A Friendly Spar

Cage leaps, flipping back through the air until he lands on a flat roof. He looks toward his opponent, only to find an empty, moon-lit street. Cage had barely dodged those eels, despite his surprise. He half expected a fight to occur, but after speaking to Grish for so long, his defenses had lowered some.

Cage sees a light from the corner of his eyes, and looks up, gasping as several of those violet eels fall down on him. He pushes off the roof, soaring through the air and slamming feet-first onto the side of a nearby slanted roof.

"You're quick, I'll give you that," A taunting voice says from above. Cage looks up to find Grish floating in the air several meters away, a larger eel under his feet to facilitate his flight, "How long can you keep that up?" Krish asks with a smirk.

Cage only clenches his jaw in response, staring up at the man. Cage can't use the boulders with his opponent being above him, and he can't get in close enough to use one of the swords. However, he will have to come up with something, because those eels are coming again.

This advance is different though. The eels begin to spark with violet electricity, which crackles loudly through the city. Cage leaps, aiming for another roof close by. However, as he flies through the air, his nerves are shocked as electricity chains from the eels and strikes him in the back.

Cage slams shoulder-first into the flat roof, skidding to a stop a moment later. He grimaces, body twitching, that violet electricity sparking across his robe. Cage curses, frustration welling up inside him as he rises to his feet with some effort.

"Hurry now," Grish says from above, sitting on that massive eel with his legs hanging over the side, "You won't be able to do much without your powers."

Cage gazes up at Grish, still twitching slightly, adrenaline thumping through his body, "Do you always talk this much?" he asks.

Grish laughs, "I didn't know there was a limit on communication," he responds. The smaller eels still swirl around him, the violet light they emit causing Krish to look like a second moon.

Cage pauses, his lips curling slowly. It really is no fun being powerless, he thinks. Fortunately, Cage is anything but powerless. He reaches for his right sleeve, pulling with a grunt until the fabric rips completely. He throws the sleeve on the ground, and a moment later, those black tendrils sprout from his right shoulder, gathering in the vague shape of an arm.

Cage looks down at the makeshift arm. It's much skinnier than his actual arm and shifts constantly as Cage focuses to hold the shape. There are only three fingers, and even those look more like the claws of a creature than actual fingers. He has been practicing this for days now, hoping to eventually be able to create an actual arm. This imitation will have to do for now though.

"Neat," Grish says with a smile from above, gazing at Cage's new arm, "You clearly don't belong here, and those powers only prove that further. That makes it interesting though, doesn't it?"

"What do you know about belonging?" Cage asks with furrowed brows, sweat trickling down his nose. Hurry, he thinks, I don't know how long I can hold this.

"Not much, I suppose," Grish responds, raising a hand, relaxing on the eel with his other hand supporting his chin, "I was exiled after all," he says, waving his hand forward.

Those eels bolt toward Cage again, electricity sparking from their phantom bodies. Cage grimaces, tensing his makeshift arm, "Let's hope this works," he whispers to himself, throwing his black hand forward.

The three-fingered hand grows to the size of a large round shield. The eels fly into the black hole made by Cage, disappearing as they enter a portal to nowhere. Silence.

Cage lowers the black shield, shifting it back into a hand. He looks up at Krish, a sense of triumph rising in him. Krish hums with raised brows, "I see," he says, raising his hand again.

Suddenly, every eel puffs into violet-colored particles, save for the one Krish lies on. The particles zip through the air, gathering above the brown-skinned man in an instant. A bright flash of light forces Cage to raise his hand before his eyes, and a moment later, he looks again, black eyes widening.

There, above Grish, a single eel the size of a fleet ship floats. Violet light lights up the entire street and surrounding buildings. Electricity runs through the eels translucent body, twisting through its rib cage like blood vessels. The ghostly creature turns its head, and looks at Grish with hollow eyes, "What do you want, Grish?" The eel speaks with a deep, grating voice.

Grish looks up at the eel, smiling, "Happy to see me, aren't you, Polk?" he says, sighing. Grish looks at Cage, pointing, "Give that man there a chase, if you will."

Polk turns his massive head, empty sockets looking at Cage. The creature pauses, then looks at Grish again, "Why?" he asks.

Grish sighs again, shaking his head, "Must you always do this? Can you just do what I say for once?" he asks.

"Water," Polk responds with his booming voice.

Grish waves a hand through the air, "Alright, we'll visit the ocean before we leave here," he says in an annoyed tone.

Polk hums, looking at Cage again. Meanwhile, Cage himself stands stiff as he meets the creature's empty eyes. He looks around, seeing shudders on the walls of homes open, then quickly close. It seems the fight has awoken some of the Rajin locals, though Cage doubts they will come to watch. No one would want to be near this beast.

Cage returns his eyes to Polk. It seems that the summoned creature is somewhat intelligent, and it just made a deal with its owner. Alyra never mentioned Conjurers having sentient summons, but it would have been nice if she did, Cage thinks.

"Don't kill him. Just... scare him," Krish says, reaching up and patting Polk's underside.

Polk nods, or something close to it. Then, the massive eel dashes downward at Cage, translucent body waving as if the creature is swimming. Cage tenses his legs, the violet light from the predator nearly blinding him. This eels is faster. Much faster.

Just before Polk reaches him, Cage grits his teeth and leaps toward a building similar to the Foreign Visitor Office, long with columns supporting the surrounding overhang. He flies across a street as he hears a crashing sound from behind, eyes widening as he realizes the building is much taller than he thought. Cage begins to fall down toward the street, which is the last thing he wants. It will be much harder to dodge the massive eel when surrounded by buildings.

Cage looks up at the building, throwing his black arm upward. The tendrils launch, stretching until fingers grip the edge of the roof. He pulls with all of his strength, making sure not to absorb his hold accidentally. Cage shoots upward, wind ruffling his robe and black hair all the while.

Reaching his destination, Cage pulls himself up onto the peaked roof, standing and sighing in relief. He won't be able to use it in public, but this makeshift arm will be incredibly useful in the future. Cage turns to look at the shop he leaped from, only to find a massive pile of rubble, a bright violet light shining through.

If nothing else will, then this will alert the guards. Cage doesn't want to be here when they arrive.

Polk rises from the rubble, chunks of marble falling from his body. The creature looks around with those hollow eyes, massive teeth like daggers clicking together all the while. As the eel finally finds its prey, Cage throws his black arm out again, opting not to wait for another charge.

Before Polk can react, the black tendrils, which have forgone the shape of a hand, swipe through the creature's face. With the attack, several teeth and part of Polk's face are absorbed, leaving the eel with a mangled skull. The phantasmic creature reacts by opening its half-missing jaw, baring what teeth are left at its prey.

Cage smirks as he looks at the beast. The creature is not actually alive, because if it was, then that attack would have been little more than a light slap. Good to know, he thinks, I have a way to fight Conjurers.

Though the feeling of accomplishment is quickly replaced with horror. Polk floats above the destroyed shop, jaw open wide. And inside the creature's mouth, a ball of violet energy grows by the second, electricity sparking around it. The vein-like electricity that once flowed through his body has all been channeled into his mouth.

Cage freezes, the sound of electricity cracking in his ears. His instincts tell him that he can't create a shield large enough to absorb this attack. Several possibilities run through his mind, yet they all fall away in the end, leaving only one thing for Cage to do. Run.

Cage turns, breaking into a sprint across the roof, eyes glued to Polk and that threatening ball of light. He runs as fast as possible, his heart jumping into his throat as he realizes that the eel is turning with his movements. He's being tracked.

That ball of electricity grows until Polk's entire mouth is filled, and the creature's body lurches as a massive beam of violet light and electricity lights up an entire section of the city. Cage steps off the building, falling as the beam shoots toward him at an incomprehensible speed.

The beam punches a hole through the roof, and follows Cage as he falls to the ground. It carves out a part of the building behind Cage, piercing through it and slamming into every home and shop in its path. The bodies of sleeping Rajin men and women are evaporated, and those spared are awoken from their slumber by the crashes and cracks of electricity.

Cage lands on the street below as the beam finally ceases its devastation. He turns and looks at the building behind him. A wide straight line is carved from the roof to the middle of the building, and through it, Cage can see the swirling river of color in the sky, as well as the tops of crumbled buildings.

This is the power of a Conjurer.

Cage snaps his vision back to his opponent, eyes widening as he sees Polk floating directly above him. The creature floats with its tail up, its face staring directly down at Cage, jaw pried open to reveal yet another massive ball of light. Cage freezes again under the bright light. How many times can this attack be released before Grish runs out of Anima?

"Polk!" A voice yells from the side, causing both Cage and Polk to turn. Grish stands atop the roof of a shop, the eel he used to fly nowhere to be seen. The brown-skinned man looks between Polk and Cage, his white hair fluttering in the night wind, "I said not to kill him," he says as his eyes settle on the ship-sized eel before him.

"He took my face," Polk says, half-missing mouth opening and closing with the words.

"You can regenerate a face. He can't," Grish says, tone like that of a scolding parent.

Polk releases a guttural sound in response, something close to a grunt.

Cage watches the exchange with furrowed brows, panting as the adrenaline slowly leaves his body. Grish speaks to Polk as if the creature is a child that just knocked over a vase. If the vase was an entire section of a city. Is this normal for them? How many cities have Grish and his summon destroyed?

Grish stretches a palm outward, and Polk's body puffs into those violet particles once again. The particles are quickly pulled toward Grish, funneling into his palm until they disappear completely. The Trezeran man looks down at Cage with a smile, placing both hands on his hips. His white clothing is still spotless, as well as the rest of his appearance

"Well, that was quite fun," Grish says, gesturing to the side, "I've never liked an audience, so I'll be leaving now."

Cage looks to the side, and down the street, he can see torch flame approaching from around a corner. Guards. He looks up at Grish again, who turns to walk away, "Wait!" he calls, "After almost killing me, you're just gonna leave?"

Grish turns, pausing for a moment. He glances at the approaching guards, then returns his eyes to Cage, "We'll meet again. Be sure of that," Grish smiles, "A lot of strange things have been happening, but you're the first to be alive."

"That's... Not what I meant," Cage says as the man disappears into the night.

"There! That must be who did it!"

Cage jolts, looking at where the voice came from. Down the street, several guards sit atop Skoans, dashing toward him with torches and weapons in hand. At the front of the pack, Cage sees a familiar face, one that fills him with disgust. Perlo.

"Damn," Cage curses, dashing into an alleyway. He sprints across the city, the guards following him all the while. He leads them away from his destination, then takes to the roofs, using his makeshift arm and newfound agility to lose them.

Finally, Cage reaches Yoru's home, jumping over the wall surrounding the garden as the black arm retreats into his shoulder. He walks over to one of the benches, plopping down with a sigh. He is exhausted, but sleep is not an option. Cage has found that he only needs a few hours of rest before he's up and running again.

Hunting with Ingen, studying with Alyra and Yoru, and nearly being killed by a giant eel. Cage is exhausted both physically and mentally. This is how every day has ended for him lately. However, exhaustion has always been accompanied by a feeling of accomplishment.

Since waking up on Kalar, Cage has not stopped moving. His strength and knowledge grow with every passing day. Even so, with what he just experienced, he knows that he still has a long way to go. If Grish was not slightly insane, then Cage would undoubtedly be a pile of dust right now.

The thought reminds him of the devastation left behind by Polk's death beam. Yellen will be in chaos tomorrow.

Cage lays his head back, staring at the violet moon and the bright colors surrounding it, "Oh yeah, the meeting..." he whispers to himself. Cage closes his eyes, sighing. That will have to wait for tomorrow.