The Legend of Renalta (IC)

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The Newest Arrival and the Oldest Companion
Featuring Cennick and Kasienka​

Having heard the group being addressed, Kasienka let the conversation between she and Tahlia die as she tilted her head up to find the speaking figure. Shading her eyes with her hand, she smiled to see that someone had joined them on her friend's bequest, or on his cheque. She bid farewell to Tahlia and Faolon before turning Dirge to meet Cennick.

"We are happy to have you, sir. I am Kasienka Ellarion of the Progenitor." She extended her hand to him, keeping her horse still with the other. "I see you have met the one who straggles from us already."

Cennick was almost taken aback by the sudden introduction of the woman and gave her a concerned glance before returning her handshake. "A progenitor, eh?" he spoke tentatively as his eyes looked to her ears, "That's, uh, nice I guess." He sat silent for a moment, as if he wasn't expecting such a warm welcome before continuing, "I have indeed met your friend, he's an, uh, interesting one to say the least. As strange as it may be to say, you're definitely far more pleasant than he. Almost hard to believe you two are travel companions."

Kasienka laughed and began to turn her horse to rejoin the group, assuming Cennick would follow. "He has his moments. Forgive him his eccentricities. Kouri has him as apart of her party so I forgive and forget most of his faults. Hopefully you will too. What brings you here, friend?"

"Friend?" Cennick chuckled as he turned to follow the woman, "Your enthusiasm is charming, but I don't think I'm quite ready to call a woman I have shared less than a few dozen words friend." He made an attempt to clear his throat, "As for your question, my reason for being here is simple, I was hired. I'm aware that's a poor excuse for an answer considering the gravity of the task at hand, but that's all you need to know."

"I am simply grateful to have an added companion, no matter your reason. I'm sure the Princess will express the same gratitude. Perhaps there are those in my group whom you will feel alike to." Urging Dirge forward to reach the back of the party she began to gesture to different members and give a quick description of those she had met while also respecting their secrets.

Cennick examined the people as Kasienka introduced them. A couple stood out particularly to the duelist, first was a large foreign man apparently named Rahim who Cennick presumed was some sort of rogue lumberjack by the size of the man's axe alone. Second was a woman with a direwolf of all things, how should she could have tamed the thing was beyond Cen's knowledge. He's have to explore that later. "Quite the colourful group you have here, are you all rangers then? They didn't come off as, well, this inclusive."

She laughed and shook her head, gesturing to Marcus and Jaro before shrugging. "I know of these two, but beyond that I am unsure. We simply were in the right place at the right time. Some of us saw Kouri awaken firsthand, but most of us saw her rise from the pond."

Cennick raised a brow, "Right place, right time? Are you saying that you just had the princess appear in front of you and then just decided to follow? And all of these... fine men and women just happened to be there?"

She shrugged and tucked loose hair behind her ear. "What would you have done if a crowd had surrounded the lake and you yourself saw a blue haired young woman come out of ice then freeze the entire pond as she emerged?"

"Frankly, I'd think I'd gone mad, or perhaps I'd guess I had maybe stumbled onto an elaborate play in the middle of the forest." He shrugged back, "Perhaps you're just not able to find the words to properly describe the gravity of the event."

"In all of my years I have never seen such a diverse play troop, so I don't think it could be a production." She laughed then shrugged her shoulders with a sigh. "It will be something I doubt I will ever forget, no matter what my race does to my mind."

Cennick took another glance at the woman's ears, "Ah right, your race. I have to say your attitude had me almost forget it, no offence. How old are you anyways? If it's not above me to ask."

Kasienka felt him staring at her ears, and she wished she could say she was surprised. Instead she simply rubbed one of them as she spoke, "One thousand fifty-four years. Despite the Princess having slept for a millennium, I have still lived longer than she."

The duelist sat stunned for a moment, wrapping his mind around what he just heard. Thoroughly combing through the words just spoken to make sure he had not just misheard or misinterpreted, "One thousand fifty-four..." he eventually started, "If you're not lying, not that I'd think you'd have anything to gain for doing so, that means you were around for the fall of Renalta and so much more... Hells, I can hardly imagine living one hundred years let alone more than a thousand, how do you..." His words trailed off. "... Alright, this is a joke isn't it? I know you elves can live a long time but a thousand years is something else, you're just pulling the leg of some naive kid for kicks."

Her face fell as Cennick accused her of lying about her age of all things. She looked at him and slowly tilted her head to the side, sighing softly. "You admit to yourself that I have no reason to lie yet you accuse me of it? I would say you are more aware of my race than I am, yet you deny my traits? If that is your belief, you are truly the child you insinuate yourself to be."

"Don't take my words too personally now, you're just so oddly... Open. That's strange enough on it's own, let alone when I already know that you keep some strange companions to boot. I think I'm allowed a little skepticism." He raised his hand to whisk away a stray bit of hair from his eyes, "Anyways, I'm well aware of your races traits. I'm also aware that making over a thousand years is a rarity."

Kasienka couldn't help but roll her eyes at his defensive and vain nature. "I am not the belligerent kind. I keep quietly to myself when I am not healing others. When you do good for others, they tend not to attempt to kill you. So I survive."

Cennick shrugged, "Very well, I can't very well argue against that. Though on that note, I think I've spent very too much time talking here. Not that I haven't enjoyed your company Miss Kasienka, but I do have a charge and it's probably best she knows my presence." Not letting the letting the elven woman get a word in he urged his horse forward deeper into the party and towards the princess.
 
"If there is a fire, just stand on the ice."
-Page 2, Kalemn Weller.​

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The Veteran's Advice
((Collab portion by @RoranHawkins and @Brovo ))​

Still thinking about the last conversation he had Alexander heard a new one sprout about the tactical approach to this place in general. As Kouri asked this question he forgot about his bad mood, eager to see for himself what this girl was made of. "We definitely need scouts for starters. And on topic of the orcs, I'd rather fight them than attempt to befriend them. It sounds too much like a game of chances to let ourselves be led towards a place where they have all the advantages. If we keep our eyes open when making camp and when travelling an ambush won't be an insufferable setback." Alexander said, giving Marcus an appreciating nod. "I'm not all too keen on the caverns though. We have absolutely no idea where those are and no guide to lead us through. We could set up camp in them at the risk of being besieged, but that is all in my opinion."

"I see." Kouri replies quietly as she looks across the landscape. She narrows her eyes as a gust of wind blows past, trying to get a good look through the pair of mountains that they stood between. "If the orcs begin an attack, what is to stop them from just sending wave after wave at us out in the valley?"

Alexander looked over at Kouri, for a moment lost in thoughts. "These mountains are uninhabitable terrain for everyone. The orcs don't have the manpower to spare for such tactics, lest they intend to sacrifice their tribe's warriors to the last for a spot of questionnable glory." Alexander replied more out of logical deduction than any experience. He had known templars who fought the orcs on the borders, and he'd heard their stories. Personally however, he'd only killed three orcs in his life, and those had been outcasts. "Although I must confess that I am not too knowledgeable about the terrain nor their habits. We might as well prepare for the worst indeed when we set up camp, but I see no alternative. We need to rest."

"Hm..." Kouri glances down to her horse and pats his neck. "Wouldn't resting at high points in the valley, covered by trees, let us see them coming, while protecting us from being seen by creatures flying overhead?" Kouri looks around the valley, as another gust of wind blows her hair backward. She seemed unphased by the cold, as little blue wisps of energy dance around her hands.

"Yes, but we cannot assume that we will find the ideal campsite every time we will make camp. We will have to do with what we can find and how we can manipulate said terrain to our advantage." Alexander replied, untouched by the cold wind in his arming cote and armour. "The ideal camping site is well-concealed while still offering us an unrestricted field of view. At the same time it should allow us to funnel any intruders through easily defended entrances." He added while adjusting the strap of his shoulder plate. "What is probably more dangerous than an attack on our camp or an ambush as we are travelling is that they know the terrain. Through display of force or barricading safer paths we may be led into a trap without even realising it is one." Alexander continued, and then sniffed. "But it's no use worrying about any of that now. In the field there's too many things that can change the entire situation around. Knowing the theory is one thing. When it comes to the real deal you can only hope that your guesses to their plans are correct. It's always a gamble of which you will learn the outcome one way or another." Alexander suddenly stopped talking as if realising how much he'd been saying up untill now. He usually didn't talk much. Inadvertently he'd been holding some sort of a monologue about military tactics and the likes, and he did not know wether or not his speech was appreciated or not on top of that. He did not know why he felt that he needed her approval for anything, and he did not like the fact that he did. She hadn't proven to be anything but the young girl she was up untill now. Briefly humbled by his own realistion, he shrugged. "At least, that's how I view it, for what it's worth."

Though he had perhaps rambled, Kouri had listened intently nonetheless the entire time. When he finished speaking, she nodded in appreciation, and spoke softly. "Thank you, Alexander." Though the wind was bitter and cold, her smile toward him was filled with warmth. "Maybe I should send the scouting party to look for caverns ahead which we could rest or hide in?"

"Knowing more about the terrain ahead is never a bad thing." He replied, rubbing his beard. "Unless we need them elsewhere, which in this case, I don't believe we do." He added, lost in thoughts.

Kouri ponders his words for a minute as Cennick arrives to the group. Though she noticed his approach and nodded at the pair of King's Rangers, she seemed to largely overlook him, as her thoughts were focused on the task ahead, as opposed to her typically polite manner. Yet, she pauses and leans down on her horse as the King's Rangers approach. One of them whispers in her ear, and her eyes momentarily open widely in surprise before she clears her throat and puts on a more polite face once again. The two King's Rangers nod, as they each take off in opposite directions of one another, to each of the group's flanks: They would be warned if attacks were coming from either side, which left only the front and rear guard to take care of, assuming they did not fail.

She then pulls on the reigns of her horse to turn the beast to face the rest of the group behind her. It seemed she was ready to speak of a plan, though in a certain way, she almost seemed a little rushed. "Mikan, you and whichever four will ride with you should move ahead of us. Keep your eye out for the entrances of caverns, and be sure not to ride too far ahead of us." As her eyes fall upon Mikan, she notices Kasienka riding a few feet away from her. The two had just been speaking, and it seemed Mikan was feeling a little more chipper than before. The thief pointed at Amaia, Rahim, Dean, and Tahlia. "Oooh, I'm sure these four would love to watch out for me." A giggle leaves her lips, but stops suddenly when Faolan is the one to approach her instead of Tahlia. Blinking with confusion, she scratches the back of her head and shrugs. "Awh, I think I'd like the petite one more, but a big wolf would certainly be great to get big, scary orcs away from me!"

The princess nods to Mikan, who snaps the reigns of her horse. Though she nearly falls off in surprise at the sudden speed with which the horse was able to move at, she laughs as he rides ahead of everyone else, others following her in tow. Marcus raises an eyebrow in scepticism, though Hanus shrugs and speaks bluntly. "She made it across the mountains alone. There's more to her than one would assume." Marcus shakes his head. "I'm not afraid of competency, I'm afraid of cowardice. You're too optimistic." Hanus chuckles. "You're too pessimistic." Kouri raises her hand, and the two stop bickering to listen to her again.

"The rest of us will travel together. I doubt we will avoid all attention, we are too big, and I know enough about magic to know that having as many mages as we do is going to attract the attention of other spellcasters." Her eyes drift from Tahlia, to Sisera, to Samuel, and over Kasienka. "Therefore, between the King's Rangers and Mikan's scouting group, I am hoping we can avoid being ambushed. Not that we will avoid conflict. Conflict is likely inevitable... I just want to make sure we are ready for it." Both Hanus and Marcus looked a little uncertain, though Marcus glances toward Alexander and nods. He could see hints of strategy that the princess hadn't likely thought of herself from his advice: Situational awareness being prime among them.

Kouri turns her horse back toward the valley. She speaks, loudly. "With luck, we will find our mysterious mage ally before nightfall! Now let's continue, and watch the hills!" She gets her horse into a steady trot, not outright moving at breakneck pace, but faster than walking at least. Mainly so Mikan's group could remain ahead, and maintain the distance needed without losing the ability to look around for trouble.

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Whispers from the Dark​

"There are travellers through our valley."
"Curious... Are any recognized?"
"Three. One cuts throats for coin. Another, piqued our interest by being a runaway. The last, caught our attention for her transgression against life, creating an abomination out of an animal."
"Any others?"
"A pretender to the Renaltan throne. She has the looks, certainly, an allure that is unnatural, even, but... Humans do not live to be over a thousand years. They also have an elf, far away from home she is... Lastly, they have a dark elf among them. One who matches descriptions of someone The Lady once knew fondly, though there is no life within him, so I doubt it. Beyond that, we know nothing about them."
"Has The Lady decreed we do anything about them yet?"
"Not at this time. She seems preoccupied with something to do with the Mage's Guild."
"Then it rests upon us to watch... And see if we should act, as always."
"Indeed. It is a curious thing that the Gods have taken a greater interest in our valley... Perhaps the pretender has convinced them of her legitimacy."
"The Gods are often convinced of many things. Let them be fooled by one more pretender, we will wait, and watch."

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Predator, or prey?​

The group was easily able to ride until the mid afternoon, at a somewhat rushed pace. Mikan and her compatriots would find themselves edging ahead of Kouri's group, at times being out of sight of them, though never entirely out of earshot. Nonetheless, yelling over long distances was generally a poor idea, so whenever they got too far, Mikan would get everyone to wait until Kouri's group caught up. The valley had many rising and falling points within: Foothills as they criss-crossed between mountains, following a winding path that often coincided by a stream.

Mikan's group stops near the top of a grassy hill, surrounded by mountains, as they hear yelling on the other side. Dismounting, Mikan, Amaia, and Faolan are able to help Rahim and Dean maintain a stealthy approach to the top of the hill. There, kneeling or laying down, they're able to see fighting going on at the bottom of the hill, some couple hundred yards away. There was at least sixty to eighty figures standing out there, most of them orcs, and they seemed to have formed a ring and watched two fight each other. One was a human, in plate mail. The other was an orc. Another four were watching the area around the duel, looking for trouble, though hadn't spotted Mikan's group yet.

Amaia would detect magic in the area. Some of them were spellcasters, though none seemed particularly impressive, save for one, who she could feel the presence of before she even crested the hill. The warrior in plate mail was the strongest spellcaster among them.

Mikan looks around at her group, and takes a few deep breaths, trying to maintain her calm given the situation before her. "That's... Ah... Yeah. We can't go this way." Her eyes fall around the area: In getting here they had passed a fork in the path, and the entrance to a cavern system. "We could go back real quick and go down the other valley, but... Ah... Amaia, you said there was a lot of decaying, old magic there, so it might not be a good idea. Or we could try the caverns, but if there are orcs here, there are probably some in there too..." She grimaces. "I don't think Kouri is gonna like this... She seemed to be in a hurry." A flash of bright light from the duel suddenly grabs her attention. Amaia would be able to discern that it was cast by the one in plate mail. "... Maybe we should keep watching and figure out what's going on here? Orcs don't normally duel people fairly like this. At least, we might know where they're going so we can avoid going that way."

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Something is wrong...​

Meanwhile, Kouri's group was travelling quietly through a forested section of the same stream Mikan's group was following. Yet, something was off. She issues a command for everyone to stop by simply raising her hand, as between them and the exit to the forested section, a body laid motionless, curled up as though in pain. She was young, and appeared unharmed, yet didn't seem to stir when the group approached to within thirty feet of her. Hanus unsheathes his throwing axes quietly, as his lizard grows restless and starts looking around with jerky movements. Marcus, too, reached for his arming sword at his waist, and a shield on his back.

Kouri quietly dismounts, and pats the neck of her horse gently, though her hands become wreathed in a visible amount of frost: Sufficiently so as to harden the ends of her sleeves. Marcus speaks first, though quietly. "There is no way the scouting group missed this body here. This is a trap." Hanus looks around at the woods, and clears his throat. "If it is, we should get ready to fight. Get the non-combatants to the centre of the group." He glances at Kasienka, and narrows his eyes. "That means you. Now. We'll need you shortly no matter what happens."

The spellcasters of the group would feel and see Kouri preparing a magical spell, though she wasn't casting it yet: She was simply keeping it in reserve, just in case. Her eyes wander around the woods, then toward Baldrick and Alexander. "Stay close to me." She glances toward the figure, lying on the ground. "Whether it is a trap or not we need to deal with it. That could be an innocent person being used as bait... Or this could be a simple test, of some sort... But I'm going to find out." Her eyes then move toward Samuel. "I'd appreciate your help too. Summon something to keep those who can't fight safe."

Her eyes then fall back onto the figure, laying on the ground, as she slowly starts approaching...
 
It had taken Sisera quite some time to get used to the feeling of a horse; for the past three years he had spent his time traveling on his feet, and he had rarely left the safety of the Capital when he grew older. Still his body was strong and his horse was amiable and gave Sisera the good fortune of not causing a ruckus. After he had spoken to Kouri at the King's Rangers Sanctuary he remained silent; he had much to ponder on and think about. This adventure seemed thrusted upon him and he frankly didn't blame Marcus for his earlier suspicions. His silence seemed warranted, terrain warfare was nothing he had experience with and Alexander had a knack for it, and instinct. A plan was made and Sisera trotted along behind Kouri, ever a hushed servant.

Sisera froze for a moment when he saw the body writhing on the ground, How stupid do they think we are, he thought. This was an obvious trap. He saw Kouri get off her horse and began to head towards the body. He was about to warn her to stay away, but knew it would be no use. He knew her personality she wouldn't ignore a person in pain. He felt her magic began to work around her body; she was prepared at least but still, he worried dreadfully for her.

He let his hand's drop to his side and slowly spread his fingers apart if they were being watched, he didn't them to notice he was casting a spell. With his eyes still on Kouri, small steams of smoke, as thin as a piece of string, quietly spilled onto the ground where it wormed it's way through the group and into the wooded area beyond. The small patches of grass obscuring the trail. If there were any intruders, or perhaps some kind of magical barrier, he would know quickly enough and then proceed from there.
Sisera's smoke slips and weaves through the grass of the forested floor, and he doesn't find anything of any particular interest around him. At the very least, nothing reacted to the smoke in such a way as to be detectable. Sisera furrows his brow in frustration and feels for the handle of his broadsword underneath his cloak. His eyes still on the Princess, if something is to happen, he'll ride out and pick her up.

Nothing will harm her.
 
As soon as the meaning of Marcus' words got through to him, Alexander nodded to himself. He dismounted the riding horse he'd received from the order and thightened Zorn's saddle, the horse he'd been leading all this time. Reaching over to the riding horse he collected his gauntlets and his helm which he quickly put on, already wearing the rest of his armour like a professional on the road. Usually a squire would help him here, but he'd been out of Rheinfeld's army for long enough to be able to thighten the straps of his gauntlets without help. He loosened the straps that held his sword in the sheath and mounted the great destrier. The horse tensed up below him, knowing that the combined weight of his rider and his armour meant business.

As soon as he was done he threw the reigns of the riding horse to the man he'd learned was a postman in a previous life and positioned himself in front Kouri, glancing sideways to see if he could spot movement while he unsheathed his warsword. "Be careful." He said without turning his head, keeping his eyes on the woodline, and spurred his horse forwards at a cautious pace.
 
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As much as Kasienka didn't like the situation, she could tell Dirge didn't like it anymore than she did. She ran her hand along the beast's neck before climbing to stand on her saddle, then jumping straight up to latch onto a branch just above the party. She winked at Hanus before shimmying forward on the beam. Once she was just slightly to the side of the body, she cast a protection charm on Kouri, shielding her from physical harm… to a degree.

"Please do be careful, Princess." Her voice was soft, but it fluttered through the air down to Kouri. As she spoke she pulled her bow off of her back and readied an arrow, waiting for all hell to break loose. Despite what Hanus may think, she could fight. Kasienka was just far more dangerous from a distance than in close quarters.

Dirge meanwhile moved to stand against the tree Kasienka had put herself in, pawing at the roots and shaking her head. They had ridden quite a ways together already, and it could be said that the elf had a certain way with animals.
 
Dean Hansen, Amaia Nekane, Wanderer Rahim, Faolan Wether, and Mikan
A collab between @Orion, @Jorick, @Limeypanda, and @Holmishire.​
As they had reached the peak of the hill, Dean had taken position flat on his stomach. Without the assistance of Mikan and Amaia he wouldn't have made it half as close to the Orcs, and he didn't want to risk any movement of his drawing attention their way. As he surveyed the group below them his eyes drifted from the four lookouts found around the group, and centred inwards passing over the other Orcs before landing on the spellcaster. The man seemed far braver, or more foolish than anyone he had ever met. From this distance he couldn't make out any kind of identifying markings or etchings on the armour either, further lending to this being some stranger.

He listened as Mikan spoke, but kept his attention on the situation at the base of the hill. He had been glad as they left the path fraught with decaying magic mainly due to not knowing what to expect. Though as Amaia had described it as 'decaying' it hadn't painted a pretty picture. As Mikan briefly considered the Caverns, Dean's jaw tightened, but he let her finish before calmly responding. "I'd put any money on this group of Orcs having come from within there. It could be their base of operation for all we know. If that's the case then we'd be in store for anywhere to as many to several times more Orcs, not even counting their slaves, pets and other atrocities." He slowly shook his head. "I don't suspect any of us want to throw our lives away that badly. Amaia, what else can you tell us about the Magic we passed in the other path?"

Amaia shook her head with a grimace. "Not much, I'm little better than a babe in the woods when it comes to magic. Someone like Kouri or the nobleman with the lizard could tell you more. All I know is that there's no telling what that magic would do to us from one step to the next: could be a flash of harmless light, could be a blast strong enough to take down a mountain. I'd rather chance walking naked and unarmed down a Liverian alley at night than take that path."

Dean looked back to Amaia, and despite the situation hadn't been able to resist the urge to ogle a bit. Snapping out of it a grin rested on his face. "Consider that a dare for another day then." Motioning to the rest of the group. "I'm calling it at three options. Headstrong into battle, sit here and try to figure out what's going on down there, or backtracking the way we came and forging a new path. Thoughts?"

While Rahim had not proved the most graceful of trackers on the way to the hill, the Amazonian found himself thinking long and hard about what they should be doing now. He fundamentally agreed with the assessments of the others: The path with the decaying magic was undesirable, and the caverns provided too many questions and too few answers. That left the orcs below, or inaction. Waiting wasn't a tragic thing; but missing an opportunity was. Whoever this spellcaster in the valley below was, he was at least holding his own versus the Orcs…for now. "We don't have long to act before the battle below is out of our hands." He paused to try and think of how best to deal with the difficult situation, when a brief moment of potential flickered into his mind. "Each path presents unknowns, we should try and eliminate some. Is anyone confident they could get closer to the battle quickly and quietly? We need to know more about the armoured man. No point charging into battle if he isn't even on our side." He looked to Mikan, hoping someone other than her might speak up.

Faolan shrugged his shoulders and, creeping back from the crest of the hill, rose up from the ground. Looking pointedly at each of the other four in turn, he scratched at the dirt before tapping a single paw onto the gouges he'd made. Finally, he took a few steps to the side to indicate his intentions.

After taking a few moments to puzzle out Faolan's meaning, Amaia shakes her head. "You're a bit too large to sneak close unseen, Faolan, and anything useful you see might be too complicated to tell us. We want information while staying unseen." She thought for a moment, looking at the others in the group, pausing on Mikan for the longest before shrugging. "I'll do it. Shouldn't be too hard with them all focused on the fight."

Dean nods as Amaia, and slowly backs away from the peak of the hill to be better concealed as he raises to one knee and tests his bow again. The wood flexes and strains as Dean looks back to the group. "If you happen to get spotted I'll loose a few off at them, might give them pause to immediately chase you down."[/hr]
 
Alexander and Baldrik
A collab between @West, @Brovo and @RoranHawkins​


Baldrik Larsson looked on as he saw Alexander take the front line. As much as he despised that action, as he couldn't take the frontline for Kouri, he realised that the best position for him would be if he could have the Musket protecting Kouri. Baldrik pulled the rifle off his right shoulder and checked the powder that was in the side of the barrel, making sure that it'd fire if he pulled the trigger: and just as he had hoped, it was still there. He smiled a bit before putting the rifle more into a better position to fire, however he still made sure to point the rifle slightly upwards towards the sky, to make sure he didn't shoot Alexander or anyone else infront of him by accident. He moved upwards with Kouri and Alexander, but spoke quickly "Wait, this... I don't like this, even with us three approaching it, I fear whoever's awaiting us will overpower us." he spoke in a rather quiet voice, enough for Kouri to hear, but barely enough for Alexander to hear, unless he was paying attention. Baldrik raised his voice and said to Alexander "Look, maybe we should inspect it a bit further away."

Deaf to Baldrik's whispered words because of thick layers of padding and steel over his head now he was armed cap-a-pied, Alexander did not take his eyes off of his surroundings as he replied. "What? It's just a body." Alexander retorted with a tone that was less friendly than he intended it to sound and approached the body regardless. He held his horse's reigns when he was little more than a man's length away from the body so he could more closely inspect the woman.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd, for a body to just be sprawled right on our path of our journey, when Karah, here is travelling with her caravan? This is obviously a trap to trick us. We should just keep moving as per our plan." Baldrik had realised that speaking of Kouri's name so lightly in these mountains could very well cause their deaths. He looked over at Kouri and spoke once more "Well, lady Karah? Do you think this is a good idea?"

It seemed that the princess had a myriad of things to react toward as Baldrick sought an answer from her. The guise seemed to not give her even momentary pause as she spoke, though she did appear a little confused about it. "Yes? We are obligated to see if such persons should be aided... We are not mere, weak travellers. We bring great fighters as my escort." She quickly glances back up toward Kasienka and nods: The protection was noticed, and appreciated, though any spellcaster in the area would have likely noticed it.

"Alright..." Kouri kneels down beside the body, as neither Baldrick or Alexander had chosen to take a closer look at it. She turns the body over, and a rather upsetting click would reach Alexander's ears. One that would give him but a moment of time to know of the trap that was just set off. Kouri brings a small shield of ice to bare in front of herself, and between that and Kasienka's protection charm, the explosive device does not manage to harm her, though it shatters the shield. Straw and shreds of clothing, along with indeterminable other bits of organic matter, fly in every direction: It wasn't real, and was being manipulated by something nearby.

From about a hundred feet away, to their left, the group could hear a loud howl of anger in a tongue none of them could recognize. It was a trap, and they had but mere moments before they would be set upon by whatever devices or people were laying in wait for them...

When the explosion went off Alexander's first concern was regaining control over Zorn. The animal was terrified by the loud and hot explosion nearby and given that he had seen Kouri protect herself with ice, another undeniable testament to her true identity, the most acute danger for her were Zorn's hooves now. But Alexander was an experienced horseman and with affectionate yet ruthless efficiency he calmed his mount. The loud warscreams coming from the left side of the mountain trail only confirmed the obvious. A trap. The bloody kid next to him had been right after all.

He did not glance towards Kouri to see if she was safe and instead manouvred in between her and their new opponents. "Baldrik, take care of her!" He said matter-of-factly before slamming his visor shut. He spotted many different moving shapes in the treeline and immediately recongised them as orcs despit only having seen them before once or twice. The stories of the men on Rheinfeld's Southern border were enough to determine what these were. He pressed his heels in Zorn's flanks and dashed forwards into the charging orcs in the comfortable knowledge that none of the orc's javelins or bows would do much to hinder him.

Baldrik looked on in horror as he realised what was going on. "Karah!" he yelled out after hindering himself from uttering her real name, and almost felt his bones leap away from his body as he realised what might've happened. He hopped off his horse with his gear, and quickly approaches Kouri. He looks at her with clear concern in his look, although he internally said 'I told you so'. Although once Alexander made his statement and charged off towards combat, Baldrik yelled out at home "But wait, damn it! I can't shoot if your're-" but before he could finish his sentence, Alexander was already charging inwards. Mr. Larsson knew that he had to save Kouri first an foremost, and quickly reached his left hand out for her as he began to brandish his musket with his right hand, saying "Karah! We can't lose you now, we've got a long journey ahead of us!" After helping Kouri back up, Baldrik reached towards his belt and quickly took out a bayonett, and began to screw it on the tip of the rifle. "Everyone! Enter battle stations! Watch the floor as well, there might be more traps around!" He cocked his rifle and stood close by Kouri, his eyes jumping around everywhere to make sure he knew what was around, especially towards the Orcs.
 
This is what she had feared. Kasienka heard Dirge scream and rear against the tree, though by some miracle she stayed and simply stomped at the ground. She knew she only had a few seconds to act, so she did what she could. She turned as far as she could on the branch to line up a shot with the creature who had made that atrocious screaming noise. At the same time she attempted to recast the same protection spell on the princess that had been on her before, but stronger. The elf knew it would tire her, but she would rather miss the shot and take care of Kouri than make the shot but see Kouri's blood spilled.

"Hanus! Krasnyy! Move her back!" It was a long shot that the creature would understand her words, but there was hope.
 
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Here I gather to you
on a cold morning dew
to pray, to beg, to plead
til my throat's sore and bleeds
spare the child of blue
and take me through and through
and with this deed
let her be freed​

SIR! SIR! WE FOUND HIM.

Oh thank the Gods, Sisera? Sisera? Is that a shrine?! Did you build that?!
​
Father, you must not disturb my Prayer, it is of great importance
​
Have you been out in the wilderness for three bloody days? What have you eaten?
​
I've just prayed here Father.
​
Oh Wonderful. I'm taking you back, the court is already spreading rumors.
​
I must stay here and pray until the little one is well
​
The little one?... Oh... This was about Princess Kouri wasn't it. Her fever broke this morning, before the sun rose.
​
The Gods heard my prayer?
​
Now don't go spouting that nonsense! Captain, get some rope and tie him to your horse, he'll be too weak to hang on himself.

Yes Sir!
​
Father, I can't get up...
​
That's because you haven't eaten for days and have been out here in the wild like you're some elf.

Sir, he's burning up, it looks like he has a fever.

Oh bloody great. First the Princess and now you, except you did this to yourself! The Queen will be most displeased. She'll worry and fuss over you too.
​
I don't care. As long as the Princess is well.
​
She's but a baby, Sisera! It is not your duty to be so damned concerned for her! That is what physicians and wet-nurses are for! As if your damn prayers did a thing anyway!
​
...
​
...I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I've been worried sick about you. I shouldn't be too surprised at your attachment to her. Considering...
​
Considering?
​
...
​
Father?
​
It doesn't matter. Captain. Ride ahead of our group and get him to the royal physician as soon as you can.

Sir, the Royal physician is only for those of Regal status, what if the King refuses me?

He won't. Go now before his condition gets worse.
​
K-Kouri...
​
She's fine lad. Make haste Captain!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

(Collab Section with Brovo))
At the sight of the first explosion, Sisera unsheathed his broadsword and charged at Kouri's direction, not seeing the ice shield she used to cover herself at the last minute.

"KOURI! NO!" He roared as his horse galloped towards the dust cloud that obscured his vision for those few panic stricken moments. His cap had flown off and was lost in the dirt below. Veins around his neck bulged as his adrenaline raged, his eyes for a moment were filled with a simple, but terrifying fury. A trail of a thick black smoke flew from under his robe and began to shoot out into the woods again in all directions. He wasn't going to be so subtle now; he was going to smoke them out of hiding and into the open where they could be shot down by that musket contraption and the Elf's bow. He jumps off the horse in mid gallop, not caring where it would run to now. He stand's in front of Kouri, his large frame blocking any attacks that would come from the direction of that roar. More smoke began pouring out of his hands and covering the forest floor beyond, maybe even prematurely setting off any more potential traps. Just the floor though, he didn't want to obscure his two companions aiming. He would wait for their shots and then start filling the place.

"You're highness! Are you injured?" He said frantically, noting that Baldrick had gotten to her first, so she wasn't without protection at least. With a flick of his fingers a separate stream of smoke rabidly spilled on the ground around him, Kouri and Baldrick. It was a trap; with a twitch of his fingers it would shoot up and smother any potential orcs brazen enough to charge. Smoke and eyes are a bad combination, leaving an opening for a sword to the gut, or an arrow to the neck, or a chunk of lead to the brain.

Kouri takes a deep but unsteady breath, as her hands, wreathed in frost, were preparing another spell. "I am fine... " It was a lie: She was shaken, and perhaps even a little scared, in spite of her attempts to hide it. "Focus on the battle... I will be fine!"

"As you command your highness, this skirmish will be over shortly". He could hear the quivering in her voice. And it angered him. It brought him back to those hazy memories of the castle burning, and Kouri being escorted out by the Rangers. His teeth grinded against each other and his lips formed into a snarl. Smoke continued to pour at an increasingly rapid rate out of his left sleeve. He glared into the blackness of the woods ahead, his smoke hadn't picked up anything yet, but whatever was hiding would start to get concerned, and then, cut or shot down like the scum they were.
​
 
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Samuel Mourn de Vandestryker en Karnarvon the 4th.​


Samuel nodded to Kouri as she asked him to summon a protective summon, maintaining his mount he considered his options. Ard was a possibility, large and powerful, but slow. Instead he settled for summoning Hawa, the air elemental. The elaborate ritual taking moments to complete as he dismounted. The great air elemental began to take form when the explosive went off in front of Kouri.

Samuel was torn between a need to protect Kouri, and follow her request to protect those less able in combat. "Hawa, protect us from the enemy." He would do little damage in direct combat, but his ability to redirect ranged attacks might be invaluable.
 
"What is right and what is natural are not always the same. We may be born into sin, but one aspires to die free of it."
-Tahlia, Page 2.​

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Scouting Group​
As Dean made his flirtatious comment toward Amaia, she seemed to remain oddly silent. Rahim would notice a momentary flash of insecurity run through the girl's eyes, though as Amaia slowly sleuths away from the group, the insecurity melts away as concern fills her voice. "Don't get hurt now, sonnenschein (sunshine)."

Though it would take a couple of minutes for her to properly sleuth her way closer, she would find the uneven terrain advantageous for remaining unnoticed. Yet, by the time she got close enough to properly overhear anything, the duel ended. The orc the plate mailed warrior had been fighting fell to the ground, dead. From this distance however, Amaia could see the warrior take off their helmet, and discern through the messy, blonde locks of hair, a far more feminine face than one might have expected. The orcs growl at her, and she glares at them back, yet they start walking away, simply leaving their dead warrior behind.

The woman turns to six other human compatriots, and nods to them before speaking. "It seems we've won the right to travel here safely. Which means we may continue our objective, Silver--" She's interrupted as Amaia would hear the sound of a quickly approaching orc. Behind her, the large cretin pointed his blade toward her, and spoke loudly. "INTRUDER! One of yours?" The woman looks at Amaia with her hard, blue eyes, but simply shakes her head. "No, but leave her be." The orc seems disappointed as he sheathes his weapon, and walks away to catch up with his allies.

The woman bows her head respectfully, and introduces herself. "My name is Jennifer Ludwig Borchard, and I am a member of the Silver Shield. I know not why you travel these lands, but we are glad to have saved your life." She looks Amaia over, though it clearly seemed more to try and evaluate her as a potential threat, rather than out of any sort of attraction. "Who are you, and do you need our aid?"

In the distance, all the group could make out was that Amaia had been discovered. The armoured woman had not yet sheathed her weapon, and the orcs were leaving the area. Mikan bites her lip and looks at everyone else. "Scheisse (Shit)... Amaia's been caught. What do we do?" Mikan seemed to already have an idea, but wanted to know what everyone else was thinking first. Uncertainty was in her eyes, and she seemed torn between two positions in her mind...

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Main Group​
Quickly and with a brutally animistic intent, several orcs burst out from behind the large trees. A few others even seem to appear from thin air, bursting out from covered up holes in the ground. All in all, it seemed a solid force of fifteen orcs were all charging together from the left flank. Two were equipped with large looking crossbows, the rest with a menagerie of axes and crudely fashioned heavy blades. Their armour was rather amateurish as well, amounting to little more than hardened leather and fur pelts: This was likely not their best force. Behind all of them stood one more orc, though this one was a little larger than the rest. He held a blade in one hand, and a staff in the other, and it was clear he was practiced in the magical arts. He also seemed somewhat less brazen than his allies, as he stayed close to a large tree, ready to use it as cover against ranged assault.

Thus, it was quite simple: Two ranged attackers who stayed a few feet away from melee combat, one leader who stayed several feet further behind them, and a moving wall of twelve, melee-thirsty orcs. There was, however, one orc who did not charge with the rest, as his attention was drawn to something else entirely...

Alexander's charge manages to catch one of the orcs by surprise with its sheer speed, and as the orc hefts his heavy axe up above his head, Alexander is easily able to soak his weapon in the orc's blood instead, and leave the orc dead or dying underneath the hooves of his horse. Still, the other melee-bound orcs seemed quite callous and dismissive of him, opting to charge toward more vulnerable targets in the center.

The two crossbow wielding orcs heft their weapons up, and one fires toward Kasienka, though finds his bolt veering off course as the wind itself acted against him. It hits the tree a couple feet underneath her instead, as Samuel's air elemental set to stopping any projectiles from harming those it was ordered to protect. The other orc raises his crossbow and fires at Hanus as the dark elf was halfway through dismounting from his lizard, and hits him in the lower torso. The dark elf is given momentary pause before he pulls out his two throwing axes, which seemed to have a dull, red glow to them. Still, he was injured, and bleeding. "Krasnyy," he motions toward the fast approaching melee orcs. "Pitaniye. (Food.)" The lizard blinks, and then starts moving slowly, attempting to keep a little distance between himself and the approaching orcs. With that said, he begins moving toward the crossbow wielding orcs, a mixture of anger and hunger in his eyes...

Marcus glances at Hanus with distrust momentarily as he finishes putting on his helmet, then turns back toward the fight. Seeing two orcs charging toward Samuel, he forces his horse into a charge and moves toward them, as the air elemental was not yet ready to stop another attack. He swings his blade toward one of the orcs and cleanly plants the blade deep into its flesh, though the attack slows his horse just enough for the other orc to plant her axe into Marcus' horse. The beast manages a loud scream as it falls to the ground, fatally wounded, sending Marcus falling onto his back. Before he can recover, the orc swings again. Her axe collides with his shield as he brings it up to his torso in time. "SAMUEL! ACT NOW!" Marcus barks out his order, as he was left in a fairly precarious position.

Four orcs quickly rushed toward Kouri, though one stops as smoke floods over him and his body. His howls and screams become muffled under the onslaught of the black air that flooded him, causing him to start coughing and convulsing. He was unable to move clearly in any direction as he drops his weapon and starts clawing at his own throat. Given a little more time, he would easily die from this.

This left three more orcs, who descended upon Kouri, Baldrick, and Sisera with heinous laughter: They were excited for the battle, and regardless of whether they knew about Kouri's legacy, the beauty was enough to be a valuable prize. She takes her prepared magic and slams her hands into the ground, sending up a small wall of ice suddenly in front of the orcs, about five feet tall. One of the orcs slammed into it and was stopped, but two orcs manage to hop over it. One swings horizontally for the princess with his blade. She falls backward attempting to get out of the way of the attack, and though Kasienka's protection charm slowed the weapon, the orc still manages to cut Kouri's forearm. She cries out in pain as she falls onto the dirt, grasping at her now bleeding limb and flinching.

The other orc descends upon Baldrick, though before Baldrick would be forced to choose between saving the princess or himself, a flash of pink strikes the orc's back, and then yanks him off of his feet to the left of Baldrick. The orc drops his weapon and causes the first orc hovering over Kouri to hesitate, glancing at the fate of his comrade. Krasnyy had used his long, sticky, several foot long tongue to snatch the orc like a large insect, and pulled him into his mouth. The orc's torso was trapped in the lizard's mouth, but muffled sounds of yelling could be heard from inside. So, Krasnyy starts rapidly moving his head up and down, slamming the orc's legs against the ground over and over, trying to break as many bones in the orc's body as he could.

Six of the orcs remained unengaged, as they seemed to momentarily hesitate to figure out what they wanted to attack first, and were left a little confused and frightened by the riding lizard and Kouri's wall of ice. Still, such hesitation was only momentary: They would surely descend upon the rest of the group soon.

The Orcish mage starts preparing a spell, glancing between the various members of the party, he seemed a little concerned by Alexander's presence...

As all of this goes down, Beatrice lands on a branch and caws loudly. It seemed James would not be far behind, and was riding as fast as he could to reach and help the group.
 
Alexander earned himself a moment's pause when he broke through the orcs' line and found himself in between their reserves and their first wave. His initial guess had been wrong after all. The orcs did use reserves, and he would be in a bad position should he stay here. Oblivious to their mage's presence through the combination of his visor's restricted view and the orc's covered position he considered his options while he slowed his horse down.

A quick glance back down his path told him that Kouri had been injured after all and that orcs had charged the main group as well as her and Baldrik now joined by the old mage. By sheer numbers he knew his assistance was of more value near the main group, but Kouri's life was their main objective. He cursed. The young or old princess was endangering their group with her important status and her inability to protect herself adequately.

Raising his horse and shouting his warcry he put his spurs into Zorn's flanks and the horse charged forwards, intending to plough into the rear of the group of orcs that had charged Kouri. Alexander intended to bring his sword down on any foe that would enter his reach, but he knew that the momentum of his destrier and the hammering blows of Zorn's hooves were a much greater weapon than his sword in a fight like this.
 
While having a bird's eye view of the battle was helpful, it left Kasienka feeling helpless. Within seconds Hanus was bleeding, and soon many other members of the party were spilling their blood as well. She could feel her protective charm break, and when it was immediately followed by Kouri's scream she felt her heart drop into her stomach. Yet what scared her most was the Orc hanging back from the battle, in a similar position to herself.

The elf moved between the branches to get a more sheltered position, then quickly fired three shots at the Mage, charging each shaft of the arrow to seek warmth. It could backfire if someone suddenly rushed the Orc, or if the air elemental redirected the missiles to the party, but otherwise she was confident. The continual use of magic was beginning to make her limbs ache, but they were not yet heavy or numb. Kasienka still had more in her.
 
Sisera takes his free left hand and clenches it, the smoke surrounded the entrapped orc begins to harass him further; the foul creature hopefully be dead soon. He focused on the remaining three orcs but his peripheral did notice the other group of them quickly descending on their party. His knuckles crack and his pinky and ring finger twitch sporadically as the remaining smoke covering the ground began to shoot towards them aimlessly. He didn't have time to concentrate on the separate group of Orcs: Kouri needed to be protected. He reacted quickly to the one Orc stopped by her ice wall (not noticing the other two jumping over it) and with a silent grunt swung his sword into it's side, hoping to delivering a quick killing blow before it could react.
 
Baldrik Larsson bit his teeth together as the adrenaline of combat was coming over him. He had to ensure that Kouri didn't get attacked, he had to! Baldrik knew that intimidation was the key behind victory, so he pointed his stick at the nearest Orc that he could see and yelled out "Face me if you dare, but let it be known, my walking stick carries the power of an ancient god! Stand against us, and you will feel the gods wrath fall down upon you!" He made sure to expose his right arm completely to the Orcs attention, trying to make himself seem to be a bigger person than he really is. Baldrik kept his guard up for any more Orcs that were nearby, and would make sure to shoot any Orc that presented a danger towards Kouri and him, and were close enough by fifty meter, so that Baldrik'd know that his bullet would hit.
 
Cennick had been hanging at the rear of the party, trying to figure out a way to properly introduce himself to royalty. So enamored was he with such prattling thoughts he didn't realize what was going on until an explosion rocked his mind into reality. A orcish ambush, naturally. Immediately the duelist leaped from his horse, the animal taking its own initiative and fleeing the moment he did so. Without so much of a thought he drew his claymore, it's heavy blade glowing white hot in anticipation of bloodshed. At first he went to protect his charge, but as luck would have it she seemed to be doing well enough with those around her. Instead he went to assist the large armored man who's horse had been downed and charged blade first into his attacker.
 
Kalemn had fallen off her rearing horse when the explosive had gone off, and found herself kneeling on the ground surrounded by panicking horses and companions drawing their blades as orcs charged at them. Taking only a brief second to take stock of the situation, Kalemn slipped her shield off her back and onto her arm and rose to a crouch. Using the mass of horses and riders as cover, she fell back into the woods behind the party before circling around. She glanced towards where Kouri had been, wondering if she had been caught by the explosive, but saw nothing but dust and smoke. Inwardly shrugging, she stayed low as she quickly moved through the underbrush towards the orc mage. Let the rest of the party take the front-line on in direct combat; she would fall upon the ones in the back by surprise.
 
Samuel looked at the oncoming Orc, torn between action for just a moment, to summon something more direct to protect him, right now... it would waste having summoned Hawa, but the Orc looked unhappy and well armed. No..

He decided and incanted. If he died Hawa would be returned from whence he came anyway. He incanted summoning Ard between him and the Orc, the great stone turtle coming into being as Hawa returned from whence it came. "Squash the Orc!" He called out.
 
Tahlia Wether
Main group.​
As the others rushed forward to take on the orcs, Tahlia held back by Kasienka's tree. For a moment, her hand strayed by the small-sword sheathed at her waist. At about two feet in length, it had no hope of countering the orcs' reach—and was even less of use on horseback. Even ignoring that, she had no skill with the blade.

As such, she contented herself with calming her horse, hoping that Samuel's summons would keep them safe, and desperately wishing Faolan were here to protect her.
 
"Leadership is a hefty burden to bear."
-Dean Hansen, Page 2.​

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Main Group​
As the battle continues, Sisera smoke continues to choke the life out of one of the orcs, who falls onto his knees. The orc likely would have been finished by the smoke, though the war horse did a fine job of trampling the orc into the dirt underneath his feet. The horse smashes the orc's wind pipe with his hoof as he continues on toward the same orc Sisera was moving to intercept. The orc standing over Kouri laughs and turns to swing his axe at Baldrik instead, only to find his feet frozen in place. Looking down in confusion, Baldrik had his stationary target, and with an easy pull of the trigger, his firearm discharges. The bullet races through the orc's flesh at a rate faster than he could even really feel, and as his heart is silenced, he falls forward, with a dead look in his eyes.

Kouri quickly gets back up onto her feet, cradling her bleeding forearm in pain. Nodding to Baldrik, she grits her teeth and fights through the pain of her injury: It was clear she was unused to physical pain. "That is a strange and loud weapon you have... I am glad you are on my side." She says with appreciation in her tone, as she starts preparing another spell. "That wall was not my best..." She mutters under her breath, as blood trickles down her arm and slowly stains her blue shirt's sleeve.

As Sisera steps toward the last orc against the wall of ice and thrusts out toward him, the orc deflects the blow with his axe, and growls lowly. Before Sisera could put further pressure on him, a crossbow bolt rips through his left shoulder, and embeds itself halfway through, sticking out of both sides of his shoulder, just underneath the shoulder blade. Alexander would find Zorn slowing down as he grew closer to the icy wall, incidentally giving the orc enough time to leap backward and dive toward the ground to avoid being hit with Alexander's swing, or his horse. Still: One versus two was not an admirable situation to find oneself in. Victory was almost certainly assured.

Kasienka's arrows fly freely toward their target, though the magic she imbued them with didn't seem to have much of an effect on them. All three strike the tree the Orcish mage is hiding behind, unfortunately not seeming to be able to penetrate his cover.

Meanwhile, Samuel's air elemental vanishes, and the turtle takes its place. The large creature as it appears attempted to stomp on the orc, who steps backward, only to find herself tripped and falling thanks to Marcus. The turtle barely misses its attack, but before the orc can scramble to her feet to recover, Cennick closes the gap, and his blade finds easy purchase across the orc's torso. She refused even to give him the pleasure of a scream, as her eyes simply stared at him with fury, before quickly fading to a blank, lifeless, empty manner. Marcus rolls over onto his hands and knees, and then stands. As he does, he looks to his horse: It was very clearly dead. "Damn."

Three more orcs turn to face them, and begin charging toward them. "Don't allow them near Tahlia or Kasienka!" Marcus commands Cennick and Samuel, as he brings his shield up defensively and moves to keep himself between the orcs and Samuel. "Kasienka, kill these men while we pin them down! We need to thin their numbers and reach Kouri!" Indeed: The remaining six melee orcs had the group split in two, and with three charging them, that left three to maraud Kouri's group with wild abandon.

The two remaining crossbowmen saw Hanus' approach. One turns to fire at him, only to find a throwing axe embedded into his throat, blood squirting out as it strikes a main artery. The other one swivels and aims toward Kouri's group, firing a second shot and quickly bolting to his feet. Hanus' second throwing axe strikes the orc in his lower back, and though the orc yells in pain, he keeps limping away, trying and failing to make distance as Hanus' first throwing axe flies back to Hanus' hand: Its magical enchantment was now quite clear.

All of the magically inclined in their group would feel something at once: A momentary, invisible magical ripple through the air itself. The spell which the orcish mage had been preparing this whole time was now ready, and it seemed he was holding little back for it. He slams his staff onto the ground, and ripples of yellow energy race through the crackling dirt. Kouri manages to recognize the spell, and pulls the only person in reach behind her with her uninjured arm. "STAY CLOSE!" She yells to him over the sounds of battle as she creates a second wall of ice, akin to a curved pavise shield, and kneeling behind it.

Crack.

The ground itself suddenly splits open, breaking apart into several explosive chunks, as though someone set off an explosion underneath the ground itself. The ground around shook a little for everyone, as the world itself seemed to cry out in pain. The last remaining orc there is impaled with a large chunk of rock, his corpse sent flying several feet away like a rag doll and landing by Cennick's feet. Sisera manages to avoid impalement, having sensed the nature of the spell in time as well, but is still sent several feet through the air, slamming against a tree and breaking two of his ribs before falling six feet back down onto the ground, and twisting his ankle.

The fate for Alexander was a bit of an odd one. His magic resistance made the chunk of rock hurdling toward him simply fall apart harmlessly as it impacted him, as though it has never even existed at all, save for the coating of dust and dirt now all over his armour. Yet, his horse, far less resistant, finds itself hurdled into the air. Alexander hits a tree, but with less force than Sisera did, and he simply slides down and onto his hands and knees. His weapon had been knocked out of his hand and sent a few feet from him, though it could be easily retrieved. Nonetheless, he was certainly left with a few bruises. His horse, however, was left lying nearby with a broken leg: Nothing life threatening, but Zorn would be unavailable for the rest of the battle, as he whines in severe pain.

Kouri's ice cracks, but does not break, as it absorbs the full force of the explosion. Baldrik would find himself lucky, as the explosion of dirt and rock had occurred closest to him. If it wasn't for the icy shield, both he and Kouri would have most certainly died. Yet, she was starting to breath heavily, as sweat started to roll down from her forehead: Defending against that spell was not an easy task...

Taking a peek over her wall, Kouri would see Sisera's badly injured state. "Sisera!... Oh... No, no... Not you..." Kouri's blue eyes were filled with grief and fear as she disperses the wall and stands up, though it seemed she was barely holding herself together, as her hands shook in an unsteady manner: Hardly befitting of the legend surrounding her name. Quietly she takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and shakes her head, trying to remain focused. As she turns away from looking at Sisera, she sees the other three remaining melee orcs were merely a few feet from her and Baldrik. It seemed they were going to try and either kill them, or capture them. She starts readying another spell as she wipes sweat away from her eyes. "Stop the orc on the left!" Kouri commands, though with a shaken tone of voice, as focuses her attention on the other two.

Kalemn, meanwhile, would find herself easily able to navigate around in all of the chaos, and was now behind the orcish mage. Only a few feet from him, he had not noticed her yet, and it was quite likely should would get the first and last blow...
 
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