“For Ishgard!†the knights cried out in unison as they charged.
Roen tightened her grip around her sword, quickly taking count of the Dravanians that were emerging from the rocks around them. The snow had begun to fall again, shadowing the skies in white. It was starting to obscure their vision into the distance, and she suspected it had aided these creatures in coming upon the soldiers with little warning. The paladin counted half a dozen aevis, four biasts, and one fearsome looking diresaur that loomed over the rest. They had appeared suddenly and quietly. We were indeed expected, she thought. It would be a grave mistake to underestimate our foe.
“That corpse of the aevis will bring another, or more,†Roen said to Khadai, as she flexed her fingers around the grip of her sword. Her breathing became steady and she felt the telltale sign of aether collecting around her form--the goosebumps that quickly ran along her skin. It was but a brief thing and without fanfare, but a wave of energy washed over her form, and a shadow that resembled a layer of stone passed over her complexion. The visual manifestation faded as soon as it appeared.
“The Dravanians come to retrieve their dead, always the greater coming for the lesser.†The paladin flicked a glance to the Au Ra, then the corpse that was laid out. “Sooner or later.â€
She glanced up at the sky, where there still was no sign of the dragon and the dragoon that had shot through the air after it. Would it attract the dragon itself or its minions? The paladin shook her head, she had no time to consider the options, for another cry split the air as she saw one knight sent flying into another, hit by the massive scaled arm of the towering diresaur.
“We take down the big one first.†Roen raised her shield and dug her back heel into the ground. She spared Khadai a brief glance, and finding a grin there, her own eyes squinted at the edges. She charged into the fray.
The diresaur already had a lance protruding out from its flank, yet it still tramped through two more soldiers, the latter leaping out of the way to avoid getting crushed. The beast's dark eyes--sunken things set deep into its spiked head--fixated upon another knight. Roen followed its gaze to Ser Couillard in the distance who was fending off a biast. The diresaur bent one leg, lowering itself to the ground for a charge. But just before it took to a charge, the paladin came to a skidding stop between it and the Elezen, her shield raised.
Roen braced herself for what was to come, but she knew that on her own, the large Dravanian’s strength would easily shatter her arm with the impact. She released another quick exhale, and more goosebumps raced down from her shoulder to her hand. Another wave of aether coalesced in an instant, and this time a glimmer appeared in the center of her shield.
The manifestation bought her only a few seconds. There was recognition in the diresaur’s eyes, and it bared its sharpened teeth, getting out an ominous growl. Its stone etched snarl seemed confident that her magick would not matter. Then the Dravanian pushed off from the ground and launched itself at the paladin.
A thunderous crash reverberated, and a thick mist of snow scattered into the air at the force of the collision. The frozen earth cracked beneath her feet; jagged fissures splitting the ground as they grew in all directions from where the two forces met. But when the fog of snow settled, the paladin remained standing. The thick horn that protruded from the diresaur's head remained but ilms away from her face, the diresaur's breaths blowing away her forelocks with angry indignation. But between them stood her shield, still shimmering with aether.
Roen’s arm shook still with the lingering force of the impact. Her narrowed eyes rose grimly to meet that of the looming Dravanian. But beyond its spiked silhouette she spotted another--a limber form she had come to recognize well enough.
Khadai was running up behind the diresaur, his loping gait lengthening with each stride. The Xaela's blue steel greatsword was held at a slant to the side of him, but he gripped it by the hilt in both hands. The Au Ra took to the air in a long high leap, and he swung the sword high above him. With the force of his descent, the warrior drove his sharp blade into the backside of the Dravanian's neck, dragging it through its thick hide.
The diresaur reeled back and the air shook with its anguished roar. Khadai leaped back immediately, out of reach from its flailing claws, as dark blood splattered the snow beneath its feet. The massive creature spun around at the offender who had inflicted the injury, and that was when Roen caught a glimpse of where the Xaela had struck. From behind, the layer of stony scales parted to expose a small seam of vulnerability, where only thick leathery hide protected the creature. And more it bent forward, more scales parted.
The Dravanian swiped at the Xaela with its elongated claws, but it only managed to clip a part of the warrior's long ponytail as Khadai ducked, then rolled away from another pair of claws that plunged into the ground. Metallic clangs of stone against steel rang through the air, as the blue steel flashed through the snowfall in quick arcs to parry more swipes that sought to sever his head from his neck.
Three more slashes of the longsword found their mark between scales, and the diresaur roared again--in fear as much in pain. It fell forward, one of its claws crashing upon the ground as it shuddered. But its spiked tail rose and whipped toward the paladin. It smashed against the shield again, and still with the flash of aether, the paladin held her ground. But the magical energy flickered and faded after that block. Roen narrowed her eyes. She and the diresaur knew what she had cast earlier remained no longer. Her eyes widened for a moment then she ducked into a ball behind her shield as a gout of fire spewed forth from the Dravanian.
Searing heat washed over her shield, and she could feel it starting to seep into her skin. Roen saw the layer of stoneskin flicker and fade, after lending what protection it could against the long stream of fire. The paladin gritted her teeth as she braced for another hit; the fire had trapped her behind the shield, the diresaur was bound to take advantage.
An odd sputtering growl greeted her instead. Then nothing.
The paladin lowered her shield just as the diresaur’s head hit the ground only a few fulms from her. Its eyes were rolled back and blood streamed down its head from multiple wounds it suffered. Khadai stood just behind it and yanked his greatsword out of the back of the beast's neck. The blue steel of his sword and his armor was splattered with Dravanian blood. Ser Couillard stood on the other side of the fallen creature, he too shaking his sword of the thing’s blood. The diresaur shook one more time, a low rumble drowning deep in its throat, then went limp.
The Elezen gave the paladin and the warrior a nod then glanced back to the battle at hand. “You two deal with the aevis, I will organize the men against the biasts.â€
“Men! To me!†Ser Coulliard called out to the knights, running toward a group of biasts. It was then that the lesser Dravanians seemed to finally note the fallen diresaur, and all let out an angry howl. Their eyes seemed to fixate on the two that stood by their fallen kin, the eyes of the aevis glowing bloodthirsty red. They stalked toward the Au Ra and the paladin, winged talons and clawed feet crunching the ice as they began to encircle the two.
Roen and Khadai stood back to back, both of them warily eyeing the circling beasts. The paladin raised her shield, shaking off the growing ache in her arm. Khadai raised his greatsword, holding the hilt held at eye level, ready for the host to strike.
And strike they did.
Roen tightened her grip around her sword, quickly taking count of the Dravanians that were emerging from the rocks around them. The snow had begun to fall again, shadowing the skies in white. It was starting to obscure their vision into the distance, and she suspected it had aided these creatures in coming upon the soldiers with little warning. The paladin counted half a dozen aevis, four biasts, and one fearsome looking diresaur that loomed over the rest. They had appeared suddenly and quietly. We were indeed expected, she thought. It would be a grave mistake to underestimate our foe.
“That corpse of the aevis will bring another, or more,†Roen said to Khadai, as she flexed her fingers around the grip of her sword. Her breathing became steady and she felt the telltale sign of aether collecting around her form--the goosebumps that quickly ran along her skin. It was but a brief thing and without fanfare, but a wave of energy washed over her form, and a shadow that resembled a layer of stone passed over her complexion. The visual manifestation faded as soon as it appeared.
“The Dravanians come to retrieve their dead, always the greater coming for the lesser.†The paladin flicked a glance to the Au Ra, then the corpse that was laid out. “Sooner or later.â€
She glanced up at the sky, where there still was no sign of the dragon and the dragoon that had shot through the air after it. Would it attract the dragon itself or its minions? The paladin shook her head, she had no time to consider the options, for another cry split the air as she saw one knight sent flying into another, hit by the massive scaled arm of the towering diresaur.
“We take down the big one first.†Roen raised her shield and dug her back heel into the ground. She spared Khadai a brief glance, and finding a grin there, her own eyes squinted at the edges. She charged into the fray.
The diresaur already had a lance protruding out from its flank, yet it still tramped through two more soldiers, the latter leaping out of the way to avoid getting crushed. The beast's dark eyes--sunken things set deep into its spiked head--fixated upon another knight. Roen followed its gaze to Ser Couillard in the distance who was fending off a biast. The diresaur bent one leg, lowering itself to the ground for a charge. But just before it took to a charge, the paladin came to a skidding stop between it and the Elezen, her shield raised.
Roen braced herself for what was to come, but she knew that on her own, the large Dravanian’s strength would easily shatter her arm with the impact. She released another quick exhale, and more goosebumps raced down from her shoulder to her hand. Another wave of aether coalesced in an instant, and this time a glimmer appeared in the center of her shield.
The manifestation bought her only a few seconds. There was recognition in the diresaur’s eyes, and it bared its sharpened teeth, getting out an ominous growl. Its stone etched snarl seemed confident that her magick would not matter. Then the Dravanian pushed off from the ground and launched itself at the paladin.
A thunderous crash reverberated, and a thick mist of snow scattered into the air at the force of the collision. The frozen earth cracked beneath her feet; jagged fissures splitting the ground as they grew in all directions from where the two forces met. But when the fog of snow settled, the paladin remained standing. The thick horn that protruded from the diresaur's head remained but ilms away from her face, the diresaur's breaths blowing away her forelocks with angry indignation. But between them stood her shield, still shimmering with aether.
Roen’s arm shook still with the lingering force of the impact. Her narrowed eyes rose grimly to meet that of the looming Dravanian. But beyond its spiked silhouette she spotted another--a limber form she had come to recognize well enough.
Khadai was running up behind the diresaur, his loping gait lengthening with each stride. The Xaela's blue steel greatsword was held at a slant to the side of him, but he gripped it by the hilt in both hands. The Au Ra took to the air in a long high leap, and he swung the sword high above him. With the force of his descent, the warrior drove his sharp blade into the backside of the Dravanian's neck, dragging it through its thick hide.
The diresaur reeled back and the air shook with its anguished roar. Khadai leaped back immediately, out of reach from its flailing claws, as dark blood splattered the snow beneath its feet. The massive creature spun around at the offender who had inflicted the injury, and that was when Roen caught a glimpse of where the Xaela had struck. From behind, the layer of stony scales parted to expose a small seam of vulnerability, where only thick leathery hide protected the creature. And more it bent forward, more scales parted.
The Dravanian swiped at the Xaela with its elongated claws, but it only managed to clip a part of the warrior's long ponytail as Khadai ducked, then rolled away from another pair of claws that plunged into the ground. Metallic clangs of stone against steel rang through the air, as the blue steel flashed through the snowfall in quick arcs to parry more swipes that sought to sever his head from his neck.
Three more slashes of the longsword found their mark between scales, and the diresaur roared again--in fear as much in pain. It fell forward, one of its claws crashing upon the ground as it shuddered. But its spiked tail rose and whipped toward the paladin. It smashed against the shield again, and still with the flash of aether, the paladin held her ground. But the magical energy flickered and faded after that block. Roen narrowed her eyes. She and the diresaur knew what she had cast earlier remained no longer. Her eyes widened for a moment then she ducked into a ball behind her shield as a gout of fire spewed forth from the Dravanian.
Searing heat washed over her shield, and she could feel it starting to seep into her skin. Roen saw the layer of stoneskin flicker and fade, after lending what protection it could against the long stream of fire. The paladin gritted her teeth as she braced for another hit; the fire had trapped her behind the shield, the diresaur was bound to take advantage.
An odd sputtering growl greeted her instead. Then nothing.
The paladin lowered her shield just as the diresaur’s head hit the ground only a few fulms from her. Its eyes were rolled back and blood streamed down its head from multiple wounds it suffered. Khadai stood just behind it and yanked his greatsword out of the back of the beast's neck. The blue steel of his sword and his armor was splattered with Dravanian blood. Ser Couillard stood on the other side of the fallen creature, he too shaking his sword of the thing’s blood. The diresaur shook one more time, a low rumble drowning deep in its throat, then went limp.
The Elezen gave the paladin and the warrior a nod then glanced back to the battle at hand. “You two deal with the aevis, I will organize the men against the biasts.â€
“Men! To me!†Ser Coulliard called out to the knights, running toward a group of biasts. It was then that the lesser Dravanians seemed to finally note the fallen diresaur, and all let out an angry howl. Their eyes seemed to fixate on the two that stood by their fallen kin, the eyes of the aevis glowing bloodthirsty red. They stalked toward the Au Ra and the paladin, winged talons and clawed feet crunching the ice as they began to encircle the two.
Roen and Khadai stood back to back, both of them warily eyeing the circling beasts. The paladin raised her shield, shaking off the growing ache in her arm. Khadai raised his greatsword, holding the hilt held at eye level, ready for the host to strike.
And strike they did.
