Dreadlords Far From Home

[Erodin]

"Kress fuck me sideways." A bleary voice carried through a cascading forest of verdant color that would have put the Falwood to shame. Every color, every light, everything seemed brighter and more vibrant than it should have any right to be. As though life itself was more complete in the strange atmosphere which ranged all around.

Erodin dragged himself from the ground, fingers folded around the hilt of his sword as his gaze flickered around the clearing in which he found himself.

A strange sort of delirium still addled his mind, memories of the last few hours escaping him. Upon the ground he saw a half a dozen bodies scattered, some he recognized, others he knew only as the foes he had been about to slaughter. A low grunt escaped him as he stood to his full height, sword slowly dragging in the dirt beneath him as he wandered over towards one of the unconscious forms he recognized. "Nicholas."

The Dreadlord said with a swift kick into the mans ribs.

"Wake up you lout." He encouraged, pressing another nudge of his toes into the mans side. The other rogue Dreadlord abruptly shaking into the waking world with a powerful cough.

"I..." The man's head shook as he came to, hand running over his face as he peered up at the verdant colors around him. "I-where the fuck are we?"

Erodin nearly spat at him, the venom and anger in his voice more than clear. "If I had to guess? You lead us into a fucking ley-line you cretin. Stepped right into a wo-"

Before he could finish, another groan echoed out from a figure just beyond. One of the Dreadlords that had not come from their band. One of the number which just moments ago had stood as their enemy. They lay just like his allies, just entering the waking world...if you could even call this place that. Erodin shook his head, brandishing his blade with a quick flicker of his wrist. "Stay here and think about what you've done. I'm going to end some of our problems."

Erodin said, beginning to stalk forward towards the unconscious forms of the still loyal Dreadlords.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Low from the ground, a small throwing knife whistled through the air while Erodin stalked forward. With dangerous precision, it whizzed by his neck and underneath his jaw, not leaving a single scratch and not getting caught on his armor whatsoever.

It wasn’t a missed shot.

“Another step,” Everleigh warned, the tone of her voice as sure and cold as the steel that had nearly pierced through Erodin’s neck. “And I’ll have you and everyone else rotting six feet under.” She was laying on her stomach with a bloody nose, red rivulets dribbling down her lips and chin. However, that was the least of her worries.

Right now, she was missing an initiate. And to make matters worse, all she saw around her were other dreadlords or Gilram’s group of exiles that constantly seemed to be sucking him off. The fog inside her head wasn’t relenting on the events that had just occurred, but all Proctor Ebersol knew was that her and Initiate Vern had gotten caught up in a fight.

Everleigh knew she should have ignored the shouts and the tension of magic in the air, but a part of her still couldn’t ignore the prospect of a good time and maybe showing off a little to the preteen at her side. Now Vern was nowhere in sight and Everleigh had no clue where she was.

The poison eater’s purple tresses were a stark contrast against the bright green moss and viridian ferns that obscured parts of her lower body. She knew she stuck out like a orc in Vel Anir but she made no movement to get out of her compromising position.

 

[Augustine Verglas]

A steady ringing sound brought Augustine back to consciousness as he felt the surge of magical energy receding. The armor felt like a lead weight holding him down and choking dust filled his lungs. Coughing once, coughing twice, and slowly opening his eyes, the blinding light of the sun filled his visor. The ringing in his ears slowly subsided as voices filtered through the din. The first thing he saw once opening his eyes, thankfully, was that the war scythe was laying on the ground next to him, his right hand still clutching it.

As his mind cleared, training kicked in, and he began to take in what information he could from the side his head was facing. Some of his colleagues and a few initiates were arrayed in various procumbent positions around the clearing. An issue of more concern were the rogue former Dreadlords that they had been fighting that were also stirring. He could only surmise someone had stumbled on a ley line and released a little too much power, triggering the event they were finding themselves in now. Voices raising nearby, a man who was rousing his peers and berating them for this circumstance. Suddenly, he heard the speaker make a threatening comment.

A quick response came from one of his colleagues, he called her the Poison Proctor, Everleigh Ebersol. He heard the whiz of a projectile and her threat called to halt the approaching figure. Figuring it was time to rouse himself, a subtle test of his limbs ensured they could move properly. Remaining prone, he began to draw power and channel it into himself, feeling the familiar rush of cold as he raised an arm and brought the hand down to the ground with a slapping sound. Immediately, the water in the air around the area, for there seemed to be quite a lot, froze into a wall of solid ice. He continued to channel the power, forming a seven foot half circular wall of glittering ice around himself and extending it to shield several of his allies splayed in various positions.

Satisfied that he had protected himself and several others from unexpected attacks, and bringing his heavy limbs under himself, he slowly rose to a standing position, the clanking of armor echoing in the stillness of the clearing. Augustine stretched and windmilled his arms, testing his various extremities. Fortunately, all limbs, toes, and fingers seemed to be in working shape. Gripping the war scythe, he stepped out from behind his protected barrier to take stock of the situation.

 

[Lumen]

Lumen was tangled in some vines high up in a tree. The gentle swing of being suspended and knotted was what eventually roused her awake. Golden eyes slid open as she saw a long fall below her. Muffled voices from not-so-far away reached her ears. Perhaps those they’d been fighting….Gilram’s men? She remembered being with Everleigh Ebersol, a much younger initiate who she couldn't remember the name of, and Augustine Verglas.

A dreadlord she hadn't had much interaction with until this mission.

Speaking of...

These surroundings? Where-what...this wasn't where they'd been.

Feeling the temperature shift, she couldn't see what was happening but she knew magic was being used between where she was tangled up and the trees that separated her. Keeping quiet, she began shifting her hands, blonde hair hanging wildly beneath her head as she tried to at least right herself.

 

[Henk]

The surface of the exposed skin of his face sizzled with heat, the rays beating down on his brow soaked into every pore, scarred and otherwise as he blinked rapidly, attempting to clear the blinding fog from the one of them that still worked. The taste of copper filled his mouth, upsetting but not overpowering. What... happened? He remembered the blinding light, shouting voices pulling his attention away from battle, and then there was darkness.

It was Henk's first mission as a fully-fledged Dreadlord. His return from exile had been tumultuous, to say the very least, and the first few months back in Vel Anir had been spent in the confines of a prison cell, subjected to multiple interrogations a day. Far from pleasant, but the city of Anir had put him through far worse in the past. Henk had not sided with Gilram or his exiles, and they would get no such confession out of him.

In the end, Noel Schwarz's vouching for his loyalty was the thing that led them to release him, and eventually grant him the title he'd narrowly avoided some time earlier. Henk was an Initiate no longer.

And so, he'd found himself on the field alongside Everleigh Ebersol once again, along with Lumen, one of the Initiates he'd met the night that they'd run into Edric and friends shortly before his return. There was also Augustine Verglas, a formidable force in his own right, but one Henk knew little about.

It didn't matter in the end. Once again, Gilram's exiles were on top of them, and the battle had been a grueling one. Souls on both sides of the conflict fell to the dirt, wasted potential on a meaningless mission of violence by two sides who scarcely understood what one another wanted. That any of them lived was due only to whatever that blinding flash of light had been.

Whatever it was, it had moved them. When finally he could see again, he was surrounded by foliage, tall lush trees hung over his head like massive parasols. The rough scratching against his back wasn't the ground, but the bark of a massive oak he was sitting up against.

"What.. nngh..."

He groaned as he attempted to lean forward, the wound on his side aching. Nothing bad, but he'd been hit by some kind of blast that had taken a chunk of flesh with it, his seafoam cloak was stained crimson on his blind side. Another scar to the collection...The thought almost made him smile. If it weren't for the dozen or so corpsed in front of him, maybe he would've. No, he needed to link up with the others, if there were any left.

Taking a quick look around, he spotted his Katars a few feet from where he'd landed, beside another unfortunate victim. Grunting to his feet, the Dreadlord staggered quickly to his weapons and slid his hands into them, stepping over the corpse and moving into the thick of things.

It wasn't long until he found somebody. Lumen, hanging precariously from a tree, her blonde hair cascading down made her hard to miss. Henk stepped closer, clearing his throat to get her attention.

"Glad you're okay. Need help getting down?"

Henk felt the pressure in the air too, though not acutely as Lumen likely did. There was about to be another fight, and that meant their enemies had followed them wherever they'd been taken.

Good. He owed somebody a scar.

 

[Erodin]

A laugh echoed passed Erodin's lips. "Ha! Cute."

The air around him changed in an instant. A strange blueish wisp snapping around his form, smoke rising from his body as he turned to regard the fallen shape of Evie on the floor. Ice broke free from the earth, scouring through the ground and cutting off his reach to half the fallen Dreadlords.

Erodin didn't seem to pay it any mind, stalking forward with sword still in hand. Eyes set entirely on Everleigh as he continued unabated across the clearing.

"I hope you keep that attitude when I'm ripping out your sou-" Before he could finish speaking, the Rogue Dreadlord was interrupted by a shout of warning. Nicholas barked from his place on the ground, catching his companions attention.

Seconds later, within the span of a heartbeat, the bright and vivid jungle suddenly exploded.

The earth was torn asunder, the trees not destroyed...but parting as a strange dragon like creature burst into the clearing. It's maw opened up with a howl of rage, and before he even had a second to respond the creature's tail whipped forward directly at Erodin.

Crashing against the Dreadlord and sending up a cloud of debris and dust.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

There was something about dreadlords and shit-talking that went hand in hand together. Everleigh was ready to tell the old man he had a lot of nerve to laugh at her when she felt the air around them drop in temperature. She huffed, a white puff of appearing before her and she gritted her teeth.

It was no fault to Augustine, but Everleigh rather disliked the cold. Sure, it wasn’t from Kimble but any sort of magic that pricked her skin with it’s icy touch had her head reeling. However, with Erodin stalking towards her as if someone had died and made him king, she had little time to lament over the chill in the air and the wall of ice that didn’t quite reach her to protect her.

Glaring up at Erodin, her hands were already moving to all the secret compartments throughout her clothing to grab more knives when a strong, indomitable gale of destruction seemed to fly over her before veering off and subsequently striking Erodin with it’s tail.

Much to Everleigh’s dismay with the earth beneath her seeming to fly up all around, she was thrust up into the air as well by the torrent of force following after the overgrown worm. Everleigh was helpless as she gasped in shock, unable to change the course she was forced into and kicking her legs out as if she could somehow push herself to safety.

With arms flailing, knives still clutched in her hands, Everleigh forced her eyes to stay open despite the roar echoing between her ears long after it had ended. She immediately looked for Erodin, finding his form and with eyes glowing gold, she began to fall back down to the ground. With her arms reached out and the first part of her to touch the ground, she clumsily flipped herself over to clumsily get to her feet.

It was then that she realized that she couldn’t hear anything except a shrill ringing in her ears.

Augustine Verglas Lumen Henk Erodin

 

[Augustine Verglas]

As Erodin began to stalk towards Everleigh, Augustine held up his free hand into a clawed gripping motion. Water immediately crystalized into an icy spike, as long as a sword and with a tip as sharp as a spear. He raised his arm upward and back, aiming the spear of ice towards Erodin and preparing to throw it when, suddenly, a roar filled the clearing and the trees exploded outward in a violent, vivid burst of green and brown. Originating from a position several dozen feet away from Erodin and Everleigh, Augustine had precious seconds to react as the great tail arced acrossthe ground towards Erodin, it's length sweeping the area and ripping the earth asunder as it moved.

He leaped, while simultaneously sending up two small pillars of ice under his feet to propel him a much greater distance upward. Though this managed to allow him to leap backwards and avoid the swinging tail, it did not protect him from the flying tree limb, which was still the size of most regular trees you might see in Vel-Anir, being that the Ixchel wilds were full of large, old growth trees. The limb struck him in the lower back, sending him tumbling head over heels and sending pain arcing upward along his spine. Thankfully, he hadn’t leapt up more than 10 feet and the impact hadn't been hard enough to break any bones. He landed thirty feet behind his starting point in a loud clang of armor.

Growing angrier at the abysmal circumstances they found themselves in, he looked around for Everleigh, who had been closer to him, spotting her lying on the ground, having been thrown further back than he was. As the beast seemingly turned around to focus on the prey it had initially attacked, he quickly moved over to Everleigh. Vacating the clearing and heading into the cover of the forest would be the best course of action for them now, depending on if the beast remained distracted long enough with the exiles. They needed to regroup and locate the other members of their party. Wherever the magical event had sent them, survival would be difficult without teamwork.

Closing the distance to Everleigh, he reached down and extended a hand to where she was trying to get to her feet while keeping an eye on the creature, hoping that it would remain distracted with their enemies.

Everleigh Ebersol Lumen Henk Erodin

 

[Lumen]

Strange how when she last encountered Henk, she, Aelita, and Alistair were to bring him in as an enemy of the state. And when Edric had tackled him into the raging undercroft of Vel Draza, Lumen thought that'd be the last time she'd ever see the graduated upperclassman. But he'd done what she hoped all the rest who'd turned their back on their country did.

He'd come back.

Atoned.

And now he was serving where he'd always meant to be.

Protecting the citizens of Vel Anir.

"Yeah I'm," she tugged at an arm that was half entangled behind her back in vines that almost seemed to have a mind of their own. Determined to keep her in their grasp. "Stuck," she finished, the blood long since rushed to her head. Tawny eyes looked at Henk, below. Her other hand was close to reaching one of her daggers but if Henk could get her down faster...she wasn't one to turn it down.

Head jerked upward as there was a sudden roar from the trees beyond them. A shifting in those very trees from something big. A large...creature.

"Hurry," Lumen urged, still suspended and swinging.

 

[Henk]

A little smirk played on his lips. She hadn't changed much, this one. That she'd survived whatever had brought them to this place spoke to her tenacity. It was tenacity that he would need to confront the Exiles that likely waited for them up ahead. Raising one of his katars, Henk aimed for the vines holding her up carefully. "Hold still then, please"

Before he could act any further, a massive crashing sound shook the earth beneath his feet, and the tiny scraps of dirt and debris clattered along his back, causing him to turn towards the cloud of erupted forest that rose into the treeline behind them. It was an earthquake? No, it was something else, something worse. A variable he hadn't accounted for.

Henk could only hope it wasn't on Gilram's side. The exiles were trouble enough without whatever creature made a roar like the one that then pierced the air around him, causing his face to cringe, and his head to ache even at this distance.

Whoever was left of them, they were going to need help, and quickly. Whipping his head back towards to Lumen, he nodded quickly before pressing the hidden release on his Karar, launching the blade from the hilt and sending it clean through the vine holding her in place, letting her fall to the ground. Henk was sure to move underneath her, outstretching his arms to catch her as she landed.

Even something so simple as a sprain could mean death today.

As she joined him on flat ground, the Dreadlord looked her over with a modicum of concern before nodding.

"Come, I fear we're needed."

Retracting the blade of his Katar by the rope on its butt, he clicks it back into place before taking off towards the source of the sound. The severity of the situation became clear even before they'd gotten there, the looming figure of the drake-like beast shot a quick pang of dread into his heart. It couldn't be a dragon. Not here...?

Well, he didn't know where here was, he supposed.

Nevertheless, when finally they came into the clearing they bore witness to the massive tailstrike on Erodin, sending the renegade Dreadlord flying. Painful, it wouldn't keep him down long. Flicking his blue gaze over to the pair of Everleigh and Augustine, he quickly gathered up the last of his light and covered them in a dome-shaped shield.

"Lumen." He muttered over to her, not averting his eyes from the threat ahead of them. "We need to act quickly. That thing won't keep them occupied forever, and my barrier will only endure a hit or two from something so large. I need you to raise my temperature. Take it up to a high fever."

 

[Erodin]

The worm, dragon, whatever the fuck it was flicked it's tail at Erodin.

His eyes opened wide, and a shroud of ghostly fog enveloped him. Within an instant it rose and wrapped around the Rogue Dreadlord. Slowly shifting, and then forming into what appeared to be a massive turtle like creature.

Dust and debris were thrown up into the air, and the creature let out a loud screech as it moved forward and slammed itself against the giant ghostly tortoise. A loud crack rang out as it beat itself against the shell, rage flickering through it's monstrous features when suddenly a spark of lightning crashed into it's side.

The monster whirled itself in the direction of the attack, finding that another of the Rogue's had stood.

In an instant the creature flickered forward, abandoning the attack of Erodin and sweeping towards it's new assailant.

A blink was all it took, then a shout of pain and horror echoed out as the rogue found himself utterly eviscerated. The creatures claws moving through his form, and somehow melting it as it cut through flesh and bone.

"Oh shit." Erodin heard Nicholas say from behind him, and the Rogue rolled his eyes.

"Get in this fight or stay on the ground shuttup." He admonished, the ghostly tortoise disappearing from the air as he stepped forward and began to move towards the strange dragon once more.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Everleigh was already to her feet before Augustine came to her side, of course, it wasn’t like she had realized he was coming to her aid. She went to move, violet eyes deadset on getting to Erodin so she could personally slit his throat.

Just as the poison eater was moving forward, a dome of light encompassed over her. Still unable to hear much, Everleigh looked back. Her eyes first saw Augustine and then further beyond: Henk and Lumen. Was Henk trapping her in here? She raised her hand, giving her old classmate the middle finger before turning around and watched the rogue dreadlord melt from the powerful claws of the worm.

Heat? Acid? Something else? Not only did she have to worry about being thrown around like a ragdoll, bitten in half, or ripped in half by its claws, she’d need to worry about her body disintegrating?

The white-haired rogue’s turtle disappeared and Everleigh realized in that moment that if she wanted to get the smug bastard she’d have to get rid of the worm first. She placed her open palm on the shield of light. It stung and her palm felt raw.

“Fuck it,” she whispered— shouted? Everleigh’s eyes were glowing gold and she took a few steps back before rushing through the barrier. It hurt. Her bare skin felt on fire, and even if it was only for a split second, it was enough to make Everleigh regret the decision. She’d tell Henk off for trying to protect her later.

Red and raw hands were already tugging free the large flat blades she carried and a moment later they were dripping with blood.

“Out of my way, old man!” This time, Everleigh was sure she had shouted it, beginning the process of throwing her flat blades to certain places on the ground around the beast, making sure each blade had her blood on it.

 

[Augustine Verglas]

Noting that Everleigh had helped herself up, Augustine shrugged and went back to observing the battle, assessing the situation. Erodin was locked into battle with the beast, projecting some sort of giant spectral turtle looking creature. Other rogue Dreadlords were beginning to stand and engage the creature in battle, their shouts echoing through the clearing.

A particularly unfortunate individual stood at the wrong time and the creature whirled on him, slashing forward with lightning ferocity. What was now a corpse literally melted before the creature in some strange kind of effect. Augustine could only surmise that the creature possessed some sort of magical power, which was certainly alarming, seeing as he had no idea where they were and what kind of creatures lived here.

Suddenly, a barrier of gold light surrounded Everleigh before expanding to encompass him as well. At least one of their companions had been located. Augustine shouted in surprise as Everleigh forced her way through the barrier to engage in battle with the creature. They needed to regroup before they did anything else. Taking advantage of the barrier’s protection, he briefly searched around for Henk, keeping one eye on the creature as it made short work of some of the rogue Dreadlords.

 

[Lumen]

She braced herself as she fell. A brief flicker of surprise across her features as Henk caught her. With her feet back on solid ground, she quickly pulled away any remaining vines and withdrew her sword, quickly on her heels as they headed toward the thunderous crashing and shouts. Tawny-eyes widened as they crested a small hill and got a glimpse through the jungle of vines.

"Okay," she breathed to Henk. "You won't feel great," she warned and settled a free hand on his arm, channeling her magic very, very carefully. She'd learned a hard lesson with Everleigh Ebersol a few months ago when Zinnia had gotten hurt. And she wasn't about to repeat that mistake. Henk would feel his core temperature begin to rise as her magic heated his blood. He'd feel sick.

Lumen's eyes narrowed, settling on Erodin. "Wait," she breathed. "See that old guy with white hair? I've run into him before. Back in Vel Draza after you and Edric disappeared into the river. He...he's strong."

 

[Henk]

Henk smiled softly at Lumen's warning, the calm, friendly demeanor he'd been known for before this all of this violent nonsense with the Exiles returning as he reassured her. "I know what I'm asking for. Don't worry about me." Henk had ways of lowering his temperature back to normal if things got hairy, and they inevitably would.

Lumen placed her hand underneath one of the open scales of his arm guards, her fingers finding the bare skin underneath as her magic began to do its work on him. Sure enough, he felt the familiar rush of warmth spreading through his core to his extremities, setting his insides aflame much quicker than he would have accomplished himself.

Lumen's magic was similar to his own, to the point where he was now certain the two of them would make an excellent team. Her temperature control eliminated many of the time restraints on his own magic, making him quicker and deadlier with her mere presence.

Something to note to her Proctors, perhaps.

Henk raised a hand to signal her to stop when he felt he was ready, all the while listening to her words. Yes, the white-haired Exile's presence did feel quite similar to that which he'd felt back in Vel Draza. "I imagine he'd have to be. Don't worry, though. As long as we stay sharp, we--"

“Out of my way, old man!”

Everleigh charged through his protective barrier, lightly singing herself as she threw herself madly at their enemies. A soft sigh left Henk's lips, but even then, he couldn't hold back the small smile that came at the familiarity of the lavender-haired woman's attitude.

He'd missed her.

So, better make sure she doesn't get herself killed.

"Alright, stand back!"

The scales of his armor snapped shut, and Henk extends his hands out together, closing them tightly as though he'd reached out to grasp a bar of some sort. In reality, he'd begun to expel the heat Lumen had granted him in the form of solid light. Pulling his fists apart, he forms a curved 'C' shape from the light. Holding it in one hand, he extends the index finger of his other and draws a thin glimmering line from one end of the shape to the other.

A bow. One which he took aim with and began to volley bolts of heat from toward Erodin and the strange monster alike in rapid succession. One after another, the searing missiles tore through the foliage concealing them with the whistle of sheer velocity, leaving smoldering leaves and brush and hurdled toward their foes.

"Lumen!" He shouted. "More heat! This is dropping it fast!"

 

[Erodin]

"Old?" Erodin demanded, his voice parroting Everleigh as she darted forward and actually ahead of him. He took a step to follow his hand raising and wisp of blue circling around it, sure she was about to turn on him…when instead her blades flickered forward and towards the creature. Stabbing into the ground around it.

His teeth snapped together.

For a brief moment he considered taking the opportunity. He thought about running the girl through and sending her corpse sprawling to the ground, but the fact that she was actually helping…

The strange dragon suddenly lashed out again. It's tail flicked, but this time not at Erodin. Instead it whipped within the blink of an eye towards Everleigh. Scouring the ground before it and threatening to rip up the blades already stuck in the ground. The tail darted forward, and then suddenly slammed to a stop as a huge cat-like wraith appeared from nothing. It's teeth chomped down onto the dragon's tail to pin it down.

In an instant th Fae beast screeched, it's jaws unhinging as it moved to bite the wraith. "Kill the fucking thing!"

Erodin demanded of Everleigh as suddenly a burst of light erupted behind him.

Several went crashing Into the dragon, sending it flickering back and away from the liger-sized cat pinning it in place. The others went smashing into a wall of black abyss that suddenly sprouted from behind Erodin. His head whirling as he scowled, eyes darting first to the shadow, then to the figure on the ground projecting it.

A young woman laying cast on the ground, her head outstretched as she protected Erodin.

The Rogue Dreadlord hissed, and his eyes flashed in an instant. His gaze swept until he found the source of the bolts of light, his lips pressing together in a thin line as he spotted the archer and his girl. Fingers closed into a fist, and the air behind Henk formed into a haze. Within the span of a second a wraith formed there, clothes tattered and torn. A blade sweeping up as he gathered into existence, stabbing directly towards Henk's spine.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Everleigh braced herself to be thrown back into the air and have every bone in her body shattered. She had one trick up her sleeve to use that could prevent such devastation on her body. She didn’t want to use it and… it seemed like she wouldn’t have to.

The swinging tail was stopped by a limpid beast. From that old man?

Being told what to do had always gotten under her skin. Being told what to do by the enemy? It infuriated Everleigh more than she thought possible. A ferocious look towards Erodin’s way that would have to do for now. It was unfortunate that while she did have to listen and ‘kill the fucking thing.’ Not like she could have said that better herself.

Arrows of light breezed past her, so fast and quick and lethal that Everleigh thought they had to have been for her. The arm was impeccable and landed blow after blow against the beast. She wasn’t sure who was doing it but she had to hope that they were on her side. Who could command such fearsome power? It had to be one of the rogues, even though it looked like the fae beast was taking them out.

Everleigh didn’t want to join them. The golden glow of her eyes seemed to increase in their intensity and brightness, a sickly muted lavender hue appearing under her skin. Her veins were purple, a map of rivers and tree roots under the pale mauve glow of her skin. The rune on the back of her neck burned and hissed but Everleigh continued. In that half second she refused to hold back.

The blood on her knives that surrounded a good chunk of the surrounding area started to melt, a purple haze wafting up from them. It matched the purple haze that came from Everleigh’s nose and mouth as she breathed; chest heaving, eyes glowing, mind whirling. Everything she had was in that mist: deadly toxins, acids and poisons that consumed organic tissue, burning and vaporizing from the inside out.

“Don’t get close to me.” She warned, as if her looking like a purple monster wasn’t warning enough. The only question left was if this would even harm the the thing? Especially before Everleigh would need to stop her magic, stop this onslaught of destruction and hold herself back before she killed those that were trying to help her.

 

[Augustine Verglas]

Augustine looked about as his colleagues were striking the great fae beast over and over. Henk was shooting arrows of pure light at the creature, which roared its fury. The old man seemed to be making wraiths that were engaging the creature in various ways. An interesting power, and one that was likely as versatile as Augustine’s own.

Still protected behind the barrier, he noticed the wraith forming behind Henk, realizing what it was based off the several demonstrations that had previously been provided of Erodin’s power. Reacting quickly, he raised a hand, and a crackling sound filled the clearing as a thick wall of ice formed in the path of the blade, stopping it cold. The ice continued to run up the blade, encompassing the wrath’s arms in less than a second. Augustine stopped short of freezing the wrath, since its corporeal form would likely just vanish anyway, and it would be a waste of his energy.

Releasing control of the ice, he let its weight be left upon the wraith to at least slow it down. They had bigger issues to deal with. Hearing Everleigh’s warning, he formed a sheet of ice under his feet, and using his ability to control ice, quickly moved backwards away from her towards Henk and Lumen, the ice sheet allowing him to float above the ground a few feet as long as he remained standing on it.

Augustine began his own attack against the creature as he was moving away, forming three spikes of ice above his head as thick as a forearm and launching them in succession at the beast. Whenever he would launch one, another would instantly form. It was a favorite attack of his and one that was used for dealing with a lot of foes or producing sustained damage.

 

[Lumen]

While Lumen did not need to touch others to make her magic work on them, she did feel a small measure of more control when she did so. Or perhaps it was just a placebo effect to make her feel better about it and not boiling his insides alive by accident. So far so good.

And as he worked, she found herself grateful that he'd come back to their side and it wasn't her on the receiving end of those bolts.

And then the air crackled behind them. Lumen raised her sword only to lower it as Augustine's ice wall effectively protected Henk and herself from the...those pale golden eyes of hers widened. Wraith? It was that old guy's work. She didn't realize his range could extend this far.

Bastard.

And talk about PTSD. As Everleigh made that sickly vapor rise, it was a bit too reminiscent of what happened on the Academy grounds. Her thoughts briefly drifted to Caeso Diemut. Hoping he and Kristen had more than recovered by now.

Lunging forward, she buried her sword into what was left of the specter that hadn't already been taken care of by Augustine. She wasn't taking any chances. At the same time, she channeled her magic into Henk.

"Heating you up!" The paladin shouted, channeling her magic into his core body temperature once again. This time she paid more attention to their surroundings, keeping her head on a swivel and her sword and shield up just in case Grandpa got anymore ideas. Or any of the other Exiles in the area.

 

[Henk]

The searing bolts of light that Henk fired all found targets, though the calamity of the situation didn't exactly lend itself to true aim. Some of the missiles of heat collided with the massive beast that now wrestled what he could only assume was one of Erodin's manifestations. The others, narrowly missing Everleigh, would have likely dealt considerable damage to the white-haired exile, if another of the rebels hadn't erected a quick and hasty defense.

Build your walls. I will break through them in time.

Henk held on to his fury, not relenting in his assailment even as he watched his classmate transform into something as inhuman and monstrous as that which they faced. His eyes lingered only a second on the purple juggernaut that was Everleigh Ebersol, before she stepped in to combat the Dragon-like foe while it reeled back from his attacks. Good-- she would have the upper hand, at least for a moment, and even Erodin and the exiles seemed to wish the unknown creature dead more than they did Henk and his friends.

Or, so he thought.

Even through the heat that pumped through his body, he felt an icy chill against the back of his neck. Turning his head, he came face to face with one of Erodin's unholy apparitions, a glimmering blade brandished toward his spine. Crystals of ice coated the weapon, running up the wraith's arm to its shoulder. Henk wasted no time, dispelling the bow and whipping his arm around to shatter the frozen limb with a blow from his armored fist as Lumen plunged her blade into it at the same time. The wraith reeled back and dissipated with an otherworldly hiss.

"Remind me to buy Verglas a drink if we get out of this..." He muttered to Lumen, trying not to think about how close he'd just come to being decapitated. "I have enough heat, you worry about keeping us alive. I don't want you getting stabbed in the back over me, Lumen." He offered with a brief smile before turning to look up at Augustine attacking from above, as Ebersol kept the brunt of the Dragon-Beast's attention.

It wouldn't be enough. With another quick glance at Erodin, he winced. As much as he disliked the idea, this creature needed to be silenced first and foremost.

"Erodin!"

Henk called to the man who'd just nearly killed him, emerging from his cover in the foliage. The scales of his armor opened, and steam vented from his skin as he began collecting light again. "We'll call that one a draw. How about we deal with the biggest problem before we worry about killing each other?"

Walking out into the open and offering a cease-fire until a mutual foe was defeated was a risky move, but Erodin wasn't a fool; He knew that if Everleigh and Verglas couldn't handle the Beast, and Henk attacked him as well, even one as powerful as him would have his hands full.

Without waiting for an answer, Henk reached behind him and unclasped the buckle on his back. With a loud snap, the armor covering his arms came loose and fell to the ground, leaving the Dreadlord's arms bare to the sunlight peeking through the trees.

"Everleigh!" He called to the glowing purple woman. "See if you can draw him in closer!"

Another look to Erodin, an eyebrow raising as if to ask if he was going to make the reasonable choice, or if he wanted a true free-for-all all.

 

[Erodin]

Sometimes, he hated being so famous.

The fact that all these little pissants seemed to know his name grated on him for some reason. Perhaps because he'd rather have heard each of them scream in bloody agony than hear his own moniker from their mouths.

Yes, that was it.

His fingers tightened on his sword, the Linnorn shifting and flexing it's muscles as it's massive form began to try to dredge itself free. Head ferociously fighting back and forth as it tried to snap at the ghostly creature still holding it's in place.

The beast so harrowed that it was invariably becoming overwhelmed. Even as Everleigh underwent her transformation, the others launched their quick attacks. The Draconic beast struggled, lashing out as often and as hard as it could. Smashing it's body against the wraith like turtle beast and suddenly shattering it and breaking free.

Erodin, who had been about to launch into half a tirade about slaughtering the lot of them let out a hiss.

Almost immediately the air began to warp, and within seconds three huge eagles suddenly appeared. Each of them swooped down, crashing into the Linnorn and picking at it like a swarm of bees. Pecking, grasping, tearing in hopes of distracting the monster as the others began to assault it.

"TAKE IT DOWN ALREADY!" Erodin shouted, his voice booming out of frustration.

He needed to fucking kill something.

His rage began to build, eyes flickering with a wisp of blue. Surrounding him one of the wraiths flickered into being for just a brief moment. A great, strange looking toad. It's massive body seeming to cloak Erodin for a second before it disappeared and the Dreadlord launched himself forward.

Ignoring Everleigh's warnings and darting towards the struggling and lashing dragon.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Erodin? Of course Everleigh recognized the name once she heard it. Henk was lucky he had such a loud voice or Everleigh was going to miss his instructions with her ears still ringing.

Would blasting it do anything? She was certain, if this thing was living, that she was weakening it. But that was her thing with her magic, it wasn’t just her arcane reserves but her body as well. The blood sliding down her arms in crimson rivulets would float away to add in the acidic mist surrounding the overgrown worm.

Augustine’s ice attack seemed to keep it at bay, giving her the time she needed to pull her sword out from its sheath.

“Fuck off, fucking old ass fucker telling me what to do,” more expletives came from her mouth as Everleigh cursed not only Erodin but everyone else. “Take it down already, no shit.” She continued mocking. She gripped the blade with one hand, gritted her teeth, and sliced her open palm open. How about he took it down already? Erodin: the Breaker of Will? More like Erodin: the Biggest Whiny Baby.

The blood on her sword didn’t drip off the blade. She waited for Augustine’s large spikes of ice to hit the monster before heading into the fray herself, careful to not be in Henk’s way and draw the beast closer by being bait. And if Erodin died from her acid? Good— she’d celebrate it later.

“AUGUSTINE, TO THE LEFT!” Everleigh shouted, using her free hand to gesture what she wanted. Henk wanted the beast closer? Then they’d do just that and herd the ugly thing right to him.

Augustine Verglas Lumen Henk Erodin

 

[Augustine Verglas]

Augustine raised an eyebrow as he watched Erodin’s familiars struggle with the creature. It was certainly no easy task to hold such a beast in place and he wondered how he would even accomplish such a feat. He distinctly heard Henk shout to lure the beast closer.

Nearby, Everleigh began to engage the creature with her toxic poison, the creature thrashing about and weakening under the assault of multiple Dreadlord class mages. His own attacks were also finally seeming to get through the beast’s thick hide with several large ice spikes sticking out of the creature’s mid body.

What a hassle this was turning out to be. “Hopefully something or someone here manages to kill Erodin”, he mumbled to himself as he moved towards Henk to respond to Everleigh’s request. To move the beast closer to Henk, Augustine raised a hand, open palmed, and the air around the beast on three sides filled with small spikes of ice, roughly the size and shape of an arm.

Sweeping his hand downwards, the spikes began to fly towards the creature at blinding speed, impacting it like razor sharp spears. The creature roared in fury in response and began to move in the direction opposite the hail of spikes, which put it heading to the left towards Henk, and notably himself. If you wanted good bait, it was at times best to use yourself.

 

[Lumen]

Fuck off, fucking old ass fucker telling me what to do,”

Despite their differences and Proctor Ebersol's disdain for Lumen, in that moment Lumen wanted to cheer for the older student. Even though the old man still scared her a mighty healthy amount. Even with her fellows around. Even with the old man distracted by their common foe.

As the enraged dragon lunged toward herself and Henk, Lumen stepped forward and sought to significantly lower the beast's internal temperature. It wouldn't be as merciful as she'd tried doing to Everleigh. There wouldn't be coming back from this like the proctor had been able to. This was meant to kill the creature from the inside out.

Or at least slow it significantly down, just like she'd taken care of the reptiles outside of Vel Cirak.

"Don't get too close," she warned to her own. "Or you might get freezer burned."

 

[Henk]

The fury in Erodin's eyes at being addressed so casually was apparent, but Henk knew that the exile at least partially saw the logic in his words when he wasn't immediately attacked in retaliation. Fighting one another would only see them all killed by their mutual foe; a temporary alliance, however fleeting, was the best option.

Everleigh swore up a storm as she combated the Dragon-beast, offering a colorful plethora of choice words for the lot of them as she quickly slit her palm and readied more of her toxic brand of lethality to try and guide the creature's movements. Augustine played his part too, herding their target with a rain of piercing spikes. The two of them were quite an effective team, Henk noted.

He'd just have to make sure they lived to put that chemistry to full use in return for their help.

As Erodin charged forward with a newly summoned flock of sharp-taloned eagles to support him, Henk brought his hands to his side and quickly went about gathering all of the excess energy he had left from Lumen's support, while also drawing in what he could from the sky above. He'd only tried this once before, and while it had been effective, it had also incapacitated him for nearly a week after the fact.

Hopefully, the experience he'd gained since that battle would serve him well now.

Thanks to the efforts of his comrades, the beast was now practically charging directly towards him. Lumen stepped forward and began attacking the bastard herself, slowing, but not stopping him. Once again, she proved invaluable, giving him that moment of time he needed to bring every ounce of magic he had through his arms and into his hands until he could feel the light practically arcing between his fingertips.

Henk waited for the pain to hit, the searing sting of fire in his chest, and the aching feverish headache that came with the intense temperatures underneath his skin. Then he outstretched his arms in front of him as far as he could, letting out a roar and releasing all that he had.

Two beams of both light and flame intertwined erupted from his hands, narrow at first, widening to massive proportions as they neared Henk's target. The expulsions of magic soared through the air like a pair of hulking incandescent serpents that sought a meal of the Dragonbeast in front of them. When they collided with its flesh, he pushed harder, stepping forward to drill the searing light into the monster's flesh, aiming to burn a hole straight through the damned thing at best or knock it off balance at worst.

But he wouldn't be able to maintain this kind of furious assault for very long. Already his arms began to cry out in pain.