[center][color=a36209][h1][b][u]Lacain[/u][/b][/h1][/color][/center][hr]
Having seen it plenty, one might think that Lacain wasn't surprised when Iyl summoned a knight from nothing, but he was. While it was subdued, surprise washed over his features briefly, before his expression returned to one of concentration. Reaching out with his presence, Lacain augmented the knight, imbuing further enhanced strength to both knight and steed, before shielding them against a great many threats, all the while supplying energy to Iyl and opening what amounted to an escape route, if temporary as far as he was aware.

It wasn't enough. The female Shae, far more human in appearance than their male counterpart, emerged from the trees, appearing silently and without even magical warning. The lithe humanoid forms composed of wood, vines, leaves, and a great many other sorts of flora raised their arms in unison and unleashed their collective might on what was now a trio. The male retreated to avoid being collatoral of the tremendous wave of magical energy, which tore at and eroded the wall, which had been their defense, even slipping past it from different angles and eating at the barrier that Lacain had provided for them.

In response, the Archmage's eyes narrowed, he left a soothing spell within Iyl, and raised his palm, aiming it over her shoulder. Her wall shattered, the stone becoming energy even as Lacain's eyes lit up with blue and green and red. The energy that had been stone expanded horizontally around them, curving into an arching visible barrier of red and grey energy. Looking at it was like perceiving wavelengths of light which humans normally could not. It shimmered and wavered like air caught between winter and summer.

Meanwhile, Asrin's barriers defended him from the magical assault of the Shae and so he charged forth wielding his legendary blade, and swept it through the raising arms of the male who had begun to approach them once more. The Shae roared in fury as his arms were severed at the elbows followed by his chest earning a deep gash, which bled green, as the blade finished its arc.

Asrin turned his mount and charged one of the lithe females, who, startled, had no time to react before she was trampled to the forest floor.

Lacain smiled as the energies of the Shae attack diminished slightly. In response he poured energy into his already established spell and expanded it forwards and out, pushing so far back that his barrier almost struck the Shae themselves. His other hand remained on what had now become a hovering circle of stone, from which expanded tendrils of energy that continued to open the once hidden gate. It was almost fully open now, if only because Lacain was giving it far more energy than the spell would typically require...let alone allow. Of course, like every previous GrandArch, he had new tricks up his sleeve.