Don't kill her. Isolde let out a snort as she struck the mark, quickly wrenching her crest out of the flesh it'd pierced with a loud, sputtering hiss. She wouldn't kill her, then. But, he said run or fight, and she certainly wasn't going to run now, even as Aethereal screamed over them.

"NO RUNNING," droned Isolde, who sounded more like a pool sign than a screaming beast. Rearing up, she kicked uselessly in the air before diving back down as her mouth opened too wide with a sickening rrrriiiiipp. A dance to the side, following that leg as Aetheral turned, Isolde lunged forward to wrap her tentacle-like, tooth-lined jaws around Aethereal's leg.

@Aethereal
Round 3/?
Attempt: Wrap her jaws around Aethereal's wounded leg
Defense: -
Injuries: Still a little wheezy/quiet from black winds, probably + bruised from it
(also definitely leaving herself open to an attack!)

The barest bit of relief flashed through her. However aggressive they were being, at least they didn't intend to kill her. Injury, though, seemed to be fair game: the proof was in the Oil that oozed from the stab and the radiating pain that flared if she tried to put weight on the leg.

Aethereal's paw met a sticky, resistant mass, and she grunted with surprise. The substance coated her claws and dulled the blow, which was definitely not what was supposed to happen when you hit a deer. Had this one lied about that, too? Rage bubbled up within her. As if she didn't already have enough illusion in her life to begin with.

As if on cue, there came the distant discordant roar of warring beasts. Though they started muffled and far away, they rapidly drew closer, descending upon the group in a thrashing mess of tangled wings and deadly claws. They ripped and tore each other, the air around them was turbulent with their frenzied fighting and magical flame that burned burned BURNED as it touched her shoulder and spread over her body, consuming every inch of her skin and fur and would it ever stop-

Her breath came in wheezing gasps, her sides heaving with distress. She was on fire and they latched onto her leg and she could not balance she fell to the ground and they would not let her run, they would not let her run the aliens would tear her apart SHE HAD TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!

Mother, she thought desperately. Help me! But the fungus was out of her, erupted in patches of white mold on the grass, and no answer was forthcoming. What betrayal is this? Aethereal thought bitterly, abandoned in her hour of need. All around her burned the flames of war and the shrieks of dying monsters and she would be next SHE COULD NOT BE NEXT—

Desperately, Aethereal seized at her magic. It came slowly and reluctantly, but it came. The air began to gradually condense, the pressure intensifying. It was a messy cast. She had little control now, and the area of effect was haphazard. She was too close to her targets, and she would feel its vice-like grip on her own leg, the same one Isolde was holding onto. But she held on, because to her it seemed like her only chance.

@Tahi-shei
Round 4/?
Attempt: thin air didn't work so how 'bout thick air this time
Defense: ha
Injuries: Burned wing, stabbed and bitten leg, currently hallucinating, everything hurts from the purge, about to break her own leg if the magic continues

"NOW EVERYONE GET BACK!" he shouted, not moving from his own position. Just as he said it, the air became crushing. He was light-headed and staggered, stumbling, in pain, desperate -- he couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. It was back. The air felt heavy, and he-- he almost imagined he could taste ozone. He felt panic, but there was no tingling fire of lightning and rage and instead he focused on James for a moment. And looked back to Aethereal, body no longer lit up by fungus. Once again, he was seeing her in silhouette.

She was, he realized then, a child. Suddenly, his guilt was... immense.

He knew the magic he was attempting on the thrashing, panicked creature -- it would alter her mind like Mother did, and make her trust him, at least for as long as he could keep it up. It would give him time to... to explain, to apologize, to be believed. Hopefully. He would help her, now -- even though he'd hurt her terribly already. It wasn't mind control, but it was damn near close.

"S-Stop," he gasped. "Plea- please, sto--" He gasped desperately. He couldn't do anything until she calmed the hell down. (Although, he couldn't hold her panic and anger against her -- they were attacking her, after all.)

Round: 4/?
Attempt: Make her more agreeable.
Defense: Partial Inky Cap
Injuries: Touched. Bruised from his fall. Dizzy and bruised from Black Winds.


@james
@aethereal

James had touched her. James had purged her of Mother. In the soil the fungus was dead and dying and he'd succeeded.

"Tahi! I-", he cried out, turning towards him, only for his next breath to be impossible to take.

He staggered and fell to his knees, thrashing about helplessly as he suffocated. He managed to collect his magic and summoned a shield around him, blocking off the magic and making him suddenly gasp, air returning to his lungs. He coughed and panted, getting to his feet as he sluggishly cantered towards Tahi, trying to get him out of there.

He was bruised and battered, more than he'd ever been in his- no, that wasn't true. He'd taken that dive off that cliff all those cycles ago. Ugh.

@Isolde

Round: 4/?
Attempt: Block the Blackwinds from suffocating him
Defense: Shield of the Seven
Injuries: Touched, bruised from a crash landing and Black Winds.

Isolde had latched and lodged her teeth in, wrapped like two cords around Aethereal's legs. She couldn't see from this angle- her eyes were angled somewhere off in the distance, but she could see another set of the Valkhound's limbs moving, could see the bright grass, could see the trees surrounding the knoll.

What she couldn't see was the slow pressure that pressed her down, her jaw unlatching as she pressed back, hugging the ground. Her jaws worked like two snakes when the pressure increased to too high- one set of teeth pierced into the bed of her bottom jaw, and her eyes squeezed shut as she let out a dog whistle of a whine.

What was this? Was she going to die? All four eyes flicked open as she fell to the dirt, compressed into it as her limbs splayed out all around her. She could feel pain spreading out over her skin, coursing through her, and her whine rose another octave as she struggled to barely raise her head to look at Aethereal. What was she doing? What was this magic? She struggled to bring in air to her spiracles, the trachea inside flexing wrong.

There was nothing she could do, and she could feel tears bead at her eyes as she laid there.

@Aethereal
Round 4/?
Attempt: curl up to not get AS hurt
Defense: -
Injuries: c r u m p l e d

Aethereal's own magic wrapped around her leg and squeezed, aggravating the wounds already there. The spell, used for offensive purposes, was ten times worse than any passive consequence she had ever experienced because of it. The edges of her stab wound burned, leaking Oil, and the dozen little punctures from Isolde's teeth each sent their own flare of pain cutting through her. Her bones themselves felt as though they might give way if the pressure continued to grip them.

So when Isolde fell away and Tahi-shei gasped at her to stop, Aethereal did not need to be told twice. She felt a sense of relief almost immediately as the magic lifted away, though black blood still dripped from her wounds. She had a hunch that the deer was not her enemy anymore, at least not right now. They were all of them about to become victims of this alien war, and the only way to survive was to fend off the monsters together.

She staggered upright, putting her weight on her five uninjured legs, and took a swipe at a monster she felt lunging for her neck. "Drive them away," she hissed at three non-aliens, "and we can get out of here together."

@Tahi-shei
Round 5/5, probably (also tagging GM right after this for Dark's Mystery Information)
Attempt: get away from me, nonexistent violent monsters
Defense: hoping for the best
Injuries: burned wing, hallucinating an alien war, stabbed, bitten, and Black Winds'ed leg

They had come as quickly as they could--but still, it might be too late.

Some four feet long, jet black fur and wild eyes, their wings beating frantically: five dragonbats, white tufts of Mother protruding from jaws and ears, nostrils here and there.



They were her infected.

They were her soldiers.

A clan--one of many--hidden away for situations such as this... and the closest, perhaps, to Aethereal when she'd been attacked. But it had taken them time to get here. When they arrived, in a flurry of wing-leather, they knew what to go for: slashing claws and screeches and rending fangs, aimed for James and for Tahi-shei both. There were five of them, all told. It was clear what their intentions were: to hold them off, for Aethereal to flee.

Or even, if they could, to kill.

@Tahi-shei @James

He saw the fungus in the nearest tunnel before he heard the cries. "James. Get Isra, no matter what it costs you. Tell her the Hive is here." It was a grim order -- Tahi-shei still couldn't see her from across the river, since there weren't really any spores in the Palace. "Aethereal, flee into that cave. As fast as you possibly can. Keep going, and do not stop. When you get to the next one, tell Master Vargas that Tahi-shei needs help now, and beg him to let you hide there. Do not tell him that Mother had you." He looked towards Isolde.

"You as well, dear. You might want to run, now."

He returned his attention to the bats, right as they drew up to meet him. Whirling and flying and violent. "DO NOT LET THEM TOUCH YOU!" he roared, a desperate plea, as spores, blessed spores, showered out to meet him -- hopefully, hitting all of the bats. He didn't expect that they'd be smart enough to cast spells. At worst, the nausea and drowsiness would hit the others -- but hopefully, blessedly, if there were any mercy in this world, they'd get far enough away from him in the meantime that he could save them in his next chance.

Round: 1/? or 5/? i'm not sure
Attempt: Stinkhorn the Dragon Bats -- slow them the hell down! (nausea and drowsiness)
Defense: Partial Inky Cap
Injuries: Touched. Bruises absolutely all over; he's gonna feel this in the morning. If he's still kicking, anyway.

@james
@aethereal

James looked up in horror as the bats came down, his attention split. Aethereal was struggling, Isolde was hurting, and Tahi was telling him to run.

He was frozen in place, ears pinned, legs stiff, heart beating loudly in his ears. Everything seemed to speed up and slow down at the same time as he looked towards everyone, amber eyes wide. His legs moved before he did and he was running, lungs burning as he ran for the Palace.

"I'm sorry!", he gasped, praying that Tahi knew what he was doing.

Darling flew in beside him and he realized, oh yeah, he's got wings. He took flight and streaked across the turf, headed for Isra.

A shield formed around him, the spell as faithful as ever as he flew towards the palace as quick as possible. He had to hope Isra would come to their aid.

@Isolde

Round: 5/? (or 1/?)
Attempt: Make a shield to block any stray dragonbats
Defense: Shield of the Seven
Injuries: Touched, bruised from a crash landing and Black Winds.

The winds let up as the valkhound reared back, fighting in the air, and Isolde was stunned. She survived. A rattling breath ran through her spiracles as she drew her aching limbs in close again, eyes shut as her mouth rezipped itself and languidly drew up.

She made it. But, now, the beast was still thrashing, and Isolde drew back, holding a front limb up as she sat back.

"There's nothing," she hissed out, rattling, and half-coughed.

Until there was something. James-friend was talking, ordering, and Isolde whipped her head to watch, owlish. James had already begun to fly off. James-friend was telling her what to do. The beast, well- it was doing something, but Isolde had back-pedalled away from her as she struggled to make sense of the situation.

The time to fight was over, and now she needed to run. She could feel her joints ache and complain as she got to her feet as quick as she could, stumbling briefly as she gained her balance. She had to run. Her mind raced as she lurched forward, large wings snapping out to catch air beneath them and head to wherever Tahi-shei had pointed.

The instructions weren't for her, but she was certainly going to get out of this cave, for now. Who knew how far those beasts could track her!

@Aethereal
Round: 5/? ? (is she even fighting anymore, who knows-)
Attempt: Flee
Defense: -
Injuries: Still a bit crumpled

;attempted exit?