The Heist, New Faces All Goes Wrong

Alric staggered to his feet, wincing at the pain in his back from slamming into the wall. He sees the assassin trying to escape, but Cherry is already thwarting him with a barrage of shots. The assassin, cornered, has no choice but to fight and confront Cherry. ​He clutched the artifact tightly and drew a blade from beneath his hood. He lunged at Cherry with an upward swing, but Cherry ducked just in time. He backflipped to gain distance and fired once at the assassin. The bolt grazed the assassin’s hand, forcing him to drop the artifact. The assassin lunged for the artifact, but a powerful gust from Cherry’s Aether converter hurled him several feet away.​Cherry felt his Aether drain rapidly. Fatigue seeped into his body as his spells consumed considerable energy. Each wind blast depleted roughly 15% of his Aether Capacity, and he still needed reserves for the spell to move the cart to the exit. ​He scrambled to get the artifact to use against the assassin; he succeeded. With the artifact in hand, the assassin’s goal has changed; it was to use force to take it back. He took out another dagger from his cloak and lunged at Cherry.​Cherry knew he was outmatched in close combat, so he bolted in the opposite direction. Just as he was about to escape, Alric stepped into his path with a raised fist, blocking him. Cherry clicked his tongue, unable to spare the energy for another spell. He sprinted into one of the waterway’s halls, the same route the assassin had used.Alric and the assassin hesitated, uncertain. Alric then lunged at the assassin, swinging furiously. The assassin, recognizing the power in Alric’s strikes, dodged rather than attacked. Timing it perfectly, the assassin swept Alric off his feet and knocked him to the ground. He stabbed downward, but Alric rolled away, plunging into the waterway and knocking gold into the current. Seeing him there, the assassin chose to dash after Cherry instead.​Alric climbed from the waterway, determined to pursue the two thieves from the fortress. Despite the winding halls, he tracked them by the echoes of their chase. He channeled Energy Aether into his legs to increase his speed. He arrived in an open hall adorned with ornate paintings and art, where the two were locked in a struggle— the assassin attacking with intent to reclaim the artifact and subdue Cherry, while Cherry deftly dodged, wholly on the defensive.​Alric charged at Cherry, tackling him mid-backflip and sending him sprawling. Cherry dropped the artifact, and Alric snatched it up. Before he could strike again, the assassin pounced, slashing with knives, aiming to incapacitate. Alric blocked with bare hands, drawing blood, then slammed his energy-infused fists to the floor, blasting the assassin and Cherry away.​He panted, artifact in hand, and headed for the stack of gold to explain to the authorities. He turned to leave when suddenly an arrow thudded near his feet, jolting him.​He looked to where the arrow came from, and from one of the pillars, an Elf with a bow and arrow was posted. She had a regal green coat with gold lining and silver shoulder-length hair.​“You’re the Elf from the Smiling Solari,” Alric exclaimed.​The Elf scoffed and leapt from the pillar, breaking her fall effortlessly with a gust of wind. She readied her bow again, aiming at all three of them simultaneously. Alric froze; the atmosphere shifted instantly under her presence, as though the entire room listened to her command.​"That was a warning shot. Since there are three of you here, I, Eiselin Lindoriel Faelirion Sylvathorie, grant you grace and two more warnings," she declared regally.​Cherry and Eos got up, knowing that their circumstances had changed. This Elf seemed to be an official from the kingdom that both of them acknowledged, but what was she doing in a place like this? In the castle’s storage wing. More importantly, she was strong.​“That’s a pretty long-winded name, miss. Mind if we call you something?-” Before Cherry could finish, an arrow flew by, grazing him on his arm. He exclaimed in pain and held his wounds.​"Address me as I introduced myself; do not speak out of turn. Another warning shot," she said, drawing her bow again.​Cherry bit his tongue and assessed his chances. Outrunning an arrow was impossible, and even burning all his Aether wouldn’t help—he still needed time to adjust his converter. He was out of options.​"They’re thieves!" Alric shouted. "I was duped into this heist by him! And the man in black stole this artifact!" Alric raised his hand, displaying the stolen artifact.​The elf raised her eyebrow, “He stole it, and yet, you have it in your hand right now?”​“I know how this looks, but trust me! They’re the bad guys. I'm just trying to return these.”Eiselin sneered, "All I hear are lies. For all I know, the three of you conspired in this scheme. Give me the artifact, and we all live," she threatened.​Alric gritted his teeth. Is this all he would amount to, a mistake, and all he’ll be seen now is a criminal? No! He has to clear his name. He gently threw the artifact to Eiselin as a gesture of peace, but the elf shot by reflex. The artifact flew up in the air, up for grabs for anyone. The assassin suddenly moved in a burst of speed and precision. Jumping about the pillar until he was about to reach the artifact in the air. Eiselin shot at the assassin; the assassin easily deflected the shot but left him off balance, and he missed the artifact. The artifact continued and was about to fall on Eiselin’s hands, but before that could happen, a crossbow bolt hit it again, making it fly again in the air.​The four of them saw this and jumped for the artifact. They all bumped into each other. The artifact flew to the other side of the room. Eiselin quickly drew her bow. She started shooting at all three of them with a barrage of arrows. The arrows bent and flew faster than regular arrows, thanks to wind magic. The three barely dodged. The assassin deflected the arrows, Cherry used his remaining Aether to defend himself, and Alric got hit by one arrow in the arm. The wild arrows struck paintings and other artistry in the hall, knocking things over.​The assassin was close to getting the artifact. Suddenly, a small tornado formed below. It pushed the artifact up into the air. Another tornado appeared, sending the artifact to Eiselin. Finally, it landed in her hands.​“Making me use my magic like this. The three of you have some nerve.” She inspected the artifact. It seems even she doesn’t know what that was.​The four faced a tense standoff. The assassin was poised to strike Eiselin. Alric grimaced through the pain in his arm. Cherry searched for any escape. The tension shattered when the marching echoed deeper in the halls. Guards soon poured through one of the entrances.​“Ah, finally, knights,” Eiselin haughtily said, “Detain these thieves, they’ve stolen this artifact and some gold as far as one told me.”​"They stole the artifact you’re holding?" the knight with purplish hair demanded, his tone sharp and accusatory.​Eiselin’s eyes widened, realizing she was cornered. "Yes, I stole it from THEM. Now detain them so I may go," she retorted.​The purple-haired knight laughed as he directed his men, "Guards! We have thieves breaching Farhall Castle! Detain all four!"