Caught up in the middle of a lopsided sparring match, Russo does all that he can to rig the odds in his favor. Mostly that involves being obnoxious and near impossible to hit but it takes more than that to win a fight. Provided that he can get Morgan and Tyridia back on their feet, they may stand a chance against the Yash guild master's onslaught.

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Icon comes courtesy of  Cappuccino

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Chapter 49

“Russo! Russo what should I do?” Dax barked nervously. Stamping his paws worriedly against the ground the wolf could feel his heart caught in his chest. His arms trembled terribly and his limbs locked up from indecision. It was an all too painfully familiar feeling. “This is just like with that scary Mimic…” he mumbled to himself. Back then the wolf didn’t so much act as he reacted. Russo screaming out orders that he dutifully followed as his addled mind failed to concoct any of their own.

“Just hang back, Dax! This isn’t a fight we’re supposed to be able to win.” The mage kept his eyes locked on the panther’s affable yet threatening form. “So what’s it gonna take to meet these lofty standards of yours?”

Nadie’s attention shifted from Russo to the magic he made manifest. Her eyes dilated as unbound curiosity welled up within her and she brushed her fingers gently along the barrier’s surface.

“Hello? Nadie? I know you can banter.” Russo cocked in confusion while he watched her pap gently against the wall of magic. “Ummm… I’m just…” Hand held out before him the human curled his fingers inward gently. The edges of the translucent green rectangular slab of interlocking scales softened and curled down towards the ground until both the raccoon and fox were enclosed in a protective dome. “Yeah let’s do that.”

Attentive and rumbly mrowls sounded out from the Yash guild master’s throat. “Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating. This is a draconic magic. The likes of which can only be gifted, never taught. Just what have you been up to, child of Varun?”

“Meh, just the same old same old.” In the periphery of his vision Russo spied Morgan struggling to prop herself up. “Hurry it up…” he impatiently thought. “Can’t keep that thing up forever.”

The hulking panther’s tail flit to and fro behind her. “Uncooperative as ever, I see,” she replied with a smirk. “Two can play at that game.” Nadie reached out and placed a padded palm against the magical dome that dared to deny her. Waves of black and purple energy pulsed out from her fingertips and clouded the surface of the barrier. Its transparent surface grew dark and murky. Morgan and Tyridia’s shifting forms faded into the swirling whorls of dark magic clinging to the barrier’s surface. “Wouldn’t want to make this too easy on you.”

“Dammit,” Russo irritably cursed. So now he had no clue when it would be safe to lower his spell. Awesome. “Didn’t take you long to throw that right back in my face,” the human yelled out to the panther from a safe distance.

“I’m surprised you’re going to let me leave it at that.” Nadie’s lips curled up into a deceptively sweet grin as she continued. “Come now, as one of Varun’s flock I expect more from you. He’s not the kind to let someone stop him from getting his way after all.”

The mage rolled his eyes and groaned. Darn cat was enjoying this way too much.

“Russo!”

Russo slouched forward and sighed.

“Is this how fights normally go?” Dax barked out from his hidey hole of an alleyway.

“No, Dax,” Russo shook his head side to side while he flattened his brows.

The wolf dared to shuffle out and take a better peek at the riveting lack of action on display. “B-because if it is then I think I might be okay at them! Well… umm…” Dax tapped his paws together timidly. “This part of them anyway. Sure you don’t need my help?”

“Yes.”

Dax wrinkled his nose and whined loudly.

“What’s the harm in letting him practice trading barbs? Everyone has to get their start in somewhere,” Nadie inquired while she tossed her free hand out to her side. Lazily, she twiddled her fingers in the air as if to beckon the wolf forward.

“Oh for- You!” Russo yelled in exasperation and pointed a finger at the Yash guild master accusingly. The panther arched her brows and smirked in response. “Yes you! Stop encouraging him.”

Wiggling with excitement, Dax bounded around the corner.

With a dismissive wave of his hand Russo motioned for the wolf to get gone. “It’s a trap you idiot! Did you already forget how she fucking blindsided Tyridia and Morgan like it was nothing?”

“Y-yeah but… we’re just talking right now.” Jogging forward, the wolf’s tail pitifully wagged to and fro. Reluctantly, Dax pressed his weight against his heels and skidded to a stop.

Nadie brought a hand up to her chin and stroked at the graying fuzz. “This guest of yours, Russo. Is he truly this… inexperienced when it comes to strife?”

Straightening his posture, the human kept his focus upon the panther. “What gave him away?”

“I’m right here you know…” Dax grumped at the constant third-person references.

The panther’s curled lips drooped slightly so as to downgrade her smirk to a smile. “My apologies. Dax, I believe it was?” Nadie received an emphatic nod in confirmation. “Hmm. Not all battles are fought with fists and flares of magic. Words, both explicit and implied, are just as potent weapons.”

“R-right!” Dax replied with uncertainty. “I think.”

Russo interjected with a frustrated grunt. “What she’s trying to say is that you don’t run your mouth off and banter for the hell of it. There’s a rhyme and reason to it all.”

Ears splayed apart, Dax failed to follow the flow of logic. “Wait…” His eyes went wide and ears perked right back up. “This really is just like the mimic!” Dax thought to himself while an epiphany struck him. “Like when you tricked those thieves into showing themselves! Oh so that means… Ooops.” Shuffling back into the alleyway, Dax timidly poked his muzzle past the wall. A grumpy bark slipped free from his maw. “So that means she’s trying to trick you! She’s sneaky.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed.” Russo ran a hand through his hair and breathed easy knowing he wouldn’t have to babysit the wolf. At least he had that going for him. Scratching at his scalp, the mage was pleasantly surprised to find Nadie had yet to move away from her post at the darkened dome’s side. “I’m honestly surprised you didn’t try and take advantage of that.”

Nadie twiddled her fingers against the barrier and was mindful not to rest her weight upon it. “Stern I may be but I’m not unreasonable. Rewarding your companion’s curiosity with what could be perceived as cruelty is not my intention. That and I know better than to engage you on your terms. You’re far too mobile for my liking.”

The two mages stared each other down as Russo digested that tidbit of information. A biting gust of air punctuated the silence that followed. Crisp brown leaves tumbled out from beneath the bare trees and bushes and crinkled against the human’s boots. “…You’re not going to move, are you?” the human dared to ask.

“Now whatever may have given you that impression?”

Holy hell it was like he was arguing with himself. “Dammit,” Russo silently mouthed. “Think think think think think don’t fuck this up,” he thought. His eyes swept over Nadie’s stationary form. “Hmmm.” Tentative tactics started to play out within the confines of Russo’s imagination. On the pretend playing field of battle that manifested within his mind, a chess board comprised of alternating black and white tiles, the players presented their pieces.

Russo made the first move and deftly maneuvered a knight into position so as to protect his threatened rooks. Nadie in turn plunked her queen right then and there to show she wasn’t fucking around. He paused and considered his options. On the opposite side of the board he nervously stared down her seemingly infinite supply of playing pieces. While on his own side sat a markedly finite and pitiful in comparison amount.

“Can’t bait her away from there… she’s too smart for that.” He commanded a rook to dance amongst the tiles to draw out a reaction but it was promptly knocked aside. “Ummm… I could force her to move?” A knight timidly approached the Nadie’s queen and was smacked asunder. “Yeah she’ll just beat the shit out of me. And I can’t just drag it out. My magic will run out long before hers does.” A steady line of chess pieces advanced row by row as time ticked on and steadily suffocated his options. “Can’t lower the barrier since she’ll just clock Morgan and Tyridia out the first chance she gets… I mean the whole point of this is to get them out of there.” Russo let out a tired sigh. Nadie had gone and turned his trump card into a trap. Hell even if she hadn’t gone and blackened his barrier he’d probably still be screwed and hold on now.

The mage squinted his eyes. “If I can’t see in there then neither can she.” A tumultuous rumbling rattled the pretend battlefield as Russo flaunted the rules. A flood of checkers, a veritable fuckton of them, overwhelmed the board and tossed everything into disarray. “I can’t outsmart her when I play by her rules, that’s a given. So… I’ll just quit playing by them. Or better yet, break them.”

Nadie hrmmed to herself while she watched her opponent’s attention drift elsewhere. Now really would be the ideal time to rush him down but… best not to risk it. He could recover from any act of carelessness far too quickly for her to take advantage of it. With a rumbling growl the panther cleared her throat. “It would appear we have reached an impasse.”

“Go ahead and keep thinking that,” Russo shot back. A muffled snap sounded out as two gloved fingers slid against one another and he vanished in a burst of light.

Jaw clenched, Nadie mulled her options. She twiddled her fingers against the barrier once more to verify its continued existence. A curved surface pressed back against her padded fingertips. “Still there…” she muttered to herself. It was admittedly refreshing, if not mentally taxing, trying to take into account Russo’s tactics.

“What kind of risk would that human deem worthwhile to take?” The panther pondered while stroking at the grey furs on her chin. Her cheek still tingled from the rudimentary spell that had slapped her upside the head. “He chose not to approach her nor did he lob any more spells from afar. Simultaneously casting two spells of any notable power is probably too much for him to handle…” Nadie squinted her eyes for a moment. “Then again he did just teleport yet the barrier remains…” Then again that is a spell he most likely can cast effortlessly. Hmm… if he could have safely forced her back from afar he would have taken the opportunity. She swiveled her head side to side. Not a sign of him amongst the trees or undergrowth. Her pupils bobbed against the top of their sockets. He wasn’t among the tree canopies or on the roof. Nadie growled. She didn’t like having a target that couldn’t be stalked.

“You there, Dax!” Nadie awkwardly lifted up a padded arm, mounds of pillows chafing against her side, and pointed at the wolf.

A surprised albeit confused aroo sounded from the pudgy wannabe mage. “M-me?”

“Yes, you. By chance would you happen to know where Russo would have vanished off to?” The wolf promptly tossed his arms out to the side and shrugged. No panicked or frustrated whispers could be heard from beyond the alleyway. Nor did Dax ever look back to any unseen guests to gauge whether or not his response was an appropriate one. “It was worth a shot,” Nadie grumbled.

---

“I’ll be honest. I was expecting some sort of smart-ass response or complaint the second I teleported in here but uhhh…” Russo sheepishly scratched at his cheek, “You’re welcome.”

“What would there be to complain about?” Knees tucked up against her chest, Morgan’s ringtail flopped against the ground. “I mean if you really want us to I’m sure Tyr and I can find something to moan and groan about.”

Hunched over his legs, Tyridia gently rocked himself back and forth. “Well… it is a little comfy-cozy in here. Some room to stretch our legs would be nice.” The fox gestured to the darkened dome walls that stretched over them. What little light filled the air was courtesy of the interlocking lattices of magic that gave off a subdued green glow.

“You’ll take what you get and like it,” Russo replied half-jokingly. “So uhh… I take it you two are probably a little confused and or curious as to why the hell I’m here.”

Tyr arched his brows and gently bobbed his head side to side. “Maybe just a lot.”

“Fair enough. But can we save that for after this whole Nadie business? Can only keep this up for so long.” The human pointed towards the top of the magical construct that housed them. A fine mist wafted out from between his lips as he shivered. “Been here long enough as it is.”

Morgan swiveled a hand about her wrist to coerce the conversation to a close. “Agreed. Let’s not waste our second wind. The only…” The raccoon paused as she caught herself on her words. “Okay, the only desirable way out of this mess is to defeat Master.”

The entire group awkwardly averted one another’s gaze in response. With a sigh Morgan, was the first to break the painfully drawn out silence with a blunt acknowledgement of their odds. “Which is no small feat, I’ll admit.”

“I don’t think we’re supposed to be able to,” Tyridia grunted while he nervously scratched at a flicking ear.

Morgan’s lips drooped slightly. He wasn’t wrong. “Even so, it’s not like her to set us up for failure. Master wants us to be challenged, not tortured.”

Russo hrmmed and bit his lip. “So what will it take to get her to ease up?”

“She’s already taking it easy on us,” the raccoon glumly acknowledged. “Even with the kiddie gloves on Master is still nearly taking our heads off our shoulders.”

Tyridia’s white tipped tail curled around his ankles. “Do you think…” He cocked his muzzle to the side and pursed his lips. “Do you think she’d concede if she wasn’t able to take it easy on us?”

Russo and Morgan shot the fox quizzical looks. “Isn’t that the only reason you two are still alive?” The human asked.

Beginning to crumple under the pressure, Tyr simply shrugged. “Master said it herself that she’s not out to get us. If we take away her pulled punches then maybe all we’ll be left with is no punches?” Tyridia leaned back against the barrier, his neck tilting forward uncomfortably.

“Nadie seems like the type to start headbutting or kicking the crap out of us if it came to that,” Russo groaned through clenched teeth.

“That’s the point though,” Morgan interjected. “I didn’t see her tossing out any boots or knees or foreheads out there. Did you?”

The pale skinned mage’s eyes bobbed to the sides of their sockets while he contemplated the matter. “…She is very punchy, yeah. So, what, are you saying we should rip those pillows right off her? Her being so, you know, fucking punchy in the first place kinda complicates that.”

“It’s not like we can run around forever though. We uhh… we already tried that.” Tyr tilted his head side to side and cringed. Loud cracks sounded out from his neck as the fox worked out some kinks.

Morgan took back the reins of the conversation and steered everyone back towards a definitive plan of action. “Right, well, we need to do something. At this point it’s better to have a flawed plan than none at all. Unless you have a better idea, Russo.” Hood flipped up over her head, the raccoon’s brown eyes flit back and forth between her companions.

His jaw loosened for but a moment before Russo pressed his chapped lips back against one another. “You know her better than I do.”

“Alright then, we have ropes and twine holding them in place to target.” Morgan’s gentle tone grew authoritative and commanded the fox and human’s attention. “Tyridia, Russo; Both of you have spells that can burn them off.” Feeling their eyes settling upon her the raccoon quickly chimed in with how she would contribute. “I suppose I can as well but that’s contingent on me nailing her with a Reverse spell first. Which risks negating your work so never mind scratch that.”

Tyr shot Morgan a wry but nervous smile. “Heh, no need to go and freeze those ropes lashed around her. Master hits hard enough as it is.”

“What about that black gunk?” Russo added. “The both of you locked up when she slathered you with that.”

“Right right… Blindness and Deafening are two of her favorite spells. Very potent and debilitating when combined together.” Hand held out before her, a warm but piercing light radiated off of Morgan’s digits. “Leave that to me. I can undo just about any damage she can deal out.”

Arms crossed about his chest, Russo felt his feet skid forward against the frozen ground while he leaned back against the barrier. “Simple enough,” the mage responded. “Tyridia and I burn shit and you keep throwing fuel onto the fire. So we have a plan of attack. Any ideas on how to make sure the two of you don’t end up embedded into the ground again? No offense.”

Morgan stifled a grimace and brushed away at the dew, dirt, and grass stains that had collected on her sleeves. “None taken. That’s uhh… that’s a work in progress now that you mention it.”

“Hold on hold on,” Tyridia dared to interrupt. “How exactly were you planning on getting us out of here?”

“I teleported in, I’ll teleport us out,” Russo replied nonchalantly. “Can’t wait to see the look on Nadie’s smug face when it sinks in that I can slip us right out from beneath her fingertips.”

“Well… now…” The fox hesitatingly interjected. “Tempting as it is to teleport us directly back onto the battlefield if uh… if that’s what you want to call it, you don’t have to do that. I mean,” Tyridia’s hands circled about one another while he spoke, “Master never said we had to face her head on. Or that we couldn’t convene out front of the guild or on the roof or in the alleys. Or flank her from multiple sides and uh… yeah.”

Unable to stifle a toothy grin Morgan leaned over and nudged her foxy friend’s shoulder. “Look at you getting all devious!”

Tyridia’s orange furred cheeks masked a welling blush, much to his eternal relief. “Master did leave us a lot of ambiguity to work with…”

---

Nadie brushed one of her padded arms back and forth against her forehead and sighed. “You’re sure he’s not back there?”

“Mmhmm! Hey… aww shoot I probably shouldn’t be telling you that should I. Darnit.” Fists clenched and at his sides Dax dared to bark at the panther from a generous distance away. This banter stuff was harder than he thought it’d be.

Pointed teeth grinding against one another, Nadie allowed herself to slouch forward. She felt shackled to this barrier and every minute that agonizingly ticked by only served to remind her of that. Intentionally or not, that mage had done a fine job sowing seeds of doubt and discontent within the panther’s mind. Nadie had to constantly remind herself that this was, mind-numbing as it was, the safest and surest route to victory. Deny them the chance to regroup above all else and for goodness sakes do not chase him. Yet at the same time nor she could afford to let herself get complacent! She had to remain vigilant, alert. Simply standing sentry was not going to win this fight.

“So uhh… big kitty lady.”

Taking the time to inhale and exhale deeply through her wrinkled black nose, the feline composed herself. “You can address me as Nadie if you like. And my apologies Dax, but I am preoccupied at the moment.”

Padded fingers clutching at the splintering planks of wood along the side of the the building, the wolf narrowed his eyes. “Is that just you being sneaky again?”

Lips curling down into a frown the panther growled softly. Not only that, but Russo had managed to leave a distraction of unmatched prowess in his absence. It had been a long, long, time since she had engaged in such a mentally taxing fight. “No, young wolf. This is me being frustrated. Even though I am capable of doing so I have little interest in engaging in drawn out battles of attrition.”

A brief burst of light at the edge of her vision enraptured the panther’s attention. Nadie’s head whipped up towards the source.

“Holy crap you’re still there?” A familiar voice called out from above. Brows arched, Russo peered down from atop the Yash guild’s slanted roof.

“Ahh there you are! I was beginning to think that you had abandoned them and run off…to…” What satisfaction had been present in Nadie’s voice abruptly fizzled off the tip of her tongue. Jaw gone slack, the panther blinked not once but twice to be absolutely certain as to what she was seeing.

Foot tapping against frost crusted roof tiles, Russo quietly bit into a buttered roll. “What?” he inquired between chews.

A flurry of questions, most of them characterized by anger or disbelief, circulated through Nadie’s mind. “I… Do…” The panther’s brows flattened as did her lips. He was a child of Varun, all right. “I can’t help but think that no matter the question I ask and no matter the answer you provide, I won’t approve of it.”

“Probably not,” Russo replied with a shrug while he poked the remainder of the pastry between his lips.

“Wait what’s going on now?” Dax yelled out.

Hands cupped around his mouth the human turned to face towards the wolf’s general direction. “You need to learn to eavesdrop harder Dax, I took a snack break.”

“Awwww!”

Rolling his eyes, the mage reached into his pocket and produced another pastry. With a flick of his wrist Russo lobbed it off to his side where it bounced against the weathered wooden tiles that lined the roof. After its second bounce it teetered over the slanted edge to a waiting wolf below. A muffled thank you sounded out moments later.

“Far be it from me to offer my opponent counsel, but you’ll find such tactics ineffective. You can give it a rest, Russo. I have no intention to bite at the bait you’ve laid out for me.” Nadie narrowed her gaze and glared up at her opponent.

The human couldn’t help but smile. If there was one thing he was good at it was running interference. How best to string this along until Morgan and Tyridia got set up… “Oh is that how it is? Hell I’ll go back for seconds at this rate.”

Nadie clenched her teeth together and exhaled. “I really shouldn’t have to repeat myself. From what I recall, you and your guest were skulking around when I gave both Morgan and Tyridia reason to take this exercise seriously.”

“Yeah yeah we heard.” Russo dismissively answered. “See, the fun thing here is you can’t tell if this is a show of confidence or me just being an ass.”

Tail bristling behind her, Nadie forcibly flicked it to and fro. The black hairs standing up on end reluctantly flattened themselves. “Repeating the same action ad infinitum and expecting different results is the very definition of insanity. I am not leaving this spot, Russo. Nor does it appear you can force me to do so.”

“Good,” he uttered without a second though. The mage flicked a thumb across his upper lip to dislodge some lingering crumbs before crossing his arms about his chest. His gaze remained locked upon the panther. “Eyes on her, eyes on her, eyes on her,” he feverishly thought to himself. Wouldn’t want to blow the raccoon and fox’s cover this late in the game.

“How far do you intend to take this?” Nadie called out. Her composed but markedly irritated voice rumbled in her throat. “If you aimed to take me on by my lonesome then why maintain the barrier? It’s an obvious magical drain that you can ill afford to let go to waste.” She awkwardly shifted a pillow wrapped arm around until her exposed palm pressed against the darkened dome. “Morgan and Tyridia remain trapped.”

The feline flicked her fingers against the murky goop of magic that clung to the barrier’s surface. It parted just enough to reveal the hunched over forms of the fox and raccoon. The darkness contracted just as quickly with the clenching of her fingers. “I don’t doubt that they’ve already recuperated but at the very least I can deny you the chance to coordinate with them. Even if they were to conjure an illusion within those cramped confines what good would it do them? I can fell the both of them the instant this shielding of yours falls.” Shaking her head side to side, Nadie’s braided ponytail dragged along her broad back. “If you want to drag this out to the bitter end, fine.”

“Ehh, you know what. You’re right,” Russo replied with a half-hearted shrug. If those two hadn’t gotten into position by now than that was their fault not his. That and this little rant of Nadie’s was just far too good an opportunity to pass up. “Let’s just get this done and over with.” With a muffled snap of his gloved fingers the semi-spherical shape of his dragon scale barrier began to crumble and deform. The coating of darkness bubbled and lurched as it simply dripped through the exposed and growing gaps in the magical shield.

Nadie had expected, craved even, for him to act but… not so casually. No matter. If Russo was expecting her to be taken aback or shocked at the disregard for the well-being of his companions, perhaps offering both the fox and raccoon a sliver of hope to escape, then he was sorely mistaken. “So be it. I can’t claim that I was expecting you to throw away this fight so easily.” Raising her puffy arms overhead, the panther clasped them together the best she could. The tops of Tyridia’s orange tipped ears and Morgan’s black ones came into view as the forces keeping the interlocking hexagons gave way and they crumbled one by one. Nadie shifted her weight forward and brought the ruinous weight of her limbs down upon them.

A loud and heavy whap rumbled out across the clearing and clouds of dust intermingled with fading black wisps of dark magic rose up around the feline. Her swing had passed through the fox and raccoon’s forms without resistance. Nadie’s eyes went wide at the implications of what she had just done as a scorching and suffocating heat crackled to life around her. “This was the bait,” the Yash guild master realized much too late. No crumpled and groaning bodies lay beneath her. No, Tyridia’s illusions had long since given way to a flurry of purple and inky flames that swarmed around the panther.

“Gotcha.” A triumphant grin creased the human’s lips as he held an upturned hand out before him. Ethereal energy swirled about his palm, embers and tufts of smoke crackling and sputtering from the wisps of magic that collided with one another. Following a bright and fiery flash, a dense ball of flame was seen to be hovering just above his fingertips.

Her nostrils flared and breaths shallow, the Yash guild master leapt back. Purple flames crackled to life in her wake. The disturbed air fed their fury and encouraged them to nip ravenously at her legs and padded limbs. “So that… all that muster and bluster wasn’t for show?” Nadie thought to herself as she winced. “Should’ve known better.” She smacked her arms against one another to try and smother the flames and flow of ashen feathers pouring out from the smoldering pillows. Russo had banked on her foolishly dismissing his incredulous claims, even when she of all people knew better, and still she doubted him! Every outlandish claim he had brought before her thus far had proven true. Why would this one have been any different?

“So glad I took the high ground,” Russo thought out loud while he took aim at the fleeing feline. With every pulse of his palm an orange orb was sent spiraling towards her. “Oooh that was a good one,” the mage smirked as a steady stream of flame sailed into Nadie. Too distracted with trying to put herself out the panther left herself wide open to an attack.

Both of Nadie’s arms practically burst into flame, a mixture of red hot and purple embers wafting off her as the ropes wrapped round her long limbs hemorrhaged splinters. “Enough!” she growled. They had made their point. Flickers of black pierced through the inferno that threatened to engulf her arms and a low ringing sounded out as Nadie flooded her form with magic. A dark aura engulfed her arms and swallowed up the flames entirely amongst it. Ruined bedding and rope continued to plop to the ground. Sparkling drops of moisture coalesced on the tufted blades of grass around the panther as they quickly thawed in the ambient heat of the shed padding.

“Very impressive.” Visibly no worse for wear, the Yash guild master brushed the ash off her ruined sleeves. “To think you could turn around what looked to be such a decisive defeat on such short notice… fine work indeed!”

“Yay! They won!” Dax cheered on excitedly as he trotted out of the alleyway, tail wagging a mile a minute behind him. “Oop. Wait a minute… You’re probably just being sneaky again!” The wolf’s muzzle scrunched up and a series of grumpy barks spilled forth from his maw.

A half-smile creasing her lips, Nadie cocked her head at the canine. “I can assure you Dax that-” She grunted as a fireball floated on down and bapped her in the chest. “There’s no need for further hostilities, I’ve-” Yet another fiery orb whisked by the feline. “You can stop now.”

“Just checking,” Russo replied before taking a seat on the roof. “I mean, Dax did have a point there.”

Off some ways behind Nadie, hidden amongst the trees, the air wavered and the flora warped and bent out of shape as an illusion gave way. Timidly, Tyridia and Morgan stepped forth from the brush. “It never hurts to err on the side of caution. Nothing personal, Master,” the raccoon nervously chuckled as she approached.



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