Incline 45: Grand-Guard Inerish

"Is there anything you can find? I refuse to believe that he just became stronger like that!" I demand to know, clicking my fingers at the end.

"I'm sorry, Grand-Guard Inerish, but all the data just shows Prisoner Nin suddenly wrenching his magic back."

"Then explain why he is not using it here, or here!" I nearly scream as this was perhaps the biggest issue in my career so far. We had reports of Smiling Jhurack's laughter, yet no sightings of him... What we did get, however, was sightings of Nin near several groups of injured soldiers and guardsmen! It wasn't making any sense at all...

I just could not understand what was going on nor how someone could look at this and blame me! I was even watching recordings of him suddenly gaining injuries out of nowhere! Why would he harm himself? The answer was that he didn't!

Not that those who wanted to see me publically humiliated would believe that...

"Inerish-"

"It's Grand-Guard!" I corrected furiously before I turned around to meet this disrespectful individual. Only to be shocked and slightly scared at the amassed soldiers. With the lead one holding a pair of magic-suppressing cuffs...

"Not anymore." the Stroke of High Noon said as he walked into my command centre. A largely unexpressive but still furious expression on his face.

"YOU CAN'T ARREST ME FOR THIS! WE HAVEN'T EVEN FINISHED THE AFTER-ACTION REPORT!" I shout at him before several soldiers move to restrain me. The target of my anger, however, did not react to my advance.

"And give you an opportunity to cover up the fact you threatened a coup de tat? To cover up that you let an osibindah run rampant through the streets of this city!?"

"WHY YOU-" I start to shout before a rifle butt slams against my face. It in turn made my anger focus on that soldier. And I spat blood at him.

"Take her away to the cells with that damn bug of hers." he snorts before they effortlessly move me out of my command centre.

"LET GO OF ME! THIS IS AN ORDER! THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO DO THIS!" I scream at them before I realise that I did not have that device Galanmarck gave me.

"And someone get me a direct line to that prince! I want him to get these soldiers out of my city!" he ordered before the closing door took him out of my sight. Eventually, as well, it started to turn colder and darker. The lights took on a different appearance to mark their region and I was soo cast away into a cell.

Yet, all I did was spit at them before they left, "When I get out of here..." I growl as I got up. Sneering at the cell door before I looked on over at the cell in front of me. I could hear chittering coming from it. Then, I heard laughter and sudden thuds.

"Oh, now this won't do!" someone exclaimed before they arrived at my cell door. Yet, before they even got there, Nin began to violently smash at his door. He somehow even broke it down, with it flying at mine before he roared.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" were the words that came out of him.

"Not like that you won't, Dance Partner." Smiling Jhurack chastises before my own door was suddenly blown in.

"What do you want!?" I asked him as Nin helplessly wailed on the immovable killer.

He smiles at me before answering, "See, I just wanted to have some fun. Overheard your plan, and decided to mess with it. But, I wasn't quite expecting this response- Shut up!" he started to answer before he slapped Nin away towards the wall. He did not get up after that blow...

"And you are here because...?" I growled in questioning before he sliced off my cuffs. And the moment that happened, my magic sword appeared and I swung it. Grinding my teeth as his physical blade somehow held back one made of fiery shadow.

"Because I am here to put on a performance! My partner needs time to learn, but the critics won't let me finish!"

"Whatever you'r-"

"Planning? You'll stop me?" he asked with an infuriating cackle, "I stopped your plan with but a bit of misdirection, you won't stop mine the same way!"

"I'm not helping you!" I tell him.

"Oh," he starts off with before he looks back at Nin as he suddenly stirs, "but you are!" he exclaims before a bandaged fist suddenly comes at me.

"WAIT!" I scream at Nin after recovering from the throw that punch put me through.

"WHERE DID HE GO!?" Nin roars in question before I am suddenly pinned against the wall. One hand around my neck with unexplained strength. Somehow, his magic was coming through but mine wasn't! The cuffs were off! I still had the equipment to keep my magic!

"G-Get..." I struggled to get out to the growling beast before he just dropped me. I panted and coughed after I hit the floor. I needed water desperately, but there was none to be had...

"Where are you...?" Nin growled before he walked out of the prisoner block. And, knowing what would happen if he continued this act, I chased after him.

"NIN! WAIT! STOP!" I yelled as the narrow halls suddenly lit up with raw magic. And each time it did, I dropped down or rolled down into another hallway. Even these blasts would be dangerous with my inexplicit loss of magic...

"JHURACK!" he howls before the sound of slicing metal fills my ears.

"Oh no..." I exclaim as I start to fear the worst. Yet, when I reached the area I heard it, I only saw destroyed guns and knocked-out men.

"Dance Partner, stage is this way!" Jhurack chuckles before Nin makes a run for it after him. Before catching up to them, however. I check each man I found on the ground. I made sure they were okay before I went after the pair.

Coming to a stop at the command centre as alarms blared about the building. Jhurack must've gone into there as Nin was lashing out at the security doors. The halls boomed as if a thunderstorm had moved inside the building. And its lightning looked like fire!

"OPEN FIRE!" an amassing of guards screamed before they started to shoot at Nin and me by extension. However, Jhurack suddenly appeared with a smirk and deflected each shot or destroyed it. And all I had to do was blink before each of those guards was suddenly on the ground. By instinct as well, I leapt back at the walls.

"You can come out, he thinks I am in there!" he loudly and clearly says with no reaction from Nin.

"What the..." I let out as I slowly got up. How could Nin not see him...?

"That door will come down soon, see, I'm juicing my Dance Partner here up a bit. Yet, I don't have enough to spare, so, you'll need to take the lead role!" Jhurack laughs before a thunderous crash and a dozen screams filled my ears. And, at the drop of a hat, Nin suddenly collapsed and his magic was drained once again.

"ARREST HER!" the Stroke of High Noon screams furiously as he moves out of his cover. However, none of the soldiers obeyed him and the room filled with their suddenly sliced-up weapons.

"Smiling Jhurack knew! He knew about the plan, Stroke of High Noon!" I start off with as I march forward to profess my innocence. Regardless of how Jhurack might've set it up, I would not be tried because of lies! Because someone wanted me to be in a cell for failures out of my control!

"I said... ARREST HER!" he roared without so much as registering what I had said!

"Sit him down!" I bark before one of the men actually followed my orders.

"Let g-"

I grab him by the mouth, "Now you listen here! Can you not see how far Smiling Jhurack's influence is? You just saw how he gave magic to Nin somehow and took it away! You saw how he made a complete mockery of our security! So you pay attention and you do it well!"

"H-How is Smiling Jhurack here...?" one of my control room technicians asks before Smiling Jhurack suddenly appeared behind him. Yet, despite others looking that way, only I saw him. And he was smiling and wheeling his free hand about.

"I don't know, but however he is doing it, it is the same way our plan was ruined! He did not let you see him, but he could!" I tell them, gesturing to my soldiers at first before kicking Nin's limp body in frustration.

Then, suddenly, dramatic clapping, "Oh, marvelous. Now, let me cap it all off-"

He started to say before I swung my sword at him once again. And, like last time, he blocked it with his own and smiled at me. He even winked at me mockingly before he suddenly phased past my sword. However, what hit me was a cane.

So I stumbled back with a mixture of confusion and terror in my eyes...

"As I was saying, I am going to cap this affair off! I want you to look around people! Mostly at this man right here!" he exclaims before he starts to harshly jab at Nin's limp body.

"FIRE!" a distorted voice said before an armed man suddenly appeared. He was then in turn slapped down with such force that his helmet broke.

"I want you to put your faith in Nin here, just like your Grand-Guard did when she got real desperate. I want you to guide him like I will. I want you to be real nice to him! And, as a sign of good faith, I'll even let you move that girl of his! Put her in a real nice place!" he cackled before he suddenly vanished.

And I quickly moved into action, "GET THE WOUNDED OUT OF HERE! I WANT THIS BUILDING LOCKED DOWN!" I roared at them all before I grabbed the Union device. I did not whistle into it like I should have, instead, I blew into it like a war horn. Those Union soldiers would help us lock this building down... We'd become more impregnable than the Lunar's Reach Palace itself!

Then, during a very brief moment of reprieve, I looked down at Nin. I stared intently at him before I stopped some men from restraining him. I tried to think of something, but, I was too pressured to do it. So I shook my head and headed to where I needed to be.

I would sort it out later.