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Laesara nodded absently at Odette. “I'm... fine.” she said, frowning. She had never seen one of the creatures of metal and stone, only heard of them. Aevah Avi had forged them, if the rumors were true (and with Laesara's sources, they usually were) and they had turned against their maker.

She caught a glimpse of Odette's gleaming, bladed weapon. “Odette! Wait! They are stone, not flesh!” she sought out the rest of their group: they were ranged combatants, and they needed someone between them and the... Mara.

She saw it approach, its weathered metal glittering dully in the dust-obscured light. She heard screams and she knew it was not alone, that one of the other Mara had found the rest of the group before her. She backed up, standing just in front of – and a little beside – Odette as she readied a throw.

The bone boomerang soared from her hand, clanging against the metal with a hollow, bell-like tone. it is hollow she realized with horror, It is an empty suit of armor and blades. There is no flesh inside it. Only magic... What could she do against such a thing? What could she do against a construct of magic itself.

She threw and threw again, trying to batter it down. She dented it, disfiguring the worked metal of its armor, but what would have disabled or killed a mortal enemy did nothing against the mara and finally – with a purposeful flick of its sword, it knocked her weapon away. The boomerang cursed as it clattered – notched – to the ground and Laesara quickly called it to her.

It's approach did not cease.

It will kill me. It will feel nothing. It will not care. she thought, the phrases coming with the rapid beat of her heart, It is soulless. It is thoughtless. It is an automaton. She brandished her weapon at it as it began to get into sword range.

It is death. she thought, with all the hopeless terror that that implied.

And, sword raised to strike the two girls, it certainly looked the part.

Laesara had never felt so intensely afraid in her life, not even long ago, in that strange time when her world had shifted forever from its normal bounds. But that fear did not cripple her, though she shook with it. With a desperate shout, she cast a spell through her weapon, a spell of light and shielding.

The almost obscenely sharp sword scattered off of the shield, disintegrating it with its force but leaving the two girls alive, for the time being. The Mara began to recover from it's mishap, the cold lights that served it as eyes calculating and reassessing.

Laesara grabbed Odette. “Move!” she implored, trying to drag Odette back and away... She would not die easily... not without a fight or a chase.

(2304/2400)

Captain Nall left the mage to Raemos – the Oblivionite knew his stuff. When the mage fell to rubble, Nall made his move: Raemos went after one of the Mara, and Nall went after the other. He caught a glimpse of two young Orderite girls – a golden one and a pink haired one – before he almost literally crashed into the Mara.

“Pick on someone your own size!” he demanded of the creature, grabbing it and punching it in it's 'head' with a gauntleted hand. Not the smartest thing to do, he knew, but it would distract it long enough for him to figure out some spells – the only way to get a sword to cut through the metal.

It turned to face him, leaving the girls safe from it's blade, and he blocked it's powerful blow with his sword and slashed at the energy that made it up. He knew it was a long shot, but if it worked, that would be excellent. In the meantime, he tried to remember the words that would send his soul into the blade and cut through the steel of the Mara's shell...

Raemos, meanwhile, challenged the other one. It struggled against him, it's orders to do as much damage to the Orderites still in effect. Raemos was an Oblivionite – that did not compute. He was not a priority. Raemos tugged at his magic making it's levitating body wobble as it tried to right itself. That gave Rae an opening: he surrounded it with magic, a cloaking, glomerulous mass of shadow that – slowly – began to crush it like a can of tin. He dodged the tip of it's blade, holding his spell fast and increasing it's pressure until, finally, it buckled and it's animating force left it's damaged body. He released it's crumpled rubble mass and scanned the Orderites. He ignored their looks of fear, his tail twitching with rage at the bodies – so young – of the Orderites – and relief at the lack of harm on those that remained. He gave the group a nod and turned.

The Captain had tried several spells, but he'd never been good with magic. Basic things, sure, but the complicated ones? No sir. That was why he had mages to help him. Except, right now, he needed to remember it, and he kept getting one word wrong. He hastily repeated the spell, again and again, to no avail: he simply didn't remember. He was sweating, tired from the exertion as their swords crashed and crashed and crashed again.

His opponent did not tire.

His opponent did not falter.

“Crap...” he murmured, as the Mara scored a hit. He held the bleeding wound and parried what would have been a finishing blow. “Sargent! A little help...” he called out.

“Yes, sir!” Raemos responded, moving quickly with a flap of his wings, a ball of shadow forming in his hands. He blasted the Mara aside with the solid shadows, and engaged it with the hammer. He whispered the words of the spell – a spell Nall realized was obvious and kicked himself for forgetting – and crashed through the Mara's defenses.

The Mara was pushed further and further from the girls and the group, battling what was suddenly a tougher opponent. Finally, Raemos destroyed it, and it lay shattered and still, it's glowing residue returning from whence it came.

Raemos cringed under a wound that suddenly stung him, one that reminded his old stomach injury of it's pain. He would need to check himself into a healer again. In the meantime though, as the rush of battle slowly faded into dazed exhaustion, he whispered a prayer to Seren...

A prayer of gratitude for the victory. Of peace for the dead. And, also, of mercy, for he knew he was in an awkward situation here, among young Orderites...

It would be best to leave this to Nall.

The Captain turned to the group, holding his wound. “Are all of you...” he took in the bodies, his face grim, “The rest of you... all right?” He gestured to Raemos, “Don't mind Sargent Medrol” he said, dismissively, hoping to defuse anything before it started, “He's with me.”

Alduin had to help, had to do something. He, too, followed the Oblivionite and Orderite who seemed to save the lives of these other Orderites. At first, the Orakoir just watched the battle rage on. Both of the older Magescians were doing most of the work to fend off these metal monstrosities. The Oblivionite crumbled the magical energy within one, causing it's swift death, and the others were fended off by the Captain.

Finally, after much toil, the fight was over. Now Alduin could truly help out any and all injured. "Please, let me help heal anyone who is hurt." he called in a rather scratchy, draconic voice to the Magescians. As they began to line up, he tried his best to produce as much Ysali healing magic as he could, giving them each a small, glowing orb of plant life magic to place upon their wounds.

Meanwhile, Odette was shocked that an Oblivionite would be able to do so much damage. "I-I'm fine. I'll speak with their Khehora companion in a moment..." she told her newfound friend, Laesara. "But...what's an Oblivionite doing on Orderite soil? Aevah wouldn't be pleased...and why did he help us?" she asked in a hushed tone. Sure, he had just saved their lives along with the Captain, but he was an Oblivionite nevertheless. As she grew within the Orderite community she realized how much hatred they had for the Oblivionites and vice versa. So, why was one helping them? She shook herself from staring at the Oblivionite, and realized she hadn't asked how Laesara was. "Ack, Laesara, you're bleeding. Are you alright? Lets get you over to the healer." she said upon seeing the blood.

"K-Khehora! Over here, please!" she called.

Alduin heard the call and finished with the orb he had been working on. Then quickly galloped over to the two Orderites who had yet to get any healing. "Ahh, I see your wounds...here, let me help." he stated to Laesara. His eyes glowed a light green a moment as he produced an orb of light green magic which floated within his mouth. Once large enough to distribute, he did so, making the orb float over to the girl's injured side. He then created another small orb, giving it to Odette. "I'm Alduin, a Ysali Orakoir with the Okkovo Clan. If you need anything else, I'm at your service." he said with a quick, dipping bow of his head.

"Thank you so much for your help. I feel much better. I'm Odette, and this is Laesara. Orderites from Ashen City." she stated.

"Very nice to meet you both." the Khehora stated with a grin.

Odette just smiled, looking back at her friend. "Are you feeling any better?" she asked, concerned.

((Word Count: 3026/2900))

"The pleasure is all mine, miss Laesara," the Khehora stated, turning his attention to the others who no doubt needed him as well. It wouldn't be long and the rest of these Magescians would be healed up as well. Though it tuckered the Khehora out to use so much magic, it was worth it in the end. He knew that he needed to help in any way possible.

---

Odette chuckled at her companions jokes. At least the two of them were safe. Her first class, yes, it was definitely not what she had expected, that much was for sure. "I'm just glad we're both safe."

It was only then that she decided to talk to the Oblivionite. She approached with caution as the Captain chatted with her teacher. "So...I guess gratitude is in order. Thank you for saving us. Though I'm not sure what you're doing out here. You're an Oblivionite, yet you're dressed in a Guardian uniform. What's up with that?" the girl questioned with apprehension and attitude. She wasn't just curious, she was slightly taken aback by his very presence.

Raemos' tail flicked, an impulse he tried to surpress as he watched the aftermath of the battle wind down. His focus was on the Captain, however, and so he was taken by surprise when the young Orderite girl spoke to him. His carefully trained and disciplined dignity, however, meant that his features remained schooledly neutral, but his wings fluttered in surprise, rustling dryly against themselves.

“Your appreciation is noted.” he said dryly, inclining his head in a bow, “But I was merely doing my duty.” The last remark was almost bitter. He would like to be doing more than his duty. He would have liked to follow his heart and say that it was his pleasure to save the children from such a nefarious threat, because it was. He would have liked to say that it not him but Seren's mercy that had saved him, and that he was merely Her instrument. But he could not say that, because of what he was.

“I am, indeed, an Oblivionite. Full-blooded.” if she had had any doubts. “Oblivionites are permitted in the Guardians, so long as they follow the philosophy of the guild.” he related, “The guild has branches in Soldul - where Orderites are unwelcome, and Eowyn – where many races reside. I am from Eowyn.” He waited patiently, for her next question... should it come.