As Kaden and Amara locked eyes, there was an intense tension in the air. Amara couldn't help but find amusement in the situation, while Kaden's rage burned fiercely. Their allies, meanwhile, stood by, filled with fear about what was about to unfold.
The black knight, having experienced Amara's stubbornness firsthand, knew that any attempt to dissuade her would be futile. He had already learned that she was not one to easily heed reason, and his earlier efforts with the militia members had proven that.
Xain, despite having known Kaden for all of 15 minutes, had already picked up on one key aspect of his personality—his unwavering loyalty to Victoria. He knew that any criticism of the mayor would provoke Kaden, and after Amara's destructive act, he realized that trying to prevent Kaden's confrontation with her would be meaningless. All they could do was watch and hope that the clash between Kaden and Amara wouldn't spiral out of control and cause too much chaos.
The fight began with Kaden swiping his hand towards Amara and summoning a slashing force in the air, and it raced towards Amara. She met the approaching attack with a confident smile, fully prepared to face her opponent. As the slashing force closed in on her, it made contact with the fiery shield that had appeared around her, causing an intense clash of extreme heat against extreme cold.
The scorching heat and icy cold collided with a tremendous release of steam, enveloping the area in a thick, swirling mist. The clash produced a cacophony of hissing and crackling sounds.
The violent combination of heat and cold created an unstable, swirling vortex of energy that pulsated in every direction. The ground beneath them trembled, and the black knight could feel the waves of magical energy coursing through the air.
Neither Xain nor the black knight could see the fight anymore due to the thick mist, but they could still hear the sounds of burning fire and shattering ice scorching and freezing the area around them. The black knight could feel the familiar heat of the flames, while Xain shivered from the unfamiliar cold that reached him.
Assuming that Amara was too occupied with her battle against Kaden and that the mist concealed him, Xain carefully maneuvered around the fountain's rim. It was during this cautious movement that he noticed the scroll Kaden had dropped on the ground after Amara's fireball hit the fountain. Acting quickly, he secured the scroll to prevent any potential damage. "Can scrolls even get damaged?" he wondered aloud as he held onto the parchment.
Xain's mind raced as he contemplated his next course of action. *The black knight! he didn't seem to like what Amara was doing maybe he can help me,* he thought, recalling the man's apparent disapproval of Amara's destructive behavior. Carefully, he made his way to the other side of the fountain, gripping its rim for support as he moved.
Meanwhile, the battle between Amara and Kaden continued. Amara released a burst of flame towards Kaden, who retaliated with another sweeping motion of his hand, summoning a dense layer of icy vapor. As the opposing forces clashed, another eruption of steam ensued, further veiling the area in thick mist.
If Xain and the black knight weren't able to see before, they most definitely weren't able to now. As Xain continued to make his way to the other side of the fountain, he accidentally bumped into a metallic object shaped like a leg.
"Oh, goddess, is someone else here? Sorry for walking into you and all, but you have to get out of here as fast as you can," the black knight said, his voice sounding urgent and concerned.
Xain slowly stood up, and as they drew close to each other within the mist, they could finally see one another's faces. "Xain? Is that you?" the black knight asked in a surprised tone.
Xain nodded, "Yup, it's me. Listen, I know that we don't really know each other, or at all now that I think about it, but I kind of need your help."
The black knight responded, "If it's help getting away from Amara, I can't really help with that right now because I can't see shit."
Xain shook his head, saying, "No, not that, but you can use magic, right?" The black knight nodded, saying, "Yes, I can, but why do you ask?" Xain then showed him the scroll. "Eirisse's ritual room, chamber, whatever the heck, is right under the fountain. Can you use the scroll to get us in?"
The black knight grabbed the scroll quickly and examined it. "How in the hell did you manage to get a scroll like this? Actually, never mind that; are you sure Eirisse is under here?" The black knight asked.
Xain replied, "Yes, Lennix confirmed it." The black knight lowered his hand from his helmet, contemplating for a moment. He finally said, "Alright, I guess, I did come here to capture Lennix after all," as he began reading the scroll. While the sounds of fire versus ice occurred around them, Xain watched as both their bodies started to turn a dark, purplish, translucent color once again.
Before long, they began to phase through the cobbled ground under them. Xain felt very strange as they did so, as if gravity had ceased to affect them, yet still had some strange hold. The black knight, on the other hand, didn't appear bothered by the experience.
After a few seconds of falling or phasing into the ground, they both entered a room, greeted by a scene that could only be described as chaos.