[center][color=rosybrown][h2][i]Nika Surt-Kallin[/i][/h2][/color][/center]
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[color=silver]A bolt, fired from somewhere Nika couldn't see, whistled past and mercifully lodged itself into the large, silent knight's head rather than Nika's own. Was it Aslan, or another helpful stranger? If there was one then it was likely there was another, and that the barbarian woman had brought a friend. He expected to see a dribble of red or at least a stagger, but disturbingly the knight did not acknowledge the injury whatsoever as he spun, chasing Nika with his blade. The pact knight had only taken a step back, and he stood his ground now - shoving the round shield out in front of him and bracing for the sharp [i]THUNK[/i] of the sword striking wood. When it connected Nika could immediately tell that despite the other man's unnatural reflex, his strength was nothing special. 

Was that earlier block a fluke? Did the bolt not penetrate as deeply as it looked like it had?

[color=#C3BDFF]"Nika!"[/color]

His lady's call cut through the din, and Nika turned his eyes her way. He saw Eirún's retreat and the mages' retaliation, the giantess gearing up to attack and Siegfried changing targets to head his way, and Brig directly in front of one of the imposters. No doubt she'd called him to back her up - he'd have to make quick work of his current opponent and get over to her.

There was no fear or hesitation in the armored knight that Nika could sense. This close to him it was easy to tell that aura swirled about the inside of the mail, but what was it being used for? Boosting the man's physical performance, dulling all other thoughts besides those of combat? Nika may have been Luxun by birth, with aura in his very blood, but he was far from a scholar or even a true practiced mage. He had no idea how to tell what sort of spell the knight was using... but it wouldn't matter if it was simply broken through force. 

Nika pushed the shield to partly block the man's vision, turned his axe arm so that the blade faced the sky, and a moment later swung up with a ferocious underhanded slash that was poised to tear into the other knight from hip to chest. This time it was too swift, or too unexpected, for the silent enemy to block, and if he tried to dodge it would put him right into Siegfried's path. Either way he would be off balance!

But the knight did little to evade the blow, and neither did he fret the new wound as Nika's axe split the cuirass at the side. The force alone destabilized the man's poise, but he did not flinch or cry out. In fact–

[color=rosybrown]"Somethin's strange w'this one!"[/color] Nika exclaimed, [color=rosybrown]"This bastard doesn't bleed!"[/color]

He'd felt the strike, and though there was less resistance than he'd expected he knew that his axe had bit into the man inside the armor. It [i]should[/i] have cut a chunk out of him, and they all [i]should[/i] have seen blood start to spill out and the man weaken. Yet when Nika pulled his weapon back even the axe head was clean. 

By that point Siegfried had arrived and took the silent knight by surprise - and then took him to the ground. Though Nika was a little loathe to admit it, there probably wasn't anyone more suited to deal with mysterious aura users than the Mage Killer. As the knight hit the snow Nika made to catch Siegfried's gaze, entrusting the job of dealing with this enemy to him, before he turned to sprint in Brig's direction. 

Getting her out of the direct danger was the new first order of business. Supporting her while she went for the killing blow was the second. As a pair the two of them worked well together; Nika was the front-liner, Brig the sharpened blade that took advantage of those busy dealing with her living shield. It wouldn't be any different here.

Thanks to the wolf, the man with the mouth full of gold couldn't easily go after Brigitte as she disengaged. Nika slid to a stop through the snow between the two of them to ensure the man wouldn't even try if he got loose of the wolf's teeth. As Eirún's wind blades tore into the other mage nearby, Nika lashed out with his own weapon at the swordsman. It broke through Goldtooth's defenses, cracking the armored gauntlet that had thwarted Brig and slicing into the limb underneath. Blood flew this time as the man howled. 

[color=rosybrown]"All yours, Brig!"[/color] Nika called back to the dark haired woman. He softened them up and Brig took them down, that was how it usually went - but whether it was the heir to the North that did it or any of the surrounding allies, all that really mattered was that the man died. [/color]