And just what do you know about advanced mana then, Acot?! The Wanderer scowled at me.

I remember being the reason you learned any technique at all!

My friends stood between me and the clowns. I never much thought of my tea haze as a
delirium until this moment. My friends had a presence that felt so familiar, but I couldnt see their
bodies as more than dots and shards. Their mana was fantastic and fierce though; every shard
glowed with intensity. The rain pattered against the shore, providing an ironic calm before the
storm. My company and the circus were beyond words, the only direction forward was a fight.
The tension in the air was electric, the clowns remained still while my friends would grip and regrip their weapons harder. As they faced the big top looming over them, Hypseau shouted out to
us, cupping his mouth.
What shitty guests you are!
Save it, Hypseau! Dirk bellowed back.
Charlotte fired an arrow that whizzed by Hypseaus face. It landed somewhere inside the
big top.
Get on the ship, Acot. Xavier kneeled down to me while I was sitting down.
I obliged. Tears and rain had soaked me. Powder was washing down my face and I had
begun to feel the dull pain of fatigue amidst the tense quiet looming over me. I hobbled onto the
boat from the wooden beam that dug into the sand.
I went down the stairs to the inside of the boat. It had a cozy atmosphere. I heard the
rain patter from outside. I was inside a small ship that was lit by lanterns. They hung from the
ceiling, the boards of the deck above. There were five sleeping bags strewn out across the floor.
The fifth one was for me, my friends had every intention of getting me back from the doom that I
had found myself in. I felt confident that my friends had the strength to take down the circus.
With a tense heart, I thought further about it. I had noticed that Dirk had already known the
ringleaders name. Beyond that, they knew exactly where the circus was. Hypseau, on the other
hand, knew that they would arrive on the full moon. The foresight on both sides of the issue
unsettled me, I couldnt reconcile it and decided to sit down with my back against the wall. I
waited for my friends to be done with the fight.
Youve made an enemy of the full moon! Hypseau exclaimed.
You remind me of my idiot friend inside the boat! Xavier said, walking out in front of the
perimeter my friends had made.
As he walked into the beach, the battlefield, the line that divided us and the clowns,
Xavier jumped down into a crouch and slammed his hand against the ground. Ice shot out at

blinding speed at the diagonal both ways in front of him. As the group of clowns reacted, he
managed to clip the arm of the one to his left with an icicle jutting out off the ground.
Dirk roared past him and the rest of my friends followed suit. Dirks blade bathed in flame
as he swung directly in front of him. The clown parried with a thick iron rod. Charlotte fired a
crystalline shot right off of Dirks side. It struck a burly clown right below his ribs and brought him
down to his knees. As crystal spread, he screamed out. Dirk heard him and turned. He took a
heavy swing but another clown grabbed his blade at the top of his swing. He dropped his sword
and noticed a clown with bleeding hands behind him. He panted as his arms were outstretched
in front of him. Charlotte fired another shot at him that was deflected by another intervening
clown who had held up a broken barrel that caught the arrow.
Get inside the big top! Regan shouted. Now!
Dirk screamed at the top of his lungs. I could hear it from inside the boat. I giggled as I
worried about them.
Dirk took his sword to his side and charged forward. The air in front of him conflagrated
as he stomped. The rain could not stop his flame. All the clowns, Hypseau included, moved out
of the way. As Dirk had cut through the crowd, Hypseau took the opportunity and began
charging mana. In an instant, his face shot out a blue glow.
Ai! Xavier yelped.
He grabbed for his head as a clenching headache began to overtake him. Clowns
crowded over to him and began to swarm. They made a dogpile on top of him. As they began to
dig into him, Regan ran over for a defense. She reached her hand over her head and generated
a large sphere of purple mana. She threw it forward and it flashed as it made contact with the
floor. Purple mana evaporated into the air. The five clowns on top of Xavier stopped as they had
lost control of their muscles. She shoved them off of our clever companion.
Charlotte! She exclaimed. Xavier purple! Meet us inside!
Regan exploded into a sprint as she made her way into the tent. The groaning, disabled
clowns rolled around in the sand, leaving an opening for Regan to rendezvous with Dirk inside.
Regan pushed back the fabric doors and saw Dirk wrestling with tigers. The tent was
well-lit by torch light and Dirk was taken off his feet in the dirt outside of the ring. His blade had
been thrown off to the side near the wooden beams of the ring. Three tigers were
synchronistically batting and biting away at him. With judicious use of his shield, steel-plated
leggings and chainmail armor, he was able to get back up to his feet. Regan began to charge at
the scene; all three of the tigers looked over at her. As they leapt up, Dirk got a hold of one of
their legs. He heated his hand up until it glowed red. The tiger roared out in agony! As it turned
around, Dirk punched it with his mighty hand.

Regan stood her ground as the two tigers encroached upon her. The striped cats were
large, each one fully capable of running with her on its back. Their ferocious strength and
fearsome speed were made worse by a manic synchronicity that was hard to miss. A close
combat exchange wasnt about to favor her. Regan concentrated bright purple mana into her
hands and let it twinkle down onto the ground. The evaporation was slow, but it streamed visibly
upwards into a thin sheet. This stopped the tigers in their inquisitive tracks for a moment. As
they continued to hiss and growl, one of them took a swipe at the sheet of mana. He let out a
groan and looked at his ally. They both looked forward and with a glare, they began to crouch,
ready to leap.
Dirk huffed as he stepped forward to deliver a forward strike into the haunch of the tiger
to her right. As the other tiger leapt forward, Charlotte pelted a shining arrow right at its neck.
The wall dissipated, the crystal shards of the arrow burst open as Charlotte, Dirk and Regan
quickly scrambled back into formation. As they shared heavy breathing, Hypseau and the
clowns fell into the tent. The disabled clowns had gotten back up to their feet and two more
tigers followed suit. Rain pattered against the roof as Hypseau looked forward at them. He had
a wicked look in his bandana-clad face.
Regan, go look for valuables. Dirk said.
Wheres- Regan began to ask.
Guarding the ship. Charlotte responded.
Regan ran opposite the battle, past the ring and out through the other exit of the tent.
None of the clowns moved, anticipating Charlotte to make a quick move. They did not charge
forward either, knowing that Dirk provided a hefty wall for the duo. The clowns had been cut
down by nearly half. Regan and Charlotte had no injuries and while Dirks armor had been
scratched and slashed, he was not bleeding.
I want up on that platform, Dirk. Charlotte said, cutting the silence.
Alright, lass. He said. He gripped his sword and refocused himself.
Outside, Xavier was on the beach in the rain. He took a swig from his waterskin. He
observed the boat - tracing his eyes over the wood. The rain provided a chill that, for him, was
negligible. While reminiscing of the journey towards the circus, he became agitated by the
stillness during the fight. He wouldnt leave his post, however. Though his expertise came from
quick shots with ice, a sneak attack would mean nothing if the boat was left unguarded. A sneak
attack would mean nothing if I was taken in exchange for it.
Dirk plummeted his sword into the ground. Chunks of dirt flew up into fiery debris. The
sword itself was buried, half way up to the hilt, into the ground below them. The sword left a

fissure in its wake that cracked the ground and crept outward toward the clowns. The sword was
encased in flames as the duo ran over to the platform furthest from the entrance. Hypseaus
clowns charged forward with the tigers stalking from behind. Their run was delayed because the
crackling ground was bursting into flames in front of them. Clowns had to flood through the ring
and around the burning sword to get to them.
By time the clowns got within spitting distance, Charlotte had readied her bow atop the
platform and Dirk guarded the ladder with steel gauntlets.
Whhhyyyyyyy! Hypseau hollered.
Hypseau was grabbing at Dirks sword in the ground. The fire coming off of it fluxed in
color from reddish orange to light blue and back again. He kept trying to pry it out of the ground
but to no avail. He pulled at it from above, he tried to push it from below the hilt and he tried to
pull it from behind his head. Eventually, with a deep breath and synchronized mana, he giggled
it loose from the dirt.
Charlotte shot at the clowns who blocked for each other. Many of her arrows were
deflected off of barrell shields. She shot down two clowns who tried to use the trapeze bar and
the other platform to get close to her. Their acrobatics could not penetrate their hunkered down
space. She was shooting with haste to keep the handful of clowns that still remained away from
her. Dirk stood his ground, guarding the platform and punching at clowns who got close. He
parried iron pipes with his armor plated hands.
Regan made it outside to the barrels of fizzing liquid. She examined them, feeling
warmth as she put her hand close to it. It glowed purple in the dark, rainy night.
This is where Acot slept. A voice said from behind her.
Regans eyes shot back to see the two clownesses who snuck out to greet her. She took
out her dagger.
You dont want to fuck with me. Regan glared down her up-pointed knife toward Leslie.
You disagree with the circus, then? The dark-skinned clowness asked as she turned her head
and put her finger up to her mouth.
There wont be a circus when were done with you! She shrieked.
Why not? Leslie asked.
Because void oil is flammable before it crystallizes. Regan sneered.
Do you find our performance so disgusting that-? The dark-skinned clowness asked.

Regan grabbed her black hair mid-sentence as Leslie began to hiss with her blue mana
face. Regan, in a single breath, pulled the clowness between Leslies gaze and her face. With
another moment of clarity, she struck her dagger into the closest barrel. She pushed the
clowness into Leslie who caught her. Regan recentered herself with her knife covered in fizzing
purple liquid. The clownesses were visibly shaken.
You ship abyss crystals to Yserna! Regan shouted past the rain. Do you have any idea what
they do with them?!
Its not us then! Its- Leslie began.
Regan jumped forward and jutted her knife forward into Leslies unguarded upper chest.
Leslie dropped her counterpart as she fell to the ground, tainted in foreign chemicals. As the
dark skinned clowness began to scramble up to her feet in a moment of panic, Regan kicked
her back down. With her hand concealed in mana, she grabbed the back of her head and
pushed her face into the rocky ground. She heard a popping noise coming from Leslie, but
ignored it and looked at the back of her victims head. Once her crying had turned into a dull
moan, she let go. The two clownesses had been subdued in a quick exchange.
Hypseau had made his way over to Dirk, guarding the tower to Regans platform, the
dazzling archer was beginning to run low on arrows. All those who remained in fighting spirits
were a single tiger, Hypseau and three clowns. The ringleader used Dirks sword and swung it
wildly over his head at him. After a quick parry, Hypseau swung it off of the ground and left a trail
of light blue fire behind it. As Dirk shoved into Hypseau, he tackled him to the ground, disarming
him, sliding his longsword over to the side. The tiger was ready for a counter attack but was
thwarted by Charlottes arrow. The arrow was fired into the ground in front of him. The arrows
feathered tail had crystalline mana on it. As it hit the ground, it made a faint chime sound and
then exploded upon impact, causing tiny shards of mana to dissuade the tigers forward
movement.
Hypseaus face glowed blue as Dirk punched him. As a clenching pain began to
overtake Dirks head, he walloped the would-be performers face. It subdued the pain of the
mental clench, but even with Dirks overwhelming strength on top of him, Hypseau, with his
manic prowess, refused to be taken out. The clowns tried to intervene, but Dirk pushed one of
them off as he wrestled on top of Hypseau. Regan burst back into the tent rolling a barrel.
I found the void oil! She shouted.
The clowns looked over at her. Charlotte took the opportunity to nip one with an arrow in
the back of his leg. Charlotte continued by jumping down from her platform and grabbing Dirks
adamantite kite shield. She heaved it over to him. Dirk followed it as it was flung through the air
for an instant. He grabbed it, brought it up over his head and began smacking down on
Hypseaus face. As Dirk unleashed his rage after a flickering between face and shield, Hypseau
laid back, motionless.

The remaining clowns were no longer synced together. The looked at each other and the
bloody scene around them. Clowns had been shot with arrows, beaten, burned and slashed.
The ones that were still alive and conscious writhed with pain on the ground. As Dirk spit blood
out of his mouth and picked his sword back up, silence had once again taken over the tent.
T-theres a dungeon! The clown with an arrow in his leg cowered as he trembled out. He put
his hands on his head and went to his knees. You dont need to route us.
The other two clown looked over at him. The tiger sat down. The other two clowns had
no choice but to follow suit and get on their knees.
Do you like this tent? Charlotte asked them, crossing her arms.
The clowns looked at each other, their eyebrows were upturned and a pained worry
overtook their faces.
Because its about to fucking burn. Regan followed up.
Then j-j-j-just JUST LET US GO! One of the other clowns shouted. Let us run into the
forest! We dont have anything hidden over there! You have your friend back and you have all
the clown sweat you could ever want!
Y-yeah! Another one chimed in. We just want our lives! N-nothing else. He began to sob.
Burn the big top, we dont care! The first one cried out.
The clowns began sobbing. Hypseau was still breathing, but he was completely
unconscious.
Run. Dirk said in a split second.
The clowns took their clipped companion and began to scuffle off with the tiger.
It took a while, but the crew took all the barrels and loaded them up into the ring. Dirk
signaled to Xavier that the battle was over and that they had absolutely won. He, along with
Regan and Charlotte, walked out of the tent. They all went over to the boat. Dirk tapped on the
side.
How ya doing, buddy?! He said, letting rain pelt him on his beard and hair.
Never been better! I shouted back through the wood.

I think youre gonna want to see this, Acot. Regan said as she looked down the stairs of the
boat.
I avoided making my misery into a pun and obliged. I got up out of the boat and faced
the big top. A wickedness had overtaken it, the feeling of a finished battle overtook me.
Charlotte handed Dirk one of her three remaining arrows. Xavier took out a piece of cloth
and gave it to him. Regan rubbed void oil off of her dagger onto the cloth and Dirk set it ablaze
with his mana. A greenish, black flame came off of the arrowhead. Charlotte aimed for the big
top and shot her arrow at it.
The tent stood still for a moment. As Charlotte grabbed for another arrow from her
quiver, sinister flame suddenly grew from the tent! It didnt explode, but a collosal fire began
roaring into the sky. Green and blacked whipped around as the fabric of the tent as it began to
immolate. The house that held me captive was turned to nothing on the night of the full moon.
The big top was being burned in the oil they were making out of it. Even my blunted vision was
able to discern the dancing flame as it burned away Hypseaus dream. The looming tent was no
more as my friends all made it back onto the top of the ship. Our company was successful in
retaking me and destroying the Chateau sans Kilter. In one fell swoop, Alalune changed from
the performance of a lifetime into a perfect storm, burning away with the ring leader inside of it.
So, shall we head off? Xavier said with his eyes closed?
Well need to row, the winds will be against us. Regan replied.
We need to at least get away from this island, it gives me the creeps. Charlotte said.
I say we finish watching the blue and yellow nightmare burn before we go anywhere. Dirk said.
G-guys I tried to get out.
Acot! They all shouted.
My friends came over and embraced me in a large hug. I began to cry again. After we
had become contented in the moment, they let go again. Charlotte looked up though.
Theres another boat coming over here! She exclaimed.