Alice felt and reacted to the blast of energy before she saw it. It was like a great surge, or a pulling in the air that she felt run through her, tingling and crawling across her back before being drawn into the beasts maw. Had she the time she would have prayed, but all she managed to do was inhale and brace herself and wards. A great crack sounded, a light flashed and Alice felt suitably drained. Her wards had held, and she wrestled with power to maintain them in case of further attack. 

	She pulled at the strings of the arcane in the air, they had been tensed by the beasts abilities and she found it easy to draw power to herself through them, two orbs gathered in her hands and she prepared to arc her own lighting from them but the beast had already fallen in a blur of martial fury.

	She allowed her spells to fade, her chest heaving more from the surprise and burst of action than physical excretion, and thankfully the creature's own magical aura had allowed her to preserve most of her own power. She pulled a handkerchief from her bag and, mopped the excess moisture from her face for a moment, before heading over to the gathered party.

	The beast had stayed where it fell, it's tongue lolling and it's eyes blank. A large chunk of it's head and been bitten away, an assessment made after she observed blood dripping between Argon's teeth and down it's jaw. "I have never ssssseen its likessss before." She nodded her assent, though lacking any sort of experience her Lizard friend had. 

	Alice spoke up, massaging her shoulder-blades which were very sensitive from the beasts attack. [color=royalblue]"The creature was magical, of that there is no doubt. Is this normal, Argon?"[/color] She stooped and began to assess the beast for magical tampering. Her attention wove from stretching it's lip up to look for the traditional over-crowding or asymmetrical setting of teeth, between counting the amount of ribs on each side or if there was any melding and finishing checking the creatures fingers and toes to see if any featured extra joints. All were tell-tale signs of magical experimentation or exposure without needing to cut the creature open; she had little will or way to perform an autopsy on the beast. She'd never had the stomach for such things really.

	"The Mantiraus doesn't go near swamps usually. They prefer hills and forests. But, if we're satisfied, should we go back or continue?" 

	[color=royalblue]"I'm afraid I am not satisfied. Though before I proceed, I would like to say well done all. If the creature had strayed any further mayhaps it might have stumbled upon the village? We did well to stop it here."[/color] Very well in fact, while no judge of hand to hand combat she had hardly seen people react to danger so quickly and efficiently.

	[color=royalblue]"Though that is what makes me worried. The fact it was far from it's home combined with it's raw magical strength concerns me greatly as to how it found itself here, and that the creature is an extremely powerful beast of war. I am afraid it may have been driven or unleashed here by dark forces."[/color] She had seen in years past goblins use their own kinds of creatures like this, beaten into service and unleashed upon the dwarven supply lines. She wanted to pay close attention to gauging the level of magical influence, though, as it may give a clue as to what the party may find themselves up against. Lots of augmentation may mean a more sophisticated enemy like the dark elves. Little scarring or long-term punishment on the beast's flesh may mean it was ensorcelled as oppose to being tamed through more savage means

[@Mortarion][@Gardevoiran][@BCTheEntity][@Fetzen][@Stormflyx][@POOHEAD189]