Jesse ran and caught up with the rest of his group, exiting through the secret exit that leads to the teleporting rune Magnus gave them.

Good thing Axel is on good terms with the former ruler of Boom Town. They stepped on the rune, one by one, and they appeared back inside their home.

But even though they're here, it's still one child short.

"Do you think Gill is right?" Asked Axel. "Is Aiden really innocent?"

"Well not innocent per say, he just didn't abduct Jennifer." Said Olivia. "He saw Jess at his house with Jennifer at midnight. The same time Aiden saw her accomplice at the Inn."

"Not to mention that he saw them together after we took him into custody, and there is a stolen suit of Templar armor back at the main base." Continued Lisa. "Whoever Jess's accomplice is, she's good if she can steal a suit of Templar armor from under my watch."

"So why aren't we including Aiden into this plan?" asked Petra. "It's not that I like the guy, but why is he still in jail?"

"Because even if we prove his innocent for child abduction, he still violated the restraining order we have against him." Said Jesse. "Besides, we need to make my sister think that this is all going according to her plan."

"... what exactly is Jess's plan?" Asked Axel.

"We know she want's the Tournament prize, for what we don't know, but she's using the competition as a trial run for her new items." Explained Jesse. "To make sure Gill uses them alone, she gets Aiden thrown in jail."

"But why frame Aiden?" asked Olivia. "It doesn't make sense, why would Jesse lose a candidate to test out her weapons?"

"Considering Aiden's personality," Said Lisa. "He wouldn't do what Jess says. Probably would keep the prize and her items for himself."

"Makes sense, considering Gill will be using them against experienced fighters, and Aiden is a prick in general." Commented Petra.

"But why doesn't she just use them herself?" wondered Axel. "Why go through all the trouble just to test out a few items?"

"Knowing her, and her tendency to exploit a technicality, there is something about those items that the monocle didn't reveal." Said Jesse.

The rest of them nodded, but not because they're satisfied with that answer, it's just that no one wanted to ask about the hidden consequence when using those items.

Because one final silent question remained: Does Jess have a hidden agenda, or is this all for her amusement?

But no one asked, they have their own thoughts.

Olivia, being the softer one of the group, was worried for Gill while Axel and Petra were simply curious. But Jesse and Lisa? They didn't care. Just because they're helping Gill that doesn't mean they like him.

After grabbing their gear, some potions, they made their way to the Tournament.

----------

One hour later

Gill stood among the other 30 competitors in the middle of the place where the Tournament is always held: a huge coliseum where hundreds of people can watch from the outer stands.

In the middle is an empty grass space that is 50 blocks in diameter, and 5 blocks below the level of the spectators. The competitors themselves have multiple box-like areas, where they can watch the fights, built into the stands.

There is a teleportation rune in each room, thanks to Magnus, so they can teleport straight into the arena.

When they die, forfeit, or unable to continue, they get transported to the medical rooms: a larger box-like room in the spectator's area where they get treated and watch the fights below.

Of course, to keep fighting within the designated area, Templars are stationed in key places to make sure that no outside fights break out.

There are some stationed within each competitor box, the medical rooms, even at the edge of the spectator seats where they erect a dome over the fighting space so the crowd doesn't get hurt.

Gill stood among the 30 people who entered the Tournament, Jesse and his group included. Lisa even assigned more Templars to patrol the coliseum, looking for Jess and her accomplice.

Although, the whole 'missing a right arm' is not very rare ever since the war as people lost limbs in all the fighting. But then they spotted someone: a girl with glasses, red hair, green eyes, and who also has a calico cat on her lap.

But Lisa gave them specific orders not to engage if they're found. Only report and observe. If Jess found out that her accomplice was discovered, and was to unleash her monsters, or her magic, around this many people? It would be a bloodbath.

So Lisa would keep a close eye on them, watching, even as that calico cat yawned and went to sleep on the redhead's lap.

Lisa didn't know why, but deep down in her gut she knew something is off about that cat.

----------

Jeff is a Templar, a warrior of skill to deal with hostile magic. After a year or so of devotion, he was reassign to Astrolabe Vault.

A chamber made entirely out of a crystalized material, with a crystal door. Given to them to guard by the first Templar, the one person who gave them this power.

No one knew him, or knew his name. No one asked, and no one bothered to. They simply respected him that much. All he asked in return is to guard the vault he created and the contents within.

Inside the vault contains the most powerful, and most dark, secret of the Templars. What is it? He doesn't know. In fact only one person in the whole Templar order, besides the first Templar, knows what it is.

What he does know, is that if it fell into the wrong hands, chaos would descend upon the world.

But something came up. For some reason, Commander Lisa pulled some of the Templars, who are guarding the dark secret, away from the Astrolabe Vault.

He doesn't know why, but he, like the other Templars, does not question it. After all the first Templar, who trusted them with this power to negate magic, only told Lisa what is inside the vault.

Someone as wise as him to make that kind of decision, they don't question it. So if he trusts Lisa, they can trust her.

But it was then he realized why he was put down here, why so many Templars guarded the vault, it was to protect the secret from things like this; something that the first Templar warned them about.

It happened so quickly, one of the other Templars started screaming as red crystals protruded from her back. She started to scream as he tried to ask her what's wrong.

Only for a red crystal shard to shoot through his stomach. Then the fighting started. Their former ally started to mutate, her eyes glowing red as black tar-like liquid oozed from her mouth, her eyes, and the holes and visor of her armor.

They all tried to fight her, but for some reason it didn't work! Their natural energies didn't negate this magic, only weakened it.

But it's still lethal.

Red crystal shards started flying and impaling everywhere and everyone. Crystal golems started to grow from the corpses of the dead Templars. Fireballs were launched at them, exploding on contact as lava spread everywhere.

And so, one by one, the Templars died in anguish as their bodies are being consumed by the unknown magic. Jeff himself, in desperation, tried to escape, to warn the commander.

The red crystal impaled inside his stomach started to glow as he started to disintegrate! In a final attempt, as he lay on the blood soaked floor, watching his former companions and friends painfully die, he channeled the remainder of his magic for one final spell.

A black butterfly emerged from his trembling hand, gracefully flapped its wings. Escaping the horrors here, and finding its way to his commander as he finally lay on his back and accepted his fate.

The corrosive magic ate away his armor, his skin, his bones and organs all within painful minutes. His final thoughts were: 'Why weren't we able to stop this?' he thought in shock. 'Why can't we negate this type of magic?'

He took off his helmet, breathing that unrestrained air of despair and suffering as he took off his glasses. The last item he has to remember his late wife.

After all his strength depleted, he went limp, the glasses fell out of his cold grip and bounced once off the ground before stopping as a small crack formed on one of the lenses.

And so, no one will discover what will happen to Jeff. The only thing they'll notice in his place is the small smudge of ash that will be swept away; discarded, ignored, and then forgotten as everyone else focuses on the fire, the blood, and the red crystals.

But no one will notice Jess walking through the blood soaked floor, the lava, and the crystalized carcasses. She walked up to the crystal door, placed her hand on the surface, and activated her skill [Rune Crafting].

[Rune Crafting] (Active) Level 10

Created by Magnus the Rouge. This skill allows you to automatically craft complex symbols on any surface that contains Mana, but what form it takes when released is up to you. Damage dealt by runes is determined by how much Mana you put into making it.

A large and complicated geometric shape appeared on the surface of the vault. She then saw a familiar, blue pop-up window.

Ping!

Please assign a skill to this rune.

Whatever skill she puts into the rune, the rune itself will replicate as long as it has Mana to use. She then selected a skill that she recreated, originally used by her best friend, and her former teacher, Ivor.

[Transmutation] (Active) Level 1

This skill allows you to break down matter and reconstructing it for your intended use, shape, or form. You can only shape the matter that is available. You cannot create, only shape.

She had to learn how to make this on her own, but Ivor was a damn good teacher. This skill itself is based on the properties of alchemy.

And something else, something so dark and immoral that Ivor discovered about the uses of alchemy, but he told her to never attempt it.

But Ivor's not here anymore. Neither is War, Conquest, Famine, Death, and her minions. So nothing is stopping her from doing it, and she will attempt it during the Tournament.

Jess then activated the rune to warp the door protecting the contents inside the Astrolabe Vault. She didn't break the door, or change its function, only the shape and form.

So she stepped in as no alarm went off, since she technically didn't break into the vault, merely found another way in.

She looked back at the transformed Templar, the one who suddenly mutated and started all of this bloodshed. "Tell Cassie to get ready. It's almost time to start the plan."

And with that command, the mutated Templar gabbed her deformed head, and twisted it into an unnatural angle as a CRACK! echoed through the crystal chamber.

Jess watched the body drop to the floor as she grabbed the contents of the vault, and walked away. Stepping on Jeff's glasses on her way out.

A/N:  To be continued!

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