Janius edged back and swung his axe hand in the air in an effort to make his two main assailants hesitate. A few spearheads clacked and cracked in the wake of it. He wanted to bite them all in two. He could not stop everyone, though, and he instead thrust at the dremora's chin to deflect its incoming mouth rather than open himself up by striking it more decisively. He braced for a hammerblow and instead heard it land on Kaleeth's armour.

"We...won't die here!" Janius roared. He impatiently ducked around the dremora to direct himself away from the pikes trying to hold him back, before leaping axe-first into the side of the dremora's maw. The dremora tried to snap shut on Janius' arm by quickly found its left jaw muscles cut through and running with blood. Janius then took the beard of his axe-hand and plunged it into the dremora's back like a pick axe. But he could only do so once before a spear was thrust under his arm. Let out a short, pained roar and grabbed the spear shaft, wrenching it out of the hands of the grinning skaafin that landed the thrust. Janius felt hot blood pouring down his arm already. He grit his teeth and pulled the barbed end of it with a dizzying wave of pain.

"We're past buying, Ahna," Fendros responded, turning around with his sword and ward spell at the ready. "But we'll steal some for you."

Janius and Kaleeth fought one way, Sabine's pack another, Meesei held the other way, and Lorag and Leaps were doing their best to contain what was left. Fendros could not help any one side without leaving another unaided. But, drinking down a couple of potions of his own, he could not do much sitting where he was.

He stepped up beside Meesei as she flung out spell after spell. "Meesei!" Fendros said. "Allow me!" He spread out his ward wide and brought a pulse through it that made it brighten nearly to the point of losing its transparency. "The pack needs help!" He shouted, and he paced forward. He could not go too fast or else risk the stability of his ward. Spears formed up and closed in. Fendros' ward brightened further. The points met the surface of the ward and made the shape of it divot against each spear, but it did not let them through. With nowhere to go but up and spells and arrows not faring any better, the spears left the Skaafin with no means of offence. Fendros drew back his sword, pointed it at a Skaafin sergeant dubious with Fendros' attempt at a stalemate, and thrust it through his ward. The dragonbone tore under the daedra's gorget and into its neck. It collapsed. Fendros picked another target.

The Skaafin were not so dull as to stay where they were, of course. They pulled away, out of range, and Fendros was forced to stay where he was or else be enveloped. He was not sure how long he could hold this fortified ward of his, but if there was any advantage to being born under the atronach, it was the time he could steal in situations such as these.

Sabine was no longer in control in that moment. She had a split second to do something. A clever trick was no longer possible in her mind. She brought the Staff of Magnus forward in both hands, fell into a fighting stance, twitched, and channelled magicka. A staff had a little more range than a sword, some memory of Lorag told her.

"Arinette! We are here to free everyone!" Sabine pleaded.

She sprung forward as soon as Arinette was in measure. A strong frost spell was ready to cast at the tip of her staff. A spell the likes of which would cause immediate thermal shock in a regular person. But she needed to touch it to Arinette for it to work. It might take a few attempts. There was no telling whether it would even have any effect.