[h2][center]Deneb[/center][/h2]
Deneb couldn't help but pause in surprise as the healer at her side began to act far outside the realm of what she had expected. Given how she had been acting just a few moments prior, the ninja was expecting nothing more than haphazard defenses and a small array of enhancements, not... Well, [i]this[/i].

"Hm. With that, I think I might be having second thoughts," she said under her breath, the grip on her weapon tightening before she dove into the fray. The wolves that hadn't moved to flank from the start of the combat were already somewhat immobilized, which made slitting their throats as the ninja moved past a simple task. One after another, the shining steel flashed, and with each motion another creature lay dead. Of course, the [i]actual[/i] threat remained in front of them, and that wouldn't end as simply as this first half of the fight had.

"Eliminate the chaff, and deal with the boss last. Adds being gone relieves pressure from allies, and this boss doesn't call for reinforcements..." she muttered under her breath, diving to and fro across the hill to follow up on as many of the wolves that had been struck by the horizontal barriers as she could. Of course, some had made it through the gaps, wounded as they were, but with the main threat slowly making its way forward there was no room to deal with them.

In essence, that would have to be left to the healer; stalling was an inevitability until she could force the boss back... Unless, of course, Viri could kill them on her own.

A few of the wolves that hadn't pressed ahead with the rest—the bodyguards, as it were—growled at the ninja as she approached. With a deep breath, Deneb pulled out a few spherical objects and threw them at her targets before diving forward.

Said orbs were, of course, a smokescreen for her to weave in and out of the fight. A poison smoke might have worked better for the occasion, debilitating her enemies as she moved to strike them down, but that would also put her at risk if the healer wasn't available for immediate aid. Instead, Deneb took the opportunity to begin to strike in the midst of the smoke covering the area, stabbing at the obviously-bulkier wolves and rolling away before they could retaliate. It wasn't as if her strategy was perfect, of course; during the first few strikes, the target of her attacks had managed to claw at her arms and legs, leaving bleeding gashes where they met her body. The smell of blood would make her easier to track, of course, but dealing with these protective wolves meant that their boss would be left unguarded.

It was far easier to strike at a target as large as that without any sort of distractions drawing her focus away, after all.

[@Anza]