In the center circus ring, the magician had Jin Fang and Alicia enter two identical looking boxes. Once they were firmly in place, the magician shut the lids on both and placed heavy looking padlocks on them.
"Do not worry gentle viewers. Although the boxes look to be airtight, they have plenty of circulation to breathe," the magician explained. "And I have the key, right here."
"Now, with both of our lovely volunteers safely secured, I shall-"
"PAAOOOOOO! GROWWWLL! ROOARRR! BWAKAAA!"
"Huh? What was that?"
Before the magician could finish his spiel, a choral cry of animal noises caught everyone's attention. As they turned to see where the noises came from, they saw a a veritable stampede of aether beasts came rushing out of the side entrance. Behind them was a plume of smoke and several burning rags fluttering in the wind. Evidently, the magician immediately booked once he had comprehended the danger.
"Look out! The aether beasts got loose!"
"The tent is on fire! Run for your lives!"
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Note: The following two events happen at the same time. It is recommended to read them one after the other however.
You could try to read them both side by side, but that gets confusing.
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While the rest of the crowd were making moves to get out of the tent, Zhen Liu, Zhen Hai and Matilda had a whole other situation to deal with.
"Finally! Something a bit more my speed!," Zhen Hai declared as his aether began to flare up. While he did find the performances amusing, he also found them slightly boring. Only a proper fight could get his blood going. Thankfully, Zhen Liu was there to pull him back.
"Are you nuts?!," he chided, "We are just Acolytes right now, and there are about a dozen or so second grade aether beasts down there."
"We need like three to five of us to take down just one of them in a coordinated manner and, two of us are being kidnapped right now."
"THE GIRLS ARE GETTING KIDNAPPED!"
Zhen Liu had also been caught up in the initial chaos caused by the sudden disasters happening one after the other, that he had initially failed to notice anything amiss with the happenings of the center ring. When he threw a glance while surveying the situation, he noticed that the boxes were being moved by a pair of unusually strong individuals dressed in black wannabe ninja gear(in Zhen Liu's perspective), and that both boxes still had their locks in place. The movers definitely didn't look like circus staff.
"Milady! I'm coming!"
Matilda was the first to move in an attempt to stop the two kidnappers, leaping above the crowd and pulling out a pair of chakram as if out of nowhere.
Enemies in her sight, Matilda threw the chakrams with aether enhanced vigor, hoping to lob off the heads of these would-be kidnappers. As the circular blades flew towards their respective targets, the slightly yet visibly shorter of the two quickly threw a glance at the blades.
Neither she nor the the Zhen Clan boys expected the chakrams to suddenly get knocked out of the air by what appeared to be an invisible force. The attack had failed to stop or slow down the kidnappers, meaning Matilda could only run after them after she had landed in a space a little bit behind them.
Zhen Liu and Zhen Hai were a little shocked by what had just occured, but the former managed to get his wits back in time to realize that they should probably start chasing after the boxes.
"Come on! We gotta rescue them, now!"
"No buts! Rescue time, now!"
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The crowd began to panic as not one, but two different worst case scenarios that can occur at a circus, occurred simultaneously.
The fire itself wasn't too dangerous as long as someone with an Aquarii art moved fast enough to put it out, but the spooked and possibly violent second grade and below aether beasts were a different matter.
A first grade Copper Tusked Boar, spooked by the screaming and the flames, proceeded to rush towards the crowd in a blinding charge in an attempt to get to safer pastures. A good chunk of the crowd managed to react fast enough to haul ass and avoid the incoming charge, except for one small child who was paralyzed at the sight of the charging beast.
Luckily for little Timmy, an Aether Master in the crowd came to his rescue. More specifically, Zhen Liu's father, Zhen Yan.
[Devil Tiger's Claw!]
Before the boar could gore the child, Zhen Yan had swooped in and slammed a heavy palm down on to it's head, knocking the beast out cold and causing it's eyes to roll to the back of it's head.
"Now off to your parents now, ya hear?"
"Y-yes sir!," the child managed to sputter while vigorously bowing. After a few bows, the boy booked it as fast as he could to his parents.
As the crowd made their way to the exits and away from the beasts and flame, Zhen Yan stood in the center ring, staring the aether beasts down. They were all set to rush out and basically frenzy, but Zhen Yan's presence forced them to pause. They could feel he was only just about the same level as they were, but there was something about him that made them feel...danger. He was soon joined by Alexander Goldshire.
"You managed to see where the kids run off to?"
"It looked like they were assisting some others in making sure my baby girl and your son's attendant were safely removed from the battlefield," Alexander quickly explained.
"What about the circus animal trainers?"
"The circus staff are trying to find them now, but they're preoccupied with getting the people out of here and the fire under control."
"Great, any members in the crowd able to fight?"
"Only Novices and first ringed Acolytes."
"Well then," Zhen Yan muttered as he removed the top part of his robes, revealing a body covered scars. None of which came from a man-made weapon. "Care to join me in placating these beasts?"
"Do you even need to ask, brother?"
The two Aether Masters began to circulate their aether in a vigorous manner as the prospect of battle approached them.
Driven by desperation and rage, the aether beasts attacked!