scorri

"Hmm, you might have a point..." Koba stared thoughtfully at Roxi, considering the confidence in her introduction, the sheer force of will that propelled her forward. "I'm not sure I'll ever be as flashy as all that, not with how used to the shadows I am, but that doesn't mean I can't learn from her." He was about to say more when they were interrupted by Tasha appearing and cuddling with her girlfriend, the sight leaving a smile on Koba's face. "Heh, I'm sure Alvira will appreciate having you to cheer her on during the fights. I'll leave you two for now though. I'm going to go stretch and get ready while Roxi is fighting. I'll see you afterwards. Good luck!" "You, I mean, h-how was I to know? Usually when you say stuff like that... argh!" Cin could feel his cheeks burning as he turned away from Siorel, embarrassed at being caught out like that. He couldn't deny he was uninterested in what he thought she had been implying, but still. He'd opened himself for the teasing. All he could do now was hope that they got interrupted soon. The interruption came, but not from the source he had been expecting. Roxi was still getting ready to fight when a voice from behind them pulled him away from the arena. It was a dog clouded of some sorts, dressed in tattered clothes, eyeing him up and down. Her demands started reasonably, a good fight in the arena, but they quickly turned intense in a way that made him uncomfortable. "Look, miss, I don't know what your aim is here but, I'll give you the same thing I've given all the other challengers. A fair fight, where I do my best to win. I'm not looking to hurt anyone, but I'm not looking to throw a match either, ok? You challenging me like this, it doesn't change anything. I'm fighting my best every match." He shook his head, looking over at Siorel. "Speaking of, I should go get ready. I'll be up soon." The three fights went by quickly, with things mostly progressing how he had expected. Roxi scored a solid hit on Versaris, as he had predicted, with the rest of the gauntlet hardly posing a challenge. Koba surprised most of the arena with his push past the first round, and even managed to catch Cin slightly flat footed in their first exchange. He quickly recovered though, and sent the goose to the ground. "Hmm, your speed is good, but you'll need to find a way to deal with people getting up close like that. The good news is, in a real battle, I can stand between you and the enemies." He grinned down at the other man, offering a hand. Koba took the much larger hand and stood up, dusting himself off with a wry grin. "Yeah, not sure I'm made to be taking punches to the face like that very often. I much prefer letting the people with the nice shiny armor do that instead, though I would gladly let you do it as well." He chuckled, before looking over at Alvira. "Well, I'll get out of the way to let her do her thing. Good luck!" The goose scampered off to the sidelines, ready to watch another run. It was quite a run to watch, Alvira sailing through the starting waves, and pushing past even those who had challenged others. Finally, she was against Sari, and to Koba's shock, managed to defeat him. "Whoa..." As Roxi ran in to celebrate, Koba just sat, staring. That was... amazing. I have so much to learn, but I'm so glad I got to see that. Her skill is so much higher than I realized. Cin sat by Siorel as Alvira finished her run, shaking his head. "Ha, she had it in her after all. I knew she would do well. Not sure I expected anyone to beat Sari though. That was truly impressive. Makes my quick match against her feel a little better, haha. Especially since she was using ice, I've got a hard time fighting that..."

"Mmm, yeah, if they wait too long to shut things down, it'll get dangerous to fight. It's one thing to risk fighting in the dark when you need to, something else entirely to risk it just for entertainment. Besides, if the crowd can't see the fights, what's the point?" He looked around at the crowd as he talked, enjoying the energy they brought to the arena. This had been a good idea. Letting the people here see that life could be fun, that there was more than just pain and sorrow, that-- "W-wait, I, what?" Siorel's words had taken a second to really sink in, but he found himself blushing now that they had. "I, I mean, I did want to have a date, yes. Spend time together, all of that. Maybe even talk about some important stuff... Why did you have to go and make it sound so... dirty..." He was mumbling now, looking anywhere but at Siorel. He wasn't going to lie and act like he hadn't thought about what she was implying but it hadn't been just that. Thankfully, he was quickly provided a distraction as Roxi made her presence known, calling out her challenge and striking a pose that she almost certainly thought was intimidating but mostly left him doing his best not to laugh. "Aha... ha. Yeah, time for another fight. Keep an eye on her. She fights really well, even if she is... well whatever that was..." He stood up, stretching as he made his way over to wait for his turn. It looked like besides Roxi, Alvira and maybe Koba were looking to challenge the gauntlet, so hopefully it would be a good set of fights. If he was lucky, it would also be one of the last sets, so they could all have some time to relax. Koba walked slightly behind Roxi and Alvira, fidgeting nervously as they approached the arena. It took a feather being shaken free from his wing for him to realize how bad it was, and he took a few deep breaths to try and calm down. He could do this. He flashed back to just a few moments ago, the look of satisfaction in Tio's eyes as she acknowledged the change in him, something he had been unable to respond to, not knowing what to say to that sort of approval. It had been something powerful, almost as if she was proud of him, even if that made little sense. He hadn't even done anything yet, just said words. He'd done that before and nothing had changed, so why did she believe him this time? Whatever the reason, he had found himself unable to respond, instead just giving a nod and following after Alvira, but she had agreed to help him. He wasn't going to let that opportunity slip by him. He shook himself, focusing on the here and now again as they entered the arena, Roxi announcing herself in a flashy maneuver that left him wide eyed. "I'm not... I don't need to do something like that, right Alvira? I can just go fight? I don't really think I'll get anywhere near as far as she does, or you will, so I don't think trying to be all flashy is the right move, you know?" He sat down next to the dragon, pulling out a wind tome as he did, thumbing through it mindlessly. "Honestly, as long as I can win one fight, I'll be happy. That, and getting to see other people fight will be good for me." He realized Alvira was busy looking over the competition and stopped talking, letting her focus as he did the same. One step at a time. It's not about the strength of the magic, but how I use it, like Tio said. I might not be the best one on one fighter but if I can just win one... I can do this.

Cin smiled at Siorel as he went toward the waiting area, fists idly flexing as he waited for his turn. The masked woman wasn't someone he recognized, unlike most of the fights they'd done so far, but it didn't really matter. He would do his best, no matter who he faced. She was quick with her spells, releasing two before he could get more than his first volley in, but the speed didn't bring the accuracy she needed as he closed the distance between them. One, two, three, with a fourth ready, but it wasn't needed. She fell, leaving him breathing heavily but still standing. He had won. He let out a deep breath and then made his way back over to Siorel. "You were right, I just had to keep up with it. I need more practice still, that hit was a solid one, but I'm glad to have won it." He stretched, before sitting down again. "It's starting to get late, the sun will be setting soon. I wonder how many more challengers we'll have. Hopefully not too many, I want a little bit of free time today, you know? Especially with all that's happened, relaxing will be nice. Though, this is a form of relaxing. It's a nice way to blow off the steam." Koba looked at both Tio and Elisa and nodded, a serious look on his face. "I would like help, from both of you if possible, and from others once you are no longer available. I promised you, when I joined the Tigers, that I was going to turn my life around and become something legitimate. Everything that happened in that battle... I've been slacking. If I had been stronger, maybe I could have helped, prevented some of this from happening. So yes, please. I would love to learn from you both." He was blushing, he knew it, but he had to push past the embarrassment of asking for help like this. He wouldn't get any stronger without help, he'd proven that over the last few years since the first time he had met Tio. Starting tomorrow, I train. I have to push myself. For now though, he turned to Alvira and Roxi, smiling as he did. "I... would like that. Both the arena and maybe food after. I didn't want to impose but. Yes. I'm a part of the Tigers. So as long as you're willing to have me, I'll join you. I want to try and get to know more of the Tigers, moving forward. I've been keeping a bit to myself, but I can't keep doing that. It doesn't help anything, yeah? So lets go. See how this arena goes."

Koba relaxed briefly as Roxi assured him that she was ok, only to have Elisa contradict the point shortly after. He tensed, but the end result wasn't as bad as he had feared, though not good either. Roxi had already asked the questions that had immediately sprung to his mind and it wasn't his place to ask, but he couldn't help the questions that ran through his brain. Would she be ok? Would they heal eventually? Would casting more make them worse? Alvira didn't help, chiding him for needing to be rescued in the first place. He bristled, wings flexing, but he didn't have any good argument to contradict her either. He had been in danger. Miria had been in more danger, charging in like she did, but he had been there too, unable to help defend the group. His wings slumped back down against his back and he nodded. "I don't want her to be in danger because of me again, I promise that. I need to get stronger... If I was, then we could have shared the burden. So I'll just, need to train my magic. Get stronger, be someone who can stand on my own two feet alongside all of you." He looked at Roxi, determination on his face, nodding at her. He would do it. He glanced over at Tio, wondering if maybe she would be able to train him, or maybe Elisa, since she used anima magic more, but his train of thought was interrupted by Alvira asking Roxi if she wanted to go around the festival, including the arena gauntlet. He hesitated, and then asked, "If you're going to the gauntlet, do you mind if I join you? Not for the rest of it, of course, but I wanted to try and fight the arena, see how I can manage. I don't expect to get very far right now, but it will at least give me a good measure of my strength. Show me where I need to work, all of that. I can go on my own of course, but if you're already going, I figure no harm in me tagging along?" "Hmm, hmm, you're right, I suppose." Cin grinned down at Siorel, her enthusiasm warming his heart. It was nice to hear the words, the encouragement. She was such a warm presence in his life, he still was stunned that she was by his side. His smile faltered slightly as he looked down at her though, thoughts wandering to the last few days and how much she had been struggling since they came to Islexia. He really needed to talk to her about that, find out what she was keeping in her past. He couldn't fix it, he knew that, but maybe he could support her as she tried to fight past it. Now wasn't the time though, not when they were out among everyone and he was going to be constantly interrupted with fights like this. Perhaps tonight he could finally start pushing her about that. For now though, another interruption was arriving. "Hmm, you're right. Well, I'm not quite as good at defending against magic as I am physical weapons, but on the flip side, most mages aren't as good at defending against my fists as they are my magic. So, we'll see. All I know is that having you, cheering for me, I'll be doing my best to prove I'm as strong as you believe I am. So wish me luck and I'll do my best." He grinned down at her, cheekily, waiting for a response he knew he would enjoy.

Koba had been inching closer as members of the group had acknowledged him and he was finally close enough to hear Roxanne talk about her saving him and Miria and her circuits. "O-oh, that's why I'm here, actually. Roxi, I wanted to ask you if you were doing better... and thank you again. What you did, it was so impressive and it saved my life. I just hope that you're fully recovered. If your circuits were permanently damaged because you were saving me, and others but me, I don't know... I could never repay that. I already can't repay you just for saving my life so." He realized he was rambling and shut up, but his mind kept racing. It had been something else, to see Roxi so willing to risk her ability to cast and, realistically, her life, to save him and Miria. To overcast like that, it risked burning yourself out and if the rebound was hard enough... She hadn't hesitated though. He wanted to be like that. He wanted to stop being so scared, hiding behind others, sneaking around while they fought. He wanted to be stronger, to find a way to fight and help the other Tigers. He looked away, almost embarrassed at the thoughts. He wasn't strong, it was hard to imagine he would ever be as strong as any of the women standing near him, but he wanted it. He wanted to be better. There was an ache in his stomach when he thought about the gap between him and others and he couldn't help but long to close it. Roxi had showed him that it was possible, possible to push past those limits he thought he had, to do something he never thought he could do. He just had to be willing to try. He had to risk but he could do it. There had to be a way. "Mmm, I like that it's unpredictable in its antics, just like you~" He grinned and gave Siorel a kiss before standing up and stretching. "Right then, time to go get beat up again. Make sure you cheer for me when he knocks me on my rear, darling." He waved and wandered off to the arena, looking over at the wolf challenging them all. He had no doubts about the outcome of the match, but he would at least give it his best. A short time later, he sat watching as Sari ended the fight in a single hit but not before taking a hit of his own, something no one else had managed as of yet. Ferid was a fierce competitor to be sure, but he couldn't help the nagging feeling that there had been a chance there. If the fight had gone slightly differently, a slight variation in the flow, there had been a chance that he could have beaten the wolf. Maybe it was his imagination, but maybe not. It was like Siorel had said, this wasn't his normal way of fighting. He was stronger than the arena was making it seem. He flexed a hand and nodded. There was room to improve, but that would never chance. There would always been room to improve, the same as in any area of his life. That didn't mean he wasn't strong now though. More practice would never go amiss, and he had a few people in mind to ask for some sparring, but he could also be proud of where he was now. And speaking of where he was now, he could enjoy the here and now and worry about the future later. He headed back over to Siorel, smiling as he did. "So, did you enjoy seeing me get knocked into the dirt again? Not a bad fight though. A few different moves and I might have landed the finishing blow. He's sneaky though, letting us move first to get a sense of our fighting styles and not giving us the same chance. Ah well, I still enjoyed it. This was a good idea, to have us fight the challengers. The crowd is really starting to get into it. I think Esclas needed something like this, you know? Something to remind them that there's a life worth living and they can do more than just survive. There's a future for them where they can thrive. They just need to grab onto it. With Owen and his sister in charge, I think they really have a chance. I hope they don't lose out on the chance."

"Ha, Versaris might surprise you but no, that was an extreme act that temporarily burnt her out. She wouldn't be able to recreate it easily and especially wouldn't do it for something like this. She still has plenty of skill though, so it should be an interesting combat." He looked out over the arena, a peace he hadn't felt in a while settling in his chest. He knew it was temporary, but he would enjoy it while he could. "Hmm, that makes sense that he would focus on that. Him hitting you would be too easy, same as him hitting me. He's really is a good trainer... Focus on the hitting and let you practice dodging against more normal people. I wouldn't worry too hard. You'll get there the more you practice, but also we can help to protect you from getting hit." He smirked slightly as she started complaining about her tail, shaking his head. It really did seem to have a mind of its own some times. "Hmm, I think your tail just reflects you and your personality. Not going to let anyone tell you what to do. I like that about you though, so I hope you and your tail don't change too much."

Cin considered the question, glancing over at Sari and Aly. He would have agreed with Siorel, that Aly had the best chance against Sari, but Lani posed a problem that the lizard's knives had been unable to beat. To do well against her, magic was the best bet, but most of their mages would fall before they even reached her. "Hmm, Alvira might have a shot at reaching Sari, she's powerful enough I think but I'm not sure if she would have any more luck hitting him. The best shot... You haven't met Roxanne, have you? She joined up with us here and is a powerful light user. She's even got some fancy armor and tools to help her be even stronger. She's my bet, assuming she's recovered fully." He shook his head. "Back at the fight, she did something... There was a corridor of men who weren't ready to give up, they were going to set the place on fire and kill anyone they could on the way out and she... She overloaded her magic and managed to wipe them out. The blast was so strong I felt it through multiple walls. I'm pretty sure some of the people left on the boat felt it. So yeah. I'm backing her to win."

Koba shuffled his feet, a slight red tinging his tan cheeks. "Well, I... It wasn't what I was looking for, exactly, but when I saw it, I guessed it was important. So I wanted to save it from that place. Something happy like that... It didn't belong there." He shook his head, embarrassed that he'd admitted that level of sentiment and was glad when M quickly moved on, heading out to show her daughter the festival. "Ah, uhm, have fun!" He waved goodbye to her before glancing over at the Evokers, Alvira and Roxanne. It seemed like they were maybe in a place where he could join their conversation. Hopefully at least. He didn't want to interrupt anything important, but he also wanted to check on Roxi. He hesitated and then settled for shuffling a little closer, hoping to overhear enough to see if he could join in or if he should wai tuntil later. If nothing else, they would probably notice him and tell him if he needed to leave. Cin chuckled as Siorel downplayed her achievements, before showing off a fancy spin of her knife. "Hmm, so because you had help doing something, it means you don't deserve all the credit for putting in the effort? For developing your skills? I'll agree that Jeremiah is strong, I wouldn't mind learning more from him myself, though I doubt he'd be able to help me too much more, given how different our fighting styles seem to be... That one session with him helped more than I imagined though so perhaps... Ah, the point is, you did this. He guided, but a teacher can't teach someone that doesn't want it and if the effort isn't there, the teaching is wasted. So come on, accept the compliment." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, a content smile on his face. "I look forward to seeing how you've improved all your talents, not just your knife work, though... Selfishly I wouldn't mind you staying out of battles either. One less thing for me to worry about. Still, it will be nice to have someone watching my back, especially someone as quick as you. Hmm, maybe we can do some training ourselves, try and work out some battle tactics so that we can support each other better, work to make sure we both make it out of a battle safe..." He pulled himself out of the thought before he started going too far down that path, not wanting to get caught up in the weeds in that exact moment. It was something he could put more thought into later. For now, he wanted to focus on the here and now. "Mmm, I always need more training. That never stops, not if I want to be able to help keep all of the Tigers alive and whole. I see your point though. I'm better at these sorts of duels when I control the rules of engagement. Being a defender, it starts me off all wrong." He sighed, seeing the wisdom in her words. "Very well, I'll do my best to not linger on it too long then, ok? But only because you put it so well. As for Syta and her prize... we'll see. Depending on who all decides to fight, we may see someone else claim that. Lani will be hard to beat, but someone determined enough just might be able to do it."

Yet again, Cin found himself facing opponents that quickly dispatched him. The most surprising was Siorel, her skill with her daggers having improved more than he would have guessed given how much she had been hiding in their room after their encounter with the Underground. He was glad to lose to her though, since it showed she was improving in more ways than one, and the other two fights weren't overly surprising losses. Syta was strong and had forced him to fight at range, where every hit cost him, and Aly was Aly. She was an insanely good fighter with pinpoint accuracy with her daggers. It was still frustrating how quickly he was going down, but he had known that this sort of fight might not be his strong suit. Once the gauntlet runs were done, he found himself quickly approached by Siorel. He smiled down at her, pulling her up against his side in a hug. "I was very impressed with how well you fought. Surprised to see you, yes, but that's not why I lost. You've grown. That first hit of yours was something else. Whatever training you've been doing, it's been paying off for sure. I'm going to have to keep on top of my own training to make sure you don't leave me in the dust." He grinned, letting go of her as he glanced around the arena. "I'm not sure how many more challengers we expect to have, but as soon as I'm free, I would love to spend time with you. After that fight against Kazran, I'm looking forward to the chance to relax. I'll need food for sure but I would like to see what equipment there is on offer. With where we're headed, we need to make sure our equipment is ready... Our equipment and our resolve." Koba had been wandering around the city for a bit when he spotted M walking away from the Evokers, Alvira and Roxi with the girl in the picture. He wouldn't mind talking to the other group, especially since he wanted to check in on Roxi and make sure she was doing OK, but he had a mission first. Approaching M, he hesitated and then called out, "Uhm, excuse me? I... have something for you, ma'am. I found it in the castle, after the battle was done. I, would have given it sooner, but you didn't seem very open to strangers and so... I'm sorry. I should have anyways but. Here." He held the photo out, hoping that she wouldn't be too mad that he had taken this long to give it back to her.

"Ah, yeah, some of it was luck, some of it was unlucky matchups... Syndra using ice magic meant I had no chance against her. That stuff just hits me so much harder than any other kind of magic." He shook his head, still frustrated. "You're right, our group doesn't really train together all that much. Probably because we've been so busy just staying alive with the way things have been thrown at us one after another, but still. Not keeping up on your skills is a good way to have them fail at the wrong moment. Or, uh, so my dad always told me. I don't really have enough experience to prove him right or wrong but, well... He has a pretty good argument for being right." His dad was strong, he knew that, but the missing arm told a different story, one of someone who hadn't been able to be perfect and it had cost him. He sighed and ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair, grimacing. "We're likely to have more fights today, there have to be others who want to test their skills, but maybe once we start traveling again we can practice together. Get some bouts in, not that I expect to be able to do much against your armor. Not unless I swap to my magic, ha. That would feel a little cheap though, for just a friendly sparring match. Better to practice my main way of fighting, yeah?" He grinned at the two, glad for the break. It was nice to reset his mindset and get a chance to spend time with his companions. Hopefully it would translate into a better showing in the next few matches.

Cinaed walked away from the arena's fighting area grumbling to himself. He'd had one decent fight. One! The rest of them, he'd found himself blown away before he could even begin to fight. It seemed he'd made the right decision to put himself second after all, given his fight with the swordswoman had only been so close because of luck. I have to get stronger. I do. Ugh. Glancing around, he spotted Lani and Syta, the latter excitedly bouncing around the former, making him grin. Maybe I should have asked Siorel to come hang out... I just didn't think it would be that interesting. I'll have to ask her later, see if I messed up. Relationships were hard, he still really had no idea what he was supposed to be doing in them most of the time. Maybe that meant he wasn't ready for one, but he couldn't let that stop him at this point. He would just have to figure it out and keep moving forward. Shaking those thoughts away for now, he moved over to Lani and Syta with a grin. "Hey you two. Lani, you were amazing to watch out there. It was like no one stood a chance against you. I meant to find you earlier actually, ask about maybe doing some training together. Watching you during that last fight, it was really impressive how well you handle yourself. I... I need to get stronger and that's only going to come from training and fighting people stronger than me. So what do you think? Maybe try to spar some time?" Koba moved through the crowded city carefully, watching the people flow around him with a wary expression that he didn't even realize he had. Old habits were hard to break and even though he hadn't stolen anything since he had joined the Tigers, he was used to hostility from these sorts of crowds. Someone would find something missing from a pocket and he would be the first to be blamed. It was a deep set paranoia that he hardly even noticed anymore. He just knew he had to look out for himself. It didn't help that he had a certain picture burning a hole in his pocket, something he knew didn't belong to him. He just hadn't had the right time to find M and return it. No, that's an excuse. You've just been scared of the conversation that might come with it, with how upset she was. He sighed, changing his path. He'd been intending to go to the arena, try things out, not that he expected to get very far, but he had to do better than that. First, he would find M, finish what should have already been completed. Then he could indulge in other things.

Koba had been wandering the ship, finally coming back up onto the deck as he searched for the owner of the photograph he had found in the castle. He'd been able to pick up from context that he was looking for a woman named "M" who had been the captain of a group including Roxi, the mage who had saved him and Miria during the battle. The memory still scared him a little bit, when he thought about it too long, knowing just how close they had all come to dying. Whatever Roxi had done, it had saved them. He just had to hope that it hadn't left her permanently injured or burnt out. He'd have to check on her at some point, thank her again. For now though, he was focused on delivering his find. He finally found the woman he was looking for, talking to Ullr. He started to approach and then hesitated. She seemed... upset, with clear evidence that she had been crying still left on her face. Maybe... Maybe now wasn't the best moment to go talk to her. It seemed like whatever Ullr was saying to her was helping, so maybe he should just wait a bit longer. He inched over to the ship railing, leaning against it and trying not to seem like he was waiting for the two of them to be done. He could wait. Cin yawned and stretched from his position sitting with his back against a pile of crates as he observed the rest of the Tigers moving around on the deck of the ship. Most of them seemed to be finding ways to entertain themselves, and he'd join them soon enough. He was still waking up slightly from his nap though, one that had been well deserved in his opinion. It had been a well fought fight, with the Tigers successfully earning a victory for Owen and Cass, something that he could be proud about, even if he hadn't gotten in quite as many fights as he would have liked. The longer they spent in Islexia, the closer he came to wanting to just burn the whole country to the ground. Seeing what they believed, how they treated those who were different, it filled him with a rage he couldn't always quite fight back. It had manifested at points during the fight, and while he'd managed to keep it under control, he worried that he would struggle to do that next time. It was something to keep in mind at least, as he moved forward. For now... He glanced around, not spotting his target immediately. He'd wanted to talk to Laniva, impressed with how well she had handled herself in battle, especially against the axe user who had seemed in charge of the group in the final room they'd entered. He also needed to get to know the various members of the Tigers better, he'd spent long enough with them at this point, and she seemed as good of a place to start as any. He stood up, stretching with a large groan before setting out to try and find the cat.

Iskra had been staring at the field in front of her, frustration and indecision mounting slightly as her lack of targets became obvious, when a sudden message appeared from the Captain. She's doing... what? That doesn't... No. No that does make sense. She's shown that side of herself. But... why tell me? Looking over the battlefield, that answer soon became obvious. Kazue was fast, faster than any of the others, and there weren't many who were in position to do anything if she decided to make a break for it. Iskra was one of the few. If she pushed her mech now, forgoing any attempt at offense, she would be able to position herself near enough to the Ensign to potentially be able to intercept her before things went terrible wrong. She sighed, frustration replaced with anxiety. She had to try. [Understood Captain. Moving forward, will keep an eye out.] "S-silent Dusk moving to provide back up." She moved forward, hoping that this was all a false alarm and that Kazue was simply pushing ahead like she had last time. Iskra to 29-7

Worst case scenarios kept flipping through Cin's mind as he made his way quickly, but cautiously, down the hallway towards the magical explosion had come from. Miria and the others dead, wiped out by some strange magical device or some powerful mage, the same thing only with his companions captured, held hostage to demand the surrender of the rest of the Tigers. He had to keep reminding himself that almost none of their enemies had used magic and that those who had were far too weak to set off a spell of the magnitude that he had felt. But if not that, then who... It felt like something one of the Evokers would do. Not one of us... He rounded the corner and came to a sudden stop, the sight in front of him reassuring but confusing at the same time. From a quick glance, it seemed that most of the group that had headed this way was easy to spot, alive if exhausted, and the one he couldn't see, Koba, was also not obviously among the dead bodies. The rest of the scene was a mess. The hallway showed signs of a terrible magical force, and a swath of dead enemies, clearly from the same explosion. He was so stunned that it took him a second to recognize that the healer they had picked up along the way was trying to carry Roxi by herself. "Oh, uh, here, let me help." He quickly moved to the other side of Roxi, wrapping her arm around his and pulling some of her weight off of their new companion. "I'm Cin, one of the Tigers. I can help carry her, if you want. Pretty sure you have enough on your plate after... whatever happened here. Are these two going to be ok?" He glanced over at Miria, worried about the girl. With how tired she looked, it was almost like the time she had used that fire spell. Were the two related? Even that didn't quite make sense though. It hadn't been a fire spell he'd sensed and it had been more powerful than Miria's spell had been back on the boat all that time ago. Hopefully everything was going to be ok. Koba grinned as he easily popped open the first chest, the lock providing no real challenge. Inside was a curious looking weapon, a scythe. It wasn't something he had seen used very often, but he shrugged, tucking it into the back of his belt, figuring someone in the group should be able to use it. Humming a cheerful tune, he moved on to the next lock, opening it quickly enough as well. Inside was something he hadn't quite expected. A picture of a woman and a child, together, seemingly happy. The child he quickly recognized as the one the Tigers had rescued from the Underground, a small spider girl, whose name he couldn't quite remember. The woman though... He had seen her earlier today, fighting with the group. A gun user, and a deadly one at that. He stared at the picture for a few seconds longer before tucking it away into a belt pouch. It would be safe there while he gave the room one final once over before returning to the group. Once he did, he imagined the woman would be quite happy to have the picture back.

Koba shrunk away from the recruited healer as she started ranting about killing all of the men who had been threatening them, provoking a response from Roxi, though she was barely able to get one out. He'd been about to make a break for it, not wanting to be involved, when a sudden hand on his shoulder caused him to jump a foot in the air, wings flaring out and almost hitting Miria. "Ah... I, just wanted to help. You don't need to apologize..." He knew he was blushing, the thanks unexpected, but thankfully she quickly gave him something to distract himself with. "Yeah, I was just thinking that. The room. Must have something in it, for them to want to burn it like that. So. Yeah. Uhm. Don't push yourself too hard, ok?" He quickly darted away, shaking his head. It was all too much. Both of what Miria and Roxi had done showed just how outclassed he was here and yet, he wanted to stay. Somehow, after the terrifying battle, after almost dying, after seeing just how outclassed he was, there was something, a small flame burning in his chest that didn't want to back down. Stupid. It's going to get you killed, thinking like this. But... Maybe I could get used to this. A small grin crept onto Koba's face as he ducked into the small room, quickly spotting two chests and an assortment of other things. Pulling out his lockpicks, he started digging in, looking through it at to find anything that might be of use while humming contentedly. Finally... this might be where I belong.

Koba collapsed, shaking as the pure force of the magical blast washed over him, followed quickly by the noise. He managed to turn, rolling over to look behind him, and gasped. The enemy force, the hallway, was destroyed. "What... what was..." He looked around, realizing that Miria was down and Roxi looked like she could follow suit any second now. Both of them had done something that Koba couldn't even begin to understand, the magic that they had pulled out so far beyond what he could do that he just found himself stunned. How badly all of that could have gone was setting in and he realized he was starting to shake as the adrenaline wore off. "I... Y-you, you can heal, right?" He looked over at the woman they had recruited during the raid, panic clear in his eyes. "I can't... I can't help. Can you? I don't..." He forced himself to slow his breathing down, fighting back the panic. There were others here. They could help. They had to be able to help. Cin popped open the chest, a grin spreading across his face as he found a weapon similar to the one that Ullr had found not all that long ago. A chakram, he thought it was called. He could use this. He turned, intending to search the study more, to see if there was anything of interest, when suddenly a loud explosion and wave of powerful magical energy burst from up the hallway some of their group had gone. "Miria... What just happened?" He spun, leaving the study behind to quickly move out of the room and up the hallway towards where the blast had originated.

"Hmm, right, time to explore a bit then. Hopefully the others have everything handled..." Cin sighed and shook his head even as he moved further into the study. The key he had picked up from the archer slid neatly into the chest lock, and he popped it open, wondering what was inside. Cin to 34-5, open chest "Hhhh, ok. You can do this Koba. Come on..." He darted forward, sending a blade of wind at the enemy, hoping it would be enough. If Amera kills, Koba to 30-17, aircalibur the merc. If Amera doesn't kill, Koba to 30-18, wind the soldier

Cin had braced himself for the incoming wave of enemies when suddenly there was only one left. The various allies that they had collected along the way had rushed in, clearing the way for Lani to go toe to toe with the man who seemed to be in charge of this squad. As she moved in, Cin followed, fists lighting up. "Let's hope the others are having as easy of a time as us, especially since I'm not sure we'll be able to help much if they aren't..." Cin to 31-8. Iron knuckles the archer Ugh... too many... gotta keep moving though. Prove your worth. Can't let Tio be disappointed in me... With a gulp, Koba sprinted forward, twisting past allies and enemies until he had to stop, panting as he tried to catch his breath. He squeaked when he realized he'd ended up next to an enemy soldier, doing his best to pull out his spellbound. "A-ah, I... D-don't attack me unless you want to... d-die. I'll... I can use magic!" Koba to 32-17, equip aircalibur

Iskra frowned as the rest of the squad began moving out. There hadn't been much discussion about everything that had happened since the reveal that Leon had a... checkered past. It wasn't that she didn't believe the woman who had revealed the information, but the question was why had she done so? Sure, the easy answer was that she wasn't getting what she wanted from him, but that didn't sit quite right with Iskra. There had to be more. The next likeliest thing was that she viewed the Dawn as enemies and so she was doing whatever she could do to disrupt their teamwork. To that end... The lack of discussion might hurt things more than help. Still. She'd meant to reach out to Leon, say hi to him, back before all of this happened. Perhaps... She shook her head. Now wasn't the time for it. They had a battle to handle. She could deal with everything else later. When it was safer and she could always hide if she needed to. For now, she just pushed forward, making sure she was ready for anything that came her way. Iskra to 33-12, equip wire-guided cannons

Koba glanced around, taking in the battlefield in the moment of brief peace that they had. Moving ahead slightly, he poked his head around a corner and nodded. His suspicion had been correct, and it looked like there was another locked room up ahead as well as the closer one. "Hey, uh..." What was her name again? "Nyx? You want to take this room and I'll move ahead with Roxanne and handle the room up there." With that, he moved the rest of the way forward, wind swirling around him as he did. Koba to 28-13 Cin frowned as he looked at the battlefield in front of them. They were in a lull but things up north were rapidly coming to a head from what he could see. He started to move, flames swirling around him before stopping, an irritated grumble escaping. There was no chance he would reach the rest of the group before things exploded and there were still enemies here that could use his fists to take on. "Stay safe everyone..." Cin to 26-8

Koba to 21-10

Cin to 18-6, elfire soldier 13

Koba to 17-11 Cin to 13-6

Koba to 15-8, shove Rox

Cin to 12-5