@Lord Zee@Thinslayer
Kaite watched as the figure swept comrades aside with a swing of their large blade, pounding in the sparking shield of the man she understood was named 'Ivan'. While she could judge his stance and compare it to his confidence to soak the brunt of such a strike rather than deflect it, now was hardly the time. With a comically dismissing sniff, she lifted her shield to the ready before replying to Tiberius. "Yeh, gotta earn that soldier wage somehow, I suppose" she said with a disappointed huff, approaching at his side though separating to ideally spring a two-pronged attack.
That was, until the spell struck.

Formless words from unknown depths seeped into the world from the being who's mere annunciation gave the syllables life, fed from the waning light of the fire. While the flames of the fire could be made out, they seemed hollow and placid. Then went the crackles of Ivan's armaments, off like a lightswitch. It wasn't until the conclusion that the gravity truly sink into Kaite who wasn't a spellcaster and such relied on will over mana. Looking around briefly to the others, a foreign and unsettling stillness seeped into her senses. A clarity as if waking up from a dream as the whispers fell silent; Not so much the dormancy that crept through her being like being watched with the judging eyes of an audience of two dozen superiors, but a cold emptiness. Even surrounded by ailing allies, the void that was left in the place of haunting voices of contempt evoked an agonizing sense of loss.
'Normalcy', some would call the silencing, but thirty years of the damning sway the armor held reduced the sudden snuffing of the nameless chorus to a maddening loneliness.

Kaite's body burned, scores of cursed scars evaporating and leaving every wound stingingly fresh. More than the oppressive hush to the chorus or the knowledge that tight binds of mail and plate was all that kept most of her blood inside her body at this point was a realization of her place in the world. Becoming so reliant on a simple object only to have it taken away...a simple object that took everything else away...put everything into perspective as she fumbled for the ring in a buttoned pocket with shaky hands. The wish finally came to mind. "E-Eru..." Kaite whispered as she paused in her approach, loath to give the impression that her resolve had crumbled, spitting a bit of blood into the interior of her visor. "I nee- ehrnf...need it back...all of it" She continued with a whine of a grunt, somehow managing to stay standing as it felt like the world was wobbling and bending around her.

Everything.
The armor to keep her alive long enough to see the job done. A city that wouldn't drive her away for the monster they now rightfully thought she was, and a place at Ispar's "Gate-Steels" smithy would have been a nice addition, but first things first, of course. Bleeding out after having some shady shit yell 'fuck off' for all intents and purposes was hardly a way to go. Moments after this thought, Kaite wondered if anyone would even remember her face, up in the frozen north. She wasn't the young woman she once was...a small smile working to her fading expression as she thought of the saying 'getting to old for this shit'.

As The Storyteller continued to mutter his incantation and more mist gathered around his hand, all warmth suddenly left him long as his foe began to work his magic. The Storyteller felt the black mist enveloping his left hand fade away as the 3 eyed man took his 2nd step. The Storyteller noticed no change to himself upon the 3rd step, as he possessed no enchanted weapons. But he noticed what the 4th step did, as he soon found himself forgetting the incantation of the spell he was invoking. "Well this is problematic" The Storyteller said before looking at the silver ring on his finger "Got anything for sudden lapses in magical ability?".

((Accidentally posted on the wrong thread. I will put a story post here shortly; keep your eyes peeled.))

Laina turned around, eyes wide in horror as she looked at all the damage being caused. Her hands fumbled and trembled as she re adjusted the strap on her shoulder. She brushed some strands of her glittery silvery blonde hair out of her face and started running around. Everyone looked like they were in some kind of misery or other.@Hawlin Laina suddenly noticed Kaite. She seemed in so much pain it even hurt Laina to think about it and rested a hand on her heart. Laina rushed over, clods of dust springing up behind her as her feet impacted the ground. She reached Kaite just as she heard the other girl mutter "Eru". Laina observed quietly, a hand poised over her satchel and another glowing faintly with a small golden light, a small amassing of healing power just in case. Her mind ran over each and every person in the room, judging their health simply by the sounds of pain or echoing silence that reaches her ears. She glances at the figure @Thinslayer threatening them and does not dare take a step closer. She was not a warrior but a mere healer and she felt that even though she stepped up in bravery like the others she would never be as strong or as courageous as them. And with those thoughts she stayed huddled by herself, whispering a sentence that seemed to float through the air before fading away "I'm here if you need me. May your bravery prosper."

---

Zenovia felt a chill run down her spine as the dark figure appeared. The spirits shuddered in fear as the menacing aura filled the clearing. Her gaze moved toward the sound of a man speaking. His voice caused the mage's hairs to stand, his aura pushing against her own. She could only imagine who it may be, but it sure as hell wasn't a friend. As it mentioned one of them being like himself, Zenovia's mind instantly thought of Vert. As bad as she felt about that assumption, it would seem that she wasn't wrong, as Vert responded in a hostile manner. The shaman stepped back slightly in hesitation as the monster raised his hand. An otherworldly magic like her own, swirled and consumed the Wargs. This creature was very powerful indeed.

As she watched Vert run at the new foe, she noticed that Ivan went chasing after her. Zenovia wasn't in the right mindset to say anything at this moment in time, her thoughts strayed to what spells she should cast upon the magic beast. She felt another twinge of power as the man-beast unsheathed his blade. The headstone. This was getting far too dangerous, especially for her friends who were nearest to the enemy.

She felt the spirits flee from the clearing. A bad omen. However, the more powerful ones stayed by her side. It was unusual for the spirits to stay with her during such a time, but she felt more confident now. She listened to the Storyteller's chants, they were similar to her own, yet different entirely. She could feel his power well from within, but she didn't know what he was going to do. She wasn't sure if it was enough to stop the dark being.

The words that the beast uttered began to sap at Zenovia's energy, she could sense the amount of energy that was building up in the man's spell. He was just about ready to cast something that would turn them into nothing more than dust. However, no matter how otherworldly such magic was, the spirits cannot be commanded by such things. She breathed deeply, clutching the head of her staff. Even though she had lost her ability to speak words of magic, such things didn't need to be uttered. Her magic had not been depleted yet, but this wasn't exactly magic. It was more of a request for the spirits. The spirits flowed into her body as streams of blue light as she asked them to assist her. In the back of her mind, she wished to encourage Laina, but such thoughts were pushed aside as Zenovia concentrated on the conflict at hand.

Her body stood still as she closed her eyes. After a brief moment, she opened them again, her eyes burning brightly with an otherworldly flame. Her right hand became encased in blue light. With a wave of her hand, the spirits she had absorbed streamed out of her fingers, flowing into everyone in her party. They would feel revitalised and powerful. Any wounds they had would remain, but they would not hinder movement.

---

Xen saw his companions fighting the wargs with some success. He himself kept pulling back toward the fire behind him, his eyes scanning the edge of the glow for any signs of the rest. Of course, that mattered very little as the man emerged from some kind of miasmic darkness. Xen's eyes shifted around as the wargs were dragged into the being. This was very powerful magic. Ancient magic. Something Xen has not seen in a very long time. Almost instinctively, he planted his foot behind him, feeling the silver sword in his left hand pull away from him. As the man spoke, he could feel a stir in the air around him. A kind of static that only those attuned could feel.

The glow from the fire dimmed with the only traces of light coming from the random flickers of the flame as it struggled for survival. As the beast drew his zweihander, he noticed the crest on the pommel. This was no ordinary beast. Xen's eyes widened as things began to flood into his mind. The static began to grow and shape itself, moving ever closer like tendrils licking across the darkness. Almost as if on reflex Xen extended his hand toward his staff, which still laid calmly against the moss-covered tree. It flew across the clearing and Xen could see the snapping of darkened hands as they attempted to grip the weapon. The staff slammed in his palm with a resounding crack.

The man began walking towards them now and with each step he felt the air become denser. It pulsed, sending shockwaves that rendered a feeling of placidity. Inertness. Sloth. Without a moments hesitation Xen slammed the the staff into the ground, the dirt chipping away. However, the particles did not fall back down. They seemed to be caught in some kind of semi-stasis. They spun slowly, still rising. Xen's flowing hair took on a similar effect as the locks shifted but were caught in this temporal field. As the next shockwave passed over Xen, it warbled and bent around an unseen force that surrounded him. To the gaze of the others around them, Xen had simply vanished.

This was no parlor trick. The laws of spacetime held their rules, but they were not mutual inclusive to each other. They could be bent and broken to the will of the master. Suddenly, Xen was falling. Or was he? The scene around him began to stretch upward. This beast. Xen's companions. They all took on a rubbery property, pulling higher and higher until it was almost unidentifiable. Sound didn't seem to exist, the silence deafening in it's own right. Xen gritted his teeth and shut his eyes tightly, the immense strain of the force attempting to pull him with everyone else. And just like that, it was over. Xen opened his eyes and looked around. All around him was blackness, a void of all things. Beneath his feet, however, he could see everything. Passing beneath him was everything that is or was. Like standing on top of a glass floor, he saw as Kaite fell in pain. As Laina scrambled to her side and Vert struggling to keep balance. He also witnessed Zenovia's magic. What a sight to behold! This woman was no ordinary mage.

But he put it out of his mind for now. Every moment spent on this plane was one step closer to full assimilation. The entire place warbled again as the beast's magic attempted to penetrate to no avail. Thus, Xen began running. Like in a nightmare where you are being chased, running was painfully slow as if stuck in the murky doldrums of your mind. Of course, that is what this place was. It was the everything. It touched everyone. As Xen struggled ever closer to where Vert was, beads of sweat running down his face and pulled away into the darkness, he hoped he could get there in time. He hoped everyone could last long enough.

Vert watched as the figure stepped closer to the group. She didn't exactly have magic, but she knew the regardless she couldn't fight against such a creature. Not with the strange command it had over her. She continued to try and crawl away. She was frightened and her eyes showed that. Her frantic crawling showed it even more so as she crawled towards a tree away from the group. She knew that if this figure had so much power as to remove the use of her lower legs she could end up a danger to the others if commanded to do so.

"Why do you have to try and kill us? Why do we have to follow you?" Vert asked tears could be seen in her eyes as she continued to crawl away towards the trees and away from the fire. "Why?" Vert asked once more. She was like a child in her fear, though at the same time, she wanted to understand this figure. At the very least asking him questions would distract him enough to give the others time to move.

@Cuccoruler
There was a rush of air, a sonic explosion, and Xen suddenly appeared at Vert's side. As he watched her crawl away, his breath caught in his lungs. Was that...pity? He reached down and pulled Vert's arm over his shoulder, looking back at the Warlock as he did so.
Why do you have to try and kill us, indeed? Xen mused to himself, his lips breathing his silent question.

@Hawlin
Kaite's hands shook uncontrollably as she fumbled for the ring in one of her buttoned pockets. The little silver trinket wobbled in her hand. "E-Eru..." Kaite whispered, "I nee- ehrnf...need it back...all of it."

For a few agonizing moments, nothing seemed to happen. Then, a tiny glowing speck of dust floated from the edge. Soon, long trails of golden dust wrapped around her and dove into her body. Her strength and mana returned to her. With it came something else - excruciating pain. The armor glowed with otherworldly light, and old wounds that the accursed armor had once healed reopened with violence. Skin and muscle audibly ripped apart. The metal was pressed so hard to her that it stemmed the outflow of blood, but that only seemed to make the wounds feel worse, with blinding heat searing every opening. Her vision went white.

But for the first time in years, she was free of the curse. There was no way of knowing how long that would last, but for now at least, her mind was clear.

"You want it all back?" said a voice, calm and clear.

"Then get up and take it."

When the man before him swatted his companions to the side like flies, that was the moment Tiberius began to charge him but before he could, something began to happen that he did not understand and he faltered. Foul, eldritch words flowed out of man's mouth, completely incomprehensible to him. It was like something out of a nightmare and he was briefly reminded of his childhood terrors. The cold, the dark and being eternally alone. Whatever the man was saying wasn't good and Tiberius could see that when his allies began to falter as he was.

He looked back to see Kaite fall and then he felt the crushing despair of being alone wash over him. It sank into his heart and there it stirred in him feelings of doubt and despair. Tiberius sank low to his knees and on his hands tears came to his eyes. He felt heavy, like his armor beginning to weigh too much for him to bear or was he just becoming to weak to wear it? It was so quiet he could hear his heart beating frantically and he hated it. The feeling of being alone and unable to move properly was gnawing at him like a starved dog at a bone. His breathing became erratic and he realized he was panicking badly, something he hadn't done since his father passed. The feeling of hopelessness was the same thing he felt then and he was only reminded of his failures. He wished more then anything to be able to stand up and fight the demon that was causing him and his allies to suffer. If only he was stronger.. more capable of defending those he loved, then maybe he wouldn't stop failing like he almost always did when it truly mattered.

Then Tiberius felt a pull towards something small and extraordinary and he remembered, the ring. Eru's ring! He still had it, not all hope was lost, that was if it would help him. With little to not options left, Tiberius began to laugh, softly at first then into a hearty roar. He looked up at the man, hoping to get his attention and boldly exclaimed, "Not one of us here would ever bend their knees for you, demon. Loyalty is earned, not asked for. Now, how about we have a fair fight? Eru, please help me in this fight."

Holding onto each breath for dear life, Kaite's balance shifted to and fro. The nothingness that came from the ring at first made her feel silly for putting her trust in such a trinket. She felt heavy, her vision darkening as she seized what commitment she had left to edge forward a step and retrieve her sword from her other hand.
A second step, her foot dragging and planting straight-legged, causing her to stumble back. In the motion, she leaned forward to compensate and dropped to a knee. Groaning out small frustrated growls, Kaite held herself up with the grip on her sword which she planted into the ground and the edge of her shield still fixed to her arm. Her head went limp, looking down and allowing blood to dribble from the openings in the visor.

Kaite blinked a few times, feeling the pull of the world persistently dragging, pulling like arms fighting to claw her into the grave. She hadn't thought about death very much, which she supposed was a bit of a comedic irony, given the circumstance. The scenes of the ancient war outside the elven capital, the skeletons still clenching their weapons even in death came to mind. Kaite darkly wondered what reasons they had for being there. Someone told them to? They needed the money? Direction? Boredom?
She knew so little of them, that as her mind wandered on the fringe of consciousness she grew introspective, wondering what she was dying for...dying for, not fighting; a swing hadn't been swung and an idea wasn't a fight, at least not to Kaite. The elves could call her corpse whatever they wanted, but dramatic titles alone, a champion does not make.

Her vision went white with the sound of tearing sheets, wondering where the sound was coming from as she felt oddly warm, feeling like she was floating. A voice called inside her head, asking if she wanted it all back. The calm nature behind it felt condescending to the dying knight as she'd thought the situation a bit past hopeless, especially considering the white-out of her sight. Still, lips behind the shining visor whispered a soft "Yes".

Kaite blinked back into the world with a gasp, amazed to find herself both alive and lucid. The numbness that had washed over her was replaced with a scalding agony of scores of wounds splayed open and leaving her warm with her own fresh blood. Once black armor glowed, iridescent with a light that left it almost white as snow, though it felt like her body was covered with branding irons.

"Ahhhh..." she groaned with as much energy she could muster to respond to her state, shakily lifting herself from the limp, hunched over stance. It was like a marionette pulled up by its strings, every inch of the knight begging to fall but being lifted by some deeply dug emotion. The command came from the ethereal voice, ordering her to get up.
More than the soul-carving sting of the countless old wounds was a dull ache in her knuckles.

"Then get up and take it."

Snow fell in gentle sheets, looking down at my old wooden sword lying in the snow. My knuckles were bruised and my eyes were blurry from tears, but I could still make out that old woman twirling her own weapon after knocking mine from my grip. "Dead..." she sighed, kneeling in front of me and easing an arm under mine as she pressed a handful of snow onto the injury she inflicted. "Y'can't jus drop ya sword loik 'at. Y'git hit an' y'keep swingin', ah?" she cooed, dabbing my face with the sleeve of her coat and looking at me in silence. A reassuring smile was planted amidst her laugh lines from the years of enjoying life, though the wrinkles under her eyes expressed a slight doubt before speaking once more. "Y'don't have ta join the guard, Kaity...'eres plenty of work t'be done around the forge" she offered, and like a child I snapped back, "I wan'ta make a livin makin' something of myself! Not...making stuff f'others."
Her plastic smile gained an edge as her eyes narrowed. As badly as she wanted me to keep the forge a family business, especially after Lukaas died, she was a realist who knew I would get up if she presented the option I stayed down. Standing and flicking the snow from her hand, she took a few steps back and asked very deliberately and clearly, "That is what you want?"
I nodded but stayed down, holding the snow in place before she tapped on my sword with hers and reassumed her combat stance.

"Then get up...get up 'an take it"

The white of the snow faded away in favor of the darkness in the clearing. "Aaaahhhhh...!" Kaite voice came once more, still shaky and weakened as her bruised hand clenched her sword with restored force, blinking away tears as she drew her blade from the earth. A bit wobbly at first, but with a click of her other hand clenching the handle of her shield and giving the ground a few punishing jabs that left deep indents, Kaite rose and belted out a fierce war cry fueled by regret and physical torment.
Then a second...
Then a third like a witch being set aflame as she charged the figure with shield raised. A sleight of hand drew her shortsword and released the shield's locks, kicking the heavy plate of steep towards them and hoping to catch him with both blades while reeling from the surprise attack or while dodging.

Eyes shifting from movement to movement, all three acting almost of their own accord. Looking to his left, the Knight whom but a moment before was down on her knee begging for release had a sudden burst of energy and renewed vision. The feeling of warmth returned from some place beyond his current reach. It was all, weak in his mind, all this trying all this essences that they had a fighting chance. A small chuckle emitted from the creature as it turned to face the charging knight.

As the piece of metal came flying at him the creature lifted its arm only to have it ripped down into the shield knocking it aside like a toy someone had tossed for fun. Still he didn’t ignore the Knight charging him. Instead, he too charged the knight, a head on attack to meet the challenge set before him, while from his side he pulled a out a black object surrounded by a white light. Holding it to his maw, he imparted a look of almost sadistic glee as the object broke down and entered him.

Never once did he back down, even as he met the blades in his torso. Instead he let the weapons hit the ebony colored armor, the metals creating a horrible screech in the air as he dashed on, for his goal now became clear: the Caster was his primary goal.

While not completely unscathed from the attack, the man turned and bolted directly at the caster. All three eyes locked on her. At this range, the Spirit user could see this beast for what it was: a creature whose soul was as dark as the void. Closer and closer it charged at her, the sound of metal and his weight crashing down with every step, while its hands came around its face. A dim purple hue came forth as it got closer, another creation of the dark energy it had. Surely the one who could use spirits could see where this spell was aimed, not at her body, but at the soul with the intent to rip it from its host.

Its maw opened, allowing the caster to see that this wasn’t just some kind of armor on its head giving it that shape. No, it was in fact what the creature looked like, as teeth, twisted like their master, came closer and closer. Before it overtook the spirit walker, it stopped dead in its tracks, body turned to place the knight and the Spirit user at his sides. Both hands aimed at the two, and a twisted idea dawned on him.

Slowly his hands came up to his head, almost as if he was overtaken by extreme pain. On his lips, a word soft as the wind’s gentle kiss in his alien tongue. Just as the hands touched his head, he roared aloud in the clearing, the sounds of which carried for miles amidst the silent night, followed by a sudden pushing force on those closest to him like a sucker punch.

Returning to his posture the man turned, hoping the force had been just enough to knock the others down and give him time to ‘have some fun’ with the Spirit user.

“I think you and I have some research to do.” If the Spirit walker had looked close enough, she could make out a twisted smile on his visage.

Ivan looked as this horror of a creature took everyone's hits like they were nothing, this... Thing, was on an entirely different level than anyone here. He looked for Vert to see if she was alright and saw that Xen had her, thank god one less problem. Then Ivan turned to see that this creature was singling out someone, wait... No! "No! Zenovia!" With his second wind thanks to the ring, Ivan made a mad dash towards the creature, sparks flying from his straight sword. "Leave her alone you monster!!"

Vert looked in fear at the creature. Then she realized it was going after the new companions she had made. Many of them were tolerating her and not trying to kill her on sight like others would. Then Xen came down and helped her. Before she knew what she was doing she started to pull Xen towards the sword that was currently in the ground. "We are getting that thing out of the ground now!" Vert said with a new look of determination in her eyes.

If she wanted to help the others she would need to do something now. It was the least she could do for them right now despite her not being able to use her lower legs. As she grew closer to the sword she grabbed hold of it. And with strength that was far beyond that a normal human, she started to pull the sword out. "No one is dying today!" Vert yelled as she continued to pull the sword out of the ground.

@Cuccoruler
Laina moved over to where Vert was, pulling a sword out of the ground. She swept her hair behind her shoulder and grabbed one side of the hilt, her long fingers positioned above Vert's. She leaned her weight back and watched as the sword slowly budged. The glowing golden power in her hand had disappeared by now, leaving only the lingering scent of sunflowers and linen.
"We need a plan...fast!" She yelled over the chaos at Vert, trying hard to keep her calm. Sweat beaded on her forehead but she refused to take her hand away from the sword to wipe it away. They were going to get through this. No matter what.

---

Zenovia felt somewhat relieved as one of the others started to attack the monster, hopefully she was able to help them enough to get back on their feet. However, her relief was misplaced as the beast was unaffected by any of the attacks they hit him with. As the three-eyed being sprinted towards her, she peered into his spirit. It reeked of evil. Purple, twisted and morbid beyond imagination. She couldn't help but take a half step back in fear. The elf had no idea that someone could have such a putrid spirit.

The Spirit walker saw the magic that the beast was wielding. It was aimed at her very soul. However, she was confident in her defences; for she had her own trump cards for things like this. Her eyes still glowed all the same with the spirit flame. She whispered to herself, placing her hand to her heart. Her hand burned with blue flames for a moment before the flame was absorbed into her chest, using the last strong spirit that she had within her. A protective shield placed on her spirit. If the monster could see her soul like she could his, he would see a glowing ball of blue flame encased in several layers of translucent, pale blue orbs like a shell. But the shell closest to the flame was yellow in colour. The monster would feel a strong magical presence pulsing around the girl's soul.

Everything happened to quickly, Zenovia didn't have time to react properly. The monster's maw opened, much like Vert's, charging toward her. She stood still, petrified. Her nightmares were coming alive once more. She flinched as the monster stopped in front of her, only to realise that he had stopped in his tracks.. but for what? She heard him whisper a chant. A spell. She tried to move, but her legs wouldn't listen to her. The monster let out an ear piercing shriek, causing the shaman to instinctively cover her ears, fruitlessly. The force that came afterwards knocked her clean off her feet, hitting her like a solid punch to her entire body.

She looked at the monster as it came closer to her, her face twisted in a mixture of pain, fear and frustration. She opened her mouth to retort, but nothing came out. The fear prevented her from doing anything more. It's twisted smile causing her to tremble.

{ROUND}

@rush99999
While everyone else's rings were activating, the Storyteller's ring did not. It wasn't until Tiberius, Ivan, and Kaite began their violent clash with the Warlock when the ring began to grow hot on the Storyteller's finger. It trembled with magic power and spilled blinding light from all sides. The mana of frustration poured out into his fingers and exploded, sending a blazing fireball hurtling toward the Warlock.

More mana poured into his fingertips. Erudessa's message was clear.

@Lord Zee
@Darkmoon Angel
@Hawlin
"Not one of us here would ever bend their knees for you, demon," Tiberius began. "Loyalty is earned, not asked for. Now, how about we have a fair fight? Eru, please help me in this fight!" At that moment, strength poured from the ring into every fiber of his being. His mind felt sharper and clearer, like he could dodge arrows without breaking a sweat. His arms twitched with newfound power such as rivaled orcs. Now more than ever, he was ready to face the Warlock.

And he was not alone, for Ivan and Kaite joined the duel, themselves empowered by the rings. The Warlock was a mighty foe, but with the might of a high elf at his back and the strength of friends at his side, they would challenge their enemy yet.

@Rekaigan
As the Warlock closed in on Zenovia, three figures suddenly shot in and clashed with him. Even in the darkness, the three seemed to radiate with courage, utterly unafraid of the monster that had paralyzed her. In a few moments, she recognized them as Tiberius, Ivan, and Kaite. One of them uttered Zenovia's name - Ivan was fighting for her.

A voice penetrated her mind.

"Why do you tarry, Zenovia? The day may come when your feet shall tread the earth unaccompanied by others, but it is not this day. This day, you have friends at your side. Rise, and take heart, for victory is near at hand, and you have only to reach out and grab it."

Her tone took a humorous note. "After all, I'd be remiss if we let a couple of swashbucklers have all the fun. Go get 'em, girl."

@ineffable
@Cuccoruler
Laina and Vert took hold of the sword and pulled with all their might. Sweat poured from their palms and loosened their grip on the sword, but they did not falter. It seemed to be held down by magic, for any other weapon would have torn out of the ground in the blink of an eye. Yet, there was no magic in the world that could have held the sword against these two women. Inch by inch, the blade came out of the earth.

Suddenly, the point drew free, and a moment of utter darkness filled their vision. The magic energy settled and dispersed, and they could see the forest again.

They had broken the curse!

@Thinslayer @Darkwatck01

The Storyteller looked on as his comrades did battle with their 3 eyed foe. As much as he wanted to aid them, he'd decided to wait for his magic to return before joining the fight. He had already made his wish for magic known to his ring, but magic had yet to return to him. The Storyteller was beginning to wonder if Erudessa had even heard his wish when his ring began to heat up. As the ring trembled from the intense magical power, The Storyteller did his best to shield his eyes from the blinding light. The light cleared just in time to let The Storyteller see the fireball begin its flight towards The Warlock. Seeing more magical energy pour into his fingertips, The Storyteller knew just what to do with it. Soon enough a massive barrage of all manner of magical attacks was hot on the tail of the initial fireball.

Tunnel vision and a dull ringing in her ears spurred her on towards the towering figure like the world turned on its side and she simply fell towards them. The searing sting gave way to a numbness as instinct took over, Kaite's body fueled by malicious intent to stride forward. A game of chicken had never been so imbalanced in her mind, as purpose was reinforced with every agonizing impact of her heavy boots sinking into soil.
As such, it was a colossal surprise when the figure simply yielded himself to be struck with a deafening screech of steel which showered her in sparks that the blow took from the armor which they dipped down enough to employ.

Skips ended with snags as Kaite turned with every ounce of force to hold on, leaving a deep gash in the armor before being thrown from the momentum. Twirling into the dirt, the knight groaned as she laid prone for a moment. Rest provided no respite as the irons' burn left nothing to be gleaned from sitting idle. She lifted herself back up with just as much difficulty as the first time if not more so from her charge being met with being brushed aside.
Doubt crept in, an insidious concept that if the being was even a shadow of what they were expected to stop, then she had already been defeated once. The miracle that spurred her to stand may not be there a second time, and she was no better off than before. However, a squandered opportunity was hardly what she built her namesake off of, and she shakily rose to-

A concussive force blue through the air, rippling with intensity just as she looked up to meet it head-on. The tattered cloak was torn from Kaite who sunk her sword into the ground, creating deep ruts in the earth as her feet, blade and knees dragged through the earth. Half-handing the blade left indents along the sword's edge from resilient gauntlets clutching with indefatigable purpose, simply letting the shortsword be blown across the clearing in her efforts to anchor herself.

Broken, burnt, burning, Kaite used the momentum to rise a third time, though stumbling back as what felt like a head-rush caused her to teeter once more on the edge of consciousness. If it was not for the agonizing reminder of her deal with the high-elf spirit shackling her to reality, it would have certainly been enough to cement the deal she had with the soil so eager to collect.
It was something more than this, though, while off balance in her attempt to stand with sodden sword pulled from the earth and reeling on foot, her perspective lifted to unveil events as they unfolded.

There was no monster to be seen other than my quarry, eyes set on the small figure of Zenovia while 'They-who-I-know' Vert darted to the massive sword still plunged into the ground. Inch by inch, joined by Laina to pry it from the earth and their exertion expressed an unholy weight that it held. Determination drew it from the spell, undoing the lock of darkness and opening its gate to allow the prime materium to exude its control over the domain. Dark, still, even after its last breath of bleakness, the light of the fire poured back into the clearing.
Even while Ivan moved to intercept with steel alight with his characteristically resonant sparks of refound mana contorted into lightning, I questioned what the blessing could mean in contrast to my own curse.

The pain blurred together, though a true cold numbness washed in its wake as the knight steamed with black mist from the wounds. Revitalized curses fought Eru's blessing to mend the various wounds as was its purpose. It was familiar all the same, and was like ice-cold alcohol on a fresh wound that lifted her to stand amidst a new shroud of the mist seeping from her plates.
Focus became dull and the world faded to monochrome from behind Kaite's visor, signifying a farewell to her fleeting but tortuous freedom.

Fireballs hurled from the Storyteller elicited a small laugh from the Black Knight as her grip on the blade loosened enough to swipe dirt from the dented blade before two-handing it. "Plan?" Kaite asked, her tone distorted as if four people were speaking while the shimmering visor seemed to curl at the edges like a grin. "Stop...it" she sneered, spinning her sword's handle to her right hand while clenching the dents her grip left with her dominant hand. When she spoke, it was almost like the visor bent and creaked to form the words like a face, the series of holes opening slightly wider to see as she lunged once more, aiming to drive her sword like a spear up into the scar that her initial assault left. From the angle, a glancing blow from the strike would angle it into the weaker mail of the figure's armpit.

---

Just as the beast went to lay his hand on her, three figures struck out at him, getting between the mage and the monstrosity. It was her team mates. Tiberius, Kaite, and Ivan. Zenovia was caught by surprise by their sudden attack, she thought that they had all been incapacitated somehow from the man's attacks. She noticed the a glow that came from each of their rings, sensing the magical energy that flowed into her allies. The shaman then heard a voice echo in her mind, she suspected that it was a mental attack from the beast, however it was the voice of a woman. A friendly sounding one at that. As she listened to the woman in her mind, she slowly got to her feet once more, pushing through the exhaustion and pain. "I too would be disappointed." She whispered in reply, a slight grin appearing on her face.

Zenovia breathed in deeply as she analysed the situation, however she could wait for too long, her friends, especially Ivan, was giving their all. It was her turn to do so as well. Fortunately, Laina and Vert had successfully pulled the cursed sword out of the dirt, causing a wonderful sensation as her magic began to flow naturally again. Her eyes reignited with the blue spirit flames as she planted her staff into the ground. The earth began to let off a mist-like aura that spread around the clearing. Spirits peeked out of the trees in curiosity, drawn to Zenovia's magical calls.

Muttering some incoherent words of magic, the spirits began to rush towards the shaman, forming a massive blue orb of light above the head of the staff. The orb streamed into the staff, sending a trail of blue light across the ground toward the beast, which then created a small circle around it at it's feet. "Faer sauth-!" She shouted as the spirits obeyed her command. The blue light began to crawl up the monster like vines, pulsing as it moved, soon covering it's whole body. The beast would feel his energy being sapped away, the tendrils mercilessly digging into his armour, attempting to attack and rip his very soul. Some nice payback indeed.

@Hawlin@Thinslayer
Laina startled at Kaite's obvious pain and she reached deep within her for the gathering of power that she held there. It burned like fire through her body as she brought it all out into her hands, where it slipped through her fingers again and again as she tried to keep it in one place. Strands were carefully drifting out, healing comrades who barely had any major injuries.
"C'mon! Just stay in one place you useless orb!" But she felt it carefully drifting towards the warlock. He had no major pain she could see, so something mental perhaps? Something she could take care of? The power tugged at her heart as she melded it into Kaite's body. The glowing golden strands drifted over her body while Laina turned to the warlock. And then she let out a piercing scream, loud enough to attract attention over the din of the battle.
"JUST TELL US WHAT YOU NEED!" She took a step closer to the warlock in a moment of bravery before her face turned beet red and she stared down at her shoes. She summoned the healing power once again. The pain was a bit more heightened this time. It tugged at her heart and constricted her lungs, making it hard to breathe. She had used so much of it that it had over exerted her body. She rolled the glowing orb in her palm slowly as her vision spotted all over and she tried to keep a grip on the now, staring at the warlock with kind yet scared eyes.