Impetus (Peregrine x Ragamoofin)

As Jukheyr once more took the pressure off of her, Amaris turned her attention back towards the bloody weave that surrounded their battle. Every second the birdbrain bought her was another second Amaris could devote to strengthening this trap. As long as the trap was strong enough to hold him, then Thumil would eventually fall. To Amaris, it was far more a question if Jukheyr's energy would hold out for the length of the fight.

All the same, Thumil wasn't going to forget about her, and Amaris didn't have the intention to give the Wildling the chance. As the sharp needles of blood continued to barrage him, and were countered by wave after wave of sap, Amaris diverted some of the blood to begin forming a construct behind her.

If Jukheyr had a second to spare, he would quickly recognize the bloody mass that was taking shape behind Amaris as the construct she'd created for him to inhabit earlier that morning. The blood wove into muscles, limbs, claws, and teeth, before she severed her connection to it in one fluid movement. For a second the construct stirred, before it let out a soundless roar from its position behind Amaris' back. It crouched, before jumping forwards over Amaris' head and charging towards the Widling.

However, less than an instant later, one of the rays of light that had been causing Jukheyr so many problems blasted in Amaris' direction, crashing against her construct. Its bloody form instantly began to boil, and the golem let out another soundless scream as it attempted to push its way forward through the attack.

However, it was obvious at a glance that her construct was going to come out for the worse in this particular encounter. Every second its size shrunk by a couple of inches, and its clawed feet were even slipping backwards across the ground in the face of the light's intensity.

Normally, Amaris would not have minded taking the shot by herself. It wasn't as though it would be able to do any long-term damage to her. But right now, Amaris was unwilling to risk going unconscious, even for a second. Her connection to the bloody wall was strong, but if that connection were to crumble, the wall would fall just as easy.

Amaris was not fond of wasting effort.

The blood around Amaris began to move again, flowing towards the golem and quickly rebuilding its failing form. The silent struggle between the bloody construct and the ray of light went on for several seconds, until the beam slowly began to fail. With a silent scream of victory, the golem began to push forward against the attack, charging towards the Wildling.

Amaris glanced away from the fight, not really concerned about how the golem would fare against the Wildling. It was little more than a distraction. Instead, her eyes turned towards Jukheyr, one eyebrow raised curiously. She was waiting to see if the phoenix had any better tricks in its bag than explosive attacks.
 
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The onward press of tension and magic seemed to be at a stalemate against the Wildling; try as they might, Thumil was meeting them at every attack, whether it be in a counter or yet another way to elude being touched. Bothersome as it was, Thumil was not without a respectable amount of skill in it's magics, but Jukheyr would wager even skill had a limit. Time was of no concern, Thumil would relent sooner or later. It's draw of strength from the forest gave it the upper hand, but this was no fair fight.

Earth found its melting point and was absorbed into the bisected form of Jukheyr, replenishing the parts of it that had been blasted out by Thumil's sunbeams. Hacking, Jukheyr spat out a scorched chunk of earth, little more than regurgitated magma on the grass. Quick as ever, Jukheyr took to soaring, sensing a clash of extremes just ahead.

And what a clash it was. Jukheyr took in the sight as it floated on the thermals it created, the ever-present hurl of the wind keeping it close to the treetops. Amaris' wall continued to climb over them, all under the notice of Thumil. It's eyes narrowed at the crystals bobbing around the Wildling, their persistent flares beating against - oh, really?

The sight of the blood golem filled Jukheyr with the makings of anger, maybe even fury before - the internal fire quenched. It sensed an irony about the struggle of blood and light. Here was the Wildling, fighting against the thing it had been hours before.

Jukheyr chuckled, a lustrous sheen over it's back as it changed tactics, drawing heat from the same source as the Wildling. Sunlight fed into it's feathers, a new warmth cloaking the phoenix, growing into a tremendous shadow below.

As the shadows fell, so did the Wildling's sunbeams. Thumil, taking on the juggernaut as a priority, had focused the majority of it's levitating crystals at Amaris' creation. Blood was an awfully human thing to throw at it, no matter the form it took. Blood could dry, blood could harden, and it would boil in the woman's veins once it was done with her puppet.

It proved to be easier said than done. For every step the golem gained, Thumil's sunbeams were weaker, the space between them shrinking closer and closer as Amaris fed more of her accursed blood into it. It was - ridiculous, she was just a mere witch with foul blood in her body.

The crystals drew closer together as the golem neared, their remaining light being sapped by the overcast of Jukheyr's body. Thumil forced them to keep on their charge, the scent of dried blood choking the air, the shed blood staining the ground. Thumil grit it's teeth and focused, feeling the light slip from it's hold. "Stop," Thumil spoke, quietly. One could've imagined it, but the next one - "Stop it." - was heard above everything.

Just as the few it had designated to fire at the idol held their charge, those joined the ones around Thumil as it concentrated the whole of it's attack against the golem. "Stop! Enough of this struggle, it will mean -" Thumil's crystals dimmed, their beams shorter, heat dissipating into the bulk of blood. "Nothing! Foolish witch, you really believe your - toy can compare to my power!?"

Hanging in the air, Jukheyr studied the scene, enjoying the pressure Thumil was suddenly feeling. It almost laughed. If it was weakening already, this might've easier than it thought.

Meeting Amaris' eyes, Jukheyr recognized the silent gesture. It was aware that, despite pushing back against Thumil's initial attack, this wasn't working. They had yet to get the Wildling out of it's comfort zone, and considering how that included all of the forest, it was going to need to get creative to force the imp into a corner.

Jukheyr eyed the ground, already dripping in the mess of Amaris' blood, sap mixing red as it oozed over the grass. Jukheyr gazed at Thumil, standing strong, even with Amaris' blood golem within arm's reach. It eyed the ground, and mused darkly.

"Amaris," it's voice seemed to be over the witch's shoulder, it's presence filling the air around her for but a second. "Go high."

Shifting it's weight, rippling magma becoming it's talons, Jukheyr fell through the air, wings propelling it to the ground. It caught a final glimpse of Thumil and Amaris' struggle as the ground neared, the Wildling still pressuring it's crystals to fire even as the beams were no more than flashes. It screeched, and sunk into the earth, ground turned molten and black as Jukheyr vanished under the surface.

The landscape shook.

Thumil gave Jukheyr's vanishing a passing glance, it's attention fully on the golem inching closer to it. It's crystals had fashioned at it's chest, a last resort to protect it as the sap - quaked, a solid vibration running through it and back into the Wildling. "What in the -" Words lost, all of it's eyes popped open, the sap hiking under it, launching it into the air and away from the ground just as it warmed and burst.

The head of Jukheyr tore from the ground under Thumil in a sulfurous eruption, the shape of the phoenix dripping with molten stone, spewing lava over the trees as it's wings surrounded the Wildling.

Jukheyr's words seemed to echo again...

"Go high."
 
More and more, Amaris was becoming aware of the fact that the Wildling was entirely oblivious to her true nature, or at least acting the part. They'd only tussled a few times at this point, but Amaris had never been particularly subtle about her strange nature. She'd clashed head to head with Thumil's magic more than enough that she thought the shrub might have gotten a clue about how she fought and why.

But if that was the game it wanted to play, intentional or otherwise, Amaris was more than willing to play along. If it truly was unaware, perhaps that might provide a slip up that Amaris and Jukheyr could take advantage of.

If it wasn't, well. It wasn't like Amaris would have any reservations about walking into a trap.

As Amaris' blood golem continued to beat against the Wildling's defenses, and Amaris added to the assault with the occasional spear of blood flying through the air, she watched Jukheyr dive under the ground, leaving behind a puddle of molten rock in its wake. Her eyes immediately focused in on the ground under Thumil's feet, waiting for any indication of what the birdbrain was planning.

It didn't take long for her clue to come, as the ground near the Wildling's feet heaved up, barely missing the Wildling that had leaped up out of the way. As Jukheyr's veritable eruption pushed it even higher into the air, Amaris was suddenly struck by a burst of inspiration. Her blood golem lunged forward as well, liquefying as it moved before transforming into a geyser of its own. The blood pushed against Thumil's shields, pushing the Wilding further towards the branches, before tendrils of blood suddenly began to descend from the sky.

All around the clearing, pieces of Amaris' blood wall had lifted into the air, forming a crimson cage over their heads. The strands of blood flashed towards the ground like lightning, beginning to coil around Thumil, before pulling sharply upwards. More and more strands followed behind, attempting to wind the Wildling into a bloody ball and hoist him into the air.
 
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The air itself was captured around Thumil's tossed form, it's legs finding invisible holds as it forced the wind to blow harder beneath it; the velocity gave the molten god resistance in it's screeching charge. The Wildling's face was thoroughly annoyed, the carved grooves in it's woody flesh contorted further with it's ire. Jukheyr's upward dive took it just as far as Thumil could go on it's current, the god's maw practically licking at it.

Thumil's eyes grew bright, it's many limbs cringing back at what was sure to be a nasty bite. The wind wavered, albeit shortly, just enough to fall a scant inch. It was unlike the Wildling to be so disorientated; it had fought before, many times before. Yet this...Thumil felt, was not a mere struggle of wills.

This was a fight for it's life.

Red. Thumil saw pure red. It came as a wave, barreling at it from the churning ground.

Thumil followed the flow of blood to it's source, it's maddening pest of a wielder staring back at it. Beyond her, Thumil saw a scarlet along the trees, climbing like ivy into the air and - Thumil's thoughts were interrupted by a wet grip, squeezing like a vice and nearly knocking the air from it's body. A cage, the Wildling thought, she made a cage.

It hadn't noticed. She'd been expanding since they began, and it hadn't noticed. Too busy trying to keep the idol out of the sky, too busy trying to stop her blood from touching it again. Another bloody thread came around it, Thumil's mind catching up and bringing the wind close, tightening the gusts' around it's limbs just as the strands of blood dropped from the top of the cage.

Thumil struggled fiercely, the wind became a dense gale around it, the Wildling's words scarcely heard. It didn't need to be heard, not by either of it's enemies. It called to the mana, to the world, and it's answer was that of a storm.

Static buzzed in the air, and in a blink, it coalesced into a wash of white. The earsplitting thunder came a moment behind.

The bolt of lightning didn't last longer than an ordinary strike, and in the moments after it's impact, Thumil came back into focus. It rested on the wind, cracks in it's flesh oozing golden sap, hands at it's sides and quivering with the rattling charge of lightning. It raised it's hands skyward, and shouted to the storm. Again, the world answered.

A rain of lightning, luminous and destructive in a swift blow, struck Jukheyr. Thunder rocked in the air, the agonized shout of Jukheyr following it. The blast pinned the god to the ground, earth and stone turned to a pit of gritty slag under the intense heat. Jukheyr laid for a moment, then collected itself, only this time there was less to gather. Amaris' eye was sure to be keen enough, but Jukheyr was getting weaker, and with the loss of energy, it's form suffered.

"I don't remember them being able to do that," Jukheyr voiced, sounding...off. "Since when can it do that?"

Above, Thumil heard, and answered, still winding lightning around it's limbs. "I am the keeper of these woods, it is to the wilds that I owe my power." Thumil's hands channeled the lightning, fingertips turning white from the flow of energy. "And by the wilds, my power is vast beyond compare."

Jukheyr leapt up, wings rocketing it airborne, hoping to overcome the Wildling through sheer speed. It merely channeled lightning, it's body couldn't had been to be much faster. Thumil seemed unsteady, and Jukheyr preyed on the sign. If it was weak, they were winning.

Jukheyr braced for the contact of lightning, seeing Thumil's raise it's hands and crackling with arcs of the thunderous power. It came sooner than it hoped, a unyielding stream of heat and spines under it's feathers and the sickening feel of Thumil's magic. The heat filled it with strength, however that was only fuel to push through Thumil's bolt. It only needed to endure, just until Amaris could recover the structure of her cage.

Jukheyr felt a give in the lightning's current; Thumil relenting against it - only to aim it's hands at the the witch herself. Jukheyr's maw split open, to call to her to move.
 
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Amaris' attention was entirely devoted to spinning her net of blood. At first, she felt her heart pounding in her chest, in time to the pulsing of the blood around her. Even more than her fight with Jukheyr, this battle made her feel almost alive again. There was something at stake here, and right now, success or failure rested on her shoulders.

And then she felt as her tendrils of blood coiled around Thumil, winding in close to him, and Amaris knew she had him. With a jolt she pulled him higher into the air, blood rushing in at him from all sides. Her cage pulsed, briefly unraveling slightly before binding around him even tighter.

Amaris felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end in response to the static in the air, as Jukheyr pushed up towards the captured Wildling, the echo of the magic so familiar after their fight last night.

A sudden sense of foreboding filled Amaris, a thought not quite fully formed on the tip of her tongue. Last night. Jukheyr, calling down the storm's power to strike her, while lightning arced through its metallic flesh.

But right now, Jukheyr was fire.

And then the bolt of lightning struck, causing Amaris' hair to float up about her head. It blasted from the heavens towards the phoenix, leaving the air humming in its passage, and Amaris' ears ringing from the crash of thunder that followed a split second later.

But the lightning didn't seem to do much to Jukheyr, and Amaris soon turned her attention back towards the net of blood around her. Amaris was no fool. She couldn't dodge lightning, and some blood golem wouldn't be able to block the blast for her. If Thumil decided to target her, which it would inevitably do, there was little Amaris was going to be able to do to stop it.

And, if Jukheyr wasn't able to get in the way, the lightning would fry her, leaving her mind unresponsive for the several long instances it took until her body would restore itself. If Thumil had struck her first, if she hadn't been expecting it, her cage might have completely collapsed.

But now she had warning, and Amaris took full advantage of the scant moments she had. Her cage shifted and bubbled, before hardening, transforming from a fluid mesh into wires like steel. She solidified it within her mind, so that even if she broke her connection it wouldn't immediately collapse all around her.

She had to hold the Wildling in place. That was all that mattered.

And then the air was humming, the clouds in the sky almost swirling together at the influx of power. Almost as though calling down the strike, Jukheyr's shriek of warning was the last thing Amaris heard before her world went white.

For an instant, the cage seemed to tremble. The bonds around Thumil, still soft under Amaris' control to fight the Wildling's constant writhing attempts to escape, weakened, dripping around the forest guardian. But the blood held strong.

Amaris' eyes snapped back open.

And she found herself staring up at the Wildling, her eyes immediately falling on the one thing she hadn't taken into account. The lightning had come from the sky, and it had blasted a hole right through the top of the cage, shattering through the weak bloody threads that made up the top of the dome. And Thumil was already racing towards that one, small gap in her trap.
 
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Jukheyr watched the lancing bolt strike Amaris, it's attention torn away from the Wildling for the sight of the witch thoroughly cooked by the attack. It hadn't been worried about her; it knew from experience that she would be fine, regardless of what happened to her. No, the god's concern was for her cage, nearly completed, until Thumil decided to pull lightning from it's invoked storm. Amaris was only harmed for a moment, but that instant was enough for the cage to weaken. Trembling, it looked breakable.

Seemed that was Thumil's plan. Jukheyr had stalled in the air, the sparse time it took to watch Amaris' death and subsequent regeneration - or rather, regression, allowed the Wildling to gain altitude. It was nearing the space in Amaris' cage the lightning had blasted through, not large by any means, but Jukheyr didn't have a doubt the Wildling needed but a foothold to gain the upper hand.

The distracting sting of Jukheyr's lightning had just abated from it's body went it took off again, wings propelling back and sending it like a fiery lance through the air. In the rush of speed, Jukheyr's body lost it's phoenix shape, becoming a thinning streak that tore through the air with a rising whistle. Jukheyr was gaining on Thumil, even in the short amount of time it had to catch up. It looked like Thumil was leaping higher, actually using it's body in tandem with it's gale to race to the opening.

Every moment, every breath, the race seemed be getting close to it's end. Jukheyr was a shining blur, yet Thumil's form was lost among the whirl of the air. Jukheyr would catch it, that much seemed certain. The phoenix was practically the shadow of the Wildling, and in their brief chase, it clear to see Thumil had tired in their struggle.

The wind Thumil rode on began to sizzle, the drizzle stolen from the air evaporating under the heat of Jukheyr. The streak burst open, the wake of its explosion shaping into points, a corona coming around the Wildling.

From within the fire, a deadly intent focused into a screech.

"Thumil!!"

The Wildling shot away, it's only thought to escape, to survive. Then, the voice called again. Thumil felt it's sap draw sticky and hard against it's body, the living inferno of the god casting it in a immolating light. Thumil's eyes went wide as the fire turned to the god's terrifying visage, eyes crimson against the white-orange of it's body.

"Burn!!"

Jukheyr surrounded the Wildling, fire like growing limbs reaching for it from all angles, everything around it nothing but fire and heat and death. Thumil could feel it, in the smoldering of it's body, horns burning with the light of it's magic. The Wildling's eyes snapped up, to the hole in the witch's cage, Jukheyr teasing it with a view of what was going to be it's escape.

As the fire crept over it, the flesh of it's body smouldering, the Wildling pushed the pain from it's mind and cried to the world. It's magic was a pulsing light, horns smoking yet glowing still. Beckoning, pleading to the world to help.

The winds changed, pulling to the Wildling, a horrible sound like thunder splitting the air. as a wave of pressure struck at Jukheyr with all the force of a whirlwind. Sharpened like a blade, the wind cut into the phoenix, a cry of pain coming from the god as it fell - in pieces.

Thumil watched the god fall in two, looking shocked - perhaps at the realization that it may have just felled a supposed god. The slash had torn Jukheyr at the middle, it's talons falling away as molten slag as it's wings twitched, the air cutting even those in half. Thumil didn't waste another a second on the sight, it's back turning yet it heard the impact of the god.

"You dare to waste my time with these-" Thumil broke into a growl, it's teeth coming together, nearly shaking from the force of it's ire. "Annoyances!?" A hand, scorched and pointing at the slain god. "You cannot stop me, and any witch you side with shall share the same fate!" It's hands came apart, at it's sides, eyes glowing and hands gathering the static in the atmosphere. "You are in my domain, and here," Thumil spoke, stopping, the sky darkening from the churn and ripple of the storm above.

"I am god."

Thumil took again at the pair on the ground, all six hands aiming at them, fingers twirling electric arcs, charging what might've been it's biggest yet. The Wildling pointed at Amaris with the hands on one side, Jukheyr with the other. The air began to hum, the crackling arcs building and with a thrust-

The air shook, a booming vibration coming from above, the heat in the air rising to unbearable heights. And in a flash, Thumil fell to the earth.

A cloud of fire and smoke burst up from the Wildling's fall, a plume of black smoke rising higher than the cage. The winds shifted, and extinguished the flames, Thumil emerging the crater it had made looking pained. It had taken a wash of flame, the healthy bark of it's flesh looking more like kindling, ash falling from it where it had been utterly burned.

Breathing raggedly, Thumil's eyes, the few that hadn't been rendered black in the scorch, found Jukheyr. The bifurcated god shook it's head.

"I didn't do that."

Above, a voice chimed in.

"You didn't."

Descending from the hole in the cage, wings of fire careful not to touch the climbing edges, a familiar ruffle of membrane came into view followed by hair like a plume of smoke.

"I did," Ansell said.
 
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As Amaris watched Jukheyr fall from the sky, even as she saw her cage of blood quickly closing back in over the Wildling, Amaris resigned herself to a long fight. If the two of them didn't have the burst damage to take down the Wildling in one fight, then it was going to be a war of attrition. And while such wars were Amaris' forte, she could not say she relished the months or even years it might take to uproot every tree in the forest, and drown every creature in its own blood, until Thumil was left with no domain to call his own, and no power for it.

All the same, she prepared herself for that fight. Amaris was not someone who made an oath lightly, and she upheld her promise. She had come out here to see Thumil slain, and she would see that duty through to the end. Whatever it took.

So Amaris stared down Thumil as it cried its victory to the skies, disdain filling her eyes. "You're no god," she told Thumil, the words reminiscent of the vitriol she'd spat at Jukheyr last night. "Not if you're still on this plane."

However, as Amaris braced herself for Thumil's attack, and for the bloody, drawn out battle that would follow it, she came to realize a moment later that the reversals in this fight still hadn't come to an end. Her eyes narrowed into slits against a sudden burst of fire that lit up the sky, and sent Thumil crashing to the ground a moment later. Like the shrub and the bird, her gaze turned upwards.

"Ansell," Amaris said, her tone almost accusatory. "I thought you weren't going to fight."

Was the boy here to get in their way? To plead for the life of a creature that would take his own in a moment if given the opportunity? Amaris watched Ansell with her eyes still narrowed, gaze flicking between the boy and the downed Wildling. However, that didn't stop her from taking advantage of the brief respite to rebuild her cage, blood pulsing out of her wrists in a steady flow.
 
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Fittingly enough, Ansell somehow managed to look timid under the pressure of Amaris' reminder. He avoided her brief glare, his burning gaze pinned on the downed Wildling. Still, he apologized. "Sorry if I'm dropping in at a bad time," he began, slowing his descent with a flex of his sweeping wings. He stayed beneath the weave of climbing red, wings guarding the closing space that had nearly been Thumil's escape. "But I figured I'd better help."

Drifting closer to the ground as the gap in the cage was eventually too small for anyone to slip through, Ansell gave Thumil's smoking form a seizing glare. In turn, the Wildling growled deep in it's body at the sight of him, pain of it's scorched flesh forgotten for the rage it felt. "Look at you, boy, going against your word." Thumil's teeth were bared at the phoenixborn, snarling each word. "I suppose you think your stolen power makes any difference here?"

What should've instilled fear in the boy - only stumped him. Eyebrow quirked, Ansell gave a passing glance towards Amaris. "No? I don't-" Shaking his head, Ansell cast aside the thoughts. "No, I'm here to stop you!"

The Wildling scoffed. "Yet another body among the trees."

Ansell squared his jaw, fire at his talons burning brighter at the threat. "I will stop you." Fire swirled about Ansell, reaching a luminous peak at his talons, white hot and shrieking in it's intensity. And then, Ansell relented.

"Thumil, you're outnumbered and you're really hurt," Ansell's voice trembled, "Stop this. No one else has to get involved."

For a moment, Thumil observed Ansell, the confusion in it's features clear even when half of them were burned to ash. Then it laughed, booming and hallow. "Your naivety has no bounds, does it, boy!" Green light flooded from it's body, even it's oozing sap took on the emerald glow that radiated from it. "But even I have limits to my patience, and your interference-" Gritting it's teeth, the green extended beyond it's injured parts, it's flesh following and healing. Ash was purged from it's body as it regrew it's body, the light dimming when it had recovered. It chuckled at the shocked expression Ansell wore, all six hands tracing on the air. "Is more than I can forgive."

With hands striking like snakeheads, the static in the air gathered and arced in Ansell's direction, light and heat and concussive sound exploding out all at once. The strike was all but immediate, the cage swaying from the lingering force of the blast. Thumil seemed pleased with itself, hands falling to it's sides, observing the cloud of smoke that hung in the air. "Just as predictable as your parasite," the Wildling tutted it's tongue. "A pattern of weakness runs through you both-" Thumil's words hung in the air, it's attention snapping to the cloud of smoke.

It churned, shrinking closer and closer until a figure was shrouded in it, light burning from within and in a dazzling scatter of sparks, Ansell was there. Unharmed, strangely enough. Not amused, very much so. He gave a sigh, eyes falling to Jukheyr, not a fleck of concern coming to his face.

"I really wish you hadn't done that." Ansell lamented, and with a short jab of his hand, the air wailed with the cascade of flame that followed it. The heat grew unbearable, moisture evaporating and wind turning blazing. Washing out at the Wildling, the flame moved through the air in wild, unpredictable flurries, surrounding and swallowing the Wildling.

The explosion was, with so much power behind it all, inevitable. Smoke filled the cage, ground quaking further from the latest impact of flame. It shook for a second time when Ansell landed, wings taking him to the ground instantly. Settling near Amaris and the felled Jukheyr, Ansell gave them both a glance, eyes falling back to the smoldering crater - Thumil wouldn't be down long, and they couldn't give it time to recover again.

Looking back to Jukheyr, a frown made it's way to Ansell's face. "You sure picked a good time to play the victim," Ansell said, without any true venom to his words, a heated sigh behind them. "I knew I should've known you wouldn't last for long without me here," Ansell muttered, reaching out to the upper half of the phoenix. "Not much of a heavy hitter if you go too far, huh?"

Watching Ansell's hand press through it's plumage, Jukheyr had the boldness to not look alarmed, only annoyed at the nagging. "It's not my fault you want to play the bystander," it chuffed, feeling the thrum of Ansell's power enriching it's form, feeding fire and strength into it. It grew quickly, Ansell having more than enough to restore it. "About time you put that power of yours to good use."

Tearing his hand out of Jukheyr's molten chest with a cry of protest from the phoenix, Ansell stood and looked away from it. "Doesn't matter, now, does it? I'm here and-" Words leaving him, Ansell peered over to Amaris. "I'm going to fight."

Jukheyr manifested at his side, flames looking bright again. "Good," it said, cocking it's head towards the crater, the wind shredding through the smokescreen. "Care to finish the job with that one?"

Ansell hesitated answering. "...If I must."

Jukheyr spread it's wings, heat building beneath it and in a gust of scalding air, it was airborne. It flew fast, reaching the speeds it had maintained at the start of the fight. Instead of waiting for Thumil to show, it cried and let it's maw be filled with fire. It spewed at the crater, streams of blaze turning rock to slag. The shift of the wind and subsequent burst came with the Wildling's leap, fleeing the crater and channeling that pesky green through it's body, healing and - smoking, Ansell's own scarlet blast coming from it's side, knocking it back to earth in a shuddering crack.

Hands white with the radiant flame, Ansell lowered them, eyes falling down the point of his fingers. "Just keep this, uh- cage thing strong," Ansell advised Amaris. "We'll take care of the rest!" With a thrust of his wings, Ansell took flight, joining Jukheyr in the aerial attack.
 
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As Ansell blocked off the hole through Amaris' cage, something almost resembling a smile of pride spread across the bloodwitch's face. It was obvious that she was satisfied with the boy's decision, pleased with his resolve to finally come and fight. She knew it couldn't have been an easy choice for him, but Amaris firmly believed it was the right choice.

As the blood continued to flow from her, the hole in the cage rapidly shrunk, and then sealed off completely. There was an expression of ease on Amaris' face, now that Thumil's escape had been closed off. She hadn't wanted to hunt the Wildling through every part of the forest, and was glad that it looked like they'd be able to resolve this quickly.

With Ansell's arrival and Jukheyr's revival, Amaris was quickly upstaged on the fight. However, this obviously didn't bother the woman at all, as she stepped back from the fight. Pure firepower wasn't her strong suit, after all, so there was no sense in her competing with the two firebirds for the chance to fight the shrub.

No, she'd keep her attention on the cage, and make sure that one little lightning strike wouldn't be able to carve another hole through her bindings.

Amaris nodded in response to Ansell's promptings, stepping further back until she was almost touching her wall. All the same, she cast one final word of warning to Ansell before the fight resumed again.

"Don't be merciful."

And then she stepped back into the wall, the blood seeming to reach out and eagerly grab for her. It dug into her shoulders, down along her back, into her legs, and the blood began to carve the runes on her wrists all over her body. The wall seemed to pulse for a moment, as though it had turned into a heartbeat, before a veritable tidal wave of blood rushed out from Amaris' location. The blood wove in to the rest of the cage, transforming from a thin net into a wall of crimson. Rapidly, the solid waves of red began to climb upwards, aiming to fully seal the battlefield in a world of blood.

No, Amaris wouldn't allow Thumil to break free again. She'd keep the cage strong.
 
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"Don't be merciful."

Ansell had heard Amaris' words; it was hard to not pay attention to everything when he was like this. Full of power he didn't quite understand, his own temper not benefiting from the dizzying rush of tension in the air. He couldn't be merciful, not now. Thumil hadn't, anyway.

And speaking of the Wilding...

It was up again, wind throwing away the smoke of it's impact, jade light enveloping it and restoring it - good, Ansell thought. They might've been enemies, but that didn't mean he enjoyed seeing the inner workings of Thumil. His fire had burned, pierced it deeply, and yet - Ansell's eyes caught the gleam between Thumil's fingers, the quickly absorbed static that covered the finer hair on his body. Without losing momentum, Ansell's wings came around him and shielded him from the crackle of lightning.

Without even a puff of smoke, the lightning seemed to just phase into him, electric energy turning to power. Stronger, his movement that much faster, Ansell cut through the air and found Thumil with his hands around the Wildling's neck. Their wake was a luminous bolt, second short and crashing into the far trees.

Ansell, mind still catching up, peered down at his effectively pinned foe. The Wildling stared back, smile - face, gone. There was green running over it's body, and there was it's mocking smile. "Only just met and already you serve another master?" It tutted it's tongue, as if Ansell's claws weren't trying to burn a hole in it's throat. "Will you fail her as well?"

Ansell's wings held the the Wildling's body in a blazing snare, melting into the ground for a sure hold. Ansell's features flickered with a passing confusion, his grip shifting until he'd freed a hand. "Not failing anyone, just stopping you." With a slash of his hand, Thumil's voice ripped from it's body with a scream, it's left side scorched into uselessness by Ansell's fire.

Thumil's eyes went skyward, cursing from the pain in it's body and the unfortunate sight of the witch's cage. It had gone practically solid with just how much she'd let into it; sunlight was but a dull glow under it. "You - you expect this to be my grave, then!?" Clawing into Ansell's side with it's other set of arms, it found little success with that, it's hands burned to nubs before even touching the pesky child. "And you, my killer?!"

That seemed to hit Ansell all too hard, his grip on the the Wildling loosening - and all it needed was a slip-up. Thumil's magic had restored it's hands - some of them. The ones that had came back were scattered over it's sides, many others looking pruned. It channeled the storm, the gales it still commanded blowing out at Ansell. With a cry, Ansell soared under the the Wildling's power.

A gleaming red filled the air, Thumil reacting with the good eyes on it's face and bringing the winds to extinguish the airborne fire. Jukheyr wasn't far behind the failed assault, the phoenix charging in with Ansell on it's tail.

The three clashed, wind and fire lashing around them, smoke and debris launched into the air.
 
Focused on her cage of blood, eyes covered by a red haze, Amaris lost track of the battle. She'd been fighting alone so long that it was an odd sensation, leaving others responsible for a battle she'd started. But, as unexpected as the realization might be, she trusted Ansell, and she trusted Jukheyr. At least for this fight, she and the birdbrain were aligned.

It wasn't until she'd reinforced her bloody wall several times over, setting up pulsing tubes reminiscent of veins that would transfer blood from point to point should any section of the wall come back under attack, that the bloodwitch turned her attention back to the battle.

Jukheyr, Ansell, and Thumil were colliding repeatedly, bursts of magic and energy exploding out from every point of contact. Ansell and Jukheyr were surrounded by the brilliant orange glow of flame, filled with the smell of charcoal and burning pine. Thumil glowed with an equally bright green light, the singed bark that covered his body replaced by dripping sap and then restored to young wood. However, despite it being a two against one fight, the Wildling was obviously holding its ground.

It wasn't that Ansell and Jukheyr didn't have the firepower, quite literally, to take on the shrub. It was simply that Thumil wasn't making it easy for them to ever land a solid strike. Even though the area within Amaris' cage had long since been cleared of trees and plant matter, the forest was still Thumil's home ground. Plants bloomed, absorbing the might of Ansell's fire before withering away, and the Wildling had long since switched away from the bursts of lightning, which only seemed to feed Ansell's power. Instead, the shrub blocked and smothered their attacks, darting from place to place around the clearing before launching another attack.

Amaris frowned. While drawn out battles were her forte, she knew from their several encounters that neither Ansell nor Jukheyr had an infinite supply of energy. The longer this fight was drawn out, the worse things would be for them. And while Thumil also could not truly fight forever, the shrub had the power of the entire forest to draw from.

If Amaris wanted this fight to end well, she was going to have to think outside her usual box. She was going to have to think of a way to end this fight quickly.

She still doubted she could fight blow to blow against Thumil. But with his attention turned towards the other two, there was definitely something she could do to help.

Like a wave, blood slowly began to seep from her wall, covering the ground in a thin film of crimson. All across the earth, narrow tendrils began to reach upwards, moving slowly through the air, seemingly almost at random, until one of them brushed against bark as Thumil lowered himself down from another clash against the firebirds.

Instantly, like a trap snapping closed, the blood began to move, winding up Thumils many legs, before yanking the wildling towards the middle of the cage. It was almost a reproduction of the move Amaris had used before Ansell had arrived, but there was one major difference between this attack and the last one.

This time, after her work building up the wall, Amaris had a lot more blood to work with.
 
The Wilding's mind, fully in the fight, was ripped back into thinking as the wind pulled around it. Not by it's own power, but by the raw, living tendrils of the witch. It spat a groaning venom, words escaping it as it raised a hand to smite the wretched woman. It's hands rose, still raw and oozing sap from the last of the idol's molten spew, green just barely coating it's limbs. It's fingers began to work, and before it so much as muster the mana, it's arms were trapped. Tightly, a knotting mess of blood had covered it, it's bark showing more red than green, the Wildling hardly having the mind to.

Frustrated, pained and head thrown to the blocked sky, Thumil screamed.

The world didn't answer.

It landed in the center of the dome with a wet thud, golden sap running green with how much magic the Wildling had channeled. It healed, leaving a slick layer of opaque green; mana turned solid with the sheer concentration. Thumil's form had been changed during the fight, now it was missing most of the bark on it's body, looking raw and skinned alive.

The climbing tendrils had since reached it's neck, Thumil resisting a shudder as some of them crawled inside it's healing bark. It's glare dug into Amaris like talons, an intent of hate in it's still healing eyes. "You-"

Suddenly, a whirlwind of flame erupted around it, a second beam of lancing fire cut through it, Thumil's form lost to the smoke that billowed from it. The beams didn't let up, but beneath even the flow of fire, neither did the glow of green. Above, where the treetops once were, Jukheyr and Ansell kept up their assault, sharing a mutual pang of annoyance at the fight.

Jukheyr's voice cut into Ansell's mind in a roiling cloud.

Is that seriously the best you can do? Put your that blasted heart of yours into it!

I am putting my - shut up, why don't you come up with something more throwing slag at them!?

Physically, the two shared a glance of annoyance with each other before turning their attention back to the very much bound and thoroughly roasted Wildling. It seemed stunned, but it's magic was back in effect, replacing more of it's body with that slippery green. Amaris' bloody bind replenished itself, returning to strength in moments, weaving tighter around Thumil's form. Ansell felt Jukheyr's amusement at that, his brow cocking.

You're impressed? Wow.

Jukheyr met his gaze again, fire in it it's eyes - and everywhere else.


She's a competent witch, unlike my host.

Oh, piss off.

They took off together, soaring through the air, finally relenting in their fiery shower at the sight of everflowing green. If they could only stop it from being able to channel it, they'd win. Thumil was no pushover, Jukheyr had learned that, Ansell found himself discovering it's power alongside it. He didn't want to find out if that power could outlast his and Jukheyr's own. They had to stop it, they had to end it.

Jukheyr found a dark pleasure in Ansell admitting that to himself.

Finally wised up? That little imp is quite the devil, aren't they?

Thumil won't stop...we've hurt them so much but it won't-​

You want to protect Ilsworth, don't you? Your family, the - other people, even her.

But - it keeps healing! How are we supposed to stop that?

Jukheyr observed the Wildling, green sliding where it's bark once grew, a measure of disgust growing in it from the sight. Still, it wasn't healing anymore. It had long gone past that, it's body damaged to to point where it was merely torso and a head upon a body of green.

We keep leaving something from it to grow from. We can't leave a trace of it, no matter how small.

What...? Can we even do something like that?

We can...together.

Ansell caught Jukheyr's stare across the air, mind racing with just what Jukheyr meant.

Together? You don't mean-

Our strength is split, boy, we need to be one.

Ansell broke his stare to look down to the Wildling, looking none too pleased with it's circumstances and healing faster. There wasn't much time to think, to prepare, and Thumil grew stronger with every second he hesitated.

Ansell.

The boy looked back up, Jukheyr's form losing definition on the edges, a testament to just how close it was to losing itself. It couldn't take much more, and neither could he.

Please.

Ansell's eyes fell down, to the trapped Wildling, to the bloodied witch keeping it so. Ansell's wings readied themselves, feathers going rigid as the air turned hotter around him. With a breath, he was off, jetting towards Jukheyr and letting his power flow through him. His eyes closed, and there was an all over embrace of heat Ansell could actually feel, and after that, nothing.

And then, everything. All at once, awareness snapped back and sensation hit like a bolt of lightning. Hands, enormous to span the curvature of the blood dome, felt around with talons were immediately tacky with blood. Wings, more than Ansell or Jukheyr had ever had, crowded for space, back against the dome and eyes peering down at Thumil. Eyes of billowing fire, decorating the oddly shaped face of the creature, familiar in the shape of it's face. Much like-

"Ansell?" Came Thumil's voice, eyes just recovering from the flash of the creature's birth, eyes wide and fearful. "What has become of you?"

The creature stared on, a moment of stillness on it's features, and then it was all cringing flesh and fire burning white in it's intensity. It snapped it's neck towards the Wildling, mouth cracking wide open and letting out a cry. On the air, the creature's power became a radiance; destructive in it's purity, the creature cast a great light and consumed the dome in a brilliant flash.

Invisible in the aftermath of it's light, the creature's presence persisted, the power it commanded an overwhelming force that was ethereal and godly.

And fading, fast. The light began to dim as the energy exuding from the creature subsided, it's loss felt as the creature's light retracted back into it, form dissolving back into light. And from the glow, came fire, crackling and red. It sunk deeper, fire retreating until a familiar shape emerged from the amorphous flame. Crimson gave way to flesh, wings settling the boy to the ground before wrapping about him, a smoky burst wrapping around him in a mimic of his clothes from the morning.

Ansell breathed heavily, eyes scanning the charred ground for even a sliver of green. It wouldn't had been hard to spot; the fire had left the interior of the dome charred, ground little more than layers of ash. And still-

Green glistened among the melted rubble. Ansell almost missed it, but there it was, blackened and still alive. Thumil, it's horns burned to the root, had fallen against the ground, nothing below the first pair of arms where it's torso was. Ansell's breath caught, eyes going hot with tears. "Thumil," he whispered, tears falling hot down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry."
 
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After her years in the north, the cold trip down the river, the fog that filled the valley around Ilsworth, the sudden heat was blisteringly intense. Amaris felt the tendrils that bound Thumil begin to thicken and congeal as the liquid was flash boiled away under the intense heat, but it didn't stop there. As the heat continued to rise, and the thickened blood splattered to the ground as it slipped from Amaris' control, the blood began to combust, finally leaving behind nothing but black char.

The wave of heat didn't stop, and Amaris took one desperate gasp of air before the wave of heat hit her wall, and Amaris along with it. And then there was nothing but flames.

Amaris had no way of measuring the time after that point, as she writhed within the flame, thoughts a whitewash of pain. However, when she was finally able to breathe again, to make out the feel of a breeze touching her cheek, there was nothing left in the clearing but blackened ash, a charcoal-stained witch, and Ansell.

Amaris groaned slightly, biting down on the sound only moments after it emerged from the back of her throat, before slowly parting her lips and taking a gasping breath. Her hands trembled for a moment, before she finally stilled and her eyes flashed open. Amaris took a shaky step forward.

It had been a long time since she'd felt that close to dying. Long, bloody experience had told her that, no matter how close she got to the edge, she'd walk away from it unharmed in the end, but it didn't make the experience any more pleasant. The boy's lightning, the fight with Jukheyr, none of it had compared to that burning hellscape. But, so long as she could help it, she'd never let Ansell know. This fight was going to be hard enough on him as it was, without adding in the consequences, however temporary, pushed upon Amaris.

She stopped by his side, hand coming to rest on his shoulder, as her eyes locked on to the faint, glowing green that rested at the center of Thumil's blackened corpse. "There's time to grieve later," she said, voice soft but still firm. "It's time to finish it, or step aside so I can."
 
Ansell had already reduced his sobbing to a quiet sniffle by the time Amaris regained her composure, yet he still gave a jolt when her hand came to rest on his shoulder. He glanced at her, briefly, tears still wetting his eyes, cheeks dirty with the fallout of his smoke. His eyes went wide and he shifted - body turning into a shuddering cloud of heat and smoke and remaking himself near the edge of the crater. He'd turned himself around, back to Thumil, body language protective of it even now. He seemed frazzled by his own movement, but he never turned his eyes off Amaris.

"I'll-" His fists shook at his sides, eventually going still when he collected himself. His left hand opened, right one remaining tight at his side, skin crackling with the force of his fire. His hand became that of living flame, red and jutting out in a constant jet. It was vaguely knife-shaped; double edged and jagged. "I'll do it."

Ansell turned and leapt into the crater, falling into a crouch close to the shambling remains of Thumil; the Wildling was none too pleased at his closeness, growling deep in the wounded hollow of it's throat as he neared. Ansell slowly approached it, holding the quiet flame of his hand away from it. It was mostly for it's own protection, despite how shortly that would last.

Ansell crept towards the Wildling, it's throat not quite healed enough to vocalize beyond it's heaving growls, the green that weakly pulsed in it's flesh rising as a lime spittle. Ansell made a displeased face at it, but kept on. "I'm so sorry, Thumil," the boy whispered, tears darting down his cheeks again. Thumil's eyes were set in a hard glare, narrowing slits in the healing green. "I never thought- I didn't want it to be like this."

The town would be safe, Ansell thought. Without Thumil, he couldn't imagine the attacks would continue. He'd been apart of it's magic, and he'd felt the power that flower fed into him. Even now, he could feel that same power, only it had been cut back to it's source. Thumil could barely hold itself together; it would be a mercy in it's state.

Thumil hissed again, raising an arm to try to swing at Ansell - only to lose it's balance. It's lone hand slipped from under it, parts of it crumbling into ash at the short fall, the brittle limb useless now. It struggled despite it. Ansell breathed, steadying himself. "You've suffer enough," Ansell began, "I'll make it quick."

The air was still at a dull whistle around the jagged flame of Ansell's hand, red breaking way to a brighter orange, luminous and smokeless. Ansell brought his hand over Thumil's head, the Wildling growling with a new fervor under the heat. Sizzling tears dropped from the boy's chin, closing his eyes and reaching towards the green in Thumil's chest.

"Goodbye, Thumil."
In the flash that followed, that seemed to be it. There was a sizzle in the air, and the light began to retreat, receding to the edges of the crater to the hand on Ansell.

And under his hand - turned yet again to flesh - Thumil, eyes peering up at Ansell with a bewildered expression. Hot tears dripped onto it's bark, and it was just barely seen, but the bark's healthy color returned where the tears fell. Ansell was crying, chest heaving from visible stress, hands pressing against the wound on Thumil's chest.

"Thumil," Ansell rasped, voice horse from his sobbing. "P-please don't make me don't this," his voice broke on his words. Naturally, Thumil looked stunned. It's healing eyes glossed over Ansell, his hands on it's chest, the fiery mana in his tears. "There's still time to stop," came Ansell's plea, "No one else has to die for this to end."

Thumil's jade sap seeped from the closing gash in it's throat, it's quiet growls slowly going silent, and then a guttural noise. Another, and then it's voice came through.

"Annnselll," the Wildling groaned wetly, it's stump of an arm raising at it's side, reaching out to Ansell with the burnt end. Ansell's tears welled again, sniffling at Thumil's attempt to rise.

"Oh, God," Ansell gasped, taking Thumil's arm in a gentle hold, careful not to hurt it anymore than he had. "I'm so sorry." Ansell shuffled closer to Thumil, resting on his knees as he slowly took Thumil's other arm in hand. "Just h-hold on, now. You'll be okay, we just have t-" Ansell suddenly choked, green light flashing and leaving him seeing spots and feeling so cold.

Ansell choked again, body disobeying at the splitting pain that ran through him. Ansell fought to take a breath, a bubbling in his throat and tongue swimming in a ashy taste. Ansell spat, trying to clear his throat but getting blood for it. His mind finally caught up and Ansell noticed Thumil's hand at his belly, the faint sliver of green where it's arm had grown through him; crystalline sap had flowed like a wicked sword, slicing into Ansell from throat to hip.

His lungs burned, they felt heavy and it hurt to even try to breathe. Ansell's hands fell away from Thumil, coming to feel around the rigid sap. His mouth hung open, blood already dripping from his lips. His tears rolled and mingled with the trails of blood. Ansell's breath came as a rattle, looking into Thumil's eyes, a coldness to them Ansell had never seen.

The Wildling leaned in, finding leverage in Ansell's body and resting it's head against Ansell's own. They peered into his teary eyes, it's expression one of hate. Spittle foamed at it's mouth and it gritted out a single word-

"Never."

Blood filling his mouth, Ansell blinked away tears and tried desperately to breathe again. His body failed to work around the blade, every attempt earning him another strike of agony. It didn't seem worth the trouble, so Ansell stopped, even with Jukheyr screaming in the back of his mind. Ansell didn't pay much attention; he felt a darkness creeping around his thoughts and the pain, he couldn't think so clearly. He'd never felt so heavy, and everything was...was...

Light. Hot and abrupt and over in a flash. When it was over, Ansell was left alone in the crater.

The boy shook, arms balled into fists at his sides. They opened when he gave a harsh gasp, breathing again without blood in the way. His lungs ached with the pull of scorched air, but having gone so long without it, Ansell couldn't care less about the quality.

Slowly, his eyes came open, wide and crazed and searching. "T-Thumil?" Ansell all but shouted, head spinning and eyes darting about? "Wh-where are -" Ansell's eyes caught green in their corners, looking down and seeing just where it was coming from. In a hideous scar, green had filled his wound, light dimming and smoke exuding from his skin filling in over it. The green, it had to be magic, raw and personal and feeling just like-

"Thumil?" Ansell asked aloud, hand sinking through the smoke to touch the smooth scar. He couldn't have done what he thought; his power had always worked with forces, not bodies. But...in it's state, Thumil had been more magic than body, and Ansell knew that magic now was part of him. His stomach plunged, head swimming with fear and panic and-

"Ansell." The boy's eyes opened, tears in them and catching the light of Jukheyr above him, the god having pulled together an gaseous body of smoke and cinders. It's eyes were burning coals, and they peered down at Ansell. "It's over. You...You did it."

Ansell felt numb. "No...No, I couldn't have. I-I didn't mean to! I was just, God, I was just trying to-" Voice breaking, Ansell clasped his hands over his mouth, feeling sick and dizzy all at once. His mouth felt prickly and soon, all was dark.

"Ansell!"
 
Amaris nodded slightly as Ansell proclaimed his determination to her, and the bloodwitch stepped back slightly, lifting her hand as the young man jumped into the crater.Frankly, she almost would have preferred it if Ansell had let her or Jukheyr step forward at this point; it seemed almost needlessly cruel to force the kind-hearted young man to take the Wildling's life, when he could have simply let her do it instead.

However, Amaris wasn't going to protest his choice. She merely hoped that his decision wouldn't weigh to heavily on him in the weeks, months, and even years to come.

However, as the bright light retreated from the bottom of the clearing and Amaris was able to see past the blinding radiance again, she felt her mood immediately jump from a resigned sort of contentment to shock and frustration. Thumil was still alive, and Ansell was crouched over the Wildling.

"Ansell!" Amaris shouted, hoping the sound of his name would draw the boy back to his senses. "What the fuck are you doing? Kill it!"

But Ansell seemed deaf to her shouts, every scrap of his attention focused on the wounded Wildling. Even from this distance, Amaris could make out the faint green light that was all that remained of the Wildling slowly growing brighter, as Ansell's mercy and the seconds ticking by gave Thumil a chance to heal.

"God's curse it all," Amaris spat out, her frustration cooling into steely determination. She should have known better than to let Ansell go alone. In this regard, the boy was far too weak. She would simply have to take action herself.

Amaris jumped over the lip of the crater, the runes carved into her arm beginning to leak blood. However, after only a few drops emerged, the runes on her arm began to glow faintly, a pinkish crimson that quickly began to darken towards black. Even with Thumil in his weakened state, Amaris' blood would be able to do little to harm him as it was. But, as evidenced by her blood golem from earlier, blood magic was about far more than just manipulating liquid. As the blood leaked from her arm, it was corrupted by the black glow from her wrists, thickening and darkening until it looked far more like tar than blood.

The corrupted blood appeared far more slowly than the usual masses of red blood that pulsed out of Amaris like a heartbeat. However, the blackened blood lashed out towards Thumil like thin, striking snakes, latching onto Thumil even as Ansell scooped the burnt stump up into his arms. The blood quickly began to dig in through the burnt wood, seeking out the Wildling's pulsing, green core.

In that moment, Amaris began to sense that something was wrong. Thumil's defenses fell against her attacks far too easily, and drops of corruption were already at his core, hissing and spitting as they vanished at coming into contact with the green light, causing it to dim faintly. Thumil... wasn't even defending, seeming completely oblivious to the bloodwitch's attacks.

It was like the boy and the wildling were in their own, separate world. It was like...

"Ansell, look out!"

Amaris diverted her blood the instant she felt the Wildling stir, trying to use the bloody bonds to hold back the blade-like sap that had flowed from Thumil's remains. However, the blow slashed through her restraints instantly, slicing scant moments later into the boy's chest.

"Ansell," Amaris shouted again, the words pried from her lips almost against her will. She was still moving, racing towards the fallen young man, hoping she'd be able to once more staunch the bleeding until Jukheyr was able to do something to heal him. Without her maintaining the curse, the black glow vanished from her forearms like someone had blown out a candle, and clean, red blood was already starting to gather around her arms. However, before she could make it even a couple more steps, a wave of light and power burst out from the bottom of the crater, striking into the bloodwitch and forcing her to come to a skidding stop.

When the light finally vanished, and Amaris was able to see again, her gaze immediately locked on to Ansell. The young man, gasping for air as though he'd been drowning moments before, tears streaming down his face, was whole once more. Amaris heaved a sigh, moving forward much more slowly this time.

The bloodwitch didn't fully understand what had just happened, but the result was self-evident. Thumil was gone, truly gone not merely fled, and Ansell was whole again. The fight was over, and Ilsworth could return to its peaceful ways. Ansell could go home, and Amaris could resume her journey to the south.

It was over.

Slowly, Amaris knelt next to the crying boy, and her hand once more came to rest on his shoulder. "It's over," the bloodwitch echoed, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

As Ansell's form crumpled, his eyes dropping closed, Amaris reached out, catching him before he could hit the ground and drawing him in against her chest. A hand came to rest against his wrist, where she felt the steady pulse of life flowing through his veins.

"He's fine," Amaris reassured the cinder phoenix. "Just tired and likely in shock. I'm sure he'll wake up soon."

The bloodwitch sighed, shifting Ansell to have him rest more naturally in her arms. "Let's get him home. Hopefully he'll stay there this time."
 
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Jukheyr's form shuddered and burned cooler; a sigh, although it was unnecessary in it's body, it showed how...relived the phoenix was. "Of course he's fine," Jukheyr said, quietly, not even intended for Amaris to hear. It's burning gaze looked to where Thumil had been, eyeing the melted jade drops that had merged with the crumbling stone. Jukheyr's stare remained for but a second more, then it peered at Ansell, narrowing eyes on his chest. Thumil...was gone, though, Jukheyr wouldn't exactly say dead.

"Just what have you done now, boy?" Jukheyr shook it's head, and looked away from the fool of a boy, back through the ruins of forest surrounding them. "No matter. We need not linger here, but I'll need your...help to get him home." The phoenix suddenly plunged into the ground, it's form spreading out over the ground in a dark smog, rising as a liquid obsidian that branched out enormously. Delicate looking structures emerged from the black glass, thickening smoke filling the gaps in the glass, fire flowing through obsidian like volcanic blood. Feathers bloomed out in billowing smoke, talons of hardened glass sinking heavily into the stone, deep gouges from a feeling flex of them. Jukheyr's eyes were defined now, life-like expressions of black glass in it's skull.

It walked a few steps ahead, it's body heavier, different, more primal and reminiscent of a hunting wolf; a massively powerful body with the feathered head of a phoenix. A strange griffin, one that was undoubtedly impossible in the wild.

Jukheyr lowered it's hind legs, spreading out it's two pairs of wings to clear space on it's backside. It turned it's head to face Amaris, beckoning her forward with a nod. "Get on, and hold the the boy tight." It's eyes found Ansell's face, the boy's expression looking at peace. It stirred something in Jukheyr, something it buried immediately. "He tends to squirm in his sleep."


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The flight home was...quiet. Jukheyr had very little to say beyond warning Amaris of rough patches of wind, it's focus solely on navigating back over the woods. They were close to the mountains, and that was not unfamiliar territory for the God. It had soared far and beyond the mountains, it was easy enough to followed old trails of trees. Ilsworth was within sight in the space of a few hours. Jukheyr had all but glided back, a caution in it's flight that hadn't been there when it had been a storm.

For all it's care, it wasn't too much longer until a increasingly familiar hill and sprawling farm came into view, even under the thin fog that covered the grass. Jukheyr cast a word to Amaris, and took to descending. "Steady." Wind was allowed to flit through it's wings, catching itself on the upward draft as the ground zoomed into sharp focus.

Jukheyr settled smoothly against the ground, wings falling over the grass as it's limbs bent to absorb the impact. It raised it's head, looking towards the window of the house, a golden light from within casting shadows over the glass. They were waiting for him. Jukheyr had a moment's hesitation as it looked away, to Amaris and to Ansell.

"Take him to the door," it advised, "they'll let you in." It looked back to the glow of the window, a scoff coming from it's plumage. "He spent the night telling them about you, don't be surprised when they starting asking questions." They were a curious lot. Harmless, but for someone with the temperament of Amaris, it may prove to be irritating. That'd be funny, at least.

"I'm afraid this is where I won't follow you, Amaris," Jukheyr faux-lamented, hiding the smirk that grew on it's face. "The boy forbids me from even looking at his family, so you'll have to deal with them." It peered over the hill, ears spiking at the far off sound of sheep. "Those sheep haven't gotten a decent run in a while, so I'll busy myself with that."

And so it began walking off, leaving deep impressions in the damp earth. It turned it's head and looked to Amaris, smile black and mocking. "Have fun meeting the folks, Amaris." With a mighty launch of it's wings, Thumil took off into the fog, leaving Amaris with the boy.

Ansell had slept through the flight, and even now, showed not even the slightest sign of waking. He breathed evenly, body relaxed against Amaris, still cloaked in tangible smoke and warm for it. He'd been through a lot in the past few nights, a good rest was what he needed.

The wet steps creaked with Amaris' approach, a sound of shuffling coming from behind the door long before she reached it. It, too, creaked when it peaked open, an eye in the hue of honey staring unblinking at the bloodwitch. It narrowed, as if trying to place her face, and then a spark of realization broke in it, the eye staring at Ansell in the woman's arms. The door came open all at once, an understandably shocked woman standing in the doorway.

"Ansell!"

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The door to Ansell's bedroom was shut behind the woman, her hand coming up to press against her forehead, moving the golden curls that had the first touches of grey in them. "I should've known to go after him," she muttered to herself, eyes traveling the floor. "He's been...exhausted." She looked up, to Amaris, and gave her a smile. "Thank you, for bring him here. I would've thought," She began, cutting herself off and shaking her head. "Thank you...Amaris, right?" The woman laid a hand to her chest, warm smile still on her face. "Hollandria. Please, just call me Holly."

She brushed her hair behind her ear, settling her hands over her stomach, worrying her lips as she looked from candle to candle on the wall. "Ah, are you hungry? I was just about to set out dinner," she gave a sigh, Holly's eyes landing on the doorknob. "I don't think he's getting up anytime soon," she turned her gaze back to Amaris, a small smile on her lips. "Don't be afraid to ask for seconds."
 
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This was the second time in as many days Amaris had been invited to ride on Jukheyr's back, however this time she was far less snarky about the offer. Amaris wasn't tired, that was all but impossible with her nature, but the conclusion fo the fight had left her feeling calm and complete. The successful conclusion of a hunt was always satisfying.

It was a strange sight, to see the thin young woman lifting Ansell off the ground as though he weighed almost nothing and carrying him over to Jukheyr's back, but was nothing compared to what they'd just gone through. In less than a minute, Amaris and Ansell were on Jukheyr's back, and the obsidian griffin took to the air.

Now that the fight was over, and all of Amaris' oaths were complete, she was starting to think about what her next steps were going to be. She still wanted to leave Ilsworth, and preferably soon, but there was no telling when the next merchant ship would come, or if she'd be able to persuade the captain to give her passage. The wait, however long it ended up being, would inevitably be faster than Amaris striking out on foot over the mountains, but she was considering it anyway. She found slow progress far preferable to the wait, even if it would cost her more time in the end. After all, it wasn't impatience that drove her.

Jukheyr's steady flight soon brought them out of the woods, over Ilsworth, and to the hill and little farmhouse Amaris had delivered Ansell to last night. However, this time, the boy couldn't simply hop off Jukheyr's back and head inside. Amaris sighed to herself as she slid off Jukheyr's back, Ansell still held in her arms like a sleeping princess, before making her way up to the door.

"Have fun with your sheep, birdbrain," Amaris replied in farewell, her words unexpectedly affectionate. "I'm sure you'll fit right in with the herd."

The door swung open as Amaris approached, and the bloodwitch found herself confronted with a pair of golden eyes. She pressed her lips together silently, before all but presenting the boy to the mostly closed door. A second later, and a woman Amaris assumed must be Ansell's mother rushed out to see her son.

"He's just asleep," she said to the older woman, almost the same reassurances she'd given to Jukheyr only a few hours ago. "He'll wake up soon."

Amaris had been fully intending to leave as soon as the woman took Ansell from her, but instead found herself quickly ushered inside, the other woman apparently having no intention of taking Ansell from her arms. Instead, Amaris was obliged to carry the boy the rest of the way to his bedroom, before laying him down on the bed and leaving Holly to tuck the boy in. However, once again, she was interrupted before she could head out of the house by the sound of Holly's voice.

"Going after him wouldn't have helped anyone," Amaris replied bluntly. "Least of all him. He's capable of taking care of himself, as little as he might look it, and he would have just had to worry about you if you were in the area."

Despite how weak Ansell had seemed when they had first met, the way he'd panicked at the hounds, and all but cowered upon Jukheyr's descent from the sky, this latest battle had forced Amaris to re-evaluate her assessment of his strength. He could take care of himself, if he could work up the nerve. On the other hand, Holly appeared about as normal as it was possible to get, at least while taking care of a kid like Ansell. And while Amaris acknowledged that the woman could have just as deceptive an appearance as Ansell, or even Amaris herself, she also knew that the kid would have spent most of his time worrying if his mother had gone into those woods to look for him.

She sighed slightly, shook her head. and was just about to say her farewell again when Holly invited her to eat. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't really e..." Jukheyr's words came back to her mind. Curious but harmless. As much as she wanted to leave, start figuring out her next steps, she couldn't willingly disregard their good intentions. Amaris hesitated, before finally sighing and nodding.

"Alright," she finally agreed. "But I only need a bit. There's no sense on you wasting food on me."
 
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Holly's expression told of her confusion, as short lived as it was. Her smile dipped just a bit lower, an understanding nod of her head. "Alright," she said, relenting in her generosity. How much had Ansell told of Amaris to them, one could wonder. Holly extended an arm down the hall, towards the brighter parts of the house, the hall decorated with strings of light, a strange magic binding fire.

"After you," Holly insisted. Seemed manners ran in the family. Holly lead the way to what smelled to be the kitchen, a warm spice in the air of peppers and garlic. Light bled into the hall from the almost sunny kitchen, the strings of still fire high on the walls. A full table sat in the midst of the room, several eyes on Amaris more than Holly.

Holly caught the staring with a clap of her hands, pulling a smiling to her face. "Before you ask, yes. Ansell is fine, but he's very tired from his- outing, so he won't be joining us tonight-"

The table, sturdy looking and made of a dark wood, shook with a clamor of hands found it's surface.

"Is he okay!?" Came the shout of one boy at the table, mouth agape and eyes wide. He was obviously staring at Amaris, even as he asked.

Holly fixed him with a look. The boy settled back into his seat, shoulders slumping under the weight of his mother's stare. Holly waited a moment longer, as if waiting for another outburst. "He's resting. Mind your voice, please." Holly said quietly, instilling that calm into the boy.

"Is he hurt?"" Came another question, this time from a girl, eyes drifting from her mother to Amaris.

Holly shook her head, the girl's relief visible in her sigh. "No, no, he isn't."

Another girl spoke up, "Do you think it was the hounds?"

"We are not going to worry ourselves about the hounds." Holly breathed, obviously relieved to have her son home, but her worry was clear in her face. "Besides, he was in good company, our guest for tonight. " Holly aimed her gaze at Amaris shortly, smile budding on her lips.

A woman sat among the children, her eyes on Holly, Holly meeting her gaze. The woman looked to Amaris, a small smile coming to her face. "So, I take it you're Amaris." She leaned forward, arms resting on the table, chin propped by her hands. "And I take it you're the one who's been giving the hunters hell." She chuckled in her chest, gesturing towards an empty chair between the children. Ansell's seat, no doubt. "Care to join us? Holly's got quite the spread tonight."

Holly left Amaris' side with a laugh of her own, shaking her head at the compliment. She moved towards the stove tops, her hand brushing over the woman's shoulder as she passed. "Goodness, Nala, it's nothing new."

Nala met eyes with Amaris and shook her head. "She's being modest, it's great." Amber eyes going over the kids at the table, she sighed, gesturing towards them as they seemed to all speak at once.

"I'm Raoul!" Said the boy with russet hair falling around his shoulders.

"I'm Meredith!" Came the girl with blond braids down her back.

"I'm Videl!" The girl with dark curls added.

"They've been dying to meet you. Had Rao here worried you'd be gone before he got the chance." Nala said, looking towards her son, the boy's cheeks burning but his excitement was a flame in his eyes.

"Is it true you fought a whole pack of those hounds?" Raoul asked, hands on the table to push himself towards Amaris, Nala reaching across the table to tug him back to his seat.

"It's because the hunters were too scared, right?" Videl asked, just as eager to hear it from Amaris herself.

"Scared? They had to be terrified if they stayed at the inn." Meredith scoffed at the idea of the hunters being brave.

Nala gave Amaris a tired glance. "They're obsessed with the hound story."
 
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Amaris all but froze at the entrance of the kitchen, Holly's gentle promptings the only thing that eventually lured her fully into the room. All of the eyes on her, especially the young eyes, were making her start to think this was a bad idea. It wasn't that their curiosity bothered her; Amaris was more than used to being stared at by this point. No, what worried her was that she wasn't good with children.

Even when she'd been a kid herself, Amaris hadn't played well with the other girls in the village. She'd had a sharp tongue and strict code of honor even then, and her attitude hadn't helped her get along with any of them. Of course, that wasn't going to change now, and she didn't really want to upset Ansell's family when they'd welcomed her as a guest.

Unfortunately, if the gazes on her were telling her anything, it was that she was too far in to back out now. Amaris took her seat carefully at the table, the way she perched on the chair making it obvious she was prepared to get up and leave at any moment. However, three pairs of expectant eyes locked her in place, and after a moment's consideration, Amaris began to speak.

"The hunters were... useless," she said, clearly choosing her words with enough care that it likely would have shocked Jukehyr if the bird had been there to witness it. "I don't know how long they've been here, but if they were worth anything, such weak monsters would have long since been cleared out."

Amaris shook her head in a mixture of exasperation and disgust. "The hounds won't be bothering you for a while, and even if new packs move in, they won't be anywhere near as aggressive."

The fact that it was implicit in that statement that she, and perhaps Ansell, had killed all the hounds in the valley was lost on the bloodwitch, who considered the monsters as something that would normally be far beneath her notice. However, she'd managed to dance her way around mentioning the Wildling's existence, which had been her goal.
 
By the enraptured look all three of them shared, the children at the table were more than satisfied with Amaris' brief explanation. The gift of a young imagination filled the gaps, the three of them immediately talking among themselves, excited and voices overlapping.

"So it's over?!" Raoul asked his sisters, eyes darting between them. It was the expected reaction, despite the inherent violence behind it, but no more hounds would do the town well. Financially, and otherwise.

Meredith was the first to nod, a beaming smile on her face. "Didn't you hear her? They're gone!" Locking hands with her brother, the two jumped in their chairs, the hard stare of their mother affixing both in place.

"Settle down, now, you two. We have a guest, let's mind our inside voices, eh?" Gaze off her children, Nala let her eyes wander back to Amaris, a sympathetic half-smile on her face. "Told you they loved that story," Nala said with a chuckle trailing the end of her sentence. Nala seemed to try to ease the children off the subject, as if taking Amaris' short answers as a sign. Behind her, Holly stole a few glances towards the table, specifically on Amaris. Much like her wife, Holly wore an expression that simply knew.

"Did- did Ansell use his powers?" Videl asked, and like that, the eyes of all were on her. Her shoulders set tight under the watch of her mothers, her siblings looking at her like she'd grown a second head. "He's never - he's always tried to keep it away from us, but we know he can do, uh-" Videl threw her eyes to the floor. "Stuff."

Nala broke the ensuing silence with a dry laugh. "They're pretty curious about that, too."