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Rei grinned, fingering through the pages on the Erebus tome, watching the runes flash with energy that was sweeping the pages. As the magic fleeted from the page, it turned to the next, with magic continuing to brim from the tome. Hearing the taunts of an unknown, but surely smug voice, Rei chuckled, taking out a second tome: Fenrir.

Silently complying with Kishuna, Rei fired another volley of three tendrils, making them weave back and forth, between the groups of Amelia, Rhys and Kishuna, and Sue and Ninian. The first headed straight for the Bishop's group, while the second went to the women, weaving between the two before returning to the earth. The third, however, went around a faroff route, sneaking up behind Amelia and company while they sit unawares of the attack, fretting over Ninian and Sue.

While the first attack dissipated, Rei put away the Erebus tome, putting his focus on Fenrir. Quickly dodging to another tree, Rei prepared another spell, a smile on his face as dark flames encircled the assailants.

Rhys felt tired. Oh, so tired. He mentally cursed himself for not thinking to draw out the Shine tome sooner. As it stood, now he'd have difficulty casting. Still, at least he still had his senses, detecting more dark lances heading straight for them. "Move aside," he gasped, then dove off to the right as the energy disappeared into the ground where he'd been kneeling.

He then paused, reaching out. What's he doing next? There's another blast, but... where's it going? I can't tell... and...

Dark flames began to circle everyone.

Uh oh.

He focused once more, drawing in what will he had left. It wouldn't KILL him, but he couldn't exactly get out of the way. At least he'd have more time to gather better mental defenses...

As Ninian began to dance, Rhys felt his mind sort of... strengthen. It was as though external barriers were being erected around it, ready to take the brunt of the attack. Combined with his will, the barriers felt pretty solid.

Whatever flames could reach Rhys did, and Rhys cringed slightly, the dark energy slamming into the mental defenses. Unlike Erebus, Fenrir was a powerful attack--the defenses couldn't stop all of it, and Rhys could feel the flames licking at his flesh, leaving burn marks on his arms and face.

Afterward, he managed to stand up again--if he had to, he could always get sick later from fatigue. But Rei had made one mistake... Fenrir took quite a bit of magic to work, and magic needed a source. Tracing the remnants of dark magic, Rhys at last opened Shine. Focusing on the words within and locking onto the source, the shadows around Rei brightened drastically, then converged on him. If nothing else, he was now revealed.

The dark flames ripped through Ninian, burning. Her dance was left unfinished, but she had done what she had wanted to accomplish; Rhys had been strengthed enough to at least survive the attack, although there were magical burns on his face and arms. Rei's spell sent Ninian to her knees. She took comfort in that she had faced worse pain, hotter fire. this wasn't so bad, compared to that. She could take this.

Tossing her mantle in a high loop, she rolled and stood, catching the cloth with a practiced easy, ignoring the ache from the spell. She needed to help her friends--Rhys was hurt, although Kishuna seemed to be fine--the magic hadn't affected him. She ignored his taunting words; they didn't matter.

She stretched her arms out, stepping forward, sideways, and back again, keeping the mantle in motion. A light brush of her fingers caused another ring to glow as she started the steps of her dance, the power of Filla's Might appearing in small lights around the dancer. A twist of her wrist and the mantle was in the air again, the lights floating over to Rhys. The Bishop had only just started casting a spell; experience told Ninian he meant to attack.

Rei took a step back into the trees as he saw Ed rushing towards him. Ignoring the others, who were more or less occupied, Rei conjured another round of Fenrir, encircling Ed with the entirety of the flames.

"C'mon, sit, doggy! Sit still and die!"

Amelia felt pathetic, out of range of Rei's Fenrir, but unable to aid her comrades in any way. Kishuna was perfectly fine, using his abilities as a Magic Seal to step effortlessly through the flames and goad Rei on. Rhys, Ninian, and Sue, however, had to buckle down and brace themselves. "Tch...!" she breathed uselessly, looking back to the trees. Where was Rei? Where was he casting from? Startle the caster, interrupt the spell, lessen the effects...

Ninian had continued dancing, imbuing Rhys once again with spiritual power. Amelia afforded a small glance to them, checking that they were all right; they seemed burned, but were still standing easily, and the red lights floating to Rhys' body told Amelia that his strength was being boosted. Thank you, Ninian, Amelia thought, turning back. Her presence was really a boon.

She really did not expect to see Ed rush in so suddenly, back in wolf form. Amelia ran behind her, knowing that her senses were much, much stronger than hers. Maybe she expected Rei to be exposed, what with the burst of light that had illuminated the trees, and now Ed's nose tracking Rei down, but before the Druid could be revealed to her eyes, another Fenrir had come, surrounding the black wolf with flames.

"Rei, let her go!" Amelia roared, gripping her Javelin tighter. One arm pulled back, ready to throw the Javelin into the trees, following only his voice, but then the distraction came.

"Why, hello there..."

Her eyes turned just long enough to see Nils' hand gripping the Dragonstone around his neck, and Amelia turned her gaze back to Rei. She paused. A beat passed, and her eyes went back. In those few moments, standing in the small bard's place was the teal ice dragon she knew he could be; that form had been one of their main driving forces during the assault of the clock tower beast at Christmas.

However, this time, he wasn't on their side.

No time to think. No time to run. Amelia only had enough time to bring her Javelin back to her and hold it before her, bracing herself as the icy dragon's breath swept into her, knocking the breath from her body and her feet from below her. The General landed on her rear end after being blown back some feet, exposed skin heavily cut by the freezing breath, chilled down to the bone. When the attack was over, she was alive, certainly, but shaking hard enough to knock the teeth from her jaw, bits of ice strewn through her hair and stuck to the metal of her armor, doing little to keep her from freezing. Her knees were shaking when she stood back up, Javelin in hand again, but she stood nonetheless. A heavy breath came from her lungs as she glared at Nils. This time the Javelin actually left her hand, flying for his left shoulder.

[[...And now I log off whyamIonlineat6:35AM.]]

(Umm... not to be rude, but I also attacked Rei. If it's easier to just say "it didn't happen", though, that's fine.)

Shortly after firing the arrow that must have severely weakened its target, hopefully, Sue whirled around to discover the dragon 'child', Nils in his full-fledged ice-dragon form. She'd seen fire dragons, but none of them were this big... and they were only spawns of Idoun's ire. Nils was the real thing.... "Oh.. FD, where are you now?" she thought as she prepared to draw Myulgre.

{Rhys, I don't see a problem. I know in the game, we can't go at the same time... but this isn't the game. We can both strike at once.}