"...Oh, gods be damned. What have I done to have luck like this?!" Tiral asked nobody in particular as he pulled his dagger from the ground, still staring at the raging vampire who had [i]finally[/i] decided that he was enough of a threat to warrant a reckless charge at his face. Maybe he had spoken too soon about the whole 'let the Captain relax' thing, but he would look like a complete fool if he decided to retract his statement. Even if things were looking kind of hairy right now...

Well, even [i]he[/i] still had to preserve some face here.

As the vampire drew in close for a lunging attack at him, Tiral quickly dove off to the side and recited a quick incantation before slipping his dagger into another crack in the ground, quickly creating a barrier of ice around himself to ward off any incoming attacks. If their enemy's current demeanor was any indicator, then sitting still to let the thing whack away at the ice while the rest of the Knights took him down was probably the best option.

The best part about the ice, though, was its transparency. Tiral flashed a toothy grin at the vampire from behind his barrier in another attempt to provoke him. If the enemy took his eyes off of Tiral to handle someone else, then he could just send a spear of ice through his back. Honorable? No, not in the least. Workable? Probably.

Glancing at the rest of the Knights, the mage hoped that at least one of them would take advantage of the opportunity in front of them now...