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Daxia
with the Gang, Tashka and Linette in the Temple On The Border West Chapel

She had ducked her head just enough that the rain of viscera missed her eyes, nose, mouth. Daxia's hair, armor, and clothing, on the other hand, were a foul mess. She merely sighed as she took a quick glance behind her as the gore rained down... noting Dean and the tumbled lizard, the one about to barrel into the chapel... hearing Mikal, hearing horrific sounds from Celi. When she was safely able to look up, the beast in front of her was biting a chunk from her shield.

Whereupon she proceeded to swear at it -- in Ancient -- as Linette's Healing washed over her. She again raised the shimmering sword while the beast began spitting out pieces of her shield. When it shook its head back again, she called out, "Dean! Doorway! Darian! Flopping lizard!" as she sliced downward with all her strength to behead the lousy rotten shield-chewing offspring of Chaos.

Mikal

He can see and hear the others fighting desperately nearby, but he can't take time to focus on them. They seem to be holding their own, as best as he can tell in the oddly familiar confusion of combat. Instead his concentration narrows to a small circle around himself.

As has happened to him before his senses become acutely aware of every noise nearby. He can hear the scratching of the lizard's claws on the stone floor, he can smell the coppery smell of spilled blood mixed with the taints of entrails. The clang as teeth meet armour and shield. The grunts and groans of exertion. He automatically filters out non-threatening sounds and enhances any that might indicate a threat. To his rear. His flank. Or his front.

He shudders as he sees what happens to Celi, but the time for considering that is later. Now, he grins at Cesare as he pulls his sword from the flank of the dead lizard, and winks, nodding towards the new one coming to take it's place.

"Again?" He says simply, hoping to duplicate the tactic they'd just used.

He sees the lizard charging at Cesare, and as his sword comes free, he pivots on his left leg, turning and dropping his arm to knee height as he steps at the charging lizard's flank, driving the sword into it's midsection, and slashing the wound open wider with the long dagger, trying to spill it's guts onto the floor.

Kadri saw what happened with Celi and her gorge rose - and she clamped down on it, planted her feet, spun towards the charging beast and let fly with one dagger, smoothly slipping another into her hand behind it - ready to ride the storm - if neccesary - to defend those behind her. She clearly rings out - but in Amberite.

"Gush hergez rubah, in ra ta yek cihenm nis mi zenined!"

Bekkah

She had turned from the fight to move towards Linette so she was spared the horror that was Celi's demise. Had she seen it, there was no telling how the gentle Lady of Attera would have reacted. She genuinely like Celi. She had an innocent heart and that was precious, regardless of one's belief's.

She felt her own power leaving her to flow into Linette, weakening her, then just as quickly she felt her strength return and she knew beyond any doubt she could continue to help the group. She turned stepped back as far from the beast as possible, seeing the squire and other attacking it, then she saw the blood and Celi's lifeless body and she gasped involuntarily, her hand moving to her mouth in shock. While she'd been saving Linette, Celi had died. And it looked terrible, probably far more than anything she could repair if she wanted to bring the young girl back to their world.

"Peace Celi, peace." she said to her in an inaudible tone.

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Sometime After Sunset
Rameday, The Twenty-First Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

In the West Temple with Mikal, Darian, Cesare, Dean, Bekkah, Daxia, Kadi, Tashka and Linette

Stone shattered, the talons of the beast digging into the floor itself as it careened towards the Atteran, towards the Amberite, towards the Rhoni ... and towards ... Romana.

The black haired woman just blinked, and she whipped her head about to face it square, drawing herself up to her full, tall height. Blue eyes flashed, angry and ... of all things ... slightly annoyed.

" ... hashahllash'khohnatash'klol ... dhastallah!"

And crossing her arms across her chest she snorted and, very aristocratically, stomped her foot down on the floor.

"Bad Lizard!

She shook her finger.

"Bad bad bad bad bad!"

The beast blinked, its head dropped, and it took a step backwards. And that was all that was needed.

It's panicked shock was visible, it's fierce demeanor vanished, all will to press the assault gone. Not so for its foes. It was over, so quickly, in a bloody show down. It was actually hard to see who struck first as it was suddenly surrounded and shorn apart by dagger and bowshot. Mikal's sword slowed it, opening its flank while the first arrow buried itself deep in its back, while kadri's dagger drew its own vengeance, followed by Cesare's attack and the second shot from Darian. Daxia was no longer alone, as the beast was slain in a bloody explosion of many cuts, over and over again until it didn't even twitch anymore.

Shield chewer stood its ground, lunging, snapping, snarling, only to meet the cut of Daxia's sword again and again. Deep cuts, sharp slashes, opening rents in the heavy scaled creature, streaming rivulets of crimson down its reptillian form. Finally, unable to get past the shattered shield it tried once more to tear it from Daxia's arm. Arm twisted, drawn down did pull her shield out of place, opening her up for attack. Except one cannot bite a shield and a Dayalan at the same time, which left it open to a final blow, down upon its back, slashing through its spine.

Leaving of course, Dean. Which was not a pretty sight. He had backed his beast into the column, and where finesse did not suffice the Squire was well served by brute force, the sword coming down again and again and again, each time sweeping back bloodier and bloodier until it just. Did. Not. Move.

It wasn't quiet.

Not at all.

One could hear the labored breathing, the harsh intake and exhalations.

Most of the beasts were dead.

Two still convulsed, barely hanging on to their shattered lives.

But it was, however, over.

Daxia
with the Gang, Tashka and Linette in the Temple On The Border West Chapel

The Beast before her finally dead, Daxia looked at the two still out in the corridor. One had died; the other was in its final death throes. She turned, and her eyes raked the room... first to see that no Beasts still lived. One twitched spasmodically, but all the rest were well and truly dead. Then she looked to her people. Bekkah, Kadri and Romana... Mikal, Cesare and Dean... up at Darian on her platform... and finally, finally, at Celi. She dropped her ruined shield beside the body of the Beast.

Walking slowly to where the dead Coverner lay, Daxia knelt beside her, setting her sword on the ground between them.

"Oh, Celi," she whispered, covering as much of the gaping wound that had been her throat as possible with the girl's scarf and brushing her hair away from her face. "Why?" She sighed, and seemed surprised to find a few tears trickling down her face. "Why could you not, just this once, listen?" The Dayalan was silent for a handful of long heartbeats.

"Rest easy in Krysta's embrace, Celi. I wish you peace."

She knelt silent for another handful of heatbeats before she stood, and began a circuit of the room. First to Mikal, to whom she offered a quiet "Thank you," and brief touch on the arm. And then to each in turn, she offered thanks and a light touch... though for Darian, still on her perch, it was a clasped hand; for Bekkah, a hug; for Romana, a simple bow.

Sword still in hand, for there was no spot of her clothing she could reach that was not soak with blood or spotted with gore, she stopped before Tashka. "To call upon a Sister in such a way is not something we have remembered, I think," Daxia said with weariness and pain and grief in her voice. "Perhaps we can speak of it later, Verchovai." Her smile was weak, but it was a smile nonetheless.

Finally, she stood before Linette and took a deep breath, letting is out softly and slowly in a quiet sigh.

"I owe you my life, Lady Linette of Corliss, and I have not the words to express my gratitude. I understand Tashka's words now." The Dayalan held herself erect and formal, as if she was standing before Khorall Linnell herself rather than a young girl still bound by chains of Darksteel. "It is my honor to defend you, and my duty to free you." A brief pause, then her head turned, her eyes strayed to Celi's still form, then back to the Coven Priestess.

"What is the custom in your faith, Lady, when one of yours dies?" she asked. "Whatever is right and proper for Celi... it shall be done."

Kadri:

She quickly kneels next to Celi, and looks over to a shadowed corner. Only those immediately nearby can likely hear.

"My lady, if I could ask for but a favor - please talk to Krysta and help this lady find her way home. Be at peace."

And then less audibly, she whispers something - something unheard.

Darian

One shot, then two, and with wounding by the others that beast is dead. As she looks for another, she sees they lay dead or dieing as well. The offered hand from Dazi she takes long enough to clasp and nod. If she smiles it cannot be seen for she wears her hood still.

The Huner alights from the platform next to the beast that has not yet taken it's last breath. She slings her bow, pulls her hood free and kneels beside the beast's head. With a quick and sure hand, she pulls her long dagger and cuts the lizard's throat, chanting briefly as she does so. She keeps a hand atop it's head until it's final breath has fled.

Then to other beasts she goes, offering a brief chant over each. Finally, she stands and looks upon the rest of the group, eyes going to Celi's still form last. She shakes her head and turns away to walk again into the corridor.

After a moment her voice floats back, "Need move beasts. Make beast wall."

Bekkah

She hugged Dazi back fiercely as if she was afraid she'd begin to cry if she let go. Dazi could feel her shaking as she held her. Obviously she didn't care about the blood on her robes. Finally she let go of her sister.

As Dazi moved onto Celi, she turned away. She knew she could do nothing for her young friend. Her eyes caught the squire's and she moved to his side.

"You fought magnificently." she said giving him a beautiful smile. "Did it hurt you at all?"

Cesare

He stands there, his eyes looking around, maybe to convince himself that it is all over.. at least for now. Finally he looks over at the two chained women, a mix of emotions crossing his face.. disbelief, a certain wonder, anger too perhaps though not directed at them.

Then he walks over to Celi's body, his legs not as steady as he's like and pays her the only tribute he can, said in the language of the Rhoni.

"You now ride the spirit wind and take a direction away from us but we hold you in our hearts and our memories so you are never far from us."

There is a pause as he changes from the formal words to those of his own, still in his own language.

"I wish I had known you better.. and your companion. I know you struggled to find a place for yourself. But I honour you. You were brave and gave your life for us."

He steps away and makes a short bow to her prone form.

After a moment he turns to Daxia and Mikal.

"If there is a chance of more conflict tonight then as well as being watchful we should prepare our defences. And from what has been said we should take a different approach and even location. All of us will need to rest at some point, so maybe we should be working in relays?"

Mikal

And as suddenly as the chaos begins, it ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper. And a gurgle of dying lizard. He stands up, and moves to the dying lizards, slashing their throats to ensure they are dead before he can relax.

As Daxia and the others straighten up and speak some words, he finally moves back to Celi's body and pauses over it. "I will miss you, innocent of the woods. You did not deserve to end this way. May Jvrill help ferry your spirit to your goddess."

Finally wiping off the worst of the splattered gore, he nods to Daxia, Darian, and Cesare. "Yes. Let us re-enforce the wall with the carcasses. Perhaps even use them to completely block off the corners. I don't expect another attack tonight, from what has been said. So once we do that, then we need to get some rest. Leave half on guard and the other half sleep."

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Sometime After Sunset
Rameday, The Twenty-First Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

In the West Temple with Mikal, Darian, Cesare, Dean, Bekkah, Daxia, Kadi, Romana, Tashka and Linette

It took a bit, for Linette to answer. Her words were quiet, reverent and ... a touch ... pained.

"W--w-w-w hard-d-dly ever d-d-d-ie encased-d-d-d in st-t-tone."

Her eyes closed.

"W-w-e have never underst-t-tood-d-d the nee-d-d for ceremony and fanfare, ja? Bodies are t-t-temporary, spirit-t-t-t, t-t-t-they are forever. We lay where w-w-w fall, for t-t-t-the ravens, t-t-the c-c-c-crows, t-t-t-the sc-c-cavenger r-r-ruffs.
"D-d-d-death ... life ...d-d-d-death ... life ... we d-d--die only to be-c-c-come ag-g-g-gain.

Dean

His eyes flick from Celi, to the ruins of the beasts before them, to the others in the room and land on Bekkah. "I...I..I'm unhurt, Lady." He looks again to Celi and lowers his eyes. They suddenly open wide and his head whips back to her and he begins to ask sternly "are you hurt, Lady Bekkah?" His voice trails off as Linette speaks.

Daxia
with the Gang, Tashka and Linette in the Temple On The Border West Chapel

Daxia nodded to herself. "I understand," she said softly. "Truly."

Hesitating but a heartbeat, she reached out to lightly touch fingertips to Linette's cheek. Daxia waited until Linette opened her eyes, and the Dayalan met them steadily.

"No member of the Coven shall lie beneath stone while there is a Dayalan to bear her up, to lie her upon the ground." She lowered her hand, holding the young Priestess' gaze, needing to be certain Linette understood.

"How others grieve, how others celebrate the life that was... well, there is no controlling that. But I will do my best to ensure there is as little ceremony and fanfare as possible, da? Beyond that, it shall be as you have spoken, Dama.

"You have my word."

Bekkah

She followed his gaze to Celi and when he looked back at her, it was obvious she was fighting tears.

"I am unhurt. This" she began pointing at the blood on her robes "came from Daxia."

She turned back to look at him.

"Your lord would have been proud of your fighting today."

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Sometime After Sunset
Rameday, The Twenty-First Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

In the West Temple with Mikal, Darian, Cesare, Dean, Bekkah, Daxia, Kadi, Romana, Tashka and Linette

"At-t-t-t th-th-the worse, she w-w-wwill wak-k-k-ke again ... as a small c-c-c-creature, a snak-k-k-ke, a swallow ...

"Or bec-c-c-c-come a spirit to aid others ...

"Neither is a bad-d-d-dd way to move on."

The Covener's simple, matter of fact answer.

Tashka simply shook her head.

"This is a place of death ... to let it flavor our words only gives him another victory.

"I'd rather savor what time we have."

Linette just smiled.

Kadri:

She smiles slightly and speaks softly a short passage.

"Under the endless sky, with earth below - the whistling wind - and sunset's glow. Horses hooves my lullaby - nothing else, twixt earth and sky. Amber's blood join Amber's land - greeting next with open hand."

She pauses again, nodding towards Linette.

"A poem from my ... from my mother. I think I can understand, yes."

Daxia
with the Gang, Tashka and Linette in the Temple On The Border West Chapel

The young Dayalan looked between the two Priestesses, head tilted and considering their words, as a crooked smiled formed -- small, but yes, still a smile.

"And is that not what we should all do? Savor the life given to us for whatever length of time we possess it?" Her eyes narrowed, though her smile did not change. "Philosophy... whoever heard of a warrior philosopher?"

She shook her head and ran the back of her free hand across her forehead. It did nothing for the cleanliness, but did manage to brush the worst of the clotted strands away from her face. More soberly, she address the elder Dayalan.

"You have said the Beasts come but once each night, though I think my comrades' suggestion of keeping a watch through the night is not unreasonable. But before they start stacking lizards into walls..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She shook her head again, minutely, before opening her eyes to look at the Starlord.

"I would ask your advice in the planning of our battle for tomorrow night. From our previous conversation, it would not appear to be as important to meet the Avatar atop the Temple as I had thought, in terms of my ability -- or even yours -- to call our Lady to aid us.

"I have considered many reasons for making a stand here, and many reasons for make a stand atop the Temple. I have considered his... displeasure towards you, and the annoyance we have become.

"After seeing..." Daxia looked down at her shield arm, then to Linette, before turning back to Tashka. "...and experiencing the effects of Lady Linette's skill as a battle healer, I am loathe to give up that advantage in our fight with the Avatar. And having a Temple-Sister at my back is..."

She paused, lips pressed together tightly, for the space of a fullhand of heartbeats. It was evident by her posture, by her facial expression, that the thought of having Tashka at her back was deeply emotional.

"I value your opinion in this matter, Verchovai," Daxia said simply. "What would your recommendations be? You and Lady Linette have a greater stake in our success than we do, I think." After another slight pause, the crooked smile returned. "I can't say that whatever plan we devise in the light of day will resemble your recommendations, but..."

Daxia looked between the two captives again, before meeting Tashka's dark eyes.

"...your voice should be a part of our planning."

Cesare

He nods to Mikal, always intent on offering his opinion but appreciating having it listened to for once.

"I will help, just need to retrieve my daggers first."

The daggers are embedded in the carcase. Not something he relishes but weapons are too valuable to let go, especially his Rhoni weapons. He is about to go to do that.. but pauses asking Mikal a question.

"I am not accustomed to this sort of fighting. If you have advice for me, I will listen."

Mikal

"There are numerous battle strategies, many of which can be translated down to small unit tactics. The two at play here would seem to be the 'Hammer and Anvil' and the 'Hit and Run', somewhat in combination."

He takes his sword and begins carving lines in the skin of the dead lizard at his feet to illustrate his points.

"In a Hammer and Anvil strategy, you place your most heavily armoured fighters in the front line, and you keep your more mobile troops, including missile troops, on the flank and in reserve. You allow the enemy to impact on the heavies up front, breaking upon them like a wave on the beach". A thick solid line is drawn on the skin, with several thinner lines behind and to one side. Arrows are drawn impacting on the thick line.

"Once the enemy momentum has been absorbed by the heavies, the lights move in quickly and strike at the rear and over the top with missile fire."

"In a Hit and Run, you take lightly armoured, but more mobile troops and you slash at the flanks of the enemy, who is too slow to catch you. You strike and run away. You get to choose the ground you fight upon, and you can prepare it as you like. If the enemy chases you, you flee. If he stands to fight, you run in, fire, and run off before he can get in a solid return."

"Now, in a true Hammer and Anvil, you can use more heavies to surround the foe and crush them between the two lines, but we don't have that here. We also don't have the freedom of movement to do a true hit and run. But we can combine the two. We can channel the foe to narrow openings where our few more heavily armoured friends can block them and blunt their momentum. And we can use our faster missile fighters to slash and strike at their flanks."

He points at the dead lizard. "That is what we did here. You drew him towards you, using your movement to dodge and keep away, while I struck at him from the flank. It is also what Daxia and Dean did, blocking the lizards entrance to the rear so that Darian could have the time to fill them with arrows once their charge had been blunted."

"However, none of that may matter tomorrow. I have no knowledge of how the Avatar fights. If he will come alone and use magic, or if he will bring an army. Both cases call for a different set of tactics. We need more information before we can devise a strategy."

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Sometime After Sunset
Rameday, The Twenty-First Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

In the West Temple with Mikal, Darian, Cesare, Dean, Bekkah, Daxia, Kadi, Tashka and Linette and Romana

"It-t-t-t-t ... it is th-th-the one th-th-th-ing I can do. So I am honored-d-d-d to help."

Linette offered those about her a smile, slowly resting back against the wall the best way she can.

The elder Dayalan then spoke, her gaze narrowing as she listed to the quiet chatter.

"Set piece strategies are fine if one is fighting some Khorall's guards or some remnant of the previous age's rank and file. But He is not. You must remember, He is an old one ... He has held his lieges allegiance, He has fought off all challenges to his place, for as long as we have been here. He will not fight by your rules, He will not play into your strategies. He will give no quarter. he will not fight fair. He will cheat.

"This is where I should tell you you must play to your strengths and play to his weaknesses.

"But he doesn't have any."

The Starlord's words brought a moment's silence, a moment's pause.

"He weakness has ..."

Romana quietly hugged herself, looking to the floor. Like everyone else she was a slaughterhouse image, splashed with the grease, grime and blood of the eastern hunting beasts.

"Will not come alone.

"Will not come quiet.

"Think.

"He not follow tall, proud, honorable Big Friends, like Mikals, like cute squires, like fierce Starbred kill ... like Dayllyallyans."

"He not even brash like silly folks who paint all swirly and blue."

Blue eyes lifted.

"If a fierce warrior is slain in the dark, to whose glory is that?

"He will demand His audience.

"Do not be surprised at anything he can do.

"He is Carnage."

Darian

The Hunter had come to stand against one of the pillars as the bound pair spoke. She listened intently, eyes narrowing in thought.

"He be dangerous Prey," she said into the time of quiet that followed the elder Dayalan's words.

"No watchers be here, only fighters. So he bring watchers here or we go to them. None say which."

She looked to Mikal and Daxia. "Mikal say true, all need rest. Hunter take first watch. Go town morning. See Hunter."

See went again to each of the beasts, gathering up arrows that remained whole, then paused by the barricade.

"Hunter watch from above."

Then she began to climb.

Daxia
with the Gang, Tashka and Linette in the Temple On The Border West Chapel

Daxia smiled at the Covener, her deep blue eyes reflecting a myriad of emotions, before considering Tashka's and Romana's words... after a glance at Romana with an amused smile at the switch from her usual name for Dayalans to a more "acceptable" -- albeit Romana-esque -- name.

"He will cheat," she said softly. "He wants an audience for His... glory." The last word was spoken with contempt, the only bit of real anger she had shown since the night began.

She nodded at Darian's words, and watched the Hunter silently start down the corridor... soon lost to the darkness.

Reaching down to the hem of her undertunic, she managed to find a fair portion towards the back where the blood had not seeped through armor and overtunic. She set her sword down, pulled out her dagger to cut away at the fabric, and returned the dagger to her side before picking up the sword again to begin cleaning it. All the while, her face was a study in concentration.

"If His weakness, His only weakness, is a desire for all to see how adept at slaughter and butchery He is, that is the only weakness against which we can play. Darian is right... He will either bring His audience with Him, or we must go to Him, where He will be assembled with His audience."

The Dayalan paused, carefully cleaning the point where blade met crossguard. "Of course, His audience also participates in the carnage and some stand ready to take His place should He fall, to become the next Avatar. The smaller His audience, the less carnage, the fewer candidates to take His place... and, I suspect, the greater His ire.

"He has no rules, there is no strategy we can devise that can account for His Chaotic nature," she said, almost as if talking to herself. "He is Chaos," she continued, still carefully and meticulously cleaning her weapon. "The first time Order fought Chaos, everything changed... the Shattering War. And at the end of each Age, Order and Chaos bring about yet another change to the world.

"He cheats."

Daxia paused in her cleaning, looking up to meet Tashka's dark eyes. "She does, too. Sometimes." The younger Dayalan smiled -- it was grim and wry and sad all at once -- before returning to her task.

"So this will not be a fight of Order and Chaos, but... no. Not a fight at all, although there will be fighting and bloodshed. This is not a fight, but a balancing... Order and Chaos must be balanced. Rebalanced, for Chaos has ruled too long in the Forest of Roth, in the lands around Bordertown, in the Temple on the Border."

She was quiet, thoughtful as she finished the task of cleaning her sword. Returning it to its scabbard, she regarded her armor and the scabbard, then sighed heavily. "I do not believe I will hate cleaning my armor more than I will hate it come daylight and our return to Bordertown."

Daxia looked around those still in the Temple. "Dean, Mikal, Cesare... help me move the Beasts from this room, please. I will take last watch; Kadri, Dean... if you will take last watch with me, Mikal and Cesare can take first watch with Darian." She turned towards the nearest of the lizards, then stopped short. Shaking her head with a rueful look on her face, the walked over to the pile of items Mikal and Kadri had brought back from town. After rummaging for a few moments, she found what she was looking for.

Unfolding the cloth-wrapped bundle as she walked to Bekkah and Kadri, she broke off a chunk of bread. Handing each of them some bread, cheese and an apple, she grinned, first at the captive Priestesses then at her sisters -- born and claimed -- before saying, "I think our new friends might be getting hungry for the first time in an Age."

She returned the remaining food to their pile of belongings before beginning the odious task of moving the Beasts out into the corridor.

Mikal

"Watch and work." He says. "Might as well kill two birds with one stone." He helps move the lizards wherever Daxia directs, then after his shift ends he finds a spot to sack out and immediately drops off. Other than a short nap before the lizards arrived he hasn't slept since they arrived in town and he has an appointment at the Guildhall in the morning so he wants to get as much rest as he can now.

Kadri:

Kneeling into a corner, she whispers to the shadow.

"Lady mine - let our plans be unhindered by prying eyes, for we wish to make mischief without witness."

(Divination block. On the off chance it helps)