The snapping jaws were like beartraps. One leaping curse hound has sprang towards her. She felt its weight, the power, as its jaws clamped shut.

But Fanilly caught its bite on the edge of her sword. The beast was powerful, but not as heavy as a human, though it nearly took her off her feet.

For all its strength, it was far lighter than even an ordinary dog of its size. Perhaps this was due to its essence being something as fundamentally nebulous and lacking in physical presence as a curse.

Regardless, Fanilly gritted her teeth, forcing the beast down to the ground as she used her leverage over it. Its bite loosened as her blade slid free from its grasp, and she adjusted her grip immediately as she wrenched her weapon from its jaws.

The swing back down severed the hound's head, black fluid pouring from its neck as it collapsed to the ground.

The knights who had gone on the offensive were certainly cutting into the Boars' numbers, and enough remained to maintain a defensive perimeter. Especially given many of them had become sluggish, some even passing out on their feet, due to Dame Amy's song.

But that wasn't enough on its own. It certainly lessened the enemy's number, but it wasn't enough to completely eliminate the threat.

They had to keep Lady Veilena safe!

Fanilly took a step forward, meeting the nearest Golden Boar as he attempted to find a weakness in their defenses. She swiftly slipped past his thrust spear and drove the tip of her blade into his throat, beneath his helmet.

He fell moments later.

But Haelstadt...

In the opening moments of the clash, Haelstadt had caught the nearest hound in a single hand, gripping its head like a vise and squeezing. With a crack, the black knight had crushed the creature's skull, tossing the body to the side and placing both hands on the hilt of their blade.

Just how strong was Haelstadt, to be able to do such a thing?

"Hah! Even alone, Haelstadt would be more then a match for every single one of you!" Lady Veilena declared, her voice carrying over the din of battle, "All you've done is choose the spot where you'll die!"

The towering knight's thrust Zweihander pierced a stunned Boar's shield, shearing clear through it and the armor behind it to impale the Boar. Haelstadt lifted him clear from his feet and flicked their blade, hurling the corpse into his fellows as an improvised projectile.

Even with their ruthless reputation, the Golden Boars facing the towering black knight seemed to hesitate.

Not that it did them much good, as the Zweihander cut a man's head in half moments later, shattering the blade he'd attempted to use as a defense.

But Fanilly knew that a single warrior defending a single person, even one as powerful as Haelstadt, was fighting an uphill battle. They all had to fight their hardest to protect Lady Veilena.

Cae Mayl was no place for a battle like this. But they had no choice.

A curse hound lunging for another knight was greeted with Fanilly's blade, hacking into its spine and sending it to the ground with a pained snarl. A second blow ended its life, black, hissing fluid pouring from its corpse.

While the man seemingly in charge of the Boars' attack was certainly faltering somewhat at the sight of the stern defense, his steel, Boar-bearing shield was swiftly brought to bear, deflecting Fionn's dagger as his black mace raised.

"Consorting with monsters, hm?" he bellowed, "Such noble knights, I see! We'll take our prize, and leave you dying in the darkness!"

Foul as he was, he didn't seem to balk at the challenge.

Clarice's response to battle, unlike her rather sour reaction to nearly everything else so far, was a grin as she swept her hair back, the book she was holding drifting from her grasp and opening.

The vague, phantasmal image of a wailing face that rose from the grimoire heralded nothing particularly pleasant.

"Filthy little piggies, I don't even have to play nice with scum like you~!" she declared, gleefully, raising her parasol in her free hand as she did, "Let's go with... [i]that one[/i]. [b][i]Wither[/i][/b]."

The tip of her parasol flashed, a purple-black light erupting from the tip and striking the unsuspecting Boar just as he was engaging with another knight.

With a strangled cry, the mercenary hit his knees, clutching at his throat, crying out frantically as [i]something[/i] began to affect him.

In all likelihood, it was nothing immediately lethal, but perhaps that was not a consolation for the afflicted boar.

Near the back of the Golden Boars' formation, there appeared to be some commotion. One of their number broke off, retreating into the foliage...

It wasn't so very likely he was attempting to flee.

[@Rune_Alchemist][@HereComesTheSnow][@Raineh Daze][@ERode][@PigeonOfAstora][@Conscripts][@Crimson Paladin][@Creative Chaos][@The Otter][@Krayzikk][@Psyker Landshark][@6slyboy6]