Taking On The Mission

It was truly a precarious situation they had just navigated, one that could have escalated into far more serious consequences had the slightest misstep occurred. But none could simply lay hands upon a common servant under the protection of a mage, especially one who – for all her infamous reputation – still maintained official ties to an organization as powerful and influential as the Arcane Nexus Collective.

Arianna, by virtue of her continued association with that esteemed institution, enjoyed a considerable degree of protection compared to the average mage operating independently. 

A fact that left the EmberForge mages seething with impotent rage as they watched their intended victims depart without so much as a backward glance.

The two furious mystics whirled around, their robes billowing behind them as they marched with purposeful strides toward a cluster of three Arcane Nexus mages who had been observing the confrontation with keen interest. 

Two of those individuals were none other than Keal and Vayn, the very ones who had dispatched agents to apprehend Arianna – agents who had ultimately met their demise at the hands of the woman and her mysterious common companion.

As the EmberForge mages approached, their leader spoke through gritted teeth, his words laced with an icy chill that could freeze even the hottest of flames. "We're in. An animal like that has no right to be in the hands of some average bitch. We'll take care of them both, by any means necessary."

"Excellent," Vayn replied, a casual smile curving his lips as an ominous, frigid aura began to permeate outward from his very being, causing the air itself to crystallize with each passing second. "I will admit, we may need to plan out our approach a bit more thoroughly this time. But rest assured, we'll capture these two little ingrates soon enough and make them regret their transgressions a thousandfold."

Keal let out a weary sigh, shaking his head as if resigning himself to an inevitability he had seen coming from miles away. "Should've known that this was some manner of trickery orchestrated by that damnable Arianna. That woman simply doesn't know how to act within her prescribed lane and accept her limitations."

It was evident from his tone that he believed the only reason Gladius had been able to counter and overpower a mana-based attack was due to some underhanded machination or mystical aid provided by the infamous Arianna. 

Though, for some inexplicable reason – a nagging feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on – the leader of the EmberForge mages found himself unable to fully dismiss the events they had just witnessed.

His brow furrowed as he slowly voiced his lingering doubts. "Before we start making any concrete plans, are you absolutely certain there haven't been any stories, any reports or whispers, of a common mortal overcoming the powers of mana through sheer force of will or mundane means?"

Vayn let out a bright, pealing laugh that seemed to drain what little warmth remained from the air around them, his mind utterly incapable of lending any credence to such a preposterous notion.

"Don't get cold feet now, my friend," he chided, his voice carrying a razor-sharp edge beneath its superficial joviality. "Does that even make any logical sense? A person with no mana, no mystical attunement whatsoever, overcoming a fundamental force of power that transcends the limited capacities of mere mortals? Get real."

His expression hardened as he pressed on, his conviction bolstered by the smug arrogance of one who had never truly been challenged in all their years. "Even the strongest, most barbarically trained common mortal would be struck down within seconds by the mystical might of the most trash-tier mage. Their physical capabilities are nothing but insignificant gnats compared to the grandeur of the mystic arts we command."

Vayn's gaze swept across the gathered mystics, His eyes glittering with a fierce light as he proclaimed, "Now then, enough idle speculation. Let's get to planning our next move, and quickly – we don't want any other foolish mages getting it into their heads to try wrestling our prizes away from us after that little display."

At his words, grim nods of agreement rippled through the assembled group, their confidence bolstered by Vayn's impassioned rhetoric. They knew they would need to act swiftly and decisively, before this strange, unnerving incident could take on a life of its own and jeopardize their aspirations.

...

At this time, Gladius and Arianna had swiftly made their way to the treacherous Ashen Woodlands, the vast expanse of gnarled trees and twisted underbrush that served as the hunting grounds for some of the most dangerous magical beasts in the region. 

They followed a specific, well-trodden path that would lead them straight to one of the largest congregations of Nascent Novice Boars – their targets for the mission they had accepted.

It didn't take them long to locate the rampaging herd of massive, terrifying boar beasts. Their eyes gleamed with an ominous crimson glow, as if stoked by the barely restrained fury simmering within their magical cores. 

Wicked tusks, honed to razor-sharp points by years of relentless gnashing and goring, protruded from their slobbering maws like curved blades ready to disembowel the unwary.

Their mere presence exuded a dominating, almost suffocating aura of primal might – the kind that would send weaker Nascent Novice mages scrambling in fear, their bravado evaporating like morning mist before the dawn. 

But naturally, neither Gladius nor Arianna harbored even the slightest inkling of trepidation in the face of such intimidating adversaries.

Without a moment's hesitation, they unsheathed their respective weapons – Gladius's spirit sword gleaming with a brilliant radiance of concentrated sword energy, while Arianna's ornate magical staff glistened with streaks of scintillating mana that danced across its elegantly carved surface like arcing bolts of ephemeral lightning.

And in that moment, the duo unleashed a devastating onslaught that defied the comprehension of mortal minds.

Streaks of harrowing, swiftly arcing fire arrows lanced forth from Arianna's outstretched palm, their trajectories unerringly accurate as they hurtled through the air with blistering speeds. 

The atmosphere itself seemed to elevate to a painful, scorching intensity, the sheer heat radiating outward in palpable waves that would have caused weaker Nascent Novice mages to break out in uncontrollable sweats, their breath coming in ragged, labored gasps.

The peak Nascent Novice boars, their bestial senses attuned to even the faintest whispers of impending danger, immediately squealed in panic as the fiery onslaught rained down upon them. 

Many of the swifter, more agile beasts managed to retreat to safer distances, their thunderous footfalls shaking the very earth beneath them as they fled the lethal conflagration.

But some were not so lucky.

These unfortunate boars, their hides radiating with a faint sheen of berserk crimson mana that served as their only defense against mystical assaults, bellowed in defiant fury as the searing arrows found their marks. 

But that shimmering barrier of power proved to be little more than a paltry obstacle before the sheer, overwhelming might of Arianna's precisely guided flames.

The fire arrows shredded through those crimson auras as if they were mere gossamer, continuing on their deadly trajectories without losing even an iota of momentum.

 In the blink of an eye, the razor-sharp shafts of mystical fire brutally tore through the boars' eye sockets, instantly setting the insides of their skulls ablaze with an unholy conflagration.

Brains, eyes, bones, and tissues – all were fried to a horrific, liquefied mush within the span of a few agonizing heartbeats. 

The massive beasts trembled violently, their agonized death-throes causing the very ground to quake, before finally collapsing in smoldering, unrecognizable heaps of charred flesh and scorched bone.

But amidst the fiery maelstrom unleashed by Arianna's mystical barrages, a bright gleam of silvery radiance streaked through the ember-choked haze with an almost blinding intensity. 

Gladius's spirit sword, enhanced to nigh-unstoppable levels through the profound mysteries of the Sturdy Body Art, flashed through the air in a series of slashes so swift, so incomprehensibly precise, that they seemed to defy the very laws of physics itself.

Every surgically executed stroke of that keen, unearthly blade tore through the boars' eyes with a cold, clinical efficiency, the edge parting flesh and bone as easily as a hot knife gliding through warm butter. 

Gladius didn't even pause after felling one of the rampaging beasts, his spirit sword already arcing toward its next victim in a perpetual, deadly dance of mystical lethality.

The boars attempted to unleash their crimson auras of berserk energy, striving to erect even the flimsiest of defenses against this whirlwind of death that had so abruptly descended upon them. But it was all for naught, a futile and insignificant gesture akin to raising a silk fan against an oncoming tornado.

Gladius's spirit sword simply tore those rippling waves of power asunder, reducing them to little more than glittering motes of harmless atmospheric detritus that could not hope to resist the overwhelming onslaught of the sword force he commanded.

As the gory spectacle of their unholy butchery unfolded, Arianna found herself contemplating their respective roles in this lethal collaboration, her mind instinctively analyzing every nuance and detail in an effort to glean some deeper insight into the nature of their abilities.