[@Soldat Elf] [quote]One figure passed the giant shuriken then she gave her a boosted jump on the one wielding the giant shuriken. The one with the giant shuriken made a momentum in midair and hurled the giant shuriken towards the closest of the mercenaries. [/quote] The oversized ninja-star --hurled with extreme prejudice-- cleaved one of the frontmost Devourers on its midsection, killing, or at least immobilizing it instantly. However, it did not bounce off its target but rather deviated a bit to the left upon hitting the hard pavement and overran its landing on the shrub at the other far side of the road. One down, leaving two other monstrosities standing in her way. One was still lunging towards them, while the other was engaging the masked elven mercenary, who in all honestly seemed more agitated by the cutesy greeting than having a venomous beast breathing down his neck. Masked Elven mercenary Withering poison status: 1/5 [@A5G] [quote]The bag was hooked on a broken branch before Verdant's figure shrunk, shifting into a small green-black serpent that coiled atop the tree. From there she explosively sprung forth, her form undulating and slightly flaring as she rapidly glided her way to the battle. Hopefully unnoticed in the darkness. As she arrived she'd revert into her human form, falling onto the rearmost creature with knife at hand, the weapon whipping forward to cut open its throat with a disturbingly practiced ease.[/quote] The attack caught the creature off guard, its neck torn open, black blood spurted forth, irritating the hands responsible for its spilling. In a frantic attempt of self-preservation, the devourer retaliated with all it got, but the slippery youkai handily fended off the grotesque arm trying to reach her from an awkward angle. The defending move, however, allowed one of the appendages on the creature's back to coil itself around Verdan's neck undisturbed and created an opening for another tentacle to shove itself up the Yokai's mouth. It would be flaccid in roughly 10 seconds, but not before discharging a supposedly deadly dosage of poison. The short second of wrestling between Verdant and her first prey alerted the nearby monster, but that creature suddenly had a lance of lightning striking him from the distance. [b]Verdant's Withering poison status: 2/5 [/b] (for now) [quote=@Valkon] Rezello shifted to reinforce the right, extending a hand that was soon filled with the grip of his spadone, sparks of lightning manifesting from the guard and traveling up its blade as he readied an attack. As he approached the front line, he moved to transfer his momentum into a thrust of his blade, releasing a line of lightning focused on striking the three southernmost beasts - aimed directly at the one further back, while threading the gap between the closer two. [/quote] The lightning zapped the first, then rebounded to the second, and the third target like a water current ran through a rocky path. The creatures were stunned momentarily, either by the blinding lightning or the paralyzing sting of electricity that charred their black flesh. The moment was not wasted by one of the mercenaries who swiftly swung his sword to separate the elongated, teethful head from its body, killing it instantly. [b]"Ha! That's the way you do it!" [/b] It seems severing its spinal column was the most reliable way to kill it. They have two more charging straight ahead. [quote] Degel was already moving foward as the creature once again became shrouded by the woods, his lumbering frame eating the distance far faster than it's seemingly slower movements would indicate. As he reached the Contractor, he concentrated, and a moment later he could feel the reddish ethereal wings coalesce and expand on his back, the Manifestation as true and real in the Physical as himself, ready to cover his allies in need, before addressing the group. [color=ff7964]"I suggest a retreat. These beasts might be just a small threat with all of us here,but you five are exausthed, and the Wyvern will re-appear at any moments"[/color] He rumbled, an eye trained to the sky, before adding [color=ff7964]"Unless someone is confident they can bring it down without casualties?"[/color] [/quote] The middle-aged elf looked delighted. Not only did reinforcement come just in time, but also because their presence quickly turned the advantage in their favor. "You are right," he said, slightly lowering his lantern, the affirmation was spoken without much of a thought behind it, let alone a follow-up plan regarding where they should retreat. The elven ranger behind them looked relieved when the reddish wing partially partitioned her from the harm in front. She allowed herself a moment to rest her hand and rearrange her breath, while her eyes scanned the battlefield like a watchful sentinel. [color=ec008c]"Is that... your friend?"[/color] She asked, nocking an arrow to the bow as she looked in Verdant's direction. Things didn't look good from here. It seemed that Kid with skull hair ornament was being harassed by a dying Devourer. "[color=fff79a]We have to help her!"[/color] said the other blonde elf. And as if it wasn't a strong reason to do so as soon as possible, the dragon returned. This time it glided above their heads with a horse carcass in its maw. It circled once after reaching the treelines on the east and realigned itself so its mighty presence could be observed. And then, it landed straight below, toppling some trees in the process. It let out a subdued, guttural shriek as it chomped on its meal like one would bite a cake. That horse looked damn familiar.