"The Velvet Star is here to back you up, Gambol!" Overcharge bellowed as he charged towards the moshpit, a chaotic mass of blurring lights, swinging blades, and flailing limbs.

The clergyfolk in copper and black uniforms seemed relieved to have our aid as metal marbles flew forward, striking members of Aerasthetic's reinforcements in their shoulders, knees, and elbows. The sudden shock and force caused many to drop their weapons and fall to the ground, allowing the clergyfolk to strike back with a renewed surge of strength.

The clouds of smoke and mist rising from Casters throughout the hall weren't an issue for my [Sensory Zone], but it would hamper my allies' ability to fight and the civilians' ability to flee. Even with the necklaces to guide them, vision would be more beneficial for us than it would be for the enemy.

The threads making up my mech's 'suit' unravelled at the front, allowing two panels to part. Within were a pair of large metal fans, an improved version of the ones I'd used in my previous mech. Emerald light danced along the front of my form as I spread my Aera into them, causing the runes within to flicker to life as the fan blades spun.

"[Blast of Air]!" I shouted in my thoughts alone, electing not to spread the words to my allies or enemies.

A wave of concentrated air blew out from the fans, pushing the smoke and mist towards the entrance of the building. Although the action elicited a collection of shocked shouts from the civilians attempting to escape, the multicoloured mist was successfully blown out of the front doors and onto the street beyond over the course of several seconds, leaving the chaotic melee visible to all.

The clergyfolk weren't the only ones to be stunned by our sudden arrival.

"There she is! That bitch monster!" Cast-Iron roared from the crowd, his eyes wide and manic. Both hands shot down into the pouches along his belt, pulling free a collection of nails and rods of metal. He must've had tough palms to avoid getting cut by the haphazard grabbing. "Eat this, ya damn freak!"

Given what I'd gathered from the meeting, it wasn't a leap of logic to assume he was talking about me. Once he threw the nails with a shocking amount of force in my direction, I knew I was right.

Two of the tower shields I'd stolen and welded together stood between me and Cast-Iron's projectiles, protecting me from his strikes. I felt myself exerting more force to keep the shield afloat than I'd expected. It wasn't just physical power behind his nails. Cast-Iron had some way of magically enhancing the force behind that throw. The moment his metal connected with mine, I attempted to wrestle control from him with the help of my [Telekinetic Field]. I immediately felt a strong level of resistance from the thrown projectiles. He'd used some form of magic to enhance the nails, and his grip over them was tight, like a magical vice.

"Trying to steal this from me too you monster freak?!?" Cast-Iron roared over the crowd, his expression flooding with unconcealed rage as beads of sweat poured down the man's face. His fingers were clenched tightly together as if to physically hold his grip over the metal nails and rods. "You ain't got no shame at all, have ya?"

'Steal this too'? Was he the owner of that bunker from before after all?

"Focus, Homebound. Do not waste your energy on him when your talents lay elsewhere," Pack Rat advised, slinking up next to me from behind. "Hrrr... I will guard you from him. Thin the crowd."

"[Right. Thank you, Pack Rat,]" I replied, stopping the arcane tug-of-war to focus my efforts elsewhere.

The Roden standing in front of me only seemed to rile the Human up further as I pulled my shield away, letting the nails and rods clatter to the casino's floor.

"Blowin' me off, too? Not worth your fuckin' time, am I big shot?" Cast-Iron roared once again, stuffing his hands into his pockets. The metallic, dirty grey light around them intensified as his Aera filled the metal. "[Iron Psion Shot]!"

With a roar, he once again flung the metal towards me with vastly more speed and force. Given the name of his technique, he was some sort of telekinetic type like I was?

"Hrr... [Hoarder's Trick]," Pack Rat spoke softly, raising a single arm. Blue-grey wispy Aera dotted with white pinpricks drifted forth from within his sleeve, coalescing in what looked like a round portal in front of his hand.

As the nails shot forward, they were absorbed into the portal and gone without a trace. The moment they vanished, I saw Pack Rat grimace. His trembling fingers clenched together, causing the portal to turn into wisps of Aera. With his other hand pointed at the floor, another portal manifested, allowing the nails and rods to violently shoot out, embedding themselves in the casino floor as a look of relief spread over the Roden's face.

With a clap of the Human's hands, the nails stuck in the floor began to wriggle violently. My first instinct was to guard Pack Rat, but he whipped another portal around towards the vibrating metal to shield himself. Instead of flying at the Roden, they flew back towards the furious Cast-Iron, hovering statically in front of him.

Why didn't he just go for Pack Rat? It was a good angle of attack, and he would've burned less Aera doing it than calling them back. Was he looking to retreat, or... was it a limitation of his magic?

"Fuckin' bastard, get outta the damn way! My beef isn't with you, so-"

The Human's complaints were cut short as he was jostled to the floor by two clergyfolk in suits. His expression was one of shock as he thrashed beneath them. The concentration in his face broke, and the hovering bits of metal clattered to the floor.

I didn't have long to be glad he was out of the way before two whips of crimson liquid slithered out from within the crowd, lashing both the clergyfolk off to the side and away from Cast-Iron. Both of the whips followed their targets, the ends hardening into points before jabbing into the arms of the downed reinforcements. After a brief moment of pulsating, the two whips were pulled from the reddened wounds.

Whips made of blood?

My thought was answered as the red skinned Darkling in black from the meeting emerged from the crowd, glowering down at Cast-Iron. Was he a Vampire, or just some sort of [Hemomancer]? The line between the two was blurred sometimes, or so I understood, but in this case it was simple to see he was a blood manipulator at the very least. Two open slashes across the back of his hands were the sources for the whips.

The Darkling had pointed ears like that of an Elf, and a pair of thick yet short black horns protruding from his forehead like a pair of fangs, surrounded by a short mop of dark hair. He wore tight black leather pants and a matching coat, albeit with ripped sleeves torn away at the shoulders despite Scander's cold air.

"Weird to see you on my side this time around, huh, Red Well?" Cast-Iron grimaced with a broken smile, pulling himself up off the ground as the Darkling's muscles appeared to grow fractionally.

"Don't get used to it, little man," the Darkling snorted, his eyes turned towards the reinforcements heading towards them. "This is for our joint interests alone, I'm not interested in pursuing another one of your petty grudges."

As Cast-Iron struggled to his feet, he extended one hand towards the fallen metal. It wiggled back and forth before flying to his side once again. Was the motion a clue? Could he only move metal in two directions, or in a very limited way?

The reinforcements arrived, managing to take up Cast-Iron and Red Well's attention. I took the opportunity to bring more of my metal tools forward to aid in the battle and turn my focus elsewhere.

In the middle of the crowd, Sigura was putting down enemies far faster than I could. She darted from clash to clash between the reinforcements of both groups, swiftly giving the clergyfolk the upper hand with swift chops, punches, and kicks to the sides and limbs of our foes. More than once I heard screams of pain and the crack of bone beneath, yet she took it all in stride.

Her first obstacle in the melee came after she stumbled across a familiar face in the crowd. Her eyes snapped wide open as she came face to face with a dark skinned Half Elven man wearing a skintight yellow mask.

"Finally. Didn't think you'd ever get this far, house Cat," Yo-Yo taunted, both hands stuffed into his pockets. It wasn't hard to see through the thin space leading into the pockets. His hands were clenched around a pair of bright golden yo-yos, glinting and metallic. "I've been lookin' for a rematch with you given our last one was rudely interrupted."

"You're that annoyin' teleportin' bastard," Sigura sniffed. "You got out of this city's shitty prisons fast, huh? Sucks for you that I don't have time to deal with small fry."

Without another word, she turned to dart away. The man's eyes widened beneath his mask, and both hands slid from his pockets in an instant. With a flash of golden smoke, Yo-Yo appeared right in front of Sigura. Both arms snapped forward as if to palm-strike her with the pair of yo-yos, which my [Honed Vision] quickly identified as pure metal.

In an instant, Sigura leaned back to avoid the two strikes to her head. Clenching his fingers around the yo-yos, he 'slashed' downwards with his arms as she jumped back, sending twin blades of [Release] flying towards her. She sidestepped one, but the other left a thin cut on her stomach, even through the suit. With a snarl, she darted forward, aiming a punch directly for the Helf's smug face.

"You missed from that close? You're slower than last time," Yo-Yo taunted from his new position back in the golden cloud. He'd evaded the punch by inches. I felt certain that if he'd been half a second slower, he'd have been sent sprawling. "You've gotten cocky and complacent after the Big Tooth win, haven't you? Lazy and slow. Lucky for you, I'll put your ego back in its place free of charge."

"Yeah? It's still enough to deal with you," Sigura grinned, using one hand to brush dust from her suit. "'Specially when all you're good for is flingin' paper cuts at me."

Sigura turned around to flee once again as Yo-Yo teleported. The moment the 'poof' sound of his smoke reached Sigura's twitching ears, she dodged to the side, avoiding his attack. Instead of a punch, his yo-yo had snapped out, the metal stained with a golden [Sheen] as it flew directly past her.

With a kick against the ground and a flash of orange and gold light, Sigura used [Release] to boost her speed, launching herself not at Yo-Yo, but at the cloud of smoke he'd left behind.

She was faster than he was this time. The man was unable to get back to the cloud and teleport a second time before Sigura's hand snapped out in a punch. Yo-Yo used his own [Release] to mimic her technique, shooting backwards to avoid the punch to his stomach by a hair. Even if he avoided her fist, that didn't stop the flash of [Release] shot from her clenched fist landing a direct hit, sending the man stumbling backward.

"Heh. See? Fuckin' small fry," Sigura grinned triumphantly, flexing the fingers of the hand she'd punched with. "You ain't shit once someone knows your gimmick."

I didn't need the help of my zone to guess he had bruises underneath his clothes.

He opened a mouth to retort, but Sigura gave the Half Elf no time to breathe, launching herself at him once again.

A massive shadow passed over the two Casters, and a wall of white landed right in front of Sigura to take the hit, shielding Yo-Yo from the strike. The Half Elf backed off from the sudden wall of snow, snapping his yo-yos forward at it. For a moment I thought he was trying to break the shield that saved him, but the ends of the two 'weapons' poofed into smoke before contact.

"[Yo-Yo Warp]!" the Half Elf shouted.

Sigura's eyes widened with shock and pain as she was struck in the back by both of the heavy yo-yos. She whirled around to grab them, and although her fingers closed around one, both vanished in front of her, returning to Yo-Yo's grasp.

He was capable of teleporting his weapons, too?

"Fuckin' annoyin' teleporting bastard," Sigura grumbled, eyeing the wall of snow for a moment. Apparently deciding it wasn't worth it, she crouched low and darted away.

As irritating as Yo-Yo's abilities were, Sigura was capable of holding her own. I needed to focus elsewhere.

In the middle of thinning out Goons with rods, spikes, and marbles of assorted metals to help out our reinforcements, I scanned the crowd for someone who did need my aid in the battle, and it didn't take long to find one.

Not far from Sigura's battle with Yo-Yo, Streiphen was in the middle of fighting two opponents. One was swimming through the air, pushing through it as though they were underwater. The space around him seemed to visibly 'ripple' with every kick of his legs and push of his arms. It was Swim, one of the Triton Casters from the meeting room.

Streiphen was hopping around and avoiding the reinforcements, attempting to keep his eyes on the sky as Swim shot golden [Release] after [Release] at the child attempting to conserve his strength, swinging and deflecting the blasts with light of his own. I wondered why Streiphen wasn't trying to take the fight to him when another arm clad in black appeared from within the ground, stretching out to swiftly grab Streiphen's wrist.

With a single powerful tug, Streiphen was thrown off balance as the ground's surface seemed to ripple beneath him. His head slammed against the floor, causing his expression to scrunch closed. The boy winced, tightening the grip he had over his blade as an emerald [Sheen] spread through it. He jabbed the end deep into an overturned table, trying to use it to pull himself upwards and away from his attacker as his arm began to sink into the ground.

Swim's partner, Sink.

Streiphen attempted to brace his feet against the ground for leverage to fight back, but it was no better than struggling through quicksand. The fighting around him didn't help either as he suffered from stray kicks and others tumbling back into or over him, pushing him deeper into the ground.

For a brief instant, I saw Streiphen's eyes darken, a pale light forming between his scrunched eyelids.

"No... Stay. You're not..." Streiphen whispered to himself like a mantra, squeezing both eyes shut as he tried to fight back against the woman's grip.

Streiphen had a surprising amount of power in his body for a child, but his lack of leverage and Swim's position meant he was unable to use it.

That was when metal rods cleared the path, knocking reinforcements from both sides out of the way as a large metal hand flew into the provided space, gripping Streiphen's other wrist and the handle of his blade.

"[Grit your teeth Streiphen, this might hurt,]" I warned him through [Telepathy]. The boy did as commanded as I began to lift, engaging in a tug-of-war with Swim.

Lifting two Casters using magic was difficult, but far from impossible. Heavy as they were, I'd lifted greater burdens than this before. With a heave, I pulled Streiphen into the air and Swim with him. The Goldfish Triton's eyes widened with shock after she broke the surface of the casino's floor. With a start, she released the boy's hand before my weapons could pin her in place, sinking into the floor once again.

"Thanks Miss Homebound," Streiphen said as my hand carried him to solid ground atop a broken, overturned table.

"[I'll take them, Streiphen. Focus on helping against opponents you can use your full potential against,]" I advised him. I wasn't sure how I was going to keep these two busy, but their abilities were difficult enough to deal with that they could easily cause problems elsewhere.

The Chimera boy nodded, jumping from the table with a flash of [Release].

"Pin 'er down!" Cast-Iron shouted from elsewhere in the crowd. "That freak's heavy as Abyss! She can't do shit if you pull 'er mech down, so drag 'er under the-"

His words were abruptly cut off as a shadow passed over the Human. He whirled around to face the person behind him, only to be struck by a blurred kick to the gut. The air was knocked out of his system, and the flash of sunset coloured [Release] that followed sent the man sprawling.

"Say that again and I'll take yer damn head off, asshole," Sigura snarled.

More Goons arrived to surround the downed Cast-Iron as he clutched at his stomach, gasping for air. At the head of the Goons was Snowman, his magic flaring to life as he prepared to guard another allied Caster. Before he had a chance to set up a wall, Sigura darted away and into the crowd once again. Hit and run tactics, or simply avoiding Snowman?

With that out of the way, my attention turned towards the pair of Tritons. The seafolk were bound to make this difficult, but I had to do what I could. As my metal worked to thin out the Goons elsewhere on autopilot, I turned the bulk of my focus towards my new foes. Metal plates flew up into the air, working to surround Swim. He kicked at the space around him and 'swam' fast, but his speed couldn't match that of my [Telekinetic Field's] movement.

To provide him cover, Swim partially emerged from beneath me, grabbing one of the frontal legs to my mech. Just like with Streiphen, she began to pull the metal downwards despite the mech's weight as the ground rippled.

She'd taken the bait.

The metal threads that made up my 'suit' unfurled, digging into her golden webbed hands and upper arms. Her limbs flinched, even if I heard no gasp from beneath the ground. She tried to pull away from my grasp, but I wrapped the threads tightly into her wounds, preventing her escape. I began to lift my leg in an attempt to drag her back onto 'dry land', but her body passed through my controlled threads as though she was a Ghost, sinking into the ground once again.

I was hoping she wouldn't be able to 'swim' through something that wasn't the ground, but clearly that wouldn't work. I couldn't use [Insight] to track her Aera either, given that it passed through my [Sensory Zone], which only scanned the space around it. I couldn't 'look down' towards the ground in the same way a person with eyes could.

It was yet another limitation of my form, but there was no use worrying about it.

After dispatching a group of Goons attempting to rush me with a barrage of metal plates, I sent those plates flying towards Swim. Despite his speed and attempts to push me back with [Releases], I managed to slot the collection together, locking him in a cube of assorted metals. It was the same strategy I'd used against Yo-Yo, and I hoped it would work here.

Carrying a person within a floating box was heavy, and not something I could keep up for long if I wanted to conserve my stamina. I brought it low and close to the ground as the Triton hammered ineffectually at the steel from within. He didn't seem to be capable of 'phasing' through material like his partner, but I wouldn't risk planting it directly on the ground to relieve the stress. I needed the cube as bait.

Much like the first time, Swim once again broke the surface of the ground, causing the glittering copper floor to ripple around her. She raised two shredded, bloody arms, planting both hands on the bottom of the cage. The metal turned red hot as [Heated Steel] spread through it to injure Sink and dissuade Swim. For good measure, I spread my [Sheen] through it, staining the metal emerald in the hopes of blocking her ability.

Her palms were scorched from the contact, and they came away with steam rising from the scales. Gold light surrounded her hands as she straightened out the fingers into a knife-like pose. With two jabbing hands, she tried to pierce the bottom of the cage.

It wasn't an effect I expected to work, but the gold light seeped into the metal, fighting hard for dominance against my own Aera. The shock of the interaction sent my Aera spilling away from the source of contact, allowing her hands to slip up and through the metal.

Inside the cube, Swim was hovering in the air, completely unaffected by gravity as he worked to avoid touching the scorching metal. As Swim's hands appeared from the bottom, his own hands shot down, grasping hers as he winced from the heat. With one swift pull, she removed both her arms and Swim from the cube, bringing them both beneath the ground.

These Casters were too slippery and difficult to fight. My allies needed all the help they could get, and having Casters like these occupied would be a huge boon for them. The moment they reappeared, I needed to be ready to intercept them.

My awareness expanded, spreading all across the hall as Goons and clergyfolk fell one after another. Even some unfortunate civilians caught in the crossfire dropped to the floor clutching at wounds.

A massive shadow passed over the crowd as Bubblegum's gigantic neon pink Cat Familiar took to the air. The [Witch] flew overhead on her stylised broom, pointing towards Casters for the Cat to attack. Beyond its size, Blaze was not only powerful, but difficult to retaliate against. The Familiar's body seemed to cause blades and some weapons to pass through its form and regenerate right after, making it hard to land a direct hit before its massive limbs slammed enemies down against the floor.

Streiphen was in battle once again. He was taking on one of the opponents he'd come across at the warehouse fight, the electric blue haired Satyr.

The Chimera boy leapt through the crowd, an emerald [Sheen] once again coating his blade as he swung directly for the Satyr's side from behind without a single warning. The Satyr had been darting around the battlefield to tap the weapons of the clergyfolk, making them limp and unusable. His eyes widened with shock from the sudden impact of Streiphen's weapon. For a moment, I held out hope that the attack had been successful.

The Satyr's body bent in time with the attack like paper in the wind. There was no blood, nor cut, just an abnormal 'squish' as his body moved much like the limp, wobbly weapons he'd used his magic on. The Satyr was sent bouncing backwards, balancing himself on one hoof as Streiphen pressed the attack, striking him directly in the face. The Satyr's neck and head seemed to bend and flop backwards away from the attack as the Satyr tumbled backward, having been sent sprawling. As unharmed as the Caster looked, Streiphen was capable of distracting him. If he couldn't land a 'hit' on Streiphen's weapon, the boy could keep pressuring him.

It was a blessing. The hall had descended into chaos, and both sides needed all the help they could get. This fight was a tug of war, one that relied on pressure from both sides to ensure Aerasthetic couldn't get a clean getaway. The way out was choked by civilians, and it wouldn't be an easy matter to punch through the bodies, no matter how much they might wish to.

More reinforcements emerged from the double doors we'd come from, and they were immediately met with a barrage of metal implements as I worked to give the clergyfolk and my allies the edge.

Some of their Casters were too slippery and difficult to fight. The Satyr was impossible to injure or weaken, while Sink and Swim couldn't be restrained.

I was annoyed by the thought that Incognito wasn't here to help. The fact that he still hadn't showed up was concerning. Given his abilities, the thought that he could've been some sort of double agent and was intentionally avoiding the battle sprung to mind. It was a thought I shouldn't be having about an ally, but one I couldn't purge from my mind after reading that damnable diary. Was he just going to abandon us for this fight?

"We can't waste time here!" Snowman roared. The Fallow Beastfolk had formed a round tube of snow around his mouth, simulating a megaphone of some sort. Distorted as the sound was, it didn't fail to catch the attention of many. "We're abandoning the heist, and we need to go! Kirigami, go wild!"

The eyes of the pink haired Oni widened at the sudden words of permission. She wore a toothy smile as one hand instantly went to the blade at her waist, pulling it free from the black and red tooth-pattern sheathe it was held in. Gripping the handle tightly, she whirled around to the nearest pillar, her Aera intensifying.

She wasn't going to-

"[Kirigami Style: Pop Slash]!" the Oni roared with a laugh, swinging a barrage of slashes into the pillar. The cuts travelled along the length of the marble-like rock as she turned, slashing long matching lines into the coppery floor.

The area around her began to 'pop', jutting outwards in spurts. The pillar shattered and fell apart, crumbling to pieces as segments of it expanded at a violent rate, shooting out as they struck and pinned friend and foe alike. Blunt, rough pillars rose from the earth, dislodging many of the warriors present as they tried to keep their footing on the fast moving, unsteady ground. The other Casters were trying to get to the exit unhindered, making the most of Kirigami's distraction.

"Sink! Swim! Foam Noodle! To me!" Snowman roared, prompting the Tritons and... the stunned Satyr to follow. The pair of Seafolk popped out from the ground not far from Snowman, running hand in hand towards the exit as the Satyr leapt to his feet, moving to leap away from Streiphen as the Chimera boy followed in hot pursuit.

Kirigami didn't stop her onslaught there. The moment she could, she leapt away from one crumbling pillar to the next, reading her 'pop slash'. If she kept slashing at these pillars, she could end up bringing the entire building down.

"[Kirigami Style: Pop Slash]!" she roared, once again swinging her blade as slashes coiled around the pillar.

Another figure leapt from the crowd, landing not far from the Oni after having fought his own battles. Ingrim the Tigerfish Triton raised his red and orange coral trident. His body was bathed in a black, oily light as his [Mantle] intensified around the end of his weapon.

"[Tirga Makha Nagopa]!" the Triton shouted in a language foreign to me, swinging his trident around in a wide arc. Black Aera pooled and coalesced around the end of his weapon, splashing outwards like a wave of black ink. The liquid was oily and tar-like, flying over the heads of others as it splattered against the popping pillar. As if with a mind of its own, the liquid started to coil around it like a Snake, staining the pillar black.

The pillar attempted to 'pop', with segments bulging outwards from the black, yet it was pushed back into place as though coated in rubber. The ink appeared to 'flex', almost like it was a muscle, sporting a strange veiny texture to it as it held the pillar together.

Kirigami snarled at the sudden assistance, but took the opportunity to dart right for another figure.

"You can't guard them all, Triton! It's easier to break than it is to protect!" the Oni cackled with a toothy grin, readying her blade once again. She sounded like she was enjoying this. "[Kirigami Style: Pop-"

"[Coin Flick of Fortune - Silver]!"

The words boomed and echoed through the hall as a trail of silver light shot past a number of combatants. My [Honed Vision] could keep track of it despite the speed, and I spotted a plain silver coin at the forefront of the trail.

The Oni stopped in the middle of raising her blade as the coin collided with her side. Her body bent and buckled from the force as though she'd taken a Goliath's punch. I spotted a smoking black mark on her red and black robes from where the coin had made contact. She gasped from the impact as the sword flew from her grip, clattering to the coppery ground.

In the midst of the hall, I saw a furious looking Gambol with one arm extended, hand outstretched with another silver coin in his grip. He'd been the one to fire the unorthodox projectile.

"Now! The sword!" the Goliath boomed.

Kirigami grimaced from the wound, eyes snapping to her fallen blade. Rising back onto all fours, she leapt straight for the weapon, only to collide with a wall of neon pink.

Having spotted the exchange, Bubblegum had directed the massive Cat to plant one foot atop the blade before the Oni had managed to retrieve the weapon. Blaze's odd body morphed, 'sucking' the blade into its mass as it slowly travelled up along the leg and further from the raging Oni.

"[Sheen]!" Kirigami growled, the look of excitement gone from her face as both clenched fists were stained a dark red with black marks. She punched the leg of the giant Familiar, over and over, only for the surface to ripple from the impacts.

Blaze raised its leg, slamming it down atop the Oni with enough force to crack the coppery floor beneath her. Kirigami spluttered beneath the powerful limb, trapped between a gasp and a cough.

"The fuck? How much damn power does that shitty Familiar have?" the Oni roared, attempting to push the Cat off of her to no avail.

Bubblegum flew overhead, a neon pink light forming around both outstretched hands.

"Don't call Blaze shitty, you [Samurai] wannabe," the [Witch] shot back as the pink light transformed, shooting down towards Kirigami. "[Bubblegum Chains]!"

The light connected with Blaze, travelling through the leg as it became a thick set of sparkly neon pink chains. As they arrived at the base of the paw, they snaked around Kirigami's form, locking her limbs against her body with several layers of conjured restraints until she was practically invisible beneath them.

"Shitty [Witch]! You just wait for-!"

The Oni's complaints were cut off as a thinner set of chains wrapped around her mouth, turning her threat into a gagged cough.

Sfumato and Kirigami. We managed to capture another member of Aerasthetic, but that didn't solve our problems. The civilians were still in danger, the church was sustaining structural damage, and we still had to save Languish.

Now that the crowd had been thinned out, I sent a cluster of metal plates forward, flying directly for both Showtime and the Gorilla-like Golem holding both Languish and Cynosure.

Cynosure was still conscious, but despite the attempts from her trembling limbs, she couldn't land a [Release] on Showtime. He positioned himself to the left of the Golem, just beyond the reach of her shockwaves. She raised one hand to try again, only for the Golem to grip her tightly before swinging its arm down, slamming her head and upper body against the floor. The ground was bloody as she was lifted again, and a thick mark had been left on her head, staining the top of her white hair crimson. Despite even that injury, the Kumiho was still conscious and weakly snarling.

Many of the reinforcements surrounding the Gnome and his Golem turned as my metal approached, raising barriers and shields in their attempt to block my strikes. The group focused a cluster of [Releases], knocking my metal from their intended target.

"[Magic B-Barrier]!" one of the Goons breathed, causing a hazy grey dome of light to form around Showtime and the Golem as they continued to run.

I brought one of my metal lances forward as a metal wall sat in front of me to block the second wave of [Releases]. They had a lot of force behind them as a collective, but passing my [Sheen] through the metal was more than enough to keep their attacks at bay. [Sheen] coated the metal lance too before I sent it flying towards the barrier. Even if they'd repelled my previous attacks, I doubted they were willing to try blocking against something like this.

"[Release]!" came a voice to the right of the Golem. It wasn't a [Release] to try and divert the course of my spear, but rather one that was designed to shoot its user forward. "[Toy Light]!"

Foam Noodle shot towards the lance, grimacing as he raised both hands. An electric blue glow formed around them, expanding outwards to encompass the [Sheen] covered lance. As the metal made contact with him, it looked as though it was squishing together, letting out a squeak as it struck his body. Even if the Satyr's body bent too, the impact still had some power behind it.

The Satyr was shot backwards, bouncing off the barrier as he quickly scrambled to his feet, running after the fleeing group.

"Showtime! C'mon, man! Lemme inside the barrier, that kid won't leave me alone!" the Satyr complained.

The Goon keeping the barrier alive opened a small hatch behind it, allowing the Satyr to dart inside, still panting hard. 'That kid' was still in hot pursuit, leaping for the back of the barrier.

"[H-Heavy Slash]!" Streiphen shouted, bringing down the mangled blade against the barrier. Cracks spread out along it, yet the structure held firm despite the creator's growing fatigue.

"S-stop him... The barrier won't take another hit like that," the Goon grumbled, looking between Showtime and Foam Noodle hopefully.

"[Beam of Light]," Showtime intoned. He pointed towards a section of the barrier as the Golem's head turned the whole way around. Its eye began to glow bright gold as the Goon opened a hole in the back of the dome. A laser of light erupted from the Golem's eye, prompting Streiphen to raise his blade to block. He grimaced from the impact, and was sent rolling back along the casino floor from the force.

"Excellent work, Velvet Star!" Gambol yelled, pointing for the fleeing group of Casters. "Now, finish them!"

Sticking both hands into his pockets, Gambol pulled free clusters of copper coins. With a "[Coin Flick of Fortune - Copper]", he sent waves after waves of coppery coins shooting through the air, leaving behind trails that stopped only as they collided with a collection of particularly unfortunate Goons.

In the midst of the crowd, Overcharge was doing massive damage to the enemy reinforcements. As the battle dragged on, more and more of the enemies were getting worn down. Their movements became sluggish, and their attacks lacked weight. Despite that, Overcharge was getting faster and faster, and his strikes were hitting harder. His hair was glowing gold and standing on end as electricity danced along his body.

He was being swarmed by a collection of 'animals' formed from a glittering coppery substance. It took me a few moments to figure out what had happened. Safari the Roden was clutching her shrunken head necklace, speaking softly under her breath as she ran. The collection of 'animals' had risen from the floor in new shapes, and continued to swarm the Eastern Drow. The creatures were attempting to sprout dark brown fur, but they were destroyed by the Drow before the hairs could even finish forming, either by their forms getting shattered, or the lightning singing them away to nothing.

His punches were growing stronger, but the swarm of animals continued to grow as dirty brown bubbles sept into the ground around him from above. The dancing electricity along Overcharge's form had no effect on the Familiars, and the Goons began to retreat from him to focus their efforts elsewhere.

From the double doors at the back of the hall, yet another group of Goons arrived.

Panting from exertion, Snowman continued to erect "[Walls of Snow]" around the entrance, repeating the phrase over and over as he did. The civilians had long since fled the casino, and now he was trying to block off the space to slow our pursuit. His eyes landed on the latest batch of reinforcements, and he sucked in a deep breath to shout.

"Special privileges for all who can stall the Star! We will see you all well rewarded in power and in coin!" the Beastfolk shouted, his breath misting slightly from the cold his magic created. "Do it for Aerasthetic! For power, and for your own growth!"

"Yeah, let's fuck 'em up!" one of the Goons by the double doors roared back. The others roared in agreement, pumped up by the thought of rewards. I brought many of my remaining metal weapons up from around me to attack the newest horde as they charged towards the melee.

The Goon who'd spoken raised a club, his eyes on those around him. With several swift swings, he smashed the club against the heads of his allies. A number of Goons fell to the floor from the betrayal as the rest turned in shock, allowing some of the clergyfolk to split off and attack them from behind as the newest group was swarmed.

Conflict within the Aerasthetic ranks...? Was that Goon trying to thin out the competition and earn the rewards for himself? I'd been thinking that was about what I expected from the Goons, right up until the speaker transformed, their skin and hair changing hue and colour until their form returned to normal.

Incognito.

"I've got this batch!" the man yelled across the hall. "Focus on the hostages! Aerasthetic's gonna get away at this rate!"

I didn't have the time or luxury to question where he'd been all this time or what he'd been doing.

I charged forward, my mech swerving around the dying embers of the melee as I approached the entrance. My reserves of metal were getting low, but as I passed over the fallen, many more blades and weapons came within reach. Re-arming myself, I continued my steady charge as most of the Casters shoved the doors of the building open, darting out into the open street.

"[Snow... Snowguard Igloo]...!" Snowman roared, his face and fur slick with sweat. His Aera transformed once again, becoming a thick, multi-layered barrier of snow.

With the arrival of Incognito and the untiring nature of my metal, Bubblegum's Familiar, and Overcharge, our group was very quickly whittling down the rest of the Goons. Without the Casters to back them up, it was only a matter of time before their resistance was crushed. The last of the Aerasthetic Goons fought tooth and nail despite having been abandoned by their leader. Whether it was out of desperation or simply lust for battle, I couldn't tell.

"We'll take the Goons from here, Velvet Star!" Gambol shouted as the space around his hands were blanketed in copper light from the fired coins.

"We'll send some coin your way to help with the repairs after!" Incognito called back, having just clubbed another Goon in the head before darting around the rest of the crowd, allowing the clergyfolk to take his place in the fight.

Bringing several clumps of metal together, I formed a fist, curling the fingers tight to smash it against the front of the 'igloo'. The wall of snow began to crack and crumble beneath the impact, but another wall sat right behind it. A multi-layered defense.

"I've got this, Yur!" Sigura called out from behind me, running in my direction as a shiver went through her body. I scuttled backwards, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire of whatever she ended up doing. The Half Nekari Chimera leapt into the air, curling herself up into a tight ball as she soared towards the igloo. It was a familiar pose, the same one she'd used on the day of the escape. The technique that had melted a hole through a thick metal door.

"[Overheat]!"

Sigura's [Mantle] glowed a deep orange as an oppressive heat spread out from her body. She punched through all the igloo's layers with ease as it began to melt around the hole she'd left in the structure. Water spilled down onto the casino floor as the walls began to crumble and fall apart. It wasn't long before the water and snow began to transform, with most of the mass returning to white tinged Aera, leaving only a few physical puddles on the ground.

With the rest of the Velvet Star running away from the Goons, we began to reconvene while following Sigura out of the building. The streets beyond the church were in chaos. The sidewalks were choked with fleeing civilians, and the roads were clogged by artefact based transport and wagons unable to squeeze around one another.

It should've made the escape much harder to execute, but the Casters were nowhere to be seen. I didn't know where to go and how to chase them, but Sigura didn't slow down for a second. Leaping into the air, she used [Sky Step] to kick against the open space with brief flashes of sunset emerging from the soles of her shoes. She jumped into the alleyway leading to the parking lot, the one right behind the church.

"[Sunburst ran to the parking lot, I'm going to follow along!]" I announced, rushing onto the street as shouts of alarm rang out at the sight of my form. I wasted no time on the startled civilians, using metal to form a makeshift barrier, keeping them out of the way as I sprinted after my teammate. It wasn't the gentlest way I could've handled it, but I had far greater concerns right now.

I turned the corner and walked down the black stone path with the rest of the Velvet Star close behind. The park was mostly empty now, as most of the disgruntled civilians and wagons left behind remained. The wagon the Don had hired was still in place, and the dutiful Inura Darkling was sitting inside.

Sigura had come to a stop around the large manhole at the back of the parking lot, a grimace on her face. The metal plate didn't look as though it had been moved, but I was more than willing to trust Sigura's judgement. I suspected she'd been following her nose to track them, and those tracks had led her here.

The Velvet Star circled around Sigura and I, including Shafu, who'd emerged from the Casino with the Lyridium Cat on her shoulder.

"They went down into the sewers? Why are you standing around?" the Eastern Drow asked. Overcharge reached for the grate, brow furrowed. "We can't waste time, or they'll escape with-"

"Don't move!" Sigura snarled. The Eastern Drow froze in place right as the heavy grate shot off the ground and high into the air. If he'd been any closer, he could've been struck hard on the chin. As the heavy metal plate landed with a bang on the stone near us, I spread my [Sensory Zone] down into the dark below, spotting Cast-Iron curse to himself before running off. He'd been trying to set a trap to buy time. Or to injure me specifically.

"This is not what I signed up to this mission for," Bubblegum grimaced, pinching her nose as her broom carried her to the edge of the manhole.

"[If I'd known they would do this, I could have tried making something like a gas mask for the Tierakin present,]" I mused aloud, mind racing as it worked to come up with the best way to handle this. They could have set traps or prepared ambushes within the sewers, and the grate wasn't big enough for my body to squeeze through.

"You could do that, Yur?" Sigura asked, her voice distorted by the hand covering her nose and mouth.

It was possible, in theory. If I used a condensed, lighter version of [Blast of Air] inside the mask, it could be done. Making a mask like that would've been worthwhile, too. If I learned to create a magic filter for another person's senses, it might help in the artificial recreation of my own senses. 'Scent' wasn't a sense I was as eager to recreate, but-

"We don't have time to waste," Overcharge sighed, reaching into his suit pocket to pull on a skintight yellow mask with orange rings around the eyeholes. "I understand if your noses can't handle the sewer, but I can't sit here and wait for another solution."

Without leaving any room for argument, Overcharge jumped down into the sewers, landing on the stone below as he began to give chase, running after the distant light of the Casters.

"It's a shame to get this new suit covered in sewer stink on the first night, but hey, not much I can do about that," Shafu shrugged, glancing back towards me. "You want me to bring this guy with me?"

She pointed towards the Lyridium Cat sitting on her shoulder, and I gave a nod of my mech. With some of the new material I gathered, I created metal 'straps' alongside a collection of small blades and marbles, attaching as many miniature weapons to the construct as I could. It was far from combat ready, but I wanted to provide all the assistance I could.

"[Yes. It's the least I could do,]" I replied. With a grin, Shafu turned towards the grate.

"Well, let's just hope Debutante doesn't strangle us all to death when we get back to base after stinking up all of her new suits!" the Darkling spoke cheerfully, jumping down into the sewers with the Lyridium Cat in tow.

Incognito and Ingrim wasted no time in jumping down after the Darkling, following the growing group as they ran forward in hot pursuit.

"Hrr... There is no shame if you cannot follow, Sunburst," Pack Rat said, looking up towards Sigura. "I understand the pains of [Enhanced Senses]."

Sigura's eyes darted between Pack Rat and the open sewer entrance. Her expression blanched beneath the hand covering her face, and her eyes squeezed shut.

"No. Fuck them, and fuck this. I'm not just gonna keep lettin' 'em run off like this," she said, pulling her hand from her face. A shiver ran through her body, and the woman's tail stood straight up. "If I've gotta puke, I'll do it while runnin'."

"Admirable, but do not push yourself too far beyond your limits," Pack Rat advised, leaping down into the sewer to run after the group.

"I'm gonna stay on the surface with Homebound," Bubblegum announced. "The two hostages are inside with the clergy, so I'll make sure they make it to the Don. Someone's gotta explain to Gambol what's going on anyway."

"What about your Cat? Can't you send that Familiar down there with us?" Sigura asked, her eyes almost accusatory as she stared up at the [Witch].

"Blaze's range is low. He can't go far from me like Homebound's little robot can," the [Witch] replied.

"[I'll try to keep up with you all on street level,]" I added in the hopes of cheering her up somewhat. "[I can't follow you directly, but I'll do what I can to cut off escape routes up here.]"

I didn't know how well I'd be able to 'follow' them given my size and how clogged the streets were, but I could at least try. I wasn't sure what else I could do to make myself useful if the restraining of the hostages was already spoken for.

"That's a relief!" Streiphen chirped. "At least you'll be with us in spirit, Miss Homebound!"

Walking over to the edge of the sewer, he planted the blade onto his back, hooking it onto the leather straps on his shoulders.

"I'll go on ahead, Miss Sunburst. If you can't follow-"

"We're going, alright? I'll need to get used to this some time anyway," Sigura growled, turning her eyes towards me. "Give us whatever support you can, Yur."

Without another word, she leapt, soaring over Streiphen's head and down into the sewers below. I could hear her groan and cough even as her shoes clacked on the stone of the sewer walkways.

"Good luck with the surface work, Miss Homebound!" Streiphen replied, his smile falling a little.

"[You too, Streiphen. Be careful,]" I replied, right as the boy jumped down into the hungry mouth of Divastyr's underground.