Following the flash of light, Barbas touched a paw curiously to the cage’s door. The magical seal had been what was containing him, so the cage had no physical lock. When he pressed his nose against it, the door opened right away. Clavicus Vile was still occupied with Hircine and did not notice right away, but as soon as Barbas stepped outside the cage, Vile made eye contact with him. In that moment, many brightly glowing streams of energy flowed through the air from Vile to Barbas. Some passed harmlessly around Fendros’ pack, but any who could feel them would glimpse the near incomprehensible power of a god. 

“You…ungrateful, insufferable mutt! I’ll…” Vile began, but Barbas did not say a word. He looked past Fendros’ pack up at his master for just a moment before a blinding flash of light filled the area. It lasted just a brief second, and when it faded, Barbas had seemingly vanished. 

While Vile was distracted, Hircine was finally given an opening. The Great Huntsman moved with unbelievable speed and managed to land a thrust with his spear to the right side of Vile’s chest. The weapon of a god, of course, could pierce the body of another, though it was not blood that flowed forth. The wound actually appeared to glow with a bright white light from Vile’s very essence, further fueling the Daedra’s rage. Still, even with all that had just happened, Vile still answered back with a pulse of magicka that radiated out in all directions around him, slamming Hircine once again to the ground. The barrier that Vile had created to keep back Fendros’ pack had fallen, but luckily, he did not yet direct most of his rage towards the pack. Hircine was still the one with his focus. 

“So these insects actually found some [i]small[/i] way to help you after all? How pathetic…and pointless. Even at half my strength, I am still far more powerful than [b]you[/b]!” Clavicus Vile shouted. Just as Hircine pushed off the ground to dash forward towards him, he was stopped in his tracks as tendrils of Daedric magic extended forth from Vile’s hand to envelop the Huntman’s body to start corroding his very being. Despite all of the power Barbas had taken from him, he did not seem to be bluffing. “It is such a shame. I was going to enjoy forcing your ‘hounds’ to watch you fail before their eyes, but now I suppose I am just going to have to have them put down.”

Clavicus Vile slowly waved one hand in the direction of Fendros’ pack, and in its wake, dozens upon [i]dozens[/i] of conjuration portals appeared between them and Vile, each one bringing forth another Daedra. Fortunately, Meesei’s sacrifice had destroyed many of Vile’s most powerful servants in the battle below for the moment, but there were still a few powerful Daedra among them, and the pack was heavily outnumbered.