[Official NPC]

Just an hour after splitting up, the second group arrives at Vynett to find the villagers struggling to hold off the Malaki raiders. There is no time for introductions: What's left of the vanguard are thrust directly into the thick of the tree-top battle before they have even properly landed!

Note: Don't forget to worldbuild as you plot! You can now also create/join side threads to explore events through Chapter One to Three, or to finish previous chapter threads.

Vanguard Members

PCs will be added to this list as they join. If NPCs (italics) do not already have profiles linked and are not personal NPCs, you can make them up as you go and their listed vitals will be updated per chapter. Struck-out names means they are dead or have left/not yet joined the main party.

Aella Karakinos — Unaffiliated Ayad, blacksmith's apprentice (inactive, following)
Aiden Roy — Therian
Aifric Ramsey — Therian Cartographer
Alain Gaston-Moreaux — Red Warden
Anatoli Vitalis — Rutilus, Espurian Guard (dead)
Faris ibn Alsyad — Purifier rep attached to LoP
Ionia Essytia — Skotadi representative, League of Adventurers
Kiel Taskel — Rutilus, League of Protectors
Maaike Sullivan — Therian scout, LoP-attached mercenary
Mortimer Jericho — Peteulanus, supplies & logistics, translator
Nimisha — Sidhe forest guide for unmapped areas
Captain Olympias Lysistrata — Apali, Varagoi, no-nonsense, stereotyper
Raphael — Djinn bodyguard and hunter attached to Ionia
Ninian Aedh — Therian enforcer attached to Jericho
Rusty Faelan — Therian enforcer attached to Jericho (dead)
Shane — Shadowkin attached to Kiel
Clara Moreaux — Feisty adventurer, Alain's wife
Rahil'Taj ibn Murad — Zanaryan Dao, Serren scribe, scribe
Na'im — Djinn attached to Rahil
Jael — large Zanaryan attached to Rahil

Current Objectives

• Help the Mystriders fend off the Malaki war party.
  
• Explore Vynett.
  
• Learn what you can about the Mystriders and their perception of the rest of Acantha.

Chronology

This chapter will end out of character at midnight (GMT) on the 28th of August. In-character, the events of this chapter will last one week. If this war party is defeated quickly, another will attack, and another, until the whole tribe is dead.

Travel is now possible between the portal and Vynett or the temple. However, mysts can carry just one person (besides their rider) between two of them in slings. Larger passengers or those with cargo may need a third or even fourth dragon to counter the weight.

[Kiel]

Kiel sat with his back to a tree, Shane curled across his lap and, like, some kind of flavourful stick fruit thing stuck between his lips. This was, like, the first chance he'd gotten to rest since he and the others had arrived at the village two days ago and, like, dude did he need it. Like, before he came here, he honestly never would have guessed, like, ever that he could be so fatigued. Like, he hadn't even known what that word really meant until the Badlands, and, like, fighting non-stop for almost two days had really taken its toll.

He didn't like the way the Mystriders brought him in to their village. He felt like a fish in a net, strung up between two dragons. Like, he way preferred riding on their back, you know, and not, like, slung between their claws like that. He'd complained the whole time, especially 'cause he'd been worried about Shane who'd had to ride separately. He'd only really shut up when they approached the village across the top of the jungle and, like, saw another squad of riders and mysts circling, crossbow bolts flying into the dense growth and dropping rocks and stuff. Kiel's myst carriers had totally dropped him without warning and he'd crashed, like, ten feet through the trees to land on a wooden platform where three Malaki were, like, penning in a bunch of young Mystriders and smaller versions of the dragons. And, like, mysts were crazy small already, you know, compared to Elysia's dragons.

So then the fighting commenced. It was kinda neat to see a bunch of lizards scale a massive bull and scratch and claw and nibble while their humanoid companions lobbed branches and yelled and, like, threw huge coconut-type things. Between them, they managed to fend off the first raiding party, but then translation became a problem 'cause Jericho had totally ditched and gone to the temple with Maaike and the others and Kiel had been all, like, "Wahhhh, I dunno what you're saying, man, for sers!" and the Mystriders had been all googley-eyed and they'd all been pointing and gesticulating a lot and still nobody really knew what the other side was talking about.

In the two days since, the village had been kept on its toes, like, for sers. Raiders kept coming, testing the perimeter and snatching what they could, then disappearing back into the jungle. The Mystriders were, like, crazy good with their crossbows but not so great up close and personal, you know? And now he had a bunch of their kids sitting opposite him, watching him, like, chew on this fruit stick thing that actually tasted pretty good, and, like, ogling his kitty. Shane had even let them pet her a couple times but she didn't like their dragons and, like, they were never separated, you know? Like, kinda like him and his 'kin, you know?

“Like, dude. Are you guys bonded or something?” He didn't mean it in, like, 'Vari terms, though. Like, he was bonded with Pria, you know? But, like, his bond with her was crazy different than his bond with Shane, and, like, the relationship between myst and Rider seemed, like, crazy strong, you know?

[Official NPC]

Goluk slammed a hoof on to a fallen trunk, scattering a nest of fat grubs. As he reached down to pluck one into a furry hand, a tusked snout snuffled at the ground where three of the grubs, the size of a Mystrider's head, wiggled and writhed. Goluk chuffed a a warning and kneed the reaver's head aside. Not only were the grubs toxic to the warhounds, he felt his pack performed better in battle if they did not eat beforehand. He, on the other hand, gladly took the nutrition and sank his fangs into the pasty white blob so that its juice exploded across his tongue.

A reave master in training hopped up onto the dead tree ahead of him. Kitik was not best known for his patience and gave a plaintive growl. Rather than follow immediately, Goluk snarled and kicked a grub toward the warrior. Kitik's eyes widened and he snatched one up, squeezing until it popped in his hand so he sip the dribbling juice from his fur.

A roar reverberated off the trees. In the canopy, the monkey chatter and bird song stopped; a panicked flutter of wings hailed the evacuation of wildlife. Goluk used his canines to rip off a chunk of the grub and tossed the rest, then grunted and jerked his head at the three reavers circling his ankles. The trio yipped and turned, the largest nipping at the smallest's ankles for space, then bolted up the fallen tree to climb into the canopy. Kitik mirrored the command with his own two reavers and the warriors followed the pack into battle. A Mystrider village was up there somewhere. The Inaki tribe would eat well tonight.

[Kiel]

So like, instead of even an attempt at a real answer to his question about bonding, like, the kids giggled and whispered to one another behind their hands, elbowing each other in the gut and, like, clicking tongues and tick-ticking at their dragons. Kiel watched with wide eyes and, like, total fascination. “Hey, hey, you know, like, it's not so bad here after all, you know? Like, I kinda thought this place was all, like, creepy moss and, like, furry bulls and giant beetles and stuff, but this is pretty cool, you know?”

More giggles but, like, that was okay, you know? It was like they found him as interesting as he found them, you know?

But then the giggling stopped. An unseemly roar echoed through the trees, and, like, he was pretty sure, like, every creature in the jungle just suddenly took off. He hadn't mind the noise 'cause, like, it was kinda familiar actually, like Yondallar back home, but the sudden silence was, like, almost palpable, you know? “Uh, like, uh. D-dude that was, like, 'cause you guys are hungry, like, right?” Like, but after only a couple of days, he was pretty sure he recognised that as the battle cry of a Malaki. “Aw, man. Like, I guess lunch is over, you know?”

The kids' reactions kinda freaked him out, though. Like, they'd been pretty calm through the previous raids even though they were so vulnerable on the ground, and just, like, hid in the vegetation that grew in the crook of branches or whatever while the fighting was going on. Some of the older kids had even taken up spots on rooftops and lobbed branches if the raiders got too close, you know? So, like, that was pretty cool but then, why were they freaking out now? Eyes wide, they were scrambling and scattering in totally not calm fashion. “Hey, hey, like, dudes, it's cool, okay, we'll just awesome them to death again, okay?”

Except Kiel was suddenly alone on the platform and, like, “Awww, mannnn.”

[Zephyr]

Zephyr stumbled as he climbed out of that wretched sling he'd just spent far too many hours riding in. He muttered a curt thanks to the riders who had flown him to the village, but they promptly left. The two other surviving members of what had previously been a five person party were soon to follow. Zephyr was now technically the leader of the trio, since the previous one had died gruesomely in a skirmish with those beasts who looked like people. Diana and Linus turned to Zephyr for leadership since the only reason the three of them had even escaped was due to Zephyr using two of the flash grenades he had brought. The blinding effect from them had successfully immobilised the Malaki just long enough for Zephyr and Diana to drag Elias away - Leon and Katrina having already taken too fatal of injuries to save.

Once they escaped the battle where they were sorely outnumbered they probably should have returned back to the portal. They had already exhausted nearly all of their supplies before the battle happened. But Zephyr had been in Acantha before, and he foolishly thought that he knew his way. But the badlands were so difficult to navigate, that he was no longer sure where he was. He was fairly certain the valley that he'd been through years ago was somewhere in the direction that they were headed, anyway. Thankfully Derina had gotten good enough at producing her snowflakes that as long as she was kept hydrated she could fairly easily double the water she drank in a day.

The day they would have run out of rations was when they encountered the Mystriders. Diana, being a Pet’, was able to do this strange psychic translating thing. Zephyr wasn’t exactly sure how it worked, but then again the functions of the other classes were never something he ever really studied. According to Diana the Mystriders were there to take them to their village, Vynett, provided they hadn’t encountered something called “red mist.” None of the surviving party new what that was, so the riders figured they were all clean.

Hours passed with the trio all in separate slings. Zephyr fought with the same airsickness that he always felt, although at least the mystriders were more polite in flying than Slythe ever was. If anything, Slythe flew erratically just in order to cause Zephyr to be nauseous. The pair always had an… antagonistic relationship. Slythe had absolutely refused to cross through the portal into Acantha, though at least the beast had teleported him right to it. The journey would have taken far longer otherwise.

Zephyr quickly relocated Diana and Elias once they all landed in Vynett. According to Diana the rest of the previous Elysian party should be here, or at least they could find how to get to them from here. “I’m looking for Kiel Taskel,” Zephyr said to the Pet’. She understood the request and immediately sought out a mystrider to ask. Before she could, however, a gruesome howl was heard.

Elliot immediately screamed. Being an Aurumus he was of course able to feel the emotions of others, but he was young and fairly inexperienced, and in his injured state he had been exceptionally without control. The rash of fear that overtook the village at the sound of that monster’s cry was too much for him to take.

Zephyr cursed under his breath and drew his scimitars. He knew fear like that didn’t come from nowhere. There was going to be a fight, and he was not interested in letting anyone else die. Derina sensed Zephyr's change in demeanor and began rapidly chittering as she repetitively coiled around his left wrist in a never ending circle.

• Piper's Boutique · DaFont · Mutsie · Aethereality · Kevin sorbo •

[Kiel]

Kiel clattered down the wooden stairs that spiralled around the enormous tree, Shane right on his heels. Like, the kids had scattered so completely he didn't have a clue where to, like, do his awesomeing, but then he'd seen, like, a couple of mysts come in hot and heavy and he'd figured they must be either a recon patrol or, like, maybe even Elysians! “Like, dude, I hope they brought burgers. I'm so hungry for burgers right now, like, I could eat, like, a whole—Zeph!”

Like, Kiel almost took a nosedive off the stairs when he skidded and slipped to a halt, Shane barrelling into the back of his knees. His mouth opened, closed, then dropped. He even had to, like, rub his eyes 'cause, like, maybe he was hallucinating or something. The girly-haired freak was, like, standing on the platform where the mysts had dropped him off earlier, looking kinda like a giant next to the Mystriders who immediately took off again.

“Li... Like, Zeph! Dude!” Giggling (and, like, probably crying, too), Kiel flung himself down the rest of the stairs and jumped onto the landing platform with his arms wide open. “Zeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeephhhhh!”

[Ionia]

Battles were nothing new to Nia, and she'd been on enough hunts in the Yondallar to know how to use trees to her advantage. Simultaneously fighting and looking after a pack of children, however, was something else. While Kiel and Raph chose to travel by the dragon nets, Nia had insisted on flying to the village herself. She'd taken the descent a bit too quickly but had used it to her advantage by spearing the back of a malaki's neck with her dagger. The children hid higher in the trees as Kiel gutted a malaki and Raph blasted another bull away. As one of the tusked monsters started scaling a tree-trunk, Nia launched two throwing knives to puncture its throat. There seemed to be some celebration after the malaki retreated, but language barriers meant that Nia could only nod and smile as one of Tiana's came by and babbled some words.

At some point during her stay, Nia had taken a brief tour of the village's perimeters. Most of the village stood high above-ground, on platforms built among trees. The platforms were connected in a series of thick tree branches or vine bridges. While most of the areas were covered by a thick canopy of leaves, certain areas had been cleared for the myst dragons to arrive and take off more easily. She was seated toward the side of one such platform, looking over one of Raph's maps as a pack of children played with carved rocks on the floor. Not far away, Kiel attempted to talk to the children, but was awarded only by a peal of high-pitched giggles. She was smiling very slightly when she felt something tug at her wings.

Xanth dammit, these brats wouldn't leave her wings alone. For the hundredth time, Nia brushed tiny hands away when a vicious roar cracked the air. Immediately, Nia scooped up the child and held him toward the branches. As the child climbed higher, Nia and Raph helped more of them up before turning to descend the stairs. When they approached the next platform, Nia saw that a new group of Elysians had arrived. Among them was a tall, heavily built man that Kiel seemed to recognize enthusiastically. Hoping that Kiel would cut the greetings short, she ran and followed a group of adult villagers to join the scouts at the Vynett's perimeter.

One would think that Vynett and the mystriders had the high-ground advantage over the oncoming raiders. But as primitive as the malaki looked, their raiding parties were extraordinarily synced. The malakis split their ranks as they were barraged by the mystrider's arrows, As the raid came closer, Nia realized with dread that the tree-climbing tusked monsters, the village was like a ripe basket of fruit on a pedestal. The trees rustled as shadows dripped from the leaves toward the tree trunks. “Blast them all.”

[Zephyr]

Zephyr didn't even have time to react before Derina teleported away, reappearing on Kiel's face and thoroughly plastering herself there as she screeched and chittered. Kiel was already most of the way to Zephyr, though, and in a moment of recklessness Zephyr speared his draw swords down into the platform beneath him and covered the remaining distance to meet Kiel's embrace.

Zephyr clutched Kiel tightly for a few moments, but they felt like hours. “I thought I lost you,” Zephyr whispered gruffly with his lips pressed into the top of his boyfriend's head. The words probably sounded like an unintelligible mutter, but Zephyr didn't care. He chased after Kiel this time, knowing full well some of the terrors Kiel might have already faced. Zephyr had only been in Acantha for a short period of time, and he had never spoken to anyone about it since then. So when the rumors of the portal in the woods started flushing through the realms, Zephyr regretted having not warned anyone - especially Kiel.

One of the riders started yelling what Zephyr assumed were commands. This was no time for a grand reunion. Zephyr reluctantly pulled away and looked down into Kiel's eyes. Deri had already skittered away from Kiel's face and was nibbling on the kid's ear gently but rapidly. Zephyr placed one hand on Kiel's chin firmly and held him there. He looked away for a moment as the mystriders fired a volley of arrows at whatever was coming for them. “Don't die,” Zephyr ordered, a gentleness unusual to his tone showing what he really felt.

Another heart beat and then Zephyr could help himself, he leaned down and kissed his boyfriend with heat and passion. After a few moments of the kiss Zephyr forced himself to pull away and ignore the pang in his chest that wanted to hold onto and protect Kiel. As he forced himself to break away he turned and grabbed his weapons back u out of the platform so that Kiel wouldn't be able to pull him back.

By the time Zephyr took a battle position Diana had already helped Elias to what she hoped would be safety and now stood ready with a sai in either hand.

• Piper's Boutique · DaFont · Mutsie · Aethereality · Kevin sorbo •

[Official NPC]

The raiding party split under a volley of arrows. Goluk and his reaver pack darted left with Kitik to swarm a platform where a couple of mysts were just beginning to take off after unloading passenger slings. The others thudded right across a rope-and-plank walkway, the Warlord at their head giving a great, bellowing roar as he swung a gigantic axe. Goluk caught a glimpse of two winged bipeds, both black but of a different consistency, but had no time to be curious or even any real interest. If they moved, they were food, and that was enough for him.

He growled and pointed. The trio of reavers shot forward, advancing on what their alpha perceived to be the greatest threat: A hulking wall of muscles laden with weapons large enough for the Malaki to appreciate, and a red glare. Goluk growled his pleasure. Taking down this warrior would be worth his time. They did not often encounter creatures as large as themselves, and this one may even earn him the respect he would need to challenge the Warlord.

Knowing better than to interfere, Kitik turned his attention on a smaller red-eyed male, leaping the width of the platform with his spear outstretched. That one would be an easy kill.

[Kiel]

Like, “Wah, facehugger!” Kiel flapped his arms and flailed around, thinking like maybe he'd run into a giant spider web or something and got the creepy crawling on his face. “Wah! Wah!” Opening his mouth probably wasn't the best idea in this situation 'cause, like, he was pretty sure he tasted claw, but, like, he couldn't help it, you know?

And then his vision cleared and Zeph was coming at him and he totally forgot all about the pale lizard crawling around his head and opened his arms and gave a loud, “OOF!” when the air was crushed out of him. “Dude. Like, dude!” He squeezed his arms tight around Zeph's waist and pummelled at the dude's muscular back just 'cause he couldn't really, like, believe the girly-haired freak was really here, like, for sers. He squeezed his eyes shut and tipped his head back so his hat almost fell off just so he could, like, press his lips to Zeph's collarbone but then, like, realised the dide was actually wearing clothes for once. “Like, you almost did lose me, man,” he gasped, like, mostly 'cause Zeph's arm was doing this thing where he couldn't breathe.

He was gonna be all, like, tell the dude what had happened to him since he came here, even though he should have been prepping for battle and stuff, but, like, Zeph was being so adorable and sweet and, like, crazy clingy that all Kiel could say was, “Like, woah.” He didn't even notice Deri's nibbling 'cause, like, he was kinda used to her doing weird stuff like that, and Zeph was suddenly all business and telling him not to die and he was opening his mouth to say, like, back atcha, and then his face was being snogged off instead. “Hummmmmm.” Hahahaha, his whole body was humming and his head was still tipped back and he was gawking at a tree branch a few feet away. And then Shane was nipping at his ankle to jerk him outta his, like, whatever, and a Malaki was leaping right at him.

“Huwayuuuugh!” Kiel dove to his left 'cause Deri nipped his ear in that direction, and, like, the spear slammed into the wood right by his head. Shane growled and flung herself up the shaft to tear a chunk from the Malaki's trunk-like arm, and Deri was suddenly on the bull's face instead of his so Kiel, like, flipped onto his feet and rammed his katana up through the Malaki's throat 'cause, like, he'd learned something in the last couple of days and figured that was their weakest point.

And then he went to rescue his boyfriend. Like, wahahahahahaha!

[Zephyr]

In a matter of moments three giant beasts were attacking and headed straight for Zeph. Out of lingering impulse Zephyr let out a sharp whistle. For a moment he was distracted as he realized there would be no responding cry from his deceased pet owl. Even after so long without the bird's company Zephyr had found himself continuing to make the same mistake throughout this entire trip.

Diana took on one of the creatures, throwing a sai that's sharp blade wedged into the hulking shoulder muscles on the creature. The moment she landed the blow Diana invaded the creatures mind in order to exagerate the pain it felt as much as possible. Within a few moment the creature went from changing course to get revenge on the enemy that had wounded it to whimpering on the ground in a huddle mess of pain.

That momentary distraction allowed the giant monsters to close most of the gap and as two of them lunged Zephyr had no other recourse than to dive to the ground. As he lowered himself he thrust both of his scimitars upwards. As the beasts reached him Zephyr was successful in gutting one of them that over shot the jump. Both swords wedged into the creature's stomach as momentum carried it onward. The wounded monster emitted a gruesome howl as it coughed blood through fading breaths.

Zephyr let out his own cry of pain as the third creature pinned his legs to ground with terrifying claws. Zephyr was pretty sure his left leg was broken now, what with the monster pressing down what seemed like the weight of an entire dragon down onto one spot on his body.

Gritting his teeth Zephyr fumbled with the pouch at his side that contained his potions. He quickly grabbed what he thought was his last flash grenade and threw it in the direction of the monster. He couldn't see very well, so he was a bit more than stunned to feel the piercing cold as the freeze bomb he had thrown on accident shattered against the beastly leg pressing into his body. The ice continued to creep along both the monster and Zephyr until it attached Zephyr to the platform from his waist to his mid-calf, and the attacking creature's entire head and left shoulder were frozen with it's teeth just tearing into Zephyr's flesh.

Zephyr struggled to breath as he cursed silently. The position he was in pinned all but his arms, but in his prone state and with all of his weapons generally unreachable he could do nothing but sit and try to continue breathing despite the immense cold that was surrounding his body.

• Piper's Boutique · DaFont · Mutsie · Aethereality · Kevin sorbo •

[Kiel]

Like, Kiel totally got distracted on his way to the rescue by a bull that suddenly just, like, leaped up onto the walkway outta no where and gave a great bellowing roar that, like, knocked the hat right off Kiel's head. “Like, wah!” He instinctively reached to save said hat, leaning out of the rope fence in the process, and the bridge totally tumbled like a hammock when its occupant rolls out of it. He was suddenly clinging for dear life to the wooden slats but at least the Malaki, taken by surprise by the sudden roller coaster and, like, Shane's claws in his face, flew right off the into the dense foliage below.

“Wahahahahaa! Like, that's one way to wah!” An explosion had released a waft of cold air that dispersed the jungle heat for a second and Kiel gave up on telling Shane how awesome they were together 'cause, like, his boyfriend was being all cuddly with a demon dog. “Hey, hey, that's cheating!” The dude was supposed to be the one rescuing him, you know, not the other way around — but, like, hey, hey, he was gonna be a hero and Zeph was gonna be so grateful and Kiel was gonna be all, like, make him show it for, like, a week and a half and then Zeph would get mad and they'd fight but then there'd be the making up and, “Rarrrrrghh!”

A second Malaki was stalking toward the frozen reaver and its prone victim. Kiel dropped his katana as he lunged, arms out to grab the bull around the waist. His momentum plunged them both over the side of the platform to bounce once on a rope-and-slat walkway below, then off again to hit a few branches on the way down to, like, land on another platform, like, fifty feet below. “Oooooof, ugh.” He lifted his head, then let it drop. “Duuuuude.” Rolled onto his side a bit to see the Malaki already on its feet and, like, spear at the ready. “Duuuude, you gotta be kidding me. Zeph totally better be, like, sooooo grateful, man, for sers.”

[Official NPC]

Kitik's two reavers separated without their master to command them. One scaled a tree and crept through heavy foliage along a chunky branch until it was over the head of the Skotadi, low to the ground. Its top lip pulled back from the short tusks at the front of its snout and it sniffed at the shadows dripping from the leaves. Unfamiliar with the threat, it slinked ever closer, its hind quarters adjusting ready to pounce.

The other came in from the front in a classic manoeuvre meant to hedge their prey into a corner so the one in the tree could attack from above. Its head was down close to the wooden slats and it was snarling to bear tusks and fangs at Ionia.

[Alain]

It was a difficult flight to Vynett, especially with Alain's only source of information about the foreign world being the Wing Master and two other mystriders that were ferrying him and Clara, who refused to ride separately. Apparently, the recon group was really damn lucky, because they didn't encounter a number of threats Alain viewed from the Wing Master's perspective. Of course, that was because many learned the hard way regarding the land's natural terrain. Even the ground one stood on could be dangerous.

Regardless, Alain managed to at least figure out from another mystrider near Vynett bearing news for the group, which she'd seen from afar. Unfortunately, he also noticed, that she looked quite happy to realize that there were a large number of strangers carried on the tarps between mystdragons—resulting in them being immediately sentenced to God-Xanth-Whatever-Knows-Where, to die at the hands of a Malaki invasion of the foreign people. At least, in Alain's opinion. While Alain was certainly no commander, he had minor experience in his youth as a lord with large scale battle, earning him the grateful military capacity to realize that they were in deeper waste than a half-witted Purifier. Of course, he wouldn't have been the only one to realize this, and he prepared to inform the group of what was going on when they landed. He opened up his inner link with the other Elysians, and sure enough, some did. A few were even eager at the sight. Elsewhere, two Elysians fought over who had to sit in the urine covered part of the tarp. Alain would've shook his had at the thought, but unfortunately, he wasn't much better. He hoped it might have trickled down to the Malaki.

As soon as the mystriders who had flown the group into the village landed, such an overlook of the battlefield was put to a halt as they hurriedly set out on a path of destruction. Long used to the environment within the trees, the mysriders picked off Malaki to create a safe region for the Elysians to congregate. Most beckoned for the reinforcements to lead the way, as others began cloaking their archer-mystdragon pairs within a veil of myst. Lucky them. The Elysian “reinforcements” were apparent targets for the Malaki, some ignorant to the fact that they'd landed close to where most of the fighting had begun, as well as near the members of the vanguard. Alain had to be the one to inform them of their duty. Worse yet, he had to be the one to make sure the Elysians knew what they were going to into, and everybody knew that you had to shoot the messenger. In fact, it was important to make your thoughts loud and clear all at the same time to imitate an entire auditorium screaming at you. Having enough of that, for certain, the jarred telepath quickly retreated to his own mind as others. Of course, a Zephyr's whistle and Kiel's natural tone helped distract the reinforcements from this, at least.

“Wahahahahaa! Like, that's one way to wah!”

Unfortunately Alain wasn't so lucky. He never was. Sure, he and Clara hadn't been attacked as the carefully trodded through the village's “flooring”, but he'd recognize that voice from anywhere, even if he was only exposed to it for a short time. A short time was more than enough.

Alain and the other Elysians arrived just in time to watch a mystrider have his dragon snatch up a Reaver lurking in front of the vanguard's Skotadi. Clara stood beside him, axe in hand, as Alain drew his rapier and followed her lead instead, as she weaved between the canopy's foliage to reach the area where they heard the Dracovarian, only to find Zephyr and an awful leftover chill from the freeze bomb he threw drifting in the air. Alain winced at the sight of the Reaver which was, quite literally, attached to the man. Other members of the reinforcements moved past to help the children, who Alain had carefully informed them of prior to the landing. Children were always good motivators for protection.

Clara and Alain both halted before Zephyr, with Alain considering what to do about the matter. He glanced to blunt of Clara's axe, and she gave him a knowing look before begrudgingly heading toward Zephyr and Diana, giving a respectful nod to their handiwork.

“You'll have to pardon the intrusion. We just arrived for the fun.” Alain said. He hoped to save the necessary introductions for later.

“And you wouldn't happen to have a more delicate way to handle this?” Clara said, addressing both Dracovarians as she approached. She wanted to avoid mentioning that she might have to chip away ice rather close to the belt. “Delicate's never been my thing.”

Alain, while mostly engrossed in the situation at hand, still glanced about their surroundings. While it was safe, the source of the ever present “Wahs!” was nowhere to be found...

Spoiler

Sorry for the wait, my "muse" *eyeroll* hasn't been kind over the last few days.

[Zephyr]

Zephyr watched in horror as Kiel fell off the side of the platform. “Kiel!” he cried in rage and desperation as he struggled to break free of his self-induced prison and save his most likely dead boyfriend. It was no use, and even as Zephyr's hands stretched out the only thing he managed to catch was Kiel's discarded sword. Catching a quickly moving and rather sharp blade in an open hand was generally not a good idea, though thanks to the protection of Zephyr's gloves he only sliced up his fingers slightly while his palm remained intact. Clutching that sword into a fist, however, quickly cut through the leather protecting and deeply marred Zephyr's left hand.

The warrior cursed under his breath as he heard a flurry of wings and footsteps. Just as quickly as they came the wing flutter was gone as the Mystriders who were on ferry duty flew back to pick up more travelers. Zephyr couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been for them to leave their home while it was being attacked, but he also knew the value of following orders. Even as the reaver that was attached to Zephyr by ice and teeth struggled to get free, Zephyr tried to decode the sounds of the battle that was occurring behind him where he couldn't see.

In the midst of the hurried noises of new arrivals there was a snarl and then a mutilated screech that seemed to be coming from a myst. Zephyr couldn't see it, but near the Skotadi a foolish young myst and his rider attempted to fly off with one of the reavers, only to have crashed just seconds later do to the excess weight and have that myst's throat gored by the crazed beast. The monster didn't stop to eat its kill, however, and immediately changed targets to the rider that was nearby.

Ignoring the cries of death that were happening, Zephyr tried to count out the number of footsteps. He still had no idea how many Malaki were left to fight, but it sounded like there was no more than a half dozen new arrivals. Probably less.

Soon two of said new arrivals were at Zephyr's side, and he was able to differentiate two other voices heading to guard the children that were apparently off to the side of the battle somewhere. There were no other unknown noises, so at least Zephyr now knew that there were only four new arrivals. Before the rutilus could speak to the pair there apparently intended to free him however, two things happened. The first was that Derina finally poofed on top of the prone man's head, having apparently spent the past few minutes scratching at the ice to no avail and probably making the situation even worse with her own snowy sneezes. The imp chittered sadness as it twisted through and knotted up Zephyr's hair. The second, far more important event, was that Diana screamed as she lost control over the reaver's mind and was pounced on by both Elias and soon after the reaver she had been torturing.

“Stop the pain! Stop the pain!” Elias screamed in an emotion fueled fury as what looked like an awful mix of tears and blood streaked his face. Zephyr couldn't see very well as he craned his neck to the side but he thought that the aurumus might have ripped out chunks of his own hair in the frenzied state he was in. The now free reaver pounced in rage as the excess pain from its injury quickly faded and it would be upon the tangled mess of 'Vari bodies in a matter of moments

“Don't worry about me, save her!” Zephyr roared at the woman with the axe and her companion even as the frozen reaver manage to twist its body so that one of its hind paws buried sharp claws into Zephyr's thigh. He wanted to tell them to save Kiel, but Zephyr wasn't even sure if the kid was alive still - let alone reachable. There was no telling how far the boy had fallen. Diana was in immediate danger and close enough to possibly save.

None of the party noticed a few dozen feet below the platform where the first Malaki that had fallen from fighting with Kiel climbed slowly back up the trees even while the one Kiel had stabbed in the throat choked out its last breaths on the platform. Also on the ground not to far away were two more reaver parties heading in to reinforce the initial wave of this raid.

• Piper's Boutique · DaFont · Mutsie · Aethereality · Kevin sorbo •

[Kiel]

He could hear yells from above and, like, Shane's yowl getting gradually closer (like, she was probably biting heads on her way down to him, wahahahaha), but Kiel couldn't really tell what was going on up there. Like, he was pretty sure the recent flurry had been incoming Mystriders but he didn't know that meant there were totally Elysian reinforcements for Zeph's back-up party up there, too. It just suddenly way more voices calling out in Elysian than before.

Except, like, Kiel was pretty preoccupied right now. Like, he was pretty sure his left arm was broken and that he'd cracked a rib, and blood was seeping through the leg of his pants from some kinda cut on his leg. Thankfully, like, he was totally right-handed and part of his training had been to make do as a leftie if he needed to in a fight, but, like, the Malaki was coming at him and, like, “Dude, like, cut me a break, okay, I, like, I didn't mean it that way!” The spear embedded in the trunk right where his head had been and Kiel groaned. The effort to roll had never cost him so much, man, for sers.

“Zeph!” Owwww, ow ow ow ow. “You so better be alive up there, man, or I'm so coming to haunt you!” He could tell from his Chosen bond that Shane was still hopping — and, like, so pissed right now, man. He wouldn't be getting help from that direction any time soon, though, you know, 'cause, like, it seemed like her yowls and feline growls were interspersed with more canine type sounding, like, roars and stuff, and, like, “Dude, gimme a chance to catch my breath, okay?!”

Voice raised an octave and breaking, Kiel barely managed to sort of duck-collapse outta the way of a bull fist. And, like, how weird was that? Bulls with fists. These guys were freaky. Like, way freaky, okay? But, like, his katana was gone. His hook swords were kinda useless if he could only use one. Throwing knives, throwing knives, wah!

The Malaki was wayyyy too close. Kiel threw himself into a roll that took him right to the edge of the platform and snapped onto his back, tossing knives one after the other. He ribs lunged in his chest as they shink shink shinked: One in the trunk-like neck where the muscles at the side were too thick to make a dent, one slicing past the cheek and ear to bounce off the tree, one ricocheting off the bull's shoulder. One right in the eye. “Ooh. Ew. Ooh?”

[Alain]

Alain, who was aware of their surroundings, informed Clara of the situation with Diana and Elias with a short gesture just half a second before the frozen Rutilius reinforced his intentions. Although Clara was already on the move with her naturally enhanced speed as Zephyr called out to her, providing the extra time that might save Elias, it was the Rutilius's voice that seemed to carry her power as she slammed the blunt end of her axe into the Reaver's skull. Were a normal Dracovarian, such as Alain, to try such a thing—the creature would have lived, but in the case of the Rutilius adventurer, her power was enough to smash its skull with a loud, jarring cracking sound. Alain withheld the urge to wince.

The Reaver still stood atop Elias after the blow, still attempting to maul him within its death spasms. Then, he winced. One didn't need to be an Aurumus to feel for the man who'd shielded Diana. Alain,who was much slower than his Rutilius wife, had just reached the pair by the time the Reaver's spasms slowed and Clara managed to just pull it away. He set his rapier aside and brought out one of his jademine vials and looked to Clara, who already knew what he was about to do. The vial was one of four he had left, as he'd used another to aid one of the others in the reinforcements prior to arriving to the village.

Clara, however, looked at it dubiously. Elias had deep rifts in his body, making his tortured scream all the more viable. The wife and husband duo had seen men partially ate that managed to live due to a healer, but the jademine vial was certainly no replacement for a healer. Alain knew this quite well. He also knew, though, that Clara had two golding vials on her person, but had yet to mention them.

Clara locked eyes with him in a silent struggle. Both of the Dracovarians knew that the telepath had immoral tendencies at the worst of times, but certainly...

“Alain, the golding vial...”

“Go ahead.” Alain said. For one, they didn't have the time to debate it. His second deciding factor was that he knew Clara would've used the vial anyway. He continued his lookout as Clara hefted the injured Aurumus from atop of Diana. He was just in time to turn from the scene to notice a fallen Malaki lift itself onto to the platform. Alain quickly retrieved his nearly forgotten rapier from when he reached for his vial.

The Malaki let out a guttoral roar, charging right for him. Alain faced it, sword in hand, but all the while had to hope the Malaki was more bark than bite, or he was in a whole lot of trouble. With Elias on the ground, Clara attempting to patch him up, and Zephyr frozen—it made him and Diana the best targets. More so him. He prepared himself as he heard Kiel from below, but knew that the Malaki would easily surpass him in strength and skill. Then again, Alain only had to buy time for the foe to be outnumbered.

A fact he was unaware of, in his preoccupation, was already leaving the defenders in said trouble. The Malaki reinforcements were growing closer, and only hastened their climb upon realizing this. They didn't have much time left.

[Zephyr]

As the two newcomers went to help his companions, Zephyr gritted his teeth for the pain of what this hind-wannabe was doing to his legs. He squirmed in order to keep the currently unharmed on out of the beast's reach as possible, but the one that was already under its claws was practically a lost cause already. Sharp claws dug like nails into his flesh, quickly reaching into bone and it was all Zephyr could do not to scream in pain from the feeling of his bone being grated like a scratching post.

Then slowly but suddenly, Zephyr started to regain feeling in the portions of his body that had previously been frozen. The ice from his freeze bomb was now receding at the same pace and in the same manner that the ice had grown in the first place. Thinking as quickly as possible in the haze of pain he was in, Zephyr fumbled with Kiel's katana in order to actually grip it by the handle. Twisting his body as much as he could bar to, Zephyr watched as the reaver began to strain against the ice, somehow still not suffocated even after the time without fresh air. The moment the top of the creatures head was free from the ice Zephyr plunged Kiel's sword straight through its eyes. Within moments the monster's twitching stopped and it slumped to the ground dead.

Unfortunately it slumped on top of Zephyr's already gravely injured legs. With the amount of blood loss he has experienced already and the energy that his last blow had required Zephyr just did not have the strength to heft the creature up. Besides, Zephyr was pretty sure that the weight of the reaver on his bleeding wounds was giving enough pressure to stop him from losing too much more blood.

Meanwhile, Diana just needed a moment to collect herself after Elias was removed from on top of her before she realized the battle was far from over. Elias was passed out from the pain and stress of so many intense emotions, so at least he would not bring further harm to himself or anyone else. There were three reavers dead and she only saw two more on the platform, but perhaps more dangerously she saw a Malaki headed straight for one of the Elysians that had come to help them. She was pretty sure she recognized him from the camp that had been set up on the other side of the portal, too. Quickly she picked up the sai she had dropped when Elias had tackled her and threw it at the Malaki. He aim was off and it only grazed his arm, but thankfully the weapon was sharp enough that in cut him. She wasn't as strong as other combat telepaths, but she could work with an injury no matter the size. The cut had also ben enough to slow his charge until he located what injured him and attacked it instead.

Diana braced herself as she focused on the Malaki's mind and inflicted more pain onto what would probably otherwise have been a negligible scrape. In a few moments the pain was so great that the Malaki winced, and a few moments after that he was gripping his arm in pain. Diana would continue to increase the pain level as much as she could, and hopefully someone else would finish him off.

• Piper's Boutique · DaFont · Mutsie · Aethereality · Kevin sorbo •

[Alain]

Alain tensed when he noticed the Malaki's brandished weapon. In the Malaki's hand was a previously disregarded bone axe, which was left sheathed in favor of the Malaki's typical Runka. Alain, however, regarded the weapon with more fear than the polearms Malaki were typically armed with, partially due to his experiences with seeing Clara's path of destruction on numerous occasions. While his sword was excellent for parrying and quick thrusts, an axe would be used on pure offensive, one which his thin rapier would be incapable of deflecting. Until this encounter, he'd always managed to keep from being the actual target of such crafts, due to such disadvantages. In this case, the best he could do was make the Malaki's target smaller. Realizing this fact, he turned to face the Malaki at his side while it charged forward with a force Alain knew he could not block.

Just in time to make a narrower path for a blade that flew by his ear.

Alain didn't have time to consider the fact as the Malaki's charge began to slow, and the six horns that were lowered for the offensive raised as the Malaki searched for the source of the blade. He raised his maw, revealed a set of many pointed teeth as it found that source. Moments later, though, it stopped, gripping it's arm and passing its weapon into its other hand.

At that very moment, while the more experienced telepath behind Alain reached into its mind, he thrusted his rapier toward the unaffected arm crossing the bull's torso. The Malaki, noticing this, brought in its defense just in time for the blade create a gash along its arm, and then clash against its axe, letting out a screech as blade slid against bone. Alain brought his sword back to just barely deflect the axe after the beast's counter. The beast's remaining speed left him no time to think of his next move, and another hit flew directly into his path. The two weapons clashed into a light, but frantic pace, both owners beating past different kinds of pain, searching the other for weakness.

Alain shifted his foot and fell back a step due to the offensive of the axe, trying to buy time for him to track the beast's sudden movements, but also leaving his stomach unguarded. The beast, one arm hanging limply at its side, let out a primal roar once more, thinking it had victory at last. The beast's running adrenaline and rage fought the pain as Diana's Infliction caused it to slow with the addition of another injury to its weapon wielding arm. Alain's blade met its axe once more due to the speed decrease, with the axe just barely missing Alain's exposed stomach. He grimaced in pain as the blow sent staggering backward from the blow, with his expression deepening as he kept his eyes focused on his opponent. The Malaki drew its arm back for another blow.

“Duck!” came a nearby, familiar voice. Alain, bearing with the pain, allowed his body to lift back into an awkward sommersault, just in time to fall back from the Malaki's swing. The steel axe he'd seen so often whizzed past him, followed by a horrid wail as the combination of axe and Infliction caused it to die seconds later.

Alain quickly rose back to his feet, just barely completing the acrobatic motion he'd still yet to master in practical use. His breath came in short puffs, while the owner of the axe moved past him to retrieve her weapon. He looked to the Malaki, shuddering with its last breaths due to the axe embedded into its chest. Alain turned back, remembering the difference between speed in its blows.

“Thank you.” he said to the telepath nearby, before releasing a deep breath he didn't know he as holding.

“How about you take care of the injured next time, Alain?” Clara snickered in response. “Your performance seems a lot worse than it used to be; You must be out of shape.”

“Don't worry, my performance in other areas will be just fine.” Alain said, not missing the intended double entendre.

“You'd better--” she began with a laugh, which came to a dead stop as she noticed more enemies coming up not far away. They just kept coming, headed straight toward their goal, but not yet seeming to notice the group. “Help the others, Alain. We'll need to be out of the sight for this one.”

Alain followed her gaze, and then approached the unfrozen Zephyr and used all his body weight to move the Reaver from atop the Rutilius. Given the time to finally take in the gravity of Rutilius's injuries now that he was unfrozen, he held his jademine vial out. “Do you have anything more powerful?”

Spoiler

I figured that with the Malaki atop Zeph and Elias out of the count, that there wouldn't be much to respond to if I just ended it with the Malaki being offed. Lemme know if you want anything edited to make things easier to reply with, since I wasn't sure about what to do with what Diana noted as two more Reavers around. :X Presumably, they'd have gone off to the better targets, rather than a group of preoccupied kills.