The cries of the injured soon followed. Those who had been lucky enough to only be hit by the edge of the beam began to scream in agony. Their charred skin and broken artifacts were a testant to the raw power that had just been unleashed.
Like a nest of ants thrown into a boiling pot, the crowd burst into a flurry of panicked chatter and frantic movent. So people were trying to get as far away from the platform, while others were frozen in place as they tried to understand why the barrier had failed.
The more perceptive Arcanists and Ossuarists in the crowd felt sothing that chilled them more than the deaths. For a split second they could have sworn they felt a pact law being actualized. It felt as though the city had intervened to protect the Noble Xiph. But no words had been spoken and no contract had been signed.
In the middle of the carnage on the platform, Finn and Nova were still locked together... Or rather, Nova was still holding him. She had passed out the mont she fired that beam from her chest. Her body was bent in an uncomfortable U shape and her arms were still locked around Finn’s midsection in a tight vice grip despite her unconsciousness.
He tossed it away into the open air. The sword traveled a few feet before it shattered into a million tiny fragnts in a blast of residual air energy. The sound startled several people who were nearby but Finn didn’t pay them any attention.
Once she was free, he lowered her softly to the compacted stone of the platform. As he did, the glowing orange lines on her body began to fade into a dull grey. The cannon artifacts that had been hovering in the air lost their glow and dropped to the ground with a heavy thud. Their source of power had been cut off and they slowly reverted to their small compacted forms.
Judging by their auras, they were Arcanists at the peak of the Grade 3 Master rank. They had caught the scent of opportunity, moving decisively to claim the chanus nobility artifacts while the chaos was at its peak. From their sheer montum, it was evident their flying artifacts were built for speed. Even Finn found their pace impressive.
The two Master Arcanists ca in low and fast. They reached for the small tallic cubes on the floor, but before their fingers could touch the artifacts, their visions tilted.
The young man who looked like Nova’s brother landed on the platform a second later. He was flicking a serrated blade to clear the blood from its edge. His expression was hard and full of a deadly rage as he grabbed Nova’s artifacts and charged toward Finn.
Before Nova’s brother could do anything rash, a hand grabbed his wrist. It was the older gentleman who had been with him. The man’s grip was firm and unmoving. He stepped between Finn and the fiery young noble and held his position with a quiet strength.
HE had never seen such a cold, yet urging look on the gentleman’s face before. That look was enough to douse the blind fiery rage within him and make him actually look at Finn a second ti.
But Finn wasn’t even looking at him.
Finn turned his eyes to the gentleman and spoke with a voice that was cold and carried a sharp edge:
The gentleman went silent. The polite smile faltered on his face and he took a mont to truly look at Finn. Behind him the young brother had a shocked look in his eyes. He began to reassess the young man standing before them with a new sense of wariness.
Finn didn’t even respond. He continued to stare at the man till his words trailed off towards the end.
Finally, he nodded, his expression brightening.
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