EVENT #3: AN EXECUTION OF SORTS

[abraxasmods]

THE EXECUTION

As if performing a vicious mockery for what should be a somber day, the sun shines brightly in the sky. The rays of sun catch the iron brackets that hold up the gallows that have been erected overnight for the occasion, the gentle breeze causing the noose to swing ominously. Public executions do not happen frequently in Thorne, so a crowd gathers in strained anticipation of the grim sentence.

The welcome guests, who have up until this point been free to come and go within the confines of the castle, have been mandated to view the execution. It is meant to serve both as an example of Thorne’s power as well as a lesson to those who might think to try the same. The courtyard, which was buzzing with quiet murmurs, turns silent as Ambrose strides up the wooden steps of the gallows, flanked by two guards and a haggard-looking Jonathan Sims, arms bound behind him. As the guards march their charge to the trapdoor that will serve as executioner and position the noose around his neck, Ambrose turns to address the crowd that has gathered- willfully or not.

“Citizens of Thorne, our esteemed welcomed guests, it is with disappointment and a heavy heart that we’ve gathered to see to the execution of one of the very guests we sought aid from in our time of need. In a selfish and distrustful act, I was attacked, an action I cannot abide.”

He turns halfway toward his charge. “Jonathan Sims, you are charged with assault and intention of lethal harm. The punishment is to be hanged by the neck until you are dead. May the gods have mercy on your soul.”

Ambrose raises his arm to signal the executioner to pull the lever to release the trapdoor beneath Jon’s feet, steely expression locked on the prisoner’s face one last time.

MEANWHILE

Several miles away, atop a hill in the forest, two figures meet between portals. Oliver, tall and lithe, steps out to stand next to a petite waif of a woman who looks at him with a familiar smile. Her voice is lilting like a songbird’s when she speaks up, turning her gaze back over the city.

“Find out anything good?”

He hums softly, his hands clasped behind his back. “Two dozen prisoners, give or take. The one I met was very grateful for our assistance.”

“That’s good. Perhaps her gratitude will endear our cause to them.”

With a nod, he takes a deep breath and then sighs. “It’s time, Elizabeth,” he says, lifting one hand to open a new portal.

She nods and raises her arms above her head, eyes closing in concentration. Her arms begin to glow green while the grass around her begins to ripple in rings. The very ground seems to surge with power that radiates outward from her, and it isn’t long before the castle and the town are engulfed in a heavy air of intense magic. It courses from her in shockwaves.

Satisfied, Oliver steps through the portal.



In the wake of the magic flood, the walls of the dungeons seem to shudder for a long moment, and the doors suddenly clink open. No guards come rushing in to shut them, and in fact, all ambient noise in the dungeons seems to stop as the whole of the people of Thorne freeze in place. The hall becomes lit by daylight as a portal opens at the end of it, showing them the crowd of welcomed guests and Jon alone on the platform.

In the portal, alone stands Oliver, hand offered to the prisoners in welcome. His smile doesn’t reach his eyes, though this seems to be by nature rather than intention.

“Please come with me.”

CHOICES

Everything is happening quickly.

Once through the portal to the execution yard there's a moment of chaos and confusion at the sudden arrivals and then it stops. Everything and everyone has stopped, save for the guests, the prisoners, and the two mages who have come to their aid. Guards freeze in place. The attended mages are still as statues. Banners lifted by the wind remain where they are and even the noose hanging from the gallows stills.

"Time for them is halted." Oliver addresses the assembled, his voice projected to be heard but his tone calm. "It will remain so for one hour, no more. An hour is all you have to make your choices. Remain here in Thorne, or take a portal to either Solvunn or the Free Cities. The portals cannot be traced by the Thorean authorities, so no need to fear them giving chase.”

Elizabeth emerges from a portal behind him, which closes as she enters the yard. They both raise an arm and two white circles spread through the air, showing new towns in the distance on the other side. There is an ethereal glow around them.

“The Free Cities are martially powerful and seek to destroy the Singularity,” Oliver narrates, gesturing at one of the portals. “Solvunn is reclusive and claims neutrality, both in politics and in regard to the Singularity. I advise that you think hard about your choice. Travel between cities is not exactly easy."

He turns back to the crowd with an almost apologetic smile. “I'm sorry you don't have more time to make this decision. We’ll meet again.”

Opening a third portal with the wave of her arm, Elizabeth, who has not spoken a word, gives the group a wink and leaves with Oliver. Their portal closes behind them, leaving everyone to begin making moves.

Now is the time to make serious choices. Two portals stand in the courtyard, one courtesy of Oliver and one of Elizabeth. The Free Cities and Thorne are enemies, Solvunn watching both to see where the cards end up falling. None trust one another, none work with one another beyond trade through middle-men in Solvunn. The clock is ticking.

Someone should probably get Jon out of that noose.

Comments

Estinien Wyrmblood | FFXIV |

[coerthantorment]

I➔ Release

With Nidhogg's power having been absent for so long, its screaming return is initially more startling than anything else that happens. Suddenly, the power behind his anger has form, and its hold on him as thick and heavy, almost as bad as it hand been when it consumed him entirely. He staggers down to his knee for a moment, breathing heavily. Gradually, he works himself through regaining control.

Not without some side effects, though. As his heart pounds and fury burns through his veins, a physical change accompanies it. He sees it first in the claws growing from his fingers, and feels it most in the horns pushing out from his skull. A tail whips behind him, and scales smatter his skin.

For a moment, his panic is absolute. He feels as if he's lost control of his body, and it shakes him to his core.

II➔ Reasoning

Though it will take him a tick to come to terms with the sudden arrival of his draconic shapeshifting ability, after that, fetching Relena and getting those he's concerned with out of there will be his primary concern. Himeka and Relena are two that he refuses to part ways with - for other positive connections, however, he will be much more permissive. As he briefly roams the area, he will try to fine the people he's gotten to know in any capacity, to ask them about where they are going and what they intend to do.

He'll be carrying Relena around for most of this time, but he'll stop long enough to check-in. He's heading to Solvunn, he's already decided as much, but if he knows you he may explain his reasoning:

"When I spoke to the Duchess of Hayle, she referred to a 'damn commune' to the south. Supposedly, it's where the man who wrote Ambrose's book of judgement fled after being banished... and given the those descriptions, Solvunn sounds the likelier option."

But, if you are planning on heading to the Free Cities, or attempting a fourth option, he will see little reason to convince you otherwise. With such little information, it could be useful to have eyes and ears in all locations, and he'll be more interested in asking you about your plans than anything else. The only thing he'll judge harshly is being truly loyal to Thorne.

Of course, there isn't much point in trying to scold those people, either. He can't stand to be in this place much longer.

III➔ Parting Remarks (One Thread Only)

Though his eyes have strayed to Ambrose multiple times as he moves about, finalizing his business in this place, his priorities started out elsewhere. Now that it's nearing completion, though, now that the only thing left to do is leave?

He can't shake the idea: what if it could all be ended here?

He doesn't make a big show of it, really. With his powers returned, he's able to move incredibly quickly, going from resting position to streaking through the air in an instant. It's a dragoon dive, angled over those that are congregated around the stage, both innocents and otherwise. Though his attempt to strike one of the guards nearest his cell earlier resulted in little, he decides to indulge the idea - what if he hits a lot harder?

He was unwilling to commit to killing one of the of the guards when they were clearly no longer a threat to him, but Ambrose is owed no such mercy.

When he dives for the stage, it's with the draconic magic of Ala Morn running through his claws - a magic of pure darkness and death. Maybe it will work, maybe it won't, but the vengeful anger turning in his gut won't let him pass this opportunity up.

[Estinien is trying to hit frozen Ambrose hard enough to kill him! Characters who are guarding him/the stage are welcome to intervene. I'm only going to have one thread for this, but I'm happy to have multiple people tag into it! Estinien is not going to persist very long, so there will only be a brief IC window for this. He's moving quite fast and without much warning at all, but fast reaction times can get in his way.

If you want your character to be a true hero and block the blow by soaking it like a tank/want to have Estinien accidentally hurt them instead, it's basically a high damage darkness attack that may or may not have piercing capabilities against magic shields, depending on how you play it. Estinien's dragon magic is fairly high on the overall power scale, but he's also very tired and worn down, so it's flexible.]

II, leading into CELL 1 REUNION

[stealsthetruth]

Estinien will barely get the chance to even just look around once he steps through the portal to the execution yard, because he and his companions are immediately getting accosted by one VERY fired up Great Thief. The moment she spots the elf's freakishly(affectionate) tall frame through the crowd, she hastily breaks off a conversation with Phoenix to sprints over there without hesitation, relieved and excited beyond words to see her friends safely arrived here.

It's only when she gets a bit closer that she clocks that he's carrying a certain familiar someone.... Someone who she has been searching stubbornly for, for what feels like ages now, in spite of advice from numerous others insisting that her efforts were likely pointless.

She comes screeching to a halt still several paces away, frozen in shock, eyes huge with disbelief. Her voice catches in her throat for a moment, stammering, until she finally manages to yelp the name: "R... RELENA??"

Damn. And she hasn't even had time to process the fact that Estinien is apparently half a dragon now.

[coerthantorment]

It feels like a lot to take in all at once, with how chaos has broken out. As Estinien enters the portal to the execution grounds, he can't help but search for the noose first - the place where Jon was set to die. He sees no hanging body, and finally, some part of him can relax.

His eyes are also quick to wander to those at the noose's sides, and it doesn't take long to notice Ambrose is present too, frozen like the others. The notion of it consumes his thoughts for a moment, but then...

"Ah," he says, a bit of a relieved smile coming to his face, even as his tail whips anxiously behind him. He shifts Relena in his arms slightly, as if trying to make it easier for her to engage with - or for her to get down, if she's feeling up to it, at least long enough to greet Kay.

"Your return has been highly anticipated," he says to her.

[iobject]

Phoenix is not interested in the least in losing Kay in this chaos, so he's following her before he even processes what she's moving towards. He starts in surprise when he notices Estinien's change, but his attention is drawn quickly to Relena.

"Oh thank goodness," he breathes, peering over Kay to get a closer look at Relena. "Are you hurt?"

His head spins. He has some healing magic that could help if no one else does, but not much. And who knows what will be on the other side of the portals? It'll be better than what's here for sure, but if she needs medical attention, that's something that needs to be sorted now.

[sanc]

Relena feels her heart swell when her 'partner in crime' appears and shouts out her name. This is why she had to come back. This is why she needed to make sure they were all okay and able to leave this place, too, if that was their wish.

When Estinien shifts her in his arms, she braces on his arm and carefully shimmies out of his hold so he can stand beside him. She keeps against his side so she can hold her balance. She wants to speak to Kay and Phoenix properly.

"Kay, it's so good to see you," she replies before smiling at Phoenix. "I'm not hurt. I'm just... very tired, but I'll be okay when we're finally out of here."

[aquaveiled]

Himeka trials behind Estinien and Relena, gaze falling to all the frozen figures around them. It's...eerie, really, but she can't find it in herself to feel too guilty about it. It's the opportunity they had been waiting for and Relena became the messenger for it. Somehow it's all fitting.

Hearing a familiar voice, though, she immediately turns her attention to their former cellmate. Tired and dirty though she is, she smiles and waves at Kay and the man she doesn't recognize.

"I can sense a well-deserved rest is on the horizon," she says with a nod to Relena. They will make sure of it.

"Is everyone else alright? I want to do a sweep of the area for anyone who needs assistance before we depart."

[stealsthetruth]

It's a good thing Estinien and Relena have the foresight to reposition, because if they didn't, Kay would be demanding Relena be set down for what she's about to do next. The moment the shock wears off she zooms over there and pulls the other girl into a brief but fierce hug. It's way more direct contact than Kay is typically used to demanding, but she's so overwhelmed with relief that the moment simply requires it.

When she lets go she keeps her hands on Relena's shoulders, partially to make sure she doesn't drop after the sudden tackle she was just subjected to, and partially so Kay can stare her in the face easier, while she rattles off restlessly: "I'm so glad you're not dead! I've been looking and asking all over for you! People kept telling me to GIVE UP, but I kept telling them NO WAY, 'cuz I knew you had to be out there still, somewhere! And I was right!"

She can feel herself getting kind of misty eyed so she lets go of Relena then, pointedly turning to skim the crowd with narrowed eyes. "Where's that Ronan guy at? I'm gonna find him and show him how wrong he was, rub you being here and alive in his stupid rude face--"

Luckily, she's distracted from her imminent plot to further antagonize Ronan Lynch by Himeka's greeting. She returns the gesture, grinning and waving back quite enthusiastically.

"We're both fine! Well, I'm fine. I think Mr. Wright might need a cup of herbal tea and one of those fancy fainting couches after all this excitement," she teases, nudging him playfully. As if her own anxiety wasn't just jumping off the charts a few minutes ago.

[coerthantorment]

Estinien flinches guiltily, having been among those that was increasingly convinced of Relena's death. There had been so little he could do, and no avenue to find answers... it was as if he was being greeted by a ghost when she arrived at their cell.

"Instead," he says, smiling slightly at the sight of the girls reuniting, "it seems as if she's had some part in returning to save us."

He allows Relena to take whatever support she needs, ready to catch her in the event that she grows faint.

"But the question remains of where to go next. Given the options, I am interested in this Solvunn. It reminds me of a place the Duchess of Hayle gave mention to. A place where the descendants of the old High Mage may yet live."

[iobject]

"Forget the couch, I'm going to need a whole fainting room once this is over," Phoenix says, clapping an affectionate hand on Kay's shoulder, mostly kidding. He looks around at all the frozen people, looking like wax figures with how still they are. They're not even breathing.

"I don't like the sound of 'martially powerful' and 'wants to destroy the Singularity,'" he says, turning his attention back to the group. He should probably be worried by the fact that he's not nearly as disturbed by all this as he should be, but decisions have to be made. "That sounds a lot like the Free Cities might get into war with Thorne, and we'd probably get pulled into it if we head there. I vote for Solvunn."

[sanc]

Relena is surprised by the embrace she's pulled into. Swift, firm, and full of relief, that hug is something she'd needed. The comfort that Himeka and Estinien provided through their care was helping a great deal but... that hug. She didn't know how necessary it was until Kay was letting go of her.

She smiles at Kay and lifts her hands to rest them on Kay's arms. "Thank you for looking for me, Kay. If Oliver hadn't found me, I might very well have been dead. I got lucky this time, so we must all be careful going forward."

She turns her attention to Estinien. "I will go wherever you and Himeka see fit. I have no preferences right now beyond 'getting out of here'. I don't think I'll be able to slither out of harm's way a second time."

[aquaveiled]

Himeka's travel has been dictated by much less dire wants and needs, so she needs little convincing. Truly, getting out of Thorne in any direction seems like an improvement, but the trusted opinions of her friends means even more than that.

She nods in agreement. "If we could find any of those descendants, it would definitely aid our cause in finding out just what Ambrose believes he can accomplish with this." A pause as she gives a sympathetic smile to Relena. "Not at the cost of those dear to us."

But with that in mind, this dark-haired man did mention fainting...so he gets a free cure spell. Just a little boost of vitality energy as she calls up a wave of bright greenish light that swirls around her and then flies over to Phoenix in the form of a cloud of sparkling blue and white.

"No naps just yet!"

[stealsthetruth]

"WOAH!" Kay is visibly impressed by Himeka's healing light-show, boggling in amazement. It's REALLY easy for her to forget that a bunch of these guys come from worlds where magic was already a thing?? Considering none of them had access to their abilities when they were all stuck in the Clink and all... It's also a really convenient distraction from having to respond to what Relena just said? About how she DID almost die? Because that's sure an extra level of distress Kay just doesn't want to have to confront right now, or ever.

"Okay, you're gonna have to teach me how to do that later, because I want to steal that technique," she says to Himeka. "But, anyway... I'm not sure I remember what either of you are talking about with all this descendant stuff, but it sure sounds like Solvunn's the logical place to start the next stage of our investigation." She raises an enthusiastic fist. "Now that Relena's back, you can count on the Yatagarasu to help chase down the truth! ...I just want to check and make sure a few other friends have made it safely out of the dungeons first. But after that, I say WE say 'good riddance' to Thorne!"

Parting Remarks

[harmonian]

Sasarai doesn't have to think. Of course he will stay in Thorne. This kingdom has enough in common with Harmonia that he can survive here and if he can survive here he can use his cunning to prevent--

--To prevent further conflict.

That thought barely passes through him when a shadow sails over him to the platform, clearly intent on striking down the frozen Ambrose. Sasarai leaps to his feet and runs after Estinien, chanting loudly over the din of confusion around him. He has no love for Ambrose but if Ambrose is murdered it will cause chaos. Estinien might escape but the people of Thorne will demand the blood of someone and find a scapegoat, most likely one of the summoned. That would be just the start of the political unrest.

Deep inside him he feels the True Earth Rune stir and light radiates from the back of his hand as the Rune answers his call and throws a magical barrier out in front of Estinien, deflecting his attack.

It buys Sasarai enough time to slide on to the platform and raise his arms out. He's disheveled but his gaze is intense. Even from a distance he'd felt that blow land against his magic; full of shadow and fury.

There is no time to try to reason with this man, if he's hit by that sort of power directly he's dead. Instead, Sasarai promptly starts to chant again, focusing on his magic to raise a second barrier around himself and Ambrose. Rocks and pebbles start to rise into the air behind him.

(ooc: let me know if you need me to change anything here)

[nightwash]

Although Ronan had already taken his place on the platform, ready to defend Ambrose from anyone intent on charging, he's not quite prepared for the whatever that is that's heading straight for them. He's got VEXED TO NIGHTMARE in hand, but he's never had an opportunity to test his sun blade on anything equally magical. As he slides in front of Ambrose and raises his sword to defend, Ronan's also bracing for the very real possibility that he's going to suffer for it.

"Kylo!" he shouts — probably unnecessarily, as Kylo's not two yards away. He either knows what's coming without Ronan yelling about it or it's too late for him to do anything about it.

Thankfully, the thing never collides with Ronan. Or Ambrose. Ronan squints past the blinding light of his sword to try to catch a glimpse of what blocked the attack, just as a very small mage scrambles up onto the platform in front of him and starts chanting. Facing outward, not in. Defending, not attacking.

Good. Now Ronan's the second line of defense, not first. A towering figure compared to Sasarai, he slices a high and wide streak of sunlight through the air with his blade, obscuring himself and Ambrose behind it while the small mage prepares to do whatever he's going to do.

[photophobic]

It's oddly pleasant, hearing his name called like that— but Kylo is, as Ronan expected, already aware and prepared. The sword Ronan dreamt for him is in his hand the moment he senses the intent for attack, its fiery blade crackling to life. His stance is defensive, but he's certainly ready enough to launch into offence should the draconic creature be foolish enough to try its luck further.

Not that the blade is his only weapon, of course. Kylo flings out a hand, slamming his willpower behind a wave of concussive force aimed squarely at Estinien's approach to knock him back.

[vixening]

Yennefer had been prepared for there to be an attack on Ambrose, down at the bottom of the platform with her next wave of chaos ready. However, she doesn't exactly have a lot of time to react as the figure attacks Ambrose with a kind dark force that she doesn't think she has seen before, even from the most skilled of mages back on the continent. She also doesn't appear to be the only person stepping in to intervene, either, which is a relief.

She doesn't need to think on Ambrose, with two looming dark figures stepping between him and the attacker. Instead, she focuses her magic on the attack itself, even as a third figure comes into her focus, creating a kind of magical barrier that appears to deflect the attack, and Yennefer throws her own hands out to support it. Her magic pushes out from her towards the barrier, to try and redirect the force of the magic upward and away, acting as a second layer of magic to keep it from breaking through and pushing it outward. ​

With that out of the way, her focus comes back to the attacker, a figure she remembers seeing down in the cells. One of her hands lifts, her wrist rotating in such a way as to call her chaos back, concentrating it in a ball of light in her palm, preparing should he try that again.

[coerthantorment]

It's fortunate that his dragoon training required him to be as skilled on the dismount as he was on the attack, because this is more immediate resistance than he was hoping for. There's a lot of factors playing against him at the moment, the more disciplined part of his mind reasons. Though his dragon might has returned, it still has to be channelled through his weakened body. This attack, while familiar to him, is normally directed through a lance, not claws.

The destructive magic of Ala Morn tears long streaks of darkness across the surface of the barrier, but not enough to breakthrough. Sensing this, Estinien plants his feet against it instead, expertly maneuvering himself to launch himself away just as quickly as he approached - though the burst of force energy from Kylo Ren makes that descent less smooth than he was intending. He's thrown back violently but is able to collect himself from his free fall, landing on his feet and tearing lines across the ground as his momentum gradually slows.

Ambrose has many defenders today, it seems.

His tail thrashes angrily, a growl on his lips, hatred in his red eyes. After all of this, they would still stand guard for him? With the chance to leave right at their fingertips, they would choose to stay? Two of the men he knows to be 'guests' and the other must be as well. As for the woman... he could have sworn he saw her in the prisons. Either he's mistaken, or she's a damned fool.

The very thought of it causes the rancor to boil within his gut. They would wouldn't they, those men? An easy sacrifice, when it isn't theirs to make. He knows he doesn't have the time or strength for a prolonged fight, and he has more important things to do than try to attack a man who may be in a state that's unassailable. These people, though... the raw, toxic contempt he feels for them is enough to make him want to kill, just so he never has to see them again.

He may not be able to break through, he may not be able to kill them in the end, but he can try to make them hurt.

He lets out a howling roar of pure fury, a sound too vast and clamorous for his human size. It's not only that, though. It's a psychic attack that radiates towards them, one that could cause stone to crack and machinery to rend, and if not bound by physical barriers. It has defeated men by mere exposure before, but he doesn't know what defenses these otherworldy people may yet present.

This is a beast that has been caged too long.

[This is an attack called "Horrid Roar" which basically does concussive/psychic damage. It's shown in canon exploding robots and dropping mooks with a single hit, not that I expect it to play out that way here - mostly just to give an idea of its potential. Also, going forward I may tag out of order a bit if a person's tag demands a more immediate response from Estinien, just to keep things moving.]

[harmonian]

Sasarai exhales sharply as Estinien is thrown back by a blast of force from someone running up beside him, seemingly answering the call of the young man at his back.

A third figure is here now, too, a woman he hasn't seen before.

He's grateful for their help but there's no time to thank them, there isn't even time for a nod of acknowledgment.

Their attacker is still on his feet and now he is bellowing. Sasarai hears the roar in his mind and body as well as his ears; it is anguish and rage and white-hot fire that burns and lances its way into his very soul.

The True Earth Rune responds, filling his veins with a sensation like cool clay and he can feel its power keep his legs from buckling.

The barrier falls but Sasarai remains standing and focuses on chanting a new spell. He strides to edge of the platform, lifts an arm, and swings it out before him in a low, sweeping gesture.

Following his movement the ground near Estinien starts to rumble and large stones and rocks erupt from beneath the earth and roll towards him. The force of the miniature landslide is not enough to crush Estinien to death if it hits, but Sasarai hopes it will be enough to partially bury him or at the very least sweep him away from the platform and prevent any more terrible howling.

[nightwash]

What the hell is that sound?

"Jesus, Mary, mother of fuck."

It feels like a bomb just went off in his head. Ronan winces and claps his free hand over his left ear, but it's too late and it's not enough to stop the effect — not quite pain, but a fracturing. Stabbing his blade into the platform, he leans his weight on VEXED TO NIGHTMARE because he's sure he'll lose his balance otherwise. If nothing else, he can serve as a meat shield for Ambrose, at least until the disorientation passes.

(( You can skip Ronan for the next round of attacks. ))

[photophobic]

Accustomed to and trained in both psychic attack and the furious power seething in the Dark Side, Estinien's howl is more of a disorienting overload than anything wounding— and Kylo's instinctive, blinded response is to turn it back on its master. Lashing out with a broad sweep of his hand, Kylo hurls the incoming force aside as he staggers the short distance to place himself as shield in front of Ronan.

"Keep your focus," he exhorts him with a hiss past his teeth, squaring himself to face, bear and deflect further attack, should it come. Beyond the words, if he reaches for Kylo with his thoughts Ronan may just be able to hear the unspoken: I've got you.

[vixening]

A damned fool. Yennefer knows what she is doing, knows what she has to accomplish to persuade her way out of the cells themselves. She had needed a way to cement herself as an ally, rather than an enemy, and she'd need something big enough to make it obvious.

Honestly, Yennefer does not hate Estinein like she probably could. If anything, she's almost grateful for it - a scene to prove where she stands, and a reason to use the power she's been cut off from for too long. Too long. Like a dam that had been building for too long, she is just looking for a reason. Anything she can do, just to let it go. Estinien just happens to be that perfect reason.

The amount of magic contained in that single sound catches her, forces her to take a single step back until she can get her bearings. But once she has them, Yennefer's jaw settles, her control over herself centered back. She moves - quickly, because if she doesn't, this will all be for naught, and centers herself in the brunt of Estinien's attack, throwing her hands up and exploding a barrier right back on it.

Her goal is to deflect the brunt of the power off, similar to what she had done before. The power of it is different, stronger, and it takes more out of her to push back, and with the effort it takes to push back, Yennefer feels herself screaming back, her hands thrown out as she pushes back against the brunt of the roar. Back to the attacker, if she can manage it, but more specifically just away from the platform.

[coerthantorment]

Though he gains some satisfaction from their flinches and resistance, it's now that the superior numbers against him become most obvious. None of the other escapees seem interesting in helping - more interested in breaking loose and finding freedom than taking revenge. Maybe he should take a hint from that, a deeper part of him wonders, but the rest can't help but feel a pang of resentment as the feeling.

He's the only one who will do this, he thinks with a clarity and familiarity that is almost violent. He's the only one who will do what needs to be done. He's the only one of his brethren that will take justice.

The staggering rancor of the sentiment shakes him for a moment, sourced from a place both personal and ancient. It staggers him, in the same instant that the fight turns on him. The power of his roar has been interrupted, diverted away from those he would hurt and back in his direction. While it doesn't wound him - it comes from within him, after all - it is a distraction when he needs it least.

The rocks he could deal with - he's familiar with these sort of attacks. His roar comes to a halt as he is forced to move, nimbly aiming to jump over them and away from any retribution. As it turns out, however, that's not the only thing he's contending with. Kylo Ren's's wave of force truncates his escape, snatching away the opportunity to smoothly dodge what's coming.

He collides with one of the boulders, just as another crashes into his back from behind, smaller shards of stone quick to follow. He shrieks, but this time without magical force - it's from pain, plain and simple. He can sense the tides turning against him, and as much as he craves the High Mage's blood, he knows he can't risk being taken out and recaptured.

With another cry of exertion, dark destructive magic bursts from his body, shoving the stones away from him - but not before the impact leaves him flinching and clutching his ribs. He turns to the four defenders, his eyes blazing red.

"ARROGANT WRETCHES...! YOU WILL FALL ALONGSIDE YOUR MASTERS!"

Much like his roar, the words seem bigger than his body, as if spoken by the great beast lurking within. Yet, despite the fury that claws at his heart, he turns to leap through the portal, back to the dungeons and away from Ambrose's faithful.

Their time will come.