[center][color=rosybrown][h2][i]Nika Surt-Kallin[/i][/h2][/color][/center]
[hr]
[color=silver]Somewhere between repositioning and opening Goldtooth up for further punishment Nika heard Siegfried's shouting. The mercenary's voice was strong and sharp, but more importantly loud and clear so that everyone on the road could heed the words.

[i][color=#6ecff6]Keep one alive for questioning![/color][/i] Right, that was a good idea. It was the kind of thing Nika normally didn't think about, especially in the midst of battle. He hadn't considered it then either, focused on [i]go, go, put them down before anyone gets hurt, make sure none will follow,[/i] until it was pointed out. It was clear that this particular group finding them had just been an unfortunate coincidence, but they had to know something. Who their orders had come from, where in Fenris they'd been holing up. What their plan was besides destabilizing the nation, strategies, sources of information– [i][color=#6ecff6]They're reanimating the dead![/color][/i]

Nika's thoughts went blank for a moment, mouth dry, as he turned to look back at where Siegfried held the armor plated enemy down. There was no reason to believe that the man was mistaken, and privately Nika was more glad he'd traded places with Siegfried as he wasn't sure he would have been able to keep his stomach from lurching if it had been him that had made the discovery. 

Sometimes it was easy to forget, especially when one willingly pushed such thoughts away, but circumstances like this were a stark reminder: there was nothing sacred to true-blood mages, and no low they would not stoop to for their own ends.

In looking back Nika was able to see the barbarian woman rushing right towards Goldtooth after her roar, her eyes clouded with bloodlust. The pact knight actually startled and backpedaled out of her way lest he become an unwitting victim of her rage as well. He watched her pick the western imposter up by the skull and weather his flailing before sending him flying with a truly vicious punch. She'd beaten Brig to the man, with strength that rivaled even Lord Uncle Surt. When the snow that had been kicked up by Goldtooth's landing settled back on the land and the man did not rise, it seemed that was the end of things. His chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, but the other three breathed no longer. 

One for a much different reason. Nika dropped his axe arm to his side, but his grip on the weapon did not loosen. He remained somewhat tense even as after-battle quiet spread through the area, turning his head to follow Brig with his eyes as she went to handle the draugr. His gaze lingered on the blue glass dagger she held, then the remains of whatever poor man had become this undead puppet until it stopped moving. Brig had left his helmet on, and Nika wondered who was under it. A Northman that the mages had snatched and murdered, or maybe one of their own who'd passed before completing his service...?

Nika did not go to unmask the corpse, because he'd trudged over to grab Goldtooth by the boot and drag him back to the center of the group. He did not concern himself with looting, because that was normally the added benefit of becoming a hired sword - their pickings of the belongings of those they'd been paid to kill. But speaking of the group...

There was no need of a head count to see that the band of five that had departed from Blackpebble had become seven. Nika eyed the two women that had appeared as though from the morning fog; the fiery haired barbarian, who'd thrown herself into the thick of battle without hesitation. The woman with a cool complexion, unseen until she'd suddenly appeared to slit one of the mage's tendons and bleed him. They both stood among the mercenary band with the knight of Fenris (the real one)'s pale red eyes studying them curiously. Nika was less suspicious of them than he had been of Eirún and Aslan at first for the simple reason that they'd fought together on the same side already. He still did not completely relax though.

[color=rosybrown]"So..."[/color] Nika started slowly as Brig came back over to him. He let her do her thing, used to her fretting, and noted in turn that she'd probably bit her cheek or tongue again. It was a habit she was unlikely to break. [color=rosybrown]"You trav'lers jus' happened t'be around and figured you'd jump in t'help when you saw the fight? Suppose there's some thanks t'be given, then."[/color] 

He offered the two ladies a smile, the same one that he'd turn towards the mercenaries he and Brig had set out with once they began to regroup. For a first battle together it had gone pretty well. No causalities, as Brig pointed out before flopping down onto the ground. Injuries he wasn't sure about; blood just smelled like blood to him, and there was plenty of it from the slain mages alone. He'd have to check by sight.

Ah, but first. Not seven faces. Even more.

Soren, as the latest addition introduced himself, light haired and lightly whiskered, seemed friendly enough at first. He made mention of his contribution to the battle (but not how, though the crossbow he carried said that for him) and now that Nika thought about it, maybe there had been a few more bolts flying about than could just have been from Aslan. He also offered to help them out if anyone had been hurt. How kind of him! What were the chances of running into a doctor out here? 

Then of course the man went on to request a very unusual reward which made Nika blanch at the thought. The man had to be less a doctor and more an undertaker. Nika's eyes flicked down to meet Brig's, wide and questioning. As the leader of this ragtag party, she'd have to deal with the self-proclaimed physician. Which meant Nika could inch away them, never too far from his charge but enough so that he could look into other things. The bodies that Soren wanted, for one, which had begun to exude floating motes of softly glowing aura. It was a phenomenon that Nika hadn't seen before.

[color=rosybrown]"Gonna hafta see about that,"[/color] he murmured to himself. Since the excess aura didn't return to the earth, at least not right away it looked like, it didn't seem right to just leave it alone. It could wait for a little bit though, as there was one injury that Nika ended up spotting. 

Eirún had been raked along her side. In the middle of battle it was hard to see everything going on, because distraction made things a whole lot more dangerous, but he had noted the metal wielding mage, well, wield shards of metal before. She'd must have gotten it at that time, after using her own magic against him. Magic that Nika hadn't felt any aura from, which intrigued the mageblood quite a bit. Questions for later. For now he brought his eyes from her wound to her face, resting them there. [color=rosybrown]"Y'alright, Eirún?"[/color] 
[/color]