Nenet's attempt at delaying those mountain scalers from advancing any further had been going well so far: she hadn't been able to stop them completely, but they were going forward at a snail's pace, constantly having to keep up their barriers so the phoenix's relentless barrage of flames didn't scorch them or, even worse, destroy their footing and send them sliding back down. She also was enjoying herself quite a bit, grinning widely as she spun and twisted to throw fireball after fireball, sometimes only using one hand and sometimes gathering a large mass of flames between her palms and launching it like it was some kind of beach ball. The flames, for the most part, harmlessly died upon hitting the stones that formed the slope of the mountain, but the people down there should be beginning to feel the heat even through their barrier as the air itself was warming up to the point of becoming uncomfortable.

However, it looked like they weren't satisfied with just enduring Nenet's onslaught. Even as she prepared another big ball of fire to see if she could maybe cause an avalanche to descend upon these nuisances, another projectile shot through the air and pierced her other wing. Nenet let out a surprised gasp, the flames dissipating as she lost her balance. Flapping her wings fervently to regain her altitude and stabilize her flight, she was unable to react when a magic circle activated above the heads of her targets, aimed squarely at her. Her gasp was followed by a pained, sharp exhalation. One moment she was fine, and the other it felt like her body had been pierced in a myriad of places, small but numerous puncture wounds going all the way through her. Blood began to flow freely as the phoenix let out a startled cry before falling down, hitting the ground right before the shrine along with the cracking of bones from the impact. Her phoenix flames were already beginning to repair the damage, but now those competitors she'd been holding at bay were once again quickly making their way up. They'd probably reach the mountaintop before Nenet was finished healing.

---

The mountaintop was relatively flat and smooth, both because of time itself and because someone clearly had gone out of their way to make it a suitable location for a structure. The shrine itself was of a simple, classic design, pillars of marble forming several concentric rings with a path leading from the outside to the middle. Arches connected the rings and formed a dome, although one with enough gaps in it to let through plenty of light. In the middle of it was the legendary sword Divinus, sought after by all who had come to this island out in the middle of nowhere, floating above a pedestal where it was held by some kind of barrier. The pedestal had been inscribed with an elaborate system of runes, meant to last for a very long time and keep people from stealing the sword.

A larger barrier encompassed the entire shrine, faint enough that it was barely visible. It didn't appear to block the air either, the wind blowing between the pillars without encountering any resistance. However, it was still a powerful barrier, easily perceived by all who could sense magic. As such, it would probably be rather confusing that if Gaia tried to pass through she'd do so with only a slight tingling on her skin. The runes that upheld this larger barrier explained that only those who were Stroke's like would be able to pass through and that others would have to accept that it was not their fate to claim Divinus.

Gaia would have to figure out for herself how to get through the barrier that protected the pedestal supporting the legendary weapon. The runes only spoke of some feat of either skill or intelligence required to part the barrier and claim Divinus, but no further details were given.

---

Itori's humming was of an ancient song, so ancient that it had long since been forgotten by all mortals. She didn't sing the lyrics, but if she had sung them, and had bothered to do so in a language known in this day and age, then it would have spoken of a young hero who had set out to defeat a mysterious evil that lived in a gigantic forest clad in mist. At every turn the hero lost his way, wandering from tree to tree without knowing where he was going or how he would even get out. Throughout the story, he'd encounter many things within that eternal forest of mist, other people who had gotten lost and who needed his help, or secrets which had been lost. Only at the end of the song would the hero finally find the evil and slay it, at which point the mist would lift and all who had been trapped inside could leave.

So it would also be for the raiders who had decided to claim Divinus, although Itori wasn't planning to let them escape her illusionary forest until Gaia had her hands on the sword. She also wouldn't consider herself a mysterious evil, even if she was playing the same role as the antagonist that was contained within the song.

Unfortunately, listening to her humming was an important part of this magic, so her two draconic spirit companions deciding to focus on it meant that they were also partially affected by it, even if they weren't the focus of the spell and weren't inside the area which Itori had claimed as her own. If they looked around they'd experience the curious but problematic sensation that every direction was up: there was no way to distinguish between uphill and downhill, and it would be harder to remember directions and landmarks.

As the three of them remained there, Itori keeping the raiders going in circles, their shouts becoming louder and louder as they violently argued with each other, a rustling would come from another direction. Some of the raiders, having been smart enough to realize they weren't making any progress, had intentionally returned to their longboat, and then made a long treck around the area in which their companions were getting lost. Having bypassed the area which Itori had turned into a maze they managed to make their way up the mountain, and noticing Itori, Queen Dorolth, and King Apalala, they had decided that it was worth seeing if killing these three would allow the rest of the raiders to continue their uphill march.

With Itori busy keeping the illusion in place, it looked like the two dragon spirits would have to deal with this handful of raiders. While they didn't appear to possess any magic abilities, their minimal clothing revealed strong, muscular bodies, and they moved with a confidence which spoke of their combat ability.

WC: 1,144
PWC: 10,271
TWC: 18,567/20,000

@Gaia

Nenet let out a groan before opening one eye to look at Gaia, raising one hand weakly. "'Sup?" While her choice of words was nonchalant, it was clear that she was in a bad state after being hit by the attack that had knocked her out of the air. It was fortunate that her phoenix flames kept her from bleeding to death, and by the time Gaia had summoned Harmony and the dragon moved closer to tend to her Nenet was already looking like she was no longer about to faint, even if she was still covered in blood and her wounds hadn't closed yet. "Hey there beautiful, mind patching me up? Normally I wouldn't ask, but we're about to have company and I think your summoner is busy with her own thing." Gaia had already passed through the outer barrier and entered the shrine proper, so Nenet together with Gaia's two summoned dragons would be left to defend against the three outsiders who were coming to claim the blade.

And indeed, it wouldn't take much longer before three figures flew up from the mountainside and landed on the summit, one of them using magic to slow down their descent so they wouldn't have to worry about fall damage. One of them was male, the other two female: the male one was in the lead and was shorter than the other two, dressed sharply in a stately, shamrock green robe, but also of a stout build. He wielded a staff which looked like it belonged to a lord more than a wizard, crafted of finely carved hazel with the tip shaped into the appearance of an owl, each eye a polished piece of lapis lazuli. Thin lines of gold spiraled up the length of the staff and adorned the feathers of the owl in a lifelike pattern, making its plumage glimmer in the bright sun that hung above.

The two female companions were dressed in a more pragmatic fashion, dark fabric hugging their frames to not interfere with their movements and leather reinforcing the joints of their clothes to increase durability. However, the person who designed these outfits had clearly also meant for them to be visually appealing: a belt around the waist helped emphasize how their hips flared out underneath, the collar was cut low to reveal part of their cleavage, and subtle, flowing decorations of a slightly lighter shade than the surrounding fabric would draw eyes towards their shapely legs and their slim figure, right up to the underside of the chest.

One of them was wearing a hooded cloak over her outfit, the colour akin to the night sky with a silver clasp holding it together at the base of her throat. She was holding a staff of lacquered redwood with a rich brown hue, straight and unblemished. At the tip, a peridot teardrop was solidly held by twelve wooden talons.

The other had doubled down on the practicality of her outfit by adding a pair of gloves and boots, the leather of which reached up to her elbows and knees and secured with clasps. Lines of bronze reinforced the leather, with caps adorning the knuckles of the gloves, and the heels and noses of the boots. Her weapon was a spear with a long, maple shaft. The tip was made of bronze, the edge flat despite being exposed to the sun. A deviation from the standard design, however, was the sharp hook that extended from the shaft at the base of the speartip, pointed downward as the woman leveled her spear at the phoenix and the two dragons guarding the shrine.

The man stepped forward and raised his staff, puffing out his chest in pompous indignance as he proclaimed his demands. "Halt! I am the Right Honourable Viscount Shawn of the House Connal, son of The Right Honourable Earl Darrot of the House Connal! You may address me as Your Lordship, or Lord Connal!" While the man was busy introducing himself, and completely failing to say anything about his companions, the other two remained silent and kept their eyes on the mythical figures in front of them. The one holding the spear was balanced on the balls of her feet, her eyes focused, while the other had a more relaxed posture but her staff was slightly leaned forward.

"The legendary blade Divinus was gifted upon humanity by the gods themselves as an acknowledgment of our nobility and grace! Only those of noble blood are allowed to wield it!" The man ignored Harmony, Nenet, and Pachua as he instead fixed his eyes on Gaia, speaking loudly enough that she would hear him. "In the name of House Connal, I am claiming the sword! You, who consorts with beasts and monsters, have no right to it! Apologize for your transgressions, and I shall allow you to leave this place in peace!" The look on his face was arrogant, clearly believing his offer to already be generous and merciful.

Nenet snorted as she slowly pushed herself back to her feet. "Thanks. I owe you one." She shot Harmony a grateful grin before turning her attention to the nobleman. "Boy, does he have a mouth on him." While she was no longer stuck crawling on the ground, she'd still wait and give herself some more time to recover. It'd be up to either the two dragons or Gaia to answer Lord Connal's claims.

---

The barrier was smooth to the touch and felt neither cold nor warm, like room-temperature glass. There was a faint humming at the edge of the consciousness, barely perceptible to human ears. While touching it didn't cause anything to happen, trying to push through it would quickly prove to be fruitless.

Further studying the runes would reveal additional information, but only if Gaia was familiar not only with modern readings of the runes but also with more traditional interpretations. Stroke hadn't been a sage or a scholar, but for the sake of protecting the blade a lot of effort had been put into this shrine and the runes that sustained the barriers.

The modern reading of the runes was "Those who possess great skill can claim the blade most divine from the pedestal." A more ancient reading, however, would yield "The blade will yield to those who have the ability to sever heaven from earth."

A second look at the barrier might also allow Gaia to notice that there was an intentional flaw in its design. At the height of the top of the pedestal, there was a line, ever so faint, which ran around the circumference of the barrier. The line was thinner than a hair, and even after you saw it once you might just lose track of it after blinking.

To sever heaven from earth: to disable the barrier one had to slash horizontally through that line as if severing the air from the pedestal. However, given the thinness of the line, the cut had to be precise, straight as an arrow's flight with no hesitation or deviation. A single, decisive Stroke, matching the skill of the one who had held that name once and who had placed Divinus here, to ensure it could only be claimed by one who could be considered a true heir to one of the greatest swordmasters to ever live.

Of course, once you knew that the trick was to divide the barrier into two parts, one covering the height of the pedestal and the other reaching to the heavens above, you could probably think of some other methods to achieve the same effect.

---

As Itori was tied up keeping the majority of the raiders from climbing the mountain slope she was limited in her ability to ward off attacks from those few vikings who had been smart enough to move around the forest of illusions. It wasn't exactly impossible, but she'd have to divert her attention, which would cause her illusion to lose some of its complexity and create gaps for the vikings to slip through if they knew what they were doing. As such, she'd have to leave it up to King Apalala and Queen Dorolth. Not that this was a great concern: she was quite confident that these two dragons could handle a bunch of humans, no matter how physically robust they were.

The fact that the two dragons now had something else to focus on than Itori's humming also meant that up and down started to make sense again. Although Itori herself couldn't help but have her nose twitch as it was assaulted by the scent of cucumbers, fresh but also quite strange given the circumstances.

The raiders were met with a wave of water as they advanced on their target, and they cursed as they were pushed back. Being used to fighting against the waves as they entered or left their longboat their strong legs allowed them to anchor themselves, resisting the flow and slowly resuming their advance, each step deliberate as they planted their feet as if planning to take root.

The vines, however, pushed them off balance again, leading to more cursing as they felt the sharp thorns cutting their skin. Their durable bodies, however, once again allowed them to persevere: the vines failed to pierce their muscles, and after being caught off guard they lashed out with their weapons, axes and swords, to cut through the vines.

One of them released a fierce roar as he leaped forward, barbarian longhair trailing behind him as he brought his axe down in an attempt to split open Dorolth's head. Given that Apalala had already revealed himself as the one to produce the water, he'd correctly deduced that it must be the other dragon who was responsible for the vines.

The other raiders were a bit more cautious, spreading out to try and surround the two dragons while holding their weapons out in front of them. If one of them saw an opportunity they'd quickly dash forward, closing the gap to engage the dragons and the tenko in melee combat. This was hardly the first time they'd dealt with either monsters or spellcasters, and they were afraid of neither.

WC: 1,695
PWC: 11,966
TWC: 20,839/20,000 (Completed)

@Gaia

Nenet closed her eyes briefly as she felt the healing magic wash over her, accelerating the pace at which her wounds closed even if the blood she'd already shed didn't disappear. Rolling her shoulders she gave Harmony a grateful grin. "Thanks love. I'll have to buy you a drink after this."

Lord Connal either was too busy espousing his own glory to listen to what the dragons had to say or simply didn't care. Either way, he ignored them as if they didn't exist, his full focus on Gaia as he confidently expected the only human adversary to accept his obvious superiority and concede the blade to him. So confident was he that when Gaia instead corrected him and pronounced herself to be of higher status than himself he actually took a step back in surprise, blinking repeatedly as if trying to process this defiance that went against all he knew and expected from the world.

However, his arrogance wouldn't allow him to be deterred by something as insignificant as reality disagreeing with him. His nostrils flared as he glared at Gaia as if she had committed a grave offence, levelling his staff at her so the gilded owl was peering straight at her.

"I was so generous as to offer you the opportunity of a peaceful retreat after being so brazen as to stand in my way, and you respond to my kindness with false claims and insults?" He planted the staff on the ground in front of him in a gesture which he imagined looked intimidating and assertive.
"I see that my altruism is wasted on your ilk. Your association with these creatures already proved your rejection of all that is just, but I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. I will not make this mistake again."

The fact that Gaia wouldn't even face him made him grit his teeth as he strode forward, treating Harmony, Nenet, and Pachua like mere statues as he walked past them and approached the shrine holding the divine blade all present parties were staking a claim on, if for different reasons. "It's pure folly for you to believe that you can instruct me on what to do! I am the Right Honourable Viscount Shawn of the House Connal, son of The Right Honourable Earl Darrot of the House Connal! Perhaps you will understand your transgressions once I have claimed the sword Divinus proper-!"

The earl's words were interrupted as he walked straight into the barrier, his anger and his arrogance having ensured that he didn't even consider the possibility that he couldn't pass through. Fortunately for him, the barrier merely stopped him, but his face coloured red from anger, confusion, and humiliation as he realised what had happened. "You-! What-?!" He sputtered as his two guards did manage to walk past the barrier, the one wielding the spear shifting her gaze between the four potential enemies while the one wielding the staff seemed more curious about the staff itself, and the fact that her master was halted by it whereas she had barely felt anything while passing through.

"Stroke... a woman?!" Lord Connal's eyes went wide before his face turned a deeper red. "Preposterous! Stroke was a legendary swordsman, without peer! So great was his skill that even the divines acknowledged him and gifted him with the most magnificent blade ever forged! To claim that he is in any similar to a blasphemous wench like you is an insult to his memory!" He took a step back so he could point at Gaia with his staff once more. "I don't know what trickery you performed to prevent me from claiming what is rightfully mine, but your bluffs and your deceptions won't save you! Whatever claims to greatness you might have had, you abandoned them the moment you consorted with these creatures!"

"Hasta! Deal with her! Virgam and I shall take care of her foul minions!" The spear wielder nodded as she remained in the shrine while the staff wielder retreated to rejoin her master, turning to face the two dragons and the phoenix.

Hasta stood balanced on the balls of her feet as she studied Gaia, her bronze spear levelled and at the ready. After several seconds of analysing her opponent, the lancer moved... and suddenly she was standing right in front of Gaia, her spear shooting forward in an attempt to pierce the mage's midriff. One might believe that she must have used magic to close the gap that quickly, but the truth was that this spearwoman was simply that fast.

The one who designed her outfit might have divided their attention between practicality and aesthetics, but Hasta herself was all business.

Her thrust was fast and decisive but didn't extend as far as her spear's length could have allowed for. The reason for that was that after the thrust Hasta would twist her spear to try and catch Gaia's weapon with the hook attached to the side, then pull the spear back with a surprising force in an attempt to disarm her opponent.

Nenet cracked her knuckles as she trusted Gaia to take care of the guard with the spear while she faced Lord Connal and his magical guard together with Harmony and Pachua. "You guys back me up, I'm going in first." With those words she took a low stance before shooting forward, flames erupting from her fists as her wings left behind blazing trails.

Virgam, the guard wielding the staff, looked at Nenet's advance and lifted her staff. The peridot at the tip glowed, and between herself and Nenet, a shimmer filled the air as if a heat haze had manifested without warning. Being a phoenix Nenet wasn't deterred by the threat of heat, but as she ran into the shimmering area she didn't feel any warmth. Instead, Harmony and Pachua would see that the spirited phoenix's charge came to a halt despite the fact that her legs were still moving. Somehow Nenet was running at full speed while remaining in place.

Realising that the distance between herself and her target wasn't decreasing Nenet stopped running, instead stretching out her arm and releasing a wave of flames from her hand. From her own perspective, it was an impressive blaze, but for everyone else in the area, it would look like the flames didn't even extend one meter from her taloned fingers.

Virgam held her staff in Nenet's direction, the peridot still glowing even as she shifted her eyes to the two dragons. Lord Connal only gave Nenet a dismissive huff before turning his attention to the other two monsters as well, pointing his staff at Harmony.

"Disable that one first. The sooner we can get rid of this rabble the better."

Virgam nodded and lifted one hand towards Harmony, the same glow that the tip of her staff was emitting now also forming between her fingers. From her hand a shimmer shot towards Harmony at high speed, the projectile invisible except for how it left a distorted trail in its wake. If not dodged, however, the dragons and the phoenix would find that this projectile had tremendous penetrative power, as it would pass straight through flesh, stone, and steel without slowing down, leaving a very clean hole behind.

---

The raiders tried their best to keep a firm grip on their weapons, slashing at any vines that came close enough to be a threat to them once the first two had lost their weapons to Dorolth's verdant lashers. The combination of having to push back against the water and strike at any vines that came close enough meant that they were only advancing very slowly, but for all their cursing and swearing they didn't appear discouraged in the least.

The one who had tried to close the distance with a jump was quickly disposed of, Dorolth's vines and Apalala's water disarming him and throwing him far enough away that he wasn't involved in the fight any longer. Even more so because he'd ended up within the area which Itori was controlling with her illusions, so even as he recovered from the fall he'd find himself unable to go anywhere other than back towards the beach.

Dorolth's inspection of the weapon would make it clear that it didn't contain any unusual properties. It was surprisingly well-made, however, even if the design clearly was geared towards warriors who relied on raw physical might to deliver destructive strikes with no concern for finesse. It was also quite heavy, heavy enough that anyone who wasn't used to sitting at the oars for hours on end in a longboat might find it unwieldy.

With one of the raiders having been removed from the fight the others were moving more cautiously, and seeing that Dorolth was able and willing to use their weapons against them they decided to change their tactics. Most of them remained in place for now, focusing on cutting down anything that came close to them, but one of them would let out a roar as he charged the vine-controlling dragon at surprising speed, as if the water didn't deter him at all. A closer look would show that there was another man behind the first one, pushing him forward so the two of them could overpower the tidal waves that Apalala was summoning to close the gap. Both of them had also tossed away their weapons to avoid Dorolth grabbing those as well, instead relying on their fists to strike at anything that got too close to them and even displaying enough physical power to ripe vines out of the ground.


WC: 1,604
PWC: 13,570
TWC: 23,636/20,000 (Completed)

@Gaia

Lord Connal drew himself up as Gaia questioned his blatant misogyny, his arrogance keeping him going even when the rest of reality continued to disagree with him. "Women can be capable, but Stroke was more than just a competent swordsman! He was a legend! Someone to aspire and look up to!" For him, the idea that a woman could stand at the pinnacle of sword mastery was unthinkable. Gaia's argument that he himself relied on the skills of his two female companions didn't deter him either. "I wouldn't understand one as depraved as you to understand the ways of the world. In their service to me they can reach greater heights than they would ever achieve on their own! Their greatness is but a facet of my own!"

Hasta didn't appear inclined to talk, her whole being focused on executing the command to take care of Gaia while her master took care of the other enemies. So far she found herself unable to land a solid hit on the tarot mage or disarm her, but she was slowly advancing as she kept thrusting her weapon forward with sharp, precise movements. However, the way her brow furrowed made it clear that Gaia's words were getting on her nerves, making her thrusts more powerful and rigid.

Consequently, she didn't pull back quickly enough to evade Gaia's next move, a backwards flip combined with kicking Hasta's hand. The spearwoman let out a grunt as her hand was knocked away, quickly pulling her spear back with the other hand and taking a step backwards in case Gaia followed up with another attack. Instead, she accidentally gave Gaia the opening to pull another card from her pouch to summon more allies. Realising her mistake Hasta gave her hand a quick shake before grabbing hold of her spear with both hands once more. Right now her opponent was unarmed, having tossed her staff aside to pull out the card, and Hasta capitalised on the opportunity by once again practically disappearing and reappearing in front of Gaia, this time aiming to put a hole in the tarot mage's shoulder with her spear to disable at least one of her arms.

---

Virgam was focused on keeping Nenet at bay while also releasing her attack on Harmony, leaving her unable to react to the pastel dragon that suddenly appeared behind her. Lord Connal, however, quickly spun around, his eyes wide before he snarled.

"Another one of you! How many mongrels do we have to put down to-!"

His words were interrupted when Yrgos covered the clearing in front of the shrine in flames, Virgam letting out a yell of shock and pain as the heat scorched her. Lord Connal swore under his breath before grabbing his staff with both hands and slamming the tip onto the ground.

"Enough!"

The owl's eyes lit up, and around Lord Connal and Virgam, the flames would give way as if they were being pushed, or rather as if they were being forced to flow around an invisible barrier. Both Virgam and Lord Connal had already received some first degree burns from the unexpected assault from behind, but for the moment it looked like the noble's staff was protecting them from further harm.

"Misbegotten creatures like you can only rely on trickery and numbers to fight back against those who have been chosen to rule this world! Know your place, beasts!"

"Come here and say that to my face, you fat little man!"

Nenet was still held by Virgam's magic, the phoenix trying out various ways to try and break free. She could move away from Virgam and even circle around, but the moment she tried to move forward she'd find that she made no progress no matter how hard she ran or how fast she flew. While the cloaked spellcaster was now breathing heavily as a result of Yrgos's attack she was still keeping her staff aimed at Nenet, resolute in making sure the passionate phoenix wouldn't get any closer.

As Pachua also released his aquatic assault upon the two humans Lord Connal's face grew tighter. Just like the flames the water was forced to flow around himself and Virgam rather than hitting them, but the owl's eyes were glowing brighter than before and sweat was beading on his forehead.

"Virgam! Forget about her, overwhelm them!"

Virgam nodded and pulled her staff back, the spell that kept Nenet from advancing quickly dissipating as the mage instead focused on Lord Connal's new command. The phoenix grinned as she shot forward after being denied all this time, but before she could reach her targets Virgam yelled and released her next spell.

"Scissa Caelo!"

A surge of power, and throughout the area the air itself appeared to fracture. numerous distortions tearing holes into space. The fractures were small but numerous, and the flames and waves that were cluttering the battlefield were getting drawn into the holes, into locations unknown. The fractures were spread out randomly throughout the area, and while they merely split apart the air a fracture which occupied the same location as an object or person would cause a lot of damage.

Nenet learned this the hard way as one fracture disconnected one of her wings from her body while another tore open her thigh, the phoenix stumbling as blood poured from both wounds. She let out a sharp hiss, her eyes sharp as she caught herself with her hands to avoid falling down.

"Son of a-!"

---

The sturdy axe Queen Dorolth was now holding onto would serve her well as a shield against the raider's strikes, the weapon withstanding the heavy blows easily. Apalala's water also forced their advance to a halt, although by this point the two raiders had gotten close enough that the one in front could reach Queen Dorolth with his fists. The raider in the back dug his toes into the ground and anchored himself, serving as a support to keep the front raider from being pushed back. Seeing how they were most likely not going to be able to close the distance any further the front raider began to unleash a barrage of attacks, his large fists smashing against Queen Dorolth's defence like hammers. Even as the skin on his knuckles began to tear the raider didn't relent, apparently confident that he could outlast Queen Dorolth as long as he kept punching, not caring if every one of his punches was blocked with the axe.

The other raiders still formed a circle around the two dragons, the fox, and their two companions, only pressing forward as much as was needed to keep Apalala from turning his full attention to the two men who were now trying to wear Queen Dorolth out. As long as the two dragons were at full capacity they wouldn't be able to get any closer, so for now their plan was to try and exhaust at least one of the dragons.

WC: 1,157
PWC: 14,727
TWC: 25,665/20,000 (Completed)

@Gaia

Given that Lord Connal had dedicated himself to dealing with the vermin gathering outside of the shrine while leaving it to Hasta to retrieve the sword he didn't deign to answer Gaia's latest barb with more than a derisive snort. There would be time for him to lecture her later on the relationship between master and servant... if he was feeling gracious enough to leave the degenerate and her companions alive.

While Hasta had yet to reply to any of Gaia's words her brow continued to show more wrinkles as her frown deepened, her eyes narrow as she struck again. Her fingers were wrapped tightly around the shaft of her spear, only the thick leather of her gloves preventing her opponent from seeing that her hands were white from the amount of pressure she was exerting upon the wood.

Gaia's attempt of using the sword as a shield didn't deter her either. The tip of her bronze spear deflects from the divine blade, only managing to graze the tarot mage's shoulder instead of piercing it as the spearmaster had intended. As before her movements were more powerful than before, but also lacked the fluidity she'd displayed at the beginning. The force behind the thrust prevented her from quickly pulling back, giving Gaia the opportunity she needed to grab Hasta and make another attempt at persuading her opponent to switch sides.

A pair of eyes glared at Gaia, brown so vibrant it was almost red. Hasta's expression was one of focus mixed with anger, although the observant person might notice there was a distinct lack of hatred or animosity. The spearwoman wore the scowl of one whose patience was wearing thin while trying to complete a task which was proving to be more difficult than expected. Even as Gaia talked she was trying to pull her arm free, but her position meant she didn't have enough leverage.

However, that didn't mean she was without options. After Gaia finished speaking the spearwoman would answer her for the first time, her reply curt.

"You talk too much."

With those words she let go of her spear with one hand, curling it into a fist which quickly turned into a blur as she tried to punch Gaia squarely in the stomach before the tarot mage could react. Given the metal caps which adorned her knuckles and the speed at which she punched, such a blow could inflict a lot of damage even on a powerful mage like Gaia.

---

With one wing gone and one leg severely injured Nenet was left without a means to get close to the two enemies, one of which was still expending a lot of energy to spawn more and more fractures throughout the area. However, Virgam was quickly getting exhausted in the process, her expression strained as she tried to maintain the spell. Sweat was forming on her brow and her posture was weakening.

Lord Connal drew himself up as Yrgos talked back at him, the human lord chagrined at the backtalk of an inferior being.

"Damnable beast, don't you even understand the concept of leadership? Your master has wasted no effort in teaching you manners I see!"

He held his staff up as Yrgos approached, ready to intercept the dragon, but instead he was left confused as the fire dragon seemed to be immolating her allies instead. His eyes widened as he realised what Yrgos was doing, barking out another command at his cloaked spellcaster.

"Stop her!"

Nenet grinned as she felt those augmenting flames wash over her, the phoenix's body reacting very favourably as her leg stopped bleeding almost instantly. Her wing didn't regrow as quickly, but some of the flames were absorbed and formed a blazing wing as a substitute for the physical version which was lying on the ground a bit further away.

"That's more like it!"

With Virgam no longer restraining her the phoenix could move forwards once more, the passionate brawler running forward as flames erupted around her arms, concentrating around her clawed hands.

"Better give up before you get hurt!"

Virgam reacted quickly to Lord Connal's words, halting her large-scale spell to level her staff at Yrgos and launch another one of those invisible projectiles which effortlesly tore holes into anything it encountered. Lord Connal himself lifted his staff to knock aside the weapon the fire dragon tossed at him, but that left him wide open for the phoenix now rapidly closing the gap.

Turning around turned out to be a mistake on Lord Connal's end, as Nenet rammed her fist squarely into his cheek, sending the pompous viscount flying, his hands losing their grip on the staff that had been warding off all the magic the dragons and the phoenix had been throwing at him. He let out a harsh cry as he fell, scrambling to push himself back up and wildly looking around for his staff.

"No!"

Virgam's eyes went wide as she turned around to try and regroup, ignoring Yrgos and the other two as she hurried over to where her master was trying to get his staff back before their enemies attacked again.

---

Itori had left the fight entirely to the two dragons, trusting them to keep the raiders at bay while she preventing the main force from getting close enough to join the battle. However, that didn't mean she was entirely unawares of what was going on, so when King Apalala warned her of what would happen next the pale-haired kitsune nodded quickly, her eyes closed as she wove her illusions without pause.

"Do not hold back on my account."

Concentration was essential for a successful illusionist, but that also meant that any illusionist worth their salt was quite good at remaining focused even as their surroundings devolved into chaos. Still, she appreciated that Queen Dorolth took the precaution of grabbing hold of her: it was one thing to ignore getting wet, another to ignore being swept away by the tides that King Apalala was about to summon.

As the cup-bearing dragon changed position the raiders laughed, some of them taking the opportunity to push closer as the relentless flow of water had ceased for but a moment. The two raiders who had been combining their strength to engage Queen Dorolth in melee also let out fierce roars as they sought to use this opportunity to bring an end to the fight.

Only one of the raiders realised what was about to happen, and even as he shouted King Apalala had already turned his cup upside down and tidal waves came forth, a volume that would put even a small lake to shame. The raiders, unprepared for the sudden resumal of the flow, were knocked away, although none were as surprised as the two who had been bothering Queen Dorolth all this time. With the force now coming from behind them they were unable to hold fast, and soon their muscular bodies were picked up by the waves, frustrated and angry cries becoming fainter as they were dragged down the slope and back towards the coast.

Some of the raiders had managed to grab hold of some trees to prevent the same fate befalling them, but now that they'd lost their favourable position they were having a hard time doing anything other than holding on, forced to let go of their weapons as they try to slowly claw their way back towards the two dragons and the kitsune.

WC: 1,241
PWC: 15,968
TWC: 27,811/20,000 (Completed)

@Gaia

As stern and focused as Hasta might have been, she clearly hadn't expected Gaia to be able to take her gutpunch without either falling back or loosening her grip. The spearwoman was well-trained, and while she didn't have any magic to augment her attacks with her muscles were developed to the point that she could drop most targets like a rock if she got the drop on them.

However, reality was reality, and either her aim was off or her opponent was a lot sturdier than she looked. Either way, the only thing Hasta could do was bring her fist back and repeat the attack, hoping to force Gaia to either back off or fall to her knees. Unfortunately Gaia managed to block her second strike with the sword, her bronze-capped knuckles smashing against the flat of the blade hard enough to make it vibrate but otherwise failing to leave a mark.

As soon as the tarot mage let go of her arm the spearwoman jumped backwards, creating some space and grabbing her weapon with both hands once more. Where before her expression had been purely focused she was now clearly annoyed, Gaia's words making her shoot daggers at the mage with her gaze alone. "Shut up."

With those words still lingering in the air she shot forward for her next attack, displaying the same speed as before... or something close to it. Moving fast enough that the human eye could barely follow without relying on magic was no easy feat, and while Hasta was well-trained she wasn't that extraordinary that she could keep performing such a feat without draining her stamina.

Still, she managed to quickly close the gap and move to the side, trying to put Gaia's body between herself and the sword the tarot mage was holding. As she circled around her opponent she jabbed at the blue-haired mage's legs in an attempt to cripple her.

---

Virgam tried to shoot out another space-rupturing projectile to prevent Harmonia grabbing Lord Connal's staff, but the dragon was too fast for her. Seeing that the prized heirloom was now in the hands of the enemy the spellcaster instead moved in front of her master, planting her own staff on the ground as the peridot tip glowed.

All offensive magic coming from Virgam halted, replaced by a barely visible barrier surrounding herself and her lord. Her breathing was heavy and she was visibly sweating, but she still kept the barrier up, preventing anyone from getting close while the heavy-built male noble pushed himself back onto his feet, his eyes filled with impotent rage which was focused solely on Harmony.

"You insolent... debased... wretched creature! That is the blessed staff of wisdom, heirloom of House Connal! Return it immediately!"

As angry as he was, however, he didn't seem inclined to step outside of Virgam's barrier. Instead he just stood there with balled fists, his face an ominous shade of red. Burn marks marred his cheek even if his anger appeared to be blotting out the pain, and his tumble after getting punched by Nenet had left him looking dishevelled. Whatever dignity he might have held at the beginning of this encounter had quickly been squashed

The moment Harmony grabbed the staff she'd have felt a sense of... certainty. Or possibly confidence. What might have required careful consideration before now seemed intuitively straightforward, as if a veil had been lifted and she was seeing the world clearly for the first time.

This also revealed to her how to activate the staff's other ability: merely pouring magic into it would cause the staff to protect the wielder, not by creating an energy-intensive barrier but by subtly manipulating its surroundings to make hostile actions fail or miss. A wave of flames would split to harmlessly flow around the wielder, an enemy would lose their balance so their strike would be off.

The insight provided by the staff would also make it obvious to Harmony that Virgam couldn't attack as long as she kept her barrier active, and Lord Connal was so reliant on his competent bodyguards that he had little to no combat ability himself, relying almost entirely on the staff to keep him safe while he commanded Virgam and Hasta. Now that the staff had been taken from him he was little more than dead weight, and increasingly irate to boot.

---

With Queen Dorolth protecting her Itori had little difficulty maintaining her illusion even as King Apalala's waters rushed past her, drenching her clothes but otherwise leaving her unharmed, in contrast to the raiders who were quickly getting dragged down the slope, the more unfortunate bouncing between trees. Those who managed to hold onto the trees proved their physical strength once more as their strong grips kept them from falling further until the torrent of water had come to an end, leaving them cursing and swearing as they pushed themselves back up, slamming their fists together as none of them had been able to keep their weapons from getting swept away.

"Do not be concerned: only my clothes have been affected, I am without injury otherwise."

That wasn't entirely true: when you had nine large, fluffy tails you caught a lot of water easily. While Itori was correct in that she hadn't been harmed her nine tails were dripping water everywhere. Still, they'd managed to get rid of the raiders without her losing her illusion, so she considered the strategy a flawless success.

The raiders who had kept themselves from being washed away grouped up even as King Apalala challenged them, baring their teeth at him and shouting Iser challenges and insults. Seeing him lift his cup they looked at each other, back at King Apalala, then one by one they turned around and began to walk back down the slope of the mountain towards the beach, some of them looking back to shout some more profanities and making rude hand gestures.

"The allies of our assailants appear to be losing their motivation. I do not believe that it will take much longer before they retreat to their longboat."

WC: 1,003
PWC: 16,971
TWC: 29,441/20,000 (Completed)

@Gaia