was any trouble…she has totally faced stronger opponents or rather she had lucked out and survived. The impact of the shock made a rough humph on her side as well but it was hopefully rougher for the guy here.

With her sugar rush spell still active she saw the punch coming. However seeing and successfully dodging was two different things. Instead she did what she hoped was the best course of decision at the moment. She half jumped and half pushed to get as much distance from the strike as possible. It worked, a little bit but she still got a rough punch in the face. It impacted against her mask and caused her to stumble backwards. She struggled to remain balanced but it was too late for her mask. The punch had not fully shattered it, but it was chipped and launched into the air. It did not fully break though and she thanked her brother for advising her to use a better material than what she originally picked out.

The fact that it had fallen off made her unconsciously look behind to make sure it was okay. Idiot, focus on the fight! Her brother had finally spoken up during the whole time she had been fighting. It worked though and she snapped back at the man, her eyes blazing with anger. Who cares if he saw the star imprinted into her eye? If she got a good hold of him…he won’t remember a thing. The punch wasn’t much at all but it did cause her to bite her in cheek. She could taste the blood in her mouth and tomorrow, she will probably have a puffy cheek but this was a danger of being a mage.

“You think you can get away with humiliating me like this!” she called out, spitting out a bit of blood and saliva next to her. She then tried to create some more sugar balls but found that she lacked sufficient sugar. Apparently the contents had dumped when she leapt and got punched. They were within range of her other spell. So for now, she forced herself to calm down. The sugar that littered the place began to float back into the air and surround her immediate atmosphere.

“Have some sugar balls,” she said lightly, her face a sinister grin. Some of the sugar soon formed into three small balls and propelled towards the man.

Mission: 3215/3500 | Magic: 950/1000

Magic:

[Erik Cecere]

Erik smiled condescendingly as the thorny punch made contact with her face. Even as she tried to jump backwards in escape Erik managed ot land a successful punch. However, her jump managed to avoid most of the attack and the punch only resulted in the mage stumbling backwards. Erik wasted no time hopping to his feet and dusting himself off. Normally he wouldn’t allow himself to get distracted in a battle but, as the mask flew off the girls head Erik turned on the spot. He got a good look at his back, but what he saw was in no way good. Erik was NOT impressed. All down the back of his new Layla Demacia jacket was dirt and grit. It was simply disgusting! Erik offered the girl nought but a smile as the mask cracked and chipped against the floor.
“A well deserved punishment dear. Just look at what you’ve done to my new outfit?!”
As Erik spoke he turned slightly, gesturing to the dirt now along the back of his outfit. He was surprised when he, at first, recieved no response. He turned back to normal and stared at the girl with a somewhat curious look. Erik had gotten the impression that this was a girl whose quick with a response. She just seemed to stare at the mask for a moment while biting her cheek. “She’s leaving herself wide open” thought Erik as he began to prepare launching an attack. His actions were halted by her voice. Erik looked at the floor in disgust where she had spat out her mixture of blood and saliva.

How barbaric...

Erik’s gaze shot from side to side, analysing the sugar that now lay spread around them. The sugar that littered the park floated into the air and surrounded the girl. Erik stared with anticipation, raising his arms slightly in preperation to act. The sugar began to warp itself into three hard looking balls before launching themselves in Erik’s direction. Erik said nothing but wasted no time to react. His let hand swung upwards, stopping once extended horizontally outwards from his body. However, before Erik had the time to react he felt a sequence of painful blows to his chest and stomach area. He was winded, forced back a few steps, his left arm immediately cradling his stomach. He had underestimated the distance between them. He raised his head to look at the woman, still focused on the battle, but a now lingering cloud of sugar dust seemed to fade his vision. The attack was hard like rocks, exploding upon impact and leaving large stains of powdered sugar on the front of his new outfit. That would have to be adressed later. Forcing himself to bear the uncomfortable winded feeling, he extended his left arm once again.

“Vis—Ouchies, that hurts! And would you look at my outfit too... Viscaria!”

Almost instantaneously a bundle of hundreds of glowing pink flower petals appeared in front of his hand. The petals flew towards the woman, formed together in a clean and perfect tunnel formation. The tunnel spun directly towards the woman.

[Words: 3159/3500] [Magic: 955/1000]

Ivy:

Phlox:

Viscaria:

[Aleia]

Aleia would have stopped and danced for a second if the battle wasn’t so serious. She was glad that the sugar balls had actually made contact with the man’s body. They weren’t capable of killing, at least not yet but they still hurt as far as she was concerned. All she could do was a fist pump and a quiet yes. If anything she was happiest knowing that she had ruined part of his precious outfit. It was just oh so satisfying seeing her sugar balls explode into dust around him.

“Bring it Pink Man!” she grinned, for some reason she was quite happy now, to the point of elation. The man had got what he deserved for all those hits. She was going to feel them quite a bit the next day but it was a small price to pay for revenge. Actually she was not clear if the revenge was for the insult to her outfit or the actual fight. Regardless, the main point is revenge!

Don’t forget what we came here for… Well that was a wakeup call. Her brother was right; the main point wasn’t beating the crap out of the man but to ‘rescue’ the girl in that shield. At least she was nicely tucked out the way, making it possible to go wild. That might have actually been the best plan from the start but now was too late to have any regrets.

When the man called out some word with V in it, she thought he was talking to her. Unfortunately it was just another attack aimed at her. The dust from the sugar helped lower visibility but not completely. She needed to respond quickly, so she dove…to her right. It worked though, the petals zoomed right past her but she collided with something else. A stupid tree was in her way! She had put so much effort into the dodge so that when she collided with the tree there was an instant KO. It even sucked that she landed face down on the ground as well. This was the worst day ever.

Mission: 3565/3500 | Magic: 950/1000

[Erik Cecere]

Erik stared with delicate concentration as the tunnel of petals danced towards his target beautifully. Erik smiled somewhat confident, perhaps even enjoying the fight? Or maybe he was just taking pride in the name “Pink Man”, there was nothing wrong with that, Pink was a fabulous colour. Still, he wasn’t going to get distracted, he knew this girl wasn’t something to joke about. If he lost concentration for even a moment this CLOWN could get the best of him.

“You should learn to appreciate style, clown. I won’t let you get away for tainting my precious outfit!”

The attack drilled towards the woman, who skillfully jumped to the right. Erik didn’t allow the swift dodge to sway him, and maintained an unphased but confident look on his face. A true woman must remain calm in all situations. He was prepared for another attack but... not for what happened next. Erik stared in disbelief as his eyes stared at the now unconcious woman.

“Did... Did she really just?”

Erik allowed a delicate sigh to escape his lips as he strut towards the woman by the tree. He analysed her, raising his right arm slightly. He could just finish this, he should! This woman was a danger to his client’s safety! Yet, she didn’t seem harmful... As Erik looked at this clown of a woman, he didn’t see evil, or danger. With a gentle shake of the head he turned away, picking up the mask that had been knocked off during their little... quarrel. He placed the mask down gently next to the girl and sat her up against the tree.

“That outfit is dirty enough as it is...”

Erik spoke with a semi-sarcastic tone. This girl... whatever her name was... She was down right eccentric; It drastically annoyed Erik. He sharply turned his head away in dissapproval.

“I don’t have time for the likes of her!”

Erik walked towards the protective flower and swiped his right hand horizontally. Gracefully the petals unwinded and folded downwards before dissappearing into the earth below. Stacey emerged, dropping to her knees. Erik smiled politely and offered his hand out.

“I apologize for trapping you so suddenly... I just had a little work to do...”

Stacey extended her hand, delicately accepting Erik’s as she stared up at him, then to the woman behind him. She smiled and rose from the floor.

“Not bad!”

Erik smiled and dusted his shirt off before efemminetly stroking his chin with his right index finger.

“What do you expect? I told you I’d protect you. Now come, let’s get out of here while it’s still safe.”

Stacey nodded and the two left the park together. Not much longer afterwards, the two arrived at the large gates of Mermaid City.

“We made it!”

Stacey spoke as she skipped towards the gates and stared out to the wilderness before her.

“Just as promised.”

Stacey turned and bowed politely.

“Thank you... Sincerely.”

Erik stared into the womans eyes as she rose. He seemed to see... sincere emotion, true gratitude? Erik was oblivious to why she needed to escape so bad and, why she was targeted by that mage?! Just who was she? It was really none of his business but... He didn’t want the girl to get hurt.

“What now?”

“Don’t worry mage, you’ll get your money.”

Stacey spoke as she stepped forward, pulling out an envelope and handing it to Erik. Erik took hold of the letter.

“Thank you but, that’s not what I mean. What will you do now? Just go into the wild alone, unprotected? You were just targeted.”

Stacey sighed and let go of the envelope, instead cuffing Erik’s hand.

“Don’t worry... I’ll be fine... I just know it. Your job is done here Erik.”

Erik wasn’t completely convinced and yet, what could he do about it?

“Just remember, If you need help again, you can just ask for me.”

Stacey let go of Erik’s hand and turned, leaving Mermaid city behind her as she left.

[Words: 3825/3500] [Magic: 950/1000]

Ivy:

[[Topic Left.]]

[Aleia]

Aleia was off snoring into her dream full of fluffy pink cotton candy clouds and desserts before a very irritating poke began to twist the world. The cotton candy clouds began to swirl, the sweet taste soon vanished from her mouth and there was no more meadows to frolic in. All she could hear was the twisted laugh of the devil incarnate, PINK MAN. She finally lifted her head to find the girls she was playing with before. The leader had found a stick to poke at her, a concerned look on her face. By this time it seemed as though the sun was almost completely gone.

"Mister it is getting late and being out is dangerous," she warned, putting her arm over one another to show how serious she was. When she finally came to, she felt the pain inflicted from her head slamming so heavily against her head. She had to make sure no part of her skull just so happened to poke out. When she was satisfied, a sigh of relief escape her mouth.

"Thanks, I'll be sure to go," she replied, her husky voice sounded even deeper than before. The girl was right and by this time it seemed impossible to catch up with them. A sudden irritation spiked her mind, penetrating through the pain. How dare he? Where is that pink man? Her prey was so close and she would have gotten away with it, if not for that man...

"You'll regret the day you messed with me," she uttered under her breath, gritting her teeth. A small trickle of blood began to leak from the side of her mouth from the strength she put into the clench.

"Watch your back pink man!" she called out, suddenly rising to her feet and swinging her fist into the air. The sudden pressure made her wobble onto her butt, the girls watched in fascination, letting out a giggle before darting back to the direction of the playground to return home with their parents...

Mission: 3901/3500

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