[center][h3]The Chalk Prince, the Fallen Child, and the Prisoner[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Frozen Highlands - Dragonspine
Linkle’s [@Gentlemanvaultboy], Frisk’s [@Majoras End], Prisoner’s [@XoXKieroBombXoX] [/center]

When the Draugr’s axeblade came down, Frisk had one shot for survival–and, with a mind sharpened to a razor’s edge by the horror of Melony’s suffering, they made the right decision. Rather than trust their faltering shield to stomach one more grievous blow, the child went on the offensive, going for the monster as it moved in for its grim execution. The sudden lunge, unexpected an unaccounted for in the Draugr’s heedless bloodlust, meant that its vicious chop overshot its target, though not completely. Its notched, dull blade met the thick material of Frisk’s boot at the leg just above the ankle, and while its poor condition plus Frisk’s defensive gear meant that it failed to cut through, it still struck with enough blunt force to break the bone.

Even so, the Draugr got the bad end of the trade, because at the same time Frisk struck its knee. Without flesh or armor to cushion the blow, the bony joint crumpled underneath the Vorpan’s swing. A sickening crack sounded out as it bent sideways, partially splintered, and all of a sudden the monster’s weight was working against it. The undead warrior staggered, and as it sank it threw out one hand to support itself. That left it wide open on the same side, and with all the opportunity they needed Frisk went straight for the head.

[i]BONG![/i]

The hearty clang echoed off the nearby cliff face as the smash struck home in a shower of bone fragments, leaving half the axe-wielder’s head caved in and its jaw dangling ghoulishly from just one side. Unfortunately, while that alone would have felled any ordinary enemy, a Draugr did not care how much punishment its grisly husk took, so long as it could still fight. Though its head lolled to the side, it affixed its baleful, soulless gaze on Frisk once more, and with a hollow cry threw itself forward. Whether it could sprint, walk, or only crawl, the Draugr possessed the weight to bring the child to the ground beneath it if it managed to grab hold, and the bestial savagery to rip and tear until the snow ran red with blood.

Still, Frisk might have been able to outpace the abominable thing and save Melony if not for one important factor. The Hel-Walker who blasted the child earlier had not gotten into melee range, its hands overflowing with rotten miasmata of seior magic. A terrible sinking feeling of despair bubbled up from within when Frisk realized couldn’t help Melony without giving the Hel-Walker free reign to work its fell magic, which would then give the Draugr the chance to catch up. Worse still, however, was the realization that it was already too late. Albedo, still dealing with the Draugr raider and the Hel-Walker he toppled before, could seemingly do nothing. The shieldbearer, uncontested, raised its sword for the finishing blow.

“NO!” came a scream from the top of the cliff. An arrow zipped down from on high from above and lodged in the Draugr’s head, followed almost instantly by two more. Atop the overlook stood Teba, having peeled away from the undead that attacked him up there to do all he could to save his new acquaintance. Before he could loose any more shafts, however, the Draugr he’d ignored to do so, disarmed and peppered with arrows, grabbed him from behind and sank its teeth into Teba’s feathery neck. “Krah!” he screeched, clenching his beak as he shifted his weight to throw the monster over his shoulder. As it tumbled over the edge he lashed out with a desperate kick, and the Draugr hurtled down to land on the Draugr shieldbearer, knocking both to the ground in a heap.

But it was all for naught. When the shieldbearer went down, it left behind its sword, pushed mercilessly through Melony’s heart.

For a brief moment Teba said nothing, paralyzed by the shock and the weight of failure, but soon anger took over. He dove from the top of the cliff, firing arrow after arrow as he circled above the fight. Each one, loosed with vengeful strength, pierced the limbs and torsos of the monsters from above and pinned them to the ground. In the span of just a few moments, he eliminated the Draugr heavy, shieldbearer, and pincushion, reducing them to ash. He dealt enough damage to the raider that Albedo could tip the scales. The alchemist struck out with a flurry of deft swipes, finishing with a charged that dispatched his opponent with two slashes at once. That left just the Hel-Walkers, but their frigid, hardened flesh caused each arrow that struck them to bounce off. Rather than waste ammunition, Teba swooped down and landed on the one near Frisk, giving the child the chance to abuse the undead’s weakness to blunt attacks and finish it off for good. Albedo, likewise, disposed of the sole survivor.

The ashes from friend and foe alike blew away in the frigid went, whose whispers in the ice-crusted autumn trees seemed oddly jeering. When Teba spoke, his voice was calm, but cold. “Are you really warriors?” he questioned. “These creatures are cruel, but anyone with even modest abilities can cut through them like wheat. You left Melony unprotected, and now she’s gone. I can expect as much from a child, but you,” he said, glaring at Albedo. ”Didn’t even try to go for her.”

Albedo looked unamused. “You don’t need to tell us that,” he said flatly. “We were outnumbered more than two to one and taken by surprise. Not everyone is familiar with Draugr as you are. What happened was terrible, but we can’t do anything about it now.” He turned his ice sword over in his hand and stabbed it into the ground before crossing his arms. “All we can do is push on, find Joserf’s father, and make sure that she didn’t die in vain.”

"Hmph," Teba snorted, his face one of barely-suppressed fury. "How pragmatic of you. Not even a word of thanks for saving your skins a moment ago. And where's the other one, the corpse with the glowing eye? Skulking around somewhere? If this is how your group treats your allies, I would be better off on my own." His eyes narrowed. "In fact, I'm going back to camp right now, to check on Joel. If I find out that girl did anything, I'll kill you both." Without another word he took off, disappearing into the turbulent white of the sky.