[center][h1][color=6ecff6]Karina Frost[/color][/h1][/center]

Karina could feel Syella's attention, focused on her, probably trying to discover what exactly was her magic. Karina stood still, still carefully watching everything that was happening. Despite the dire situation, the expression Syella did when 'looking' at Karina meant that they were at equal grounds. Karina didn't know exactly what were the woman's abilities, but neither did she knew what Karina's abilities were.

Unfortunately for Karina, she had completely forgotten that civilians tend to let their tongues run wild in stressful situations... And that fact became even more apparent when the innkeeper's wife revealed who was the healer out of panic. Even though her husband protested, it was already too late. The foolish woman's words had already told Syella everything she wanted to know. Even though Karina didn't changed her expression or even looked away from Syella, those around her could easily feel the air getting colder and colder. Even without looking at the innkeeper's wife, the woman would feel a shiver running down her spine. It was obvious who made Karina so angry...

When Syella shot with her sharpened fingers towards the woman though, Karina instead of sending her ice blades to defend the woman, simply let things happen. That foolish woman's own actions brought that upon herself. Betrayal was punishable by death from where Karina came.

But instead of killing her, Syella stopped her attack millimeters before hitting the woman. Once again, Syella's actions proved to be difficult to understand. After a quick glance though, the reason for her actions became obvious. It was Octavio, the illusionist. Conjuring three mirror images of himself, inserting themselves amongst their enemies, confusing them.

After a brief moment of confusion though, the order Karina was waiting Syella to give finally came. She ordered to immobilize the healer and capture them, that meant she had allies close, which was quickly proven to be true when a squad of cultists arrived at the rooftop they were standing at. Karina didn't know why exactly Syella wanted them alive, but Karina wouldn't give them the same luxury... The cold air swirling around her became a thin, slightly visible white mist around her. Her eyes, as cold as the air around her and her rapier's blade, which was ready on her hands. It was impossible to see past her expression. Expressionless, there was no rage, no fear, no excitement... There was only her cold, focused stare.

Underneath her cold and calm expression, her mind was working at full speed. The battle had already begun the second Syella revealed herself as she started analyzing which tactics Syella and her cultists would probably use. Karina's group had a few magic users, herself included, who would clearly be tricky to deal with, even for cultists. These magic users also consisted on the group's main offensive capabilities. Using magic deterrents to cut their fighting power was a strategy that Syella would surely use. Numbing Ivy. Even though Syella didn't know exactly which magic Karina used, she and her allies would soon find out. 

Numbing Ivy was mostly employed as a magic deterrent in the form of oils and extracts. In battle, they could be used in a variety of ways... By dousing arrows with them, darts, blades or even by simply throwing them. Despite the difficult situation, there was a chance to win that confrontation. It was slim, but it was still there. Karina would have to be very careful, especially with the possibility of the cultists using magic deterrents.

As one of the cultists dashed towards her, wielding two dueling blades. Her attack was way too obvious, especially on how she was running, with one sword ready for attack and the other one ready to attack shortly after. She would probably try to take advantage of the fact that Karina had only one sword while she had two. But the cultist woman probably didn't know of one thing... Karina wasn't just a girl with a rapier... There was a reason why she was considered a genius fencer even amongst the military...

Instead of trying to defend herself or even parry the woman's attack, Karina dashed forward in a swift, agile and graceful movement, almost as she was sliding on the ground just as the cultist woman was about to get close to her. While wielding two swords meant that she could parry an attack and counterattack at the same time, the rapier had one advantage... It was much faster. By using Karina's small body, her natural speed and agility and her skill with the rapier, keeping track of her movements would certainly be difficult. Let alone matching them...

Karina moved out of the woman's attack with a graceful movement, spinning around her almost like she was dancing. Unfortunately for the cultist woman, she was fighting not just a genius fencer, but also someone who wielded ice magic... Just as she spun around the cultist woman to get behind her, the cultist woman would see two of the three ice blades flying towards her like needles, forcing her to either dodge them or block them with her blades while making it impossible for her to use her other blade to attack Karina. Regardless if the cultist woman would choose to either dodge or block them, her movements would already give Karina the chance she needed.

Just as she passed by the woman, spinning around her, she moved her rapier with a sudden and quick flick of her wrist just as she passed by the woman. The next thing the cultist woman would see, was the glint from her rapier's blade as it slid between her defenses just as she moved herself to avoid being hit by her ice blades, aiming precisely at her left arm, inflicting a cut on her biceps. 
Together with the sharp pain, the woman would feel a painful and numbing cold coming from the cut she just received. It was just like there were millions of small needles inside her biceps whenever she moved it. If she looked at it though, she would quickly realize that the blood inside the wound was completely frozen. Even though it wasn't that deep of a cut, it proved to be even more debilitating than a normal cut. She could feel the cold sapping her strengths.

After that dazzlingly fast counterattack, the cultist woman would turn around to see Karina standing still with the same expressionless, cold stare while still in a fencing stance. From Karina's mouth and nose, the cultist woman would be able to see her cold breath visible in the air as she breathed. The cold aura around that small girl had wasn't just figurative, but literal as well. Engaging that girl without a proper tactic quickly proved to be a mortal mistake. After that cut, she was already at disadvantage due to the girl's weird magic. Not only that but every movement that small girl made was just like it was carefully calculated. She moved strictly the necessary, without spending unnecessary energy. Even the fact that she used only two of her three ice blades seemed to have a motive... The remaining ice blade, instead of being in front of her, was hovering just besides her. Not pointing towards the cultist woman, but standing still in a weird angle. If the cultist woman analyzed Karina's posture carefully, she would realize that the remaining ice blade was being used by that small girl as a mirror, a third eye to help her guard her blind spot.

The cultist woman quickly realized, after that brief exchange of blows that beating Karina in a duel was simply impossible. She would need help if she wanted to take down that girl. Taking out her magic would help a lot to make things a bit more even, but there was two problems with that plan. That girl probably knew what they were trying to do, which was evident by how she was using her remaining ice blade as a mirror and the fact that even without her magic, that girl was extremely skilled with a rapier...