Conflict of Interest, (Invite)

[Vittoria De Luca]

Vittoria had not realized that Boreas wouldn't be able to just swoop the girl to safety and then come deal with the villain. That was something of a problem. She certainly wasn't going to actually get in his way after seeing the way he blasted that door. If he actually got inside the building, she wouldn't be able to see his surroundings well enough to make an illusion blend in.

Hopefully a few more seconds would be enough. A bright red blur, composed mostly of glaring eyes and gnashing teeth, seemed to leap directly towards the wizard's face. She wasn't trying to actually fool him this time, just to make him flinch. As soon as the blur-monster was in front of his face, she made the broken door look like part of the wall, and made a part of the wall two feet to the right look like the broken door.

[The Ancient]

Tettius thought for the span of a moment that he was being attacked by the Crimson Defender again, but flinched and realized his mistake and pressed forward.

Into the illusory door, which was actually a wall. Very undignified.

He reeled backwards, stunned, and then was propelled forward again, this time by Boreas's boot against the back of his head.

"Give up, shit-for-brains," Boreas exhorted. "You're beat."

The Ancient attempted to swat the Wind-Wielder away from him, but Boreas ducked and stayed close to him.

"And I'm inside your shield! You can't even protect yourself from me." To prove his point, Boreas punched the Ancient in the kidney, hard.

Tettius dodged back, trying to shake Boreas off, but the Wind-Wielder was much too fast, and stuck close behind him, still taunting him.

"There's someone else here, right?" Boreas called. "Whatever the Ancient wants, make sure he can't get it."

[Vittoria De Luca]

Luna had already had the same idea. She had already taken the back door inside by the time she heard Boreas, but she had absolutely no idea what this wizard was looking for. Nothing was really leaping out at her as wizard-bait.

There were two open windows on two different floors. She went to the lower one and looked out. Boreas and the wizard both saw her lean out of the higher one holding a brown sack that appeared to contain something heavy. The illusion would look much less convincing to Boreas, but she wanted him to see what was going on.

"I've got it," she yelled, hoping that the wizard wouldn't notice that the voice and the image were coming from slightly different places. "Teleporting back to CAPE." The image disappeared in a flash of light.

[The Ancient]

The Ancient growled in frustration. "You'll pay for that!"

He lobbed a blast of energy at "Luna", and didn't notice that the illusion was unaffected, as Boreas was hitting him from behind again. Finally, the Ancient managed to deliver a lucky kick that sent Boreas flying, and created his energy shield again.

"Do you know what I gave up to learn the whereabouts of that book?" he shouted. "It is mine. I made a pact with a demon for its location."

Boreas had already landed in a crouch and had two arrows leveled. The Ancient was at the edge of his endurance and knew he wouldn't be able to fight Boreas for much longer, and decided to make his exit.

Strengthening his shield between himself and Boreas, he began to chant, and soon disappeared in a blinding flash of purple light.

[Vittoria De Luca]

When her vision had cleared from the flash, Luna cautiously exited the building through the destroyed door.

"I'm surprised that actually worked," she remarked.

[Boreas]

"I'm not," Boreas said. "He hates fighting me because his shield is actually slightly porous. Arrows get through it pretty easily, as long as you can keep sending them through from different directions. Which, like, I can. Anyway, as far as your whole 'illusions' thing, which I guess is what you were doing, brava. Really a tour de force. The door thing? Top notch."

[Vittoria De Luca]

"Thank you," Luna said. "It's all I can do, but I like to think I do it well. Do you have any idea what he was after?"

As she spoke, she walked over to check on the unconscious girl.

[Tiny Librarian]

Ema lay motionless, breathing steadily. As Luna came closer, she could see where bruises had begun to form on Ema's face and hands.

[Boreas]

"Nope," Boreas said. "Some kinda fancy magic whatever, in all likelihood. I guess you weren't involved beyond right place, right time, right?" He was bouncing on the balls of his feet as he spoke.

[Vittoria De Luca]

"A 'fancy magic whatever' that would fit in a bag this big," Luna said, showing Boreas the illusion she had used. "I think this girl probably knows more, but she's still out."