[Official NPC]

The night was cold and black. Clouds blotted out the stars and Neme's light. The star-shaped fortress of Acheron lay silent and sleeping, watched over by only a small contingent of Apali easily located by the balls of light cupped in their hands, bobbing along the crenelments as they patrolled.

Closing in on the fortress quickly was a unit of Skotadi infantry, their black wings melting into the dark of the night. They swooped low into the mist surrounding the fortress and followed the bulging line of the wall straight up into the crenelments to attack, swift and sure.

[Naava]

Naava flew in formation with her companions. It had been well over a year since she had finally fully recovered her memories, and since then she had joined an insurgent group within the Skotadi ranks. One of those shadowy organizations that the official Skotadi government wouldn't recognize publicly, but fully funded and supported privately. The kind of group that starts things... and ends them. In fact, this group was the very one who assassinated the former Archon, Persephone. Not that Naava was a part of that - she was recruited well after that to replace one of the assassins who had died on that very mission.

As things stood - or rather flew - Naava found herself swooping down upon the very outpost which had been her home for a time. Well, home is a word that could be used in theory, but in reality most of the time that she remembered spending in Acheron's Fort was behind a cell door. She held more than enough hatred for this place to do whatever was asked of her. Naava had specifically gotten herself assigned to this mission when she found out where it was headed. She was still new to this unit, exceptionally new considering the way most Anyeli aged, but she had proven herself in the various skill checks they had put her through and her eagerness for this mission was seen as a positive trait.

The team's orders were simple, really - seek and destroy. The Station Commander was the primary target, but they would have to work their way through to there as his residence was heavily guarded. It was fine by Naava to take out a few guards, in fact there were more than a few that she had a personal vendetta against and would now relish the chance to watch the life slip ever so slowly from their disgusting apali eyes.

Skotadi and children were strictly off limits, and in fact most of the assassins in the group were orphans of some kind and so there were significant ramifications to even killing a parent in front of their child. The non-anyeli in the city were to be given a single chance to flee before they were considered aggressors and could be dispatched however necessary. This was predicted to be a quick and simple mission. Get in, kill some people, maybe destroy a few structures, and get out.

The team was flying in silently when out of no where a barrage of arrows came shooting towards them. In one fluid motion two of the other assassins had put up a dark blob of shadow that spread like a shield and absorbed the arrows, dropping them to the ground once the mass was released. Perhaps this mission wouldn't be as quiet as Naava had expected. Naava quickly kissed the necklace she wore which was made out of one of the feathers of her now-deceased cheefle before unsheathing her two katars and diving towards the guard walls of Acheron in formation to engage the enemy.

Piper's Boutique + Jessica Alba

[Argyris]

Blood will have blood.

Argyris woke up with a start, her back covered in sweat and her sound of her heartbeat loud in her ears. Sitting up and pulling her legs close, Argyris leaned her head onto her knees. She repeatedly murmured the series of words that had been etched deep into her mind. Her cold skin could feel every passing breath that accompanied the syllables she whispered. "Spiros. Yain. Thanious. Sarai. Demni. Charion. Agathe. Yainnis, Sunset, Scourge. Spiros. Yain. Thanious. Sarai..." It would be a good few moments before she composed herself enough to get off the small single bed and out of her room to wash her face in the common toilet on her floor.

She knew that sleep would take a long time to come. Not wishing to trapped and alone with her thoughts, Argyris left the inn, going back to her room to put on her breastplate and grab her sabre before exiting the establishment. The streets were empty, and quiet. And Argyris stood outside of the building and looked around, unsure of where to go. She had been to Acheron only a mere handful of times, and all of them were prior to her infection. An event that seemed like something many a century past, yet was clear as the summer sky when she thought about it. Deciding to let her feet guide her, Argyris wandered about the fort. Out in the open, her own mind was quieter too, less prone to harp on things that made her already unnatural blood run colder still.

Archeron was full of dead-ends for those unable to fly, and Argyris found herself turning back again and again. More than the mild irritation at having to stop her footsteps however, the dead ends messed up her memory of the forks she took. Her wanderings turned out to be a bad idea, and Argyris was soon lost and without any idea how to go back to her inn. Not wanting wander till daybreak, yet unwilling to break into the homes of others just to ask for directions, Argyris started to move towards the nearest guard tower. The place was manned day in, day out, even on holidays or in the middle of the night.

[Naava]

Naava saw the shadows in front of her unit form the outline of a shield. So that was the order. Capture and defend. She knew there were more forces coming in the morning - after all, it wouldn't be very useful to defeat this outpost if the Skotadi didn't later fully capture it - but waiting for them to come... it seemed like a wise plan but Naava had always been a bit too impatient for wisdom. She would reluctantly follow her orders - at least for the time being. Once this tower they were landing on was captured, however, she couldn't promise that she would be a good little soldier and just stay put. Naava wasn't meant to be a defender. Her fighting style was a heavily aggressive one that was usually only successful if she managed to win within the first few blows. Setting up for the long haul just wasn't her style.

Within a few moments of receiving the shadowy orders her team landed like a cloud of death on the fort. The two assassins who had stopped the volley of arrows had now made a thick shadowy haze around the entire group. This kind of intense elemental work was the reason that Thanos and Selena were on this team. On top of their excellent team skills, they were highly skilled in the art of Shadow control. There were, of course, those who rivaled them and even those who were better than them, but given their exceptional combat skills as well no one ever doubted their talents. At least, not and lived.

With this darkness it was easy for Naava and her partner, Aias, to dispatch their fair share of the guards. Without the ability to manipulate their light due to the lack of a decent source the guards were all quickly dispatched. The guards had already set the warning lights and similar lights were popping up in every tower on the fortress. With the guard maintaining this one dead, however, the light here had gone out. To any unintelligent guards, they would assume that the threat was gone. To any intelligent ones... they would know that the blood bath was only beginning.

The six members of the team quickly took positions based on the orders of Prax. Naava and Aias were posted on either side of the main entrance to the tower, weapons at the ready.

Piper's Boutique + Jessica Alba

[Dazadi]

It had started in Celene. Dazadi had been investigating rumours of a small group of Skotadi stirring up trouble, and she had followed the effects throughout the empire from squad to squad ever since. Black wings stretched slightly for balance, she stood at the edge of the roof of Acheron's central tower, surveying the star-shaped fortress spread out below. At her heels, Dante rumbled and licked a paw.

She was beginning to think her intel was wrong. She wasn't even sure what she planned to do if it wasn't. Xanth's Sword was meant to be completely neutral, but she was still Skotadi. If she was going to interfere, it should be to help her own kind, yet part of her itched to warn Acheron's guards instead. Perhaps with age had come wisdom, or maybe she was just tired of all the fighting. When she finally caught the sudden wink of a star that gave away the attacking squadron's position one shadow-maker to another, she played the good little Aide and stayed put.

Then, on the street below, Dazadi spotted what looked to be a woman with hair that blazed even in the dark — headed right for the skirmish in the guard tower. No wings, no uniform: civilian.

Jerking her dagger clear of its sheath, Daz lunged from the rooftop and spun mid-air, freefalling the length of the tower. A couple of storeys above the ground, she snapped out her wings and sank her blade into the sun flag that was almost as tall as the tower it hung from, slow her descent and giving her a petty sense of satisfaction from the tear her knife ripped all the way to the bottom. She laneded, with her knees bent and her wings spread upright behind her to their full length, between the redhead and the door.

“You really don't want to go in there.”

Xanth wasn't the only one who knew how to make an entrance.

[Argyris]

Argyris had to hold off a wave of nostalgia when she saw the lights of the guard towers being lit. These lights were at once both an Apali settlement's warning system and its sole defense in the treacherous night. Her memories of being one of those manning the towers was fond, and wistful. She found herself continuing to move towards the edge of Archeron, the length of her strides increased unconsciously when one of the lights went out. The sound of her pounding heart resumed its heavy beat. Tha-dum, tha-dum, it grew louder. Tha-dum, tha-dum, and louder still. Tha-dum, tha-dum, louder and louder, louder and louder...

– And then it stopped.

She had been about to starting sprinting into the tower when all of sudden someone dropped down not ten steps away. The stranger had ripped an Archeon flag on her way down, and the dark wings that unfurled as if beckoning for awe and praise. Preoccupied with her own anticipation and lacking the hunter senses some of her vampiric peers possessed, Argyris had been caught completely off-guard. For a moment the vampire froze up as if hypnotized by the skotadi. And then the adrenaline kicked in and the internal war drum re-started.

The skotadi spoke, and it was obvious that the Anyeli thought her to be a civilian. A false assumption, but a common one. It took rapid mental chants of ”consequences, consequences” for Argyris to restrain herself from attacking the skotadi despite the accurate advice given. "You are going to let me go unscathed then?" Unable to control the bloody impulse within her, she quickly added, in an almost challenging tone, "You'll come to regret it, and soon." Even civilians were not entirely useless in battles.

[Dazadi]

Oh, oh, see! This was why Dazadi shouldn't get involved. It had nothing to do with Xanth's neutrality and everything to do with ingrates like this who took her saving their lives as some sort of personal challenge!

“Oooooooooohf.” Dazadi's fists squeezed at her thighs, white-knuckling around the hilt of her dagger, and a heavy black boot with a blue-flame motif stomped into the stone at her feet. Over the redhead's shoulder, she spotted the silken silhouette of her feline companion slinking out of the shadows from where he had landed, his wings folding even as she watched and his red eyes glinting in the darkness. He looked a little too like the vlareon that had killed Kade (the first time around) for her comfort, so her frustration mellowed a degree — just enough to stop her from ramming her dagger through the ungrateful little madam's throat.

“Fine. You want in? You go in.” She pivoted and slammed the flat of her boot into the door so that it burst open with a vibrating crash, turning into the kick so she stood to one side, bent slightly at the waist over her dagger in a classic butler's pose of invitation.

[Official NPC]

OOC: I couldn't find any reference to Aias' gender, so I made it up. This is a prompt post to skirt around Naava's presence so the thread can move forward, so feel free to godmod any of the Skotadi squad members.

Aias was momentarily startled when the door burst open to reveal a woman with large black wings, blue-tipped hair and a thunderous expression on her face, but his training quickly kicked in. He scoped the visible area beyond the door, spotting a second woman with dazzling red hair. No wings, so she wasn't Anyeli, factioned or otherwise, but the breastplate pegged her as non-civilian. A viable target, then.

With a screeching battle cry, the Skotadi shot forward to attack, assuming that the woman with the black hair and blue eyes was on their side.

[Argyris]

Argyris winced when the door was kicked open with a very audible "BAM!" It was not just the force between the kick nor the sound that had made her do so. It was the very belated realisation of how rude she had been. Had this exchange taken place in Hesia the flame-haired vampire would have simply shrugged it off. But she was not. And here was a Skotadi who was going against the grain to prevent needless bloodshed when most dark Anyeli were ruthless, scheming and had no care for civilians. Bad move, definitely.

The sarcastic half-bow the skotadi was giving her made Argyris' face burn in further consternation. She hurriedly put her hands up in a clumsy apology, about to speak again when a screech from beyond the open door alerted her to danger. She dodged the initial charge by the attacking skotadi with a half-pirouette followed quick backpedalling. Argyris unsheathed her sabre, eyes darting between the two skotadi.

Were they on the same side? Would the first change her mind about letting her go if Argyris counter-attacked? Was taking on both of them at once possible? Could she manage to escape from this battle? When was daybreak, and the relief that came with it, going to arrive?

Even as the barrage of useless considerations flooded her mind, Argyris unsheathed her sabre. She held it in a defensive position, waiting for an opening. She refused to attack; with the overwhelming darkness she needed to be completely aware of herself. Unnecessary movement would only give the skotadi more openings.

[Dazadi]

OOC: Russ said Aias was meant to be a guy so let's pretend that's the gender I picked and I'll go back and edit ONPC.

---

Once upon a time, Dazadi would have gladly thrown herself into battle alongside the Skotadi squadron that was spilling out of the tower. Even a few years ago, she would have thrown caution, and Xanth's neutrality mandate, to the wind. Now, as much as it pained her to admit it, Dazadi found the whole thing boring. Skotadi killed Apali, Apali killed Skotadi, and the civilians were stuck in the middle.

Maybe working for Xanth had given her a much broader perspective, allowing her to see the larger picture. Instead of joining them, or even countering their attacks, she would have defended the wingless redhead and let the battle flow around them — if said redhead had not rudely rejected her help already.

Flattening her spine to the wall of the tower, one ankle crossed over the other, Daz studied her nails. They were cut short, almost to the quick, and filed only because they were annoying when they snagged on everything.

Dante was not nearly so bored with the conflict as her. With a growl, he pounced on the first Skotadi to exit the tower. Behind him, doors opened, spilling out ex-soldiers who, hearing the commotion, were coming out with their old weapons to defend their homes and families. Dazadi even caught a glimpse of an older fledgling, eyes bright and face fresh in only the way those untested in battle could look, struggling to heft a sword too heavy for the untrained.

This was going to turn bad fast. As the battle noise brought out more people, the Skotadi squad would be outnumbered, but if they were Asteri as she suspected (the very nature of the attack suggested they were special forces), they were more skilled than regular soldiers and still in their prime. They had lost the element of surprise, but they were still more or less evenly matched.

It was none of Dazadi's business. She shouldn't even be here. It wasn't her business that a non-Anyeli was caught in the middle of it, either. Nevertheless, she raised her voice over the clash of metal to offer, “Let me know when you're bored.” It wasn't clear, even to herself, whether she was speaking to Argyris or to Dante.

[Naava]

Naava impatiently waited behind the doors of the guard tower with Aias. When she heard the voices on the other side of the door she sent a quick shadow signal to the group that was up the stairs. There were at least two women outside the door, so that's what she told the others. Their orders didn't get changed, though, so despite the frustration of waiting that is exactly what the pair did. Surprisingly Aias was more anxious to fight than Naava was. This drive became all too apparent when the door exploded in Naava's face, knocking her back onto the stairs behind her. Instead of checking to make sure she was okay, or even that he had backup, Aias flung himself out of the tower.

Naava was just thankful the door hadn’t splintered too badly. Sure she had some cuts now, but nothing unbearable. No splinters – at least none she could feel right now – so once she had gotten over the fact that she’d had the wind knocked out of her because of an exploding door she recollected her weapons and moved to join Aias.

That’s when she heard the call to arms horn blare. Well, that was it for the mission. Prax was definitely going to hear about this later from her – not to mention their superiors. Unless they pulled off some sort of magical recovery the squad had just lost the fortress and they would be exceedingly lucky if they didn’t lose their lives.

Naava quickly sized up what was happening and saw Aias being attacked by… what the hell even was that? Not in all her years had Naava seen a creature like that winged… cat? It kinda looked like a tiger… of sorts. Regardless of what it was, Naava’s first responsibility was to keep her partner alive. “Damnit, Aias!” She yelled as she dove forwards with a sloppy kick aimed at the head of whatever beast was now trying to kill the hothead.

Piper's Boutique + Jessica Alba

[Dazadi]

Dante was young and naturally fierce. Whatever Xanth had done to him made him the perfect companion for an Anyeli who liked to fight, so they had spent most of their time (when Dazadi wasn't too lazy to leave her apartment) training. It was something to do, something to pass the time, something to keep her occupied — and something to drill out all the black tiger's energy so he wouldn't go around biting Palace staff or fledglings who thought it would be funny to tease the giant cat with the nasty claws.

With a hearty roar, the winged tiger went at Aias like the Skotados was a fresh steak. Daz watched, three parts bored and one part proud of her companion's drive. She was picking at her nails with the tip of her dagger now, keeping half an eye out for civvies in distress but not really expecting to find any that hadn't already refused her help. Then a young woman with black wings kicked the tiger's head and Dante wobbled sideways. His wings flapped and retucked; he shook his head to clear it and pinned the Skotados with a red-eyed glare. “Oh dear, now you've got his attention.”

Meanwhile, Acheron's citizens and remaining guards had clashed full force with the attacking squadron. For a second or two, Daz thought she'd ride this one out in boredom, but then a grey-winged fledgling came at her with a long sword that pitched down at the nose and trembled at the hilt. “Die, Skotadi scum!” he screamed, racing toward her. Daz blinked, glanced to either side in search of his intended target, and then realised she was it.

Huffing out a breath, Daz straightened away from the tower wall and resheathed her dagger. She wasn't about to get the idiot killed by accidentally going overboard on the lesson-giving, but she wasn't going to stand by and be called scum, either. As Dante lunged at Naava with his fangs bared and his thick fur ruffled by the sweep of air down his flanks, Daz side-stepped the fledgling's attack and let him run right by her. Catching him by the shoulders, she pointed him in Argyris' direction and, with a joyful smile, shoved him forwards. “Have fun!”

[Argyris]

Argyris' eyes opened wide; so preoccupied with the skotadi present that it was only now that she noticed the winged feline that was now bounding towards her. Argyris backpedalled some more, beginning to feel rather cowardly. Luckily it seemed that the large black cat had its sight set on someone else other than her, pouncing onto her attacker. There was little time for relief or respite however; Argyris knew that in a moment more skotadi would be coming out of the tower.

She had no idea how many had dark-wings had breached the fortress. Daybreak was approaching, but ever so slowly. Then there was a sudden increase the noise level around them; a quick glance about whilst the skotadi and cat were occupied showed that people were coming out of their homes. The first few looked confused but the many more that followed were armed; Archeron would not be going down easily, if at all.

Not today, Skotadi! The Light had reached the end of its slumber!

Argyris' heart soared along with the sounding of horns. In her teenage years she had never liked the overly pompous and somewhat constipated reverberations of the Apali's call-to-arms, but right now its loud blare was the sweetest thing to her ears.

The cat was now pinning down one of the dark-winged, and sensing a chance Argyris launched herself towards the other who had his attention on companion. To give the skotadi some credit, he did not seem shaken by the attack from the feline. Tough cookie. But I'm soften you up soon enou-

Argyris was not expecting a moving obstacle to be headed her way, and let out a rather undignified "Ack!!" as she tried to dodge/catch the incoming fledgling. Had the person possessed darker feather Argyris would have merrily taken the opportunity to by-the-way impale him. Unfortunately he had decidedly grey feathers, and they were in Archeron.

The fledgling was moving too quickly however, and Argyris was not quite nimble enough. As a result, the two Anyeli met each out in a unconventional and uncomfortable embrace of sorts, proceeding to tumble onto the ground thereafter. Argyris shoved the offending youngster off herself, growling fiercely. He had cost her a valuable opening, and was pretty much a sure-add to the list of Apali casualties if he stayed out on the battlefield.

"Do you want to killed, used as a meat-shield or taken hostage so badly huh?! Go back home, grey-wing!"

Leaving him to mull over her disparaging remark, Argyris resumed her attack on the skotadi. This time she closed the distance quickly, but her sabre was easily blocked by an alerted opponent. Pressing forward to tangle the edge of his blade with the guard of her own, Argyris wrenched both upwards before delivering a kick, going for the side of the knee.

[Naava]

Naava really should have learned her lesson about thinking-before-acting from the past however many times she'd almost died (or, you know, that one time she'd actually died).

But no. Obviously she hadn't. At least not judging by the fact that her boot just hit a massive winged killing machine in the head.

“Oh-no-oh-no-oh-no--!” Naava shrieked as she realized the beast was now after her. The glare was enough to freeze blood and boil ice all at the same time. It was as if someone had taken something cute and cuddly, looked at it and said "nah, bloodthirsty killer!" and with a maniacal cackle set it loose on the world. And now that awful creation was getting ready to pounce on her. Oh great.

Naava was quickly backing away, both katars poised at the ready. Aias was now off fighting someone, Naava didn't really care who, but she could tell by the cacophony of noise bombarding her from what seemed like every direction that there were many, many more people on their way. Hopefully the other team that was entering on the opposite side of the city hadn't been discovered like this. It just wouldn't do for everyone to die tonight.

Naava was pretty sure that this was it for her, though.

Suddenly from the doorway Selena screamed Naava's name and a burst of shadows came from the entryway in what legitimately looked like a waterfall of darkness, headed directly for the beast that was now mid-air and teeth-bared.

As that happened, Aias engaged with the persnickety non-flier that was trying to get at the Skotados while he was thrown off by the overgrown puss. As the kick connected with his knee and caused it to buckle Aias allowed the motion to follow through on his whole body all the way into his wings and added momentum to it as he did so, thrusting forwards in an effort to throw her to the ground with his wing. Resisting the urge for a catty remark, Aias drove his hatchet back around his front and towards her, hopefully slamming into one of her arms. Aias still had a hold on his primary sword, but just barely after that tangle-trick the redhead had tried to pull so it was mostly useless to him for the next few moments until her got a more advantageous grip on it.

Piper's Boutique + Jessica Alba

[Dazadi]

"What do you care, no wing?" came the kid's response, and Dazadi herself grinning. My my, this had gotten a tad more entertaining, after all. Just like her when she was his age — stubborn and reckless — he fluttered his wings like an angry bee, ignored her warning, and turned to fight someone else.

I like him...

Dante roared as shadows cascaded toward him, wrapping him up like a dark chocolate treat. His white fangs and red eyes gleamed from the boiling patch of colourlessness, his massive form writhing and heaving in an effort to buck his way out. That was it for Dazadi, the end of her neutrality. Propped against the wall beside the door from where the shadows were coming, she yanked her dagger free of its sheathe with a shink of metal and rolled sideways into the open frame, the blade pressing neatly to Selena's throat.

“Release him.”

From the other side of the city, the sound of a second horn rose. “Ooh!” Dazadi grinned, her blade still tickling Selena's neck. “Pincer attack. Nice!”

[Argyris]

"What do you care, no wing?"

The careless remark by the hotheaded fledgling as he turned to fight some other enemy burned. Argyris did her best to concentrate on the fight she herself was engaged in, but it was impossible not to be affected. The loss of her wings was a very sore point for her, even after so many years of living as a Vampire. Humiliation blazed into anger, and burned even brighter when the Skotadi she had locked weapons with attempted to send her reeling onto the ground. This anger fueled her movements, and Argyris merely stumbled back a few steps, standing her ground with ease. She had no intention of rolling around for a second time today.

What is up with this sending their opponents to the ground; a new fad amongst the Skotadi?

She was less prepared for the hatchet that was now coming towards her. Argyris watched with widened eyes as the airborne weapon sailed towards her. Instinct and experience moved her weapon without thought, bringing it up for a hasty block. The handle of incoming hatchet caught on her blade, but ricocheted still to slice across her upper arm. Cloth parted to reveal skin and skin too split to show bloody flesh. Argyris hissed at the stinging wound, kicking the fallen hatchet away as she glared at the Skotadi.

She made no move counterattack; self-preservation came first. Argyris was no longer an Apali, after all. She had little interest in deathmatches. Instead the Vampire turned and ran, against the tide of Archeron residents that were coming out to defend their homes.

[Naava]

Naava clenched her eyes shut and dove to the side as the shadows poured from the doorway where Selena stood. She tumbled off to the side - and safety - as the monster was ensnared and held. Naava had almost expected the waterfall to keep going, but of course the reach of shadow manipulation only went so far so Selena had been forced to stop it.

Within a few seconds of the beast getting detained Naava was set upon by two Apali - one female and one male. “You will not take our children you murderous kelpie!” screeched the female. The very idea of the assassination squad killing any children at all was preposterous of course, but racism was deep in the Anyeli culture and both sides had their own notions of what the other caste did to merit their hate. Skotadi mainly viewed the Apali as idiotic and mindless. Well, Naava did at least. Though that was possibly a more personal opinion than one held by her kin.

Having lost one of her katars in her tumble Naava reached back betwixt her wings and quickly released her whip, snapping it out in one fluid motion and wrapping it around the male's sword hand. A quick jerk brought the man to the ground. He obviously had no concept of strategy in a frenetic environment such as this one. With the man down Naava dropped the whip and lunged towards the female, stabbing the katar in her left hand through the woman's stomach and lifting the target over her head, slamming her down onto what was quite possibly her husband's back. The man gasped for air and Naava kicked the back of his head into the stone ground, knocking him out as the female clutched her stomach.

She didn't get up.

Piper's Boutique + Jessica Alba

[NPC]

Selena gasped as the knife appeared as if from nowhere to press itself against her skin.

She cursed silently. Her reflexes were meant to be better than that. She'd been so distracted - focusing her all onto the snare for whatever had almost killed Naava. She should have been more careful. Even as she hesitantly gulped, though, she kept her hold on the creature in what was now an amorphous blob of goo-like shadows on the ground. She'd almost lost her hold for a moment, but caught it back again before the shadow had actually begun to disperse.

A quick glance showed that her assailant was a Skotadi. Now it was time to curse outwardly.

“Hel be black! Why are you attacking us?! You should be on our side!” Selena chided harshly, angry venom in her words. Even as she spoke she gritted her teeth and tightened the shadows holding the beast.

Thanos had been coming down right behind Selena and now ripped down the stairs, his whole body wrapped in shadow and making him look vicious and wraith like as he attempted to tackle the woman who was holding a knife to his sister's neck.

---

Up above Prax and Nomi swooped down into the fray. Nomi sent a spray of throwing knives laced with Giant Scorpion venom into the field, taking down five enemy fighters before she even touched the ground. Prax also made quick work of throwing his net into the oncoming attackers, binding a man who actually seemed like he'd be proficient with that axe he had at the ready. By the time the pair landed Nomi had pulled out her bladed bow and nocked a poison tipped arrow (this time Naga venom) and Prax was swinging his morning star into anyone who got too close to his partner.

---

Aias joined Naava in the fray, is wild smirk speckled with the blood of a fledgling had been far too interested in dying with honor. Although it was against their policies to slay those without caste he had been forced to kill the fool in self defense on his way to join the dark haired girl. Besides, of all six members of the team Aias was the one who had the least qualms with extra casualties. He'd already re-collected his hatchet from throwing it at the no-winged lady who'd taken off the moment she'd gotten a tiny little scratch. Aias hadn't bothered to chase her as he'd promptly had to defend himself from that stupid fledgling he'd been forced to dispatch.

Yes. Forced. And if anyone ever asked him about it that is exactly what he would say.

[Dazadi]

Dazadi's lips curved. The woman's conviction amused her. “Should I?” Dante gave a roar that turned into an odd little squeal when the shadows squeezed tighter around him. Daz tilted her blade slightly to nick the Skotadi's skin. “Or should I be gutting you like a stuck pig? Let. Him. Go.” She didn't care about them. She didn't even really care about their victims. If the woman had let go, Daz would have been happy to back off without shedding blood — though Dante might have had other ideas.

When another Skotados roared out of the tower, Dazadi didn't move. She turned her head in that direction and arched an eyebrow. A split second later, she was behind him with a poof of smoke and her dagger slashing toward his back. “Way to piss off an aide, guys. Really.” Yanking her dagger away from the moron's flesh, Daz shot a saccharine smile at the woman holding the winged tiger captive. “Are you going to let him go, or do I have to go assassin on your ass?”