Open The Towering Bear

[Shadow]

Date: 50th of Summer, 124

In twilight's hush a brown-skinned elf
With eyes like amber, finds herself
In forest deep where faelnir play
And leaves whisper the end of day

Jhinhae was her name. She was from a land far away but was an elf nonetheless. She travelled in the company of wolves she met in the forest and bent to her will. For what purpose this strange elf came to Græntún was unknown. To the elves that spoke to her, she claimed it was for adventure.

The wisps knew better. They heard her talk to her animals at night about how she wanted to find and fight the animals of the forest. To prove herself capable of beating the fauna of every region of Antarok was her true purpose.

She rode upon the back of a large wolf, accompanied by a half dozen more as she passed by the outskirts of Græntún. The faelnir interested her. They always did. She pitied the way they labored about for a few short decades before ultimately dying having accomplished nothing.

She made her way inwards, towards the capital. She asked around about nearby beast sightings. There were rumors of a bear that towered dozens of feet high that she was investigating. She'd never fought one of that size before. The thought frightened her a little, which was why she also sought help.

She thought it amusing how humans so easily threw their short lives on the line for a few grams of dust that she offered them. She knew that most she hired would not survive which made their help free.

OOC:

• You may assume Jhinhae approached you and offered to pay you to help hunt down this bear.
• Your post should conclude with arriving at a designated clearing.
• I will keep the posting schedule tight. I will be posting every 3-5 days so long as at least one of you has posted.
• No posting order. You may post in any order each round. This is to minimize waiting for posts.
• You may miss rounds. It's not a big deal.

 

[Engill]

Engill kept himself hidden and observed the figure as she moved closer to the brown skin-elf and here pack of wolves. Before, she thought this was a typical scene but even in the wilds of Ælheim, it was not. Despite being a stranger, Jhinhae's body language was clear: her movements spoke of a deadly calm.

Engill rode along a metal branch and landed before the newcomer at the outskirts of the city. "The forest does not get many guests such as yourself."

She looked at the wolves and then at Jhinhae with some kind of scrutiny. The wolves were large, majestic, and were following this elf without fail, however, Engill could feel the animals eyes on her.

When Jinhae told her of her purpose, Engill offered to help. "If the bear you're after is as dangerous as you say, faelnir may not be enough. I will join your party."

Later, when they met up, Engill would wear light clothing made entirely out of flowers that formed a tunic of sorts. She had her eyes on the faelnir who had been gathered who were probably pulled from their regular duties. She doubted other elves would join to help. Maybe they would watch from afar just in case she got in danger. Or maybe they thought she was old enough to risk her life.

Such a big bear has to be reckoned with, Engill thought.

 

[Makt]

​

[Disclaimer: Makt isn't approved yet. His race and backstory might change but his skillset will stay the same]

Makt was enjoying his peaceful summer day when a strange looking aelf approached him. Perhaps she'd seen him using a bit of magic, perhaps she had just seen his build and thought him suitable. In any case, she'd recruited him into her little group of hunters. He was happy to join as it sounded like an easy pay day. How hard could it be to hunt a bear? He assumed that it was an easy job based on the pittance the aelf offered, but even if it were challenging, he wouldn't be opposed to a good fight.

He wished he could have fished for more information, but he didn't think it was wise to try prodding at the aelf's emotions no matter what their skin color was. In any case, he made his way to the meet up spot after a few hours. He'd changed his clothes to a black set of clothes that had seen plenty of action. It was ripped in some parts, from where his tendrils could escape from.

The only weapon he brought with him was a spear that he grabbed at the market on the way over. He hadn't learned how to use one, but it seemed like a fitting thing to hurl at a bear using telekinesis, if he needed to.

He looked around and saw that there was a 'normal' aelf there as well. She was pretty, as was typical from aelves, and he immediately felt his cheeks redden. He chastised himself for walking up to her and introducing himself.

"Hello, I'm Makt," he said, nervous because he wasn't about to touch an aelf's emotions to manipulate her.

"I take it you're here to fight this bear? It must be really something if it needs an aelf's help. Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that I'm a competent mage and you're free to use me as you see fit. I can use fulgar and zephyr," he explained.

After that he'd step aside, not wanting to take up more of the aelf's time. He didn't know why he'd even approached her. It seemed so stupid in hindsight. Maybe it was because she was pretty or maybe it was because he wanted to be looked at favorably by the aelves. The more that found use for his talents the less likely it was he would be sacrificed, or so his common sense told him.

WC: 401

 

[Velho]

༺༉❁ Skrípi Mare Ævergreen ❁༉༻

Though Skrípi was loyal to Velho due to the latter being his Alítheian overseer, that didn't mean that the young dragon was kept leashed; he could roam the forests of Ælheim as he pleased.

Snaking through the trees of Græntún, the serpentine dragon came across a curious sight– a Jin'Norai and her pets. He had been educated upon the basics of the Jin'Norai– relevant to Ælheim's history as they were– but he had certainly never met one. Immediately, he halted, and somewhat haphazardly landed, skittering across the earth to approach the woman who was undoubtedly surprised (and perhaps on guard?) at the rapid approach of a random dragon.

But Skrípi was disarming. His antics, energy, and naivety had him come across exactly as young as he was, and he was quite friendly on top of that. Bright eyes and tail wagging, most would quickly cease to view him as a threat– perhaps unwisely, but still. When Jhinhae told the winding, fuzzy dragon of her quarry, he'd nod profusely, clicking his claws as he tapped his fingers together excitedly. It sounded like fun to him, and so he agreed to join along.

•════════════════════• ❀​

Arriving at the clearing, the dragon came to a relatively graceful landing and eyed those that had gathered. Some Fælnir; one Æld'Norai. He cocked his bird-like head at the Ælf, a bit surprised to see one here at all. He thought all of them had much better things to do, unaware that many of them simply lived life for whimsy's sake. Perhaps this one simply thought this would be…fun? Or perhaps she was young and curious about the Jin'Norai, too.

The little dragon was further surprised when one of the Fælnir dared to approach this snow-capped Ælf unbidden. Velho had taught him that the Fælnir weren't to approach the Ælves– or any member of the Ævergreen flight– without first being invited to do so. He was told that if any of them did deign to approach him, nobody would bat an eye if he ate them for not knowing better. This was…tempting. He liked human meat.

Skrípi eyed the Æld'Norai curiously. Would she be offended? He couldn't help but wonder, and lacking in any form of subtlety, the dragon skittered over to about ten feet ajar from the Ælf; slightly behind her, but he didn't yet speak.

 

[Shadow]

The brown skinned elf was pleased with the group she had gathered. A forest elf and even a dragon had even agreed to join, much to her surprise. Did they not have anything better to do? She wouldn't complain. The more the merrier, or so they say.

As the clearing populated, the only one missing would be Jhinhae. One of her wolves sat at the center, attentive, brooding, hungry. It stared in one direction and one direction only. The people would have time to chat about and mingle for a while, but eventually a whistle would sound from behind the brush.

Another series of whistles came, then another. The rustling sounds grew louder until Jhinhae and several of her wolves burst through.

"Attack!" she cried. She bore a wide grin and held a bow in one hand with the other clutching the fur of her mount.

A large bear followed closely behind. It was easily fifteen feet even while on all fours. It barreled through the brush and leapt onto the first human that it saw. That man died underneath the weight of the bear's massive foot.

Some humans were frozen with fear. A handful fled. A few fired arrows that landed but appeared to do very little. The bear already had a handful of arrows in its flank from Jhinhae's efforts. It had bite marks along its hind legs as well, but the wolves that had attacked it were nowhere to be seen.

The bear carried its momentum, tearing its way through some more of the faelnir who were brave enough to stand their ground. Those hopeless humans who thought that their employer would help them.

No, no, no. She cared not for them. She was using them as a meat shield while she canted from across the clearing.

OOC:

New:

• Attack!

Old:

• I will keep the posting schedule tight. I will be posting every 3-5 days so long as at least one of you has posted.
• No posting order. You may post in any order each round. This is to minimize waiting for posts.
• You may miss rounds. It's not a big deal.

 

[Engill]

Engill looked at the dragon and nodded. She had a soft spot for them. She would have liked to talk to him if not for the man who comae to distract her.

Engill's calm face slightly contorted in disgust as she saw the human coming closer. A human, who would dare approach her? She remained calm but a wave of anger started rising from her belly. The audacity! People were below her, mortal, ignorant of the powers that ruled them. This one was just like the others, with his awkward walk and face that was difficult to remember.

When he reached her and tried to say something completely unimportant, Engill sneered in a very deliberate manner. But it was all a lie. she didn't look happy from the inside as her lips curved into a smile. It was a mask, a sheer politeness for the disdain she harbored. She had no desire to allow this human to come near her or to bother her with whatever trivial issue he thought was worthy of her attention.

Mid sentence, Engill suddenly lifted her hand, and out from her hand grew a spike of aetumetal wood. The metallic wood shone in the light as it extended towards the human right in the gut without any mercy. He probably had the common sense not to resist her punishment.

"Know your place," she said softly, almost a hiss, full of contempt.

As she could not yet indulge in the victory, a loud roar of the crowd distracted her attention from the human. She looked in the direction of the noise and her mouth opened in shock. A huge bear, much bigger than any she had ever come across charged through the trees, its eyes red with rage. The ground rumbled as it advanced towards them and it continued to move with great speed.

Engill's mind raced. This bear was a big one. The size and power of the bear was intimidating. Still, she realized this would not be an easy battle to win. Then a thought struck her, unpleasant but necessary: the human. If he had any magical ability at all, he might come in handy.

If she had been successful, she would remove the spike that was sticking in the human's abdomen. At the same time she cast her druidic magic to him, a warm feeling flowed from her palm to his injury enough to keep him from . Else if he had dodged she would still give the command.

"Don't just stand there! Buy us some time!" She commanded. She lifted her bow and fired some arrows at the bear all while gliding along a thick branch of metal that repositioned her away from the bear's path.

 

[Makt]

Caelum's eyes widened as he felt a sudden pain in his stomach. His sentence was abruptly cut off as pain surged through his body. It wasn't that he was completely incompetent at defending himself, but he certainly hadn't been expecting to be attacked by a competent druid at such a close range. There was no time to react, and his eyes had been fixed on hers, searching for approval.

"S… sorry," he gasped. He staggered a little, wondering if he ought to flee or stand to take the rest of his punishment. To his surprise, the aelf didn't kill him. Instead, she healed him.

"T… thank you," he tried to say but what was happening around him finally sunk in.

"Right, wind." He took several steps towards the bear, impressed with how his side already felt a lot better even though it'd been cut open just moments earlier. He moved like he was dancing, waving his arms and building up a current of wind that arced around him. The wind looked white as it picked up speed as he took several more steps.

I know I can knock back a normal bear, but… that? he thought as his heart raced. He finally finished with his palms outstretched. The wind made one last swirl around him, battering his clothes and hair, before it shot off towards the bear.

He was good enough to direct the wind around the fleeing faelnir, and the arrows being shot at it. He also had the tactical mindset to know that he ought not to try simply shoving the bear. He went right for the eyes, which he attempted to slice with his arc of wind. It wasn't the strongest attack he could muster, but he felt that it was appropriate to gauge his enemy before going all out.

704

1 expert aether cast

 

[Velho]

༺༉❁ Skrípi Mare Ævergreen ❁༉༻

There was a twinkle of malicious delight in the glow of the dragon's eyes when the Æld'Norai responded with aggression, as was her right. The Fælnir were taught to be respectful, and further, that foregoing manners could have lethal consequences.

Before he could speak or really even react, however, Jhinhae and their would-be ursine foe burst forth from the nearby woods. It was a goliath specimen, even dwarfing Skrípi whose body was only about nine feet in length, excluding his tail. Still, the juvenile dragon was a confident, foolhardy thing; he didn't balk at all.

Skrípi's Grist was unrefined, but a breath of Anathema was in and of itself a potent weapon (and best used at the start of a fight). The winding dragon threw himself into motion, using his weight and force generated by his legs to propel himself into the fray. Once he was about twenty feet away from the bear, he'd inhale, preparing the Gristle in his throat to be burned. Upon reaching approximately fifteen feet away from its leftmost flank, the bat-like dragon would exhale his Gristle as a burning cloud of black bile that would coat the fur of the beast from that side. This insidious substance was a powerful acid and upon contact, it would begin to digest any surface it touched.

And though Skrípi was oft considered naive, he wasn't stupid. He'd survived the youth trials of his kin and had seen his fair share of violence. Immediately after expending his breath, he'd take to the air and fly back out of its reach– it would take some time for the acid to dissolve through the beast's thick coat and actually harm it, and in the meantime, he had little desire to willfully to subject himself to the animal's tooth or claw.

 

[Shadow]

The bear was awash with blackness that clouded its vision. It was a weak but effective attack nonetheless. It softened the hide enough to allow Engill's arrow to sink deeper into the bear's shoulder. It was the deepest any arrow had dug yet but still not enough to hurt it.

Not a second later, a sliver of wind cut through the anathema and tore into one of the bear's eye. It would have been a more effective attack if the breath weapon hadn't clouded Makt's view.

"Good! GOOD!" shouted Jhinhae from behind. She didn't seem to be helping at all. Her arms waved furiously and wind circled overhead, but it didn't do anything to hurt the bear. Her two remaining wolves stayed patiently where they were. The one at the center of the clearing even laid down lazily.

While Skripi flew, he would be the only one to be able to notice that there was something moving in in the trees. Something large was slowly sliding down one of the trees. The distinct sound of claw scraping against wood would be able to be heard by him alone.

Those below would be unaware and focused on the bear who would have no difficulty clearing away the rest of the meat shields with a single powerful swing of its paw.

The bear walked forwards slowly as its paws began to glow. It reared up on its hind legs then stomped both hands onto the ground. The magic within it allowed it some level of manipulation of the earth, as the hunters were now aware. Spikes started to fly out from the ground in front of it aimed directly at Engill and Makt. They would be strong enough to pierce through trees. Skripi was the only of the hirelings that would not be targeted but the bear kept him in the corner of its eye.

OOC:

Old:

• I will keep the posting schedule tight. I will be posting every 3-5 days so long as at least one of you has posted.
• No posting order. You may post in any order each round. This is to minimize waiting for posts.
• You may miss rounds. It's not a big deal.

 

[Engill]

Engill wanted to punish Makt for not listening. She had ordered him to push the bear back, not cut it. There would be plenty of time for proper punishment later.

Engill glared as the bear stood on its hind legs, the claws of the bear emitting a sinister aura. She could even hear the earth beneath her feet vibrating, which only told her that the creature was preparing for another catastrophic strike. Naturally, she relied on the force inside her, the bond with the forest that had been passed down for centuries.

When the bear tried to attack her and Makt by slamming its paws into the ground causing spikes of earth to fly at them, Engill moved quickly. She pointed her hands at the floor, and from the floor a wall of metallic wooden like substance emerged, shiny and metallic. The wood was not normal, its outside was smooth and shiny like a mirror but inside it was as hard as steel. The tips of earth struck the wall and instead of bouncing back they penetrated the wooden surface and broke into splinters.

Engill didn't wait to see the result. She understood that the wall would only act as a barrier to the attack for a short period only. Quickly as a cat she jumped aside and rolled on the ground to escape the deadly spikes. The ground trembled as she got up from where she had fallen and quickly got on her feet in a fighting stance. She fired some more arrows. It was the only thing she knew to do.

 

[Makt]

Makt wasn't exactly pleased to see how resilient the bear was. Still, he thought they were doing alright, all things considered. The fodder had done their job and occupied the bear enough to get off a good volley of attacks. That being said, there wasn't hardly any fodder left. It seemed that now he was the fodder.

As the earth spikes shot towards him, he gave into his instincts to use psychoplasm to deal with them. He quickly projected a field of it which would be invisible yet large enough to encompass both he and Engill. He would put his hands out in front of him with his palms facing each other. With a grunt he would twist his hands as if he were turning a giant wheel.

His intended result would be for the psychoplasm to twist in such a way that the spikes would, hopefully, just barely pass by them. He had to be careful not to be too obvious, because he didn't want anyone to know that he had telekinesis. He generally played these sorts of feats off as clever wind manipulation, but he still liked to play it safe.

After he let go if his grip on the spikes, four tendrils of water would grow from his body. He didn't particularly want to charge at the bear, but he was obligated to. He could not allow an aelf or dragon to get hurt.

The whip-like appendages grew to be twenty feet in length as he started to fly into the air. He would try to distract the bear by flying just outside of its reach. What was taking the jin'norai so long? What the hell was going on with the wind up above? He had so many questions.

996

1 expert aether cast
1 expert imber cast

 

[Velho]

༺༉❁ Skrípi Mare Ævergreen ❁༉༻

Skrípi noted that his Anathemic breath was having its intended effect– and it would continue to, as the insidious substance was one that tended to linger if a creature were unable to clean it off of themselves. But as he rose higher in the air to elude the bear's reach, he noticed something– there, in the distance, in the boughs of Ælheim's great trees, lurked something else.

Though he knew the Draoidh and the Fælnir mage were stuck below to deal with the bear, he didn't want them (well, really just Engill) to be caught unawares by whatever that was.

"In the trees!" He called down in common, "...there's something else!" The dragon's voice was as loud as he could make it– much louder than a man's– but it might still be obscured by the sounds of combat below.

Still, he would not simply do nothing. He flew over the battlefield to get a better look at whatever it was attempting to make its way down from the tree, stopping immediately whenever he would be able to make out what it was. The dragon sought to avoid the surprise of waiting for it to emerge, not to intentionally endanger himself.

 

[Shadow]

The first to know something was wrong would be Skripi. At his altitude he would notice just how much the air smelled like blood. Jhinhae's spell was pushing the smells of the carnage below into the air to draw her real prey. In the gaps in the less dense branches, Skripi could see the massive bear who was sliding curiously down the tree.

It was only slightly larger than the bear on the ground but it was a different color and variety. This one was a Grizzley, while the one on the ground was a black bear. Those who knew anything about the differences would know that one was much more vicious than the other.

Down below, Makt and Engill would find their bear to be tired of their antics. It was low on aether after its last ditch effort to kill everyone and now its instincts told it to flee. Engill's arrows were sinking deep enough to hurt even if she was not skilled enough to land hits on vital areas. Makt intimidated it by increasing his size and flying above it.

It turned to leave, but a spike suddenly erupted from the ground and skewered it in place. It was not yet dead but it couldn't move. The swirling wind suddenly stopped and Jhinhae's wolf finally got to its feet. The real fight was about to begin.

Skripi's warning would allow anyone who paid attention to see the grizzley as it slid down the tree. They would be able to get off a round of attacks on it before it got to the ground.



OOC:

Old:

• I will keep the posting schedule tight. I will be posting every 3-5 days so long as at least one of you has posted.
• No posting order. You may post in any order each round. This is to minimize waiting for posts.
• You may miss rounds. It's not a big deal.

 

[Engill]

The facial expression of Engill shifted as soon as she saw the large grizzly bear coming down from the tree. The smell of blood was in the air, and it was a smell that turned her stomach and made her every alert. This new bear was bigger and angrier and its coming into the scene was a clear sign that things were going to get worse.

She had no intention of letting this new threat to reach the ground. Below is the bear that was already skewered by a spike of earth thus caught but not killed yet. The last thing they needed was another huge monster coming to the battlefield. Her decision was an instant one, as the circumstances required her to make it and as she hated the feeling of being a loser.

Engill called all the Saol she could get her hands on, and the energy surged through her like a river. It was a risky move, an exhausting move, but she had no other option left for herself. They could not afford to sit back and do nothing since the consequences were very dire.

The tree on which the grizzly was climbing down was a big one, it had a massive trunk and its branches were extending in all directions. Engill focused her will into it; her connection with the nature allowed her to stick her hand into the core of the tree. She felt its presence, its presence and then she told it to move out.

With a tremendous groan the tree obeyed the will of the girl. Limbs, which were more or less thick and sturdy, began to stir as if they possessed life. It curled towards the descending grizzly, spiraling it like two large wooden serpents. The branches wrapped themselves around the bear and tried to imprison it with a cage of wood.

However, Engill was not satisfied with simply putting the beast behind bars. She desired to stop it, to eliminate it before it could pose a danger to her and this is where the concept of annihilation comes in. With the last of her Saol she stretched her hand towards the trees and pulled more energy from it. They too began to move forward, their limbs intertwining with the limbs of the first tree to create a prison of trees around the grizzly bear.

Finally, in her last attempt, she activated the aetumetal spikes which she had created before. These deadly, metallic spikes emerged from the ground and the ends of these were covered with a metal that looked sinister. With a flick of her wrist, Engill directed the long aetumetal spikes toward the trapped grizzly. They spun in the air like a deadly waltz. She was not going to be able to use more magic after this so the rest was in everyone else's hands.

 

[Makt]

Makt's jaw dropped when the bear was skewered. So, the brown skinned aelf had been a terarri as well. He wondered if that was common among their kind. Perhaps it was a silly thought, but he associated the color brown with earth. In any case, they had bigger problems on their hands. The dragon had given them warning and now his eyes wee fixed pointedly on the new bear. This one looked even more dangerous than the last! So, this had been the bear that the brown aelf had been after.

Without warning, the tree started to move and Makt started backing away. So, Engill finally decided to use magic, he thought with a smile. The sheer quantity of wood that was being manipulated told him that she was not to be trifled with. He sent his tendrils in as well to try wrapping around the bear, though he knew that his strength probably wouldn't add much to the equation.

Regardless of how the bear reacted, Makt would try to sooth its emotions to try preventing it from breaking out into a rage like the last bear had. He knew that would be fairly hard to do, but he tried nonetheless. Anything to keep it still for just a while longer while they struggled to deal with it.

1214

1 expert aether cast
2 expert imber cast

 

[Velho]

༺༉❁ Skrípi Mare Ævergreen ❁༉༻

Skrípi looked on with delight as the first bear was skewered, though the second, even larger bear had given him some pause. He knew his own magical limitations; Velho had taught him how to avoid pushing himself into the malaise of Mageburn. Much as holding back his Arcana frustrated him, he knew that if he let his impatience get the better of him, he'd have to wait even longer to utilize it again.

However, he was glad to see that he needn't worry! The Æld'Norai showed her true strength– not unexpected, given the sorcerous prowess he knew many of her kin were capable of. The tree moved to entrap and then impale the bear with innumerable spikes, not unlike a torture device he'd seen before; an iron maiden, he thought it was called?

Then, the Fælnir boy moved in to assist. Utilizing watery Tendrils, Skrípi watched as the young mage wove his magic to further lock the bear in place. With both him and the Ælf's machinations, he hesitated; all he had left was tooth and claw. It didn't even really look like they needed help, and were he to join in, he risked himself being harmed by a wayward spike or so.

Thus, the dragon kept to the air, watching to see if the bear were at all capable of breaking free from its confines. If it somehow did, it would be at that point that he'd dive in to attack it. He was, to a degree, frustrated with how little impact he had on the latter bear, but looking back to the first, one would see that the insidious nature of Anathemic breath was still working. The first black bear had ceased to move– dead in all likelihood– from blood loss, or, perhaps having had something important eaten away. The side his breath had impacted had, by now, been dissolved so severely that both viscera and bone were on full display.

 

[Shadow]

Skripi need not worry too much about making a difference. It was only because of his unique skills that the others were able to take action. He would also notice that the fight was not yet quite done.

The first bear was not harmed by arrows without Skripi's breath to help. This new bear was hardier and so even the full extent of Engill's might was not enough to seal the deal. If it had been, then Jhinhae would have flown up the tree and ended the bear on her own.

The bear had not been aggressive, but now it had been provoked. Even the emotional sway Makt had could not keep it calm while metal drove into its belly. It let out roar and broke through it all with a strong swipe of its paw.

One of Makt's tendrils had been around that paw. It would either be ripped from his body or send him flying very aggressively.

The bear dropped down to the ground where the other bear was. Delicious, but these flies needed to be dealt with.

With her target finally in sight, Jhinhae started to shout using Animsit's tongue. Her wolves sprinted towards the bear. She manifested a spear as she rode. She and her wolves were like a tornado as they attacked with all they had.

Being so close would make it difficult to help, but they did need it. From a distance all others would be able to see how little damage was being dealt and how the bear was merely waiting for the right moment to strike. Jhinhae's pride forced her to take the kill for herself.


OOC:

New:

• If nobody assists, Jhinhae will quickly die and the bear will attack the weakest looking target (Engill)
• If you assist, Jhinhae may still die, but it may be the best way to kill the bear

Old:

• I will keep the posting schedule tight. I will be posting every 3-5 days so long as at least one of you has posted.
• No posting order. You may post in any order each round. This is to minimize waiting for posts.
• You may miss rounds. It's not a big deal.

 

[Engill]

Engill remained behind the tree and saw the scene, she was panting and felt so exhausted. She had no energy left in her. All the strength that she had was utilized. She energy she had used in her previous attacks were the last of them. Her mind was racing and she could not understand how badly things were going. She did not even think her arrows would help.

The bear was an animal that was huge, angry, and which appeared to be impervious to the beating that was being given to it. Engill could see the desperation in Jhinhae's strikes, the wolves going for it and biting at the bear's corpulent form, the spear gleaming in her hand as she lunged at the bear. However, even from this distance, Engill knew. It wasn't enough. It was never enough.

She felt guilt. Perhaps, if she was more powerful, if her ability was more advanced, then she may have been able to stop this from escalating further. But now, all she could do was watch. The concept of withdrawal whispered to her and was something that was always at the back of her mind. It was telling her to get out while she still could. However, Engill did not move and her back was resting against the trunk of the tree whose texture was inviting.

If the worst came to the worst she could always blend in with the tree. During her training she had developed a method of travelling through flora and it was all she had left. A quiet get away in case of an emergency. But for now she watched. She waited.

 

[Velho]

༺༉❁ Skrípi Mare Ævergreen ❁༉༻

Alas, the wondrous works of spellweaving wended by the boy and the Ælf were not enough to fell the bear. That did not seem to deter Jhinhae, however, who chose that moment to swoop in for an attack of her own. Foolhardy? Maybe. The young dragon quickly realized that if he continued to linger and not act, the woman would soon be overwhelmed.

Despite having little to no skill with any of the actual spellwork involved with Devorare, the little dragon was nonetheless in possession of the passive, physical gifts it granted. He possessed senses of preternatural acuity, half again the strength he had prior to its acquisition and a hide half again as durable as a standard young dragon. For this reason, he was willing to be a bit bold despite having exhausted his Saol– and the petty, vengeful aggression that was oft characteristic of those drained of Saol spurred him further forth.

Attacking from above, the serpentine drake would land atop the bear's back. His goal was less to actually lethally injure the beast, but rather, to be a nuisance and distract it. This bear was still an animal, and like any animal, it would be guided on instinct; surely, a sizable creature landing upon its back and nipping at its face would rip its focus away from the elf and her wolves below, no? Whilst he dug in to maintain grip with his back talons, twisting his prehensile toes into both fur and flesh, the sharp claws of his little hands worked in tandem with the points of his beak and tip of his tail to gauge at the bear's eyes.

 

[Makt]

Makt thought for a moment that they'd won. Engill's spikes had entered the bear's stomach area and the walls were literally closing in around it, but it'd ultimately broken free. In doing so, Makt had suddenly been flung none too gently towards the edge of the clearing.

He yelled in freight as he careened towards a tree – hitting it would have definitely ended his life. He managed to summon a gust of wind to nudge himself to the side at the last moment, though his arm and side both scraped against the tree roughly. Pain erupted through his body but he couldn't focus on that right now. The aelves, the dragon… they needed him.

By the time he stabilized his momentum and flew back to the action, he saw the dragon on the bear's back and Jhinhae speeding around like a blur. He paused and thought about how he might be able to help. If Engill hadn't been able to stop the bear, then what chance did he have?

"The belly," he thought, remembering that it'd been weak enough to be pierced. If only he could hit it, maybe he could tear it open. But he'd need power – lots of it.

Makt held out his only usable arm to the side and focused on mixing the powers of both wind and fire together to create a particularly potent crackle of electricity. The energy danced down his arm and coalesced into a sparkling aura around his hand that emitted an oddly melodic sound.

"I really fucking hope this works," he said through gritted teeth as he shot forwards. He yelled "Ahhhhhhh!" more as a warning to the others than because he needed to. He was propelled not just by the wind at his back but by flames that erupted out of the bottom of his feet. He was a speeding bullet that tore through the air, just above the ground. He would aim his electrical attack right at the underside of the bear, hoping to pass under it. There was no room for maneuverability, however. He wouldn't be able to prevent himself from punching a hole through Jhinhae or her wolves if they got in his way.

1580

1 master aether cast
2 expert aether cast
2 expert imber cast