Vaeri let out a small breath of relief that her words did not cause Sana to become even more angry than she had been before. In fact it seemed like the anger she showed in the face of Tobias' accusations were partly a snap retaliation, and partly a facade to cover her emotional turmoil at nearly losing a man she clearly held dear. Guilt for actions that one didn't quite have control over was a common reaction Vaeri had seen during her travels. Although it was true that had Sana not called out for Hugh, he may not have been injured, it was a certainty. Had she not called for help, she might not have been able to avoid capture or injury herself. And it was not her fault that Hugh walked out into active combat unarmed and unarmored, but none of that was important when combat would soon be upon them.

Vaeri had seen and heard the anguish of those held prisoner in slave camp before Sana or Fiona did, and so had more time to steel herself. Silently, she gritted her teeth together. Brutality in combat was one thing. It was a life or death struggle, and limiting yourself with too many rules was a good way to be injured by less scrupulous opponents. And Sana's execution, while less justifiable, was a single decision and had been a surprisingly quick, clean kill. What these slavers had wrought upon their captives was not a single hastily made decision, but a routine. Cruelty made consistently over a long term due either to a lack of empathy or suppression of such. She was not quite sure which one was worse. Back in the village, Vaeri had resolved not to underestimate her next foe like in the previous fight. Now she resolved that she would not show them the mercy of a painless death.

The elf jumped off the back of Rodger as soon as they had entered the bandit camp. The dogs would almost assuredly attack the horse, and although it was a powerful beast, she doubted that it would be able to handle so many hounds at once. If they needed to retreat, an injured horse would only slow them down further.

"Lady Menhet, give me strength!" she shouted, casting off her cloak as she began to glow with white light. These slavers would know the full extent of Vaeri's Divine Power. The cleric gripped her axe two-handed with about a foot of distance in between them, a good deal of haft  on both sides. Her power and range would be lessened with a grip like this, but the maneuverability and speed would prove invaluable against the dogs of war. The first dog leapt directly for her throat, Vaeri responded by thrusting the center of the haft in between her hands into the beast's neck, knocking it straight back. At the same time, another dog ran up and grabbed ahold of her left forearm, drawing blood with its teeth. She grabbed the hound's throat and in an instant crushed its windpipe the same way one would snap a toothpick. The beasts did not know better than to protect their masters. Their deaths would be swift. Vaeri tore the dog off her arm, causing further damage to her appendage before throwing its body at the one that had attacked her first.

The dog managed to dodge the body of its fallen packmate and charged again in a fury, only to be met with the blade of Vaeri's axe that split its skull into tiny shards of bone, blood and brain matter. She looked up from the corpse of the dog to see two men, each equipped with a knife in each hand flanking her, one to her left and the other on her right.

"You will not receive the mercy your hounds did." she spat at them, bringing her axe back up into a guarded position.