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[color=gray][sub][right][color=white][b]Location:[/b][/color] Uhladein, Eastern Marches
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"[color=FFE63D]Fucking lunatic,[/color]" Quinnlash muttered as Fianna did...well, Fianna things. Maker, the woman was goddamn [i]creepy[/i] sometimes. Still, she'd told Quinnlash what she needed to know. Everything was at least nominally handled down here; she could get herself back up to the tower and do her best to stop those pyromancers from letting everybody die horribly. She turned her wary eye away from the Void all around her, squinting against the blinding rain to look up at the arched window that Galeil's fire had splashed against and through. It certainly wasn't a big target, all told, and it would be unfortunate if she missed. Still, her cannon had been building charge for a bit now, it should be okay to—

Her thoughts were cut off as a sky-ripping cry echoed from above her and she looked up in time to see the shadow of a fully-grown roc, corrupted by the void, cast in harsh relief against the clouds by sweeping lashes of blue fire. Her eye widened fractionally for a moment. That was the blue-haired Hunter again. She wondered for a moment how she managed to get up there before a grin spread across her face. Didn't matter. No way she was letting her have [i]all[/i] the fun. Just because she was headed into the tower didn't mean she couldn't make a detour along the way.

She stared up a moment longer, calculating distances, trajectories, running through backup plans. The explosion would be too big to drop it on the ogre without injuring Fianna, the Ldranti, and the melter, so best not do that. Then, with another bellowing laugh, she jumped [i]outwards[/i] from the wall, towards the endless Void.

Just as she was about to hit the ground, she [i]slammed[/i] an almost fully-charged shot into them, leaving a hole thirty feet across. As the shockwave blew painfully through her, she blasted skyward towards the roc, howling with mad laughter. The remnants of fire from her cannon seared across the sky as she went, a meteoric tail as she rocketed upwards, already charging another shot. She directed herself with small, powerful bursts of pyromancy; rotating, sliding, getting herself in place as she shifted herself around and twisted backwards, placing herself firmly between the enormous void and the Hearthfire keep as she neared the apex of her flight, only perhaps fifteen feet beneath the massive corrupted creature. From here, she could see the iced hole in its wing, could see the azure hair of the Hunter on its back, could hear her crazed laughter so familiar to her own. Her smile spread wider. "[color=FFE63D]Heads up, Ice Queen![/color]" No more than a second later, she blasted it with another explosion. Though it was of course weaker than the last, it was enough, with gravity's help, to send her bolting towards the window. One more course correction with pyromancy, and—

A roc hatchling, its cry like a knife scraping against a sheet of steel, dived towards the opening itself, drawn to the glow of the Emberstone within. With a deft movement, she slammed into it as she fell, catching it between her legs. It snapped at her, clawed at her, but she just smiled harder as she sailed through the window, crushing it between her thighs with one last burst of applied pyromancy. It let out one last strangled cry as it split into two, the halves crumbling to ash and falling to the ground just a heartbeat after she landed ten feet from Galeil with a thunderous [i]crack[/i] and a madcap grin. "[color=FFE63D]Sorry I'm late![/color]"

As she straightened up, she tossed her rapidly-failing braid back behind her and gave an offhanded salute. "[color=FFE63D]Hunter Quinnlash Loughvein, reporting for duty![/color]"

A moment later, as she watched the pyromancers staring at her, her smile vanished, replaced with a stormy frown. She gestured angrily at the apprentices. "[color=FFE63D]What the hell is this?[/color]" More confused looks.

 She flung an accusatory finger at the apprentice just clockwise of Galeil, which steadily traveled around the circle and pointed to each in turn. "[color=FFE63D][i]Your[/i] form is completely wrong! [i]Your[/i] focus is clearly almost completely shattered! Your form is off too, even more than hers is! Your form is off too—do you people have no idea how to channel a Hearthfire?[/color]" Sparing a second or two, she adopted a mock channeling stance in front of the crystal, though of course a Hunter couldn't actually channel into it. "[color=FFE63D]Like [i]this[/i], morons! Head up, back straight, legs evenly spaced, shoulders back, arms fully out in front! How long have you been [i]doing[/i] this, three days? And [i]all[/i] of you are too nervous! Your arms are trembling so much they can barely channel at all, let alone properly![/color]"

Another Void rocling screamed through the window, and without stopping her rant or even looking, she thrust out a hand, roasting it to an ashen crisp with a jet of scorching flame. "[color=FFE63D]Galeil's clearly needed in the defense effort, since he's the only one of you that's at all [i]competent[/i]. So you need to be able to hold this [i]without[/i] him! Maker help us if [i]this[/i] is what's supposed to preserve the Hearth! You need to ignore this shit! Don't be afraid of the Void![/color]" She lifted her cannon to her shoulder and reloaded it, pointing it threateningly at the [i]kids[/i]. With any luck, the golden flash of light and the sudden sharp report would get them properly intimidated of her. "[color=FFE63D]Be afraid of [i]me[/i] if you don't calm down and fucking [i]FOCUS![/i][/color]"

That said, she whirled around and stalked to the wall, leaning against it, but keeping her attention sharp. Whatever happened, she needed to be ready. These stupid kids got Void anywhere [i]near[/i] them, and the Hearthfire was probably doomed. The cannon in her hands, ready to fire at any moment, began once more to rumble and roar. It was louder now, with the rain and Void outside muted by the thick stone walls. She rent her soul into four more pieces and flung a hand wide, placing an everburning soulflame within each of the windows. She hissed and swore as the pain redoubled before she spoke one more time. Aggravation dripped from her words, masking the pain in her voice.

"[color=FFE63D]You super-special kids have a full-fledged Hunter here for the sole purpose of keeping the Void off you. So focus up and [i]do it right[/i].[/color]"