The entire town square is subjected to fear. The commotion is ever so rampant and it continues to spread to all directions within the city. Screams fill the air and the people are running away from the burning tower in panic and confusion. The stampede of the terrified masses unintentionally killed several innocent citizens and tourists. Everything is escalating far too quickly. Everyone is cramped trying to leave the premises while pushing and shouting to one another. Trying to find anyone in this crowd is nearly impossible.
Vint and Biel shouted the names of Ymae and Gale in hopes of being heard in a sea of hysteria.
In the midst of chaos. A young woman shouted back at them: "Vint?!"
Vint: "Gale, are you there?!"
Gale: "It's me, Vint."
Vint: "Thank god you're alright."
Biel: "Is Ymae with you?"
Gale: "No. I lost her when she ran to the middle of the crowd. I don't know where she went. I'm sorry, Biel."
Vint: "We have to find her, quickly."
"Gale, take your bow and go to a high place to find Ymae and cover our positions. Biel and I will look for Ymae down here. Watch out for any suspicious people, there might be enemies ready to attack."
Gale: "Roger. Take care, you two."
Biel and Vint stood on a leveled platform and screamed Ymae's name hoping that she would hear them. They kept on calling her name until the crowd slowly dissipate.
Biel and Vint then decided to look for her in the nearby alleys running and shouting her name.
Biel: "She didn't respond to us, neither did she went back to where we came from when everyone was leaving. Something must have happened to her!"
Vint: "Calm yourself down, kid. I'm not letting anything happen to any of you, not after I swore to the emperor."
An arrow landed right beside them. A piece of paper was attached to the arrow with a message written on it. The arrow was from the direction of Gale, sitting on a roof.
Vint: "It's from Gale." He told as he took the piece of paper.
"Two suspicious cloaked individuals in front of the northern bell tower."
Biel: "Should we face them?"
Vint: "I'll face them. You stay hidden and look for Ymae while waiting reinforcements."
Vint started walking as he said: "Make sure to never leave Gale's vision, kid."
Biel: "Don't die."
Vint: "Do you even know who you're talking to?"
Vint went back to the square and walked towards the unknown individuals. The two noticed his presence almost immediately, but they stayed still facing him. Standing in front of the tower almost as if they're keeping watch.
As he went closer, he noticed the frame of the two belong to a giant muscular man and a short woman.
Vint: "I am Colonel Vint of the Agham army. Tell me your names and what are you doing here."
The two: "..."
Vint: "Are you not aware from all the explosions and shouting earlier that this place is dangerous and is under investigation? Whatever business you have here, I'm afraid you would have to leave."
Muscular Man: "Colonel Vint.. One of the five colonels of Agham Army and the most trusted lap dog of the emperor. What a funny coincidence, I definitely wouldn't miss the chance of beating the living shit out of you."
Vint: "I'm guessing the two of you are the ones involved with this attack. What puzzles me is what are you trying to cover up. What are your motives?"
Vint in his thoughts: "An explosive attack that deliberately attracts attention. They might be trying to divert our focus from something far more important. What could it be? Did they knew about the meeting of the kings and queens in the City Hall? If so, where did they get their information? The fact that they're still here instead of escaping means they're waiting for something."
"Surrender yourselves and you won't get hurt." He spoke out.
Muscular Man: "Make me." He charged towards Vint.
Vint: "How troublesome."
Vint effortlessly blew him away with just the wind using his arch mage magic, sending him back flying.
His partner caught him in a force field using her defender magic: "Be careful, Rald. Colonels are second in power next to the general. That places him within top six in military ranking."
Rald: "All the more reason to fight him if he's one of the strongest man in the world. Stay there and watch, Clem."
Rald dashes forward in a faster speed enhanced through his warrior class magic.
Vint cast 'piercing wind', an arch mage magic that concentrates the flow of mana into a narrowing direction to project a strong uniform wind that can tear human flesh apart. The wind was strong enough to stop Rald in his tracks, but the flowing wind doesn't stop one bit, continuously blasting him with air until he finally loses his footing and went hurling back to his previous position in a humiliating manner all while Vint showed no signs of any effort from all that.
Rald: "So thats what a perfect piercing wind looks like. I've heard this spell needs ridiculous amount of focus. This guy didn't look fazed at all."
Clem: "Colonel Vint Macarma. One of the five colonels of the Agham army specialized in his unmatched mastery of wind spells, he is known for his exceptional control of battlefield to give his subordinates advantage using directional assistance and interruption over a wide area in a war scenario. He is a master strategist and support unit that excels in controlling thousand men, but he is the worst colonel when it comes to one-on-one battle. The fact that he is alone right now means he is at his weakest point, so all we have to do is to beat him before his reinforcements arrive."
Rald: "Beat him? Best we can do is hold him off if we're lucky. From what I've learned in his previous attacks, this guy is not a joke. I admit, I can't defeat him by myself. As much as it hurts to say this I'm going to need your help, Clem. And Sonia too, wish she's done setting up the kegs."
Clem: "Anthony's going to need to kidnap the prince quicker or we are all dying here."
Vint: "Did you catch that, Gale?"
Gale: "Most certainly." She replied. Her sharp eyes and lip reading skills allowed her to reveal their conversation from afar.
Another arrow coming from Gale landed beside Vint with a message attached. Informing him of her discoveries.
Vint: "As expected of a top student from the Star Eyes Program."
"It seems like I can't hold back for this one. I have to quickly finish off these people and rescue Kali."
Meanwhile another arrow from Gale reached Biel in the secluded alleys. The paper shows a drawing of the northern bell tower with an arrow sign pointing to the top floor.
Biel: "I'm guessing this is the tower those two attackers are protecting, and Ymae is at the uppermost level. I have to find a way to sneak around inside."
"Thanks, Gale. I'm not going to let them get away with it."