[IC] Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

[Muttonhawk]

"It certainly would be interesting. Talking to a being as old as a dragon would have to be." Janius glanced up at Kaleeth and ahead again, trying to stay alert. "You know, maybe the bones we found were of a dragon living in the silent city in the first place. Just wanting peace. Puts a sad story to the thing, huh?"

The parallel between dragons and lycans brought a solemn quiet to the pack. Sabine broke the silence.

"I wish the Dragonborn would help us. He keeps the world safe."

Fendros tried to be encouraging. "I would say that the Dragonborn is proof that talented people-" He clapped Sabine lightly on the shoulder. "-with enough skill and determination, can save the world from its most dire threats. The good news is that there's seven of us, not just one."

Leaps grumbled and trilled.

"Eight," Fendros corrected.

"Since when did you start giving inspiring words on the spot?" Janius asked with a grin.

Fendros raised his brow and shrugged. "Sabine's teaching style must be rubbing off on me."

Janius chuckled. "Well, regardless, it still would be nice to have a tried and tested world saver on our side."

[EliteCommander]

Meesei grinned. “Well, none of us have been gifted the Voice by Kynareth, but we have been chosen by Hircine, so I suppose that will have to do. Let us just be sure to stay alert. We do not want to become too distracted.”
As they had started closer to the evening, there was not too much walking left in their day. As night had fallen, the pack had moved off of the road to a spot in the forest, not to make camp, but to find a landmark that Meesei could use in order to easily commit the location to memory, which she found in the form of a significantly large tree next to an oddly-shaped rock. With some help from Sabine, they opened a portal back to Blackreach, bringing everything they had with them.

---

The ability to rest safely and securely in their own beds was no doubt a boon to the pack’s overall health. They did not need to worry about going on watch, and would not have the worry in the pack of their mind that Do’rhajul would kill them in their sleep. They simply had the freedom to sleep as well as a lycanthrope could.

The next morning began early, but as the pack was well-rested, there was not much to complain about. They were all able to have a full breakfast with the choice to pick from anything in the kitchens, as per usual. Afterwards, they gathered up in a courtyard in the Silent City to teleport back to High Rock. Although they had not yet seen evidence that the General had tracked them out of Sentinel, they were still preparing as if they were going directly into battle. The children had actually woken up early to see them off for the day, and were currently with their parents next to Leaps. Julan was telekinetically lifting up a stick that had fallen off of a small tree in the center garden, which Leaps was following around and at which he was occasionally swatting.

Meanwhile, Kaleeth fastened the last of the straps on her armor, then grabbed her helmet in her hands. “I wonder how many years more will Leaps still play like that? He doesn’t really act like a regular wamasu, though I guess he wasn’t raised like one. I also wonder how long I can keep this helmet on today. I hate wearing it for too long; it pushes down on my fins and gets a bit irritating.”

[Muttonhawk]

Janius lifted the visor on his own helmet and quirked his lips into a sudden half-grin. "Haven't I mentioned a thousand times by now that you can commission a helmet from the blacksmiths to accommodate your fins? You know, most people just complain about the heat in these suits."

Shaking his head jokingly, Janius turned to watch Julan and Leaps. He crossed his arms. "I honestly can't imagine Leaps without his playful side. Maybe it'll taper off in a year or two but I have no idea how wamasus mature. At least the kids still get to have fun with him."

While Fendros strung his bow and did on his quiver, Rhazii stood staring into space and looking glum next to Ahnasha. He had been uncharacteristically quiet since breakfast and was shying away from eye contact. It was with some abrupt change, then, that he breathed in deeply and spoke. "Mother..." He released half his breath in hesitation. "When am I going to be good enough to join you on these missions? I'm a better shot and a better fighter than most people my age. I'm as big as an adult. Why can't I fight beside you all?"

[EliteCommander]

Kaleeth shrugged briefly. “I know, but the blacksmiths always say that the helmet would either have to have holes in it, or just be way too large. You know, there’s a reason Argonians don’t tend to use metal plate armor. A few reasons, really, especially in the marsh. You would just sink in it. I know this is good armor, though. Especially with the enchantments on it; they make it real easy to move in.” She admitted.

Kaleeth, and all of the pack, had been given complete freedom with enchanting their equipment to their specifications as the clans’ resources had grown. By this point, each of them had the best equipment the clans could provide. Kaleeth, like a few of the others, had focused her enchantments on reducing some of her own weaknesses. She was already strong enough, so she had enchantments on her boots and greaves to enhance her agility and endurance. She also had effects on other armor pieces that gave her some resistances to magical attacks, against which she did not have any other inherent defenses. Lorag too had some magical resistance on his plate armor, but it was strictly resistant to elemental attacks, as he had focused many of his enchantments on improving his physical abilities. His gauntlets had finally allowed him to close the gap between himself and Kaleeth, so he now at least was equally as strong as her, at least out of their lycan forms. His armor also improved his stamina, speed, and agility to overcome the limitations his aging body had been placing upon him. Meesei and Ahnasha did not wear armor, and were not particularly attached to a set of clothing, so they had placed their enchantments upon items like necklaces and other trinkets. For their own peace-of-mind, both of them had dedicated similar bone charm necklaces to shielding enchantments. They provided an alteration enchantment that acted like armor. It was invisible unless triggered, and would provide resistance to any physical attack that struck them, reducing impact or penetration. Aside from that, their priorities were different. Meesei already had an exceptionally large pool of magicka, so she had enchantments to help quicken her natural magic recovery, as well as effects to help her more easily convert incoming magical attacks into magicka for her own use. Ahnasha, meanwhile, selected enchantments to simply give her more magicka to work with, as well as one that enhanced her already-impressive perceptions, which could make her even more accurate at longer ranges.

Ahnasha let out a long breath, distracting her gaze by watching Julan and Leaps nearby as she responded to Rhazii. “Son…even before thinking about how ready you really are, you don’t really have the…experience that we do to know how dangerous Do’rhajul really is. If it were any other situation, I might consider it, but not this one. Not right now. Their General is probably the most dangerous person in Vile’s entire army, and I’m sorry to say, but you’re not ready for him, Rhazii. Nor is most anyone else in the clan. He is a Cathay-raht, even bigger and stronger than you, and with many more years of experience. He uses a powerful Daedric artifact in combat, and he defeated Meesei in a fight when you were just a cub. I…know I can’t keep you locked up in the clan forever. I know that, if this is really what you want, that I can’t keep you from becoming a warrior like me and your father. But, you have to trust that we know what we are talking about with this, Rhazii. Remember, all of us in the pack, except you and your brother, have been fighting longer than you have been alive, and it has taken that long for us to become as good as we are. If you want to be like us, you have to start out like we did and work your way up to more dangerous foes.”

[Muttonhawk]

"You might at least get some small covered ridges over the top so your fins aren't pressed flat." Janius shrugged. "But I suppose it's not a large problem." He looked at the wrists of his own Dwemer gauntlets. "I'm grateful that we have this equipment at all. Even with the abundant soul gems and good metal laying around, we could buy a mansion with the value of what we're wearing as a pack. Especially with the enchantments on them."

As Janius was a confident warder, his Dwemer plate was not enchanted to resist magic. He instead chose to increase the magicka he could hold in his body, as well as to enhance his destruction magic's potency.

Fendros and Sabine's equipment each added weight to Janius' statement as well. Sabine made most of her enchantments herself. Though she eschewed armour, she had a similar shielding necklace to Ahnasha and Meesei, with an added effect to assist her channelling of frost magic. The only other magical item she wore on her body was a ring that enhanced the strength of her wards. All other effects she might have wanted, she concluded, were situational. As such, she continued to carry potion skins and flasks for many such situations.

On the other hand, Fendros remained wearing his chitin armour. While it was not as strong as Dwemer plate, the chaurus chitin that stacked up after their domestication naturally reached the hands of the blacksmiths and tanners. Almost every encounter with the Falmer spoke of the versatility of the material. Since then chitin was favoured by the scouts of the clan for its toughness, flexibility, camouflage, lightness, and ease of repair. Thanks to Sabine's consultation, Fendros' had an eclectic set of enchantments; his bracers helped to speed his limbs to shoot faster, his sword struck with a chill that numbed and slowed the muscles it hit, and his cuirass helped to enhance his capability to absorb spells. He was still underdeveloped with his magical training, though that would change given time.

The pack was fully equipped and ready for a battle. But there farewells to Julan and Rhazii had not come yet.

Rhazii knitted his brow at Ahnasha's answer. He looked down and tried to speak quietly, hiding his disappointment behind a bit of anger. "That's not fair. You, father, and all my aunts and uncles, I know I'll be safe if I'm fighting alongside you all. I can help." His voice lowered further. "I just want to help."

Fendros laid a chitin-armoured hand on Rhazii's shoulder. "Mother's right, Rhazii. You're not ready. If you don't approach a threat as big as Do'Rhajul without all the training and experience you need, there's only so much we can do to protect you."

Escalating further, Rhazii huffed in frustration. He spun to face the fully chitin-clad Fendros with his teeth bared and ears flat. "How am I supposed to get experience to become a warrior if I can't fight with you?" He brought his fingertips to his chest. "You trained me-" He gestured to Ahnasha. "You both did. Everyone in the pack has. What's the point in it all?!"

"Rhazii, look at me."

Rhazii glanced at Fendros and looked down again.

"Look at me," Fendros said again, slower and angling his head forward.

A pause passed. Rhazii gave Fendros an annoyed sideways look.

"We've been training you and Julan so you can take care of yourselves. Walking the path of a warrior, going out and protecting the clan and your family and dedicating yourself to it, that is a different decision." Fendros flicked his eyes to Ahansha. "Mother said that we can't stop you if that's what you want. And we can't. And you are talented, that is true." He locked his eyes on Rhazii again. "But we are still your parents, you're still growing up, and we are telling you as parents and as experienced warriors that we do not think you are ready for a challenge like the general. Even with us beside you. Understand?"

Rhazii was quiet. He pressed his lips together and twisted his expression. He was still angry, even with his mother and father being reasonable. He glanced at Fendros and Ahnasha in turn. He spread his hands. "Well...I do want to be a warrior! I'm good at it." He shook his head rapidly. "So, what am I supposed to do here, huh? I don't want to just sit around and wait."

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha kept her arms crossed, and her eyes firmly on Rhazii. "You know very well that Ri'vashi runs drills and training with our soldiers nearly every day. You've been a part of them before. If you really want to humble yourself, son, then you should go and spar with her today. In fact, I will give you the deal that if, at any point, you are able to defeat Ri'vashi in a fair sparring match where she is not holding back, then you can come with us." She answered to Rhazii, quite confident that it was a deal she would not have to fulfill. And, if Rhazii somehow could reliably defeat one of the most skilled and well-respected warriors among all of the lycan clans, then she could not honestly deny that he would be ready. A far more likely outcome would be that he simply ends up having some valuable training while they are away.

Eventually, Meesei had to get her pack moving if they wanted to get to Cyrus before he set sail, so she opened up the portal to the location in High Rock they had selected the previous night. As per usual, the pack went through as quickly as they could to avoid overtaxing Meesei and Sabine to keep it open, and it was in that rush that the trouble hit all at once. Those in Blackreach would have been able to see it start through the portal before the pack was entirely through.

They were stepping out into a forest, thick with trees that blocked many lines of sight onto the pack, but it was through one clear sightline that the first shot found its mark. It was a well-aimed arrow, weaved between the trees, that struck Ahnasha directly in the chest. It was a shot that could not have been more precise, as it hit directly over her heart. Were it not for the enchantment shielding her body, slowing the arrow, and limiting its penetration to only an inch or so, it would have been easily fatal. What transpired seemed like it took an eternity, but took place over only a few seconds.

Those who fired upon the pack afterwards were not quite as precise nor quick to fire, but they fired in a volley. Kaleeth, on reaction, rushed in front of Ahnasha to protect her once she saw that she was hit. One of the incoming arrows struck the side of Kaleeth's head, but of course, it could not penetrate the tough Dwemer steel. Although, the sound of the impact reverberating through her helmet stunned her and made her ears ring painfully.

With all of the magicka she could muster, Meesei blasted a wave of telekinetic energy towards the incoming volley, intent of disrupting the paths of the arrows and forcing them away from her pack. They had plenty of trees for cover, but they had to collect themselves and identify their enemy as quickly as they could.

[Muttonhawk]

Two seconds of thought was all it took for Rhazii to say "Deal."

Though Fendros was partly concerned that Rhazii would hurt himself trying to push his limits, he saw Ahnasha's move as a smart one. If anyone could demonstrate how long Rhazii's road ahead was, even if he learned the hard way, it was Ri'vashi.

"We'll come to visit as soon as we can, okay?" Fendros said. He wrapped an arm around Rhazii and hugged him, even if he was still too defiant to return it. "Farewell. Take care, son."

With that, the pack put on their helmets and moved to proceed through the portal. They rushed through, encouraging Leaps to pick up the pace as the most lumbering member of their team.

Janius cursed upon processing the speeding shape striking Ahnasha's chest. They had prepared for an ambush. That did not dampen the shock. Janius paced forward and raised his shield in formation with Kaleeth. The volley of arrows was ineffectual against his shield and armour, but he could not helpfully strike back without knowing what they were up against.

Fendros bit his tongue to not shout out to Ahnasha. He caught her before she could fall backwards.

Janius tossed an explosive fireball overhand to hit the ground ahead and obscure them with a short flume of smoke and fire. The time bought would allow them to form up and try to see their assailants.

Sabine was the second-to-last through the portal behind Meesei due to her being required to maintain it. With eyes wide and heart pumping, she defaulted to assisting her pack. She took Ahnasha from Fendros and brought healing magic to her hands. A rapid diagnosis and treatment were in order while she was surrounded by the shields of her pack.

Rhazii might have said something had he predicted the events beyond. Fendros looked back right before the portal winked shut to see his previously cross face frozen into shock and fear.

"Where are they?!" Fendros shouted. He had an arrow nocked for the first enemy that broke cover.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha did not require Sabine's diagnosis to tell exactly what had hit her. It was a barbed, silver-tipped arrowhead, and she had to remove it immediately. The silver would only make the wound worse the longer it remained in her. The moment Sabine laid her hands on her, Ahnasha gritted her teeth, dug her claws into the wound, and yanked out the arrowhead, perhaps more quickly than Sabine would have liked. She could not help but to scream out in pain at the same time, but she could not afford to be patient right now.

Meanwhile, Meesei took the seconds she had behind the shields of her allies to grab a magicka potion from her pouch and down its contents. With how draining the portal was to create, she would not be able to fight effectively without a potion to help her recover. For the rest of the pack, their first thoughts were of course to find and identify the enemy in the forest, but after the arrow volley, they did not give much time for them to do so before starting the next part of their attack.

From several directions simultaneously, several glass bottles shattered against the ground and trees around them, releasing the alchemical concoctions inside in the form of a thick grey cloud of smoke. The release of the gas was enough to make the pack reach for their antidote vials reflexively, but this was not the soul-tearing gas. In fact, as they breathed it in, they found it to not be toxic at all, but it was thick and quickly spread to surround them. It made it all but impossible to see beyond what was immediately in front of them.

Seconds later, it was Lorag that spotted something roll onto the ground next to him. It was also a glass vial, one more sturdy than those that had been thrown against the trees. It was also filled with some kind of concoction, but this one was glowing red with some kind of magic. He did not know exactly what it was, but he had an idea.

"Get to the ground!" Lorag shouted, immediately before diving away from the bottle. Moments later, it exploded into a ball of fire.

[Muttonhawk]

"Be still a moment. Be still!" Sabine pressed a spell onto Ahnasha's chest to stop as much bleeding as she could in the moment she had. The silver wound would be with her for the entire fight, and likely for the next several weeks. Just as well it did not dig too far.

Just as it looked like the pack was gaining their bearings again, the opaque gas that surrounded them made sure that their enemies remained hidden. Fendros didn't like it. This had to be part of their plan. They had to reposition, but they had little sense of direction anymore.

Lorag's warning was received in a variety of ways. Janius dove away from the red vial and tried to put his shield between it and him; Fendros ducked and dove similarly, bringing his hands to his head; and Sabine threw a hand towards it and a bright blue ward bloomed to cover herself and Ahnasha. The blast singed each of them with its light alone. The wash of heat and force threw their heads off balance and orientation. They were scattered.

Fendros had an idea. He brushed off the shards of glass that had lodged into his gauntlet and shouted. "Sabine! A breeze! Make a breeze!"

With Ahnasha adamant at staying up, there was little else Sabine could do to treat her. She reacted to the order as quickly as she could put it through her mind. Sweeping her hands forward and channelling a familiar magic, a gale swept across the battlefield. The smoke was pushed downwind, but there was far too much to dissipate at once. Fortunately, Fendros had other thoughts.

"We have to move upwind!" Fendros shouted. Everyone could feel where upwind was.

[EliteCommander]

Moving out of the smoke was certainly a reasonable plan that would help the pack to regroup, as most of them had been forced to scatter as a result of the explosive fireball. However, the enemy was not keen on allowing them any opportunity to react. Once she had got to her feet, Meesei cast a spell of life detection, but surprisingly, found that she could see nothing through the smoke, even the members of her own pack who she knew were nearby. It was reasonable to assume that there was some magic in the smoke to inhibit detection spells. However, it did nothing to stop her from hearing the sounds of footsteps and rustling in the brush, all of which were moving closer. "Incoming! Be ready!" Meesei shouted to her pack. In the time she had, Meesei conjured a bound spear and cast a shield spell on herself to further strengthen her own physical protections.

The first to be attacked was Lorag, who was only barely able to see his opponent before being struck by a painful surge of electricity. Wearing light leather armor, the Argonian that they had observed in Do'rhajul's presence had dashed straight through Lorag in an instant as a bolt of lightning using the spell, bolt escape, which Meesei had been known to use. It was not a well-known spell in the present day, but evidently, Meesei was not the only mage who could still cast it. The dark-scaled Argonian wielded a shortsword and tried to move quickly to take advantage of his surprise attack, but to his credit, Lorag could still react quickly enough to turn and defend against his attacker.

With Meesei’s warning, Kaleeth had held her shield in front of her, staring into the smoke and waiting for their attackers, who did not take long to arrive. Through the smoke, she could see two silhouettes, which revealed themselves to be the twin Orcs as they drew closer. They wore steel armor with open-face helmets. One carried a mace and shield, while the other had an Orcish, two-handed warhammer. The one with the shield looked to be engaging her from the front, while the other seemed to be moving to attack her from a flank. Deciding not to allow them to get into the position they wanted, Kaleeth quickly moved to shield charge the one in front of her. It connected just as she had expected, but to her surprise, she did not overpower him as she anticipated. She had wanted to force him off of his feet and hopefully end him quickly, but he was able to meet Kaleeth head-on with his shield and not be run over. He did not smell like a lycan, so Kaleeth guessed that he had some kind of enchantment to enhance his strength, much like Lorag.

The one who approached Janius was a familiar face, Yerig, the Nord. He wore a set of dirty, tattered Nordic-styled robes and held firmly in his hands a Nordic carved greatsword. Compared to Yerig’s allies, he seemed more patient. He stepped up slowly, sizing up Janius and carefully observing his every move. Yerig was an old man, so he was no-doubt experienced, but unless he was using magic to make up for it, he was far past his prime.

For Fendros, the enemy that stepped through the smoke nearest to him was a male Breton in mage robes. Unlike some of their other opponents, he did not seem to be anything exceptional about him. He did not look too young nor old, and he kept his distance as the average mage would. Granted, he did have to get close to be able to make out Fendros’ shape in the smoke. Regardless, he quickly charged two ice spikes and launched them towards Fendros.

Being that she was the Champion, and given their past history together, Meesei had expected that it would be Do’rhajul that would focus on her. However, she was surprised to see the figure of the Breton zealot, Arinette, stepping through the smoke. Her attire this time was much more suitable to a Daughter of Wroth, as she was dressed in a green robe roughly woven with plant fibers, which was open on the sides of her torso and legs. She was also adorned with feathers and various animal bones, including a few bird skulls worn as a necklace. Meesei would not be surprised if they had magical properties, but what alarmed her the most was the staff she was wielding. It appeared to be made of a dark, bronze-like metal, with a large, aqua-colored orb at its top, and another gem of the same color on the other end. If Meesei was identifying it correctly, it was the Staff of Magnus.

Ahnasha and Sabine were still close together, watching different angles as the enemy approached. Leaps had stuck close beside Ahnasha, likely due to the fact that she was obviously wounded. He was letting out a loud, deep growl, and Ahnasha could feel the charge in the air emanating from him. There were two individuals that approached from Ahnasha’s side: a heavily armored Nord man with a tall tower shield, and a Redguard woman who was standing behind him. Though wounded and bleeding, Ahnasha was not crippled by her injury, so she could still fight back. Seeing as there were no corpses around to reanimate, Ahnasha conjured the strongest Daedra she was able to command: a storm atronach. Since she specialized in necromancy, Ahnasha could command many more corpses at once than she could Daedra, but with an atronach on one side of her and Leaps on the other, she did not feel defenseless.

Lastly, Sabine was left staring down Do’rhajul himself. He still carried the shield, Spellbreaker, and a silver sword that was large enough to be a greatsword to any race but a Cathay-raht. Although, this time, he was wearing armor made from ebony, with an open-faced helmet that had been forged specifically for the shape of his head. Sabine and Ahnasha were still close enough to help one another, but it seemed like their enemy was intent on separating them. If that happened, Sabine would have to hope that she was stronger than Meesei had been during her last encounter with the General.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius sprung to his feet as soon as he heard Fendros' order. He did not have the time to regain his bearings in the smoke, so he had his guard up and his axe raised. He did not take more than a few steps upwind before Yerig was there.

"You." Janius confirmed their attackers for the worst case that they could be. He returned Yerig's caution and paced opposite him. Janius knew how to fight against greatswords. But, that Yerig both had only old robes on his back and an old sword in his hands was odd. No armour. He was more akin to an undead from the tombs of Skyrim than a living warrior in his attire. Sometimes those tombs had powerful relics.

Janius spoke up over his shield. "That woman is lying to you. We can prove it!" He turned his axe in his hand to strike with the reverse end. He did not intend to kill Yerig if he could help it.

Fendros' first reflex upon seeing the mage before him was to draw back his arrow. He could not fire before he had to avoid the incoming spells. He dodged to his left and twisted his body to let the spikes fly by at the last moment. He could have shot the mage in the next second. But he didn't. He knew there was a better way to deal with him. Holding his arrow and bow in his left hand, Fendros charged a white light in his empty hand and paced towards the mage. He could ward a spell or two. He had not absorbed them actively in open combat before; he knew that surprise could give him an edge.

The tall silhouette was Do'Rhajul. The small confidence Sabine received with the storm atronach melted like a snowflake in a furnace. She immediately halted the spell making the breeze and double-checked where Leaps and Ahnasha were. She had to stay close by. Her breathing quickened. No amount of growth and training could get rid of the terror of facing down the one that defeated her mentor. That shield could ward any spell thrown at him. He was bigger and stronger. His armour looked impervious. Sabine had to improvise.

"Ahnasha, cover your eyes," Sabine said. She brought her arms up and touched her wrists together. In a blink, Sabine charged a light so bright it dazzled anyone looking directly at it. It only lasted an instant. It only had to give her a moment. With both arms sweeping forward, Sabine blasted the ground in front of them with a crackling white frost that misted the air above it. If Sabine could not get past the shield, she would have to go under it. Anyone walking the frosty ground would feel the cold cloying at their legs and draining them. She hoped it slowed Do'rhajul and the Nord man with the tower shield down, let alone have any effect.

[EliteCommander]

As soon as Sabine started to cast her spell, the Nord with the tower shield dug the bottom of the shield into the dirt in front of him and, along with the Redguard, crouched down behind it to protect themselves from the wave of frost. Similarly, Do'rhajul crouched down so that the ward from his shield could protect his legs. Although, neither would allow them to cross the now-frozen ground unimpeded. Once the frost wave had passed them, the Redguard peered up from behind the shield, her hand glowing with a violet energy. Just in front of them, she conjured a frost atronach, which, of course, would be entirely unhindered by Sabine's spell. Meanwhile, the Nord leaned around the shield, crossbow in hand. Ahnasha and Sabine could easily hide behind the nearest trees, but Leaps did not have either the knowledge or ability to do the same. In fact, only the frozen ground in front of him kept him from charging straight at their enemy.

The Nord was both surprisingly quick in aiming his bolt at the wamasu, striking him directly in the center of the head, though the Nord briefly looked disappointed at that result. As any Argonian hunter would know, the skull of a wamasu was thick enough to protect against nearly any normal kind of weapon, and since Leaps did not possess the same weaknesses as the rest of the pack, the silver bolt was even less effective than normal steel. If the Nord had researched the Wamasu before this ambush, he would know Leaps' weak points, and he was likely skill enough not to miss too many more shots. In the meantime, however, Leaps reacted quickly and violently. His entire body surged with electricity, and he opened his maw to unleash a torrent of lightning at the Nord, forcing both him and the Redguard woman to duck back behind the shield, which seemed insulated enough that the electricity was not passing through to the people behind it.

Ahnasha's storm atronach hovered over the frozen ground, sending a bolt of lightning at the incoming frost atronach to stop it in its tracks. Once Leaps’ attack ended, however, Ahnasha spotted another violet glow from behind the Nord’s shield, and her atronach became unresponsive. It did not take long for her to realize that the Redguard was using a command spell to attempt to take control of her storm atronach. It prevented Ahnasha from even simply dispelling the atronach, so she had no choice but to concentrate on her own command spell to try and keep control of her Daedra, lest they end up with two atronachs trying to kill them. With Ahnasha occupied, it was just Sabine and Leaps that had to defend against the frost atronach and Do’rhajul, who had been moving around the frozen ground in order to approach from a different flank.

Yerig did not seem willing to engage in conversation with Janius, as he said nothing before feinting a strike at Janius’ head, then thrusting at the joint in Janius’ armor near his left shoulder. Each of his movements was quick, precise, and efficient. Though he might have lacked protection, Yerig could move a greatsword with the grace of a dagger. Janius might have been able to identify some of his style from all of his training with Nords over the years, but Yerig had clearly modified it into something all of his own. Janius would need to be prepared for whatever surprises the old hermit might have.

If he was looking closely, Fendros would see a flash of surprise across the Breton’s face when he put up his ward. He had likely been expecting a relatively simple victory once Fendros was separated from his allies. However, Fendros’ opponent was disciplined enough not to set into panic. As Fendros advanced forward, the mage threw a constant stream of frost at him, attempting to break through his ward. As much as the fight so far had been dictated by their enemy, the pack did still have some potential advantages. Do’rhajul had undoubtedly prepared based on what he knew of their abilities, but his information may have been somewhat outdated. Meesei, Fendros, and Sabine had all developed skills they had simply not yet used in battle against Vile’s forces.

Not to be deterred, Meesei sent out a burst of electricity at Arinette, one powerful enough crack like lightning, but as Meesei had feared the Breton was able to, with apparent ease, direct the magic into her staff. The woman grinned, exuding confidence with every detail of her expression. She did not show the same kind of fear or nervousness that many of Vile’s followers had come to feel upon knowing they were facing the Champion. She seemed to have total confidence in her victory, and indeed, the Staff made that a frightening possibility to Meesei. The Staff of Magnus was a relic that could hold the power of a divine being, and as powerful as Meesei was, she could not hope to overwhelm what the relic could handle. If Meesei was correct, continuing to use spell against the Breton would just feed into the Staff’s power, as was immediately evidenced by the fact that Arinette used the magicka held in the staff to create a wave of flame across the ground. Meesei was able to ward it, though the end of the flames was heading in the direction of Sabine and Ahnasha.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine's frost barrier was at least successful in its immediate purpose of slowing the enemies down, even if the frost atronach was near. However, Sabine's panicking mind was too occupied trying to come up with a way of dealing with Do'Rhajul. She needed to do something that wasn't a spell directed at him and wasn't physically fighting him. She couldn't come up with anything. The stuck anxiety ruminated in her head. She couldn't come up with anything.

The frost atronach was threatening enough to deal with in the time Do'Rhajul would take to get around the frost, at least. Sabine could be direct with that. She pushed magical energies together in a bright orange ball between her palms and projected it toward the enemy daedra's leg. The spell caught fire in the air. It hissed in an explosion of steam and boiling water on impact, hopefully hurting the atronach enough to keep it away.

The hiss of the water sounded like leaves. Sabine's thought went to trees as an angle to deal with Do'Rhajul. She just needed to work out how.

Yerig's speed was uncanny. Janius could have been fooled into thinking that his old sword was but hollow wood if the clang against his shield wasn't decidedly metallic in sound and weight. There was no flair or extravagance in Yerig's style, either. He was precise. He didn't waste any measure. Janius was near his limits just trying to keep up tempo.

"We don't want more lycans in Tamriel!" Janius just managed to say while warding off Yerig. "It puts everyone we know and love at risk!"

At first, Janius tried a half-hearted feint to Yerig's side. Even that was wishful thinking. He reacted just as fast as he had been attacking. Janius opted to keep a weapon strike for later, instead bringing a fireball to his hand and tossing it point-blank at Yerig's feet. Its force was greater than Sabine's spell against the atronach, but its heat less intense. He wanted to put Yerig off-balance.

Perhaps it was the relative power of the spells Meesei and Sabine used to train Fendros' ward. Perhaps it was just this moment where he recognised his advantages now put together. Fendros could not have been more surprised. Not only did his ward hold, but the frost coming into it felt like it was doing more to keep his ward up than it was draining him. He took a step, then another. He walked, closing the distance to the mage.

It was absurdly easy. Fendros' open mouth curled into a dumbfounded smile. He shouldered his bow, dropped his arrow, and pulled out his sword with his left hand. The mage was closer now. Fendros almost laughed. Without a greater challenge against his ward, he picked up speed to cut the mage across his arms in two swings.

[EliteCommander]

Sabine knew exactly how to deal with the frost atronach, as her attack stopped it dead in its tracks. Simple flames would certainly have hurt it, but her magic lingered on impact. The boiling water stuck to the atronach, quite literally melting through its icy form, which only added to the heated steam in the air. While strong, frost atronachs were by no means invincible, and the intensity of Sabine’s magic was enough to melt off one of its arms at the shoulder. However, the threat to Sabine was only beginning, as Do’rhajul was now in a position to attack. He rushed forward, his long strides giving him impressive speed as he intended to shield charge straight into Sabine.

Each parry and exchange between Yerig and Janius demonstrated the Nord’s experience. He was a master at positioning his blade to both defend against Janius, and threaten the weak points in his armor at all times. He quickly built up a sense that every motion he made was a potentially mortal threat. However, an attentive fighter like Janius would also pick up on his weaknesses. As experienced as Yerig was, he was still an old man. He was not as strong, nor fast, nor agile as Janius. He did perhaps have trained reactions beyond the norm for his years, but in every other physical category, Janius was superior. If Yerig did not remain perfect in his movements and attacks, Janius was more than capable of severely punishing a mistake.

Yerig started to react to the fireball as soon as the saw the magic form in Janius’ hand, but it still served its intended purpose. The Nord managed to avoid the bulk of the flames, and those that did brush into his robe did not so much as singe it, perhaps less than Janius might have expected. It was possible that Yerig did have some magic resistance enchantments on his robe. Regardless, Yerig still stumbled back, barely maintaining his footing. It would open an opportunity for Janius, but it was one that Yerig intended to quickly close. Staring intently at Janius, Yerig finally opened his mouth, but the words he spoke were not a response to Janius’ claims: “FUS-RO-DAH”

Compared to the others, Fendros certainly had his opponent on the defensive. He might have been able to see the panic in the Breton’s eyes as he realized that the advantages he was supposed to have over Fendros did not exist. As Fendros drew dangerously close, the Breton fell back to a somewhat desperate defense. He turned his ice spell to the ground in the hopes of at least somewhat slowing down the Dunmer as he quite literally dove away from Fendros’ swings, then conjuring a Dremora churl directly in front of himself. The Breton did not seem to be an exceptional conjurer, as it was not a terribly powerful Daedra, but it at least served as a present physical threat for Fendros to have to deal with.

Even as the fight was just beginning, Kaleeth found herself struggling against her two, skilled opponents. They had enchantments that made them strong enough to challenge her directly, and clearly had the skill to match that potential. It was everything Kaleeth could do just to defend herself. The two brothers, who were arena champions according to the pack’s information, worked exceptionally well together. They moved to opposite sides of Kaleeth so as not to interfere with one another, and to divide her attention. They were both armored, so Kaleeth knew she needed to switch to her mace, but did not have the time to do so.

A hammer swing came at Kaleeth from her right, and she was able to avoid it by both ducking down low, and striking at the haft of the hammer with her hand to force it upwards. She was expecting an attack from the other Orc while she was distracted, so she pre-emptively moved her shield to block an attack from her left. However, the other Orc’s timing was impeccable. It seemed he had read his brother’s intentions perfectly, as he was already starting to swing before Kaleeth could react. He managed to get past her shield and strike her square in the back with his mace. Her armor did little for the impact, so she was nearly knocked forward off of her feet as she felt a terrible pain pulse through her torso. She turned around as she stumbled, raising her shield to protect her head, but the Orc was already swinging his mace into her stomach. The Orc with the hammer, by this point, had recovered from his previous swing and was making another attack towards her head. This time, Kaleeth was able to block with her shield, but she was unable to deflect the force, and therefore took all of it into her arm.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine held her breath and raised her hands. Her eyes darted in every direction. The trees, the trees, she repeated in her mind. She knew she had learned something about trees. Something Marcaille taught her. Something about roots. Something about the strange glowing wooden knots she used in alchemy. Where they came from.

Her eyes widened. Her hand wrenched out a glass vial from a belt pouch. She didn't think she would have a use for this until now. She pelted the vial against a tangle of roots half-buried in the soil beneath Do'Rhajul's path. Its muddy brown contents splashed apart without any visual spectacle.

A crackle and a snap beneath Do'Rhajul's feet grew into two rapid sprouts of tough root that whipped securely around Do'Rhajul's wide ankle. Sabine's expression dropped as she saw a shape grow behind him. Made of wood, leaves, and a vivid orange glow, the vaguely feminine figure drew up to full height with a cacophonous buzz of swarming winged insects. The spriggan regarded Do'Rhajul with a cool face, before wildly jabbing a twisting root-like limb at his armoured chest.

Sabine had no idea how strong the creature was. Neither did she know if it was any match for Do'Rhajul. Her thoughts were interrupted by a foreign shout that put a draft into the fog around them.

Janius was perfectly poised to strike his opponent in the neck with the back of his axe. He could not have recognised the words Yerig shouted if they hit him in the stomach. And they did. Though his armour absorbed the brunt of the impact, the near-invisible force was like the kick of a giant. He flew back a short distance and landed with a jarring thud and a slide on his back.

To Janius' credit, he did not waste time doing anything other than attempting to scramble back to his feet while keeping wary of Yerig should he follow his flight path. In his mind, however, he was not sure if he was in reality or a dream. The shout was unlike any magic he had witnessed. The only thing he could think of was what Meesei mentioned several times in the past.

"The Thu'um," Janius breathed behind his helmet. "This cannot be."

The mix of the frost and the shock of the shout in the air made Fendros pay his debt of hubris. His cuts only sliced the air as the mage managed to save his own life.

Fendros had been around Ahnasha long enough to recognise the sound of a daedra being summoned. He passed his sword from his left to right hand to receive the threat. The infernal foot soldier that appeared was less than Fendros has expected. Still, he raised his guard and immediately swung in to put pressure on the churl. He could dispatch it without trouble, but it would allow some moments for the mage to recover and reposition.

[EliteCommander]

While Do’rhajul was certainly prepared for the magical and physical threats that Sabine was known to pose, her clever use of alchemy had finally showed a dent in his seemingly impregnable armor. The root around his ankle stopped him in his tracks, and almost threw him off balance, while the sudden appearance of the spriggan cased a hint of surprise in his eyes. It seemed that even Arinette’s knowledge did not prepare him completely for everything Sabine might be able to do. The magical creature’s arm could not come close to piercing his ebony armor, but each strike was still impactful. And, of course, his armor did nothing against the swarm of insects that could crawl through the gaps. The magical, glowing insects bit and stung him at any bit of flesh they could reach.

Gritting his teeth and bearing through the pain, Do’rhajul was forced to swing around his shield to bash the spriggan and put at least a slight amount of distance between them. Then, he followed through with a swing of his sword that sent forth a cloud of splinters and branches as it cut through the creature’s body. Another swing would likely kill it, but in this moment, however short it might be, Sabine had an opening.

While the Dremora churl did have the intimidating appearance of a Daedra, his armor was of lower quality than more seasoned Dremora, and he lacked a helmet. He had a large shield and a spiked, serrated Daedric axe, which he swung directly and predictably at Fendros. The overconfident Daedra would not likely serve as much of a challenge, but it did leave the Breton with the time to stammer to his feet and run far enough into the smoke that he would actually have trouble seeing Fendros in the smoke, and vice versa. Once he stopped and turned back, his new approach was to deliver a wide storm of lightning in Fendros’ direction. Though not completely accurate, he seemed to count on the extra distance between them allowing him enough time to break through Fendros’ ward. Although, he was still operating under the assumption that Fendros’ ward was a normal one. Nothing that Vile’s followers would have learned about him through the years of fighting would have implied that he was of the atronach birthsign.

Though Yerig could not chase as fast as a younger man, he was still quick to follow through after his shout. As Yerig ran, he flipped around his greatsword and held it by the blade, then as he closed in, reared back for a crossguard strike against Janius’ armored body. Janius was mostly to his feet by that point, but not entirely in a ready position. They had been fighting long enough that Yerig expected him to be able to still guard his head and torso effectively, so Yerig feinted towards his head, then swung horizontally at Janius’ kneecap. Despite the armor, getting successfully hit full force by Yerig’s blow would still be like getting hit in the kneecap by a hammer.

Lorag’s opponent was exceptionally quick and frustrating. The Argonian was small and lightly armored; a single full swing from Lorag’s hammer seemed like it would break half of his body. However, that would require one of his swings to connect. The Argonian was continually using the same spell to bolt around, and often straight through, Lorag as a mass of lightning. Lorag was familiar with the spell because of Meesei, but he had never so much as seen anyone else that could use it.

The Argonian bolted through Lorag, sending a surge of electricity through his body and causing a pain that was a struggle to ignore. He jumped back to avoid the swing of Lorag’s hammer, then dashed forward to thrust his dagger towards Lorag’s neck. A quick movement allowed Lorag to block the blade with his gauntlet, but as Lorag used that motion to attempt to deliver a hefty punch to the lizard’s snout, he bolted away and shocked Lorag once more. It was an encounter that repeated closely several times, steadily wearing down Lorag while the Argonian avoided the frightening amount of damage that Lorag was capable of dealing. Eventually, the Argonian managed to get the distance on his bolt just right that he re-appeared right next to Lorag, already turning to thrust his blade into the joint at Lorag’s elbow. It was a clean strike that left Lorag’s arm bleeding badly after the Argonian bolted away just as quickly as he had attacked.

[Muttonhawk]

Sabine knew she only had one shot now that Do'Rhajul's shield was turned away. She would attack with her most powerful magic at once. Even a warding shield would not cover it, though casting it took time she previously did not have. She turned up both her palms with identical swirling white spells. They brightened and swelled. Sabine stared at the fighting Do'Rhajul with a mix of fear and determination glinting her eyes. The very air sucked out heat like an open door to the dead of winter. Rimefrost crackled and grew up Sabine's pale arms until the gathering power reached its limits. Sabine pushed her arms with effort in a twist -- one in front of her and one behind her back. The atmosphere broke.

Some stability in the air keeping it still and warm fell away. The air misted and flew at a speed, creating a vortex of freezing cold around Sabine. The water in the air spun into tiny ice shards that cut and stung. The blizzard engulfed Do'Rhajul and the spriggan both. The ground blossomed with bright white snow.

The continual wind current changes did not distract Fendros. Trapping the haft of the Dremora's axe, he twisted the Daedra's guard aside and plunged the tip of his sword into the churl's jugular. One last distorted and defiant scream and the Dremora's body faded back to Oblivion. Then the lightning magic struck.

Fendros jerked and grit his teeth with the pain the spell brought. He had the sense of mind to bring up a ward in the rough direction of its origin, even if he didn't exactly spot where the mage was. The ward stopped his convulsions. The adrenaline deferred his pain, no doubt until after the fight. He refocussed on advancing towards the mage once more.

Step by step, Fendros was more careful this time. He could not afford to point his ward in the wrong direction. At the same time, however, the lightning was doing a better job at draining his magicka than the frost, even with the absorption. He would have to locate the mage fast.

The frustration combined with the worry for his packmates and the last expression he saw on Rhazii's face. Fendros bellowed out in anger. "Why do you not leave us alone!"

Janius could not fully defend himself while so off-balance. While guarding high, his shield blocked his view of the greatsword's guard flying for his knee. He discerned the feint an instant too late. His knee buckled under the blow and he let out a short, pained yell. His next move was out of as much desperation as newly found ferocity.

Rather than let Yerig recover from the attack, Janius swung his axe up under the greatsword and pulled. The beard of the axe caught around the quillons of the sword. If Yerig was used to attacking with his guard, he was unlikely to risk cutting himself, but his grip was sure to be firm. Janius was counting on getting the man closer to grab his collar and wrestle him to the dirt.

[EliteCommander]

Yerig did indeed keep a tough enough grip on his weapon to avoid slicing his own hands, but that also meant that Janius was able to successfully drag him in using his superior strength. The grapple gave Janius the upper hand again, but again, Yerig had a way to pull himself out of danger. He opened his mouth, speaking a single word this time: “Feim”

Suddenly, the Nord became ethereal, like a ghost. Janius’ arms passed straight through him as he calmly backed away and put himself back into a defensive posture. Janius could do nothing to harm Yerig in this state, and likewise, Yerig could not harm Janius.

Leaps was proving to be more of a hindrance to the Redguard and Nord attackers than they perhaps expected. Or, at the very least, their plan to deal with him was not panning out as successfully as they had hoped. His lightning had forced them into hiding behind their shield, and some arcs of electricity had still singed their flesh. Now, Sabine’s frost on the ground had cleared up just enough that he could start advancing at them.

“Get a Daedra on that lizard like you’re supposed to! I can’t get a shot off!” The Nord shouted at the Redguard behind him, who was still intensely concentrating on the storm atronach.

The Redguard did not take her eyes off of the atronach. “Just…a moment more. I almost have it.”

Indeed, for Ahnasha, she was struggling to maintain her last threads of control over the Daedra she had summoned. While Ahnasha had become a master of conjuration over the years, the Redguard seemed to have a refined understanding of, at the very least, command spells specifically. She could not ward off the Redguard’s influence indefinitely.

Thinking quickly, Ahnasha peered out from behind her tree and pointed at the storm atronach itself. “Leaps, pounce!” She commanded. Kaleeth and Janius had been teaching their combat commands to him in Jel to avoid confusing him in the middle of a fight, but the whole of the pack had taken the time to memorize those specific commands, and learn to pronounce them.

Obediently, Leaps took the command from Ahnasha without question or hesitation. Despite not being obviously hostile, the atronach was now his sole focus, and Ahnasha had specifically ordered him to attack with tooth and claw as opposed to lightning. With a short running start, the wamasu leaped onto the atronach, tearing and biting at the electric-infused boulders which comprised its body. While Leaps could not cut stone, the force behind his jump and the muscles in his legs smashed the Daedra against the ground and tore apart its loosely connected form. The atronach did not have time to fight back against such an overwhelming force, even if it would have been given the command to do so. The atronaach was, of course, constantly surrounded by a cloud of lightning, but that was harmless against a wamasu.

While the attack was taking place, the Nord took aim at Leaps’ throat with his crossbow, but just as he was about to shoot, the Redguard pulled him down behind the shield as a glowing violet arrow flew through where he had just been. Ahnasha had stopped her efforts to control he atronach and instead had conjured a bound bow. She fired her arrows quickly, intent on keeping her opponents stuck behind the shield so Leaps could get closer.

Although he had saved his own life before, the Breton facing down Fendros was growing increasingly nervous at Fendros’ approach. The Breton had been outputting spellfire constantly, and was likely at risk for exhausting himself with no visible signs of having affected Fendros at all. From his perspective, his seemingly unstoppable Dunmer opponent was likely terrifying. Becoming more and more desperate, the Breton’s eyes darted around, scrambling for some other option. Between the spells being cast and the natural wind in the air, much of the smoke had been blown away by this point, allowing everyone to see more clearly what was happening around them. It was at that point that the Breton, having failed to overcome Fendros with magic, turned to using his knowledge of other parts of Fendros’ life against him.

Before Fendros was close enough to attack with his sword, the Breton charged a fireball, but instead of aiming it at Fendros, he was looking off to his left. From where he was, he had a clear line of sight on Ahnasha, which was exactly where he was aiming his next spell.

While his ebony armor provided some protection against the razor sharp shards of ice, there was only so much it could do in the face of such powerful magic. Though having only a short window of opportunity, Sabine had capitalized on it effectively. The ice hit him as soon as he had finished off the spriggan, and he did not have time to fully bring his shield up to protect his head before some damage was done. Across the rest of his body, the frost seeped into the gaps in his armor, piercing into him like blades. When the blizzard finally passed, he lowered his shield down enough to reveal a bloody, frostbitten face. A shard of ice had hit his left eye directly, as it was now covered entirely in blood. And, even if it was not visible, Sabine would have a good idea of how much damage had been done to the rest of his body. The cold would have frozen some of the water in his body, leaving him with internal bleeding and fractured bones.

Without question, Do’rhajul was severely weakened. Sabine had managed to cleverly halt him entirely before he could close in to effectively exploit the deadly advantage he had in close range. Now, it was a testament to his willpower and endurance that he was even standing at all. If there was ever a time and place that Do’rhajul could be killed, it would be right now. However, the clearing of the smoke had brought other concerns into view.
Nearby, Sabine would now be able to see Meesei’s duel with Arinette, which was going alarmingly poorly for their alpha. Meesei had tried to bolt in close to use her spear, but had been rebuked by a telekinetic blast from the staff and slammed against a tree before falling to the ground. Sabine would be able to see burns from both flames and ice on Meesei’s arms and stomach. She only barely managed to get up to her knees and extend forth a hand to bring up a ward in time to defend against the stream of lightning that Arinette was projecting, powered by the magicka stored in the staff. As powerful of a mage as Meesei was, she could not stand against the legendary power of Magnus’ staff. It could simply absorb every bit of magic that Meesei could create.

After a few seconds, Meesei’s ward shattered, allowing the lightning to strike through her. It coursed down her arm and through her body, leaving behind a distinctive fractal lightning scar. At the moment, Sabine would see her just as vulnerable as Do’rhajul, and just as imminently in danger.

[Muttonhawk]

Janius overbalanced when Yerig turned to air in his fingers. The painful weight on his injured knee only made it worse. He hadn't heard that the Thu'um could turn one into a ghost. He counted it as a blessing that the lapse allowed him to stand to his feet once more. He grit his teeth and raised his guard.

The narrow view that Janius' helmet provided allowed him to keep a close eye on Yerig. But, with the fog clearing, the sounds of clanging metal brought his attention around him. What caught his eye were the twin orcs assailing Kaleeth. She was outnumbered and outmatched. Janius snapped his attention back to Yerig. He could try to save her. He had no idea whether Yerig could revert back to a corporeal form. If he could, he would catch Janius with his new limp.

Whatever injury he had taken, Janius knew he couldn't fix it completely on the spot. But he was still a mage. He charged a yellow light in his hand and touched his knee, hissing as the pain cleared. "If you keep me from helping her," Janius growled at Yerig. "I will have to kill you."

Fendros' dancing eyes gathered the mage's intention in a heartbeat. "Ahna! Cover!" He shouted out. The next blink revealed that the clearing fog was more to Fendros' advantage than the mage's. Especially when he was concentrating away from him.

He let go of his sword. One hand took his bow. The other took a pair of arrows. The first was nocked by the time the sword point dug the earth. Fendros did not need to draw the full length, making the shot a fast one. The enchantment to speed him up made it seem uncanny. Such thoughts may have been processed only just after a Dwemer arrowhead dug between the mage's hand bones to erupt into the flaming light of the spell in his palm.

The second arrow went for the thigh with a full draw.

Sabine's shoulders rose and fell. The blizzard spell had drained much of her magicka. She shook off her numbing fingers, but couldn't take her eyes off the still-trapped Do'Rhajul. She had seen the effects of her frost spells in all their macabre effectiveness before, but the mix of blood, icy fur, and shambling movements only made Do'Rhajul look more monstrous. That spell should have brought him down. Even with that shield.

Some errant blast of magic made Sabine register the other fight in view. She didn't have time to think whether it was previous experience of seeing Meesei in trouble or the countenance of Do'Rhajul nearby, but she fell into a focus. Helping Meesei was not only a higher priority for her, but also a more achievable goal than ending Do'Rhajul.

She backed away and dropped into a run, pulling out a potion skin and sucking its contents dry in one swig. The potion washed into her magicka reserves like an opened sluice. The leather skin fell from her hand. In its place was a ward to charge in front of her as she ran. The other hand burned bright yellow. She wildly threw explosive fireballs on the ground around Arinette to break her focus. She had to give Meesei a reprieve, whatever the cost. And whatever that staff could do.

[EliteCommander]

Ahnasha was able to seek cover from the Breton’s fireball upon Fendros’ warning, though it did force enough of a break in her own arrows to allow her opponents to go on the offensive. Meanwhile, the Breton let out a pained scream when the arrow pierced his hand. For the following shot, however, his ward, plus his own shield spell, slowed the arrow enough that it was not a crippling blow. It pierced his leg only about as much as the first arrow of the fight had penetrated Ahnasha’s chest.

As his desperation reached its peak, the Breton sought to survive by getting help. He poured all of his remaining magicka into every destruction spell he could create that would put a gap between himself and Fendros. Walls of frost and lightning, explosive fireballs to disrupt Fendros’ aim. He seemed perfectly willing to exhaust himself completely as he backed quickly in the direction of Arinette for assistance.

Despite Janius’ warning, Yerig ran after him while still ethereal, and took a swing at him right as his shout wore off. He gave Janius no choice but to engage him, else his blade would surely find its mark. Yerig had not slowed down in the fight, and every attack he made had the potential of ending it. At the same time, Kaleeth was struggling even more. She had two, skilled opponents, and while she had landed a few blows, they had been wearing her down from multiple angles. Fighting defensively was not working, so she tried to go on the offensive. Now wielding her mace, Kaleeth managed to slam it into the middle of the Orc’s shield with a devastating amount of force. Although she had hit a shield, she had done so in a way that did not allow the Orc any way of redirecting the force, so all of it ended up going into his arm with a bone-shattering amount of energy. For just a moment, it seemed like she might gain the advantage, but in her attack, she ended up just slightly underestimating how quickly the other Orc could recover from his previous swing. She had expected his attack, and moved to avoid or at least let the blow deflect off of her armor. However, her leg trailed, and he was able to slam the heavy warhammer into the side of her leg. There was a crack and a scream from her as her femur snapped in two. Immediately, she collapsed to the ground, and the Orc raised up his hammer for a final swing at her head.

Yerig was still locked into a duel with Janius, but when he spotted the Orc start to raise his hammer, there was a flash in his eyes. It was just for a split-second, but it showed some doubt, or perhaps regret. In either case, he looked at Kaleeth and spoke a word: “Iiz”

Ice formed around his very breath and shot out at Kaleeth, immediately encasing her in ice. Some of the shards cut into her and harmed her slightly, as well as immobilizing her completely, but it also formed an extra protective layer around her head, in addition to the helmet. When the hammer struck, it slid somewhat off of the uneven ice and did not shatter her skull as it could have. Still, Yerig remained fighting Janius.

Meesei struggled to get back onto her feet and put up another ward, only to find Sabine right in front of her, protecting her from the next lightning bolt that Arinette cast. “Sabine! I need you to…buy me time. Just a few moments; it is all I need.” Meesei said quickly as she started the process of transforming. However, holding against Arinette would still not be easy. Sabine’s fireballs exploded near to her, but she had time to hold up the staff and absorb the magicka of any of the flames that came near her. In retaliation, she launched a volley of powerful exploding fireballs right back at Sabine, though her true target was Meesei right behind her.