Chaos is known as the being that never became a star. It is everywhere and yet nowhere at the same time.
Neither good nor evil, the ultimate expression of nothingness. The antithesis of the cosmos, creation itself.
Although Chaos claims to be the very state of existence from which the first entities appeared, it cannot form into the entity it wants most.
So it has been cursed to stay in the form of a dark and shapeless void. Floating between existence and nonexistence.
Longingly watching as stars are constantly born and lives are lived. The seeds of malice had been planted, flourished and transformed Chaos into the purest form of evil.
In the immediate aftermath of the hazardous battle that took place, it were clear from the beginning that this skirmish would have ended in the deaths of humans or the deaths of these demonic hounds; the hounds were the beings that eventually took the fall, the last of the visible enemies vanquished as it silently lay down upon the ground with wounds that no beast could return from. A tough fight, Cassian had not completely known what to expect before venturing down here with his prosecutor friend, although this were definitely a little bit more than he had anticipated either way. Thankfully, the duo were proficient enough with their skills to end the attempts on their well-being. [break][break] With Julius and Cassian communicating between each other that they were alright, the only option at this point would be to advance onwards; they were not the types of individuals to back down; especially when hot on the trail of magical potential and nefarious evidence. The magician had taken a rather firm bump when landing earlier, although the body of a vessel was not so feeble; Cassian was more than ready for further punishment and action should it be required.[break][break] Extending an arm out, Cassian gave a small smile with his other arm residing behind his lower back, awaiting his partner to continue onward while he moved in closer, standing within reasonable proximity as to allow each other some space in case attacks came flying in from nowhere like moments before. Being too close could have them both stumble and caught in the same strike - that would be problematic. Glancing down the path that led on from this larger room that they found themselves it, the route was a bit more narrow and seemingly led somewhere; it would be rather easy for one to get lost in this ghoulish maze, for sure. [break][break]
While Cassian had taken a pretty solid bump against the stiff wall, he was certain that he didn't get hit hard enough to begin imagining barriers of light; this was the work of his prosecuting partner. Golden hues observed the energy before his eyes for a mere moment or so while regaining his senses, the cards whipping around the hound's head in small, lacerating slashes to various area. However, the hellhound had switched targets in its frenzied state, spinning around and charging toward Julius in an attempt to take him out of the fight. The beast ran with a savage resolve, aiming to completely and utterly maul the magi; each step got it faster and faster, wild intentions darker and darker, desire to kill higher and higher. It would be up to the prosecutor to get himself out of that situation; the card slices visually impaired and slowed the foul creature all it could in this moment. [break][break]
Standing up, Cassian stepped around the light barrier near him, his doll-like eyes unemotionally watching as the dark-haired male leaped over the creature and into the air, conjuring a barrier of light as a makeshift platform for himself in order to escape the clutches of the black beast. The motion was impressive and innovative - although it brought out an opportunity which was limited and needed to be taken advantage of immediately or it would be forever lost in the moment of admiring the prosecutor's ingenuity in battle. The neck.[break][break]
With the beast lunging upward into the air, its face a crimson expression of cuts and gashes, the exposed neck of the best stretched upward in a beautifully exposed manner. With such thirst to bite at its target, it painted the picture of its own path to demise. The dozen or so cards levitating around in the air paired off into portions of six, circling around at either side of the creature in an elegant turn. The six cards on the left came close to one another at the bottom and top, forming a long card of sorts, the same happening at the other side with the other group. Happening in quick fashion, the levitating cards swept swiftly and sharply through the air, crossing past one another to create a fatal X where the hound's neck remained through its jump. [break][break]
Sssrrrrt![break][break]
A crimson line darkly beamed at the hounds' neck in the shape of a clean X after the crossing slash from a dozen cards while it reached the apex of its jump toward Julius - the twin lines of spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds laced with red along the edges as they whisked upward near the ceiling. Slowly, they all began cascading downward, fluttering through the air as the hound's figure crashed heavily down to the floor, a littering sea of cards swaying like butterflies, peppering down atop the fallen demon and the ground around it.[break][break]
Cassian raised his head and narrowed his slitted gaze down at the fallen beast, simply staring at it for a moment or two with a neutral expression. The magician said nothing, his straight face soon turning to face Julius in the near distance, no words leaving his mouth but his glance suggesting that his eyes were checking to see if the prosecutor was alright after this encounter.[break][break]
Sticking the swift landing upon the end of his attack, a quick glance between the blade's edge and the two-headed hound ahead of him showed that the attack was successful; a deep gash of fatal measure had been inflicted upon the nape area of the hound that had been snapping its jaws at a prone Julius. Thankfully, Julius had taken the moment when the beast were struck to shift his way out of the danger zone, the hellhound now only having one of its heads alive now that the first of the two had succumbed to the embrace of elimination courtesy of Cassian's blade.[break][break]
Playing cards continued to whirlwind around the other head of the hellhound, mercilessly slicing and dicing across its face; then an arrow of light shot in from nowhere to brutally rip across one of its eyes, emitting an aggressive roar from the beast. It were most certainly not happy with the treatment it were getting from the magical pair.
[break][break]
Suddenly, a large ball of fire burst roared from the creature's mouth, lighting the cards up into flames as they dropped around the ground from the force of the blast, the small whirlwind now finished to reveal the hound's head utterly lacerated with slashes, cuts and gashes littered all over its features which made it look like a badly carved apple. Streaks and drops of blood dripped from all the wounds beneath its fur as a look of rage filled its remaining, functional eye. Fortunately, Julius was quick enough on his feet to perform a proficient dodge, evading the hazardous fireball yet got knocked back by the strong shockwave it gave off. Instantly, the beast swayed its head around to face Cassian, rearing its head back briefly only to lean forward with a huge fireball projecting wildly toward the magician. This one was certainly not going into the handkerchief.[break][break]
The blast shot out faster than the mage had anticipated - Cassian placed a foot out to begin his dodge to the left, although his foot landed on a stray skull that had been laying around in the catacombs. The light step upon the uneven and unexpected object made his body go off-balance, his slitted eyes widening very slightly with golden hues glancing downward in surprise. He had no time to stay put; he hurled his body forward in a messy dodge, tumbling against the firm ground as the fireball slammed into the wall, the shockwave of the attempt making Cassian get swept into the nearby wall with a hefty thud. Landing down on his hands and knees, the blue-haired magician shook his head about, instinctively controlling around a dozen playing cards to slot out from his deck and pierce toward the hellhound's remaining head and body at various angles from the front to give himself time to recover. [break][break]
For the smallest of moments, Cassian could tell that his little trick which was pulled off with barely any effort at all had taken her interest. The way she followed the trick and the look in her eyes were all that he needed to perceive in order to make that observation. However, Alba Vacuo - the white handkerchief he carried around - had mystical properties that sent the book to a separate, pocket dimension. Even if all individuals within the building banded together to partake in the ultimate pat-down of his frame, the book would never be found unless he recalled it. Thankfully, she did not take the chance to inquire further about it and simply accepted his words as they came; with their ideas in agreement now, it had seemed that the first step to saving this poor child had been taken. However, the next set of steps would be much more uncertain in their outcome.[break][break]
Nodding at the pinkette, the magician's expression remained unchanged, golden hues now shifting away from her and into the blizzard outside; his gaze coldly fixated at the extreme weather before steps started to take him closer and closer to the open entrance. Halting, he took one final glance over his shoulder to the mother in distress, his stare lingering on her for a moment as her own eyes caught onto his. "And only one question from me." The sorcerer voiced to her, gaining her focus. "What might her name be?" Cassian inquired; in case it somehow came down to that information alone later on.[break][break]
"Lily. It's Lily."[break][break]
Acknowledging eyes rolled back to face in front. Turning his head back to open door, the time to leave had come. The icy invitation from the snowstorm came in sharp gusts that entered into the building; Cassian exited out from the interior with a foot pressing into the snow, his blue-haired head entering the outer world once more for the day. Mercilessly - and without no means of moderation - the freezing snow, ruthless chill and wild winds all attacked together at once. A white-gloved hand came up to cover over his mouth, pressing firmly into his own face with his slitted eyes attempting to see out into the storm - plotting the opening move that would begin their course. His hair whirled around from the mad gusts, littered in specs of white in no time, his body moving forwards like it were carrying weights on a sled behind since the wind was so strong. Harsh temperatures could be felt even through his clothing and even more so on his bare skin - a blistering experience that he could do without. [break][break]
Focusing his eyes downward, his other arm came up to cover around his forehead in an attempt to clear his sight as much as possible. The golden hues flickered downward, seeing footsteps that must have belonged to the woman given she were the most recent entry. They led down across the snow-covered road and up along the street - a straight path ahead from what he could make out through the obscured vision. Unfortunately, the storm didn't allow his vision to spot the footsteps after several meters but it was as good a route as any to begin with. [break][break]
Glancing over his shoulder to ensure that the pinkette had followed him out into the cold, one of his arms pointed forwards in the direction that they were now going. The duo would need to look for clues in order to find the path back to the stranded child. If the mother or the child had dropped items, left prints or anything of the sort, it could be a clue to follow. Trenching forwards, Cassian's legs resisted the wind's attempts to push him back, upper body leaning forward for support as his core remained strong, powering ahead in the blizzard with strong strides. As extreme as the blizzard had been since it occurred, this was one of its worst moments for sure. [break][break]
Cassian's blue-haired head raised a little more after the woman had finished her worrying outburst regarding her missing child, the half-open entrance a chilling whisper as to what kind of constant cold the lost youngling would currently be getting bombarded with, a littering sky of snow showing no hesitation in its downfall to man, woman and child. The book remained open in his gloved hand with the words beneath his eyes sitting in silent patience, although the magician had his eyes glued to the sight of a pink-haired lady that had started out with intentions of calming the hysterical woman. And it worked; the lady was still terrified for her child of course and panic was evident in her voice, yet now the details of this incident and the description of the poor girl were coming to light. With details, came solutions...and with solutions, came hope. However, hope was the best bet for anyone venturing out into the blistering white outside; thankfully the mother had wrapped the child up warmly by the sounds of it, so she may actually have some time out there in the snowstorm. Whether that would mean just enough time to be found or simply a longer, more drawn-out death was still up in the air.[break][break]
His golden hues observed the exchange as he sat in the corner, slitted eyes focused on the interaction while his listened to all the details that hurried from the panicking mother's mouth, collecting mental notes to himself as he contemplated taking it upon himself to go out into the freezing conditions in order to find this frightened, alone child. The magician was no saint compared to others in the world, however a child locked into a terrifying situation of neglect and bitter, unforgiving cold were one that they probably did not deserve. Cassian was no vigilante or lawman in search of problems to right, however this one was right in front of him and within his grasp to take hold of and correct. The thought pondered in his head a little more.[break][break]
Surprisingly, the pink-haired woman in the warm clothing had proclaimed that she would be the one to wander out into the snowstorm and find the missing child. Cassian's white-faced head tilted a little, the golden star and blue tear underneath his eyes framing a look of slight surprise as his brows above raised subtly. How bold of her. Though, however bold, the situation remained a dire one and anyone could be caught out in those conditions; not only was a young child at risk but now a well-meaning woman willing to put her own safety on the line. Well, now he certainly had no excuse. [break][break]
"Please, young lady, be still." A voice called out calmly from the corner, the magician standing up with his book clapping shut; one hand rested behind his lower back as he began stepping over in her direction. Some people had begun to take notice, others looked somewhat wary as their own conversations and comforting to the mother went on. "A moment, if you will." Cassian stated while closing the distance between the two. His hand behind his back whipped out a white handkerchief while the book rested in his palm. "Venturing out alone into this storm is a hazardous endeavor." The magician told her, placing the handkerchief over his box, completely covering the size of it. Suddenly, his hands pressed from above and beneath, squishing the cloth together like there were nothing underneath it. The book had vanished and he shook his signature cloth out to the side in an effortless whip before slotting it back into the middle of his outfit. "I feel compelled to accompany you; this has more chance of success should we do it together." He finished, a very subtle and emotionless smile upon his lips that matched the slitted, cold eyes inside his head, voice having no urgency to it and instead only composed assurance. [break][break]
The others had continued to try and comfort the lady, a couple others witnessing the rhyming words of the sorcerer to the pink-haired individual. Holding an arm out toward the door, he gestured for her to make her way should she decide to continue on with her original actions, prepared to follow out into the unforgiving blizzard. [break][break]
Sat near the far corner of the inner entrance, Cassian didn't make a sound in the slightest while remaining away from the rest of the blizzard-trapped civilians who were all scattered closely among one another, conversing about the shock weather conditions New Paris had suffered as of late. In all honesty, it had even taken the white-faced magician by surprise; such extreme weather was a new presence in this land and while there were no solid proof, the carnival member had a faint hunch that magic had something to do with it. After all, with no warning or reason, the most radical of snowstorms ravaged every inch of New Paris without mercy - and in consistent fashion. Earlier on the in the day, it had wavered to tough yet manageable conditions, prompting Cassian to go and explore the city a little more rather than end up stuck in his circus tent for yet another day. However, caught in this place - along with other members of the public - due to the sudden and violent rise of the blizzard once more simply made him trapped in a different environment instead. [break][break]
A crowd of people briefly took glances outside through the glass panels at the snowy storm, lingering between activities of talking, debating and simply observing; the reception to this mega-store was solid defense from the outside conditions, even if it could be minutes or hours before conditions were survivable enough to leave. Right now? Traveling outside seemed not only stupid - but hazardous. [break][break]
Cassian didn't take much notice to the other residents of this store; they weren't of any importance to him nor were they going to be once this was all over and everyone moved on. His separation from the rest of them suited him best - and probably made the rest of them feel at ease since his rather odd appearance certainly did not fit in with their typical aesthetics. Halloween was long gone by now; from their perspectives some may have been worried about the snowstorm and the strange, blue-haired man who was white as a ghost. However, whether they did or did not was of no issue to the magician; he simply sat quietly on a counter with a book in his hand, legs crossed, golden eyes reading over the words. A grey, fitted outfit covered his torso - similar to his usual magician attire yet long-sleeved and notably thicker; a white cravat of sorts laid warmly around his neck. White gloves finished the look at the bottom of his arms, a burgundy sash around his midsection as pants of similar fit and texture followed downward to end with black, pointed boots. It was not the most anti-freeze outfit possible, yet it allowed the circus sorcerer to get through the conditions without completely icing over. [break][break]
A flick of the page brought the magician's gaze onto the next set of words, when all of a sudden, a womanly shriek of fear and panic rattled into the air, causing Cassian's head to lift up in acknowledgment, the same as everyone else huddled in this place of shelter. The entrance door was partially open, letting a bitter chill flow within.[break][break]
"M-my little girl! M-My little girl has wandered out into the snow! I only took eyes off her for a...for a second!"[break][break]
Patience was a trait which Cassian harbored much of; the way that the hound stood in wait after his subtle taunt at the creature was more than enough to make the white-faced magician keep that ever-present smile on his face, somewhat amused by the hellhound now displaying more bark than bite with his move countered. Although the stand-off continued between man and a dangerous version of man's best friend, Cassian's perceptive eyes could pick up Julius beside him pulling off a rather flashy maneuver which involved creating copies of himself - and Cassian too! It was certainly impressive, especially so when the prosecutor's own images show their own version of light arrows toward the target. The magician was not sure of just how solid or powerful the image's and their attacks were, yet the sight of it was interesting all the same. This man he had partnered up with really was a natural considering the length of time he had been using his abilities. [break][break]
Unfortunately, the hellhound under Julius' jurisdiction managed to dodge the radiant attack and instead opted to shift its figure over to its fellow canine from hell. They started off looking rather chummy next to each other, displaying a series of howls which probably meant all manner of insults in hound-tongue for all they knew, Cassian simply standing in the same position he had assumed in the first place without budging an inch, cards arched around his figure in levitating fashion. [break][break]
Suddenly, one of the hounds fiercely chomped into the side of the other, causing a slight tilt of Cassian's head as he observed the scene - which continued - of cannibalism. It was rather strange and certainly not nice to watch, however the magician did not want to turn his eyes away only to have another fireball flung at his face for his inattentiveness; he stared at the entire scene as it unfolded, sword still poised in his hand with golden hues remaining fixated upon his foes, eyes slitted in that usual manner. How disgusting it were, this feeding. [break][break]
And to match the madness of the first act between the two, the second continued the outlandish moment as a second head now sprung out from the remaining creature; a fusion of some sorts created by a contract of cannibalism. The creature was bigger and firmer; muscles growing in size and fangs lengthening. [break][break]
The hellhound kicked off toward Julius with hazardous speed, the increase of power proven right there and then simply from the improved speed, so much so that it took Julius by surprise and managed to pin him down to the ground, one head lavishing in the glory of the takedown while the second head displayed foul intentions toward the magician if he dared to interrupt. Fortunately, Cassian was not afraid of dogs. Not even two-headed ones.[break][break]
Bursting off his heel, Cassian turned and sprinted toward Julius, quickly breaking the short distance between them; playing cards flew from his outfit to add to the collection already around him like an aura; now a total of fourteen. They whooshed toward the head watching for Cassian, all fourteen playing cards whisking around its head like a tornado, attempting to lacerate the creature's skull non-stop with razor-sharp cuts, aiming for its mouth, its ears, its nose, its eyelids, its pupils. Assuming that to be enough to distract the thing at the very least, it would certainly stop it from making any lunges with its teeth. Leaping over one side of the creature, Cassian swept his arm across that held the sword, the purple and sharp blade attempting to slice across the nape of the hellhound head that terrorized his catacombs partner, the strength and technique of the strike more than enough to vanquish that particular head, should it connect. Regardless of whether it struck or not, Cassian would continue his leap and spin in the air to land on a foot and knee, sliding back to face the twin-headed hound and his magical friend.[break][break]
We've got the fire, who's got the matches? Take a look around at the sea of masks . And come one come all, welcome to the grand ball . Where the strong run for cover and the weak stand tall . I'm not one to scatter ashes but there's some things that'll melt the plastic . Try and dig down deeper if you can. I'm not afraid . I'm not ashamed . I'm not to blame . Welcome to the masquerade
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CURRENT THREADS
[attr="class","fraceshighlthread"] CEMETERY WEATHER[break] WITH JULIUS VESPER
And then you can write about that relation here! Move in to fire at the mainstream of bombers. Let off a sharp burst, and then turn away. Roll over, spin 'round, and come in behind them. Move to their blindsides and fire again. Bandits at 8 o'clock move in behind, ten ME-109's out of the sun. Ascending and turning our spitfires to face them; heading straight for them, I press down my guns.
And then you can write about that relation here! Move in to fire at the mainstream of bombers. Let off a sharp burst, and then turn away. Roll over, spin 'round, and come in behind them. Move to their blindsides and fire again. Bandits at 8 o'clock move in behind, ten ME-109's out of the sun. Ascending and turning our spitfires to face them; heading straight for them, I press down my guns.
We've got the fire, who's got the matches? Take a look around at the sea of masks . And come one come all, welcome to the grand ball . Where the strong run for cover and the weak stand tall . I'm not one to scatter ashes but there's some things that'll melt the plastic . Try and dig down deeper if you can. I'm not afraid . I'm not ashamed . I'm not to blame . Welcome to the masquerade
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[attr="class","fraceshighltabb"]
[attr="class","fraceshighltabbb"]
CURRENT THREADS
[attr="class","fraceshighlthread"] CEMETERY WEATHER[break] WITH JULIUS VESPER
And then you can write about that relation here! Move in to fire at the mainstream of bombers. Let off a sharp burst, and then turn away. Roll over, spin 'round, and come in behind them. Move to their blindsides and fire again. Bandits at 8 o'clock move in behind, ten ME-109's out of the sun. Ascending and turning our spitfires to face them; heading straight for them, I press down my guns.
And then you can write about that relation here! Move in to fire at the mainstream of bombers. Let off a sharp burst, and then turn away. Roll over, spin 'round, and come in behind them. Move to their blindsides and fire again. Bandits at 8 o'clock move in behind, ten ME-109's out of the sun. Ascending and turning our spitfires to face them; heading straight for them, I press down my guns.
Glad to see that she had taken the opportunity to throw a knife at the target by first putting on the safety gloves, Cassian stood with his hands casually crossing once more behind his lower back, simply standing beside the younger individual with his golden gaze trained partially forward; able to see both the target in the distance as well as the girl next to him. The safety gloves were usually used by those wanting to practice without being too focused on their own handling of the weapon, yet also those who were not confident or simply learning from scratch altogether when it came to throwing knives. In this instance, it was practically a must for Dita to use the gloves; Cassian simply did not have the interest of having her parents bombing through the carnival in search for him if she returned home after this encounter with deep gashes along her inner palms, after all. [break][break]
Observing her technique as she prepared herself to hurl the projectile at the target in the distance, Cassian did not have much expectation for her ability in throwing; someone of her age probably didn't throw much of anything with pinpoint accuracy, let alone blades. Although, he did definitely admire her will to try - many boys and girls would step away from doing something like this for various different reasons. However, here she was, about to give it a go. [break][break]
Whoosh! The power in the girl's throw was...impressive. Most certainly not what the magician had expected to see! It lashed through the air without an ounce of regret and full of swiftness. However, it scraped along the edge of the target and settled in frustration against the green grass nearby; a light chuckle hummed underneath the mage's breath with his emotionless hues gazing at the target for a moment. [break][break]
"You have quite the strong throw; great explosiveness in the attack." Cassian admitted with an approving tone, yet his voice still being rather mellow as usual, his white-faced head turning to face her, clearly observing her frustration from her body language. "However, for now, it is accuracy you lack." The rhyme ended, before one of his arms that were concealed behind his lower back reached out ahead - nothing visibly in hand - and brushed past near her ear, only to reel back in front of her. Out of nowhere, a knife was in his hand as he held it up by its downward blade - a play on the coin around the ear trick - the grip vacant for her hand to take should she want another crack at the target. "Maintain sight on the point you wish to strike and appropriately direct your body's movements with the throw." Cassian directed, giving the girl some advice to add into her next throw. "That way you increase your chance of landing the desired blow."[break][break]
The hellhound may have been a beast of impressive bulk yet it were no match for the combined efficiency of Cassian's unforgiving accuracy and Julius' radiating light; the card slotted violently into the creature's eye while the light arrow struck it from the other side, both attacks causing the beast to re-assess its options. However, with the wall of that light had been erected, any chance of escape had been drastically ripped down to the low percentages, eradication the most likely option at the hands of the white-faced magician and the potent prosecutor. One thing was for sure; this hellhound certainly wasn't looking to get a second serving of what he'd just been fed. [break][break]
So much so in fact that it began to glow while shifting uncomfortably, that initial scene soon escalating into a more horrid one as the canine-like beast swelled up more and more with signs of destruction suggesting against the very surface of its skin; the insides proclaiming their need to burst, splatter or erupt in some way, shape or form. Heat began to build within the area; Cassian couldn't say for certain what was about to happen but by the way this creature was reacting to whatever it set upon itself, it did not look good in the slightest sense. Circling round to get more closer to Julius, the magician's cards slotted in front of him in the air, forming a semi-shield of sorts as they all floated ahead of the sorcerer to create a levitating square in front of his upper body. [break][break]
Boom! And there it was in all of its violent glory; an explosion of flesh and fur, heat whooshing around the small area with the golden, glass-like wall shattering from the force of it, a gust of wind blowing by Cassian and Julius, his magician-like clothes swaying from the gust while the small wall of cards in front of him spared the hot heat from huffing into his face. As the wind lowered, the cards dispersed and formed an aura of sorts around him again, his golden hues now available to the sight of two more of these hounds leaping into the fray with their own savage intentions in mind. [break][break]
As the mouth of the hound focusing on Cassian opened its vile mouth, a glimmer of some type sprouted up from the creature's mouth; a slight widening of Cassian's eyes showed his understanding of the possible maneuver about to take place; some type of projectile. With swift timing, the magician's right arm reached to his side, yanking the white and magical handkerchief out in snappy fashion, whipping it out for his other arm to catch at the other end. With the fireball blasting out from the creature's mouth, the orb of fire was smaller than the average human head, contained fire around the sides as it sculpted into its sphere-like shape, now heading towards the chest of the magician. With a slight grunt, Cassian caught the ball of fire within the middle of the handkerchief, snuffing the sphere by closing the magical cloth around it, only to just as quickly lash it downwards and raise it back up; Alba Vacuo making a disappearing act of the fireball as it had vanished after being caught in the handkerchief, the mystical cloth flat and flawless as it were when it initially came out. [break][break]
Stuffing it back into the middle band of his white outfit, the magician raised out his palm in front of him - face down - then turned it around to face the ceiling, a small skull charm in his hand. With a raise of his wrist, it suddenly puffed into a sword, his white digits around the handle of the weapon as one arm rested behind his lower back, the other holding the sabre in front of his chest while he beckoned the hound closer with an subtle, taunting smirk of assurance, playing cards forming an arch around Cassian's body and all pointing toward the hellish animal.[break][break]
While Cassian may have been forgiven for thinking that he would be getting an answer based on what this Io thing or individual was, it had seemed that fate did not intend him to receive the answer just yet as Julius' words stopped in their tracks before he could fully reveal his information. And to be fair to him, the white-faced magician heard the suspicious movement in the distance which caused him to abruptly finish his sentence; something was certainly hiding in the mysterious darkness ahead of them. [break][break]
The tunnel had opened up into a more open space with candles lit around the walls in a manner which made things visible but not overtly bright, similar to the first room they found themselves in. A pair of red eyes not too far away could be seen, scoping the duo out from the malicious black, nothing but ill intentions radiating from within the crimson stare. Slowly, it came forward with a beastly sight to show, sharp fangs, pitch-black fur, black ooze for saliva and built to utterly dismantle anything caught in its path. This was not a dog, not a wolf and nothing normal for that matter entirely; this was some type of dark creature. [break][break]
Cassian said nothing. Instead, he began to slowly step away from Julius and out to the side, creating a bit of distance between him and his prosecutor friend. Why? Because he noticed how the red eyes of this foul beast lingered on him more than his catacombs partner; there was a deep feeling that this beast would attempt to make the blue-haired male his first order of food. Better to not let Julius get caught in the strike too just in case things got wild. And his hunch proved correct as the fierce hound suddenly lunged forward, bolting toward the magician in white with a dangerous bite toward his leg. Swiftly, Cassian pivoted out of the way and spun cleanly out from the chomp, allowing the beast to bite into nothing but air; in such close quarters the sorcerer could truly notice the size of this thing. It was bigger and bulkier than any dog - fact. [break][break]
Right after his spinning evasion, Cassian leaped backward to create space between him and the hound, his arms extending out to either side - almost like he were performing - as several playing cards slipped out from a deck in his outfit and levitated around his figure. With the cards hovering around his frame like an aura, one of them suddenly shot toward the beast's face, aiming to sharply slot into a red eye if successful.
As the girl progressed forward toward the area of targets and throwing knives, Cassian's extended arm swept back slowly behind his lower back to join the other, the white figure starting to follow from behind, his steps veering off to the left instead though as he approached a selection of knives at the side. They almost represented kunai in a way, more so than a regular knife would, showing their specialty for being thrown. Swiping a few, he turned around only have one visible in his hand as he wandered back over to Dita.[break][break]
The targets were roughly around twenty yards or so away from where they stood, a row of the round targets propped up on two wooden legs - similar to that of archery targets. While these served their purpose, the wooden board that a person may have been strapped to in a show was somewhere else, not that it mattered; Cassian didn't have anyone present to strap to the board anyway. Besides, it might have ended up scaring the young lady should he begin launching knives at a person even if he had the intention of hitting an apple on their head or whatever it may be.[break][break]
Gathering her attention by raising his arm near his chest - knife in hand - he twirled it around once until it hung downward in his digits, spinning it upward and flattening his palm to allow the blade to swivel over the top of his hand and over the other side of his palm where he then caught it, other arm behind his lower back still. In a quick snap, his left hand whipped out a white handkerchief, the ever-present, half-smile across his lips as he held the knife upward, point facing the sky. The cloth was placed over the blade, lingering over it for a moment...before he whipped the handkerchief up and spread it open to reveal nothing but a flat, wavering piece of white material, no blade in sight. Twirling it, his vacant hand now showed its empty palm, the handkerchief guided back down as he held the tip of the center. Reaching underneath it, his wrist motioned about as if he were searching up into the cloth which draped over his his hand. After a few moments, the cloth was raised to expose his searching hand that hid beneath the cloth, only to reveal three knives in his hand now, gripping the three handles together.[break][break]
Cassian didn't speak throughout, only glancing back to her every few moments with his golden hues, expression not gifting any emotion away except subtle expectations of reaction, the handkerchief now tucked into the side of his waist since the passing trick was complete. Taking one knife and settling it in his right hand as the other two were relegated to his left, he stood side-on to the targets from the duo's ample distance away from them. A steady pivot and his figure thrust in a rotating manner, arm motioning overhead in a precise, clean swing which saw the knife bullet through the air to stab straight in the small, red circle at the center of the target. A large thud accompanied the impact; bullseye.[break][break]
Taking three steps ahead, he turned to face the second target that was untouched by projectiles as of this moment. Staring at the circular shape, Cassian flicked the blade up into the air and caught it on the way down by the blade. His white digits gripped just below the blade's point, the handle facing above. Raising his arm, he judged the distance for a second before whipping his shoulder and arm forward, the blade spinning through the air like a tomahawk before it finally impaled itself into the bullseye of the second target. Not reacting much to his own aim, a slight grunt formed beneath his breath without his face changing in the slightest.[break][break]
Glancing down at the final knife, he held it by the grip before turning it around to hold it by the blade itself. Using it as a pointer, he pointed the knife at a pair of gloves near Dita, eyes settling upon the safety wear, then he gestured the blade's safe grip towards her hand, flicking his suggesting eyes to her own now. Without speaking, he had offered her the chance to throw the knife at the third target herself. Only as long as she wore gloves to protect herself, of course.[break][break]
While she may have been young - or at least appeared it - Cassian certainly did appreciate her manners, his face barely changing in the slightest with that composed, almost discomforting look of unbreakable calmness. It had been a while since anyone outside of the circus had referred to the magician as "sir" yet he did not oppose it; people of the carnival generally knew of his talent and gave him respect however customers and civilians in the city referred to him in all manner of terms. Truly, it did not bother the mage too much; being called magician, sorcerer and so on was completely fine with him. He didn't like "clown", though.[break][break]
"Well then, let us go and see what is free." He stated as she seemed to have trouble thinking of where to begin, the indecisive look on her face and the unsure tone mixed in with her voice more than a give-away to the fact that she were not completely sure of what their next move would be. Deciding to help her out, Cassian began to step forwards, going past her while using a hand near her back to motion her to follow along, though he did not actually touch her. "We can decide where to start from there; shall we?" He finished rhetorically for the time being, glancing over his shoulder with a golden eye trained on her, before his head turned forward, an arm coming out to casually brush the tent entrance open so he could step out. On the other side, he held the tent curtain open for Dita in courteous manner so she could step through.[break][break]
A brief glance around informed the magician that the acrobatics set was currently being used in the distance by another circus member, so that was off the table for now. Perceptive hues shifted around a little more until he caught sight of the vacant targets and knife-set; throwing knives? Perhaps she would have some interest in that?[break][break]
"Throwing knives will be the first order of the day. Acrobatics are currently occupied, so for now we'll keep out of their way." The magician rhymed as he still held the tent curtain open, his vacant hand extending to gesture over to an area about two dozen or so meters away with several round target stands so that she may make her way over after exiting the magician's tent.[break][break]
The skin LIGHTS OFF was made by JAWN of WICKED WONDERLAND.
HALATION was created by KOJIHIME. Images belong to their respective artists. All codes and scripts belong to their respective coders. Please DO NOT take anything without the owners' permission.
