Scrappy and Choi showed up and came into our house.
"What's up?" said Choi. "We heard what happened and wanted to challenge you to a fight."
Cinister, who was silent, just kept staring at the wall while Ragna agreed and dragged Cinister outside.
Normally, Cinister and Ragna were stronger — but that's not what the battle showed.
Cinister vs Choi
Cinister launched a hasty attack at Choi, but Choi countered it easily and put Cinister down.
"Let me go!" Cinister shouted.
"You really forgot how to fight because of some people you barely knew?" Choi retaliated.
Cinister just looked down.
Ragna vs Scrappy
Ragna used [ArcMail], and electric armor surrounded him, while Scrappy used [Ice Daggers], boosting the mobility of his blades.
Ragna slashed at Scrappy, but Scrappy parried and vanished into Ragna's blind spot. He went for an icy slash, but Ragna's armor shocked Scrappy and forced him back.They were on equal level.
But Scrappy relentless attacks got to Ragna and he started going on the defensive.
We cut back to Cinister vs Choi
"Come on! Where's the guy who was on the verge of beating Allen? I guess there's no place for you here anymore," Choi said calmly as he prepared a [WhirlWind] attack—one strong enough to kill Cinister.
Then a tiny spark lit up.
BOOM!
A [FireRing] burst into existence behind Cinister—clear blue, burning hotter than before.Choi jumped back immediately.
Cinister tapped his forehead with his palm and said,"Thank you for clearing my head, Choi."
"Finally you're back in the game" Choi said while pulling out his big shield
[AshenVeil] it spread quick and covered up Choi's sight "This stupid move again"
Cinister appeared behind Choi and used [Jetburst] to propel his kick forward, but Choi swung his shield at the last secondCinister's leg was sliced clean off.
However, because of the healing priority of [AshenVeil], the limb regenerated instantly, and Cinister's returning kick shattered Choi's chin.
But Cinister hadn't noticed somethingChoi had scattered cow drops on the ground beforehand.
The moment Cinister's foot stepped on them, a sharp, tearing pain shot through his body. His vision snapped white, and he collapsed as the pain overwhelmed him.
Slowly, [AshenVeil] began to retract.
"He really is a monster… but he's not fully there yet. He didn't use the double [FireRing], but at least he has the first form mastered," Choi said.
Then he glanced over at Scrappy who was lying on the floor with Ragna standing over him.
"How did you lose again?" Choi asked.
"Shut up, he's too strong," Scrappy muttered.
"Aight, I'm up," Cinister said as he stood.
"Why are you up? I thought those cow drops should've knocked you out," Choi said.
"Yeah, but I cast [HeatWave] before stepping on them to increase my senses and to block your vision," Cinister explained.
"What, so they both block vision?" Choi asked.
"Yeah," Cinister replied.
"Okay, we'll take our leave now. Bye" Choi said while carrying Scrappy's body.
Cinister and Ragna returned home, and when they entered, Alya was in the kitchen.
"Hey guys, there's going to be an event!" Alya said.
"Event? But it's not Christmas yet," Cinister said, confused.
"Yeah, but the Thanksgiving Event will be here soon on the 15th floor! It'll be on November 29th!" Alya said with excitement.
"So we have twenty days. Seems reachable," Cinister said.
"Hey Cinister, can we talk?" Ragna asked.
"Yeah, sure," Cinister replied.
They walked into a room and sat down.
"So… you told me that you were royalty, right?" Ragna said.
"Yeah, I am. So what?" Cinister asked.
"And your family died in the Christmas event, right?" Ragna continued.
"Yeah, you're right," Cinister said sharply.
"Well… can you remember how they died?" Ragna asked.
"Sure… but it'll be long," Cinister answered.
Christmas Event - December 25th 2016
Cinister's dad smiled warmly."Okay, we'll go get some materials so we can buy toys for Cinister."
"I can't wait to see him smile," Cinister's mom replied.
As they walked toward the boss room, a young girl with long red hair appeared, holding a clock in one hand and a sword in the other.
"Hey, young lady, are you lost?" Cinister's dad asked kindly.
The girl didn't answer.
Instead, she raised her swordand sliced off his arm in a single motion.
"What-?!" Cinister's dad staggered back, shocked. Blood poured from the wound.
Instinctively, he tried to cast Mastery 3: [Ashen Veil], and Cinister's mom activated [HeatWave], flames rising around them both.
But the girl moved faster than either of them could react.
With one step, she blurred out of sight.
And in the next heartbeat
she cut them both down.
Cinister's mother collapsed first, her flames sputtering out.
His father dropped second, the half-formed Ashen Veil fading into sparks.
"And that's how they died," Cinister said quietly.
"Damn… sorry for your loss," Ragna said.
"So… why did you want to know?" Cinister asked.
"Well… what if she appears again?" Ragna said.
"No, that won't happen. For the following five events, she hasn't been there," Cinister replied.
Just then, Alya burst in carrying food."Time to eat, guys!" she said cheerfully.
Everyone sat down at the table.
"What happened to Michael?" Cinister asked.
"He went back because he wanted to be with his parents," Alya explained.
"Good… so the Fangra lost three members in the span of two days," Cinister said, half-jokingly.
"Should we travel to the 11th floor?" Ragna asked.
"Yeah, we should start going to the 11th floor," Cinister said gently. "We need to get more abilities to prepare for the event."
The Fangra climbed to the 11th floor—but what they didn't expect was that the whole floor was flooded. Fortunately, Alya, with her quick thinking, created a bubble using her SwiftGale.
"Nice going… but these are unreal conditions to fight in," Ragna said.
"I'm more surprised that the water isn't frozen," Cinister said. "Maybe there are two bosses—one being CryoShard, while the other is Ignivar."
"Wait, slow down. Why should the water be ice?" Alya asked.
"Because we're in the Mesosphere, which is the coldest part of the atmosphere," Cinister explained.
While they were talking, they didn't notice that someone—or maybe something—was watching them.
Editors note - Since it's been a while I'll cover their moves
Cinister — Ignivar / Mage and Support
[JetBurst] — Converts kinetic energy in his limbs into fire energy, increasing speed and power.
[FireRing] — Heats his blood, boosting strength and speed; has negative side effects if overused.
[HeatWave] — Uses calories to create a heat wave that enhances instincts and blocks enemy vision.
[AshenVeil] — Forms a semi-circle that blocks vision, heals Cinister, and buffs other nexuses; consumes nearby oxygen molecules.
[Sun Dance] — Summons three blazing sun wheels in attack.
Ragna — Aqualith / Voltbrand / Knight
[ArcMail] – Electrified armor that increases defense and shocks enemies when they strike him.
[Conductive Strike] – Ragna channels electric energy into melee attacks, adding electricity damage.
[Magnetic Pulse] – Sends a shockwave of electric/magnetic energy, knocking back enemies and disrupting metal weapons.
[Water Blade / Aqua Blade] – Summons blades or swords made of water energy, can be combined with electricity for enhanced attacks.
[Overcharged Slash] – Supercharged melee attack using Voltbrand energy, dealing massive electrical damage.
Allen - Every Nexus/Every Class
Abilities - too many to explain