As the group neared the town square, the man was presumably the Great Hephaestus took to the stage, waving to the audience and taking a theatrical bow. He wore a large brown cape with a hood that kept his face in perpetual shadow. From his pockets, the performer took out two handfuls of metal scraps. Nuts, bolts, pieces of metal plating, and the like. Holding both hands out, the Great Hephaestus seemed to focus. The shards of metal lifted from his hands and began to spin around his body in complicated and intricate patterns.
The crowd collectively gasped and watched the spectacle in awe, some of them mumbling about how what he was doing could even be possible. It was clear that the crowd was completely immersed in the spectacle. Some were taking coins out of cloth sacks and tossing them onto the stage, as a sign of appreciation.
Concerned about potential instigators and pickpocketers in the crowd, some police officers, lead by who appeared to be the local constable, set up a perimeter around the crowd and kept an eye on them. The crowd, however, seemed to either not notice or care. The hooded performer manipulated his hands, causing the figure-eight loop around his body to turn into a single loop spinning horizontally around his waist. He spread the spinning trail of metal shards out above the audience's heads, some instinctively ducking out of the way of the oncoming debris.
The metal suddenly returned to its master, who spread the metal scraps out around him in a 180-degree semicircle. The various bits and pieces held perfectly still in the air around him for several seconds. The audience collectively held their breath as they anticipated his next move. As the metal stood still around him, the Great Hephaestus seemed to be scanning the crowd, as if he was looking for a particular person. The man froze in place when he saw Taryn and the others. Quickly. he moved his hands again, gathering the metal shards and scraps into a concentrated sphere. The hooded performer hurled the concentrated ball of dangerous metal projectiles at a very high speed.
But instead of throwing them at the Society team, they were directed at the constable who stood at the back of the crowd on top of a crate. With above-human reflexes, the officer dived out of the way of the oncoming metal, which shredded the wall behind him. The Great Hephaestus removed his hood, revealing himself to be none other than Levi. He pointed over to where he had hurled the metal. "Over there, behind you!" he shouted. Levi met Taryn's gaze from the crowd and smiled briefly before turning and running to the back of the stage. He jumped from the platform and vanished, leaving the robe to float to the ground below.
The constable stood to his feet and frowned angrily, his eyes shifting to Victor's solid black. Producing his billy club, he pointed towards the Society team. "Arrest them immediately!" Victor shouted. Instantly, several dozen police officers, clubs at the ready, began violently barging their way through the crowd to meet the team. The crowd was now in a full blown panic, attempting to get away from the scene as quickly as they could. Those who were unfortunate enough to run into the police officers were clubbed and knocked to the ground. Their sudden and panicked exit left a decent amount of room around the team as the officers descended upon them.
