Cynn Ellime

When Annabeth threw a blanket over her, Cynn remembered how hot she'd felt in the room earlier when she'd mistaken her open door for an open window. Deciding that now would be a good time to show her roommate how the windows opened, she stood up, disregarding the blanket in favor of mobility. She felt the company present move their gazes away in unison, which kind of annoyed her, as she wasn't in any revealing underwear. Quickly making her way to the panes of glass at the back of the room, she flipped the latch on the bottom of the frame and pushed out. The cool evening breeze hit Cynn, and she instantly felt refreshed. Moving the two rods on either side of the windows into place, the window sat still, now at a 25 degree angle from the wall.

Going back over to her bed, she fell onto the mattress and looked at Annabeth. She wanted to believe that the girl was impressed by her modification to the windows, but she couldn't tell. Leith still stood, a fact that Cynn refused to accept.

"Leith, you...you can take a seat...if you'd l-like," she said, turning her gaze back to Annabeth. How would she go about doing this? "Uh...I...I w-would l-like some f-food...yes... Um...what...uh, how...how was your day? Y-Y'know...after..." The white-haired elf's voice trailed off, but she didn't mind. Her attire was already making the human blush, and she could tell the girl was trying her best not to look too long at her assets. It was flattering, and something of a victory for Cynn. For some reason, she didn't feel uncomfortable like this with Annabeth around. Maybe it was because of her history of helping the elf in times of need, or maybe it was her air of safety, but she could sit like this for hours and not even care, as long as the human was there.

Remembering that Annabeth could read her mind, Cynn blushed, hoping she hadn't picked that time to listen in on the elf's thoughts.

Annabeth Gulch

Annabeth returned to her desk and gave Cynn some of the things she got from the festival. A shish kebab, a bottle of that fizzy juice, and a few stuffed chicken wing. She offered the same to Leith, whom Annabeth now remembered as Ssarak's roommate. She only met him recently, and during all the commotion, she had forgotten about him. Annabeth herself wasn't all that hungry and was actually thinking of turning in for the night when Cynn asked her about how the rest of her day went. Unsure of what to say, Annabeth tried to keep quiet. Didn't last for long. "It... It could have been better." Annabeth shot a quick glance at Leith. It's not that she hated him or anything, but she didn't want to talk to Cynn about earlier today with him there. It was too personal to let a complete stranger listen in. "What about you? Did you do anything while I was gone?"

EliteCommander, Sundered Echo, and Ryonara

---

Auriel was bored. Incredibly, soul-crushingly bored. Having the teachers busy with the diplomats and representatives from the various countries of the world meant no classes, which meant nothing for her to do. Other than pestering Deven for a little while, she had been wondering aimlessly or listening to people talk about a variety of subjects in the main hall. Many discussions had turned political, something Auriel just didn't care for. She was considering finding Deven again when she spotted a large black Esyire rush in to the hall alone. Most people had been filtering in in pairs, but finally here was someone alone, and not only that, someone she knew. At least a little.

This particular Esyire was Ssarak, someone who seemed to speak to Jenna from time to time, and since Deven was also around Jenna quite often to time, and Auriel followed Deven to an extent, that meant they had met from time to time.

Along with his name, Auriel had also learned that he was a psychomancer. Obviously her first encounter with Psychomancy had been less than pleasant, but just because Satori was bad didn't mean all Psychomancers were. At least that was what she willing to believe if it meant getting close to such a big, strong man as Ssarak. That, and she had a theory to test with Psychomancy, something she'd though of while taking the blocking class.

She leap down from where she was sitting and slunked across the hall towards the Esyire, who had rushed to one of the table to get food. Once she was right behind him, she stepped close, reaching one hand around his waist and with the other poking him softly between the wings. She was prepared to leap back if he turned quickly, and with any luck grabbing something off his belt as she did so.

Failing to immediately spot someone he knew among the crowd, Ssarak headed to collect his meal before renewing the search. Due to his armor, he did not notice the hand around his waist, but he did feel the slight pressure on his wings. He turned his head slowly and calmly, then looked down to see a relative stranger, a Forest Elf. Her name was Auriel, but he knew little else about her.

"Hello, is there...something you need?" He asked curiously, cocking his head slightly to the side. He had thought he had become mostly accustomed to the behaviors of the most common races at the college in the months since he arrived, but this behavior was entirely new.

"Ssarak isn't it?" Auriel said, drawing a hand behind her back - a hand holding the coinpurse of the Esyire. "I've seen you talking to Jenna before. I saw you were alone and I thought we could have a chat. To alleviate the boredom..." She stepped back a little from the big Esyire, one of the rare men taller than she was, though that seemed much less the case in the college. Mostly, she just wanted to be out of his long reach when she showed him that she'd easily stolen his money. Though by the weight of the bag, that wasn't much.

"That is correct." Ssarak responded, still a bit suspicious. Her greeting seemed hardly normal. Most people he had spoken to would not be so forward to touch him. "And you are Auriel, yes? I believe I have seen you around Devan in the gymnasium from time to time. I would not mind a conversation, I suppose." He said, seeing no harm in talking to the eccentric Forest Elf. Turning back around for a moment, he grabbed his plate and his glass of Ember, then looked back to Auriel. "Would you like a meal as well? Perhaps a drink?"

Auriel smiled at the friendly greeting, though it was a little reserved. Her smile quickly turned into a mischievous grin though. "If you're planning to buy me dinner, it might be a little difficult." She held up his coin purse in clearer view. "You know you big men in armour really ought to watch your backs more. Its way to easy to get things from you." She laughed then and tossed the coinpurse into the air in front of Ssarak.

Ssarak gave a faint, low growl. "Perhaps I would care more if I had something of value." He said, his voice distinctly harsher. His coinpurse currently contained a grand total of two coins and a half-eaten piece of beef jerky, so losing it was not much of a concern for him, but her pickpocketing did not help to build trust. "Considering that this feast is free, I do not believe I will be buying you anything. If your intent in approaching me is to get money from me, then you have chosen the wrong mark. One cannot draw blood from a stone; I have nothing for you to take." Based on everything he had seen of her, his opinion of Auriel had shifted to being only moderately better than a common criminal, at least until he learned more about her. He wasn't, after all, simply going to make an absolute judgement based on a first impression. It was difficult for him to draw conclusions on others if their societal expectations were unknown to him, but he was at least mostly certain that taking another's property was not acceptable even in her culture.

Auriel made a face as Ssarak growled, he wasn't turning out to be as fun as she had hoped. "Oh come on... If I really wanted to take something of yours for myself, you wouldn't know until after you'd taken me to dinner." She put on her best innocent look and reached out to hand the light coinpurse back to the black Esyire. "I don't have anything else... You're a psychomancer right? So you can tell I'm not lying." She had to suppress a giggle at the idea she was about to try. Wouldn't want to tip him off about it after all.

Ssarak reached out, grabbed his coinpurse, and placed it back in its proper place. Her approach did not match that of a common thief, so perhaps she did not have ill intentions. Perhaps she was just strange. In any case, she seemed to be taunting him to try and reach into her mind. Of course, he had no expectations that reading her mind would yield anything useful. He could still only read surface thoughts, so that ability was only useful when his target did not know he was attempting to intrude into their mind. She could control what she was thinking. Still, he found himself curious. It could be that she had been taking the warding classes and wanted to take the chance to prove that she could block him out of her mind. However, she would not know about his frequent private lessons with Satori. She would not know that his psychomantic abilities were above average compared to most of the other novices. "Perhaps." He responded as he began to reach into her mind.

For a moment, Auriel let the thoughts of her not having stolen anything else from Ssarak float to the top of her mind, but very swiftly afterwards she replaced those thoughts with others, and began her experiment. She quickly thought of images of herself, as though she were looking at a mirror, only, in her mind, she was stark naked and posing in suggestive positions. In the real world, her grin changed to one with an amused and slightly sinister look, and her eyes were expectant. She couldn't wait to see the reaction to her idea for keeping people out of her mind. She hoped it would either repulse the psychomancer or bring her to a fun and energetic evening...

Ssarak had expected to have to break through wards, but oddly enough, she seemed to allow him easily into her mind. At first, the thoughts he found were exactly what he would have expected, which meant they were not necessarily reliable. After a few moments, however, her thoughts took on a much more...personal theme. After years of accidental mind readings back in his village, and the few months he had been in the college, he was used to experiencing thoughts that were not meant for his mind. There was a time when he tried to take advantage of it, but he had long since grown out of that phase. He had developed a tolerance to disturbing or suggestive thoughts, but this was different. Unlike most, she was very intentionally creating these images in her mind, knowing they were being seen. She was a Forest Elf, so her body was not exactly what he would call attractive, for the most part. Honestly, he did not know what she expected him to do, and neither did he know how to respond. He cocked his head to the side once more, his confusion apparent. "Was this all one roundabout, strange attempt to flirt with me?" He asked.

Auriel was a little disappointed with the reaction. She stuck her tongue out at him and started to imagine herself with him, both naked, in very compromising positions. She had seen Esyires naked before so she had a reasonable idea for what to imagine, though of course she couldn't tailor it quite as well to him as she would've liked.

Ssarak was not sure why he had continued to read her mind, but he immediately regretted it. He reigned in his abilities and closed his eyes on reaction, as if that would somehow help. He grimaced subtly, but noticeably. "I suppose that is a yes. Might I ask why you seem so enthralled with me? I do not quite know what you would find so appealing about me compared to one more similar to yourself." He asked. He had no intention of doing anything with this Forest Elf, but he could not help but to be curious about her motivations. He was not one for casual encounters.

Finally Auriel thought as Ssarak's face twisted subtly. "What, did you think I would be able to resist a big, strong, handsome man like you?" She said in a sultry voice. She could already tell she wasn't going to get anywhere with this, but at least she could try to make it as awkward as possible for Ssarak before moving on. She reached across for a glass of whatever was in the glass, and took a sip. It was strong, not only that, but searing hot, not something she was expecting and it would be evident by her expression. She couldn't tell if she liked it or not, and took another sip, making a similar face to the first.

As Auriel was quite obviously surprised by the heat of the glass of Ember she grabbed, Ssarak could not help but to laugh. She was evidently caught off-guard by it: a common occurrence for those who did not know what Ember was. "Perhaps your should resist the urge to drink unknown drinks. Ember is a potent concoction and can leave your throat scalded if you are not careful. In any event, perhaps I cannot blame you, but all the same, I do not believe I am interested in the same things as you. Temporary infatuations are not what I am looking for." He explained before finally taking a seat at a nearby table.

"You are so boring." Auriel said, her voice slightly hoarse from the Ember. She turned to the table behind her and looked for a glass of something a little less extreme, then downed the rest of the ember in one go, trying not cry out before drinking a little from the milder liquid to wash it down.

After Meirin had taken her share of food and drink, she had hoped to find someone else to talk to and spend today's evening with. With any luck it'll be another Weaver, but the first person that caught her eyes was Ssarak. They haven't really spoken much since the opening feast, but she thinks that they could be considered friends, or at least good acquaintance. If nothing else, surely he wouldn't mind if she came over to say hi, which she did. "Ssarak? It's been a while, hasn't it?" Meirin walked over to Ssarak, her arms casual crossed behind her back. Unlike some of the others here who dressed in fancier garments than usual, Ssarak looked to be in his armor. Even had his weapon of choice, a fairly large battle axe fit for a giant of his size. It didn't scare Meirin though, as many students of the college tend to be armed and armored half the time. From what she understood, many of them came from a noble or warrior background, so old habits die hard. "I hope the feast has treated you well."

Just as Ssarak was about to begin his meal, he heard a familiar voice behind him. Turning his head, he saw that it was Meirin who had approached him. Auriel was still present, though it seemed she was focused on drinking away the burning sensation of the Ember. "Oh, greetings, Meirin. To be honest, I have only just arrived. I went for a run, as usual, but I accidentally fell asleep after stopping to rest. I rushed to get here in time after I awoke. This would not be my normal attire for a formal gathering, you understand. At any rate, I am doing well. My classes are progressing smoothly and I am enjoying my time here. What of yourself? It has been some time since I asked you about your progress"

"Well enough. I'll have to admit, Weaving is much different from what I'm used to. But I'm told that I have a natural talent for it... I doubt it's that so much as it is that I'm just fairly used to moving my body anyways. But it's good none the less." Meirin than began to ponder something. Ssarak ran while wearing full armor? Seems strange. She could somewhat understand in a way why he may want to do that, but it didn't seem very comfortable. He also mentioned how being in armor would not be considered "Normal" as formal attire, though she wasn't sure if he meant for a place like the college or culturally as an Eysire. "Do Eysire have a sort of formal attire? I've heard in most warrior cultures armor is more than suitable for these sorts of occasions."

Ssarak nodded. "Well, yes, depending on the event, but I was more referring to this area's expectations of formality. I am not in my homeland anymore, so I reason it is only appropriate that I adapt to this new culture. I do not believe it would be right of me to expect others to adapt to my traditions. It is not easy, by any means, but I try. If you remember the rather awkward encounter I had with Aruna when we first arrived here, you can see how I have...failed, at times. Anyway, would you like to join me? Have you eaten yet?" He asked while motioning to an empty seat beside him.

Meirin took Ssarak's offer for the seat and sat down next to him. "I've already eaten, but thank you for offering." Ssarak mentioned his first encounter with Aruna, her roommate, though Meirin did not quiet remember if that happened, or if she was there when it happened. She in fact did not even know that Aruna and Ssarak were even acquainted, though she supposed it wouldn't be too surprising since Aruna had Lues Mageblood. Aruna was a Noxomancer though. "I think that was more of a misunderstanding rather than any sort of culture clash." She couldn't really say that was true since Meirin might have not had any memory of it, but hopefully it would console Ssarak a little bit. She decided to move onto another subject.

"Adaption is... Good, but you shouldn't be afraid to flaut your own tradition sometimes. The college does not seem to be a sort of place that would punish you for keeping up with some facets of your old life. Granted, value dissonance is always in effect. Back at my home, it was highly looked down upon for those in position of leadership to have children. I was taught that being a leader but also having children made it possible for nepotism. It would make them bad leaders, and harm the community. It wasn't wrong per say, but it would not be advisable for such a law to be enforced outside of my own home. On the other hand, my home also allowed each individual to go about their daily business with the tools of their arts, such as craftsmen with hammers or martial artist with their weapons. But I can understand how other places wouldn't take to kindly if everyone went about with their tools, even if it was part of their crafts."

After her information dump Meirin twiddled her fingers. She had let herself ramble again so she tried to think of how to get Ssarak a chance to talk. "S-so what sort of things did you used to do, back where you came from? As an Eysire, I mean. Not that I think that they're nothing like everyone else, but... Well..." Meirin began to loose steam as she seemed to dig herself deeper.

Ssarak began on his meal as he listened to Meirin explain some of her own background. He did not know a great deal about her history, but from what she described, it seemed interesting. She also seemed curious about his own past, though she appeared to be having a hard time finding the words to express her curiosity by the end of it. He held up his hand and gave a slight chuckle, along with a reassuring look. "Do not worry, I understand your meaning. Truthfully, there is a lot of my culture I no longer desire to follow, but that isn't to say there are not redeeming qualities. Esyire culture is much like Human culture in that it is not one cohesive entity. Each of the six clans have their own customs and traditions. There are some elements we all share, of course, but they are all very distinct. My own people, clan Dyre, are very much a warrior people. Along with clan Xhoth, we are among the proudest warriors in the Scorched Lands. However, my own experiences have given me somewhat of a...different view on warfare than others in my clan. Essentially, I approve of our traditions in regards to fighting. Our styles of weapons and armor, our tactics and martial arts. I enjoy how our focus on physical well-being has given me the drive to train and improve my body. In as dangerous of a world as we live in, I believe those things are important, but warfare...I despise. I believe that warfare between clans, nations, and whatever else, causes nothing but destruction."

Not wanting to bring down both of their moods, Ssarak elected to quickly continue on to explain other aspects of his culture. "But being a warrior was just my profession. Even for Clan Dyre, there is more to us than just fighting. Just as you would expect from any people, we have our own arts, sports, stories, history. When I was not training or fighting, I did have a few hobbies. Sports had an obvious draw for me. I do not believe we have any of the same games as Humans do, but they have similarities. One of my favorites is simple in concept, but rather difficult to play. You start with two teams, usually of four each, and in the middle is a...there isn't a word for it in this language, but it is essentially a long stick with a ball attached on the end. On each side of the field are two hoops about thirty feet off the ground. All you have to do is make sure the ball goes through the hoop on the opposite end of the field. It takes a lot of skill in flying to play effectively...and a good amount of pain tolerance. As you can imagine, you end up hitting the ground rather frequently. Beyond sports, I also took an interest in music, at least when I was young. Specifically, I learned as a child to play the diranak. It's a stringed instrument, about as tall as I am. It has been many years, though, and I am quite out of practice."

Meirin listened as Ssarak was thankfully able to make more sense from what she tried to ask than she did. When Ssarak spoke at first of his clan, he seemed rather proud of their martial ability, but spoke negatively about war. She could understand why, but she had her own opinions about war. It was never a good thing, but it wasn't better taking it away. She kept quiet though as Ssarak explained other things about the Eysire, such as a game they played. She tried to imagine how the game was played, with hoops high above the ground, this "long stick with a ball attached", and all the players flying. Flight was actually something she's never witness first hand. Back at Djarkel she lived high into the mountains, so heights never scared her. But she always had a firm grip on a solid surface when that happened; to be in the air with no visible means of standing was a frightening thought. Like that previous incident with Locas. Being elevated off the ground didn't scare her, walking off however made her worry for her health, even if Locas had a way to make sure she wouldn't get hurt.

"You know, I have never flew through the air before. I've stood on top of mountains and found myself a thousand feet over the ground, but I've always had my feet firmly planted on the ground. How is it like, to be able to fly?"

Putting down his drink, Ssarak smiled. In the few times he actually did speak to humans before arriving at the college, that was a rather common question. Sensible, considering that it was something they had no real way of experiencing, normally, at least. "That is actually a rather difficult question to answer. For Esyire, flying is a natural part of who we are, just like walking. It is normal. I could just as easily ask you what it is like being unable to fly. I can attempt to explain what it is like for us, though. It is not something that causes me any more fear than walking. It is true that making a mistake and landing too hard could be fatal, but just the same, it is possible to trip, fall, and die by hitting your head the wrong way on a rock. I am just as afraid of the latter as I am the former, which is to say I do not often think about it while flying. It also affects the way we view the landscape. Heights are not something we think about often, as they are usually irrelevant for us. In my village, if we stayed in one place for long enough, we would build fortifications around our camp which had no entrance on the ground. It could keep out dangerous creatures without hindering us at all. That is what flight is light for us, but for you, however, I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like. It is not an ability you were born with, so the experience would be completely new. The only way you could really know what it would be like for you to fly would be to experience it yourself. If you ever felt that you wanted to, I could help you to satisfy that curiosity." He offered.

"Yes, I suppose that does make some sense..." Meirin quipped when Ssarak mentioned how flying and walking were just natural things for Eysire to do. She also wanted to mention how it was also "Natural" for everyone to be covered in scales and live in a land where even weeds don't live, but she felt that was unnecessarily and tastelessly sarcastic. Thinking that Ssarak wasn't willing to talk about it, he instead offered to satisfy her curiosity instead. If that's what she thinks he meant, she started to feel a bit excited. Hopefully this would turn out a bit better than what Locas tried, and it won't cause either Ssarak or Meirin to go to the Infirmary. "I... I don't suppose you could show me right now. Tonight. If that's okay with you, of course..." Flight, that certainly would be something to experience.

"Certainly. After I finish my meal, I would be more than happy to take you on a flight. I will just need to return my armor to my room first. I would not wish to attempt to carry both you and my plate armor at the same time. I look forward to showing you the skies. I imagine it will be similar to the first time I saw a lake." Ssarak responded.

Cynn Ellime

Taking the food from Annabeth, she was faced with an issue of timing. The wood elf's stomach was very much for devouring the food right away, but her mind was completely against that idea. Cynn watched the human as she spoke, waiting for a moment during which she could eat like a madman. That opportunity seemingly presented itself soon enough, when the girl looked to Leith for an instant. It was during this small time that the white-haired girl dug in to the food she'd been given, ravaging it with animal-like passion, only to realize that the glace had merely been a glance, and Annabeth was now staring at her.

Swallowing the bite of the chicken left in her mouth, Cynn smiled sheepishly, and immediately wondered how she'd gone from ravaging beast to sheepish smiler in under a second. When the girl asked what she'd done for the rest of the day, she froze. How was she supposed to say that she'd read and then stabbed a wall before hiding under her bed? That was the least productive thing she could have done! Thinking about how she'd address this subject, she eventually decided to just point to her rapier in it's resting place on the floor in front of where her bed had been earlier, then to the marked-up wall, and then mimed feeling warm and pointed at the clothes that she'd dragged under her bed with her. This seemed to make sense for Annabeth, but Leith seemed a little lost.

To be fair, Leith was a little lost. It wasn't that his presence was unwelcome, it was just that...his presence was unwelcome. It wasn't a good time to have someone else in the room, and his being there meant that Cynn and Annabeth had to dance around the elephant in the room. Not literally, of course, but the thought of the two of them somehow getting an elephant stuck in their room seemed like it wouldn't be hard to believe. Suddenly, all the elf could think about was how many modifications to the room would be needed for it to be elephant-compatible. She liked to go on weird tangents like this, because she could be silly and serious at the same time, which just served to make the thought even more silly. It was...nice. Yeah, nice! Nice was the word for it.

"Um...Leith," she began, shyly. "It's getting awfully late...maybe it would be best...if...you returned to your room? I think...I think we're about ready to turn in for the night. See you around?" She smiled kindly, and hoped he wouldn't be offended that she was asking him to leave so soon, as if he was just a means to get her unstuck.

Leith accepted the chicken wing from Annabeth with a friendly smile and a word of thanks. He had finished the wing when he noticed Annabeth take a side glance at him. He sighed silently. It looked like his presence was starting to become unwelcome. It didn't upset him. He could see that his being there was making the girls uncomfortable. He was starting to get ready to go when Cynn politely asked him to leave. He nodded at her.

"I was just thinking the same." Leith gave a grunt as he pushed himself off the ground. He put the gauntlet back on, and waved to Annabeth and Cynn. "Take care, and try not to get stuck under any beds, Cynn. I might not always be there to lend a hand," he said as he laughed at his pun. "Good night." And with that, he opened the door and left, closing the door behind him.

Leith started walking towards his room before he realized that he was hungry. He hadn't eaten much that day, and the chicken wing had started up his hunger. He turned on his heel and made his way towards the dining hall. The dining hall was emptier than it was earlier, but Leith paid it no mind. All he wanted was food. He grabbed a plate of food and sat down, taking his gauntlet off and placing it on the table. He watched the people around the hall as he ate in silence.

After Ssarak finished his meal, he and Meirin went somewhere more open. While it was not necessarily voided of others, as there were some other students and guards around, there was much more open space than within the dinning hall. Meirin had goosebumps all over her and butterflies in her stomach, excited for what was about to happen. She turned to Ssarak just barely able to conceal her excitement. "Are you prepared?"

After a brief stop by Ssarak's room so he could offload his armor and axe, the pair made their way out to a clearing large enough for Ssarak to take off comfortably. Of course, he did not require much space, but being in an open area would likely be calming to Meirin. He had changed into his fur coat and trousers, but even they could not keep him completely warm in the cold night air. Regardless, once he was in the air, he would likely feel downright hot from the heat his body would be producing.

Ssarak nodded. "Indeed I am. I understand many Humans have a very reasonable fear of heights, especially when they have no ground upon which to stand. I will take it slow at first and let you decide whether we should go higher. Do not worry, I will keep a tight grip on you, so you will be in no danger of falling. I believe, if anything, you can trust that I have the strength to carry you. Now..." He began as he walked around behind her. "...are you ready?"

"Yes!"

Smiling at her enthusiasm, Ssarak grabbed her in his arms, then, with a brief running start, outstretched his wings and jumped to assist him with his take-off. With his full wingspan now visible, the already-large Esyire appeared almost gigantic. The sheer force of the wind being pushed beneath his wings could knock someone off of their feet if they were not prepared. Due to the limited space within the college walls, he flew in slow, tight circles.

Just as Ssarak said, he went slowly at first. Meirin kept her breathing steady as he held her in his arms. Despite looking like a dragon, he was oddly warm to the touch. Perhaps it had to do with the fur coat he wore, but his body itself felt like it was being heated by a fire. Or maybe Meirin was just getting cold from her anxiety. She held onto Ssarak lightly at first, but it wasn't until they were a good thirty feet off the ground that she started to grip onto his arms with more strength. It was quite high, but they weren't even above the college's walls yet. "Let's try to go a bit higher. Maybe... Above one of the towers?" While holding tightly with one hand, Meirin pointed towards a tower in the distance. It wasn't the tallest they had, but it was a good four stories high.

"Of course." Ssarak responded, having to speak a bit more loudly due to the sound of the wind. With a few strong flaps of his wings, he pushed them higher until they were above the height of the college's walls. Now that he had more freedom of movement, he was able to keep them on a more steady, straight path until they reached the tower. All the while, he made sure to keep a tight grip on Meirin. Not enough to cause her harm or restrict her breathing, but enough to constantly remind her that he had her secure. As they made their first pass by the tower, Meirin would be able to see the first actually impressive view of the landscape beyond the college. It was a view Ssarak had seen many times flying around the college, but even he could appreciate its beauty, especially around sunset.

Meirin held onto Ssarak tightly and, admittedly, had her eyes closed for a short duration of the flight. Though he could move with more stability this also meant that he was moving a bit faster, which made Meirin a bit scared even though Ssarak had her safely in his arms. Meirin only opened her eyes when she felt Ssarak turn, and that's when she saw the world from above. The moon was high into the sky, lighting everything below in a dim light. But the college itself was glowing brightly from the various fires and light sources, presenting a sight that she would have never seen from the ground. It was breath taking, and Meirin was speechless. But while it was certainly impressive, it was not the highest. Deciding that she was confident enough at this height, she tugged on Ssarak's coat to get his attention. "Try... Try to take me as high as you can!"

Ssarak, laughed, enjoying Meirin's enthusiasm. It was good that he practiced regularly at carrying loads in flight, as it meant he was hardly fatigued, and wouldn't be for a while, especially if he took advantage of the updrafts the buildings created. "How about we start with the top of the college, then go from there. As high as I can go is, well, pretty high." Ssarak brought himself near one of the towers, though not close enough to worry Meirin, and added the force of his own wings to the updraft to lift them even higher. He did his best to keep himself steady as they rose in altitude. Although he was more than capable of performing complicated maneuvers, he doubted Meirin would appreciate that at this point. For now, the simple act of flying would be amazing enough. It took a few minutes to climb, but eventually, they were on the same level as the tallest point at the college. At this height, all of the college was in sight at the same time. After circling the tallest tower a few times, he started to fly a bit farther away from the college so that she could see a more complete, and impressive, view of its structures. "So, is it everything you hoped it would be?"

Meirin's fear was replaced with amazement. Flying so high in the night sky was much more impressive than she had expected. The night often hid things in the dark, but from the skies she could see everything. She could see hundreds of people milling about in the college, the forest at the far edge of the horizon, and the moon that was just out of this world. Somehow it seemed much bigger in the skies, but maybe that was because she was closer. When Ssarak asked if she thought it was as she hoped it'd be, she just pressed her body closer to his body. "It's more than what I could have ever imagined. Thank you for allowing me to see something like this, Ssarak. It's... I'm speechless, honestly." Meirin gazed at the world below, taking in all the sights. Burning it into her memories.

"I am always glad to help a friend." Ssarak said with a smile, not that she could actually see it from her angle. He started to bring them back closer to the college, but maintained his altitude. Once they neared the central tower again, he motioned towards it with a nod of his head. "You see that tower, the tallest one? I happen to know that it is safe to land inside those arches. Or, if you wish to be ambitious, on top of the dome itself. A bit more dangerous, but there is enough room to stand, and there is the spire at the top to hold on to. Plus, it is the highest point at the college. Would you like for me to set down there?" He asked.

Meirin watched the skies as Ssarak brought them back towards the college. Ssarak asked her if she wanted to land at what looked like a bell tower. Ssarak said that it was possible for him to land inside, or maybe even on top. She had to admit, if Ssarak wasn't here she would be scared out of her mind. Being back on solid ground would be nice. But something told her that she should take the highest ground she could, even if she just went higher in the skies. "Let's land on the dome! It'll be nice for us to put our feet on something solid again."

"Right away." Ssarak responded. He brought them a bit higher, then approached the tower from above. He circled once to slow himself, then flapped his wings with as much force as he could muster as they neared the spire at the center of the dome. The sound from the wind rushing beneath his wings would likely be overwhelming to Meirin, though Ssarak was of course used to it. The moment his feet touched the dome, he grabbed the central spire while still keeping his other arm wrapped tightly around Meirin. Once they were stationary, he lowered her enough that she could place her feet on the dome as well, but did not release his grip. He was taking no chances with her safety. "Okay, I want you to take a few moments to regain your bearings before I let go. We are very high up, and I want to make sure your balance is stable before releasing you."

For some reason Meirin chuckled as they landed on the dome. It was so dangerous, but so exciting now! Their life, or at least hers, was in great danger. She relished danger. Once Ssarak landed Meirin put her feet on the ground. She was wobbly at first as the flight had made her unprepared for a solid footing, more so since it wasn't even. But after a few seconds, she was able to keep a firm foothold on the dome's surface. Even though she could stand on her own feet, she still held onto Ssarak. Not for his support, but simply to hold onto him. She looked around the college area. While it was not quite as impressive as it was before, it was still a sight to behold. But now she felt more relaxed, calmed, and even allowed herself to lean again Ssarak as a means to feel more comfortable. He was warm, which was nice as the night's chilly air would have made her shiver. Meirin looked into the skies, specifically the moon. "You know, I think this moon is exactly how it was when we first met, back at the opening ceremony. I remember... I remember that you were in pain. And I wanted to help you. But now it seems like you have become much stronger since than, and now I'm the one who should thank you."

Meirin clung to Ssarak tightly as she watched the clouds move in front of the moon. She rested her head against his chest, her red hair flowing in the wind.

Ssarak looked out over the horizon as Meirin was gaining her bearings. The view from the apex of the tower was impressive, but she was experiencing it on an entirely different level from himself. In a way, he envied her. An experience that was, for him, mundane, was exhilarating to her. Majestic vistas and superb views of landscapes were normal when in flight, so he had grown used to them long ago. He wished he could look upon them with the same wonder as when he was a child. Still, to see Meirin's reaction was entirely worth it, in his mind. To know that he had been responsible for the happiness of another gave him quite the warm feeling. Even as she regained her footing, she held on tightly to him, which suited him just fine. Not only could he share in her warmth on the cold night, but at such a height, the closer she was, the safer she was. He looked to the moon as Meirin called attention to it. Indeed, it did seem that their positions had shifted since the first day they had met, though he was glad he was not having to save her from excruciating pain. That situation would be much less pleasant than the current one.

"I am glad you are enjoying it. Even if I cannot appreciate these sights the same way you can, to see how elated you are brings a smile to my face. I enjoy helping friends, especially since you were so willing to take the time to help me. If you ever need help, or want to go on another flight, you need only ask." He said, glancing down with a smile.

The wind, though cold, felt pleasant on Meirin's face as she rested against Ssarak's body. It was a perfect night, despite all that's happened. The moon was bright in the skies, people below were enjoying their lives, and she was with pleasant company. She didn't think anything could ruin the mood. "Thank you Ssarak. Just remember that... You're not alone either. If you ever want my help, or even just want to talk, you can always come to me. I like being with you."

The hell has just begun...

Khan had just been about to walk towards a curve in the hallway, one of many to his room, when a voice called out. His body came to a grinding halt as his head turned to spot the original source and noticed a young woman making her way towards him, in her hands were two chalices filled with mostly like with liquor. The Headmaster sighed at the sight as he sharply inhaled and exhaled, bracing himself for the now even longer night to come. In truth, he didn’t want to entertain any farther current College guests yet he felt it was important to be a courteous host. Otherwise he wouldn’t have had gotten far enough with the officials as he did. Even if he regrettably took a leaf or two out of Tyrael’s book and let his rage take hold. That moment had resulted in subtle threats to cut ties to the College if they continued which silenced them fast enough.

He allowed the thoughts to slip from his mind when the woman came closer. In the faint torch light, he noticed the pale skin, white hair and bright red eyes proclaiming her a vampire. Even her movement seemed to have a purpose and grace that made her almost beyond human as closed the gap easily. Her dress wasn’t anything the nation’s Yasomere, Djarkel, or Eania wore which made distinguishing her origins difficult. Immediately he turned on heel to meet her, his wing lifted and pulled back to avoid smacking the vampire upon the head. Not that it would’ve hurt her because despite their weakness to sunlight and like items, vampires were hardy creatures through Aarem’s influence. However, he did it so not to be rude.

“Alright,” He replied in his wait. “Though you caught me just as I was retiring to bed.”

"Is that so? My apologise for coming to you so late. I had originally intended to meet you ealier, but everyone seemed to want to meet with you. My name is Norschtalen, and I represent some interest stationed in Djarkel The Helion Coven." Norschtalen offered Khan one of the cups, and if he took it she continued her speech. "A sort of organization that helps shelter my kind from those who would otherwise do us harm. We have very little staff among our numbers, but many whom come to us for assistance. We are overwhelmed with those who need s our service, and we only wish for the college to assist in alivating some of that burden. Many of those whom my organization protects are those of notable influence, forced away from their homes due to the threat of their own demise. If the college could somehow provide assistance to my organization, I can promise that we will pay back our dues tenfold." Norschtalen took a sip of the drink, looking at Khan with hope in her eyes.

Khan took the glass when she offered it, yet he didn’t slip from it. For the moment his mind was taking in what she was saying and to do that with the alcohol already in his system wasn’t a brillant idea. His fingers were placed where the neck connected to the glass, gently swished it as he thought. His other hand gestured for him to follow him as he walked along the pathway to his room, eyes mildly flickered to the demons that seemed to be everywhere. For him, a demonomancer, it was slightly normal because he dealt with his own every day but he could also see how others would find them rather uncomfortable. He pushed the thoughts away when he asked Norschtalen. "I see. Currently we have a herbamancy teacher, Lucilia, who would have better insight as she is a vampire. Have you talked with her about your organization?"

Norschtalen followed the demon-eysire, oddly ignoring all the demons around them. Norschtalen's face darken when the headmaster asked if she had spoken to Lucilia about her organization, remembering their conversation. "She says that the college cannot support my organization due to the numbers of it's members. But not everyone is a "member" per say. Just a poor soul trying to give it a shot at living. Initially my organization wanted to try to send some of it's clients to the college for safehaven, however a vast majority of them are not mages." Norschtalen's face tried to remain unemotional, but her mouth frown a little in sadness. She swished her drink in it's cup a little before taking another sip. "I know the college is not a refuge, so I will not ask that you simply take responsibility of them all. Merely that we need support trying to find them all shelter, food, and a chance for a meaningful future to live their lives, not merely survive another day. We only have one facility to hold them all, but it is so packed that they're almost stacked upon each other. Even more of them have taken back to roaming the streets, where they would be hunted down or end up in trouble with no where else to go. My organization needs the college's help to construct new facilties, protection from bigots and others who would do harm to the clients simply as a matter of principle, and of course, supplies to feed them." Being that Norschtlaen's organization helped protect vampires, that meant blood. A lot of it.

Khan didn't like the situation, at the sound of it, but there was one slight complication over looked. Other then fact there would be a great need for blood to supply, something he was slightly worried wouldn't be completed without draining the willing donors, there was the fact of Djarkel. The city would see it more as the College supporting them rather then remaining out of the affairs. Especially if those under Norschtalen's care were their poor and wretched. Though it was odd to him how she hadn't mentioned gathering aid from the Djarkel's higher ups, though the Barons were more concern with their own lands and power, the growing number of vampires would've been a problem too hard to ignore.

Khan took a deep inhale then replied. "Sadly, I wish it was that simple. There's also Djarkel to consider and the delicate ties the College tries to retain to keep out of their affairs. Have you attempted to rally support from one of the Barons? Or is their answer a grim one?"

There was a slight hope in his voice there might be a middle ground which would ease the College's burdens in this matter and keep it from being a political mess. It wasn't that his heart didn't break upon hearing Norschtalen's story and plead for help, but he couldn't risk the many lives of his students with a simple, foolish act. Part of the burden in being a Headmaster.

"The barons tend to be the cause of the influx of those who my organization protects. They are... Vampires, but not those born directly under Aarem's blessing. Rather they are once normal men and women of Djarkel, fed upon by vampires and had the misfortune to become infected instead of dying. Not to say that we haven't already tried to get their assistance, but it is not enough. The main one we rely on fights a war on many fronts, and in order to pay our dues to him many of our own, the most able and the strongest, are sent unto his service. Our debt to him is greater than the support he could provide, and we do not wish to risk making him an enemy by trying to ask for the assistance of other barons. Not to mention that, despite Djarkel as a whole accepting the existance of vampires, the laws made to protect them are only implimented if they are convient, and ignored if they are not." Norschtalen sighed. She initially wanted to try to make her organization look noble and competant, but she instead had to resort to making them seem overwhelmed and a little over their heads. She wanted to make them look like a good investment, not a charity case. Her pride mostly was what wanted that.

"The college is our only hope. They would not be assisting Djarkel as a whole, merely a group within it. We do not ask for the college to attack or confront our enemies, merely some resources in order for us to be able to withstand them. Blood to keep our vampires from feeding off the people, medical supplies to heal the injured, stone and wood to create new facilities to house them. Of course funds to afford other services such as guards would also be helpful. In return, you can always call upon my organization, the Helion Coven, for whatever endevour that the college requires. What say you, headmaster Khan?"

Khan knew he couldn't just accept the burden, not without at least consulting Lucilia about the College budget or the Archmage. Even in his sickly condition, he was still the authority figure of the College and the man who made final calls on things bigger then day to day matters. His wings shifted uncomfortably when he thought of his next words, each one carefully chosen to ease possible tension. Namely hostility as the image of Norschtalen had darkened at mention of Lucilia and her rejection. Rethinking upon that fact, Khan had started to think it was rather uncharacteristic of the teacher to flat out deny aiding other vampires. After all, she had created a place for most the students of that nature and demons to dwell from the judging eyes of others. It was one of the reasons Khan had chosen to condone the place because it helped those students, as well as kept key demons out of trouble, to adjust. Why would she deny the Helion Coven such aid?

"I'll have to talk to Lucilia and discover why we've not considered helping you. It doesn't really fit to what I know of her as she's not one to turn away those who could use the College help." He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his thoughts then added. "With the College's currently affairs happening it will be difficult to communicate with her and allow reach some agreement for the Helion Coven, but all I can offer is my sincerest efforts. Other then that, I'm afraid there's not much more I can do."

His eyes shifted to note the large door of his room bearing down on the pair, his mind finally realized it was likely time to say good night. Unfortunately that small spark of pity didn't leave him alone. It won't let him sleep, not now or until he had sorted this out. For a moment he stood there debating on whether he could find Lucilia or even Uicle to discuss the matter with someone else's mind other then just his own, which was being affected by the clouded judgement inside.

Norschtalen's face darken considerably. It was an angry look, but also a very sad one. One that a person would wear when faced with a tragedy they want to stop, but know they cannot. A look of helplessness. "I understand. I'm sorry for botherthing you at such a late hour. I wish you well, Headmaster Khan. So..." Norschtalen raised her glass towards Khan. Though she had taken some sips form it, most of the drink still remained for this motion to be relevant. "Than how about a toast, for good fortune for the both of us. Strength for the struggles ahead of us." Norschtalen had a smile on her face, but something felt wrong with it. Unlike her previous image, this smile did not carry sadness, but there was a sense of purprose behind it. Not a good one.

Khan ignored the shivers running up and down his spine at the smile Norschtalen had given. For the moment, he believed it was some of that self fear most felt when staring at a smiling vampire and shoved it down. He won't judge others merely by looks but by their actions. Currently, the vampire hasn't done anything to earn his suspicions or scorn, so he had little reason to expect anything other then a genuine gesture towards their future. His eyes studied the dark liquid for a moment letting his thoughts, regrettable, fade from his mind. Inside he feverishly hoped he could convince Lucilia to help Norschtalen's Coven but he had doubts. Mainly in his ability. He couldn't falter now, his eyes shifted upwards to face hers and held the glass in his hand in a toast.

"Very well and I am sorry I couldn't give you the answer you need." His voice was earnest in his words as he pressed the goblet to his muzzle and drank deeply. The flavor... His hand stopped, the liquid already within him when he realized he couldn't identify what he had just drank. Quickly he pulled it from his mouth, struggled not to toss it into the ground, and the question poured out. It was a dead serious tone of concern."Norschtalen...what is this?"

The vampire finished her drink, but a droplet rolled down the corner of her mouth. It was a pitch black, voided of any light or reflection. She tossed her cup away as she spun away. None of the demons seemed to react. In fact, they seem to be actively ignoring them. "A gift, Headmaster Khan. From the leader of the Helion Coven. A person... No. A god you should know well. Kudd Gro-Freesa sends his regards! Ah ha ha ha ha!" Norschtalen body exploded into a swarm of bats running off, as the demons near Khan turned towards him. With weapons drawn.

As Norschtalen's bat swarm scattered about the college, more and more of the demons began to stir. At first they movements went unnoticed, until they spotted the swarm of bats. This was their signal, and soon certain demons began to attack. They attacked anyone; students, teachers, guest, guards, even the other demons. But they would be overwhelmed soon if Norschtalen did not get to her position. Unfortunately she could not get to her destination in her current form, so she changed back to her human form on the roof tops. A few demons who was uncertain of what was going on faced her, demanding to know what she was doing there. "Silence worms!" Norschtalen raised her hands towards the two of the demons who faced her, and from her hands long, harden spikes emerged from small portals in her hands. She was a demonmancer. The two demons slumped to the ground as she proceeded towards her destination; the Archmage's room.

Meanwhile Lucilia and Grey had finally managed to track down Khan, but only in time to see many demons with weapons drawn moving towards him. "Halt! What is happening here!?" Around the same time however, Tyrael and Satori was also looking for Khan, but they were preoccupied with other demons. Tyrael had ordered them to move aside, but they attempted to strike him down. It was a foolish mistake as he quickly killed them and order his other demons to fight for him, but he soon discovered that he had no other demons nearby. They were all from the Archdemon he had faced in the Inferno. The one that he neglected to truly defeat. "Blood and Damnations!" He and Satori than had to fight off the demons that were beginning to pour into the Dinning Hall, while Lucilia and Grey defended themselves from the demons near Khan. All around the colleges the peaceful festival became a sudden and bloody massacre. And what was worse was that not everyone fought against the demons; the tension between the two armies of Eania and Djarkel finally had a chance to go at each other, and soon they began to fight as the demons raged.

When Norschtalen had finished her drink and tossed the cup away with a distant clatter, Khan knew something was wrong. His heart's rate increase and seemed ready to jerk from his chest, his breathing became shallow. His knees seemed to threat with wobbling stance to give away underneath him as his hand darted out for the nearest wall, his weight shifted to the only stability he could find. The headmaster's vision seemed to blur and darken, blinding him slightly to the scenery. Norschtalen's words to him brought dread to lick up his insides far hotter than the poison seeping through his being. This can't be happening...no... Khan's pleads seemed to have vanished in the air alongside his strength.

The trembles started to rock through his system, violently, enough to bring him down upon all fours. His wings twitched erratically while his mind filled with jolts of pain, each jolt seemed to rush through his brain and burn up in the center. From the corner of his eye came motion. His head was only able to move high enough to spot the crude weapons of the demons baring down over him. He had to get up, he couldn't just lay and let Norschtalen get away from him. To harm anyone within the College. That was when his ear caught Lucilia's voice followed by both hers and Grey's steps which drew closer. One demon had rose his sword over the Headmaster's head and immediately slammed it down.

Khan's wing came out of nowhere, it clipped the demon's side as the head master roared in both pain and defiance. The demon seemed to barely flinch when it was tossed to the side. The sword scattered from its grip and crashed into the nearest wall. However that simple move had used too much energy and Khan felt his body seize inwards, the fire swept deeper and seemed to center upon his runes laced into his flesh. The smell was disgusting while it sizzled from his surface: his own cooking skin. His teeth gritted at the pain that twisted him into a ball. It was impossible to describe as it swallow him up. Three familiar figures had started to form much to his inner fear. Khan's eyes widen to see Olreah, Heus and Upsah.

Heus stood at around twelve foot tall, almost four feet more than Khan himself, and had to hunch down to even fit within the College’s hallway. Despite his stupid look, the demon let out a blood curling roar that rattled throughout the stones themselves. His hands lifted then stomped down in a wrathful mood as Khan curled tightly, unable to move. Numbness had settled in while the poison started to rampage towards his mind, his body failing with only the runes to eject his demons. Upsah cackled beside him, the bony demon’s skull clicked in mirth of a wick type. His decaying form settled upon Lucilia first as the pair started to defend them, three against Grey while two focus on Lucilia.

Upsah had started to move to Lucilia just when the first demon lashed out his sword to severe her in half, his movement stalled when suddenly Khan’s hand grasped his thin arm tightly. The demonomancer seemed on the verge of collapsing and fainting clear away, making the demon chuckle when he ripped his arm away. In a hasty movement, his bony hand lifted Khan upwards by the neck and pinned him against the wall. His knuckles tightened to cut off the airway while Khan’s fingers scratched at the vice like grip his demon had. In a death like whisper, Upsah spoke in words that would’ve killed a man a thousand times over. “Just wait right there… I’ll be a little bit, and then I’ll deal with you. I just want to teach the bitch a thing or two and make you watch.”

With a sound crack, Khan’s head was slammed against the stone wall hard enough he felt the sickening wetness of his own blood trickle down. It seemed to have fed the poison as his body relaxed, the numbness killed any sensation of feeling and his eyes seemed slightly faded to witness the cruelty of his demon run amok. Upsah then moved towards Lucili a once she had easily dispatched the demons. Like wise Heus’s rage filled eyes had noticed Grey the moment he finished his…

Zaad
He had done what he was told and stay the hell out of sight, even when he thought he might visit Auriel and piss her off. Within one of the hallways he lurked in the shadows and drowned in complete boredom. Unfortunately he should’ve been watching his boss’s back because at moment, his head was on fire, his hands gripped his head while a soft scream erupted from his lips. His fingers dug deeper into his head only find more and more pain burning away at him. What the fuck was happening?

His thoughts suddenly filled with only one person: Auriel. Unexpected and from nowhere, his jealousy grew to consume him again. It only took moments to realize how much he really did hate her, from the stupid red hair to that sassy whorish way she carried herself. Everything the bitch seemed to be out to demoralize him and weaken his performance to make him pitiful. His hands dug deeper and deeper, trying to stop the unwanted emotion overpowering him. It only seemed to drive it farther into him like a nail that never left.

The little bitch needs to pay for embarrassing him, for being a little slut and know her place. He was better by so much more. It only took moment before he realized where he was…within the Dining the Hall. His eyes seemed far redder then they should’ve been as a shaky hand raised and sand hissed, the black grains formed his iron. Instinctively his other had started to rise too, cupped over to feebly push it down only to fail. His mind screamed over and over. NO…NO! I have to stop, I have to stop this. Why I do I hate her so much? I can’t stop it…

Rathel
Something was dead wrong. The demon stiffened, his body tensed and unsettled, as his head jerked up from his position. He had been seated within the courtyard when hell broke out all over the place. Several demons had started to attack from variety of place without reason or provoking, their weapons out and brandished against anyone that came their way. However Rathel didn’t lift a claw. Not because he didn’t want to but rather he couldn’t when a dreadful sensation washed over him. His quills bristled and rattled as his mind seemed to grow cold. He hadn’t noticed his body stumbling within a hallway until several moments had passed in silence, his mind turned inwards to get a grip over his senses.

He was nearing the dorm where the students were. Unknown he was nearing two students, as he felt his hand slip and give way under him. His body stumbled and hit the floor to echo off the walls when he several feet from their current location. His voice cried out in pain and frustration, his body curled up slightly as he tried to rein in his mind. His breath slow and shallow, unable to breathe right and only added to the terrible feeling swelling within him.

Grey Onyx



Lucilia had simply nodded when Grey insisted he accompany her to wherever she was going. He cared little for exact destinations, so long as he could keep an eye on her. To be honest, he didn't really know what the cause of this obsession with the woman was, but it had finally started to worry him slightly. While fond of her, he hadn't felt so... devoted before today. And it wasn't like his mind was being controlled here, she couldn't do that. At least he didn't think she could. Anyway, as he followed he was jolted back to reality when he heard a noise. One that sounded like... er, he didn't really have a comparison. Whatever sound shitloads of angry demons tended to make. Come to think of it, he had seen the types of demons Tyrael preferred to summon, and these didn't match "L-lucilia?! These are not Tyrael's!" He yelled, caught by surprise. However, surprise soon turned to determination as his instincts took over. "Stay close!" He barked as he raised his shield and readied his weapon. His job was to protect her, sure. But he was under no delusion that she was defenseless, he was merely trying to bring her into a sort of formation so they could best combine their talents. "You provide support! I'll keep them off of you!"

As the two fought their way down the halls, He was vaguely aware of Lucilia screaming to head towards Khan as he beheaded an unfortunate Demon, Marring his shining armor with gore. He was unsure why, he was definitely among the strongest fighters in the damn place, tied with Tyrael and slightly ahead of several of the more ferocious sudents, not to mention he had five ridiculously powerful Demons to call upon. However, as he was lost in thought, one enterprising Imp had managed to tear off his helmet, before Grey's mighty fist crushed him against a wall. "Affirmative!" He shouted as he left it behind. There was no time to waste, they had to reach their destination. Watching his movements as he crushed all the cannon fodder standing before him, you'd think he'd had proper military training. Every swipe, every time he shunted something aside with his shield, an overwhelming sense of raw discipline manifested itself. His fighting style had a highly trained 'spec ops' feel to it, as no movement was wasted, and no openings were made as he pushed through the horde with brutal efficiency. Though on many occasions he would have been overwhelmed were it not for Lucilia's magic, or so he assumed. The sheer number of foes prevented him from taking his focus off pushing through. He felt his hate intensify as he passed several halls, Demons fighting students he had no time to rescue. His mission was too important, and he would have to put his faith in his fellow Guardsmen.

However, when they reached Khan he felt his Iron resolve falter a bit. He witnessed him crumpled on the ground as a demon was about to finish him. This caused him to ignore the Demons near him and Lucilia. "KHAN!" He shouted desperately as he rushed forward. He knew he couldn't make it all the way down the hall in time but instinct drove him to charge. However, the distraction caused by this newcomer's screaming caused the demon to falter, just a little, but it afforded Khan the time to bat it aside with his wing. He quickly and without thinking tossed his axe as if it were a simple hatchet, it finding it's way right into the skull of the demon that nearly killed Khan. As it sliced it's face in two, he relaxed. Khan was safe (Relatively speaking) for now. Grey looked up to Khan and greatly respected the man. He couldn't allow him to die, the world needed men like him. However, he had realized that there were more demons, and he had thrown his only weapon aside. As yet more hellish minions engaged him, they found he was still exceptionally deadly in unarmed combat, as his titanic might coupled with his steel gauntlets proved perfectly adept at crushing their worthless skulls, not to mention his shield.

He felt righteous anger overtake him as he fought, but he did not rampage or even scream. He had gone completely cold, though in his eye one could see a boundless hate boiling with a heat to rival the Inferno itself. Not that demons could really be intimidated, but if they could they would doubtless have fled by now. As he broke apart the throat of one Demon with the edge of his shield, he turned to find Khan in considerable pain. What happened next terrified him. He'd heard stories of Khan's other Demons. Rathel and Zaad weren't all bad, but the rest were nightmares. Sadism incarnate, a twisted countess, and worst of all, a being that was destruction in it's purest sense. Something that was truly a monster. Wordlessly, he hopped back as Lucilia had mopped up her demons, and stood between them and her, shield raised.

As the large one roared, he knew they were not under his command. Further confirmed by the lanky one's 'dialogue' with Khan. and then, they moved in to engage. Grey... didn't know what to do. His strength and endurance, while ridiculous, were not boundless and he lacked the experience of warriors like Ssarak or that half-elven Berzerker he had passed in the halls at one point. He had never fought anything that would even compare to the monstrosities bearing down on him. But... No. He would not give up. If he had to die here, it wouldn't matter. If just one more person was able to live out their lives because of his sacrifice, it would be worth it. But he still had to figure out a plan. Regretfully, he would need to abandon Lucilia. If he allowed the large one to get anywhere near her, she was doomed. He didn't know about the smaller one, but he knew Lucilia's skillset was not suited to fighting such beasts, if the previous fights were any indication. The best he could do was distract it long enough for her to hopefully stop the other one long enough for them to combine their power and defeat the large one. He moved forward to confront the elemental nightmare, what would likely be his final battle. "I do not fear you, abomination! Not a single notch will be added to my gauntlet, not one life will be lost! I will stop you!" He shouted as he rushed forward, shield held up. He was planning on sliding down, before jumping up and slamming his shield into it's chin, his considerable forward momentum only adding to the strike.

Annabeth Gultch

Annabeth let out a sigh of relief when Leith finally left. It would be better not to drag him into her and Cynn's issues. "Look, Cynn, about what happened before... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get angry at you like that, it's... I have some bad memories about that time. I'm... I'm not ready to talk about it. Not yet. I'm sorry for yelling at you when... When I promised that I would have stayed with you. The festival wasn't as fun as it could have been without you, and-" In the middle of Annabeth's speech, she head screaming. It sounded far away before things got progressively closer. Fearing the worse, Annabeth drew her dagger and headed to the door. "Cynn, stay here. I think a fight just broke out..." But when Annabeth opened the door, a demon stood before her. He had no weapons aside from massive, boney hands. He opened his mouth just a bit before he roared right into Annabeth's face. He got a dagger to the back of his mouth for his troubles. "Choke on it!" Annabeth lifted her foot up to the demon's chest and kicked him away from the door, but she didn't know how long that would last. She quickly went to her side of the room and took her buckler and long sword. She also took her axe, strapping it to her back just in case for some reason she lost her sword. The demon soon came back, breaking Annabeth's door down. Blood came from his mouth as he was coughing the remains of her dagger from it's throat. But Annabeth froze for a moment. Stabbing the demon before was entirely reactionary, but now that she was ready for some reason she was hesitating. All her training was suppose to prepare her to fight humans, not demons. The monster in her room was at least seven feet tall, and able to survive having a dagger shoved into it's mouth. How was she suppose to kill it now?

"Ah... Aaaah!" Annabeth roared as she charged the demon with her sword poised towards it's head. She stabbed at it's face, but to her surprise it's seemingly wooden mask defected the blow. She barely got her buckler up in time before he swung his fist at her. Her small shield didn't do much to protect her as she was knocked back, but got up before the demon could get to her. He charged at Annabeth and she braced herself, right before she lunged out and stabbed again. Perhaps due to it being a practiced motion or just pure luck, she managed to stab the demon between it's ribs and into it's heart. The monster slumped over her body, it's massive weight threatening to crush her. She tossed the demon aside as she was breathing heavily, a mixture of rage and fear pumping through her veins.

During the confusion Annabeth found herself outside her room. Outside demons fought everyone, even other demons. She had no idea what was going on or who was her enemy. She saw the familiar figure of Rathel sprawl on the floor however. She had met him a few times in the past, as he helped students due to being one of the Headmaster's demons. Hoping that he had some idea of what was going on, she went over to him and tried to help him. "Rathel, Rathel! What's going on? Are you injured?"

Tyrael Marchrosias & Satori

"Die die die die!" Tyrael roared as he tore through the demons. Not his demons, not as far as he cared. His familiar was right; he was too quick to accept their alliance. Now he had to pay for it. The demons filled into the dinning hall, but were quickly getting killed by those present, as well as Tyrael and Satori. He tore through them with his claws, rending their flesh from their bones and making sure that he left them in separate pieces. Satori was using Focused Concentration Illusion spells to confused the demons into missing their attacks, or better yet attacking each other. She did well to control the horde of demons as Tyrael made used sure to kill them, but they both knew that they needed to rally the guards and get everyone else to safety. Knowing that no one else was going to be trusting demons Tyrael could not send his own demons to guide them, but Satori was able to use a very long range Wide-Concentration Telepathy spell to communicate with all the guardsmen. "Tyrael, what are your orders?" She shouted to the fallen orc. He had just tore off the head of a triple headed demon (Now working on tearing off the second head) as he shouted his commands back to Satori. "Kill all demons aside from myself! If they surrender kill them anyways! I want each and everyone one of their heads!" That wasn't a figure of speech; he had to keep their heads, or at least some part of them, preserved in the mortal world. Otherwise even if the demons are killed, they'll only be sent back to the Inferno and will one day come back to attack the college once again. No, he needed to keep their heads preserved to make sure they can't come back to the college, not even the ones who worked under him. He didn't know who amongst them he can trust right now, so he was going to need to speak to each and everyone one of them.

Satori was able to keep track of the situation, even as chaotic as it was. Just about everyone aside from some demons were confused, and those demons were only focused on killing. Those she needed to make sure died. But among the thoughts she was picking up, she was surprised when she detected Zaad's. Normally Khan had his wards up making it difficult for Satori to be able to read into Zaad's thoughts. Stranger still was that Zaad's own wards were down, which he almost never had down even if Satori wasn't around. Reading into his thoughts, she could hear him begging to himself to stop, questioning his hatred. When she found him, she began to read his memories, but found nothing that would explain what was triggering his strange reaction. However she did notice that he drew his weapon and was about to shoot into the crowd, no doubt killing someone. "Tyrael, get Zaad! He's about to attack!"

Tyrael slashed a demon as it fell to the ground when he turned his head towards Zaad, who was forming his weapons. Tyrael jumped into action quickly, turning his own claw into a whip-like appendage. He lashed his arm at Zaad, wrapping it around both his arms and using it's clawed tip to keep a tight grip. "Get a hold of yourself Zaad! What is going on with you?!" Tyrael shouted to the demon as he also had to multitask with killing other demons with his other claw arm.

Lucilia Riovas

When the demons attacked her, the reaction was predictable. She had tailored much of her arsenal to face demons, and soon those who dared to face her found themselves being eaten alive by briars. They fed off their Inferno energy, weakening them if they didn't die outright. It made it easy for Lucilia to finish them off. From her flower, it's stem grew longer and harder, until it formed into a sword and shield made of what looked to be rose thorns. Despite it's origins the blade and shield could withstand a high amount of damage, enough to face off against Upsah. But she knew of his strengths, and like all demons he fought best in melee. No, instead she relied on her magic and her crafts to defeat him; she caused the entire hallway to be covered in briars to entangle Upsah, causing thorns to dig into his flesh and sap his power. But it won't be enough, she knew that. She also began to toss out vials of poisonous gas. A poison tailored to be attracted towards demons, it would cause the Archanite within them to go wild and rapidly exit their bodies (I.e. explode), though she also predicted that Upsah had enough control over himself now to not be killed so easily by even that. But at least it would prevent him form using most of his magics. From there it was just a matter of dodging and weaving, striking Upsah when he left and opening and debilitating his fighting ability with poisons and snares. She was more worried about assisting Grey, who had the unfortunate chance to be fighting Heus. Though the hall was too small for Heus, and the briars she conjured would help keep Heus in place, a mere mortal like Grey won't be strong enough to kill Heus, or even scratch him. Or so she thinks. Right now however, she had to focus on keeping herself alive and killing Upsah. "You made a bad choice trying to pick a fight with me!"

DEMONS!

All over the college, the demons Tyrael had stationed to be guards were now trying to kill everyone. It was nearly impossible to tell which demon was actually loyal to Tyrael and which was a betrayer, but the fallen orc himself had given the command that all his demons must be slain, regardless of their alliance, and their head brought back to him. Many of the gaurdsmen sprang into action and did a commendable job working together to ensure the students and guest would be safe, but they were massively outnumbered, and individually a single demon was strong enough to take on three guards. It would only be a matter of time before it would turn into a rampant slaughter.

Flying around the skies, a swarm of demons searched for prey to swoop upon. When they spotted Ssarak and Meirin, moth demons began to fly around them. They would attempt to stab and tear the two to shreds with their stingers, while the largest one had not only a large stinger, but the ability to spit poison at the two. All the moth demons laughed maniacally at the prospect of killing the two and impregnating their corpses.

Smashing through the walls of the dinning hall, a flesh abomination came in, swinging it's gigantic club arm at anyone it could reach. It spotted Alaria and thought she would be an easy kill to terrify, so it charged at her with it's club raised high into the air to smash her with. Also in the Dinning Hall another large and imposing demon arrived leading some Vexing demons, low level imp-like demons that were human sized. They lacked the intelligence of most greater demons, but they had imp's numbers and fury, with the additional strength brought about for being bigger. The lager demon with the mace led five Vexing demons, three of them who went to attack Leith while the leader and the other two vexing demons simply were trying to cause as much destruction before Tyrael would get to them.

At the Infirmary, many of the healers quickly took up arms and assisted the guards trying to protect the place of healing from the demonic enemies. But despite their best efforts, one did manage to break in. An amorphous demon who's identity relied on it's white mask. When it was able to stand fully erect, it stood six feet tall. It's center split open to reveal a bloody maw looking for flesh to eat. Claws and other spiked limbs exploded from it's back as it began to search for the weak and the defenseless to feed upon.

In the gardens where only a Foreas had decided to spend the night, another creature hops through the fauna. But this creature had no regard of it's beauty or care that went into keeping the plants alive through this harsh winter. The Mutant Demon was simply rampaging, swinging it's viciously mutated arm around, destroying the plants around her.

And at the courtyard where the foxman played his games, the crowd was going wild trying to escape, only to be cut down by demons, trampled over one another, or just running from one danger into another. Here in the courtyard, a masked demon ten feet tall and just otherwise gigantic was, like many others, rampaging. It smashed a lone guard into the ground, breaking his body into a shattered, disfigured mess. With a wild swing of it's other arm it send a student flying over the walls, splattering onto the ground outside. When some of it's many faces turned towards the Sannid, each one of it's masks opened it's mouth (If it wasn't already with a perpetual gasp) and shouted in various voices. "Die!" The demon charged the long Sannid, leaping into the air to crush him underneath both it's fist.

The screams started when Leith was finishing up his meal. Everyone in the dining hall grew silent as the sounds of battle grew closer. Leith stood up and put his gauntlet back on as be prepared for the worst. His preparations were not unfounded. The doors burst open, and all hell broke loose. Demons started forcing their way into the dining hall, killing indiscriminately. Some of the people in the dining hall screamed as they fled, while others got ready to fight. One of the guardsmen was killed right by the table Leith was standing beside. The demon that killed him quickly moved on to the next guard.

Leith flinched as a large demon smashed through the wall he was standing beside. Luckily, the demon didn't notice him and went after someone else. Another demon walked through opening made by the other demon followed by five other demons It noticed Leith and sent three of the human-sized imp-like demons his way, before continuing into the centre of the hall and wreaking havoc.

Leith was frozen. He had no clue how to react to this situation. This wasn't like Tyrael's demonstration on Opening Day. These demons really intended to kill him. He shook himself from his panic and quickly scanned the area around him for anything that he could use. The table he was sitting at was not far from him. There were a couple of barrels of alcohol against the wall, and there was a torch sconce with a torch on it.

Leith's eyes lit up as he got an idea. He needed to do it quickly for it to work. Without any further hesitation, he grabbed the torch out of its sconce, and then he grabbed the closest alcohol barrel with his gauntlet and threw it at the demons. The barrel hit one of them and burst open, spilling its contents all over the demon. He threw his newly acquired torch at the alcohol covered demon and turned to face the other two when the alcohol caught fire just in time to get tackled by one of the demons.

The demon's head plowed into Leith's stomach and knocked the wind out of him. The force of the tackle lifted him up into the air, and down onto the ground, hard. His head hit the stone floor, and he could see stars. The stars quickly went away as the demons started clawing at him. Pain flooded Leith's mind as he tried to defend himself against the vicious attacks. In a last ditch effort to stop the pain, he swung his right arm out and grabbed onto something. The strikes to his face stopped, which made Leith open his eyes. He had grabbed onto one of the demon's horns, and it had stopped its attacks to try and get the gauntlet away from the horn. Leith twisted his wrist and snapped the horn off into his gauntlet.

The demon howled in pain as it grabbed at its wound, which caused the other demon to halt in its attacks to see what the problem was. Leith took no time in turning his hand around and stabbing the demon in the head with its own horn. Blood sprayed everywhere as Leith pulled the horn out. He was going to try and stab the last demon, but he gripped the horn too hard and it shattered, so instead, he pushed the dead demon off of him and ran as fast as he could, the last living demon close behind him.

He didn't dare look behind him at the demon that was so close to catching him. All he did was run. He nearly ran into a white Esyire in his haste.

Rathel

Rathel felt his emotions slip through his mind, his heart grew numb and panic rushed where the void erupted. It only prolonged the demon’s inner suffering. Under his shell, his body shivered and quills rattled within his body enough to block his notice of another approaching his downed form. Within his mind he wanted to scream for them to leave him. To run and not look back, his body pulled tighter into a ball in a fleeting hope it would pass over.

He recognized the voice, Annabeth, while her form approached him. She was a sweet student, one of the most helpful and charming, as she naturally asked if he was injured. His breath became shallower in his efforts to steadfast to the spot. His quills seemed to stiffen and mouth tendrils wiggled, each time they would sporadically stop then moved in a chaotic pattern unlike his normal controlled ones. He tried to speak but most the words became lost in pauses, pitched whistles and clicks.

Click…”Runaway..” Whistle, and two clicks followed by “Something...” Click and snap. “…now!” His voice struggled with the words and his focus shot from the poison seeping in his body, poured from Khan’s own pain and misery.

Immediately the nearest plant snaked its long stem into a thorny like whip, each one sharp and bright red. It lashed out and aimed to take hold of Annabeth, first her legs then her middle and up to her arms binding them tightly while the thorn shredded into the protect she had. Though if Ananbeth had managed to avoid the whip like appendage, underneath her feet the stones from the floor moved and shifted to reveal several tiny roots that grew in strength and size from random area in the hallway. Every single one reached for something warm and alive to crush in its vice like grip.

As Auriel ran off with his dagger, Deven attempted to follow, he was gaining on her when he rounded a corner and ran directly into one of the college's many servants, who he accompanied in falling to the ground. The servant, dropping the array of items he was carrying to help set up for the nights events. "Gah, sorry, sorry, I didn't see yo-" Deven said before he realized who or more so "what" he had run into. It was one of the colleges many lesser demons they employed for manual labor. Upon the realization Deven doubled his efforts of getting to his feet and refrained from continuing his apology. Once on his feet, he did nothing to offer the demon any assistance in gathering the dropped items. Instead eyeing the demon distrustfully. The demon growled annoyed and glared at him as he moved away starting at a fast walk then quickly moving into a jog.

Eventually Deven reached the entrance to the mess hall giving up on finding Auriel he decided he would retrieve his dagger later. Instead he sighed and entered the hall.

As Ssarak got up and left Jenna said her goodbyes and sighed loudly. She watched Ssarak leave through the main door before settling back into her seat barely prepared to wait out the remaining time before Deven would arrive in silence. [i}I hate silence[/I] She thought to herself as she sat there arms crossed and legs resting on the seat of an adjacent chair. Yet, much to her pleasure, Deven walked into the hall a few minutes later.

He settled into a chair next to her and began explaining why he took so long. She gave him some shit for it but eventually gave up and resumed just making conversation and passing the time. After long enough the pair grew bored of the hall and made their way out and began strolling throughout the halls chatting and otherwise passing the time. As the day grew later the pair retired to prepare for the evening.

Also coming with the lateness of the day came a distinct rise in the number of demons patrolling the school. As this happened Deven's comfort level quickly skyrocketed to a level where he was nearly unable to be without his weapons and armor. Even Jenna had began to grow uncomfortable at the alarming spike in demon population. Though unlike Deven she saw the reason in having these demons standing guard in the open and making themselves seem as imposing as possible. The college had to do something to show more muscle then the Eanian and Djarkel forces and to keep the peace. Yet even this knowledge only managed to do away with most of her paranoia, Deven on the other hand, the knowledge did little to help.

What the pair had hoped would be a pleasant and relaxing evening where they could spend time with their uncle and friends and enjoy the day was quickly changing to a uncomfortable evening. Deven had changed his choice of attire from a formal/casual wear to his full set of armor, weapons and all. Something Jenna tried her best to dissuade him from, saying "Do you really think its going to paint a good picture for Trystan, seeing you wearing your full set of armor in the middle of the college where we are supposed to be safe?" But Deven only replied with, "I don't care, I don't trust these demons as far as I can throw them." Then continuing to point to a rather menacing ten foot tall demon that was patrolling the courtyard outside a nearby window. This left Jenna with little ammunition to fight back with.

Eventually Jenna herself caved in and agreed to carry around her sword for the night, because she herself had begun to feel uncomfortable. Though she refused to wear her armor, instead settling for pair of black wool pants, a white long sleeve linen blouse with gold accents topped by her same fur cloak. Both her and Deven wore their same fur cloaks from earlier in the day, on both the cloaks one would notice the symbol of House Fellrien in the middle on the back of the cloak. The white depiction of a wolf head with its muzzle tilted down slightly.

Once fully bathed and dressed for the occasion the pair met up outside of their rooms, Jenna making a snide comment about how she hopes he's comfortable in all that armor, to which he replied, "More comfortable then I would be without it." though he did keep his helmet off and in his pack. Once this was said and done the pair made their way to the mess hall to catch a bit to eat before enjoying some of the other events the festival had to offer.

The time breezed by filled with food, drink, chatter, laughter, games, dancing, music. All the while when not busy, Deven could usually, be seen eyeing the demons that were standing guard distrustfully. As the night went on, still both Deven and Jenna saw no signs of their uncle and the other Wintercrest Reps. Eventually, the pair, abandoned the group of fellow students they had been enjoying the festival with and retired to the mess hall, where they settled to one of the many tables and began to chat with each other, Jenna quickly bringing up the topic about what could be keeping Trystan.

"Bad weather, road delays, taking a longer route, there's a lot of things that could be keeping them. Don't worry about it, it's Trystan, he'll be fine," Deven said trying to reassure Jenna. "I dont know, still, i'm just worried, even if he's not endanger, he might have missed his chance to do what ever dealings he needed to Khan looks like he retired to he quarters." Jenna said gesturing towards the Headmasters table. Deven didn't even look, "It'll be fine, you've got nothing to worry about." Deven said with a reassuring smile. At this comment Jenna rolled her eyes, "Neither do you but, still, there you are wearing all your armor to a festival just because a few extra demons have you on edge." Jenna said as the pair got up to get themselves another round of drinks. As Jenna concluded her comment Deven stopped in his tracks and turned to face her, "This is hardly just a "few" extra demons, by the gods there's literally almost one ever ten feet!" Deven said angrily, gesturing to some of the nearby demons. Jenna didn't even turn her head instead she began her retort. But Deven wasn't listening to a word she said. Something had caught his eye. Slowly he settled his gaze on one of the demons he had gestured to. It seemed to flinch, or something of the sort and then began to smile a large toothy grin.

Deven eyed the demon suspiciously as Jenna continued to talk looking slightly annoyed. The demon then advanced forward drawing its crude spear like weapon. Still Deven watched the demon as it moved towards a group of students, all the while smiling monstrously. Deven's skin crawled and he felt a chill run down his back. Finally as the demon neared the group, it pulled back its spear then, like something out of one of his nightmares thrusted it forward, stabbing a girl through the stomach before lifting her up above his head. The girls scream echoed off the walls along with all those of the people nearby and those from the onlookers. Those that she had gathered with all stumbled back and looked on in horror as blood began to run down the spear and coat the demons arms in crimson. More screams and shouts of pain echoed out across the room.

Then out of the corner of his eyes, Deven saw something big moving. His eyes quickly turned to the source and there, behind Jenna advancing towards her from behind was another demon. Jenna who was busy eyeing the girl in horror had not noticed the demon approaching her. Rage, horror and a call to action rose up in Deven as the demon drew back its crude blade and prepared to end his friend there and now. Time seemed to slow as he surged forward, his left arm shoving Jenna out of the way and his body turning to the side so the blade would not plunge through him. The blade glided past Jenna as she fell to the ground and grazed across the chest plate of Deven's armor. His right hand fell to his sword and tore the blade from its sheath ringing as it did. In the same motion, Deven dragged his blade across the demons side, barely cutting through its flesh. As he completed the motion and came to a stop from his lunge just behind the demon.

He brought his left hand up to his sword, gripping the blade in both hands, turning the blade till it was facing downward. Then began to bring his blade down, spinning as he did, and then bringing his blade upward, the tip of the blade barely dragging across the ground at the bottom of the arc creating a array of sparks before coming up in an upward vertical strike dragging the blade deep through the demon's back. Then, continuing the movement using the already present momentum curved the blade along his left side before bring it into a horizontal strike dragging the blade across the demons back once more cutting deep from left to right across its back. Then, still using the same gathered momentum, continued the swing bring the blade around in a circle, letting go of the blade with his left hand so the sword could pass over his head and once more slash across the back of the demon, ending the attack once more with the blade on his right side. Once the motion was done, he grabbed the sword once more with both hands and stabbed the blade through the demons back throwing his entire weight into the stab, sinking the blade down to the hilt in the demons upper back.

The demon roared shortly before blood filled its lungs, it then began to fall to its knees. As the demon began to fall Deven tore his blade from its back. Then turned his blade and slashed horizontally at the demons neck. His blade cutting through the demons neck severing it's head from it's body. As the demon collapsed to the floor Deven tried to keep from stumbling as his world seem to go back to its normal speed. While he was in that state of pure adrenaline he hadn't heard a single sound but, the sound of his blade ringing through the air and slicing through the demons flesh. As he came back out of this state, all the screams and shouts and roars became deafeningly clear. Barely he managed to make out Jenna's voice as she shouted towards him. "Watch o-" She shouted before Deven felt something heavy impact on his chest and left arm. The impact wasn't enough to break his arm or seriously damage his armor, but it was enough to knock him off his already faltered footing. He was knocked back onto his back and looked up at the demon standing above him with crude club in hand. The demon raised the club over his head and went to bring it down on top of Deven but was stopped as a larger blade was driven through the demons stomach. The demon roared and lost its strength and dropped the club to its side.

The larger blade was then torn from the demons stomach and spun around cutting nearly half way through the demons chest before coming to a stop. As the demon fell there standing over its corpse was Eanian soldier wielding a large greatsword. Both he and Deven locked eyes and a wordless thanks and your welcome was uttered between them. Before any real words could be shared the solder was beset by another demon. Quickly lifting his sword to parry on of its attacks before being dragged back into the chaos of battle. All around the mess hall similar scenes played out. Soldiers fought and died, students fought and died, demons massacred everyone in sight some even seemed to be fighting each other. In the short instance Deven had to gaze about the room before reality set back in, Deven saw familiar faces, slain before his eyes, people he knew who's lives were ended so preemptively. Taken from this world in brutal and cruel ways. But, he could not dwell long, he shock his head regaining his senses, just as Jenna dropped to her knees beside him he sword clattering to the ground beside her. "Deven! Deven are you alright?" She said loudly, her voice barely audible over the chaos. "I'm fine i'm fine! We need to move." Deven said as he quickly got back to his feet, pain pulsating from the bruise on his arm. He was first able to get himself to his knees where he took the chance to gauge their surroundings.

Most of the demons around them were preoccupied with either soldiers, guards, students or servants. Giving them a short moment to catch their breath at the extent of others lives. Deven took this moment to reach into his bag and take out his helmet putting it on and quickly dong the straps. "By the gods...what should we do?" Jenna asked terror present in her voice. "First we need to get out of here as fast as we possibly can." Deven replied in an oddly calm demeanor. "But wher-" Jenna tried to say before someone yelled in pain from nearby. Both Deven and Jenna's head shot to the greatsword wielding Eanian soldier from before. He had been slashed across his chest and had lost his footing stumbling backwards falling onto on of the benches and tables. The demon stood over him and raised its crude axe in its right hand ready to end the soldier where he lay. Without a word Deven shot to his feet rushing forward sword in hand. As he closed on the demon it began to bring its axe down. Then just in time, he lunged by turning his body and slashing the demons forearm severing its arm, the axe dropping harmlessly to the ground beside the soldier. The demon roared in both rage and pain, but was silenced as the great swordsman drove his large blade through its mouth and into its skull. The beasts body fell limp and as the blade was torn out. This time Deven quickly helped the soldier to his feet, both of them nodding to each other as they did. Jenna quickly joined them her sword in hand, looking shaken and somewhat ready to fight.

"Thank you for your help, brother." The soldier said quickly in a grim mono toned voice. "And you yours." Deven replied in the same like. "I must get to my officer, if you and I manage to survive this I will give you a proper thanks." The soldier said before rushing back into the fray. Quickly Deven looked back to Jenna as he began to try and form a plan.

All across the mess hall the demons were slaughtering people, many were putting up a fight, but already the number of dead was frightening. All across the hall people tried to bring some sort of order to those that were trying to fight but, so far it had yielded little results. The defenders were for the most part scattered and cause of this were dropping like flies. The mess hall had become a battle ground, filled with fighting soldiers, guards, students, demons, terrified servants and other students, frightened diplomats and more. The demons were using their fear factor to deadly effect, breaking the moral of the scattered defenders as they cut down person after person.

All across the hall, spells shot out from students even some from the teachers, the higher year students were using their magic to a deadly effect but still, they dropped like flies. From what a quick glance could tell the teacher might have been holding their own but, Deven could not look long, he needed to keep his head on a swivel, if anything approached, he was their best chance of stopping it from killing both of them. Until, Jenna could get her hands on a bow she would not be at her best.

"We need to get your gear. You need more protection then that." Deven said as his eyes scanned for a way out from the mess hall.

One the other end of the hall a demon had burst through the wall and was leading another party of demons on a rampage. Then Deven saw something in the chaos, a familiar face, Leith. He saw Leith standing before a burning demon just before he was tackled to the ground by another. Deven's heart sank in his chest as he refused to imagine what could have happened next. Deven did his best to push it out, there was no time. He had to stay focused, there was no time to mourn. There was only time for action.

"Everyone! on me! Push for the door, we need to make a way out of the accursed hall!" A man wearing Eanian armor that clearly stated his rank. Already a group of four soldiers had gathered on him and were charging through the demons carving a path to the door. More soldiers and guards men followed after them, as driven by the want to escape as their want to help others. "There, we'll follow them!" Deven said pointing to the group. "But what if-" Jenna tried to say before Deven cut her off. "It's our only chance, now I need you to stay close to me, we're getting out of here." Deven said before he turned back to the group and began charging after them.

Teachers Within Dining Hall

Within the chaos of the Dining Hall magic of all stages erupted. From the strong attacks of the almost masters to the weak attempts in the novices, students and teachers alike had stirred to the conflict which erupted around them. Frost had focused upon the air as the temperature dropped near the other door opposite of Tyrael and Satori, ice crackled and solidified along the edges to seal the hordes out. Their claws and weapons banged heavily, the door held firmly but it wouldn’t last forever.

Abbadon was busy, his form hunched over one of the many wounded. A student, a young frighten man, was shaking and his body spread across the floor’s surface while he bled. There was a large gash in his side where a demon has attempted to slice him in half before the teacher had decapitated it. His eyes flickered up to see many of the others, the teachers included, had shifted their original intentions of killing the demons right out to slicing away their heads. His hands were reddened by the blood he tried to starch with a ripped piece of his own robes, worried he wasn’t properly doing it as he couldn’t stop singing to merely heal the young man.

His voice rang out deeply and in a soothing Latin phrase over and over. To any ears that heard it, they would immediately feel a slight calm wash over their minds for a moment. His words then entered their mind to speak with them and direct them in their actions, now able to think clearly to either allow them to escape or fight back. Sadly, to Abbadon’s anger, his words weren’t the right type to mend the boy and won’t do him much good if the student bled out.He needed help to stop it.

Unknown to Abbadon, a demon had gotten close and raised his sword to plant it right into the teacher’s back. Or so it thought. Instead, it’s eyes widened and from it’s throat was a small icy tip that protruded from its neck then ripped off its head. It’s goblin like head went flying into the already growing pile at the room’s center. It’s body slumped as Frost’s lips pulled up into a cheeky smile, her feet planted upon the corpse’s lifeless form.

Her voice was merry with a slight tone of a well done job, her hand pushed her glasses back up. “Looked like you needed a hand, Abbadon.”

The man didn’t stop singing but nodded his thanks towards her before redirected his focus to shift to healing spell. Frost didn’t waste time to help out her next ally, Xeric. The Eysire was using the torches to create a large flame wall from the horde pouring into the room where Alaira’s current foe had left. Each creature was burned by an intense flame about a fourth of the sun’s temperature and only a few had managed to get through, their hides made to tolerate the extreme heat. They instantly headed towards Xeric who leapt back with surprising agility for her age. Her tail, red hot with white flames, slapped the demon’s leg burning easily through it. It crumbled only to have Frost shout, her small body spun a makeshift spear from one of the few intact candle stands, at the Esyire. Without missing a pace, Xeric’s hand jerked out and caught it. Her hand instantly sent it about then right through the demon’s head which she grunted then poured heat into it, cooking the flesh and ripped it off the shoulders.

“Thanks.” Xeric’s gratitude was heard in a stern and firm tone, her head turned way to notice something that concerned her before leaping to someone’s aid. Meanwhile, she glimpsed what she thought was a vampire instantly dash by in a flat out run.

Heus

Heus’s small, stone like head watched the man. They were filled with pain and suffering, his mind unable to understand complex emotions like confusion or worry, as his form struggled to straighten upright. The hallway’s roof scrapped against his horns and brought down several block to crumble along his form. He barely felt it enough to flinch, his single mindedness in full blow attack mode. He wanted to make the pain to stop. Make it stop but the man shouted at him, his words held little meaning to the Demon before Grey rushed forward to attack. Heus’s arm move to counter attack by swinging his arm in a wide arc in front of himself. The arm moved slow but with the force a thousand battering rams held, more than enough to send Grey rocketing through nearest wall and several yards after.

However instead of his attack hitting, Grey instantly dropped out of sight. Unable to slow or stop his momentum within the swing, Heus’s mouth roared in challenge only to receive a sharp pain upon his chin for his trouble. His jaw shoved upwards and roughly cut off his cry with a hard slam. His body tilts only a bit, his mass and strength still superior to Grey’s, while his eyes roll into his skull for a moment. He tries to move his first arm back around only feel it stuck fast. Heus jerked again and again, his mind barely registered it wasn’t going to move.

Unknown the dull creature, Lucilia’s roses had entwined like a net catching fish over his arm. They withered and wormed their way along the lower part and trail upwards, slowing him down. A frustrating roar erupted into the air. The sound carried and vibrated, again tiny bits of the roof collapsed from the raw power in the cry. After a few moments, a whoosh of flames erupted from his open mouth right at Grey. If he didn’t move, the man was going to suffer second to third degree burns along his face and torso.

At the same time, Heus’s arm ripped itself free of Lucilia’s roses. The roots were torn from the stone and where fling away rather easily. Like a child discarding a toy. With his arm freed, Heus’s body rushed forward across the hallway and impacted upon other side. Whether Grey was sandwiched between didn’t matter to the monstrosity as he plowed into wall, his feet ripped from the briars that entangled his feet and stopped short of breaking through to the outside, unaware of the gas Upsah had released into the small area.

Upsah

Upsah felt an excited spark jolt through his being, his hollowed sockets turned upon the bitch as he listened to his fellow demons scream. Their skin ripped and twisted up by the briar’s sharp thorns, like nature’s barbwire, causing a splatter of blood to spray crimson upon his pasty skin. His thin muscle flickered in reaction that reflected his enjoyment at the gore. He smirked as his hoof stepped forward into the pool of blood and indented the perfect puddle, small glops of skin scattered throughout the hallway’s length. Screams and panic filled his very being with a high he had long since missed when he slaughtered young whores in London. Most not fit to keep their insides, their ability to create life, as he tore it away from them in the most powerful statement.

His hard toe clopped upon the stones when he approached Lucilia, his skull fixed in a permanent grin.A few maggots dropped off his arm in his movement’s wake and dotted the floor. Unlike Zaad, Rathel or even stupid Heus, the demon naturally not vicious unless told, he wasn’t in any sort of pain when his Sin had grown in power. In his past, Upsah had willing gave in to its desires long ago and allowed it to feed him with purpose. It was a drive for his actions then and continued to be.

Though nothing settled within his eyes, there seemed to be intense joy in his body when Lucilia’s rose twisted into a sword and shield. Her hand held the latter defensively but it won’t help her much. Like everything else, the fancy plants would wither and die in his grasp. Nothing was immune to his decay. Not now or ever.

The soft sound of something stretching followed by the pricking upon his flesh caused Upsah to look upon his arm. Vines, green and leafy, had sprung up to twist on his limbs then hinder his movement by roping him down. His skull clacked in protest. His hand reached and placed upon the vivid greenery, his magic caused their stems and leaves to darken into black husks which crumbled into dust. His hollow ear caught the sound the mason stones being ripped away by Heus at his side. Stupid whore he inwardly snickered to himself.

His little mental taunt died then when Lucilia released several vials, their glass containers shattered upon the ground then the contents emerged as gas. They billowed into thick smoke and spread around, his body stung when it came into contact. Upsah hissed in anger. His prey wasn’t supposed to fight him but just die and let him rip her to pieces. Several cuts had scored across his surface from the vines, even torn into his rotted wounds yet none seemed to have distracted him with their pain nor did the gas which had begun to burn the arcanite within him. His mottled looking wings rose to spread out then with all his strength he flapped it, creating a gust that shoved the gases in Khan’s direction.

Naturally with Khan’s runes, they made him part demon because of his connection. It was why he could survive the Inferno like Tyrael without burning up but was drawback to that little perk. Some weapons which targeted Demons also affected him, even if it was to a milder degree. Though Upsah wasn’t sure if the gas would kill Khan instantly, he knew it would hurt like hell. His mind smirked when he heard Khan’s scream follow shortly after the gas had settled over the headmaster’s skin. He seemed delighted at Lucilia’s comment when she said he would regret his choice and merely answered her with his whispering voice.

“Considering you’re a pretty thing, I’m going to enjoy tearing you apart. Namely when it is from the inside out!” In a short moment after his words, white smoke poured from his jaws. It was likely too fast for Lucilia to react, and if she could, there was little place to go as it spread out over Heus, Grey, Lucilia and even Khan. Upon contact in any form it, all save for Heus who was too dumb to understand true fear, would edge them into their worst nightmares soon enough. It was thick and powerful, fasting enough to barely give them a chance to defend again it.

Uicle

Uicle was sitting in a corner, holding his head in his hands, trying to block memories that should have long been dead. A young woman, Naesaran human. Blonde hair, warm brown eyes. Healer robes. "The past is supposed to stay in the past. The dead are not supposed to bother the living unless specifically summoned to do so." He muttered, ignoring the disbelieving huff Greg gave him. Aarem's cursed was unending, and he was doomed to be stuck in a suit of armor as a spirit as long as his staff remained intact and undamaged. Naturally, he couldn't break the damn thing himself. A thing that annoyed him to no end.

It was in the process of this self-pity that he was simultaneosly struck by alarms from all his golems, and a demon's claws went through his skull. His head shot up in surprise, and was immediately pinned to the wall by a demon who was apparently looking for a quick lunch. It was roughly five feet tall , almost human like except for the three sets of eyes, with vibrant blue skin that was contrasted by it's blood red yes and claws that dripped with the blood. Uicle gave a growl that sounded more bestial than even Greg's. "I'll enjoy this." Before the Demon could do more then widen it's eyes in pain, there was a wet splat, and fluids(mostly blood) splattered all over the walls and floor and Uicle. The corpse was left nothing more then dried out bones and general organs and flesh and muscles. Uicle stepped over the mess, flicking some of the fluids off of him, his mind already giving orders to the Golems in and outside of the College. It seemd that the Demons had all gone crazy. One command was given out. PROTECT THE STUDENTS The diplomats had their own soldiers. Let them deal with the protection.

"This is why you rely on Golems. They don't go crazy, they don't even have free will! They just do what they're told, and they do it damn well!" Uicle grumbled, continuing to do so even when he slipped on a small bit of Demon fluid on the ground six steps from the main mess.

In the halls of the College, Gargoyles flew from their posts to tackle and tear at demons. Suits of armor picked up weapons that hadn't been used in years and started swinging. Those weapons not being used suddenly yanked themselve from their racks and attacked. Fire Golems burned those that could be burned. Wind Golems grabbed those students who were injured and started blowing them away, or forcing those Demons that could fly to the ground. Every Golem that could fight or evacuate students was doing one or the other. Sometimes both.

Mackendrick

Only one man in the dining hall wasn't panicking. In fact, he seemed to be chuckling. After pleading horrible burns and general wounds to the guards at the gates, he was able to avoid removing his mask and continue into the College. His weapons he kept under the pretense of bodyguard. It was mildly amusing to him that they believed him, considering that he was the exact opposite of a bodyguard. Of course, his attire wasn't exactly stealthy or inconspicous, but that was the point.He wasn't here to cause death subtley. No, he was paid to make two deaths public and bloody and to have a unique appearance that will leave no doubts. Of course, with the attacking everyone, that plan was ruined, but two deaths would still serve the same purpose. And it would be fun now. A challenge. "I always did love a challenge." In the world before Tiien, his accent would have been known as Scottish.

As he stood there, talking to himself, a demon tried to rip it's claws into his side. Mackendrick didn't even glance at it, pressing his fingers against his wrist. When the demon's claws struck, he didn't even flinch. One of the claws actually broke, leaving the demon roaring in pain and confusion, right up until Mackendrick grabbed it and threw it with abnormal strength across the Dining Hall. He aimed ittowards the frozen doors that were blocking more demons from coming in. After all, you could never have too many demons in this chaos, could you?

Drawing two knives, he began making his way towards the Djarkel diplomat, killing anything(Be they demon, student, or part of the visitors) in his path.

Auriel had barely started looking around for Deven when all hell broke loose. The demons that guarded the College, creatures she had come to take for granted over the time that she had been there, were out in great numbers today. Even so, she had hardly noticed them. Until now.

A number of the fiends had broken away from their posts, weapons drawn, attacking anything and everything, whatever was closest to them drew their ire immediately. The babble of voices that almost always filled the mess hall changed drastically in a moment that seemed to drag on, screams and shouts filling her ears. Her hands went immediately to her weapons and she stepped to relatively clear area of floor, looking around for any threats. She wasn’t near the halls edges where the most Demons were, but a few were functioning as servers and some of them had drawn blades. For a moment she thought she was safe, but then one voice cut through the screams, or to be more specific, one word - Zaad. The Demonmancy teacher seemed to be shouting something at him. Auriel realised with shock that whatever was happening to the other demons might just be affecting Zaad too, whirling around just in time to see his four crimson eyes bearing down on her. They burned with an intensity and hatred she had never seen from him before and for a moment she considered running. One did not simply outrun Zaad though, and she quickly decided against such foolishness, raising her weapons into a guard stance.

Zaad felt fear, confusion and hate all rolled up within his head. It was too much, like in a few short moments his head was going to explode and end him if he didn’t shoot. His finger tightened upon the trigger slowly. Eyes fixed, fear and adrenaline poured through his being, upon the tall Wood Elf just within sight. She was unaware of the danger while she defended herself and all he could do was fight a losing battle. Why did he hate her so much? The question drove a doubtful nail deeper than ever, giving him reason to resist. His mouth managed to utter a simple, meaningful sentence. “I’m sorry…”

That’s when a whip made from several ribbons of thin flesh, greyish white in color, invaded his eyesight. It lashed out and wrapped several times about his hands, pulled them together until he couldn’t move them. His finger had become pinned, immobile, while Tryael’s gravelly voice shouted at what he was doing. Zaad’s face turned to the Demonomancer’s direction with his own reply, a mixture of anger and spite, to it. “Like the Inferno I fucking know! I can’t...shit, it burns like hell. I don’t know why I god-damn hate her so much. Something’s not right...Khan’s mind, I can’t hear him very well. Ahhhh….”

Any farther talk was drowned out by Zaad’s hoarse yells. His body tensed and seized slightly, his face twisted into pain before he pulled the trigger. The gun was aimed at Auriel’s temple but at the last second, he had managed to jerk to the side and set it’s target off by several critical inches. He knew he wouldn’t miss her. That was impossible, yet he had to minimize the damage. That was when he felt what remained of his soul once more consumed by his sin again.

For one moment Auriels voice joined the chorus of screams that rang out over the mess hall, a gash appearing along her cheek as though Zaad had reached out and slashed her lightly. She had no idea how he had done it, but if he could attack from that far away she had to close the range. She began bounding forward, painfully aware of the stinging sensation on her cheek, and willed the flame on the candle nearest to Zaad to grow and reach for his outstretched arm. She knew what heat did to him, and she hoped that whatever magic he was using against her would be disrupted if she glassed part of his arm.

Zaad instantly relaxed his arms, no longer in control as his greed took over. Thoughts not like him filled the demon but he only answered in silence and a wild look in his eyes. All four were filled with nothing short of hate towards Auriel. His arms struggled to rip free from Tyrael’s grip, his teeth turned up in a snarl and squeezed off about two more shots before the bitch had drawn closer. Each one was betrayed by a loud bang and a flash of light, showing the direction he was aiming at though it was sloppily done. He was so consumed on killing her that he didn’t notice the swoosh of the candles beside him. His head jerked to try to protect his arm, however he was too slow. Pain filled his mind causing him to scream in painful fury as Zaad felt his arm solidify into a glassy layer and then ripped from Tyrael’s grasp. His arm cracked and broke into two pieces, the farthest crumbled into shards then blackened to reform into his being. Slowly his shattered arm reformed back with claws that he used to shred into what binds still held him. There wasn’t any sharp remarks or quick retorts in his freedom which would likely send chills down his once allies’s spines. It was too clear something wasn’t right.

Auriel leapt up onto the long bench that served as a chair for the table next to her, hearing more of the loud bangs that preceded Zaads magical attacks as she went. In the same motion she continued forward and up, her foot landing on a clear spot of the table as a whizzing sound went past her ear. Another biting pain appeared on her side, eerily similar to being struck by Siala’s arrows so long ago. Two more long steps and she was upon him, leaping from the the table so she could bring her entire weight down on him in the head of her axe, which she willed to heat as much as possible while maintaining its edge, aiming the weapon at Zaads head with little regard for her own safety. She noticed Zaad was being weirdly silent, and it creeped her out quite a bit, but even if she had wanted too, it was too late to stop the attack.

Zaad’s eyes seemed to plead for her to finish him yet his body wouldn’t allow her to finish the task. When she stepped up and leapt high, her axe raised to bury deep within his head, the demon shifted to the shift. His gun vanished and claws started to form upon his hand. They twisted in wick and sharp blades as his raised his hand to slash at her waist, the image of her entrails being disemboweled in his attack in his head. He never got a chance. He flinched when he felt the heated blade dig into his shoulder. Sand crackled into glass as the blade’s impact easily shattered it apart. The sound rang through Zaad’s ears with a high pitch that seemed to break into his mind, driving his berserked mind to slightly fade. The Sin’s energy still pounded into his head but for a few precious seconds he was sane.

“Kill me, now. Please…” He managed to whisper loud enough for Auriel to hear then his claws rushed forward to severe her arm from her weapon embedded in him.

Auriel didn’t have time to ponder Zaad’s sudden exceedingly strange behaviour, letting go of the axe that was embedded in Zaads form and pulling her arm clear of his wicked claws. At the same time, she brought her heated dagger, held reverse grip in her other hand, around to slash at Zaads chest. The grazing wounds from earlier stung, but they weren’t yet slowing her down, and they didn’t feel like they were bleeding too badly right now, though if the fight lasted too long they would take their toll.

Zaad felt the glass form where the blade struck once more. It seemed like Auriel couldn’t manage to stop him as his teeth gritted from fresh pain and his claws flicked back around. It aimed to graze her middle but he forced himself to stall. To slow down and allow it to barely brush by, his mind swept once more into the Sin’s effects. His eyes flared with new red from the pain, his claws aimed to downward slash at Auriel’s shoulder to her hip. His mouth twisted his teeth into jagged points that gave him a wild look.

It was about to hit when flames submerged against his side, the blaze licked up around him yet they avoided Auriel as if they had a mind of their own. From just a short distance away, the Pyromancer teacher, Xeric, had flickered out her wrist to shoot out flames that crystallized Zaad’s claws making them shatter when they impacted upon Auriel. It didn’t hurt her other than blunt force as it rang out alongside his scream. Xeric wasted little time and caused a tingling within her student’s body, one Auriel would know very well, to boost her Magic’s effect.

“Auriel, light him up!” She shouted, another blaze shot to join Auriel’s.

Auriel tried to dodge back from Zaads next strike - too late. Rather than the sting of a blade though, it was more like a punch, and to Auriels pleasant surprise, she wasn’t bleeding all over the floor when she glanced down. Half of Zaad was glass from someone elses attack. Normally she would be unhappy for someone else interfering in her fight, but in this case, she was relieved. Zaad was a fearsome opponent and her magic was not yet powerful enough to defeat him. At least not on her own. As the sensation of another Pyromancer boosting her power rushed through her, she realised Xeric must be nearby, confirmed by the shout to attack Zaad. Drawing flames from a number of nearby candles and amplifying them considerably, she commanded them to coil around Zaad and envelop him completely. It would leave him as nothing more than a scary looking statue until someone let him go by shattering him.

As the flames subsided, Auriel looked wistfully at her axe, still embedded in Zaads shoulder. The ironbark hilt was blackened, but undamaged, merely coated in thin layer of soot. It was most likely still very hot however, and embedded in Zaads form. Removing it may very well shatter him, and that would put them back at square one. She couldn’t handle that, so she simply left it where it was and raised her dagger to guard against any other demons that might think she was an appealing target. “Thank you Xeric.” She said softly, mostly to herself, directing a brief smile to her master as she prepared to re-enter battle.

Lucius Riovas

"Gas!" Lucilia spotted Upsah emit gas from his body, and had a small window to act. She knew that it'll only take a few seconds for the entire hall to fill up. Upsah didn't seem to be adversely affected by her own poison attacks, however Khan's debilitated body was still near by. It seemed that the gas somehow wasn't affecting him, likely due to the fact that he had no Achanite left inside of him for her poison to effect. Or so she hopes. However, Upsah's gas will likely harm Khan, as well as Grey. Lucilia knew that she was at a disadvantage, and trying to fight them here and now wasn't a good idea. But she was far from unprepared. "Ha! I have prepared myself and the college for this day! The day when you demonic scum finally decide to show your true colors!" Lucilia stabbed her sword into the ground, causing vines to grow around her. This protected her from Upsah's mysterious gas, as well as allowed her to move through the floor underneath him. In between the floors were layers of vines and other plant growth, originally just overgrowth from before, but Lucilia had utilized them to allow her to keep eyes and ears everywhere within the college. The fact that she could now use them to fight back was an added bonus. She used these same vines to grab Khan's body, however she would have a hard time getting to Grey as he was in the middle of fighting Heus. The best she could do was erected a wall of wood to block the gas. Even though Upsah had powerful decaying magic, plant life lived off death; just as well as he could decay, she could cause her plants to regrow.

Lucilia took Khan's body away somewhere safe. It was in a pitch black room, devoid of any lights. But for Lucilia, who was able to see in the dark, she could see a group of other humanoids standing in there. Vampires. "Watch over Khan, protect him, and make sure that he stays alive! I have to get back out there and fight. Tell the rest of the others to assist as well!" Lucilia's body was encased by vines once more as other vampires tended to Khan's injuries, however the best they could do was try to stabilize him and patch up his physical wounds. They had no idea how to treat the poison in his body.

After dropping off Khan, Lucilia returned to where she had fought Upsah. However, she did not reveal herself, instead now choosing not to hold back. "I knew this would happen. I told you all that demons could never be trusted. And yet like fools, they thought demons could change. Be control. Even redeem themselves. What nonsense! There's only one thing we need to do with demons. Kill them." The briar infested hall began to sprout amber from it's tips. At first it was slow, but than it began to gush out. Upsah may try to decay them, but more simply flood the hall faster than his decaying magic could destroy them. And like many of these plants, the Amber fed off demonic energy. It was attracted to it, wanted to eat it, and would not allow it to escape. Even if the Amber couldn't kill Upsah, it would slow him down, perhaps even seal him inside. At the same time, more vines shot out at Upsah from every direction to bind him and capture him. Lucilia wasn't pull any stops, and any time she even felt a slight winded from using her magic, she simply took a small vial of her Ether and restored her mage blood.

Tyrael Marchosias

Tyrael's claw was released as Zaad battled a few of the others. Knowing that they had him taken care of, Tyrael turned towards the other demons. Too many for him to kill, but there was more to him than that. "Khan may be a powerful demonmancer, but I am his equal! Witness true power!" Tyrael's body began to emanate archanite. It whipped back and forth with extreme temperatures, fluctuating from the heat of the Inferno to the coldness of an ocean's abyss. Soon it all gathered together onto one point, himself, and than exploded outward. All demons within a hundred feet of him suddenly stopped. Stronger ones struggled to move. "I am your master! And I command you... To die." Systematically, all the demons who could not resist his will turned their weapons upon themselves. He killed hundreds with that single command, causing most of the fights in the dinning hall to drop. There were still some survivors, such as the Flesh Abomination and the Large Demon. But he didn't worry about those small fires; his attention was soon directed towards Zaad. Opening a portal into the Inferno Tyrael drew a might great club, to shatter the demon and send him back to the Inferno. He hefted the weapon above him and was about to bring it down onto Zaad when Satori stood before him.

"Stand aside Satori. Zaad must be sent back to the Inferno before he harms too many others!" The smaller mortal shook her head. Her eyes were closed but it was apparent that she was focusing on Zaad. Or rather, using him to communicate with Khan. She knew something was happening to Khan, something that made him defenseless. Neither him nor her knew what was the cause, but she managed to discover that Khan was poisoned, and that the Vampire known as Norschtalen was the cause. She also detected a great amount of pain, and that Khan's other demons have been released and going on a rampage. Or simply have been released, in the case of Upsah and Heus. She could not find Rathel or Olreah before her link to Khan was severed. When she opened her eyes Satori spoke. "You cannot kill Zaad. Something is wrong with Khan... The death of his demons will kill him as well. They need to be stopped, but first Khan must be healed." Tyrael snorted at Satori's words, but lowered his weapon. He looked at Zaad but knew that his current state was only temporary, but he did not know if, once freed, if Zaad would resume his killing spree. "What do you suggest than, Satori?"

The pink-haired woman pulled up a chair and sat down, concentrating her thoughts. "Seal his demons. I know you can do that, Tyrael. You know more than I do how you can seal away demons without killing them, or their hosts. I can only tell you that you must not allow them to die. If Khan is safe, we can better concentrate on fighting back. I shall remain here, to provide communication support. I will be speaking to you as well as all the other teachers using my magic... Making sure you are all up to date. If you find any of my students, tell them to allow me to tap into their mind as well, so that I may convey information to them." Tyrael nodded his head as he began to walk towards the door. Before he was out of earshot, Satori called out to him one more time. "What of Zaad? You know it is only a matter of time before he is freed. I can try to combat him through my mind, but I will have difficulty keeping communication with you." Tyrael looked towards the glass statue of Zaad. As much as he wanted to smash the demon into the Inferno, until Khan's situation was resolved, that wasn't a smart idea. However, in this state Zaad's prison was fragile. A hard blow, a single crack, and he could be freed. So Tyrael placed his hand onto the area where Zaad's chest was, and burned a rune into the glass. A demonic rune, unlike the ones that Tyrael had on his body. "A seal than. Normally useless against a demon who is at full strength, but right now Zaad is not. He should not be able to escape unless the rune is destroyed. And to ensure that does not happen..." Tyrael burned another rune into the ground using his magics. This one was an Inferno Rune, which created a column of flames from the Inferno itself. "We will deal with him after this mess. Satori, do keep track of his thoughts. If he thinks of escape, stop him at all cost." The mortal smiled and nodded. Tyrael nodded back and tore a hole into the Inferno. He jumped in so that way he could avoid having to fight through hordes of demons and get to Khan quicker.

Satori meanwhile began to focus her mind. Through her minds eye she could hear and see the thoughts of everyone on the college. Demons, mortals, golems, and others. So many thoughts were going through her mind that any one else would have gone mad from the sheer amount of voices in their head, yelling and screaming. But Satori just smiled softly at the chaos going through her head. "Now for my part..."

Grey Onyx

After His attack struck home, Grey had executed a combat roll and ended up a few paces away. The sheer power and speed of his blow had almost been enough to knock the creature over, but this was no time to pat himself on the back. The demon had prepared to strike, but as luck would have it Lucilia's magic was at least assisting him in his efforts. However, The demon was far from defenseless as it roared, and a gout of flame billowed forth from it's mouth. Seeing no time to dodge, he raised his shield and braced himself. Against a normal man, that attack would likely have destroyed him. The flames were not pure heat, they were flames. As such, they could be blocked. However, if a normal man tried this they would find that while the flames would not touch their flesh, they would heat up the armor, causing little actual damage, but extreme amounts of pain. Grey however, was nearly impervious to pain. Nearly. He grunted in agony as the flames washed over him, ever so close to his face.

Afterwards, Grey slowly stepped out of the flames, cracking his neck. He didn't waste any time with more taunts, the beast wouldn't understand. Focusing, he quickly went through all that the combat had taught him. Importantly, this creature's movements suggested no evil or actual ill-will. No, if anything its actions reminded him of a wounded animal, desperately lashing out in a vain attempt to relieve some unseen pain. What this told him, along with his place as one of khan's minions, was that this creature didn't likely deserve death, but could not be reasoned with and needed to be stopped. As such, his focus would turn from destroying it to subduing it. But how? He thought of retrieving his weapon, but it was pointless. The creatures armored hide rendered him impervious to cutting or piercing attacks, and only blunt force would work. He figured that if he could strike it enough times on the head, he might be able to knock it unconscious, but if that didn't work he might be able to tire it out.

However, he noticed that very little of Lucilia's efforts were paying off in her fight with the scary one. And he also noticed that the large one had once again wrenched itself free, and was heading for him. He managed to roll way just in time as the demon got itself stuck in the wall, possibly entangling itself in the briars. He rushed to the corpse of the demon he had slain with his axe, and in one fluid motion lifted it up and tossed it at the thin demon, aiming for the spine, right between the shoulder-blades. He was just thankful the damn thing was in his range, too much farther and he would have difficulty judging the distance. He didn't stick around to see the effect of his actions or shout or anything. He was hoping the demon wouldn't notice as his axe hurtled towards him. As he ran toward the large demon, a large oaken wall rose up behind him. Lucilia had apparently decided to seal him off, but why? It couldn't have been to protect him, he was fighting the nastier opponent... In any case, this would make it easier to fight his demon without worrying about it attacking her or something.

To get to the demon's head, he would try sprinting up it's back, before jumping and attempting a stomp aimed directly at its cranium, though the attack would be mighty and there was little chance of the demon grabbing him, if it moved too much he would miss.

'By the Tree, this is kinda boring.'

The lone Foreas stretched her body as she sat on a bed of flowers. "That one Djarkel soldier was an odd fleshling. I really should hang out with him more." She muttered, leaves twitching once, then twice.

"Yeah, it's better to be here instead of the feast. Last time I was at such an event..." Coco shuddered at the mere memory, then shrugged her shoulders tightly and relaxed, letting herself lie down on the flowers. Once she had settled in a comfortable semi-fetal position, she gently plucked a nearby flower from the ground and brought it up to her nostrils.

Yet, once she sniffed the air, she knew something was off. The flowers' scents were duller. The distant sounds of singing birds and stealthy squirrels weren't there, either. And then it hit her. Sulphur. She heard a loud, angry scream that sent shivers down her spine. Instantly her leaves had prickled up and her body had risen to an alarmed stance. She dropped the gentle flower onto the ground and listened.

Another scream was heard next. It was closer. Angrier. Coco was able to pinpoint the source. The screamer was a... Being of strange body shape; it reeked of the Inferno. It was a demon, that was clear now. That's why she relaxed. Her leaves slowly lied back down on her head when she waved at the demon. All demons in the College were controlled by Khan, after all.

"Hey," Coco asked, "are you lost? Do you need me to take you back to Tyrael the Demonomancer or maybe Khan the Headmaster?"

Cynn Ellime

Cynn was confused when Annabeth rushed out of their room, but when the girl stabbed a demon in the mouth, she got a pretty good inkling as to what was going on. Rushing to close her door, she quickly got dressed, putting on her leather breastplate and a simple pair of pants before picking up her rapier and reopening the door.

Apparently, enough time had passed that no more demons were lurking about her hallway. Something told her they'd all run off to the areas of concentration, places where the students would be present in large quantities. Despite her best judgement, the elf, too, found herself doing this, running towards the dining hall. Anyone who could fight would probably be needed in there, helping the students at the feast. In a little over a minute, Cynn found confirmation of her fears when she stepped through a hole that had been smashed in the wall, presumably by a demon of some considerable strength. She stayed close to the wall as she searched for someone that she could take care of.

The room was chaos. Students were fighting demons, demons were fighting students, but soon, the white-haired elf's eyes settled on one man. He wore a mask, which wasn't very sneaky, and was slashing through anything on his way to people who appeared to be fairly important people. Cynn figured the mask was supposed to send a message, but it also made him very easy to pick out in the crowd. Cynn ran toward him, making sure her route wasn't impeded by any unoccupied demon.

This man embodied all she hated in the world. He didn't care about who he had to hurt as long as he killed the people he was paid to kill. Unfortunately for the man, he'd chosen to use two knives, which were things the elf girl knew how to deal with. She might have forgotten a lot of her training, but how to defeat a person wielding knives wasn't one of them. She made sure to keep that tidbit of knowledge retained, for the weapon of choice for most common cutthroats was the knife, after all.

As she approached, Cynn drew her rapier. She arrived just in time to see him about to cut own a student, and she jumped forward, parrying his strikes in the process. The student wouldn't have even seen his attacks coming. It was despicable. She slid into en garde position, obviously challenging the man to a duel.

Suddenly, the night sky was darken by the bodies of demons. Small, moth like creatures circled around Meirin's and Ssarak's positions. She wasn't sure what was going on, but suddenly she was hit with memories of her past. Flashbacks of that fateful day when she failed her people, when she tried to go after that demonmancer. Meirin's body frozen and shivvered, fear over taking her. Was this about to happen again? Will she lose everyone close to her? One of the moths flew towards her, and at the last second she was able to dodge it's attack but was grazed. A small cut opened on her shoulder and a little bit of blood poured out. "Damn! What is this? Why are they attacking us!?"

This was not good. Meirin and Ssarak were too out in the open, and neither one of them were armed. She wasn't sure how Ssarak's magic could help them and she did not have enough space to use any of her Weaving. More of the Moths flew at them, and Meirin did her best to knock them back with her punches and kicks. But no matter how much damage she did to them or how many fell from the skies, more showed up. She saw a large one flying in the distance, and she figured he was the one who led the smaller moths. But she had no means to reach him and the longer she tried to defend the position, the more damange she accumilated. "Ssarak! We need to get out of here!"

Ssarak was distracted in thought for a few moments before he saw the demons start to circle them. At first, he wondered if Tyrael had started allowing his demons more free reign for whatever reason, but as soon as they started swooping towards them, it became clear that was not the case. Many questions raced through his mind. Were these Tyrael's demons? Had he lost control of them? Were there more like them causing damage elsewhere? These questions were important, but for the moment, they did not matter. All that mattered was getting to safety. Since they did not know the state of the rest of the colelge, it would be wise for them to find weapons. Ssarak's armor and axe were in his room, and the most direct route to his room was through the window.. These moth demons looked as if they could squeeze through just as well as he could, but being confined in a small room with him would put them at a great disadvantage.

Just as Ssarak spotted the large moth demon approaching in the distance, he grabbed Meirin tightly in both arms. "Agreed." He said as he jumped from the tower with her. Unfortunately, just as soon as he jumped, one of the smaler moths smacked into him from below, rolling him onto his back in mid-air. Another moth swooped down after him, taking aim with its stinger. It stabbed at them once, but he managed to swat its stinger away with his free arm before it found its mark. It put a slash across Ssarak's arm, but dealt no major damage. In retaliation, Ssarak managed to grab a hold of the base of the creature's wing, pull it closer to himself, and deliver a powerful bite to its head. He released it, then pushed it away, alive, but disoriented. Immediately, Ssarak moved to right himself. Their struggle had only lasted a few seconds total, but it was enough to bring them dangerously close to the ground.

Once again upright, Ssarak extended his wings and pulled up in time to avoid death at the hands of the college's stonework, though the moth demon he bit was not so fortunate. With the speed they had gathered in the descent, he was outrunning most of the moth demons, but a quick glance back revealed that the largest of them had powerful enough wings to keep up. Even more, as it drew closer, it projected a burst of acid at them, which only narrowly missed the pair. Ssarak quickly became more evasive, serpentining through the air in a rather graceful display of his flying skill. He narrowly avoided towers and buildings, making incredibly tight turns to try to throw off their pursuers. While the smaller ones were now nowhere in sight, the sheer speed of the large one allowed it to take longer routes and still keep up.

Even while zipping through the air, Ssarak caught glimples of the ground below which were not encouraging. Now that they were closer to the ground, he could see that there were fights raging across the college. Demons seemed to be swarming the college, attacking students, soldiers, each other. It was absolute chaos, and that was only what he could see from the outside. No doubt, there was likely even more fighting inside the buildings. They needed to arm themselves, but before they could even hope of doing so, they needed to lose the demons pursuing them.

Meirin held on tightly to Ssarak as he flew off. There wasn't much she could do from this position, though occasionally she was able to kick a moth away. Unlike Ssarak Meirin couldn't see very well as he flew through the air, forcing her to constantly be looking towards the ground to protect her eyes. What she did see, however, was utter chaos. The demons she saw a while ago "protecting" the college were now attacking them. In the distance, she saw the Eania and Djarkel soldiers fighting eachother, much to her surprise. "What are they doing!? Don't they realize the enemy is the demons, not each other!?"

When a splash of acid nearly hit the pair, Meirin looked back and saw the dmeon moth chasing them. It was the big one, which apparently could spit acid. "Dammit, if I just had something to throw at it..." Meirin looked ahead to try to see if there was anything Ssarak could drop near and catch for her, but what she saw instead was another small swarm of Moth Demons about to intercept them. She looked back at the bigger Moth Demon and hear it crackling. "Ssarak, ahead of you! That big moth demon must be communicating with the smaller ones to route us!" With quick reflexes, Meirin managed to catch an arrow that was fired at them. From the design, it looked demonic. "Damn! The skies aren't safe from those on the ground either!" Meirin turned her body and threw the arrow at a Moth Demon, but only succeeded it causing it to run into a wall while it tried to dodge the arrow.

Ssarak saw the group of demons ahead of him, all focusing in on them. Meirin was right, the large one had to be directing them for them to be able to be able to coorinate an ambush. Ssarak was flying alongside a building, so just before the moths were upon them, he shifted to the right, kicked off of the wall beside him, and drew in his wings around himself and Meirin as they spun quickly to the left. The moths were unable to correct their paths quickly enough, so the pair was able to sail past them unharmed. The moth demons frantically attempted to turn around to give chase, but just as before, it was the large demon which was threatening them the most.

Ssarak's evasive flying had allowed them to avoid the demon's acid thusfar, but their luck would not last forever. If he lost the largest of the demons, he doubted the others would be able to catch him. As he turned to make another pass between a few of the college's buildings, an idea came to mind. Right after evading another acid spray, he reached out with his psychomantic abilities and attempted focus on the creature's thoughts. It was a risk, as it was difficult to concentrate on both the task of flying and psychomancy. Had he not spent so much time with Satori practicing, he may have failed, but in the end, it was worth the risk. He managed to locate the moth demon's mind, which, like many demons, was unwarded. Focusing heavily on flight once more, he set himself up for his plan.

Setting his sights on a builidng ahead of him, Ssarak flew as quickly as he could towards it, then, just as before, banked to the left at the last second to narrowly avoid hitting the corner. However, as soon as he was clear, he sent a brief illusion into the moth demon's mind. It did not last long at all, and amounted to little more than a flash of light in its vision, but at the speeds they were travelling, even a fraction of a second could spell disaster. The illusion caused the moth to lose sight of where it was going for just long enough that it was unable to avoid the building as Ssarak had. It slammed headfirst into the stonework and fell to the ground below. Ssarak did not know how tough this creature was and if it could survive such an impact, but for the moment, it did not matter. The other moths had been put into disarray for long enough to allow the pair to slip away towards the dormitories.

After making his way to the window of his room, Ssarak was able to slow himself enough that he could rest his feet on the edge of the windowsil while grabbing onto a gap in the bricks above it. He had crawled in through his window before, but he could not open the window without another free hand. "Meirin, could you open this?" He asked quickly.

At this point Ssarak was going too fast for Meirin to get a good look at anything. She just tucked her head in and prepared for the worst. By the time they stopped Meirin had assumed that they crashed, but instead Ssarak had landed in front of a window. Judging by the items inside the room, it was a dorm. Ssarak's to be exact. He asked Meirin to opened the window for him, which she did. She jumped in and rolled to her feet. "Whoa. This is your room huh? Wait... Isn't your dorm next to mines?" If Meirin could get to her dorm, she could grab her weapons. But from the commotion outside, trying to sneak to her room might be risky. But there was another way...

"Yes, I believe so." Ssarak responded. The moment he had entered his room, he approached his armor, which was on its armor stand beside his axe. He removed his thick, fur coat so he could fit into it more easily, then started removing the pieces from the stand. His suit was a full set of plate armor, so naturally it was time consuming to put on, and time was not something they had in spades. "Could you assist me with this?" He asked as he began the process of equipping his armor.

Meirin was standing at the wall that seperated her room from Ssarak. She was tapping the stone wall with her fist when Ssarak asked her to help him suit up. "S-sure!" Meirin ran over to help him out, though all she could really do was adjust his belts and other buckles, as she was unaccustomed to dealing with such things. She once had some heavy training armor and a set of light chainmail, but neither of those she had here. Meirin helped Ssarak with his armor until she figured he could do the rest himself. "Ssarak, I'm about to do something a little bit stupid, so please forgive me..."

Standing halfway across the wall to her room, Meirin took a stance. It wasn't a weaving stance, rather, one of her martial arts stance. She took a deep breath before she shot out towards the wall. She unleashed a series of rapid punches in a wide fan arc in front of her. "Searing Red Fist!" She kept on punching until the walls began to crack. Suddenly she stopped, just as the wall was almost split from top to bottom. She than jumped into the air and brought her leg down in a full circle axe-kick. "Kick of Showering Biliance!" With her final strike the wall split open, crumbling around her. It all collapsed in a single thud, masked by the sound of the chaos outside.

Shaking her somewhat sore hand, Meirin came back witha few weapons. She had some knives hidden underneath her skirt strapped to her legs, and was wielding a pair of hook swords. She also had a three-section staff tucked into a speacial sheath on her waist. She florished with her swords before returning to Ssarak. "It has been some time since my blades have taste demon blood. Are you ready Ssarak?"

"So...where did you train again?" Ssarak commented as Meirin emerged, impressed to see such a display from someone of her size. Given the situation they were in, however, he quickly shrugged it off and moved on. He was now in his full armor, the dark steel plates making his form seem that much more intimidating. He wore a full helmet with few openings apart from the eye holes, which were large enough to allow for a normal field of vision. While that provided slightly less protection, Ssarak believed it to be a worthwhile trade. The helmet also had attached loose-fitting, overlapping plates which allowed his neck to be armored as well. Altogether, there were few weak points for blades to exploit. He grabbed his axe from its place on the wall and looked to the door.

"Yes, but we should proceed carefully. We need a plan before we move. From what I could see while we were flying overhead, the entire college seems to be in chaos. Until we know for sure otherwise, I am assuming that nowhere is safe. We should try to find other survivors, guards, soldiers, students, anyone who will join us. I believe the teachers are our best chance. They are each masters of their blood, powerful beings. Where do you think would be the best place to find them? I remember there were a few in the dining hall, though it is possible they left before the attack started." Ssarak said, trying to reason through the best course of action. As long as the large moth demon did not find him, it would be easy enough for both him and Meirin to escape if they wanted to, but Ssarak had no intention of leaving. This was the closest thing to a home he had found since leaving his homeland, and there were many whom he cared about attending. He was ready to fight and die for them, and any other student or teacher of the college.

When Ssarak asked where Meirin trained at, she just smiled at him and put her finger to her mouth. "A little place to the north. But I can tell you all about that later! Right now we need to go!" Meirin went to the door and peeked out carefully. Both halls had the sound of combat, but the one to their left seemed to actually be the more fearsome. Magic was being flow out viciously in that direction. She wasn't sure if demons had magic on their side, but she knew that if they tried to just charge into any horde, they would just die. "We should head to the dinning hall. If I remember correctly, many of the teachers were still there when I left. They'll likely already organized a fighting force we can join up with. That being said, we need to bring anyone we can with us too!" Basically saying everything Ssarak just did, Meirin opened the door and ran to the right. It was towards the dinning hall, that much she knew, but with all this chaos she couldn't be certain that she could take the shortest path there.

Leaving the dorm area was fairly easy, but when it opened up into large hallways, that was where most of the fighting was at. Many guardsmen and students were fending off demons. The guards were putting up a valiant effort, but the demons were simply outnumbering them. However, Meirin and Ssarak had the element of surprise, the demons were so focused on trying to fight the guards they wouldn't be expecting the two student attacking them from behind. "Ssarak, I will not lie, I know that even if I can take down one by myself without someone by my side I cannot take on many of these demons. So lets you and I focus on taking out one or two demons at a time. I shall strike first and stun them with an attack, and I'll need you to use your strength to finish them off. I'll ensure that no one else attacks you as you finish the demons, but we must kill quickly before they realize what is going on. Are you ready?"

As Meirin left the room, Ssarak ran to catch up, then moved alongside her. Luckily, there had not been demons immediately outside the room, but the next hallway over was a different matter. They were not noticed as soon as they rounded the corner, so they were able to survey the fight playing out before them. There appeared to be about seven or eight of the college's guards backed up against a wall near a door, with an even greater number of demons swarming them. Most were small, imp like demons, but one was tall, around the height of Ssara, but with more body mass. It had a large, club like arm, and strength to match its appearance. It slammed its arm into the shield of one of the guards who failed to evade, knocking him off of his feet. Another strike from the club was all it took to finish him off. Another guard used the opportunity to get in a slash at its torso, but the imps quickly drove him back into the sort of shield wall the guards had formed.

Ssarak looked to Meirin and nodded. He responded not aloud, but with a telepathic message. "Agreed, we need to save those guards. If we can kill the large one, they may be able to fight off the imps. Distract it, and I will move for the kill." His psychomantic abilities were not yet to the point where they were especially useful for offense, but that did not mean they were useless in combat. With telepathic communication, he could coordinate with allies to an impressive degree. He could very clearly tell others his intent and warn them of danger without fear of his opponents hearing. Plus, when compared to other abilities, it was hardly draining: a powerful tool indeed.

Meirin was a bit surprised when Ssarak spoke through her mind, though she did remember he was a Psychomancer. All those classes must be paying off for him. Meirin just smirked quietly towards him, gave him a nod, and charged. Her footsteps were silent compared to the noise the demons were making, and by the time one of the imps turned around to watch it's back Meirin's foot was already planted into it's face. She sprang off the imp and over the larger demon. From above she slammed the hooks over her blades into the demon's shoulders, and used her body weight to bring it to the ground. The demon roared in pain, but was cut short when it's head slammed against the floor. But it wasn't dead, not yet. "Now Ssarak!" Meirin shouted as she slashed an Imp across the chest, causing it and it's other brethern to back away.

As Ssarak's eyes locked into his target, he went into what was almost a trance. His focus went wholly and completely into the battle. He took in every last detail he could see on the demons' movements, and those of his allies. By the time Meirin sunk her blades into the flesh abomination's shoulder, he was already rushing forward. Just before reaching the imps, he jumped and flapped his wings to give him additional height. He brought down his axe onto the demon's chest with the full force of his strength and the momentum afforded to him by gravity. The axe cut deeply into its chest cavity, the immense force breaking through bone as if it were paper. As soon as he was on the ground, Ssarak drug the axe through its body down towards its abdomen, creating a gaping wound which exposed most of its innards. Needless to say, between their two attacks, the flesh abomination was no longer alive. The element of surprise had given them the advantage they needed to take it down quickly, but the imps still remained, and they were now acutely aware of their presence.

Ssarak pulled his axe from the demon's body and prepared to face the remaining imps, but they were surrounded on two sides. Fortunately, Ssarak saw how to turn this to an advantage. With himself and Meirin in the middle, the imps' force was split unevenly, with less imps on the left of the guards' shield wall than on the right. Thinking quickly, Ssarak sent another telepathic message, this time to the guards and Meirin. "Push through the middle, split their force and form a defensive wall. Let us handle the left side.". He said. Although he was not a guard and had no authority over them, the tone with which he spoke in their minds was a commanding one. It was clear that his words were not a suggestion. Since none of the guards' armor bore the marks of a ranking officer, and Ssarak had the appearance of knowing what he was doing, he found it likely that they would listen. Swatting away an imp behind him with his tail, he glanced back to see that he was correct. A few of the guards moved into the gap behind him, using their shields to hold off the larger force of imps. He and Meirin now had a better chance, but they were still outnumbered by over two to one on their flank.

Once the bigger demon fell, the moral of the imps dropped. Without the big one, the little imps induvidually didn't have much confidence to fight against the guards, who themselves were releived thanks to Ssarak and Meirin's assitance. Now they were on the attack, while the imps tried their best to hold their ground or flee. Even the imps that were facing Ssarak and Meirin were hesitant, more so since Ssarak managed to kill their strongest so easidly. Two imps tried to attack Meirin thinking she was an easier target. On had the hilt of her blade driven into it's skull for it's trouble, while the other one had it's neck sliced as she cut him as the imp flew past her. It's limp corpse was caught on the hook of her blade, which she than threw towards the other imps. They dodged the body, but left themselves open to an attack by Meirin. She charged forward and hooked the tip of her two blades together, swinging one of her swords through a small group of imps. Two of them were cut on the face but where still alive. One who was too close got decapitated.

Meirin stepped back to Ssarak's side, both her blades back in hand. The guards made quick work of the imps on their side, but the ones Ssarak and Meirin dealt with pulled a dirty trick. The guards were protecting some students, and one of the imps grabbed a young boy by his neck. The boy screamed, but his screams were muffled as the imp closed it's claw around his neck. "Rotted bastard!" The imp meant to use the boy as a shield as it backed away, but there was no telling what would become of him if Meirin or Ssarak allowed the imp to escape. "Damn! Ssarak, is there anything you can do?"

With their force split and leader dead, the tides had turned against the imps. The guards were using the opportunity to push forward together while Ssarak and Meirin guarded their backs. For Ssarak, he stuck close to Meirin to guard her right flank. The imps were less apt to attack him, but he managed to slice into a few who were too slow to evade his axe. One attempted to rust past him on the right to attack the back of one of the guards, but he managed to swing out his tail to trip the demon, then crush its head under his boot. When he turned back around, he saw another rushing towards him, evidently trying to jump on his back while he was facing away. Fortunately, he turned fast enough that it was only able to harmlessly swipe its claws across his metal chestplate. In response, he bashed it with his shoulder to knock it to the ground, then decapitated it with a single swing.

At this point, Ssarak saw the demon dragging away a young elven student. The reason the guards had been pushed against the door was because they were guarding students inside, and though the guards pushing forward was driving most of them away, it had allowed this one to steal away a hostage. The student was thrashing around, trying to break free, but the imp was strong enough to hold him as it backed away.

Thinking quickly, Ssarak devised a plan he hoped would work. He sent the boy a telepathic message, this time with as calming of a tone as he could create. "Be still, do not struggle, do not move at all, and I can save you." He said, maintaining eye contact with the student. The few imps remaining on their flank were either backing away or bleeding out, so he could focus on the student. Thankfully, the student listened to Ssarak and gave up on struggling. At the same time, Ssarak created a minor illusion in the imp's mind. Everything appeared the same except for a streak of what looked like blood on the student's neck. Hopefully, the blood, combined with the fact that he had suddenly stop moving, would convince the imp that it had accidentally slit his throat in the struggle. With its hostage "dead," it could attempt to just run away without him.

The Imp jeered and taunted at Ssarak and Meirin until it noticed the elf in it's hand stopped moving. In it's eyes, he had killed the elf, and from the look Meirin was giving it, the imp was in for a world of hurt. It tossed away the elf and tried to run, but Meirin stopped the imp by throwing one of her knives at it's legs. It fell to the ground before another knife sunk into the back of it's skull. The elf boy laid stilled, continuing to play dead. Meirin stepped forward and cut down another imp, and this caused all of them to scatter. The guards stayed close but made sure to finish off any of the imps who were dying or may have not been completely dead. Meirin herself retreived and cleaned off her two throwing knives before returning to Ssarak. "This area is clear, but we're still a bit away from the dinning hall. See if we can get those guards and the students to come with us, I'll scout ahead to try to find us a clear path to take."

While Meirin focused on the final imps, Ssarak went over to check on the elven student. He was frightened, but unharmed. He helped him off of his feet and allowed him to return to the other students, who were hidden away in the room the guards had been defending. They had been successful in helping the guards, at least reasonably so. By the bodies scattered around, several had died before they arrived, and one perished in the skirmish with the imps afterwards. And, by what Ssarak witnessed while they were flying over the college, for every victory like this, there were likely a dozen defeats. It was hard to bear how many were dying; it was only by virtue of his training that Ssarak was remaining as composed as he was.

"Very well, but I would not go far. There is a chance more demons could come in behind you and seperate you from us if you do. Nowhere is safe, so we need to be cautious." Ssarak responded before turning to the guardsmen. Based on the armor of one of the corpses, the officer present had perished before they arrived. They all looked shaken up, but Ssarak knew they, unfortunately, did not have time to wait and recover.

"We cannot remain here. The demons that escaped may bring more to us. We were heading to the dining hall; that is where we last saw several of the college's teachers. They are powerful, and our best chance of survival." Ssarak explained. One of the guards, a human female, was the first to step forward.

"We have students here to protect, and they're not good fighters. There are few enough of us left as it is. If we get ambushed, we might not be able to protect ourselves, let alone them." She said, her voice showing her concern.

Ssarak nodded understandingly. "I know, but to stay here would just as surely mean death. This position is not defensible, and there are no easy methods of escape. If we move, we may have a chance of finding more allies."

After a pause, the guard sighed. "Are you sure?"

Ssarak shook his head. "Nothing is sure, but this is the best chance I see."

The guards all exchanged looks, with fear and uncertainty being common expressions. With their time growing shorter, the guard eventually nodded in response and motioned for one of the other guards to collect the students. "Alright, let's go."