Althalus

"Ow! Let go you little fuck! I am not going through this again!" Althalus cursed, shaking his hand with the Uth on it. It was strong enough to bite through the chainmail armor on his hand, thank the gods above, but it was still a pain in the ass. The creature merely growled at him, digging in its heels. He would have found it funny how much like a dog with a bone it was if it wasn't for the fact that it was gnawing on his hand. After several moments of attempting to yank his hand out of the shadow monster's mouth he gave up. This is going to be unpleasant. He thought, grimacing in preparation. Setting his feet he began to flood the mouth of the Uth with decay magic. The Uth squealed as its mouth and tentacles rotted and fell apart, a rusting dagger stuck in its mouth. It fell to the ground dead, the rot slowly consuming most of its head.

Althalus himself stumbled to the side and immediately vomited, heaving up what he'd eaten before all this mess had begun. "Well. Didn't puke up blood this time. So I'm making progress." He groaned, unsteadily picking himself up. His stomach felt like there as an entire war going on in it, and was considering expunging the rest of his food from the day as well. He looked over at Darell as Helena rescued the man. "You know, for someone who knows so much about it, " Althalus grumbled, making is way over to them, "you are awfully bad at this whole Nox thing." He pulled two more daggers into his hands, readying himself for another assault.

_{@Rtron,@Lucius Cypher, @May, & @Luna}

When Helena hauled Darell onto solid ground, he fell upon his hands and knees for support. His breath shortened and sweat paled his skin tone by his near-death experience. Collecting his calm, his eyes glimpsed the red-haired woman then toss herself back into the fight. He had to credit Twilight College with strong-willed individuals. Both skilled and determined to survive, it was a factor that so few Djarkel subjected failed to reach. Darell’s right foot slid underneath him as he began to stand upright. Every muscle protested in waves at each minuscule movement. His teeth grit to bit back the scream on the top of his tongue.

As Annabeth and Helena took down the last Uth, Darell limped toward the others. A gash ran from his knee to his ankle, the muscle exposed through the flesh, bled along his limb. Upon reaching the others, he shot the dirtiest and blatant look at Athalus for his snide comment.

“And for being a student at Twilight, you know next to nothing about your own magic,” the tone became taunt in fury. He breathed to soothe his rattled patience before he turned on heel toward the crystal.

He paused long enough to shout over his shoulder,“We have to get to the crystal. They won’t stay dead for long and we’re wasting time.”

As if activated by his words, the scattered smears along the broken stone began to stir. Dark smoke billowed from each and formed outlines, giving shape to their enemies. Liquid, the decayed and rancid remains, climbed upward to fill the empty space into a solid mass once more. Knowing they had little time, Darell aimed for the center of the room.

The mask man's palm pressed to the crystal’s icy surface. They all could feel his eyes continued to glare at them in his newly gain domain and the hatred radiated off him. A raspy sound exhaled through the crow-like mask and the glare narrowed. Without warning, he tensed his wrist and poured more noxomancy energy into the object. It glowed brightly. It illuminated the chamber, dowsing them and the room in crimson color, to banish all shadows within. Darell’s heart hurried into action as the group covered the distance to the center.

Far behind them, the Uth began to shake off the death experiences and stalk toward them. Annabeth, still the better of the group, guarded the rear. Using her magic she began to confuse the Uth with illusions. The right turned to attack the left while the middle snapped in reaction. Shortly, they were all at each other’s throats.

Darell knew she couldn’t keep it up for long. The Uth wasn't bright enough to understand the young woman’s tricks or it wouldn’t have fooled them.

“The Nox is MINE! MINE!” the masked man hissed. He appeared to be a serpent in human flesh, spitting and coiling in a place he didn’t belong.

Darell shifted to Athalus then Helena, “Can you distract him long enough for me to get to the crystal?”


Val and Zaad, Twilight College
_{@Landaus Five-One@BlackPanther}

Val’s heavy boots came to a haul in front of the girl that moved to greet her. The girl’s friend held back and seemed to cow behind his wings. On the first impression, the dwarf jotted down two things. He had Esyire blood in him and his blood was one of the ancients. She rubbed her thumb under her nose. Her fierce, green eyes sized the newcomer greeting her. She was a pretty lassie, but very timid causing Val to roll her tongue over her teeth in thought. Inwardly she debated on their motives for coming to Twilight College. Any who crossed the threshold received the same treatment.

The moment the woman spoke, the stern dwarf’s expression warmed.

“Name’s Val. Wot’s yors and wat’s ye purpose here?” Asked the plump runemaster, her hand extended Elise.

Behind Veretu, his shadow shimmered. Something shifted and moved, unseen within. Any unattentive eyes would’ve easily missed such a display. Slowly, something rose from nearest the youth’s foot. Black dust swirled to form a lithe, clawed arm. Slowly it moved toward Salem while the cat was interacting with Val. Before the demon had a chance to react, the hand seized his tail and jerked it.

A deep, throaty chuckle could be heard.

“My, such a scaredy cat aren’t you?”

Zaad, the headmaster's demon, began to emerge from Veretu's shadow. He appeared to be made from a mixture of shadow and sand. His two red eyes narrowed on Salem, a smugness on his features. Humanoid enough to enable anyone to tell he gained amusement at Salem’s reaction. Around his lower torso, black sand swirled and rotated about him to hold him in place.

“Zaad!” Val’s voice snapped as she gently pushed past Elise. Her chest puffed out while she drew a gauntlet and tugged it on. Once secured in place, she flexed her fingers then fisted her hand at her side. Engraved into the leather, a small, gold rune glowed at the ready. Fire burst along the outline and crackled, causing the Nox demon to tense briefly.

“Shoo! Git along t’ere, ye ‘ittle pest! Donnae ‘ad tis Nox to be patrolling?”

Grumbling, Zaad shot her a look before melting into the ground and vanishing from sight.

She looked to Veretu before she deactivated her weapon. Her fingers gently touched his wings and her became warmer than honey, "Ye alrig't? Oh sand and s'adow donnae scare ye too bad, did 'e?"


Lyn, Hysteria (Djarkel)
_{@Ryonara, @Konan375, @Demonic Angel, @13org and @EliteCommander}

---

Don’t Panic...Don’t… PANIC! Lyn’s mind screamed and ducked. The razor sharp edge split her hair, her figure falling to rest in a crouching position. Her eyes widened in shock at how close the blade came. Her heart thumped heavily in her chest and beating her ribs until they throbbed with agony. In a fluid moment, her legs shove backward to avoid the swipe at her arm.

Stumbling back to an upright position, her hand pulled back her blade. Her eyes took its aim. The orcish woman grunted and leered at the younger girl’s determination, flexing her muscles. Lyn could feel her panic swelling in her throat as she forced herself to be calm. A feat that more difficult than she could ever imagine. With a well-practiced movement, she stepped and throw the knife at the Orc’s face. Abruptly the handle split open revealing four vine tendrils spread wide. They latched onto the woman’s upper torso just as she lifted her arm to protect her eyes.

“Gotcha!” Lyn said in pride.

Her pride that was short lived when the Orc woman shook her head. A gravelly voice mocked the younger girl, “Oh, you ‘got' me alright.”

The assassin’s arm ripped the vines from their anchor and twisted around for a better grip. Her enjoyment deepened as with all her might, she ripped the makeshift binds behind her. Lyn, terrified by the sight of her attack doing nothing, felt her feet leave the ground. Her lightweight figure went sailing and crashed into Henri’s at the end of his roll to his feet.



When the last of the gas escaped the Noxomancer’s mouth, the fog bloomed out to engulf the whole section. On the verge of consuming Ssarak and his doppelgangers, it shrank back and settled to the ground. It seemed to be a waist deep, green fog lingering on the floor. It appeared harmless but one approached at their own risk. The older Esyire’s form straightened after his release. It was a moment of vulnerability as it appeared he couldn’t both use his breath and attack at the same time. This wasn’t an uncommon weakness among Esyire. If he didn't intend to hit his allies, his focus went into precision aim and left him open for attack.

While he stood there, his eyes flickered between the three identical black scaled Esyires now retreating out of range. They scattered in different directions. Each one looked genuinely real. Their expression to their appearance, making it impossible to locate the actual mage. The assassin hadn’t counted on this. It was clever to use his gas, a focus spell, and doppelgangers hindered his certainty.

Irritated by the situation, his claws tightened about his weapon as he waded deeper into the gas. It would prevent flanking unless the mage enjoyed crumbling to sickness.

Being the origin, he was immune to his own magic. Cautiously he stepped to the Esyire he believed was the real one. His eyes narrowed and studied the one closest to the far wall, but his path stopped just within the fog. It would take more than an extended sword swing to get at him. The assassin's legs widened to steady his stance and prepare for any resistance. Slowly his arm began to rotate the chain causing the end to spin before he tossed it out to hit the target’s side. If the doppelganger blocked, it would surely be the real mage. On contact, the chain would wrap upon whatever was solid. While Ssarak could risk it and block it, there was no way of telling if the Esyire was stronger than himself or not.

One thing Ssarak could be sure of: confidence oozed off his adversary on the matter.



The Wood Elf hadn’t expected the metal sound upon the strike. She frowned, her lips thinned out in displeasure, as she pulled the weapon up once more. About to slam into her victim’s chest, the trickery caught her off-guard. When Leith shouted, “RING!”, she paused in confusion. A moment too long. Her elegant features marred, her sight immediately burned from the light of the ring. It flooded everywhere. Shadows rushed to hide into the warehouse’s nearest corners. The assassin's trident was flung to her side and her unarmed arm to raise protect her eyes.

She clumsily retreated back into the nearest pile of crates. One's corner dug through her clothing and into her back, making her aware of where she was. The elf tried to shake away the blurriness from her vision as she took another stance. A defensive one. With her weapon held in front and across her torso, she intended to play rough defense with her lack of sight. It easily block any attack set upon at a moment’s notice.

“You’re going to suffer for that, you bastard…” She growled.

The woman wasn’t expecting for this to happen. In a way the young woman had a feeling something would go wrong. After all who steals something in broad daylight that? They must have known they were coming. They must have known there was a vampire with the group. With this factor in motion the young woman was literally forced back into a human. Fine with her considering this manageable. The chest might have damaged her knee but this wouldn’t stop her. Only death would stop the girl.

“You and your friends,” his tone held a smug and cocky tone in each word, “should never have followed. Now you will not live to see another day!”

” We do seem to pop into situations like this a lot do we? Hmmm... Honestly I never thought about this before. It felt so natural considering these people are my friends and family. Perhaps we will have a long talk about learning each other’s fighting styles after this mission. Then again I would die for each and everyone of this people. So if today is the day I’m killed for those I love and care for then so be it. Though I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this isn’t the day.” The woman remarked placing her hand into the bag at her side. Some of them had broken do to the impact earlier. Fair considering she hadn’t completely thought the movement out completely. The limb grabbed four candies out, popping the sweets into her mouth, the other gripping the shield tighter. ” Since you’re my opponent I’m wondering if I should just place the shield and sword on the ground. Then again I can’t guarantee you won’t fight fair so I’m leaving the choice up sir. After all we’re one semi-equal terms.”
@Fallenreaper

Aramir was slow to follow the group, her bow still out. She kept her eyes on Yolin, the only living threat in the room that she could do something against, and followed. She didn't trust them to not do anything, but much to her surprise, the King merely held a hand out to Yolin and they were allowed to leave. She barely heard Darius as they entered the parlor, immediately destringing her bow and going to Mar's side. "Hey." She said softly, standing next to the Naga and putting hugging her. "We'll make this right. The college won't stand for this, and we'll fix it. We can't undo what's been done, but we can bring justice. I'm sorry Mar. We need to go though." She reached into Mar's pocket, fishing out the stone. In an instant, she had cracked it in her hands. A moment later, Resistance Members were leaping out of the shadows, armed and ready for a fight.

Much to their surprise, there was nothing to do. Rather than waiting for an explanation, they hurried everyone back through the shadows and out of the Palace, not feeling safe at all.

Once back into the Resistance Headquarters, the College students informed the leaders what had happened. Sahra cursed quietly and the man merely shook his head, moving deeper into the Headquarters. Thanking the students for trusting them, giving them the pick of recently stolen weapons for the trouble they had been through, and beseeching them to get the aid of the College in the ongoing rebellion in Yarasmere, Sahra opened more portals, quickly sending them outside of College grounds. They had much to tell the teachers.

MISSION OVER.



Yolin looked at the King, confused. "Why did you let the hereteics go, my lord? They were aligned with an abomination." The King smiled slightly, shaking his head. "The Sand God has plans for everyone, Yolin. Even Heretics and abominations. They have not yet achieved their purpose. They will though. In time."

He walked back into the palace halls, calling back to Yolin as he did so. "Clean up the mess, and make the army ready. War is coming."

Leith Calder

The strategy worked. Leith couldn't help but smile as his attacker staggered away from him. He had time to rip himself free of the confines of his cloak, though it pained him to do so, and untangle the ropes that tangled around his feet. Once free, he got to his feet and looked at the Wood Elf in front of him. She looked ready to block any attack he threw at her. A smile tugged at his mouth with that thought. What if he threw something at her? He grabbed a nearby barrel, the sharp tips of his gauntlet sank into the top of it, and hurled it at the elf.

If only it worked that well.

The top of barrel ripped off the barrel, sending it spinning horizontally over the elf's head. The liquid contained in the barrel spewed out as it spun coating Leith and quite possibly the elf in the fluid. The barrel hit the wall several feet behind the elf with a tremendous crash, sending its contents everywhere. Leith didn't notice any of this. He had stood frozen in place the moment he was covered in the liquid. He couldn't see what it was in the darkness of the warehouse, but he could smell it.

It was lamp oil.

For a few moments, he wasn't in a warehouse, fighting an elf. Instead, he was in a burning village, its inhabitants recently dead, and he was watching a different elf burning alive. The heat, the smell, the screams, they all came back to him in stunning vividness. It was the screams that rooted him in place. He could hear them as if it was happening in right in front of him.

Leith shook his head. He couldn't lose focus on the fight at hand. Harder said than done, though. Each shaky breath he took brought him right back to the village. He was starting to get light headed, but he wasn't sure if that was because of his suddenly labored breaths, or because of the oil he was doused in.

One thing brought him rushing back to the present. A lamp that had been hanging on the wall just above the spot the barrel hit had one of its moorings knocked loose. It hung awkwardly on the wall, teetering from side to side. Leith watched as the lamp fell off the wall and fall towards the now spread out lamp oil. With a cry of alarm, he shot his arm out towards the lamp, and a ball of water coalesced around the lamp and snuffed the flame inside it. As he set the lamp down gently, a wave of vertigo washed over him and pain lanced in his skull. He stumbled backwards and bumped into a nearby crate. He looked at the elf across from him and chuckled.

"We wouldn't be able to try and talk this out, would we?"

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, things didn't go exactly as planned. The second Henri landed, a beautiful, young lady fell over him, making him lose balance, sitting down on the ground as the girl fell on his lap. But again... That couldn't be considered a lack of luck, right? He was indeed surprised, he didn't expect that the orc woman would use the girl to halt his advance. It was a setback, albeit only a temporary one.

"Bonsoir, mademoiselle!" Henri said, with a playful wink to the girl, getting up while holding her on his arms to put her on her feet.

"Henri Larue, at your disposal." Henri said, with a flourished bow. But the time for greetings was short, and Henri knew that. There was still the orc woman to deal with.

"I am rather tired, hungry and thirsty from travelling... Currently, I don't think i can deal with the orc woman without resorting to some small tricks..." Henri said, being careful to not speak too loud so the orc woman could hear him.

Maybe, the fact that he was interrupted before getting near the orc woman was a signal that his plan wouldn't go very well, maybe it was only a coincidence... Who knows... The thing is that Henri is very persistent.

"I'm sorry, my muse, but I'm not going to back down this easily..." He thought to himself calmly walking towards the orc woman.

"I don't know what is happening here, but I'm sure we can solve this by talking, right?" He asked, opening his arms, in a sign of peace.

"I'm sure that if you-" He said, suddenly, with a quick and swift movement, getting a dagger that was hidden beneath his bandages and throwing it towards her.

"I'm sorry... I'm very hypocritical..." He said with a smirk, as he dashed towards her with another dagger on his hand.

The plan was rather simple, he would simply walk towards her, and when he got a bit closer, he would immediately throw a knife, aiming to her face. If she wasn't able to block that, things would be far easier, but he was indeed expecting her to block it. She was obviously no stranger to fighting, and he was hoping to use her reflexes against her. That's why he would start to run towards her the second the dagger got out of his hands.

The burst of speed, together with the fact that she would need to block her own vision to defend against that dagger, or even if she tried to dodge, it would give him enough time for surprising her. After that, it would be simple as throwing her to the ground with a sweeping kick and knocking her out with a sharp axe kick to the head.

Probably he had energy left only run like that only once more after that charge, so it would be a gamble. But he was very familiar with gambles... The other dagger on his hand was just because of that. He couldn't afford running like that without at least crippling the orc. So if his plan failed, he would use it to try and cut her achilles tendon or another local that would cripple her enough for them to flee.

Of course... He wasn't underestimating her... He was ready to dodge if she somehow was able to strike him back.

@Fallenreaper

---

Veretu opened his wings up slightly, exposing a few of his features as the two spoke. He seemed to be more observing at the moment rather then outright speaking. All seemed fairly well...seemed to be a normal greeting. He could handle a normal greeting. His wings opened slightly more as he was preparing himself to actually greet this person. But then he heard a voice behind him and that sent his wings to shut as he moved away. Not quite out of sheer fear, but from remembering the last time he encountered demons that were not salem and how that ended....weirdly.

Salem meanwhile was completely absorbed by the people not giving him nearly enough attention when he suddenly felt a jerk on his tail. His tail of all things. He spun around and hissed given that he was the perfect size for punting this probably was not nearly as intimidating as he would have wished it to be. Soon he saw the demon responsible for it and sat down smoothing down his fur. As if no such thing happened.

Veretu seemed to be back to where he was originally with his wings hiding him. He soon found himself blinking though when he felt a warm gentle touch. His head tilted as slowly the wings opened enough to reveal some of his features. "I was....taken off guard" Slowly his wings opened up more until they folded neatly on his back. He gave the woman a glance and went to open his mouth only to be interrupted. "Im Salem thats veretu...princess over there wants to learn or something. I Dunno" He then went back to cleaning his fur as veretu sent him a deep dagger glare.

With an exhale Veretu shrugs. "Sorry about the ball of fur....I do wish to learn how to use my abilities....so i can send that back" He featured at Salem who gave an innocent look.

“Ah yes, because you know all so much about it too, mister I’m-a-Nox-mageblood-but-I-don’t-know-what-I’m-doing-either,” she sighed, rolling her eyes at Athalus some. Men and their trying to best one another, she sighed as the rest of them hurried together some and started to move away from their fights and to what was hopefully the exist.

Helena looked over at Darell, tilting her head some for a moment. “What are we, fodder?” she asked, sounding annoyed, but she went into motion to do as she was asked. Because she wanted to get out of here. She wanted to live. And she’d deal with being bossed about by someone who she didn’t like, wasn’t fully sure that she trusted, but had so far been the most helpful of the group if it meant that she would make it to the surface again.

“Hey! Ugly!” she called to the masked man, coming closer to him even though every part of her being wanted to run the other way just then. “Why don’t you take that manic laugh down a notch there and let's talk about this whole...taking over the Nox thing. Yeah?”

---

At the Twilight College, Elise heard the question from the dwarf, who introduced herself as Val. ”M-My n-name i-is E-Elise N-Nina P-Petra-C-Cander. I-I’m h-here t-to t-train m-my m-magic s-so I-I c-can m-make m-my a-aunt p-proud o-of m-me,” Elise stuttered, with a bit of nervous to her voice but she shook Val’s hand. She’s needs a bit of time to get to know the people in the Twilight College to be slightly more confident. She had a gentle smile on her face, even though she had some things on her mind.

Elise heard a voice behind her, it was a bit stranger than the normal voices. She looked towards it and noticed it has two red eyes staring down at the kitty cat. She had a shiver down her spine, and she started to breath in heavily. She heard Val say its name as Zaad. She walked a bit backwards from where she was, since she was now facing whatever that was. She had a worried look on her face. ”I-I h-have n-no i-idea w-what’s g-going on…,” Elise thought to herself, with fear in her face mostly because of the red piercing eyes.

Elise was relieved when Zaad left as soon as it appeared. She was still breathing heavily though, she was a bit shaken than normal. She heard the name of the black cat and the guy who hides with beautiful draconic wings. ”S-Salem i-is a-a b-beautiful n-name f-for a-a k-kitten. N-Nice t-to m-meet y-you V-Veretu,” Elise said, shaking and breathing heavily. She had much to learn about the world since she was completely naive about what had just happened, all what Val said went over her head. She had a small smile even though she was visibly shaken by what she saw.

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

If the gas was still dangerous, then Ssarak did not yet have the ability to approach, though he did not feel that he needed to. With some fortune on Ssarak’s side, his opponent attacked one of his doppelgangers first. In keeping with its purpose of buying as much time as possible, the doppelganger went to parry the incoming attack to the side with its shield, as opposed to dodging or blocking outright. The primary purpose was to introduce as much uncertainty as possible into Ssarak’s opponent. The fact that his weapon was on a chain would reduce the feedback he could feel from the hit, and make it that much more difficult for him to notice any subtle errors in the doppelganger magic. There was no guarantee that the Esyire would not figure it out regardless, but Ssarak wanted to put as much doubt in his mind as he could.

However, anything done with Ssarak’s doppelgangers was just to buy time. His true attack would come through another source. Ssarak had gathered so far that his opponent had some protections from illusions. As such, Ssarak decided to take the approach of using another aspect of psychomancy to assault his mind more directly. Instead of attacking his perceptions, Ssarak focused his mind on attacking his very emotions.

If he wanted to cripple his opponent, then trying to force him to feel pain might have seemed like a reasonable approach. However, this Esyire was obviously a trained fighter, and warriors tended to become accustomed to pain. That was not to say they were immune to it, but a warrior was better able to ignore pain than most others. As such, Ssarak decided to try to enhance one feeling that no warrior would expect to feel in combat: pleasure. To begin his mental assault, Ssarak tried to make his opponent feel as much pleasure as he possibly could, to overwhelm his mind and body with pure ecstasy. If he succeeded to the extent he hoped, it would be immensely distracting, and entirely contrary to any feeling one would expect to feel in a fight.

The next step of his attack, if Ssarak was able to follow through, was to have his doppelganger stare into the eyes of the Esyire, then delve aggressively into his thoughts. In the Esyire’s compromised state of mind, Ssarak hoped to ferret out memories associated with the sight of Ssarak. He wanted to find memories that could clue Ssarak in on the Esyire’s motivation for this theft against the College. Was he a mercenary just looking for payment? Was it out of faith in a religion, or some other organization that supported Kudd, or perhaps was is personal against the College? If Ssarak could get a sense of his motivation, then further psychological attacks could be easier.

Darius Jura

Darius scoffed at Aramir's words to Mar. He scowled at the elf. "Do not create lies to comfort her. The college is neutral. There is...there is nothing we or the college can do for Yarosmere unless we want to start a war between the college and Yarosmere." Motes of air popped and snapped around Darius as he watched Aramir grab the stone she was incessantly shouting for earlier and break it. Other than that, he stayed silent as the rebels came from the shadows and took them to their base of operations.

The time at the headquarters was of little note to Darius other than right after traveling and making his choice of recently stolen weapons. He stayed quiet and let the others talk to the rebels and was among the first to leave to the college. Luckily, this time wasn't as bad and he was able to keep from retching. He made his way to Uicle's office. He had his report to give to the suit of armor. As he passed through the courtyard, he took note of the two people talking to Val. They didn't look like a threat, so he paid them no mind and continued his march to Uicle's office. Once there, he rapped sharply on the Necromancer's door and waited.

_{@Rtron,@Lucius Cypher, @May, & @Luna}

“Look, you want this to end? Then just do what I ask.”

Darell fought not to snap. Aggression or sarcasm wouldn’t get him anywhere. It was something he was beginning to learn and understand with this group. However, he couldn’t simply expect them to comprehend his action.

The mask man jerked his head upward when Helena caught his attention. Without thinking, his hand jerked out at her. Ribbon like shadows snaked from near her foot and then lashed at her legs.

“Just die already.” The man snapped as he caught Darell’s dart for the crystal.

“Stay back!” His hand jerked at and three sharp darts, shaped from darkness, whipped out at Darell’s form. Darell’s hand rose and the first one decayed in place. However, the other two hadn’t been touched as they sped their way toward him.


Lyn, Hysteria (Djarkel)
_{@Ryonara, @Konan375, @Demonic Angel, @13org and @EliteCommander}

---

Lyn groaned in pain as she landed hard on Henri’s lap. They both crumpled into a heavy and crashed to the floor. Her ears caught the Orcish woman chuckle maliciously at their entanglement. Her flesh burn in both anger and embarrassment.

Still sore, Lyn flinched slightly at the touch as he picked her upright once more. It wasn’t hard. She weighed nearly nothing compared to most girls her age and likely broke much easier.

As he introduced himself, she looked at him a moment. Immediately she thought of how cute he looked. She promptly shook her head to banish the thoughts. This wasn’t the time or place to flirt, she realized in her fluster.

“Lyn, and sorry you were dragged into this.” Lyn commented. She twisted upon her foot to face the approaching Orcish woman. The brutish woman leered and aimed to take advantage of their distraction. Though she caught his flourishing bow from the edge of her vision.

Her head tilted and eyebrow raised at his mention of tricks in a low whisper. What was he up to? She didn’t have long to wonder when he called her his muse and caused her cheeks to redden again.

When Henri tossed his blade, the orcish woman didn’t intend to block at all. The flat of her machete blade up to bat the dagger away from her exposed side. Upon impact, the blade jerked toward the roof’s edge and disappeared.

Not missing a beat in her rhythm, her other arm rose and her machete came swing at him. Namely deep into the chest.

Just when the woman was about to complete her swing, seeds shoot forward and burst open. Thin vines wrapped about the arm and tossing backwards.

“I don’t think so!” Said Lyn with her hands outstretch and fingers clawed in focus.



When the lid of the barrel came off, she swiped her trident up and blocked the wood from hitting her. Then the liquid spewed. A harsh and familiar scent washed over the Elf’s nose. Lamp oil. It soaked through her clothes into her skin causing panic to rose in her throat. Her eyes widened in realization as she snarled at the man’s blunder.

He seemed lost in his thoughts. A mistake with the enemy so close, the assassin thought. Taking the opportunity presented to her, she whipped out her weapon to slash him across the chest.

That action was interrupted as Leith went for the teetering lamp and caught in hand. The flame snuffed out. Leith would feel the fresh pain of something slash him across his front. A bright, red line appeared as a trident point retracted from the flesh. When he chuckled and asked his question, the woman shook her head.

“You should’ve thought of that before you tried to sneak up on me.”

With that thought, she jabbed her trident at him once more and then twisted it into a slash. The wound, if it hit, would’ve been at the chest.



The Esyire, out of all the assassins, had the most experience with Pychomancy. However, he still fell short compared to those within the College. As his chain retracted, Ssarak might sense some indecision. Uncertainty if the doppelganger was actually alive. His momentum not lost, the Esyire jerked the chain back and continued to swing in place. His thoughts rattled over to which one he planned on hitting.

Bit by bit, the gas started to settle lower. It seemed to be evaporating gradually. His impatience was getting the better of him slowly.

Something assaulted his emotions. It wormed its way in and began to nibble at his self control. His free hand reached up and touched his temple. Pleasure shortly warred with his anxiety and paranoia. His knuckles tightened about his chain as it slowed its pace gradually. To Ssarak, it appeared to be working.

Every muscle was relaxing and aggression seemed to evaporate.

The doppelganger edged to face the Esyire, the eyes penetrated deep and mind forced itself in. Memories flashed before Ssarak’s mind. Orders. Someone wanted the chest badly enough to pay through the nose for it. No questions were asked beyond the price.

He had hoped it would’ve been an easy task. It turned out he was wrong.



The man didn’t speak. Instead his foot pushed the chest to the side as he snapped his fingers. Instantly, his fingers came alive with flames. They crackled and hissed, alive almost. Before Keri could get an answer, he moved.

Surprisingly fast for a human, his figure kept low to the ground and balanced. His palm extended in a palm strike at Keri’s chest.


Val and Zaad, Twilight College
_{@Landaus Five-One@BlackPanther}

“Donnae let t’at big ‘ol pile o’ sand scare ye. Some simple fire will set ‘im striagh’t in nae time.” Val patted the young hybrid’s wing, her surprise hidden.

She stepped aside and avoided being clubbed by the wings as they folded up once more. Looking the boy down a few times, her examination was interrupted by Salem.

At his behavior of Veretu, Val’s smile wilted into a frown. The demon was getting far too big for his fur. He reminded her of Zaad’s attitude when it came to those he thought lesser of. Her eyes laid a scornful gaze upon the feline. If looks could burn, Salem might've been burnt crisp or ashes. The portly dwarven woman crossed her arms over her chest as she mentally sized the small feline up.

Her features again softened to the young man’s reply. She nodded then commented on the demon’s behavior. “Reminds me of Zaad…”

“First lesson,” Val said while she held up one finger, “Donnae let ‘im talk to or about ye like t’at. Demons are feisty critters and usually self-servin’. Yore learns t’at wit’ Tyrael.”

Returning to the girl who shook her hand earlier, Val cocked her head. Elise, wasn’t it? She seemed so timid. How in the world did she ever manage to survive the trip here, the Rune teacher wondered. She then shook the thought away as she addressed the girl.

“I wouldn’t be fooled by his appearance, Ms. Cander. Demons aren’t as innocent or cute as t’ey seem. ‘E’s t’e same as Zaad, just in a different form.”

She stole a breath before she continued.

“Alrig’t, t'ere lass? Nice and easy. W’at ‘as ye so worked up? Zaad is scary, but ‘e’s not t’at terrifyin’.”

Val scrutinized the younger girl’s shaking form as she looked for an answer to the cause.

Location-College
_{@BlackPanther}

---

Summer was just coming back from her Yasomere mission. She felt tired; her hair was all ragged and disgusting. Smiling she walked faster towards the familiar gates of the college. Seeing them reminded her of when she first arrived here. She thought about the little tower that had become her home those 8 long years ago and only hoped it was alright. It was her last link to her parents. She could only hope her parents were alive and well, even if it's away from her.

She stopped her fast walking, her mind wrapping around the sadness and unsolved confusion of the entire thing, that day was suppose to be a happy day for her, but it turned out to be the second worst day of her life, her first being the day her mage blood nearly killed her. Reaching up, she fingered the crown like thing that was on her head, she could feel the remnants of her mom's powerful magic inside the small jewel, which sealed her mage blood until she was ready to control it, one section of a time.

Seeing she was getting left behind, she walked again towards the college and stopped when she saw a person she didn't recognise in front of the gates. Smoothing her hair, she walked towards the person and realized it was a male.

”Hello” her soft voice said.

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

In many ways, a mental fight could mirror a physical one. The strength of an attack, the timing, giving proper preparations for defense: they were all vital to success. Ssarak and his doppelgangers all stood at a safe distance, not advancing nor retreating. So far, he had not yet even raised his weapon against the attacking Esyire, and yet, he had already attacked full-force. The Esyire’s mind was distracted, and an opportunity had been created. Ssarak just had to avoid letting it slip away. This man was a mercenary, which meant that his conviction could possibly be shaken.

“You see? I do not wish to harm you. There is no need for any of us to be hurt. You have been deceived.” Ssarak began, each sentence originating either from himself, or one of his doppelgangers. All the while, he was tugging at the strings of the Esyire’s mind. He was careful not to do so as overtly as he had to distract his mind in the first place. Instead, he manipulated emotions tugging at the thoughts in the back of his mind. Whenever the Esyire locked eyes with Ssarak or a doppelganger, he suppressed emotions of anger, and instead encouraged those associated with authority and trust. Ssarak wanted to push his mind in the direction to believe the words that followed. “The package is certainly important, but the gold is not worth your lives. Think about it: if your employer is willing to pay so greatly for this thing, would we not also have our best protecting it? They were counting on you escaping your pursuers. The College is a force of equal strength to entire kingdoms, due to our mastery of magic. This is not a fight you can win, but it is one you can survive, and even profit from still. Your allies will fall to mine if they continue to fight, and while I do not relish the idea of killing my kin, I shall do so if you force me to.”

Right on the mention of their race, Ssarak, encouraged just a few hints of pride within the Esyire; just enough to bring up the thoughts of kinship that one could feel towards another of their own kind. Particularly for Esyire outside the homeland, members of their race were few and far between, and they were more often outsiders within any given group. Ssarak was an Esyire, and therefore one who could understand whatever position this Esyire was likely in. Those were the ideas that Ssarak’s magic was attempting to strengthen. “You can be forgiven for attacking us, and rewarded for helping us. For a fellow mage, the college can offer money, but also so much more. Do not throw your lives away; you can all survive this.”

As soon as he made mention of the Esyire’s companions, Ssarak once again delved into the memories that it brought up. He wanted to know if these other mercenaries were friends that the Esyire cared about, or just people he happened to be working with.

Leith Calder

The fumes were dulling Leith's senses. As the elf swung her trident at him, he knew he had to move, but his reactions felt sluggish. He staggered to the side, away from the crates he had his back against. The trident still connected with him, slashing across his chest, but the wound was shallow. The pain pulsed hollowly through him, almost as if it wasn't his pain, but someone else's.

Leith shook his head. He needed to deal with the elf before he made any more mistakes. He had left his sword in the carriage when he chased after the thief, but he still had a weapon. He pulled at the leather necklace he had around his neck. It pulled off easily, and he gripped the small, trinket-sized sword in his left hand.

"To be fair, it wasn't you I was sneaking up on," Leith said, his speech slightly slurred. He glanced back in Ssarak's direction. There was another Esyire facing off against his friend. "Although maybe facing you would have been an easier challenge."

He took a step forward and swung his right fist at the elf. He wasn't intending on hitting her with it. It was a cover to try and prevent her from noticing him enlarge Sephrim Sword in his other hand to the size of a longsword and take a swing at her leg.

Elise, Twilight College
_{@Fallenreaper@Luna@BlackPanther}

---

Elise was breathing heavily but was slowly trying to calm down from seeing the color of red, after all it has been troubling her ever since her mother died. She looked at Val with a slight smile and a slight confused look on her face. ”V-Val, D-Demons? I-Is t-that w-what Z-Zaad i-is,” Elise said, with a unquestionable curiosity and not understanding in what Val was talking about.

Elise was a bit more calmer and looked at Val. ”I-I h-have a-a f-fear o-of t-the c-color r-red,” Elise said, with a slight nervousness in her voice when she told Val. She smiled a bit with what she had said even though she’s slightly nervous. She had a thought in her head and looked at Veretu. ”I-Is, t-that w-what y-you w-were w-warning m-me a-about, V-Veretu? A-About S-Salem,” Elise said, towards Veretu with a slight curious poking question. She had always liked cats though.

Elise heard a voice coming from behind them and slowly turned to see a female with red hair approaching them. She somewhat started to breathe heavily again even after she calmed down a bit. She looked at the ground with a bit of nervousness. ”H-Hello,” Elise said, nervously towards the red hair girl.

Henri didn't expect that the orc woman would deflect his blade so easily, without even taking her eyes off him, making his dagger fly off the roof. Loosing one of his daggers wasn't that bad, the worse thing was her machete cutting the air. Her strike was true, she wouldn't miss. His eyes were wide open as he twisted his body, doing a cartwheel to try and dodge her attack. But even with his agility and flexibility, he wouldn't be able to completely dodge that attack... He grinned his teeth as he saw her blade getting near his thighs. It would be a deep cut... He would be lucky if it didn't break his femur...

"Should have gone for the kill..." Henri thought, grinning his teeth and twisting his body to try and make her miss any vital spot. Every single cell on his body yelled him to grab the girl and flee. He was too tired and exhausted to beat that orc woman alone. Only luck would decide if he would survive that strike, and still be able to walk...

But once more... Luck proved to be on Henri's side, as something quite unexpected happened. Lyn threw some seeds at the woman, which exploded in many thorns, grabbing the orc woman's arm and throwing it back. He didn't expect that Lyn, that frail beauty could handle herself in a battle, but he was apparently wrong. She had some tricks up her sleeve.

That's right. He wasn't alone this time. Lyn was there to help him. Henri wouldn't waste that opportunity that Lyn gave him. The few, precious seconds that Lyn's magic made the orc woman drop her guard, surprised.
He was in the middle of the cartwheel, so he couldn't grab a dagger right now... The only thing he could do was use the momentum the cartwheel gave him, he would kick the orc woman right in the neck, putting his legs around her neck, using his powerful legs to try and suffocate the orc woman, grabbing her arm with his hands so she couldn't hit him with the other blade.

"I'm counting on you, Lyn! Don't let her move her other arm. Hold still only for a few seconds!" Henri shouted, locking his legs around the orc woman's neck.

@Fallenreaper

Helena was not at all surprised that he wasn’t having that. Though she was admittedly a little surprised by what he chose to attack her with. “This is not talking!” she said, her voice rising a little bit at the end as she tried to get away from the tentacles of darkness. And failing. Two of them wrapped around her foot and started to drag and tug and tighten about her so she couldn’t get away, making her start to lose her balance.

“This is definitely not talking,” she went on, trying to see if she could get her boot free, but by then it was already wrapped around her leg as well and yanking hard enough that she slipped and was beginning to be dragged by her one leg as more tentacles reached for her other. And her hands and waist, and any other part of her body that they could find.

Managing to yank her arm free, she caught the briefest flash of the yellow gemmed ring on her hand. She had the quickest of ideas, one she hopped would work. She doubted that the light she was about to bring forth would hurt the things grabbing at her, but she hoped that it would at least scare them off long enough for her to get free of them, regroup her thoughts, and hopefully burn them down. Which is what she was going to do if the light didn’t put them off first. Tapping on the ring three times, she waited while the light came out, still struggling against the holds against her as she did so. When it did, the gripping and pulling stopped for long enough for her to scramble back and get onto her knees again. “Fuck me,” she groaned, not certain that she had the energy or magic to do much more right that moment and still make it out of here on her own two feet.

Location-Nox
_@Rtron, _{@Fallenreaper}, _@May, _{@Lucius Cypher}

---

Behind Annabeth, the more timid woman’s expression oozed with fear. Her arms held close to her chest and eyes widened as she retreated step by step toward away from the beast. This wasn’t what she expected. She knew danger was involved when she decided to join the college, but facing creatures made of nightmares weren’t on the job description. It took every impulse she had not to bolt for the exit. Her eyes flickered to others, each having their issues, before the creature’s motion drew her attention.

The Uth’s jaws snapped, drooling with saliva at the possible meal before it. Tentacles that made up its body withered and squirmed across the surface. It took a step then another before it lounged at Annabeth’s figure. The only barrier between itself and a fresh meal.

Annabeth had been using a lot of her mage blood, but she couldn’t let that stop her. Not now! ”Take this!” Annabeth casted a spell onto the dark monster. It was a simple illusion that made it look as though Annabeth had charged forward to stab her blade into its body while masking the fact that Annabeth had actually moved to the side to cut the monster’s face with the tip of her sword. Magic seems effective on these things, but unfortunately for Annabeth her spells did not cause direct harm. And while her blade could strike true, these creatures also seem highly resilient against mortal weapons.

Colette, seeing Annabeth’s struggle from her spot, felt anger fill her mind. Preparing her weapon, she lunged as fast as she could. She appeared in front of the Uth and struck it with her rapier not caring if it didn't do much damage. Giving a small whistle, she jumped back as Atticus attacked from another angle biting down at it.Hyllos attacked from above getting at its face the most with her sharp talons before backing away.

The Uth snapped then lounged at the illusion, unable to tell it apart from the real thing. As its teeth clashed the imaginary flesh, it realized what it had and snarl deepened into frustration. Pain erupted at the side where Annabeth cut it causing it to flinch. The thing’s head turned, the wound already covered in fresh tentacles, with the intention to rip her apart. A blur appeared in front of it: Colette. The petite woman slashed her blade, reopening the wound but it didn’t linger.

Atticus’ bite, however, was more effective. The wounds created remained as small, darkened marks along what served to be the Uth’s head. Its body flared in irritation at the discomfort. Not having any time to react, the bat like demon descended upon its worm like face. It hissed then snapped at the demon. Her talons raked across its front before it managed to clamp down on the bat’s right foot.

A dark enjoy formed on its body language as it ripped Hyllos to the side, tossing her behind it where its hooves could crush her. It rushed Atticus’ form catching him on the side. Its neck scooped underneath the Neko then jerked the demon toward the edge, intending to shove him off it.

Going low Annabeth pulled Hyllos from the monster’s hooves. Even if it was a demon who could just go back to the Inferno, Annabeth could afford to lose any more allies right now. Canceling the illusion she had up previously, Annabeth channeled her magic to create a different illusion of Hyllos flying towards the monster to claw it in the face, once more serving as a mere distraction for Annabeth’s allies to either clear the area it attack the beast.

Colette's eyes flashed in rage as her precious demons were attacked and injured. She sent a smile Annabeth’s a smile as she saw her friend get them to safety. Rushing at the beast again. She jumped high and flipped in midair, her blade aiming right towards it back.

She was quick to use its body to propel her body away from the beast glaring at it.

The Uth’s hoof crashed down. It cracked and splintered the stone’s surface. A disappointed snort came at the absence of crunching bones during its last attack. Not holding still for long, its lowered head jerked upward. It seemed the Neko wasn’t expecting the attack and the feline like creature flew backwards.

On the way, his curled form skidded to a halt just behind Annabeth. His ears ringing from the harsh blow. It would take some time for his orientation to come to him, leaving him open to other attacks. Seeing this, the Uth moved its body to rear on its back legs. Hooves aimed for the tail. At this time, its senses caught the illusion of Hyllos coming. Distracted, its hoof narrowly missed breaking the neko’s tail.

It stepped back. Colette flipped over it as her blade sliced across the tentacles. She felt resistance, but the wound looked too shallow despite the effort she put into it. On a normal being, it would’ve been deep and dangerous. On the Uth.. It merely shrugged it off.

Back hooves immediately lashed in reaction when she came to land.

Annabeth rushed in at that moment to save Colette a headache, using her blade to redirect the Uth’s hoof’s upwards. However at this range Colette could hear that Annabeth’s breath was heavy and ragged; between the constant fighting and vigilance with her mageblood, Annabeth was dangerously low. And so far none of their attacks seem to be useful against the creature; Annabeth had sliced and cut this monster many times, and Colette surely had pierced it’s hide too, but mundane weapons seemed to have little effect against this creature. Annabeth didn’t have many options. “Colette… Take your demons and run. I’ll create an illusion that you all are still fighting here with me and try to distract this creature long enough for me to escape and we can get out of here.”

Colette panted. It seemed like the fight had gone on for hours and she could feel her strength waning. This wasn't good at all. Being alone for two years, she learned the hard way that you needed strength to survive or you would die. Shaking her thoughts, she looked at the Uth. It seemed that nothing physical wasn't working against it, though Atticus’s earlier attack on it did seem to affect it just a little bit. Colette felt lost at what to do. She wasn't like any other mage, she could manipulate her mage blood into attacks, but then she remembered something her teacher taught her about her mage blood.

Remembering that demons could change in size and grow in power themselves. Colette looked to Hyllos and pursed her lips together. She had her the longest and she was too small for battles like this one, though there was a slight change in Hyllos’ size now that Colette was looking at her. She used to be the size of a small mouse, but now she seemed to be the size of a runt rat.

Turning her head back to the battle, she gripped the hilt of her rapier, uncertainty filling her. There was no way to tell if Hyllos could use mage blood yet and a battle of life and death was not the time to test it out. Colette lunged for the Uth again, her blade aiming to hit its right hind leg.

The Uth lifted its hind leg, narrowly avoiding the injury. A tentacle whipped out and lashed at Colette’s head. The tip sliced deep causing a small bit of dust to escape where the flesh was cut. The impact would likely toss the young mage to the side and nearly over the edge of the narrow pathway they were fighting on. Colette grunted as she landed and held her head.

Hyllos, seeing her mistress being tossed like she was nothing, felt rage like no other. She could feel something inside her manifest and she swung her body, her claws creating slices of fire aiming it at the one who caused Colette harm. The flames aimed towards the Uth’s back.

An inhuman scream bellowed from what served to be the beast’s mouth. Blood would curl and freeze within their veins from the very sound. The creature impulsively leaned to one side to avoid another of the demon’s blasts. Its hoof stamped dangerously near the edge, a pebble crumbled away and fell where no sound came. Where the fire had touched, the tentacles withered up into misshapen things. They could break off at a mere touch now.

One good shove or blast of fire would send it toppling to its death. Gone forever into the Nox's darkness.

In the distance, both girls would spot Helena, Darell and Athalus dart for the crystal.

”Aaaaargh!” Annabeth burst forward in a flash of speed. After seeing Colette struck something primal awakened in the woman as she plunged her blade into the monster’s throat, using all her considerable strength to shove the Uth into the abyss from whence it came. She watched the monster fall for just a brief few seconds before going back to Colette and picking her up. ”Come on Colette, let’s get the hell out of here.” Annabeth said as she ran towards the others at the crystal.

_{@Rtron,@Lucius Cypher, @May, & @Luna}

Darell ignored the dagger-like shadows darting to him. His hand reached out for the crystal and feet moved forward. The last chance for anyone. Distracted, the plague mask doctor didn’t notice the ring's activation. Suddenly light flooded the room. Bright, distorting light engulfed anyone’s eyesight whoever didn’t shield their eyes.

As the blinding effect faded, a recognizable being stood at the crystal. Aarem, the god of Nox and true lord of the Nox.

Strains of his long, black hair flowed in a controlled chaos about his head. His lithe figure draped in orient uniform suitable to a general and made for war. Eyes glowed red as his attention twisted to the surviving Uth. The hooved creatures abruptly halted. Now their forms stood and waited for commands, no longer determined to kill the students. On Helena’s legs, her shadow becomes normal once more.

The mage stared in disbelief.

His foot stepped back causing Aarem to snap his head into the direct and give an unsettling smirk. His right hand raised upward. Shadows of the Nox shimmered and swirled around the man.

“No…NO! Have mercy!”

The cries had little effect upon the heartless God. His fingers slowly closed into a fist. The Uth shot forward and past the students, their teeth sank into the cloth and flesh of the fool. Shadows penetrated into the legs, arms, and torso, chaining him in place. His screams of horror echoed throughout the Nox while he was ripped to shreds before the God.

Aarem inhaled then turned to the students. There was a hint of disgust on his features as he walked toward them. His arms folded behind him in his casual and unhurried pace.

“A job well done, but don’t expect a thank you. Now… it’s time to send you back.” Came the distant reply.

Cold shadows slithered up their sides, discoloring their flesh and darken their vision. Coldness slipped into their very being before everything went dark.

When they woke, they would find themselves outside the cursed town. Each laying eagle spread with only hazy memories of the last few hours. Nearby, they would spot several Nox students awakening to the same dilemma.

Shifting from one individual to the next, the Nox teacher checked each one for wounds. Everyone, including the volunteers, was alright. Any evidence of exhaustion remained in the form of overworked muscles.

None the wise, they began their journey back to the College.


Hysteria (Djarkel)
_{@Konan375, @Demonic Angel, @13org and @EliteCommander}

---

“We’re dead if we fail this job.”

The Esyire’s words didn’t reflect his emotional state.

They were cold and distant, his mind fighting Ssarak’s influence. It wasn’t easy. In fact, the being was losing. A sense of foreign trust washed over him like a tidal wave and swept away the desire to fight. The chain’s momentum died causing it to swing like a pendulum at his side.

His feet started to pull away. He waded deeper into the fumes, putting more distance between him and Ssarak. A spark of fear and panic conflicted with the pleasure Ssarak was trying to bestow upon him. Something was wrong. Underneath his cloak, something began to glow red. The cloth smoke smoldered from the shoulder then sparked into a fire.

“No… NO! Please… This is your fault!” The Esyire cried.

A spark of flame erupted from a hidden rune upon his uniform. It crackled and hissed. The weapon dropped from the Esyire’s grip as he shook. The pain eliminated anything pushed onto him. Ssarak, if he was still connected, would sense his actions had influenced the rune.

A safety measure to ensure things ended favorably for their employer.

Screaming in pain, the Esyire began to beat at the flames that cooked his clothing and scales. His figure rose to rush toward the nearest exit. The very door that Leith was at.



“Well, just shows you should just stick to that pretty college of yours.” She snarled.

Readying her trident, her figure hunched lower and used the prongs to snag his arm. The fist stopped short of hitting her as she twisted it to the side. Her leg left exposed, took the slice into its muscle. It embedded deeply causing her to yell in pain. Wearing no armor made her lighter and quicker, but taking hits were dangerous.

Instinctively she shoved the human backward. Blood dripped along her calf where the blade had struck. A slight limp could be seen as she hobbled backward.

“Asshole. I’ll make you scream for that.”

All conversation was ceased when a scream pierced through the warehouse. The elf turned her head.

She caught the mobile fire rush at them, the slowly burning remains of her companion. Her eyes iced over. No compassion or loss over the display. In fact, she seemed to expect it.

“That fool…” She hissed then jerked to Leith’s right, making for the escape.

If any of the fire caught on the lamp oil, everyone would go up into flames. Both students and assassins.



Lyn focused on the vines. Her teeth gritted at the effort to retain the strength in the plants, even while the Orc tugged and ripped at it. Something wet and sticky slithered from her right nostril. The metallic scent belonged to blood. Hers.

Queasiness followed and settled into her stomach as she realized something terrible. She had lost track of how much magic she had cast today. The first thing every mage ever learns and she forgot it. Ignoring the warning signs of low arcanite in her blood, she continued to make the vines grow and thrive.

Meanwhile, the orc woman tried to rip herself free. Her free hand jerked across her body and tugged harshly at the vines. They came off but regrow quickly, like weeds. Distracted, she didn’t notice Henri’s change in tactics. When his leg kicked her into the neck, she stepped back.

Easily they wrapped about her neck as he managed to pull up onto her shoulders. Her blade came only to be blocked by Henri’s grip. It pushed at his arm with greater strength then he might’ve expected.

In the background, Lyn’s knees crumbled. She fell as she tried to keep the vines growing.