Thunk. "Stupid policeman." Thunk. "Stupid fountain." Thunk. "Stupid people who get in the way of my science." Coloumb stabbed another piece of trash with the pole as he made his way down the street. "They just don't understand."

Kimen flipped to the next page of Mr. Kent's book trying very hard to study its contents and understand the lessons it was trying to teach. Thanks to Mr. Edmund, Kimen understood the last story, the child wanted to try very hard to understand the moral himself this time without help. He was hardly paying attention to his surroundings, and as a result occasionally ended up nearly bumping into people passing by on the street. "Sorry." Kimen said after nearly tripping over someone's foot. Maybe it was time to put the book away.

Coloumb looked down in surprise. "Oh, hey there Kimen. Still reading that book?" He stabbed another piece of trash and tossed it into his bag while talking.

Kimen looked up seeing Coloumb's face staring down at her, "Uh-huh." She answered, sitting up and tucking the book away into a safe pocket. She watched the other kid pick up a piece of trash on the ground and smiled lightly, "You are doing a great job, Mr. Coloumb!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Stupid community service." Coloumb muttered as he aggressively stabbed the next piece of trash. "You'd think people would appreciate that much gelatin, but nooooo..."

"Well, at least you are still doing a good thing for the city by doing this." Kimen said, trying to make Coloumb feel better by looking on the positive side of things. "You are putting your effort into making this place a better place to live and all."

"But I wanna science!" Coloumb sulks. "Ugh, I think I'm going to like the second part of this community service assignment better. I'm supposed to go and deliver a tax return form to some guy named the Imp King. I wonder where he lives..." The alchemist shrugged and stabbed more trash.

"I am sure it’s not that bad. I have never encountered an Imp King, but if I were to try looking for one, I would try up north somewhere where all the imps are." Kimen stood up and dusted off some of the dirt clinging to her clothes from the fall, "It would make sense for a king to be where his subjects are, right? The only imps I know about around here are in the canyon."

"Hmm, that makes sense." Coloumb nods. "Well, I'll go try out there after I finish... this." He glares at the rest of the street as if it offended his science. "I guess it shouldn't take too much longer."

As if responding to Coloumb’s complaints, a passerby shoved the remainder of his lunch into his mouth, crumpled the wrapper that held it into a ball and tossed it aside carelessly. It bonked Kimen on the side of his head and bounced off harmlessly to the ground in front of the ground in front of the children. Kimen frowned and spun around to face the man as he walked away, "There is a trashcan right there sir! You should be more considerate and keep this towns environment cleaner."

The man who appeared only a few years older than Coloumb turned, eyes looking over the two children with a bored look, "Heh, what are you gonna do about it?" He chuckled as he proceeded with his walk northward.

"Ergh... People like that make me want to pull out my cylinder and use it on them." Coloumb stabbed the wrapper with a grunt. "Man, I hope the Imp King is gonna be a pain, I wanna beat up someone."

Kimen clenched her fists. There really WASN'T anything she could do about it, and it infuriated her. She picked up the ball of paper the man discarded and shot a glare in his direction. "You're a disgusting jerk!" She screamed after him before turning back to Coloumb and tossing the trash into his bag.

The man stopped and turned back to the two kids. "What did you call me kid?" The man shook his head, "I happen to be a hero you arrogant brat. I've saved this world more times than you can count. You should show me more respect!"

"Oh really? What have you done that's so special?" Coloumb leans on his pole and looks the thug up and down. "You don't look so tough. You sure you aren’t just..." He waves his hand around flippantly. "I dunno, blowing smoke?".

The hero glared at Coloumb, "Dumbass kids these days don't know their place in the world and need to be taught a lesson. Do you want to see just how tough I am? I have time." His had went to his waist and in one smooth motion he withdrew a fancy looking blade from his sheath, sunlight bouncing off of its surface in a wicked glare. Kimen remained still, staring at the man as he tried to determine the best way out of this situation. This man was no hero. What kind of hero would draw his sword and threaten a couple of kids with it? He was just a man with a bruised ego. But would he go so far as to actually use his sword on the two of them? "Come at me, kid. I'll show you what I'm made of." The man taunted with a grin.

"Oh, you're asking for it, buddy." Coloumb let the stick fall to the ground while he pulled out his roll cake cylinder and started strapping it to his arm.

Seeing things beginning to escalate, Kimen took hold of Coloumb’s arm and squeezed it tightly, "Mr. Coloumb, we should just leave. Fighting isn't going to solve anything here." The man laughed at Coloumbs actions, more amused than intimidated by the cylinder. "Do you think your little kiddy toy there is any match for this epic blade of mine? This will be a good lesson for ya." Kimen pulled on Coloumb's arm trying to pull him away, eyes looking pleadingly towards his, "Please!"

"Kimen, there's a time and place for running away. And that's NOT after some fool insulted my cylinder." Coloumb reached into his alchemy pouch and pulled out some fire crystals. "Nobody insults my cylinder..." The battle alchemist loaded the fire crystals into The cake cylinder and pointed it at the man. "I'll give you one chance to take that back, out of respect for you here."

Kimen groaned as Coloumb chose to continue to pursue the matter rather than walk away. In some way, this was no different than the child's attempts to pull Mr. Kent away from a fight. "What does it matter what he thinks of the cylinder!? Just let it go! You are not going to be changing any minds here, just showing off who is stronger! And You don't want to spend more time doing community service, do you?!" Kimen grit her teeth and this time took a more forceful tactic of trying to push Coloumb away from the vicinity of the grinning "hero". "Better listen to the runt." He mocked, "Run along home and cry to your mommies... Unless you aren't afraid."

"you. You should duck. Now, Heat Buster!" Coloumb triggered the cylinder, causing a large plume of fire to erupt out at the 'hero.' "How's that for a 'kiddie toy?'"

The man was quick as well as agile, and the advanced warning did little to help make Coloumb's attack have any degree of effectiveness other than to make the man dodge to the side well out of the way of the flames. There was a brief flash of surprise, upon his face, but it soon faded and was replaced by a cold scowl. He held his sword up to the light, mumbling the words of a spell under his breath for the sword to grant him the power to vanquish his foes. Kimen let go of Coloumb and swallowed out of nervousness just as the sword glimmered in response. The faint outline of a giant bird arose from the ground where the man stood, dirt on the ground being swept up into the air by the beat of its wings. "FALCON BLADE!" He shouted, pointing the swords end towards Coloumb. The bird rose up higher into the air and dove down towards the Alchemist, its faint outline disappearing from sight.

"Falcon what?" Coloumb looked around. "Is that al-" He was cut off as sharp blades of wind rushed past him, slicing into various parts of his body until he was knocked onto the ground a few feet away. "Owwww... Ok, enough messing around." Coloumb stood up and started loading more crystals into his cylinder.

Kimen's eyes widened as he she backed away slowly. This was bad. This was very bad! The man actually hurt Mr. Coloumb! They needed to find Mr. Forte, or a reasonable adult, or ANYBODY! The child felt a wave of fear wash over her as the man wasted no time closing the distance between himself and the alchemist, raising his sword and striking down at the child with all his strength.

Coloumb shrieked as the sword slashed him and sent him flying away again. "Ow, how did I let myself get hit by a simple Smash attack..." He got up again and loaded a wind crystal into his cylinder, waiting for the man to charge him again.

No adults were coming. No one was going to stop this man. And now he had knocked Coloumb to the ground. Kimen couldn't allow this to continue! He reached into his pocket, fingers touching a prickly object. "Hahaha, what a weakling! give up ye---OOPH!" Kimen slammed into the man, from behind, knocking him forward a couple steps but failing to tackle him. He recovered quickly, turned, and kicked Kimen in the stomach before the child had a chance to maneuver away. Kimen fell backwards onto the ground, curling up into a ball in pain and clutching his stomach. "Stupid brat!" The man hissed, turning his attention back to Coloumb.

Coloumb used Kimen's distraction to swap his roll cake cylinder for his guard cylinder and pull out a short sword. He loaded a clay crystal into the guard cylinder and pointed it at the thug. "Alright, that's it. It's one thing to insult my cylinder, but nobody hurts my friends!"

"Hnng... Coloumb..." Kimen moaned and sat up, cringing in pain and eyes squinting up at the man, looking him over while one arm still clung to her stomach. It took a moment, but her eyes finally settled upon the man's right arm where she stared at it with an almost dazed look, lips opening and closing slightly as she spoke quiet words. The man in response to Coloumb's words quickly turned, grabbing Kimen by the arm and jerking her to her feet with his free hand. She made a brief flinch, then closed her eyes, but otherwise her expression remained calm as silent words rolled from her tongue. "This friend here? He attacked me first! Better be careful with that thing kid, or the one who is going to be hurting him is you!" The man grinned at Coloumb, "Unless you want to hurt them."

Coloumb said nothing, instead triggering his cylinder and shooting a large cloud of blinding dust and grit at the two of them. He ran in after the cloud, intent on attacking the thug with his short sword.

Kimen cringed as the sound of Coloumb’s cylinder fire rang out in the air half expecting to be impacted by something, but instead his nose filled with dust, tickling it and making his eyes water. He let out a sneeze, mentally cursing the break in he concentration as the spell slipped away from his grasp. The seed he had planted on the man's shoulder still growing, but more slowly and wildly without the child's direction. Little leaves began to spring from the fabric of the man's shirt from his shoulder to his forearm arm. "What the--! You bastard!" The man squinted through stinging, watering eyes momentarily losing track of Coloumb. But a seasoned 'hero' like him would never be so easily defeated by a little dirt in their eyes, and the cobblestone street made it easier to pick up on the boy's footfalls. Unfortunately for him, he didn't realize the boy was so close until it was too late, "Aargh!" Pain blossomed from his waist as he attempted to dodge the attack but
but it was only a small wound and easily ignored. The next attack he blocked with his sword, the clang of metal meeting metal resounding loudly within the haze of dirt. As Coloumb attempted a third strike at him, the man twisted his body away and flung Kimen at his opponent.

Coloumb stopped his swing and caught Kimen, then ran back out of close range again. "You alright, Kimen?" The battle alchemist put his friend down and started to load water crystals into his cylinder.

Kimen nodded and grabbed the boys arm and tried to pull him away "Lets get out of here and find some guards, or an adult. While we have the chance! This guy is crazy and he needs to be reported and dealt with!" She exclaimed once again looking for anyone nearby that could help them, but the street seemed eerily empty of people. The man emerged from the dust approaching the two of them with the slow relaxed steps of a man who was in no hurry. If the small injury to his side was hurting him he didn't show it, "Are you going to run and tell! That is expected of children, I suppose. They can't fight their own battles so they have someone fight for them. Go ahead. You both attacked me first, though."

"Reporting him won't help, we'll just get in trouble and he gets off scott free." Coloumb regarded the man thoughtfully, tapping his loaded cylinder. "I'd suggest a tactical retreat, but I really want to beat this guy up."

"Tactical retreat then!" Or more likely just a regular retreat so Kimen had enough time to find a guard or Mr. Forte and tell him what happened here. Kimen looked towards the man, trying to get a good look at him in case he had to describe him later. Reporting the man was the right thing to do. They probably wouldn't be the last people in this world harassed by him, even if he did get off without punishment there would be documentation. There would have to be justice eventually. Kimen wanted to believe that. "I don't want to see you get hurt anymore, Mr. Coloumb!" The man pointed the tip of his sword in the direction of the children and waved it around in teasing fashion. "Are you going to run away like a pair of dogs with their tails tucked between their legs or be a man and fight me?"

Coloumb sighed and fired his cylinder at the man, sending a large, fully charged sphere of water rocketing at him. "Now we can go."

The sphere of water slammed into the front of the man's armor at full force, knocking him over to the ground and sending a spray in all directions. Kimen nodded to Coloumb, still pulling at his arm eagerly hoping to escape the situation faster.

Coloumb nodded and ran in the direction Kimen was indicating while the man was down.