Achronum

Avengers Academy 💥

Danny Kingston

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Location: The Field (School Carnival)
Skills: N/A
First Day Fit

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Danni felt the goosebumps raise on his arms and a shiver run through him at Dee's teasing. "Nope! No library tonight! Only when t'e sun is out and t'e ghosties are asleep! I 'ave my own little 'auntling right 'ere, don't need no more!" Danni decided. He could read up on dragons when the library wasn't a horror movie waiting to happen. "Actually, I'd look pretty damn good as a ghost right now. All t'e ot'er ghosts would be jealous. Maybe t'ey wouldn't even kill me because t'ey know I'd look perfect for eternity and t'ey'd look bleh with t'eir sheet clothes and chainsaw makeout faces."

He was a little annoyed at the situation - he was planning to make Dee's favorite dinner, but he only had enough for four and he wasn't certain if these invitations had a return time or if it was Carnival fun into dinner into movie marathon. The cake was fine - Danni had a sweet tooth and he would shove that onto anyone in the vicinity so he bought a cake that they could eat for days. But dinner was special. He'd bought stuff from the street markets back home to make it as perfect as possible. He couldn't just go out and get more! New Orleans was thousands of miles away and the parents looked like they were getting hammered. Useless adults with their pretty, fancy drinks and incurable need to feel woozy.

Danni could feel the storm clouds brewing, his cheeks puffed out as he stewed in his own irritation, but the squeeze from April ground him and he squeezed back. The little gesture of affection had the cloud dissipating so when Mai shook their little group as she all but full tackled April, he made a sympathetic noise and used April and his hands to comfortingly pat the top of Mai's head. "Well, at least Princess got a good one from Aggie! Aggie told me I'm going ta kill everyone and everyt'ing I love someday." He offered cheerily. "W'at did she give you guys?"

Danni's attention was returned to the green haired girl, who was nothing but snark and bitchiness. "Insultin'? I wasn't! I was offerin' w'at's t'at phrase teachers alway… constructive criticism! Vintage isn't bad, but vintage isn't vintage unless it's on purpose." Danni explained, pouting that she thought he was Insulting anyone. "Not like t'reatenin' to stab people is any better." He muttered to himself, childishly.

And then, if that couldn't get any worse, the meanie freshie that made Dee cry showed up! And apparently knew stabby mcstabberson here. After all that, they finally got everyone back together, not crying, and now this freshie showed up to make a mess of it again, but this time with help. "So I should like… stay out of t'at, right?" He asked Princess and Beanie. He'd ask Mai but she'd want him to go charging in just for the chaos. But this was someone Dee was trying to make friends with, something he almost never did and even if the freshie was a meanie, Danni supposed he should be supportive or whatever.

"Oh shit, t'e jacket!" Danni jolted as he remembered where it was, and he let April's hand go as he shifted the egg out from under his arm. He carefully unwrapped the jacket from around the egg, and shook out the jacket. It was… a little more wrinkly than before but it was fine! A new jacket was a new jacket right?

Right?

With cartoonish movements, Danni snuck behind Dee and slowly slid the jacket into his hands. "Ignore me, ignore me, ignore me." He whispered to Dee before creeping back to April. He frowned at the egg, now entirely sure what to do with it, so he gently tucked it into his own jacket where his body heat could keep it warm.

Bounties of Space

Danny Kingston

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Shields: 35% - Hull: Mild damage sustained - Turret: Mild Damage - Engines: Mild damage sustained - Life Support System: Oxygen Recycling at 90% - Sensors: Online

"What is goin- OMFG I DIDN'T SEE T'AT!" Danni screamed as all the commotion brought his attention to the wayward senors. He hit the throttle as hard as he could, screaming through entire time, and the Excelsior hurtled through the remainder of the Belt.

The trip was as rough as expected. Perhaps it was shot concentration, or the adrenaline still pumping through their veins after the tussle and the recklessness of Dorian, but the smooth sailing from before the Ravager ambush was but a memory. Asteroids, ice crystals, and scrap metal wandering every which way proved a difficult course for even the most experienced ship's in the galaxy and the wayward mercenaries were learning that, ugly bump by ugly bump. Even with April's marksmanship, Dorian's quick fingers Engineering, and Danni's (once in his life) focused flying, the Excelsior limped to the finish line. At one point, a bad turn and a missed shot nearly left them dead in the water but Dorian managed to reattach the dislodged thruster even as April rallied and shot everything down that floated his way.

Finally free of the Belt, Danni let the Excelsior drift for just a minute, taking in deep heaving breaths now that they were out of immediate danger. A million warning signs were going off, but he didn't have the energy to interact with them. It felt like his brain had nearly come loose in his skull with how often they'd rattled around, and his heart was nearly ready to jump out of his chest. He couldn't tell if he was relieved, excited, furious, depressed, or anything really. He was such a jumble of Exhaustion that they all blended together into one big noodlie mess in his chest. "Okay, okay. We're out. We're free! No more rattlin' around, no more damage, no more Ravager bots hangin' around just ta fuck us up. Just one hyperspace jump until 15 million credits!" Danni cheered wearily, sliding off the chair and into a boneless heap on the floor.

Another alarm joined the chorus, this one less urgent but no less piercing. Danni pushed himself upwards just enough to glance at it, before he whined. "Guys, we got company incom-" before he trailed off. In front of the Excelsior, 27 strange whale-like creatures suddenly exited hyperspace, the glowing blue of their skin fading away as they did. Each adult was roughly half the size of of the Excelsior, with four tentacles off their back, the familiar bulbous shape of a what with a larg eye on each side. Purrgils were sometimes considered a pest because they would sometimes jump in front of spacecraft unexpectedly during hyperspace. However now, they glided beyond the ship, a few nosing it gently in curiosity as they continued to swim beneath the Belt.

"I kinda want one as a pet." Danni mused, failing to consider the logistics of keeping something as large as a small spacecraft as a pet. "T'en it could just pull us t'rough 'yperspace, right?" Danni shrugged and since he was basically already up, he stretched to the tip of the console, punching in Titan's coordinates awkwardly into the Hyperspace computer one handed.

Court of Nuhl

_{October 9th, 528 - 12:20am}

Execution Level, Execution Chamber - Hasgad Holding Facility

The first guard never stood a chance. A sharp crack accompanied the first hit, jaw broken where Chadwick punched him and a knife in the throat and another in the chest sealed his fate. He hit the ground before anyone in the room even had the chance to register the intrusion, unconscious before the dull thud of his skull disappeared in the noise of the rebel attack.

The other guard moved with practiced grace and snatched the only one she couldn't side step out of the air before it could reach her. "Intruders in the Execution room!" She shouted through an earpiece. Her sword rang as she drew it and sent Donovan's knife hurtling towards Quinn, a gust of wind sent after it. The translucent glimmer of an evocation spell shimmered above her as she incanted.

A deranged grin overtook Hasgad's face after he recovered from the momentary surprise when the doors burst open. A dangerous, violent glint entered his eyes and he welcomed Chadwick's blade with open arms, barely registering that his captives were being snatched from under his nose. Static built around the Inquisitor as Chadwick's blade descended.

For a moment, it seemed like Chadwick had been quick enough. Cloth frayed under his blade, a faint tinge of red welling up from split skin - but Hasgad was quicker. The spell he'd been charging released on contact, sending a violent shock down the blade before he vanished in a crackle of electricity, running along the metal strip in ground towards the otherwise of the room. He laughed, tapping his fingers to his chest and watching with wonder as little prickles of red stained the tips.

"Well, well, well! Looks like I lost twenty bucks! I didn't think you'd have the balls to come find them when I leaked that info." Hasgad chuckled as he took in the scene. True, he was outnumbered but the whole room was built for him, by him, so he figured it was only fair they got that advantage. Two vampires, three mage…

Lyra fucking Luscin.

"You idiots walked the daughter of Lilie Luscin into my detention facility? Oh, you shouldn't have!" Hasgad cooed, hands outstretched as lightning poured from them into the metal strip on the floor. The metal sang with energy, Hasgad's power lightning up the entire room as massive bolts leapt around seemingly at random. Connected to the grid as they were, the iron doors also hummed with energy and the open one had a constant wave of lightning connecting each half. "How about this? I'll trade you two… eh, one and a half cause one of them is nearly brain dead, rebels for Luscin right now. In terms of bodies, you're definitely getting the better deal!" With the flick of his wrist, Hasgad sent massive bolts of lightning flying at Caspian, Quinn, and Chadwick, all while looking like a child at his birthday party.

The Shattering of Aegis

The Snakeburrow Woods

_{16th of the Full Autumn Moon, 1698 P.A.
Midday - Overcast skies}

Esvelee leapt for the reins as the horse regained its autonomy, the cart jolting forward as the frightened animal fled the scent of blood and fire. Cerric flew sideways as Esvelee shouldered roughly past him and before he could regain his balance, the cart hit a rough spot and he slid right off, blinking up at the foliage as he lay sprawled on the ground. He was silent for a moment while he processed his sudden change of perspective, but laughter bubbled out soon enough. "Dear gods, what fun!" Cerric cackled as he shoved himself into a sitting position. He peered ahead down the trail, nodding as he saw the cart slowing just around the next bend.

Meanwhile, the combined efforts of Ermes and Ceolfric managed to separate the wolf's head from it's body, where it slumped with a foul stench and black ichor seeping out of the wound.

"Well, evil necromancer or not, our ward has escaped our sphere of protection so make what recoveries you need, but do not dally. I will head onwards in the meantime!" Cerric announced as he stood and dusted himself off. One of his waterskins became unstoppered and spilled, but with a word and a gesture, the water slid back into the container clean and clear. He hummed to himself as he headed down the path, thumbing the corks on his waterskins.

Around the group the bushes rustled as the wind picked up but other than the lingering stench of burnt flesh and sodden cloth, nothing new leapt out at them.

Avengers Academy 💥

Danny Kingston

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Location: The Field (School Carnival)
Skills: N/A
First Day Fit

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Danni squinted suspiciously at Sabine as she spouted some weird shit that felt like it meant nothing, but also vaguely intentional. "All right, keep your secrets." Danni replied, sticking his tongue out with a silly smile. There was something icky in his chest that he couldn't really place, but it felt like it was hard to breathe around, even if he was breathing fine. He couldn't place it, so when April appeared back from the tent, he bounced eagerly as he quite literally fled from the feeling. He threaded his arm through hers, tucking the egg bundle under his arm, and blanched at the suggestion of books from all sides.

"Or, or… we could do t'at later, and just 'ave fun friends times before our taskmasters, I mean professors, get it into t'eir 'eads t'at we're all work and no play." Danni whined, wanting to stave off responsibilities as long as possible. "Like yeah, I want ta be a hero and save people and better t'e world and stuff, but I also just want ta set a paper ball on fire and t'row it as far as possible before it burns up wit'out someone yellin' at me for "possibly burnin' t'e whole school down" and "t'at could get you expelled if you don't shape up", you know?"

"Oh, but Princess, you should see t'is super cool t'in' Mads can do wit' her cards! She pulled one and pop money came out! It disappeared after it 'it t'e ground, but it still made somet'in'! It was fun! She promised readin's for everyone later!" Danni explained cheerfully, making sure she got thoroughly caught up on the excitement before turning his attention to the newcomers. He tilted his head as he skimmed over Leah, showing off some fancy rocks. The urge to show off his dragon egg was real, but Danni was dutifully distracted by the stranger in their midst. He gave her a slow look over, one eyebrow up as he did. The whole black monotone, silver biker stud jacket, tennis shoes, the whole nine yards…

"Oh bless your 'eart, but who let t'e aughts out of t'e closet? Gods, you look down right dated sweet'eart. T'e potential, magnificent. But t'e execution? Dreadful." Danni tutted, going to dramatically whip his glasses off only to realize both his hands were occupied. He looked from the jacket bundled egg to April's hand, to the egg again, and gave up on the flair as Mai brought another newbie in tow and then bounced into Aggie's tent. Danni barely registered Mai, entirely focused on the tragedy in front of him. "'ave you considered accessorizing? The whole got' t'in' can be salvaged, but you need somet'in', anyt'in' to liven t'ings up a little." Danni considered the idea, tapping his chin with the back of April's hand as he thought.

"Oh, 'ave you considered green? Red wouldn't be bad eit'er, fair skin and all, but frankly, t'at's Snow W'ite vibes and it's overdone. You know, let's get like a nice, emerald sash for your waist, but ta keep the angsty-one-in-baby's first-ship vibe, we get a vintage one from like, I don't know, 2023 t'at was washed badly a few too many times before gettin' saved by t'e textile gods. Do a tie just in front of t'e 'ip, let it dangle, give some illusion of leg and poof, immediately turn t'is ensemble reasonable. And t'at's t'e Danni touch!" He beamed, then continued. "T'ough, somet'ing shiny on t'e wrist might be nice too. Maybe somet'in' to tie you to her outfit?" Dannie waved at the girl that slid in with Mai. "Love t'e sleeves, btw."

"Oh! You asked a question. Uh, yes 'ello! I am t'e lovable Danni , t'is is t'e perfect Princess, t'e handsome Dee, t'e immaculate Beanie, and t'e magical Mads!" Danny gestured at each person, failing to consider that nicknames may be more confusing in the long run. "'aven't see y'all 'ere before! Are y'all freshies? You'll be t'e first decent freshies today!"

Bounties of Space

Danny Kingston

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Shields: 60% - Hull: Mild damage sustained - Turret: Mild Damage - Engines: Full Power - Life Support System: Oxygen Recycling at 90% - Sensors: Online

"If I get a gray 'air because of you, you're buyin' me 'air dye 'til I find myself on t'e wrong end of an Imperial blaster." Danni grumbled, the rising panic starting to fade away as everyone was, for the most part, back together. Danni wasn't against Dee fucking around in space - his little hauntling could just go ghost and be just fine - but that was in wide open spaces where Danni could just hit reverse or pull a u-turn and scoop him right back up. If Dee got stranded out here, he was basically on his own. "So… we uh… just goin' ta let t'at corpse vibe in t'e little ship now, or we got a way ta drop it before we jump after t'is bit of a rocky ride?"

Danni carefully pushed the ship forward, keeping an eye on his surroundings with their new cargo. The Belt had mostly stopped shifting, just the few odd rocks still shifting, but it was manageable. Danni wove through larger openings that before, slowing them down but preserving Dee's haul in the process. It seemed like the rest would be smooth sailing, a few hard turns and spirals to make them fit, but Danni was forced to wait for just a moment while things moved, and it was a moment too long.

Beyond his view, showing on a sensor he wasn't paying perfect attention to, an asteroid the size of the ship came hurling beside the ship, impact likely leaving them entirely stranded considering how damaged their shields were.. With the way around them still shifting to create an opening, Danni couldn't avoid it even if he'd noticed it!

Bounties of Space

Danny Kingston

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Shields: 55% - Hull: Mild damage sustained - Turret: Mild Damage
Engines: Full Power - Life Support System: Oxygen Recycling at 90% - Sensors: Online

"You know, wonderin' why th'e fuck our favorite grease monkey hates us right now!" Danni responded to April with a heavy dose of fake cheer. Danni loved Dee, they'd been in each other's lives since they were literal babies, but when he pulled shit like this, it made Danni feel like Dee cared more about his toys than them. Like yes, maintaining the Excelsior was important, but a huge amount of this damage could have been avoided if they'd just left. They were flying through this just fine before the Ravagers, and they could have already been partially fused or whatever it was and been on their way out. Instead, there was a crack in the gunnery, the life support system was damaged, the shields were in bad shape, and Dorian couldn't find it in himself to abandon the shit that nearly killed them in the name of repair materials. Dee was always complaining about preventative maintenance, why couldn't he see stalling in this damn field was a horrible way to prevent anything?

Danni sighed as Dee narrated his series of unfortunate events. Since he seemed… determined, and April was able to get a way cleared, Danni decided to help Dee out a little. The longer they were in here, the worse shit got. Danni threw the thrusters into reverse, whipping the ship backwards as he hit his turn a little too hard and bounced one of the few rocks still clearing the area. Thankfully, the shields were able to absorb all of it, flashing a warning at him that he promptly ignored.

"Okay, we're 'eading ta you, Dee." Danni sighed, savoring how easily the ship moved through the cleared space and settling just above it. "All you 'ave ta do is activate t'e mag-grip and you should be all good ta board after you kill t'e bastard you're in and t'en we'll be on our way."

Bounties of Space

Danny Kingston

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Shields: 70% - Hull: Mild damage sustained - Turret: Mild Damage - Engines: Full Power - Life Support System: Oxygen Recycling at 90% - Sensors: Online

See, Danni had a number of sins tucked neatly under his belt. He knew he acquired his Papa's fondness for a drink over a decade and a half of murder and mayhem (thankfully, he had two amazing partners that didn't let him get anywhere as wild as the stories Pops and Papa used to tell him), he could get lazy when they were in between jobs and even sometimes when they were on one, he liked to chat with everyone and maybe sorta accidently spilled some secrets when the conversation just got too good. He knew that. Everyone had flaws, everyone had issues post Nemo jump- their friends scattering or dying, their parents obliterated in a beam of unholy light or whatever happened. It left a weight on your soul that you couldn't very well just therapy away. But Danni was rarely mad. Stressed, sure. Depressed, check. But truly and honestly angry? Nah, he'd rather just joke about it until he could nurse the bottom of a bottle in the next shifty space port they hit.

But with the shields taking a beating, every indicator screaming something at him, the asteroid field whirling around him like a miles high meat pulverized, April admitting to making a hard journey near damn impossible (fair, it was an accident, Danni was just stressed), and Dee insisting on getting a barely functional hunk of junk out of one of the most difficult fucking runs in this solar system, even Danni reached his limit. "Dorian Stephen Gray." Danni seethed over the comms, trying to turn the Excelsior around to get back to the dead Ravagers ship. "If you do not get your sorry ass back into t'is-" He bit his tongue as he jerked in his seat, another asteroid coming out of nowhere to hit them hard. Another light started flashing, warning of panel damage above the life support systems. Danni tried to get their spiraling back under control, but before he could even get his hands back on the throttle, they hot another object. It felt like a chunk of metal, and the life support system monitor started blinking too, showing something inside had jostled hard enough to damage their oxygen recycling system.

"Dorian, get t'e fuckin' nav data, and we'll sell it off on Titan for repairs. I get it, you want ta take care of t'e ship, but t'e longer we're in 'ere, t'e more damage we're takin' and I literally cannot drive t'at 'unk of junk and us out safely." Danni bit out. Thankfully, it seemed the asteroid field was settling, the hunks of rock and ice settling a little. "We need you 'ere, now. Our life support is startin' ta fail." He could feel the frustrated tears start prickling at the edges of his eyes, but he wiped them away as he tried to keep the ship in a safe position for Dorian to come back. "'ow you 'olding up back t'ere, Princess?"

Meanwhile, the chunk of metal that the ship hit was about the size of a car and impacted directly into the Gunnery window after bouncing off one of the turrets. Some spider webbing had formed on the outer layer of glass, but thankfully it looked like it shouldn't get any worse… as long as nothing large hit it again.

Avengers Academy 💥

Danny Kingston

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Location: The Field (School Carnival)
Skills: N/A
First Day Fit

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Danni blinked at Maddie as she offered suggestions, face scrunching up in confusion. "Game of T'rones, 'ouse of Dragons? Are t'ose like, video games or somet'in'? Sounds like we have t'e same idea t'ough. A little warm t'in'y for t'e baby." Danni cooed at the bundle in his hands. He held it a little closer, rocking it happily. "And you t'ink t'e Nemo guy who lies about bein' a fish is goin' to 'ave answers, Dee? I guess it's wort' a shot, but it sounds… fishy." Danni giggled at his own joke. Sure, he panicked at first, but the longer he held a dragon egg, the more excitement replaced panic. He beamed at Sabine, who immediately soothed his concerns about narc teachers. "Oh, t'ats true! Technically, she was a professor 'ere, so anyt'in' she gives me is school approved, right? You're so smart, Beanie! Once April comes back and t'e birt'day boy decides on t'e flow of t'e day, we'll go see t'e ot'er clubs!" He attempted to pat her arm in a comforting manner with his elbow.

Danni sent a kiss after April as she promised to get some more info on dragon handling, frowning as he marched through Dee's reasoning. "But I don't want ta be grounded! I just want ta enjoy 'avin' a dragon, and bein' a 'ero! It's not fair t'at I'm gettin' grounded for it." Danni pouted. He wasn't giving up his new baby for anything, he just didn't see why he couldn't talk his way out if being grounded! He had a whole technique that usually worked, unless Pops was really upset and Danni learned to give up when the cold, sharp voice came out instead of just the disappointed looks. Why was a thing he got from a professor making that happen?! Ugh, he was working himself back up, so instead he leaned back on Dee.

"Actually, t'at's a good point, Beanie. Did everyone practice all summer for t'eir audtions? Should we do a last run just ta 'ave anot'er set of eyes on it? Or should we just do t'at tomorrow?" Danni wondered, nerves that the events of the day pushed aside returning in full force. "Like, originally I was just goin' ta do explosions cause who doesn't like explosions? And just like do some dancin', but t'en Pops got involved and it got prettier but God it's complicated because t'e judges might care an itty, bitty, tiny bit about control. So, you know Dee, if you get put on t'e worst team, I'll probably be right t'ere wit' you!" Danni was suddenly not nervous anymore. If Dee thought he was going to be on the worst team, Danni was definitely going to be on the worst team, and then it would be the best team because they would be together! Hopefully, April would be with them too, because even then the Young Avengers wouldn't stand a chance.

Danni eyed Maddie's cards, an idea popping into his head about his sticky situation. "Ooooh, Maddie I want anot'er reading later! Maybe you can tell me 'ow ta not get grounded because of my baby!" It was a brilliant idea! It must be so useful to be able to read the future! Maxie tried to explain these things once, but it was boring and it went in one ear and out the other. And speaking of cards…

He bounded back to Sabine, getting real close to whisper in her ear. "So, you and Princess, 'uh? Is t'is like… a real thin'? A gunna be t'ing? Danni asked, something dark and nasty in his chest. He ignored that, though. He was definitely just doing this to make sure Sabine wasn't just messing with April. April was a little… fragile and although he knows he can be a little airheaded when it comes to other people's emotional states, he had to make sure he and Dee were ready to catch her if she fell. And if he had to do a little snooping, and more a little later, then he would. He wouldn't be a good friend if he didn't!

The Shattering of Aegis

The Snakeburrow Woods

_{16th of the Full Autumn Moon, 1698 P.A.
Midday - Overcast skies}

Amidst the stench of fetid corpses and blood, the blazing pyre that was once a wolf stood out starkly in its foulness. The stench of boiling flesh, burning fur, tar, and rancid ichor filled the area in a thick black haze from the immolated remains of the wolf attacking Liliann, making Esvelee gag and cough, fighting back the urge to vomit. The horse quivered against Ceolfirc’s command at the putrid smell, the overwhelming panic and its base survival instincts eating away at the mercenary’s control.

Liliann’s quick thinking saw the wolf and cloak fly off Kyreth and hit the ground next to him; unfortunately, with so much behind the command, it kept going down off the road, into the brush. Thankfully, recent rain kept the area from catching immediately, but lighter smoke began to curl up from around the flaming remains and leaves around the bushes slowly curled inwards, green leaving for brown along the tips. Thankfully, the Tainted duo came out with only some injuries: Kyreth’s hands and a splotch on his cheek were red and white, blisters already forming from the heat, and the front of his clothes were blacker than they had been moments ago. Liliann got away with little more than some reddening on her hand, just stinging from the exposure.

“Bubble.” Cerric swished his wrist and a small orb of water popped up above the flames, no larger than a marble. The water in it whirled aggressively as it expanded, growing larger and larger until it was the size of the carriage, the ashy remains of the cloak and wolf caught in the whirlpool. With another flick and a word, the bubble popped and water rushed away from the carriage, taking the victims of Kyreth’s poor control deeper into the forest. He still hadn’t moved from the wagon, but he’d turned his attention away to their last remaining ambusher.

The wolf scrambled as it hit the ground, still pawing at the thing wrapped around it’s snout. It took barely a second though, for it to climb back to its feet and evaluate the two in front of it. One was ready, body language poised for a fight. The other…

Eila was distracted.

It lunged again, claws catching Eila deep in the calf and slashing around towards the shin. It’s depth perception left it off balance and it stumbled after the attack, stumbling past Eila and slamming heavily into the cart, Esvelee grabbing the sides as she jostled. “The cargo is delicate! Keep these bastards away from the cart!” The wolf steadied itself and readied to lunge at Eila again.