Aervana #1 - Group 1 (IC Thread)

[Flux]

Gillem gave a clap and a wide grin. "Well, it's settled then. Welcome to the group! I assume by your appearance that you've been traveling awhile, but I want to make sure you're prepared. We're heading for the center of the desert, so make sure you have a full waterskin, and supplies to last. Granted, I've brought enough for this small group's meals, but you never know what could happen. It should only take a few days to get to Sakiiri, where we'll wait for Nash and the group he should have." As he left the group to prepare, Gillem pulled Kho aside.

"If you don't mind me asking, what caused that outburst? I see no reason to be suspicious of Koz. He came here to try to rescue you, after all."

Kho met Gillem's eyes. "I hadn't known his purpose at the time, but I have a strong... dislike for those who sneak around. Sneaking into a bandit camp is one thing, but sneaking around an innocent group just outside of town is another. Such an activity implies thievery, or worse. It is not the way of the Vanda, despite what many think." He looked away. There was also the other reason he disliked thieves and the like, but he was not about to reveal that to Gillem.

Gillem nodded. "I understand. However, I think it would do much good for you and Koz, as well as the rest of the group, to settle these differences. We won't continue until this is done. When there is disruption in a group, it only expands if unattended."

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Kho grimaced. He felt childish giving this apology, like when he was scolded by his master as a child. He wasn't fond of speaking in general. Nevertheless, he was going to do it. He approached Koz. "I'm sorry for my previous aggression. I had thought... that you were a thief, or some other... unconventional profession. I do appreciate your attempt to rescue me, but I am a bit curious where you got the notion that I was in captivity..." He trailed off and looked away. He fidgeted with his sword as he waited for a response.

[Arkhi]

The Nomad had met his eyes, but then took them off. That would make Kozuto's response much more awkward. Kozuto looked to the side, trying to find a distraction in the dog. He bent, scratching its neck. Looking up, he realized it would do neither of them any good if silence was his solution. He stood up, feeling rather devoid of emotion.

"It's, uh.. Not a problem. I would rather this be awkward than uncomfortable, so..." While he had never bowed before, he did so now, feeling off-weight and light. "Hello. My name is Kozuto. I am.. Not a light-footed wanderer," he said, failing at being evasive on the matter, "but a shaman. Concerning my wild notion earlier.. Well, a lot of people don't care for the Vanda. I.. seem to have been wrong in this case." Kozuto opened his mouth to say more, but he had a feeling that it would not be appreciated by this other Nomad. So he gave a short nod. Or perhaps it was too drawn out. It might have been that. Even in his thoughts, he rambled. Perhaps his lack of inner peace and stability was to blame for his failing magics.

At any rate, he turned to his one remaining animal companion, the dog. He removed his satchel, tightening it to the body of the animal, leaving on his body only an empty vial and another vial of a thick, purple liquid- simple, effective healing remedy.

He nodded to himself, prepared to move, staff in hand.

[Flux]

As Kho walked away, he thought about what the other Vanda had said. They seemed to have been raised under different circumstaces and beliefs, which admittedly, was not all that uncommon among a scattered nomadic people without so much as a single city to call their own. In the small group Kho had been raised with, shamans were almost a legend. The stories told of their abilities were no doubt stretched beyond reality, but those sorts of rumors usually stemmed from a truth. Koz was certaintly the opposite of himself from what he had seen. While Kho relied on his speed and skill with a blade in battles, along with minor use of his shortbow, Koz seemed to have been able to call the very creatures of Aervana themself to his aide. It made him wonder just what Koz was capable of.

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As Kho seemed to have finished his apology to Koz, Gillem decided it was time to move out. Their planned journey was purely a northward movement through the desert. It should not take them long, but they would need to be wary. In the desert, water was your lifeline. They could not afford to run out. Due to this, he had had to deviate a little from their route for stops at known oases so they could restock on supplies. There was also the matter of desert monsters, particularly sand surfers. They could strike without the slightest hint until it was too late. They were a rare species, but you still had to prepare for them. Then there were the rumors Gillem had heard back at the inn... but they seemed more like the superstitious tales of drunks than anything else. He looked around at the group, and he could see that they were all eager to get on their way. "Alright," he said with a grin, "Let's move out!"

***************************

The sun was bearing down on Gillem, reflecting off his armor and forcing him to squint. They had been traveling for a few hours, with naught more than a few idle comments along the way. He supposed that was to be expected of a group that had only met the day before, save for Olrien and Eleriese. It would take a while for everyone to become comfortable with one another. Still, they were making good distance. Gillem opened his mouth to try to start a conversation when he saw an outline on the horizon. It was hard to notice at first, but appeared to be a black line moving on the horizon. Gillem raised a hand, signaling for everyone to stop. He looked over and saw that some of the others had noticed as well. Kho was gripping the hilt of his sword, not in the offhand way that Gillem had noticed him doing earlier, but rather in preparation to be drawn. As the line approached, Gillem could begin to make out the forms of what he was seeing. Scraeth. And it was a lot of them.

The Scraeth's scorpion-esque bodies gleamed in the harsh sun. They were still a ways off, but for them to be visible from this far was a sure sign that the group was in for trouble. There was nowhere to hide in the middle of a desert, and there was no way they could outrun Scraeth, especially on sand. They had 8 legs, each with multiple points at the end to better grip the sand. They had two large pincers in the front, a barbed and venomous stinger in back, and hard armored bodies that were quite difficult to pierce. As he got a closer look, Gillem's blood chilled. Rounding up the back of the group were two excessively large Scraeth, with not one, but two barbed stingers ending in a spear-like point. That alone meant they were Grand Scraeth. Grand Scraeth were much more vicious, with larger pincers and tougher armor. There seemed to be around twenty scraeth total. Gillem turned to the group. "As I'm sure you can tell, we seem to have quite the battle ahead of us. These are scraeth. They move quickly, but turn slowly. Thus, it is best to use hit and run tactics on them." He took a breath. "I have never encountered a group even a fourth of this size together, and to be honest, I'm not sure that we can get out of this unscathed. However, as leader and warrior, you can trust that my shield will be in the way before any of you lay down your life." Gillem turned to his thoughts again. This was definitely unusual. Scraeth did not travel in large groups; they usually only moved in pairs, sometimes groups of 3-4. The scraeth were approaching. Gillem drew his sword and unhooked his shield from his belt.

"Draws your weapons and prepare for battle."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"Hit and Run? Perfect that is the wind's favourite method of fighting" and without hesitation he drew his blade, the Sapphire gems on the blade glistened brightly in the desert sun. He held Winter's Gale in front of him at the ready. "Gillem I can whip up a tornado to try and separate the group before they approach, but I need somebody to guard me. Be aware it is risky however, it may kick up a lot of sand and reduce the visibility a bit."

Edited February 27, 2014 by Hukuna

[Flux]

Gillem nodded. "A separation would be much appreciated. If we take them on in smaller numbers, they'll be much easier to deal with. You can count on my shield to cover you." He turned to the others. "While I cover Olrien, see if you can pick them off a few at a time. The sand kicked up will blind them just as much as us." He positioned himself next to the elf, ready to move at a moment's notice.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Olrien shifted Winter's Gale into an upright position, as he place His index and middle finger on the back of his blade. Before he channeled the spell he remarked "Keep in mind Wind magic is rarely Offensive in Nature, this will most likely not damage them heavily". He then began to concentrate heavily, the winds could be felt whipping around and moving towards the Katana quickly. Most around the blade would probably feel a slight feeling of being sucked towards it, but it wouldn't actually physically move them.

His eyes closed Olrien began to build up the power in his blade. a small Cyclone started to form around the base of the blade near the Hand-guard.

[Chevaleresse]

Braius saw the scraeth coming, and began mentally preparing himself, burning images of his allies into his mind. He had fought the creatures before, though not a pack this size, and not of this larger variety. His only response to the words of the other travelers was heavy, but measured breathing, as he brought himself into the characteristic battle trance of his people. He slowly eliminated every emotion that would slow him down. Fear. Excitement. Concern. All that remained was that barely suppressed inferno known as anger. The large berserker reached down and tightly gripped his blades before drawing them from their crude sheaths with a refined motion. The heavy, thick blades were specifically designed to bite deeply into the foe, punching through tough armor. His conscious mind beginning to shut down, he started to slowly walk toward the approaching foes.

[Arkhi]

"Scraeth? In that quantity?" Kozuto almost began discussing his knowledge about them, but stopped when he noticed the Shantii walk slowly in their direction. He was far too amused with the nature of the animal and not the threat it posed. Giving a shaky sigh, Kozuto grabbed the bottom of his staff, in a position with which he could thrust back the foes if they came too close. He dipped his staff into the sand, silently wording to himself, calling upon the forces of nature to assist him. His order was rather simple: he would call upon the assistance of a sand surfer and any nearby bird of prey. A sort of falcon, he asked for. Depending on how his Ancestors responded, he would see a different bird. He pulled the staff back up, feeling- seeing the sand surfer as it burrowed towards the surface. He looked back, asking his Ancestors for the sense of an owl. It would help him to hear the beasts. Kozuto had prayed rather heavily the night before, so he had more spiritual power to call upon. It paled in comparison to magical power and needed more meditation, but required less effort.
With so much to ask of his ancestors, he could only ask for assistance once more. And even then, it might not work.
Looking towards Gillem, he said rather seriously "I will try to take care of myself. If anyone is hurt, tell me."

This would be his first major threat. He did not look forward to it.

[Flux]

Kho closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the approaching threat. he drew slow, even breaths, just as his master had taught him, calming his body and mind. He only faintly heard Gillem's request in the back of his mind. "While I cover Olrien, see if you can pick them off a few at a time. The sand kicked up will blind them just as much as us." Then all at once, he prepared to strike. His eyes snapped open, and he was gone, sprinting towards the Scraeth with his head dipped low and his scarf trailing behind. He whipped past the first of the Scraeth, only to quickly turn and thrust his longsword between the plating on the joint of its pincer. He flicked his wrist, and his sword followed, removing one of the Scraeth's weapons. Kho had already disappeared by the time it turned to retaliate. In his short break, he turned to see pair of Scraeth, accompanied by one of the Grand Scraeth, splitting off towards Braius. He would have gone to help, but he was already under attack by others in the horde. He raised his sword, preparing to move into combat once more.

--------------------------------------------------------

Gillem watched as a small cyclone appeared around Olrien's blade. This was the first time he was seeing magic other than healing. As the cyclone grew, he felt as though he was being dragged toward the sword, but his body wasn't moving. It was quite disorienting. However, he was snapped out of this trance by the sound of approaching Scraeth. He raised his sword, preparing to meet there attacker. Luckily, there only appeared to be one coming for them. It wasn't much comfort though, as he knew that meant there were more by the others. He ran towards the Scraeth, raising his shield as it swung a pincer at him. He felt the impact and prepared to swing around it for a counterattack, only to find that his left arm was stuck in place. The Scraeth had its pincer clamped around his shield. He ducked as it stabbed at him with its stinger. He swung his sword at its arm, severing the pincer that was holding him in place. He rolled under its upraised body as it took another shot with its stinger and stabbed into its soft underbody with his sword. The Scraeth gave a shrill shriek as its greenish blood flowed out. Gillem stabbed again, before rolling to the side as the creature collapsed. He returned to Olrien after making sure there were no more immediate threats. He wanted to help the others, but knew that this spell needed to go off to even the odds. He scanned the battlefield, hoping no one was hurt already. He saw Braius approaching a small group, no doubt embracing the rage of a berserker. While he may be able to ignore pain in that state, he hoped that he would still be careful. Continuing to scan, he saw Kho weaving between the Scraeth, his scarf moving gracefully behind him as he struck at the enemy. He seemed to make no unnecessary movements, striking and retreating, moving from one enemy to the next. Those two seemed to be the only ones who had directly engaged the enemy so far. He turned back to Olrien. "Is it almost done?" he asked the elf, catching his breath.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

As soon as Gillem asked, Olrien eyes opened. He yelled something in Elvish at the top of his Lungs. It would have roughly translated to Wind Dragon's Fury. The cyclone on the Sword all of a sudden grew twice in size.

Olrien swung his blade directly down, the cyclone loosing itself and becoming even bigger, and raged towards the mass of Scraeth. Olrien ran after it his sword by his side he meant to clash with the enemies as it impacted. He used the very winds to increase his own speed, running faster than normally possible. The cyclone landed and a huge amount of sand was kicked into the air. It sent the Scraeth flying in all directions.

A haze of sand hung in the air. Olrien stood over the bodies of 2 dead Scraeth he had killed on impact. Lucky for him, the winds still blew, he would be able to "see" through the haze. He felt their forms by blowing the winds, his Sword was at the ready knowing he would be attacked at any moment.

[Chevaleresse]

Braius picked up speed, transforming his gait from a slow walk into a full-out charge. He ran straight at the largest of the beasts, then leapt through the air, instinct guiding his path. The berserker aimed himself at the scraeth's tail, weapons outstreched, twisting through the air to avoid the creature's counterstrike. As he landed, he focused his momentum into the tip of his katar as he plunged it into the seam where stingers met tail, followed closely by the second. This brutal attack messily removed the venomous barbs, causing the scraeth to roar in pain and begin to flail, sending the large man flying off. He landed adroitly and rushed back into the fray, punching at the underside of the scraeth's neck. The strike glanced off of a tough armor plate, but Braius was already swinging onto the thing's back. He mercilessly began pounding it, blades punching deep wounds into the beast's exoskeleton. It whirled around and tried to bite its attacker, and recieved a sharpened piece of metal in its mouth. Before it fell, the berserker leapt toward another, smaller scraeth, beginning to give it a similar treatment.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Clang! Metal rang out in the cloud of sand as Olrien blocked a blow from his unseen attacker. He traced the winds and delivered a deft strike to the beast's pincer, right where the 2 pieces connect, severing it claw in 2. 2 more Scraeths threw blind blows in his direction, he narrowly avoided the first, but the second landed on his chest. Causing minor bleeding. Olrien Jumped off his current target, and took a slash at the other 2. He diced the legs of the one on the left, leaving it unable to move, though it still thrashed and clawed at the air with it's nasty pincers. The right one he accelrated his blade using the wind, he cut into its forehead, felling it in 1 strike. The immobile one however scored a lucky blow. Hitting Olrien as he came back down. it hit him in the side with the flat of it claw, however the force knocked the wind out of Olrien. He lay on the ground while the fist Scraeth scuttled up to him. It raised it's claw high above its head. It was going for a killing blow.

[Arkhi]

Kozuto was able to manifest multiple bodies at once: he was a Sand Surfer, a Falcon, a dog, and himself all at once, split among four beings. Using his last Ancestor's Request, he brought up a large wall of stone in a dome shape. He quickly spun into a meditation pose to better control his ties to the creatures he manifested.
As the sand surfer, he dove from below the sand onto the back of one scraeth, tightly biting its pincher while the tale of the surfer injected poison into its tail, similar to a leech. From there, it released its grip, diving into the sand again.
As the Sphinx Falcon, he dove sharply from the sky, bearing its sharp talons into the sheltered eye of the beast. As the three entities, he did not wish to kill the beasts: his companions would do that. He would simply incapacitate them. While the surfer attacked, the falcon went back into the sky to attempt another strike. Likewise, when the surfer dove, the falcon attacked the scraeth.

His bond with the creatures was strengthening. He had achieved complete focus in his Nomad body, which allowed him to better focus on controlling the animals.
As the hunting dog,he circled the battlefield, allowing the Nomad a set of eyes with which to watch after himself. Using the abilities and strengths of the four animals, each would benefit. The surfer would be able to pinpoint weak points, the eagle would be able to work on ripping the tail off, and the dog continually gave the other two creatures a perspective from afar. The force connecting all three was Kozuto himself. As long as he retained this state, he could control the creatures.

However, that would not last long. A scraeth started to smash its way into his defenses. The stone began to crack.

[Chevaleresse]

Braius, through the fog of a berserker's rage, noticed that the elf -Olrien- was in trouble. A scraeth was bearing down on him. The scraeth that was currently charging at him became another weapon, as he turned the creature's momentum against it in a wide throw, sinking his blades in and levering it toward the one currently attacking Olrien. The beast's soon-to-be-corpse bowled its companion over, leaving it just enough time to react with shock as Braius leapt toward it with a mighty roar and sunk his twin katar into the creature's brain. He whirled around to face the fallen elf, roared again, then dashed off in search of another victim.

[Flux]

Kho looked around. The cyclone had certaintly helped, but there were still a large number of scraeth left. The animals themselves seemed to be assisting the group, no doubt thanks to Koz. As he scanned the area, Kho noticed one scraeth off on its own, ramming its hardened body into a stone wall. It only took a moment of thinking to realize that that was where Koz had been standing. Kho dashed in his direction, hoping to be in time. The wall had already cracked, and Koz had specifically said he wasn't good at close-range combat. As he approached, Kho readied himself to strike. He drew his sword arm back and lowered his head, running even faster. He would use this momentum to make a quick strike. He thrusted his arm forward, pushing off with the muscles in both legs, sending himself in a forward thrust at the creature. In an instant, he sliced from under its tail to the middle of its body, splitting the back end of the scraeth in two. As it collapsed, he flicked his wrist, sending the green blood flying off his sword.

---------------------------------

Gillem rushed into the fray. there were many scraeth left as well as a Grand Scraeth. Braius had made short work of one, treating it just like any other scraeth. However, not everyone had his massive strength. Gillem raised his shield as he met the first scraeth, severing its pincers before piercing its soft underbelly. More surrounded him. He turned constantly, blocking blows from all sides, returning with a quick slash or stab when he could. However, there were too many. He felt a pincer smash into his side, right where his burn from the demon was still healing. As he doubled over in pain, another scraeth rammed him with its side from behind, sending him sprawling to the ground. Gillem flipped himself over, only to be met by the Grand Scraeth towering over him. He went to raise his shield only to find that it had been knocked out of his hand in the fall. As its large pincer fell towards him with alarming strength behind it, Gillem raised his sword in a block, catching it in the vice grip of the pincer. Rather than stopping the blow like Gillem had planned, the pincer pushed forward, pushing Gillems right arm to his chest and impaling his sword into the ground on his left, the hilt still in his grasp. He was forced to release his grip in order to roll to the right, narrowly avoiding one of its barbed tails striking down at him. The other stinger followed right after, and Gillem rolled back to the left as it pierced the golden sands. trapped between the two tails, still stuck in the sand, Gillem was at a great disadvantage. The Grand Scraeth still had both pincers to attack with.However, rather than attacking Gillem, the Grand Scraeth slowing withdrew its stingers from the sand, walking overhead of him as if in a trance. Gillem took this opportunity to roll away and retrieve his shield. His sword however, was still in the Scraeth's pincer.

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The gentle breeze and the soft sand; these were pushed to the back of Eleriese's mind as she wove her steps into a dance. She focused on drawing the large scraeth away from Gillem, entrancing the creature with the magic of her dance. The creature had seen her and was lulled into weariness, making slow progress towards the elf. She vaguely noticed Gillem roll away and retrieve his shield before looking in her direction and nodding his thanks. He ran at the scraeth, retrieving his sword as it fell out of the slowly relaxing grasp of its pincer. Eleriese felt a connection with the Grand Scraeth by this point; she hated to think it would be killed, but she knew it was necessary. She let the dance fall apart as Gillem's sword pierced the creature, its terribly sad shriek only worsening the pain she had already gathered from the creature.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Olrien was greatful for whoever killed the beast about to strike. He didn't manage to catch who it was before they moved on however. He sprung to his feet, taking note of the field around him, the sand starts to die down a little, however Olrien still relied upon the winds to find his way around. He readied his stance incase he was ambushed again,He didn't want to push himself as he was pretty hurt.

[Arkhi]

The banging had stopped. Kozuto was once again safe. The gratitude can wait, he thought. He spun into a crossed-leg stance, bowing his head along his straightened spine. He took a deep breath, calming himself at once. In battle and stress, he was perfectly capable of calming, but not in basic social interaction. Funny, thought he.
His second breath returned his vision to him, but only of the Sphinx Falcon and hunting dog. The surfer must have been killed. His vision grew dark at the edges, as he gritted his teeth, even in meditation. He vowed to rip apart the pinchers with which the scraeth attacked the sand surfer. He brought the dog into the fray, as the falcon felled one of the foes. The battle had been going on for a short while, but it seemed to be coming to some sort of a close, for better or for worse.
Gillem was disarmed. Kozuto asked only him before the battle to defend him, so it must have been Gillem to save him. The favor would not go without notice. The Sphinx Falcon gave a furious cry, as Kozuto attempted to control his emotions and, consequently, the animals. He flew towards the largest, most armored Grand Scraeth as the falcon, with the intent of removing the pincher. At the same time, he, as the hunting dog, lept towards the same pincher.

Both animals' attacks connected and struck the beast at the same time, its grip faltering on the sword.

[Code: PIRULUK]

Eleriese looked around the battlefield. The movements of the others were slowing down. Fatigue and injury. These were going to get them killed. A rejuvenation dance, then. Moving her feet swiftly, she began an electrifying, energetic dance, comprised of sharp movements and rapid transitions.

[Flux]

Kho's sword gleamed in the sunlight. There were three scraeth around him. He was breathing heavily now, a rare thing for him. "I'm out of practice," he thought to himself. "Still, I'm nowhere near finished." He circled around, ready to move at the slightest movement from one of the scraeth. He was in the eye of the storm right now, each side carefully watching the other. Then, all at once, the calm was broken. Two of the scraeth darted inward, snapping their pincers towards Kho. He jumped through the air, scarf trailing behind him as he landed on the back of one of the third scraeth. It lashed out with its tail, but Kho was ready. He weaved to the side and slashed at the tail as it swung past. His sword's razor sharp blade cut it clean off. Greenish blood spurted from the wound, covering Kho with its droplets. He stabbed downward between the scraeth's plates, then jumped off as it collapsed. He ran at one of the other two, sliding underneath it to avoid its tail. He stabbed upward, piercing its belly, then dragged his blade towards the creatures backside, cleaving it open from underneath. He rolled out to face the last of the three. It let out a hissing noise, its mandibles opening and closing as it glared at him. All at once, his exhaustion seemed to fade away. Kho approached it slowly, his mind connecting with his surroundings. He heard every noise, saw every twitch the scraeth made. This was what he had trained for. This was what he had accomplished in his training. He walked at a slow pace, ready to end this battle. The scraeth thrust its stinger at him, like a spear flying through the air. But Kho had seen it coming. He took a single step to the left, narrowly avoiding the stinger as it buried itself in the sand. Without breaking pace, he severed the creature's tail. The scraeth cried out, but swung a pincer at Kho like a hammer. Using its own momentum, Kho positioned his blade so the scraeth cut off its own appendage. Before it could react, he turned, quickly lashing out with his sword, severing its other claw. Without its weapons, the scraeth was defenseless. It let out what sounded like a whimper. Blood was dripping from its severed appendages. With a single thrust, Kho ended its pain once and for all.

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Gillem was exhausted. They had killed so many, but so many remained. There still seemed to be around 10 scraeth left. Kho was surrounded by three of them, but despite how much Gillem wanted to help, he had his own to deal with. He raised his sword, his tired muscles still responding. He had yet to retrieve his shield; it lay just beyond the scraeth in front of him. He narrowly dodged a blow from its pincer, retaliating with a strike from his sword. However, his movement was too slow, and the scraeth pulled away its arm, striking Gillem with the other. It was a glancing blow off of his armor, but he could still feel the creature's strength behind it. He took another swing at the scraeth, leaving a shallow cut in its side. He could feel energy slowly returning to his body, and his movements became more fluid, with power once again backing his strikes. It had to be one of the magic users. He'd have to thank them later. Using his newly found energy, Gillem let loose a flurry of blows at the scraeth, severing a pincer before managing to strike beneath its plating. He twisted his sword, slicing the plate off of its head. He followed up with a lunge into the now defenseless area, and the beast collapsed.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Flux

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Olrien Felt his strength come back, was it a second wind? He figured it was a light amount of magic, though whether it was Koz or Eleri he didn't know let alone was it the time for that. Another Scraeth slowly approached him. He struck with his blade at the hinge of the claw, then boosted himself with the wind over to the other claws, deftly removing both. The Scraeth now defenseless turned to run, Olrien let it run off and moved on. He ran over to Gillem. "I think their numbers are low enough they may begin to flee after the decimation of their force." Olrien said as Scraeth towards the back started to flee. Primal Instincts must of kicked in after watching 3 of their Leaders fell. A few Stragglers were still looking for a fight. Olrien stood next to GIllem his sword at his side. The Greenish Blood of the Scraeth running down the blade made it look like the Man's face carved into the hilt was crying tears made of emeralds in the desert sun.

[Flux]

"I think their numbers are low enough they may begin to flee after the decimation of their force."

Gillem turned to see Olrien approaching. Sure enough, looking behind the elf, Gillem could see that the few remaining scraeth were indeed heading the other way. He retrieved his shield from where it lay in the sand. The strap that held it to his arm had broken, but it would be a simple fix. "Yes, you seem to be right," Gillem commented, motioning at the fleeing scraeth. As he looked in the distance he saw Kho standing over the bodies of three scraeth. "He defeated all three.." Gillem thought. It was an impressive feat, especially for one without any magical talent. "Now I see why the Vanda swordsmasters were so feared." He took out his sword, wiping the blood off of it as he spoke to Olrien. "Your fighting style is quite impressive. I was able to catch glimpses of you fighting in the small periods of time I had between conflicts. I wanted to help, but unfortunately they kept me busy," he said, motioning to the nearby body of a scraeth. He continued, "You use your wind magic to aid your physical skills, combining sword art and magic in a way I would never have imagined. It's quite impressive." He stood up, sheathing his sword. "We should probably see how the others are doing and assess injuries. Nobody seems to be terribly hurt, but it's a good idea to make sure." He held a hand to his side as he walked towards the others. "I should really have Rhea take a look at this when we meet up with Nash in Sakiiri. The burn from that demon isn't healing like it should." Gillem could feel the wound throbbing from the impact of where the scraeth had hit him. An idea came into his head. "Koz said he knew some healing. I doubt he's ever incountered a wound from a demon, but maybe he can do something." He sighed. While he wanted to have hope, he wasn't very confident that there was much any healer around here could do.

[Arkhi]

Kozuto had finally seen battle. He always was curious how he would act in the midst of it. When the sphinx falcon was attacking, he noticed out of the corner of his multiple eyes that the dancer seemed to be dancing away. Kozuto himself felt mildly relieved, but his animals felt an incredible surge of newfound strength. "I guess Eleriese's dances are meant for species that are typically Vanda size. Or man, or elf." he thought.
The fight seemed over. In the span of a very short time, everyone on the field recollected their efforts and fought away the threat. That he could see from the falcon, and was able to confirm with the nose of the dog.
Kozuto opened his eyes, his vision to the creatures fading away, but their presence still remained. They seemed to recognize the shaman's skill with the animals of nature. Sunlight was peering through the cracks of the rock. The body of the scraeth that attacked his shelter was still there, so he had to kick his way out. But first, he placed his hand upon the creature's rigid upper torso, feeling its cold blood heating from the sun. "I wish you did not attack, sister. Both of us were troubled by this skirmish." He bowed his head in respect, then turned away. After doing so, he ran over to the slowly-forming group. "I am in awe!" he said, grinning too much, far too polar from the attitude that he just experienced. "Never before have I seen such incredible skill!"
The falcon soared from above, slowing its descent, and landed on Kozuto's armored shoulder. He wore a thin metallic piece of armor over his shoulder so that birds did not pierce the flesh. The hunting dog was busy searching for any sort of edibles there could be nearby. "Now, how is everyone? I've got strong healing remedy for anyone who needs it. And dinner is slowly finding itself," he said rather heartily, gesturing to the dog.

[Chevaleresse]

Braius dimly noticed through his rage that the scraeth he was eviscerating was dead, and all of the others were either fleeing or in a similar state. He stood up from the filthy work, calming down as he realized the battle was over. He looked about and located his companions gathering a short distance away. "That was fun," he said cheerily as he strolled up, still coated in gore and bits of scraeth shell. "You all looked quite spectacular out there," he said, with a gracious nod to Eleriese. Abruptly, an expression of pain came over his face. "Does anyone else. . . feel a bit woozy?" The large man, after asking this, tilted over and thumped to the ground.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Olrien cleaned the Blood from Winter's Gale, as he put it back into it's sheathe. "Thank you Gillem." He said in response. However he didn't want to be complimented on his Sword and Battle techniques, Olrien always saw them as undesirable skills, that he wished only to use to protect people. He didn't let Gillem know however because he didn't want to offend the man.

Thump! A loud sound came from behind Olrien, the big brute of a man Brauis had just fallen over. "Somebody should check on him, though knowing Berserkers he probably just tired himself out." Olrien said as he took a swig from his flask.

[Flux]

Gillem looked at Koz and gave a nod towards Braius. "You said you know some healing, right? You'd better look at him, just to be safe." He paused briefly. "Afterwards... I have something I'd like you to look at." He turned aside and walked a few steps, looking out at the bodies of the fallen scraeth spread amongst the desert sand. He could see Kho making an even pace towards the group. As Kho came close enough, Gillem approached him.

"You fight exceptionally well with a blade. Your movements are so precise and graceful."

Kho looked away, his fingers fidgeting with the hilt of his blade, before nodding his gratitude. Gillem could hear mumbled thanks as the Vanda walked past. He sighed. "He's not opening up to anyone very quickly, is he?" He returned to the group to see if Koz had found anything out about Braius other than sheer exhaustion. He expected it must be tiring after going into a rage like that. He gave a slight bow to Eleriese as he passed.

"Thank you for your help out there. I fear I wouldn't have made it out alive, if not for you. I am in your debt."